ir wonders, and the countries of their
districts. Have recourse, therefore, to him, and he will direct thee to
the object of thy desire.--Accordingly he gave orders to bring him, and
he came before him; and lo, he was a very old man, whom the vicissitudes
of years and times had rendered decrepit. The Emeer Moosa saluted him,
and said to him, O sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad, our lord the Prince of the
Faithful, Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan, hath commanded us thus and
thus, and I possess little knowledge of that land, and it hath been told
me that thou art acquainted with that country and the routes. Hast thou
then a wish to accomplish the affair of the Prince of the Faithful?--The
sheykh replied, Know, O Emeer, that this route is difficult, far
extending, with few tracks. The Emeer said to him, How long a period
doth it require? He answered, It is a journey of two years and some
months going, and the like returning; and on the way are difficulties
and horrors, and extraordinary and wonderful things. Moreover, thou art
a warrior for the defense of the faith, and our country is near unto the
enemy; so perhaps the Christians may come forth during our absence; it
is expedient, therefore, that thou leave in thy province one to govern
it.--He replied, Well. And he left his son Haroon as his substitute in
his province, exacted an oath of fidelity to him, and commanded the
troops that they should not oppose him, but obey him in all that he
should order them to do. And they heard his words, and obeyed him. His
son Haroon was of great courage, an illustrious hero, and a bold
champion; and the sheykh 'Abd-Es-Samad pretended to him that the place
in which were the things that the Prince of the Faithful desired was
four months' journey distant, on the shore of the sea, and that
throughout the whole route were halting-places, adjacent one to another,
and grass and springs. And he said, God will assuredly make this affair
easy to us through the blessing attendant upon thee, O Viceroy of the
Prince of the Faithful. Then the Emeer Moosa said, Knowest thou if any
one of the Kings have trodden this land before us? He answered him, Yes,
O Emeer: this land belonged to the King of Alexandria, Darius the Greek.

[The cavalcade fare on, and soon reach a first "extraordinary
and wonderful thing,"--the palace-tomb of great "Koosh, the
son of Sheddad," full of impressive mortuary inscriptions
that set the party all a-weeping. Thence--]