THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

you know that I have a deadly enemy. All of

you know that this kingdom of Turan is

never safe from invasion while Rustem lives.

I have summoned you here in order that you

may, with the aid of divination and having con-

sulted the course of the planets, predict the

death of the Champion of the World. You

must inform me whether I, the King, or

whether Rustem departs first to the Lower

'World, and you must also tell me in what
manner it is ordained that we make our several
exits from Here Afrasiyab ceased
this life."

for a moment, and then, waving them away

"
haughtily, he cried :
Begone now to your
studies, and return at this time three days
hence to tell me the result!"

The learned men were by no means happy

during the interval allotted to them; for, read

the stars as they might, they always saw the

same evil prediction written, which was that

Afrasiyab would be fleeing for his life but a

182
 page 183.
THE COUNCIL OF THE WISE MEN.
 SOME OF THE FEATS OF RUSTEM
few weeks hence, and would meet a violent

death. When they turned to the horoscope of

Rustem, they found that a long span of life

and much honour and riches awaited that

Hero, though his latter days were clouded

with sorrow and ended in blood.

On the morning of the third day, the trem-

bling magicians met in secret as the dawn

broke, and nervously whispered together.
Their lives hung in the balance, for they well

knew if they told Afrasiyab the truth that not

a man among them would in all probability see

another sun rise.

At last he who was the boldest amongst them

spoke out. "Brothers," he began, "it is written

in the stars that our royal master is to die.

Nought that we can do or say will save him.

Who can set aside the decrees of Destiny?

Let us, therefore, conceal the truth, for of a

surety our lives will be sacrificed, and that

speedily, if we do not do so. Shall we not all

183
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

agree that Rustem is to die by the sword be-

fore another moon has waned, but that our

monarch is to be the light of his faithful sub-

"
jects for uncounted years ?
The speaker had but put into words what
each man felt in his heart, and he was
answered by a murmur of khub ast (it
is

good), while one old grey-beard said, solemnly,

"Kismet (it
is
fate)."

Afrasiyab was naturally much pleased at

the predictions of the magicians when they

came into his presence. He was particularly
curious to know the exact manner of the sup-

posed death of Rustem, and could not be satisfied

until the learned man, who had counselled the

others to deceive, declared that he had had a

vision of the Champion of the World dying of

wounds in the midst of battle.

This decided the Turanian monarch to invade

Persia yet once again and for the last time.

But things by no. means turned out as he ex-

184
 SOME OF THE FEATS OF RUSTEM

pected, for his army was utterly routed by

Rustem and he himself captured. He was led

in chains to King Kai-Khosrau, who at once

put him to death, thus avenging the cruel

murder of his father, who had formerly married

Afrasiyab's daughter.
Now that the Turanian monarch was dead,
Kai-Khosrau felt that the work of his life was
done, therefore he announced to his sorrowing

people that he intended to leave the kingdom to his

son-in-law, and devote himself entirely to prayer.
He said, moreover, that he had seen a certain
fountain in a dream, and knew that when he
should find it the Gods would take him to them-
selves. Accordingly, he set the affairs of his

empire in order, and, accompanied by many of

his warriors, went forth into the desert in search

of this water.

The party rode across a trackless waste for

some days, but were in no fear of losing the

way because a chikor or partridge ran ever

185
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
in front of them acting as a guide, and seeming,

by its incessant cry, to be telling them to follow

it. At last, to the astonishment of everybody,

except Kai-Khosrau, they came to a very large

and deep pool of water, which the King told
them was the spot he had seen in his dream.
Here Zal, Rustem, and all the other warriors

dismounted and fell on their faces before their

monarch, weeping bitterly at his approaching

departure, so greatly was he beloved by all.

Kai-Khosrau himself was moved at saying

good-bye to so many faithful friends, but begged

them earnestly to start on their homeward
journey ^as soon as he should disappear from
their eyes. It had been revealed to him, he

said, that a most terrible storm would shortly

arise, which would overwhelm any who re-

mained in the vicinity of the fountain, and

which would, moreover, cause the pool to vanish

away, so that it would never be seen again.

After these words he stepped into the water
186
 SOME OF THE FEATS OF RUSTEM
and immediately sank from their view, leaving
not even a ripple on the surface, and all wept
for a time, quite overcome with grief.

Zal, however, roused himself before long,

and urged a speedy departure, as he noted
black clouds beginning to gather in the sky,
and thought on the storm which Kai-Khosrau
had predicted.

Accordingly, he and Rustem, with the greater

part of the warriors, mounted their steeds and

rode off in haste, calling on the others to

follow them.
But several of the generals and many soldiers

were so overcome with grief that they could

not tear themselves away from the mysterious

spot, and, sad to tell, were all frozen to

death by the terrific snow-storm which shortly

It
*****
broke upon them.

is related that at this time Rustem was

four hundred years old. He felt, therefore, that
187
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
it was fitting for him to give place to younger
Heroes, among whom was his son Feramurz,

and, accordingly, he left Persia and went to

reside for the remainder of his days with old

Zal in their kingdom of Zabulistan.

Things, however, did not go so smoothly

with the Champion as one would have wished.

Perhaps he had lived too long, or perhaps,

and I
myself believe that this was the cause,

he had become so puffed up with all his pros-

perity that he had forgotten the Gods to whom

he owed everything.
Be that as it may, a King ruled over Persia
who recked nothing of the great deeds done

by Rustem in former years, and endeavoured

to subject him to cruel insult ;
but you must

read the next story to understand how it all

came about.
 VIII
The Story of Isfendiyar
ISFENDIYAR, the son of King Gushtasp, was a
youth of surpassing valour, and, what was per-
haps more uncommon in that age, he was pro-
foundly pious.
It was at this time that the Persians adopted
a new religion, and called themselves henceforth
Fire Worshippers. The sun was now the object

of their adoration, which was not perhaps sur-

prising, as they saw how its light and heat

brought life and health to the whole world.

They thought that the Earth, Air, Fire, and

Water were all sacred and must never be

189
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

polluted, therefore they did not bury their dead

in graves as we do, but placed them on the

tops of high towers.

Moreover, they feared to defile the Fire if
they
blew out a flame with their breath, therefore

they always extinguished a candle with their

fingers.

And the Fire Worshippers in Persia have

these customs at the present day, and many
others which perhaps you will read about when

you are grown up.

Isfendiyar wished all the nations on the

borders of Persia to adopt this religion, but,

as he knew that persuasion would not be of

much use, he asked his father to give him

command of a large army.

Then began a sort of Holy War. The young

Prince conquered kingdom after kingdom, and
even the King of India, who came out against

him with hundreds of elephants, was forced, like

all the others, to become a Fire Worshipper

190
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
and accept the Sacred Book or Zenda-
vesta.

King Gushtasp was so delighted at the vic-

tories of his son that he made a solemn promise

that he should succeed him on the throne of

Persia.

But, unluckily, the Prince had an enemy.

This was one of the generals of the army, who
was such a cowardly soldier that Isfendiyar
refused to take him on his Holy War, and
left him behind in the capital.

The warrior was deeply offended, and thought

day and night how he might do some injury

to the Prince, and his opportunity was not long

in coming.

While Isfendiyar was gaining victory after

victory, this man kept on telling King Gushtasp

that his son was plotting to take the crown

of Persia from him, and had even resolved

to murder him as soon as he returned home.
Of course, none of you can possibly under-
191
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
stand how a father could think that his children

were trying to harm him, but it is one of the

commonest things in the East, even nowa-

days.
The Shahs or Kings of Persia are usually
afraid of their sons, and keep them as ignorant
as possible. They never allow them to travel,

and surround them with spies in order to dis-

cover whether they are plotting to seize the

throne. They are particularly alarmed if they

hear that one of their sons is
gathering many
soldiers around him, or interesting himself in

military matters, and, in such a case, they at

once send a message to the Prince, command-

ing him to adopt more peaceful pursuits.

Therefore, you see that it was not so very

strange for Gushtasp to believe all that the

general told him, although he ought to have

known that his son was far too honourable a
man to have even thought of such things. He
became at last so frightened that when Isfen-

192
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR

diyar returned home after all his victories, he

ordered him to be bound with chains, and cast

into a deep dungeon.

However, it is well known that a person who
does a wicked act can never be really happy,
and so it was with Gushtasp.
On all sides he heard murmurs of reproach
from his subjects, who were very angry at the
cruel way in which he had treated his son. As
he rode through the Bazaars on a horse with

golden trappings, followed by his nobles in

magnificent clothing, he would hear voices cry-

ing: "Give us back Isfendiyar! Release our

"
heroic young general ! but he never could

find out who spoke, because the crowds were

too great. The people did not give vent to

loud "bah! bah's" of admiration, as they had

hitherto done when they saw him, and he
noticed that their low tones and prostrations

proceeded from fear and not from love. In the

army matters were even worse, and the King

193 N
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
saw discontent, if not hatred, written plainly
on every soldier's face, for the men idolized

their heroic leader.

All this made life somewhat unpleasant, and

Gushtasp, thinking he would like a change, put

the kingdom in charge of his Vizier, and went
off on a visit to old Rustem in far-away Zabu-
listan.

X The Champion of the World received his

King with great joy, and everything was done

to show honour to the royal guest.

One day camels, laden with tents and every

possible luxury, would be sent off across the

vast plains towards the mountains, and when the

King and his followers rode out from Zabul

on their fleet horses late in the afternoon, they

would find the camp pitched by some running

water, and all made ready for their reception.
The next morning, shortly after daybreak,

they would go off to hunt the gazelle.

These pretty creatures still roam about the

194
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR

plains in small herds, and the riders try to

surround them at a long distance and then

draw closer and closer in upon .'them. When
the antelopes see that the horsemen are getting

nearer they become much startled and try to

escape by rushing between them.

The hunters now gallop wildly after them,

shooting right and left, and their comrades

run great risk of being wounded instead of the

gazelle. Moreover, it is
very easy to have a
bad fall, as the horses go at a great pace
over the stony plains, and the riders are too

busy using their weapons to be able to guide

their steeds.

Gushtasp, however, killed many antelopes and

had no falls, and had also good luck in pur-

suing the fleet wild ass across the Kavir or

Salt Desert. He spent a few days at intervals
in climbing about the barren mountains, and

brought down many a fine ibex or moufflon

with his bow and arrows, and when he needed
195
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
less fatiguing sport, he would roam among the
low hills, shooting the pretty kabg or partridge.
But you must not think that these were
the amusements provided for Gushtasp.
only

Magnificent banquets were laid on silken

carpets under the trees of fair gardens ;

beauti-

ful girls were always ready to sing and dance

before the King ;
feats of wrestling and horse-

manship were performed in his presence, and

clever Dervishes were ever at hand to relate

long stories, some so sad that all who heard

them wept, and others so merry that the

sovereign and his courtiers laughed till their

sides ached.

As all these pleasures delight the Shahs

of Persia at the present day, you will be able

to judge how little change there has been in

j
the land since the time of King Gushtasp.
*
l

The weeks passed so quickly in this round

ft
^s<i
of enjoyment that the monarch actually stayed

two years with Rustem, and there is no saying

196
'

-> :?
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
how much longer he might have stopped if

bad news from Persia had not forced him to

return home in haste.

In those turbulent days it was not prudent

for a king to leave his kingdom for long, and
no one can be surprised that Arjasp, one of

the sovereigns whom Isfendiyar had conquered

and compelled to become a Fire Worshipper,
thought it an excellent opportunity to take his

revenge.
He entered Persia with a large army, slay-

ing and burning in all directions, and Gush-

tasp's soldiers could not withstand him, but were

routed in every battle. Arjasp even got pos-
session of the capital of Persia, and carried off

the two Princesses, the King's only daughters,

to a brazen tower in his dominions.

Gushtasp in despair called a hasty council of

his magicians and astrologers, and asked them

what was to be done. They cried out as with
" oh
one voice : Release thy son Isfendiyar,
197
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

King! Put him at the head of thy army and

all will go well."

The poor Prince was at once brought forth

from his dungeon, and it is said that he was

so weakened by all his sufferings that he could

hardly stand.

Gushtasp felt very penitent when he saw

him, and promised that he should succeed him
on the throne of Persia if he could drive

Arjasp from the country. He also put to

death the wicked general who had caused

him to believe such false stories of his son.

Isfendiyar let bygones be bygones, and

when he saw his faithful soldiers, and heard
their shouts of joy at his appearance, he

seemed to get back his former strength, and

performed such feats of valour as made the

Persians compare him with mighty Rustem,

"
and all yelled shahbash!" till
they were hoarse.
He soon drove Arjasp from the land, and

King Gushtasp begged him to take the crown

198
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
forthwith, and said he would go into retirement

and spend the rest of his days in prayer.

It would have been a good thing for

Isfendiyar if he had agreed to his father's re-

quest, but he became quite indignant at the

"
idea. Continue, oh, noble monarch, to be the
Shelter of the whole Universe," he said. "As
for me, your unworthy son, I desire neither

thrones nor diadems. My one wish in life is

to invade Arjasp in his own kingdom, and to

deliver my dear sisters from their captivity."

These words greatly pleased Gushtasp, who

fondly embraced his son, and told him to start

for the territory of Arjasp as soon as he and

the soldiers were sufficiently rested.

This expedition is always spoken of as

" "
the Heft- Khan or Seven Stages of Isfen-

diyar.
Rustem had accomplished his seven feats
^
of valour when he made his famous journey

into Mazanderan to deliver King Kai-Kaus

199
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
from the White Demon, and now the young
Prince was following his example.

During campaign against Arjasp, the

the

Persians had captured a gigantic Demon war-

rior called Kurugsar, and Isfendiyar promised

this creature his liberty if he would help to
rescue the poor Princesses.

The Demon explained that there were three

roads to the stronghold of Arjasp. The best

would take three months, the next two ;

but

the third, the Heft-Khan, was only seven

stages in length. "This is by far the shortest

"
way, oh, noble Prince," said Kurugsar ;
but on

/ each day some fearful obstacle must be over-

come. Wild beasts of every kind, monstrous

dragons, death-dealing enchantresses, and the

dread Simurgh all haunt this district ;
and so
^ full of perils is the path that no mortal has

ever passed along it in safety."

Isfendiyar, following the example of mighty

Rustem, betook himself to fervent prayer, and
200
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR

finally announced, that come what might, he

would go by the short road. Kurugsar there-
upon implored to be left behind, saying that
the Prince could never reach the kingdom of

Arjasp, and would involve himself and all his

followers in a common destruction. This greatly

displeased Isfendiyar who imagined that the

Demon meant to betray him. Accordingly, he

ordered him to be bound, and forced him to

act as guide to the great army of twelve ,

thousand men which now set out on this jour-

ney so full of danger and horror.

As soon as the soldiers had crossed the

Persian frontier, they reached a dreary desert,

and Kurugsar bade them advance cautiously,
because the place was infested by two enor-
mous wolves, larger than elephants, and with

poisonous teeth over a foot in length.

The Demon had scarcely spoken when the
monsters made their appearance, rushing upon
the Persians with indescribable fury, and caus-
201
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

ing a regular panic. Man after man fell

wounded and dying, and it seemed as if the

thousands of arrows shot by those who stood

firm had no effect at all.

At last Isfendiyar saw his opportunity, and

with a blow of his battle-axe cleft open the
skull of one gigantic beast, and, after a terrible

struggle, managed to pierce the heart of the

other with his sword.

Kurugsar was amazed exceedingly at this

feat of arms, which did not please him however,

because he hoped that the Prince would have
lost his life in the encounter with the wolves,

and that he himself would then have been set

free. However, he feigned great joy, and said:

"
Now, oh royal general, I will accompany you
with a light heart, for I see clearly that the

Gods have bestowed their favour upon you

and that they are guiding your steps."
The Demon-guide repeated these same words
on the second day, when Isfendiyar, quite un-
202
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
aided, slew a lion and lioness of supernatural size

and ferocity.

But he warned the young Hero that the

fearsome Dragon, that haunted the third stage,

would be a far harder creature to subdue than

the wolves and lions. It was a fire-breathing

monster, with a mouth so vast that it swallowed
men and horses whole, and a roar so appall-

ingly loud that it made the earth vibrate, and

caused avalanches of stones to come tumbling

down the sides of the mountains.

Isfendiyar perceived at once that this mon-

ster was not to be overcome by ordinary
means, but, being full of resource, he soon
found out a way. He ordered his takht-i-ravan
or litter to be brought out. This is a kind of

long box, in which women and sometimes men

of rank are carried in Persia when travelling.
It has a pair of shafts at either end, to which
a couple of stout mules are harnessed, and, as

they jog along, the whole thing sways to and

203
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
fro in a most uncomfortable manner to anyone
who is not a good sailor.

Isfendiyar commanded this litter to be

studded all over with sword-blades, javelins, and

spear-heads, and when they reached the country

of the Dragon, he got inside it, shut-to the

little door, and somehow managed to guide

the mules by means of ropes which he held.
He had no easy task to induce the poor
animals to approach the monster, which gave
a terrific bellow when it saw them, and rushed
forward, great flames bursting from its nos-

trils.

In less time than it takes to write, this

terrible creature had taken the mules and takht

into its enormous mouth, but it sorely repented
of its haste. The sword-blades and spear-heads

wounded it so cruelly that it spat everything

out again in its
dying agony.
Isfendiyar then leapt out of the litter and
finished off the Dragon with his battle-axe,
204
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
while the mules galloped away quite unhurt, I

though in a terrible fright.

The young Prince himself was nearly

drowned in the great stream of the monster's
blood, but was fortunately rescued by his

brother, and thanked the Gods heartily for

this third great deliverance.

The Demon-guide was the only one who was
not pleased at Isfendiyar's success. He said,
"
with a scarcely-concealed sneer, To-morrow,
royal Champion, a harder task than any that

you have accomplished hitherto awaits you. A

most beautiful Sorceress will appear who can
turn herself into any shape she pleases, and in

a moment can change this desert into a

stormy sea or a lovely garden, according to her

caprice. Moreover, she is attended by a huge

Ghoul of malignant aspect."

"He who puts his trust in the Gods has no
fear," answered Isfendiyar, and when, on the
next day, the beautiful Enchantress advanced
205
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
towards him, he met guile by guile, and invited
her to sit beside him on a pile of silken carpets

from the looms of Kashan.

And as they talked, he caught the Sorceress

suddenly round the waist with his running

noose, and held her fast, though she turned

into different animals, and even into a very

"
aged man who begged for mercy. Kill her,
"
as you value
your life
Kurugsar.! shouted
"
She will turn this place into a deep lake and
drown us all if you hesitate." Therefore, Isfen-

diyar slew the Enchantress, and had then to do

battle with the enormous Ghoul. The flames

which burst forth from this monster were so

fierce that they burnt the young Prince badly ;

but, in spite of all his pain, he persevered and

managed to despatch this adversary, thus com-

pleting his fourth labour.

"
So far success has attended you," remarked
"
the Demon-guide ;
but I have many fears as

to the result of the morrow ! Your way lies over

206
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
the mountain-pass, where dwells the dread

Simurgh, half-bird, half-beast, and as large as

the monstrous Dragon."

Isfendiyar, nothing daunted, determined to

try the cunning plan that had succeeded so

well with the Dragon.

He again ordered the mules to be harnessed to

his litter, which was stuck all over with sword-
blades and spear-heads, and, getting inside, went

on up the pass, ahead of his army. As

soon as the Simurgh espied the takht it

swooped down upon it, with beak and claws,

intending to carry it off bodily to its nest in

the mountains. It is hardly necessary for me

to tell you that the sharp points injured the

bird so terribly that Isfendiyar was able to kill

it
quite easily, and then, amid the cheers of
the whole army, he told the Demon-guide
that he was ready for whatever might befall
"
on the next stage. Do not be too sure of
"
yourself," Kurugsar made answer. To-morrow
207
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

you will encounter a fall of snow so heavy that

you and your warriors will lose the way, and

a wind so bitter that it will chill all of you

to the very heart, thousands perishing from

the intense cold. How can you venture
to fight against the elements ? It is as if
you
braved the great Gods themselves. Have you
forgotten how many nobles and soldiers were

overwhelmed by a snowstorm when they

lingered by the fountain in which King Kai-

Khosrau disappeared ?
Why must we all
"
suffer from a like fate ?

These words excited the whole army, which

implored Isfendiyar to return. Up to now the

soldiers had not been greatly dismayed by any

of the perils of the road, as they saw from the

first that their brave young general bore the

whole brunt of them. But this sixth stage
was a very different matter, because everyone

would have to share the danger.

The Prince, addressing the army, said that

208
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR

through the favour of the Gods, he had over-

come five of the obstacles on the road, therefore

he was convinced that the Dwellers on High

would enable him to pass the last two stages in
" "
safety. Comrades in arms ! he exclaimed,
"
I have pledged my honour to deliver my sisters

from the Brazen Fortress. Rather than break

my oath I will go alone. Farewell ! Return in

safety to fair Persia, and tell King Gushtasp

that his son did his utmost."

These words made the soldiers ashamed of

themselves, and with one voice they said that

they would follow Isfendiyar to the death.

They had no great reason to repent of their

decision, for they reached the shelter of some

great caves in the mountains before the storm

began. Though it lasted for three days with-

out ceasing, yet the fervent prayers of the en-

tire army prevailed with the Gods, so that on

the fourth day the Heavens were again clear.
The Demon-guide, however, made one last

209 o
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
effort to dissuade Isfendiyar from attempting the

seventh stage. He said it

lay across a waterless

desert, the sands of which were red-hot and would

burn-up anyone who ventured upon them, and,

moreover, discharged such poisonous vapours that
even the vultures never dared to hover over them.
But the Prince was not to be daunted, for he
and all his men had soaked their boots in the

blood of the Simurgh. Isfendiyar had com-

manded this, knowing that the precaution would
enable them to pass through fire unhurt. So
in due time the Persians reached the Brazen
Tower, where the poor Princesses were im-

prisoned, and Isfendiyar inquired of the Demon

the best way of entering the fortress.

He was astounded when the guide replied

a burst of rage "
in :
May you never succeed
in your attempt !
May the Demons repulse

your onslaught, and drive you into the desert

to perish miserably! Curses on my head that
"
I have shown you the way hither !

210
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
On this, Isfendiyar immediately slew Kurugsar,
and then approached the castle cautiously to

try and discover its weak points. As it was

made entirely of brass, he saw that he must
use guile instead of force, especially when he
heard that it had abundance of food and water
and was garrisoned by thousands of warriors.

Remembering some of the feats of mighty

Rustem, he resolved to try the well-worn plan

of introducing himself and his men, disguised

as merchants, into the tower.

He loaded twenty camels with rich merchan-

dise, and eighty with two big chests apiece, in

which he stowed his picked warriors. A hun-

dred soldiers, clad in blue cotton shirts and full

trousers and felt skull-caps, acted the part of

camel-drivers, keeping their weapons carefully

hidden.

King Arjasp at once allowed this caravan to

be admitted, and was so much pleased with the

splendid gifts which Isfendiyar presented to

211
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
him that he gave the merchants leave to visit

the palace whenever they liked.

Isfendiyar soon found his poor sisters, who

were forced to do all kinds of rough work
in King Arjasp's kitchens. He was afraid to
discover himself to them, lest -they should, in

their joy, betray him, and when they addressed

"
the supposed merchant with a glad khosh

amadid" of welcome, and asked whether no

plan was afoot in Persia for their rescue,

he replied in a feigned voice.

But the elder Princess recognized him directly,

so he was forced to unfold his design, but bade

them do their work as usual in order not to

excite suspicion.

That night he invited the King and his war-

riors to a grand banquet, saying that when

darkness came on he would light a huge
bonfire which would give as much illumination

as a thousand torches.
This he said, because he had arranged with
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 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
his brother, who was with the army, that when
he saw flames rising from the fortress he was to
attack the tower without delay.

Everything fell out as Isfendiyar hoped.

The King and his nobles drank so much of
the strong Persian wine that they became sleepy,

and when the Prince had released his eighty

warriors from the chests, and had lit the bonfire,

he opened the gate of the fortress to the Persian

soldiers lying in wait outside.

After a long fight, in which Arjasp and his

entire army were slain, Isfendiyar with his sisters
and soldiers returned to Persia by the Heft-Khan
or Seven Stages, now a perfectly safe road.

King Gushtasp received them with much honour,

and was greatly interested in their wonderful

adventures. You will, however, hardly believe

me when I tell you that very soon the monarch
became again so jealous of his noble son that he
told his magiciansand astrologers to find out in
what manner Isfendiyar should meet his death.

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 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
After much consulting of the oracles, the

learnedmen Jnformed Gushtasp that his son

would very shortly perish miserably, transfixed

in the eye by an arrow from the bow of

Rustem. This news was a great relief to the

wicked father, who bade the Prince go without

delay to Zabulistan, and bring the old Champion

of the World back to Persia in chains. Isfen-

diyar was greatly astonished and most indignant

at being sent on such a shameful mission, and
at first refused to perform it. The King, how-
ever, threatened to have him thrown into a

deep dungeon if he disobeyed, therefore he was

obliged, though most unwillingly, to set out.

When only a league from the city of Zabul, he

was received with a great istakbal, or procession
ofmen on horseback leading riderless horses, the
whole headed by Shughad, Rustem's brother, and

young Feramurz his son, and was conducted with

royal honours to the spot where the aged Hero

awaited him.
214
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
This splendid reception so overwhelmed Is-

fendiyar with shame that he could hardly deliver

his message, and you will understand that he

was not at all surprised when the Champion of
the World utterly declined to be bound on any

pretext whatever.

Rustem, in a voice choked with indignation,

related how well he had served all the Persian

sovereigns fromKing Kai-Kobad downwards,

and asked what he had done to merit such
undeserved disgrace and degradation.

Isfendiyar felt very sorry for the old

Champion, but he dared not return home

without him, so at last the two resolved to

fight one another and thus settle the question.

Rustem's loyal soul was extremely averse to

taking the life of the heir to the throne of

Persia, but as there did not seem to be any

other way out_pf_the difficulty, he put on his

armour and rushed to the attack.

During the whole of one day, the combatants

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 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH

fought with all their might, but when dark-

ness came on after sunset, neither had got the

mastery ;
therefore they separated, intending to

renew the struggle at sunrise the next morning.

Both were terribly exhausted, but the aged

Rustem was so desperately wounded by the

arrows of Isfendiyar, that he told his father

his fighting days were ended, and that at last

ruin had come to the proud house of Sam.

Zal, however, did not lose hope so easily.

Suddenly he bethought him of the long-hoarded

feather of the Simurgh, and when he had thrown
it
upon a pot of burning charcoal, the miraculous
Bird made its appearance, greatly pleased to
see its foster-son again.

The enormous creature speedily healed Rus-

tem's wounds, but declared that it could not

help the Champion to conquer Isfendiyar, because

on the fifth stage of the Heft-Khan, the young

prince had killed a Simurgh, and thus rendered

himself invulnerable. It, therefore, advised

216
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
the Hero to give up the contest. "This,
oh wondrous Bird, I cannot do," answered old
"
Rustem. If I, the bulwark of Zabulistan, be slain,

my father and my son will be dragged down to

destruction, for I see plainly that King Gushtasp

is resolved to exterminate our race, and seize

all our possessions." Hearing this the Simurgh

begged Zal and Rustem to be silent for a

quarter of an hour, and it folded its wings over

its head and pondered deeply, the two Heroes

hardly daring to breathe, so anxious were they not

"
to disturb it. At last it
spoke :
Far, far from

here, in a remote corner of the Chinese Empire,

grows a certain tree. From remote ages it has

been known to our race that an arrow made from
its wood will kill without fail the person at whom
it is shot. I will now go to seek this tree, and

bring you back a branch ere daylight dawns."

In the flash of an eye the Simurgh vanished

into the darkness, and Zal and his son waited

patiently and full of hope. Sure enough,

217
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
with the first streak of red in the East, they

saw it
again, bearing a small branch in its beak.

"Fashion this into an arrow," it said to Rustem,

"and it will pierce Isfendiyar in the eye,and

cause his death. It rejoices me to have been
of service to you in your need, but I must
hasten back to my home on Great Demavend ere
"
the sun springs into the Heavens. Farewell !

and the Simurgh became in a second a mere

speck in the grey sky.

Everything happened as the wondrous Bird

had foretold. When Rustem fitted the magic
arrow to his bow, it flew straight into the eye

of Isfendiyar, and the young Prince sank to the

ground mortally wounded.

But he bore no anger against Rustem, and,
with his dying breath, besought him to be as
a father to his son, saying he would far rather

trust him to the Champion of the World than

to King Gushtasp.

218
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
It was not very long before Rustem himself
followed the noble Isfendiyar to the grave.

Terrible to relate, it was his own brother, the

wicked Shughad, who compassed his destruction.

Shughad had always been very jealous of

Rustem, who was so much stronger and braver
than he was, and he hated to hear all the

people of Zabulistan applaud the Champion of

the World, while no one ever took any notice of

him.

This feeling grew and grew as the years

went by, until one day he discovered that his

cousin, the wicked King of Kabul, disliked

Rustem as much as he did, and longed to do

the old Hero some deadly injury. Thereupon,
the two conspired together, and laid a cunning

plot to kill the greatest warrior that the world

has ever known.

The King invited Rustem to hunt with him,

and he ordered great pits to be dug across the

road and filled with swords, the points of which
219
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
were sticking upwards These were covered
over lightly with earth and grass so as to look
like solid ground, and, when the party came to

the fatal spot, the King arranged that the Cham-

pion should ride on a little ahead of the others.

Rakush, however, who on this occasion was far

cleverer than his master, refused to go on, and

stopped dead, neighing and snorting violently.

Rustem, getting into a rage, gave his faith-

ful horse several hard blows, and the poor

animal, starting forward in its pain, fell with its

rider right into the first pit. Terribly wounded

as both of them were, yet they struggled out
of the first pit, only, alas, to fall into another.

Again they managed to get out, but the Gods

did not come to the aid of Rustem as in the
days when he was young and pious. Blinded

with pain and faint from countless wounds, he

and Rakush fell from one death-trap into

another, and at last both lay dying, the King of

Kabul and Shughad watching them with cruel glee.

220
 THE STORY OF ISFENDIYAR
The old Champion requested his treacherous

brother as a last favour to hand him his bow

and arrows in order that he might scare away
the wild beasts, which would otherwise tear

him and his horse to pieces.

Shughad gave him the weapon with a mock-

ing laugh, and the expiring Hero, making one

mighty effort, drew the bow and pierced his

wicked brother to the heart. Then he turned

"
to his faithful horse, and said, Farewell Rakush,

thou and I have lived and toiled together for

many years. We have tasted of the joy of

battle and the excitement of the chase. We
have been friends as were never man and horse
before. It is meet that we should die together."

Thereupon, he fell back quite dead, and his

beloved steed drew its last breath at the same

instant.

This was the sad ending to the life of mighty

Rustem, the Hercules of Persia.

In spite of all his great deeds and his
221
 THE STORY BOOK OF THE SHAH
honours and riches he perished miserably, his
death compassed by the foulest treachery,
instead of taking place in the rush and excite-

ment of battle as he would have wished.

Now all my stories are finished, and those
who have cared to read them know almost as
much as do the Persian boys and girls about
the Heroes of that far-off land.

I
hope that my boy readers may be as brave
and loyal as Rustem, the Champion of the

World, and the girls as beautiful and faithful as

Rudabeh, his lovely mother, and I will bid you

all Khoda hafiz-i-shuma, the Persian for good-bye,
and the little bird below is
saying the same thing.

222
THE HEAVENLY TWINS.
 PRINTED BY
NEILL AND COMPANY, LIMITED
BELLEVUE, EDINBURGH