fate.'

She appointed twenty horsemen, well mounted and equipped, to attend
him. When all was ready, Prince Ahmed took leave of the fairy,
embraced her, and renewed his promise to return soon. Then his
horse, which was as beautiful a creature as any in the Sultan of
the Indies' stables, was brought, and he mounted him with an
extraordinary grace, which gave great pleasure to the fairy, and
after he had bid her a last adieu, set out on his journey.

As it was not a great way to his father's capital, Prince Ahmed
soon arrived there. The people, glad to see him again, received him
with acclamations, and followed him in crowds to the sultan's
palace. The sultan received and embraced him with great joy;
complaining at the same time with a fatherly tenderness, of the
affliction his long absence had been to him; which he said was the
more grievous, since as fortune had decided in favour of Prince Ali
his brother, he was afraid he might have committed some act of
despair.

'Sir,' replied Prince Ahmed, 'your majesty knows that when I shot
my arrow the most extraordinary thing that ever befell anybody
happened to me, that in so large and level a plain it should not be
possible to find my arrow. Though thus vanquished, I lost no time
in vain complaints; but to satisfy my perplexed mind, I gave my
attendants the slip, and returned back again alone to look for my
arrow. I sought all about the place where Prince Houssain's and
Prince Ali's arrows were found, and where I imagined mine must have
fallen; but all my labour was in vain, until after having gone four
leagues, to that part of the plain where it is bounded by rocks, I