Read Online Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange (Hardcover Classics) by Malcolm C (Tr Lyons - Free Book Online

maids were shrieking and, with the spread of the news, the king lost all powers of endurance.
    He sent everywhere to look for information, and word reached the servant of what had happened to the prince after he had been sent as a messenger. The chamberlain to whom he had gone had made him his doorkeeper and put him in charge of his affairs, allowing him to do what he wanted. When he heard of what had happened to the prince and that the secret had come out he made a show of grief in front of the son of the king’s servant. So much for the king.
    The vizier and his men stayed where they were for eighteen days after the prince had gone missing. Meanwhile the mare had gone up the mountains and over the hills, facing fearful perils, until God brought it to the right path, which it began to follow. It had become emaciated through lack of fodder but when it reached the vizier’s camp it caught sight of the other horses and approached them snuffling. There werepeople all around it, but it went on until it reached its stall, where it fell down dead. This was an even greater blow to the escort than the absence of the prince, and the vizier shed bitter tears as he stripped it of its trappings and buried it in a shroud out of respect for the king and the prince. He then gave orders for the party to move and he rode on with them until he had reached home. The day of their arrival was one of great solemnity as the only one missing from their ranks was the young Kaukab, for whom they turned their saddles upside down and lowered their banners.
    So much for them, but as for the prince, when the black men had seized him he remained tied up for the rest of the day until nightfall. His captors then went to a narrow gulf whose fresh water was whiter than milk and sweeter than honey. They followed this until late evening, when they went ashore and collected wood for a fire. When it had blazed up they brought up the prince and threw him down, still tied up, and looked at one another. One of them told them that he should be given food lest he die, but they did not accept the suggestion.
    Kaukab went up to them, behaving as though he was one of them. He had heard that the king’s chamberlain was of Magian stock and amongst them was a brother of his. And when they saw what he was doing they asked him what his religion was. ‘It is that of my father Ghasab, the king’s chamberlain.’ On hearing this, they went up to him and kissed the ground in front of him, exclaiming: ‘He is the brother of our leader! We have a gift for him, and tomorrow we shall be on the Saihun.’
    They gave Kaukab something to eat and, after eating it, he sat until nightfall when they spread bedding for him in an attractive place, making him welcome. He slept until morning, when he sat looking at the water until afternoon. What he could see was a large stretch of water with clashing waves into whose stinking waters our [ sic ] gulf entered. This led to the open sea and was the way home for the blacks.
    They went to a spot where, after taking their evening meal, they spent the night and they went on like this for ten days, after which they were in sight of castles, fields and estates. When the owner of one of these was approached with a request for food he produced enough for a whole month together with wines of various types and he extended a welcome to Kaukab.
    After three days the company left and moved to a large and splendid island with many trees and fruits of many kinds, carpeted with saffron, where they stretched their legs after having moored their boat to a stake.Kaukab decided to keep nothing back from them and when they asked him for his story he said: ‘We were out hunting and I followed a gazelle, but when I failed to catch it I became confused and didn’t know how to get back to my companions.’
    The blacks believed his story and, after eating and drinking peacefully, they drank wine as the breeze blew and the water flowed while the trees rustled gently