he saw us exclaimed 'This is what I sought: go ye in God's keeping; as for me, I have a need to be satisfied!' Then he turned to me and said, 'Praised be Allah for safety! Hast thou accomplished thine errand?' I replied, 'Yes!' Now Abu al-Kasim had a flambeau before him; so he brought it near our boat,[FN#337] and when Jamilah saw him, she was troubled and her colour changed: but, when he saw her, he said, 'Fare ye in Allah's safety. I am bound to Bassorah, on business for the Sultan; but the gift is for him who is present.'[FN#338] Then he brought out a box of sweetmeats, wherein was Bhang and threw it into our boat: whereupon quoth I to Jamilah, 'O coolth of mine eyes, eat of this.' But she wept and said, 'O Ibrahim, wottest thou who that is?' and said I, 'Yes, 'tis such an one.' Replied she, 'He is my first cousin, son of my father's brother[FN#339] who sought me aforetime in marriage of my sire; but I would not accept of him. And now he is gone to Bassorah and most like he will tell my father of us.' I rejoined, 'O my lady he will not reach Bassorah, till we are at Mosul.' But we knew not what lurked for us in the Secret Purpose. "Then" (continued Ibrahim) "I ate of the sweetmeat, but hardly had it reached my stomach when I smote the ground with my head; and lay there till near dawn, when I sneezed and the Bhang issued from my nostrils. With this, I opened my eyes and found myself naked and cast out among ruins; so I buffeted my face and said in myself, 'Doubtless this is a trick Al-Sandalani hath played me.' But I knew not whither I should wend, for I had upon me naught save my bag-trousers.[FN#340] However, I rose and walked on a little, till I suddenly espied the Chief of Police coming towards me, with a posse of men with swords and targes;[FN#341] whereat I took fright and seeing a ruined Hammam hid myself there. Presently, my foot stumbled upon something; so I put my hand to it, and it became befouled with blood. I wiped my hand upon my bag-trousers, unknowing what had befouled it, and put it out a second time, when it fell upon a corpse whose head came up in my hand. I threw it down, saying, 'There is no Majesty and there is no Might in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!'; and I took refuge in one of the corner-cabinets of the Hammam. Presently the Wali stopped at the bath-door and said, 'Enter this place and search.' So ten of them entered with cressets, and I of my fear retired behind a wall and looking upon the corpse, saw it to be that of a young lady[FN#342] with a face like the full moon; and her head lay on one side and her body clad in costly raiment on the other. When I saw this, my heart fluttered with affright. Then the Chief of Police entered and said, 'Search the corners of the bath.' So they entered the place wherein I was, and one of them seeing me, came up hending in hand a knife half a cubit long. When he drew near me, he cried, 'Glory be to God, the Creator of this fair face! O youth, whence art thou?' Then he