“Rustem said, ‘Do not trouble yourself; no man dares to be wroth with me.’ Nevertheless, he bade them saddle Raksh and set out with his companions.
“When they came near the king’s palace, a great company of nobles rode out to meet them, and conducted them to the king, and they paid their homage to him. But the king turned away from them in a rage. ‘Who is Rustem,’ he cried, ‘that he forgets his duty to me, and disobeys my commands? If I had a sword in my hand this moment, I would cut off his head, as a man cuts an orange in half. Take him, hang him up alive on gallows, and never mention his name again in my presence.’
“Giv answered, ‘Sir, will you lay hands upon Rustem?’ The king burst out again in rage against Giv and Rustem, crying to one of his nobles, ‘Take these two villains and hang them alive on gallows.’ And he rose up from his throne in fury.
“The noble to whom he had spoken laid his hand upon Rustem, wishing to lead him out of the king’s presence, lest Kaoos in his rage should do him an injury. But Rustem cried out, ‘What a king are you! Hang this Tartar, if you can, on your gallows. Keep such things for your enemies. All the world has bowed itself before me and Raksh, my horse. And you—you are king by my grace.’
“Thus speaking, he struck away the hand that the noble had laid upon him so fiercely that the man fell headlong to the ground, and he passed over his body to go from the presence of the king. And as he mounted on Raksh, he cried: ‘What is Kaoos that he should deal with me in this fashion? It is God who has given me strength and victory, and not he or his army. The nobles would have given me the throne of Persia long since, but I would not receive it; I kept the right before my eyes. Verily, had I not done so, you, Kaoos, would not be sitting upon the throne.’ Then he turned to the Persians that stood by, and said, ‘This brave Tartar will come. Look out for yourselves how you may save your lives. Me you shall see no more in the land of Persia.’
“The Persians were greatly troubled to hear such words; for they were sheep, and Rustem was their shepherd. So the nobles assembled, and said to each other: ‘The king has forgotten all gratitude and decency. Does he not remember that he owes to Rustem his throne—nay, his very life? If the gallows be Rustem’s reward, what shall become of us?’
“So the oldest among them came and stood before the king, and said: ‘O king, have you forgotten what Rustem has done for you and this land—how he conquered Mazanieran and its king and the White Genius; how he gave you back the sight of your eyes? And now you have commanded that he shall be hanged alive upon a gallows. Are these fitting words for a king?’
“The king listened to the old man, and said: ‘You speak well. The words of a king should be words of wisdom. Go now to Rustem, and speak good words to him, and make him forget my anger.’
“So the old man rode after Rustem, and many of the nobles went with him. When they had overtaken him, the old man said, ‘You know that the king is a wrathful man, and that in his rage he speaks hard words. But you know also that he soon repents. But now he is ashamed of what he said. And if he has offended, yet the Persians have done no wrong that you should thus desert them.’
“Rustem answered, ‘Who is the king that I should care for him? My saddle is my throne and my helmet is my crown, my corselet is my robe of state. What is the king to me but a grain of dust? Why should I fear his anger? I delivered him from prison; I gave him back his crown. And now my patience is at an end.’