marry that young man to a beautiful wife, with a marriage feast of four months." And they said, "Very good, father, you shall eat dates this year."
And they waited till when ten days were past, the dates had become full grown, and he was told, the dates are full grown. And he said, "Very good, when you see them ripening here and there one, come and tell me." And he waited for the space of five days, and the head-man came, and told his master. "The dates are ripening, and the abortive ones are falling." And he waited three days, and said, "Go."
And the youth arose gladly and vigorously, and went till he reached the garden. And he said, "I shall not sleep, I will mount a horse and ride round and round in here to-day all the night through." And he took his gun, and his powder, and his shot, and his caps. And he got upon a horse, and rode round in the garden. And he rode round and round till when one o'clock was past, he heard a guinea-fowl crying at the back of the garden, and he said, "Now it is half-past one, I will set out and follow this guinea-fowl which is crying in the garden." And he set out and followed the guinea-fowl where it was crying. And the guinea-fowl was a long way off, but in the night he heard it as if it were near. And he went half the way, and the bird behind had come to the date-tree eating the dates, without leaving so much as one, and he had not yet come back. And he turned back without getting the guinea-fowl, and came.
And when he arrived in the garden and cast up his eyes, there were no dates. And he got off the horse, and sat under the date-tree crying bitterly till his slaves came. "Eh! master, what are you weeping about?" And he said, "I am not weeping because I fear my father, I weep because of losing the gifts that my father wished to
