hty; upon which his sons
prepared what was suitable to his dignity for his funeral. They
washed the corpse, enshrouded it, prayed over it, and having
committed it to the earth, returned to their palaces; where the
viziers, officers of state, and inhabitants of the metropolis,
high and low, rich and poor, attended to console with them on the
loss of their father. The news of the death of the sultan was
soon spread abroad into all the provinces, and deputations from
every city came to condole with the princes.

After these ceremonies, the eldest prince demanded that he should
be inaugurated sultan in the room of the deceased monarch,
agreeably to his will; but this was not possible, as each of the
other brothers was ambitious of being sovereign. Contention and
disputes now arose between them for the government, till at
length the elder brother, wishing to avoid civil war, said, "Let
us go and submit to the arbitration of one of the tributary
sultans, and to let him whom he adjudges the kingdom peaceably
enjoy it." To this they assented, as did also the viziers; and
they departed, unattended, towards the capital of one of the
tributary sultans.

When the princes had proceeded about half way on their journey,
they reached a verdant spot, abounding in herbage and flowers,
with a clear rivulet running through it, the convenience of which
made them halt to refresh themselves. They sat down and were
eating, when one of the brothers casting his eyes on the grass,
said, "A camel has lately passed this way loaded, half with
sweetmeats and half with grain." "True," cried another, "and he
was blind of one eye." "Yes," exclaimed the third, "and he had
lost his tail." They had scarcely concluded their remarks, when
the owner of the camel came up to them (for he had heard what
they had said, and was convinced, as they had described the beast
and his load, that they must have stopped him), crying out, that
they had stolen his camel. "We have not seen him," answered the
princes, "nor touched him." "By Allah!" replied he, "none but you
can have taken him; and if you will not deliver him up, I will
complain of you to the sultan." They rejoined, "It is well; let
us go to the sultan."

When all four had reached the palace, information was given of
the arrival of the princes, and they were admitted to an
audience, the owner of the camel following, who bawled out,
"These men, my lord, by their own confession, have stolen my
property, fo