sell and to buy, and there they delayed for a term of two months until they had finished their business and they had purchased them what sufficed of provaunt.  All this while the Prince lay bound in the black hole deep down in the ship’s hold, nor did anyone go near him save a Jew, a man of a certain age.[FN#533] And whenever he entered that dismal place he heard the youth reciting from the Koran and he would stand to hearken until his heart was softened to the speaker and he would favour him in the matter of meat and drink.  When they cast anchor beside the second place, the King’s son asked the man, “What may be this port-city and what is her name and the name of her ruler?  Would Heaven I wot an her lord be a King or a Governor under a royal hand?” “Wherefore askest thou?” quoth the Jew, and quoth the other, “For nothing:  my only want is the city’s name[FN#534] and I would learn whether it belong to Moslems or Jews or Nazarenes.”  “This be peopled by Moslem folk,” replied the Jew, “natheless can none carry tidings of thee to her inhabitants.  However, O Moslem, I feel a fondness for thee and ’tis my intent when we reach the city of Andal£s[FN#535] to give tidings of thee, but it must be on condition that thou accept of me to thy company whenas Allah Almighty shall have delivered thee.”  Said the Prince, “And what hindereth thee from Al-Islam at this hour?” and said the other, “I am forbidden by fear of the ship’s Captain."[FN#536] Replied the Prince, “Become a Moslem in secret and wash and pray in privacy beside me here.”  So he became of the True Believers at the hand of the King’s son, who presently asked him, “Say me, be there in this vessel any Moslems save myself?” “There are some twenty here,” answered he, “and ’tis the design of the Captain to offer them up on arrival at his own country and he shall devote them as victims in the Greater Synagogue.”  Rejoined the other, “Thou art now a Moslem even as I am a Moslem, and it besitteth thou apprise me of all and whatsoever befalleth in the ship, but first art thou able to gar me forgather with the other True Believers?” And the man answered in the affirmative.  Now after the ship had sailed with them for ten days, the whilome Jew contrived to bring him and the Moslem prisoners together and they were found to number twenty, each and every in irons.  But when it was the Sabbath about undurn hour, all the Jews including the Captain fell to wine-bibbing and therein exceeded until the whole of them waxed drunken; whereat the Prince and his convert arose, and going to the armoury[FN#537] and opening it found therein all manner war-gear, even habergeons.  So the Youth returned to the captives and unbinding their bonds, led them to the cabin of weapons and said to them, “Do each and every of you who shall find aught befitting take it and let such as avail to wear coat of mail seize one of them and don it.”  On this wise he heartened their hearts and cried to them, “Unless ye do the deeds of men you will be slaughtered with