I bade her farewell， whilst my right hand was wiping my eyes， And still with my left， the while， I held her in close embrace.
Then， "Fearest thou not disgrace？" quoth she； and I answered，"No. Sure， on the parting-day， for lovers there"s no disgrace！"
Then Sherkan left her and went without the monastery， where they brought him his horse and he mounted and rode down the bank of the stream， till he came to the bridge， and crossing it， entered the forest. As soon as he was clear of the trees and came to the open country， he was aware of three horsemen pricking towards him. So he drew his sword and rode on cautiously： but as they drew near he recognized them and behold， it was the Vizier Dendan and two of his officers. When they saw him and knew him， they dismounted and saluting him， asked the reason of his absence，whereupon he told them all that had passed between him and the princess Abrizeh from first to last. The Vizier returned thanks to God the Most High for his safety and said， "Let us at once depart hence， for the ambassadors that were with us are gone to inform their king of our arrival， and belike he will hasten to fall on us and seize us." So they rode on in haste， till they came to the camp， when Sherkan commanded to depart forthright，and the army set out and journeyed by forced marches for five days， at the end of which time they alighted in a thickly wooded valley， where they rested awhile. Then they set out again and fared on till they came to the frontiers of their own country.
Here they felt themselves in safety and halted to rest； and the country people came out to them with guest-gifts and victual and fodder for the cattle. They lay there and rested two days； after which Sherkan bade the Vizier Dendan fare forward to Baghdad with his troops， and he did so. But Sherkan himself abode behind with a hundred horse， till the rest of the army had been gone a day，when he mounted， he and his men， and fared on two parasangs"
space， till they came to a narrow pass between two mountains and behold， there arose a great cloud of dust in their front. So they halted their horses awhile， till the dust lifted and discovered a hundred cavaliers， as they were fierce lions， cased in complete steel As soon as they came within earshot of Sherkan and his men，they cried out to them， saying， "By John and Mary， we have gotten what we hoped！ We have been following you by forced marches，night and day， till we forewent you in this place. So alight and lay down your arms and yield yourselves， that we may grant you your lives." When Sherkan heard this， his eyes rolled and his cheeks flushed and he said， "O dogs of Nazarenes， how dare ye enter our country and set foot on our earth？ And doth not this suffice you， but ye must adventure yourselves and give us such words as these？ Do ye think to escape out of our hands and return to your country？" Then he cried out to his hundred horse， saying，"Up and at these dogs， for they are even as you in number！" So saying， he drew his sword and drove at them， without further parley， he and his hundred men. The Franks received them with hearts stouter than stone， and they met， man to man. Then fell champion upon champion and there befell a sore strife and great was the terror and the roar of the battle； nor did they leave jousting and foining and smiting with swords， till the day departed and the night came with the darkness； when they drew apart， and Sherkan mustered his men and found them all unhurt，save four who were slightly wounded. Then said he to them， "By Allah， all my life I have waded in the surging sea of war and battle， but never saw I any so firm and stout in sword-play and shock of men as these warriors！" "Know， O King，" replied they，"that there is among them a Frank cavalier， who is their leader，and indeed he is a man of valour and his strokes are terrible：
but， by Allah， he spares us， great and small； for whoso falls into his hands， he lets him go and forbears to slay him. By Allah， an he would， he could kill us all！" When Sherkan heard this， he was confounded and said， "To-morrow， we will draw out and defy them to single combat， for we are a hundred to their hundred； and we will seek help against them from the Lord of the heavens." Meanwhile， the Franks came to their leader and said to him， "Of a truth， we have not come by our desire of these this day." "To-morrow，" quoth he， "we will draw out and joust against them， one by one." So they passed the night in this mind， and both camps kept watch till the morning. As soon as God the Most High brought on the day， King Sherkan mounted， with his hundred horse， and they betook themselves to the field， where they found the Franks ranged in battle array， and Sherkan said to his men，"Verily， our enemies are of the same mind as we； so up and at them briskly." Then came forth a herald of the Franks and cried out， saying， "Let there be no fighting betwixt us to-day， except by way of single combat， a champion of yours against one of ours！" Thereupon one of Sherkan"s men came out from the ranks and spurring between the two parties， cried out， "Who is for jousting？ Who is for fighting？ Let no laggard nor weakling come out against me to-day！" Hardly had he made an end of speaking，when there sallied forth to him a Frankish horseman， armed cap-a-pie and clad in cloth of gold， riding on a gray horse， and he had no hair on his cheeks. He drove his horse into the midst of the field and the two champions fell to cutting and thrusting，nor was it long before the Frank smote the Muslim with his lance and unhorsing him， took him prisoner and bore him off in triumph.
At this， his comrades rejoiced and forbidding him to go out again， sent forth another to the field， to whom sallied out a second Muslim， the brother of the first. The two drove at each other and fought for a little， till the Frank ran at the Muslim and throwing him off his guard by a feint， smote him with the butt-end of his spear and unhorsed him and took him prisoner.
