ridle on your horse's neck without any fear of his
straying, and will dismount. On each side you will see vast heaps of
big black stones, and will hear a multitude of insulting voices, but
pay no heed to them, and, above all, beware of ever turning your head.
If you do, you will instantly become a black stone like the rest. For
those stones are in reality men like yourself, who have been on the
same quest, and have failed, as I fear that you may fail also. If you
manage to avoid this pitfall, and to reach the top of the mountain, you
will find there the Talking Bird in a splendid cage, and you can ask of
him where you are to seek the Singing Tree and the Golden Water. That
is all I have to say. You know what you have to do, and what to avoid,
but if you are wise you will think of it no more, but return whence you
have come."

The prince smilingly shook his head, and thanking the dervish once
more, he sprang on his horse and threw the ball before him.

The ball rolled along the road so fast that Prince Bahman had much
difficulty in keeping up with it, and it never relaxed its speed till
the foot of the mountain was reached. Then it came to a sudden halt,
and the prince at once got down and flung the bridle on his horse's
neck. He paused for a moment and looked round him at the masses of
black stones with which the sides of the mountain were covered, and
then began resolutely to ascend. He had hardly gone four steps when he
heard the sound of voices around him, although not another creature was
in sight.

"Who is this imbecile?" cried some, "stop him at once." "Kill him,"
shrieked others, "Help! robbers! murderers! help! help!" "Oh, let him
alone," sneered another, and this was the most trying of all, "he is
such a beautiful young man; I am sure the bird and the cage must have
been kept for him."

At first the prince took no heed to all this clamour, but continued to
press forward on his way. Unfortunately this conduct, instead of
silencing the voices, only seemed to irritate them the more, and they
arose with redoubled fury, in front as well as behind. After some time
he grew bewildered, his knees began to tremble, and finding himself in
the act of falling, he forgot altogether the advice of the dervish. He
turned to fly down the mountain, and in one moment became a black stone.

As may be imagined, Prince Perviz and his sister were all this time in
the greatest anxiety, and consulted the magic knife, n