पृष्ठ 550 / 1116

Now there was among the crowd of followers a Mameluke of the

deceased Wazir who, when he heard this order, urged his horse and

rode at full speed to the house of Badr al-Din Hasan; for he cold

not endure to see the ruin of his old master's son.

He found him sitting at the gate with head hung down and

sorrowing, as was his wont, for the loss of his father; so he

dismounted and kissing his hand said to him, "O my lord and son

of my lord, haste ere ruin come and lay waste!" When Hasan heard

this he trembled and asked, "What may be the matter?; and the man

answered, "The Sultan is angered with thee and hath issued a

warrant against thee, and evil cometh hard upon my track; so flee

with thy life!" At these words Hasan's heart flamed with the fire

of bale, and his rose-red cheek turned pale, and he said to the

"Mameluke, "O my brother, is there time for me to go in and get

me some worldly gear which may stand me in stead during my

strangerhood?" But the slave replied, "O my lord, up at once and

save thyself and leave this house, while it is yet time." And he

quoted these lines:-