The end of the Six Hundred and Seventieth Night.

Then said she:—­I have heard, O auspicious King, that the King, enflamed with sudden fierceness, drew his sword and would have slain his Queen had not the Grand Wazir, who happened to be in his presence at the time, restrained his rage and diverted him from his unjust design and barbarous purpose.  Quoth he, “O Shadow of Allah upon earth, this mishap is ordained of the Almighty Lord whose will no man hath power to gainsay.  The Queen is guiltless of offence against thee, for what is born of her is born without her choice, and she indeed hath no hand therein.”  With this and other sage counsels he dissuaded his lord from carrying out his fell purpose and saved the guiltless Queen from a sudden and cruel death.  Meanwhile the basket wherein lay the newly-born Prince was carried by the current into a rivulet which flowed through the royal gardens; and, as the Intendant of the pleasure grounds and pleasaunces chanced to walk along the bank, by the decree of Destiny he caught sight of the basket floating by, and he called a gardener, bidding him lay hold of it and bring it to him that he might see what was therein.  The man ran along the rivulet side; and, with a long stick drawing the basket to land, showed it to the Intendant who opened it and beheld within a new-born babe, a boy of wondrous beauty wrapped in a bit of blanket; at which sight he was astounded beyond measure of surprise.  Now it chanced that the Intendant, who was one of the Emirs and who stood high in favour with the Sovran, had no children:  withal he never ceased offering prayers and vows to Almighty Allah that he might have a son to keep alive his memory and continue his name.  Delighted at the sight he took home the basket with the babe and giving it to his wife said, “See how Allah hath sent to us this man-child which I just now found floating upon the waters; and do thou apply thee forthright and fetch a wet-nurse to give him milk and nourish him; and bring him up with care and tenderness as though he were thine own.”  So the Intendant’s wife took charge of the child with great gladness and reared him with her whole heart, diligently as though born of her own womb; nor did the Intendant say aught to any, or seek to find out whose might be the child lest haply some one claim and take it from him.  He was certified in his mind that the boy came from the Queen’s quarter of the palace, but deemed inexpedient to make too strict enquiry concerning the matter; and he and his spouse kept the secret with all secrecy.  A year after this the Queen gave birth to a second son, when her sisters, the Satanesses full of spite, did with this babe, even as they had done by the first:  they wrapped it in a cloth and set it in a basket which they threw into the stream, then gave out that the Queen had brought forth a kitten.  But once more, by the mercy of Allah Almighty, this boy came to the hands of that same Intendant of the gardens who carried him