d were bounded by the immensity of
fate, yet he did all he could to fulfil the hope he had raised in
Naima's heart. He gave a commission to all his servants in his
kingdom, high and low, and to his ambassadors in the neighbouring
kingdoms, and even sent into distant lands, with the princes of which
he was friendly, and on the same day dispatched messengers with the
charge to search for Haschem with all diligence, and gave them a
description how they might recognize him if they found him. But week
after week passed away, month after month, and even a whole year
elapsed, without intelligence being received either of the life or
death of the lost one. So all hope of finding him now deserted the
father for ever.

CHAPTER III.

THE CAPTIVE.

Haschem was not dead; he still lived, but in such retirement that it
was impossible to discover his abode. He followed the snow-white bird
till evening, without clearly knowing why: he was induced to think he
could catch the curious creature, particularly as it flew at such a
moderate height from the ground, and so slowly that he hoped quickly
to reach it. The tardiness of its flight made him conjecture that it
must have a defect in its wing: he often stretched out his hand to it,
and drew near it, but the bird again raised its wings, and flew a
little in advance. Haschem now felt himself tired, and would have
given up the pursuit, but the bird also seemed fatigued; he approached
it, but again the bird flew a little farther off. In this chase he
reached a hill, which he climbed; he was now in a narrow
meadow-valley, which he ran along; twilight came, but the snow-white
colour of the bird still lighted him on. At last the pursued bird
perched in a thicket; he hastened to it, but when he closed his hand
to take his prisoner, it flew away, leaving only one feather of its
tail behind, which he had tightly grasped; still he saw it through the
twilight flying before him, and he hastened after it. The bird seemed
now to quicken its pace; and as he followed and had once nearly caught
it, he continued the pursuit with more eagerness: he ran through the
high grass, and with his strained sight fixed on this glimmering white
object, he saw nothing else. Thus he came unexpectedly to a little dam
which lay across his path; he jumped in and tried to climb the other
side, but it was so steep that he fell in with some of the crumbling
earth: while the water rushed over his head he lost all consci