horse she rode forward quickly and came to the foot of the hill. She directed her
course toward the country of Roum, and continuing her journey from forest to
forest, and from plain to plain, she reached the gate of the fortifications of the
city of Roum at the moment when the King of that country had just died.
When the princess Djouher-Manikam had arrived outside the fortifications of
Roum, she sat down in the _baley, near the fort. She was marvellously beautiful,
and her vestments, all sparkling with gold, were adorned with precious stones,
pearls, and rubies. A man happening to pass by saw her, and was seized with
astonishment and admiration. For in the country of Roum there was nobody who
could compare with this young man, so handsome and so magnificently attired.
He asked:
"Whence come you and why did you come here?"
The princess answered: "I know not the place where I am at this moment.
I came from the city of Damas."
This citizen of Roum took leave and went away to present himself to the vezir
and tell what he had seen. The vezir, having heard him, went out promptly to
find the young man. As soon as he had approached him and had seen his
remarkable beauty and his splendid vestments decorated with precious stones,
pearls, and rubies, the vezir seated himself by him and said:
"Young man, whence do you come, and why did you come to this land?"
The princess answered: "I wish to travel through the world for my pleasure. That
is my will."
The vezir replied: "Would you like to have us make you King of this country?"
The princess replied: "For what reason should I wish to be king in this country?
And by what means could it be achieved?"
The vezir replied: "Our King is dead."
"Is there no child?" asked the princess.
"The King has left a child," answered the vezir, "but he is still very little, and
incapable of governing his subjects. That is why we will make you King of this
country."