answered the Bedouin， "I am Subbah， son of Remmah ben Hummam. My people are of the Arabs of Syria， and I have a cousin called Nejmeh， who brings delight to all that look on her. My father died， and I was brought up in the house of my uncle， the father of Nejmeh； but when I grew up and my cousin became a woman， they excluded her from me and me from her， seeing that I was poor and of little estate. However， the chiefs of the Arabs and the heads of the tribes went in to her father and rebuked him， and he was abashed before them and consented to give me his daughter， but upon condition that I should bring him as her dower fifty head of horses and fifty dromedaries and fifty camels laden with wheat and a like number laden with barley， together with ten male and ten female slaves. The dowry he imposed upon me was beyond my competence； for he exacted more than the due marriage portion. So now I am travelling from Syria to Irak， having passed twenty days without seeing other than thyself， and I mean to go to Baghdad，that I may note what rich and considerable merchants start thence. Then I will go out in their track and seize their goods，for I will kill their men and drive off their camels with their loads. But what manner of man art thou？" "Thy case is like unto mine，" replied Kanmakan； "save that my complaint is more grievous than thine； for my cousin is a king"s daughter， and the dowry of which thou hast spoken would not content her family， nor would they be satisfied with the like of that from me." "Surely，" said Subbah， "thou art mad or light-headed for excess of passion！ How can thy cousin be a king"s daughter？ Thou hast no sign of princely rank on thee， for thou art but a mendicant." "O chief of the Arabs，" rejoined Kanmakan， "marvel not at my case， for it is due to the shifts of fortune； and if thou desire proof of me，behold， I am Kanmakan， son of King Zoulmekan， son of King Omar ben Ennuman， lord of Baghdad and Khorassan， and fortune hath played the tyrant with me； for my father died and （my uncle） King Sasan took the Sultanate. So I fled forth from Baghdad， secretly，lest any should see me， and have wandered twenty days， without seeing any but thyself. So now I have discovered to thee my case，and my history is as thy history and my need as thy need." When Subbah heard this， he cried out and said， "O joy！ I have attained my desire！ I will have no booty this day but thyself； for， since thou art of the lineage of kings and hast come out in the habit of a beggar， it cannot be but thy people will seek thee， and if they find thee in any one"s hand， they will ransom thee with much treasure. So put thy hands behind thee， O my lad， and walk before me." "Softly， O brother of the Arabs，" answered Kanmakan； "my people will not ransom me with silver nor with gold， no， not with a brass dirhem； and I am a poor man， having with me neither much nor little： so leave this behaviour with me and take me to comrade. Let us go forth of the land of Irak and wander over the world， so haply we may win dower and marriage-portion and enjoy our cousins" embraces." When Subbah heard this， he was angry； his arrogance and heat redoubled and he said， "Out on thee， O vilest of dogs！ Dost thou bandy words with me？ Turn thy back， or I will chastise thee." At this Kanmakan smiled and answered， "Why should I turn my back for thee？ Is there no equity in thee？ Dost thou not fear to bring reproach upon the Arabs by driving a man like myself captive， in dishonour and humiliation， before thou hast proved him in the field， to know if he be a warrior or a coward？"
The Bedouin laughed and replied， "By Allah， I wonder at thee！
Thou art a boy in years， but old in talk. These words should come from none but a doughty champion： what wantest thou of equity？
"If thou wilt have me be thy captive， to serve thee，" said Kanmakan， "throw down thine arms and put off thine upper clothes and wrestle with me； and whichever of us throws the other shall have his will of him and make him his servant." The other laughed and said， "I think thy much talk denotes the nearness of thy death." Then he threw down his sword and tucking up his skirt，drew near unto Kanmakan， and they gripped each other. But the Bedouin found that Kanmakan had the better of him and outweighed him， as the quintal outweighs the dinar； and he looked at his legs and saw that they were as firmly planted as two well-builded minarets or two tent-poles driven into the ground or two immovable mountains. So he knew that he himself was not able to cope with him and repented of having come to wrestle with him，saying in himself， "Would I had fallen on him with my weapons！"
Then Kanmakan took hold of him and mastering him shook him， till he thought his guts would burst in his belly and roared out，"Hold thy hand， O boy！" He heeded him not， but shook him again，and lifting him from the ground， made with him towards the stream， that he might throw him therein： whereupon the Bedouin cried out， saying， "O valiant man， what wilt thou do with me？"
