nd desert,
and entered the province of Mikran, whither he was followed by
Kai-khosrau and his army. He then quitted Mikran, but his followers had
fallen off to a small number and to whatever country or region he
repaired for rest and protection, none was given, lest the vengeance of
Kai-khosrau should be hurled upon the offender. Still pursued and hunted
like a wild beast, and still flying from his enemies, the small retinue
which remained with him at last left him, and he was left alone,
dejected, destitute, and truly forlorn. In this state of desertion he
retired into a cave, where he hoped to continue undiscovered and unseen.

It chanced, however, that a man named Hum, of the race of Feridun, dwelt
hard by. He was remarkable for his strength and bravery, but had
peacefully taken up his abode upon the neighboring mountain, and was
passing a religious life without any communication with the busy world.
His dwelling was a little way above the cave of Afrasiyab. One night he
heard a voice of lamentation below, and anxious to ascertain from whom
and whence it proceeded, he stole down to the spot and listened. The
mourner spoke in the Turkish language, and said:--"O king of Turan and
Chin, where is now thy pomp and power! How has Fortune cast away thy
throne and thy treasure to the winds?" Hearing these words Hum
conjectured that this must be Afrasiyab; and as he had suffered severely
from the tyranny of that monarch, his feelings of vengeance were
awakened, and he approached nearer to be certain that it was he. The
same lamentations were repeated, and he felt assured that it was
Afrasiyab himself. He waited patiently, however, till morning dawned,
and then he called out at the mouth of the cave:--"O, king of the world!
come out of thy cave, and obtain thy desires! I have left the invisible
sphere to accomplish thy wishes. Appear!" Afrasiyab thinking this a
spiritual call, went out of the cave and was instantly recognized by
Hum, who at the same moment struck him a severe blow on the forehead,
which felled him to the earth, and then secured his hands behind his
back. When the monarch found himself in fetters and powerless, he
complained of the cruelty inflicted upon him, and asked Hum why he had
treated a stranger in that manner. Hum replied: "How many a prince of
the race of Feridun hast thou sacrificed to thy ambition? How many a
heart hast thou broken? I, too, am one who was compelled to fly from thy
persecutions, and t