The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
They sprinkled rose-water on his head, till he
came to himself and cried to his Wazir, “Write letters to all my
Governors and Nabobs, and bid them leave not a smiter with the sword
nor a lunger with the lance nor a bender of the bow, but bring them all
to me in one body.” So he wrote letters and despatched them by runners
to the Governors, who levied their power and joined the King with a
prevailing host, whose number was one hundred and eighty thousand men.
Then they made ready tents and camels and noble steeds and were about
to march when, behold, up came Jamrkan and Sa’adan the Ghul, with
seventy thousand horse, as they were lions fierce-faced, all
steel-encased. When Jaland saw the Moslems trooping on he rejoiced and
said, “By the virtue of the Sun, and her resplendent light, I will not
leave alive one of my foes; no, not one to carry the news, and I will
lay waste the land of Al-Irak, that I may take my wreak for my son, the
havoc-making champion bold; nor shall my fire be quenched or cooled!”
Then he turned to Ajib and said to him, “O dog of Al-Irak, ’twas thou
broughtest this calamity on us! But by the virtue of that which I
worship, except I avenge me of mine enemy I will do thee die after
foulest fashion!” When Ajib heard these words he was troubled with sore
trouble and blamed himself; but he waited till nightfall, when the
Moslems had pitched their tents for rest. Now he had been degraded and
expelled the royal camp together with those who were left to him of his
suite: so he said to them, “O my kinsmen, know that Jaland and I are
dismayed with exceeding dismay at the coming of the Moslems, and I know
that he will not avail to protect me from my brother nor from any
other; so it is my counsel that we make our escape, whilst all eyes
sleep, and flee to King Ya’arub bin Kahtán,[FN#20] for that he hath
more of men and is stronger of reign.” They, hearing his advice
exclaimed “Right is thy rede,” whereupon he bade them kindle fires at
their tent-doors and march under cover of the night. They did his
bidding and set out, so by daybreak they had already fared far away. As
soon as it was morning Jaland mounted with two hundred and sixty
thousand fighting-men, clad cap-à-pie in hauberks and cuirasses and
strait-knit mail-coats, the kettle-drums beat a point of war and all
drew out for cut and thrust and fight and fray. Then Jamrkan and
Sa’adan rode out with forty thousand stalwart fighting-men, under each
standard a thousand cavaliers, doughty champions, foremost in
champaign. The two hosts drew out in battles and bared their blades and
levelled their limber lances, for the drinking of the cup of death. The
first to open the gate of strife was Sa’adan, as he were a mountain of
syenite or a Marid of the Jinn. Then dashed out to him a champion of
the Infidels, and the Ghul slew him and casting him to the earth, cried
out to his sons and slaves, saying, “Light the fire and roast me this
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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