with his brother Sa’id and they weighed anchor and sailed till they came to the City of China.  When the Chinamen heard of the coming of forty ships, full of armed men and stores, weapons and hoards, they made sure that these were enemies come to battle with them and seige them; so they bolted the gates of the town and made ready the mangonels.[FN#394] But Sayf al-Muluk, hearing of this, sent two of his Chief Mamelukes to the King of China, bidding them say to him, “This is Sayf al-Muluk, son of King Asim of Egypt, who is come to thy city as a guest, to divert himself by viewing thy country awhile, and not for conquest or contention; wherefore, an thou wilt receive him, he will come ashore to thee; and if not he will return and will not disquiet thee nor the people of thy capital.”  They presented themselves at the city gates and said, “We are messengers from King Sayf al-Muluk.”  Whereupon the townsfolk opened the gates and carried them to their King, whose name was Faghfur[FN#395] Shah and between whom and King Asim there had erst been acquaintance.  So, when he heard that the new-comer Prince was the son of King Asim, he bestowed robes of honour on the messengers and, bidding open the gates, made ready guest-gifts and went forth in person with the chief officers of his realm, to meet Sayf al-Muluk, and the two Kings embraced.  Then Faghfur said to his guest, “Well come and welcome and fair cheer to him who cometh to us!  I am thy slave and the slave of thy sire:  my city is between thy hands to command and whatso thou seekest shall be brought before thee.”  Then he presented him with the guest-gifts and victual for the folk at their stations; and they took horse, with the Wazir Sa’id and the chiefs of their officers and the rest of their troops, and rode from the sea-shore to the city, which they entered with cymbals clashing and drums beating in token of rejoicing.  There they abode in the enjoyment of fair entertainment for forty days, at the end of which quoth the King of China to Sayf al-Muluk, “O son of my brother, how is thy case[FN#396]?  Doth my country please thee?”; and quoth Sayf al-Muluk, “May Allah Almighty long honour it with thee, O King!” Said Faghfur, “Naught hath brought thee hither save some need which hath occurred to thee; and whatso thou desirest of my country I will accomplish it to the.”  Replied Sayf al-Muluk, “O King, my case is a wondrous, “and told him how he had fallen in love with the portrait of Badi’a al-Jamal, and wept bitter tears.  When the King of China heard his story, he wept for pity and solicitude for him and cried, “And what wouldst thou have now, O Sayf al-Muluk?”; and he rejoined, “I would have thee bring me all the wanderers and travellers, the seafarers and sea-captains, that I may question them of the original of this portrait; perhaps one of them may give me tidings of her.”  So Faghfur Shah sent out his Nabobs and Chamberlains and body-guards to fetch all the wanderers and travellers in the land, and they brought them before the two