Husn Banu having taken leave of the king went to her father’s house, and ordered the materials for the banquet to be prepared. She also sent one of her servants to wait upon the dervise, and say that, if his Holiness would deign to visit her next day, it would be the highest of favours. When the detestable Azrak heard the term banquet, he replied that he would assuredly come next day. Husn Banu ordered a princely throne, as on the previous occasion, and got ready the entertainment. Next day that abominable dervise came and Husn Banu presented for his acceptance all the jewels and the cup of rubies which she had brought with her; the dervise rejected them all. She at the same time placed all her moveables on a side-board, in order that the eye of the dervise might constantly fall upon them, and that his avarice might be increased. The dervise observed them, and said in his heart, “To-night I shall make some contrivance for carrying off all this treasure;” and Husn Banu was at the same time rejoicing in her heart, (thinking) “This night I shall have you with all this property tied together and car­ried before the king.”

In short, they brought the banquet before him, and presented him with water to wash* his hands, and offered him food of every sort and description, and the dervise along with his forty attendants began to eat. After having taken a few mouthfuls, he commanded that they should desist. Husn Banu made many apologies, and said, “Do me the kindness to eat (of my banquet), for your so doing will be happiness to your slave.” The dervise answered, saying, “To the pious fakirs a few mouthfuls are sufficient; to please you I have eaten heartily, but my usual food consists of a few grains of wheat.” When they had ceased from eating, they were presented with perfumes; but the dervise was saying in his heart, “The whole of this property is mine.” After some time the villainous Azrak took leave of Mahrū Shah and came to his own house, and deliberated with his attendant dervises one with another, saying, “I have made a vow, and consecrated it, and all the food you have eaten is to you as well as myself an accursed thing, till you bring away the jewels, the gold, and the silver.” All the attendants said, “it is well;” and when the night set in, the whole of the fakirs with their chief were in readiness for the theft.

Husn Banu also consulted her own people, and ordered them to have the property in the same way (as at the banquet), and open all the doors. She also wrote an explanatory letter to the captain of the night-watch, con­cluding, “We shall be on our guard here, do you also come and place yourselves in ambush, and the instant that my people raise a shout, you shall present yourselves with the utmost speed.” She then charged her own people, saying, “When the thieves come, you are not to move till they, after having seized all the property, are on their return; then you shall bind them all fast with the goods (in their possession); and give the signal to the kotwal, that he may come and seize them.” Husn Banu’s men, agreeably to what their mistress had commanded, stationed themselves as quietly as if they were dead. Meanwhile, Azrak with his forty pious satellites arrived and entered the residence of Mahrū Shah, and all the property in money or effects which was found they tied up in bundles, and were carrying them off; Azrak himself having taken in his hands the cup full of rubies, was returning with them. At that instant Husn Banu’s people and those belonging to the kotwal rushed from their hiding places, and bound the thieves with their hands behind their backs, whose hearts were like to burst from spite. The thieves were then consigned to the charge of the watch, each having the bundle which he carried fastened to his neck; and strict orders were issued to secure them fast till morning when the affair should be decided before the king.

When Husn Banu saw that the enemy were over­powered and taken captives, pleased and delighted, she called her servants and rewarded them munificently, and then said, “So much of the night still remains, that period you may pass in repose.” Next morning, when the king opened the public court, and was seated on the throne of royalty, he observed, “This last night there was a great deal of uproar, does anyone know what was the cause of it?” During this the kotwal entered and gave his report, saying, “About the time of midnight a gang of thieves entered the residence of Mahrū Shah, the house that belonged to Burzakh the merchant; they had seized all the property that Mahrū Shah had taken thither with him and were on their return when information was given to me: I hurried to the spot and having secured the thieves with the property, I have now brought them before the public court; and of the truth of this, Sire, we are certain for we have witnessed the fact.” When they were thus discoursing, Mahrū Shah entered and made his obeisance. The king having caused him to be seated, said, “My son, pray did the thieves last night break into your house?” Husn Banu said, in reply, “Long live your Majesty: the kotwal of the city arrived (with assistance) in time; and now it will be best to summon all the thieves into your royal presence.” To this the king agreed, and ordered them to be brought. The kotwal led them before the king in a row, at the head of which was Azrak with the cup of rubies suspended to his neck, and after him the other der­vises, each having the bundle (which he had stolen) fastened to his neck and his hands tied behind him.

The instant the king saw them he remarked, that, “This man (at their head) greatly resembles a certain dervise. Husn Banu said, “Please your Majesty, let them be called nearer, and closely inspected; it is impossible that he should be the pious dervise.” The king made a signal to the kotwal, who made the thieves one by one with his bundle pass before his Majesty. The kotwal having thus sent them by turns, Husn Banu rose up, and seizing hand of the dervise with the cup of rubies, led him before the king. His Majesty asked, “What is this fastened to the neck of Azrak?” Husn Banu displayed the cup of rubies to the king’s sight. The king was lost in amazement, and at last said, “Let every one of them be executed on the scaffold, in order that the rest of the priesthood may be deterred from such villainy, and that they may not mislead the people; and let them also be stripped naked.” When the thieves were stripped of their clothes, all their implements for thieving were discovered. The king issued an order, stating, “Let them be speedily executed on the gibbet, and let whatever property belongs to Mahrū Shah be returned to his own possession.”

When Husn Banu saw that they were conveying Azrak to execution, she arose from her seat and stood with hands joined before the king. His Majesty said, “What is your request?” Husn Banu replied, “Oh, my Lord, I am the hereditary child of your court, nay, I am your Majesty’s adopted daughter, the child of Burzakh the merchant. I am she whom your Majesty on account of this very dervise sentenced to banishment from your capital. The property that belonged to my father is still in the residence of the dervise; his house must therefore be strictly searched, in order that the whole of his villainy may be dïscovered, and the veracity of your daughter’s declaration may be confirmed before your Majesty.” The king, on hearing these words, was greatly surprised,* and gave orders for searching the house of Azrak. He then addressed Husn Banu, saying, “I lately called thee my child, there my tongue uttered and my mind conceived what was true.* Thou art no longer Burzakh’s daughter, thou art my own daughter.”— “May I hope then,” said Husn Banu, “that your Highness will condescend to visit the house of your daughter in the desert; there I have immense wealth, which I will freely bestow on him who is both my king and my father.” To this invitation his Majesty agreed; and in the meantime all the property left by Burzakh was discovered in the house of Azrak, and Husn Banu having presented the same to the king, returned to Shahabad, and ordered the streets of the city to be adorned on each side with elegant mirrors preparatory to his Majesty’s visit. Two days after, Kurdan Shah arrived at Shahabad where Husn Banu received him with due honours, and conducted him to her own palace. She then presented his Majesty with another cup full of rubies and a golden tray filled with costly jewels, after which she pointed out the seven pits containing the gold.

His Majesty was highly delighted, and Husn Banu requested him to issue orders to his attendants for conveying the gold by loads to the royal treasury. The king gave orders to that effect to his prime minister, who along with the accountants proceeded to the mouth of the pit. Whenever they attempted to take up the gold in order to convey it away, the whole of it was turned into the forms of serpents and dragons. The attendants were terrified, and sent notice of the circumstance to the king. His Majesty on hearing this was astonished, and Husn Banu’s countenance turned pale* whilst she dreaded what proceedings he might adopt. The king observed her anxiety, and said, “My child, why has thy countenance turned pale? Let nothing disturb thy mind, but be of good cheer, for this gold is destined for thee, and over it I have no power. Whatsoever thou pleasest do with it, take it into thy own possession and use it.” Husn Banu making her obeisance, addressed the king with the following request: “Sire, it is my wish to make this city my home, and to spend this treasure in the service of God, and also that no one may molest my retirement.” Kurdan Shah in courteous phrase replied, “Wheresoever thou dwellest thou art my child, and hast the command of this treasure in thy own hand, do therefore as thou thinkest fit.”

Kurdan Shah then sent back his people to guard his palace, and he himself, after residing seven days at the house of Husn Banu, returned to the capital. After that, Husn Banu fitted up another house for entertaining travellers, and bounteously furnished every individual with food and drink suitable to his rank, and presented him at his departure with money for his journey, and such other articles as might be deemed useful, thus shewing her guests every attention. In a short time the name of Husn Banu was celebrated by the travellers through every city and town to this effect. “There is a young lady not yet married, by name Husn Banu, who is extremely bounteous towards her fellow-creatures. Her servants and attendants are so endowed with integrity that they will not defraud (the stranger) of a single farthing. Gracious heaven! what an age is this, when menials are so conscientious! What wonderful liberality, whereby they freely bestow golden dinars upon the poor! In the present times, people of the world in general feel reluctant for every farthing and penny they give to the poor and menials without scruple* pilfer men’s property; but such as these have nei­ther the fear of God nor regard for the Prophet.” In short, Husn Banu’s fame shone clearer than the sun throughout the quarters of the earth as far as the confine of the world.