weeping and wailing was
heard above the storm. The king ordered a servant to go and see what
was the matter; but the servant, falling on his knees in terror,
begged that he might not be sent on such an errand, particularly on a
night so wild, when evil spirits and witches were sure to be abroad.
Indeed, so frightened was he, that the king, who was very
kind-hearted, bade another to go in his stead, but each one showed the
same strange fear. Then Ameer Ali stepped forward:

'This is my duty, your majesty,' he said, 'I will go.'

The king nodded, and off he went. The night was as dark as pitch, and
the wind blew furiously and drove the rain in sheets into his face;
but he made his way down to the ford under the palace walls and
stepped into the flooded water. Inch by inch, and foot by foot he
fought his way across, now nearly swept off his feet by some sudden
swirl or eddy, now narrowly escaping being caught in the branches of
some floating tree that came tossing and swinging down the stream. At
length he emerged, panting and dripping wet, on the other side. Close
by the bank stood a gallows, and on the gallows hung the body of some
evildoer, whilst from the foot of it came the sound of sobbing that
the king had heard.

Ameer Ali was so grieved for the one who wept there that he thought
nothing of the wildness of the night or of the roaring river. As for
ghosts and witches, they had never troubled him, so he walked up
towards the gallows where crouched the figure of the woman.

'What ails you?' he said.

Now the woman was not really a woman at all, but a horrid kind of
witch who really lived in Witchland, and had no business on earth. If
ever a man strayed into Witchland the ogresses used to eat him up, and
this old witch thought she would like to catch a man for supper, and
that is why she had been sobbing and crying in hopes that someone out
of pity might come to her rescue.

So when Ameer Ali questioned her, she replied:

'Ah, kind sir, it is my poor son who hangs upon that gallows; help me
to get him down and I will bless you for ever.'

Ameer Ali thought that her voice sounded rather eager than sorrowful,
and he suspected that she was not telling the truth, so he determined
to be very cautious.

[Illustration: AMEER ALI WINS THE ANKLET]

'That will be rather difficult,' he said, 'for the gallows is high,
and we have no ladder.'

'Ah, but if you will just stoop down and let me climb upon your
shoulder