He then washed himself and lay down to rest , and he was still asleep when the Simurgh came home . As a rule , the young birds raised a clamour of welcome when their parents came near , but on this day they were so full of dragon-meat that they had no choice , they had to go to sleep . As they flew nearer , the old birds saw the prince lying under the tree and no sign of life in the nest . They thought that the misfortune which for so many earlier years had befallen them had again happened and that their nestlings had disappeared . They had never been able to find out the murderer , and now suspected the prince . ` He has eaten our children and sleeps after it ; he must die , ' said the father-bird , and flew back to the hills and clawed up a huge stone which he meant to let fall on the prince 's head . But his mate said , ` Let us look into the nest first for to kill an innocent person would condemn us at the Day of Resurrection . ' They flew nearer , and presently the young birds woke and cried , ` Mother , what have you brought for us ? ' and they told the whole story of the fight , and of how they were alive only by the favour of the young man under the tree , and of his cutting up the dragon and of their eating it . The mother-bird then remarked , ` Truly , father ! you were about to do a strange thing , and a terrible sin has been averted from you . ' Then the Simurgh flew off to a distance with the great stone and dropped it . It sank down to the very middle of the earth . Coming back , the Simurgh saw that a little sunshine fell upon the prince through the leaves , and it spread its wings and shaded him till he woke . When he got up he salaamed to it , who returned his greeting with joy and gratitude , and caressed him and said : ' O youth , tell me true ! who are you , and where are you going ? And how did you cross that pitiless desert where never yet foot of man had trod ? ' The prince told his story from beginning to end , and finished by saying : ` Now it is my heart 's wish that you should help me to get to Waq of the Caucasus . Perhaps , by your favour , I shall accomplish my task and avenge my brothers . ' In reply the Simurgh . '
first blessed the deliverer of his children , and then went on : ` What you have done no child XXXXX man has ever done before ; you assuredly have a claim on all my help , for every year up till now that dragon has come here and has destroyed my nestlings , and I have never been able to find who was the murderer and to avenge myself .
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