“The Prince, the Prince!” cried the man.  “The Prince has come back.”

And soon the joyful news spread over the town, and the bells stopped tolling and rang a joyful peal.

“My beloved son!” cried the King, as he embraced him.  “We thought thou wert lost for ever, and we have mourned for thee day and night.”

Without waiting to hear more, the Prince began to tell the King all his adventures, and how the Princess of Bengal awaited him in the palace outside the gates.

“Let her be brought here instantly,” cried the King, “and the marriage shall take place to-day.”

Then he ordered that the Indian should be set free at once and allowed to depart with the Enchanted Horse.

Great was the surprise of the Indian when, instead of having his head cut off as he had expected, he was allowed to go free with his wonderful horse.  He asked what adventures had befallen the Prince, and when he heard of the Princess who was waiting in the palace outside the gates, a wicked plan came into his head.

He took the Enchanted Horse, and went straight to the palace before the King’s messengers could reach it.

“Tell the Princess,” he said to the slaves, “that the Prince of Persia has sent me to bring her to his father’s palace upon the Enchanted Horse.”

The Princess was very glad when she heard this message, and she quickly made herself ready to go with the messenger.

But alas! as soon as the Indian turned the peg and the horse flew through the air, she found she was being carried off, far away from Persia and her beloved Prince.

All her prayers and entreaties were in vain.  The Indian only mocked at her, and told her he meant to marry her himself.

Meanwhile the Prince and his attendants had arrived at the palace outside the gates, only to find that the Indian had been there before them and had carried off the Princess.

The Prince was nearly beside himself with grief, but he still hoped to find his bride.  He disguised himself as a dervish and set off to seek for her, vowing that he would find her, or perish in the attempt.

By this time the Enchanted Horse had traveled many hundreds of miles.  Then, as the Indian was hungry, it was made to descend into a wood close to a town of Cashmere.

Here the Indian went in search of food, and when he returned with some fruit he shared it with the Princess, who was faint and weary.

As soon as the Princess had eaten a little she felt stronger and braver, and as she heard horses galloping past, she called out loudly for help.

The men on horseback came riding at once to her aid, and she quickly told them who she was, and how the Indian had carried her off against her will.  Then the leader of the horsemen, who was the Sultan of Cashmere, ordered his men to cut off the Indian’s head.  But he placed the Princess upon his horse and led her to his palace.