'Tis house of evils，'tis Perdition's net：
A house where whoso laughs this day shall weep
The next： then perish house of fume and fret！
Endless its frays and forays，and its thralls
Are ne'er redeemed，while endless risks beset.
How many gloried in its pomps and pride，
Till proud and pompous did all bounds forget，Then showing back of shield she made them swill[372]
Full draught，and claimed all her vengeance debt.
For know her strokes fall swift and sure，altho'
Long bide she and forslow the course of Fate：
So look thou to thy days lest life go by
Idly，and meet thou more than thou hast met；
And cut all chains of worldlove and desire
And save thy soul and rise to secrets higher.'
Now when As'ad made an end of these verses，he strained his brother Amjad in his arms，till they twain were one body，and the treasurer，drawing his sword，was about to strike them，when behold，his steed took fright at the wind of his upraised hand，and breaking its tether，fled into the desert. Now the horse had cost a thousand gold pieces and on its back was a splendid saddle worth much money；so the treasurer threw down his sword，and ran after his beast.And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Twentythird Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that when his horse ran away，the treasurer ran after it in huge concern，and ceased not running to catch the runaway till it entered a thicket. He followed it whilst it dashed through the wood，smiting the earth with its hoofs till it raised a dustcloud which towered high in air；and snorting and puffing and neighing and waxing fierce and furious. Now there happened to be in this thicket a lion of terrible might；hideous to sight，with eyes sparkling light： his look was grim and his aspect struck fright into man's sprite. Presentry the treasurer turned and saw the lion making towards him；but found no way of escape nor had he his sword with him. So he said in himself，'There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah，the Glorious，the Great！
This strait is come upon me for no other cause but because of Amjad and As'ad；and indeed this journey was unblest from the first！'Meanwhile the two Princes were grievously oppressed by the heat and grew sore athirst，so that their tongues hung out and they cried for succour，but none came to their relief and they said，'Would to Heaven we had been slain and were at peace from this pain！ But we know not whither the horse hath fled，that the treasurer is gone and hath left us thus pinioned. If he would but come back and do us die，it were easier to us than this torture to aby.'Said As'ad，'O my brother，be patient，and the relief of Allah （extolled and exalted be He！） shall assuredly come to us；for the horse started not away save of His favour towards us，and naught irketh us but this thirst.'Upon this he stretched and shook himself and strained right and left，till he burst his pinionbonds；then he rose and unbound his brother and catching up the Emir's sword，said，'By Allah，we will not go hence，till we look after him and learn what is become of him.'
Then they took to following on the trail till it led them to the thicket and they said to each other，'Of a surety，the horse and the treasurer have not passed out of this wood.'Quoth As'ad，'Stay thou here，whilst I enter the thicket and search it；'and Amjad replied，'I will not let thee go in alone： nor will we enter it but together；so if we escape，we shall escape together and if we perish，we shall perish together.'Accordingly both entered and found that the lion had sprang upon the treasurer，who lay like a sparrow in his grip，calling upon Allah for aid and signing with his hands to Heaven. Now when Amjad saw this，he took the sword and，rushing upon the lion，smote him between the eyes and laid him dead on the ground. The Emir sprang up，marvelling at this escape and seeing Amjad and As'ad，his master's sons，standing there，cast himself at their feet and exclaimed，'By Allah，O my lords，it were intolerable wrong in me to do you to death. May the man never be who would kill you！
Indeed，with my very life，I will ransom you.'And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Twentyfourth Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that quoth the treasurer to Amjad and As'ad，'With my life will I ransom you both！'Then he hastily rose and，at once embracing them，enquired how they had loosed their bonds and come thither；whereupon they told him how the bonds of one of them had fallen loose and he had unbound the other，whereto they were helped by the purity of their intentions，and how they had tracked his trail till they came upon him. So he thanked them for their deed and went with them forth of the thicket；and，when they were in the open country，they said to him，'O uncle，do our father's bidding.'He replied，'Allah forbid that I should draw near to you with hurt！
But know ye that I mean to take your clothes and clothe you with mine；then will I fill two vials with the lion's blood and go back to the King and tell him I have out vou to death. But as for you two，fare ye forth into the lands，for Allah's earth is wide；
and know，O my lords，that it paineth me to part from you.'At this，they all fell aweeping；then the two youths put off their clothes and the treasurer habited them with his own. Moreover he made two parcels of their dress and，filling two vials with the lion's blood，set the parcels before him on his horse's back.
Presently he took leave of them and，making his way to the city，ceased not faring till he went in to King Kamar alZaman and kissed the ground between his hands. The King saw him changed in face and troubled （which arose from his adventure with the lion）and，deeming this came of the slaughter of his two sons，rejoiced and said to him，'Hast thou done the work？'
