Then asked she, “O my lord, who mayest thou be?” so he declared to her his pedigree and degree and the name of his native country and she also informed him of her rank and lineage and her patrial stead.  Presently he farewelled her and mounting his horse fared forth from her in early morning,—­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, “Andwhere is this compared with that I would 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 Seven Hundred and Ninety-ninth 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 King’s son farewelled the Merchant’s daughter and fared forth from her in early morning, seeking his folk and his natal land, and he drove amiddlemost the wilds and the wolds.  On this wise it was with him; but as regards the merchant, the father of the damsel, he and the Darwaysh after consigning her to the cavern returned to his town and there spent six months in business as was his wont; but on the seventh he called to mind his child and was desolated by her absence because he had none other.  So quoth he to her mother, “I have an intent to visit the girl and look upon her and see what may be her condition, for my heart is in sore doubt on her account and I cannot but fancy that some unforeseen casualty hath brought calamity or that some wayfarer may have visited her; and my thoughts are occupied with her, so ’tis my will to fare forth and see her.”  “Such act were advisable,” quoth the wife; and so saying she fell to making him somewhat of provaunt amounting to some ten camel-loads.[FN#526] Presently he led forth with him a few of his negro slaves and set out to see his daughter on the Jabal al-Sah b.  So he dove into the depths of the desert and cut across the dales and the hills and conjoined the journeyings of night with day for a space of three months, and about sunset-tide on the first of the fourth behold, a rider appeared to him coming from the breast of the waste, nor had he with him anyone.  When the stranger drew near, the Khwajah saluted him and his salam was returned by the horseman who happened to be the Prince returning from the Merchant’s daughter.  Quoth the Khwajah, “O Youth, dismount with us in this place and let us twain, I and thou, night together and solace ourselves with converse;[FN#527] then, when it shall be morning, each of us shall depart seeking his own stead.”  Quoth the Prince, “No harm in that,” and so saying he sprang from the back of his steed and