When he heard this, he was delighted exceedingly and praised Yunus for his excellent teaching of her and her fair education. Then he bade his servants bring him a roadster with saddle and housings for his riding, and a mule to carry his gear, and said to him, “O Yunus, when it shall reach thee that command hath come to me, do thou join me; and, by Allah, I will fill thy hands with good and advance thee to honour and make thee rich as long as thou livest!” So Yunus said, “I took his goods and went my ways; and when Walid succeeded to the Caliphate, I repaired to him; and by Allah, he kept his promise and entreated me with high honour and munificence. Then I abode with him in all content of case and rise of rank and mine affairs prospered and my wealth increased and goods and farms became mine, such as sufficed me and will suffice my heirs after me; nor did I cease to abide with Walid, till he was slain, the mercy of Almighty Allah be on him!” And men tell a tale concerning HARUN AL-RASHID AND THE ARAB GIRL. The Caliph Harun al-Rashid was walking one day with Ja’afar the Barmecide, when he espied a company of girls drawing water and went up to them, having a mind to drink. As he drew near, one of them turned to her fellows and improvised these lines, “Thy phantom bid thou fleet, and fly * Far from the couch whereon I lie; So I may rest and quench the fire, * Bonfire in bones aye flaming high; My love-sick form Love’s restless palm * Rolls o’er the rug whereon I sigh: How ’tis with me thou wottest well * How long, then, union wilt deny?” The Caliph marvelled at her elegance and eloquence.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say. When it was the Six Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night, She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph, hearing the girl’s verses, marvelled at her elegance and eloquence, and said to her, “O daughter of nobles, are these thine own or a quotation?” Replied she, “They are my very own,” and he rejoined, “An thou say sooth keep the sense and change the rhyme.” So she said, “Bid thou thy phantom distance keep * And quit this couch the while I sleep; So I may rest and quench the flames * Through all my body rageful creep, In love-sick one, whom passion’s palms * Roll o’er the bed where grief I weep; How ’tis with me thou wottest well; * All but thy union hold I cheap!” Quoth the Caliph, “This also is stolen”; and quoth she, “Nay, ’tis my very own.” He said, “If it be indeed thine own, change the rhyme again and keep the sense.” So she recited the following, “Unto thy phantom deal behest * To shun my couch the while I rest, So I repose and quench the fire * That burns what lieth in my breast, My weary form Love’s restless palm * Rolls o’er with boon of sleep unblest. How ’tis with me thou wottest well * When union’s bought ’tis haply best!”