ections, and convey
her safe and sound to him, he has a royal mind, and may regard the
toils you have undergone with a favourable eye, and give her to you;
how different will the case be then! you will preserve his unbounded
friendship, and gain the sincere affection [of your mistress]."

At last, [from the force of his] threats and admonitions, I remained
silent; I bought two camels, and mounting on _kajawas_, [397] we
set out for the country of _Maliki Sadik_. We pursued our journey,
and at last reached a plain, where loud noises were heard. _Mubarak_
exclaimed, "God be praised, our labours have turned out well, for
lo! the army of _jinns_ is here arrived." He met them at last, and
asked them where they intended to go. They replied, "The king has
sent us forward for the purpose of receiving you, and we are now under
your orders; if you command us, we will convey you in a moment to the
presence [of the king]." _Mubarak_, turning to me, said, "See how,
after all our toils and dangers, God has favoured us before the face
of the king; what is the need of haste now? if some misconduct should
occur, which God forbid, then the fruits of our labours would be lost,
and we should fall under the king's displeasure." They all answered,
"You are the sole master in this; proceed as you please." Although we
were comfortable in every way, yet we made it our business to march
day and night.

When we approached [the place where the king was], I, seeing _Mubarak_
asleep, fell at that beautiful woman's feet, and bewailing to her
the restless state of my heart, and my helpless condition, owing
to the threats of _Maliki Sadik_, and that from the day I had seen
her picture, I had forsworn sleep and food and repose; and now that
God had shewn to me this day, I still remained an utter stranger
to her. She replied, "My heart is also inclined towards you, for
what toils and dangers have you undergone for my sake, and with
what labour and difficulty have you brought me away; remember God,
and do not forget me; let us see what may be revealed from behind
the curtain of mystery." On saying this, she wept so loud that she
was nearly suffocated. Such was my state, and such was hers! In the
meantime, _Mubarak's_ slumbers were broken, and seeing us both in
tears, he was greatly affected, and said, "Be comforted; I have an
ointment which I will rub over the body of this fair one; from the
smell of it the heart of _Maliki Sadik_ will be disgusted, and