"
"How so?" said the King, and the dyer said: "This bathkeeper is thy
foe and the foe of the Faith, and he induced thee not to stablish this
bath but because he designed therein to poison thee. He hath made
for thee somewhat, and he will present it to thee when thou enterest
the hammam, saying, 'This is a drug which, if one apply to his parts
below the waist, will remove the hair with comfort." Now it is no
drug, but a drastic dreg and a deadly poison, for the Sultan of the
Christians hath promised this obscene fellow to release to him his
wife and children an he will kill thee. For they are prisoners in
the hands of that Sultan. I myself was captive with him in their land,
but I opened a dyery and dyed for them various colors, so that they
conciliated the King's heart to me and he bade me ask a boon of him. I
sought of him freedom and he set me at liberty, whereupon I made my
way to this city, and seeing yonder man in the hammam, said to him,
'How didst thou effect thine escape and win free with thy wife and
children?' Quoth he: 'We ceased not to be in captivity, I and my
wife and children, till one day the King of the Nazarenes held a Court
whereat I was present, amongst a number of others.
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