year had not elapsed ere the city returned to its older estate and waxed great as erst it was and I became therein Sovran and Sultan.  Such was the case of this King;[FN#617] but as regards the matter of his wife and his two sons, whenas he fared forth from them he left them naught to eat and presently their case was straitened and the twain set out, each in his own direction, and overwandered the world and endured the buffets of life until their semblance was changed for stress of toil and travail and transit from region to region for a while of time.  At last, by decree of the Decreer, the elder was thrown by Eternal Fate into the very town wherein was his sire and said to himself, “I will fare to the King of this city and take from him somewhat.”—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was,

The Nine Hundred and Fifteenth 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 young man went in to the Sultan and kissed the ground before him and the King regarding him felt his heart yearn himwards and said, “What wantest thou, O youth?” “My design is service with thee,” said the other; and the King rejoined, “Then welcome to thee!” So he abode in his employ for a term of four months until he became like unto a Mameluke[FN#618] and his first case was changed:  the Sultan also drew him near and fell to consulting him in sundry matters the which proved propitious, so quoth the King, “By Allah, this young man meriteth naught less than to become my Wazir,” and accordingly made him his Minister of the Right.  In his new degree he became as another liege lord[FN#619] and his word was heard, so the land was opened up by his hand and year by year he derived from it corvees and taxes, nor did he cease to be the Chief Councilor under the right hand of the King.  Meanwhile his brother who was the younger stinted not faring from land to land until he was met by a party of wayfarers that said to him, “O youth, verily the Sultan who ruleth in such a capital is a liberal lord, loving the poor and paupers; so do thou seek him and haply shall he show himself bounteous to thee.”  Quoth he, “I know not the city,” and quoth they, “We will lead thee thereto for we purpose to go by his town.”  So they took him and he accompanied them until they reached the city when he farewelled them and entered the gates.  After