r my way is long and the fire of your love darts flame
into the harvest of my heart. By heaven's grace I may accomplish my
purpose, and, if so, I will come back to you.'

Now she saw that she could not in any way change his resolve, she told
her nurse to bring a certain casket which contained, she said, something
exhilarating which would help the prince on his journey. The box was
brought, and she divided off a portion of what was within and gave it to
the prince to eat. Then, and while he was all unaware, she put forth her
hand to a stick fashioned like a snake; she said some words over it and
struck him so sharply on the shoulder that he cried out; then he made a
pirouette and found that he was a deer.

When he knew what had been done to him he thought, 'All the threads of
affliction are gathered together; I have lost my last chance!' He
tried to escape, but the magician sent for her goldsmith, who, coming,
overlaid the deer-horns with gold and jewels. The kerchief which that
day she had had in her hand was then tied round its neck, and this freed
it from her attentions.

The prince-deer now bounded into the garden and at once sought some way
of escape. It found none, and it joined the other deer, which soon made
it their leader. Now, although the prince had been transformed into the
form of a deer, he kept his man's heart and mind. He said to himself,
'Thank heaven that the Lady Latifa has changed me into this shape, for
at least deer are beautiful.' He remained for some time living as a deer
amongst the rest, but at length resolved that an end to such a life must
be put ill some way. He looked again for some place by which he could
get out of the magic garden. Following round the wall he reached a lower
part; he remembered the Divine Names and flung himself over, saying,
'Whatever happens is by the will of God.' When he looked about he found
that he was in the very same place he had jumped from; there was the
palace, there the garden and the deer! Eight times he leaped over the
wall and eight times found himself where he had started from; but after
the ninth leap there was a change, there was a palace and there was a
garden, but the deer were gone.

Presently a girl of such moon-like beauty opened a window that the
prince lost to her a hundred hearts. She was delighted with the
beautiful deer, and cried to her nurse: 'Catch it! if you will I will
give you this necklace, every pearl of which is worth a kingdom.' T