by way of debt from me and my sire the sum of some five thousand dinars.  “Where be your written bond given by my father?” asked I; but they answered, “There be no instrument and if thou believe us not make oath by Allah.”  Replied I saying, “Never will I swear at all,” and paid them whatso they demanded; after which all who feared not the Lord would come to me and say, “We have such-and-such owing to us by thy parent;” and I would pay them off until there remained to me of ready moneys a matter neither great nor small.  Hereupon I fell to selling off my landed estates—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawning 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 Nine Hundred and Twelfth 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 thus continued his relation to the Kazi:—­I began selling off my landed estates and fiefs and letting out my settlements of bequeathal[FN#611] until naught of all that remained by me; so I fell to vending the house-gear and goods and carpets and pots and pans until I owned nothing whatever, and my case waxed straitened and the affair was grievous to me.  Then I quoth to myself, “Allah’s earth for Allah’s folk!” and, albeit I had a wife and to male children, I left them and went forth under cover of the night a wanderer about the world and unknowing where I should bring myself to anchor.  But suddenly, O my lord the Kazi, I was confronted by a man whose aspect bred awe, showing signs of saintliness and garbed wholly in spotless white; so I accosted him and kissed his hand, and he on seeing me said, “O my son, there is no harm to thee!” presently adding,

“Do thou be heedless of thy cark and care * And unto Fate commit
     thy whole affair;
The Lord shall widen what to thee is strait; * The Lord shall all
     for breadth of space prepare: 
The Lord shall gladly end they grievous toils; * The Lord shall
     work His will, so jar forbear.”

After these words he took my hand and walked with me athwart those wilds and wolds till such time as we made a city and entered its gates.  Here, however, we found no signs of creature-kind nor any mark of Son of Adam, and when I sighted whit my condition changed and fear and affright entered my heart.  But presently the man turned to me and said, “Dread not nor be startled, for that this city shall (Inshallah!)