upon her and designed to slay her, she fell at his feet, and kissing them, placed herself under his protection.  Hereupon the youth left her alive, saying to himself, “This be a woman and indeed she must not be mishandled;"[FN#314] and the Jewess asked him, “O my lord, what is the cause of thy doing on this wise?  At first thou camest to me and toldest me the untruth, such-and-such falsehoods, and secondly, thou wroughtest for the slaughter of my husband and children.”  Answered he, “In truth thy man slew my two brothers wrongously and causelessly!” Now when the Jewess heard of this deed she enquired of him, “And art thou their very brother?” and he replied, “In good sooth they were my brethren;” after which he related to her the reason of their faring from their father to seek the Water of Life for their mother’s use.  Hereat she cried, “By Allah, O my lord, the wrong was with my mate and not with thee; but the Decreed chevisance doth need, nor is there flight from it indeed; so do thou abide content.  However, as regards the Water in question, it is here ready beside me, and if thou wilt carry me along with thee to thy country I will give thee that same, which otherwise I will withhold from thee; and haply my wending with thee may bring thee to fair end.”  Quoth the Prince in his mind, “Take her with thee and peradventure she shall guide thee to somewhat of good:”  and thereupon promised to bear her away.  So she arose and led him into a closet where she showed him all the hoards of the Jew, ready moneys and jewellery and furniture and raiment; and everything that was with her of riches and resources she committed to the young Prince, amongst these being the Water of life.  So they bore away the whole of that treasure and he also carried off the Jewess, who was beautiful exceedingly, none being her peer in that day.  Then they crossed the wilds and the wastes, intending for the land of Al-S¡n, and they persevered for a while of time.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Seven Hundred and Fourteenth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the young Prince ceased not wayfaring until the twain drew near to the capital of China[FN#315] where, by the fiat of Fate and the sealed decree of Destiny, on entering the walls he found that his father had fared to the mercy of Allah