partie?” and the other said, “O youth, I will not play again, save for a thousand dinars.” Quoth the youth, “Whatsoever thou stakest, I will match thy stake with its like.” So the merchant brought out a thousand dinars and the Prince covered them with other thousand. Then the game began, but Al-Abbas was not long with him ere he beat him in the house of the elephant,[368] nor did he cease to do thus till he had beaten him four times and won of him four thousand dinars. This was all the merchant had of money; so he said, “O youth, I will play thee another game for the shop.” Now the value of the shop was four thousand dinars; so they played and Al-Abbas beat him and won his shop, with whatso was therein; upon which the other arose, shaking his clothes,[369] and said to him, “Up, O youth, and take thy shop.” Accordingly Al-Abbas arose and repairing to the shop, took possession thereof, after which he returned to the place where he had left his servant ’Amir, and found there the Emir Sa’ad, who was come to bid him to the presence of the king. The Prince consented to this and accompanied him till they came before King Ins bin Kays, whereupon he kissed the ground and saluted him and exaggerated[370] the salutation. So the king asked him, “Whence comest thou, O youth, and whither goest thou?” and he answered, “I come from Al-Yaman.” Then said the king, “Hast thou a need we may fulfil to thee; for indeed thou hast strong claims to our favour after that which thou didst in the matter of Hodhayfah and his folk?” And he commanded to cast over him a mantle of Egyptian satin, worth an hundred dinars. He also bade his treasurer give him a thousand dinars and said to him, “O youth, take this in part of that which thou deservest of us; and if thou prolong thy sojourn with us, we will give thee slaves and servants.” Al-Abbas kissed ground and said, “O king, Allah grant thee abiding weal, I deserve not all this.” Then he put his hand to his pouch and pulling out two caskets of gold, in each of which were rubies whose value none could estimate, gave them to the king, saying, “O king, Allah cause thy welfare to endure, I conjure thee by that which the Almighty hath vouchsafed thee, heal my heart by accepting these two caskets, even as I have accepted thy present.” So the king accepted the two caskets and Al-Abbas took his leave and went away to the bazar. Now when the merchants saw him, they accosted him and said, “O youth, wilt thou not open thy shop?” As they were addressing him, up came a woman, having with her a boy bare of head, and stood looking at Al-Abbas, till he turned to her, when she said to him, “O youth, I conjure thee by Allah, look at this boy and have ruth on him, for that his father hath forgotten his skull-cap in the shop he lost to thee; so, an thou see fit to give it him, thy reward be with Allah! For indeed the child maketh our hearts ache with his excessive weeping, and the Lord be witness for