the Simurgh When they
alighted on the shore of the last sea, it said: 'O my son! there lies
your road; follow it to the city. Take thee three feathers of mine,
and, if you are in a difficulty, burn one and I will be with you in the
twinkling of an eye.'

The prince walked on in solitude till he reached the city. He went in
and wandered about through all quarters, and through bazaars and lanes
and squares, in the least knowing from whom he could ask information
about the riddle of Mihr-afruz. He spent seven days thinking it over
in silence. From the first day of his coming he had made friends with a
young cloth-merchant, and a great liking had sprung up between them. One
day he said abruptly to his companion: 'O dear friend! I wish you would
tell me what the rose did to the cypress, and what the sense of the
riddle is.' The merchant started, and exclaimed: 'If there were not
brotherly affection between us, I would cut off your head for asking me
this!' 'If you meant to kill me,' retorted the prince, 'you would still
have first to tell me what I want to know.' When the merchant saw that
the prince was in deadly earnest, he said: 'If you wish to hear the
truth of the matter you must wait upon our king. There is no other way;
no one else will tell you. I have a well-wisher at the Court, named
Farrukh-fal, [12] and will introduce you to him.' 'That would be
excellent,' cried the prince. A meeting was arranged between Farrukhfal
and Almas, and then the amir took him to the king's presence and
introduced him as a stranger and traveller who had come from afar to sit
in the shadow of King Sinaubar.

Now the Simurgh had given the prince a diamond weighing thirty misqals,
and he ordered this to the king, who at once recognised its value, and
asked where it had been obtained. 'I, your slave, once had riches and
state and power; there are many such stones in my country. On my way
here I was plundered at the Castle of Clashing Swords, and I saved this
one thing only, hidden in my bathing-cloth.' In return for the diamond,
King Sinaubar showered gifts of much greater value, for he remembered
that it was the last possession of the prince. He showed the utmost
kindness and hospitality, and gave his wazir orders to instal the
prince in the royal guest-house. He took much pleasure in his
visitor's society; they were together every day and spent the time most
pleasantly. Several times the king said: 'Ask me for something, that I
may give