all this?” and quoth he, “From the well wherein thou threwest me.”  Hereupon from the excess of his envy and malice Abu Niyyatayn said to Abu Niyyah, “I also will go down that well and what to thee was given the same shall be given to me.”  Then he left him and went forth from him, and he ceased not faring until he made the place.  Presently he descended, and having reached the bottom, there sat until the hour of nightfall, when behold! the two ’Ifrits came and, taking seat by the well-mouth, salam’d each to other.  But they had no force nor contrivance and both were as weaklings; so said one of them, “What is thy case, O my brother, and how is thy health?” and said the other, “Ah me, O my brother, since the hour that that I was with thee in this place on such a night, I have been cast out of the Sultan’s daughter, and until this tide I have been unable to approach her or indeed at any other time.”  Said his comrade, “I also am like thee, for the Hoard hath forth from me, and I have waxed feeble."[FN#411] then cried the twain, “By Allah, the origin of our losses is from this well, so let us block it up with stones.”  Hereupon the twain arose and brought with them crumbling earth and pebbles,[FN#412] and threw it down the well when it fell upon Abu Niyyatayn, and his bones were crushed upon his flesh.[FN#413] now his comrade, Abu Niyyah, sat expecting him to return, but he came not, so he cried, “Wallahi! needs must I go and look for him in yonder well and see what he is doing.”  So he took horse and fared thither and found the pit filled up; so he knew and was certified that his comrade’s intent had been evil, and had cast him into the hands of death.—­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 how 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 Eightieth 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 Abu Niyyah knew and was certified of his comrade Abu Niyyatayn being dead, so he cried aloud, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah the Glorious, the Great.  O Allah mine, do thou deliver me from envy, for that it destroyeth the envier and haply jealousy may lead to frowardness against the Lord (glorified be His Glory!);” and so saying he returned to the seat of his kingdom.  Now the Sultan’s daughter his spouse had two sisters, both married,[FN#414] and she after the delay of a year or so proved with