The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume II
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Volume II
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
arrival of the army of Syria, as soon as the troops were all
assembled and the Arabs had come in, he set out, at the head of
his troops, with his brother Sherkan on his right and his
brother-in-law the Chamberlain on his left hand. The name of the
general of the army of the Medes was Rustem and that of the
general of the army of the Turks Behram. So the squadrons broke
up and marched forward and the companies and battalions filed
past in battle array, till the whole army was in motion. They
ceased not to fare on for the space of a month; halting three
days a week to rest, by reason of the greatness of the host, till
they came to the country of the Greeks; and as they drew near,
the people of the villages and hamlets took fright at them and
fled to Constantinople.
To return to Dhat ed Dewahi. As soon as she reached her own
country and felt herself in safety, she said to her son, King
Herdoub, "Be consoled; for I have avenged thy daughter Abrizeh
and killed King Omar ben Ennuman and brought back the Princess
Sufiyeh. So now let us go to the King of Constantinople and carry
him back his daughter and tell him what has happened, that he may
be on his guard and prepare his forces and that we may do the
like; for I know that the Muslims will not delay to attack us."
"Let us wait till they draw near our country," replied Herdoub,
"that we may make us ready meantime and assemble our power."
Accordingly they fell to levying their forces and preparing for
war, so that by the time the news of the Muslims' advance reached
them, they were ready for defence. Then King Herdoub and his
mother set out for Constantinople, and King Afridoun, hearing of
the arrival of the King of the Greeks, came forth to meet him and
asked how it was with him and the cause of his visit. So Herdoub
acquainted him with the doing; of his mother Dhat ed Dewahi, how
she had slain the Muslim king and recovered the Princess Sufiyeh
and that the Muslims had assembled their forces and were on their
way to attack them, wherefore it behoved that they two should
join powers and meet them. King Afridoun rejoiced in the recovery
of his daughter and the death of King Omar and sent to all
countries, to seek succour and acquaint the folk with the reason
of the slaying of King Omar. So the Christian troops flocked to
him from all quarters, and before three months were past, the
army of the Greeks was complete, besides which there joined
themselves to him the French and Germans and Ragusans and Genoese
and Venetians and all the hosts of the Pale Faces and warriors
from all the lands of the Franks, and the earth was straitened on
them by reason of their multitude. Then Afridoun the Great King
commanded to depart; so they set out from Constantinople and
ceased not to defile through the city for the space of ten days.
They fared on till they reached a spacious valley, hard by the
salt sea, where they halted three days; and on the fourth day,
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