over his hand, it shall be lengthened and not shortened."[FN#211] So he entered and seating himself on the floor, cast down his eyes and covered his hands and feet with his dress.[FN#212] Quoth the king’s daughter to him, “Raise thy head, O Abu Tammam, and look on me and speak with me.”  But he spake not neither raised his head, and she continued, “They sent thee only to view me and talk with me, and yet behold thou sayest not a word;” presently adding, “Take of these union-pearls that be round thee and of these jewels and gold and silver.”  But he put not forth his hand to aught, and when she saw that he paid no heed to anything, she was angry and cried, “They have messaged me with a messenger, blind, dumb, deaf.”  Then she sent to acquaint her father with this; whereupon the king called Abu Tammam to him and said to him, “Thou camest not save to view my daughter:  why, then, hast thou not looked upon her?” Quoth Abu Tammam, “I saw everything;” and quoth the king, “Why didst thou not take somewhat of that which thou sawest of jewels and the like?  Indeed they were set out for thee.”  But he answered, “It behoveth me not to put out my hand to aught that is not mine.”  When the king heard his speech, he gave him a sumptuous robe of honour and loved him muchly[FN#213] and said to him, “Come, look at this well.”  So Abu Tammam went up to the pit-mouth and looked, and behold, it was full of heads of the sons of Adam, and the king said to him, “These are the heads of envoys whom I slew, because I saw them without loyalty to their lords, and I was used, whenas I beheld an envoy without good manners, to say, ’He who sent him is worsemannered than he, because the messenger is the tongue of him who sendeth him and his breeding is of his master’s breeding; and whoso is after this fashion, it befitteth not that he be akin to me.’[FN#214] For this reason I used to put the envoys to death; but, as for thee, thou hast overcome us and won my daughter, of the excellence of thy manners; so hearten thy heart, for she is thy lord’s.”  Then he sent him back to King Aylan Shah with presents and rarities and a letter, saying, “This that I have done is in honour of thee and of thine envoy.”  When Abu Tammam returned after accomplishing his mission and brought the presents and the letter, King Aylan Shah rejoiced in this and redoubled all his favours and showed him honour the highest.  Some days after, the King of Turkistan sent his daughter and she went in to King Aylan Shah, who rejoiced in her with exceeding joy and Abu Tammam’s worth was exalted in the royal sight.  When the Wazirs saw this, they redoubled in envy and despite and said, “’An we contrive us not a contrivance to rid us of this man, we shall die of rage.”  So they bethought them and agreed upon a device they should practise.  Then they betook themselves to two boys, pages affected to the service of the king, who slept not but on their knees,[FN#215] and they lay at his head, for that they were his bed-chamber