its noon she appeared, carrying a pair of saddle-bags wherein was a somewhat of money and raiment, and she was leading a she mule belonging to her father whereupon her saddle-bags were packed.  “Up with us,” she cried, so I arose with her in that outer darkness and we went forth the town forthright and the Veiler veiled us, nor did we stint faring till morning when we hid ourselves in fear lest we be overtaken.  And when the next night fell we made ready and set out again, but we knew not whither we were wending, for the Predestinator existeth and what is decided for us is like Destiny.  At last we came to a wide and open place where the heat smote us, and we sat down under a tree to smell the air.  Presently sleep came upon me and I was drowned in slumber from the excess of my toil and travail, when suddenly a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of my uncle—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable !” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Seventy-first 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 Larrikin continued his tale saying to the King:—­And as I was drowned in slumber a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of my uncle and assaulted her and knew her carnally; then, having taken her pucelage he ran away,[FN#387] but I knew nothing thereof from being fast asleep.  Now when I awoke I found my cousin was changed of case and her colour had waxed pale and she was in saddest condition; so I asked her and she told me all that had betided her and said to me, “O son of my uncle, from Fate there is no flight, even as saith one of those who knoweth:—­

’And when death shall claw with his firm-fixt nail * I saw that
     spells[FN#388] were of scant avail.’

And one of them also said:—­

’When God would execute His will in anything On one endowed with
     sight, hearing and reasoning,
He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From
     him, as one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;
Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That
     therewithal he may receive admonishing.’"[FN#389]