The Enchanted Horse
Part two
In common politeness the
prince could hardly refuse this request, and the princess set about inventing
every kind of amusement for him, and succeeded so well that two months
slipped by almost unnoticed, in balls, spectacles and in hunting, of which,
when unattended by danger, the princess was passionately fond. But at last,
one day, he declared seriously that he could neglect his duty no longer, and
entreated her to put no further obstacles in his way, promising at the same
time to return, as soon as he could, with all the magnificence due both to
her and to himself.
"Princess," he
added, "it may be that in your heart you class me with those false
lovers whose devotion cannot stand the test of absence. If you do, you wrong
me; and were it not for fear of offending you, I would beseech you to come
with me, for my life can only be happy when passed with you. As for your
reception at the Persian Court, it will be as warm as your merits deserve;
and as for what concerns the King of Bengal, he must be much more indifferent
to your welfare than you have led me to believe if he does not give his
consent to our marriage."
The princess could not
find words in which to reply to the arguments of the Prince of Persia, but
her silence and her downcast eyes spoke for her, and declared that she had no
objection to accompanying him on his travels.
The only difficulty that
occurred to her was that Prince Firouz Schah did not know how to manage the
horse, and she dreaded lest they might find themselves in the same plight as
before. But the prince soothed her fears so successfully, that she soon had
no other thought than to arrange for their flight so secretly, that no one in
the palace should suspect it.
This was done, and early
the following morning, when the whole palace was wrapped in sleep, she stole
up on to the roof, where the prince was already awaiting her, with his
horse's head towards Persia. He mounted first and helped the princess up
behind; then, when she was firmly seated, with her hands holding tightly to
his belt, he touched the screw, and the horse began to leave the earth
quickly behind him.
He travelled with his
accustomed speed, and Prince Firouz Schah guided him so well that in two
hours and a half from the time of starting, he saw the capital of Persia
lying beneath him. He determined to alight neither in the great square from
which he had started, nor in the Sultan's palace, but in a country house at a
little distance from the town. Here he showed the princess a beautiful suite
of rooms, and begged her to rest, while he informed his father of their
arrival, and prepared a public reception worthy of her rank. Then he ordered
a horse to be saddled, and set out.
All the way through the
streets he was welcomed with shouts of joy by the people, who had long lost
all hope of seeing him again. On reaching the palace, he found the Sultan
surrounded by his ministers, all clad in the deepest mourning, and his father
almost went out of his mind with surprise and delight at the mere sound of
his son's voice. When he had calmed down a little, he begged the prince to
relate his adventures.
The prince at once seized
the opening thus given him, and told the whole story of his treatment by the
Princess of Bengal, not even concealing the fact that she had fallen in love
with him. "And, Sire," ended the prince, "having given my
royal word that you would not refuse your consent to our marriage, I
persuaded her to return with me on the Indian's horse. I have left her in one
of your Highness's country houses, where she is waiting anxiously to be
assured that I have not promised in vain."
As he said this the
prince was about to throw himself at the feet of the Sultan, but his father
prevented him, and embracing him again, said eagerly:
"My son, not only do
I gladly consent to your marriage with the Princess of Bengal, but I will
hasten to pay my respects to her, and to thank her in my own person for the
benefits she has conferred on you. I will then bring her back with me, and
make all arrangements for the wedding to be celebrated to-day."
So the Sultan gave orders
that the habits of mourning worn by the people should be thrown off and that
there should be a concert of drums, trumpets and cymbals. Also that the
Indian should be taken from prison, and brought before him.
His commands were obeyed,
and the Indian was led into his presence, surrounded by guards. "I have
kept you locked up," said the Sultan, "so that in case my son was
lost, your life should pay the penalty. He has now returned; so take your
horse, and begone for ever."
The Indian hastily
quitted the presence of the Sultan, and when he was outside, he inquired of
the man who had taken him out of prison where the prince had really been all
this time, and what he had been doing. They told him the whole story, and how
the Princess of Bengal was even then awaiting in the country palace the
consent of the Sultan, which at once put into the Indian's head a plan of
revenge for the treatment he had experienced. Going straight to the country
house, he informed the doorkeeper who was left in charge that he had been
sent by the Sultan and by the Prince of Persia to fetch the princess on the
enchanted horse, and to bring her to the palace.
The doorkeeper knew the
Indian by sight, and was of course aware that nearly three months before he
had been thrown into prison by the Sultan; and seeing him at liberty, the man
took for granted that he was speaking the truth, and made no difficulty about
leading him before the Princess of Bengal; while on her side, hearing that he
had come from the prince, the lady gladly consented to do what he wished.
The Indian, delighted
with the success of his scheme, mounted the horse, assisted the princess to
mount behind him, and turned the peg at the very moment that the prince was
leaving the palace in Schiraz for the country house, followed closely by the
Sultan and all the court. Knowing this, the Indian deliberately steered the
horse right above the city, in order that his revenge for his unjust
imprisonment might be all the quicker and sweeter.
When the Sultan of Persia
saw the horse and its riders, he stopped short with astonishment and horror,
and broke out into oaths and curses, which the Indian heard quite unmoved,
knowing that he was perfectly safe from pursuit. But mortified and furious as
the Sultan was, his feelings were nothing to those of Prince Firouz Schah,
when he saw the object of his passionate devotion being borne rapidly away.
And while he was struck speechless with grief and remorse at not having
guarded her better, she vanished swiftly out of his sight. What was he to do?
Should he follow his father into the palace, and there give reins to his
despair? Both his love and his courage alike forbade it; and he continued his
way to the palace.
The sight of the prince
showed the doorkeeper of what folly he had been guilty, and flinging himself
at his master's feet, implored his pardon. "Rise," said the prince,
"I am the cause of this misfortune, and not you. Go and find me the
dress of a dervish, but beware of saying it is for me."
At a short distance from
the country house, a convent of dervishes was situated, and the superior, or
scheih, was the doorkeeper's friend. So by means of a false story made up on
the spur of the moment, it was easy enough to get hold of a dervish's dress,
which the prince at once put on, instead of his own. Disguised like this and
concealing about him a box of pearls and diamonds he had intended as a
present to the princess, he left the house at nightfall, uncertain where he
should go, but firmly resolved not to return without her.
Meanwhile the Indian had
turned the horse in such a direction that, before many hours had passed, it
had entered a wood close to the capital of the kingdom of Cashmere. Feeling
very hungry, and supposing that the princess also might be in want of food,
he brought his steed down to the earth, and left the princess in a shady
place, on the banks of a clear stream.
At first, when the
princess had found herself alone, the idea had occurred to her of trying to
escape and hide herself. But as she had eaten scarcely anything since she had
left Bengal, she felt she was too weak to venture far, and was obliged to
abandon her design. On the return of the Indian with meats of various kinds,
she began to eat voraciously, and soon had regained sufficient courage to
reply with spirit to his insolent remarks. Goaded by his threats she sprang
to her feet, calling loudly for help, and luckily her cries were heard by a
troop of horsemen, who rode up to inquire what was the matter.
Now the leader of these
horsemen was the Sultan of Cashmere, returning from the chase, and he
instantly turned to the Indian to inquire who he was, and whom he had with
him. The Indian rudely answered that it was his wife, and there was no
occasion for anyone else to interfere between them.
The princess, who, of
course, was ignorant of the rank of her deliverer, denied altogether the
Indian's story. "My lord," she cried, "whoever you may be, put
no faith in this impostor. He is an abominable magician, who has this day
torn me from the Prince of Persia, my destined husband, and has brought me
here on this enchanted horse." She would have continued, but her tears
choked her, and the Sultan of Cashmere, convinced by her beauty and her
distinguished air of the truth of her tale, ordered his followers to cut off
the Indian's head, which was done immediately.
But rescued though she
was from one peril, it seemed as if she had only fallen into another. The
Sultan commanded a horse to be given her, and conducted her to his own
palace, where he led her to a beautiful apartment, and selected female slaves
to wait on her, and eunuchs to be her guard. Then, without allowing her time
to thank him for all he had done, he bade her repose, saying she should tell
him her adventures on the following day.
The princess fell asleep,
flattering herself that she had only to relate her story for the Sultan to be
touched by compassion, and to restore her to the prince without delay. But a
few hours were to undeceive her.
When the King of Cashmere
had quitted her presence the evening before, he had resolved that the sun
should not set again without the princess becoming his wife, and at daybreak
proclamation of his intention was made throughout the town, by the sound of
drums, trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments calculated to fill the heart
with joy. The Princess of Bengal was early awakened by the noise, but she did
not for one moment imagine that it had anything to do with her, till the
Sultan, arriving as soon as she was dressed to inquire after her health,
informed her that the trumpet blasts she heard were part of the solemn
marriage ceremonies, for which he begged her to prepare. This unexpected
announcement caused the princess such terror that she sank down in a dead
faint.
The slaves that were in
waiting ran to her aid, and the Sultan himself did his best to bring her back
to consciousness, but for a long while it was all to no purpose. At length
her senses began slowly to come back to her, and then, rather than break
faith with the Prince of Persia by consenting to such a marriage, she
determined to feign madness. So she began by saying all sorts of absurdities,
and using all kinds of strange gestures, while the Sultan stood watching her
with sorrow and surprise. But as this sudden seizure showed no sign of
abating, he left her to her women, ordering them to take the greatest care of
her. Still, as the day went on, the malady seemed to become worse, and by
night it was almost violent.
Days passed in this
manner, till at last the Sultan of Cashmere decided to summon all the doctors
of his court to consult together over her sad state. Their answer was that
madness is of so many different kinds that it was impossible to give an
opinion on the case without seeing the princess, so the Sultan gave orders
that they were to be introduced into her chamber, one by one, every man
according to his rank.
This decision had been
foreseen by the princess, who knew quite well that if once she allowed the
physicians to feel her pulse, the most ignorant of them would discover that
she was in perfectly good health, and that her madness was feigned, so as
each man approached, she broke out into such violent paroxysms, that not one
dared to lay a finger on her. A few, who pretended to be cleverer than the
rest, declared that they could diagnose sick people only from sight, ordered
her certain potions, which she made no difficulty about taking, as she was
persuaded they were all harmless.
When the Sultan of Cashmere
saw that the court doctors could do nothing towards curing the princess, he
called in those of the city, who fared no better. Then he had recourse to the
most celebrated physicians in the other large towns, but finding that the
task was beyond their science, he finally sent messengers into the other
neighbouring states, with a memorandum containing full particulars of the
princess's madness, offering at the same time to pay the expenses of any
physician who would come and see for himself, and a handsome reward to the
one who should cure her. In answer to this proclamation many foreign
professors flocked into Cashmere, but they naturally were not more successful
than the rest had been, as the cure depended neither on them nor their skill,
but only on the princess herself.
It was during this time
that Prince Firouz Schah, wandering sadly and hopelessly from place to place,
arrived in a large city of India, where he heard a great deal of talk about
the Princess of Bengal who had gone out of her senses, on the very day that
she was to have been married to the Sultan of Cashmere. This was quite enough
to induce him to take the road to Cashmere, and to inquire at the first inn
at which he lodged in the capital the full particulars of the story. When he
knew that he had at last found the princess whom he had so long lost, he set
about devising a plan for her rescue.
The first thing he did
was to procure a doctor's robe, so that his dress, added to the long beard he
had allowed to grow on his travels, might unmistakably proclaim his
profession. He then lost no time in going to the palace, where he obtained an
audience of the chief usher, and while apologising for his boldness in
presuming to think that he could cure the princess, where so many others had
failed, declared that he had the secret of certain remedies, which had
hitherto never failed of their effect.
The chief usher assured
him that he was heartily welcome, and that the Sultan would receive him with
pleasure; and in case of success, he would gain a magnificent reward.
When the Prince of
Persia, in the disguise of a physician, was brought before him, the Sultan
wasted no time in talking, beyond remarking that the mere sight of a doctor
threw the princess into transports of rage. He then led the prince up to a
room under the roof, which had an opening through which he might observe the
princess, without himself being seen.
The prince looked, and
beheld the princess reclining on a sofa with tears in her eyes, singing
softly to herself a song bewailing her sad destiny, which had deprived her,
perhaps for ever, of a being she so tenderly loved. The young man's heart
beat fast as he listened, for he needed no further proof that her madness was
feigned, and that it was love of him which had caused her to resort to this
species of trick. He softly left his hiding-place, and returned to the
Sultan, to whom he reported that he was sure from certain signs that the
princess's malady was not incurable, but that he must see her and speak with
her alone.
The Sultan made no
difficulty in consenting to this, and commanded that he should be ushered in
to the princess's apartment. The moment she caught sight of his physician's
robe, she sprang from her seat in a fury, and heaped insults upon him. The
prince took no notice of her behaviour, and approaching quite close, so that
his words might be heard by her alone, he said in a low whisper, "Look
at me, princess, and you will see that I am no doctor, but the Prince of
Persia, who has come to set you free."
At the sound of his
voice, the Princess of Bengal suddenly grew calm, and an expression of joy
overspread her face, such as only comes when what we wish for most and expect
the least suddenly happens to us. For some time she was too enchanted to
speak, and Prince Firouz Schah took advantage of her silence to explain to
her all that had occurred, his despair at watching her disappear before his
very eyes, the oath he had sworn to follow her over the world, and his
rapture at finally discovering her in the palace at Cashmere. When he had
finished, he begged in his turn that the princess would tell him how she had
come there, so that he might the better devise some means of rescuing her
from the tyranny of the Sultan.
It needed but a few words
from the princess to make him acquainted with the whole situation, and how
she had been forced to play the part of a mad woman in order to escape from a
marriage with the Sultan, who had not had sufficient politeness even to ask
her consent. If necessary, she added, she had resolved to die sooner than
permit herself to be forced into such a union, and break faith with a prince
whom she loved.
The prince then inquired
if she knew what had become of the enchanted horse since the Indian's death,
but the princess could only reply that she had heard nothing about it. Still
she did not suppose that the horse could have been forgotten by the Sultan,
after all she had told him of its value.
To this the prince
agreed, and they consulted together over a plan by which she might be able to
make her escape and return with him into Persia. And as the first step, she
was to dress herself with care, and receive the Sultan with civility when he
visited her next morning.
The Sultan was
transported with delight on learning the result of the interview, and his opinion
of the doctor's skill was raised still higher when, on the following day, the
princess behaved towards him in such a way as to persuade him that her
complete cure would not be long delayed. However he contented himself with
assuring her how happy he was to see her health so much improved, and
exhorted her to make every use of so clever a physician, and to repose entire
confidence in him. Then he retired, without awaiting any reply from the
princess.
The Prince of Persia left
the room at the same time, and asked if he might be allowed humbly to inquire
by what means the Princess of Bengal had reached Cashmere, which was so far
distant from her father's kingdom, and how she came to be there alone. The
Sultan thought the question very natural, and told him the same story that
the Princess of Bengal had done, adding that he had ordered the enchanted
horse to be taken to his treasury as a curiosity, though he was quite
ignorant how it could be used.
"Sire," replied
the physician, "your Highness's tale has supplied me with the clue I
needed to complete the recovery of the princess. During her voyage hither on
an enchanted horse, a portion of its enchantment has by some means been
communicated to her person, and it can only be dissipated by certain perfumes
of which I possess the secret. If your Highness will deign to consent, and to
give the court and the people one of the most astonishing spectacles they
have ever witnessed, command the horse to be brought into the big square
outside the palace, and leave the rest to me. I promise that in a very few
moments, in presence of all the assembled multitude, you shall see the
princess as healthy both in mind and body as ever she was in her life. And in
order to make the spectacle as impressive as possible, I would suggest that
she should be richly dressed and covered with the noblest jewels of the
crown."
The Sultan readily agreed
to all that the prince proposed, and the following morning he desired that
the enchanted horse should be taken from the treasury, and brought into the
great square of the palace. Soon the rumour began to spread through the town,
that something extraordinary was about to happen, and such a crowd began to
collect that the guards had to be called out to keep order, and to make a way
for the enchanted horse.
When all was ready, the
Sultan appeared, and took his place on a platform, surrounded by the chief
nobles and officers of his court. When they were seated, the Princess of
Bengal was seen leaving the palace, accompanied by the ladies who had been
assigned to her by the Sultan. She slowly approached the enchanted horse, and
with the help of her ladies, she mounted on its back. Directly she was in the
saddle, with her feet in the stirrups and the bridle in her hand, the
physician placed around the horse some large braziers full of burning coals,
into each of which he threw a perfume composed of all sorts of delicious
scents. Then he crossed his hands over his breast, and with lowered eyes
walked three times round the horse, muttering the while certain words. Soon
there arose from the burning braziers a thick smoke which almost concealed
both the horse and princess, and this was the moment for which he had been
waiting. Springing lightly up behind the lady, he leaned forward and turned
the peg, and as the horse darted up into the air, he cried aloud so that his
words were heard by all present, "Sultan of Cashmere, when you wish to
marry princesses who have sought your protection, learn first to gain their
consent."
It was in this way that
the Prince of Persia rescued the Princess of Bengal, and returned with her to
Persia, where they descended this time before the palace of the King himself.
The marriage was only delayed just long enough to make the ceremony as
brilliant as possible, and, as soon as the rejoicings were over, an
ambassador was sent to the King of Bengal, to inform him of what had passed,
and to ask his approbation of the alliance between the two countries, which
he heartily gave.
The End
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