“Don’t leave me!--don’t leave!” he cried, dragging himself to the feet of the guard. “I have seen Murad! He calls for vengeance! His kisses have chilled my very marrow. You won’t leave me?--promise me you won’t! If you do, I’ll have you all put to death!” The most experienced physicians were at once sent for. They agreed that His Highness was suffering from brain fever. But as nobody had the courage to convey this intelligence to His Majesty, no attempt was made to cure him; to which circumstance he owed his recovery. By degrees the dreadful scene vanished from his mind, and in a month he had almost forgotten it. [Illustration: 125] “Go to war at my age!” said the King to himself. “What nonsense! I have the finest kingdom in the world. Charlemagne leaves me alone: why should I provoke him? Not I, i’faith! I must have had a bad dream, and I must mind I don’t get an unpleasant waking-up by going to tweak Charlemagne by the beard. Sleep sweetly, Prince Murad, and let me live in peace!” From that time Marsillus never passed a day without receiving a visit from his son. He had a guard constantly in his presence, but it was no use. Then he tried to discover some means of ridding himself of this frightful spectre; and, at length, one night determined to await its approach resolutely, yataghan in hand. Murad came as usual, and approached his father; but he, with four blows of his sword, sliced off the head, legs, and arms of the corpse. Then he breathed more freely. But the head immediately burst out laughing, while the right arm politely picked up the weapon Marsillus had let fall, and handed it to him. “Take this yataghan, sire; it is one I wore for a long time--the one, in short, you gave me as a boy. Have you forgotten it?” [Illustration: 126] The King, more driven to his wits’ end than ever, tremblingly flung his son’s limbs into a mat, and tied the four corners together. Then he ran at full speed into the garden, accompanied by roars of laughter from the head, which did not cease to move as he bore it. Arrived at the end of the park, he dug six deep holes; put the head in the first, the right arm in the second, the left arm in the third, the right leg; in the fourth, the left leg in the fifth, and the trunk in the sixth. Then he threw the earth in upon them, and ran in again, without daring to look behind him.