impossible, what should I do with so much gold? Surely for the sake of
it I should be murdered or ever I saw the coasts of Egypt."

"What shall I add then?" asked the King. "The most beauteous maiden in
the House of Women?"

I shook my head. "Not so, O King, for then I must marry who would
remain single."

"There is no need, you might sell her to your friend, Peroa. A
satrapy?"

"Not so, O King, for then I must govern it, which would keep me from
my hunting, until it pleased the King to take my head."

"By the name of the holy ones I worship what then do you ask added to
the pearls and the pure gold?"

Now I tried to bethink me of something that the King could not grant,
since I had no wish for this match which my heart warned me would end
in trouble. As no thought came to me I looked at Bes and saw that he
was rolling his eyes towards the six doomed hunters who were being led
away, also in pretence of driving off a fly, pointing to them with one
of the lion tails. Then I remembered that a decree once uttered by the
King of the East could not be altered, and saw a road of escape.

"O King," I said, "together with the pearls and the gold I ask that
the lives of those six hunters be added to the wager, to be spared if
by chance I should win."