them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he took it and caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain. Then he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him face to face at the door crying aloud, "A thief! a thief!" Hereat all the other gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with the cage, and carried him before the King, the owner of that garden and lord of that city. They set him in the presence saying, "Verily we found this young man stealing a cage wherein be fowls and in good sooth he must be a thief." Quoth the Sultan, "Who misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds and trespass thereon and take of my birds?" Whereto the Prince returned no reply. So the Sultan resumed, "By Allah, thou hast wilfully wasted thy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my birds and carry them away, do thou go and bring me from the capital of the Isles of the Súdán[FN#365] bunches of grapes which are clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when I will give thee over and above these six fowls six other beside." So the Prince left him and going to the 'Aun informed him of what had befallen him, and the other cried, "'Tis easy, O Mohammed;" and mounting him upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours and presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands surrounding the capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more beautiful than the fair region he had left; and he designed forthright to approach the garden containing great clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when he was confronted by a Lion in the middle way. Now it was the wont of this beast yearly to visit that city and to pounce upon everything he met of women as well as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him, designing to rend him limb from limb?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night, and that was The Four Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,