In the mean while Huon, awaking at early dawn, found a complete suit of Saracenic apparel at his bedside.  He donned it joyfully, entered the palace unchallenged, and passed into the banquet hall, where he perceived the gray-bearded caliph, and recognized in the bridegroom at his left the Saracen whom he had delivered from the lion, and who had so discourteously stolen his horse.

[Sidenote:  Huon’s success.] One stride forward, a flash of his curved scimitar, and the first part of Charlemagne’s order was fulfilled, for the Saracen’s head rolled to the ground.  The sudden movement caused Huon’s turban to fall off, however, and the princess, seated at the caliph’s right, gazed spellbound upon the knight, whose golden locks fell in rich curls about his shoulders.

There are several widely different versions of this part of the story.  The most popular, however, states that Huon, taking advantage of the first moments of surprise, kissed Rezia thrice, slipping on her finger, in sign of betrothal, the magic ring which he had taken from Angoulaffre.  Then, seeing the caliph’s guards about to fall upon him, he gently breathed soft music on his magic horn, and set caliph and court a-dancing.

“The whole divan, one swimming circle glides
Swift without stop:  the old bashaws click time,
As if on polish’d ice; in trance sublime
The iman hoar with some spruce courtier slides. 
Nor rank nor age from capering refrain;
Nor can the king his royal foot restrain! 
He too must reel amid the frolic row,
Grasp the grand vizier by his beard of snow,
And teach the aged man once more to bound amain!”

          
                                            WIELAND, Oberon (Sotheby’s tr.).

[Sidenote:  Flight of Rezia.] While they were thus occupied, Huon conducted the willing Rezia to the door, where Sherasmin was waiting for them with fleet steeds, and with Fatima, the princess’s favorite attendant.  While Sherasmin helped the ladies to mount, Huon hastened back to the palace hall, and found that the exhausted caliph had sunk upon a divan.  With the prescribed ceremonies, our hero politely craved a lock of his beard and four of his teeth as a present for Charlemagne.  This impudent request so incensed the caliph that he vociferated orders to his guards to slay the stranger.  Huon was now forced to defend himself with a curtain pole and a golden bowl, until, needing aid, he suddenly blew a resounding peal upon his magic horn.  The earth shook, the palace rocked, Oberon appeared in the midst of rolling thunder and flashing lightning, and with a wave of his lily wand plunged caliph and people into a deep sleep.  Then he placed his silver car at Huon’s disposal, to bear him and his bride and attendants to Ascalon, where a ship was waiting to take them back to France.

       “’So haste, thou matchless pair! 
    On wings of love, my car, that cuts the air,
    Shall waft you high above terrestrial sight,
    And place, ere morning melt the shades of night,
    On Askalon’s far shore, beneath my guardian care.’”
                                WIELAND, Oberon (Sotheby’s tr.).