st; and when he had placed them so that he thought
he might strike the blow with more certainty, asked them if they
had any thing to command him before they died.

"We have only one thing to desire of you," replied the princes,
"which is, to assure the king our father on your return, that we
are innocent; but that we do not charge him with our deaths,
knowing he is not well informed of the truth of the crime of
which we are accused."

Jehaun-dar promised to do what they desired and drew his sabre,
when his horse, being tied to a tree just by, started at the
sight of the sabre, which glittered against the sun, broke his
bridle, and ran away into the country.

He was a very valuable horse, and so richly caparisoned, that the
emir could not bear the loss of him. This accident so vexed him,
that instead of beheading the two princes, he threw away his
sabre, and ran after his horse.

The horse galloped on before him, and led him several miles into
a wood. Jehaun-dar followed him, and the horse's neighing roused
a lion that was asleep. The lion started up, and instead of
running after the horse, made directly towards Jehaun-dar, who
thought no more of his horse, but how to save his life. He ran
into the thickest of the wood, the lion keeping him in view,
pursuing him among the trees. In this extremity he said to
himself, "Heaven had not punished me in this manner, but to shew
the innocence of the princes whom I was commanded to put to
death; and now, to my misfortune, I have not my sabre to defend
myself."

While Jehaun-dar was gone, the two princes were seized with a
violent thirst, occasioned by the fear of death, notwithstanding
their noble resolution to submit to the king their father's cruel
order.

Prince Amgiad told the prince his brother there was a spring not
far off. "Ah! brother," said Assad, "we have so little time to
live, what need have we to quench our thirst? We can bear it a
few minutes longer."

Amgiad taking no notice of his brother's remonstrance, unbound
himself, and the prince his brother. They went to the spring, and
having refreshed themselves, heard the roaring of the lion. They
also heard Jehaun-dar's dreadful cries in the wood, which he and
the horse had entered. Amgiad took up the sabre which lay on the
ground, saying to Assad, "Come, brother, let us go and save the
unfortunate Jehaun-dar; perhaps we may arrive soon enough to
deliver him from the danger to which he is now exposed."

T