, and
it turned out that he also, like the journeyman tailor, was travelling
without purpose, in the world. He said his name was Omar, that he was
the nephew of Elfi Bey, the unfortunate bashaw of Cairo, and was now
on his way to execute a commission which his uncle had delivered to
him upon his dying-bed. Labakan was not so frank with respect to his
circumstances; he gave him to understand that he was of lofty descent,
and was travelling for pleasure.

The two young men were pleased with each other, and rode on in
company. On the second day, Labakan interrogated his companion Omar,
respecting the commission with which he was charged, and to his
astonishment learned the following. Elfi Bey, the bashaw of Cairo, had
brought up Omar from his earliest childhood; the young man had never
known his parents. But shortly before, Elfi Bey, having been attacked
by his enemies, and, after three disastrous engagements, mortally
wounded, was obliged to flee, and disclosed to his charge that he was
not his nephew, but the son of a powerful lord, who, inspired with
fear by the prophecy of his astrologer, had sent the young prince away
from his court, with an oath never to see him again until his
twenty-second birthday. Elfi Bey had not told him his father's name,
but had enjoined upon him with the greatest precision, on the fourth
day of the coming month Ramadan, on which day he would be
two-and-twenty years old, to repair to the celebrated pillar
El-Serujah, four days' journey east of Alexandria: there he should
offer to the men who would be standing by the pillar, a dagger which
he gave him, with these words, "Here am I, whom ye seek!" If they
answered, "Blessed be the Prophet, who has preserved thee!" then he
was to follow them--they would lead him to his father.

The journeyman tailor, Labakan, was much astonished at this
information; from this time he looked upon Prince Omar with envious
eyes, irritated because fortune conferred upon him, though already he
passed for the nephew of a mighty bashaw, the dignity of a king's son;
but on him, whom she had endowed with all things necessary for a
prince, bestowed in ridicule, an obscure lineage, and an every-day
vocation. He instituted a comparison between himself and the prince.
He was obliged to confess that the latter was a man of very lively
aspect; that fine sparkling eyes belonged to him, a boldly-arched
nose, a gentlemanly, complaisant demeanor, in a word, all the external
acc