before the lovely woman and she was made to eat of them. She
wept and her tears were pearls; she smiled and her lips shed
roses. Pearls and flowers were gathered up and taken to the
treasury.

'Now,' said the king, ' you have seen these things and your
purpose is fulfilled.' 'Truly,' said the prince, 'I have seen
things which I have not understood; what do they mean, and what
is the story of them? Tell me and kill me.'

Then said the king: 'The woman you see there in chains is my
wife; she is called Gul, the Rose, and I am Sinaubar, the
Cypress. One day I was hunting and became very thirsty. After
great search I discovered a well in a place so secret that
neither bird nor beast nor man could find it without labour. I
was alone, I took my turban for a rope and my cap for a bucket.
There was a good deal of water, but when I let down my rope,
something caught it, and I could not in any way draw it back. I
shouted down into the well: "O! servant of God! whoever you are,
why do you deal unfairly with me? I am dying of thirst, let go!
in God's name." A cry came up in answer, "O servant of God! we
have been in the well a long time; in God's name get us out!"
After trying a thousand schemes, I drew up two blind women. They
said they were peris, and that their king had blinded them in his
anger and had left them in the well alone.

' "Now," they said, "if you will get us the cure for our
blindness we will devote ourselves to your service, and will do
whatever you wish."