“O, queen mother!” again asked the princess, “what is this that you call an affliction? Will you not buy one for me, also, that I may be permitted to sit beside you and meditate in your company?”
“If thou so desire. But, first, I must provide myself with money.”
Then the princess made haste to lay all that she possessed before the queen, who, taking five or six pounds of the gold, went to the market and purchased [[131]]a bird of affliction. The slave who accompanied her bore it to the palace, when the queen called the young girl and delivered it to her, saying:
“Here, my princess, is a bird of affliction. It is yours. Take it.”
The princess found great pleasure in the bird. Both day and night she played with it. After a few days, with her maids, she went to a great pleasure garden. The bird was taken with them, and when they reached the head of the fountains its cage was hung upon the limb of a tree.
Presently the bird began to talk. It said: “Ai, sultana, will you not let me out for a little? I would fly about and look at the country with the other birds. I will return to you.”
The princess, being truthful herself, had not learned to doubt those whom she loved. She believed the bird, opened the door of his cage, and let him go forth. After about two hours, while the maids were amusing themselves in a distant corner of the garden and the maiden was enjoying herself alone, watching the sparkling waters of the fountain, the bird returned. She greeted him joyfully and held out her hand that he might alight upon it.
The bird came nearer, suddenly turned into a jinn, laid rough hold upon her, and carried her off. [[132]]
After a flight of two hours, he left her upon the top of a very high mountain. And as he disappeared, he cried: “There! have you learned what an affliction is? Wait and see others of the same sort which I shall bring to you!” So saying, he turned into a column of air and disappeared.
When she had recovered from her terror, the princess looked about her. All was barren and desolate. She began to wander about in the hope of discovering some signs of life. Hungry and forlorn, she wandered day after day, until, finally, meeting a shepherd, she said to him: “Good shepherd, if you will give me the clothes you have on, I will give you these silk ones, with all my ornaments.”