It shall be as you please.'
'No, no,' replied the fairy Pari Banou, 'whatever advice the
magician can give him (for I see that he hearkens to her), he shall
find no fault with you or me. There is a great deal of wickedness
in this demand, as you will understand by what I am going to tell
you. The fountain of lions is situated in the middle of a court of
a great castle, the entrance into which is guarded by four fierce
lions, two of which sleep while the other two are awake
alternately. But let not that frighten you. I will give you means
to pass by them without any danger.'
The fairy Pari Banou was at that time hard at work with her needle;
and as she had by her several balls of thread, she took up one, and
presenting it to Prince Ahmed, said, 'First take this ball of
thread; I will tell you presently the use of it. In the second
place, you must have two horses; one you will ride yourself, and
the other you will lead, which must be loaded with a sheep cut into
four quarters, and killed to-day. In the third place, you must be
provided with a bottle, which I will give you, to bring the water
in. Set out early to-morrow morning, and when you have passed the
iron gate, throw before you the ball of thread, which will roll
till it comes to the gates of the castle.
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