She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Moslems saw the presence of their King Gharib, they joyed with exceeding joy; and, kissing the earth between his hands, saluted him and gat around him whilst he welcomed them and rejoiced in their safety. Then they escorted him to their camp and pitched pavilions for him and set up standards; and Gharib sat down on his couch of estate, with his Grandees about him; and they related to him all that had befallen, especially to Sa’adan. Meanwhile the Kafirs sought for Ajib and finding him not among them nor in their tents, told Jaland of his flight, whereat his Doomsday rose and he bit his fingers, saying, “By the Sun’s light-giving round, he is a perfidious hound and hath fled with his rascal rout to desert-ground. But naught save force of hard fighting will serve us to repel these foes; so fortify your resolves and hearten your hearts and beware of the Moslems.” And Gharib also said to the True Believers, “Strengthen your courage and fortify your hearts and seek aid of your Lord, beseeching him to vouchsafe you the victory over your enemies.” They replied, “O King, soon thou shalt see what we will do in battle-plain where men cut and thrust amain.” So the two hosts slept till the day arose with its sheen and shone and the rising sun rained light upon hill and down, when Gharib prayed the two-bow prayer, after the rite of Abraham the Friend (on whom be the Peace!) and wrote a letter, which he despatched by his brother Sahim to the King of the Kafirs. When Sahim reached the enemies’ camp, the guards asked him what he wanted, and he answered them, “I want your ruler.”[FN#21] Quoth they, “Wait till we consult him anent thee;” and he waited, whilst they went in to their Sovran and told him of the coming of a messenger, and he cried, “Hither with him to me!” So they brought Sahim before Jaland, who said to him, “Who hath sent thee?” Quoth he, “King Gharib sends me, whom Allah hath made ruler over Arab and Ajam; receive his letter and return its reply.” Jaland took the writ and opening it, read as follows, “In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate * the One, the All-knowing, the supremely Great * the Immemorial, the Lord of Noah and Sálih and Húd and Abraham and of all things He made! * The Peace be on him who followeth in the way of righteousness and who feareth the issues of frowardness * who obeyeth the Almighty King and followeth the Faith saving and preferreth the next world to any present thing! * But afterwards: O Jaland, none is worthy of worship save Allah alone, the Victorious, the One, Creator of night and day and the sphere revolving alway * Who sendeth the holy Prophets and garreth the streams to flow and the trees to grow, who vaulted the heavens and spread out the earth like a carpet below * Who feedeth the birds in their nests and the wild beasts in the deserts * for He is Allah the All-powerful, the