The Padishah was frightened at the words of his son, and his chief care was to drive the damsel out of the lad's head. "'Tis dangerous to even think of such a thing," said he, "for her love will be thy death." But his son continued to pine away daily, and life had no joy for him. Again and again the father begged his son to tell him his heart's desire and it should be instantly fulfilled, and the eternal reply of the son was: "Let me seek the World's most beauteous Damsel." Then the Padishah thought to himself: "If I do not let him go he will only perish, and he cannot therefore be worse off if he goes." Then said he: "Go, my son, after thy love, and may the righteous Allah be merciful to thee."
So the next day the prince set out on his journey. He went up hill and down dale, he crossed vast deserts, he traversed rugged wildernesses in search of his beloved, the World's most beauteous Damsel. On and on he went, till he came at last to the sea-shore, and there he saw a poor little fish writhing in the sand, and the fish besought him to throw it back into the sea again. The youth had compassion upon the fish, and threw it back into the sea again. Then the little fish gave him three scales, and said to him: "If ever thou dost get into any trouble, burn these scales."
Again the youth went on his way till he came to
