l points,
one of the servants handed him a silk cloth and told him that the
mistress of the house sent it to him, and that when he wiped his face
with it, the beard and the complexion would disappear.

In the court-yard stood three beautiful horses; Said mounted the
finest, and his attendants the other two, and rode off with a light
heart to the square where the contest was to be held. The splendor of
his costume and the brightness of his weapons drew all eyes upon him,
and a general buzz of astonishment followed his entrance into the ring.
It was a brilliant assemblage of the bravest and noblest youths of
Bagdad, where even the brothers of the caliph were seen flying about on
their horses and swinging their lances. On Said's approach, as no one
seemed to know him, the son of the grand vizier, with some of his
friends, rode up to him, greeted him politely, and invited him to take
part in their contests, at the same time inquiring his name and whence
he came. Said represented to them that his name was Almansor, and he
hailed from Cairo; that he had set out upon a journey, but having heard
so much said about the skill and bravery of the young noblemen of
Bagdad, he could not refrain from delaying his journey in order to get
acquainted with them. The young men were highly pleased with the
bearing and courageous appearance of Said-Almansor; handed him a lance,
and had him select his opponent,--as the whole company were divided
into two parties, in order that they might assault one another both
singly and in groups.

[Illustration]

But the attention which had been attracted by Said was now concentrated
upon the unusual skill and dexterity which he displayed in combat. His
horse was swifter than a bird, while his sword whizzed about in still
more rapid circles. He threw the lance at its mark as easily and with
as much accuracy as if it had been an arrow shot from a bow. He
conquered the bravest of the opposing force, and at the end of the
tournament was so universally recognized as the victor, that one of the
caliph's brothers and the son of the grand vizier, who had both fought
on Said's side, requested the pleasure of breaking a lance with him.
Ali, the caliph's brother, was soon conquered by Said; but the grand
vizier's son withstood him so bravely that after a long contest they
thought it best to postpone the decision until the next meeting.

The day after the tournament, nothing was spoken of in Bagdad but the
hand