The Magic Gifts
Far away, in an Eastern country, there lived a Sultan who had three sons. All three princes had fallen in love with their cousin, who was a very beautiful and sweet-natured princess, and the Sultan could not decide which one of them should marry her.
Finally, he called his three sons to him. “I have decided to send you out into the world, disguised as merchants,” he told them. “At the end of a year, you will return here, and whoever brings back the most wonderful gift shall marry the princess.”
The three young men set out on their travels. The first son, Prince Houssain, found his way to a great city, but although he saw the most beautiful gems which the merchants had to offer, he could find nothing to take back to his father, the Sultan.
All the traders from far countries passed through the city, and they would show him the most wonderful gems which they had brought with them from distant lands, but nothing pleased him. Often, too, he walked through the marketplace, looking at all the wares which were for sale. It seemed to him that he must lose the princess, for he could never find a gift which he considered really worthy of her.
Then, one day, when the year was almost up, the young prince was walking in the marketplace and he passed a carpet-seller. “I have a fine carpet here,” said the man. “I will sell it only for forty purses of gold.”
“Forty purses of gold,” replied the astonished prince, “but that is a fortune. It is far too much for an ordinary carpet.”
“But this is no ordinary carpet,” said the trader. “If you sit on it, it will carry you anywhere you want to go.”
The prince tried the carpet and was delighted. He paid the trader forty purses of gold at once.
Meanwhile, the second son, Prince Ahmed, went to the chief city of Persia. He too looked in all the shops and all the bazaars, but could not find a present worthy of his beautiful cousin. Then, one day, when the year was almost up, Prince Ahmed met an old trader in the marketplace.
“Who will buy a spy-glass for thirty purses of gold?” called the trader. “It is a most wonderful spy-glass and I will not accept a penny less.”
“It must be a wonderful spy-glass for all that money,” said the prince, pausing by the trader, “for no spy-glass is worth thirty purses of gold.”
“You are wrong, my young friend,” replied the trader. “You have only to hold this glass to your eye, and you can see anything you wish in the world. You may try it for yourself if you do not believe me.”
The prince put the spy-glass to his eye, and as the princess was to him the dearest thing in the world, he at once wished to see her. There she was, sitting in her palace, surrounded by her maidens, and the prince was so delighted that he paid the thirty purses of gold at once.
The third son, Prince Ali, made his way to the golden city of Samarkand. He, too, found nothing to buy, and as the end of the year drew near, he was in despair. He went out into the marketplace to continue his search, and on his way, he passed a man offering for sale an apple. “Thirty purses of gold for this apple,” the man called. “Who will buy this marvelous apple?”
The prince paused in astonishment. “Who in his right senses would pay thirty purses of gold for an apple?” he asked the man.
“But this is no ordinary apple,” replied the trader. “One smell of it will cure anyone, however near death.” The prince at once paid the thirty purses of gold, and the apple became his.
At the end of the year, the three princes met to travel home together. Prince Houssain arrived on his magic carpet and proudly showed his possession to his two brothers. “It is wonderful,” said Prince Ahmed, “but I think my spy-glass is even more wonderful, for by its aid I can see anyone I wish.”
He put the spy-glass to his eye as he spoke and wished to see the princess. To his brothers’ astonishment, he turned pale and cried, “I can see the princess. She is lying there white and still. She is near to death. What can we do?”
Then Prince Ali spoke. “I have here a magic apple,” he said. “One smell of it will cure anyone, however ill. If we can only get to the princess in time, I can cure her.”
“Let us get on my magic carpet and go quickly to her bedside,” cried Prince Houssain.
In a few minutes, they had reached the princess, and Prince Ali held his apple to her nose. At once, she opened her eyes and sat up, and was soon as lively and well as ever. Then the three brothers took their gifts to show the Sultan.
The Sultan was overjoyed when he heard that the princess, whom everyone had thought was dying, was now quite well again, and the three brothers explained how, with the aid of the wonderful gifts they had brought, they were able to reach her just in time.
The Sultan found it impossible to judge which was the most wonderful, for without the spy-glass they would never have learned of the princess’s illness, while without the magic carpet they could never have reached her in time, and without the magic apple they could not have cured her.
Finally, the Sultan decided to hold a contest. He told the three brothers to be ready with their bows and arrows in the palace grounds. Each brother was to shoot one arrow, and the one who shot the farthest would win the princess for his bride.
The three princes took their bows, and Prince Houssain, the eldest, shot first. His arrow traveled a long distance, but it was surpassed by Prince Ahmed’s arrow when he fired next. Prince Ali shot last, but his arrow went so far that it could not be found at all, so the Sultan decided that his second son, Prince Ahmed, was the winner and should marry the princess.
A great wedding feast was prepared, but Prince Houssain declared that if he could not marry the princess, he would spend his days as a hermit, living a life of poverty and simplicity, and he left the palace to travel to some faraway desert place.
Prince Ali also, too unhappy to attend his brother’s wedding, left the palace and set out sadly for the mountains beyond the city, to seek his lost arrow, determined not to return until he had found it.
