then clothed him in royal raiment. The wind blew, they weighed anchor, set sail,
and after a certain time arrived at the country of Samoudra. And God knows the
truth. He is our aid and our refuge.
Now we are going to speak of the King Melik-el-Mansour at Samoudra.
This prince said one day to Sidi Ali Asmai-ed-Din:
"I would like to go and see how my brother is getting along."
The minister answered, "Do not go, my lord, for fear of misfortune." And,
indeed, he tried to restrain his master. The prince would listen to nothing, and
finally the minister was silent. He ordered the drums to beat, in order to make
the announcement, "Sultan Melik-el-Mansour is going to see the country of his
brother."
Sidi Ali Asmai-ed-Din was not satisfied. He was an old minister who knew that
out of every affair causes of trouble may arise. But it was his duty to obey. The
prince started. He made the tour of the city of Pasey, and then entered the palace
of the Sultan Melik-ed-Dhahir. There he fell in love with one of the ladies-of-
honor of his brother's court, and a quarrel arose between the two brothers on her
account. Sultan Melik-ed-Dhahir felt in the bottom of his heart a violent
irritation toward his brother.
Now he had a son named Radja Ahmed, very young when his father was
captured, but grown up when the prince was restored from the hands of Chehr-
en-Naoui. Sidi Ali Ghaiath-ed-Din having withdrawn from affairs, a minister
named Parapatih Toulous Toukang Sikari had replaced him in his ministerial
functions. One day the King said to the minister:
"What is your opinion concerning the act of Sultan Melik-el-Mansour?"
The minister answered: "We have a means——"
"But," answered the King, "it might involve his death."
"If he dies," replied the minister, "my name shall be no longer
Toukang."
"Give a family fête for your son Sultan Ahmed. We will invite Sultan
Melik-el-Mansour to the festival."