The king handed over to him a sealed packet , desiring him to give it himself only into the hands of the governor , and to no one else . Nur Mahomed hid it carefully in his turban , swung himself into the saddle , and five minutes later rode out of the city gates , and set out on his long journey . The weather was very hot ; but Nur Mahomed thought that the sooner his precious letter was delivered the better ; so that , by dint of riding most of each night and resting only in the hottest part of the day , he found himself , by noon on the third day , approaching the town which was his final destination . Not a soul was to be seen anywhere ; and Nur Mahomed , stiff , dry , thirsty , and tired , looked longingly over the wall into the gardens , and marked the fountains , the green grass , the shady apricot orchards , and giant mulberry trees , and wished he were there . At length he reached the castle gates , and was at once admitted , as he was in the uniform of the king 's bodyguard . The governor was resting , the soldier said , and could not see him until the evening . So Nur Mahomed handed over his horse to an attendant , and wandered down into the lovely gardens he had seen from the road , and sat down in the shade to rest himself . He flung himself on his back and watched the birds twittering and chattering in the trees above him . Through the branches he could see great patches of sky where the kites wheeled and circled incessantly , with shrill whistling cried . Bees buzzed over the flowers with a soothing sound , and in a few minutes Nur Mahomed was fast asleep . Every day , through the heat of the afternoon , the governor , and his wife also , used to lie down for two or three hours in their own rooms , and so , for the matter of that , did most people in the palace . But the princess , like many other girls , was restless , and preferred to wander about the garden , rather than rest on a pile of soft cushions . What a torment her stout old attendants and servants sometime thought her when she insisted on staying awake , and making them chatter or do something , when they could hardly keep their eyes open ! Sometimes , however , the princess would pretend to go to sleep , and then , after all her women had gladly followed her example , she would get up and go out by herself , her veil hanging loosely about her . If she was discovered her old hostess scolded her severely ; but the princess only laughed , and did the same thing next time . This very afternoon the princess had left all her women asleep , and , after trying in vain to amuse herself indoors , she had slipped out into the great garden , and rambled about in all her favourite nooks and corners , feeling quite safe as there was not a creature to be seen . Suddenly , on turning a corner , she stopped in surprise , for before her lay a man fast asleep ! In her hurry she had almost tripped over him . But there he was , a young man , tanned and dusty with travel , in the uniform of an officer of the king 's guard . One of the few faults of this lovely princess was a devouring curiosity , and she lived such an idle life that she had plenty of time to be curious .
Out of one of the folds of this young man 's turban there peeped the XXXXX of a letter !
birds corner eyes girls horse princess stout thing turban weather