The Sultan and the Wazir threaded the broadways of the city and they noted the houses and stood for an hour or so in each and every greater thoroughfare, till they came to a lane, a cul de sac where through none could pass, and behold, they hit upon a house containing a company of folk.

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Now these were conversing and saying, "By God, our Sultan has not acted wisely nor has he any cause to be proud, since he has made his daughter's bride feast a vanity and a vexation and the poor are excluded from it. He had done better to distribute something of his bounty amongst the paupers and the mesquin, who may not enter his palace nor can they obtain anything to eat." Hearing this the Sultan said to the Wazir, "By God, needs must we enter this place;" and the Minister replied, "Do whatever you willest." Accordingly the King went up to the door and knocked, when one came out and asked, "Who is at the door?" The Sultan answered, "Guests;" and the voice rejoined, "Welcome to the guests;" and the door was thrown open. Then they went in till they reached the sitting room where they found three men of whom one was lame, the second was broken backed and the third was split mouthed. And all three were sitting together in that place. So he asked them, "Why sit you here, you three, instead of going to the Palace?" and they answered him, "O Darwaysh, 'tis of the weakness of our wits!" The King then turned to his Minister and said, "There is no help but you must bring these three men into my presence, as soon as the wedding fetes be finished, that I may enquire into what stablished their imbecility."

Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet is your story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night, if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Sixty second Night

DUNYAZAD said to her, "in God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me,the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sultan said to the Wazir, "Needs must you bring these three men into my presence, as soon as the wedding fetes be finished, and we will enquire into what proved their imbecility." Then the King to them said, "Why fare you not, you three, and eat of the royal banquet day by day?" and they said, "O Darwaysh, we are crippled folk who cannot go and come, for this be grievous to us; but, an the Sultan would assign to us something of victual, and send it here, we would willingly eat of it." He rejoined, "What knows the Sultan that you sit in this place?" and they retorted, "You be Darwayshes who enter everywhere: so when you go in to him, tell him our tale; Perhaps shall Almighty Allah incline his heart uswards." The King asked them, "Be you three ever sitting together in this stead?" and they answered, "Yea, truly: we never leave one another by night or by day."

Then the King and the Minister rose up and having presented them with a few silvers took leave and departed. Now it was midnight when they reached a tenement in which sat three girls with their mother spinning and eating; and each one appeared fairer than her fellows, and at times they sang and then they laughed and then they talked. The Sultan said to the Wazir, "There is no help but we enter to these damsels;" whereto the Minister replied, "What have we to do with going near them? Let them be as they are!" The Sultan, however, rejoined, "Needs must we enter," and the Wazir retorted, "I hear and I obey;" and he rapped at the door when one of the sisterhood cried out, "Who knocks in this gloom of the night?" The Minister answered, "We are two Darwayshes, guests and strangers;" and the girl rejoined, "We are maidens with our mother and we have no men in our house who can admit you; so fare you to the marriage feast of the Sultan and become you his guests." The Minister continued, "We are foreigners and we know not the way to the Palace and we dread lest the Chief of Police happen upon us and apprehend us at this time o' night. We desire that you afford us lodging till daylight when we will go about our business and you need not expect from us anything save respect and honourable treatment."

Now when the mother heard this, she pitied them and bade one daughter open the door. So the damsel threw it open and the Sultan and Wazir entered and salam'd and sat down to converse together; but the King gazed upon the sisters and marvelled at their beauty and their loveliness, and said in his mind,

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"How comes it that these maidens dwell by themselves unmated and they in such case?" So he said to them, "How is it you lack husbands, you being so beautiful, and that you have not a man in the house?" the youngest said, "O Darwaysh, hold your tongue nor ask us of anything, for our story is wondrous and our adventures marvellous. But 'ware your words and shorten your speech; truly had you been the Sultan and your companion the Wazir an you heard our history Perhaps you had taken compassion upon our case." Thereupon the King turned to the Minister and said, "Up with us and go we our ways; but first do you make sure of the place and affix your mark upon the door." Then the twain rose up and fared forth but the Wazir stood awhile and set a sign upon the entrance and there left his imprint; after which the twain returned to the Palace. Presently, the youngest sister said to her mother, "By God, I fear lest the Darwayshes have made their mark upon our door to the end that they may recognise it by day; for Perhaps the twain may be the King and his Minister." "What proof have you of this?" asked the mother, and the daughter answered, "Their language and their questioning which were nothing save importunity!"

And saying this she went to the door where she found the sign and mark. Now besides the two houses to the right and to the left were fifteen doors, so the girl marked them all with the same mark set by the Wazir. But when Allah had caused the day to dawn, the King said to the Minister, "Go you and look at the sign and make sure of it." The Wazir went as he was commanded by the Sultan, but he found all the doors marked in the same way, at which he marvelled and knew not nor could he distinguish the door he sought. Presently, he returned and reported the matter of the door marks to the King who cried, "By God, these girls must have a curious history! But when the bride feast is finished we will enquire into the case of the three men who are weak witlings and then we will consider that of the damsels who are not." As soon as the thirties feast day passed by, he invested with robes of honour all the Lords of his land and the high Officers of his estate and matters returned to their customed course.

Then he sent to summon the three men who had professed themselves weak of wits and they were brought into the presence, each saying of himself, "What can the King require of us?" When they came before him he bade them be seated and they sat; then he said to them, "My requirement is that you relate to me proofs of the weakness of your minds and the reason of your maims." Now the first who was questioned was he of the broken back, and when the enquiry was put to him he said, "Deign to favour me with an answer O our Lord the Sultan, on a matter which passed through my mind." He replied, "Speak out and fear not!" So the other enquired, "How did you know us and who told you of us and of our weakly wits?" the King said, " 'Twas the Darwaysh who went in to you on such a night;" and the broken backed man said, "Allah slay all the Darwayshes who be tattlers and tale carriers!" Thereupon the Sultan turned to the Wazir and laughing said, "We will not reproach them for anything: rather let us make fun of them," adding to the man, "Recite, O Shaykh." So he fell to telling