courier with friendly letters to King Quimus, and will
ask the hand of his daughter for you. I will send an abundance of
gifts, and a string of camels laden with flashing stones and rubies of
Badakhshan. In this way I will bring her and her suite, and I will
give her to you to be your solace. But if King Quimus is unwilling to
give her to you, I will pour a whirlwind of soldiers upon him, and I
will bring to you, in this way, that most consequential of girls.' But
the prince said that this plan would not be right, and that he would
go himself, and would answer the riddle. Then the king's wise men
said: 'This is a very weighty matter; it would be best to allow the
prince to set out accompanied by some persons in whom you have
confidence. Maybe he will repent and come back.' So King Saman ordered
all preparations for the journey to be made, and then Prince Tahmasp
took his leave and set out, accompanied by some of the courtiers, and
taking with him a string of two-humped and raven-eyed camels laden
with jewels, and gold, and costly stuffs.

By stage after stage, and after many days' journeying, he arrived at
the city of King Quimus. What did he see? A towering citadel whose
foot kept firm the wrinkled earth, and whose battlements touched the
blue heaven. He saw hanging from its battlements many heads, but it
had not the least effect upon him that these were heads of men of
rank; he listened to no advice about laying aside his fancy, but rode
up to the gate and on into the heart of the city. The place was so
splendid that the eyes of the ages have never seen its like, and
there, in an open square, he found a tent of crimson satin set up, and
beneath it two jewelled drums with jewelled sticks. These drums were
put there so that the suitors of the princess might announce their
arrival by beating on them, after which some one would come and take
them to the king's presence. The sight of the drums stirred the fire
of Prince Tahmasp's love. He dismounted, and moved towards them; but
his companions hurried after and begged him first to let them go and
announce him to the king, and said that then, when they had put their
possessions in a place of security, they would enter into the
all-important matter of the princess. The prince, however, replied
that he was there for one thing only; that his first duty was to beat
the drums and announce himself as a suitor, when he would be taken, as
such, to the king, who would then give him