And Alaeddin said，I hear and obey，O my father.'So Ahmed said to Hassan Shouman，Be mindful and when the Khalif asks for me，say I am gone on a circuit of the provinces.'Then，taking Alaeddin，he went forth of Baghdad and stayed not till they came to the vineyards and gardens，where they met two Jews of the Khalifs tax-gatherers，riding on mules，and Ahmed said to them，Give me the guard-money.'[110] Why should we give thee guard-money？asked they. Because，'answered he，I am the patrol of this valley.'So they gave him each a hundred dinars，after which he slew them and took their mules，one of which he mounted，whilst Alaeddin bestrode the other. Then they rode on，till they came to the city of Ayas[111] and put up for the night at an inn. Next morning，Alaeddin sold his own mule and committed that of Ahmed to the charge of the doorkeeper of the inn，after which they took ship from the port of Ayas and sailed to Alexandria. Here they landed and proceeded to the Bazaar，where they found a broker crying a shop and a chamber behind it for sale. The last bidding for the premises （which belonged to the Treasury） was nine hundred and fifty dirhems；[112] so Alaeddin bid a thousand and his offer being accepted，took the keys and opened the shop and room，which latter he found furnished with carpets and cushions. Moreover，he found there a storehouse full of sails and masts and ropes and chests and bags of beads and shells and stirrups and axes and maces and knives and scissors and what not else，for the last owner of the shop had been a dealer in second-hand goods. So he took his seat in the shop and Ahmed ed Denef said to him，O my son，the shop and room and that which is therein are become thine；so abide thou here and buy and sell and grudge not，neither repine；for God the Most High blesseth trade.'After this he abode with him three days and on the fourth he took leave of him，saying，O my son，abide here till I bring thee the Khalifs pardon and learn who hath played thee this trick.'Then he took ship for Ayas，where he took the mule from the inn and returning to Baghdad，foregathered with Hassan Shouman，to whom said he，Has the Khalif asked for me？No，'answered Hassan，nor hath thou come to his thought.'So he resumed his service about the Khalifs person and set himself to seek news of Alaeddins case，till one day he heard the Khalif say to the Vizier，See，O Jaafer，how Alaeddin dealt with me！'O Commander of the Faithful，'replied Jaafer，thou hast requited him with hanging，and it was what he deserved.'Quoth Haroun，I have a mind to go down and see him hanging.'And the Vizier answered，As thou wilt，O Commander of the Faithful.'So the Khalif and Jaafer went down to the place of execution，and the former，raising his eyes，saw the hanged man to be other than Alaeddin and said to the Vizier，This is not Alaeddin.'How knowest thou that it is not he？asked the Vizier，and the Khalif answered，Alaeddin was short and this fellow is tall.'Quoth Jaafer，Hanging stretches a man.'But，rejoined the Khalif，Alaeddin was fair and this mans face is black.'Knowest thou not，O Commander of the Faithful，'replied Jaafer，that death （by hanging） causes blackness？Then the Khalif bade take down the body and they found the names of he first two Khalifs，Abou Bekr and Omar，written on his heels；
whereupon quoth the Khalif，O Vizier，Alaeddin was a Sunnite，and this fellow is a Shiyaite.'[113] Glory be to God who knowest the hidden things！'answered Jaafer. We know not whether this was he or another.'Then the Khalif bade bury the body and Alaeddin became altogether forgotten.
As for Hebezlem Bezazeh，the Amir Khalids son，he ceased not to languish for passion and desire，till he died and they buried him；whilst Jessamine accomplished the months of her pregnancy and being taken with the pains of labour，gave birth to a male child like the moon. The serving-women said to her，What wilt thou name him？And she answered，Were his father alive，he had named him；but now I will name him Aslan.'She gave him suck two years，then weaned him，and he crawled and walked. One day，whilst his mother was busied with the service of the kitchen，the child went out and seeing the stairs，mounted to the guest-chamber，[114] where the Amir Khalid was sitting. When the latter saw him，he took him in his lap and glorified his Lord for that which He had created and fashioned forth；then eyeing him straitly，he saw that he was the likest of all creatures to Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat；and God informed his heart with love of the boy. Presently，his mother Jessamine sought for him and finding him not，mounted to the guest-chamber，where she saw the Amir seated，with the child playing in his lap. The latter，spying his mother，would have thrown himself upon her： but the Amir held him back and said to Jessamine，Come hither，O damsel.'So she came to him，and he said to her，Whose son is this？Quoth she，He is my son and the darling of my heart.'
Who is his father？asked the Amir；and she answered，His father was Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat，but now he is become thy son.'Quoth Khalid，Alaeddin was a traitor.'God deliver him from treason！'replied she. God forbid that the Faithful should be a traitor！'Then said he，When the boy grows up and says to thee，'Who is my father？'say thou to him，'Thou art the son of the Amir Khalid，Chief of the Police.'And she answered，I hear and obey.'Then he circumcised the boy and reared him after the goodliest fashion，bringing him a tutor，who taught him to read and write；so he read （and commented） the Koran twice and learnt it by heart and grew up，calling the Amir father. Moreover，the latter used to go down with him to the tilting-ground and assemble horsemen and teach the lad warlike exercises and the use of arms，so that，by the time he was fourteen years old，he became a valiant and accomplished cavalier and gained the rank of Amir.[115]
