PART II
THE DRAGON OF THE WELL
Very early upon the following morning the prince, taking his two elder brothers with him, entered the royal garden. A strange sight met their eyes. The body of the genie had turned to blood and was flowing away in a stream.
The young prince, fearing that this boded mischief to the kingdom of his father, determined to follow the course of the stream. After walking for several days the princes found that it came to an end at the mouth of a well.
Now, the well was covered with an immense stone, which the two elder brothers tried in vain to remove. As soon, however, as the youngest had touched it with his finger, they lifted it without difficulty.
This youngest, then, desired to descend at once and kill the dragon. But the eldest detained him, saying, “It is not for thee to do this while I, the eldest, am here.”
So they tied a rope around the waist of the eldest and began to let him down into the well. But he was scarcely inside when he cried: “Alas! I am burning. Pull me out, quickly!”
The others drew him out and tied the rope around the second prince’s waist. But he had no more than entered the mouth of the well when he, also, called out. “Alas! I freeze!” were his words. “Pull me up!”
The youngest prince then said to his brothers: “It surely is permitted me to try. But should I cry, ‘I burn!’ or ‘I freeze!’ you shall pay no heed; but hasten the more to let me down.”
The others agreed to this. And when the youth called out that he was burning or freezing, they gave out more rope. After some time the bottom was reached by the brave young prince, who freed himself from the rope and began to walk through a long hall which stretched before him.
Presently he came to a room, in which a beautiful maiden sat knitting. He did not tarry, however, but passed on into another room, where was another maiden, also knitting, who was more beautiful than the first. Still the prince tarried not. He entered a third room, where—what should he see? A maiden whose beauty exceeded all imagery, who dazzled the eyes of a beholder as if a sun had dropped into the room. The prince could not look into her face. He fell deeply in love with her from that moment and cried:
“Maiden, art thou human?”
“I am human,” the maiden answered. “But, O, my knight, how didst thou reach this place? Knowest thou not that there dwelleth a dragon within this well? If he hear thee he will surely kill thee.”
“I am come to kill this monster,” replied the youth. “So do thou quickly show me where he may be found.”
The maiden, although she loved him, gave the desired direction, because she saw that Allah must have led him thither.
When the prince entered the door pointed out to him—what should he see! A genie who was like a minaret for height, and so huge that a common knight must lose his senses at the mere sight of him.
When this being perceived his visitor he lifted his thousand-pound stick and, uttering a sound that shook the earth, rushed upon him. The prince almost gave himself up for lost. But, seizing his sword, he shouted, “Through the power of Allah!” and struck upward with such force that the giant’s head was completely severed from his body. He sank to the ground, delivering up his soul to Hades.
At once the prince returned to the maiden; after which he gathered all the jewels he could find and, together with the three princesses, returned to the bottom of the well. After calling to his brothers to let down the rope, he tied it about the first maiden. “Here, my elder brother, is thy portion!” he shouted. When this one had been rescued he fastened the rope about the second, and cried, “Here, my second brother, is thy portion!” But when it came the turn of the maiden who was the young prince’s own choice, she said to him:
“My prince, do thou go first and I surely will follow. Verily, I fear that thy brothers, seeing me, will be envious and leave thee in the well.”
But the prince would not listen. He scorned to leave his beloved one in the gloomy prison. So the maiden, sad at heart, gave him three hairs from her head, saying: “If it chance that they cut the rope which holds thee, instantly rub these hairs. Two sheep will appear at the foot of the well. If thou fallest upon the white one, thou wilt come, instantly, out upon the face of the earth. But, alas! shouldst thou strike upon the black one, he will carry thee seven leagues farther under the earth.”
The prince placed the hairs in his bosom, parted tenderly with his beloved, then calling out that she was his own portion, sent the maiden to the top.
And the unfortunate prediction came to pass. When the brothers perceived that the third princess was as the full moon for beauty, they were very angry, and said: “What is this that he hath done! Will he keep the most beautiful one for himself?” And when they had drawn him to the very top they cut the rope. The brave young prince fell, over and over, into the depths of the well. But, just before he reached the bottom, he succeeded in rubbing together the three hairs which had been given him. Instantly, two sheep appeared; and he, falling upon the back of the black one, was borne seven leagues under the surface of the earth.
We will now return to the wicked brothers, who conveyed the three maidens directly to their father’s palace. Upon entering the king’s presence they wept and cried: “Alas, father! The Genie of the Well has destroyed our little brother! But we have rescued these three maidens.”
When the king heard these words he wept bitter tears and commanded that there be very great mourning for his youngest son.