given it in a royal
cup of Chinese crystal. When it had eaten its fill, its leavings were
placed before the lovely woman and she was made to eat of them. She wept
and her tears were pearls; she smiled and her lips shed roses. Pearls
and flowers were gathered up and taken to the treasury.

'Now,' said the king, 'you have seen these things and your purpose is
fulfilled.' 'Truly,' said the prince, 'I have seen things which I have
not understood; what do they mean, and what is the story of them? Tell
me and kill me.'

Then said the king: 'The woman you see there in chains is my wife; she
is called Gul, the Rose, and I am Sinaubar, the Cypress. One day I was
hunting and became very thirsty. After great search I discovered a well
in a place so secret that neither bird nor beast nor man could find it
without labour. I was alone, I took my turban for a rope and my cap for
a bucket. There was a good deal of water, but when I let down my rope,
something caught it, and I could not in any way draw it back. I shouted
down into the well: "O! servant of God! whoever you are, why do you deal
unfairly with me? I am dying of thirst, let go! in God's name." A cry
came up in answer, "O servant of God! we have been in the well a long
time; in God's name get us out!" After trying a thousand schemes, I drew
up two blind women. They said they were peris, and that their king had
blinded them in his anger and had left them in the well alone.

'"Now," they said, "if you will get us the cure for our blindness we
will devote ourselves to your service, and will do whatever you wish."

'"What is the cure for your blindness?"

'"Not far from this place," they said, "a cow comes up from the great
sea to graze; a little of her dung would cure us. We should be eternally
your debtors. Do not let the cow see you, or she will assuredly kill
you."

'With renewed strength and spirit I went to the shore. There I watched
the cow come up from the sea, graze, and go back. Then I came out of
my hiding, took a little of her dung and conveyed it to the peris. They
rubbed it on their eyes, and by the Divine might saw again.

'They thanked heaven and me, and then considered what they could do to
show their gratitude to me. "Our peri-king," they said, "has a daughter
whom he keeps under his own eye and thinks the most lovely girl on
earth. In good sooth, she has not her equal! Now we will get you into
her house and you must win her heart, and if she has an incli