mules and, when they had done his bidding, they all set forth on the homewards march.  They travelled for whole days and nights till they drew near their destination and the youngest Prince bade his attendants seeks an open place where in they might take repose, and they said, “Hearkening and obedience.”  But when they came upon it they found a well builded of stone, and the brothers said to the cadet, “This be a place befitting the rest by reason of this well benign here; for the water thereof is sweet and good for our drink and therefifth we can supply our folk and our beasts.”  Replied the youth, “This is what we desire.”  So they set up their tents hard by that well, and when the camp was pitched they let prepare the evening meal, and as soon as it was sunset-tide they spread the trays and supped their sufficiency until presently night came down upon them.  Now the youngest Prince had a bezel’d signet-ring which he had taken from the bird Philomelet, and he was so careful thereof that he never slept without it.  But his brothers awaited until he was drowned in sleep, when coming softly upon him they pinioned him and carried him off and cast him into the well without anyone knowing aught thereof.  Then as soon as morning morrowed the two eldest Princes arose and commanded the attendants to load, but these said to them, “Where be our lord?” and said the others, “He is sleeping in the Takhtrawan.”  So the camel men arose and loaded the loads and the litter and the two Princes sent forwards to the King their sire a messenger of glad tidings who when he found him informed him of the fair news.  Accordingly he and all his Lords took horse and rode forth to meet his sons upon the road that he might salam to them and give them joy of their safe return.  Now he chanced in their train to catch sight of the caged bird which is called “the shrilling Philomelet,” and he rejoiced thereat and asked them, “How did ye become masters of him?” Then he enquired anent their brother.—­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 and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would 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 Twenty-second 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 the Sultan enquired of the two elder sons concerning their younger brother and they said, “We made ourselves masters of the Bird and we have brought him hither and we know