So turn ye not to them your backs，but let your swords cleave deep in their necks and hold not your hands from them，else are ye outcasts from the Messiah，Mary's son，who spoke even when a cradled one！'[401] Now Afridun，King of Constantinople，deemed that the Infidels were victorious，knowing not that this was but a clever stratagem of the Moslems，and sent to King Hardub of Roum congratulations on success，adding，'Availed us naught but the Holy Merde of the Arch Patriarch，whose fragrance exhaled from the beards and mustachios of the slaves of the Cross near and far；and I swear，by the Miracles of the Messiah；and by thy daughter Abrizah，the Nazarene，the Mariolater；and by the Waters of Baptism，that I will not leave upon the earth a single defender of Al- Islam！And to the bitter end will I carry out this plan.'So the messenger betook himself with the address to King Hardub，whilst the Infidels called to one another saying，'Take we vengeance wreak for Luka！'--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Ninety-second Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the Infidels called to one another，saying，'Take we vengeance wreak for Luka！'while Hardub King of Greece cried aloud，'Ho，to our revenge for Abrizah！'Thereupon King Zau al-Makan shouted'Ho，servants of the Requiting King！smite the children of denial and disobedience with the blanch of sword and the brown of spear！'So the Moslems returned to the Infidels and plied them with the keen edged scymitar，whilst their herald cried aloud，'Up，and at the foes of the Faith，all ye who love the Prophet Elect，with hope of salvation on the Day of Fear，to win favour of the Bountiful，the Forgiving One；for verily the Garden of Paradise is under the shadow of swords！'And behold，Sharrkan and his men charged down upon the Infidels and cut off their retreat and wheeled and tourneyed among the ranks；when lo！a knight of goodly presence opened a passage through the army of Unbelievers and circled hither and thither amongst the Deniers，cutting and thrusting and covering the ground with heads and trunks，so that the Faithless feared him and their necks bent under his lunge and hew.He was girt with two swords，his glances and his brand，and he was armed with two lances，one of bamboo cane and the other his straight wand like shape；and his flowing hair stood him in stead of many warriors，even as saith the poet，'Laud not long hair，[402] except it be dispread In two fold locks，on day of fight and fray，O'er youth who bears his lance'twixt flank and thigh，From many a whis kered knight to win the day.'
And as singeth another，'I say to him，what while he slings his sword，'For sword shall serve those looks that sword like show！'
Says he，'My sabre looks for those I love，My sword for those who sweets of love unknow！'
When Sharrkan saw him，he said to him，'I conjure thee by the Koran and the attributes of the Compassionate One，O Champion of the Champions！tell me who thou art：for verily by thy deeds this day thou hast pleased the Requiting King，whom one thing distracteth not from other thing；in that thou hast been discomforting the children of impiety and in rebellion revelling.'Then cried the Cavalier to him saying，'Thou art he who madest brother covenant with me but yesterday：how quickly thou hast forgotten me！'Thereupon he withdrew his mouth veil，[403] so that what was hidden of his beauty was disclosed，and lo！it was none other than Zau al-Makan.Then Sharrkan rejoiced in his brother，save that he feared for him the rush of fighting and the crush of braves a smiting；and this for two reasons，the first，his tender age and exposure to the evil eye，and the second，that his safety was to the kingdom the greater of the two overshadowing wings.So he said to him，'O King！thou riskest thy life，so join thy steed to mine；in very sooth I fear for thee from the foe；and better thou stint hazarding thyself forth of these squadrons，that we may shoot at the enemy thine unerring shaft.'Quoth Zau al-Makan，'I desire to even thee in fray and I will not be niggard of myself before thee in the melay.'Then the host of Al-Islam，heaping itself upon the Infidels，girt them on all sides，warred on them a right Holy War，and brake the power of the children of impiety and pride and stowre.But King Afridun sighed when he saw the evil wreak that had fallen on the Greek，and they turned their backs from fight and addressed themselves to flight，making for the ships，when lo！there came out upon them from the seacoast another host，led by the Minister Dandan，the champion who was wont to make champions bite the dust，and to lay load on them with cut and thrust.Nor less came forth the Emir Bahram，Lord of the Provinces of Sham，amid twenty thousand horse doughty of arm；and the host of Al-Islam pressed them in front and on flank and wrought them grievous harm.Then a body of the Moslems turned against those who in the ships remained，and perdition on them rained，till they threw themselves into the main，and they slew of them many slain，more than a hundred thousand noblemen，nor was one of their champions，great or small，saved from bale and bane.Moreover，they took their ships，with all the money and treasure and cargo，save a score of keel，and the Moslems got that loot whose like was never gotten in by gone years；nor was such cut and thrust ever heard of by men's ears.[404] Now amongst the booty were fifty thousand horses，besides treasure and spoil past reckoning and arithmetic，whereat the Moslems rejoiced with an exceeding joy for that Allah had given them victory and protection.Such was the case with them；but as regards the fugitive Infidels they soon reached Constantinople，whither the tidings preceded them that King Afridun had prevailed over the Moslems；so quoth the ancient dame，Zat al-Dawahi，'I know that my son Hardub，King of Roum，is no runagate and that he feareth not the Islamitic hosts，but will restore the whole world to the Nazarene faith.'
