Then the Eunuch cried upon the pages, saying, "Take him off the ass." So they carried him along with the caravan, surrounded by the pages, as the white contains the black of the eye; and the Castrato said to them, "If a hair of him be lost, you will be lost with it." And he bade them privily treat him with honour and not humiliate him. But when the Stoker saw himself beset by the pages, he despaired of his life and turning to the Eunuch, said to him, "O Chief, I am neither this youth's brother nor am I akin to him, nor is he sib to me; but I was a Fireman in a Hammam and found him cast out, in his sickness, on the dung heap." Then the caravan fared on and the Stoker wept and imagined in himself a thousand things, whilst the Eunuch walked by his side and told him nothing, but said to him, "Thou disturbedst our mistress by reciting verses, thou and this youth: but fear nothing for thy self;" and kept laughing at him the while to himself. Whenever the caravan halted, they served him with food, and he and the Castrato ate from one dish.[FN#322] Then the Eunuch bade his lads bring a gugglet of sugared sherbet and, after drinking himself, gave it to the Fireman, who drank; but all the while his tears never dried, out of fear for his life and grief for his separation from Zau al-Makan and for what had befallen them in their strangerhood. So they both travelled on with the caravan, whilst the Chamberlain now rode by the door of his wife's litter, in attendance on Zau al-Makan and his sister, and now gave an eye to the Fireman; and Nuzhat al-Zaman and her brother occupied themselves with converse and mutual condolence; and they ceased not after this fashion till they came within three days' journey from Baghdad. Here they alighted at eventide and rested till the morning morrowed; and as they awoke and they were about to load the beasts, behold, there appeared afar off a great cloud of dust that darkened the firmament till it became black as gloomiest night.[FN#323] Thereupon the Chamberlain cried out to them, "Stay, and your loading delay!"; then, mounting with his Mamelukes, rode forward in the direction of the dust cloud. When they drew near, suddenly appeared under it a numerous conquering host like the full tide sea, with flags and standards, drums and kettledrums, horsemen and footmen. The Chamberlain marvelled at this; and when the troops saw him, there detached itself from amongst them a plump of five hundred cavaliers, who fell upon him and his suite and surrounded them, five for one; whereupon said he to them, "What is the matter and what are these troops, that ye do this with us?" Asked they, "Who art thou; and whence comest thou, and whither art thou bound?" and he answered, "I am the Chamberlain of the Emir of Damascus, King Sharrkan, son of Omar bin al-Nu'uman, Lord of Baghdad and of the land of Khorasan, and I bring tribute and presents from him to his father in Baghdad." When the