One year，it chanced that amongst the daughters of the great who resorted to the patron，as was their custom，came a daughter of the King of Constantinople，a beautiful girl called Sophia.They tarried at the monastery six days and on the seventh the folk went their ways；[205] but Sophia said，'I will not return to Constantinople save by water.'So they equipped for her a ship in which she embarked with her suite；and ****** sail they put out to sea；but as they were voyaging behold，a contrary wind caught them and drove the vessel from her course till，as Fate and Fortune would have it，she fell in with a Nazarene craft from the Camphor Island[206] carrying a crew of five hundred armed Franks，who had been cruising about a long time.When they sighted the sails of the ship，wherein Sophia and her women were，they gave chase in all haste and in less than an hour they came up with her，then they laid the grappling irons aboard her and captured her.Then taking her in tow they made all sail for their own island and were but a little distant from it when the wind veered round and，splitting their sails，drove them on to a shoal which lies off our coast.Thereupon we sallied forth and，looking on them as spoil driven to us by Fate，[207] boarded and took them；and，slaying the men，made prize of the wreck，wherein we found the treasures and rarities in question and forty maidens，amongst whom was the King's daughter，Sophia.After the capture we carried the Princess and her women to my father，not knowing her to be a daughter of King Afridun of Constantinople；and he chose out for himself ten including her；and divided the rest among his dependents.Presently he set apart five damsels，amongst whom was the King s daughter，and sent them to thy father，King Omar bin al-Nu'uman，together with other gifts，such as broadcloth[208] and woollen stuffs and Grecian silks.Thy father accepted them and chose out from amongst the five girls Sophia，daughter of King Afridun； nor did we hear more of her till the beginning of this year，when her father wrote to my father in words unfitting for me to repeat，rebuking him with menaces and saying to him：Two years ago，you plundered a ship of ours which had been seized by a band of Frankish pirates in which was my daughter，Sophia，attended by her maidens numbering some threescore.Yet ye informed me not thereof by messenger or otherwise；nor could I make the matter public，lest reproach befal me amongst the Kings，by reason of my daughter's honour.
So I concealed my case till this year，when I wrote to certain Frankish corsairs and sought news of my daughter from the Kings of the Isles.They replied，'By Allah we carried her not forth of thy realm； but we have heard that King Hardub rescued her from certain pirates.And they told me the whole tale.'Then he added in the writing which he writ to my father： 'Except you wish to be at feud with me and design to disgrace me and dishonour my daughter，you will，the instant my letter reacheth you，send my daughter back to me.But if you slight my letter and disobey my commandment，I will assuredly make you full return for your foul dealing and the baseness of your practices.'[209] When my father read this letter and understood the contents，[210] it vexed him and he regretted not having known that Sophia，King Afridun's daughter，was among the captured damsels，that he might have sent her back to her sire； and he was perplexed about the case because，after so long a time，he could not send to King Omar bin al-Nu'uman and demand her back from him，especially as he had lately heard that Heaven had granted him boon of babe by this Sophia.So when we pondered that truth，we knew that this letter was none other than a grievous calamity； and my father found nothing for it but to write an answer to King Afridun，****** his excuses and swearing to him by strong oaths that he knew not his daughter to be among the bevy of damsels in the ship and setting forth how he had sent her to King Omar bin al Nu'uman，who had gotten the blessing of issue by her.When my father's reply reached King Afridun he rose up and sat down，[211] and roared and foamed at the mouth crying：--'What！
shall he take captive my daughter and even her with slave girls and pass her on from hand to hand sending her for a gift to Kings，and they lie with her without marriage contract？By the Messiah and the true Faith，'said he，'I will not desist till I
have taken my blood vengeance for this and have wiped out my shame； and indeed I will do a deed which the chroniclers shall chronicle after me！'So he bided his time till he devised a device and laid notable toils and snares，when he sent an embassy to thy father，King Omar，to tell him that which thou hast heard：
accordingly thy father equipped thee and an army with thee and sent thee to King Afridun，whose object is to seize thee and thine army to boot.As for the three jewels whereof he told thy father when asking his aid，there was not one soothfast word in that matter，for they were with Sophia，his daughter； and my father took them from her，when he got possession of her and of her maidens，and gave them to me in free gift，and they are now with me.So go thou to thy host and turn them back ere they be led deep into，and shut in by，the land of the bevy of damsels in the ship and setting forth the Franks and the country of the Greeks； for as soon as you have come far enough into their interior，they will stop the roads upon you and there will be no escape for you till the Day of retribution and retaliation.
