Meanwhile, the news reached Constantinople that King Afridoun had
gotten the victory over the Muslims, and Dhat ed Dewahi said, "I
know that my son King Herdoub is no runagate and that he has
nought to fear from the hosts of Islam, but will bring the whole
world to the Nazarene faith." Then she commanded the city to be
decorated, and the people held high festival and drank wines,
knowing not what God had decreed to them. Whilst they were in the
midst of their rejoicings, behold, the raven of affliction
croaked against them and up came the twenty ships of fugitives,
amongst them the King of Caesarea. King Afridoun met them on the
sea-shore, and they told him all that had befallen them, weeping
sore and lamenting, whereupon rejoicing was turned into dismay,
and King Afridoun was filled with consternation and knew that
there was no repairing their mischance. The women gathered
together to make moan and lament: and the city was filled with
mourning; all hearts failed, whilst the hired mourners cried
aloud and weeping and wailing arose on all sides. When King
Herdoub met King Afridoun, he told him the truth of the case and
how the flight of the Muslims was but a stratagem and said to
him, "Look not to see any of the troops, save those that have
already reached thee." When Afridoun heard this, he fell down in
a swoon with his nose under his feet; and as soon as he revived
he exclaimed, "Surely the Messiah was wroth with the army, that
he delivered them thus into the hands of the Muslims!" Then came
the Arch-Patriarch sadly to King Afridoun who said to him, "O our
father, destruction hath overtaken our army and the Messiah hath
punished us.
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