The news of him reached King Herdoub， thy father， by the report of the old princess Dhat ed Dewahi； and thou hast done good service to the army of the Greeks by helping them to lay hands on this pestilent lion." When she heard this， she looked at the knight and said to him， "What is thy name？" And he answered， "My name is Masoureh son of thy slave Mousoureh ben Kasherdeh， chief of the nobles." Quoth she， "And how camest thou in to me without my leave？" "O our lady，" replied he， "when I came to the gate，neither chamberlain nor porter offered me any hindrance； but all the gate-keepers rose and forewent me as of wont； though， when others come， they leave them standing at the gate， whilst they ask leave for them to enter. But this is no time for long talk，for the King awaits our return to him with this prince， who is the mainstay of the army of Islam， that he may kill him and that his troops may depart whence they came， without our having the toil of fighting them." "Thou sayest an ill thing，" rejoined the princess. "Verily， the lady Dhat ed Dewahi lied； and she hath avouched a vain thing， of which she knows not the truth； for by the virtue of the Messiah， this man who is with me is not Sherkan， nor is he a captive， but a stranger， who came to us，seeking hospitality， and we received him as a guest. So， even were we assured that this was Sherkan and did we know that it was he beyond doubt， it would suit ill with my honour that I should deliver into your hands one who hath come under my safeguard.
Betray me not， therefore， in the person of my guest， neither bring me into ill repute among men； but return to the King my father and kiss the earth before him and tell him that the case is not according to the report of the lady Dhat ed Dewahi."
Abrizeh，" replied the knight Masoureh， "I cannot go back to the King without his enemy." Quoth she （and indeed she was angry），"Out on thee！ Return to him with the answer， and no blame shall fall on thee." But he said， "I will not return without him." At this her colour changed and she exclaimed， "A truce to talk and idle words； for of a verity this man would not have come in to us， except he were assured that he could of himself make head against a hundred horse； and if I said to him， "Art thou Sherkan，son of King Omar ben Ennuman？" he would answer， "Yes." Nathless，it is not in your power to hinder him； for if ye beset him， he will not turn back from you， till he have slain all that are in the place. Behold， he is with me and I will bring him before you，with his sword and buckler in his hands." "If I be safe from thy wrath，" replied Masoureh， "I am not safe from that of thy father，and when I see him， I shall sign to the knights to take him prisoner， and we will carry him， bound and abject， to the King."
When she heard this， she said， "The thing shall not pass thus，for it would be a disgrace. This man is but one and ye are a hundred. So， an ye be minded to attack him， come out against him，one after one， that it may appear to the King which is the valiant amongst you." "By the Messiah，" rejoined Masoureh， "thou sayest sooth， and none but I shall go out against him first！"
Then she said， "Wait till I go to him and tell him and hear what he says. If he consent， it is well but if he refuse， ye shall not anywise come at him， for I and my damsels and all that are in the house will be his ransom." So she went to Sherkan and told him the case， whereat he smiled and knew that she had not betrayed him， but that the matter had been bruited abroad， till it came to the King， against her wish. So he laid all the blame on himself，saying， "How came I to venture myself in the country of the Greeks？" Then he said to her， "Indeed， to let them tilt against me， one by one， were to lay on them a burden more than they can bear. Will they not come out against me， ten by ten？" "That were knavery and oppression，" replied she. "One man is a match for another." When he heard this， he sprang to his feet and made towards them， with his sword and battle-gear； and Masoureh also sprang up and rushed on him. Sherkan met him like a lion and smote him with his sword upon the shoulder， that the blade came out gleaming from his back and vitals. When the princess saw this， Sherkan"s prowess was magnified in her eyes and she knew that she had not overthrown him by her strength， but by her beauty and grace. So she turned to the knights and said to them，"Avenge your chief！" Thereupon out came the slain man"s brother，a fierce warrior， and rushed upon Sherkan， who delayed not， but smote him on the shoulders， and the sword came out， gleaming，from his vitals. Then cried the princess， "O servants of the Messiah， avenge your comrades！" So they ceased not to come out against him， one by one， and he plied them with the sword， till he had slain fifty knights， whilst the princess looked on. And God cast terror into the hearts of those who were left， so that they held back and dared not meet him in single combat， but rushed on him all at once； and he drove at them with a heart firmer than a rock and smote them as the thresher smiteth the corn， till he had driven sense and life forth of them. Then the princess cried out to her damsels， saying， "Who is left in the monastery？" "None but the porters，" replied they； whereupon she went up to Sherkan and embraced him， and he returned with her to the saloon， after he had made an end of the mellay. Now there remained a few of the knights hidden in the cells of the convent，and when Abrizeh saw this， she rose and going away， returned，clad in a strait-ringed coat of mail and holding in her hand a scimitar of Indian steel. And she said， "By the virtue of the Messiah， I will not be grudging of myself for my guest nor will I abandon him， though for this I abide a reproach in the land of the Greeks！" Then she counted the dead and found that he had slain fourscore of the knights and other twenty had taken flight.
When she saw how he had dealt with them， she said to him， "God bless thee， O Sherkan！ The cavaliers may well glory in the like of thee！" Then he rose and wiping his sword of the blood of the slain， repeated the following verses：
