He took part in the tournaments and always beat the others, winning lots of prizes, as well as Caliph's admiration. Sayed, however, never revealed his name, but just mentioned that he was a horseman from distant Cairo.
Now it so happens that the Caliph, Harun-el-Rascid, liked to wander through the city at night, disguised as a beggar or merchant, to hear what folk had to say about him. Not to spy on them, but to try and put right any mistakes he might have made. Sometimes, he was accompanied by his chief minister. Well, one night, as Sayed was going home to Kalum's bazaar, he heard shouts and the sounds of struggle. Four men had attacked two others in a dark corner. The brave young man immediately came to the rescue by killing two of the attackers and chasing the others away. When it was all over, the two victims thanked Sayed and asked him, "Brave youth, what's your name?" "My name is Sayed," came the reply. "I'm Kalum the merchant's shop assistant." "Hmm," said one of the two men, "you seem to be more of a gentleman than a shop assistant. However, take this ring as a reward for what you did for me." Then the other man spoke, "And this bag of coins. You've saved my life and you deserve it. Goodbye!" And away they went.
Sayed stood there with the ring and bag in his hand. With these he could now find a ship and go home.
Next day he said to Kalum, "I'm leaving. I shan't be working for you any longer." "And where are you going to?" asked Kalum.
"Home!" answered Sayed.
"Home? But it's a costly journey, and with the wages I pay you." Sayed smiled, "Your pay certainly wouldn't take me far, but." and he held out the bag, "but this money will. Farewell!" However, wicked Kalum was not to be defeated. He told the police Sayed had stolen a bag of gold. The young man was immediately arrested. The chief of police asked him, "Who gave you this money?" "A man I'd never seen before," was the honest reply. Sayed was judged a thief and sentenced to deportation to Thirsty Island, the home of the worst kind of criminals.
On the ship the young man thought to himself, "Well, I left home two years ago, proud, rich and happy. Here I am today, twenty years old, in the midst of these convicts, condemned to live and die an innocent man in prison!" During the night there was a terrible storm. Driven by the wind, the ship was flung about by the waves until it crashed onto some hidden rocks.
Only one man survived the disaster. It was Sayed. At the mercy of the waters, he groped for something to hold on to, but nothing came within his grasp, until he suddenly felt his fingers touch the whistle the fairy had given him. Desperately, he blew it, and a dolphin surfaced beside him, shaking its head as though to tell him to get onto its back. Sayed clambered up and there found safety. He remembered the fairy had told him that when he was twenty years old, the whistle would save his life! The dolphin carried the young man within sight of land.
"Thanks, friend!" called out Sayed as he slid down from the creature and swam ashore. What a surprise awaited him! There was a military camp, soldiers and war machines. Sayed was taken prisoner and brought before none other than Harun-el-Rascid himself. The soldiers who had seized him said, "Sire, this man must be one of the convicts that survived the shipwreck." "Is that so?" Harun-el-Rascid demanded gravely.
"Yes," replied Sayed, "I did survive the shipwreck. But I'm not a convict." And he explained how he had been reported to the police because of the bag of gold. 'It was given to me," he went on, "by one of two men I saved one night from being attacked by four robbers." Harun-el Rascid looked at the man sitting beside him and then said, "Did the two men give you anything else?" "Yes, they did, this ring," Sayed replied, showing the Caliph the ring which he kept round his neck with the whistle. Harun rose to his feet and exclaimed: "Young man, the two men you helped were my chief minister and myself! Go free, but first tell me your name." "Sayed, Sire." "Sayed?" echoed the chief minister. "There's a man here in the camp called Benezar, who is searching for his son Sayed." "It's my father!" cried the young man. And it was his father. They hugged each other in delight.
Since justice must be done in the world, evil Kalum was arrested and imprisoned as he deserved.
