he
nurse coveted the pearls, but as she was three hundred years old she
did not know how she could catch a deer. However, she went down into the
garden and held out some grass, but when she went near the creature ran
away. The girl watched with great excitement from the palace window, and
called: 'O nurse, if you don't catch it, I will kill you!' 'I am killing
myself,' shouted back the old woman. The girl saw that nurse tottering
along and went down to help, marching with the gait of a prancing
peacock. When she saw the gilded horns and the kerchief she said: 'It
must be accustomed to the hand, and be some royal pet!' The prince had
it in mind that this might be another magician who could give him some
other shape, but still it seemed best to allow himself to be caught. So
he played about the girl and let her catch him by the neck. A leash was
brought, fruits were given, and it was caressed with delight. It was
taken to the palace and tied at the foot of the Lady Jamila's raised
seat, but she ordered a longer cord to be brought so that it might be
able to jump up beside her.

When the nurse went to fix the cord she saw tears falling from its
eyes, and that it was dejected and sorrowful 'O Lady Jamila! this is
a wonderful deer, it is crying; I never saw a deer cry before.' Jamila
darted down like a flash of lightning, and saw that it was so. It rubbed
its head on her feet and then shook it so sadly that the girl cried for
sympathy. She patted it and said: 'Why are you sad, my heart? Why do you
cry, my soul? Is it because I have caught you? I love you better than my
own life.' But, spite of her comforting, it cried the more. Then Jamila
said: 'Unless I am mistaken, this is the work of my wicked sister
Latifa, who by magic art turns servants of God into beasts of the
field.' At these words the deer uttered sounds, and laid its head on her
feet. Then Jamila was sure it was a man, and said: 'Be comforted, I will
restore you to your own shape.' She bathed herself and ordered the deer
to be bathed, put on clean raiment, called for a box which stood in an
alcove, opened it and gave a portion of what was in it to the deer to
eat. Then she slipped her hand under her carpet and produced a stick to
which she said something. She struck the deer hard, it pirouetted and
became Prince Almas.

The broidered kerchief and the jewels lay upon the ground. The prince
prostrated himself in thanks to heaven and Jamila, and said: 'O
delicious