“As this is the case,” added the sultan, “I must resort to other means to determine the choice I ought to make; and as there is time enough between now and night, I will do it to-day. Go and procure each of you a bow and arrow, and repair to the plain where the horses are exercised. I will soon join you, and will give the Princess Nouronnihar to him who shoots the farthest.”
The three princes had nothing to object to the decision of the sultan. When they were dismissed from his presence, they each provided themselves with a bow and arrow, and went to the plain appointed, followed by a great concourse of people.
As soon as the sultan arrived, Prince Houssain, as the eldest, took his bow and arrow, and shot first. Prince Ali shot next, and much beyond him, and Prince Ahmed last of all; but it so happened that nobody saw where his arrow fell; and notwithstanding all the search made by himself and the spectators, it was not to be found. So the sultan determined in favor of Prince Ali, and gave orders for preparations to be made for the wedding of him and Nouronnihar, which was celebrated a few days after with great magnificence.
Prince Houssain would not honor the feast with his presence. His love for the princess was so sincere and ardent that he could scarcely support with patience the mortification of seeing her marry Prince Ali, who, he said, did not deserve her better nor love her more than himself. In short, his grief was so great that he left the court, and renounced all right of succession to the crown, to turn dervish, and put himself under the discipline of a famous holy man, who had gained great reputation for his holy life.
Prince Ahmed, from the same motive, did not assist at Prince Ali and the Princess Nouronnihar’s nuptials any more than his brother Houssain, yet did not renounce the world as he had done. But as he could not imagine what had become of his arrow, he resolved to search for it. With this intent he went to the place where the Princes Houssain’s and Ali’s were picked up, and proceeding straightforward thence, looked carefully on both sides as he advanced. He went so far that at last he began to think his labor was in vain; yet he felt compelled to proceed, till he came to some steep craggy rocks, which completely prevented any further progress.
At the very foot of these rocks he perceived an arrow, which, to his great astonishment, he found to be the same he had shot. “Certainly,” said he to himself, “neither I nor any man living could shoot an arrow so far. There must be come mystery in this; and perhaps fortune, to make amends for depriving me of what I thought the greatest happiness of my life, may have reserved a greater blessing for my comfort.”
On looking about, the prince beheld an iron door, which seemed to be locked; but on his pushing against it, it opened, and revealed a staircase, which he walked down with his arrow in his hand. At first he thought he was going into a dark place, but presently he was surrounded by light, and beheld a splendid palace, the admirable structure of which he had not time to look at; for at the same instant a lady of majestic air, and of a beauty heightened by the richness of the jewels which adorned her person, advanced, attended by a troop of ladies, who were scarcely less magnificently dressed than their mistress.
As soon as Ahmed perceived the lady, he hastened to pay his respects; but the lady, addressing him first, said, “Enter, Prince Ahmed, you are welcome.”
After these words the lady led Prince Ahmed into a grand hall. She then sat down on a sofa; and when the prince, at her entreaty, had seated himself by her, she continued, “You know that the world is inhabited by genii as well as men; I am Perie Banou, the daughter of one of the most powerful of these genii. I am no stranger to your loves or your travels. The artificial apple which you bought at Samarcand, the carpet which Prince Houssain purchased at Bisnagar, and the tube which Prince Ali brought from Shiraz were of my contrivance. You seemed to me worthy of a better fate than to marry the Princess Nouronnihar; and that you might attain to it, I caused your arrow to fly out of sight, and to strike against the rocks near which you found it. It is in your power to avail yourself of the favorable opportunity which presents itself to make you happy.”
As the fairy Perie Banou pronounced the last words with a different tone, and after looking tenderly at the prince, sat with downcast eyes and a modest blush on her cheeks, it was not difficult for him to comprehend what happiness she meant; and he replied, “Could I have the pleasure of making you the partner of my life, I should think myself the happiest of men.”