to its own camp. Then King Kafid called the roll of his troops and,
finding that he had lost five thousand men, raged with great rage; and
King Teghmus mustered his men and seeing that of them were slain three
thousand riders, the bravest of his braves, was wroth with exceeding
wrath. On the morrow King Kafid again pushed into the plain and did duty
as before, while each man strave his best to snatch victory for himself;
and Kafid cried out to his men, saying, “Is there any of you will sally
forth into the field and open us the chapter of fray and fight?” And
behold came out from the ranks a warrior named Barkayk, a mighty man of
war who, when he reached the King, alighted from his elephant and
kissing the earth before him, sought of him leave to challenge the foe
to combat singular. Then he mounted his elephant and driving into
mid-field, cried out, “Who is for duello, who is for derring-do, who is
for knightly devoir?” When King Teghmus heard this, he said to his
troops, “Which of you will do single battle with this sworder?” And
behold, a cavalier came out from the ranks, mounted on a charger, mighty
of make, and driving up to the King kissed the earth before him and
craved his permission to engage Barkayk. Then he mounted again and
charged at Barkayk, who said to him, “Who art thou and what art thou
called, that thou makest mock of me by coming out against me and
challenging me, alone?” “My name is Ghazanfar[555] son of Kamkhíl,”
replied the Kabul champion; and the other, “I have heard tell of thee in
my own country; so up and do battle between the ranks of the braves!”
Hearing these words Ghazanfar drew a mace of iron from under his thigh
and Barkayk took his good sword in hand, and they laid on load till
Barkayk smote Ghazanfar on the head with his blade, but the morion
turned the blow and no hurt befel him therefrom; whereupon Ghazanfar, in
his turn, dealt Barkayk so terrible a stroke on the head with his mace,
that he levelled him down to his elephant’s back and slew him. With this
out sallied another and crying to Ghazanfar, “Who be thou that thou
shouldst slay my brother?”; hurled a javelin at him with such force that
it pierced his thigh and nailed his coat of mail to his flesh. Then
Ghazanfar, feeling his hurt, hent his sword in hand and smote at
Barkayk’s brother and cut him in sunder, and he fell to the earth,
wallowing in his life-blood; whilst the challenger of Kabul galloped
back to King Teghmus. Now when Kafid saw the death of his champions, he
cried out to his troops, saying, “Down with you to the plain and strike
with might and main!” as also did King Teghmus, and the two armies
fought the fiercest of fights. Horse neighed against horse and man cried
out upon man and brands were bared, whilst the drums beat and the
trumpets blared; and horseman charged upon horseman and every brave of
renown pushed forward, whilst the faint-heart fled from the lunge of
lance and men heard nought but slogan-cry and the clash and clang of
armoury. Slain were the warriors that were slain[556] and they stayed
not from the mellay till the decline of the sun in the heavenly dome,
when the Kings drew off their armies and returned each to its own
camp.[557] Then King Teghmus took tally of his men and found that he had
lost five thousand, and four standards had been broken to bits, whereat
he was sore an-angered; whilst King Kafid in like manner counted his
troops and found that he had lost six hundred, the bravest of his
braves, and nine standards were wanting to the full tale. The two armies
ceased joining battle and rested on their arms three days’ space, after
which Kafid wrote a letter and sent it by messenger to a King called
Fákun al-Kalb (with whom he claimed kinship by the spindle side): and
this kinsman forthwith mustered his men and marched to meet the King of
Hind.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twentieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Fakun
mustered his men and marched to meet the King of Hind: and whileas King
Teghmus was sitting at his pleasance, there came one in to him and said,
“I see from afar a cloud of dust spireing high in air and overspreading
the lift.” So he commanded a company to fare forth and learn the meaning
of this; and, crying, “To hear is to obey,” they sallied out and
presently returned and said to him, “O King, when we drew near the cloud
of dust, the wind rent it and it lifted and showed seven standards and
under each standard three thousand horse, making for King Kafid’s camp.”
Then King Fakun joined himself to the King of Hind and saluting him,
asked, “How is it with thee, and what be this war in which thou
warrest?”; and Kafid answered, “Knowest thou not that King Teghmus is my
enemy and the murtherer of my father and brothers? Wherefore I am come
forth to do battle with him and take my blood-wreak on him.” Quoth
Fakun, “The blessing of the sun be upon thee!”; and the King of Hind
carried King Fakun al-Kalb to his tent and rejoiced in him with
exceeding joy. Such was the case of the two hostile Kings; but as
regards King Janshah, he abode two months shut up in his palace, without
seeing his father or allowing one of the damsels in his service to come
in to him; at the end of which time he grew troubled and restless and
said to his attendants, “What aileth my father that he cometh not to
visit me?” They told him that he had gone forth to do battle with King
Kafid, whereupon quoth Janshah, “Bring me my steed, that I may go to my
sire.” They replied, “We hear and obey,” and brought his horse; but he
said in himself, “I am taken up with the thought of myself and my love
and I deem well to mount and ride for the city of the Jews, where haply
Allah shall grant me the boon to meet the merchant who hired me for the
ruby-business and may be he will deal with me as he dealt before, for
none knoweth whence good cometh.” So he took with him a thousand horse
and set out, the folk saying, “At last Janshah hath fared forth to join
his father in the field, and to fight by his side;” and they stinted not
pushing on till dusk, when they halted for the night in a vast meadow.
As soon as he knew that all his men were asleep, the Prince rose privily
and girding his waist, mounted his horse and rode away intending to make
Baghdad, because he had heard from the Jews that a caravan came thence
to their city once in every two years and he made up his mind to journey
thither with the next Cafilah. When his men awoke and missed the Prince
and his horse, they mounted and sought him right and left but, finding
no trace of him, rejoined his father and told him what his son had done;
whereat he was wroth beyond measure and cast the crown from his head,
whilst the sparks were like to fly from his mouth, and he said “There is
no Majesty and there is no Might but in Allah! Verily I have lost my
son, and the enemy is still before me.” But his Wazirs and vassals said
to him, “Patience, O King of the age! Patience bringeth weal in wake.”
Meanwhile Janshah, parted from his lover and pained for his father, was
in sore sorrow and dismay, with heart seared and eyes tear-bleared and
unable to sleep night or day. But when his father heard the loss his
host had endured, he declined battle, and fled before King Kafid; and,
retiring to his city, closed the gates and strengthened the walls.
Thereupon King Kafid followed him and sat down before the town, offering
battle seven nights and eight days, after which he withdrew to his
tents, to tend his wounded while the citizens defended themselves as
they best could, fortifying the place and setting up mangonels and other
engines on the walls. Such was the condition of the two Kings, and war
raged between them for a space of seven years.——And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Kings Teghmus and
Kafid continued in this condition for seven years; but, as regards
Janshah, he rode through wild and wold and whenever he came to a town he
asked anent Takni, the Castle of Jewels, but none knew of it and all
answered, “Of a truth we never heard of such place, not even by name.”
At last he happened to enquire concerning the city of the Jews from a
merchant who told him that it was situate in the extreme Orient, adding,
“A caravan will start this very month for the city of Mizrakán in Hind;
whither do thou accompany us and we will fare on to Khorasan and thence
to the city of Shima’ún and Khwárazm, from which latter place the City
of the Jews is distant a year and three months’ journey.” So Janshah
waited till the departure of the caravan, when he joined himself thereto
and journeyed, till he reached the city of Mizrakan whence, after vainly
asking for Takni, the Castle of Jewels, he set out and enduring on the
way great hardships and perils galore and the extreme of hunger and
thirst, he arrived at the town of Shima’un. Here he made enquiry for the
City of the Jews, and they directed him to the road thither. So he fared
forth and journeyed days and nights till he came to the place where he
had given the apes the slip, and continued his journey thence to the
river, on the opposite bank of which stood the City of the Jews. He sat
down on the shore and waited till the Sabbath came round and the river
dried up by decree of Allah Almighty, when he crossed over to the
opposite bank and, entering the city, betook himself to the house
wherein he had lodged on his former journey. The Jew and his family
saluted him and rejoiced in his return and, setting meat and drink
before him, asked, “Where hast thou been during thine absence?”; and he
answered, “In the kingdom of Almighty Allah!”[558] He lay with them that
night and on the morrow he went out to solace himself with a walk about
the city and presently heard a crier crying aloud and saying, “O folk,
who will earn a thousand gold pieces and a fair slave-girl and do half a
day’s work for us?” So Janshah went up to him and said, “I will do this
work.”[559] Quoth the crier, “Follow me,” and carrying him to the house
of the Jew merchant, where he had been aforetime, said, “This young man
will do thy need.” The merchant not recognising him gave him welcome and
carried him into the Harim, where he set meat and drink before him, and
he ate and drank. Then he brought him the money and formally made over
to him the handsome slave-girl with whom he lay that night. As soon as
morning dawned, he took the dinars and the damsel and, committing them
to his Jew host with whom he had lodged aforetime, returned to the
merchant, who mounted and rode out with him, till they came to the foot
of the tall and towering mountain, where the merchant, bringing out a
knife and cords, said to Janshah, “Throw the mare.” So he threw her and
bound her four legs with the cords and slaughtered her and cut off her
head and four limbs and slit her belly, as ordered by the Jew; whereupon
quoth he, “Enter her belly, till I sew it up on thee; and whatsoever
thou seest therein, tell me of it, for this is the work whose wage thou
hast taken.” So Janshah entered the mare’s belly and the merchant sewed
it up on him; then, withdrawing to a fair distance, hid himself. And
after an hour a great bird swooped down from the lift and, snatching up
the carcass in his pounces soared high toward the sky. Then he perched
upon the mountain-peak and would have eaten the prey, but Janshah
sensing his intent took out his knife and slit the mare’s belly and came
forth. The bird was scared at his sight and flew away, and Janshah went
up to a place whence he could see below, and looking down, espied the
merchant standing at the foot of the mountain, as he were a sparrow. So
he cried out to him, “What is thy will, O merchant?” Replied the Jew,
“Throw me down of the stones that lie about thee, that I may direct thee
in the way down.” Quoth Janshah, “Thou art he who didst with me thus and
thus five years ago, and through thee I suffered hunger and thirst and
sore toil and much trouble; and now thou hast brought me hither once
more and thinkest to destroy me. By Allah, I will not throw thee aught!”
So saying, he turned from him and set out for where lived Shaykh Nasr,
the King of the Birds.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Janshah took the
way for where lived Shaykh Nasr, the King of the Birds. And he ceased
not faring on many days and nights, tearful-eyed and heavy-hearted;
eating, when he was anhungered, of the growth of the ground and
drinking, when he thirsted, of its streams, till he came in sight of the
Castle of the lord Solomon and saw Shaykh Nasr sitting at the gate. So
he hastened up to him and kissed his hands; and the Shaykh saluted him
and bade him welcome and said to him, “O my son, what aileth thee that
thou returnest to this place, after I sent thee home with the Princess
Shamsah, cool of eyes and broad of breast?” Janshah wept and told him
all that had befallen him and how she had flown away from him, saying,
“An thou love me, come to me in Takni, the Castle of Jewels;” at which
the old man marvelled and said, “By Allah, O my son, I know it not, nor,
by the virtue of our lord Solomon, have I ever in my life heard its
name!” Quoth Janshah, “What shall I do? I am dying of love and longing.”
Quoth Shaykh Nasr, “Take patience until the coming of the birds, when we
will enquire at them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels; haply one of them
shall wot thereof.” So Janshah’s heart was comforted and, entering the
Palace, he went straight to the chamber which gave upon the Lake in
which he had seen the three maidens. After this he abode with Shaykh
Nasr for a while and, one day as he was sitting with him, the Shaykh
said, “O my son, rejoice for the time of the birds’ coming draweth
nigh.” Janshah gladdened to hear the news; and after a few days the
birds began to come and Shaykh Nasr said to him, “O my son, learn these
names[560] and address thyself with me to meet the birds.” Presently,
the fowls came flying up and saluted Shaykh Nasr, kind after kind, and
he asked them of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, but they all made answer,
“Never heard we of such a place.” At these words Janshah wept and
lamented till he swooned away; whereupon Shaykh Nasr called a huge
volatile and said to him, “Carry this youth to the land of Kabul,” and
described to him the country and the way thither. Then he set Janshah on
the bird’s back, saying, “Be careful to sit straight and beware of
leaning to either side, else thou wilt be torn to pieces in the air; and
stop thine ears from the wind, lest thou be dazed by the noise of the
revolving sphere and the roaring of the seas.” Janshah resolved to do
his bidding and the bird took flight high in sky and flew with him a day
and a night, till he set him down by the King of the Beasts, whose name
was Sháh Badrí, and said to his rider, “We have gone astray from the way
directed by Shaykh Nasr.” And he would have taken him up again and flown
on with him; but Janshah said, “Go thy ways and leave me here; till I
die on this spot or I find Takni, the Castle of Jewels, I will not
return to my country.” So the fowl left him with Shah Badri, King of the
Beasts and flew away. The King thereupon said to him, “O my son, who art
thou and whence comest thou with yonder great bird?” So Janshah told him
his story from beginning to end, whereat Shah Badri marvelled and said,
“By the virtue of the lord Solomon, I know not of this castle; but if
any one of the beasts my subjects know it, we will reward him
bountifully and send thee by him thither.” Hereat Janshah wept bitterly
but presently he took patience and abode with Shah Badri, and after a
short time the King of the Beasts said to him, “O my son, take these
tablets and commit to memory that which is therein; and when the beasts
come, we will question them of the Castle of Jewels.”——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-third Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the King of
the Beasts said to Janshah, “Commit to memory what is in these tablets;
and whenas the beasts come, we will ask them anent that castle.” He did
as the King bade him, and before long, up came the beasts, kind after
kind, and saluted Shah Badri, who questioned them of Takni, the Castle
of Jewels; but they all replied, “We know not this castle, nor ever
heard we of it.” At this Janshah wept and lamented for that he had not
gone with the bird that brought him from Shaykh Nasr’s castle; but Shah
Badri said to him, “Grieve not, O my son, for I have a brother, King
Shimákh hight, who is older than I; he was once a prisoner to King
Solomon, for that he rebelled against him; nor is there among the Jinn
one elder than he and Shaykh Nasr. Belike he knoweth of this castle; at
any rate he ruleth over all the Jinn in this country side.” So saying he
set Janshah on the back of a beast and gave him a letter to his brother,
commending him to his care. The beast set off with the Prince forthwith
and fared on days and nights, till it came to King Shimakh’s abiding
place. And when it caught sight of the King it stood still afar off;
whereupon Janshah alighted and walked on, till he found himself in the
presence. Then he kissed hands and presented his brother’s letter. The
King read the missive and, having mastered the meaning, welcomed the
Prince, saying, “By Allah, O my son, in all my born days I never saw nor
heard of this castle!” adding (as Janshah burst into tears), “but tell
me thy story and who and whence thou art and whither thou art bound.” So
Janshah related to him his history from beginning to end, at which
Shimakh marvelled and said, “O my son, I do not believe that even the
lord Solomon ever saw this castle or heard thereof; but O my son,[561] I
know a monk in the mountains, who is exceeding old and whom all birds
and beasts and Jann obey; for he ceased not his conjurations against the
Kings of the Jann, till they submitted themselves to him in their own
despite, by reason of the might of his oaths and his magic; and now all
the birds and the beasts are his servants. I myself once rebelled
against King Solomon and he sent against me this monk, the only being
who could overcome me with his craft and his conjurations and his
gramarye; then he imprisoned me, and since that time I have been his
vassal. He hath travelled in all countries and quarters and knoweth all
ways and regions and places and castles and cities; nor do I think there
is any place hidden from his ken. So needs must I send thee to him,
haply he may direct thee to the Castle of Jewels; and, if he cannot do
this, none can; for all things obey him, birds and beasts and the very
mountains and come at his beck and call, by reason of his skill in
magic. Moreover, by the might of his egromancy he hath made a staff, in
three pieces, and this he planteth in the earth and conjureth over it;
whereupon flesh and blood issue from the first piece, sweet milk from
the second and wheat and barley from the third; then he withdraweth the
staff and returneth to his place which is hight the Hermitage of
Diamonds. And this magical monk is a cunning inventor and artificer of
all manner strange works; and he is a crafty warlock full of guiles and
wiles, an arch-deceiver of wondrous wickedness, who hath mastered every
kind of magic and witchcraft. His name is Yaghmús and to him I must
needs send thee on the back of a big bird with four wings”——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shimakh said to
Janshah, “I must needs send thee to the monk Yaghmus on the back of a
big bird with four wings, each measuring thirty Háshimi[562] cubits in
length; and it hath feet like those of an elephant, but it flieth only
twice a year.” And there was with King Shimakh an officer, by name
Timshún, who used every day to carry off two Bactrian[563] camels from
the land of Irak and cut them up for the bird that it might eat them. So
King Shimakh bade the fowl take up Janshah and bear him to the cell of
the hermit Yaghmus; and it rose into the air and flew on days and
nights, till it came to the Mountain of the Citadels and the Hermitage
of Diamonds; where Janshah alighted and going up to the hermitage, found
Yaghmus the Monk at his devotions. So he entered the chapel and, kissing
the ground stood respectfully before the hermit. When Yaghmus saw him,
he said, “Welcome, O my son, O parted from thy home and garred ferforth
to roam! Tell me the cause of thy coming hither.” So Janshah wept and
acquainted him with all that had befallen him from beginning to end and
that he was in quest of the Castle of Jewels. The Monk marvelled greatly
at his story and said, “By Allah, O my son, never in my life heard I of
this castle, nor ever saw I one who had heard of it or had seen it, for
all I was alive in the days of Noah, Allah’s Prophet (on whom be
peace!),[564] and I have ruled the birds and beasts and Jinn ever since
his time; nor do I believe that Solomon David-son himself knew of it.
But wait till the birds and beasts and chiefs of the Jann come to do
their homage to me and I will question them of it; peradventure, some
one of them may be able to give us news of it and Allah Almighty shall
make all things easy to thee.” So Janshah homed with the hermit, until
the day of the assembly, when all the birds and beasts and Jann came to
swear fealty; and Yaghmus and his guest questioned them anent Takni, the
Castle of Jewels; but they all replied, “We never saw or heard of such a
place.” At this, Janshah fell a-weeping and lamenting and humbled
himself before the Most High; but, as he was thus engaged, behold, there
flew down from the heights of air another bird, big of bulk and black of
blee, which had tarried behind the rest, and kissed the hermit’s hands.
Yaghmus asked it of Takni, the Castle of Jewels, and it answered,
saying, “O Monk, when I and my brothers were small chicks we abode
behind the Mountain Kaf on a hill of crystal, in the midst of a great
desert; and our father and mother used to set out for it every morning
and in the evening come back with our food. They went out early one day,
and were absent from us a se’nnight and hunger was sore upon us; but on
the eighth day they returned, both weeping, and we asked them the reason
of their absence. Quoth they:—A Marid swooped down on us and carried us
off in his claws to Takni, the Castle of Jewels, and brought us before
King Shahlán, who would have slain us; but we told him that we had left
behind us a brood of fledgelings; so he spared our lives and let us go.
And were my parents yet in the bonds of life they would give thee news
of the castle.” When Janshah heard this, he wept bitter tears and said
to the hermit, “Prithee bid the bird carry me to his father and mother’s
nest on the crystal hill, behind the Mountain Kaf.” So the hermit said,
“O bird, I desire thee to obey this youth in whatsoever he may command
thee.” “I hear and obey thy bidding,” replied the fowl; and, taking
Janshah on its back, flew with him days and nights without ceasing till
it set him down on the Hill of Crystal and there alighted. And having
delayed there a resting while, it again set him on its back and flew off
and ceased not flying for two whole days till it reached the spot where
the nest was.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Five Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,