he
will perhaps abandon her to you."

On hearing this plan of _Mubarak's_, my heart was greatly revived;
and, embracing him fondly, I said, "O friend, you are now in the place
of a father to me; owing to you my life was saved, now also act so
that I may still live on, otherwise I must perish in this grief." He
gave me every friendly assurance. When the day appeared, we heard the
noise of the _jinns_, and saw that many personal attendants of _Maliki
Sadik_ were arrived, and had brought two rich _khil'ats_ for us, and
a covered litter with a network of pearls accompanied them. _Mubarak_
rubbed the ointment over my beloved's body; and having caused her to be
richly dressed, he conveyed her to _Maliki Sadik_. On beholding her,
the king rewarded me greatly, and having honoured and dignified me,
he made me sit down [near himself], and said, "I will behave to thee
such as no one has as yet done to any one; the kingdom of thy father
awaits thee, besides which thou art in the place of a son to me." He
was talking to me in this gracious manner, when the beautiful woman
appeared before him, and suddenly at the smell of that ointment,
his brain became confused, and his mind distracted; he could not
endure that smell; having got up, he went out and called _Mubarak_
and me; he addressed himself to _Mubarak_, and said, "Well, sir,
you have truly performed the injunctions [I gave].

"I had warned you, that if you deceived me, you would incur my
displeasure; what smell is this? now see how I will treat you." He
was very angry; _Mubarak_, from fear, opened his trowsers, and showed
his condition, [398] and said, "Mighty king, when I undertook this
business, according to your commands, I then cut off my privities,
and put them in a box, sealed it, and delivered it over in charge
to your treasurer, and putting some ointment of Solomon on the
mutilated parts, I set out on the errand." On hearing this reply from
_Mubarak_, the king of the _jinns_ looked sternly at me, and said,
"Then, this is thy doing;" and getting into a rage, he began to abuse
me. I immediately perceived from his words that he would put me to
death. When I felt convinced of this from his looks, despairing of
life, I became desperate, and snatching the dagger from _Mubarak's_
waist, I plunged it into the king's belly; on receiving the stab, he
bent down and staggered; I wondered, for I thought he must assuredly
have perished; I then perceived that the wound was not so