At this news, the elders of the tribe of Mazen assembled in the tent of Nujoom, and represented to him that they were not strong enough to oppose so many enemies; that they could not even hope, single-handed, to resist Assaf; and that prudence ought to suggest to him to give his daughter to this redoubtable warrior, rather than expose his relations, his friends, and the whole tribe to certain ruin. Nujoom could not prevail upon himself to sacrifice his daughter; and Hassan, by dint of tears and entreaties, obtained a delay of ten days, to consider the means of repelling the enemy. He set off instantly, attended by a hundred horsemen, and proceeded with all speed to King Zaer, whom he found near the spring Zat al Arsad, surrounded by his invincible warriors; just as we see, in the heavenly arch, the silver star of night environed with a multitude of lesser luminaries. King Zaer consoled and encouraged young Hassan, promised him the succour he demanded, and directed Prince Malek to go in person and deliver the tribe of Mazen from the oppression of Assaf, placing a thousand of his bravest warriors under his orders. Antar, full of warlike ardour, observed: "this Assaf is not worthy to expose my prince to so much fatigue; I alone will accompany this youth and rid him of his enemy, though he were even the great Khosroes, king of Persia." King Zaer smiled at the speech of Antar; he knew he was capable of executing the boldest undertakings, and he appointed him lieutenant to the prince. Commanding that refreshments should be distributed to Hassan and his companions, the king recommended them to seek repose during the night. Hassan, however, could not taste the luxury of sleep: he awaited with extreme impatience the appearance of the morning. As soon as it dawned, all the warriors were mounted. Prince Malek disengaged himself with difficulty from the arms of his brothers; Antar embraced his father Shiddad, and breathed a deep sigh at the thought that he was about to separate himself, for some time, from his beloved Abla. The warriors of Abs, covered with glittering mail, are mounted upon steeds of pure Arab race; they are armed with the scimetar and the lance. Prince Malek is at the head of the column, on a superb mare, given him by his father: his stirrups are of massive gold, and his helmet is of dazzling brightness. Antar is near him, on his faithful Abjar, of the shape and with the gait of a lion. The indefatigable pedestrian Sheyboob, with quiver on his shoulder, walks at the stirrup of his brother Antar. During the march, Prince Malek endea vours to wean the mind of his friend Hassan from the sad reflections upon which it is intent; but finding that the latter could not forget the perils impending over his tribe and his dear Nahoomeh, who was menaced with slavery, the prince calls upon Antar, and begs him to improvise some warlike air. Antar, full of warlike enthusiam, bursts forth: Oh, how I love the trenchant steel And the spear-head's glittering point to see! Dastards alone the phantom flee. Each army advances; the steeds face the lances; Loud shouts mid the shock send their echoes on high; A dusty veil shrouds the whole field, like the clouds, Foreboders of tempests that darken the sky. Now mingles the fight; coruscations of light From the flashing of sabres break through the thick gloom; The gleam of the spears like a comet appears : Glory, glory to him who dares challenge his doom! Let the warrior plunge in the midst of the fray, Midst shame and scorn the coward meets his end, When I shall fall, one silvery voice will say, "Who, till he shared the inevitable tomb, "Guarded from wrong my honour and my home." Thus sang Antar. "Noble cavalier," said Hassan; "if "if you equal the most illustrious warriors in valour, you excel them in eloquence." All his companions in arms applauded Antar, and prevailed upon him to repeat his song, in which they joined. The children of Abs and Mazen continued their march for two days. Antar, who had left his party in order to traverse alone the crest of the mountains, perceived in a valley below two cavaliers engaged in a desperate conflict. He spurred his faithful Abjar, calling out to them to suspend their fury. At the sound of his voice, the combatants separated, and one of them advanced to meet him, his eyes suffused with tears. Antar cheered him, and begged to know the cause of their difference. 66 66 My lord," said the stranger, we are two brothers; my adversary is the eldest. Our grandfather, a powerful noble, named Amara, the son of Aris, had numerous flocks and herds; amongst them was a young female camel, as swift in its course as the bird of the desert. One day, observing that this camel had not returned with his herds, he interrogated the herdsman, who replied, that the camel having wandered to a distance, he had pursued her for a long time, without being able to get near her; that, having taken up a dark-coloured glittering stone, he hurled it at the camel; that it struck her and pierced her side, and she fell down dead upon the spot. Our grandfather felt much regret at the loss of this animal; he mounted his horse, and was directed by the herdsman to the spot where he had left her, and there he found the dark stone tinged with blood. Being deeply versed in the nature of things, he discovered that this stone was a fragment of a thunderbolt; he carried it away, and caused it to be forged into a scimetar by the most celebrated armourer of his time. When the weapon was finished, the workman, matchless in his art, presented it to my grandsire, saying, 6 behold an inestimable weapon, which wants nothing but an arm worthy of wielding it.' My grandfather, provoked at the insolence of the armourer, took the scimetar out of his hands, and by a blow swifter than lightning, struck off his head with it. Dami (this is the name the scimetar received) had a scabbard of massive gold, and the hilt was enriched with precious stones. My grandsire deposited Dami in his treasury. He died fifteen years after. My father succeeded him, and inherited his scimetar, as well as his other arms. When he found his end approaching, he called me near him, and said to me kindly: 'I feel that I |