He!) of His grace made the way easy to him and guided him into the right road, so that he reached his own land and came upon his father’s capital, after he had despaired of life.  Now all this befel by the contrivance of the Wazir, who travelled with him, to the end that he might cause him to perish on the way; but Almighty Allah succoured him.  “And this” (said the damsel) “have I told thee, O King, that thou mayst know that wicked Wazirs deal not honestly by nor counsel with sincere intent their Kings; wherefore be thou wise and ware of them in this matter.”  The King gave ear to her speech and bade put his son to death; but the third Wazir came in and said to his brother Ministers, “I will warrant you from the King’s mischief this day” and, going in to him, kissed the ground between his hands and said, “O King, I am thy true counsellor and solicitous for thee and for thine estate, and indeed I rede thee the best of rede; it is that thou hasten not to slay thy son, the coolth of thine eyes and the fruit of thy vitals.  Haply his sin is but a slight slip, which this damsel hath made great to thee; and indeed I have heard tell that the people of two villages once destroyed one another, because of a drop of honey.”  Asked the King, “How was that?”; and the Wazir answered, saying, “Know, O King, that I have heard this story anent

The Drop of Honey.[FN#174]

A certain hunter used to chase wild beasts in wold, and one day he came upon a grotto in the mountains, where he found a hollow full of bees’ honey.  So he took somewhat thereof in a water-skin he had with him and, throwing it over his shoulder, carried it to the city, followed by a hunting dog which was dear to him.  He stopped at the shop of an oilman and offered him the honey for sale and he bought it.  Then he emptied it out of the skin, that he might see it, and in the act a drop fell to the ground, whereupon the flies flocked to it and a bird swooped down upon the flies.  Now the oilman had a cat, which sprang upon the bird, and the huntsman’s dog, seeing the cat, sprang upon it and slew it; whereupon the oilman sprang upon the dog and slew it, and the huntsman in turn sprang upon the oilman and slew him.  Now the oilman was of one village and the huntsman of another; and when the people of the two places heard what had passed, they took up arms and weapons and rose one on other in wrath and the two lines met; nor did the sword leave to play amongst them, till there died of them much people, none knoweth their number save Almighty Allah.  “And amongst other stories of the malice of women” (continued the Wazir) “I have heard tell, O King, one concerning

The Woman who made her Husband Sift Dust.[FN#175]