which still seemed to be half full, he sent
him on his way.

When Prince Perviz reached the foot of the mountain he jumped from his
horse, and paused for a moment to recall the instructions the dervish
had given him. Then he strode boldly on, but had scarcely gone five or
six paces when he was startled by a man's voice that seemed close to
his ear, exclaiming: "Stop, rash fellow, and let me punish your
audacity." This outrage entirely put the dervish's advice out of the
prince's head. He drew his sword, and turned to avenge himself, but
almost before he had realised that there was nobody there, he and his
horse were two black stones.

Not a morning had passed since Prince Perviz had ridden away without
Princess Parizade telling her beads, and at night she even hung them
round her neck, so that if she woke she could assure herself at once of
her brother's safety. She was in the very act of moving them through
her fingers at the moment that the prince fell a victim to his
impatience, and her heart sank when the first pearl remained fixed in
its place. However she had long made up her mind what she would do in
such a case, and the following morning the princess, disguised as a
man, set out for the mountain.

As she had been accustomed to riding from her childhood, she managed to
travel as many miles daily as her brothers had done, and it was, as
before, on the twentieth day that she arrived at the place where the
dervish was sitting. "Good dervish," she said politely, "will you
allow me to rest by you for a few moments, and perhaps you will be so
kind as to tell me if you have ever heard of a Talking Bird, a Singing
Tree, and some Golden Water that are to be found somewhere near this?"

"Madam," replied the dervish, "for in spite of your manly dress your
voice betrays you, I shall be proud to serve you in any way I can. But
may I ask the purpose of your question?"

"Good dervish," answered the princess, "I have heard such glowing
descriptions of these three things, that I cannot rest till I possess
them."

"Madam," said the dervish, "they are far more beautiful than any
description, but you seem ignorant of all the difficulties that stand
in your way, or you would hardly have undertaken such an adventure.
Give it up, I pray you, and return home, and do not ask me to help you
to a cruel death."

"Holy father," answered the princess, "I come from far, and I should be
in despair if I turned back without havin