this flagon is filled; but being still unwilling to return without
taking you with me, I constrained the Bird, by the power I had over him,
to afford me the means. He told me where to find this pitcher, and the
use I was to make of it."

The Princes Bahman and Perviz learned by this relation the obligation
they had to their sister, as did all the other gentlemen, who expressed
to her that, far from envying her happiness in the conquest she had
made, and which they all had aspired to, they thought they could not
better express their gratitude for restoring them to life again, than by
declaring themselves her slaves, and that they were ready to obey her in
whatever she should command.

"Gentlemen," replied the princess, "if you had given any attention to my
words, you might have observed that I had no other intention in what I
have done than to recover my brothers; therefore, if you have received
any benefit, you owe me no obligation, and I have no further share
in your compliment than your politeness toward me, for which I return
you my thanks. In other respects, I regard each of you as quite as free
as you were before your misfortunes, and I rejoice with you at the
happiness which has accrued to you by my means. Let us, however, stay no
longer in a place where we have nothing to detain us, but mount our
horses and return to our respective homes."

[Illustration]

_It will be sufficient to break off a branch and carry it to plant in
your garden._

The princess took her horse, which stood in the place where she had left
him. Before she mounted, Prince Bahman desired her to give him the cage
to carry. "Brother," replied the princess, "the Bird is my slave and I
will carry him myself; if you will take the pains to carry the branch of
the Singing Tree, there it is; only hold the cage while I get on
horseback." When she had mounted her horse, and Prince Bahman had given
her the cage, she turned about and said to Prince Perviz: "I leave the
flagon of Golden Water to your care, if it will not be too much trouble
for you to carry it," and Prince Perviz accordingly took charge of it
with pleasure.

When Bahman, Perviz, and all the gentlemen had mounted their horses, the
princess waited for some of them to lead the way. The two princes paid
that compliment to the gentlemen, and they again to the princess, who,
finding that none of them would accept the honour, but that it was
reserved for her, addressed herself to them and