The Arabian Nights Entertainments
about examining the horse's neck with great care, till at last, to his
intense joy, he discovered a tiny little peg, much smaller than the
other, close to the right ear. This he turned, and found him-self
dropping to the earth, though more slowly than he had left it.
It was now dark, and as the prince could see nothing, he was obliged,
not without some feeling of disquiet, to allow the horse to direct his
own course, and midnight was already passed before Prince Firouz Schah
again touched the ground, faint and weary from his long ride, and from
the fact that he had eaten nothing since early morning.
The first thing he did on dismounting was to try to find out where he
was, and, as far as he could discover in the thick darkness, he found
himself on the terraced roof of a huge palace, with a balustrade of
marble running round. In one corner of the terrace stood a small door,
opening on to a staircase which led down into the palace.
Some people might have hesitated before exploring further, but not so
the prince. "I am doing no harm," he said, "and whoever the owner may
be, he will not touch me when he sees I am unarmed," and in dread of
making a false step, he went cautiously down the staircase. On a
landing, he noticed an open door, beyond which was a faintly lighted
hall.
Before entering, the prince paused and listened, but he heard nothing
except the sound of men snoring. By the light of a lantern suspended
from the roof, he perceived a row of black guards sleeping, each with a
naked sword lying by him, and he understood that the hall must form the
ante-room to the chamber of some queen or princess.
Standing quite still, Prince Firouz Schah looked about him, till his
eyes grew accustomed to the gloom, and he noticed a bright light
shining through a curtain in one corner. He then made his way softly
towards it, and, drawing aside its folds, passed into a magnificent
chamber full of sleeping women, all lying on low couches, except one,
who was on a sofa; and this one, he knew, must be the princess.
Gently stealing up to the side of her bed he looked at her, and saw
that she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever beheld. But,
fascinated though he was, he was well aware of the danger of his
position, as one cry of surprise would awake the guards, and cause his
certain death.
So sinking quietly on his knees, he took hold of the sleeve of the
princess and drew her arm lightly towards him. The princess opened her
eyes, and seeing before her a handsome well-dressed man, she remained
speechless with astonishment.
This favourable moment was seized by the prince, who bowing low while
he knelt, thus addressed her:
"You behold, madame, a prince in distress, son to the King of Persia,
who, owing to an adventure so strange that you will scarcely believe
it, finds himself here, a suppliant for your protection. But
yesterday, I was in my father's court, engaged in the celebration of
our most solemn festival; to-day, I am in an unknown land, in danger of
my life."
Now the princess whose mercy Prince Firouz Schah implored was the
eldest daughter of the King of Bengal, who was enjoying rest and change
in the palace her father had built her, at a little distance from the
capital. She listened kindly to what he had to say, and then answered:
"Prince, be not uneasy; hospitality and humanity are practised as
widely in Bengal as they are in Persia. The protection you ask will be
given you by all. You have my word for it." And as the prince was
about to thank her for her goodness, she added quickly, "However great
may be my curiosity to learn by what means you have travelled here so
speedily, I know that you must be faint for want of food, so I shall
give orders to my women to take you to one of my chambers, where you
will be provided with supper, and left to repose."
By this time the princess's attendants were all awake, and listening to
the conversation. At a sign from their mistress they rose, dressed
themselves hastily, and snatching up some of the tapers which lighted
the room, conducted the prince to a large and lofty room, where two of
the number prepared his bed, and the rest went down to the kitchen,
from which they soon returned with all sorts of dishes. Then, showing
him cupboards filled with dresses and linen, they quitted the room.
During their absence the Princess of Bengal, who had been greatly
struck by the beauty of the prince, tried in vain to go to sleep again.
It was of no use: she felt broad awake, and when her women entered the
room, she inquired eagerly if the prince had all he wanted, and what
they thought of him.
"Madame," they replied, "it is of course impossible for us to tell what
impression this young man has made on you. For ourselves, we think you
would be fortunate if the king your father should allow you to marry
anyone so amiable. Certainly there is no one in the Court of Bengal
who can be compared with him."
These flattering observations were by no means displeasing to the
princess, but as she did not wish to betray her own feelings she merely
said, "You are all a set of chatterboxes; go back to bed, and let me
sleep."
When she dressed the following morning, her maids noticed that,
contrary to her usual habit, the princess was very particular about her
toilette, and insisted on her hair being dressed two or three times
over. "For," she said to herself, "if my appearance was not
displeasing to the prince when he saw me in the condition I was, how
much more will he be struck with me when he beholds me with all my
charms."
Then she placed in her hair the largest and most brilliant diamonds she
could find, with a necklace, bracelets and girdle, all of precious
stones. And over her shoulders her ladies put a robe of the richest
stuff in all the Indies, that no one was allowed to wear except members
of the royal family. When she was fully dressed according to her
wishes, she sent to know if the Prince of Persia was awake and ready to
receive her, as she desired to present herself before him.
When the princess's messenger entered his room, Prince Firouz Schah was
in the act of leaving it, to inquire if he might be allowed to pay his
homage to her mistress: but on hearing the princess's wishes, he at
once gave way. "Her will is my law," he said, "I am only here to obey
her orders."
In a few moments the princess herself appeared, and after the usual
compliments had passed between them, the princess sat down on a sofa,
and began to explain to the prince her reasons for not giving him an
audience in her own apartments. "Had I done so," she said, "we might
have been interrupted at any hour by the chief of the eunuchs, who has
the right to enter whenever it pleases him, whereas this is forbidden
ground. I am all impatience to learn the wonderful accident which has
procured the pleasure of your arrival, and that is why I have come to
you here, where no one can intrude upon us. Begin then, I entreat you,
without delay."
So the prince began at the beginning, and told all the story of the
festival of Nedrouz held yearly in Persia, and of the splendid
spectacles celebrated in its honour. But when he came to the enchanted
horse, the princess declared that she could never have imagined
anything half so surprising. "Well then," continued the prince, "you
can easily understand how the King my father, who has a passion for all
curious things, was seized with a violent desire to possess this horse,
and asked the Indian what sum he would take for it.
"The man's answer was absolutely absurd, as you will agree, when I tell
you that it was nothing less than the hand of the princess my sister;
but though all the bystanders laughed and mocked, and I was beside
myself with rage, I saw to my despair that my father could not make up
his mind to treat the insolent proposal as it deserved. I tried to
argue with him, but in vain. He only begged me to examine the horse
with a view (as I quite understood) of making me more sensible of its
value."
"To please my father, I mounted the horse, and, without waiting for any
instructions from the Indian, turned the peg as I had seen him do. In
an instant I was soaring upwards, much quicker than an arrow could fly,
and I felt as if I must be getting so near the sky that I should soon
hit my head against it! I could see nothing beneath me, and for some
time was so confused that I did not even know in what direction I was
travelling. At last, when it was growing dark, I found another screw,
and on turning it, the horse began slowly to sink towards the earth. I
was forced to trust to chance, and to see what fate had in store, and
it was already past midnight when I found myself on the roof of this
palace. I crept down the little staircase, and made directly for a
light which I perceived through an open door--I peeped cautiously in,
and saw, as you will guess, the eunuchs lying asleep on the floor. I
knew the risks I ran, but my need was so great that I paid no attention
to them, and stole safely past your guards, to the curtain which
concealed your doorway.
"The rest, Princess, you know; and it only remains for me to thank you
for the kindness you have shown me, and to assure you of my gratitude.
By the law of nations, I am already your slave, and I have only my
heart, that is my own, to offer you. But what am I saying? My own?
Alas, madame, it was yours from the first moment I beheld you!"
The air with which he said these words could have left no doubt on the
mind of the princess as to the effect of her charms, and the blush
which mounted to her face only increased her beauty.
"Prince," returned she as soon as her confusion permitted her to speak,
"you have given me the greatest pleasure, and I have followed you
closely in all your adventures, and though you are positively sitting
before me, I even trembled at your danger in the upper regions of the
air! Let me say what a debt I owe to the chance that has led you to my
house; you could have entered none which would have given you a warmer
welcome. As to your being a slave, of course that is merely a joke,
and my reception must itself have assured you that you are as free here
as at your father's court. As to your heart," continued she in tones
of encouragement, "I am quite sure that must have been disposed of long
ago, to some princess who is well worthy of it, and I could not think
of being the cause of your unfaithfulness to her."
Prince Firouz Schah was about to protest that there was no lady with
any prior claims, but he was stopped by the entrance of one of the
princess's attendants, who announced that dinner was served, and, after
all, neither was sorry for the interruption.
Dinner was laid in a magnificent apartment, and the table was covered
with delicious fruits; while during the repast richly dressed girls
sang softly and sweetly to stringed instruments. After the prince and
princess had finished, they passed into a small room hung with blue and
gold, looking out into a garden stocked with flowers and arbutus trees,
quite different from any that were to be found in Persia.
"Princess," observed the young man, "till now I had always believed
that Persia could boast finer palaces and more lovely gardens than any
kingdom upon earth. But my eyes have been opened, and I begin to
perceive that, wherever there is a great king he will surround himself
with buildings worthy of him."
"Prince," replied the Princess of Bengal, "I have no idea what a
Persian palace is like, so I am unable to make comparisons. I do not
wish to depreciate my own palace, but I can assure you that it is very
poor beside that of the King my father, as you will agree when you have
been there to greet him, as I hope you will shortly do."