shall befal thee.  Mount thy horse and leap him on to the Ifrit’s shoulders.”  “Nay,” answered he, “I will leave my horse with thee and bestride his shoulders myself.”  So he bestrode the Ifrit’s shoulders and, when the Jinni cried, “Close thine eyes, O my lord, and be not a craven!” he strengthened his heart and shut his eyes.  Thereupon the Ifrit rose with him into the air and ceased not to fly between sky and earth, whilst the Prince was unconscious, nor was the last third of the night come before he alighted down with him on the terrace-roof of his father-in-law’s palace.  Then said the Ifrit, “Dismount and open thine eyes; for this is the palace of thy father-in-law and his daughter.”  So he came down and the Ifrit flew away and left him on the roof of the palace.  When the day broke and the Prince recovered from his troubles, he descended into the palace and as his father-in-law caught sight of him, he came to meet him and marvelled to see him descend from the roof of the palace, saying, “We see folk enter by the doors; but thou comest from the skies.”  Quoth the Prince, “Whatso Allah (may He be extolled and exalted!) willeth that cometh to pass.”  And he told him all that had befallen him, from first to last, whereat the King marvelled and rejoiced in his safety; and, as soon as the sun rose, bade his Wazir make ready splendid bride-feasts.  So did he and they held the marriage festival:  after which the Prince went in unto his bride and abode with her two months, then departed with her for his father’s capital.  As for the damsel’s cousin, he died forthright of envy and jealousy.  When the Prince and his bride drew near his father’s city, the King came out to meet them with his troops and Wazirs, and so Allah (blessed and exalted be He!) enabled the Prince to prevail against his bride’s cousin and his father’s Minister.  “And I pray the Almighty” (added the damsel) “to aid thee against thy Wazirs, O King, and I beseech thee to do me justice on thy son!” When the King heard this, he bade put his son to death;—­And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

      When is was the Five Hundred and Eighty-forth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the favourite had told her tale to the King she said, “I beseech thee to do me justice by putting thy son to death.”  Now this was the fourth day, so the fourth Wazir entered and, kissing the ground before him, said, “Allah stablish and protect the King!  O King, be deliberate in doing this thou art resolved upon, for the wise man doth naught till he hath considered the issue thereof, and the proverb saith, ‘Whoso looketh not to his actions’ end, hath not the world to friend; and whoso acteth without consideration, there befalleth him what befel the Hammam-keeper with his wife.’” “And what betided him?” asked the King.  And the Wazir answered, “I have heard tell, O King, a tale of the

Wazir’s Son and the Hammam-Keepeer’s Wife."[FN#186]