The ire of the prince was roused. He defied his rival to the
encounter. They took distance, wheeled, and charged; and at the
first touch of the magic lance, the brawny scoffer was tilted from his
saddle. Here the prince would have paused, but alas! he had to deal
with a demoniac horse and armor; once in action nothing could
control them. The Arabian steed charged into the thickest of the
throng; the lance overturned every thing that presented; the gentle
prince was carried pell-mell about the field, strewing it with high
and low, gentle and simple, and grieving at his own involuntary
exploits. The king stormed and raged at this outrage on his subjects
and his guests. He ordered out all his guards- they were unhorsed as
fast as they came up. The king threw off his robes, grasped buckler
and lance, and rode forth to awe the stranger with the presence of
majesty itself Alas! majesty fared no better than the vulgar; the
steed and lance were no respecters of persons; to the dismay of Ahmed,
he was borne full tilt against the king, and in a moment the royal
heels were in the air, and the crown was rolling in the dust.
At this moment the sun reached the meridian; the magic spell resumed
its power; the Arabian steed scoured across the plain, leaped the
barrier, plunged into the Tagus, swam its raging current, bore the
prince breathless and amazed to the cavern, and resumed his station,
like a statue, beside the iron table.
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