so they did his bidding，whereupon he bade set about building a strong and lofty palace，befitting her rank and the workmen fell to work upon it.On this wise it betided the Princess Miriam and her sire and the one-eyed Wazir；but as regards Nur al-Din，when he came back with the petticoat-trousers and mantilla and walking boots and all the attire of Alexandrian women which he had borrowed of the druggist's wife，he'found the air void and the fane afar[545]'；--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Eight Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night； She resumed，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that when Nur al-Din，'found the aire void[546] and the fane afar，'his heart sank within him and he wept floods of tears and recited these verses，[547]'The phantom of Soada came by nigh to wake me towards morning while my companions were sleeping in the desert：
But when we awoke to behold the nightly phantom，I saw the air vacant，and the place of visitation distant.'
Then Nur al-Din walked on along the sea-shore and turned right and left，till he saw folk gathered together on the beach and heard them say，'O Moslems，there remaineth no honour to Alexandria-city，since the Franks enter it and snatch away those who are therein and return to their own land，at their leisure[548] nor pursued of any of the Moslems or fighters for the Faith！'Quoth Nur al-Din to them，'What is to do？'；and quoth they，'O my son，one of the ships of the Franks，full of armed men，came down but now upon the port and carried off a ship which was moored here，with her that was therein，and made unmolested for their own land.'Nur al-Din fell down a-swoon，on hearing these words；and when he recovered they questioned him of his case and he told them all that had befallen him first and last；