Sayfa 597 / 1116

Said she, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the

hunchbacked groom spake to the bride's father saying, "Allah

curse him who was the cause of this my case!" Then said the Wazir

to him, "Up and out of this place!" "Am I mad," cried the groom,

"that I should go with thee without leave of the Ifrit whose last

words to me were:-"When the sun rises, arise and go thy gait." So

hath the sun risen or no?; for I dare not budge from this place

till then." Asked the Wazir, "Who brought thee hither?"; and he

answered "I came here yesternight for a call of nature and to do

what none can do for me, when lo! a mouse came out of the water,

and squeaked at me and swelled and waxed gross till it was big as

a buffalo, and spoke to me words that entered my ears.