e of his
slaves!"

The Sultan being returned to his palace with his Vizier, "Horam," said
he, "each man has his part in life allotted to him; and the folly of
those who, leaving the right and regular path, strike into the mazes
of their own fancy, is sufficiently seen from our adventure this day:
wherefore I would have every man endeavour to fill his real character
and to shine in that, and not attempt what belongs to another, in
which he can gain no credit, and runs a great hazard of disgrace."

The Vizier went forth, and brought the fakeer bound in chains before
the Sultan.

The fakeer advanced to the presence of the Sultan, full of shame and
fear; and falling at his footstool, cried out, "I call Mahomet to
witness, I slew not the man in my wrath, but in mine own defence."

"What man?" said the Sultan, astonished at his words; "whom hast thou
slain, O wicked fakeer, that thine own fears should turn evidence
against thee?"

"Alas!" answered the fakeer, "hear me, most injured lord, for the
blood of my brother presseth me sore.

"As I journeyed yesterday, and was arrived within a league of the city
of Delhi, I turned me towards a place walled round, which I supposed
was a repository for the dead; and finding the gate open, I entered
into it, intending to shelter myself for a few minutes against the
scorching sun.

"As I entered I perceived at one end a stone sepulchre, whose mouth
was opened, and the stone rolled from it. Surprised at the sight, I
walked forward to the vault, and heard within the voices of several
persons. At this I was in doubt whether to proceed or retire,
supposing that some robbers had taken up their residence there.

"In the midst of my confusion, a young man with a turban hanging over
his face came out, and seeing me, drew his sabre and made toward me to
kill me. Whereupon I took up a large fragment of the wall which lay at
my feet, and as he came forward I threw it and felled him to the
ground; then running up, I snatched the sabre from his hand, and would
have destroyed him, but he cried out, saying, 'Take care what thou
doest, rash man; for it is not one but two lives that thou takest away
when thou destroyest me!'

"Amazed and wondering how it was possible for me to destroy two lives
by avenging myself on one wretch, who, without offence, had meditated
my death, I stayed my hand; which the young man seeing, he aimed to
pull the sabre out of my hand, whereupon I lifted up the sabre a