orders, had compassion on King Beder's misfortune. "It would be
great pity," said she to herself, "to let a prince so worthy to
live die of hunger and thirst. The princess, who is good and
gentle, will, it may be, repent of this cruel order, when she
comes to herself; it were better that I carried him to a place
where he may die a natural death." She accordingly carried him to
a well-frequented island, and left him in a charming plain,
planted with all sorts of fruit- trees, and watered by divers
rivulets.

Let us return to King Saleh. After he had sought for the princess
Jehaun-ara to no purpose, he caused the king of Samandal to be
shut up in his own palace, under a strong guard; and having given
the necessary orders for governing the kingdom in his absence,
returned to give the queen his mother an account of what he had
done. The first question he asked on his arrival was, "Where was
the king his nephew?" and he learned with great surprise and
vexation that he could not be found. "News being brought me,"
said the queen, "of the danger you were in at the palace of the
king of Samandal, whilst I was giving orders to send you other
troops to avenge you, he disappeared. He must have been alarmed
at hearing of your being in such great danger, and did not think
himself in sufficient security with us."

This news exceedingly afflicted King Saleh, who now repented
being so easily wrought upon by King Beder as to carry him away
with him without his mother's consent. He sent everywhere to seek
for him, but could hear no tidings of him; and instead of the joy
he felt at having carried on so far the marriage, which he looked
upon as his own work, his grief for this accident was more