take him, at any rate I shall be able to look upon him.’  But the second woman designed only to gratify her spite whether the boy died or not and to harm her sister-wife; so when I saw that she was contented to have the babe killed, I knew that it was right to do her die.”  Then all who were present of the Lords of the land and the Olema and divines and notables wondered at the judgment and exclaimed, “By Allah, well done,[FN#280] O Wazir of the realm.”  Now this history of the Minister’s perspicacity and penetration was spread abroad and all folk went from his presence and everyone who had wives that had borne girls took somewhat of milk from the women and went to each and every of those who had borne boys and took from them milk in the same quantity as the Wazir had taken, and weighted it in the scales, when they found that the mothers of males produced milk that was not equal to, nay it weighed two-fold that of those who bare girls.  Hereupon they said, “It is not right that we call this Minister only the Just Wazir;” and all were agreed that he should be titled “The Wazir-wise-in-Allah-Almighty;"[FN#281] and the reason whereof was the judgment which he passed in the cause between the two women.  Now after this it befel him to deliver a decision more wondrous than the former.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The four hundred and eleventh night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that to the Wazir-wise-in-Almighty-Allah there befel between his hands a strange matter which was as follows.  As he was sitting one day of the days there came in to him unexpectedly two men, of whom one led a cow and a little colt whilst the second had with him a mare and a little calf.  Now the first who came forward was the owner of the mare and quoth he, “O my lord, I have a claim upon this man.”  Quoth the Minister, “What be thy claim?” And the plaintiff continued, “I was going a-morn to the meadow for pasture and with me was my mare followed by her young one, her little colt, when yonder man met me upon the road and the colt began to play and to throw up gravel with its hoofs as is the wont of horse-flesh and draw near to the cow.  Hereupon this man came up and seized it and said, ‘This colt is the offspring of my cow,’ and so saying he took it away and he gave me his calf, crying, ’Take this which