Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the fowl ceased not flying with Janshah two full days; till it reached the spot where the nest was, and set him down there and said, “O Janshah, this is where our nest was.” He wept sore and replied, “I pray thee bear me farther on to where thy parents used to forage for food.” The bird consented; so it took him up again and flew on with him seven nights and eight days, till it set him down on the top of a high hill Karmús hight and left him there saying, “I know of no land behind this hill.” Then it flew away and Janshah sat down on the hill-top and fell asleep. When he awoke, he saw a something gleaming afar off as it were lightning and filling the firmament with its flashings; and he wondered what this sheen could be without wotting that it was the Castle he sought. So he descended the mountain and made towards the light, which came from Takni, the Castle of Jewels, distant two months’ journey from Karmús, the hill whereon he had alit and its foundations were fashioned of red rubies and its buildings of yellow gold. Moreover, it had a thousand turrets builded of precious metals, and stones of price studded and set in the minerals brought from the Main of Murks, and on this account it was named the Castle of Jewels, Takni. It was a vast great castle and the name of its king was King Shahlan, the father of the lady Shamsah and her sisters. Such was the case with Janshah; but as regards Princess Shamsah, when she fled from Janshah, she made straight for the Castle of Jewels and told her father and mother all that had passed between the Prince and herself; how he had wandered the world and seen its marvels and wonders and how fondly he loved her and how dearly she loved him. Quoth they, “Thou hast not dealt righteously with him, as Allah would have thee deal.” Moreover King Shahlan repeated the story to his guards and officers of the Marids of the Jinn and bade them bring him every mortal they should see. For the lady Shamsah had said to her parents, “Janshah loveth me with passionate love and forsure he will follow me; for when flying from his father’s roof I cried to him:—An thou love me, seek me at Takni, the Castle of Jewels!” Now when Janshah beheld that sheen and shine, he made straight for it wishing to find out what it might be. And as chance would have it, Shamsah had that very day despatched a Marid on an occasion in the direction of the hill Karmus, and on his way thither he caught sight of a man, a mortal; so he hastened up to him and saluted him. Janshah was terrified at his sight, but returned his salam, and the Marid asked, “What is thy name?” and he answered, “My name is Janshah, and I have fallen madly in love with a Jinniyah known as Princess Shamsah, who captivated me by her beauty and loveliness; but despite my dear love she fled from the palace wherein I placed her and behold, I am here in quest of her.” Herewith he wept with bitter weeping. The Marid looked at him and his heart burned with pity on hearing the sad tale, and he said, “Weep not, for surely thou art come to thy desire. Know that she loveth thee fondly and hath told her parents of thy love for her, and all in yonder castle love thee for her sake; so be of good cheer and keep thine eyes cool of tear.” Then he took him on his shoulders and made off with him to the Castle of Jewels, Takni. Thereupon the bearers of fair tidings hastened to report his coming and when the news reached Shamsah and her father and mother, they all rejoiced with exceeding joy, and King Shahlan took horse and rode out, commanding all his guards and Ifrits and Marids honourably to meet the Prince.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Shahlan commanded all his guards and Ifrits and Marids to meet the Prince; and, as soon as he came up with him, he dismounted and embraced him, and Janshah kissed his hand. Then Shahlan bade put on him a robe of honour of many-coloured silk, laced with gold and set with jewels, and a coronet such as man never saw, and, mounting him on a splendid mare of the steeds of the Kings of the Jinn, took horse himself and, with an immense retinue riding on the right hand and the left, brought him in great state to the Castle. Janshah marvelled at the splendour of this edifice, with its walls builded of rubies and other jewels and its pavement of crystal and jasper and emerald, and fell a-weeping at the memory of his past miseries; but the King and Queen, Shamsah’s mother, wiped away his tears and said, “Now no more weeping and be of good cheer, for thou hast won to thy will.” Then Shahlan carried him into the inner court of the Castle, where he was received by a multitude of beautiful damsels and pages and black Jinn-slaves, who seated him in the place of honour and stood to do him service, whilst he was lost in amazement at the goodliness of the place, and its walls all edified of precious metals and jewels of price. Presently King Shahlan repaired to his hall of audience, where he sat down on his throne and, bidding the slave-girls and the pages introduce the Prince, rose to receive him and seated him by his side on the throne. Then he ordered the tables to be spread and they ate and drank and washed their hands; after which in came the Queen Shamsah’s mother, and saluting Janshah, bade him welcome in these words, “Thou hast come to thy desire after weariness and thine eyes shall now sleep after watching; so praised be Allah for thy safety!” Thus saying, she went away and forthwith returned with the Princess Shamsah, who saluted Janshah and kissed his hands, hanging her head in shame and confusion before him and her parents; after which as many of her sisters as were in the palace came up to him and greeted him in like manner. Then quoth the Queen to him, “Welcome, O my son, our daughter Shamsah hath indeed sinned against thee, but do thou pardon her misdeed for our sakes.” When Janshah heard this, he cried out and fell down fainting, whereat the King marvelled and they sprinkled on his face rose-water mingled with musk and civet, till he came to himself and, looking at Princess Shamsah, said, “Praised be Allah who hath brought me to my desire and hath quenched the fire of my heart!” Replied she, “May He preserve thee from the Fire!; but now tell me, O Janshah, what hath befallen thee since our parting and how thou madest thy way to this place; seeing that few even of the Jann ever heard of Takni, the Castle of Jewels; and we are independent of all the Kings nor any wotteth the road hither.” Thereupon he related to her every adventure and peril and hardship he had suffered and how he had left his father at war with King Kafid, ending with these words, “And all for thy sake, my lady Shamsah!” Quoth the Queen, “Now hast thou thy heart’s desire, for the Princess is thy handmaid, and we give her in free gift to thee.” Janshah joyed exceedingly at these words and the Queen added, “Next month, if it be the will of Almighty Allah, we will have a brave wedding and celebrate the marriage festival and after the knot is tied we will send you both back to thy native land, with an escort of a thousand Marids of our body-guard, the least of whom, an thou bid him slay King Kafid and his folk, would surely destroy them to the last man in the twinkling of an eye. Furthermore if it please thee we will send thee, year after year, a company of which each and every can so do with all thy foes.”——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the lady Shamsah’s mother ended with saying, “And if it so please thee we will send thee, year after year, a company of which each and every can destroy thy foes to the last man.” Then King Shahlan sat down on his throne and, summoning his grandees and officers of state, bade them make ready for the marriage-festivities and decorate the city seven days and nights. “We hear and we obey,” answered they and busied themselves two months in the preparations, after which they celebrated the marriage of the Prince and Princess and held a mighty festival, never was there its like. Then they brought Janshah in to his bride and he abode with her in all solace of life and delight for two years, at the end of which time he said to her, “Thy father promised to send us to my native land, that we might pass one year there and the next here.” Answered she, “I hear and obey,” and going in to King Shahlan at nightfall told him what the Prince had said. Quoth he, “I consent; but have patience with me till the first of the month, that I may make ready for your departure.” She repeated these words to her husband and they waited till the appointed time, when the King bade his Marids bring out to them a great litter of red gold, set with pearls and jewels and covered with a canopy of green silk, purfled in a profusion of colours and embroidered with precious stones, dazzling with its goodliness the eyes of every beholder. He chose out four of his Marids to carry the litter in whichever of the four quarters the riders might choose. Moreover, he gave his daughter three hundred beautiful damsels to wait upon her and bestowed on Janshah the like number of white slaves of the sons of the Jinn. Then the lady Shamsah took formal leave of her mother and sisters and all her kith and kin; and her father fared forth with them. So the four Marids took up the litter, each by one corner, and rising under it like birds in air, flew onward with it between earth and heaven till midday, when the King bade them set it down and all alighted. Then they took leave of one another and King Shahlan commended Shamsah to the Prince’s care, and giving them in charge to the Marids, returned to the Castle of Jewels, whilst the Prince and Princess remounted the litter, and the Marids taking it up, flew on for ten whole days, in each of which they accomplished thirty months’ journey, till they sighted the capital of King Teghmus. Now one of them knew the land of Kabul; so when he saw the city, he bade the others let down the litter at that populous place which was the capital.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Marid-guards let down the litter at the capital of King Teghmus who had been routed and had fled from his foes into the city, where he was in sore straits, King Kafid having laid close siege to him. He sought to save himself by making peace with the King of Hind, but his enemy would give him no quarter; so seeing himself without resource or means of relief, he determined to strangle himself and to die and be at rest from this trouble and misery. Accordingly he bade his Wazirs and Emirs farewell and entered his house to take leave of his Harim; and the whole realm was full of weeping and wailing and lamentation and woe. And whilst this rout and hurly-burly was enacting, behold, the Marids descended with the litter upon the palace that was in the citadel, and Janshah bade them set it down in the midst of the Divan. They did his bidding and he alighted with his company of handmaids and Mamelukes; and, seeing all the folk of the city in straits and desolation and sore distress, said to the Princess, “O love of my heart and coolth of mine eyes, look in what a piteous plight is my sire!” Thereupon she bade the Marid-guard fall upon the beleaguering host and slay them, saying, “Kill ye all, even to the last man;” and Janshah commanded one of them, by name Karátash,[[565]] who was exceeding strong and valiant, to bring King Kafid to him in chains. So they set down the litter and covered it with the canopy; then, having waited till midnight, they attacked the enemy’s camp one of them being a match for ten; or at least for eight. And while these smote the foes with iron maces, those mounted their magical elephants and soared high in the lift, and then swooping down and snatching up their opponents, tare them to pieces in mid-air. But Karatash made straight for Kafid’s tent where he found him lying in a couch; so he took him up, shrieking for fear, and flew with him to Janshah, who bade the four Marids bind him on the litter and hang him high in the air over his camp, that he might witness the slaughter of his men. They did as the Prince commanded them and left Kafid, who had swooned for fear, hanging between earth and air and buffetting his face for grief. As for King Teghmus, when he saw his son, he well-nigh died for excess of joy and, crying with a loud cry, fell down in a swoon. They sprinkled rose-water on his face, till he came to himself, when he and his son embraced and wept with sore weeping; for he knew not that the Jinn-guard were battling with King Kafid’s men. Then Princess Shamsah accosted the King and kissing his hand, said to him, “Sire, be pleased to go up with me to the palace-roof and witness the slaughter of thy foes by my father’s Marids.” So he went up to the terrace-roof and sitting down there with his daughter-in-law, enjoyed watching the Marids do havoc among the besiegers and break a way through the length and breadth of them. For one of them smote with his iron mace upon the elephants and their riders and pounded them till man was not to be distinguished from beast; whilst another shouted in the faces of those who fled, so that they fell down dead; and the third caught up a score of horsemen, beasts and all; and, towering with them high in air, cast them down on earth, so that they were torn in pieces. And this was high enjoyment for Janshah and his father and the lady Shamsah.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
