loved him greatly.
Then the king summoned the vizier and the emeers, and the lords of the
empire, and the great men of the kingdom, and made them swear by binding
oaths that they would make Bedr Basim king over them after his father;
so they swore to him by binding oaths, and rejoiced thereat; and the
king himself was beneficent to the people, courteous in speech and of
auspicious aspect. And on the following day, the king mounted, together
with the lords of the empire and all the emeers, and all the soldiers,
and they ceased not to proceed until they arrived at the vestibule of
the palace; the king's son riding. Thereupon he alighted, and his father
embraced him, he and the emeers, and they seated him upon the throne of
the kingdom, while his father stood, as also did the emeers, before him.
Then Bedr Basim judged the people, displaced the tyrannical and invested
the just, and continued to give judgment until near midday, when he rose
from the throne of the kingdom, and went in to his mother, Gulnare of
the Sea, having upon his head the crown, and resembling the moon. So
when his mother saw him, and the king before him, she rose to him and
kissed him, and congratulated him on his elevation to the dignity of
sultan; and she offered up a prayer in favour of him and his father for
length of life, and victory over their enemies. He then sat with his
mother and rested; and when the time of afternoon-prayers arrived, he
rode with the emeers before him until he came to the horse-course, where
he played with arms till the time of nightfall, together with his
father and the lords of his empire; after which he returned to the
palace, with all the people before him. Every day he used to ride to the
horse-course; and when he returned, he sat to judge the people, and
administered justice between the emeer and the poor man. He ceased not
to do thus for a whole year; and after that, he used to ride to the
chase, and go about through the cities and provinces that were under his
rule making proclamation of safety and security, and doing as do the
kings; and he was incomparable among the people of his age in glory and
courage, and in justice to the people.

Now it came to pass that the old king, the father of Bedr Basim, fell
sick one day, whereupon his heart throbbed, and he felt that he was
about to be removed to the mansion of eternity. Then his malady
increased so that he was at the point of death. He therefore summoned
his son, and