fashions and form of government of my country, and I acquainted
him with the circumstance of the Caliph's sway in the city of
Baghdad and the justice of his rule. The King marvelled at my
account of his appointments and said, "By Allah, the Caliph's
ordinances are indeed wise and his fashions of praiseworthy guise
and thou hast made me love him by what thou tellest me; wherefore
I have a mind to make him a present and send it by thee." Quoth
I, "Hearkening and obedience, O my lord; I will bear thy gift to
him and inform him that thou art his sincere lover and true
friend." Then I abode with the King in great honour and regard
and consideration for a long while till, one day, as I sat in his
palace, I heard news of a company of merchants, that were fitting
out a ship for Bassorah, and said to myself, "I cannot do better
than voyage with these men." So I rose without stay or delay and
kissed the King's hand and acquainted him with my longing to set
out with the merchants, for that I pined after my people and mine
own land. Quoth he, "Thou art thine own master; yet, if it be thy
will to abide with us, on our head and eyes be it, for thou
gladdenest us with thy company." "By Allah, O my lord," answered
I, "thou hast indeed overwhelmed me with thy favours and well-
doings; but I weary for a sight of my friends and family and
native country." When he heard this, he summoned the merchants in
question and commended me to their care, paying my freight and
passage-money. Then he bestowed on me great riches from his
treasuries and charged me with a magnificent present for the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Moreover he gave me a sealed letter,
saying, "Carry this with thine own hand to the Commander of the
Faithful and give him many salutations from us!" "Hearing and
obedience," I replied. The missive was written on the skin of the
Khawi[FN#84] (which is finer than lamb-parchment and of yellow