" Abu Sir wondered at this speech and kept his hand
motionless, whereupon the captain came up to him and said, "Who slew
these two men?" "By Allah, O my brother, I wot not!" "Thou sayest
sooth, but tell me, whence hadst thou that ring?" "I found it in
this fish's gills." "True," said the captain, "for I saw it fall
flashing from the King's palace and disappear in the sea, what time he
signed toward thee, saying, 'Cast him in.' So I cast the sack into the
water, and it was then that the ring slipped from his finger and
fell into the sea, where this fish swallowed it, and Allah drave it to
thee, so that thou madest it thy prey, for this ring was thy lot.
But kennest thou its property?"
Said Abu Sir, "I knew not that it had any properties peculiar to
it," and the captain said: "Learn, then, that the King's troops obey
him not save for fear of this signet ring, because it is spelled,
and when he was wroth with anyone and had a mind to kill he would sign
at him therewith and his head would drop from between his shoulders,
for there issued a flash of lightning from the ring and its ray
smote the object of his wrath, who died forthright.
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