This story is translated by Mr. W. A. Clouston, Suppl. Nights, iii., p. 411,
and need not be repeated here.
XII.--Histoire du prince et de son cheval.
A prince and foal were born at the same time, and some time afterwards the
mother and the mare died. The king married again, and the new queen had an
intrigue with a Jew. They plotted to poison the prince, but his horse wept and
warned him. Then the queen pretended to be ill, and asked for the heart of the
horse, but the prince fled to another kingdom, and bought clothes from a poor
man, packing his own on his horse. Then he parted from the horse, who gave him
a hair and a flint, telling him to light the hair when ever he needed him. The
prince then went to a town, and engaged himself as under gardener to the king.
He was set to drive the ox which turned the water-wheel, but one day he called
his horse, put on his own clothes, and galloped about the garden, where the
youngest princess saw "Mohammed l'Avisé" from the window, and fell in love
with him. He then returned to the water-wheel, and when the head-gardener
returned and found the garden in disorder, he wanted to beat him; but the
princess interfered and ordered the prince to receive a fowl and a cake of
bread every day. The princess then persuaded her mother and sisters that it
was time to be married, so the king ordered everybody to pass under the window
of the seven princesses, each of whom threw down a handkerchief on the man of
her choice. But the youngest would look at no one till at last they fetched
the gardener's boy, when the king was angry, and confined them in a room. The
king fell ill with vexation, and the doctors ordered him to drink bear's milk
in the hide of a virgin bear. The king's six sons-in-law were ordered to seek
it, and Mohammed too set forth mounted on a lame mare, while the people jeered
him. Presently he summoned his own horse, and ordered him to pitch a camp of
which the beginning and the end could not be seen, and which should contain
nothing but bears. When the six sons-in-law passed, they dismounted, and asked
the attendants for what they required, but they referred them to their king.
The latter offered them what they asked, but branded a ring and a circle on
the back of each of the sons-in-law. However, he gave them only the milk and
hide of old she-bears, while he himself took the milk of a virgin[FN#445] bear
that had just cubbed for the first time, slaughtered it, put the milk into the
skin, and then remounted his lame mare, saying to the horse, "God reward you."
He returned to town, and gave the milk to his wife who took it to her mother.
Then the six sons-in-law brought the milk to the doctors, but when they looked
at it, they said, "This is the milk of an old she-bear and is good for
nothing." Then they gave the king the other milk, and cured him, but he was
much annoyed to hear who had brought it. Soon afterwards a war broke out, and
the king pitched his camp outside the town in face of the enemy. Mohammed set
out again on his lame mare, the people shouting after him, "Go back, sir, for
the soldiers have been defeated." Then he summoned his horse, put on his own
clothes, and said to the horse, "Let your hair shoot forth fire." Then he came
before the king, saying, "I declare for you and your six sons-in-law." He
rushed into battle, smiting with his sword, while his horse shot forth fire.
They slew a third of the enemy, and then disappeared, while the king lamented.
"Ah, if my six sons-in-law had only done this!" After his exertions Mohammed
was tired, and went home to sleep. Next day the same thing happened, but the
king put his own ring on his finger. On the third day he slew the remaining
third of his enemies, but his arm was wounded, and the king bound it up with
his own handkerchief before he departed.
The king gathered together the horses and the spoil, and returned to town,
much vexed that his sons-in-law had done nothing. Then the youngest princess
asked her mother to send for her father to look at the ring and the
handkerchief, when he fell down and kissed the feet of Mohammed, who rose up
giddy from sleep, but when he was asked his history, he answered, "I am a
prince like yourself, and your six sons-in-law are mamelouks of my father. I
beat them, and they took to flight, and through fear of my father, I set out
in search of them. I came here and found that they were your sons-in-law, but
I imposed silence on them. But as regards your daughter, she saw me in the
garden, and recognised my real rank; here is your daughter, O king; she is
still a virgin." Then the wedding was celebrated with great pomp, and Mohammed
remained with his father-in-law for some time, until he desired to return to
his own country. On his arrival he found that his father had died, so he
ascended the throne, and ordered his mother-in-law and the Jew to be burned.
Carlo de Landberg, Básim le Forgeron et Haron Er-Rachid, 8vo., Leyden, 1888.
Text and translation of a modern Arabic story of an unfortunate smith and
hashish-eater whom Harun encounters on one of his usual nocturnal rambles.
Harun plays a succession of practical jokes on him, driving him out of his
employment every day, and supping with him every night. At last he bastinadoes
him, and throws him into prison, where a jinniyah takes pity on him, and
confers unlimited power on him, which he enjoys for a week, and then dies, to
the great grief of Harun.
Additional Note to Suppl. Vol. V. (Pp. 318-320).
Compare Boccaccio's story of the Devil in Hell (Day iii. No. 11).