The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 (of 10)
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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Then he rushed upon the she-camels like a he-camel in rut and drove all
before him, sheep and cattle, horses and dromedaries. Therewith the
slaves ran at him with their blades so bright and their lances so long;
and at their head rode a Turkish horseman who was indeed a stout
champion, doughty in fray and in battle chance and skilled to wield the
nut-brown lance and the blade with bright glance. He drove at
Kanmakan, saying, "Woe to thee! Knewest thou to whom these herds belong
thou hadst not done this deed. Know that they are the goods of the
band Grecian, the champions of the ocean and the troop Circassian; and
this troop containeth none but valiant wights numbering an hundred
knights, who have cast off the allegiance of every Sultan. But there
hath been stolen from them a noble stallion, and they have vowed not to
return hence without him." Now when Kanmakan heard these words, he
cried out, saying, "O villain, this I bestride is the steed whereof ye
speak and after which ye seek, and ye would do battle with me for his
sake' So come out against me, all of you at once, and do you dourest
for the nonce!" Then he shouted between the ears of Al-Katul who ran at
them like a Ghul; whereupon Kanmakan let drive at the Turk[FN#98] and
ran him through the body and threw him from his horse and let out his
life; after which he turned upon a second and a third and a fourth, and
also of life bereft them. When the slaves saw this, they were afraid
of him, and he cried out and said to them, "Ho, sons of whores, drive
out the cattle and the stud or I will dye my spear in your blood." So
they untethered the beasts and began to drive them out; and Sabbah came
down to Kanmakan with loud voicing and hugely rejoicing; when lo! there
arose a cloud of dust and grew till it walled the view, and there
appeared under of it riders an hundred, like lions an-hungered. Upon
this Sabbah took flight, and fled to the hill's topmost height, leaving
the assailable site, and enjoyed sight of the fight, saying, "I am no
warrior; but in sport and jest I delight."[FN#99] Then the hundred
cavaliers made towards Kanmakan and surrounded him on all sides, and
one of them accosted him, saying, "Whither goest thou with this loot?"
Quoth he, "I have made it my prize and am carrying it away; and I
forbid you from it, or come on to the combat, for know ye that he who
is before you is a terrible lion and an honourable champion, and a
sword that cutteth wherever it turneth!" When the horseman heard these
words, he looked at Kanmakan and saw that he was a knight like a
mane-clad lion in might, whilst his face was as the full moon rising on
its fourteenth night, and velour shone from between his eyes. Now that
horseman was the captain of the hundred horse, and his name was
Kahrdash; and when he saw in Kanmakan the perfection of cavalarice with
surpassing gifts of comeliness, his beauty reminded him of a beautiful
mistress of his whose name was Fátin.[FN#100] Now she was one of the
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 03 (of 10) — John Shaqi
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