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Now when he came to Gharib's pavilion and would have entered, the guards knew him not and prevented him, saying, "Who art thou? He laughed and uncovered his face, and they knew him and admitted him. When Gharib saw him he said, "What bearest there, O Sahim?"; and he replied, "O King, this is Jaland bin Karkar."
So an hundred fighting-men charged at Jamrkan, but he slew the most part of them and put their chief to flight; which feat when Jaland saw, he cried out to his folk, "At him all at once and assault him with one assault."
Meanwhile, the fugitives of the defeated Kafirs reached Oman and went in to Jaland, weeping and crying, "Woe!" and "Ruin!" whereat he was confounded and said to them, "What calamity hath befallen you?" So they told him what had happened and he said, "Woe to you! How many men were they?" They replied, "O King, there were twenty standards, under each a thousand men."
Then they returned to Oman city, and King Gharib entered the palace of the King and, sitting down on the throne of his kingship, with his Grandees and Of ficers ranged right and left, sent for Jaland.
Jaland took the writ and opening it, read as follows, "In the name of Allah, the Compassionating, the Compassionate * the One, the All-knowing, the supremely Great * the Immemorial, the Lord of Noah and Salih and Hud and Abraham and of all things He made! * The Peace be on him who followeth in the way of righteousness and who feareth the issues of frowardness * who obeyeth the Almighty King and followeth the Faith saving and preferreth the next world to any present thing! * But afterwards: O Jaland, none is worthy of worship save Allah alone, the Victorious, the One, Creator of night and day and the sphere revolving alway * Who sendeth the holy Prophets and garreth the streams to flow and the trees to grow, who vaulted the heavens and spread out the earth like a carpet below * Who feedeth the birds in their nests and the wild beasts in the deserts * for He is Allah the All-powerful, the Forgiving, the Long-suffering, the Protector, whom eye comprehendeth on no wise and who maketh night on day arise * He who sent down the Apostles and their Holy Writ.
So he came forward in that intent, whereupon Sa'adan stretched himself mightily and bursting his bonds, snatched the sword from the headsman and hewed off his head. Then he made at Jaland who threw himself down from the throne and fled; whilst Sa'adan fell on the bystanders and killed twenty of the King's chief officers, and all the rest took to flight.
Then came forward Jamrkan and his tribe and kissed the ground before Gharib, who bestowed on him a splendid robe of honour and made him captain of his vanguard, saying, "O Jamrkan, mount with the Chiefs of thy kith and kin and twenty-thousand horse and fare on before us to the land of Jaland bin Karkar."
They replied, "O King, soon thou shalt see what we will do in battle-plain where men cut and thrust amain." So they brought Sahim before Jaland, who said to him, "Who hath sent thee?" Quoth he, King Gharib sends me, whom Allah hath made ruler over Arab and Ajam; receive his letter and return its reply."
Then they escorted him to their camp and pitched pavilions for him and set up standards; and Gharib sat down on his couch of estate, with his Grandees about him; and they related to him all that had befallen, especially to Sa'adan Meanwhile the Kafirs sought for Ajib and finding him not among them nor in their tents, told Jaland of his flight, whereat his Doomsday rose and he bit his fingers, saying, "by the Sun's light-giving round, he is a perfidious hound and hath fled with his rascal rout to desert ground.
Know, O Jaland, that there is no faith but the Faith of Abraham the Friend; so cleave to the Creed of Salvation and be saved from the biting glaive and the Fire which followeth the grave * But, an thou refuse Al-Islam, look for ruin to haste and thy reign to be waste and thy traces untraced * And, lastly, send me the dog Ajib hight that I may take from him my father's and mother's blood-wit."
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