against this Papoosh which is not my property nor am I its owner:  prithee do thou write me a deed to such purport between me and the Slipper and all who pass down this road.”  The Efendi replied, “O man, how shall I write thee a deed between thee and thy Papoosh, which is a senseless thing?  Nay, take it thyself and cut it up and cast it into some place avoided of the folk.”  Accordingly I seized it and hacked it with a hatchet into four pieces which I threw down in the four corners of the city, saying to myself the while, “By Allah, I shall nevermore in my life hear any further of its adventures;” and walked away barefoot.  But I had thrown one bit under a bridge that crossed a certain of the small canals; and the season was the dries, wherefore it collected a heap of sand which rose thereupon, and raised the pile higher until the archway was blocked up by a mound.  Now when the Nil[FN#257] flooded and reached that archway the water was dammed up and ceased running so the townsfolk said, “What may be the matter?  The Nile-inundation hath reached the bridge but cannot pass under it.  Come let us inspect the archway.”  They did so and presently discovered the obstacle; to wit, the mound before the arch which obstructed the waterway; whereupon a party kilted their clothes and waded into the channel that they might clear it.  But when they came to the mound-base they found my quarter-slipper, and they exclaimed with one cry, “This be the Papoosh of Abu Kasim the Drummer!” But as soon as the tidings reached me, I fared away, flying from that town, and while so doing was met by a comrade, yonder Bhang-eater; so we agreed that we would travel together and he companied me till we came to this city, e’en as thou seest us, O our lord the Sultan.  Thereupon the King said to them, “Do ye twain abide with me amongst my servants; but I have a condition with you which is that ye be righteous in your service and that ye be ready to join my seance every night after supper-tide.”  Then he cautioned them against disobedience and quoth he, “Be ye not deluded by becoming my companions nor say to yourselves, We be the assessors of the King; for that the byword declareth:  Whenas the King sitteth beware of his severity, and be not refractory whenever he shall say to thee ‘Do.’” They agreed to this condition and each whispered his mate, “Do thou have a care to act righteously!” Then they left the King nor did they see him again till one day of the days when behold, a Khwajah appeared before the Sultan.—­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 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 Third Night,