There was once, among the children of Israel, a man of the devout, for piety acclaimed and for continence and asceticism enfamed, whose prayers were ever granted and who by supplication obtained whatever he wanted; and he was a wanderer in the mountains and was used to pass the night in worship. Now Almighty Allah had subjected to him a cloud which travelled with him wherever he went, and poured on him its water treasures in abundance that he might make his ablutions and drink. After a long time when things were thus, his fervour somewhat abated, whereupon Allah took the cloud away from him and ceased to answer his prayers. On this account, great was his grief and long was his woe, and he did not stop to regret the time of grace and the miracle vouchsafed to him and to lament and bewail and bemoan himself, till he saw in a dream one who said to him, "If you would have Allah restore to you your cloud, seek out a certain King, in such a town, and beg him to pray for you: so will Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) give you back your cloud and bespread it over you by virtue of his pious prayers." And he began repeating these couplets,'

"go to that pious prayerful Emir, Who can with gladness your condition cheer If he pray Allah, you will win your wish; And heavy rain shall drop from welkin clear. He stands all Kings above in potent worth; Nor to compare with him does anything appear:

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Near him you soon will hap upon your want, And see all joy and gladness draw you near: Then cut the wolds and wilds unfounted till The goal you go for anigh will speer!"

So the hermit set out for the town named to him in the dream; and, coming there after long travel, enquired for the King's palace which was duly shown to him. And behold, at the gate he found a slave officer sitting on a great chair and clad in gorgeous gear; so he stood to him and saluted him; and he resumed his salam and asked him, "What is your business?" Answered the devotee, "I am a wronged man, and come to submit my case to the King." the officer, said, "You have no access to him this day; for he has appointed unto petitioners and enquirers one day in every seven" (naming the day), "on which they may go in to him; so go your ways in welfare till then." The hermit was vexed with the King for thus veiling himself from the folk and said in thought, "How shall this man be a saint of the saints of Allah (to whom belong Majesty and Might!) and he in this way?" Then he went away and awaited the appointed day. "Now" (He said) "when it came, I repaired to the palace, where I found a great number of folk at the gate, expecting admission; and I stood with them, till there came out a Wazir robed in gorgeous raiment and attended by guards and slaves, who said, 'Let those, who have petitions to present, enter.'

So I entered with the rest and found the King seated facing his officers and grandees who were ranged according to their several ranks and degrees. The Wazir took up his post and brought forward the petitioners, one by one, till it came to my turn, when the King looked on me and said, 'Welcome to the 'Lord of the Cloud'! Sit you down till I make leisure for you.' I was confounded at his words and confessed his dignity and superiority; and, when the King had answered the petitioners and had made an end with them, he rose and dismissed his Wazirs and Grandees, then, taking my hand he led me to the door of the private palace, where we found a black slave splendidly arrayed, with helm on head, and on his right hand and his left, bows and coats of mail. He rose to the King; and, hastening to obey his orders and forestall his wishes, opened the door. We went in, hand in hand, till we came to a low wicket, which the King himself opened and led me into a ruinous place of frightful desolation and thence passed into a chamber, in which was nothing but a prayer carpet, an ewer for ablution and some mats of palm leaves.

Here the King doffed his royal robes and donned a coarse gown of white wool and a conical bonnet of felt. Then he sat down and making me sit, called out to his wife, 'Ho, such an one!' and she answered from within saying, 'Here am I.' He said, 'Know you who is our guest to day?' she replied, 'Yes, it is the 'Lord of the Cloud.' The King said, 'Come forth: it matters not for him.' And behold, there entered a woman, as she were a vision, with a face that beamed like the new moon; and she wore a gown and veil of wool."—

When it was the Four Hundred and Seventy fourth night

O my God, this Your servant beseeches You to return him his cloud; and to do this You are able; so, O my God, let him see his prayer granted and restore him his cloud." The Queen amen'd to his orisons and behold, the cloud grew up in the sky; whereupon the King gave the hermit joy and the man took leave of them and went away, the cloud companying him as of old. And whatever he required of Allah after this, in the names of the pious King and Queen, He granted it without fail and the man made thereon these couplets,

"My Lord has servants glad of piety; Hearts in the Wisdom garden ranging free: Their bodies' lusts at peace, and motionless For breasts that bide in purest secresy. You see all silent, awesome of their Lord, For hidden things unseen and seen they see."

And they tell a tale of