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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "King Fakun mustered his men and marched to meet the King of Hind: and whileas King Teghmus was sitting at his pleasance, there came one in to him and said, 'I see from afar a cloud of dust spireing high in air and overspreading the lift. So he commanded a company to fare forth and learn the meaning of this; and, crying, 'To hear is to obey, they sallied out and presently returned and said to him, 'O King, when we drew near the cloud of dust, the wind rent it and it lifted and showed seven standards and under each standard three thousand horse, making for King Kafid's camp. Then King Fakun joined himself to the King of Hind and saluting him, asked, 'How is it with thee, and what be this war in which thou arrest?; and Kafid answered, 'Knowest thou not that King Teghmus is my enemy and the murtherer of my father and brothers?
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "Kings Teghmus and Kafid continued in this condition for seven years; but, as regards Janshah, he rode through wild and wold and when ever he came to a town he asked anent Takni, the Castle of Jewels, but none knew of it and all answered, 'Of a truth we never heard of such place, not even by name. At last he happened to enquire concerning the city of the Jews from a merchant who told him that it was situated in the extreme Orient, adding, 'A caravan will start this very month for the city of Mizrakan in Hind; whither do thou accompany us and we will fare on to Khorasan and thence to the city of Shima'un and Khwarazm, from which latter place the City of the Jews is distant a year and three months' journey. So Janshah waited till the departure of the caravan, when he joined himself thereto and journeyed, till he reached the city of Mizrakan whence, after vainly asking for Takni, the Castle of Jewels, he set out and enduring on the way great hardships and perils galore and the extreme of hunger and thirst, he arrived at the town of Shima'un.
When the news reached King Teghmus, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and assembling his Grandees and officers of state, said to them 'Know that Kafid hath come to our land and hath entered the realm we command and is resolved to fight us hand to hand, and he leadeth troops and champions and warriors, whose number none knoweth save Allah Almighty; what deme deem ye? Replied they, 'O King of the age, let us go out to him and give him battle and drive him forth of our country; and thus deem we. So he bade them prepare for battle and brought forth to them hauberks and cuirasses and helmets and swords and all manner of warlike gear, such as lay low warriors and do to death the champions of mankind.
When it was the Five Hundred and Thirtieth Night, She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "King Kafid set off homewards in the sorriest of plights, whilst Janshah and his wife abode in all solace and delight of life, making the most of its joyance and happiness.
The blood ran like a rain torrent and had we not fled, we had all been cut off to the last man. When King Kafid heard this, he exclaimed, 'May the sun not bless you and may he be wroth with you and sore be his wrath! Meanwhile Ayn Zar, the Wazir, returned to King Teghmus and told him what had happened.
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "Kafid, King of Hind, commanded his troops and armies to mount and make for the dominions of King Teghmus, saying, 'Get ye ready for the march and don ye your harness of war; and let nothing stay or delay you; so we will go to him and fall upon him and slay him and his son and possess ourselves of his reign. They all answered with one voice, saying, 'We hear and obey, and fell at once to equipping themselves and levying troops; and they ceased not their preparations for three months and, when all was in readiness, they beat the drums and sounded the trumps and flew the flags and banners: then King Kafid set out at the head of his host and they fared on till they reached the frontiers of the land of Kabul, the dominions of King Teghmus, where they began to harry the land and do havoc among the folk, slaughtering the old and taking the young prisoners.
Now there was a deadly feud between King Teghmus and a certain King of Hind, by name Kafid, who had great plenty of troops and warriors and champions; and under his hand were a thousand puissant chieftains, each ruling over a thousand tribes whereof every one could muster four thousand cavaliers.
On the morrow King Kafid again pushed into the plain and did duty as before, while each man strove his best to snatch victory for himself; and Kafid cried out to his men, saying, 'Is there any of you will sally forth into the field and open us the chapter of fray and fight? And behold came out from the ranks a warrior named Barkayk, a mighty man of war who, when he reached the King, alighted from his elephant and kissing the earth before him, sought of him leave to challenge the foe to combat singular.
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that "King Teghmus and his son and daughter-in-law went up to the terrace roof and enjoyed a prospect of the Jinn-guards battling with the beleaguering host. Then Janshah commanded a Marid, by name Shimwal, chain up King Kafid with manacles and fetters, and imprison him in a tower called the Black Bulwark.
He ceased not to advance till he made this tent and found on asking that it was that of King Kafid, whom he saw seated on a chair set with jewels, in the midst of his Wazirs and Emirs and Grandees.
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