race like the sun shining in the sheeny sky.  After seating her he solaced himself by gazing on her awhile, then laid his head in her lap and fell asleep, whereupon she lifted up his head and laying it on the chest, rose and walked about.  Presently, she chanced to raise her eyes to the tree wherein was the Prince, and seeing him, signed to him to come down.  He refused, but she swore to him, saying, “Except thou come down and do as I bid thee, I will wake the Ifrit and point thee out to him, when he will straightway kill thee.”  The King’s son fearing she would do as she said, came down, whereupon she kissed his hands and feet and besought him to do her need.  To this he consented and, when he had satisfied her wants, she said to him, “Give me this seal ring I see on thy finger.”  So he gave her his signet and she set it in a silken kerchief she had with her, wherein were more than four score others.  When the Prince saw this, he asked her, “What dost thou with all these rings?”; and she answered, “In very sooth this Ifrit carried me off from my father’s palace and shut me in this box, which he beareth about on his head wherever he goeth, with the keys about him; and he hardly leaveth me one moment alone of the excess of his jealousy over me, and hindereth me from what I desire.  When I saw this, I swore that I would deny my last favours to no man whatsoever, and these rings thou seest are after the tale of the men who have had me; for after coition I took from each a seal ring and laid it in this kerchief.”  Then she added, “And now go thy ways, that I may look for another than thyself, for the Ifrit will not awake yet awhile.”  Hardly crediting what he had heard, the Prince returned to his father’s palace, but the King knew naught of the damsel’s malice (for she feared not this and took no count thereof), and seeing that his son had lost his ring, he bade put him to death.[FN#240] Then he rose from his place and entered his palace; but his Wazirs came in to him and prevailed with him to abandon his purpose.  The same night, the King sent for all of them and thanked them for having dissuaded him from slaying his son; and the Prince also thanked them, saying, “It was well done of you to counsel my father to let me live and Inshallah!  I will soon requite you abundantly.”  Then he related to them how he had lost the ring, and they offered up prayers for his long life and advancement and withdrew.  “See then, O King,” (said the Wazir), “the malice of women and what they do unto men.”  The King hearkened to the Minister’s counsel and again countermanded his order to slay his son.  Next morning, it being the eighth day, as the King sat in his audience chamber in the midst of his Grandees and Emirs and Wazirs and Olema, the Prince entered, with his hand in that of his governor, Al Sindibad, and praised his father and his Ministers and lords and divines in the most eloquent words and thanked them for having saved his life; so that all who were present wondered at his eloquence and fluency of speech.