you not yon other man that is before us? ' Replied the Unbelievers, "By the truth of the Messiah and the Monks, and the Primate and the Metropolitan, we see none save you two!" Then Zau Al-Makan said, "By Allah, this is a chastisement decreed to us by Almighty Allah!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say. When it was the Ninety-eighth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Unfaithful had seized upon King Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan, they said to the two, "Is there anyone else with you twain, that we may seize upon him also?" And the Wazir Dandan replied, "See you not yon other man who be with us?" They rejoined, "By the truth of the Messiah and the Monks and the Primate and the Metropolitan, we see none save you two!" Then the Infidels laid shackles on their feet and set men to guard them during the night, whilst Zat al-Dawahi fared on and disappeared from their sight. So they fell to lamenting and saying to each other, "Verily, the opposing of pious men leadeth to greater distress than this, and we are punished by the strait which hath befallen us." So far concerning Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan; but as regards King Sharrkan, he passed that night in the cavern with his comrades, and when dawned the day and he had prayed the morn prayer, he and his men made ready to do battle with the Infidel and he heartened them; and promised them all good. Then they sallied out till they were hard upon the Unbelievers and, when these saw them from afar, they cried out to them, saying, "O Moslems, we have taken captives your Sultan and your Wazir who hath the ordering of your affairs; and except ye leave off fighting us, we will slay you to the last man; but an you yield yourselves we will take you to our King, who will make peace with you on condition that you quit our country and return home and harm us in naught, and we will do you no harm in aught. If ye accept, it will be well for you; but if ye refuse there remaineth nothing for you but death. So we have told you sooth, and this is our last word to you." Now when Sharrkan heard this and was certified of the captivity of his brother and the Wazir Dandan, he was weighed down with woe and wept; his force failed him and, making sure of death, he said to himself, "Would I knew the cause of their capture! Did they fail of respect to the holy man or disobey him, or what was the matter?" Then they sprang up to battle with the Unbelievers and slew great numbers of them. The brave was known that day from craven men, and sword and spear were dyed with bloody stain; for the Infidels flocked up on them, as flies flock to drink, from hill and from plain; but Sharrkan and his men ceased not to wage the fight of those who fear not to die, nor let death hinder them from the pursuit of victory, till the valley ran gore and earth was full of the slain she bore. And when night fell