Now the king, who had plundered Abou Sabir[’s goods] and driven him forth of his village, had an enemy; and the latter took horse against him and overcame him and captured his [capital] city; wherefore he addressed himself to flight and came to Abou Sabir’s city, craving protection of him and seeking that he should succour him.  He knew not that the king of the city was the headman whom he had despoiled; so he presented himself before him and made complaint to him; but Abou Sabir knew him and said to him, ’This is somewhat of the issue of patience.  God the Most High hath given me power over thee.’  Then he bade his guards plunder the [unjust] king and his attendants; so they plundered them and stripping them of their clothes, put them forth of his country.  When Abou Sabir’s troops saw this, they marvelled and said, ’What is this deed that the king doth?  There cometh a king to him, craving protection, and he despoileth him!  This is not of the fashion of kings.’  But they dared not [be]speak [him] of this.

After this, news came to the king of robbers in his land; so he set out in quest of them and ceased not to follow after them, till he seized on them all, and behold, they were the [very] thieves who had despoiled him [and his wife] by the way and taken his children.  So he bade bring them before him, and when they came into his presence, he questioned them, saying, ’Where are the two boys ye took on such a day?’ Quoth they, ’They are with us and we will present them to our lord the king for slaves to serve him and give him wealth galore that we have gotten together and divest ourselves of all that we possess and repent from sin and fight in thy service.’  Abou Sabir, however, paid no heed to their speech, but took all their good and bade put them all to death.  Moreover, he took the two boys and rejoiced in them with an exceeding joy, whereat the troops murmured among themselves, saying, ’Verily, this is a greater tyrant than his brother!  There come to him a sort of robbers and seek to repent and proffer two boys [by way of peace-offering], and he taketh the two boys and all their good and slayeth them!’

After this came the horseman, who had taken Abou Sabir’s wife, and complained of her to the king that she would not give him possession of herself, avouching that she was his wife.  The king bade bring her before him, that he might hear her speech and pronounce judgment upon her.  So the horseman came with her before him, and when the king saw her, he knew her and taking her from her ravisher, bade put the latter to death.  Then he became aware of the troops, that they murmured against him and spoke of him as a tyrant; so he turned to his officers and viziers and said to them, ’As for me, by God the Great, I am not the king’s brother!  Nay, I am but one whom the king imprisoned upon a word he heard from me and used every day to taunt me therewith.  Ye think that I am the king’s brother; but I am Abou Sabir and God hath given me