she has been delivered, how much will the King give you ?” She answered, “He will issue orders to give me fifteen mahbubs.[FN#428] The other said, “Behold, here are forty mahhubs from me.  Take these two little blind puppies, and when she has given birth to a son and a daughter, take them and place them in a box and put these two puppies in their stead, and remove the children.”  The midwife took the money and the little dogs and went away.  When the King’s new wife was safely delivered, the midwife did according to her agreement with the other wife of the King, and then went before him and said, “I fear to speak.”  He answered, “Speak; I grant you pardon.”  Then said she, “Your wife has been delivered of two dogs.”  Then the King gave orders, saying, “Take and cover her with tar, and bind her to the staircase, and let any who may go up or down spit upon her,” which was done accordingly.  And the midwife carried away the children and threw them into the river.

Now there was a fisherman who lived on an island with his wife, and they had no children.  On the morrow he went to the water-side to fish and found a box driven on to the shore He carried it home to his wife, and placing it between them, he said, “Listen, my dear, I am going to make a bargain with you:  if this contains money, it will be for me, if it contains children, they will be for you.”  She replied, “Very well, I am quite content.”  They then opened the box and found in it a baby boy and girl.  The baby boy had his finger in the baby girl’s mouth and the latter had her finger in his mouth, and they were sucking one another’s fingers.  The woman took them out of the box and prayed to Heaven, “Make milk come into my breasts, for the sake of these little ones.”  And by the Almighty power the milk came into her breasts, and she continued to bring them up until they had reached the age of twelve years.

One day the fisherman caught two large white fish, and the youth said to him, “These two white fish are pretty, my father; I will take and sell them, or carry them as a present to the King.”  So the boy took them and went away.  He sat down with them in the Fish Market:  people gathered about him, and those who did not look at the fish looked at the boy.  The King also came past, and seeing the two white fish and the boy he called to him saying, “What is the price, my lad?” The boy answered, “They are a present for you, my prince.”  Thereupon the King took him to the palace and said to him, “What is your name?” and he replied, “My name is Muhammed, and my father is the fisherman who lives on the island.”  Then the King gave him thirty mahbubs, saying, “Go away, discreet one, and every day return here to my house.”  So the lad returned home and gave the money to his father.  The next morning two more white fish were caught and Muhammed carried them to the King, who took him into his garden and made him sit down opposite him.  The King remained there drinking his wine and looking on the beauty of the youth:  love for the lad entered his heart and he remained with him two hours.[FN#429] Then he gave orders to provide the youth with a horse for his use in coming to and returning from his house, and Muhammed mounted the horse and rode home.