townsfolk, nor was it long before I became more in honour and
favour with them and their King than any of the chief men of the
realm. Now I saw that all the citizens, great and small, rode
fine horses, high-priced and thorough-bred, without saddles or
housings, whereat I wondered and said to the King, "Wherefore, O
my lord, dost thou not ride with a saddle? Therein is ease for
the rider and increase of power." "What is a saddle?" asked he:
"I never saw nor used such a thing in all my life;" and I
answered, "With thy permission I will make thee a saddle, that
thou mayest ride on it and see the comfort thereof." And quoth
he, "Do so." So quoth I to him, "Furnish me with some wood,"
which being brought, I sought me a clever carpenter and sitting
by him showed him how to make the saddle-tree, portraying for him
the fashion thereof in ink on the wood. Then I took wool and
teased it and made felt of it, and, covering the saddle-tree with
leather, stuffed it and polished it and attached the girth and
stirrup leathers; after which I fetched a blacksmith and
described to him the fashion of the stirrups and bridle-bit. So
he forged a fine pair of stirrups and a bit, and filed them
smooth and tinned[FN#45] them. Moreover, I made fast to them
fringes of silk and fitted bridle-leathers to the bit. Then I
fetched one of the best of the royal horses and saddling and
bridling him, hung the stirrups to the saddle and led him to the
King. The thing took his fancy and he thanked me; then he mounted
and rejoiced greatly in the saddle and rewarded me handsomely for
my work. When the King's Wazir saw the saddle, he asked of me one
like it and I made it for him. Furthermore, all the grandees and
officers of state came for saddles to me; so I fell to making
saddles (having taught the craft to the carpenter and
blacksmith), and selling them to all who sought, till I amassed