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to her that night and found her a virgin. Then he pulled down the Parti-coloured Palace and divided the spoil with the true-believing Jinn, and there fell to his share one and-twenty thousand bricks of gold and silver and money and treasure beyond count. Then Muraash took Gherib and showed him the Mountain Caf and all its marvels; after which they returned to Bercan’s fortress and dismantled it and shared the spoil thereof.
Then they returned to Muraash’s capital, where they abode five days, at the end of which time Gherib sought to go to his own country and Muraash said, ‘O King of men, I will ride at thy stirrup and bring thee to thine own land.’ ‘Nay, by the virtue of Abraham the Friend,’ answered Gherib; ‘I will not suffer thee to weary thyself thus nor will I take any of the Jinn save Kailjan and Courjan.’ Quoth the King, ‘Take with thee ten thousand horsemen of the Jinn, to serve thee;’ but Gherib said, ‘I will take only as I said to thee.’ So Muraash bade a thousand Marids take him up and carry him to his native land, with his share of the spoil; and he commanded Kailjan and Courjan to follow him and obey him; and they answered, ‘We hear and obey.’ Then said Gherib to the Marids, ‘Do ye carry the treasure and Morning Star;’ for he himself thought to ride his flying charger. But Muraash said to him, ‘O my brother, this horse will live only in our clime, and if it come upon the earth, it will die but I have in my stables a sea-horse, whose like is not found in Irak, no, nor in all the world.’ So he caused bring forth the horse, and when Gherib saw it, it interposed between him and his reason.[1] Then they bound it and Kailjan took it on his shoulders and Courjan took what he could carry. And Muraash embraced Gherib and wept for parting from him, saying, ‘O my brother, if aught befall thee, to which thou art unable, send for me and I will come to thine aid
- ↑ i.e. his reason was confounded at its beauty.
