106 THE ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS.

 

closet, and I will present to you a king worthy of your royal con-
sideration.’ The bird, which had ceased eating, and had understood
what the king and queen said, hopped into the closet before them; and
the queen came in soon after with @ vessel full of water in her hand.
She pronounced over the vessel some unknown words, till the water
began to boil; when she took some of it in her hand, and, sprinkling a
little upon the bird, said: ‘ By virtue of those mysterious words I have
just pronounced, quit the form of a bird and reassume that received
from thy Creator.’

The words were scarcely out of the queen’s mouth when, instead of
a bird, the king saw before him a young prince of right royal demeanour.
King Beder immediately fell on his knees and thanked God for the
favour that had been bestowed upon him. He then prostrated
himself before the king, who helped him up, and embraced him with
great joy. He would then have made his acknowledgments to the
queen, but she had already retired to her apartment. The king made
him sit at the table with him, and having heard from his own mouth
the wonders of his history, said: ‘Tell me, I beseech you, in what I
can further serve you.’

‘ Sire,’ answered King Beder, ‘I entreat you to grant me one of your
ships to transport me to Persia, where I fear my absence may have
occasioned some disorder, and where the queen, my mother, from
whom I concealed my departure, may be distracted under the uncer-
tainty whether I am alive or dead.’

The king readily granted what he desired, and as soon as the wind
became fair King Beder embarked, after having taken leave of the king
and thanked him for all his favours.

The ship sailed before the wind for ten days together, but on the
eleventh there arose a furious tempest. The ship was not only driven
out of its course, but so violently tossed that all its masts were brought
by the board; and driving along at the pleasure of the wind, it at
length struck against a rock and sunk.

The greatest part of the people were instantly drowned. Some few
were saved by swimming, and others by getting on pieces of the wreck.
King Beder was among the latter, when, after having been tossed about
for some time by the waves and torrents under great uncertainty of his
fate, he at length perceived himself near the shore, and not far from a
large city. He exerted his remaining strength, and was at length so
fortunate as to reach the land. He had scarcely done so when, to his
great surprise, he saw horses, camels, mules, asses, oxen, cows, bulls,
and other animals crowding to the shore, and putting themselves in a
posture to oppose his landing. He had the utmost difficulty to conquer
their obstinacy and force his way, but at length he succeeded, and
sheltered himself among the rocks till he had recovered his strength
and dried his clothes in the sun.

When the prince advanced to enter the city, he met with the same
opposition from these animals, who seemed to intend to make him