THE STORY OF THE VIZIER THAT WAS PUNISHED.

There was a king, says the vizier, who had a son that loved hunting mightily.  He allowed him to divert himself that way very often, but gave orders to his grand vizier to attend him constantly, and never to lose sight of him.

One hunting day, the huntsman having roused a deer, the prince who thought the vizier followed him, pursued the game so far, and with so much earnestness, that he was left quite alone.  He stopped, and finding that he had lost his way, endeavoured to return the same way he came, to find out the vizier, who had not been careful enough to find him, and so wandered further.

Whilst he rode up and down without keeping any road, he met, by the way-side, a handsome lady, who wept bitterly.  He stopped his horse, asked who she was, how she came to be alone in that place, and what she wanted?  I am, says she, daughter of an Indian king; as I was taking the air on horseback in the country, I grew sleepy, fell from my horse, who is got away, and I know not what is become of him.  The young prince, taking compassion on her, asked her to get up behind him, which she willingly accepted.

As they passed by the ruins of a house, the lady signified a desire to alight on some occasion.  The prince stopped his horse, and suffered her to alight; then he alighted himself, and went near the ruins with his horse in his hand:  But you may judge how much he was surprised, when he heard the lady within it say these words, “Be glad, my children, I bring you a handsome young man, and very fat;” and other voices which answered immediately, “Mamma, where is he, that we may eat him presently, for we are very hungry.”

The prince heard enough to convince him of his danger, and then he perceived that the lady, who called herself daughter to an Indian king, was a hogress, wife to one of those savage demons called hogress, who live in remote places, and make use of a thousand wiles to surprise and devour passengers; so that the prince, being thus frightened, mounted his horse as soon as he could.

The pretended princess appeared that very moment, and perceiving that she had missed her prey, she cries, Fear nothing, prince!  Who are you?  Whom do you seek?  I have lost my way, replies he, and am seeking it.  If you have lost your way, says she, recommend yourself to God, he will deliver you out of your perplexity.  Then the prince lift up his eyes towards Heaven.  But, sir, says Scheherazade, I am obliged to break off, for day appears.

I long mightily, says Dinarzade, to know what became of that young prince, I tremble for him.  I will deliver you from your uneasiness to-morrow, answers the sultaness, if the sultan will allow me to live till then.  Schahriar, willing to hear an end of this adventure, prolonged Scheherazade’s life for another day.

The Sixteenth Night.

Dinarzade had such a mighty desire to hear out the story of the young prince, that she awaked that night sooner than ordinary, and said, Sister, pray go on with the story you began yesterday:  I am much concerned for the young prince, and ready to die for fear that he was eaten up by the hogress and her children.  Schahriar having signified that he had the same fear, the sultaness replies, Well, Sir, I will satisfy you immediately.