and the same time.  So now do thou retire and hie thee home.”  Ja’afar did his bidding and reassumed the office of Wazir after fairer fashion than he was before.  And now return we to the purport of our story as regardeth the designs of Attaf and what befel him when they took him out of gaol.  They at once led him to the Kazi who began by questioning him, saying, “Woe to thee, didst thou murther this Hashimi?"[FN#370] Replied he, “Yes, I did!” “And why killedst thou him?” “I found him in yonder ruin, and I struck him advisedly and slew him!” “Art thou in thy right senses?” “Yea, verily.”  “What may be thy name?” “I am hight Attaf.”  Now when the Judge heard this confession, which was thrice repeated, he wrote a writ to the Mufti and acquainted him with the contention; and the divine after delivering his decision produced a book and therein indited the proces-verbal.  Then he sent notice thereof to Ja’afar the Wair for official order to carry out the sentence and the Minister took the document and affixing his seal and signature thereto gave the order for the execution.  So they bore Attaf away and led him to the gallows-foot whither he was followed by a world of folk in number as the dust; and, as they set him under the tree Ja’afar the Wazir, who was riding by with his suite at the time, suddenly espied a crowd going forth the city.  Thereupon he summoned the Sobashi[FN#371] who came up to him and kissed his knee.  “What is the object of this gathering of folk who be manifold as the dust and what do they want?” quoth the Wazir; and quoth the officer, “We are wending to hang[FN#372] a Syrian who hath murthered a youth of Sharif family.”  “And who may be this Syrian?” asked the Wazir, and the other answered, “One hight Attaf.”  But when Ja’afar heard the word Attaf he cried out with a mighty loud outcry and said, “Hither with him.”  So after loosing the noose from his neck they set him before the Wazir who regarding him at once recognized his whilome host albeit he was in the meanest of conditions, so he sprang up and threw himself upon him and he in turn threw himself upon his sometime quest.[FN#373] “What condition be this?” quoth Ja’afar as soon as he could speak, and quoth Attaf, “This cometh of my acquaintance with thee which hath brought me to such pass.”  Hereupon the twain swooned clean away and fell down fainting on the floor, and when they came to themselves and could rise to their feet Ja’afar the Wazir sent his friend Attaf to the Hammam with a sumptuous suit of clothes which he donned as he came out.  Then the attendants led him to the Wazirial mansion where both took seat and drank wine and ate the early meal[FN#374] and after their coffee they sat together in converse.  And when they had rested and were cheered, Ja’afar said, “Do thou acquaint me with all that betided thee from the time we took leave each of other until this day and date.”  So Attaf fell to telling him how he had been entreated by Abdal-Malik bin Marwan,