The king ordered a new grand palace to be built and furnished with carpets, and kept the four Darweshes in it; when he was disengaged from the affairs of state, he used to go there, sit with them, and to provide everything for them and wait on them; but on the first Thursday night of every month the same cloud descended, and took away the prince, and after keeping him two days, it used to bring him back, with such rich toys and rarities of every country, and of every description, in his cradle, that on beholding them, the minds of the spectators were confounded with astonishment. In this manner, the prince reached in safety his seventh year; on the birthday the king Azad Bakht said to the Darweshes, "O holy men, I cannot conceive who carries the prince away and brings him back; it is very wonderful; let us see what will be the end of it." The Darweshes said, "Do one thing; write a friendly note to this purport, and put it into the prince's cradle, viz.:—'Having seen your friendship and kindness [to my son], my heart wishes most anxiously to meet you, and if by way of amity you favour me with your tidings, my heart will be highly gratified, and my wonder will cease.'" The king, according to the Darweshes' advice, wrote a note to this purport on paper sprinkled with gold, and put it in the golden cradle.
The prince, according to custom, disappeared; and in the evening Azad Bakht was sitting with the Darweshes and conversing with them, when a folded paper fell near the king; he opened it and read it, and found that it was an answer to his note; these two lines were written in it: "Conceive me likewise anxious to see you; a throne goes for you; it is best that you should come now, that we may meet; all the preparations of enjoyment are ready; your majesty's place alone is empty." The king Azad Bakht took the Darweshes with him, and ascended the celestial throne; it was like the throne of Solomon, and mounted into the air; proceeding on, it descended in a place where grand edifices and sumptuous preparations appeared; but it could not be perceived if any one was there or not. In the meantime some one rubbed the eyes of all five with the surma of Sulaiman; two drops of tears fell from the eyes of each, and they saw an assembly of the fairies, who were waiting to receive them, dressed in rich habits of various colours, with vials of rose-water in their hands.
Azad Bakht advanced amidst two rows consisting of thousands of fairy-born creatures, standing in respectful order, and in the centre was placed an elevated throne inlaid with emeralds, on which was seated leaning on pillows, with an air of great dignity, Malik Shah Bal, the son of Shah-rukh; a beautiful little girl of the fairy race was seated before him, and was playing with the young prince Bakhtiyar. Chairs and seats were arranged in rows on both sides of the throne, on which the nobles of the fairy race were seated. Malik Shah Bal stood up on seeing the king Azad Bakht and descended from his throne and embraced him, and taking him by the hand, he seated him on the throne by the side of himself, and they began to converse together with much cordiality; the whole day passed in feasting and hilarity, and music and dancing. The second day, when the two kings met, Shah Bal asked Azad Bakht the reason for bringing the Darweshes with him.
Azad Bakht related fully their adventures as he had previously learned, and interceded for them, and asked [the king's] assistance, saying, "These have undergone many hardships, and suffered great misfortunes; and if now, through your favour, they attain their wishes, it will be an act of great merit, and I also will be grateful for it through life; by your kind assistance they will all reach the summit of their desires." Malik Shah Bal, after hearing [these adventures, replied, "Most willingly; I will not fail to obey your commands." Saying this, he looked sternly at the divs and fairies [who were present], and he wrote letters to the great jinns, who were chiefs in different places, and ordered them, that on receiving his commands, they must repair speedily to the presence, and if any one should delay in coming, he should be punished, and brought as captive; and that whoever possessed any persons of the human species, male or female, he must bring them along with him; that if jinn] having concealed any one, should detain the same, and it be known hereafter, the concealer and his wife and family shall be exterminated, and no vestige of them will remain.
Receiving these written orders, the divs were dispatched in all directions. A great warmth of friendship arose between the two kings, and they passed their time in amicable conversation, amidst which Malik Shah Bal, turning round to the Darweshes, said, "I had a great wish to have children, and had resolved, if God gave me a son or a daughter, to marry it to the offspring of some king of the human race. After this resolve, I learned that my wife was pregnant; at last, after counting with anxiety each day and hour, the full period arrived, and this girl was born. According to my determination, I ordered the jinns to search the four corners of the world, and that whatever king had a prince born to him, to bring the child quickly to me with care; agreeably to my orders, the jinns flew instantly to the four corners of the earth, and after some delay, brought this young prince to me.
"I thanked God, and took the child in my lap, and loved it dearer than my own daughter; I could not bring myself to separate him from my sight for a moment, but used to send him back for this reason, that if his parents did not see him, they would be greatly afflicted. For this reason I sent for him once every month, and after keeping him with me a few days, I sent him back. If it please God the Most High, now that we have met, I will marry them to each other; all are liable to death, then let us, whilst we are alive, see their marriage performed."
The king Azad Bakht, on hearing this proposal of Shah Bal's, and seeing his amiable qualities, was greatly pleased and said, "At first the prince's disappearance and re-appearance raised very strange aprehensions in my breast, but I am now, from your conversation, easy in my mind, and perfectly satisfied; this son is now yours; do with him whatever you please." In short, the intercourse between the two kings was like that of sugar and milk, and they fully enjoyed themselves. In the space of less than ten days, mighty kings of the race of the jinns, from the rose garden of Iram, [404] and from mountains and islands, (to call whom the fairies had been dispatched) all arrived at the court [of Shah Bal]. In the first place, Maliki Sadik was ordered to produce the human creature he had in his possession; he was much vexed at it, and sad, but having no remedy, he produced the rosy-cheeked fair one [the blind man's daughter]. Next, he demanded of the king of 'Umman [405] the daughter of one of the jinns for whom the prince of Nimroz, the bull rider, went mad; he likewise made many excuses, but produced her at last. When the daughter of the king of the Franks and Bihzad Khan were demanded, all present denied having any knowledge of them, and swore by Solomon [to that effect].
At last, when the king of the sea of Kulzum was asked if he knew anything of them, he hung down his head, and remained silent. Malik Shah Bal had a deference for him, and entreated him to give them up, and gave him hopes of future favour and even threatened him. Then he also joined his hands together, and said, "Please your majesty, the particulars of that circumstance are as follows:—When the king [of Persia] came to the river Kulzum to meet his son, and the prince from eagerness plunged his horse into the flood, it chanced that I had gone out that day to roam about and to hunt. I passed by the place, and the cavalcade stopped to behold the scene. When the princess's mare carried her also into the stream, my looks met hers, and I was enchanted, and gave instant orders to the fairy race to bring her to me, together with the mare. Bihzad Khan plunged in also after her on horseback; I admired his bravery and gallantry, and had him seized likewise; I took him with me, and returned home; so they are both safe, and with me."
Saying this, he sent for them both before Malik Shah Bal. Great search had been made for the daughter of the king of Syria, and strict inquiries were put to all present, but no one acknowledged having her, or knowing anything about her. Malik Shah Bal then asked if any king or chief was absent, and if all were arrived; the jinns answered, "Mighty sire, all are present except one named Musalsal Jadu, who has erected a fort on the mountain Kaf by the means of magic; he, from haughtiness, is not come, and we, your majesty's slaves, are not able to bring him by force; the place is strong, and he himself also is a great devil."
On hearing this, Malik Shah Bal was very angry, and an army of jinns, 'afrits and fairies were sent with orders, that if he came of his own accord, and brought the princess with him, well and good, but otherwise subdue him, and bring him tied by the neck and heels, and raze his fort to the ground, and drive the plough, drawn by an ass, over it. Immediately, on the orders being given, such numbers of troops flew to the place, that in a day or two the rebellious haughty chief was brought in irons to the presence. Malik Shah Bal repeatedly asked about the princess, but the haughty rebel gave no reply. The king at length got angry, and ordered him to be cut to pieces, and his skin stretched and filled with chaff; [406] a body of fairies were ordered to go to the mountain of Kaf, and search for the princess; they went and found her, and brought her to Malik Shah Bal. All these prisoners and the four Darweshes, seeing the strict orders and justice of the king Shah Bal, were greatly rejoiced, and admired him highly; the king Azad Bakht was also much pleased. Malik Shah Bal then ordered the men to the palace, and the women to the royal seraglio; the city was ordered to be illuminated, and the preparations for the marriages to be quickly completed; [all was instantly made ready], as if the order alone was wanted to be given.