{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_128/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_128","id":"gutenberg_128","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/128","summary":null,"tags":["Arabs -- Folklore","Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's stories","Fairy tales","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"The Arabian Nights Entertainments,\n\n\nSelected and Edited\n\nby\n\nAndrew Lang\n\n\n\nafter the edition of\n\nLongmans, Green and Co, 1918 (1898)\n\n\n\nContents\n\n  Preface\n  The Arabian Nights\n  The Story of the Merchant and the Genius\n  The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind\n  The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs\n  The Story of the Fisherman\n  The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban\n  The Story of the Husband and the Parrot\n  The Story of the Vizir Who Was Punished\n  The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles\n  The Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,\n    and of Five Ladies of Bagdad\n  The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King\n  The Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied\n  The Story of the Second Calendar, Son of a King\n  The Story of the Third Calendar, Son of a King\n  The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor\n    First Voyage\n    Second Voyage\n    Third Voyage\n    Fourth Voyage\n    Fifth Voyage\n    Sixth Voyage\n    Seventh and Last Voyage\n  The Little Hunchback\n  The Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother\n  The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother\n  The Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura\n  Noureddin and the Fair Persian\n  Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp\n  The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad\n  The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla\n  The Story of Sidi-Nouman\n  The Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad\n  The Enchanted Horse\n  The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister\n\n\n\n\nPreface\n\n\nThe stories in the Fairy Books have generally been such as old women in\ncountry places tell to their grandchildren.  Nobody knows how old they\nare, or who told them first.  The children of Ham, Shem and Japhet may\nhave listened to them in the Ark, on wet days.  Hector's little boy may\nhave heard them in Troy Town, for it is certain that Homer knew them,\nand that some of them were written down in Egypt about the time of\nMoses.\n\nPeople in different countries tell them differently, but they are\nalways the same stories, really, whether among little Zulus, at the\nCape, or little Eskimo, near the North Pole.  The changes are only in\nmatters of manners and customs; such as wearing clothes or not, meeting\nlions who talk in the warm countries, or talking bears in the cold\ncountries.  There are plenty of kings and queens in the fairy tales,\njust because long ago there were plenty of kings in the country.  A\ngentleman who would be a squire now was a kind of king in Scotland in\nvery old times, and the same in other places.  These old stories, never\nforgotten, were taken down in writing in different ages, but mostly in\nthis century, in all sorts of languages.  These ancient stories are the\ncontents of the Fairy books.\n\nNow \"The Arabian Nights,\" some of which, but not nearly all, are given\nin this volume, are only fairy tales of the East.  The people of Asia,\nArabia, and Persia told them in their own way, not for children, but\nfor grown-up people.  There were no novels then, nor any printed books,\nof course; but there were people whose profession it was to amuse men\nand women by telling tales.  They dressed the fairy stories up, and\nmade the characters good Mahommedans, living in Bagdad or India.  The\nevents were often supposed to happen in the reign of the great Caliph,\nor ruler of the Faithful, Haroun al Raschid, who lived in Bagdad in\n786-808 A.D. The vizir who accompanies the Caliph was also a real\nperson of the great family of the Barmecides.  He was put to death by\nthe Caliph in a very cruel way, nobody ever knew why.  The stories must\nhave been told in their present shape a good long while after the\nCaliph died, when nobody knew very exactly what had really happened.\nAt last some storyteller thought of writing down the tales, and fixing\nthem into a kind of framework, as if they had all been narrated to a\ncruel Sultan by his wife.  Probably the tales were written down about\nthe time when Edward I. was fighting Robert Bruce.  But changes were\nmade in them at different times, and a great deal that is very dull and\nstupid was put in, and plenty of verses.  Neither the verses nor the\ndull pieces are given in this book.\n\nPeople in France and England knew almost nothing about \"The Arabian\nNights\" till the reigns of Queen Anne and George I., when they were\ntranslated into French by Monsieur Galland.  Grown-up people were then\nvery fond of fairy tales, and they thought these Arab stories the best\nthat they had ever read.  They were delighted with Ghouls (who lived\namong the tombs) and Geni, who seemed to be a kind of ogres, and with\nPrincesses who work magic spells, and with Peris, who are Arab fairies.\nSindbad had adventures which perhaps came out of the Odyssey of Homer;\nin fact, all the East had contributed its wonders, and sent them to\nEurope in one parcel.  Young men once made a noise at Monsieur\nGalland's windows in the dead of night, and asked him to tell them one\nof his marvellous tales.  Nobody talked of anything but dervishes and\nvizirs, rocs and peris.  The stories were translated from French into\nall languages, and only Bishop Atterbury complained that the tales were\nnot likely to be true, and had no moral.  The bishop was presently\nbanished for being on the side of Prince Charlie's father, and had\nleisure to repent of being so solemn.\n\nIn this book \"The Arabian Nights\" are translated from the French\nversion of Monsieur Galland, who dropped out the poetry and a great\ndeal of what the Arabian authors thought funny, though it seems\nwearisome to us.  In this book the stories are shortened here and\nthere, and omissions are made of pieces only suitable for Arabs and old\ngentlemen.  The translations are by the writers of the tales in the\nFairy Books, and the pictures are by Mr. Ford.\n\nI can remember reading \"The Arabian Nights\" when I was six years old,\nin dirty yellow old volumes of small type with no pictures, and I hope\nchildren who read them with Mr. Ford's pictures will be as happy as I\nwas then in the company of Aladdin and Sindbad the Sailor.\n\n\n\nThe Arabian Nights\n\n\nIn the chronicles of the ancient dynasty of the Sassanidae, who reigned\nfor about four hundred years, from Persia to the borders of China,\nbeyond the great river Ganges itself, we read the praises of one of the\nkings of this race, who was said to be the best monarch of his time.\nHis subjects loved him, and his neighbors feared him, and when he died\nhe left his kingdom in a more prosperous and powerful condition than\nany king had done before him.\n\nThe two sons who survived him loved each other tenderly, and it was a\nreal grief to the elder, Schahriar, that the laws of the empire forbade\nhim to share his dominions with his brother Schahzeman.  Indeed, after\nten years, during which this state of things had not ceased to trouble\nhim, Schahriar cut off the country of Great Tartary from the Persian\nEmpire and made his brother king.\n\nNow the Sultan Schahriar had a wife whom he loved more than all the\nworld, and his greatest happiness was to surround her with splendour,\nand to give her the finest dresses and the most beautiful jewels.  It\nwas therefore with the deepest shame and sorrow that he accidentally\ndiscovered, after several years, that she had deceived him completely,\nand her whole conduct turned out to have been so bad, that he felt\nhimself obliged to carry out the law of the land, and order the\ngrand-vizir to put her to death.  The blow was so heavy that his mind\nalmost gave way, and he declared that he was quite sure that at bottom\nall women were as wicked as the sultana, if you could only find them\nout, and that the fewer the world contained the better.  So every\nevening he married a fresh wife and had her strangled the following\nmorning before the grand-vizir, whose duty it was to provide these\nunhappy brides for the Sultan.  The poor man fulfilled his task with\nreluctance, but there was no escape, and every day saw a girl married\nand a wife dead.\n\nThis behaviour caused the greatest horror in the town, where nothing\nwas heard but cries and lamentations.  In one house was a father\nweeping for the loss of his daughter, in another perhaps a mother\ntrembling for the fate of her child; and instead of the blessings that\nhad formerly been heaped on the Sultan's head, the air was now full of\ncurses.\n\nThe grand-vizir himself was the father of two daughters, of whom the\nelder was called Scheherazade, and the younger Dinarzade.  Dinarzade\nhad no particular gifts to distinguish her from other girls, but her\nsister was clever and courageous in the highest degree.  Her father had\ngiven her the best masters in philosophy, medicine, history and the\nfine arts, and besides all this, her beauty excelled that of any girl\nin the kingdom of Persia.\n\nOne day, when the grand-vizir was talking to his eldest daughter, who\nwas his delight and pride, Scheherazade said to him, \"Father, I have a\nfavour to ask of you.  Will you grant it to me?\"\n\n\"I can refuse you nothing,\" replied he, \"that is just and reasonable.\"\n\n\"Then listen,\" said Scheherazade.  \"I am determined to stop this\nbarbarous practice of the Sultan's, and to deliver the girls and\nmothers from the awful fate that hangs over them.\"\n\n\"It would be an excellent thing to do,\" returned the grand-vizir, \"but\nhow do you propose to accomplish it?\"\n\n\"My father,\" answered Scheherazade, \"it is you who have to provide the\nSultan daily with a fresh wife, and I implore you, by all the affection\nyou bear me, to allow the honour to fall upon me.\"\n\n\"Have you lost your senses?\" cried the grand-vizir, starting back in\nhorror.  \"What has put such a thing into your head?  You ought to know\nby this time what it means to be the sultan's bride!\"\n\n\"Yes, my father, I know it well,\" replied she, \"and I am not afraid to\nthink of it.  If I fail, my death will be a glorious one, and if I\nsucceed I shall have done a great service to my country.\"\n\n\"It is of no use,\" said the grand-vizir, \"I shall never consent.  If\nthe Sultan was to order me to plunge a dagger in your heart, I should\nhave to obey.  What a task for a father!  Ah, if you do not fear death,\nfear at any rate the anguish you would cause me.\"\n\n\"Once again, my father,\" said Scheherazade, \"will you grant me what I\nask?\"\n\n\"What, are you still so obstinate?\" exclaimed the grand-vizir. \"Why are\nyou so resolved upon your own ruin?\"\n\nBut the maiden absolutely refused to attend to her father's words, and\nat length, in despair, the grand-vizir was obliged to give way, and\nwent sadly to the palace to tell the Sultan that the following evening\nhe would bring him Scheherazade.\n\nThe Sultan received this news with the greatest astonishment.\n\n\"How have you made up your mind,\" he asked, \"to sacrifice your own\ndaughter to me?\"\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the grand-vizir, \"it is her own wish.  Even the sad\nfate that awaits her could not hold her back.\"\n\n\"Let there be no mistake, vizir,\" said the Sultan.  \"Remember you will\nhave to take her life yourself.  If you refuse, I swear that your head\nshall pay forfeit.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" returned the vizir.  \"Whatever the cost, I will obey you.\nThough a father, I am also your subject.\"  So the Sultan told the\ngrand-vizir he might bring his daughter as soon as he liked.\n\nThe vizir took back this news to Scheherazade, who received it as if it\nhad been the most pleasant thing in the world.  She thanked her father\nwarmly for yielding to her wishes, and, seeing him still bowed down\nwith grief, told him that she hoped he would never repent having\nallowed her to marry the Sultan.  Then she went to prepare herself for\nthe marriage, and begged that her sister Dinarzade should be sent for\nto speak to her.\n\nWhen they were alone, Scheherazade addressed her thus:\n\n\"My dear sister; I want your help in a very important affair.  My\nfather is going to take me to the palace to celebrate my marriage with\nthe Sultan.  When his Highness receives me, I shall beg him, as a last\nfavour, to let you sleep in our chamber, so that I may have your\ncompany during the last night I am alive.  If, as I hope, he grants me\nmy wish, be sure that you wake me an hour before the dawn, and speak to\nme in these words:  'My sister, if you are not asleep, I beg you,\nbefore the sun rises, to tell me one of your charming stories.'  Then I\nshall begin, and I hope by this means to deliver the people from the\nterror that reigns over them.\" Dinarzade replied that she would do with\npleasure what her sister wished.\n\nWhen the usual hour arrived the grand-vizir conducted Scheherazade to\nthe palace, and left her alone with the Sultan, who bade her raise her\nveil and was amazed at her beauty.  But seeing her eyes full of tears,\nhe asked what was the matter.  \"Sire,\" replied Scheherazade, \"I have a\nsister who loves me as tenderly as I love her.  Grant me the favour of\nallowing her to sleep this night in the same room, as it is the last we\nshall be together.\"  Schahriar consented to Scheherazade's petition and\nDinarzade was sent for.\n\nAn hour before daybreak Dinarzade awoke, and exclaimed, as she had\npromised, \"My dear sister, if you are not asleep, tell me I pray you,\nbefore the sun rises, one of your charming stories.  It is the last\ntime that I shall have the pleasure of hearing you.\"\n\nScheherazade did not answer her sister, but turned to the Sultan.\n\"Will your highness permit me to do as my sister asks?\" said she.\n\n\"Willingly,\" he answered.  So Scheherazade began.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Merchant and the Genius\n\n\nSire, there was once upon a time a merchant who possessed great wealth,\nin land and merchandise, as well as in ready money.  He was obliged\nfrom time to time to take journeys to arrange his affairs.  One day,\nhaving to go a long way from home, he mounted his horse, taking with\nhim a small wallet in which he had put a few biscuits and dates,\nbecause he had to pass through the desert where no food was to be got.\nHe arrived without any mishap, and, having finished his business, set\nout on his return.  On the fourth day of his journey, the heat of the\nsun being very great, he turned out of his road to rest under some\ntrees.  He found at the foot of a large walnut-tree a fountain of clear\nand running water.  He dismounted, fastened his horse to a branch of\nthe tree, and sat by the fountain, after having taken from his wallet\nsome of his dates and biscuits.  When he had finished this frugal meal\nhe washed his face and hands in the fountain.\n\nWhen he was thus employed he saw an enormous genius, white with rage,\ncoming towards him, with a scimitar in his hand.\n\n\"Arise,\" he cried in a terrible voice, \"and let me kill you as you have\nkilled my son!\"\n\nAs he uttered these words he gave a frightful yell.  The merchant,\nquite as much terrified at the hideous face of the monster as at his\nwords, answered him tremblingly, \"Alas, good sir, what can I have done\nto you to deserve death?\"\n\n\"I shall kill you,\" repeated the genius, \"as you have killed my son.\"\n\n\"But,\" said the merchant, \"how can I have killed your son?  I do not\nknow him, and I have never even seen him.\"\n\n\"When you arrived here did you not sit down on the ground?\" asked the\ngenius, \"and did you not take some dates from your wallet, and whilst\neating them did not you throw the stones about?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the merchant, \"I certainly did so.\"\n\n\"Then,\" said the genius, \"I tell you you have killed my son, for whilst\nyou were throwing about the stones, my son passed by, and one of them\nstruck him in the eye and killed him.  So I shall kill you.\"\n\n\"Ah, sir, forgive me!\" cried the merchant.\n\n\"I will have no mercy on you,\" answered the genius.\n\n\"But I killed your son quite unintentionally, so I implore you to spare\nmy life.\"\n\n\"No,\" said the genius, \"I shall kill you as you killed my son,\" and so\nsaying, he seized the merchant by the arm, threw him on the ground, and\nlifted his sabre to cut off his head.\n\nThe merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife and children,\nand tried pitifully to avert his fate.  The genius, with his raised\nscimitar, waited till he had finished, but was not in the least touched.\n\nScheherazade, at this point, seeing that it was day, and knowing that\nthe Sultan always rose very early to attend the council, stopped\nspeaking.\n\n\"Indeed, sister,\" said Dinarzade, \"this is a wonderful story.\"\n\n\"The rest is still more wonderful,\" replied Scheherazade, \"and you\nwould say so, if the sultan would allow me to live another day, and\nwould give me leave to tell it to you the next night.\"\n\nSchahriar, who had been listening to Scheherazade with pleasure, said\nto himself, \"I will wait till to-morrow; I can always have her killed\nwhen I have heard the end of her story.\"\n\nAll this time the grand-vizir was in a terrible state of anxiety.  But\nhe was much delighted when he saw the Sultan enter the council-chamber\nwithout giving the terrible command that he was expecting.\n\nThe next morning, before the day broke, Dinarzade said to her sister,\n\"Dear sister, if you are awake I pray you to go on with your story.\"\n\nThe Sultan did not wait for Scheherazade to ask his leave.  \"Finish,\"\nsaid he, \"the story of the genius and the merchant.  I am curious to\nhear the end.\"\n\nSo Scheherazade went on with the story.  This happened every morning.\nThe Sultana told a story, and the Sultan let her live to finish it.\n\nWhen the merchant saw that the genius was determined to cut off his\nhead, he said:  \"One word more, I entreat you.  Grant me a little\ndelay; just a short time to go home and bid my wife and children\nfarewell, and to make my will.  When I have done this I will come back\nhere, and you shall kill me.\"\n\n\"But,\" said the genius, \"if I grant you the delay you ask, I am afraid\nthat you will not come back.\"\n\n\"I give you my word of honour,\" answered the merchant, \"that I will\ncome back without fail.\"\n\n\"How long do you require?\" asked the genius.\n\n\"I ask you for a year's grace,\" replied the merchant.  \"I promise you\nthat to-morrow twelvemonth, I shall be waiting under these trees to\ngive myself up to you.\"\n\nOn this the genius left him near the fountain and disappeared.\n\nThe merchant, having recovered from his fright, mounted his horse and\nwent on his road.\n\nWhen he arrived home his wife and children received him with the\ngreatest joy.  But instead of embracing them he began to weep so\nbitterly that they soon guessed that something terrible was the matter.\n\n\"Tell us, I pray you,\" said his wife, \"what has happened.\"\n\n\"Alas!\" answered her husband, \"I have only a year to live.\"\n\nThen he told them what had passed between him and the genius, and how\nhe had given his word to return at the end of a year to be killed.\nWhen they heard this sad news they were in despair, and wept much.\n\nThe next day the merchant began to settle his affairs, and first of all\nto pay his debts.  He gave presents to his friends, and large alms to\nthe poor.  He set his slaves at liberty, and provided for his wife and\nchildren.  The year soon passed away, and he was obliged to depart.\nWhen he tried to say good-bye he was quite overcome with grief, and\nwith difficulty tore himself away.  At length he reached the place\nwhere he had first seen the genius, on the very day that he had\nappointed.  He dismounted, and sat down at the edge of the fountain,\nwhere he awaited the genius in terrible suspense.\n\nWhilst he was thus waiting an old man leading a hind came towards him.\nThey greeted one another, and then the old man said to him, \"May I ask,\nbrother, what brought you to this desert place, where there are so many\nevil genii about?  To see these beautiful trees one would imagine it\nwas inhabited, but it is a dangerous place to stop long in.\"\n\nThe merchant told the old man why he was obliged to come there.  He\nlistened in astonishment.\n\n\"This is a most marvellous affair.  I should like to be a witness of\nyour interview with the genius.\"  So saying he sat down by the merchant.\n\nWhile they were talking another old man came up, followed by two black\ndogs.  He greeted them, and asked what they were doing in this place.\nThe old man who was leading the hind told him the adventure of the\nmerchant and the genius.  The second old man had not sooner heard the\nstory than he, too, decided to stay there to see what would happen.  He\nsat down by the others, and was talking, when a third old man arrived.\nHe asked why the merchant who was with them looked so sad.  They told\nhim the story, and he also resolved to see what would pass between the\ngenius and the merchant, so waited with the rest.\n\nThey soon saw in the distance a thick smoke, like a cloud of dust.\nThis smoke came nearer and nearer, and then, all at once, it vanished,\nand they saw the genius, who, without speaking to them, approached the\nmerchant, sword in hand, and, taking him by the arm, said, \"Get up and\nlet me kill you as you killed my son.\"\n\nThe merchant and the three old men began to weep and groan.\n\nThen the old man leading the hind threw himself at the monster's feet\nand said, \"O Prince of the Genii, I beg of you to stay your fury and to\nlisten to me.  I am going to tell you my story and that of the hind I\nhave with me, and if you find it more marvellous than that of the\nmerchant whom you are about to kill, I hope that you will do away with\na third part of his punishment?\"\n\nThe genius considered some time, and then he said, \"Very well, I agree\nto this.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind\n\n\nI am now going to begin my story (said the old man), so please attend.\n\nThis hind that you see with me is my wife.  We have no children of our\nown, therefore I adopted the son of a favorite slave, and determined to\nmake him my heir.\n\nMy wife, however, took a great dislike to both mother and child, which\nshe concealed from me till too late.  When my adopted son was about ten\nyears old I was obliged to go on a journey.  Before I went I entrusted\nto my wife's keeping both the mother and child, and begged her to take\ncare of them during my absence, which lasted a whole year.  During this\ntime she studied magic in order to carry out her wicked scheme.  When\nshe had learnt enough she took my son into a distant place and changed\nhim into a calf.  Then she gave him to my steward, and told him to look\nafter a calf she had bought.  She also changed the slave into a cow,\nwhich she sent to my steward.\n\nWhen I returned I inquired after my slave and the child.  \"Your slave\nis dead,\" she said, \"and as for your son, I have not seen him for two\nmonths, and I do not know where he is.\"\n\nI was grieved to hear of my slave's death, but as my son had only\ndisappeared, I thought I should soon find him.  Eight months, however,\npassed, and still no tidings of him; then the feast of Bairam came.\n\nTo celebrate it I ordered my steward to bring me a very fat cow to\nsacrifice.  He did so.  The cow that he brought was my unfortunate\nslave.  I bound her, but just as I was about to kill her she began to\nlow most piteously, and I saw that her eyes were streaming with tears.\nIt seemed to me most extraordinary, and, feeling a movement of pity, I\nordered the steward to lead her away and bring another.  My wife, who\nwas present, scoffed at my compassion, which made her malice of no\navail.  \"What are you doing?\" she cried.  \"Kill this cow.  It is the\nbest we have to sacrifice.\"\n\nTo please her, I tried again, but again the animal's lows and tears\ndisarmed me.\n\n\"Take her away,\" I said to the steward, \"and kill her; I cannot.\"\n\nThe steward killed her, but on skinning her found that she was nothing\nbut bones, although she appeared so fat.  I was vexed.\n\n\"Keep her for yourself,\" I said to the steward, \"and if you have a fat\ncalf, bring that in her stead.\"\n\nIn a short time he brought a very fat calf, which, although I did not\nknow it, was my son.  It tried hard to break its cord and come to me.\nIt threw itself at my feet, with its head on the ground, as if it\nwished to excite my pity, and to beg me not to take away its life.\n\nI was even more surprised and touched at this action than I had been at\nthe tears of the cow.\n\n\"Go,\" I said to the steward, \"take back this calf, take great care of\nit, and bring me another in its place instantly.\"\n\nAs soon as my wife heard me speak this she at once cried out, \"What are\nyou doing, husband?  Do not sacrifice any calf but this.\"\n\n\"Wife,\" I answered, \"I will not sacrifice this calf,\" and in spite of\nall her remonstrances, I remained firm.\n\nI had another calf killed; this one was led away.  The next day the\nsteward asked to speak to me in private.\n\n\"I have come,\" he said, \"to tell you some news which I think you will\nlike to hear.  I have a daughter who knows magic.  Yesterday, when I\nwas leading back the calf which you refused to sacrifice, I noticed\nthat she smiled, and then directly afterwards began to cry.  I asked\nher why she did so.\"\n\n\"Father,\" she answered, \"this calf is the son of our master.  I smile\nwith joy at seeing him still alive, and I weep to think of his mother,\nwho was sacrificed yesterday as a cow.  These changes have been wrought\nby our master's wife, who hated the mother and son.\"\n\n\"At these words, of Genius,\" continued the old man, \"I leave you to\nimagine my astonishment.  I went immediately with the steward to speak\nwith his daughter myself.  First of all I went to the stable to see my\nson, and he replied in his dumb way to all my caresses.  When the\nsteward's daughter came I asked her if she could change my son back to\nhis proper shape.\"\n\n\"Yes, I can,\" she replied, \"on two conditions.  One is that you will\ngive him to me for a husband, and the other is that you will let me\npunish the woman who changed him into a calf.\"\n\n\"To the first condition,\" I answered, \"I agree with all my heart, and I\nwill give you an ample dowry.  To the second I also agree, I only beg\nyou to spare her life.\"\n\n\"That I will do,\" she replied; \"I will treat her as she treated your\nson.\"\n\nThen she took a vessel of water and pronounced over it some words I did\nnot understand; then, on throwing the water over him, he became\nimmediately a young man once more.\n\n\"My son, my dear son,\" I exclaimed, kissing him in a transport of joy.\n\"This kind maiden has rescued you from a terrible enchantment, and I am\nsure that out of gratitude you will marry her.\"\n\nHe consented joyfully, but before they were married, the young girl\nchanged my wife into a hind, and it is she whom you see before you.  I\nwished her to have this form rather than a stranger one, so that we\ncould see her in the family without repugnance.\n\nSince then my son has become a widower and has gone travelling.  I am\nnow going in search of him, and not wishing to confide my wife to the\ncare of other people, I am taking her with me.  Is this not a most\nmarvellous tale?\n\n\"It is indeed,\" said the genius, \"and because of it I grant to you the\nthird part of the punishment of this merchant.\"\n\nWhen the first old man had finished his story, the second, who was\nleading the two black dogs, said to the genius, \"I am going to tell you\nwhat happened to me, and I am sure that you will find my story even\nmore astonishing than the one to which you have just been listening.\nBut when I have related it, will you grant me also the third part of\nthe merchant's punishment?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" replied the genius, \"provided that your story surpasses that of\nthe hind.\"\n\nWith this agreement the second old man began in this way.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs\n\n\nGreat prince of the genii, you must know that we are three\nbrothers--these two black dogs and myself.  Our father died, leaving us\neach a thousand sequins.  With this sum we all three took up the same\nprofession, and became merchants.  A short time after we had opened our\nshops, my eldest brother, one of these two dogs, resolved to travel in\nforeign countries for the sake of merchandise.  With this intention he\nsold all he had and bought merchandise suitable to the voyages he was\nabout to make.  He set out, and was away a whole year.  At the end of\nthis time a beggar came to my shop.  \"Good-day,\" I said.  \"Good-day,\"\nhe answered; \"is it possible that you do not recognise me?\"  Then I\nlooked at him closely and saw he was my brother.  I made him come into\nmy house, and asked him how he had fared in his enterprise.\n\n\"Do not question me,\" he replied, \"see me, you see all I have.  It\nwould but renew my trouble to tell of all the misfortunes that have\nbefallen me in a year, and have brought me to this state.\"\n\nI shut up my shop, paid him every attention, taking him to the bath,\ngiving him my most beautiful robes.  I examined my accounts, and found\nthat I had doubled my capital--that is, that I now possessed two\nthousand sequins.  I gave my brother half, saying:  \"Now, brother, you\ncan forget your losses.\"  He accepted them with joy, and we lived\ntogether as we had before.\n\nSome time afterwards my second brother wished also to sell his business\nand travel.  My eldest brother and I did all we could to dissuade him,\nbut it was of no use.  He joined a caravan and set out.  He came back\nat the end of a year in the same state as his elder brother.  I took\ncare of him, and as I had a thousand sequins to spare I gave them to\nhim, and he re-opened his shop.\n\nOne day, my two brothers came to me to propose that we should make a\njourney and trade.  At first I refused to go.  \"You travelled,\" I said,\n\"and what did you gain?\"  But they came to me repeatedly, and after\nhaving held out for five years I at last gave way.  But when they had\nmade their preparation, and they began to buy the merchandise we\nneeded, they found they had spent every piece of the thousand sequins I\nhad given them.  I did not reproach them.  I divided my six thousand\nsequins with them, giving a thousand to each and keeping one for\nmyself, and the other three I buried in a corner of my house.  We\nbought merchandise, loaded a vessel with it, and set forth with a\nfavorable wind.\n\nAfter two months' sailing we arrived at a seaport, where we disembarked\nand did a great trade.  Then we bought the merchandise of the country,\nand were just going to sail once more, when I was stopped on the shore\nby a beautiful though poorly dressed woman.  She came up to me, kissed\nmy hand, and implored me to marry her, and take her on board.  At first\nI refused, but she begged so hard and promised to be such a good wife\nto me, that at last I consented.  I got her some beautiful dresses, and\nafter having married her, we embarked and set sail.  During the voyage,\nI discovered so many good qualities in my wife that I began to love her\nmore and more.  But my brothers began to be jealous of my prosperity,\nand set to work to plot against my life.  One night when we were\nsleeping they threw my wife and myself into the sea.  My wife, however,\nwas a fairy, and so she did not let me drown, but transported me to an\nisland.  When the day dawned, she said to me,\n\n\"When I saw you on the sea-shore I took a great fancy to you, and\nwished to try your good nature, so I presented myself in the disguise\nyou saw.  Now I have rewarded you by saving your life.  But I am very\nangry with your brothers, and I shall not rest till I have taken their\nlives.\"\n\nI thanked the fairy for all that she had done for me, but I begged her\nnot to kill my brothers.\n\nI appeased her wrath, and in a moment she transported me from the\nisland where we were to the roof of my house, and she disappeared a\nmoment afterwards.  I went down, and opened the doors, and dug up the\nthree thousand sequins which I had buried.  I went to the place where\nmy shop was, opened it, and received from my fellow-merchants\ncongratulations on my return.  When I went home, I saw two black dogs\nwho came to meet me with sorrowful faces.  I was much astonished, but\nthe fairy who reappeared said to me,\n\n\"Do not be surprised to see these dogs; they are your two brothers.  I\nhave condemned them to remain for ten years in these shapes.\" Then\nhaving told me where I could hear news of her, she vanished.\n\nThe ten years are nearly passed, and I am on the road to find her.  As\nin passing I met this merchant and the old man with the hind, I stayed\nwith them.\n\nThis is my history, O prince of genii!  Do you not think it is a most\nmarvellous one?\n\n\"Yes, indeed,\" replied the genius, \"and I will give up to you the third\nof the merchant's punishment.\"\n\nThen the third old man made the genius the same request as the other\ntwo had done, and the genius promised him the last third of the\nmerchant's punishment if his story surpassed both the others.\n\nSo he told his story to the genius, but I cannot tell you what it was,\nas I do not know.\n\nBut I do know that it was even more marvellous than either of the\nothers, so that the genius was astonished, and said to the third old\nman, \"I will give up to you the third part of the merchant's\npunishment.  He ought to thank all three of you for having interested\nyourselves in his favour.  But for you, he would be here no longer.\"\n\nSo saying, he disappeared, to the great joy of the company.  The\nmerchant did not fail to thank his friends, and then each went on his\nway.  The merchant returned to his wife and children, and passed the\nrest of his days happily with them.\n\n\"But, sire,\" added Scheherazade, \"however beautiful are the stories I\nhave just told you, they cannot compare with the story of the\nFisherman.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Fisherman\n\n\nSire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that he\ncould scarcely manage to support his wife and three children.  He went\nevery day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throw\nhis nets more than four times.  He started out one morning by moonlight\nand came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as he\nwas drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight.  He though he\nhad caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased.  But a moment\nafterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets the\ncarcase of an ass, he was much disappointed.\n\nVexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, which\nthe carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them a\nsecond time.  In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so that\nhe thought they were full of fish.  But he only found a large basket\nfull of rubbish.  He was much annoyed.\n\n\"O Fortune,\" he cried, \"do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman,\nwho can hardly support his family!\"\n\nSo saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his nets\nclean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time.  But he only drew\nin stones, shells, and mud.  He was almost in despair.\n\nThen he threw his nets for the fourth time.  When he thought he had a\nfish he drew them in with a great deal of trouble.  There was no fish\nhowever, but he found a yellow pot, which by its weight seemed full of\nsomething, and he noticed that it was fastened and sealed with lead,\nwith the impression of a seal.  He was delighted.  \"I will sell it to\nthe founder,\" he said; \"with the money I shall get for it I shall buy a\nmeasure of wheat.\"\n\nHe examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it would\nrattle.  But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression of\nthe seal and the lid, he thought there must be something precious\ninside.  To find out, he took his knife, and with a little trouble he\nopened it.  He turned it upside down, but nothing came out, which\nsurprised him very much.  He set it in front of him, and whilst he was\nlooking at it attentively, such a thick smoke came out that he had to\nstep back a pace or two.  This smoke rose up to the clouds, and\nstretching over the sea and the shore, formed a thick mist, which\ncaused the fisherman much astonishment.  When all the smoke was out of\nthe jar it gathered itself together, and became a thick mass in which\nappeared a genius, twice as large as the largest giant.  When he saw\nsuch a terrible-looking monster, the fisherman would like to have run\naway, but he trembled so with fright that he could not move a step.\n\n\"Great king of the genii,\" cried the monster, \"I will never again\ndisobey you!\"\n\nAt these words the fisherman took courage.\n\n\"What is this you are saying, great genius?  Tell me your history and\nhow you came to be shut up in that vase.\"\n\nAt this, the genius looked at the fisherman haughtily.  \"Speak to me\nmore civilly,\" he said, \"before I kill you.\"\n\n\"Alas! why should you kill me?\" cried the fisherman.  \"I have just\nfreed you; have you already forgotten that?\"\n\n\"No,\" answered the genius; \"but that will not prevent me from killing\nyou; and I am only going to grant you one favour, and that is to choose\nthe manner of your death.\"\n\n\"But what have I done to you?\" asked the fisherman.\n\n\"I cannot treat you in any other way,\" said the genius, \"and if you\nwould know why, listen to my story.\n\n\"I rebelled against the king of the genii.  To punish me, he shut me up\nin this vase of copper, and he put on the leaden cover his seal, which\nis enchantment enough to prevent my coming out.  Then he had the vase\nthrown into the sea.  During the first period of my captivity I vowed\nthat if anyone should free me before a hundred years were passed, I\nwould make him rich even after his death.  But that century passed, and\nno one freed me.  In the second century I vowed that I would give all\nthe treasures in the world to my deliverer; but he never came.\n\n\"In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him,\nand to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed away\nas the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight.  At last\nI grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyone\nwould release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him to\nchoose in what manner he should die.  So you see, as you have freed me\nto-day, choose in what way you will die.\"\n\nThe fisherman was very unhappy.  \"What an unlucky man I am to have\nfreed you!  I implore you to spare my life.\"\n\n\"I have told you,\" said the genius, \"that it is impossible.  Choose\nquickly; you are wasting time.\"\n\nThe fisherman began to devise a plot.\n\n\"Since I must die,\" he said, \"before I choose the manner of my death, I\nconjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase?\"\n\n\"Yes, I was,\" answered the genius.\n\n\"I really cannot believe it,\" said the fisherman.  \"That vase could not\ncontain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in?  I\ncannot believe it unless I see you do the thing.\"\n\nThen the genius began to change himself into smoke, which, as before,\nspread over the sea and the shore, and which, then collecting itself\ntogether, began to go back into the vase slowly and evenly till there\nwas nothing left outside.  Then a voice came from the vase which said\nto the fisherman, \"Well, unbelieving fisherman, here I am in the vase;\ndo you believe me now?\"\n\nThe fisherman instead of answering took the lid of lead and shut it\ndown quickly on the vase.\n\n\"Now, O genius,\" he cried, \"ask pardon of me, and choose by what death\nyou will die!  But no, it will be better if I throw you into the sea\nwhence I drew you out, and I will build a house on the shore to warn\nfishermen who come to cast their nets here, against fishing up such a\nwicked genius as you are, who vows to kill the man who frees you.\"\n\nAt these words the genius did all he could to get out, but he could\nnot, because of the enchantment of the lid.\n\nThen he tried to get out by cunning.\n\n\"If you will take off the cover,\" he said, \"I will repay you.\"\n\n\"No,\" answered the fisherman, \"if I trust myself to you I am afraid you\nwill treat me as a certain Greek king treated the physician Douban.\nListen, and I will tell you.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban\n\n\nIn the country of Zouman, in Persia, there lived a Greek king.  This\nking was a leper, and all his doctors had been unable to cure him, when\na very clever physician came to his court.\n\nHe was very learned in all languages, and knew a great deal about herbs\nand medicines.\n\nAs soon as he was told of the king's illness he put on his best robe\nand presented himself before the king.  \"Sire,\" said he, \"I know that\nno physician has been able to cure your majesty, but if you will follow\nmy instructions, I will promise to cure you without any medicines or\noutward application.\"\n\nThe king listened to this proposal.\n\n\"If you are clever enough to do this,\" he said, \"I promise to make you\nand your descendants rich for ever.\"\n\nThe physician went to his house and made a polo club, the handle of\nwhich he hollowed out, and put in it the drug he wished to use.  Then\nhe made a ball, and with these things he went the next day to the king.\n\nHe told him that he wished him to play at polo.  Accordingly the king\nmounted his horse and went into the place where he played.  There the\nphysician approached him with the bat he had made, saying, \"Take this,\nsire, and strike the ball till you feel your hand and whole body in a\nglow.  When the remedy that is in the handle of the club is warmed by\nyour hand it will penetrate throughout your body.  The you must return\nto your palace, bathe, and go to sleep, and when you awake to-morrow\nmorning you will be cured.\"\n\nThe king took the club and urged his horse after the ball which he had\nthrown.  He struck it, and then it was hit back by the courtiers who\nwere playing with him.  When he felt very hot he stopped playing, and\nwent back to the palace, went into the bath, and did all that the\nphysician had said.  The next day when he arose he found, to his great\njoy and astonishment, that he was completely cured.  When he entered\nhis audience-chamber all his courtiers, who were eager to see if the\nwonderful cure had been effected, were overwhelmed with joy.\n\nThe physician Douban entered the hall and bowed low to the ground.  The\nking, seeing him, called him, made him sit by his side, and showed him\nevery mark of honour.\n\nThat evening he gave him a long and rich robe of state, and presented\nhim with two thousand sequins.  The following day he continued to load\nhim with favours.\n\nNow the king had a grand-vizir who was avaricious, and envious, and a\nvery bad man.  He grew extremely jealous of the physician, and\ndetermined to bring about his ruin.\n\nIn order to do this he asked to speak in private with the king, saying\nthat he had a most important communication to make.\n\n\"What is it?\" asked the king.\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the grand-vizir, \"it is most dangerous for a monarch\nto confide in a man whose faithfulness is not proved, You do not know\nthat this physician is not a traitor come here to assassinate you.\"\n\n\"I am sure,\" said the king, \"that this man is the most faithful and\nvirtuous of men.  If he wished to take my life, why did he cure me?\nCease to speak against him.  I see what it is, you are jealous of him;\nbut do not think that I can be turned against him.  I remember well\nwhat a vizir said to King Sindbad, his master, to prevent him from\nputting the prince, his son, to death.\"\n\nWhat the Greek king said excited the vizir's curiosity, and he said to\nhim, \"Sire, I beg your majesty to have the condescension to tell me\nwhat the vizir said to King Sindbad.\"\n\n\"This vizir,\" he replied, \"told King Sindbad that one ought not believe\neverything that a mother-in-law says, and told him this story.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Husband and the Parrot\n\n\nA good man had a beautiful wife, whom he loved passionately, and never\nleft if possible.  One day, when he was obliged by important business\nto go away from her, he went to a place where all kinds of birds are\nsold and bought a parrot.  This parrot not only spoke well, but it had\nthe gift of telling all that had been done before it.  He brought it\nhome in a cage, and asked his wife to put it in her room, and take\ngreat care of it while he was away.  Then he departed.  On his return\nhe asked the parrot what had happened during his absence, and the\nparrot told him some things which made him scold his wife.\n\nShe thought that one of her slaves must have been telling tales of her,\nbut they told her it was the parrot, and she resolved to revenge\nherself on him.\n\nWhen her husband next went away for one day, she told on slave to turn\nunder the bird's cage a hand-mill; another to throw water down from\nabove the cage, and a third to take a mirror and turn it in front of\nits eyes, from left to right by the light of a candle.  The slaves did\nthis for part of the night, and did it very well.\n\nThe next day when the husband came back he asked the parrot what he had\nseen.  The bird replied, \"My good master, the lightning, thunder and\nrain disturbed me so much all night long, that I cannot tell you what I\nhave suffered.\"\n\nThe husband, who knew that it had neither rained nor thundered in the\nnight, was convinced that the parrot was not speaking the truth, so he\ntook him out of the cage and threw him so roughly on the ground that he\nkilled him.  Nevertheless he was sorry afterwards, for he found that\nthe parrot had spoken the truth.\n\n\"When the Greek king,\" said the fisherman to the genius, \"had finished\nthe story of the parrot, he added to the vizir, \"And so, vizir, I shall\nnot listen to you, and I shall take care of the physician, in case I\nrepent as the husband did when he had killed the parrot.\"  But the\nvizir was determined.  \"Sire,\" he replied, \"the death of the parrot was\nnothing.  But when it is a question of the life of a king it is better\nto sacrifice the innocent than save the guilty.  It is no uncertain\nthing, however.  The physician, Douban, wishes to assassinate you.  My\nzeal prompts me to disclose this to your Majesty.  If I am wrong, I\ndeserve to be punished as a vizir was once punished.\"  \"What had the\nvizir done,\" said the Greek king, \"to merit the punishment?\" \"I will\ntell your Majesty, if you will do me the honour to listen,\" answered\nthe vizir.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Vizir Who Was Punished\n\n\nThere was once upon a time a king who had a son who was very fond of\nhunting.  He often allowed him to indulge in this pastime, but he had\nordered his grand-vizir always to go with him, and never to lose sight\nof him.  One day the huntsman roused a stag, and the prince, thinking\nthat the vizir was behind, gave chase, and rode so hard that he found\nhimself alone.  He stopped, and having lost sight of it, he turned to\nrejoin the vizir, who had not been careful enough to follow him.  But\nhe lost his way.  Whilst he was trying to find it, he saw on the side\nof the road a beautiful lady who was crying bitterly.  He drew his\nhorse's rein, and asked her who she was and what she was doing in this\nplace, and if she needed help.  \"I am the daughter of an Indian king,\"\nshe answered, \"and whilst riding in the country I fell asleep and\ntumbled off.  My horse has run away, and I do not know what has become\nof him.\"\n\nThe young prince had pity on her, and offered to take her behind him,\nwhich he did.  As they passed by a ruined building the lady dismounted\nand went in.  The prince also dismounted and followed her.  To his\ngreat surprise, he heard her saying to some one inside, \"Rejoice my\nchildren; I am bringing you a nice fat youth.\"  And other voices\nreplied, \"Where is he, mamma, that we may eat him at once, as we are\nvery hungry?\"\n\nThe prince at once saw the danger he was in.  He now knew that the lady\nwho said she was the daughter of an Indian king was an ogress, who\nlived in desolate places, and who by a thousand wiles surprised and\ndevoured passers-by. He was terrified, and threw himself on his horse.\nThe pretended princess appeared at this moment, and seeing that she had\nlost her prey, she said to him, \"Do not be afraid.  What do you want?\"\n\n\"I am lost,\" he answered, \"and I am looking for the road.\"\n\n\"Keep straight on,\" said the ogress, \"and you will find it.\"\n\nThe prince could hardly believe his ears, and rode off as hard as he\ncould.  He found his way, and arrived safe and sound at his father's\nhouse, where he told him of the danger he had run because of the\ngrand-vizir's carelessness.  The king was very angry, and had him\nstrangled immediately.\n\n\"Sire,\" went on the vizir to the Greek king, \"to return to the\nphysician, Douban.  If you do not take care, you will repent of having\ntrusted him.  Who knows what this remedy, with which he has cured you,\nmay not in time have a bad effect on you?\"\n\nThe Greek king was naturally very weak, and did not perceive the wicked\nintention of his vizir, nor was he firm enough to keep to his first\nresolution.\n\n\"Well, vizir,\" he said, \"you are right.  Perhaps he did come to take my\nlife.  He might do it by the mere smell of one of his drugs.  I must\nsee what can be done.\"\n\n\"The best means, sire, to put your life in security, is to send for him\nat once, and to cut off his head directly he comes,\" said the vizir.\n\n\"I really think,\" replied the king, \"that will be the best way.\"\n\nHe then ordered one of his ministers to fetch the physician, who came\nat once.\n\n\"I have had you sent for,\" said the king, \"in order to free myself from\nyou by taking your life.\"\n\nThe physician was beyond measure astonished when he heard he was to die.\n\n\"What crimes have I committed, your majesty?\"\n\n\"I have learnt,\" replied the king, \"that you are a spy, and intend to\nkill me.  But I will be first, and kill you.  Strike,\" he added to an\nexecutioner who was by, \"and rid me of this assassin.\"\n\nAt this cruel order the physician threw himself on his knees.  \"Spare\nmy life,\" he cried, \"and yours will be spared.\"\n\nThe fisherman stopped here to say to the genius:  \"You see what passed\nbetween the Greek king and the physician has just passed between us\ntwo.  The Greek king,\" he went on, \"had no mercy on him, and the\nexecutioner bound his eyes.\"\n\nAll those present begged for his life, but in vain.\n\nThe physician on his knees, and bound, said to the king: \"At least let\nme put my affairs in order, and leave my books to persons who will make\ngood use of them.  There is one which I should like to present to your\nmajesty.  It is very precious, and ought to be kept carefully in your\ntreasury.  It contains many curious things the chief being that when\nyou cut off my head, if your majesty will turn to the sixth leaf, and\nread the third line of the left-hand page, my head will answer all the\nquestions you like to ask it.\"\n\nThe king, eager to see such a wonderful thing, put off his execution to\nthe next day, and sent him under a strong guard to his house.  There\nthe physician put his affairs in order, and the next day there was a\ngreat crowd assembled in the hall to see his death, and the doings\nafter it.  The physician went up to the foot of the throne with a large\nbook in his hand.  He carried a basin, on which he spread the covering\nof the book, and presenting it to the king, said:  \"Sire, take this\nbook, and when my head is cut off, let it be placed in the basin on the\ncovering of this book; as soon as it is there, the blood will cease to\nflow.  Then open the book, and my head will answer your questions.\nBut, sire, I implore your mercy, for I am innocent.\"\n\n\"Your prayers are useless, and if it were only to hear your head speak\nwhen you are dead, you should die.\"\n\nSo saying, he took the book from the physician's hands, and ordered the\nexecutioner to do his duty.\n\nThe head was so cleverly cut off that it fell into the basin, and\ndirectly the blood ceased to flow.  Then, to the great astonishment of\nthe king, the eyes opened, and the head said, \"Your majesty, open the\nbook.\"  The king did so, and finding that the first leaf stuck against\nthe second, he put his finger in his mouth, to turn it more easily.  He\ndid the same thing till he reached the sixth page, and not seeing any\nwriting on it, \"Physician,\" he said, \"there is no writing.\"\n\n\"Turn over a few more pages,\" answered the head.  The king went on\nturning, still putting his finger in his mouth, till the poison in\nwhich each page was dipped took effect.  His sight failed him, and he\nfell at the foot of his throne.\n\nWhen the physician's head saw that the poison had taken effect, and\nthat the king had only a few more minutes to live, \"Tyrant,\" it cried,\n\"see how cruelty and injustice are punished.\"\n\nScarcely had it uttered these words than the king died, and the head\nlost also the little life that had remained in it.\n\nThat is the end of the story of the Greek king, and now let us return\nto the fisherman and the genius.\n\n\"If the Greek king,\" said the fisherman, \"had spared the physician, he\nwould not have thus died.  The same thing applies to you.  Now I am\ngoing to throw you into the sea.\"\n\n\"My friend,\" said the genius, \"do not do such a cruel thing.  Do not\ntreat me as Imma treated Ateca.\"\n\n\"What did Imma do to Ateca?\" asked the fisherman.\n\n\"Do you think I can tell you while I am shut up in here?\" replied the\ngenius.  \"Let me out, and I will make you rich.\"\n\nThe hope of being no longer poor made the fisherman give way.\n\n\"If you will give me your promise to do this, I will open the lid.  I\ndo not think you will dare to break your word.\"\n\nThe genius promised, and the fisherman lifted the lid.  He came out at\nonce in smoke, and then, having resumed his proper form, the first\nthing he did was to kick the vase into the sea.  This frightened the\nfisherman, but the genius laughed and said, \"Do not be afraid; I only\ndid it to frighten you, and to show you that I intend to keep my word;\ntake your nets and follow me.\"\n\nHe began to walk in front of the fisherman, who followed him with some\nmisgivings.  They passed in front of the town, and went up a mountain\nand then down into a great plain, where there was a large lake lying\nbetween four hills.\n\nWhen they reached the lake the genius said to the fisherman, \"Throw\nyour nets and catch fish.\"\n\nThe fisherman did as he was told, hoping for a good catch, as he saw\nplenty of fish.  What was his astonishment at seeing that there were\nfour quite different kinds, some white, some red, some blue, and some\nyellow.  He caught four, one of each colour.  As he had never seen any\nlike them he admired them very much, and he was very pleased to think\nhow much money he would get for them.\n\n\"Take these fish and carry them to the Sultan, who will give you more\nmoney for them than you have ever had in your life.  You can come every\nday to fish in this lake, but be careful not to throw your nets more\nthan once every day, otherwise some harm will happen to you.  If you\nfollow my advice carefully you will find it good.\"\n\nSaying these words, he struck his foot against the ground, which\nopened, and when he had disappeared, it closed immediately.\n\nThe fisherman resolved to obey the genius exactly, so he did not cast\nhis nets a second time, but walked into the town to sell his fish at\nthe palace.\n\nWhen the Sultan saw the fish he was much astonished.  He looked at them\none after the other, and when he had admired them long enough, \"Take\nthese fish,\" he said to his first vizir, \"and given them to the clever\ncook the Emperor of the Greeks sent me.  I think they must be as good\nas they are beautiful.\"\n\nThe vizir took them himself to the cook, saying, \"Here are four fish\nthat have been brought to the Sultan.  He wants you to cook them.\"\n\nThen he went back to the Sultan, who told him to give the fisherman\nfour hundred gold pieces.  The fisherman, who had never before\npossessed such a large sum of money at once, could hardly believe his\ngood fortune.  He at once relieved the needs of his family, and made\ngood use of it.\n\nBut now we must return to the kitchen, which we shall find in great\nconfusion.  The cook, when she had cleaned the fish, put them in a pan\nwith some oil to fry them.  When she thought them cooked enough on one\nside she turned them on the other.  But scarcely had she done so when\nthe walls of the kitchen opened, and there came out a young and\nbeautiful damsel.  She was dressed in an Egyptian dress of flowered\nsatin, and she wore earrings, and a necklace of white pearls, and\nbracelets of gold set with rubies, and she held a wand of myrtle in her\nhand.\n\nShe went up to the pan, to the great astonishment of the cook, who\nstood motionless at the sight of her.  She struck one of the fish with\nher rod, \"Fish, fish,\" said she, \"are you doing your duty?\" The fish\nanswered nothing, and then she repeated her question, whereupon they\nall raised their heads together and answered very distinctly, \"Yes,\nyes.  If you reckon, we reckon.  If you pay your debts, we pay ours.\nIf you fly, we conquer, and we are content.\"\n\nWhen they had spoken the girl upset the pan, and entered the opening in\nthe wall, which at once closed, and appeared the same as before.\n\nWhen the cook had recovered from her fright she lifted up the fish\nwhich had fallen into the ashes, but she found them as black as\ncinders, and not fit to serve up to the Sultan.  She began to cry.\n\n\"Alas! what shall I say to the Sultan?  He will be so angry with me,\nand I know he will not believe me!\"\n\nWhilst she was crying the grand-vizir came in and asked if the fish\nwere ready.  She told him all that had happened, and he was much\nsurprised.  He sent at once for the fisherman, and when he came said to\nhim, \"Fisherman, bring me four more fish like you have brought already,\nfor an accident has happened to them so that they cannot be served up\nto the Sultan.\"\n\nThe fisherman did not say what the genius had told him, but he excused\nhimself from bringing them that day on account of the length of the\nway, and he promised to bring them next day.\n\nIn the night he went to the lake, cast his nets, and on drawing them in\nfound four fish, which were like the others, each of a different colour.\n\nHe went back at once and carried them to the grand-vizir as he had\npromised.\n\nHe then took them to the kitchen and shut himself up with the cook, who\nbegan to cook them as she had done the four others on the previous day.\nWhen she was about to turn them on the other side, the wall opened, the\ndamsel appeared, addressed the same words to the fish, received the\nsame answer, and then overturned the pan and disappeared.\n\nThe grand-vizir was filled with astonishment.  \"I shall tell the Sultan\nall that has happened,\" said he.  And he did so.\n\nThe Sultan was very much astounded, and wished to see this marvel for\nhimself.  So he sent for the fisherman, and asked him to procure four\nmore fish.  The fisherman asked for three days, which were granted, and\nhe then cast his nets in the lake, and again caught four different\ncoloured fish.  The sultan was delighted to see he had got them, and\ngave him again four hundred gold pieces.\n\nAs soon as the Sultan had the fish he had them carried to his room with\nall that was needed to cook them.\n\nThen he shut himself up with the grand-vizir, who began to prepare them\nand cook them.  When they were done on one side he turned them over on\nthe other.  Then the wall of the room opened, but instead of the maiden\na black slave came out.  He was enormously tall, and carried a large\ngreen stick with which he touched the fish, saying in a terrible voice,\n\"Fish, fish, are you doing your duty?\" To these words the fish lifting\nup their heads replied, \"Yes, yes.  If you reckon, we reckon.  If you\npay your debts, we pay ours.  If you fly, we conquer, and are content.\"\n\nThe black slave overturned the pan in the middle of the room, and the\nfish were turned to cinders.  Then he stepped proudly back into the\nwall, which closed round him.\n\n\"After having seen this,\" said the Sultan, \"I cannot rest.  These fish\nsignify some mystery I must clear up.\"\n\nHe sent for the fisherman.  \"Fisherman,\" he said, \"the fish you have\nbrought us have caused me some anxiety.  Where did you get them from?\"\n\n\"Sire,\" he answered, \"I got them from a lake which lies in the middle\nof four hills beyond yonder mountains.\"\n\n\"Do you know this lake?\" asked the Sultan of the grand-vizir.\n\n\"No; though I have hunted many times round that mountain, I have never\nheard of it,\" said the vizir.\n\nAs the fisherman said it was only three hours' journey away, the sultan\nordered his whole court to mount and ride thither, and the fisherman\nled them.\n\nThey climbed the mountain, and then, on the other side, saw the lake as\nthe fisherman had described.  The water was so clear that they could\nsee the four kinds of fish swimming about in it.  They looked at them\nfor some time, and then the Sultan ordered them to make a camp by the\nedge of the water.\n\nWhen night came the Sultan called his vizir, and said to him, \"I have\nresolved to clear up this mystery.  I am going out alone, and do you\nstay here in my tent, and when my ministers come to-morrow, say I am\nnot well, and cannot see them.  Do this each day till I return.\"\n\nThe grand-vizir tried to persuade the Sultan not to go, but in vain.\nThe Sultan took off his state robe and put on his sword, and when he\nsaw all was quiet in the camp he set forth alone.\n\nHe climbed one of the hills, and then crossed the great plain, till,\njust as the sun rose, he beheld far in front of him a large building.\nWhen he came near to it he saw it was a splendid palace of beautiful\nblack polished marble, covered with steel as smooth as a mirror.\n\nHe went to the gate, which stood half open, and went in, as nobody came\nwhen he knocked.  He passed through a magnificent courtyard and still\nsaw no one, though he called aloud several times.\n\nHe entered large halls where the carpets were of silk, the lounges and\nsofas covered with tapestry from Mecca, and the hangings of the most\nbeautiful Indian stuffs of gold and silver.  Then he found himself in a\nsplendid room, with a fountain supported by golden lions.  The water\nout of the lions' mouths turned into diamonds and pearls, and the\nleaping water almost touched a most beautifully-painted dome.  The\npalace was surrounded on three sides by magnificent gardens, little\nlakes, and woods.  Birds sang in the trees, which were netted over to\nkeep them always there.\n\nStill the Sultan saw no one, till he heard a plaintive cry, and a voice\nwhich said, \"Oh that I could die, for I am too unhappy to wish to live\nany longer!\"\n\nThe Sultan looked round to discover who it was who thus bemoaned his\nfate, and at last saw a handsome young man, richly clothed, who was\nsitting on a throne raised slightly from the ground.  His face was very\nsad.\n\nThe sultan approached him and bowed to him.  The young man bent his\nhead very low, but did not rise.\n\n\"Sire,\" he said to the Sultan, \"I cannot rise and do you the reverence\nthat I am sure should be paid to your rank.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" answered the Sultan, \"I am sure you have a good reason for not\ndoing so, and having heard your cry of distress, I am come to offer you\nmy help.  Whose is this palace, and why is it thus empty?\"\n\nInstead of answering the young man lifted up his robe, and showed the\nSultan that, from the waist downwards, he was a block of black marble.\n\nThe Sultan was horrified, and begged the young man to tell him his\nstory.\n\n\"Willingly I will tell you my sad history,\" said the young man.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Young King of the Black Isles\n\n\nYou must know, sire, that my father was Mahmoud, the king of this\ncountry, the Black Isles, so called from the four little mountains\nwhich were once islands, while the capital was the place where now the\ngreat lake lies.  My story will tell you how these changes came about.\n\nMy father died when he was sixty-six, and I succeeded him.  I married\nmy cousin, whom I loved tenderly, and I thought she loved me too.\n\nBut one afternoon, when I was half asleep, and was being fanned by two\nof her maids, I heard one say to the other, \"What a pity it is that our\nmistress no longer loves our master!  I believe she would like to kill\nhim if she could, for she is an enchantress.\"\n\nI soon found by watching that they were right, and when I mortally\nwounded a favourite slave of hers for a great crime, she begged that\nshe might build a palace in the garden, where she wept and bewailed him\nfor two years.\n\nAt last I begged her to cease grieving for him, for although he could\nnot speak or move, by her enchantments she just kept him alive.  She\nturned upon me in a rage, and said over me some magic words, and I\ninstantly became as you see me now, half man and half marble.\n\nThen this wicked enchantress changed the capital, which was a very\npopulous and flourishing city, into the lake and desert plain you saw.\nThe fish of four colours which are in it are the different races who\nlived in the town; the four hills are the four islands which give the\nname to my kingdom.  All this the enchantress told me to add to my\ntroubles.  And this is not all.  Every day she comes and beats me with\na whip of buffalo hide.\n\nWhen the young king had finished his sad story he burst once more into\ntears, and the Sultan was much moved.\n\n\"Tell me,\" he cried, \"where is this wicked woman, and where is the\nmiserable object of her affection, whom she just manages to keep alive?\"\n\n\"Where she lives I do not know,\" answered the unhappy prince, \"but she\ngoes every day at sunrise to see if the slave can yet speak to her,\nafter she has beaten me.\"\n\n\"Unfortunate king,\" said the Sultan, \"I will do what I can to avenge\nyou.\"\n\nSo he consulted with the young king over the best way to bring this\nabout, and they agreed their plan should be put in effect the next day.\nThe Sultan then rested, and the young king gave himself up to happy\nhopes of release.  The next day the Sultan arose, and then went to the\npalace in the garden where the black slave was.  He drew his sword and\ndestroyed the little life that remained in him, and then threw the body\ndown a well.  He then lay down on the couch where the slave had been,\nand waited for the enchantress.\n\nShe went first to the young king, whom she beat with a hundred blows.\n\nThen she came to the room where she thought her wounded slave was, but\nwhere the Sultan really lay.\n\nShe came near his couch and said, \"Are you better to-day, my dear\nslave?  Speak but one word to me.\"\n\n\"How can I be better,\" answered the Sultan, imitating the language of\nthe Ethiopians, \"when I can never sleep for the cries and groans of\nyour husband?\"\n\n\"What joy to hear you speak!\" answered the queen.  \"Do you wish him to\nregain his proper shape?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" said the Sultan; \"hasten to set him at liberty, so that I may no\nlonger hear his cries.\"\n\nThe queen at once went out and took a cup of water, and said over it\nsome words that made it boil as if it were on the fire.  Then she threw\nit over the prince, who at once regained his own form.  He was filled\nwith joy, but the enchantress said, \"Hasten away from this place and\nnever come back, lest I kill you.\"\n\nSo he hid himself to see the end of the Sultan's plan.\n\nThe enchantress went back to the Palace of Tears and said, \"Now I have\ndone what you wished.\"\n\n\"What you have done,\" said the Sultan, \"is not enough to cure me.\nEvery day at midnight all the people whom you have changed into fish\nlift their heads out of the lake and cry for vengeance.  Go quickly,\nand give them their proper shape.\"\n\nThe enchantress hurried away and said some words over the lake.\n\nThe fish then became men, women, and children, and the houses and shops\nwere once more filled.  The Sultan's suite, who had encamped by the\nlake, were not a little astonished to see themselves in the middle of a\nlarge and beautiful town.\n\nAs soon as she had disenchanted it the queen went back to the palace.\n\n\"Are you quite well now?\" she said.\n\n\"Come near,\" said the Sultan.  \"Nearer still.\"\n\nShe obeyed.  Then he sprang up, and with one blow of his sword he cut\nher in two.\n\nThen he went and found the prince.\n\n\"Rejoice,\" he said, \"your cruel enemy is dead.\"\n\nThe prince thanked him again and again.\n\n\"And now,\" said the Sultan.  \"I will go back to my capital, which I am\nglad to find is so near yours.\"\n\n\"So near mine!\" said the King of the Black Isles.\n\n\"Do you know it is a whole year's journey from here?  You came here in\na few hours because it was enchanted.  But I will accompany you on your\njourney.\"\n\n\"It will give me much pleasure if you will escort me,\" said the Sultan,\n\"and as I have no children, I will make you my heir.\"\n\nThe Sultan and the prince set out together, the Sultan laden with rich\npresents from the King of the Black Isles.\n\nThe day after he reached his capital the Sultan assembled his court and\ntold them all that had befallen him, and told them how he intended to\nadopt the young king as his heir.\n\nThen he gave each man presents in proportion to his rank.\n\nAs for the fisherman, as he was the first cause of the deliverance of\nthe young prince, the Sultan gave him much money, and made him and his\nfamily happy for the rest of their days.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,\n  and of Five Ladies of Bagdad\n\n\nIn the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived at Bagdad a\nporter who, in spite of his humble calling, was an intelligent and\nsensible man.  One morning he was sitting in his usual place with his\nbasket before him, waiting to be hired, when a tall young lady, covered\nwith a long muslin veil, came up to him and said, \"Pick up your basket\nand follow me.\"  The porter, who was greatly pleased by her appearance\nand voice, jumped up at once, poised his basket on his head, and\naccompanied the lady, saying to himself as he went, \"Oh, happy day!\nOh, lucky meeting!\"\n\nThe lady soon stopped before a closed door, at which she knocked.  It\nwas opened by an old man with a long white beard, to whom the lady held\nout money without speaking.  The old man, who seemed to understand what\nshe wanted, vanished into the house, and returned bringing a large jar\nof wine, which the porter placed in his basket.  Then the lady signed\nto him to follow, and they went their way.\n\nThe next place she stopped at was a fruit and flower shop, and here she\nbought a large quantity of apples, apricots, peaches, and other things,\nwith lilies, jasmine, and all sorts of sweet-smelling plants.  From\nthis shop she went to a butcher's, a grocer's, and a poulterer's, till\nat last the porter exclaimed in despair, \"My good lady, if you had only\ntold me you were going to buy enough provisions to stock a town, I\nwould have brought a horse, or rather a camel.\" The lady laughed, and\ntold him she had not finished yet, but after choosing various kinds of\nscents and spices from a druggist's store, she halted before a\nmagnificent palace, at the door of which she knocked gently.  The\nporteress who opened it was of such beauty that the eyes of the man\nwere quite dazzled, and he was the more astonished as he saw clearly\nthat she was no slave.  The lady who had led him hither stood watching\nhim with amusement, till the porteress exclaimed, \"Why don't you come\nin, my sister?  This poor man is so heavily weighed down that he is\nready to drop.\"\n\nWhen they were both inside the door was fastened, and they all three\nentered a large court, surrounded by an open-work gallery.  At one end\nof the court was a platform, and on the platform stood an amber throne\nsupported by four ebony columns, garnished with pearls and diamonds.\nIn the middle of the court stood a marble basin filled with water from\nthe mouth of a golden lion.\n\nThe porter looked about him, noticing and admiring everything; but his\nattention was specially attracted by a third lady sitting on the\nthrone, who was even more beautiful than the other two.  By the respect\nshown to her by the others, he judged that she must be the eldest, and\nin this he was right.  This lady's name was Zobeida, the porteress was\nSadie, and the housekeeper was Amina.  At a word from Zobeida, Sadie\nand Amina took the basket from the porter, who was glad enough to be\nrelieved from its weight; and when it was emptied, paid him handsomely\nfor its use.  But instead of taking up his basket and going away, the\nman still lingered, till Zobeida inquired what he was waiting for, and\nif he expected more money.  \"Oh, madam,\" returned he, \"you have already\ngiven me too much, and I fear I may have been guilty of rudeness in not\ntaking my departure at once.  But, if you will pardon my saying so, I\nwas lost in astonishment at seeing such beautiful ladies by themselves.\nA company of women without men is, however, as dull as a company of men\nwithout women.\"  And after telling some stories to prove his point, he\nended by entreating them to let him stay and make a fourth at their\ndinner.\n\nThe ladies were rather amused at the man's assurances and after some\ndiscussion it was agreed that he should be allowed to stay, as his\nsociety might prove entertaining.  \"But listen, friend,\" said Zobeida,\n\"if we grant your request, it is only on condition that you behave with\nthe utmost politeness, and that you keep the secret of our way of\nliving, which chance has revealed to you.\" Then they all sat down to\ntable, which had been covered by Amina with the dishes she had bought.\n\nAfter the first few mouthfuls Amina poured some wine into a golden cup.\nShe first drank herself, according to the Arab custom, and then filled\nit for her sisters.  When it came to the porter's turn he kissed\nAmina's hand, and sang a song, which he composed at the moment in\npraise of the wine.  The three ladies were pleased with the song, and\nthen sang themselves, so that the repast was a merry one, and lasted\nmuch longer than usual.\n\nAt length, seeing that the sun was about to set, Sadia said to the\nporter, \"Rise and go; it is now time for us to separate.\"\n\n\"Oh, madam,\" replied he, \"how can you desire me to quit you in the\nstate in which I am?  Between the wine I have drunk, and the pleasure\nof seeing you, I should never find the way to my house.  Let me remain\nhere till morning, and when I have recovered my senses I will go when\nyou like.\"\n\n\"Let him stay,\" said Amina, who had before proved herself his friend.\n\"It is only just, as he has given us so much amusement.\"\n\n\"If you wish it, my sister,\" replied Zobeida; \"but if he does, I must\nmake a new condition.  Porter,\" she continued, turning to him, \"if you\nremain, you must promise to ask no questions about anything you may\nsee.  If you do, you may perhaps hear what you don't like.\"\n\nThis being settled, Amina brought in supper, and lit up the hall with a\nnumber of sweet smelling tapers.  They then sat down again at the\ntable, and began with fresh appetites to eat, drink, sing, and recite\nverses.  In fact, they were all enjoying themselves mightily when they\nheard a knock at the outer door, which Sadie rose to open.  She soon\nreturned saying that three Calenders, all blind in the right eye, and\nall with their heads, faces, and eyebrows clean shaved, begged for\nadmittance, as they were newly arrived in Bagdad, and night had already\nfallen.  \"They seem to have pleasant manners,\" she added, \"but you have\nno idea how funny they look.  I am sure we should find their company\ndiverting.\"\n\nZobeida and Amina made some difficulty about admitting the new comers,\nand Sadie knew the reason of their hesitation.  But she urged the\nmatter so strongly that Zobeida was at last forced to consent.  \"Bring\nthem in, then,\" said she, \"but make them understand that they are not\nto make remarks about what does not concern them, and be sure to make\nthem read the inscription over the door.\" For on the door was written\nin letters of gold, \"Whoso meddles in affairs that are no business of\nhis, will hear truths that will not please him.\"\n\nThe three Calenders bowed low on entering, and thanked the ladies for\ntheir kindness and hospitality.  The ladies replied with words of\nwelcome, and they were all about to seat themselves when the eyes of\nthe Calenders fell on the porter, whose dress was not so very unlike\ntheir own, though he still wore all the hair that nature had given him.\n\"This,\" said one of them, \"is apparently one of our Arab brothers, who\nhas rebelled against our ruler.\"\n\nThe porter, although half asleep from the wine he had drunk, heard the\nwords, and without moving cried angrily to the Calender, \"Sit down and\nmind your own business.  Did you not read the inscription over the\ndoor?  Everybody is not obliged to live in the same way.\"\n\n\"Do not be so angry, my good man,\" replied the Calender; \"we should be\nvery sorry to displease you;\" so the quarrel was smoothed over, and\nsupper began in good earnest.  When the Calenders had satisfied their\nhunger, they offered to play to their hostesses, if there were any\ninstruments in the house.  The ladies were delighted at the idea, and\nSadie went to see what she could find, returning in a few moments laden\nwith two different kinds of flutes and a tambourine.  Each Calender\ntook the one he preferred, and began to play a well-known air, while\nthe ladies sang the words of the song.  These words were the gayest and\nliveliest possible, and every now and then the singers had to stop to\nindulge the laughter which almost choked them.  In the midst of all\ntheir noise, a knock was heard at the door.\n\nNow early that evening the Caliph secretly left the palace, accompanied\nby his grand-vizir, Giafar, and Mesrour, chief of the eunuchs, all\nthree wearing the dresses of merchants.  Passing down the street, the\nCaliph had been attracted by the music of instruments and the sound of\nlaughter, and had ordered his vizir to go and knock at the door of the\nhouse, as he wished to enter.  The vizir replied that the ladies who\nlived there seemed to be entertaining their friends, and he thought his\nmaster would do well not to intrude on them; but the Caliph had taken\nit into his head to see for himself, and insisted on being obeyed.\n\nThe knock was answered by Sadie, with a taper in her hand, and the\nvizir, who was surprised at her beauty, bowed low before her, and said\nrespectfully, \"Madam, we are three merchants who have lately arrived\nfrom Moussoul, and, owing to a misadventure which befel us this very\nnight, only reached our inn to find that the doors were closed to us\ntill to-morrow morning.  Not knowing what to do, we wandered in the\nstreets till we happened to pass your house, when, seeing lights and\nhearing the sound of voices, we resolved to ask you to give us shelter\ntill the dawn.  If you will grant us this favour, we will, with your\npermission, do all in our power to help you spend the time pleasantly.\"\n\nSadie answered the merchant that she must first consult her sisters;\nand after having talked over the matter with them, she returned to tell\nhim that he and his two friends would be welcome to join their company.\nThey entered and bowed politely to the ladies and their guests.  Then\nZobeida, as the mistress, came forward and said gravely, \"You are\nwelcome here, but I hope you will allow me to beg one thing of\nyou--have as many eyes as you like, but no tongues; and ask no\nquestions about anything you see, however strange it may appear to you.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" returned the vizir, \"you shall be obeyed.  We have quite\nenough to please and interest us without troubling ourselves about that\nwith which we have no concern.\"  Then they all sat down, and drank to\nthe health of the new comers.\n\nWhile the vizir, Giafar, was talking to the ladies the Caliph was\noccupied in wondering who they could be, and why the three Calenders\nhad each lost his right eye.  He was burning to inquire the reason of\nit all, but was silenced by Zobeida's request, so he tried to rouse\nhimself and to take his part in the conversation, which was very\nlively, the subject of discussion being the many different sorts of\npleasures that there were in the world.  After some time the Calenders\ngot up and performed some curious dances, which delighted the rest of\nthe company.\n\nWhen they had finished Zobeida rose from her seat, and, taking Amina by\nthe hand, she said to her, \"My sister, our friends will excuse us if we\nseem to forget their presence and fulfil our nightly task.\" Amina\nunderstood her sister's meaning, and collecting the dishes, glasses,\nand musical instruments, she carried them away, while Sadie swept the\nhall and put everything in order.  Having done this she begged the\nCalenders to sit on a sofa on one side of the room, and the Caliph and\nhis friends to place themselves opposite.  As to the porter, she\nrequested him to come and help her and her sister.\n\nShortly after Amina entered carrying a seat, which she put down in the\nmiddle of the empty space.  She next went over to the door of a closet\nand signed to the porter to follow her.  He did so, and soon reappeared\nleading two black dogs by a chain, which he brought into the centre of\nthe hall.  Zobeida then got up from her seat between the Calenders and\nthe Caliph and walked slowly across to where the porter stood with the\ndogs.  \"We must do our duty,\" she said with a deep sigh, pushing back\nher sleeves, and, taking a whip from Sadie, she said to the man, \"Take\none of those dogs to my sister Amina and give me the other.\"\n\nThe porter did as he was bid, but as he led the dog to Zobeida it\nuttered piercing howls, and gazed up at her with looks of entreaty.\nBut Zobeida took no notice, and whipped the dog till she was out of\nbreath.  She then took the chain from the porter, and, raising the dog\non its hind legs, they looked into each other's eyes sorrowfully till\ntears began to fall from both.  Then Zobeida took her handkerchief and\nwiped the dog's eyes tenderly, after which she kissed it, then, putting\nthe chain into the porter's hand she said, \"Take it back to the closet\nand bring me the other.\"\n\nThe same ceremony was gone through with the second dog, and all the\nwhile the whole company looked on with astonishment.  The Caliph in\nparticular could hardly contain himself, and made signs to the vizir to\nask what it all meant.  But the vizir pretended not to see, and turned\nhis head away.\n\nZobeida remained for some time in the middle of the room, till at last\nSadie went up to her and begged her to sit down, as she also had her\npart to play.  At these words Amina fetched a lute from a case of\nyellow satin and gave it to Sadie, who sang several songs to its\naccompaniment.  When she was tired she said to Amina, \"My sister, I can\ndo no more; come, I pray you, and take my place.\"\n\nAmina struck a few chords and then broke into a song, which she sang\nwith so much ardour that she was quite overcome, and sank gasping on a\npile of cushions, tearing open her dress as she did so to give herself\nsome air.  To the amazement of all present, her neck, instead of being\nas smooth and white as her face, was a mass of scars.\n\nThe Calenders and the Caliph looked at each other, and whispered\ntogether, unheard by Zobeida and Sadie, who were tending their fainting\nsister.\n\n\"What does it all mean?' asked the Caliph.\n\n\"We know no more than you,\" said the Calender to whom he had spoken.\n\n\"What!  You do not belong to the house?\"\n\n\"My lord,\" answered all the Calenders together, \"we came here for the\nfirst time an hour before you.\"\n\nThey then turned to the porter to see if he could explain the mystery,\nbut the porter was no wiser than they were themselves.  At length the\nCaliph could contain his curiosity no longer, and declared that he\nwould compel the ladies to tell them the meaning of their strange\nconduct.  The vizir, foreseeing what would happen, implored him to\nremember the condition their hostesses had imposed, and added in a\nwhisper that if his Highness would only wait till morning he could as\nCaliph summon the ladies to appear before him.  But the Caliph, who was\nnot accustomed to be contradicted, rejected this advice, and it was\nresolved after a little more talking that the question should be put by\nthe porter.  Suddenly Zobeida turned round, and seeing their excitement\nshe said, \"What is the matter--what are you all discussing so\nearnestly?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" answered the porter, \"these gentlemen entreat you to explain\nto them why you should first whip the dogs and then cry over them, and\nalso how it happens that the fainting lady is covered with scars.  They\nhave requested me, Madam, to be their mouthpiece.\"\n\n\n\"Is it true, gentlemen,\" asked Zobeida, drawing herself up, \"that you\nhave charged this man to put me that question?\"\n\n\"It is,\" they all replied, except Giafar, who was silent.\n\n\"Is this,\" continued Zobeida, growing more angry every moment, \"is this\nthe return you make for the hospitality I have shown you?  Have you\nforgotten the one condition on which you were allowed to enter the\nhouse?  Come quickly,\" she added, clapping her hands three times, and\nthe words were hardly uttered when seven black slaves, each armed with\na sabre, burst in and stood over the seven men, throwing them on the\nground, and preparing themselves, on a sign from their mistress, to cut\noff their heads.\n\nThe seven culprits all thought their last hour had come, and the Caliph\nrepented bitterly that he had not taken the vizir's advice.  But they\nmade up their minds to die bravely, all except the porter, who loudly\ninquired of Zobeida why he was to suffer for other people's faults, and\ndeclared that these misfortunes would never have happened if it had not\nbeen for the Calenders, who always brought ill-luck. He ended by\nimploring Zobeida not to confound the innocent with the guilty and to\nspare his life.\n\nIn spite of her anger, there was something so comic in the groans of\nthe porter that Zobeida could not refrain from laughing.  But putting\nhim aside she addressed the others a second time, saying, \"Answer me;\nwho are you?  Unless you tell me truly you have not another moment to\nlive.  I can hardly think you are men of any position, whatever country\nyou belong to.  If you were, you would have had more consideration for\nus.\"\n\nThe Caliph, who was naturally very impatient, suffered far more than\neither of the others at feeling that his life was at the mercy of a\njustly offended lady, but when he heard her question he began to\nbreathe more freely, for he was convinced that she had only to learn\nhis name and rank for all danger to be over.  So he whispered hastily\nto the vizir, who was next to him, to reveal their secret.  But the\nvizir, wiser than his master, wished to conceal from the public the\naffront they had received, and merely answered, \"After all, we have\nonly got what we deserved.\"\n\nMeanwhile Zobeida had turned to the three Calenders and inquired if, as\nthey were all blind, they were brothers.\n\n\"No, madam,\" replied one, \"we are no blood relations at all, only\nbrothers by our mode of life.\"\n\n\"And you,\" she asked, addressing another, \"were you born blind of one\neye?\"\n\n\"No, madam,\" returned he, \"I became blind through a most surprising\nadventure, such as probably has never happened to anybody.  After that\nI shaved my head and eyebrows and put on the dress in which you see me\nnow.\"\n\nZobeida put the same question to the other two Calenders, and received\nthe same answer.\n\n\"But,\" added the third, \"it may interest you, madam, to know that we\nare not men of low birth, but are all three sons of kings, and of\nkings, too, whom the world holds in high esteem.\"\n\nAt these words Zobeida's anger cooled down, and she turned to her\nslaves and said, \"You can give them a little more liberty, but do not\nleave the hall.  Those that will tell us their histories and their\nreasons for coming here shall be allowed to leave unhurt; those who\nrefuse--\" And she paused, but in a moment the porter, who understood\nthat he had only to relate his story to set himself free from this\nterrible danger, immediately broke in,\n\n\"Madam, you know already how I came here, and what I have to say will\nsoon be told.  Your sister found me this morning in the place where I\nalways stand waiting to be hired.  She bade me follow her to various\nshops, and when my basket was quite full we returned to this house,\nwhen you had the goodness to permit me to remain, for which I shall be\neternally grateful.  That is my story.\"\n\nHe looked anxiously to Zobeida, who nodded her head and said, \"You can\ngo; and take care we never meet again.\"\n\n\"Oh, madam,\" cried the porter, \"let me stay yet a little while.  It is\nnot just that the others should have heard my story and that I should\nnot hear theirs,\" and without waiting for permission he seated himself\non the end of the sofa occupied by the ladies, whilst the rest crouched\non the carpet, and the slaves stood against the wall.\n\nThen one of the Calenders, addressing himself to Zobeida as the\nprincipal lady, began his story.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the First Calender, Son of a King\n\n\nIn order, madam, to explain how I came to lose my right eye, and to\nwear the dress of a Calender, you must first know that I am the son of\na king.  My father's only brother reigned over the neighbouring\ncountry, and had two children, a daughter and a son, who were of the\nsame age as myself.\n\nAs I grew up, and was allowed more liberty, I went every year to pay a\nvisit to my uncle's court, and usually stayed there about two months.\nIn this way my cousin and I became very intimate, and were much\nattached to each other.  The very last time I saw him he seemed more\ndelighted to see me than ever, and gave a great feast in my honour.\nWhen we had finished eating, he said to me, \"My cousin, you would never\nguess what I have been doing since your last visit to us!  Directly\nafter your departure I set a number of men to work on a building after\nmy own design.  It is now completed, and ready to be lived in.  I\nshould like to show it to you, but you must first swear two things: to\nbe faithful to me, and to keep my secret.\"\n\nOf course I did not dream of refusing him anything he asked, and gave\nthe promise without the least hesitation.  He then bade me wait an\ninstant, and vanished, returning in a few moments with a richly dressed\nlady of great beauty, but as he did not tell me her name, I thought it\nwas better not to inquire.  We all three sat down to table and amused\nourselves with talking of all sorts of indifferent things, and with\ndrinking each other's health.  Suddenly the prince said to me, \"Cousin,\nwe have no time to lose; be so kind as to conduct this lady to a\ncertain spot, where you will find a dome-like tomb, newly built.  You\ncannot mistake it.  Go in, both of you, and wait till I come.  I shall\nnot be long.\"\n\nAs I had promised I prepared to do as I was told, and giving my hand to\nthe lady, I escorted her, by the light of the moon, to the place of\nwhich the prince had spoken.  We had barely reached it when he joined\nus himself, carrying a small vessel of water, a pickaxe, and a little\nbag containing plaster.\n\nWith the pickaxe he at once began to destroy the empty sepulchre in the\nmiddle of the tomb.  One by one he took the stones and piled them up in\na corner.  When he had knocked down the whole sepulchre he proceeded to\ndig at the earth, and beneath where the sepulchre had been I saw a\ntrap-door. He raised the door and I caught sight of the top of a spiral\nstaircase; then he said, turning to the lady, \"Madam, this is the way\nthat will lead you down to the spot which I told you of.\"\n\nThe lady did not answer, but silently descended the staircase, the\nprince following her.  At the top, however, he looked at me.  \"My\ncousin,\" he exclaimed, \"I do not know how to thank you for your\nkindness.  Farewell.\"\n\n\"What do you mean?\"  I cried.  \"I don't understand.\"\n\n\"No matter,\" he replied, \"go back by the path that you came.\"\n\nHe would say no more, and, greatly puzzled, I returned to my room in\nthe palace and went to bed.  When I woke, and considered my adventure,\nI thought that I must have been dreaming, and sent a servant to ask if\nthe prince was dressed and could see me.  But on hearing that he had\nnot slept at home I was much alarmed, and hastened to the cemetery,\nwhere, unluckily, the tombs were all so alike that I could not discover\nwhich was the one I was in search of, though I spent four days in\nlooking for it.\n\nYou must know that all this time the king, my uncle, was absent on a\nhunting expedition, and as no one knew when he would be back, I at last\ndecided to return home, leaving the ministers to make my excuses.  I\nlonged to tell them what had become of the prince, about whose fate\nthey felt the most dreadful anxiety, but the oath I had sworn kept me\nsilent.\n\nOn my arrival at my father's capital, I was astonished to find a large\ndetachment of guards drawn up before the gate of the palace; they\nsurrounded me directly I entered.  I asked the officers in command the\nreason of this strange behaviour, and was horrified to learn that the\narmy had mutinied and put to death the king, my father, and had placed\nthe grand-vizir on the throne.  Further, that by his orders I was\nplaced under arrest.\n\nNow this rebel vizir had hated me from my boy-hood, because once, when\nshooting at a bird with a bow, I had shot out his eye by accident.  Of\ncourse I not only sent a servant at once to offer him my regrets and\napologies, but I made them in person.  It was all of no use.  He\ncherished an undying hatred towards me, and lost no occasion of showing\nit.  Having once got me in his power I felt he could show no mercy, and\nI was right.  Mad with triumph and fury he came to me in my prison and\ntore out my right eye.  That is how I lost it.\n\nMy persecutor, however, did not stop here.  He shut me up in a large\ncase and ordered his executioner to carry me into a desert place, to\ncut off my head, and then to abandon my body to the birds of prey.  The\ncase, with me inside it, was accordingly placed on a horse, and the\nexecutioner, accompanied by another man, rode into the country until\nthey found a spot suitable for the purpose.  But their hearts were not\nso hard as they seemed, and my tears and prayers made them waver.\n\n\"Forsake the kingdom instantly,\" said the executioner at last, \"and\ntake care never to come back, for you will not only lose your head, but\nmake us lose ours.\"  I thanked him gratefully, and tried to console\nmyself for the loss of my eye by thinking of the other misfortunes I\nhad escaped.\n\n\nAfter all I had gone through, and my fear of being recognised by some\nenemy, I could only travel very slowly and cautiously, generally\nresting in some out-of-the-way place by day, and walking as far as I\nwas able by night, but at length I arrived in the kingdom of my uncle,\nof whose protection I was sure.\n\nI found him in great trouble about the disappearance of his son, who\nhad, he said, vanished without leaving a trace; but his own grief did\nnot prevent him sharing mine.  We mingled our tears, for the loss of\none was the loss of the other, and then I made up my mind that it was\nmy duty to break the solemn oath I had sworn to the prince.  I\ntherefore lost no time in telling my uncle everything I knew, and I\nobserved that even before I had ended his sorrow appeared to be\nlightened a little.\n\n\"My dear nephew,\" he said, \"your story gives me some hope.  I was aware\nthat my son was building a tomb, and I think I can find the spot.  But\nas he wished to keep the matter secret, let us go alone and seek the\nplace ourselves.\"\n\nHe then bade me disguise myself, and we both slipped out of a garden\ndoor which opened on to the cemetery.  It did not take long for us to\narrive at the scene of the prince's disappearance, or to discover the\ntomb I had sought so vainly before.  We entered it, and found the\ntrap-door which led to the staircase, but we had great difficulty in\nraising it, because the prince had fastened it down underneath with the\nplaster he had brought with him.\n\nMy uncle went first, and I followed him.  When we reached the bottom of\nthe stairs we stepped into a sort of ante-room, filled with such a\ndense smoke that it was hardly possible to see anything.  However, we\npassed through the smoke into a large chamber, which at first seemed\nquite empty.  The room was brilliantly lighted, and in another moment\nwe perceived a sort of platform at one end, on which were the bodies of\nthe prince and a lady, both half-burned, as if they had been dragged\nout of a fire before it had quite consumed them.\n\nThis horrible sight turned me faint, but, to my surprise, my uncle did\nnot show so much surprise as anger.\n\n\"I knew,\" he said, \"that my son was tenderly attached to this lady,\nwhom it was impossible he should ever marry.  I tried to turn his\nthoughts, and presented to him the most beautiful princesses, but he\ncared for none of them, and, as you see, they have now been united by a\nhorrible death in an underground tomb.\"  But, as he spoke, his anger\nmelted into tears, and again I wept with him.\n\nWhen he recovered himself he drew me to him.  \"My dear nephew,\" he\nsaid, embracing me, \"you have come to me to take his place, and I will\ndo my best to forget that I ever had a son who could act in so wicked a\nmanner.\"  Then he turned and went up the stairs.\n\nWe reached the palace without anyone having noticed our absence, when,\nshortly after, a clashing of drums, and cymbals, and the blare of\ntrumpets burst upon our astonished ears.  At the same time a thick\ncloud of dust on the horizon told of the approach of a great army.  My\nheart sank when I perceived that the commander was the vizir who had\ndethroned my father, and was come to seize the kingdom of my uncle.\n\nThe capital was utterly unprepared to stand a siege, and seeing that\nresistance was useless, at once opened its gates.  My uncle fought hard\nfor his life, but was soon overpowered, and when he fell I managed to\nescape through a secret passage, and took refuge with an officer whom I\nknew I could trust.\n\nPersecuted by ill-fortune, and stricken with grief, there seemed to be\nonly one means of safety left to me.  I shaved my beard and my\neyebrows, and put on the dress of a calender, in which it was easy for\nme to travel without being known.  I avoided the towns till I reached\nthe kingdom of the famous and powerful Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, when\nI had no further reason to fear my enemies.  It was my intention to\ncome to Bagdad and to throw myself at the feet of his Highness, who\nwould, I felt certain, be touched by my sad story, and would grant me,\nbesides, his help and protection.\n\nAfter a journey which lasted some months I arrived at length at the\ngates of this city.  It was sunset, and I paused for a little to look\nabout me, and to decide which way to turn my steps.  I was still\ndebating on this subject when I was joined by this other calender, who\nstopped to greet me.  \"You, like me, appear to be a stranger,\" I said.\nHe replied that I was right, and before he could say more the third\ncalender came up.  He, also, was newly arrived in Bagdad, and being\nbrothers in misfortune, we resolved to cast in our lots together, and\nto share whatever fate might have in store.\n\nBy this time it had grown late, and we did not know where to spend the\nnight.  But our lucky star having guided us to this door, we took the\nliberty of knocking and of asking for shelter, which was given to us at\nonce with the best grace in the world.\n\nThis, madam, is my story.\n\n\"I am satisfied,\" replied Zobeida; \"you can go when you like.\"\n\nThe calender, however, begged leave to stay and to hear the histories\nof his two friends and of the three other persons of the company, which\nhe was allowed to do.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Second Calendar, Son of a King\n\n\n\"Madam,\" said the young man, addressing Zobeida, \"if you wish to know\nhow I lost my right eye, I shall have to tell you the story of my whole\nlife.\"\n\nI was scarcely more than a baby, when the king my father, finding me\nunusually quick and clever for my age, turned his thoughts to my\neducation.  I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the\nKoran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better to\nunderstand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on its\nteaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting the\nProphet, which have been gathered from the mouth of those who were his\nfriends.  I also learnt history, and was instructed in poetry,\nversification, geography, chronology, and in all the outdoor exercises\nin which every prince should excel.  But what I liked best of all was\nwriting Arabic characters, and in this I soon surpassed my masters, and\ngained a reputation in this branch of knowledge that reached as far as\nIndia itself.\n\nNow the Sultan of the Indies, curious to see a young prince with such\nstrange tastes, sent an ambassador to my father, laden with rich\npresents, and a warm invitation to visit his court.  My father, who was\ndeeply anxious to secure the friendship of so powerful a monarch, and\nheld besides that a little travel would greatly improve my manners and\nopen my mind, accepted gladly, and in a short time I had set out for\nIndia with the ambassador, attended only by a small suite on account of\nthe length of the journey, and the badness of the roads.  However, as\nwas my duty, I took with me ten camels, laden with rich presents for\nthe Sultan.\n\nWe had been travelling for about a month, when one day we saw a cloud\nof dust moving swiftly towards us; and as soon as it came near, we\nfound that the dust concealed a band of fifty robbers.  Our men barely\nnumbered half, and as we were also hampered by the camels, there was no\nuse in fighting, so we tried to overawe them by informing them who we\nwere, and whither we were going.  The robbers, however, only laughed,\nand declared that was none of their business, and, without more words,\nattacked us brutally.  I defended myself to the last, wounded though I\nwas, but at length, seeing that resistance was hopeless, and that the\nambassador and all our followers were made prisoners, I put spurs to my\nhorse and rode away as fast as I could, till the poor beast fell dead\nfrom a wound in his side.  I managed to jump off without any injury,\nand looked about to see if I was pursued.  But for the moment I was\nsafe, for, as I imagined, the robbers were all engaged in quarrelling\nover their booty.\n\nI found myself in a country that was quite new to me, and dared not\nreturn to the main road lest I should again fall into the hands of the\nrobbers.  Luckily my wound was only a slight one, and after binding it\nup as well as I could, I walked on for the rest of the day, till I\nreached a cave at the foot of a mountain, where I passed the night in\npeace, making my supper off some fruits I had gathered on the way.\n\nI wandered about for a whole month without knowing where I was going,\ntill at length I found myself on the outskirts of a beautiful city,\nwatered by winding streams, which enjoyed an eternal spring.  My\ndelight at the prospect of mixing once more with human beings was\nsomewhat damped at the thought of the miserable object I must seem.  My\nface and hands had been burned nearly black; my clothes were all in\nrags, and my shoes were in such a state that I had been forced to\nabandon them altogether.\n\nI entered the town, and stopped at a tailor's shop to inquire where I\nwas.  The man saw I was better than my condition, and begged me to sit\ndown, and in return I told him my whole story.  The tailor listened\nwith attention, but his reply, instead of giving me consolation, only\nincreased my trouble.\n\n\"Beware,\" he said, \"of telling any one what you have told me, for the\nprince who governs the kingdom is your father's greatest enemy, and he\nwill be rejoiced to find you in his power.\"\n\nI thanked the tailor for his counsel, and said I would do whatever he\nadvised; then, being very hungry, I gladly ate of the food he put\nbefore me, and accepted his offer of a lodging in his house.\n\nIn a few days I had quite recovered from the hardships I had undergone,\nand then the tailor, knowing that it was the custom for the princes of\nour religion to learn a trade or profession so as to provide for\nthemselves in times of ill-fortune, inquired if there was anything I\ncould do for my living.  I replied that I had been educated as a\ngrammarian and a poet, but that my great gift was writing.\n\n\"All that is of no use here,\" said the tailor.  \"Take my advice, put on\na short coat, and as you seem hardy and strong, go into the woods and\ncut firewood, which you will sell in the streets.  By this means you\nwill earn your living, and be able to wait till better times come.  The\nhatchet and the cord shall be my present.\"\n\nThis counsel was very distasteful to me, but I thought I could not do\notherwise than adopt it.  So the next morning I set out with a company\nof poor wood-cutters, to whom the tailor had introduced me.  Even on\nthe first day I cut enough wood to sell for a tolerable sum, and very\nsoon I became more expert, and had made enough money to repay the\ntailor all he had lent me.\n\nI had been a wood-cutter for more than a year, when one day I wandered\nfurther into the forest than I had ever done before, and reached a\ndelicious green glade, where I began to cut wood.  I was hacking at the\nroot of a tree, when I beheld an iron ring fastened to a trapdoor of\nthe same metal.  I soon cleared away the earth, and pulling up the\ndoor, found a staircase, which I hastily made up my mind to go down,\ncarrying my hatchet with me by way of protection.  When I reached the\nbottom I discovered that I was in a huge palace, as brilliantly lighted\nas any palace above ground that I had ever seen, with a long gallery\nsupported by pillars of jasper, ornamented with capitals of gold.  Down\nthis gallery a lady came to meet me, of such beauty that I forgot\neverything else, and thought only of her.\n\nTo save her all the trouble possible, I hastened towards her, and bowed\nlow.\n\n\"Who are you?  Who are you?\" she said.  \"A man or a genius?\"\n\n\"A man, madam,\" I replied; \"I have nothing to do with genii.\"\n\n\"By what accident do you come here?\" she asked again with a sigh.  \"I\nhave been in this place now for five and twenty years, and you are the\nfirst man who has visited me.\"\n\nEmboldened by her beauty and gentleness, I ventured to reply, \"Before,\nmadam, I answer your question, allow me to say how grateful I am for\nthis meeting, which is not only a consolation to me in my own heavy\nsorrow, but may perhaps enable me to render your lot happier,\" and then\nI told her who I was, and how I had come there.\n\n\"Alas, prince,\" she said, with a deeper sigh than before, \"you have\nguessed rightly in supposing me an unwilling prisoner in this gorgeous\nplace.  I am the daughter of the king of the Ebony Isle, of whose fame\nyou surely must have heard.  At my father's desire I was married to a\nprince who was my own cousin; but on my very wedding day, I was\nsnatched up by a genius, and brought here in a faint.  For a long while\nI did nothing but weep, and would not suffer the genius to come near\nme; but time teaches us submission, and I have now got accustomed to\nhis presence, and if clothes and jewels could content me, I have them\nin plenty.  Every tenth day, for five and twenty years, I have received\na visit from him, but in case I should need his help at any other time,\nI have only to touch a talisman that stands at the entrance of my\nchamber.  It wants still five days to his next visit, and I hope that\nduring that time you will do me the honour to be my guest.\"\n\nI was too much dazzled by her beauty to dream of refusing her offer,\nand accordingly the princess had me conducted to the bath, and a rich\ndress befitting my rank was provided for me.  Then a feast of the most\ndelicate dishes was served in a room hung with embroidered Indian\nfabrics.\n\nNext day, when we were at dinner, I could maintain my patience no\nlonger, and implored the princess to break her bonds, and return with\nme to the world which was lighted by the sun.\n\n\"What you ask is impossible,\" she answered; \"but stay here with me\ninstead, and we can be happy, and all you will have to do is to betake\nyourself to the forest every tenth day, when I am expecting my master\nthe genius.  He is very jealous, as you know, and will not suffer a man\nto come near me.\"\n\n\"Princess,\" I replied, \"I see it is only fear of the genius that makes\nyou act like this.  For myself, I dread him so little that I mean to\nbreak his talisman in pieces!  Awful though you think him, he shall\nfeel the weight of my arm, and I herewith take a solemn vow to stamp\nout the whole race.\"\n\nThe princess, who realized the consequences of such audacity, entreated\nme not to touch the talisman.  \"If you do, it will be the ruin of both\nof us,\" said she; \"I know genii much better than you.\" But the wine I\nhad drunk had confused my brain; I gave one kick to the talisman, and\nit fell into a thousand pieces.\n\nHardly had my foot touched the talisman when the air became as dark as\nnight, a fearful noise was heard, and the palace shook to its very\nfoundations.  In an instant I was sobered, and understood what I had\ndone.  \"Princess!\"  I cried, \"what is happening?\"\n\n\"Alas!\" she exclaimed, forgetting all her own terrors in anxiety for\nme, \"fly, or you are lost.\"\n\nI followed her advice and dashed up the staircase, leaving my hatchet\nbehind me.  But I was too late.  The palace opened and the genius\nappeared, who, turning angrily to the princess, asked indignantly,\n\n\"What is the matter, that you have sent for me like this?\"\n\n\"A pain in my heart,\" she replied hastily, \"obliged me to seek the aid\nof this little bottle.  Feeling faint, I slipped and fell against the\ntalisman, which broke.  That is really all.\"\n\n\"You are an impudent liar!\" cried the genius.  \"How did this hatchet\nand those shoes get here?\"\n\n\"I never saw them before,\" she answered, \"and you came in such a hurry\nthat you may have picked them up on the road without knowing it.\"  To\nthis the genius only replied by insults and blows.  I could hear the\nshrieks and groans of the princess, and having by this time taken off\nmy rich garments and put on those in which I had arrived the previous\nday, I lifted the trap, found myself once more in the forest, and\nreturned to my friend the tailor, with a light load of wood and a heart\nfull of shame and sorrow.\n\nThe tailor, who had been uneasy at my long absence, was, delighted to\nsee me; but I kept silence about my adventure, and as soon as possible\nretired to my room to lament in secret over my folly.  While I was thus\nindulging my grief my host entered, and said, \"There is an old man\ndownstairs who has brought your hatchet and slippers, which he picked\nup on the road, and now restores to you, as he found out from one of\nyour comrades where you lived.  You had better come down and speak to\nhim yourself.\"  At this speech I changed colour, and my legs trembled\nunder me.  The tailor noticed my confusion, and was just going to\ninquire the reason when the door of the room opened, and the old man\nappeared, carrying with him my hatchet and shoes.\n\n\"I am a genius,\" he said, \"the son of the daughter of Eblis, prince of\nthe genii.  Is not this hatchet yours, and these shoes?\" Without\nwaiting for an answer--which, indeed, I could hardly have given him, so\ngreat was my fright--he seized hold of me, and darted up into the air\nwith the quickness of lightning, and then, with equal swiftness,\ndropped down towards the earth.  When he touched the ground, he rapped\nit with his foot; it opened, and we found ourselves in the enchanted\npalace, in the presence of the beautiful princess of the Ebony Isle.\nBut how different she looked from what she was when I had last seen\nher, for she was lying stretched on the ground covered with blood, and\nweeping bitterly.\n\n\"Traitress!\" cried the genius, \"is not this man your lover?\"\n\nShe lifted up her eyes slowly, and looked sadly at me.  \"I never saw\nhim before,\" she answered slowly.  \"I do not know who he is.\"\n\n\"What!\" exclaimed the genius, \"you owe all your sufferings to him, and\nyet you dare to say he is a stranger to you!\"\n\n\"But if he really is a stranger to me,\" she replied, \"why should I tell\na lie and cause his death?\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the genius, drawing his sword, \"take this, and cut\noff his head.\"\n\n\"Alas,\" answered the princess, \"I am too weak even to hold the sabre.\nAnd supposing that I had the strength, why should I put an innocent man\nto death?\"\n\n\"You condemn yourself by your refusal,\" said the genius; then turning\nto me, he added, \"and you, do you not know her?\"\n\n\"How should I?\"  I replied, resolved to imitate the princess in her\nfidelity.  \"How should I, when I never saw her before?\"\n\n\"Cut her head off,\" then, \"if she is a stranger to you, and I shall\nbelieve you are speaking the truth, and will set you at liberty.\"\n\n\"Certainly,\" I answered, taking the sabre in my hands, and making a\nsign to the princess to fear nothing, as it was my own life that I was\nabout to sacrifice, and not hers.  But the look of gratitude she gave\nme shook my courage, and I flung the sabre to the earth.\n\n\"I should not deserve to live,\" I said to the genius, \"if I were such a\ncoward as to slay a lady who is not only unknown to me, but who is at\nthis moment half dead herself.  Do with me as you will--I am in your\npower--but I refuse to obey your cruel command.\"\n\n\"I see,\" said the genius, \"that you have both made up your minds to\nbrave me, but I will give you a sample of what you may expect.\" So\nsaying, with one sweep of his sabre he cut off a hand of the princess,\nwho was just able to lift the other to wave me an eternal farewell.\nThen I lost consciousness for several minutes.\n\nWhen I came to myself I implored the genius to keep me no longer in\nthis state of suspense, but to lose no time in putting an end to my\nsufferings.  The genius, however, paid no attention to my prayers, but\nsaid sternly, \"That is the way in which a genius treats the woman who\nhas betrayed him.  If I chose, I could kill you also; but I will be\nmerciful, and content myself with changing you into a dog, an ass, a\nlion, or a bird--whichever you prefer.\"\n\nI caught eagerly at these words, as giving me a faint hope of softening\nhis wrath.  \"O genius!\"  I cried, \"as you wish to spare my life, be\ngenerous, and spare it altogether.  Grant my prayer, and pardon my\ncrime, as the best man in the whole world forgave his neighbour who was\neaten up with envy of him.\" Contrary to my hopes, the genius seemed\ninterested in my words, and said he would like to hear the story of the\ntwo neighbours; and as I think, madam, it may please you, I will tell\nit to you also.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied\n\n\nIn a town of moderate size, two men lived in neighbouring houses; but\nthey had not been there very long before one man took such a hatred of\nthe other, and envied him so bitterly, that the poor man determined to\nfind another home, hoping that when they no longer met every day his\nenemy would forget all about him.  So he sold his house and the little\nfurniture it contained, and moved into the capital of the country,\nwhich was luckily at no great distance.  About half a mile from this\ncity he bought a nice little place, with a large garden and a\nfair-sized court, in the centre of which stood an old well.\n\nIn order to live a quieter life, the good man put on the robe of a\ndervish, and divided his house into a quantity of small cells, where he\nsoon established a number of other dervishes.  The fame of his virtue\ngradually spread abroad, and many people, including several of the\nhighest quality, came to visit him and ask his prayers.\n\nOf course it was not long before his reputation reached the ears of the\nman who envied him, and this wicked wretch resolved never to rest till\nhe had in some way worked ill to the dervish whom he hated.  So he left\nhis house and his business to look after themselves, and betook himself\nto the new dervish monastery, where he was welcomed by the founder with\nall the warmth imaginable.  The excuse he gave for his appearance was\nthat he had come to consult the chief of the dervishes on a private\nmatter of great importance.  \"What I have to say must not be\noverheard,\" he whispered; \"command, I beg of you, that your dervishes\nretire into their cells, as night is approaching, and meet me in the\ncourt.\"\n\nThe dervish did as he was asked without delay, and directly they were\nalone together the envious man began to tell a long story, edging, as\nthey walked to and fro, always nearer to the well, and when they were\nquite close, he seized the dervish and dropped him in.  He then ran off\ntriumphantly, without having been seen by anyone, and congratulating\nhimself that the object of his hatred was dead, and would trouble him\nno more.\n\nBut in this he was mistaken!  The old well had long been inhabited\n(unknown to mere human beings) by a set of fairies and genii, who\ncaught the dervish as he fell, so that he received no hurt.  The\ndervish himself could see nothing, but he took for granted that\nsomething strange had happened, or he must certainly have been dashed\nagainst the side of the well and been killed.  He lay quite still, and\nin a moment he heard a voice saying, \"Can you guess whom this man is\nthat we have saved from death?\"\n\n\"No,\" replied several other voices.\n\nAnd the first speaker answered, \"I will tell you.  This man, from pure\ngoodness of heart, forsook the town where he lived and came to dwell\nhere, in the hope of curing one of his neighbours of the envy he felt\ntowards him.  But his character soon won him the esteem of all, and the\nenvious man's hatred grew, till he came here with the deliberate\nintention of causing his death.  And this he would have done, without\nour help, the very day before the Sultan has arranged to visit this\nholy dervish, and to entreat his prayers for the princess, his\ndaughter.\"\n\n\"But what is the matter with the princess that she needs the dervish's\nprayers?\" asked another voice.\n\n\"She has fallen into the power of the genius Maimoum, the son of\nDimdim,\" replied the first voice.  \"But it would be quite simple for\nthis holy chief of the dervishes to cure her if he only knew!  In his\nconvent there is a black cat which has a tiny white tip to its tail.\nNow to cure the princess the dervish must pull out seven of these white\nhairs, burn three, and with their smoke perfume the head of the\nprincess.  This will deliver her so completely that Maimoum, the son of\nDimdim, will never dare to approach her again.\"\n\nThe fairies and genii ceased talking, but the dervish did not forget a\nword of all they had said; and when morning came he perceived a place\nin the side of the well which was broken, and where he could easily\nclimb out.\n\nThe dervishes, who could not imagine what had become of him, were\nenchanted at his reappearance.  He told them of the attempt on his life\nmade by his guest of the previous day, and then retired into his cell.\nHe was soon joined here by the black cat of which the voice had spoken,\nwho came as usual to say good-morning to his master.  He took him on\nhis knee and seized the opportunity to pull seven white hairs out of\nhis tail, and put them on one side till they were needed.\n\nThe sun had not long risen before the Sultan, who was anxious to leave\nnothing undone that might deliver the princess, arrived with a large\nsuite at the gate of the monastery, and was received by the dervishes\nwith profound respect.  The Sultan lost no time in declaring the object\nof his visit, and leading the chief of the dervishes aside, he said to\nhim, \"Noble scheik, you have guessed perhaps what I have come to ask\nyou?\"\n\n\"Yes, sire,\" answered the dervish; \"if I am not mistaken, it is the\nillness of the princess which has procured me this honour.\"\n\n\"You are right,\" returned the Sultan, \"and you will give me fresh life\nif you can by your prayers deliver my daughter from the strange malady\nthat has taken possession of her.\"\n\n\"Let your highness command her to come here, and I will see what I can\ndo.\"\n\nThe Sultan, full of hope, sent orders at once that the princess was to\nset out as soon as possible, accompanied by her usual staff of\nattendants.  When she arrived, she was so thickly veiled that the\ndervish could not see her face, but he desired a brazier to be held\nover her head, and laid the seven hairs on the burning coals.  The\ninstant they were consumed, terrific cries were heard, but no one could\ntell from whom they proceeded.  Only the dervish guessed that they were\nuttered by Maimoum the son of Dimdim, who felt the princess escaping\nhim.\n\nAll this time she had seemed unconscious of what she was doing, but now\nshe raised her hand to her veil and uncovered her face.  \"Where am I?\"\nshe said in a bewildered manner; \"and how did I get here?\"\n\nThe Sultan was so delighted to hear these words that he not only\nembraced his daughter, but kissed the hand of the dervish.  Then,\nturning to his attendants who stood round, he said to them, \"What\nreward shall I give to the man who has restored me my daughter?\"\n\nThey all replied with one accord that he deserved the hand of the\nprincess.\n\n\"That is my own opinion,\" said he, \"and from this moment I declare him\nto be my son-in-law.\"\n\nShortly after these events, the grand-vizir died, and his post was\ngiven to the dervish.  But he did not hold it for long, for the Sultan\nfell a victim to an attack of illness, and as he had no sons, the\nsoldiers and priests declared the dervish heir to the throne, to the\ngreat joy of all the people.\n\nOne day, when the dervish, who had now become Sultan, was making a\nroyal progress with his court, he perceived the envious man standing in\nthe crowd.  He made a sign to one of his vizirs, and whispered in his\near, \"Fetch me that man who is standing out there, but take great care\nnot to frighten him.\"  The vizir obeyed, and when the envious man was\nbrought before the Sultan, the monarch said to him, \"My friend, I am\ndelighted to see you again.\"  Then turning to an officer, he added,\n\"Give him a thousand pieces of gold out of my treasury, and twenty\nwaggon-loads of merchandise out of my private stores, and let an escort\nof soldiers accompany him home.\"  He then took leave of the envious\nman, and went on his way.\n\nNow when I had ended my story, I proceeded to show the genius how to\napply it to himself.  \"O genius,\" I said, \"you see that this Sultan was\nnot content with merely forgiving the envious man for the attempt on\nhis life; he heaped rewards and riches upon him.\"\n\nBut the genius had made up his mind, and could not be softened.  \"Do\nnot imagine that you are going to escape so easily,\" he said.  \"All I\ncan do is to give you bare life; you will have to learn what happens to\npeople who interfere with me.\"\n\nAs he spoke he seized me violently by the arm; the roof of the palace\nopened to make way for us, and we mounted up so high into the air that\nthe earth looked like a little cloud.  Then, as before, he came down\nwith the swiftness of lightning, and we touched the ground on a\nmountain top.\n\nThen he stooped and gathered a handful of earth, and murmured some\nwords over it, after which he threw the earth in my face, saying as he\ndid so, \"Quit the form of a man, and assume that of a monkey.\" This\ndone, he vanished, and I was in the likeness of an ape, and in a\ncountry I had never seen before.\n\nHowever there was no use in stopping where I was, so I came down the\nmountain and found myself in a flat plain which was bounded by the sea.\nI travelled towards it, and was pleased to see a vessel moored about\nhalf a mile from shore.  There were no waves, so I broke off the branch\nof a tree, and dragging it down to the water's edge, sat across it,\nwhile, using two sticks for oars, I rowed myself towards the ship.\n\nThe deck was full of people, who watched my progress with interest, but\nwhen I seized a rope and swung myself on board, I found that I had only\nescaped death at the hands of the genius to perish by those of the\nsailors, lest I should bring ill-luck to the vessel and the merchants.\n\"Throw him into the sea!\" cried one.  \"Knock him on the head with a\nhammer,\" exclaimed another.  \"Let me shoot him with an arrow,\" said a\nthird; and certainly somebody would have had his way if I had not flung\nmyself at the captain's feet and grasped tight hold of his dress.  He\nappeared touched by my action and patted my head, and declared that he\nwould take me under his protection, and that no one should do me any\nharm.\n\nAt the end of about fifty days we cast anchor before a large town, and\nthe ship was immediately surrounded by a multitude of small boats\nfilled with people, who had come either to meet their friends or from\nsimple curiosity.  Among others, one boat contained several officials,\nwho asked to see the merchants on board, and informed them that they\nhad been sent by the Sultan in token of welcome, and to beg them each\nto write a few lines on a roll of paper.  \"In order to explain this\nstrange request,\" continued the officers, \"it is necessary that you\nshould know that the grand-vizir, lately dead, was celebrated for his\nbeautiful handwriting, and the Sultan is anxious to find a similar\ntalent in his successor.  Hitherto the search has been a failure, but\nhis Highness has not yet given up hope.\"\n\nOne after another the merchants set down a few lines upon the roll, and\nwhen they had all finished, I came forward, and snatched the paper from\nthe man who held it.  At first they all thought I was going to throw it\ninto the sea, but they were quieted when they saw I held it with great\ncare, and great was their surprise when I made signs that I too wished\nto write something.\n\n\"Let him do it if he wants to,\" said the captain.  \"If he only makes a\nmess of the paper, you may be sure I will punish him for it.  But if,\nas I hope, he really can write, for he is the cleverest monkey I ever\nsaw, I will adopt him as my son.  The one I lost had not nearly so much\nsense!\"\n\nNo more was said, and I took the pen and wrote the six sorts of writing\nin use among the Arabs, and each sort contained an original verse or\ncouplet, in praise of the Sultan.  And not only did my handwriting\ncompletely eclipse that of the merchants, but it is hardly too much to\nsay that none so beautiful had ever before been seen in that country.\nWhen I had ended the officials took the roll and returned to the Sultan.\n\nAs soon as the monarch saw my writing he did not so much as look at the\nsamples of the merchants, but desired his officials to take the finest\nand most richly caparisoned horse in his stables, together with the\nmost magnificent dress they could procure, and to put it on the person\nwho had written those lines, and bring him to court.\n\nThe officials began to laugh when they heard the Sultan's command, but\nas soon as they could speak they said, \"Deign, your highness, to excuse\nour mirth, but those lines were not written by a man but by a monkey.\"\n\n\"A monkey!\" exclaimed the Sultan.\n\n\"Yes, sire,\" answered the officials.  \"They were written by a monkey in\nour presence.\"\n\n\"Then bring me the monkey,\" he replied, \"as fast as you can.\"\n\nThe Sultan's officials returned to the ship and showed the royal order\nto the captain.\n\n\"He is the master,\" said the good man, and desired that I should be\nsent for.\n\nThen they put on me the gorgeous robe and rowed me to land, where I was\nplaced on the horse and led to the palace.  Here the Sultan was\nawaiting me in great state surrounded by his court.\n\nAll the way along the streets I had been the object of curiosity to a\nvast crowd, which had filled every doorway and every window, and it was\namidst their shouts and cheers that I was ushered into the presence of\nthe Sultan.\n\nI approached the throne on which he was seated and made him three low\nbows, then prostrated myself at his feet to the surprise of everyone,\nwho could not understand how it was possible that a monkey should be\nable to distinguish a Sultan from other people, and to pay him the\nrespect due to his rank.  However, excepting the usual speech, I\nomitted none of the common forms attending a royal audience.\n\nWhen it was over the Sultan dismissed all the court, keeping with him\nonly the chief of the eunuchs and a little slave.  He then passed into\nanother room and ordered food to be brought, making signs to me to sit\nat table with him and eat.  I rose from my seat, kissed the ground, and\ntook my place at the table, eating, as you may suppose, with care and\nin moderation.\n\nBefore the dishes were removed I made signs that writing materials,\nwhich stood in one corner of the room, should be laid in front of me.\nI then took a peach and wrote on it some verses in praise of the\nSultan, who was speechless with astonishment; but when I did the same\nthing on a glass from which I had drunk he murmured to himself, \"Why, a\nman who could do as much would be cleverer than any other man, and this\nis only a monkey!\"\n\nSupper being over chessmen were brought, and the Sultan signed to me to\nknow if I would play with him.  I kissed the ground and laid my hand on\nmy head to show that I was ready to show myself worthy of the honour.\nHe beat me the first game, but I won the second and third, and seeing\nthat this did not quite please I dashed off a verse by way of\nconsolation.\n\nThe Sultan was so enchanted with all the talents of which I had given\nproof that he wished me to exhibit some of them to other people.  So\nturning to the chief of the eunuchs he said, \"Go and beg my daughter,\nQueen of Beauty, to come here.  I will show her something she has never\nseen before.\"\n\nThe chief of the eunuchs bowed and left the room, ushering in a few\nmoments later the princess, Queen of Beauty.  Her face was uncovered,\nbut the moment she set foot in the room she threw her veil over her\nhead.  \"Sire,\" she said to her father, \"what can you be thinking of to\nsummon me like this into the presence of a man?\"\n\n\"I do not understand you,\" replied the Sultan.  \"There is nobody here\nbut the eunuch, who is your own servant, the little slave, and myself,\nyet you cover yourself with your veil and reproach me for having sent\nfor you, as if I had committed a crime.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the princess, \"I am right and you are wrong.  This\nmonkey is really no monkey at all, but a young prince who has been\nturned into a monkey by the wicked spells of a genius, son of the\ndaughter of Eblis.\"\n\nAs will be imagined, these words took the Sultan by surprise, and he\nlooked at me to see how I should take the statement of the princess.\nAs I was unable to speak, I placed my hand on my head to show that it\nwas true.\n\n\"But how do you know this, my daughter?\" asked he.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied Queen of Beauty, \"the old lady who took care of me in\nmy childhood was an accomplished magician, and she taught me seventy\nrules of her art, by means of which I could, in the twinkling of an\neye, transplant your capital into the middle of the ocean.  Her art\nlikewise teaches me to recognise at first sight all persons who are\nenchanted, and tells me by whom the spell was wrought.\"\n\n\"My daughter,\" said the Sultan, \"I really had no idea you were so\nclever.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the princess, \"there are many out-of-the-way things it\nis as well to know, but one should never boast of them.\"\n\n\"Well,\" asked the Sultan, \"can you tell me what must be done to\ndisenchant the young prince?\"\n\n\"Certainly; and I can do it.\"\n\n\"Then restore him to his former shape,\" cried the Sultan.  \"You could\ngive me no greater pleasure, for I wish to make him my grand-vizir, and\nto give him to you for your husband.\"\n\n\"As your Highness pleases,\" replied the princess.\n\nQueen of Beauty rose and went to her chamber, from which she fetched a\nknife with some Hebrew words engraven on the blade.  She then desired\nthe Sultan, the chief of the eunuchs, the little slave, and myself to\ndescend into a secret court of the palace, and placed us beneath a\ngallery which ran all round, she herself standing in the centre of the\ncourt.  Here she traced a large circle and in it wrote several words in\nArab characters.\n\nWhen the circle and the writing were finished she stood in the middle\nof it and repeated some verses from the Koran.  Slowly the air grew\ndark, and we felt as if the earth was about to crumble away, and our\nfright was by no means diminished at seeing the genius, son of the\ndaughter of Eblis, suddenly appear under the form of a colossal lion.\n\n\"Dog,\" cried the princess when she first caught sight of him, \"you\nthink to strike terror into me by daring to present yourself before me\nin this hideous shape.\"\n\n\"And you,\" retorted the lion, \"have not feared to break our treaty that\nengaged solemnly we should never interfere with each other.\"\n\n\"Accursed genius!\" exclaimed the princess, \"it is you by whom that\ntreaty was first broken.\"\n\n\"I will teach you how to give me so much trouble,\" said the lion, and\nopening his huge mouth he advanced to swallow her.  But the princess\nexpected something of the sort and was on her guard.  She bounded on\none side, and seizing one of the hairs of his mane repeated two or\nthree words over it.  In an instant it became a sword, and with a sharp\nblow she cut the lion's body into two pieces.  These pieces vanished no\none knew where, and only the lion's head remained, which was at once\nchanged into a scorpion.  Quick as thought the princess assumed the\nform of a serpent and gave battle to the scorpion, who, finding he was\ngetting the worst of it, turned himself into an eagle and took flight.\nBut in a moment the serpent had become an eagle more powerful still,\nwho soared up in the air and after him, and then we lost sight of them\nboth.\n\nWe all remained where we were quaking with anxiety, when the ground\nopened in front of us and a black and white cat leapt out, its hair\nstanding on end, and miauing frightfully.  At its heels was a wolf, who\nhad almost seized it, when the cat changed itself into a worm, and,\npiercing the skin of a pomegranate which had tumbled from a tree, hid\nitself in the fruit.  The pomegranate swelled till it grew as large as\na pumpkin, and raised itself on to the roof of the gallery, from which\nit fell into the court and was broken into bits.  While this was taking\nplace the wolf, who had transformed himself into a cock, began to\nswallow the seed of the pomegranate as fast as he could.  When all were\ngone he flew towards us, flapping his wings as if to ask if we saw any\nmore, when suddenly his eye fell on one which lay on the bank of the\nlittle canal that flowed through the court; he hastened towards it, but\nbefore he could touch it the seed rolled into the canal and became a\nfish.  The cock flung himself in after the fish and took the shape of a\npike, and for two hours they chased each other up and down under the\nwater, uttering horrible cries, but we could see nothing.  At length\nthey rose from the water in their proper forms, but darting such flames\nof fire from their mouths that we dreaded lest the palace should catch\nfire.  Soon, however, we had much greater cause for alarm, as the\ngenius, having shaken off the princess, flew towards us.  Our fate\nwould have been sealed if the princess, seeing our danger, had not\nattracted the attention of the genius to herself.  As it was, the\nSultan's beard was singed and his face scorched, the chief of the\neunuchs was burned to a cinder, while a spark deprived me of the sight\nof one eye.  Both I and the Sultan had given up all hope of a rescue,\nwhen there was a shout of \"Victory, victory!\" from the princess, and\nthe genius lay at her feet a great heap of ashes.\n\nExhausted though she was, the princess at once ordered the little\nslave, who alone was uninjured, to bring her a cup of water, which she\ntook in her hand.  First repeating some magic words over it, she dashed\nit into my face saying, \"If you are only a monkey by enchantment,\nresume the form of the man you were before.\" In an instant I stood\nbefore her the same man I had formerly been, though having lost the\nsight of one eye.\n\nI was about to fall on my knees and thank the princess but she did not\ngive me time.  Turning to the Sultan, her father, she said, \"Sire, I\nhave gained the battle, but it has cost me dear.  The fire has\npenetrated to my heart, and I have only a few moments to live.  This\nwould not have happened if I had only noticed the last pomegranate seed\nand eaten it like the rest.  It was the last struggle of the genius,\nand up to that time I was quite safe.  But having let this chance slip\nI was forced to resort to fire, and in spite of all his experience I\nshowed the genius that I knew more than he did.  He is dead and in\nashes, but my own death is approaching fast.\"  \"My daughter,\" cried the\nSultan, \"how sad is my condition!  I am only surprised I am alive at\nall!  The eunuch is consumed by the flames, and the prince whom you\nhave delivered has lost the sight of one eye.\"  He could say no more,\nfor sobs choked his voice, and we all wept together.\n\nSuddenly the princess shrieked, \"I burn, I burn!\" and death came to\nfree her from her torments.\n\nI have no words, madam, to tell you of my feelings at this terrible\nsight.  I would rather have remained a monkey all my life than let my\nbenefactress perish in this shocking manner.  As for the Sultan, he was\nquite inconsolable, and his subjects, who had dearly loved the\nprincess, shared his grief.  For seven days the whole nation mourned,\nand then the ashes of the princess were buried with great pomp, and a\nsuperb tomb was raised over her.\n\nAs soon as the Sultan recovered from the severe illness which had\nseized him after the death of the princess he sent for me and plainly,\nthough politely, informed me that my presence would always remind him\nof his loss, and he begged that I would instantly quit his kingdom, and\non pain of death never return to it.  I was, of course, bound to obey,\nand not knowing what was to become of me I shaved my beard and eyebrows\nand put on the dress of a calender.  After wandering aimlessly through\nseveral countries, I resolved to come to Bagdad and request an audience\nof the Commander of the Faithful.\n\nAnd that, madam, is my story.\n\nThe other Calender then told his story.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Third Calendar, Son of a King\n\n\nMy story, said the Third Calender, is quite different from those of my\ntwo friends.  It was fate that deprived them of the sight of their\nright eyes, but mine was lost by my own folly.\n\nMy name is Agib, and I am the son of a king called Cassib, who reigned\nover a large kingdom, which had for its capital one of the finest\nseaport towns in the world.\n\nWhen I succeeded to my father's throne my first care was to visit the\nprovinces on the mainland, and then to sail to the numerous islands\nwhich lay off the shore, in order to gain the hearts of my subjects.\nThese voyages gave me such a taste for sailing that I soon determined\nto explore more distant seas, and commanded a fleet of large ships to\nbe got ready without delay.  When they were properly fitted out I\nembarked on my expedition.\n\nFor forty days wind and weather were all in our favour, but the next\nnight a terrific storm arose, which blew us hither and thither for ten\ndays, till the pilot confessed that he had quite lost his bearings.\nAccordingly a sailor was sent up to the masthead to try to catch a\nsight of land, and reported that nothing was to be seen but the sea and\nsky, except a huge mass of blackness that lay astern.\n\nOn hearing this the pilot grew white, and, beating his breast, he\ncried, \"Oh, sir, we are lost, lost!\" till the ship's crew trembled at\nthey knew not what.  When he had recovered himself a little, and was\nable to explain the cause of his terror, he replied, in answer to my\nquestion, that we had drifted far out of our course, and that the\nfollowing day about noon we should come near that mass of darkness,\nwhich, said he, is nothing but the famous Black Mountain.  This\nmountain is composed of adamant, which attracts to itself all the iron\nand nails in your ship; and as we are helplessly drawn nearer, the\nforce of attraction will become so great that the iron and nails will\nfall out of the ships and cling to the mountain, and the ships will\nsink to the bottom with all that are in them.  This it is that causes\nthe side of the mountain towards the sea to appear of such a dense\nblackness.\n\nAs may be supposed--continued the pilot--the mountain sides are very\nrugged, but on the summit stands a brass dome supported on pillars, and\nbearing on top the figure of a brass horse, with a rider on his back.\nThis rider wears a breastplate of lead, on which strange signs and\nfigures are engraved, and it is said that as long as this statue\nremains on the dome, vessels will never cease to perish at the foot of\nthe mountain.\n\nSo saying, the pilot began to weep afresh, and the crew, fearing their\nlast hour had come, made their wills, each one in favour of his fellow.\n\nAt noon next day, as the pilot had foretold, we were so near to the\nBlack Mountain that we saw all the nails and iron fly out of the ships\nand dash themselves against the mountain with a horrible noise.  A\nmoment after the vessels fell asunder and sank, the crews with them.  I\nalone managed to grasp a floating plank, and was driven ashore by the\nwind, without even a scratch.  What was my joy on finding myself at the\nbottom of some steps which led straight up the mountain, for there was\nnot another inch to the right or the left where a man could set his\nfoot.  And, indeed, even the steps themselves were so narrow and so\nsteep that, if the lightest breeze had arisen, I should certainly have\nbeen blown into the sea.\n\nWhen I reached the top I found the brass dome and the statue exactly as\nthe pilot had described, but was too wearied with all I had gone\nthrough to do more than glance at them, and, flinging myself under the\ndome, was asleep in an instant.  In my dreams an old man appeared to me\nand said, \"Hearken, Agib!  As soon as thou art awake dig up the ground\nunderfoot, and thou shalt find a bow of brass and three arrows of lead.\nShoot the arrows at the statue, and the rider shall tumble into the\nsea, but the horse will fall down by thy side, and thou shalt bury him\nin the place from which thou tookest the bow and arrows.  This being\ndone the sea will rise and cover the mountain, and on it thou wilt\nperceive the figure of a metal man seated in a boat, having an oar in\neach hand.  Step on board and let him conduct thee; but if thou\nwouldest behold thy kingdom again, see that thou takest not the name of\nAllah into thy mouth.\"\n\nHaving uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke, much\ncomforted.  I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of the ground,\nand with the third shot the horseman fell with a great crash into the\nsea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I had hardly time\nto bury the horse before the boat approached me.  I stepped silently in\nand sat down, and the metal man pushed off, and rowed without stopping\nfor nine days, after which land appeared on the horizon.  I was so\novercome with joy at this sight that I forgot all the old man had told\nme, and cried out, \"Allah be praised!  Allah be praised!\"\n\nThe words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man sank from\nbeneath me, and left me floating on the surface.  All that day and the\nnext night I swam and floated alternately, making as well as I could\nfor the land which was nearest to me.  At last my strength began to\nfail, and I gave myself up for lost, when the wind suddenly rose, and a\nhuge wave cast me on a flat shore.  Then, placing myself in safety, I\nhastily spread my clothes out to dry in the sun, and flung myself on\nthe warm ground to rest.\n\nNext morning I dressed myself and began to look about me.  There seemed\nto be no one but myself on the island, which was covered with fruit\ntrees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance from the\nmainland which I hoped to reach.  Before, however, I had time to feel\ncast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island, and not knowing\nwhether it would contain friends or foes, I hid myself in the thick\nbranches of a tree.\n\nThe sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed,\ncarrying spades and pickaxes.  In the middle of the island they\nstopped, and after digging some time, lifted up what seemed to be a\ntrapdoor.  They then returned to the vessel two or three times for\nfurniture and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man,\nleading a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age.  They all\ndisappeared down the trapdoor, and after remaining below for a few\nminutes came up again, but without the boy, and let down the trapdoor,\ncovering it with earth as before.  This done, they entered the ship and\nset sail.\n\nAs soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree, and went\nto the place where the boy had been buried.  I dug up the earth till I\nreached a large stone with a ring in the centre.  This, when removed,\ndisclosed a flight of stone steps which led to a large room richly\nfurnished and lighted by tapers.  On a pile of cushions, covered with\ntapestry, sat the boy.  He looked up, startled and frightened at the\nsight of a stranger in such a place, and to soothe his fears, I at once\nspoke:  \"Be not alarmed, sir, whoever you may be.  I am a king, and the\nson of a king, and will do you no hurt.  On the contrary, perhaps I\nhave been sent here to deliver you out of this tomb, where you have\nbeen buried alive.\"\n\nHearing my words, the young man recovered himself, and when I had\nended, he said, \"The reasons, Prince, that have caused me to be buried\nin this place are so strange that they cannot but surprise you.  My\nfather is a rich merchant, owning much land and many ships, and has\ngreat dealings in precious stones, but he never ceased mourning that he\nhad no child to inherit his wealth.\n\n\"At length one day he dreamed that the following year a son would be\nborn to him, and when this actually happened, he consulted all the wise\nmen in the kingdom as to the future of the infant.  One and all they\nsaid the same thing.  I was to live happily till I was fifteen, when a\nterrible danger awaited me, which I should hardly escape.  If, however,\nI should succeed in doing so, I should live to a great old age.  And,\nthey added, when the statue of the brass horse on the top of the\nmountain of adamant is thrown into the sea by Agib, the son of Cassib,\nthen beware, for fifty days later your son shall fall by his hand!\n\n\"This prophecy struck the heart of my father with such woe, that he\nnever got over it, but that did not prevent him from attending\ncarefully to my education till I attained, a short time ago, my\nfifteenth birthday.  It was only yesterday that the news reached him\nthat ten days previously the statue of brass had been thrown into the\nsea, and he at once set about hiding me in this underground chamber,\nwhich was built for the purpose, promising to fetch me out when the\nforty days have passed.  For myself, I have no fears, as Prince Agib is\nnot likely to come here to look for me.\"\n\nI listened to his story with an inward laugh as to the absurdity of my\never wishing to cause the death of this harmless boy, whom I hastened\nto assure of my friendship and even of my protection; begging him, in\nreturn, to convey me in his father's ship to my own country.  I need\nhardly say that I took special care not to inform him that I was the\nAgib whom he dreaded.\n\nThe day passed in conversation on various subjects, and I found him a\nyouth of ready wit and of some learning.  I took on myself the duties\nof a servant, held the basin and water for him when he washed, prepared\nthe dinner and set it on the table.  He soon grew to love me, and for\nthirty-nine days we spent as pleasant an existence as could be expected\nunderground.\n\nThe morning of the fortieth dawned, and the young man when he woke gave\nthanks in an outburst of joy that the danger was passed.  \"My father\nmay be here at any moment,\" said he, \"so make me, I pray you, a bath of\nhot water, that I may bathe, and change my clothes, and be ready to\nreceive him.\"\n\nSo I fetched the water as he asked, and washed and rubbed him, after\nwhich he lay down again and slept a little.  When he opened his eyes\nfor the second time, he begged me to bring him a melon and some sugar,\nthat he might eat and refresh himself.\n\nI soon chose a fine melon out of those which remained, but could find\nno knife to cut it with.  \"Look in the cornice over my head,\" said he,\n\"and I think you will see one.\"  It was so high above me, that I had\nsome difficulty in reaching it, and catching my foot in the covering of\nthe bed, I slipped, and fell right upon the young man, the knife going\nstraight into his heart.\n\nAt this awful sight I shrieked aloud in my grief and pain.  I threw\nmyself on the ground and rent my clothes and tore my hair with sorrow.\nThen, fearing to be punished as his murderer by the unhappy father, I\nraised the great stone which blocked the staircase, and quitting the\nunderground chamber, made everything fast as before.\n\nScarcely had I finished when, looking out to sea, I saw the vessel\nheading for the island, and, feeling that it would be useless for me to\nprotest my innocence, I again concealed myself among the branches of a\ntree that grew near by.\n\nThe old man and his slaves pushed off in a boat directly the ship\ntouched land, and walked quickly towards the entrance to the\nunderground chamber; but when they were near enough to see that the\nearth had been disturbed, they paused and changed colour.  In silence\nthey all went down and called to the youth by name; then for a moment I\nheard no more.  Suddenly a fearful scream rent the air, and the next\ninstant the slaves came up the steps, carrying with them the body of\nthe old man, who had fainted from sorrow!  Laying him down at the foot\nof the tree in which I had taken shelter, they did their best to\nrecover him, but it took a long while.  When at last he revived, they\nleft him to dig a grave, and then laying the young man's body in it,\nthey threw in the earth.\n\nThis ended, the slaves brought up all the furniture that remained\nbelow, and put it on the vessel, and breaking some boughs to weave a\nlitter, they laid the old man on it, and carried him to the ship, which\nspread its sails and stood out to sea.\n\nSo once more I was quite alone, and for a whole month I walked daily\nover the island, seeking for some chance of escape.  At length one day\nit struck me that my prison had grown much larger, and that the\nmainland seemed to be nearer.  My heart beat at this thought, which was\nalmost too good to be true.  I watched a little longer: there was no\ndoubt about it, and soon there was only a tiny stream for me to cross.\n\nEven when I was safe on the other side I had a long distance to go on\nthe mud and sand before I reached dry ground, and very tired I was,\nwhen far in front of me I caught sight of a castle of red copper,\nwhich, at first sight, I took to be a fire.  I made all the haste I\ncould, and after some miles of hard walking stood before it, and gazed\nat it in astonishment, for it seemed to me the most wonderful building\nI had ever beheld.  While I was still staring at it, there came towards\nme a tall old man, accompanied by ten young men, all handsome, and all\nblind of the right eye.\n\nNow in its way, the spectacle of ten men walking together, all blind of\nthe right eye, is as uncommon as that of a copper castle, and I was\nturning over in my mind what could be the meaning of this strange fact,\nwhen they greeted me warmly, and inquired what had brought me there.  I\nreplied that my story was somewhat long, but that if they would take\nthe trouble to sit down, I should be happy to tell it them.  When I had\nfinished, the young men begged that I would go with them to the castle,\nand I joyfully accepted their offer.  We passed through what seemed to\nme an endless number of rooms, and came at length into a large hall,\nfurnished with ten small blue sofas for the ten young men, which served\nas beds as well as chairs, and with another sofa in the middle for the\nold man.  As none of the sofas could hold more than one person, they\nbade me place myself on the carpet, and to ask no questions about\nanything I should see.\n\nAfter a little while the old man rose and brought in supper, which I\nate heartily, for I was very hungry.  Then one of the young men begged\nme to repeat my story, which had struck them all with astonishment, and\nwhen I had ended, the old man was bidden to \"do his duty,\" as it was\nlate, and they wished to go to bed.  At these words he rose, and went\nto a closet, from which he brought out ten basins, all covered with\nblue stuff.  He set one before each of the young men, together with a\nlighted taper.\n\nWhen the covers were taken off the basins, I saw they were filled with\nashes, coal-dust, and lamp-black. The young men mixed these all\ntogether, and smeared the whole over their heads and faces.  They then\nwept and beat their breasts, crying, \"This is the fruit of idleness,\nand of our wicked lives.\"\n\nThis ceremony lasted nearly the whole night, and when it stopped they\nwashed themselves carefully, and put on fresh clothes, and lay down to\nsleep.\n\nAll this while I had refrained from questions, though my curiosity\nalmost seemed to burn a hole in me, but the following day, when we went\nout to walk, I said to them, \"Gentlemen, I must disobey your wishes,\nfor I can keep silence no more.  You do not appear to lack wit, yet you\ndo such actions as none but madmen could be capable of.  Whatever\nbefalls me I cannot forbear asking, `Why you daub your faces with\nblack, and how it is you are all blind of one eye?'\" But they only\nanswered that such questions were none of my business, and that I\nshould do well to hold my peace.\n\nDuring that day we spoke of other things, but when night came, and the\nsame ceremony was repeated, I implored them most earnestly to let me\nknow the meaning of it all.\n\n\"It is for your own sake,\" replied one of the young men, \"that we have\nnot granted your request, and to preserve you from our unfortunate\nfate.  If, however, you wish to share our destiny we will delay no\nlonger.\"\n\nI answered that whatever might be the consequence I wished to have my\ncuriosity satisfied, and that I would take the result on my own head.\nHe then assured me that, even when I had lost my eye, I should be\nunable to remain with them, as their number was complete, and could not\nbe added to.  But to this I replied that, though I should be grieved to\npart company with such honest gentlemen, I would not be turned from my\nresolution on that account.\n\nOn hearing my determination my ten hosts then took a sheep and killed\nit, and handed me a knife, which they said I should by-and-by find\nuseful.  \"We must sew you into this sheep-skin,\" said they, \"and then\nleave you.  A fowl of monstrous size, called a roc, will appear in the\nair, taking you to be a sheep.  He will snatch you up and carry you\ninto the sky, but be not alarmed, for he will bring you safely down and\nlay you on the top of a mountain.  When you are on the ground cut the\nskin with the knife and throw it off.  As soon as the roc sees you he\nwill fly away from fear, but you must walk on till you come to a castle\ncovered with plates of gold, studded with jewels.  Enter boldly at the\ngate, which always stands open, but do not ask us to tell you what we\nsaw or what befel us there, for that you will learn for yourself.  This\nonly we may say, that it cost us each our right eye, and has imposed\nupon us our nightly penance.\"\n\nAfter the young gentlemen had been at the trouble of sewing the\nsheep-skin on me they left me, and retired to the hall.  In a few\nminutes the roc appeared, and bore me off to the top of the mountain in\nhis huge claws as lightly as if I had been a feather, for this great\nwhite bird is so strong that he has been known to carry even an\nelephant to his nest in the hills.\n\nThe moment my feet touched the ground I took out my knife and cut the\nthreads that bound me, and the sight of me in my proper clothes so\nalarmed the roc that he spread his wings and flew away.  Then I set out\nto seek the castle.\n\nI found it after wandering about for half a day, and never could I have\nimagined anything so glorious.  The gate led into a square court, into\nwhich opened a hundred doors, ninety-nine of them being of rare woods\nand one of gold.  Through each of these doors I caught glimpses of\nsplendid gardens or of rich storehouses.\n\nEntering one of the doors which was standing open I found myself in a\nvast hall where forty young ladies, magnificently dressed, and of\nperfect beauty, were reclining.  As soon as they saw me they rose and\nuttered words of welcome, and even forced me to take possession of a\nseat that was higher than their own, though my proper place was at\ntheir feet.  Not content with this, one brought me splendid garments,\nwhile another filled a basin with scented water and poured it over my\nhands, and the rest busied themselves with preparing refreshments.\nAfter I had eaten and drunk of the most delicate food and rarest wines,\nthe ladies crowded round me and begged me to tell them all my\nadventures.\n\nBy the time I had finished night had fallen, and the ladies lighted up\nthe castle with such a prodigious quantity of tapers that even day\ncould hardly have been brighter.  We then sat down to a supper of dried\nfruits and sweetmeats, after which some sang and others danced.  I was\nso well amused that I did not notice how the time was passing, but at\nlength one of the ladies approached and informed me it was midnight,\nand that, as I must be tired, she would conduct me to the room that had\nbeen prepared for me.  Then, bidding me good-night, I was left to sleep.\n\nI spent the next thirty-nine days in much the same way as the first,\nbut at the close of that time the ladies appeared (as was their custom)\nin my room one morning to inquire how I had slept, and instead of\nlooking cheerful and smiling they were in floods of tears.  \"Prince,\"\nsaid they, \"we must leave you, and never was it so hard to part from\nany of our friends.  Most likely we shall never see you again, but if\nyou have sufficient self-command perhaps we may yet look forward to a\nmeeting.\"\n\n\"Ladies,\" I replied, \"what is the meaning of these strange words--I\npray you to tell me?\"\n\n\"Know then,\" answered one of them, \"that we are all princesses--each a\nking's daughter.  We live in this castle together, in the way that you\nhave seen, but at the end of every year secret duties call us away for\nthe space of forty days.  The time has now come; but before we depart,\nwe will leave you our keys, so that you may not lack entertainment\nduring our absence.  But one thing we would ask of you.  The Golden\nDoor, alone, forbear to open, as you value your own peace, and the\nhappiness of your life.  That door once unlocked, we must bid you\nfarewell for ever.\"\n\nWeeping, I assured them of my prudence, and after embracing me\ntenderly, they went their ways.\n\nEvery day I opened two or three fresh doors, each of which contained\nbehind it so many curious things that I had no chance of feeling dull,\nmuch as I regretted the absence of the ladies.  Sometimes it was an\norchard, whose fruit far exceeded in bigness any that grew in my\nfather's garden.  Sometimes it was a court planted with roses,\njessamine, dafeodils, hyacinths and anemones, and a thousand other\nflowers of which I did not know the names.  Or again, it would be an\naviary, fitted with all kinds of singing birds, or a treasury heaped up\nwith precious stones; but whatever I might see, all was perfect of its\nown sort.\n\nThirty-nine days passed away more rapidly than I could have conceived\npossible, and the following morning the princesses were to return to\nthe castle.  But alas!  I had explored every corner, save only the room\nthat was shut in by the Golden Door, and I had no longer anything to\namuse myself with.  I stood before the forbidden place for some time,\ngazing at its beauty; then a happy inspiration struck me, that because\nI unlocked the door it was not necessary that I should enter the\nchamber.  It would be enough for me to stand outside and view whatever\nhidden wonders might be therein.\n\nThus arguing against my own conscience, I turned the key, when a smell\nrushed out that, pleasant though it was, overcame me completely, and I\nfell fainting across the threshold.  Instead of being warned by this\naccident, directly I came to myself I went for a few moments into the\nair to shake of the effects of the perfume, and then entered boldly.  I\nfound myself in a large, vaulted room, lighted by tapers, scented with\naloes and ambergris, standing in golden candle-sticks, whilst gold and\nsilver lamps hung from the ceiling.\n\nThough objects of rare workmanship lay heaped around me, I paid them\nscant attention, so much was I struck by a great black horse which\nstood in one corner, the handsomest and best-shaped animal I had ever\nseen.  His saddle and bridle were of massive gold, curiously wrought;\none side of his trough was filled with clean barley and sesame, and the\nother with rose water.  I led the animal into the open air, and then\njumped on his back, shaking the reins as I did so, but as he never\nstirred, I touched him lightly with a switch I had picked up in his\nstable.  No sooner did he feel the stroke, than he spread his wings\n(which I had not perceived before), and flew up with me straight into\nthe sky.  When he had reached a prodigious height, he next darted back\nto earth, and alighted on the terrace belonging to a castle, shaking me\nviolently out of the saddle as he did so, and giving me such a blow\nwith his tail, that he knocked out my right eye.\n\nHalf-stunned as I was with all that had happened to me, I rose to my\nfeet, thinking as I did so of what had befallen the ten young men, and\nwatching the horse which was soaring into the clouds.  I left the\nterrace and wandered on till I came to a hall, which I knew to have\nbeen the one from which the roc had taken me, by the ten blue sofas\nagainst the wall.\n\nThe ten young men were not present when I first entered, but came in\nsoon after, accompanied by the old man.  They greeted me kindly, and\nbewailed my misfortune, though, indeed, they had expected nothing less.\n\"All that has happened to you,\" they said, \"we also have undergone, and\nwe should be enjoying the same happiness still, had we not opened the\nGolden Door while the princesses were absent.  You have been no wiser\nthan we, and have suffered the same punishment.  We would gladly\nreceive you among us, to perform such penance as we do, but we have\nalready told you that this is impossible.  Depart, therefore, from\nhence and go to the Court of Bagdad, where you shall meet with him that\ncan decide your destiny.\" They told me the way I was to travel, and I\nleft them.\n\nOn the road I caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaved, and put on a\nCalender's habit.  I have had a long journey, but arrived this evening\nin the city, where I met my brother Calenders at the gate, being\nstrangers like myself.  We wondered much at one another, to see we were\nall blind of the same eye, but we had no leisure to discourse at length\nof our common calamities.  We had only so much time as to come hither\nto implore those favours which you have been generously pleased to\ngrant us.\n\nHe finished, and it was Zobeida's turn to speak:  \"Go wherever you\nplease,\" she said, addressing all three.  \"I pardon you all, but you\nmust depart immediately out of this house.\"\n\n\n\nThe Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor\n\n\nIn the times of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid there lived in Bagdad a\npoor porter named Hindbad, who on a very hot day was sent to carry a\nheavy load from one end of the city to the other.  Before he had\naccomplished half the distance he was so tired that, finding himself in\na quiet street where the pavement was sprinkled with rose water, and a\ncool breeze was blowing, he set his burden upon the ground, and sat\ndown to rest in the shade of a grand house.  Very soon he decided that\nhe could not have chosen a pleasanter place; a delicious perfume of\naloes wood and pastilles came from the open windows and mingled with\nthe scent of the rose water which steamed up from the hot pavement.\nWithin the palace he heard some music, as of many instruments cunningly\nplayed, and the melodious warble of nightingales and other birds, and\nby this, and the appetising smell of many dainty dishes of which he\npresently became aware, he judged that feasting and merry making were\ngoing on.  He wondered who lived in this magnificent house which he had\nnever seen before, the street in which it stood being one which he\nseldom had occasion to pass.  To satisfy his curiosity he went up to\nsome splendidly dressed servants who stood at the door, and asked one\nof them the name of the master of the mansion.\n\n\"What,\" replied he, \"do you live in Bagdad, and not know that here\nlives the noble Sindbad the Sailor, that famous traveller who sailed\nover every sea upon which the sun shines?\"\n\nThe porter, who had often heard people speak of the immense wealth of\nSindbad, could not help feeling envious of one whose lot seemed to be\nas happy as his own was miserable.  Casting his eyes up to the sky he\nexclaimed aloud,\n\n\"Consider, Mighty Creator of all things, the differences between\nSindbad's life and mine.  Every day I suffer a thousand hardships and\nmisfortunes, and have hard work to get even enough bad barley bread to\nkeep myself and my family alive, while the lucky Sindbad spends money\nright and left and lives upon the fat of the land!  What has he done\nthat you should give him this pleasant life--what have I done to\ndeserve so hard a fate?\"\n\nSo saying he stamped upon the ground like one beside himself with\nmisery and despair.  Just at this moment a servant came out of the\npalace, and taking him by the arm said, \"Come with me, the noble\nSindbad, my master, wishes to speak to you.\"\n\nHindbad was not a little surprised at this summons, and feared that his\nunguarded words might have drawn upon him the displeasure of Sindbad,\nso he tried to excuse himself upon the pretext that he could not leave\nthe burden which had been entrusted to him in the street.  However the\nlackey promised him that it should be taken care of, and urged him to\nobey the call so pressingly that at last the porter was obliged to\nyield.\n\nHe followed the servant into a vast room, where a great company was\nseated round a table covered with all sorts of delicacies.  In the\nplace of honour sat a tall, grave man whose long white beard gave him a\nvenerable air.  Behind his chair stood a crowd of attendants eager to\nminister to his wants.  This was the famous Sindbad himself.  The\nporter, more than ever alarmed at the sight of so much magnificence,\ntremblingly saluted the noble company.  Sindbad, making a sign to him\nto approach, caused him to be seated at his right hand, and himself\nheaped choice morsels upon his plate, and poured out for him a draught\nof excellent wine, and presently, when the banquet drew to a close,\nspoke to him familiarly, asking his name and occupation.\n\n\"My lord,\" replied the porter, \"I am called Hindbad.\"\n\n\"I am glad to see you here,\" continued Sindbad.  \"And I will answer for\nthe rest of the company that they are equally pleased, but I wish you\nto tell me what it was that you said just now in the street.\" For\nSindbad, passing by the open window before the feast began, had heard\nhis complaint and therefore had sent for him.\n\nAt this question Hindbad was covered with confusion, and hanging down\nhis head, replied, \"My lord, I confess that, overcome by weariness and\nill-humour, I uttered indiscreet words, which I pray you to pardon me.\"\n\n\"Oh!\" replied Sindbad, \"do not imagine that I am so unjust as to blame\nyou.  On the contrary, I understand your situation and can pity you.\nOnly you appear to be mistaken about me, and I wish to set you right.\nYou doubtless imagine that I have acquired all the wealth and luxury\nthat you see me enjoy without difficulty or danger, but this is far\nindeed from being the case.  I have only reached this happy state after\nhaving for years suffered every possible kind of toil and danger.\n\n\"Yes, my noble friends,\" he continued, addressing the company, \"I\nassure you that my adventures have been strange enough to deter even\nthe most avaricious men from seeking wealth by traversing the seas.\nSince you have, perhaps, heard but confused accounts of my seven\nvoyages, and the dangers and wonders that I have met with by sea and\nland, I will now give you a full and true account of them, which I\nthink you will be well pleased to hear.\"\n\nAs Sindbad was relating his adventures chiefly on account of the\nporter, he ordered, before beginning his tale, that the burden which\nhad been left in the street should be carried by some of his own\nservants to the place for which Hindbad had set out at first, while he\nremained to listen to the story.\n\n\n\nFirst Voyage\n\n\nI had inherited considerable wealth from my parents, and being young\nand foolish I at first squandered it recklessly upon every kind of\npleasure, but presently, finding that riches speedily take to\nthemselves wings if managed as badly as I was managing mine, and\nremembering also that to be old and poor is misery indeed, I began to\nbethink me of how I could make the best of what still remained to me.\nI sold all my household goods by public auction, and joined a company\nof merchants who traded by sea, embarking with them at Balsora in a\nship which we had fitted out between us.\n\nWe set sail and took our course towards the East Indies by the Persian\nGulf, having the coast of Persia upon our left hand and upon our right\nthe shores of Arabia Felix.  I was at first much troubled by the uneasy\nmotion of the vessel, but speedily recovered my health, and since that\nhour have been no more plagued by sea-sickness.\n\nFrom time to time we landed at various islands, where we sold or\nexchanged our merchandise, and one day, when the wind dropped suddenly,\nwe found ourselves becalmed close to a small island like a green\nmeadow, which only rose slightly above the surface of the water.  Our\nsails were furled, and the captain gave permission to all who wished to\nland for a while and amuse themselves.  I was among the number, but\nwhen after strolling about for some time we lighted a fire and sat down\nto enjoy the repast which we had brought with us, we were startled by a\nsudden and violent trembling of the island, while at the same moment\nthose left upon the ship set up an outcry bidding us come on board for\nour lives, since what we had taken for an island was nothing but the\nback of a sleeping whale.  Those who were nearest to the boat threw\nthemselves into it, others sprang into the sea, but before I could save\nmyself the whale plunged suddenly into the depths of the ocean, leaving\nme clinging to a piece of the wood which we had brought to make our\nfire.  Meanwhile a breeze had sprung up, and in the confusion that\nensued on board our vessel in hoisting the sails and taking up those\nwho were in the boat and clinging to its sides, no one missed me and I\nwas left at the mercy of the waves.  All that day I floated up and\ndown, now beaten this way, now that, and when night fell I despaired\nfor my life; but, weary and spent as I was, I clung to my frail\nsupport, and great was my joy when the morning light showed me that I\nhad drifted against an island.\n\nThe cliffs were high and steep, but luckily for me some tree-roots\nprotruded in places, and by their aid I climbed up at last, and\nstretched myself upon the turf at the top, where I lay, more dead than\nalive, till the sun was high in the heavens.  By that time I was very\nhungry, but after some searching I came upon some eatable herbs, and a\nspring of clear water, and much refreshed I set out to explore the\nisland.  Presently I reached a great plain where a grazing horse was\ntethered, and as I stood looking at it I heard voices talking\napparently underground, and in a moment a man appeared who asked me how\nI came upon the island.  I told him my adventures, and heard in return\nthat he was one of the grooms of Mihrage, the king of the island, and\nthat each year they came to feed their master's horses in this plain.\nHe took me to a cave where his companions were assembled, and when I\nhad eaten of the food they set before me, they bade me think myself\nfortunate to have come upon them when I did, since they were going back\nto their master on the morrow, and without their aid I could certainly\nnever have found my way to the inhabited part of the island.\n\nEarly the next morning we accordingly set out, and when we reached the\ncapital I was graciously received by the king, to whom I related my\nadventures, upon which he ordered that I should be well cared for and\nprovided with such things as I needed.  Being a merchant I sought out\nmen of my own profession, and particularly those who came from foreign\ncountries, as I hoped in this way to hear news from Bagdad, and find\nout some means of returning thither, for the capital was situated upon\nthe sea-shore, and visited by vessels from all parts of the world.  In\nthe meantime I heard many curious things, and answered many questions\nconcerning my own country, for I talked willingly with all who came to\nme.  Also to while away the time of waiting I explored a little island\nnamed Cassel, which belonged to King Mihrage, and which was supposed to\nbe inhabited by a spirit named Deggial.  Indeed, the sailors assured me\nthat often at night the playing of timbals could be heard upon it.\nHowever, I saw nothing strange upon my voyage, saving some fish that\nwere full two hundred cubits long, but were fortunately more in dread\nof us than even we were of them, and fled from us if we did but strike\nupon a board to frighten them.  Other fishes there were only a cubit\nlong which had heads like owls.\n\nOne day after my return, as I went down to the quay, I saw a ship which\nhad just cast anchor, and was discharging her cargo, while the\nmerchants to whom it belonged were busily directing the removal of it\nto their warehouses.  Drawing nearer I presently noticed that my own\nname was marked upon some of the packages, and after having carefully\nexamined them, I felt sure that they were indeed those which I had put\non board our ship at Balsora.  I then recognised the captain of the\nvessel, but as I was certain that he believed me to be dead, I went up\nto him and asked who owned the packages that I was looking at.\n\n\"There was on board my ship,\" he replied, \"a merchant of Bagdad named\nSindbad.  One day he and several of my other passengers landed upon\nwhat we supposed to be an island, but which was really an enormous\nwhale floating asleep upon the waves.  No sooner did it feel upon its\nback the heat of the fire which had been kindled, than it plunged into\nthe depths of the sea.  Several of the people who were upon it perished\nin the waters, and among others this unlucky Sindbad.  This merchandise\nis his, but I have resolved to dispose of it for the benefit of his\nfamily if I should ever chance to meet with them.\"\n\n\"Captain,\" said I, \"I am that Sindbad whom you believe to be dead, and\nthese are my possessions!\"\n\nWhen the captain heard these words he cried out in amazement,\n\"Lackaday! and what is the world coming to?  In these days there is not\nan honest man to be met with.  Did I not with my own eyes see Sindbad\ndrown, and now you have the audacity to tell me that you are he!  I\nshould have taken you to be a just man, and yet for the sake of\nobtaining that which does not belong to you, you are ready to invent\nthis horrible falsehood.\"\n\n\"Have patience, and do me the favour to hear my story,\" said I.\n\n\"Speak then,\" replied the captain, \"I'm all attention.\"\n\nSo I told him of my escape and of my fortunate meeting with the king's\ngrooms, and how kindly I had been received at the palace.  Very soon I\nbegan to see that I had made some impression upon him, and after the\narrival of some of the other merchants, who showed great joy at once\nmore seeing me alive, he declared that he also recognised me.\n\nThrowing himself upon my neck he exclaimed, \"Heaven be praised that you\nhave escaped from so great a danger.  As to your goods, I pray you take\nthem, and dispose of them as you please.\" I thanked him, and praised\nhis honesty, begging him to accept several bales of merchandise in\ntoken of my gratitude, but he would take nothing.  Of the choicest of\nmy goods I prepared a present for King Mihrage, who was at first\namazed, having known that I had lost my all.  However, when I had\nexplained to him how my bales had been miraculously restored to me, he\ngraciously accepted my gifts, and in return gave me many valuable\nthings.  I then took leave of him, and exchanging my merchandise for\nsandal and aloes wood, camphor, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, and ginger, I\nembarked upon the same vessel and traded so successfully upon our\nhomeward voyage that I arrived in Balsora with about one hundred\nthousand sequins.  My family received me with as much joy as I felt\nupon seeing them once more.  I bought land and slaves, and built a\ngreat house in which I resolved to live happily, and in the enjoyment\nof all the pleasures of life to forget my past sufferings.\n\nHere Sindbad paused, and commanded the musicians to play again, while\nthe feasting continued until evening.  When the time came for the\nporter to depart, Sindbad gave him a purse containing one hundred\nsequins, saying, \"Take this, Hindbad, and go home, but to-morrow come\nagain and you shall hear more of my adventures.\"\n\nThe porter retired quite overcome by so much generosity, and you may\nimagine that he was well received at home, where his wife and children\nthanked their lucky stars that he had found such a benefactor.\n\nThe next day Hindbad, dressed in his best, returned to the voyager's\nhouse, and was received with open arms.  As soon as all the guests had\narrived the banquet began as before, and when they had feasted long and\nmerrily, Sindbad addressed them thus:\n\n\"My friends, I beg that you will give me your attention while I relate\nthe adventures of my second voyage, which you will find even more\nastonishing than the first.\"\n\n\n\nSecond Voyage\n\n\nI had resolved, as you know, on my return from my first voyage, to\nspend the rest of my days quietly in Bagdad, but very soon I grew tired\nof such an idle life and longed once more to find myself upon the sea.\n\nI procured, therefore, such goods as were suitable for the places I\nintended to visit, and embarked for the second time in a good ship with\nother merchants whom I knew to be honourable men.  We went from island\nto island, often making excellent bargains, until one day we landed at\na spot which, though covered with fruit trees and abounding in springs\nof excellent water, appeared to possess neither houses nor people.\nWhile my companions wandered here and there gathering flowers and fruit\nI sat down in a shady place, and, having heartily enjoyed the\nprovisions and the wine I had brought with me, I fell asleep, lulled by\nthe murmur of a clear brook which flowed close by.\n\nHow long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started to\nmy feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship was\ngone.  I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries of\ndespair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel under full sail just\ndisappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had been\ncontent to stay at home in safety.  But since wishes could do me no\ngood, I presently took courage and looked about me for a means of\nescape.  When I had climbed a tall tree I first of all directed my\nanxious glances towards the sea; but, finding nothing hopeful there, I\nturned landward, and my curiosity was excited by a huge dazzling white\nobject, so far off that I could not make out what it might be.\n\nDescending from the tree I hastily collected what remained of my\nprovisions and set off as fast as I could go towards it.  As I drew\nnear it seemed to me to be a white ball of immense size and height, and\nwhen I could touch it, I found it marvellously smooth and soft.  As it\nwas impossible to climb it--for it presented no foot-hold--I walked\nround about it seeking some opening, but there was none.  I counted,\nhowever, that it was at least fifty paces round.  By this time the sun\nwas near setting, but quite suddenly it fell dark, something like a\nhuge black cloud came swiftly over me, and I saw with amazement that it\nwas a bird of extraordinary size which was hovering near.  Then I\nremembered that I had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful bird\ncalled a roc, and it occurred to me that the white object which had so\npuzzled me must be its egg.\n\nSure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with its\nwings to keep it warm, and I cowered close beside the egg in such a\nposition that one of the bird's feet, which was as large as the trunk\nof a tree, was just in front of me.  Taking off my turban I bound\nmyself securely to it with the linen in the hope that the roc, when it\ntook flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolate\nisland.  And this was precisely what did happen.  As soon as the dawn\nappeared the bird rose into the air carrying me up and up till I could\nno longer see the earth, and then suddenly it descended so swiftly that\nI almost lost consciousness.  When I became aware that the roc had\nsettled and that I was once again upon solid ground, I hastily unbound\nmy turban from its foot and freed myself, and that not a moment too\nsoon; for the bird, pouncing upon a huge snake, killed it with a few\nblows from its powerful beak, and seizing it up rose into the air once\nmore and soon disappeared from my view.  When I had looked about me I\nbegan to doubt if I had gained anything by quitting the desolate island.\n\nThe valley in which I found myself was deep and narrow, and surrounded\nby mountains which towered into the clouds, and were so steep and rocky\nthat there was no way of climbing up their sides.  As I wandered about,\nseeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observed\nthat the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of an\nastonishing size.  This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delight\nwas speedily damped when I saw also numbers of horrible snakes so long\nand so large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephant\nwith ease.  Fortunately for me they seemed to hide in caverns of the\nrocks by day, and only came out by night, probably because of their\nenemy the roc.\n\nAll day long I wandered up and down the valley, and when it grew dusk I\ncrept into a little cave, and having blocked up the entrance to it with\na stone, I ate part of my little store of food and lay down to sleep,\nbut all through the night the serpents crawled to and fro, hissing\nhorribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes for terror.  I was\nthankful when the morning light appeared, and when I judged by the\nsilence that the serpents had retreated to their dens I came\ntremblingly out of my cave and wandered up and down the valley once\nmore, kicking the diamonds contemptuously out of my path, for I felt\nthat they were indeed vain things to a man in my situation.  At last,\novercome with weariness, I sat down upon a rock, but I had hardly\nclosed my eyes when I was startled by something which fell to the\nground with a thud close beside me.\n\nIt was a huge piece of fresh meat, and as I stared at it several more\npieces rolled over the cliffs in different places.  I had always\nthought that the stories the sailors told of the famous valley of\ndiamonds, and of the cunning way which some merchants had devised for\ngetting at the precious stones, were mere travellers' tales invented to\ngive pleasure to the hearers, but now I perceived that they were surely\ntrue.  These merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles,\nwhich keep their eyries in the rocks, had hatched their young.  The\nmerchants then threw great lumps of meat into the valley.  These,\nfalling with so much force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up some\nof the precious stones with them, when the eagles pounced upon the meat\nand carried it off to their nests to feed their hungry broods.  Then\nthe merchants, scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries,\nwould secure their treasures.  Until this moment I had looked upon the\nvalley as my grave, for I had seen no possibility of getting out of it\nalive, but now I took courage and began to devise a means of escape.  I\nbegan by picking up all the largest diamonds I could find and storing\nthem carefully in the leathern wallet which had held my provisions;\nthis I tied securely to my belt.  I then chose the piece of meat which\nseemed most suited to my purpose, and with the aid of my turban bound\nit firmly to my back; this done I laid down upon my face and awaited\nthe coming of the eagles.  I soon heard the flapping of their mighty\nwings above me, and had the satisfaction of feeling one of them seize\nupon my piece of meat, and me with it, and rise slowly towards his\nnest, into which he presently dropped me.  Luckily for me the merchants\nwere on the watch, and setting up their usual outcries they rushed to\nthe nest scaring away the eagle.  Their amazement was great when they\ndiscovered me, and also their disappointment, and with one accord they\nfell to abusing me for having robbed them of their usual profit.\nAddressing myself to the one who seemed most aggrieved, I said:  \"I am\nsure, if you knew all that I have suffered, you would show more\nkindness towards me, and as for diamonds, I have enough here of the\nvery best for you and me and all your company.\"  So saying I showed\nthem to him.  The others all crowded round me, wondering at my\nadventures and admiring the device by which I had escaped from the\nvalley, and when they had led me to their camp and examined my\ndiamonds, they assured me that in all the years that they had carried\non their trade they had seen no stones to be compared with them for\nsize and beauty.\n\nI found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chance\nof what he might find in it.  So I begged the one who owned the nest to\nwhich I had been carried to take as much as he would of my treasure,\nbut he contented himself with one stone, and that by no means the\nlargest, assuring me that with such a gem his fortune was made, and he\nneed toil no more.  I stayed with the merchants several days, and then\nas they were journeying homewards I gladly accompanied them.  Our way\nlay across high mountains infested with frightful serpents, but we had\nthe good luck to escape them and came at last to the seashore.  Thence\nwe sailed to the isle of Rohat where the camphor trees grow to such a\nsize that a hundred men could shelter under one of them with ease.  The\nsap flows from an incision made high up in the tree into a vessel hung\nthere to receive it, and soon hardens into the substance called\ncamphor, but the tree itself withers up and dies when it has been so\ntreated.\n\nIn this same island we saw the rhinoceros, an animal which is smaller\nthan the elephant and larger than the buffalo.  It has one horn about a\ncubit long which is solid, but has a furrow from the base to the tip.\nUpon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man.  The rhinoceros\nfights with the elephant, and transfixing him with his horn carries him\noff upon his head, but becoming blinded with the blood of his enemy, he\nfalls helpless to the ground, and then comes the roc, and clutches them\nboth up in his talons and takes them to feed his young.  This doubtless\nastonishes you, but if you do not believe my tale go to Rohat and see\nfor yourself.  For fear of wearying you I pass over in silence many\nother wonderful things which we saw in this island.  Before we left I\nexchanged one of my diamonds for much goodly merchandise by which I\nprofited greatly on our homeward way.  At last we reached Balsora,\nwhence I hastened to Bagdad, where my first action was to bestow large\nsums of money upon the poor, after which I settled down to enjoy\ntranquilly the riches I had gained with so much toil and pain.\n\nHaving thus related the adventures of his second voyage, Sindbad again\nbestowed a hundred sequins upon Hindbad, inviting him to come again on\nthe following day and hear how he fared upon his third voyage.  The\nother guests also departed to their homes, but all returned at the same\nhour next day, including the porter, whose former life of hard work and\npoverty had already begun to seem to him like a bad dream.  Again after\nthe feast was over did Sindbad claim the attention of his guests and\nbegan the account of his third voyage.\n\n\n\nThird Voyage\n\n\nAfter a very short time the pleasant easy life I led made me quite\nforget the perils of my two voyages.  Moreover, as I was still in the\nprime of life, it pleased me better to be up and doing.  So once more\nproviding myself with the rarest and choicest merchandise of Bagdad, I\nconveyed it to Balsora, and set sail with other merchants of my\nacquaintance for distant lands.  We had touched at many ports and made\nmuch profit, when one day upon the open sea we were caught by a\nterrible wind which blew us completely out of our reckoning, and\nlasting for several days finally drove us into harbour on a strange\nisland.\n\n\"I would rather have come to anchor anywhere than here,\" quoth our\ncaptain.  \"This island and all adjoining it are inhabited by hairy\nsavages, who are certain to attack us, and whatever these dwarfs may do\nwe dare not resist, since they swarm like locusts, and if one of them\nis killed the rest will fall upon us, and speedily make an end of us.\"\n\nThese words caused great consternation among all the ship's company,\nand only too soon we were to find out that the captain spoke truly.\nThere appeared a vast multitude of hideous savages, not more than two\nfeet high and covered with reddish fur.  Throwing themselves into the\nwaves they surrounded our vessel.  Chattering meanwhile in a language\nwe could not understand, and clutching at ropes and gangways, they\nswarmed up the ship's side with such speed and agility that they almost\nseemed to fly.\n\nYou may imagine the rage and terror that seized us as we watched them,\nneither daring to hinder them nor able to speak a word to deter them\nfrom their purpose, whatever it might be.  Of this we were not left\nlong in doubt.  Hoisting the sails, and cutting the cable of the\nanchor, they sailed our vessel to an island which lay a little further\noff, where they drove us ashore; then taking possession of her, they\nmade off to the place from which they had come, leaving us helpless\nupon a shore avoided with horror by all mariners for a reason which you\nwill soon learn.\n\nTurning away from the sea we wandered miserably inland, finding as we\nwent various herbs and fruits which we ate, feeling that we might as\nwell live as long as possible though we had no hope of escape.\nPresently we saw in the far distance what seemed to us to be a splendid\npalace, towards which we turned our weary steps, but when we reached it\nwe saw that it was a castle, lofty, and strongly built.  Pushing back\nthe heavy ebony doors we entered the courtyard, but upon the threshold\nof the great hall beyond it we paused, frozen with horror, at the sight\nwhich greeted us.  On one side lay a huge pile of bones--human bones,\nand on the other numberless spits for roasting!  Overcome with despair\nwe sank trembling to the ground, and lay there without speech or\nmotion.  The sun was setting when a loud noise aroused us, the door of\nthe hall was violently burst open and a horrible giant entered.  He was\nas tall as a palm tree, and perfectly black, and had one eye, which\nflamed like a burning coal in the middle of his forehead.  His teeth\nwere long and sharp and grinned horribly, while his lower lip hung down\nupon his chest, and he had ears like elephant's ears, which covered his\nshoulders, and nails like the claws of some fierce bird.\n\nAt this terrible sight our senses left us and we lay like dead men.\nWhen at last we came to ourselves the giant sat examining us\nattentively with his fearful eye.  Presently when he had looked at us\nenough he came towards us, and stretching out his hand took me by the\nback of the neck, turning me this way and that, but feeling that I was\nmere skin and bone he set me down again and went on to the next, whom\nhe treated in the same fashion; at last he came to the captain, and\nfinding him the fattest of us all, he took him up in one hand and stuck\nhim upon a spit and proceeded to kindle a huge fire at which he\npresently roasted him.  After the giant had supped he lay down to\nsleep, snoring like the loudest thunder, while we lay shivering with\nhorror the whole night through, and when day broke he awoke and went\nout, leaving us in the castle.\n\nWhen we believed him to be really gone we started up bemoaning our\nhorrible fate, until the hall echoed with our despairing cries.  Though\nwe were many and our enemy was alone it did not occur to us to kill\nhim, and indeed we should have found that a hard task, even if we had\nthought of it, and no plan could we devise to deliver ourselves.  So at\nlast, submitting to our sad fate, we spent the day in wandering up and\ndown the island eating such fruits as we could find, and when night\ncame we returned to the castle, having sought in vain for any other\nplace of shelter.  At sunset the giant returned, supped upon one of our\nunhappy comrades, slept and snored till dawn, and then left us as\nbefore.  Our condition seemed to us so frightful that several of my\ncompanions thought it would be better to leap from the cliffs and\nperish in the waves at once, rather than await so miserable an end; but\nI had a plan of escape which I now unfolded to them, and which they at\nonce agreed to attempt.\n\n\"Listen, my brothers,\" I added.  \"You know that plenty of driftwood\nlies along the shore.  Let us make several rafts, and carry them to a\nsuitable place.  If our plot succeeds, we can wait patiently for the\nchance of some passing ship which would rescue us from this fatal\nisland.  If it fails, we must quickly take to our rafts; frail as they\nare, we have more chance of saving our lives with them than we have if\nwe remain here.\"\n\nAll agreed with me, and we spent the day in building rafts, each\ncapable of carrying three persons.  At nightfall we returned to the\ncastle, and very soon in came the giant, and one more of our number was\nsacrificed.  But the time of our vengeance was at hand!  As soon as he\nhad finished his horrible repast he lay down to sleep as before, and\nwhen we heard him begin to snore I, and nine of the boldest of my\ncomrades, rose softly, and took each a spit, which we made red-hot in\nthe fire, and then at a given signal we plunged it with one accord into\nthe giant's eye, completely blinding him.  Uttering a terrible cry, he\nsprang to his feet clutching in all directions to try to seize one of\nus, but we had all fled different ways as soon as the deed was done,\nand thrown ourselves flat upon the ground in corners where he was not\nlikely to touch us with his feet.\n\nAfter a vain search he fumbled about till he found the door, and fled\nout of it howling frightfully.  As for us, when he was gone we made\nhaste to leave the fatal castle, and, stationing ourselves beside our\nrafts, we waited to see what would happen.  Our idea was that if, when\nthe sun rose, we saw nothing of the giant, and no longer heard his\nhowls, which still came faintly through the darkness, growing more and\nmore distant, we should conclude that he was dead, and that we might\nsafely stay upon the island and need not risk our lives upon the frail\nrafts.  But alas! morning light showed us our enemy approaching us,\nsupported on either hand by two giants nearly as large and fearful as\nhimself, while a crowd of others followed close upon their heels.\nHesitating no longer we clambered upon our rafts and rowed with all our\nmight out to sea.  The giants, seeing their prey escaping them, seized\nup huge pieces of rock, and wading into the water hurled them after us\nwith such good aim that all the rafts except the one I was upon were\nswamped, and their luckless crews drowned, without our being able to do\nanything to help them.  Indeed I and my two companions had all we could\ndo to keep our own raft beyond the reach of the giants, but by dint of\nhard rowing we at last gained the open sea.  Here we were at the mercy\nof the winds and waves, which tossed us to and fro all that day and\nnight, but the next morning we found ourselves near an island, upon\nwhich we gladly landed.\n\nThere we found delicious fruits, and having satisfied our hunger we\npresently lay down to rest upon the shore.  Suddenly we were aroused by\na loud rustling noise, and starting up, saw that it was caused by an\nimmense snake which was gliding towards us over the sand.  So swiftly\nit came that it had seized one of my comrades before he had time to\nfly, and in spite of his cries and struggles speedily crushed the life\nout of him in its mighty coils and proceeded to swallow him.  By this\ntime my other companion and I were running for our lives to some place\nwhere we might hope to be safe from this new horror, and seeing a tall\ntree we climbed up into it, having first provided ourselves with a\nstore of fruit off the surrounding bushes.  When night came I fell\nasleep, but only to be awakened once more by the terrible snake, which\nafter hissing horribly round the tree at last reared itself up against\nit, and finding my sleeping comrade who was perched just below me, it\nswallowed him also, and crawled away leaving me half dead with terror.\n\nWhen the sun rose I crept down from the tree with hardly a hope of\nescaping the dreadful fate which had over-taken my comrades; but life\nis sweet, and I determined to do all I could to save myself.  All day\nlong I toiled with frantic haste and collected quantities of dry\nbrushwood, reeds and thorns, which I bound with faggots, and making a\ncircle of them under my tree I piled them firmly one upon another until\nI had a kind of tent in which I crouched like a mouse in a hole when\nshe sees the cat coming.  You may imagine what a fearful night I\npassed, for the snake returned eager to devour me, and glided round and\nround my frail shelter seeking an entrance.  Every moment I feared that\nit would succeed in pushing aside some of the faggots, but happily for\nme they held together, and when it grew light my enemy retired, baffled\nand hungry, to his den.  As for me I was more dead than alive!  Shaking\nwith fright and half suffocated by the poisonous breath of the monster,\nI came out of my tent and crawled down to the sea, feeling that it\nwould be better to plunge from the cliffs and end my life at once than\npass such another night of horror.  But to my joy and relief I saw a\nship sailing by, and by shouting wildly and waving my turban I managed\nto attract the attention of her crew.\n\nA boat was sent to rescue me, and very soon I found myself on board\nsurrounded by a wondering crowd of sailors and merchants eager to know\nby what chance I found myself in that desolate island.  After I had\ntold my story they regaled me with the choicest food the ship afforded,\nand the captain, seeing that I was in rags, generously bestowed upon me\none of his own coats.  After sailing about for some time and touching\nat many ports we came at last to the island of Salahat, where sandal\nwood grows in great abundance.  Here we anchored, and as I stood\nwatching the merchants disembarking their goods and preparing to sell\nor exchange them, the captain came up to me and said,\n\n\"I have here, brother, some merchandise belonging to a passenger of\nmine who is dead.  Will you do me the favour to trade with it, and when\nI meet with his heirs I shall be able to give them the money, though it\nwill be only just that you shall have a portion for your trouble.\"\n\nI consented gladly, for I did not like standing by idle.  Whereupon he\npointed the bales out to me, and sent for the person whose duty it was\nto keep a list of the goods that were upon the ship.  When this man\ncame he asked in what name the merchandise was to be registered.\n\n\"In the name of Sindbad the Sailor,\" replied the captain.\n\nAt this I was greatly surprised, but looking carefully at him I\nrecognised him to be the captain of the ship upon which I had made my\nsecond voyage, though he had altered much since that time.  As for him,\nbelieving me to be dead it was no wonder that he had not recognised me.\n\n\"So, captain,\" said I, \"the merchant who owned those bales was called\nSindbad?\"\n\n\"Yes,\" he replied.  \"He was so named.  He belonged to Bagdad, and\njoined my ship at Balsora, but by mischance he was left behind upon a\ndesert island where we had landed to fill up our water-casks, and it\nwas not until four hours later that he was missed.  By that time the\nwind had freshened, and it was impossible to put back for him.\"\n\n\"You suppose him to have perished then?\" said I.\n\n\"Alas! yes,\" he answered.\n\n\"Why, captain!\"  I cried, \"look well at me.  I am that Sindbad who fell\nasleep upon the island and awoke to find himself abandoned!\"\n\nThe captain stared at me in amazement, but was presently convinced that\nI was indeed speaking the truth, and rejoiced greatly at my escape.\n\n\"I am glad to have that piece of carelessness off my conscience at any\nrate,\" said he.  \"Now take your goods, and the profit I have made for\nyou upon them, and may you prosper in future.\"\n\nI took them gratefully, and as we went from one island to another I\nlaid in stores of cloves, cinnamon, and other spices.  In one place I\nsaw a tortoise which was twenty cubits long and as many broad, also a\nfish that was like a cow and had skin so thick that it was used to make\nshields.  Another I saw that was like a camel in shape and colour.  So\nby degrees we came back to Balsora, and I returned to Bagdad with so\nmuch money that I could not myself count it, besides treasures without\nend.  I gave largely to the poor, and bought much land to add to what I\nalready possessed, and thus ended my third voyage.\n\nWhen Sindbad had finished his story he gave another hundred sequins to\nHindbad, who then departed with the other guests, but next day when\nthey had all reassembled, and the banquet was ended, their host\ncontinued his adventures.\n\n\n\nFourth Voyage\n\n\nRich and happy as I was after my third voyage, I could not make up my\nmind to stay at home altogether.  My love of trading, and the pleasure\nI took in anything that was new and strange, made me set my affairs in\norder, and begin my journey through some of the Persian provinces,\nhaving first sent off stores of goods to await my coming in the\ndifferent places I intended to visit.  I took ship at a distant\nseaport, and for some time all went well, but at last, being caught in\na violent hurricane, our vessel became a total wreck in spite of all\nour worthy captain could do to save her, and many of our company\nperished in the waves.  I, with a few others, had the good fortune to\nbe washed ashore clinging to pieces of the wreck, for the storm had\ndriven us near an island, and scrambling up beyond the reach of the\nwaves we threw ourselves down quite exhausted, to wait for morning.\n\nAt daylight we wandered inland, and soon saw some huts, to which we\ndirected our steps.  As we drew near their black inhabitants swarmed\nout in great numbers and surrounded us, and we were led to their\nhouses, and as it were divided among our captors.  I with five others\nwas taken into a hut, where we were made to sit upon the ground, and\ncertain herbs were given to us, which the blacks made signs to us to\neat.  Observing that they themselves did not touch them, I was careful\nonly to pretend to taste my portion; but my companions, being very\nhungry, rashly ate up all that was set before them, and very soon I had\nthe horror of seeing them become perfectly mad.  Though they chattered\nincessantly I could not understand a word they said, nor did they heed\nwhen I spoke to them.  The savages now produced large bowls full of\nrice prepared with cocoanut oil, of which my crazy comrades ate\neagerly, but I only tasted a few grains, understanding clearly that the\nobject of our captors was to fatten us speedily for their own eating,\nand this was exactly what happened.  My unlucky companions having lost\ntheir reason, felt neither anxiety nor fear, and ate greedily all that\nwas offered them.  So they were soon fat and there was an end of them,\nbut I grew leaner day by day, for I ate but little, and even that\nlittle did me no good by reason of my fear of what lay before me.\nHowever, as I was so far from being a tempting morsel, I was allowed to\nwander about freely, and one day, when all the blacks had gone off upon\nsome expedition leaving only an old man to guard me, I managed to\nescape from him and plunged into the forest, running faster the more he\ncried to me to come back, until I had completely distanced him.\n\nFor seven days I hurried on, resting only when the darkness stopped me,\nand living chiefly upon cocoanuts, which afforded me both meat and\ndrink, and on the eighth day I reached the seashore and saw a party of\nwhite men gathering pepper, which grew abundantly all about.  Reassured\nby the nature of their occupation, I advanced towards them and they\ngreeted me in Arabic, asking who I was and whence I came.  My delight\nwas great on hearing this familiar speech, and I willingly satisfied\ntheir curiosity, telling them how I had been shipwrecked, and captured\nby the blacks.  \"But these savages devour men!\" said they.  \"How did\nyou escape?\"  I repeated to them what I have just told you, at which\nthey were mightily astonished.  I stayed with them until they had\ncollected as much pepper as they wished, and then they took me back to\ntheir own country and presented me to their king, by whom I was\nhospitably received.  To him also I had to relate my adventures, which\nsurprised him much, and when I had finished he ordered that I should be\nsupplied with food and raiment and treated with consideration.\n\nThe island on which I found myself was full of people, and abounded in\nall sorts of desirable things, and a great deal of traffic went on in\nthe capital, where I soon began to feel at home and contented.\nMoreover, the king treated me with special favour, and in consequence\nof this everyone, whether at the court or in the town, sought to make\nlife pleasant to me.  One thing I remarked which I thought very\nstrange; this was that, from the greatest to the least, all men rode\ntheir horses without bridle or stirrups.  I one day presumed to ask his\nmajesty why he did not use them, to which he replied, \"You speak to me\nof things of which I have never before heard!\"  This gave me an idea.\nI found a clever workman, and made him cut out under my direction the\nfoundation of a saddle, which I wadded and covered with choice leather,\nadorning it with rich gold embroidery.  I then got a lock-smith to make\nme a bit and a pair of spurs after a pattern that I drew for him, and\nwhen all these things were completed I presented them to the king and\nshowed him how to use them.  When I had saddled one of his horses he\nmounted it and rode about quite delighted with the novelty, and to show\nhis gratitude he rewarded me with large gifts.  After this I had to\nmake saddles for all the principal officers of the king's household,\nand as they all gave me rich presents I soon became very wealthy and\nquite an important person in the city.\n\nOne day the king sent for me and said, \"Sindbad, I am going to ask a\nfavour of you.  Both I and my subjects esteem you, and wish you to end\nyour days amongst us.  Therefore I desire that you will marry a rich\nand beautiful lady whom I will find for you, and think no more of your\nown country.\"\n\nAs the king's will was law I accepted the charming bride he presented\nto me, and lived happily with her.  Nevertheless I had every intention\nof escaping at the first opportunity, and going back to Bagdad.  Things\nwere thus going prosperously with me when it happened that the wife of\none of my neighbours, with whom I had struck up quite a friendship,\nfell ill, and presently died.  I went to his house to offer my\nconsolations, and found him in the depths of woe.\n\n\"Heaven preserve you,\" said I, \"and send you a long life!\"\n\n\"Alas!\" he replied, \"what is the good of saying that when I have but an\nhour left to live!\"\n\n\"Come, come!\" said I, \"surely it is not so bad as all that.  I trust\nthat you may be spared to me for many years.\"\n\n\"I hope,\" answered he, \"that your life may be long, but as for me, all\nis finished.  I have set my house in order, and to-day I shall be\nburied with my wife.  This has been the law upon our island from the\nearliest ages--the living husband goes to the grave with his dead wife,\nthe living wife with her dead husband.  So did our fathers, and so must\nwe do.  The law changes not, and all must submit to it!\"\n\nAs he spoke the friends and relations of the unhappy pair began to\nassemble.  The body, decked in rich robes and sparkling with jewels,\nwas laid upon an open bier, and the procession started, taking its way\nto a high mountain at some distance from the city, the wretched\nhusband, clothed from head to foot in a black mantle, following\nmournfully.\n\nWhen the place of interment was reached the corpse was lowered, just as\nit was, into a deep pit.  Then the husband, bidding farewell to all his\nfriends, stretched himself upon another bier, upon which were laid\nseven little loaves of bread and a pitcher of water, and he also was\nlet down-down-down to the depths of the horrible cavern, and then a\nstone was laid over the opening, and the melancholy company wended its\nway back to the city.\n\nYou may imagine that I was no unmoved spectator of these proceedings;\nto all the others it was a thing to which they had been accustomed from\ntheir youth up; but I was so horrified that I could not help telling\nthe king how it struck me.\n\n\"Sire,\" I said, \"I am more astonished than I can express to you at the\nstrange custom which exists in your dominions of burying the living\nwith the dead.  In all my travels I have never before met with so cruel\nand horrible a law.\"\n\n\"What would you have, Sindbad?\" he replied.  \"It is the law for\neverybody.  I myself should be buried with the Queen if she were the\nfirst to die.\"\n\n\"But, your Majesty,\" said I, \"dare I ask if this law applies to\nforeigners also?\"\n\n\"Why, yes,\" replied the king smiling, in what I could but consider a\nvery heartless manner, \"they are no exception to the rule if they have\nmarried in the country.\"\n\nWhen I heard this I went home much cast down, and from that time\nforward my mind was never easy.  If only my wife's little finger ached\nI fancied she was going to die, and sure enough before very long she\nfell really ill and in a few days breathed her last.  My dismay was\ngreat, for it seemed to me that to be buried alive was even a worse\nfate than to be devoured by cannibals, nevertheless there was no\nescape.  The body of my wife, arrayed in her richest robes and decked\nwith all her jewels, was laid upon the bier.  I followed it, and after\nme came a great procession, headed by the king and all his nobles, and\nin this order we reached the fatal mountain, which was one of a lofty\nchain bordering the sea.\n\nHere I made one more frantic effort to excite the pity of the king and\nthose who stood by, hoping to save myself even at this last moment, but\nit was of no avail.  No one spoke to me, they even appeared to hasten\nover their dreadful task, and I speedily found myself descending into\nthe gloomy pit, with my seven loaves and pitcher of water beside me.\nAlmost before I reached the bottom the stone was rolled into its place\nabove my head, and I was left to my fate.  A feeble ray of light shone\ninto the cavern through some chink, and when I had the courage to look\nabout me I could see that I was in a vast vault, bestrewn with bones\nand bodies of the dead.  I even fancied that I heard the expiring sighs\nof those who, like myself, had come into this dismal place alive.  All\nin vain did I shriek aloud with rage and despair, reproaching myself\nfor the love of gain and adventure which had brought me to such a pass,\nbut at length, growing calmer, I took up my bread and water, and\nwrapping my face in my mantle I groped my way towards the end of the\ncavern, where the air was fresher.\n\nHere I lived in darkness and misery until my provisions were exhausted,\nbut just as I was nearly dead from starvation the rock was rolled away\noverhead and I saw that a bier was being lowered into the cavern, and\nthat the corpse upon it was a man.  In a moment my mind was made up,\nthe woman who followed had nothing to expect but a lingering death; I\nshould be doing her a service if I shortened her misery.  Therefore\nwhen she descended, already insensible from terror, I was ready armed\nwith a huge bone, one blow from which left her dead, and I secured the\nbread and water which gave me a hope of life.  Several times did I have\nrecourse to this desperate expedient, and I know not how long I had\nbeen a prisoner when one day I fancied that I heard something near me,\nwhich breathed loudly.  Turning to the place from which the sound came\nI dimly saw a shadowy form which fled at my movement, squeezing itself\nthrough a cranny in the wall.  I pursued it as fast as I could, and\nfound myself in a narrow crack among the rocks, along which I was just\nable to force my way.  I followed it for what seemed to me many miles,\nand at last saw before me a glimmer of light which grew clearer every\nmoment until I emerged upon the sea shore with a joy which I cannot\ndescribe.  When I was sure that I was not dreaming, I realised that it\nwas doubtless some little animal which had found its way into the\ncavern from the sea, and when disturbed had fled, showing me a means of\nescape which I could never have discovered for myself.  I hastily\nsurveyed my surroundings, and saw that I was safe from all pursuit from\nthe town.\n\nThe mountains sloped sheer down to the sea, and there was no road\nacross them.  Being assured of this I returned to the cavern, and\namassed a rich treasure of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and jewels of\nall kinds which strewed the ground.  These I made up into bales, and\nstored them into a safe place upon the beach, and then waited hopefully\nfor the passing of a ship.  I had looked out for two days, however,\nbefore a single sail appeared, so it was with much delight that I at\nlast saw a vessel not very far from the shore, and by waving my arms\nand uttering loud cries succeeded in attracting the attention of her\ncrew.  A boat was sent off to me, and in answer to the questions of the\nsailors as to how I came to be in such a plight, I replied that I had\nbeen shipwrecked two days before, but had managed to scramble ashore\nwith the bales which I pointed out to them.  Luckily for me they\nbelieved my story, and without even looking at the place where they\nfound me, took up my bundles, and rowed me back to the ship.  Once on\nboard, I soon saw that the captain was too much occupied with the\ndifficulties of navigation to pay much heed to me, though he generously\nmade me welcome, and would not even accept the jewels with which I\noffered to pay my passage.  Our voyage was prosperous, and after\nvisiting many lands, and collecting in each place great store of goodly\nmerchandise, I found myself at last in Bagdad once more with unheard of\nriches of every description.  Again I gave large sums of money to the\npoor, and enriched all the mosques in the city, after which I gave\nmyself up to my friends and relations, with whom I passed my time in\nfeasting and merriment.\n\nHere Sindbad paused, and all his hearers declared that the adventures\nof his fourth voyage had pleased them better than anything they had\nheard before.  They then took their leave, followed by Hindbad, who had\nonce more received a hundred sequins, and with the rest had been bidden\nto return next day for the story of the fifth voyage.\n\nWhen the time came all were in their places, and when they had eaten\nand drunk of all that was set before them Sindbad began his tale.\n\n\n\nFifth Voyage\n\n\nNot even all that I had gone through could make me contented with a\nquiet life.  I soon wearied of its pleasures, and longed for change and\nadventure.  Therefore I set out once more, but this time in a ship of\nmy own, which I built and fitted out at the nearest seaport.  I wished\nto be able to call at whatever port I chose, taking my own time; but as\nI did not intend carrying enough goods for a full cargo, I invited\nseveral merchants of different nations to join me.  We set sail with\nthe first favourable wind, and after a long voyage upon the open seas\nwe landed upon an unknown island which proved to be uninhabited.  We\ndetermined, however, to explore it, but had not gone far when we found\na roc's egg, as large as the one I had seen before and evidently very\nnearly hatched, for the beak of the young bird had already pierced the\nshell.  In spite of all I could say to deter them, the merchants who\nwere with me fell upon it with their hatchets, breaking the shell, and\nkilling the young roc.  Then lighting a fire upon the ground they\nhacked morsels from the bird, and proceeded to roast them while I stood\nby aghast.\n\nScarcely had they finished their ill-omened repast, when the air above\nus was darkened by two mighty shadows.  The captain of my ship, knowing\nby experience what this meant, cried out to us that the parent birds\nwere coming, and urged us to get on board with all speed.  This we did,\nand the sails were hoisted, but before we had made any way the rocs\nreached their despoiled nest and hovered about it, uttering frightful\ncries when they discovered the mangled remains of their young one.  For\na moment we lost sight of them, and were flattering ourselves that we\nhad escaped, when they reappeared and soared into the air directly over\nour vessel, and we saw that each held in its claws an immense rock\nready to crush us.  There was a moment of breathless suspense, then one\nbird loosed its hold and the huge block of stone hurtled through the\nair, but thanks to the presence of mind of the helmsman, who turned our\nship violently in another direction, it fell into the sea close beside\nus, cleaving it asunder till we could nearly see the bottom.  We had\nhardly time to draw a breath of relief before the other rock fell with\na mighty crash right in the midst of our luckless vessel, smashing it\ninto a thousand fragments, and crushing, or hurling into the sea,\npassengers and crew.  I myself went down with the rest, but had the\ngood fortune to rise unhurt, and by holding on to a piece of driftwood\nwith one hand and swimming with the other I kept myself afloat and was\npresently washed up by the tide on to an island.  Its shores were steep\nand rocky, but I scrambled up safely and threw myself down to rest upon\nthe green turf.\n\nWhen I had somewhat recovered I began to examine the spot in which I\nfound myself, and truly it seemed to me that I had reached a garden of\ndelights.  There were trees everywhere, and they were laden with\nflowers and fruit, while a crystal stream wandered in and out under\ntheir shadow.  When night came I slept sweetly in a cosy nook, though\nthe remembrance that I was alone in a strange land made me sometimes\nstart up and look around me in alarm, and then I wished heartily that I\nhad stayed at home at ease.  However, the morning sunlight restored my\ncourage, and I once more wandered among the trees, but always with some\nanxiety as to what I might see next.  I had penetrated some distance\ninto the island when I saw an old man bent and feeble sitting upon the\nriver bank, and at first I took him to be some ship-wrecked mariner\nlike myself.  Going up to him I greeted him in a friendly way, but he\nonly nodded his head at me in reply.  I then asked what he did there,\nand he made signs to me that he wished to get across the river to\ngather some fruit, and seemed to beg me to carry him on my back.\nPitying his age and feebleness, I took him up, and wading across the\nstream I bent down that he might more easily reach the bank, and bade\nhim get down.  But instead of allowing himself to be set upon his feet\n(even now it makes me laugh to think of it!), this creature who had\nseemed to me so decrepit leaped nimbly upon my shoulders, and hooking\nhis legs round my neck gripped me so tightly that I was well-nigh\nchoked, and so overcome with terror that I fell insensible to the\nground.  When I recovered my enemy was still in his place, though he\nhad released his hold enough to allow me breathing space, and seeing me\nrevive he prodded me adroitly first with one foot and then with the\nother, until I was forced to get up and stagger about with him under\nthe trees while he gathered and ate the choicest fruits.  This went on\nall day, and even at night, when I threw myself down half dead with\nweariness, the terrible old man held on tight to my neck, nor did he\nfail to greet the first glimmer of morning light by drumming upon me\nwith his heels, until I perforce awoke and resumed my dreary march with\nrage and bitterness in my heart.\n\nIt happened one day that I passed a tree under which lay several dry\ngourds, and catching one up I amused myself with scooping out its\ncontents and pressing into it the juice of several bunches of grapes\nwhich hung from every bush.  When it was full I left it propped in the\nfork of a tree, and a few days later, carrying the hateful old man that\nway, I snatched at my gourd as I passed it and had the satisfaction of\na draught of excellent wine so good and refreshing that I even forgot\nmy detestable burden, and began to sing and caper.\n\nThe old monster was not slow to perceive the effect which my draught\nhad produced and that I carried him more lightly than usual, so he\nstretched out his skinny hand and seizing the gourd first tasted its\ncontents cautiously, then drained them to the very last drop.  The wine\nwas strong and the gourd capacious, so he also began to sing after a\nfashion, and soon I had the delight of feeling the iron grip of his\ngoblin legs unclasp, and with one vigorous effort I threw him to the\nground, from which he never moved again.  I was so rejoiced to have at\nlast got rid of this uncanny old man that I ran leaping and bounding\ndown to the sea shore, where, by the greatest good luck, I met with\nsome mariners who had anchored off the island to enjoy the delicious\nfruits, and to renew their supply of water.\n\nThey heard the story of my escape with amazement, saying, \"You fell\ninto the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and it is a mercy that he did\nnot strangle you as he has everyone else upon whose shoulders he has\nmanaged to perch himself.  This island is well known as the scene of\nhis evil deeds, and no merchant or sailor who lands upon it cares to\nstray far away from his comrades.\"  After we had talked for a while\nthey took me back with them on board their ship, where the captain\nreceived me kindly, and we soon set sail, and after several days\nreached a large and prosperous-looking town where all the houses were\nbuilt of stone.  Here we anchored, and one of the merchants, who had\nbeen very friendly to me on the way, took me ashore with him and showed\nme a lodging set apart for strange merchants.  He then provided me with\na large sack, and pointed out to me a party of others equipped in like\nmanner.\n\n\"Go with them,\" said he, \"and do as they do, but beware of losing sight\nof them, for if you strayed your life would be in danger.\"\n\nWith that he supplied me with provisions, and bade me farewell, and I\nset out with my new companions.  I soon learnt that the object of our\nexpedition was to fill our sacks with cocoanuts, but when at length I\nsaw the trees and noted their immense height and the slippery\nsmoothness of their slender trunks, I did not at all understand how we\nwere to do it.  The crowns of the cocoa-palms were all alive with\nmonkeys, big and little, which skipped from one to the other with\nsurprising agility, seeming to be curious about us and disturbed at our\nappearance, and I was at first surprised when my companions after\ncollecting stones began to throw them at the lively creatures, which\nseemed to me quite harmless.  But very soon I saw the reason of it and\njoined them heartily, for the monkeys, annoyed and wishing to pay us\nback in our own coin, began to tear the nuts from the trees and cast\nthem at us with angry and spiteful gestures, so that after very little\nlabour our sacks were filled with the fruit which we could not\notherwise have obtained.\n\nAs soon as we had as many as we could carry we went back to the town,\nwhere my friend bought my share and advised me to continue the same\noccupation until I had earned money enough to carry me to my own\ncountry.  This I did, and before long had amassed a considerable sum.\nJust then I heard that there was a trading ship ready to sail, and\ntaking leave of my friend I went on board, carrying with me a goodly\nstore of cocoanuts; and we sailed first to the islands where pepper\ngrows, then to Comari where the best aloes wood is found, and where men\ndrink no wine by an unalterable law.  Here I exchanged my nuts for\npepper and good aloes wood, and went a-fishing for pearls with some of\nthe other merchants, and my divers were so lucky that very soon I had\nan immense number, and those very large and perfect.  With all these\ntreasures I came joyfully back to Bagdad, where I disposed of them for\nlarge sums of money, of which I did not fail as before to give the\ntenth part to the poor, and after that I rested from my labours and\ncomforted myself with all the pleasures that my riches could give me.\n\nHaving thus ended his story, Sindbad ordered that one hundred sequins\nshould be given to Hindbad, and the guests then withdrew; but after the\nnext day's feast he began the account of his sixth voyage as follows.\n\n\n\nSixth Voyage\n\n\nIt must be a marvel to you how, after having five times met with\nshipwreck and unheard of perils, I could again tempt fortune and risk\nfresh trouble.  I am even surprised myself when I look back, but\nevidently it was my fate to rove, and after a year of repose I prepared\nto make a sixth voyage, regardless of the entreaties of my friends and\nrelations, who did all they could to keep me at home.  Instead of going\nby the Persian Gulf, I travelled a considerable way overland, and\nfinally embarked from a distant Indian port with a captain who meant to\nmake a long voyage.  And truly he did so, for we fell in with stormy\nweather which drove us completely out of our course, so that for many\ndays neither captain nor pilot knew where we were, nor where we were\ngoing.  When they did at last discover our position we had small ground\nfor rejoicing, for the captain, casting his turban upon the deck and\ntearing his beard, declared that we were in the most dangerous spot\nupon the whole wide sea, and had been caught by a current which was at\nthat minute sweeping us to destruction.  It was too true!  In spite of\nall the sailors could do we were driven with frightful rapidity towards\nthe foot of a mountain, which rose sheer out of the sea, and our vessel\nwas dashed to pieces upon the rocks at its base, not, however, until we\nhad managed to scramble on shore, carrying with us the most precious of\nour possessions.  When we had done this the captain said to us:\n\n\"Now we are here we may as well begin to dig our graves at once, since\nfrom this fatal spot no shipwrecked mariner has ever returned.\"\n\nThis speech discouraged us much, and we began to lament over our sad\nfate.\n\nThe mountain formed the seaward boundary of a large island, and the\nnarrow strip of rocky shore upon which we stood was strewn with the\nwreckage of a thousand gallant ships, while the bones of the luckless\nmariners shone white in the sunshine, and we shuddered to think how\nsoon our own would be added to the heap.  All around, too, lay vast\nquantities of the costliest merchandise, and treasures were heaped in\nevery cranny of the rocks, but all these things only added to the\ndesolation of the scene.  It struck me as a very strange thing that a\nriver of clear fresh water, which gushed out from the mountain not far\nfrom where we stood, instead of flowing into the sea as rivers\ngenerally do, turned off sharply, and flowed out of sight under a\nnatural archway of rock, and when I went to examine it more closely I\nfound that inside the cave the walls were thick with diamonds, and\nrubies, and masses of crystal, and the floor was strewn with ambergris.\nHere, then, upon this desolate shore we abandoned ourselves to our\nfate, for there was no possibility of scaling the mountain, and if a\nship had appeared it could only have shared our doom.  The first thing\nour captain did was to divide equally amongst us all the food we\npossessed, and then the length of each man's life depended on the time\nhe could make his portion last.  I myself could live upon very little.\n\nNevertheless, by the time I had buried the last of my companions my\nstock of provisions was so small that I hardly thought I should live\nlong enough to dig my own grave, which I set about doing, while I\nregretted bitterly the roving disposition which was always bringing me\ninto such straits, and thought longingly of all the comfort and luxury\nthat I had left.  But luckily for me the fancy took me to stand once\nmore beside the river where it plunged out of sight in the depths of\nthe cavern, and as I did so an idea struck me.  This river which hid\nitself underground doubtless emerged again at some distant spot.  Why\nshould I not build a raft and trust myself to its swiftly flowing\nwaters?  If I perished before I could reach the light of day once more\nI should be no worse off than I was now, for death stared me in the\nface, while there was always the possibility that, as I was born under\na lucky star, I might find myself safe and sound in some desirable\nland.  I decided at any rate to risk it, and speedily built myself a\nstout raft of drift-wood with strong cords, of which enough and to\nspare lay strewn upon the beach.  I then made up many packages of\nrubies, emeralds, rock crystal, ambergris, and precious stuffs, and\nbound them upon my raft, being careful to preserve the balance, and\nthen I seated myself upon it, having two small oars that I had\nfashioned laid ready to my hand, and loosed the cord which held it to\nthe bank.  Once out in the current my raft flew swiftly under the\ngloomy archway, and I found myself in total darkness, carried smoothly\nforward by the rapid river.  On I went as it seemed to me for many\nnights and days.  Once the channel became so small that I had a narrow\nescape of being crushed against the rocky roof, and after that I took\nthe precaution of lying flat upon my precious bales.  Though I only ate\nwhat was absolutely necessary to keep myself alive, the inevitable\nmoment came when, after swallowing my last morsel of food, I began to\nwonder if I must after all die of hunger.  Then, worn out with anxiety\nand fatigue, I fell into a deep sleep, and when I again opened my eyes\nI was once more in the light of day; a beautiful country lay before me,\nand my raft, which was tied to the river bank, was surrounded by\nfriendly looking black men.  I rose and saluted them, and they spoke to\nme in return, but I could not understand a word of their language.\nFeeling perfectly bewildered by my sudden return to life and light, I\nmurmured to myself in Arabic, \"Close thine eyes, and while thou\nsleepest Heaven will change thy fortune from evil to good.\"\n\nOne of the natives, who understood this tongue, then came forward\nsaying:\n\n\"My brother, be not surprised to see us; this is our land, and as we\ncame to get water from the river we noticed your raft floating down it,\nand one of us swam out and brought you to the shore.  We have waited\nfor your awakening; tell us now whence you come and where you were\ngoing by that dangerous way?\"\n\nI replied that nothing would please me better than to tell them, but\nthat I was starving, and would fain eat something first.  I was soon\nsupplied with all I needed, and having satisfied my hunger I told them\nfaithfully all that had befallen me.  They were lost in wonder at my\ntale when it was interpreted to them, and said that adventures so\nsurprising must be related to their king only by the man to whom they\nhad happened.  So, procuring a horse, they mounted me upon it, and we\nset out, followed by several strong men carrying my raft just as it was\nupon their shoulders.  In this order we marched into the city of\nSerendib, where the natives presented me to their king, whom I saluted\nin the Indian fashion, prostrating myself at his feet and kissing the\nground; but the monarch bade me rise and sit beside him, asking first\nwhat was my name.\n\n\"I am Sindbad,\" I replied, \"whom men call `the Sailor,' for I have\nvoyaged much upon many seas.\"\n\n\"And how come you here?\" asked the king.\n\nI told my story, concealing nothing, and his surprise and delight were\nso great that he ordered my adventures to be written in letters of gold\nand laid up in the archives of his kingdom.\n\nPresently my raft was brought in and the bales opened in his presence,\nand the king declared that in all his treasury there were no such\nrubies and emeralds as those which lay in great heaps before him.\nSeeing that he looked at them with interest, I ventured to say that I\nmyself and all that I had were at his disposal, but he answered me\nsmiling:\n\n\"Nay, Sindbad.  Heaven forbid that I should covet your riches; I will\nrather add to them, for I desire that you shall not leave my kingdom\nwithout some tokens of my good will.\"  He then commanded his officers\nto provide me with a suitable lodging at his expense, and sent slaves\nto wait upon me and carry my raft and my bales to my new dwelling\nplace.  You may imagine that I praised his generosity and gave him\ngrateful thanks, nor did I fail to present myself daily in his audience\nchamber, and for the rest of my time I amused myself in seeing all that\nwas most worthy of attention in the city.  The island of Serendib being\nsituated on the equinoctial line, the days and nights there are of\nequal length.  The chief city is placed at the end of a beautiful\nvalley, formed by the highest mountain in the world, which is in the\nmiddle of the island.  I had the curiosity to ascend to its very\nsummit, for this was the place to which Adam was banished out of\nParadise.  Here are found rubies and many precious things, and rare\nplants grow abundantly, with cedar trees and cocoa palms.  On the\nseashore and at the mouths of the rivers the divers seek for pearls,\nand in some valleys diamonds are plentiful.  After many days I\npetitioned the king that I might return to my own country, to which he\ngraciously consented.  Moreover, he loaded me with rich gifts, and when\nI went to take leave of him he entrusted me with a royal present and a\nletter to the Commander of the Faithful, our sovereign lord, saying, \"I\npray you give these to the Caliph Haroun al Raschid, and assure him of\nmy friendship.\"\n\nI accepted the charge respectfully, and soon embarked upon the vessel\nwhich the king himself had chosen for me.  The king's letter was\nwritten in blue characters upon a rare and precious skin of yellowish\ncolour, and these were the words of it: \"The King of the Indies, before\nwhom walk a thousand elephants, who lives in a palace, of which the\nroof blazes with a hundred thousand rubies, and whose treasure house\ncontains twenty thousand diamond crowns, to the Caliph Haroun al\nRaschid sends greeting.  Though the offering we present to you is\nunworthy of your notice, we pray you to accept it as a mark of the\nesteem and friendship which we cherish for you, and of which we gladly\nsend you this token, and we ask of you a like regard if you deem us\nworthy of it.  Adieu, brother.\"\n\nThe present consisted of a vase carved from a single ruby, six inches\nhigh and as thick as my finger; this was filled with the choicest\npearls, large, and of perfect shape and lustre; secondly, a huge snake\nskin, with scales as large as a sequin, which would preserve from\nsickness those who slept upon it.  Then quantities of aloes wood,\ncamphor, and pistachio-nuts; and lastly, a beautiful slave girl, whose\nrobes glittered with precious stones.\n\nAfter a long and prosperous voyage we landed at Balsora, and I made\nhaste to reach Bagdad, and taking the king's letter I presented myself\nat the palace gate, followed by the beautiful slave, and various\nmembers of my own family, bearing the treasure.\n\nAs soon as I had declared my errand I was conducted into the presence\nof the Caliph, to whom, after I had made my obeisance, I gave the\nletter and the king's gift, and when he had examined them he demanded\nof me whether the Prince of Serendib was really as rich and powerful as\nhe claimed to be.\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" I replied, again bowing humbly before him,\n\"I can assure your Majesty that he has in no way exaggerated his wealth\nand grandeur.  Nothing can equal the magnificence of his palace.  When\nhe goes abroad his throne is prepared upon the back of an elephant, and\non either side of him ride his ministers, his favourites, and\ncourtiers.  On his elephant's neck sits an officer, his golden lance in\nhis hand, and behind him stands another bearing a pillar of gold, at\nthe top of which is an emerald as long as my hand.  A thousand men in\ncloth of gold, mounted upon richly caparisoned elephants, go before\nhim, and as the procession moves onward the officer who guides his\nelephant cries aloud, `Behold the mighty monarch, the powerful and\nvaliant Sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundred\nthousand rubies, who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns.  Behold\na monarch greater than Solomon and Mihrage in all their glory!'\"\n\n\"Then the one who stands behind the throne answers:  'This king, so\ngreat and powerful, must die, must die, must die!'\"\n\n\"And the first takes up the chant again, `All praise to Him who lives\nfor evermore.'\"\n\n\"Further, my lord, in Serendib no judge is needed, for to the king\nhimself his people come for justice.\"\n\nThe Caliph was well satisfied with my report.\n\n\"From the king's letter,\" said he, \"I judged that he was a wise man.\nIt seems that he is worthy of his people, and his people of him.\"\n\nSo saying he dismissed me with rich presents, and I returned in peace\nto my own house.\n\nWhen Sindbad had done speaking his guests withdrew, Hindbad having\nfirst received a hundred sequins, but all returned next day to hear the\nstory of the seventh voyage, Sindbad thus began.\n\n\n\nSeventh and Last Voyage\n\n\nAfter my sixth voyage I was quite determined that I would go to sea no\nmore.  I was now of an age to appreciate a quiet life, and I had run\nrisks enough.  I only wished to end my days in peace.  One day,\nhowever, when I was entertaining a number of my friends, I was told\nthat an officer of the Caliph wished to speak to me, and when he was\nadmitted he bade me follow him into the presence of Haroun al Raschid,\nwhich I accordingly did.  After I had saluted him, the Caliph said:\n\n\"I have sent for you, Sindbad, because I need your services.  I have\nchosen you to bear a letter and a gift to the King of Serendib in\nreturn for his message of friendship.\"\n\nThe Caliph's commandment fell upon me like a thunderbolt.\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" I answered, \"I am ready to do all that\nyour Majesty commands, but I humbly pray you to remember that I am\nutterly disheartened by the unheard of sufferings I have undergone.\nIndeed, I have made a vow never again to leave Bagdad.\"\n\nWith this I gave him a long account of some of my strangest adventures,\nto which he listened patiently.\n\n\"I admit,\" said he, \"that you have indeed had some extraordinary\nexperiences, but I do not see why they should hinder you from doing as\nI wish.  You have only to go straight to Serendib and give my message,\nthen you are free to come back and do as you will.  But go you must; my\nhonour and dignity demand it.\"\n\nSeeing that there was no help for it, I declared myself willing to\nobey; and the Caliph, delighted at having got his own way, gave me a\nthousand sequins for the expenses of the voyage.  I was soon ready to\nstart, and taking the letter and the present I embarked at Balsora, and\nsailed quickly and safely to Serendib.  Here, when I had disclosed my\nerrand, I was well received, and brought into the presence of the king,\nwho greeted me with joy.\n\n\"Welcome, Sindbad,\" he cried.  \"I have thought of you often, and\nrejoice to see you once more.\"\n\nAfter thanking him for the honour that he did me, I displayed the\nCaliph's gifts.  First a bed with complete hangings all cloth of gold,\nwhich cost a thousand sequins, and another like to it of crimson stuff.\nFifty robes of rich embroidery, a hundred of the finest white linen\nfrom Cairo, Suez, Cufa, and Alexandria.  Then more beds of different\nfashion, and an agate vase carved with the figure of a man aiming an\narrow at a lion, and finally a costly table, which had once belonged to\nKing Solomon.  The King of Serendib received with satisfaction the\nassurance of the Caliph's friendliness toward him, and now my task\nbeing accomplished I was anxious to depart, but it was some time before\nthe king would think of letting me go.  At last, however, he dismissed\nme with many presents, and I lost no time in going on board a ship,\nwhich sailed at once, and for four days all went well.  On the fifth\nday we had the misfortune to fall in with pirates, who seized our\nvessel, killing all who resisted, and making prisoners of those who\nwere prudent enough to submit at once, of whom I was one.  When they\nhad despoiled us of all we possessed, they forced us to put on vile\nraiment, and sailing to a distant island there sold us for slaves.  I\nfell into the hands of a rich merchant, who took me home with him, and\nclothed and fed me well, and after some days sent for me and questioned\nme as to what I could do.\n\nI answered that I was a rich merchant who had been captured by pirates,\nand therefore I knew no trade.\n\n\"Tell me,\" said he, \"can you shoot with a bow?\"\n\nI replied that this had been one of the pastimes of my youth, and that\ndoubtless with practice my skill would come back to me.\n\nUpon this he provided me with a bow and arrows, and mounting me with\nhim upon his own elephant took the way to a vast forest which lay far\nfrom the town.  When we had reached the wildest part of it we stopped,\nand my master said to me:  \"This forest swarms with elephants.  Hide\nyourself in this great tree, and shoot at all that pass you.  When you\nhave succeeded in killing one come and tell me.\"\n\nSo saying he gave me a supply of food, and returned to the town, and I\nperched myself high up in the tree and kept watch.  That night I saw\nnothing, but just after sunrise the next morning a large herd of\nelephants came crashing and trampling by.  I lost no time in letting\nfly several arrows, and at last one of the great animals fell to the\nground dead, and the others retreated, leaving me free to come down\nfrom my hiding place and run back to tell my master of my success, for\nwhich I was praised and regaled with good things.  Then we went back to\nthe forest together and dug a mighty trench in which we buried the\nelephant I had killed, in order that when it became a skeleton my\nmaster might return and secure its tusks.\n\nFor two months I hunted thus, and no day passed without my securing, an\nelephant.  Of course I did not always station myself in the same tree,\nbut sometimes in one place, sometimes in another.  One morning as I\nwatched the coming of the elephants I was surprised to see that,\ninstead of passing the tree I was in, as they usually did, they paused,\nand completely surrounded it, trumpeting horribly, and shaking the very\nground with their heavy tread, and when I saw that their eyes were\nfixed upon me I was terrified, and my arrows dropped from my trembling\nhand.  I had indeed good reason for my terror when, an instant later,\nthe largest of the animals wound his trunk round the stem of my tree,\nand with one mighty effort tore it up by the roots, bringing me to the\nground entangled in its branches.  I thought now that my last hour was\nsurely come; but the huge creature, picking me up gently enough, set me\nupon its back, where I clung more dead than alive, and followed by the\nwhole herd turned and crashed off into the dense forest.  It seemed to\nme a long time before I was once more set upon my feet by the elephant,\nand I stood as if in a dream watching the herd, which turned and\ntrampled off in another direction, and were soon hidden in the dense\nunderwood.  Then, recovering myself, I looked about me, and found that\nI was standing upon the side of a great hill, strewn as far as I could\nsee on either hand with bones and tusks of elephants.  \"This then must\nbe the elephants' burying place,\" I said to myself, \"and they must have\nbrought me here that I might cease to persecute them, seeing that I\nwant nothing but their tusks, and here lie more than I could carry away\nin a lifetime.\"\n\nWhereupon I turned and made for the city as fast as I could go, not\nseeing a single elephant by the way, which convinced me that they had\nretired deeper into the forest to leave the way open to the Ivory Hill,\nand I did not know how sufficiently to admire their sagacity.  After a\nday and a night I reached my master's house, and was received by him\nwith joyful surprise.\n\n\"Ah! poor Sindbad,\" he cried, \"I was wondering what could have become\nof you.  When I went to the forest I found the tree newly uprooted, and\nthe arrows lying beside it, and I feared I should never see you again.\nPray tell me how you escaped death.\"\n\nI soon satisfied his curiosity, and the next day we went together to\nthe Ivory Hill, and he was overjoyed to find that I had told him\nnothing but the truth.  When we had loaded our elephant with as many\ntusks as it could carry and were on our way back to the city, he said:\n\n\"My brother--since I can no longer treat as a slave one who has\nenriched me thus--take your liberty and may Heaven prosper you.  I will\nno longer conceal from you that these wild elephants have killed\nnumbers of our slaves every year.  No matter what good advice we gave\nthem, they were caught sooner or later.  You alone have escaped the\nwiles of these animals, therefore you must be under the special\nprotection of Heaven.  Now through you the whole town will be enriched\nwithout further loss of life, therefore you shall not only receive your\nliberty, but I will also bestow a fortune upon you.\"\n\nTo which I replied, \"Master, I thank you, and wish you all prosperity.\nFor myself I only ask liberty to return to my own country.\"\n\n\"It is well,\" he answered, \"the monsoon will soon bring the ivory ships\nhither, then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay your\npassage.\"\n\nSo I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day we\nadded to our store of ivory till all his ware-houses were overflowing\nwith it.  By this time the other merchants knew the secret, but there\nwas enough and to spare for all.  When the ships at last arrived my\nmaster himself chose the one in which I was to sail, and put on board\nfor me a great store of choice provisions, also ivory in abundance, and\nall the costliest curiosities of the country, for which I could not\nthank him enough, and so we parted.  I left the ship at the first port\nwe came to, not feeling at ease upon the sea after all that had\nhappened to me by reason of it, and having disposed of my ivory for\nmuch gold, and bought many rare and costly presents, I loaded my pack\nanimals, and joined a caravan of merchants.  Our journey was long and\ntedious, but I bore it patiently, reflecting that at least I had not to\nfear tempests, nor pirates, nor serpents, nor any of the other perils\nfrom which I had suffered before, and at length we reached Bagdad.  My\nfirst care was to present myself before the Caliph, and give him an\naccount of my embassy.  He assured me that my long absence had\ndisquieted him much, but he had nevertheless hoped for the best.  As to\nmy adventure among the elephants he heard it with amazement, declaring\nthat he could not have believed it had not my truthfulness been well\nknown to him.\n\nBy his orders this story and the others I had told him were written by\nhis scribes in letters of gold, and laid up among his treasures.  I\ntook my leave of him, well satisfied with the honours and rewards he\nbestowed upon me; and since that time I have rested from my labours,\nand given myself up wholly to my family and my friends.\n\nThus Sindbad ended the story of his seventh and last voyage, and\nturning to Hindbad he added:\n\n\"Well, my friend, and what do you think now?  Have you ever heard of\nanyone who has suffered more, or had more narrow escapes than I have?\nIs it not just that I should now enjoy a life of ease and tranquillity?\"\n\nHindbad drew near, and kissing his hand respectfully, replied, \"Sir,\nyou have indeed known fearful perils; my troubles have been nothing\ncompared to yours.  Moreover, the generous use you make of your wealth\nproves that you deserve it.  May you live long and happily in the\nenjoyment in it.\"\n\nSindbad then gave him a hundred sequins, and hence-forward counted him\namong his friends; also he caused him to give up his profession as a\nporter, and to eat daily at his table that he might all his life\nremember Sindbad the Sailor.\n\n\n\nThe Little Hunchback\n\n\nIn the kingdom of Kashgar, which is, as everybody knows, situated on\nthe frontiers of Great Tartary, there lived long ago a tailor and his\nwife who loved each other very much.  One day, when the tailor was hard\nat work, a little hunchback came and sat at the entrance of the shop,\nand began to sing and play his tambourine.  The tailor was amused with\nthe antics of the fellow, and thought he would take him home to divert\nhis wife.  The hunchback having agreed to his proposal, the tailor\nclosed his shop and they set off together.\n\nWhen they reached the house they found the table ready laid for supper,\nand in a very few minutes all three were sitting before a beautiful\nfish which the tailor's wife had cooked with her own hands.  But\nunluckily, the hunchback happened to swallow a large bone, and, in\nspite of all the tailor and his wife could do to help him, died of\nsuffocation in an instant.  Besides being very sorry for the poor man,\nthe tailor and his wife were very much frightened on their own account,\nfor if the police came to hear of it the worthy couple ran the risk of\nbeing thrown into prison for wilful murder.  In order to prevent this\ndreadful calamity they both set about inventing some plan which would\nthrow suspicion on some one else, and at last they made up their minds\nthat they could do no better than select a Jewish doctor who lived\nclose by as the author of the crime.  So the tailor picked up the\nhunchback by his head while his wife took his feet and carried him to\nthe doctor's house.  Then they knocked at the door, which opened\nstraight on to a steep staircase.  A servant soon appeared, feeling her\nway down the dark staircase and inquired what they wanted.\n\n\"Tell your master,\" said the tailor, \"that we have brought a very sick\nman for him to cure; and,\" he added, holding out some money, \"give him\nthis in advance, so that he may not feel he is wasting his time.\" The\nservant remounted the stairs to give the message to the doctor, and the\nmoment she was out of sight the tailor and his wife carried the body\nswiftly after her, propped it up at the top of the staircase, and ran\nhome as fast as their legs could carry them.\n\nNow the doctor was so delighted at the news of a patient (for he was\nyoung, and had not many of them), that he was transported with joy.\n\n\"Get a light,\" he called to the servant, \"and follow me as fast as you\ncan!\" and rushing out of his room he ran towards the staircase.  There\nhe nearly fell over the body of the hunchback, and without knowing what\nit was gave it such a kick that it rolled right to the bottom, and very\nnearly dragged the doctor after it.  \"A light! a light!\" he cried\nagain, and when it was brought and he saw what he had done he was\nalmost beside himself with terror.\n\n\"Holy Moses!\" he exclaimed, \"why did I not wait for the light?  I have\nkilled the sick man whom they brought me; and if the sacred Ass of\nEsdras does not come to my aid I am lost!  It will not be long before I\nam led to jail as a murderer.\"\n\nAgitated though he was, and with reason, the doctor did not forget to\nshut the house door, lest some passers-by might chance to see what had\nhappened.  He then took up the corpse and carried it into his wife's\nroom, nearly driving her crazy with fright.\n\n\"It is all over with us!\" she wailed, \"if we cannot find some means of\ngetting the body out of the house.  Once let the sun rise and we can\nhide it no longer!  How were you driven to commit such a terrible\ncrime?\"\n\n\"Never mind that,\" returned the doctor, \"the thing is to find a way out\nof it.\"\n\nFor a long while the doctor and his wife continued to turn over in\ntheir minds a way of escape, but could not find any that seemed good\nenough.  At last the doctor gave it up altogether and resigned himself\nto bear the penalty of his misfortune.\n\nBut his wife, who had twice his brains, suddenly exclaimed, \"I have\nthought of something!  Let us carry the body on the roof of the house\nand lower it down the chimney of our neighbour the Mussulman.\" Now this\nMussulman was employed by the Sultan, and furnished his table with oil\nand butter.  Part of his house was occupied by a great storeroom, where\nrats and mice held high revel.\n\nThe doctor jumped at his wife's plan, and they took up the hunchback,\nand passing cords under his armpits they let him down into the\npurveyor's bed-room so gently that he really seemed to be leaning\nagainst the wall.  When they felt he was touching the ground they drew\nup the cords and left him.\n\nScarcely had they got back to their own house when the purveyor entered\nhis room.  He had spent the evening at a wedding feast, and had a\nlantern in his hand.  In the dim light it cast he was astonished to see\na man standing in his chimney, but being naturally courageous he seized\na stick and made straight for the supposed thief.  \"Ah!\" he cried, \"so\nit is you, and not the rats and mice, who steal my butter.  I'll take\ncare that you don't want to come back!\"\n\nSo saying he struck him several hard blows.  The corpse fell on the\nfloor, but the man only redoubled his blows, till at length it occurred\nto him it was odd that the thief should lie so still and make no\nresistance.  Then, finding he was quite dead, a cold fear took\npossession of him.  \"Wretch that I am,\" said he, \"I have murdered a\nman.  Ah, my revenge has gone too far.  Without the help of Allah I am\nundone!  Cursed be the goods which have led me to my ruin.\" And already\nhe felt the rope round his neck.\n\nBut when he had got over the first shock he began to think of some way\nout of the difficulty, and seizing the hunchback in his arms he carried\nhim out into the street, and leaning him against the wall of a shop he\nstole back to his own house, without once looking behind him.\n\nA few minutes before the sun rose, a rich Christian merchant, who\nsupplied the palace with all sorts of necessaries, left his house,\nafter a night of feasting, to go to the bath.  Though he was very\ndrunk, he was yet sober enough to know that the dawn was at hand, and\nthat all good Mussulmen would shortly be going to prayer.  So he\nhastened his steps lest he should meet some one on his way to the\nmosque, who, seeing his condition, would send him to prison as a\ndrunkard.  In his haste he jostled against the hunchback, who fell\nheavily upon him, and the merchant, thinking he was being attacked by a\nthief, knocked him down with one blow of his fist.  He then called\nloudly for help, beating the fallen man all the while.\n\nThe chief policeman of the quarter came running up, and found a\nChristian ill-treating a Mussulman.  \"What are you doing?\" he asked\nindignantly.\n\n\"He tried to rob me,\" replied the merchant, \"and very nearly choked me.\"\n\n\"Well, you have had your revenge,\" said the man, catching hold of his\narm.  \"Come, be off with you!\"\n\nAs he spoke he held out his hand to the hunchback to help him up, but\nthe hunchback never moved.  \"Oho!\" he went on, looking closer, \"so this\nis the way a Christian has the impudence to treat a Mussulman!\" and\nseizing the merchant in a firm grasp he took him to the inspector of\npolice, who threw him into prison till the judge should be out of bed\nand ready to attend to his case.  All this brought the merchant to his\nsenses, but the more he thought of it the less he could understand how\nthe hunchback could have died merely from the blows he had received.\n\nThe merchant was still pondering on this subject when he was summoned\nbefore the chief of police and questioned about his crime, which he\ncould not deny.  As the hunchback was one of the Sultan's private\njesters, the chief of police resolved to defer sentence of death until\nhe had consulted his master.  He went to the palace to demand an\naudience, and told his story to the Sultan, who only answered,\n\n\"There is no pardon for a Christian who kills a Mussulman.  Do your\nduty.\"\n\nSo the chief of police ordered a gallows to be erected, and sent criers\nto proclaim in every street in the city that a Christian was to be\nhanged that day for having killed a Mussulman.\n\nWhen all was ready the merchant was brought from prison and led to the\nfoot of the gallows.  The executioner knotted the cord firmly round the\nunfortunate man's neck and was just about to swing him into the air,\nwhen the Sultan's purveyor dashed through the crowd, and cried,\npanting, to the hangman,\n\n\"Stop, stop, don't be in such a hurry.  It was not he who did the\nmurder, it was I.\"\n\nThe chief of police, who was present to see that everything was in\norder, put several questions to the purveyor, who told him the whole\nstory of the death of the hunchback, and how he had carried the body to\nthe place where it had been found by the Christian merchant.\n\n\"You are going,\" he said to the chief of police, \"to kill an innocent\nman, for it is impossible that he should have murdered a creature who\nwas dead already.  It is bad enough for me to have slain a Mussulman\nwithout having it on my conscience that a Christian who is guiltless\nshould suffer through my fault.\"\n\nNow the purveyor's speech had been made in a loud voice, and was heard\nby all the crowd, and even if he had wished it, the chief of police\ncould not have escaped setting the merchant free.\n\n\"Loose the cords from the Christian's neck,\" he commanded, turning to\nthe executioner, \"and hang this man in his place, seeing that by his\nown confession he is the murderer.\"\n\nThe hangman did as he was bid, and was tying the cord firmly, when he\nwas stopped by the voice of the Jewish doctor beseeching him to pause,\nfor he had something very important to say.  When he had fought his way\nthrough the crowd and reached the chief of police,\n\n\"Worshipful sir,\" he began, \"this Mussulman whom you desire to hang is\nunworthy of death; I alone am guilty.  Last night a man and a woman who\nwere strangers to me knocked at my door, bringing with them a patient\nfor me to cure.  The servant opened it, but having no light was hardly\nable to make out their faces, though she readily agreed to wake me and\nto hand me the fee for my services.  While she was telling me her story\nthey seem to have carried the sick man to the top of the staircase and\nthen left him there.  I jumped up in a hurry without waiting for a\nlantern, and in the darkness I fell against something, which tumbled\nheadlong down the stairs and never stopped till it reached the bottom.\nWhen I examined the body I found it was quite dead, and the corpse was\nthat of a hunchback Mussulman.  Terrified at what we had done, my wife\nand I took the body on the roof and let it down the chimney of our\nneighbour the purveyor, whom you were just about to hang.  The\npurveyor, finding him in his room, naturally thought he was a thief,\nand struck him such a blow that the man fell down and lay motionless on\nthe floor.  Stooping to examine him, and finding him stone dead, the\npurveyor supposed that the man had died from the blow he had received;\nbut of course this was a mistake, as you will see from my account, and\nI only am the murderer; and although I am innocent of any wish to\ncommit a crime, I must suffer for it all the same, or else have the\nblood of two Musselmans on my conscience.  Therefore send away this\nman, I pray you, and let me take his place, as it is I who am guilty.\"\n\nOn hearing the declaration of the Jewish doctor, the chief of police\ncommanded that he should be led to the gallows, and the Sultan's\npurveyor go free.  The cord was placed round the Jew's neck, and his\nfeet had already ceased to touch the ground when the voice of the\ntailor was heard beseeching the executioner to pause one moment and to\nlisten to what he had to say.\n\n\"Oh, my lord,\" he cried, turning to the chief of police, \"how nearly\nhave you caused the death of three innocent people!  But if you will\nonly have the patience to listen to my tale, you shall know who is the\nreal culprit.  If some one has to suffer, it must be me!  Yesterday, at\ndusk, I was working in my shop with a light heart when the little\nhunchback, who was more than half drunk, came and sat in the doorway.\nHe sang me several songs, and then I invited him to finish the evening\nat my house.  He accepted my invitation, and we went away together.  At\nsupper I helped him to a slice of fish, but in eating it a bone stuck\nin his throat, and in spite of all we could do he died in a few\nminutes.  We felt deeply sorry for his death, but fearing lest we\nshould be held responsible, we carried the corpse to the house of the\nJewish doctor.  I knocked, and desired the servant to beg her master to\ncome down as fast as possible and see a sick man whom we had brought\nfor him to cure; and in order to hasten his movements I placed a piece\nof money in her hand as the doctor's fee.  Directly she had disappeared\nI dragged the body to the top of the stairs, and then hurried away with\nmy wife back to our house.  In descending the stairs the doctor\naccidentally knocked over the corpse, and finding him dead believed\nthat he himself was the murderer.  But now you know the truth set him\nfree, and let me die in his stead.\"\n\nThe chief of police and the crowd of spectators were lost in\nastonishment at the strange events to which the death of the hunchback\nhad given rise.\n\n\"Loosen the Jewish doctor,\" said he to the hangman, \"and string up the\ntailor instead, since he has made confession of his crime.  Really, one\ncannot deny that this is a very singular story, and it deserves to be\nwritten in letters of gold.\"\n\nThe executioner speedily untied the knots which confined the doctor,\nand was passing the cord round the neck of the tailor, when the Sultan\nof Kashgar, who had missed his jester, happened to make inquiry of his\nofficers as to what had become of him.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied they, \"the hunchback having drunk more than was good\nfor him, escaped from the palace and was seen wandering about the town,\nwhere this morning he was found dead.  A man was arrested for having\ncaused his death, and held in custody till a gallows was erected.  At\nthe moment that he was about to suffer punishment, first one man\narrived, and then another, each accusing themselves of the murder, and\nthis went on for a long time, and at the present instant the chief of\npolice is engaged in questioning a man who declares that he alone is\nthe true assassin.\"\n\nThe Sultan of Kashgar no sooner heard these words than he ordered an\nusher to go to the chief of police and to bring all the persons\nconcerned in the hunchback's death, together with the corpse, that he\nwished to see once again.  The usher hastened on his errand, but was\nonly just in time, for the tailor was positively swinging in the air,\nwhen his voice fell upon the silence of the crowd, commanding the\nhangman to cut down the body.  The hangman, recognising the usher as\none of the king's servants, cut down the tailor, and the usher, seeing\nthe man was safe, sought the chief of police and gave him the Sultan's\nmessage.  Accordingly, the chief of police at once set out for the\npalace, taking with him the tailor, the doctor, the purveyor, and the\nmerchant, who bore the dead hunchback on their shoulders.\n\nWhen the procession reached the palace the chief of police prostrated\nhimself at the feet of the Sultan, and related all that he knew of the\nmatter.  The Sultan was so much struck by the circumstances that he\nordered his private historian to write down an exact account of what\nhad passed, so that in the years to come the miraculous escape of the\nfour men who had thought themselves murderers might never be forgotten.\n\nThe Sultan asked everybody concerned in the hunchback's affair to tell\nhim their stories.  Among others was a prating barber, whose tale of\none of his brothers follows.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother\n\n\nAs long as our father lived Alnaschar was very idle.  Instead of\nworking for his bread he was not ashamed to ask for it every evening,\nand to support himself next day on what he had received the night\nbefore.  When our father died, worn out by age, he only left seven\nhundred silver drachmas to be divided amongst us, which made one\nhundred for each son.  Alnaschar, who had never possessed so much money\nin his life, was quite puzzled to know what to do with it.  After\nreflecting upon the matter for some time he decided to lay it out on\nglasses, bottles, and things of that sort, which he would buy from a\nwholesale merchant.  Having bought his stock he next proceeded to look\nout for a small shop in a good position, where he sat down at the open\ndoor, his wares being piled up in an uncovered basket in front of him,\nwaiting for a customer among the passers-by.\n\nIn this attitude he remained seated, his eyes fixed on the basket, but\nhis thoughts far away.  Unknown to himself he began to talk out loud,\nand a tailor, whose shop was next door to his, heard quite plainly what\nhe was saying.\n\n\"This basket,\" said Alnaschar to himself, \"has cost me a hundred\ndrachmas--all that I possess in the world.  Now in selling the\ncontents piece by piece I shall turn two hundred, and these hundreds I\nshall again lay out in glass, which will produce four hundred.  By this\nmeans I shall in course of time make four thousand drachmas, which will\neasily double themselves.  When I have got ten thousand I will give up\nthe glass trade and become a jeweller, and devote all my time to\ntrading in pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones.  At last,\nhaving all the wealth that heart can desire, I will buy a beautiful\ncountry house, with horses and slaves, and then I will lead a merry\nlife and entertain my friends.  At my feasts I will send for musicians\nand dancers from the neighbouring town to amuse my guests.  In spite of\nmy riches I shall not, however, give up trade till I have amassed a\ncapital of a hundred thousand drachmas, when, having become a man of\nmuch consideration, I shall request the hand of the grand-vizir's\ndaughter, taking care to inform the worthy father that I have heard\nfavourable reports of her beauty and wit, and that I will pay down on\nour wedding day 3 thousand gold pieces.  Should the vizir refuse my\nproposal, which after all is hardly to be expected, I will seize him by\nthe beard and drag him to my house.\"\n\nWhen I shall have married his daughter I will give her ten of the best\neunuchs that can be found for her service.  Then I shall put on my most\ngorgeous robes, and mounted on a horse with a saddle of fine gold, and\nits trappings blazing with diamonds, followed by a train of slaves, I\nshall present myself at the house of the grand-vizir, the people\ncasting down their eyes and bowing low as I pass along.  At the foot of\nthe grand-vizir's staircase I shall dismount, and while my servants\nstand in a row to right and left I shall ascend the stairs, at the head\nof which the grand-vizir will be waiting to receive me.  He will then\nembrace me as his son-in-law, and giving me his seat will place himself\nbelow me.  This being done (as I have every reason to expect), two of\nmy servants will enter, each bearing a purse containing a thousand\npieces of gold.  One of these I shall present to him saying, \"Here are\nthe thousand gold pieces that I offered for your daughter's hand, and\nhere,\" I shall continue, holding out the second purse, \"are another\nthousand to show you that I am a man who is better than his word.\"\nAfter hearing of such generosity the world will talk of nothing else.\n\nI shall return home with the same pomp as I set out, and my wife will\nsend an officer to compliment me on my visit to her father, and I shall\nconfer on the officer the honour of a rich dress and a handsome gift.\nShould she send one to me I shall refuse it and dismiss the bearer.  I\nshall never allow my wife to leave her rooms on any pretext whatever\nwithout my permission, and my visits to her will be marked by all the\nceremony calculated to inspire respect.  No establishment will be\nbetter ordered than mine, and I shall take care always to be dressed in\na manner suitable to my position.  In the evening, when we retire to\nour apartments, I shall sit in the place of honour, where I shall\nassume a grand demeanour and speak little, gazing straight before me,\nand when my wife, lovely as the full moon, stands humbly in front of my\nchair I shall pretend not to see her.  Then her women will say to me,\n\"Respected lord and master, your wife and slave is before you waiting\nto be noticed.  She is mortified that you never deign to look her way;\nshe is tired of standing so long.  Beg her, we pray you, to be seated.\"\nOf course I shall give no signs of even hearing this speech, which will\nvex them mightily.  They will throw themselves at my feet with\nlamentations, and at length I will raise my head and throw a careless\nglance at her, then I shall go back to my former attitude.  The women\nwill think that I am displeased at my wife's dress and will lead her\naway to put on a finer one, and I on my side shall replace the one I am\nwearing with another yet more splendid.  They will then return to the\ncharge, but this time it will take much longer before they persuade me\neven to look at my wife.  It is as well to begin on my wedding-day as I\nmean to go on for the rest of our lives.\n\nThe next day she will complain to her mother of the way she has been\ntreated, which will fill my heart with joy.  Her mother will come to\nseek me, and, kissing my hands with respect, will say, \"My lord\" (for\nshe could not dare to risk my anger by using the familiar title of\n\"son-in-law\"), \"My lord, do not, I implore you, refuse to look upon my\ndaughter or to approach her.  She only lives to please you, and loves\nyou with all her soul.\" But I shall pay no more heed to my\nmother-in-law's words than I did to those of the women.  Again she will\nbeseech me to listen to her entreaties, throwing herself this time at\nmy feet, but all to no purpose.  Then, putting a glass of wine into my\nwife's hand, she will say to her, \"There, present that to him yourself,\nhe cannot have the cruelty to reject anything offered by so beautiful a\nhand,\" and my wife will take it and offer it to me tremblingly with\ntears in her eyes, but I shall look in the other direction.  This will\ncause her to weep still more, and she will hold out the glass crying,\n\"Adorable husband, never shall I cease my prayers till you have done me\nthe favour to drink.\"  Sick of her importunities, these words will goad\nme to fury.  I shall dart an angry look at her and give her a sharp\nblow on the cheek, at the same time giving her a kick so violent that\nshe will stagger across the room and fall on to the sofa.\n\n\"My brother,\" pursued the barber, \"was so much absorbed in his dreams\nthat he actually did give a kick with his foot, which unluckily hit the\nbasket of glass.  It fell into the street and was instantly broken into\na thousand pieces.\"\n\nHis neighbour the tailor, who had been listening to his visions, broke\ninto a loud fit of laughter as he saw this sight.\n\n\"Wretched man!\" he cried, \"you ought to die of shame at behaving so to\na young wife who has done nothing to you.  You must be a brute for her\ntears and prayers not to touch your heart.  If I were the grand-vizir I\nwould order you a hundred blows from a bullock whip, and would have you\nled round the town accompanied by a herald who should proclaim your\ncrimes.\"\n\nThe accident, so fatal to all his profits, had restored my brother to\nhis senses, and seeing that the mischief had been caused by his own\ninsufferable pride, he rent his clothes and tore his hair, and lamented\nhimself so loudly that the passers-by stopped to listen.  It was a\nFriday, so these were more numerous than usual.  Some pitied Alnaschar,\nothers only laughed at him, but the vanity which had gone to his head\nhad disappeared with his basket of glass, and he was loudly bewailing\nhis folly when a lady, evidently a person of consideration, rode by on\na mule.  She stopped and inquired what was the matter, and why the man\nwept.  They told her that he was a poor man who had laid out all his\nmoney on this basket of glass, which was now broken.  On hearing the\ncause of these loud wails the lady turned to her attendant and said to\nhim, \"Give him whatever you have got with you.\"  The man obeyed, and\nplaced in my brother's hands a purse containing five hundred pieces of\ngold.  Alnaschar almost died of joy on receiving it.  He blessed the\nlady a thousand times, and, shutting up his shop where he had no longer\nanything to do, he returned home.\n\nHe was still absorbed in contemplating his good fortune, when a knock\ncame to his door, and on opening it he found an old woman standing\noutside.\n\n\"My son,\" she said, \"I have a favour to ask of you.  It is the hour of\nprayer and I have not yet washed myself.  Let me, I beg you, enter your\nhouse, and give me water.\"\n\nMy brother, although the old woman was a stranger to him, did not\nhesitate to do as she wished.  He gave her a vessel of water and then\nwent back to his place and his thoughts, and with his mind busy over\nhis last adventure, he put his gold into a long and narrow purse, which\nhe could easily carry in his belt.  During this time the old woman was\nbusy over her prayers, and when she had finished she came and\nprostrated herself twice before my brother, and then rising called down\nendless blessings on his head.  Observing her shabby clothes, my\nbrother thought that her gratitude was in reality a hint that he should\ngive her some money to buy some new ones, so he held out two pieces of\ngold.  The old woman started back in surprise as if she had received an\ninsult.  \"Good heavens!\" she exclaimed, \"what is the meaning of this?\nIs it possible that you take me, my lord, for one of those miserable\ncreatures who force their way into houses to beg for alms?  Take back\nyour money.  I am thankful to say I do not need it, for I belong to a\nbeautiful lady who is very rich and gives me everything I want.\"\n\nMy brother was not clever enough to detect that the old woman had\nmerely refused the two pieces of money he had offered her in order to\nget more, but he inquired if she could procure him the pleasure of\nseeing this lady.\n\n\"Willingly,\" she replied; \"and she will be charmed to marry you, and to\nmake you the master of all her wealth.  So pick up your money and\nfollow me.\"\n\nDelighted at the thought that he had found so easily both a fortune and\na beautiful wife, my brother asked no more questions, but concealing\nhis purse, with the money the lady had given him, in the folds of his\ndress, he set out joyfully with his guide.\n\nThey walked for some distance till the old woman stopped at a large\nhouse, where she knocked.  The door was opened by a young Greek slave,\nand the old woman led my brother across a well-paved court into a\nwell-furnished hall.  Here she left him to inform her mistress of his\npresence, and as the day was hot he flung himself on a pile of cushions\nand took off his heavy turban.  In a few minutes there entered a lady,\nand my brother perceived at the first glance that she was even more\nbeautiful and more richly dressed than he had expected.  He rose from\nhis seat, but the lady signed to him to sit down again and placed\nherself beside him.  After the usual compliments had passed between\nthem she said, \"We are not comfortable here, let us go into another\nroom,\" and passing into a smaller chamber, apparently communicating\nwith no other, she continued to talk to him for some time.  Then rising\nhastily she left him, saying, \"Stay where you are, I will come back in\na moment.\"\n\nHe waited as he was told, but instead of the lady there entered a huge\nblack slave with a sword in his hand.  Approaching my brother with an\nangry countenance he exclaimed, \"What business have you here?\" His\nvoice and manner were so terrific that Alnaschar had not strength to\nreply, and allowed his gold to be taken from him, and even sabre cuts\nto be inflicted on him without making any resistance.  As soon as he\nwas let go, he sank on the ground powerless to move, though he still\nhad possession of his senses.  Thinking he was dead, the black ordered\nthe Greek slave to bring him some salt, and between them they rubbed it\ninto his wounds, thus giving him acute agony, though he had the\npresence of mind to give no sign of life.  They then left him, and\ntheir place was taken by the old woman, who dragged him to a trapdoor\nand threw him down into a vault filled with the bodies of murdered men.\n\nAt first the violence of his fall caused him to lose consciousness, but\nluckily the salt which had been rubbed into his wounds had by its\nsmarting preserved his life, and little by little he regained his\nstrength.  At the end of two days he lifted the trapdoor during the\nnight and hid himself in the courtyard till daybreak, when he saw the\nold woman leave the house in search of more prey.  Luckily she did not\nobserve him, and when she was out of sight he stole from this nest of\nassassins and took refuge in my house.\n\nI dressed his wounds and tended him carefully, and when a month had\npassed he was as well as ever.  His one thought was how to be revenged\non that wicked old hag, and for this purpose he had a purse made large\nenough to contain five hundred gold pieces, but filled it instead with\nbits of glass.  This he tied round him with his sash, and, disguising\nhimself as an old woman, he took a sabre, which he hid under his dress.\n\nOne morning as he was hobbling through the streets he met his old enemy\nprowling to see if she could find anyone to decoy.  He went up to her\nand, imitating the voice of a woman, he said, \"Do you happen to have a\npair of scales you could lend me?  I have just come from Persia and\nhave brought with me five hundred gold pieces, and I am anxious to see\nif they are the proper weight.\"\n\n\"Good woman,\" replied the old hag, \"you could not have asked anyone\nbetter.  My son is a money-changer, and if you will follow me he will\nweigh them for you himself.  Only we must be quick or he will have gone\nto his shop.\"  So saying she led the way to the same house as before,\nand the door was opened by the same Greek slave.\n\nAgain my brother was left in the hall, and the pretended son appeared\nunder the form of the black slave.  \"Miserable crone,\" he said to my\nbrother, \"get up and come with me,\" and turned to lead the way to the\nplace of murder.  Alnaschar rose too, and drawing the sabre from under\nhis dress dealt the black such a blow on his neck that his head was\nsevered from his body.  My brother picked up the head with one hand,\nand seizing the body with the other dragged it to the vault, when he\nthrew it in and sent the head after it.  The Greek slave, supposing\nthat all had passed as usual, shortly arrived with the basin of salt,\nbut when she beheld Alnaschar with the sabre in his hand she let the\nbasin fall and turned to fly.  My brother, however, was too quick for\nher, and in another instant her head was rolling from her shoulders.\nThe noise brought the old woman running to see what was the matter, and\nhe seized her before she had time to escape.  \"Wretch!\" he cried, \"do\nyou know me?\"\n\n\"Who are you, my lord?\" she replied trembling all over.  \"I have never\nseen you before.\"\n\n\"I am he whose house you entered to offer your hypocritical prayers.\nDon't you remember now?\"\n\nShe flung herself on her knees to implore mercy, but he cut her in four\npieces.\n\nThere remained only the lady, who was quite ignorant of all that was\ntaking place around her.  He sought her through the house, and when at\nlast he found her, she nearly fainted with terror at the sight of him.\nShe begged hard for life, which he was generous enough to give her, but\nhe bade her to tell him how she had got into partnership with the\nabominable creatures he had just put to death.\n\n\"I was once,\" replied she, \"the wife of an honest merchant, and that\nold woman, whose wickedness I did not know, used occasionally to visit\nme.  'Madam,' she said to me one day, 'we have a grand wedding at our\nhouse to-day. If you would do us the honour to be present, I am sure\nyou would enjoy yourself.'  I allowed myself to be persuaded, put on my\nrichest dress, and took a purse with a hundred pieces of gold.  Once\ninside the doors I was kept by force by that dreadful black, and it is\nnow three years that I have been here, to my great grief.\"\n\n\"That horrible black must have amassed great wealth,\" remarked my\nbrother.\n\n\"Such wealth,\" returned she, \"that if you succeed in carrying it all\naway it will make you rich for ever.  Come and let us see how much\nthere is.\"\n\nShe led Alnaschar into a chamber filled with coffers packed with gold,\nwhich he gazed at with an admiration he was powerless to conceal.\n\"Go,\" she said, \"and bring men to carry them away.\"\n\nMy brother did not wait to be told twice, and hurried out into the\nstreets, where he soon collected ten men.  They all came back to the\nhouse, but what was his surprise to find the door open, and the room\nwith the chests of gold quite empty.  The lady had been cleverer than\nhimself, and had made the best use of her time.  However, he tried to\nconsole himself by removing all the beautiful furniture, which more\nthan made up for the five hundred gold pieces he had lost.\n\nUnluckily, on leaving the house, he forgot to lock the door, and the\nneighbours, finding the place empty, informed the police, who next\nmorning arrested Alnaschar as a thief.  My brother tried to bribe them\nto let him off, but far from listening to him they tied his hands, and\nforced him to walk between them to the presence of the judge.  When\nthey had explained to the official the cause of complaint, he asked\nAlnaschar where he had obtained all the furniture that he had taken to\nhis house the day before.\n\n\"Sir,\" replied Alnaschar, \"I am ready to tell you the whole story, but\ngive, I pray you, your word, that I shall run no risk of punishment.\"\n\n\"That I promise,\" said the judge.  So my brother began at the beginning\nand related all his adventures, and how he had avenged himself on those\nwho had betrayed him.  As to the furniture, he entreated the judge at\nleast to allow him to keep part to make up for the five hundred pieces\nof gold which had been stolen from him.\n\nThe judge, however, would say nothing about this, and lost no time in\nsending men to fetch away all that Alnaschar had taken from the house.\nWhen everything had been moved and placed under his roof he ordered my\nbrother to leave the town and never more to enter it on peril of his\nlife, fearing that if he returned he might seek justice from the\nCaliph.  Alnaschar obeyed, and was on his way to a neighbouring city\nwhen he fell in with a band of robbers, who stripped him of his clothes\nand left him naked by the roadside.  Hearing of his plight, I hurried\nafter him to console him for his misfortunes, and to dress him in my\nbest robe.  I then brought him back disguised, under cover of night, to\nmy house, where I have since given him all the care I bestow on my\nother brothers.\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother\n\n\nThere now remains for me to relate to you the story of my sixth\nbrother, whose name was Schacabac.  Like the rest of us, he inherited a\nhundred silver drachmas from our father, which he thought was a large\nfortune, but through ill-luck, he soon lost it all, and was driven to\nbeg.  As he had a smooth tongue and good manners, he really did very\nwell in his new profession, and he devoted himself specially to making\nfriends with the servants in big houses, so as to gain access to their\nmasters.\n\nOne day he was passing a splendid mansion, with a crowd of servants\nlounging in the courtyard.  He thought that from the appearance of the\nhouse it might yield him a rich harvest, so he entered and inquired to\nwhom it belonged.\n\n\"My good man, where do you come from?\" replied the servant.  \"Can't you\nsee for yourself that it can belong to nobody but a Barmecide?\" for the\nBarmecides were famed for their liberality and generosity.  My brother,\nhearing this, asked the porters, of whom there were several, if they\nwould give him alms.  They did not refuse, but told him politely to go\nin, and speak to the master himself.\n\nMy brother thanked them for their courtesy and entered the building,\nwhich was so large that it took him some time to reach the apartments\nof the Barmecide.  At last, in a room richly decorated with paintings,\nhe saw an old man with a long white beard, sitting on a sofa, who\nreceived him with such kindness that my brother was emboldened to make\nhis petition.\n\n\"My lord,\" he said, \"you behold in me a poor man who only lives by the\nhelp of persons as rich and as generous as you.\"\n\nBefore he could proceed further, he was stopped by the astonishment\nshown by the Barmecide.  \"Is it possible,\" he cried, \"that while I am\nin Bagdad, a man like you should be starving?  That is a state of\nthings that must at once be put an end to!  Never shall it be said that\nI have abandoned you, and I am sure that you, on your part, will never\nabandon me.\"\n\n\"My lord,\" answered my brother, \"I swear that I have not broken my fast\nthis whole day.\"\n\n\"What, you are dying of hunger?\" exclaimed the Barmecide.  \"Here,\nslave; bring water, that we may wash our hands before meat!\" No slave\nappeared, but my brother remarked that the Barmecide did not fail to\nrub his hands as if the water had been poured over them.\n\nThen he said to my brother, \"Why don't you wash your hands too?\" and\nSchacabac, supposing that it was a joke on the part of the Barmecide\n(though he could see none himself), drew near, and imitated his motion.\n\nWhen the Barmecide had done rubbing his hands, he raised his voice, and\ncried, \"Set food before us at once, we are very hungry.\" No food was\nbrought, but the Barmecide pretended to help himself from a dish, and\ncarry a morsel to his mouth, saying as he did so, \"Eat, my friend, eat,\nI entreat.  Help yourself as freely as if you were at home!  For a\nstarving man, you seem to have a very small appetite.\"\n\n\"Excuse me, my lord,\" replied Schacabac, imitating his gestures as\nbefore, \"I really am not losing time, and I do full justice to the\nrepast.\"\n\n\"How do you like this bread?\" asked the Barmecide.  \"I find it\nparticularly good myself.\"\n\n\"Oh, my lord,\" answered my brother, who beheld neither meat nor bread,\n\"never have I tasted anything so delicious.\"\n\n\"Eat as much as you want,\" said the Barmecide.  \"I bought the woman who\nmakes it for five hundred pieces of gold, so that I might never be\nwithout it.\"\n\nAfter ordering a variety of dishes (which never came) to be placed on\nthe table, and discussing the merits of each one, the Barmecide\ndeclared that having dined so well, they would now proceed to take\ntheir wine.  To this my brother at first objected, declaring that it\nwas forbidden; but on the Barmecide insisting that it was out of the\nquestion that he should drink by himself, he consented to take a\nlittle.  The Barmecide, however, pretended to fill their glasses so\noften, that my brother feigned that the wine had gone into his head,\nand struck the Barmecide such a blow on the head, that he fell to the\nground.  Indeed, he raised his hand to strike him a second time, when\nthe Barmecide cried out that he was mad, upon which my brother\ncontrolled himself, and apologised and protested that it was all the\nfault of the wine he had drunk.  At this the Barmecide, instead of\nbeing angry, began to laugh, and embraced him heartily.  \"I have long\nbeen seeking,\" he exclaimed, \"a man of your description, and henceforth\nmy house shall be yours.  You have had the good grace to fall in with\nmy humour, and to pretend to eat and to drink when nothing was there.\nNow you shall be rewarded by a really good supper.\"\n\nThen he clapped his hands, and all the dishes were brought that they\nhad tasted in imagination before and during the repast, slaves sang and\nplayed on various instruments.  All the while Schacabac was treated by\nthe Barmecide as a familiar friend, and dressed in a garment out of his\nown wardrobe.\n\nTwenty years passed by, and my brother was still living with the\nBarmecide, looking after his house, and managing his affairs.  At the\nend of that time his generous benefactor died without heirs, so all his\npossessions went to the prince.  They even despoiled my brother of\nthose that rightly belonged to him, and he, now as poor as he had ever\nbeen in his life, decided to cast in his lot with a caravan of pilgrims\nwho were on their way to Mecca.  Unluckily, the caravan was attacked\nand pillaged by the Bedouins, and the pilgrims were taken prisoners.\nMy brother became the slave of a man who beat him daily, hoping to\ndrive him to offer a ransom, although, as Schacabac pointed out, it was\nquite useless trouble, as his relations were as poor as himself.  At\nlength the Bedouin grew tired of tormenting, and sent him on a camel to\nthe top of a high barren mountain, where he left him to take his\nchance.  A passing caravan, on its way to Bagdad, told me where he was\nto be found, and I hurried to his rescue, and brought him in a\ndeplorable condition back to the town.\n\n\"This,\"--continued the barber,--\"is the tale I related to the Caliph,\nwho, when I had finished, burst into fits of laughter.\n\n\"Well were you called `the Silent,'\" said he; \"no name was ever better\ndeserved.  But for reasons of my own, which it is not necessary to\nmention, I desire you to leave the town, and never to come back.\"\n\n\"I had of course no choice but to obey, and travelled about for several\nyears until I heard of the death of the Caliph, when I hastily returned\nto Bagdad, only to find that all my brothers were dead.  It was at this\ntime that I rendered to the young cripple the important service of\nwhich you have heard, and for which, as you know, he showed such\nprofound ingratitude, that he preferred rather to leave Bagdad than to\nrun the risk of seeing me.  I sought him long from place to place, but\nit was only to-day, when I expected it least, that I came across him,\nas much irritated with me as ever\"--  So saying the tailor went on to\nrelate the story of the lame man and the barber, which has already been\ntold.\n\n\"When the barber,\" he continued, \"had finished his tale, we came to the\nconclusion that the young man had been right, when he had accused him\nof being a great chatter-box. However, we wished to keep him with us,\nand share our feast, and we remained at table till the hour of\nafternoon prayer.  Then the company broke up, and I went back to work\nin my shop.\n\n\"It was during this interval that the little hunchback, half drunk\nalready, presented himself before me, singing and playing on his drum.\nI took him home, to amuse my wife, and she invited him to supper.\nWhile eating some fish, a bone got into his throat, and in spite of all\nwe could do, he died shortly.  It was all so sudden that we lost our\nheads, and in order to divert suspicion from ourselves, we carried the\nbody to the house of a Jewish physician.  He placed it in the chamber\nof the purveyor, and the purveyor propped it up in the street, where it\nwas thought to have been killed by the merchant.\n\n\"This, Sire, is the story which I was obliged to tell to satisfy your\nhighness.  It is now for you to say if we deserve mercy or punishment;\nlife or death?\"\n\nThe Sultan of Kashgar listened with an air of pleasure which filled the\ntailor and his friends with hope.  \"I must confess,\" he exclaimed,\n\"that I am much more interested in the stories of the barber and his\nbrothers, and of the lame man, than in that of my own jester.  But\nbefore I allow you all four to return to your own homes, and have the\ncorpse of the hunchback properly buried, I should like to see this\nbarber who has earned your pardon.  And as he is in this town, let an\nusher go with you at once in search of him.\"\n\nThe usher and the tailor soon returned, bringing with them an old man\nwho must have been at least ninety years of age.  \"O Silent One,\" said\nthe Sultan, \"I am told that you know many strange stories.  Will you\ntell some of them to me?\"\n\n\"Never mind my stories for the present,\" replied the barber, \"but will\nyour Highness graciously be pleased to explain why this Jew, this\nChristian, and this Mussulman, as well as this dead body, are all here?\"\n\n\"What business is that of yours?\" asked the Sultan with a smile; but\nseeing that the barber had some reasons for his question, he commanded\nthat the tale of the hunchback should be told him.\n\n\"It is certainly most surprising,\" cried he, when he had heard it all,\n\"but I should like to examine the body.\"  He then knelt down, and took\nthe head on his knees, looking at it attentively.  Suddenly he burst\ninto such loud laughter that he fell right backwards, and when he had\nrecovered himself enough to speak, he turned to the Sultan.  \"The man\nis no more dead than I am,\" he said; \"watch me.\"  As he spoke he drew a\nsmall case of medicines from his pocket and rubbed the neck of the\nhunchback with some ointment made of balsam.  Next he opened the dead\nman's mouth, and by the help of a pair of pincers drew the bone from\nhis throat.  At this the hunchback sneezed, stretched himself and\nopened his eyes.\n\nThe Sultan and all those who saw this operation did not know which to\nadmire most, the constitution of the hunchback who had apparently been\ndead for a whole night and most of one day, or the skill of the barber,\nwhom everyone now began to look upon as a great man.  His Highness\ndesired that the history of the hunchback should be written down, and\nplaced in the archives beside that of the barber, so that they might be\nassociated in people's minds to the end of time.  And he did not stop\nthere; for in order to wipe out the memory of what they had undergone,\nhe commanded that the tailor, the doctor, the purveyor and the\nmerchant, should each be clothed in his presence with a robe from his\nown wardrobe before they returned home.  As for the barber, he bestowed\non him a large pension, and kept him near his own person.\n\n\n\nThe Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura\n\n\nSome twenty days' sail from the coast of Persia lies the isle of the\nchildren of Khaledan.  The island is divided into several provinces, in\neach of which are large flourishing towns, and the whole forms an\nimportant kingdom.  It was governed in former days by a king named\nSchahzaman, who, with good right, considered himself one of the most\npeaceful, prosperous, and fortunate monarchs on the earth.  In fact, he\nhad but one grievance, which was that none of his four wives had given\nhim an heir.\n\nThis distressed him so greatly that one day he confided his grief to\nthe grand-vizir, who, being a wise counsellor, said:  \"Such matters are\nindeed beyond human aid.  Allah alone can grant your desire, and I\nshould advise you, sire, to send large gifts to those holy men who\nspend their lives in prayer, and to beg for their intercessions.  Who\nknows whether their petitions may not be answered!\"\n\nThe king took his vizir's advice, and the result of so many prayers for\nan heir to the throne was that a son was born to him the following year.\n\nSchahzaman sent noble gifts as thank offerings to all the mosques and\nreligious houses, and great rejoicings were celebrated in honour of the\nbirth of the little prince, who was so beautiful that he was named\nCamaralzaman, or \"Moon of the Century.\"\n\nPrince Camaralzaman was brought up with extreme care by an excellent\ngovernor and all the cleverest teachers, and he did such credit to them\nthat when he was grown up, a more charming and accomplished young man\nwas not to be found.  Whilst he was still a youth the king, his father,\nwho loved him dearly, had some thoughts of abdicating in his favour.\nAs usual he talked over his plans with his grand-vizir, who, though he\ndid not approve the idea, would not state all his objections.\n\n\"Sire,\" he replied, \"the prince is still very young for the cares of\nstate.  Your Majesty fears his growing idle and careless, and doubtless\nyou are right.  But how would it be if he were first to marry?  This\nwould attach him to his home, and your Majesty might give him a share\nin your counsels, so that he might gradually learn how to wear a crown,\nwhich you can give up to him whenever you find him capable of wearing\nit.\"\n\nThe vizir's advice once more struck the king as being good, and he sent\nfor his son, who lost no time in obeying the summons, and standing\nrespectfully with downcast eyes before the king asked for his commands.\n\n\"I have sent for you,\" said the king, \"to say that I wish you to marry.\nWhat do you think about it?\"\n\nThe prince was so much overcome by these words that he remained silent\nfor some time.  At length he said:  \"Sire, I beg you to pardon me if I\nam unable to reply as you might wish.  I certainly did not expect such\na proposal as I am still so young, and I confess that the idea of\nmarrying is very distasteful to me.  Possibly I may not always be in\nthis mind, but I certainly feel that it will require some time to\ninduce me to take the step which your Majesty desires.\"\n\nThis answer greatly distressed the king, who was sincerely grieved by\nhis objection to marriage.  However he would not have recourse to\nextreme measures, so he said:  \"I do not wish to force you; I will give\nyou time to reflect, but remember that such a step is necessary, for a\nprince such as you who will some day be called to rule over a great\nkingdom.\"\n\nFrom this time Prince Camaralzaman was admitted to the royal council,\nand the king showed him every mark of favour.\n\nAt the end of a year the king took his son aside, and said: \"Well, my\nson, have you changed your mind on the subject of marriage, or do you\nstill refuse to obey my wish?\"\n\nThe prince was less surprised but no less firm than on the former\noccasion, and begged his father not to press the subject, adding that\nit was quite useless to urge him any longer.\n\nThis answer much distressed the king, who again confided his trouble to\nhis vizir.\n\n\"I have followed your advice,\" he said; \"but Camaralzaman declines to\nmarry, and is more obstinate than ever.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the vizir, \"much is gained by patience, and your\nMajesty might regret any violence.  Why not wait another year and then\ninform the Prince in the midst of the assembled council that the good\nof the state demands his marriage?  He cannot possibly refuse again\nbefore so distinguished an assemblage, and in our immediate presence.\"\n\nThe Sultan ardently desired to see his son married at once, but he\nyielded to the vizir's arguments and decided to wait.  He then visited\nthe prince's mother, and after telling her of his disappointment and of\nthe further respite he had given his son, he added: \"I know that\nCamaralzaman confides more in you than he does in me.  Pray speak very\nseriously to him on this subject, and make him realize that he will\nmost seriously displease me if he remains obstinate, and that he will\ncertainly regret the measures I shall be obliged to take to enforce my\nwill.\"\n\nSo the first time the Sultana Fatima saw her son she told him she had\nheard of his refusal to marry, adding how distressed she felt that he\nshould have vexed his father so much.  She asked what reasons he could\nhave for his objections to obey.\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the prince, \"I make no doubt that there are as many\ngood, virtuous, sweet, and amiable women as there are others very much\nthe reverse.  Would that all were like you!  But what revolts me is the\nidea of marrying a woman without knowing anything at all about her.  My\nfather will ask the hand of the daughter of some neighbouring\nsovereign, who will give his consent to our union.  Be she fair or\nfrightful, clever or stupid, good or bad, I must marry her, and am left\nno choice in the matter.  How am I to know that she will not be proud,\npassionate, contemptuous, and recklessly extravagant, or that her\ndisposition will in any way suit mine?\"\n\n\"But, my son,\" urged Fatima, \"you surely do not wish to be the last of\na race which has reigned so long and so gloriously over this kingdom?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" said the prince, \"I have no wish to survive the king, my\nfather, but should I do so I will try to reign in such a manner as may\nbe considered worthy of my predecessors.\"\n\nThese and similar conversations proved to the Sultan how useless it was\nto argue with his son, and the year elapsed without bringing any change\nin the prince's ideas.\n\nAt length a day came when the Sultan summoned him before the council,\nand there informed him that not only his own wishes but the good of the\nempire demanded his marriage, and desired him to give his answer before\nthe assembled ministers.\n\nAt this Camaralzaman grew so angry and spoke with so much heat that the\nking, naturally irritated at being opposed by his son in full council,\nordered the prince to be arrested and locked up in an old tower, where\nhe had nothing but a very little furniture, a few books, and a single\nslave to wait on him.\n\nCamaralzaman, pleased to be free to enjoy his books, showed himself\nvery indifferent to his sentence.\n\nWhen night came he washed himself, performed his devotions, and, having\nread some pages of the Koran, lay down on a couch, without putting out\nthe light near him, and was soon asleep.\n\nNow there was a deep well in the tower in which Prince Camaralzaman was\nimprisoned, and this well was a favourite resort of the fairy Maimoune,\ndaughter of Damriat, chief of a legion of genii.  Towards midnight\nMaimoune floated lightly up from the well, intending, according to her\nusual habit, to roam about the upper world as curiosity or accident\nmight prompt.\n\nThe light in the prince's room surprised her, and without disturbing\nthe slave, who slept across the threshold, she entered the room, and\napproaching the bed was still more astonished to find it occupied.\n\nThe prince lay with his face half hidden by the coverlet.  Maimoune\nlifted it a little and beheld the most beautiful youth she had ever\nseen.\n\n\"What a marvel of beauty he must be when his eyes are open!\" she\nthought.  \"What can he have done to deserve to be treated like this?\"\n\nShe could not weary gazing at Camaralzaman, but at length, having\nsoftly kissed his brow and each cheek, she replaced the coverlet and\nresumed her flight through the air.\n\nAs she entered the middle region she heard the sound of great wings\ncoming towards her, and shortly met one of the race of bad genii.  This\ngenie, whose name was Danhasch, recognised Maimoune with terror, for he\nknew the supremacy which her goodness gave her over him.  He would\ngladly have avoided her altogether, but they were so near that he must\neither be prepared to fight or yield to her, so he at once addressed\nher in a conciliatory tone:\n\n\"Good Maimoune, swear to me by Allah to do me no harm, and on my side I\nwill promise not to injure you.\"\n\n\"Accursed genie!\" replied Maimoune, \"what harm can you do me?  But I\nwill grant your power and give the promise you ask.  And now tell me\nwhat you have seen and done to-night.\"\n\n\"Fair lady,\" said Danhasch, \"you meet me at the right moment to hear\nsomething really interesting.  I must tell you that I come from the\nfurthest end of China, which is one of the largest and most powerful\nkingdoms in the world.  The present king has one only daughter, who is\nso perfectly lovely that neither you, nor I, nor any other creature\ncould find adequate terms in which to describe her marvellous charms.\nYou must therefore picture to yourself the most perfect features,\njoined to a brilliant and delicate complexion, and an enchanting\nexpression, and even then imagination will fall short of the reality.\n\n\"The king, her father, has carefully shielded this treasure from the\nvulgar gaze, and has taken every precaution to keep her from the sight\nof everyone except the happy mortal he may choose to be her husband.\nBut in order to give her variety in her confinement he has built her\nseven palaces such as have never been seen before.  The first palace is\nentirely composed of rock crystal, the second of bronze, the third of\nfine steel, the fourth of another and more precious species of bronze,\nthe fifth of touchstone, the sixth of silver, and the seventh of solid\ngold.  They are all most sumptuously furnished, whilst the gardens\nsurrounding them are laid out with exquisite taste.  In fact, neither\ntrouble nor cost has been spared to make this retreat agreeable to the\nprincess.  The report of her wonderful beauty has spread far and wide,\nand many powerful kings have sent embassies to ask her hand in\nmarriage.  The king has always received these embassies graciously, but\nsays that he will never oblige the princess to marry against her will,\nand as she regularly declines each fresh proposal, the envoys have had\nto leave as disappointed in the result of their missions as they were\ngratified by their magnificent receptions.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" said the princess to her father, \"you wish me to marry, and I\nknow you desire to please me, for which I am very grateful.  But,\nindeed, I have no inclination to change my state, for where could I\nfind so happy a life amidst so many beautiful and delightful\nsurroundings?  I feel that I could never be as happy with any husband\nas I am here, and I beg you not to press one on me.\"\n\n\"At last an embassy came from a king so rich and powerful that the King\nof China felt constrained to urge this suit on his daughter.  He told\nher how important such an alliance would be, and pressed her to\nconsent.  In fact, he pressed her so persistingly that the princess at\nlength lost her temper and quite forgot the respect due to her father.\n\"Sire,\" cried she angrily, \"do not speak further of this or any other\nmarriage or I will plunge this dagger in my breast and so escape from\nall these importunities.\"\n\n\"The king of China was extremely indignant with his daughter and\nreplied: \"You have lost your senses and you must be treated\naccordingly.\" So he had her shut in one set of rooms in one of her\npalaces, and only allowed her ten old women, of whom her nurse was the\nhead, to wait on her and keep her company.  He next sent letters to all\nthe kings who had sued for the princess's hand, begging they would\nthink of her no longer, as she was quite insane, and he desired his\nvarious envoys to make it known that anyone who could cure her should\nhave her to wife.\n\n\"Fair Maimoune,\" continued Danhasch, \"this is the present state of\naffairs.  I never pass a day without going to gaze on this incomparable\nbeauty, and I am sure that if you would only accompany me you would\nthink the sight well worth the trouble, and own that you never saw such\nloveliness before.\"\n\nThe fairy only answered with a peal of laughter, and when at length she\nhad control of her voice she cried, \"Oh, come, you are making game of\nme!  I thought you had something really interesting to tell me instead\nof raving about some unknown damsel.  What would you say if you could\nsee the prince I have just been looking at and whose beauty is really\ntranscendent?  That is something worth talking about, you would\ncertainly quite lose your head.\"\n\n\"Charming Maimoune,\" asked Danhasch, \"may I inquire who and what is the\nprince of whom you speak?\"\n\n\"Know,\" replied Maimoune, \"that he is in much the same case as your\nprincess.  The king, his father, wanted to force him to marry, and on\nthe prince's refusal to obey he has been imprisoned in an old tower\nwhere I have just seen him.\"\n\n\"I don't like to contradict a lady,\" said Danhasch, \"but you must\nreally permit me to doubt any mortal being as beautiful as my princess.\"\n\n\"Hold your tongue,\" cried Maimoune.  \"I repeat that is impossible.\"\n\n\"Well, I don't wish to seem obstinate,\" replied Danhasch, \"the best\nplan to test the truth of what I say will be for you to let me take you\nto see the princess for yourself.\"\n\n\"There is no need for that,\" retorted Maimoune; \"we can satisfy\nourselves in another way.  Bring your princess here and lay her down\nbeside my prince.  We can then compare them at leisure, and decide\nwhich is in the right.\"\n\nDanhasch readily consented, and after having the tower where the prince\nwas confined pointed out to him, and making a wager with Maimoune as to\nthe result of the comparison, he flew off to China to fetch the\nprincess.\n\nIn an incredibly short time Danhasch returned, bearing the sleeping\nprincess.  Maimoune led him to the prince's room, and the rival beauty\nwas placed beside him.\n\nWhen the prince and princess lay thus side by side, an animated dispute\nas to their respective charms arose between the fairy and the genius.\nDanhasch began by saying:\n\n\"Now you see that my princess is more beautiful than your prince.  Can\nyou doubt any longer?\"\n\n\"Doubt!  Of course I do!\" exclaimed Maimoune.  \"Why, you must be blind\nnot to see how much my prince excels your princess.  I do not deny that\nyour princess is very handsome, but only look and you must own that I\nam in the right.\"\n\n\"There is no need for me to look longer,\" said Danhasch, \"my first\nimpression will remain the same; but of course, charming Maimoune, I am\nready to yield to you if you insist on it.\"\n\n\"By no means,\" replied Maimoune.  \"I have no idea of being under any\nobligation to an accursed genius like you.  I refer the matter to an\numpire, and shall expect you to submit to his verdict.\"\n\nDanhasch readily agreed, and on Maimoune striking the floor with her\nfoot it opened, and a hideous, hump-backed, lame, squinting genius,\nwith six horns on his head, hands like claws, emerged.  As soon as he\nbeheld Maimoune he threw himself at her feet and asked her commands.\n\n\"Rise, Caschcasch,\" said she.  \"I summoned you to judge between me and\nDanhasch.  Glance at that couch, and say without any partiality whether\nyou think the youth or the maiden lying there the more beautiful.\"\n\nCaschcasch looked at the prince and princess with every token of\nsurprise and admiration.  At length, having gazed long without being\nable to come to a decision, he said\n\n\"Madam, I must confess that I should deceive you were I to declare one\nto be handsomer than the other.  There seems to me only one way in\nwhich to decide the matter, and that is to wake one after the other and\njudge which of them expresses the greater admiration for the other.\"\n\nThis advice pleased Maimoune and Danhasch, and the fairy at once\ntransformed herself into the shape of a gnat and settling on\nCamaralzaman's throat stung him so sharply that he awoke.  As he did so\nhis eyes fell on the Princess of China.  Surprised at finding a lady so\nnear him, he raised himself on one arm to look at her.  The youth and\nbeauty of the princess at once awoke a feeling to which his heart had\nas yet been a stranger, and he could not restrain his delight.\n\n\"What loveliness!  What charms!  Oh, my heart, my soul!\" he exclaimed,\nas he kissed her forehead, her eyes and mouth in a way which would\ncertainly have roused her had not the genie's enchantments kept her\nasleep.\n\n\"How, fair lady!\" he cried, \"you do not wake at the signs of\nCamaralzaman's love?  Be you who you may, he is not unworthy of you.\"\n\nIt then suddenly occurred to him, that perhaps this was the bride his\nfather had destined for him, and that the King had probably had her\nplaced in this room in order to see how far Camaralzaman's aversion to\nmarriage would withstand her charms.\n\n\"At all events,\" he thought, \"I will take this ring as a remembrance of\nher.\"\n\nSo saying he drew off a fine ring which the princess wore on her\nfinger, and replaced it by one of his own.  After which he lay down\nagain and was soon fast asleep.\n\nThen Danhasch, in his turn, took the form of a gnat and bit the\nprincess on her lip.\n\nShe started up, and was not a little amazed at seeing a young man\nbeside her.  From surprise she soon passed to admiration, and then to\ndelight on perceiving how handsome and fascinating he was.\n\n\"Why,\" cried she, \"was it you my father wished me to marry?  How\nunlucky that I did not know sooner!  I should not have made him so\nangry.  But wake up! wake up! for I know I shall love you with all my\nheart.\"\n\nSo saying she shook Camaralzaman so violently that nothing but the\nspells of Maimoune could have prevented his waking.\n\n\"Oh!\" cried the princess.  \"Why are you so drowsy?\"  So saying she took\nhis hand and noticed her own ring on his finger, which made her wonder\nstill more.  But as he still remained in a profound slumber she pressed\na kiss on his cheek and soon fell fast asleep too.\n\nThen Maimoune turning to the genie said:  \"Well, are you satisfied that\nmy prince surpasses your princess?  Another time pray believe me when I\nassert anything.\"\n\nThen turning to Caschcasch:  \"My thanks to you, and now do you and\nDanhasch bear the princess back to her own home.\"\n\nThe two genii hastened to obey, and Maimoune returned to her well.\n\nOn waking next morning the first thing Prince Camaralzaman did was to\nlook round for the lovely lady he had seen at night, and the next to\nquestion the slave who waited on him about her.  But the slave\npersisted so strongly that he knew nothing of any lady, and still less\nof how she got into the tower, that the prince lost all patience, and\nafter giving him a good beating tied a rope round him and ducked him in\nthe well till the unfortunate man cried out that he would tell\neverything.  Then the prince drew him up all dripping wet, but the\nslave begged leave to change his clothes first, and as soon as the\nprince consented hurried off just as he was to the palace.  Here he\nfound the king talking to the grand-vizir of all the anxiety his son\nhad caused him.  The slave was admitted at once and cried:\n\n\"Alas, Sire!  I bring sad news to your Majesty.  There can be no doubt\nthat the prince has completely lost his senses.  He declares that he\nsaw a lady sleeping on his couch last night, and the state you see me\nin proves how violent contradiction makes him.\" He then gave a minute\naccount of all the prince had said and done.\n\nThe king, much moved, begged the vizir to examine into this new\nmisfortune, and the latter at once went to the tower, where he found\nthe prince quietly reading a book.  After the first exchange of\ngreetings the vizir said:\n\n\"I feel really very angry with your slave for alarming his Majesty by\nthe news he brought him.\"\n\n\"What news?\" asked the prince.\n\n\"Ah!\" replied the vizir, \"something absurd, I feel sure, seeing how I\nfind you.\"\n\n\"Most likely,\" said the prince; \"but now that you are here I am glad of\nthe opportunity to ask you where is the lady who slept in this room\nlast night?\"\n\nThe grand-vizir felt beside himself at this question.\n\n\"Prince!\" he exclaimed, \"how would it be possible for any man, much\nless a woman, to enter this room at night without walking over your\nslave on the threshold?  Pray consider the matter, and you will realise\nthat you have been deeply impressed by some dream.\"\n\nBut the prince angrily insisted on knowing who and where the lady was,\nand was not to be persuaded by all the vizir's protestations to the\ncontrary that the plot had not been one of his making.  At last, losing\npatience, he seized the vizir by the beard and loaded him with blows.\n\n\"Stop, Prince,\" cried the unhappy vizir, \"stay and hear what I have to\nsay.\"\n\nThe prince, whose arm was getting tired, paused.\n\n\"I confess, Prince,\" said the vizir, \"that there is some foundation for\nwhat you say.  But you know well that a minister has to carry out his\nmaster's orders.  Allow me to go and to take to the king any message\nyou may choose to send.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" said the prince; \"then go and tell him that I consent to\nmarry the lady whom he sent or brought here last night.  Be quick and\nbring me back his answer.\"\n\nThe vizir bowed to the ground and hastened to leave the room and tower.\n\n\"Well,\" asked the king as soon as he appeared, \"and how did you find my\nson?\"\n\n\"Alas, sire,\" was the reply, \"the slave's report is only too true!\"\n\nHe then gave an exact account of his interview with Camaralzaman and of\nthe prince's fury when told that it was not possible for any lady to\nhave entered his room, and of the treatment he himself had received.\nThe king, much distressed, determined to clear up the matter himself,\nand, ordering the vizir to follow him, set out to visit his son.\n\nThe prince received his father with profound respect, and the king,\nmaking him sit beside him, asked him several questions, to which\nCamaralzaman replied with much good sense.  At last the king said: \"My\nson, pray tell me about the lady who, it is said, was in your room last\nnight.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the prince, \"pray do not increase my distress in this\nmatter, but rather make me happy by giving her to me in marriage.\nHowever much I may have objected to matrimony formerly, the sight of\nthis lovely girl has overcome all my prejudices, and I will gratefully\nreceive her from your hands.\"\n\nThe king was almost speechless on hearing his son, but after a time\nassured him most solemnly that he knew nothing whatever about the lady\nin question, and had not connived at her appearance.  He then desired\nthe prince to relate the whole story to him.\n\nCamaralzaman did so at great length, showed the ring, and implored his\nfather to help to find the bride he so ardently desired.\n\n\"After all you tell me,\" remarked the king, \"I can no longer doubt your\nword; but how and whence the lady came, or why she should have stayed\nso short a time I cannot imagine.  The whole affair is indeed\nmysterious.  Come, my dear son, let us wait together for happier days.\"\n\nSo saying the king took Camaralzaman by the hand and led him back to\nthe palace, where the prince took to his bed and gave himself up to\ndespair, and the king shutting himself up with his son entirely\nneglected the affairs of state.\n\nThe prime minister, who was the only person admitted, felt it his duty\nat last to tell the king how much the court and all the people\ncomplained of his seclusion, and how bad it was for the nation.  He\nurged the sultan to remove with the prince to a lovely little island\nclose by, whence he could easily attend public audiences, and where the\ncharming scenery and fine air would do the invalid so much good as to\nenable him to bear his father's occasional absence.\n\nThe king approved the plan, and as soon as the castle on the island\ncould be prepared for their reception he and the prince arrived there,\nSchahzaman never leaving his son except for the prescribed public\naudiences twice a week.\n\nWhilst all this was happening in the capital of Schahzaman the two\ngenii had carefully borne the Princess of China back to her own palace\nand replaced her in bed.  On waking next morning she first turned from\none side to another and then, finding herself alone, called loudly for\nher women.\n\n\"Tell me,\" she cried, \"where is the young man I love so dearly, and who\nslept near me last night?\"\n\n\"Princess,\" exclaimed the nurse, \"we cannot tell what you allude to\nwithout more explanation.\"\n\n\"Why,\" continued the princess, \"the most charming and beautiful young\nman lay sleeping beside me last night.  I did my utmost to wake him,\nbut in vain.\"\n\n\"Your Royal Highness wishes to make game of us,\" said the nurse.  \"Is\nit your pleasure to rise?\"\n\n\"I am quite in earnest,\" persisted the princess, \"and I want to know\nwhere he is.\"\n\n\"But, Princess,\" expostulated the nurse, \"we left you quite alone last\nnight, and we have seen no one enter your room since then.\"\n\nAt this the princess lost all patience, and taking the nurse by her\nhair she boxed her ears soundly, crying out:  \"You shall tell me, you\nold witch, or I'll kill you.\"\n\nThe nurse had no little trouble in escaping, and hurried off to the\nqueen, to whom she related the whole story with tears in her eyes.\n\n\"You see, madam,\" she concluded, \"that the princess must be out of her\nmind.  If only you will come and see her, you will be able to judge for\nyourself.\"\n\nThe queen hurried to her daughter's apartments, and after tenderly\nembracing her, asked her why she had treated her nurse so badly.\n\n\"Madam,\" said the princess, \"I perceive that your Majesty wishes to\nmake game of me, but I can assure you that I will never marry anyone\nexcept the charming young man whom I saw last night.  You must know\nwhere he is, so pray send for him.\"\n\nThe queen was much surprised by these words, but when she declared that\nshe knew nothing whatever of the matter the princess lost all respect,\nand answered that if she were not allowed to marry as she wished she\nshould kill herself, and it was in vain that the queen tried to pacify\nher and bring her to reason.\n\nThe king himself came to hear the rights of the matter, but the\nprincess only persisted in her story, and as a proof showed the ring on\nher finger.  The king hardly knew what to make of it all, but ended by\nthinking that his daughter was more crazy than ever, and without\nfurther argument he had her placed in still closer confinement, with\nonly her nurse to wait on her and a powerful guard to keep the door.\n\nThen he assembled his council, and having told them the sad state of\nthings, added:  \"If any of you can succeed in curing the princess, I\nwill give her to him in marriage, and he shall be my heir.\"\n\nAn elderly emir present, fired with the desire to possess a young and\nlovely wife and to rule over a great kingdom, offered to try the magic\narts with which he was acquainted.\n\n\"You are welcome to try,\" said the king, \"but I make one condition,\nwhich is, that should you fail you will lose your life.\"\n\nThe emir accepted the condition, and the king led him to the princess,\nwho, veiling her face, remarked, \"I am surprised, sire, that you should\nbring an unknown man into my presence.\"\n\n\"You need not be shocked,\" said the king; \"this is one of my emirs who\nasks your hand in marriage.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the princess, \"this is not the one you gave me before\nand whose ring I wear.  Permit me to say that I can accept no other.\"\n\nThe emir, who had expected to hear the princess talk nonsense, finding\nhow calm and reasonable she was, assured the king that he could not\nventure to undertake a cure, but placed his head at his Majesty's\ndisposal, on which the justly irritated monarch promptly had it cut off.\n\nThis was the first of many suitors for the princess whose inability to\ncure her cost them their lives.\n\nNow it happened that after things had been going on in this way for\nsome time the nurse's son Marzavan returned from his travels.  He had\nbeen in many countries and learnt many things, including astrology.\nNeedless to say that one of the first things his mother told him was\nthe sad condition of the princess, his foster-sister. Marzavan asked if\nshe could not manage to let him see the princess without the king's\nknowledge.\n\nAfter some consideration his mother consented, and even persuaded the\neunuch on guard to make no objection to Marzavan's entering the royal\napartment.\n\nThe princess was delighted to see her foster-brother again, and after\nsome conversation she confided to him all her history and the cause of\nher imprisonment.\n\nMarzavan listened with downcast eyes and the utmost attention.  When\nshe had finished speaking he said,\n\n\"If what you tell me, Princess, is indeed the case, I do not despair of\nfinding comfort for you.  Take patience yet a little longer.  I will\nset out at once to explore other countries, and when you hear of my\nreturn be sure that he for whom you sigh is not far off.\" So saying, he\ntook his leave and started next morning on his travels.\n\nMarzavan journeyed from city to city and from one island and province\nto another, and wherever he went he heard people talk of the strange\nstory of the Princess Badoura, as the Princess of China was named.\n\nAfter four months he reached a large populous seaport town named Torf,\nand here he heard no more of the Princess Badoura but a great deal of\nPrince Camaralzaman, who was reported ill, and whose story sounded very\nsimilar to that of the Princess Badoura.\n\nMarzavan was rejoiced, and set out at once for Prince Camaralzaman's\nresidence.  The ship on which he embarked had a prosperous voyage till\nshe got within sight of the capital of King Schahzaman, but when just\nabout to enter the harbour she suddenly struck on a rock, and foundered\nwithin sight of the palace where the prince was living with his father\nand the grand-vizir.\n\nMarzavan, who swam well, threw himself into the sea and managed to land\nclose to the palace, where he was kindly received, and after having a\nchange of clothing given him was brought before the grand-vizir. The\nvizir was at once attracted by the young man's superior air and\nintelligent conversation, and perceiving that he had gained much\nexperience in the course of his travels, he said, \"Ah, how I wish you\nhad learnt some secret which might enable you to cure a malady which\nhas plunged this court into affliction for some time past!\"\n\nMarzavan replied that if he knew what the illness was he might possibly\nbe able to suggest a remedy, on which the vizir related to him the\nwhole history of Prince Camaralzaman.\n\nOn hearing this Marzavan rejoiced inwardly, for he felt sure that he\nhad at last discovered the object of the Princess Badoura's\ninfatuation.  However, he said nothing, but begged to be allowed to see\nthe prince.\n\nOn entering the royal apartment the first thing which struck him was\nthe prince himself, who lay stretched out on his bed with his eyes\nclosed.  The king sat near him, but, without paying any regard to his\npresence, Marzavan exclaimed, \"Heavens! what a striking likeness!\"\nAnd, indeed, there was a good deal of resemblance between the features\nof Camaralzaman and those of the Princess of China.\n\nThese words caused the prince to open his eyes with languid curiosity,\nand Marzavan seized this moment to pay him his compliments, contriving\nat the same time to express the condition of the Princess of China in\nterms unintelligible, indeed, to the Sultan and his vizir, but which\nleft the prince in no doubt that his visitor could give him some\nwelcome information.\n\nThe prince begged his father to allow him the favour of a private\ninterview with Marzavan, and the king was only too pleased to find his\nson taking an interest in anyone or anything.  As soon as they were\nleft alone Marzavan told the prince the story of the Princess Badoura\nand her sufferings, adding, \"I am convinced that you alone can cure\nher; but before starting on so long a journey you must be well and\nstrong, so do your best to recover as quickly as may be.\"\n\nThese words produced a great effect on the prince, who was so much\ncheered by the hopes held out that he declared he felt able to get up\nand be dressed.  The king was overjoyed at the result of Marzavan's\ninterview, and ordered public rejoicings in honour of the prince's\nrecovery.\n\nBefore long the prince was quite restored to his original state of\nhealth, and as soon as he felt himself really strong he took Marzavan\naside and said:\n\n\"Now is the time to perform your promise.  I am so impatient to see my\nbeloved princess once more that I am sure I shall fall ill again if we\ndo not start soon.  The one obstacle is my father's tender care of me,\nfor, as you may have noticed, he cannot bear me out of his sight.\"\n\n\"Prince,\" replied Marzavan, \"I have already thought over the matter,\nand this is what seems to me the best plan.  You have not been out of\ndoors since my arrival.  Ask the king's permission to go with me for\ntwo or three days' hunting, and when he has given leave order two good\nhorses to be held ready for each of us.  Leave all the rest to me.\"\n\nNext day the prince seized a favourable opportunity for making his\nrequest, and the king gladly granted it on condition that only one\nnight should be spent out for fear of too great fatigue after such a\nlong illness.\n\nNext morning Prince Camaralzaman and Marzavan were off betimes,\nattended by two grooms leading the two extra horses.  They hunted a\nlittle by the way, but took care to get as far from the towns as\npossible.  At night-fall they reached an inn, where they supped and\nslept till midnight.  Then Marzavan awoke and roused the prince without\ndisturbing anyone else.  He begged the prince to give him the coat he\nhad been wearing and to put on another which they had brought with\nthem.  They mounted their second horses, and Marzavan led one of the\ngrooms' horses by the bridle.\n\nBy daybreak our travellers found themselves where four cross roads met\nin the middle of the forest.  Here Marzavan begged the prince to wait\nfor him, and leading the groom's horse into a dense part of the wood he\ncut its throat, dipped the prince's coat in its blood, and having\nrejoined the prince threw the coat on the ground where the roads parted.\n\nIn answer to Camaralzaman's inquiries as to the reason for this,\nMarzavan replied that the only chance they had of continuing their\njourney was to divert attention by creating the idea of the prince's\ndeath.  \"Your father will doubtless be plunged in the deepest grief,\"\nhe went on, \"but his joy at your return will be all the greater.\"\n\nThe prince and his companion now continued their journey by land and\nsea, and as they had brought plenty of money to defray their expenses\nthey met with no needless delays.  At length they reached the capital\nof China, where they spent three days in a suitable lodging to recover\nfrom their fatigues.\n\nDuring this time Marzavan had an astrologer's dress prepared for the\nprince.  They then went to the baths, after which the prince put on the\nastrologer's robe and was conducted within sight of the king's palace\nby Marzavan, who left him there and went to consult his mother, the\nprincess's nurse.\n\nMeantime the prince, according to Marzavan's instructions, advanced\nclose to the palace gates and there proclaimed aloud:\n\n\"I am an astrologer and I come to restore health to the Princess\nBadoura, daughter of the high and mighty King of China, on the\nconditions laid down by His Majesty of marrying her should I succeed,\nor of losing my life if I fail.\"\n\nIt was some little time since anyone had presented himself to run the\nterrible risk involved in attempting to cure the princess, and a crowd\nsoon gathered round the prince.  On perceiving his youth, good looks,\nand distinguished bearing, everyone felt pity for him.\n\n\"What are you thinking of, sir,\" exclaimed some; \"why expose yourself\nto certain death?  Are not the heads you see exposed on the town wall\nsufficient warning?  For mercy's sake give up this mad idea and retire\nwhilst you can.\"\n\nBut the prince remained firm, and only repeated his cry with greater\nassurance, to the horror of the crowd.\n\n\"He is resolved to die!\" they cried; \"may heaven have pity on him!\"\n\nCamaralzaman now called out for the third time, and at last the\ngrand-vizir himself came out and fetched him in.\n\nThe prime minister led the prince to the king, who was much struck by\nthe noble air of this new adventurer, and felt such pity for the fate\nso evidently in store for him, that he tried to persuade the young man\nto renounce his project.\n\nBut Camaralzaman politely yet firmly persisted in his intentions, and\nat length the king desired the eunuch who had the guard of the\nprincess's apartments to conduct the astrologer to her presence.\n\nThe eunuch led the way through long passages, and Camaralzaman followed\nrapidly, in haste to reach the object of his desires.  At last they\ncame to a large hall which was the ante-room to the princess's chamber,\nand here Camaralzaman said to the eunuch:\n\n\"Now you shall choose.  Shall I cure the princess in her own presence,\nor shall I do it from here without seeing her?\"\n\nThe eunuch, who had expressed many contemptuous doubts as they came\nalong of the newcomer's powers, was much surprised and said:\n\n\"If you really can cure, it is immaterial when you do it.  Your fame\nwill be equally great.\"\n\n\"Very well,\" replied the prince:  \"then, impatient though I am to see\nthe princess, I will effect the cure where I stand, the better to\nconvince you of my power.\"  He accordingly drew out his writing case\nand wrote as follows--\"Adorable princess!  The enamoured Camaralzaman\nhas never forgotten the moment when, contemplating your sleeping\nbeauty, he gave you his heart.  As he was at that time deprived of the\nhappiness of conversing with you, he ventured to give you his ring as a\ntoken of his love, and to take yours in exchange, which he now encloses\nin this letter.  Should you deign to return it to him he will be the\nhappiest of mortals, if not he will cheerfully resign himself to death,\nseeing he does so for love of you.  He awaits your reply in your\nante-room.\"\n\nHaving finished this note the prince carefully enclosed the ring in it\nwithout letting the eunuch see it, and gave him the letter, saying:\n\n\"Take this to your mistress, my friend, and if on reading it and seeing\nits contents she is not instantly cured, you may call me an impudent\nimpostor.\"\n\nThe eunuch at once passed into the princess's room, and handing her the\nletter said:\n\n\"Madam, a new astrologer has arrived, who declares that you will be\ncured as soon as you have read this letter and seen what it contains.\"\n\nThe princess took the note and opened it with languid indifference.\nBut no sooner did she see her ring than, barely glancing at the\nwriting, she rose hastily and with one bound reached the doorway and\npushed back the hangings.  Here she and the prince recognised each\nother, and in a moment they were locked in each other's arms, where\nthey tenderly embraced, wondering how they came to meet at last after\nso long a separation.  The nurse, who had hastened after her charge,\ndrew them back to the inner room, where the princess restored her ring\nto Camaralzaman.\n\n\"Take it back,\" she said, \"I could not keep it without returning yours\nto you, and I am resolved to wear that as long as I live.\"\n\nMeantime the eunuch had hastened back to the king.  \"Sire,\" he cried,\n\"all the former doctors and astrologers were mere quacks.  This man has\ncured the princess without even seeing her.\" He then told all to the\nking, who, overjoyed, hastened to his daughter's apartments, where,\nafter embracing her, he placed her hand in that of the prince, saying:\n\n\"Happy stranger, I keep my promise, and give you my daughter to wife,\nbe you who you may.  But, if I am not much mistaken, your condition is\nabove what you appear to be.\"\n\nThe prince thanked the king in the warmest and most respectful terms,\nand added:  \"As regards my person, your Majesty has rightly guessed\nthat I am not an astrologer.  It is but a disguise which I assumed in\norder to merit your illustrious alliance.  I am myself a prince, my\nname is Camaralzaman, and my father is Schahzaman, King of the Isles of\nthe Children of Khaledan.\"  He then told his whole history, including\nthe extraordinary manner of his first seeing and loving the Princess\nBadoura.\n\nWhen he had finished the king exclaimed:  \"So remarkable a story must\nnot be lost to posterity.  It shall be inscribed in the archives of my\nkingdom and published everywhere abroad.\"\n\nThe wedding took place next day amidst great pomp and rejoicings.\nMarzavan was not forgotten, but was given a lucrative post at court,\nwith a promise of further advancement.\n\nThe prince and princess were now entirely happy, and months slipped by\nunconsciously in the enjoyment of each other's society.\n\nOne night, however, Prince Camaralzaman dreamt that he saw his father\nlying at the point of death, and saying:  \"Alas! my son whom I loved so\ntenderly, has deserted me and is now causing my death.\"\n\nThe prince woke with such a groan as to startle the princess, who asked\nwhat was the matter.\n\n\"Ah!\" cried the prince, \"at this very moment my father is perhaps no\nmore!\" and he told his dream.\n\nThe princess said but little at the time, but next morning she went to\nthe king, and kissing his hand said:\n\n\"I have a favour to ask of your Majesty, and I beg you to believe that\nit is in no way prompted by my husband.  It is that you will allow us\nboth to visit my father-in-law King Schahzaman.\"\n\nSorry though the king felt at the idea of parting with his daughter, he\nfelt her request to be so reasonable that he could not refuse it, and\nmade but one condition, which was that she should only spend one year\nat the court of King Schahzaman, suggesting that in future the young\ncouple should visit their respective parents alternately.\n\nThe princess brought this good news to her husband, who thanked her\ntenderly for this fresh proof of her affection.\n\nAll preparations for the journey were now pressed forwards, and when\nall was ready the king accompanied the travellers for some days, after\nwhich he took an affectionate leave of his daughter, and charging the\nprince to take every care of her, returned to his capital.\n\nThe prince and princess journeyed on, and at the end of a month reached\na huge meadow interspersed with clumps of big trees which cast a most\npleasant shade.  As the heat was great, Camaralzaman thought it well to\nencamp in this cool spot.  Accordingly the tents were pitched, and the\nprincess entering hers whilst the prince was giving his further orders,\nremoved her girdle, which she placed beside her, and desiring her women\nto leave her, lay down and was soon asleep.\n\nWhen the camp was all in order the prince entered the tent and, seeing\nthe princess asleep, he sat down near her without speaking.  His eyes\nfell on the girdle which, he took up, and whilst inspecting the\nprecious stones set in it he noticed a little pouch sewn to the girdle\nand fastened by a loop.  He touched it and felt something hard within.\nCurious as to what this might be, he opened the pouch and found a\ncornelian engraved with various figures and strange characters.\n\n\"This cornelian must be something very precious,\" thought he, \"or my\nwife would not wear it on her person with so much care.\"\n\nIn truth it was a talisman which the Queen of China had given her\ndaughter, telling her it would ensure her happiness as long as she\ncarried it about her.\n\nThe better to examine the stone the prince stepped to the open doorway\nof the tent.  As he stood there holding it in the open palm of his\nhand, a bird suddenly swooped down, picked the stone up in its beak and\nflew away with it.\n\nImagine the prince's dismay at losing a thing by which his wife\nevidently set such store!\n\nThe bird having secured its prey flew off some yards and alighted on\nthe ground, holding the talisman it its beak.  Prince Camaralzaman\nadvanced, hoping the bird would drop it, but as soon as he approached\nthe thief fluttered on a little further still.  He continued his\npursuit till the bird suddenly swallowed the stone and took a longer\nflight than before.  The prince then hoped to kill it with a stone, but\nthe more hotly he pursued the further flew the bird.\n\nIn this fashion he was led on by hill and dale through the entire day,\nand when night came the tiresome creature roosted on the top of a very\nhigh tree where it could rest in safety.\n\nThe prince in despair at all his useless trouble began to think whether\nhe had better return to the camp.  \"But,\" thought he, \"how shall I find\nmy way back?  Must I go up hill or down?  I should certainly lose my\nway in the dark, even if my strength held out.\"  Overwhelmed by hunger,\nthirst, fatigue and sleep, he ended by spending the night at the foot\nof the tree.\n\nNext morning Camaralzaman woke up before the bird left its perch, and\nno sooner did it take flight than he followed it again with as little\nsuccess as the previous day, only stopping to eat some herbs and fruit\nhe found by the way.  In this fashion he spent ten days, following the\nbird all day and spending the night at the foot of a tree, whilst it\nroosted on the topmost bough.  On the eleventh day the bird and the\nprince reached a large town, and as soon as they were close to its\nwalls the bird took a sudden and higher flight and was shortly\ncompletely out of sight, whilst Camaralzaman felt in despair at having\nto give up all hopes of ever recovering the talisman of the Princess\nBadoura.\n\nMuch cast down, he entered the town, which was built near the sea and\nhad a fine harbour.  He walked about the streets for a long time, not\nknowing where to go, but at length as he walked near the seashore he\nfound a garden door open and walked in.\n\nThe gardener, a good old man, who was at work, happened to look up,\nand, seeing a stranger, whom he recognised by his dress as a Mussulman,\nhe told him to come in at once and to shut the door.\n\nCamaralzaman did as he was bid, and inquired why this precaution was\ntaken.\n\n\"Because,\" said the gardener, \"I see that you are a stranger and a\nMussulman, and this town is almost entirely inhabited by idolaters, who\nhate and persecute all of our faith.  It seems almost a miracle that\nhas led you to this house, and I am indeed glad that you have found a\nplace of safety.\"\n\nCamaralzaman warmly thanked the kind old man for offering him shelter,\nand was about to say more, but the gardener interrupted him with:\n\n\"Leave compliments alone.  You are weary and must be hungry.  Come in,\neat, and rest.\"  So saying he led the prince into his cottage, and\nafter satisfying his hunger begged to learn the cause of his arrival.\n\nCamaralzaman told him all without disguise, and ended by inquiring the\nshortest way to his father's capital.  \"For,\" added he, \"if I tried to\nrejoin the princess, how should I find her after eleven days'\nseparation.  Perhaps, indeed, she may be no longer alive!\" At this\nterrible thought he burst into tears.\n\nThe gardener informed Camaralzaman that they were quite a year's land\njourney to any Mahomedan country, but that there was a much shorter\nroute by sea to the Ebony Island, from whence the Isles of the Children\nof Khaledan could be easily reached, and that a ship sailed once a year\nfor the Ebony Island by which he might get so far as his very home.\n\n\"If only you had arrived a few days sooner,\" he said, \"you might have\nembarked at once.  As it is you must now wait till next year, but if\nyou care to stay with me I offer you my house, such as it is, with all\nmy heart.\"\n\nPrince Camaralzaman thought himself lucky to find some place of refuge,\nand gladly accepted the gardener's offer.  He spent his days working in\nthe garden, and his nights thinking of and sighing for his beloved wife.\n\nLet us now see what had become during this time of the Princess Badoura.\n\nOn first waking she was much surprised not to find the prince near her.\nShe called her women and asked if they knew where he was, and whilst\nthey were telling her that they had seen him enter the tent, but had\nnot noticed his leaving it, she took up her belt and perceived that the\nlittle pouch was open and the talisman gone.\n\nShe at once concluded that her husband had taken it and would shortly\nbring it back.  She waited for him till evening rather impatiently, and\nwondering what could have kept him from her so long.  When night came\nwithout him she felt in despair and abused the talisman and its maker\nroundly.  In spite of her grief and anxiety however, she did not lose\nher presence of mind, but decided on a courageous, though very unusual\nstep.\n\nOnly the princess and her women knew of Camaralzaman's disappearance,\nfor the rest of the party were sleeping or resting in their tents.\nFearing some treason should the truth be known, she ordered her women\nnot to say a word which would give rise to any suspicion, and proceeded\nto change her dress for one of her husband's, to whom, as has been\nalready said, she bore a strong likeness.\n\nIn this disguise she looked so like the prince that when she gave\norders next morning to break up the camp and continue the journey no\none suspected the change.  She made one of her women enter her litter,\nwhilst she herself mounted on horseback and the march began.\n\nAfter a protracted journey by land and sea the princess, still under\nthe name and disguise of Prince Camaralzaman, arrived at the capital of\nthe Ebony Island whose king was named Armanos.\n\nNo sooner did the king hear that the ship which was just in port had on\nboard the son of his old friend and ally than he hurried to meet the\nsupposed prince, and had him and his retinue brought to the palace,\nwhere they were lodged and entertained sumptuously.\n\nAfter three days, finding that his guest, to whom he had taken a great\nfancy, talked of continuing his journey, King Armanos said to him:\n\n\"Prince, I am now an old man, and unfortunately I have no son to whom\nto leave my kingdom.  It has pleased Heaven to give me only one\ndaughter, who possesses such great beauty and charm that I could only\ngive her to a prince as highly born and as accomplished as yourself.\nInstead, therefore, of returning to your own country, take my daughter\nand my crown and stay with us.  I shall feel that I have a worthy\nsuccessor, and shall cheerfully retire from the fatigues of government.\"\n\nThe king's offer was naturally rather embarrassing to the Princess\nBadoura.  She felt that it was equally impossible to confess that she\nhad deceived him, or to refuse the marriage on which he had set his\nheart; a refusal which might turn all his kindness to hatred and\npersecution.\n\nAll things considered, she decided to accept, and after a few moments\nsilence said with a blush, which the king attributed to modesty:\n\n\"Sire, I feel so great an obligation for the good opinion your Majesty\nhas expressed for my person and of the honour you do me, that, though I\nam quite unworthy of it, I dare not refuse.  But, sire, I can only\naccept such an alliance if you give me your promise to assist me with\nyour counsels.\"\n\nThe marriage being thus arranged, the ceremony was fixed for the\nfollowing day, and the princess employed the intervening time in\ninforming the officers of her suite of what had happened, assuring them\nthat the Princess Badoura had given her full consent to the marriage.\nShe also told her women, and bade them keep her secret well.\n\nKing Armanos, delighted with the success of his plans, lost no time in\nassembling his court and council, to whom he presented his successor,\nand placing his future son-in-law on the throne made everyone do homage\nand take oaths of allegiance to the new king.\n\nAt night the whole town was filled with rejoicings, and with much pomp\nthe Princess Haiatelnefous (this was the name of the king's daughter)\nwas conducted to the palace of the Princess Badoura.\n\nNow Badoura had thought much of the difficulties of her first interview\nwith King Armanos' daughter, and she felt the only thing to do was at\nonce to take her into her confidence.\n\nAccordingly, as soon as they were alone she took Haiatelnefous by the\nhand and said:\n\n\"Princess, I have a secret to tell you, and must throw myself on your\nmercy.  I am not Prince Camaralzaman, but a princess like yourself and\nhis wife, and I beg you to listen to my story, then I am sure you will\nforgive my imposture, in consideration of my sufferings.\"\n\nShe then related her whole history, and at its close Haiatelnefous\nembraced her warmly, and assured her of her entire sympathy and\naffection.\n\nThe two princesses now planned out their future action, and agreed to\ncombine to keep up the deception and to let Badoura continue to play a\nman's part until such time as there might be news of the real\nCamaralzaman.\n\nWhilst these things were passing in the Ebony Island Prince\nCamaralzaman continued to find shelter in the gardeners cottage in the\ntown of the idolaters.\n\nEarly one morning the gardener said to the prince:\n\n\"To-day is a public holiday, and the people of the town not only do not\nwork themselves but forbid others to do so.  You had better therefore\ntake a good rest whilst I go to see some friends, and as the time is\nnear for the arrival of the ship of which I told you I will make\ninquiries about it, and try to bespeak a passage for you.\" He then put\non his best clothes and went out, leaving the prince, who strolled into\nthe garden and was soon lost in thoughts of his dear wife and their sad\nseparation.\n\nAs he walked up and down he was suddenly disturbed in his reverie by\nthe noise two large birds were making in a tree.\n\nCamaralzaman stood still and looked up, and saw that the birds were\nfighting so savagely with beaks and claws that before long one fell\ndead to the ground, whilst the conqueror spread his wings and flew\naway.  Almost immediately two other larger birds, who had been watching\nthe duel, flew up and alighted, one at the head and the other at the\nfeet of the dead bird.  They stood there some time sadly shaking their\nheads, and then dug up a grave with their claws in which they buried\nhim.\n\nAs soon as they had filled in the grave the two flew off, and ere long\nreturned, bringing with them the murderer, whom they held, one by a\nwing and the other by a leg, with their beaks, screaming and struggling\nwith rage and terror.  But they held tight, and having brought him to\nhis victim's grave, they proceeded to kill him, after which they tore\nopen his body, scattered the inside and once more flew away.\n\nThe prince, who had watched the whole scene with much interest, now\ndrew near the spot where it happened, and glancing at the dead bird he\nnoticed something red lying near which had evidently fallen out of its\ninside.  He picked it up, and what was his surprise when he recognised\nthe Princess Badoura's talisman which had been the cause of many\nmisfortunes.  It would be impossible to describe his joy; he kissed the\ntalisman repeatedly, wrapped it up, and carefully tied it round his\narm.  For the first time since his separation from the princess he had\na good night, and next morning he was up at day-break and went\ncheerfully to ask what work he should do.\n\nThe gardener told him to cut down an old fruit tree which had quite\ndied away, and Camaralzaman took an axe and fell to vigorously.  As he\nwas hacking at one of the roots the axe struck on something hard.  On\npushing away the earth he discovered a large slab of bronze, under\nwhich was disclosed a staircase with ten steps.  He went down them and\nfound himself in a roomy kind of cave in which stood fifty large bronze\njars, each with a cover on it.  The prince uncovered one after another,\nand found them all filled with gold dust.  Delighted with his discovery\nhe left the cave, replaced the slab, and having finished cutting down\nthe tree waited for the gardener's return.\n\nThe gardener had heard the night before that the ship about which he\nwas inquiring would start ere long, but the exact date not being yet\nknown he had been told to return next day for further information.  He\nhad gone therefore to inquire, and came back with good news beaming in\nhis face.\n\n\"My son,\" said he, \"rejoice and hold yourself ready to start in three\ndays' time.  The ship is to set sail, and I have arranged all about\nyour passage with the captain.\n\n\"You could not bring me better news,\" replied Camaralzaman, \"and in\nreturn I have something pleasant to tell you.  Follow me and see the\ngood fortune which has befallen you.\"\n\nHe then led the gardener to the cave, and having shown him the treasure\nstored up there, said how happy it made him that Heaven should in this\nway reward his kind host's many virtues and compensate him for the\nprivations of many years.\n\n\"What do you mean?\" asked the gardener.  \"Do you imagine that I should\nappropriate this treasure?  It is yours, and I have no right whatever\nto it.  For the last eighty years I have dug up the ground here without\ndiscovering anything.  It is clear that these riches are intended for\nyou, and they are much more needed by a prince like yourself than by an\nold man like me, who am near my end and require nothing.  This treasure\ncomes just at the right time, when you are about to return to your own\ncountry, where you will make good use of it.\"\n\nBut the prince would not hear of this suggestion, and finally after\nmuch discussion they agreed to divide the gold.  When this was done the\ngardener said:\n\n\"My son, the great thing now is to arrange how you can best carry off\nthis treasure as secretly as possible for fear of losing it.  There are\nno olives in the Ebony Island, and those imported from here fetch a\nhigh price.  As you know, I have a good stock of the olives which grew\nin this garden.  Now you must take fifty jars, fill each half full of\ngold dust and fill them up with the olives.  We will then have them\ntaken on board ship when you embark.\"\n\nThe prince took this advice, and spent the rest of the day filling the\nfifty jars, and fearing lest the precious talisman might slip from his\narm and be lost again, he took the precaution of putting it in one of\nthe jars, on which he made a mark so as to be able to recognise it.\nWhen night came the jars were all ready, and the prince and his host\nwent to bed.\n\nWhether in consequence of his great age, or of the fatigues and\nexcitement of the previous day, I do not know, but the gardener passed\na very bad night.  He was worse next day, and by the morning of the\nthird day was dangerously ill.  At daybreak the ship's captain and some\nof his sailors knocked at the garden door and asked for the passenger\nwho was to embark.\n\n\"I am he,\" said Camaralzaman, who had opened the door.  \"The gardener\nwho took my passage is ill and cannot see you, but please come in and\ntake these jars of olives and my bag, and I will follow as soon as I\nhave taken leave of him.\"\n\nThe sailors did as he asked, and the captain before leaving charged\nCamaralzaman to lose no time, as the wind was fair, and he wished to\nset sail at once.\n\nAs soon as they were gone the prince returned to the cottage to bid\nfarewell to his old friend, and to thank him once more for all his\nkindness.  But the old man was at his last gasp, and had barely\nmurmured his confession of faith when he expired.\n\nCamaralzaman was obliged to stay and pay him the last offices, so\nhaving dug a grave in the garden he wrapped the kind old man up and\nburied him.  He then locked the door, gave up the key to the owner of\nthe garden, and hurried to the quay only to hear that the ship had\nsailed long ago, after waiting three hours for him.\n\nIt may well be believed that the prince felt in despair at this fresh\nmisfortune, which obliged him to spend another year in a strange and\ndistasteful country.  Moreover, he had once more lost the Princess\nBadoura's talisman, which he feared he might never see again.  There\nwas nothing left for him but to hire the garden as the old man had\ndone, and to live on in the cottage.  As he could not well cultivate\nthe garden by himself, he engaged a lad to help him, and to secure the\nrest of the treasure he put the remaining gold dust into fifty more\njars, filling them up with olives so as to have them ready for\ntransport.\n\nWhilst the prince was settling down to this second year of toil and\nprivation, the ship made a rapid voyage and arrived safely at the Ebony\nIsland.\n\nAs the palace of the new king, or rather of the Princess Badoura,\noverlooked the harbour, she saw the ship entering it and asked what\nvessel it was coming in so gaily decked with flags, and was told that\nit was a ship from the Island of the Idolaters which yearly brought\nrich merchandise.\n\nThe princess, ever on the look out for any chance of news of her\nbeloved husband, went down to the harbour attended by some officers of\nthe court, and arrived just as the captain was landing.  She sent for\nhim and asked many questions as to his country, voyage, what passengers\nhe had, and what his vessel was laden with.  The captain answered all\nher questions, and said that his passengers consisted entirely of\ntraders who brought rich stuffs from various countries, fine muslins,\nprecious stones, musk, amber, spices, drugs, olives, and many other\nthings.\n\nAs soon as he mentioned olives, the princess, who was very partial to\nthem, exclaimed:\n\n\"I will take all you have on board.  Have them unloaded and we will\nmake our bargain at once, and tell the other merchants to let me see\nall their best wares before showing them to other people.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the captain, \"I have on board fifty very large pots of\nolives.  They belong to a merchant who was left behind, as in spite of\nwaiting for him he delayed so long that I was obliged to set sail\nwithout him.\"\n\n\"Never mind,\" said the princess, \"unload them all the same, and we will\narrange the price.\"\n\nThe captain accordingly sent his boat off to the ship and it soon\nreturned laden with the fifty pots of olives.  The princess asked what\nthey might be worth.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the captain, \"the merchant is very poor.  Your Majesty\nwill not overpay him if you give him a thousand pieces of silver.\"\n\n\"In order to satisfy him and as he is so poor,\" said the princess, \"I\nwill order a thousand pieces of gold to be given you, which you will be\nsure to remit to him.\"\n\nSo saying she gave orders for the payment and returned to the palace,\nhaving the jars carried before her.  When evening came the Princess\nBadoura retired to the inner part of the palace, and going to the\napartments of the Princess Haiatelnefous she had the fifty jars of\nolives brought to her.  She opened one to let her friend taste the\nolives and to taste them herself, but great was her surprise when, on\npouring some into a dish, she found them all powdered with gold dust.\n\"What an adventure! how extraordinary!\" she cried.  Then she had the\nother jars opened, and was more and more surprised to find the olives\nin each jar mixed with gold dust.\n\nBut when at length her talisman was discovered in one of the jars her\nemotion was so great that she fainted away.  The Princess Haiatelnefous\nand her women hastened to restore her, and as soon as she recovered\nconsciousness she covered the precious talisman with kisses.\n\nThen, dismissing the attendants, she said to her friend:\n\n\"You will have guessed, my dear, that it was the sight of this talisman\nwhich has moved me so deeply.  This was the cause of my separation from\nmy dear husband, and now, I am convinced, it will be the means of our\nreunion.\"\n\nAs soon as it was light next day the Princess Badoura sent for the\ncaptain, and made further inquiries about the merchant who owned the\nolive jars she had bought.\n\nIn reply the captain told her all he knew of the place where the young\nman lived, and how, after engaging his passage, he came to be left\nbehind.\n\n\"If that is the case,\" said the princess, \"you must set sail at once\nand go back for him.  He is a debtor of mine and must be brought here\nat once, or I will confiscate all your merchandise.  I shall now give\norders to have all the warehouses where your cargo is placed under the\nroyal seal, and they will only be opened when you have brought me the\nman I ask for.  Go at once and obey my orders.\"\n\nThe captain had no choice but to do as he was bid, so hastily\nprovisioning his ship he started that same evening on his return voyage.\n\nWhen, after a rapid passage, he gained sight of the Island of\nIdolaters, he judged it better not to enter the harbour, but casting\nanchor at some distance he embarked at night in a small boat with six\nactive sailors and landed near Camaralzaman's cottage.\n\nThe prince was not asleep, and as he lay awake moaning over all the sad\nevents which had separated him from his wife, he thought he heard a\nknock at the garden door.  He went to open it, and was immediately\nseized by the captain and sailors, who without a word of explanation\nforcibly bore him off to the boat, which took them back to the ship\nwithout loss of time.  No sooner were they on board than they weighed\nanchor and set sail.\n\nCamaralzaman, who had kept silence till then, now asked the captain\n(whom he had recognised) the reason for this abduction.\n\n\"Are you not a debtor of the King of the Ebony Island?\" asked the\ncaptain.\n\n\"I?  Why, I never even heard of him before, and never set foot in his\nkingdom!\" was the answer.\n\n\"Well, you must know better than I,\" said the captain.  \"You will soon\nsee him now, and meantime be content where you are and have patience.\"\n\nThe return voyage was as prosperous as the former one, and though it\nwas night when the ship entered the harbour, the captain lost no time\nin landing with his passenger, whom he conducted to the palace, where\nhe begged an audience with the king.\n\nDirectly the Princess Badoura saw the prince she recognised him in\nspite of his shabby clothes.  She longed to throw herself on his neck,\nbut restrained herself, feeling it was better for them both that she\nshould play her part a little longer.  She therefore desired one of her\nofficers to take care of him and to treat him well.  Next she ordered\nanother officer to remove the seals from the warehouse, whilst she\npresented the captain with a costly diamond, and told him to keep the\nthousand pieces of gold paid for the olives, as she would arrange\nmatters with the merchant himself.\n\nShe then returned to her private apartments, where she told the\nPrincess Haiatelnefous all that had happened, as well as her plans for\nthe future, and begged her assistance, which her friend readily\npromised.\n\nNext morning she ordered the prince to be taken to the bath and clothed\nin a manner suitable to an emir or governor of a province.  He was then\nintroduced to the council, where his good looks and grand air drew the\nattention of all on him.\n\nPrincess Badoura, delighted to see him looking himself once more,\nturned to the other emirs, saying:\n\n\"My lords, I introduce to you a new colleague, Camaralzaman, whom I\nhave known on my travels and who, I can assure you, you will find well\ndeserves your regard and admiration.\"\n\nCamaralzaman was much surprised at hearing the king--whom he never\nsuspected of being a woman in disguise--asserting their acquaintance,\nfor he felt sure he had never seen her before.  However he received all\nthe praises bestowed on him with becoming modesty, and prostrating\nhimself, said:\n\n\"Sire, I cannot find words in which to thank your Majesty for the great\nhonour conferred on me.  I can but assure you that I will do all in my\npower to prove myself worthy of it.\"\n\nOn leaving the council the prince was conducted to a splendid house\nwhich had been prepared for him, where he found a full establishment\nand well-filled stables at his orders.  On entering his study his\nsteward presented him with a coffer filled with gold pieces for his\ncurrent expenses.  He felt more and more puzzled by such good fortune,\nand little guessed that the Princess of China was the cause of it.\n\nAfter a few days the Princess Badoura promoted Camaralzaman to the post\nof grand treasurer, an office which he filled with so much integrity\nand benevolence as to win universal esteem.\n\nHe would now have thought himself the happiest of men had it not been\nfor that separation which he never ceased to bewail.  He had no clue to\nthe mystery of his present position, for the princess, out of\ncompliment to the old king, had taken his name, and was generally known\nas King Armanos the younger, few people remembering that on her first\narrival she went by another name.\n\nAt length the princess felt that the time had come to put an end to her\nown and the prince's suspense, and having arranged all her plans with\nthe Princess Haiatelnefous, she informed Camaralzaman that she wished\nhis advice on some important business, and, to avoid being disturbed,\ndesired him to come to the palace that evening.\n\nThe prince was punctual, and was received in the private apartment,\nwhen, having ordered her attendants to withdraw, the princess took from\na small box the talisman, and, handing it to Camaralzaman, said:  \"Not\nlong ago an astrologer gave me this talisman.  As you are universally\nwell informed, you can perhaps tell me what is its use.\"\n\nCamaralzaman took the talisman and, holding it to the light, cried with\nsurprise, \"Sire, you ask me the use of this talisman.  Alas! hitherto\nit has been only a source of misfortune to me, being the cause of my\nseparation from the one I love best on earth.  The story is so sad and\nstrange that I am sure your Majesty will be touched by it if you will\npermit me to tell it you.\"\n\n\"I will hear it some other time,\" replied the princess.  \"Meanwhile I\nfancy it is not quite unknown to me.  Wait here for me.  I will return\nshortly.\"\n\nSo saying she retired to another room, where she hastily changed her\nmasculine attire for that of a woman, and, after putting on the girdle\nshe wore the day they parted, returned to Camaralzaman.\n\nThe prince recognised her at once, and, embracing her with the utmost\ntenderness, cried, \"Ah, how can I thank the king for this delightful\nsurprise?\"\n\n\"Do not expect ever to see the king again,\" said the princess, as she\nwiped the tears of joy from her eyes, \"in me you see the king.  Let us\nsit down, and I will tell you all about it.\"\n\nShe then gave a full account of all her adventures since their parting,\nand dwelt much on the charms and noble disposition of the Princess\nHaiatelnefous, to whose friendly assistance she owed so much.  When she\nhad done she asked to hear the prince's story, and in this manner they\nspent most of the night.\n\nNext morning the princess resumed her woman's clothes, and as soon as\nshe was ready she desired the chief eunuch to beg King Armanos to come\nto her apartments.\n\nWhen the king arrived great was his surprise at finding a strange lady\nin company of the grand treasurer who had no actual right to enter the\nprivate apartment.  Seating himself he asked for the king.\n\n\"Sire,\" said the princess, \"yesterday I was the king, to-day I am only\nthe Princess of China and wife to the real Prince Camaralzaman, son of\nKing Schahzaman, and I trust that when your Majesty shall have heard\nour story you will not condemn the innocent deception I have been\nobliged to practise.\"\n\nThe king consented to listen, and did so with marked surprise.\n\nAt the close of her narrative the princess said, \"Sire, as our religion\nallows a man to have more than one wife, I would beg your Majesty to\ngive your daughter, the Princess Haiatelnefous, in marriage to Prince\nCamaralzaman.  I gladly yield to her the precedence and title of Queen\nin recognition of the debt of gratitude which I owe her.\"\n\nKing Armanos heard the princess with surprise and admiration, then,\nturning to Camaralzaman, he said, \"My son, as your wife, the Princess\nBadoura (whom I have hitherto looked on as my son-in-law), consents to\nshare your hand and affections with my daughter, I have only to ask if\nthis marriage is agreeable to you, and if you will consent to accept\nthe crown which the Princess Badoura deserves to wear all her life, but\nwhich she prefers to resign for love of you.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied Camaralzaman, \"I can refuse your Majesty nothing.\"\n\nAccordingly Camaralzaman was duly proclaimed king, and as duly married\nwith all pomp to the Princess Haiatelnefous, with whose beauty,\ntalents, and affections he had every reason to be pleased.\n\nThe two queens lived in true sisterly harmony together, and after a\ntime each presented King Camaralzaman with a son, whose births were\ncelebrated throughout the kingdom with the utmost rejoicing.\n\n\n\nNoureddin and the Fair Persian\n\n\nBalsora was the capital of a kingdom long tributary to the caliph.\nDuring the time of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid the king of Balsora,\nwho was his cousin, was called Zinebi.  Not thinking one vizir enough\nfor the administration of his estates he had two, named Khacan and\nSaouy.\n\nKhacan was kind, generous, and liberal, and took pleasure in obliging,\nas far as in him lay, those who had business with him.  Throughout the\nentire kingdom there was no one who did not esteem and praise him as he\ndeserved.\n\nSaouy was quite a different character, and repelled everyone with whom\nhe came in contact; he was always gloomy, and, in spite of his great\nriches, so miserly that he denied himself even the necessaries of life.\nWhat made him particularly detested was the great aversion he had to\nKhacan, of whom he never ceased to speak evil to the king.\n\nOne day, while the king amused himself talking with his two vizirs and\nother members of the council, the conversation turned on female slaves.\nWhile some declared that it sufficed for a slave to be beautiful,\nothers, and Khacan was among the number, maintained that beauty alone\nwas not enough, but that it must be accompanied by wit, wisdom,\nmodesty, and, if possible, knowledge.\n\nThe king not only declared himself to be of this opinion, but charged\nKhacan to procure him a slave who should fulfil all these conditions.\nSaouy, who had been of the opposite side, and was jealous of the honour\ndone to Khacan, said, \"Sire, it will be very difficult to find a slave\nas accomplished as your Majesty desires, and, if she is to be found,\nshe will be cheap if she cost less than 10,000 gold pieces.\"\n\n\"Saouy,\" answered the king, \"you seem to find that a very great sum.\nFor you it may be so, but not for me.\"\n\nAnd forthwith he ordered his grand treasurer, who was present, to send\n10,000 gold pieces to Khacan for the purchase of the slave.\n\nAs soon, then, as Khacan returned home he sent for the dealers in\nfemale slaves, and charged them directly they had found such a one as\nhe described to inform him.  They promised to do their utmost, and no\nday passed that they did not bring a slave for his inspection but none\nwas found without some defect.\n\nAt length, early one morning, while Khacan was on his way to the king's\npalace, a dealer, throwing himself in his way, announced eagerly that a\nPersian merchant, arrived late the previous evening, had a slave to\nsell whose wit and wisdom were equal to her incomparable beauty.\n\nKhacan, overjoyed at this news, gave orders that the slave should be\nbrought for his inspection on his return from the palace.  The dealer\nappearing at the appointed hour, Khacan found the slave beautiful\nbeyond his expectations, and immediately gave her the name of \"The Fair\nPersian.\"\n\nBeing a man of great wisdom and learning, he perceived in the short\nconversation he had with her that he would seek in vain another slave\nto surpass her in any of the qualities required by the king, and\ntherefore asked the dealer what price the merchant put upon her.\n\n\"Sir,\" was the answer, \"for less than 10,000 gold pieces he will not\nlet her go; he declares that, what with masters for her instruction,\nand for bodily exercises, not to speak of clothing and nourishment, he\nhas already spent that sum upon her.  She is in every way fit to be the\nslave of a king; she plays every musical instrument, she sings, she\ndances, she makes verses, in fact there is no accomplishment in which\nshe does not excel.\"\n\nKhacan, who was better able to judge of her merits than the dealer,\nwishing to bring the matter to a conclusion, sent for the merchant, and\nsaid to him, \"It is not for myself that I wish to buy your slave, but\nfor the king.  Her price, however, is too high.\"\n\n\"Sir,\" replied the merchant, \"I should esteem it an honour to present\nher to his Majesty, did it become a merchant to do such a thing.  I ask\nno more than the sum it has cost me to make her such as she is.\"\n\nKhacan, not wishing to bargain, immediately had the sum counted out,\nand given to the merchant, who before withdrawing said:\n\n\"Sir, as she is destined for the king, I would have you observe that\nshe is extremely tired with the long journey, and before presenting her\nto his Majesty you would do well to keep her a fortnight in your own\nhouse, and to see that a little care is bestowed upon her.  The sun has\ntanned her complexion, but when she has been two or three times to the\nbath, and is fittingly dressed, you will see how much her beauty will\nbe increased.\"\n\nKhacan thanked the merchant for his advice, and determined to follow\nit.  He gave the beautiful Persian an apartment near to that of his\nwife, whom he charged to treat her as befitting a lady destined for the\nking, and to order for her the most magnificent garments.\n\nBefore bidding adieu to the fair Persian, he said to her: \"No happiness\ncan be greater than what I have procured for you; judge for yourself,\nyou now belong to the king.  I have, however, to warn you of one thing.\nI have a son, who, though not wanting in sense, is young, foolish, and\nheadstrong, and I charge you to keep him at a distance.\"\n\nThe Persian thanked him for his advice, and promised to profit by it.\n\nNoureddin--for so the vizir's son was named--went freely in and out of\nhis mother's apartments.  He was young, well-made and agreeable, and\nhad the gift of charming all with whom he came in contact.  As soon as\nhe saw the beautiful Persian, though aware that she was destined for\nthe king, he let himself be carried away by her charms, and determined\nat once to use every means in his power to retain her for himself.  The\nPersian was equally captivated by Noureddin, and said to herself:  \"The\nvizir does me too great honour in buying me for the king.  I should\nesteem myself very happy if he would give me to his son.\"\n\nNoureddin availed himself of every opportunity to gaze upon her beauty,\nto talk and laugh with her, and never would have left her side if his\nmother had not forced him.\n\nSome time having elapsed, on account of the long journey, since the\nbeautiful Persian had been to the bath, five or six days after her\npurchase the vizir's wife gave orders that the bath should be heated\nfor her, and that her own female slaves should attend her there, and\nafter-wards should array her in a magnificent dress that had been\nprepared for her.\n\nHer toilet completed, the beautiful Persian came to present herself to\nthe vizir's wife, who hardly recognised her, so greatly was her beauty\nincreased.  Kissing her hand, the beautiful slave said: \"Madam, I do\nnot know how you find me in this dress that you have had prepared for\nme; your women assure me that it suits me so well that they hardly knew\nme.  If it is the truth they tell me, and not flattery, it is to you I\nowe the transformation.\"\n\n\"My daughter,\" answered the vizir's wife, \"they do not flatter you.  I\nmyself hardly recognised you.  The improvement is not due to the dress\nalone, but largely to the beautifying effects of the bath.  I am so\nstruck by its results, that I would try it on myself.\"\n\nActing forthwith on this decision she ordered two little slaves during\nher absence to watch over the beautiful Persian, and not to allow\nNoureddin to enter should he come.\n\nShe had no sooner gone than he arrived, and not finding his mother in\nher apartment, would have sought her in that of the Persian.  The two\nlittle slaves barred the entrance, saying that his mother had given\norders that he was not to be admitted.  Taking each by an arm, he put\nthem out of the anteroom, and shut the door.  Then they rushed to the\nbath, informing their mistress with shrieks and tears that Noureddin\nhad driven them away by force and gone in.\n\nThis news caused great consternation to the lady, who, dressing herself\nas quickly as possible, hastened to the apartment of the fair Persian,\nto find that Noureddin had already gone out.  Much astonished to see\nthe vizir's wife enter in tears, the Persian asked what misfortune had\nhappened.\n\n\"What!\" exclaimed the lady, \"you ask me that, knowing that my son\nNoureddin has been alone with you?\"\n\n\"But, madam,\" inquired the Persian, \"what harm is there in that?\"\n\n\"How!  Has my husband not told you that you are destined for the king?\"\n\n\"Certainly, but Noureddin has just been to tell me that his father has\nchanged his mind and has bestowed me upon him.  I believed him, and so\ngreat is my affection for Noureddin that I would willingly pass my life\nwith him.\"\n\n\"Would to heaven,\" exclaimed the wife of the vizir, \"that what you say\nwere true; but Noureddin has deceived you, and his father will\nsacrifice him in vengeance for the wrong he has done.\"\n\nSo saying, she wept bitterly, and all her slaves wept with her.\n\nKhacan, entering shortly after this, was much astonished to find his\nwife and her slaves in tears, and the beautiful Persian greatly\nperturbed.  He inquired the cause, but for some time no answer was\nforthcoming.  When his wife was at length sufficiently calm to inform\nhim of what had happened, his rage and mortification knew no bounds.\nWringing his hands and rending his beard, he exclaimed:\n\n\"Wretched son! thou destroyest not only thyself but thy father.  The\nking will shed not only thy blood but mine.\"  His wife tried to console\nhim, saying:  \"Do not torment thyself.  With the sale of my jewels I\nwill obtain 10,000 gold pieces, and with this sum you will buy another\nslave.\"\n\n\"Do not suppose,\" replied her husband, \"that it is the loss of the\nmoney that affects me.  My honour is at stake, and that is more\nprecious to me than all my wealth.  You know that Saouy is my mortal\nenemy.  He will relate all this to the king, and you will see the\nconsequences that will ensue.\"\n\n\"My lord,\" said his wife, \"I am quite aware of Saouy's baseness, and\nthat he is capable of playing you this malicious trick.  But how can he\nor any one else know what takes place in this house?  Even if you are\nsuspected and the king accuses you, you have only to say that, after\nexamining the slave, you did not find her worthy of his Majesty.\nReassure yourself, and send to the dealers, saying that you are not\nsatisfied, and wish them to find you another slave.\"\n\nThis advice appearing reasonable, Khacan decided to follow it, but his\nwrath against his son did not abate.  Noureddin dared not appear all\nthat day, and fearing to take refuge with his usual associates in case\nhis father should seek him there, he spent the day in a secluded garden\nwhere he was not known.  He did not return home till after his father\nhad gone to bed, and went out early next morning before the vizir\nawoke, and these precautions he kept up during an entire month.\n\nHis mother, though knowing very well that he returned to the house\nevery evening, dare not ask her husband to pardon him.  At length she\ntook courage and said:\n\n\"My lord, I know that a son could not act more basely towards his\nfather than Noureddin has done towards you, but after all will you now\npardon him?  Do you not consider the harm you may be doing yourself,\nand fear that malicious people, seeking the cause of your estrangement,\nmay guess the real one?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the vizir, \"what you say is very just, but I cannot\npardon Noureddin before I have mortified him as he deserves.\"\n\n\"He will be sufficiently punished,\" answered the lady, \"if you do as I\nsuggest.  In the evening, when he returns home, lie in wait for him and\npretend that you will slay him.  I will come to his aid, and while\npointing out that you only yield his life at my supplications, you can\nforce him to take the beautiful Persian on any conditions you please.\"\nKhacan agreed to follow this plan, and everything took place as\narranged.  On Noureddin's return Khacan pretended to be about to slay\nhim, but yielding to his wife's intercession, said to his son:\n\n\"You owe your life to your mother.  I pardon you on her intercession,\nand on the conditions that you take the beautiful Persian for your\nwife, and not your slave, that you never sell her, nor put her away.\"\n\nNoureddin, not hoping for so great indulgence, thanked his father, and\nvowed to do as he desired.  Khacan was at great pains frequently to\nspeak to the king of the difficulties attending the commission he had\ngiven him, but some whispers of what had actually taken place did reach\nSaouy's ears.\n\nMore than a year after these events the minister took a chill, leaving\nthe bath while still heated to go out on important business.  This\nresulted in inflammation of the lungs, which rapidly increased.  The\nvizir, feeling that his end was at hand, sent for Noureddin, and\ncharged him with his dying breath never to part with the beautiful\nPersian.\n\nShortly afterwards he expired, leaving universal regret throughout the\nkingdom; rich and poor alike followed him to the grave.  Noureddin\nshowed every mark of the deepest grief at his father's death, and for\nlong refused to see any one.  At length a day came when, one of his\nfriends being admitted, urged him strongly to be consoled, and to\nresume his former place in society.  This advice Noureddin was not slow\nto follow, and soon he formed little society of ten young men all about\nhis own age, with whom he spent all his time in continual feasting and\nmerry-making.\n\nSometimes the fair Persian consented to appear at these festivities,\nbut she disapproved of this lavish expenditure, and did not scruple to\nwarn Noureddin of the probable consequences.  He, however, only laughed\nat her advice, saying, that his father had always kept him in too great\nconstraint, and that now he rejoiced at his new-found liberty.\n\nWhat added to the confusion in his affairs was that he refused to look\ninto his accounts with his steward, sending him away every time he\nappeared with his book.\n\n\"See only that I live well,\" he said, \"and do not disturb me about\nanything else.\"\n\nNot only did Noureddin's friends constantly partake of his hospitality,\nbut in every way they took advantage of his generosity; everything of\nhis that they admired, whether land, houses, baths, or any other source\nof his revenue, he immediately bestowed on them.  In vain the Persian\nprotested against the wrong he did himself; he continued to scatter\nwith the same lavish hand.\n\nThroughout one entire year Noureddin did nothing but amuse himself, and\ndissipate the wealth his father had taken such pains to acquire.  The\nyear had barely elapsed, when one day, as they sat at table, there came\na knock at the door.  The slaves having been sent away, Noureddin went\nto open it himself.  One of his friends had risen at the same time, but\nNoureddin was before him, and finding the intruder to be the steward,\nhe went out and closed the door.  The friend, curious to hear what\npassed between them, hid himself behind the hangings, and heard the\nfollowing words:\n\n\"My lord,\" said the steward, \"I beg a thousand pardons for interrupting\nyou, but what I have long foreseen has taken place.  Nothing remains of\nthe sums you gave me for your expenses, and all other sources of income\nare also at end, having been transferred by you to others.  If you wish\nme to remain in your service, furnish me with the necessary funds, else\nI must withdraw.\"\n\nSo great was Noureddin's consternation that he had not a word to say in\nreply.\n\nThe friend, who had been listening behind the curtain, immediately\nhastened to communicate the news to the rest of the company.\n\n\"If this is so,\" they said, \"we must cease to come here.\"\n\nNoureddin re-entering at that moment, they plainly saw, in spite of his\nefforts to dissemble, that what they had heard was the truth.  One by\none they rose, and each with a different excuse left the room, till\npresently he found himself alone, though little suspecting the\nresolution his friends had taken.  Then, seeing the beautiful Persian,\nhe confided to her the statement of the steward, with many expressions\nof regret for his own carelessness.\n\n\"Had I but followed your advice, beautiful Persian,\" he said, \"all this\nwould not have happened, but at least I have this consolation, that I\nhave spent my fortune in the company of friends who will not desert me\nin an hour of need.  To-morrow I will go to them, and amongst them they\nwill lend me a sum sufficient to start in some business.\"\n\nAccordingly next morning early Noureddin went to seek his ten friends,\nwho all lived in the same street.  Knocking at the door of the first\nand chief, the slave who opened it left him to wait in a hall while he\nannounced his visit to his master.  \"Noureddin!\" he heard him exclaim\nquite audibly.  \"Tell him, every time he calls, that I am not at home.\"\nThe same thing happened at the second door, and also at the third, and\nso on with all the ten.  Noureddin, much mortified, recognised too late\nthat he had confided in false friends, who abandoned him in his hour of\nneed.  Overwhelmed with grief, he sought consolation from the beautiful\nPersian.\n\n\"Alas, my lord,\" she said, \"at last you are convinced of the truth of\nwhat I foretold.  There is now no other resource left but to sell your\nslaves and your furniture.\"\n\nFirst then he sold the slaves, and subsisted for a time on the\nproceeds, after that the furniture was sold, and as much of it was\nvaluable it sufficed for some time.  Finally this resource also came to\nan end, and again he sought counsel from the beautiful Persian.\n\n\"My lord,\" she said, \"I know that the late vizir, your father, bought\nme for 10,000 gold pieces, and though I have diminished in value since,\nI should still fetch a large sum.  Do not therefore hesitate to sell\nme, and with the money you obtain go and establish yourself in business\nin some distant town.\"\n\n\"Charming Persian,\" answered Noureddin, \"how could I be guilty of such\nbaseness?  I would die rather than part from you whom I love better\nthan my life.\"\n\n\"My lord,\" she replied, \"I am well aware of your love for me, which is\nonly equalled by mine for you, but a cruel necessity obliges us to seek\nthe only remedy.\"\n\nNoureddin, convinced at length of the truth of her words, yielded, and\nreluctantly led her to the slave market, where, showing her to a dealer\nnamed Hagi Hassan, he inquired her value.\n\nTaking them into a room apart, Hagi Hassan exclaimed as soon as she had\nunveiled, \"My lord, is not this the slave your father bought for 10,000\npieces?\"\n\nOn learning that it was so, he promised to obtain the highest possible\nprice for her.  Leaving the beautiful Persian shut up in the room\nalone, he went out to seek the slave merchants, announcing to them that\nhe had found the pearl among slaves, and asking them to come and put a\nvalue upon her.  As soon as they saw her they agreed that less than\n4,000 gold pieces could not be asked.  Hagi Hassan, then closing the\ndoor upon her, began to offer her for sale--calling out: \"Who will bid\n4,000 gold pieces for the Persian slave?\"\n\nBefore any of the merchants had bid, Saouy happened to pass that way,\nand judging that it must be a slave of extraordinary beauty, rode up to\nHagi Hassan and desired to see her.  Now it was not the custom to show\na slave to a private bidder, but as no one dared to disobey the vizir\nhis request was granted.\n\nAs soon as Saouy saw the Persian he was so struck by her beauty, that\nhe immediately wished to possess her, and not knowing that she belonged\nto Noureddin, he desired Hagi Hassan to send for the owner and to\nconclude the bargain at once.\n\nHagi Hassan then sought Noureddin, and told him that his slave was\ngoing far below her value, and that if Saouy bought her he was capable\nof not paying the money.  \"What you must do,\" he said, \"is to pretend\nthat you had no real intention of selling your slave, and only swore\nyou would in a fit of anger against her.  When I present her to Saouy\nas if with your consent you must step in, and with blows begin to lead\nher away.\"\n\nNoureddin did as Hagi Hassan advised, to the great wrath of Saouy, who\nriding straight at him endeavoured to take the beautiful Persian from\nhim by force.  Noureddin letting her go, seized Saouy's horse by the\nbridle, and, encouraged by the applause of the bystanders, dragged him\nto the ground, beat him severely, and left him in the gutter streaming\nwith blood.  Then, taking the beautiful Persian, he returned home\namidst the acclamations of the people, who detested Saouy so much that\nthey would neither interfere in his behalf nor allow his slaves to\nprotect him.\n\nCovered from head to foot with mire and streaming with blood he rose,\nand leaning on two of his slaves went straight to the palace, where he\ndemanded an audience of the king, to whom he related what had taken\nplace in these words:\n\n\"May it please your Majesty, I had gone to the slave market to buy\nmyself a cook.  While there I heard a slave being offered for 4,000\npieces.  Asking to see her, I found she was of incomparable beauty, and\nwas being sold by Noureddin, the son of your late vizir, to whom your\nMajesty will remember giving a sum of 10,000 gold pieces for the\npurchase of a slave.  This is the identical slave, whom instead of\nbringing to your Majesty he gave to his own son.  Since the death of\nhis father this Noureddin has run through his entire fortune, has sold\nall his possessions, and is now reduced to selling the slave.  Calling\nhim to me, I said:  \"Noureddin, I will give you 10,000 gold pieces for\nyour slave, whom I will present to the king.  I will interest him at\nthe same time in your behalf, and this will be worth much more to you\nthan what extra money you might obtain from the merchants.\"  \"Bad old\nman,\" he exclaimed, \"rather than sell my slave to you I would give her\nto a Jew.\" \"But, Noureddin,\" I remonstrated, \"you do not consider that\nin speaking thus you wrong the king, to whom your father owed\neverything.\" This remonstrance only irritated him the more.  Throwing\nhimself on me like a madman, he tore me from my horse, beat me to his\nheart's content, and left me in the state your Majesty sees.\"\n\nSo saying Saouy turned aside his head and wept bitterly.\n\nThe king's wrath was kindled against Noureddin.  He ordered the captain\nof the guard to take with him forty men, to pillage Noureddin's house,\nto rase it to the ground, and to bring Noureddin and the slave to him.\nA doorkeeper, named Sangiar, who had been a slave of Khacan's, hearing\nthis order given, slipped out of the king's apartment, and hastened to\nwarn Noureddin to take flight instantly with the beautiful Persian.\nThen, presenting him with forty gold pieces, he disappeared before\nNoureddin had time to thank him.\n\nAs soon, then, as the fair Persian had put on her veil they fled\ntogether, and had the good fortune to get out of the town without being\nobserved.  At the mouth of the Euphrates they found a ship just about\nto start for Bagdad.  They embarked, and immediately the anchor was\nraised and they set sail.\n\nWhen the captain of the guard reached Noureddin's house he caused his\nsoldiers to burst open the door and to enter by force, but no trace was\nto be found of Noureddin and his slave, nor could the neighbours give\nany information about them.  When the king heard that they had escaped,\nhe issued a proclamation that a reward of 1,000 gold pieces would be\ngiven to whoever would bring him Noureddin and the slave, but that, on\nthe contrary, whoever hid them would be severely punished.  Meanwhile\nNoureddin and the fair Persian had safely reached Bagdad.  When the\nvessel had come to an anchor they paid five gold pieces for their\npassage and went ashore.  Never having been in Bagdad before, they did\nnot know where to seek a lodging.  Wandering along the banks of the\nTigris, they skirted a garden enclosed by a high wall.  The gate was\nshut, but in front of it was an open vestibule with a sofa on either\nside.  \"Here,\" said Noureddin, \"let us pass the night,\" and reclining\non the sofas they soon fell asleep.\n\nNow this garden belonged to the Caliph.  In the middle of it was a vast\npavilion, whose superb saloon had eighty windows, each window having a\nlustre, lit solely when the Caliph spent the evening there.  Only the\ndoor-keeper lived there, an old soldier named Scheih Ibrahim, who had\nstrict orders to be very careful whom he admitted, and never to allow\nany one to sit on the sofas by the door.  It happened that evening that\nhe had gone out on an errand.  When he came back and saw two persons\nasleep on the sofas he was about to drive them out with blows, but\ndrawing nearer he perceived that they were a handsome young man and\nbeautiful young woman, and decided to awake them by gentler means.\nNoureddin, on being awoke, told the old man that they were strangers,\nand merely wished to pass the night there.  \"Come with me,\" said Scheih\nIbrahim, \"I will lodge you better, and will show you a magnificent\ngarden belonging to me.\" So saying the doorkeeper led the way into the\nCaliph's garden, the beauties of which filled them with wonder and\namazement.  Noureddin took out two gold pieces, and giving them to\nScheih Ibrahim said,\n\n\"I beg you to get us something to eat that we may make merry together.\"\nBeing very avaricious, Scheih Ibrahim determined to spend only the\ntenth part of the money and to keep the rest to himself.  While he was\ngone Noureddin and the Persian wandered through the gardens and went up\nthe white marble staircase of the pavilion as far as the locked door of\nthe saloon.  On the return of Scheih Ibrahim they begged him to open\nit, and to allow them to enter and admire the magnificence within.\nConsenting, he brought not only the key, but a light, and immediately\nunlocked the door.  Noureddin and the Persian entering, were dazzled\nwith the magnificence they beheld.  The paintings and furniture were of\nastonishing beauty, and between each window was a silver arm holding a\ncandle.\n\nScheih Ibrahim spread the table in front of a sofa, and all three ate\ntogether.  When they had finished eating Noureddin asked the old man to\nbring them a bottle of wine.\n\n\"Heaven forbid,\" said Scheih Ibrahim, \"that I should come in contact\nwith wine!  I who have four times made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and\nhave renounced wine for ever.\"\n\n\"You would, however, do us a great service in procuring us some,\" said\nNoureddin.  \"You need not touch it yourself.  Take the ass which is\ntied to the gate, lead it to the nearest wine-shop, and ask some\npasser-by to order two jars of wine; have them put in the ass's\npanniers, and drive him before you.  Here are two pieces of gold for\nthe expenses.\"\n\nAt sight of the gold, Scheih Ibrahim set off at once to execute the\ncommission.  On his return, Noureddin said:  \"We have still need of\ncups to drink from, and of fruit, if you can procure us some.\" Scheih\nIbrahim disappeared again, and soon returned with a table spread with\ncups of gold and silver, and every sort of beautiful fruit.  Then he\nwithdrew, in spite of repeated invitations to remain.\n\nNoureddin and the beautiful Persian, finding the wine excellent, drank\nof it freely, and while drinking they sang.  Both had fine voices, and\nScheih Ibrahim listened to them with great pleasure--first from a\ndistance, then he drew nearer, and finally put his head in at the door.\nNoureddin, seeing him, called to him to come in and keep them company.\nAt first the old man declined, but was persuaded to enter the room, to\nsit down on the edge of the sofa nearest the door, and at last to draw\ncloser and to seat himself by the beautiful Persian, who urged him so\npersistently to drink her health that at length he yielded, and took\nthe cup she offered.\n\nNow the old man only made a pretence of renouncing wine; he frequented\nwine-shops like other people, and had taken none of the precautions\nNoureddin had proposed.  Having once yielded, he was easily persuaded\nto take a second cup, and a third, and so on till he no longer knew\nwhat he was doing.  Till near midnight they continued drinking,\nlaughing, and singing together.\n\nAbout that time the Persian, perceiving that the room was lit by only\none miserable tallow candle, asked Scheih Ibrahim to light some of the\nbeautiful candles in the silver arms.\n\n\"Light them yourself,\" answered the old man; \"you are younger than I,\nbut let five or six be enough.\"\n\nShe did not stop, however, till she had lit all the eighty, but Scheih\nIbrahim was not conscious of this, and when, soon after that, Noureddin\nproposed to have some of the lustres lit, he answered:\n\n\"You are more capable of lighting them than I, but not more than three.\"\n\nNoureddin, far from contenting himself with three, lit all, and opened\nall the eighty windows.\n\nThe Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, chancing at that moment to open a window\nin the saloon of his palace looking on the garden, was surprised to see\nthe pavilion brilliantly illuminated.  Calling the grand-vizir, Giafar,\nhe said to him:\n\n\"Negligent vizir, look at the pavilion, and tell me why it is lit up\nwhen I am not there.\"\n\nWhen the vizir saw that it was as the Caliph said, he trembled with\nfear, and immediately invented an excuse.\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" he said, \"I must tell you that four or\nfive days ago Scheih Ibrahim told me that he wished to have an assembly\nof the ministers of his mosque, and asked permission to hold it in the\npavilion.  I granted his request, but forgot since to mention it to\nyour Majesty.\"\n\n\"Giafar,\" replied the Caliph, \"you have committed three faults--first,\nin giving the permission; second, in not mentioning it to me; and\nthird, in not investigating the matter more closely.  For punishment I\ncondemn you to spend the rest of the night with me in company of these\nworthy people.  While I dress myself as a citizen, go and disguise\nyourself, and then come with me.\"\n\nWhen they reached the garden gate they found it open, to the great\nindignation of the Caliph.  The door of the pavilion being also open,\nhe went softly upstairs, and looked in at the half-closed door of the\nsaloon.  Great was his surprise to see Scheih Ibrahim, whose sobriety\nhe had never doubted, drinking and singing with a young man and a\nbeautiful lady.  The Caliph, before giving way to his anger, determined\nto watch and see who the people were and what they did.\n\nPresently Scheih Ibrahim asked the beautiful Persian if anything were\nwanting to complete her enjoyment of the evening.\n\n\"If only,\" she said, \"I had an instrument upon which I might play.\"\n\nScheih Ibrahim immediately took a lute from a cup-board and gave it to\nthe Persian, who began to play on it, singing the while with such skill\nand taste that the Caliph was enchanted.  When she ceased he went\nsoftly downstairs and said to the vizir:\n\n\"Never have I heard a finer voice, nor the lute better played.  I am\ndetermined to go in and make her play to me.\"\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" said the vizir, \"if Scheih Ibrahim\nrecognises you he will die of fright.\"\n\n\"I should be sorry for that,\" answered the Caliph, \"and I am going to\ntake steps to prevent it.  Wait here till I return.\"\n\nNow the Caliph had caused a bend in the river to form a lake in his\ngarden.  There the finest fish in the Tigris were to be found, but\nfishing was strictly forbidden.  It happened that night, however, that\na fisherman had taken advantage of the gate being open to go in and\ncast his nets.  He was just about to draw them when he saw the Caliph\napproaching.  Recognising him at once in spite of his disguise, he\nthrew himself at his feet imploring forgiveness.\n\n\"Fear nothing,\" said the Caliph, \"only rise up and draw thy nets.\"\n\nThe fisherman did as he was told, and produced five or six fine fish,\nof which the Caliph took the two largest.  Then he desired the\nfisherman to change clothes with him, and in a few minutes the Caliph\nwas transformed into a fisherman, even to the shoes and the turban.\nTaking the two fish in his hand, he returned to the vizir, who, not\nrecognising him, would have sent him about his business.  Leaving the\nvizir at the foot of the stairs, the Caliph went up and knocked at the\ndoor of the saloon.  Noureddin opened it, and the Caliph, standing on\nthe threshold, said:\n\n\"Scheih Ibrahim, I am the fisher Kerim.  Seeing that you are feasting\nwith your friends, I bring you these fish.\"\n\nNoureddin and the Persian said that when the fishes were properly\ncooked and dressed they would gladly eat of them.  The Caliph then\nreturned to the vizir, and they set to work in Scheih Ibrahim's house\nto cook the fish, of which they made so tempting a dish that Noureddin\nand the fair Persian ate of it with great relish.  When they had\nfinished Noureddin took thirty gold pieces (all that remained of what\nSangiar had given him) and presented them to the Caliph, who, thanking\nhim, asked as a further favour if the lady would play him one piece on\nthe lute.  The Persian gladly consented, and sang and played so as to\ndelight the Caliph.\n\nNoureddin, in the habit of giving to others whatever they admired,\nsaid, \"Fisherman, as she pleases you so much, take her; she is yours.\"\n\nThe fair Persian, astounded that he should wish to part from her, took\nher lute, and with tears in her eyes sang her reproaches to its music.\n\nThe Caliph (still in the character of fisherman) said to him, \"Sir, I\nperceive that this fair lady is your slave.  Oblige me, I beg you, by\nrelating your history.\"\n\nNoureddin willingly granted this request, and recounted everything from\nthe purchase of the slave down to the present moment.\n\n\"And where do you go now?\" asked the Caliph.\n\n\"Wherever the hand of Allah leads me,\" said Noureddin.\n\n\"Then, if you will listen to me,\" said the Caliph, \"you will\nimmediately return to Balsora.  I will give you a letter to the king,\nwhich will ensure you a good reception from him.\"\n\n\"It is an unheard-of thing,\" said Noureddin, \"that a fisherman should\nbe in correspondence with a king.\"\n\n\"Let not that astonish you,\" answered the Caliph; \"we studied together,\nand have always remained the best of friends, though fortune, while\nmaking him a king, left me a humble fisherman.\"\n\nThe Caliph then took a sheet of paper, and wrote the following letter,\nat the top of which he put in very small characters this formula to\nshow that he must be implicitly obeyed:--\"In the name of the Most\nMerciful God.\n\n\"Letter of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to the King of Balsora.\n\n\"Haroun-al-Raschid, son of Mahdi, sends this letter to Mohammed Zinebi,\nhis cousin.  As soon as Noureddin, son of the Vizir Khacan, bearer of\nthis letter, has given it to thee, and thou hast read it, take off thy\nroyal mantle, put it on his shoulders, and seat him in thy place\nwithout fail.  Farewell.\"\n\nThe Caliph then gave this letter to Noureddin, who immediately set off,\nwith only what little money he possessed when Sangiar came to his\nassistance.  The beautiful Persian, inconsolable at his departure, sank\non a sofa bathed in tears.\n\nWhen Noureddin had left the room, Scheih Ibrahim, who had hitherto kept\nsilence, said:  \"Kerim, for two miserable fish thou hast received a\npurse and a slave.  I tell thee I will take the slave, and as to the\npurse, if it contains silver thou mayst keep one piece, if gold then I\nwill take all and give thee what copper pieces I have in my purse.\"\n\nNow here it must be related that when the Caliph went upstairs with the\nplate of fish he ordered the vizir to hasten to the palace and bring\nback four slaves bearing a change of raiment, who should wait outside\nthe pavilion till the Caliph should clap his hands.\n\nStill personating the fisherman, the Caliph answered: \"Scheih Ibrahim,\nwhatever is in the purse I will share equally with you, but as to the\nslave I will keep her for myself.  If you do not agree to these\nconditions you shall have nothing.\"\n\nThe old man, furious at this insolence as he considered it, took a cup\nand threw it at the Caliph, who easily avoided a missile from the hand\nof a drunken man.  It hit against the wall, and broke into a thousand\npieces.  Scheih Ibrahim, still more enraged, then went out to fetch a\nstick.  The Caliph at that moment clapped his hands, and the vizir and\nthe four slaves entering took off the fisherman's dress and put on him\nthat which they had brought.\n\nWhen Scheih Ibrahim returned, a thick stick in his hand, the Caliph was\nseated on his throne, and nothing remained of the fisherman but his\nclothes in the middle of the room.  Throwing himself on the ground at\nthe Caliph's feet, he said:  \"Commander of the Faithful, your miserable\nslave has offended you, and craves forgiveness.\"\n\nThe Caliph came down from his throne, and said:  \"Rise, I forgive\nthee.\" Then turning to the Persian he said:  \"Fair lady, now you know\nwho I am; learn also that I have sent Noureddin to Balsora to be king,\nand as soon as all necessary preparations are made I will send you\nthere to be queen.  Meanwhile I will give you an apartment in my\npalace, where you will be treated with all honour.\"\n\nAt this the beautiful Persian took courage, and the Caliph was as good\nas his word, recommending her to the care of his wife Zobeida.\n\nNoureddin made all haste on his journey to Balsora, and on his arrival\nthere went straight to the palace of the king, of whom he demanded an\naudience.  It was immediately granted, and holding the letter high\nabove his head he forced his way through the crowd.  While the king\nread the letter he changed colour.  He would instantly have executed\nthe Caliph's order, but first he showed the letter to Saouy, whose\ninterests were equally at stake with his own.  Pretending that he\nwished to read it a second time, Saouy turned aside as if to seek a\nbetter light; unperceived by anyone he tore off the formula from the\ntop of the letter, put it to his mouth, and swallowed it.  Then,\nturning to the king, he said:\n\n\"Your majesty has no need to obey this letter.  The writing is indeed\nthat of the Caliph, but the formula is absent.  Besides, he has not\nsent an express with the patent, without which the letter is useless.\nLeave all to me, and I will take the consequences.\"\n\nThe king not only listened to the persuasions of Saouy, but gave\nNoureddin into his hands.  Such a severe bastinado was first\nadministered to him, that he was left more dead than alive; then Saouy\nthrew him into the darkest and deepest dungeon, and fed him only on\nbread and water.  After ten days Saouy determined to put an end to\nNoureddin's life, but dared not without the king's authority.  To gain\nthis end, he loaded several of his own slaves with rich gifts, and\npresented himself at their head to the king, saying that they were from\nthe new king on his coronation.\n\n\"What!\" said the king; \"is that wretch still alive?  Go and behead him\nat once.  I authorise you.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" said Saouy, \"I thank your Majesty for the justice you do me.  I\nwould further beg, as Noureddin publicly affronted me, that the\nexecution might be in front of the palace, and that it might be\nproclaimed throughout the city, so that no one may be ignorant of it.\"\n\nThe king granted these requests, and the announcement caused universal\ngrief, for the memory of Noureddin's father was still fresh in the\nhearts of his people.  Saouy, accompanied by twenty of his own slaves,\nwent to the prison to fetch Noureddin, whom he mounted on a wretched\nhorse without a saddle.  Arrived at the palace, Saouy went in to the\nking, leaving Noureddin in the square, hemmed in not only by Saouy's\nslaves but by the royal guard, who had great difficulty in preventing\nthe people from rushing in and rescuing Noureddin.  So great was the\nindignation against Saouy that if anyone had set the example he would\nhave been stoned on his way through the streets.  Saouy, who witnessed\nthe agitation of the people from the windows of the king's privy\nchambers, called to the executioner to strike at once.  The king,\nhowever, ordered him to delay; not only was he jealous of Saouy's\ninterference, but he had another reason.  A troop of horsemen was seen\nat that moment riding at full gallop towards the square.  Saouy\nsuspected who they might be, and urged the king to give the signal for\nthe execution without delay, but this the king refused to do till he\nknew who the horsemen were.\n\nNow, they were the vizir Giafar and his suite arriving at full speed\nfrom Bagdad.  For several days after Noureddin's departure with the\nletter the Caliph had forgotten to send the express with the patent,\nwithout which the letter was useless.  Hearing a beautiful voice one\nday in the women's part of the palace uttering lamentations, he was\ninformed that it was the voice of the fair Persian, and suddenly\ncalling to mind the patent, he sent for Giafar, and ordered him to make\nfor Balsora with the utmost speed--if Noureddin were dead, to hang\nSaouy; if he were still alive, to bring him at once to Bagdad along\nwith the king and Saouy.\n\nGiafar rode at full speed through the square, and alighted at the steps\nof the palace, where the king came to greet him.  The vizir's first\nquestion was whether Noureddin were still alive.  The king replied that\nhe was, and he was immediately led forth, though bound hand and foot.\nBy the vizir's orders his bonds were immediately undone, and Saouy was\ntied with the same cords.  Next day Giafar returned to Bagdad, bearing\nwith him the king, Saouy, and Noureddin.\n\nWhen the Caliph heard what treatment Noureddin had received, he\nauthorised him to behead Saouy with his own hands, but he declined to\nshed the blood of his enemy, who was forthwith handed over to the\nexecutioner.  The Caliph also desired Noureddin to reign over Balsora,\nbut this, too, he declined, saying that after what had passed there he\npreferred never to return, but to enter the service of the Caliph.  He\nbecame one of his most intimate courtiers, and lived long in great\nhappiness with the fair Persian.  As to the king, the Caliph contented\nhimself with sending him back to Balsora, with the recommendation to be\nmore careful in future in the choice of his vizir.\n\n\n\nAladdin and the Wonderful Lamp\n\n\nThere once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, a\ncareless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long in the\nstreets with little idle boys like himself.  This so grieved the father\nthat he died; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers, Aladdin\ndid not mend his ways.  One day, when he was playing in the streets as\nusual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he were not the son of\nMustapha the tailor.\n\n\"I am, sir,\" replied Aladdin; \"but he died a long while ago.\"\n\nOn this the stranger, who was a famous African magician, fell on his\nneck and kissed him, saying:  \"I am your uncle, and knew you from your\nlikeness to my brother.  Go to your mother and tell her I am coming.\"\n\nAladdin ran home, and told his mother of his newly found uncle.\n\n\"Indeed, child,\" she said, \"your father had a brother, but I always\nthought he was dead.\"\n\nHowever, she prepared supper, and bade Aladdin seek his uncle, who came\nladen with wine and fruit.  He presently fell down and kissed the place\nwhere Mustapha used to sit, bidding Aladdin's mother not to be\nsurprised at not having seen him before, as he had been forty years out\nof the country.  He then turned to Aladdin, and asked him his trade, at\nwhich the boy hung his head, while his mother burst into tears.  On\nlearning that Aladdin was idle and would learn no trade, he offered to\ntake a shop for him and stock it with merchandise.  Next day he bought\nAladdin a fine suit of clothes, and took him all over the city, showing\nhim the sights, and brought him home at nightfall to his mother, who\nwas overjoyed to see her son so fine.\n\nNext day the magician led Aladdin into some beautiful gardens a long\nway outside the city gates.  They sat down by a fountain, and the\nmagician pulled a cake from his girdle, which he divided between them.\nThey then journeyed onwards till they almost reached the mountains.\nAladdin was so tired that he begged to go back, but the magician\nbeguiled him with pleasant stories, and led him on in spite of himself.\n\nAt last they came to two mountains divided by a narrow valley.\n\n\"We will go no farther,\" said the false uncle.  \"I will show you\nsomething wonderful; only do you gather up sticks while I kindle a\nfire.\"\n\nWhen it was lit the magician threw on it a powder he had about him, at\nthe same time saying some magical words.  The earth trembled a little\nand opened in front of them, disclosing a square flat stone with a\nbrass ring in the middle to raise it by.  Aladdin tried to run away,\nbut the magician caught him and gave him a blow that knocked him down.\n\n\"What have I done, uncle?\" he said piteously; whereupon the magician\nsaid more kindly:  \"Fear nothing, but obey me.  Beneath this stone lies\na treasure which is to be yours, and no one else may touch it, so you\nmust do exactly as I tell you.\"\n\nAt the word treasure, Aladdin forgot his fears, and grasped the ring as\nhe was told, saying the names of his father and grandfather.  The stone\ncame up quite easily and some steps appeared.\n\n\"Go down,\" said the magician; \"at the foot of those steps you will find\nan open door leading into three large halls.  Tuck up your gown and go\nthrough them without touching anything, or you will die instantly.\nThese halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees.  Walk on till you\ncome to a niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp.  Pour out the\noil it contains and bring it to me.\"\n\nHe drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding him\nprosper.\n\nAladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruit\noff the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of the\ncave.  The magician cried out in a great hurry:\n\n\"Make haste and give me the lamp.\"  This Aladdin refused to do until he\nwas out of the cave.  The magician flew into a terrible passion, and\nthrowing some more powder on the fire, he said something, and the stone\nrolled back into its place.\n\nThe magician left Persia for ever, which plainly showed that he was no\nuncle of Aladdin's, but a cunning magician who had read in his magic\nbooks of a wonderful lamp, which would make him the most powerful man\nin the world.  Though he alone knew where to find it, he could only\nreceive it from the hand of another.  He had picked out the foolish\nAladdin for this purpose, intending to get the lamp and kill him\nafterwards.\n\nFor two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lamenting.  At\nlast he clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring,\nwhich the magician had forgotten to take from him.  Immediately an\nenormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, saying:\n\n\"What wouldst thou with me?  I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obey\nthee in all things.\"\n\nAladdin fearlessly replied:  \"Deliver me from this place!\" whereupon\nthe earth opened, and he found himself outside.  As soon as his eyes\ncould bear the light he went home, but fainted on the threshold.  When\nhe came to himself he told his mother what had passed, and showed her\nthe lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden, which were in\nreality precious stones.  He then asked for some food.\n\n\"Alas! child,\" she said, \"I have nothing in the house, but I have spun\na little cotton and will go and sell it.\"\n\nAladdin bade her keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp instead.\nAs it was very dirty she began to rub it, that it might fetch a higher\nprice.  Instantly a hideous genie appeared, and asked what she would\nhave.  She fainted away, but Aladdin, snatching the lamp, said boldly:\n\n\"Fetch me something to eat!\"\n\nThe genie returned with a silver bowl, twelve silver plates containing\nrich meats, two silver cups, and two bottles of wine.  Aladdin's\nmother, when she came to herself, said:\n\n\"Whence comes this splendid feast?\"\n\n\"Ask not, but eat,\" replied Aladdin.\n\nSo they sat at breakfast till it was dinner-time, and Aladdin told his\nmother about the lamp.  She begged him to sell it, and have nothing to\ndo with devils.\n\n\"No,\" said Aladdin, \"since chance has made us aware of its virtues, we\nwill use it and the ring likewise, which I shall always wear on my\nfinger.\"  When they had eaten all the genie had brought, Aladdin sold\none of the silver plates, and so on till none were left.  He then had\nrecourse to the genie, who gave him another set of plates, and thus\nthey lived for many years.\n\nOne day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan proclaimed that everyone\nwas to stay at home and close his shutters while the princess, his\ndaughter, went to and from the bath.  Aladdin was seized by a desire to\nsee her face, which was very difficult, as she always went veiled.  He\nhid himself behind the door of the bath, and peeped through a chink.\nThe princess lifted her veil as she went in, and looked so beautiful\nthat Aladdin fell in love with her at first sight.  He went home so\nchanged that his mother was frightened.  He told her he loved the\nprincess so deeply that he could not live without her, and meant to ask\nher in marriage of her father.  His mother, on hearing this, burst out\nlaughing, but Aladdin at last prevailed upon her to go before the\nSultan and carry his request.  She fetched a napkin and laid in it the\nmagic fruits from the enchanted garden, which sparkled and shone like\nthe most beautiful jewels.  She took these with her to please the\nSultan, and set out, trusting in the lamp.  The grand-vizir and the\nlords of council had just gone in as she entered the hall and placed\nherself in front of the Sultan.  He, however, took no notice of her.\nShe went every day for a week, and stood in the same place.\n\nWhen the council broke up on the sixth day the Sultan said to his\nvizir:  \"I see a certain woman in the audience-chamber every day\ncarrying something in a napkin.  Call her next time, that I may find\nout what she wants.\"\n\nNext day, at a sign from the vizir, she went up to the foot of the\nthrone, and remained kneeling till the Sultan said to her: \"Rise, good\nwoman, and tell me what you want.\"\n\nShe hesitated, so the Sultan sent away all but the vizir, and bade her\nspeak freely, promising to forgive her beforehand for anything she\nmight say.  She then told him of her son's violent love for the\nprincess.\n\n\"I prayed him to forget her,\" she said, \"but in vain; he threatened to\ndo some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask your Majesty for the\nhand of the princess.  Now I pray you to forgive not me alone, but my\nson Aladdin.\"\n\nThe Sultan asked her kindly what she had in the napkin, whereupon she\nunfolded the jewels and presented them.\n\nHe was thunderstruck, and turning to the vizir said:  \"What sayest\nthou?  Ought I not to bestow the princess on one who values her at such\na price?\"\n\nThe vizir, who wanted her for his own son, begged the Sultan to\nwithhold her for three months, in the course of which he hoped his son\nwould contrive to make him a richer present.  The Sultan granted this,\nand told Aladdin's mother that, though he consented to the marriage,\nshe must not appear before him again for three months.\n\nAladdin waited patiently for nearly three months, but after two had\nelapsed his mother, going into the city to buy oil, found everyone\nrejoicing, and asked what was going on.\n\n\"Do you not know,\" was the answer, \"that the son of the grand-vizir is\nto marry the Sultan's daughter to-night?\"\n\nBreathless, she ran and told Aladdin, who was overwhelmed at first, but\npresently bethought him of the lamp.  He rubbed it, and the genie\nappeared, saying:  \"What is thy will?\"\n\nAladdin replied:  \"The Sultan, as thou knowest, has broken his promise\nto me, and the vizir's son is to have the princess.  My command is that\nto-night you bring hither the bride and bridegroom.\"\n\n\"Master, I obey,\" said the genie.\n\nAladdin then went to his chamber, where, sure enough at midnight the\ngenie transported the bed containing the vizir's son and the princess.\n\n\"Take this new-married man,\" he said, \"and put him outside in the cold,\nand return at daybreak.\"\n\nWhereupon the genie took the vizir's son out of bed, leaving Aladdin\nwith the princess.\n\n\"Fear nothing,\" Aladdin said to her; \"you are my wife, promised to me\nby your unjust father, and no harm shall come to you.\"\n\nThe princess was too frightened to speak, and passed the most miserable\nnight of her life, while Aladdin lay down beside her and slept soundly.\nAt the appointed hour the genie fetched in the shivering bridegroom,\nlaid him in his place, and transported the bed back to the palace.\n\nPresently the Sultan came to wish his daughter good-morning.  The\nunhappy vizir's son jumped up and hid himself, while the princess would\nnot say a word, and was very sorrowful.\n\nThe Sultan sent her mother to her, who said:  \"How comes it, child,\nthat you will not speak to your father?  What has happened?\"\n\nThe princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother how, during the\nnight, the bed had been carried into some strange house, and what had\npassed there.  Her mother did not believe her in the least, but bade\nher rise and consider it an idle dream.\n\nThe following night exactly the same thing happened, and next morning,\non the princess's refusing to speak, the Sultan threatened to cut off\nher head.  She then confessed all, bidding him ask the vizir's son if\nit were not so.  The Sultan told the vizir to ask his son, who owned\nthe truth, adding that, dearly as he loved the princess, he had rather\ndie than go through another such fearful night, and wished to be\nseparated from her.  His wish was granted, and there was an end of\nfeasting and rejoicing.\n\nWhen the three months were over, Aladdin sent his mother to remind the\nSultan of his promise.  She stood in the same place as before, and the\nSultan, who had forgotten Aladdin, at once remembered him, and sent for\nher.  On seeing her poverty the Sultan felt less inclined than ever to\nkeep his word, and asked the vizir's advice, who counselled him to set\nso high a value on the princess that no man living could come up to it.\n\nThe Sultan then turned to Aladdin's mother, saying:  \"Good woman, a\nSultan must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but your\nson must first send me forty basins of gold brimful of jewels, carried\nby forty black slaves, led by as many white ones, splendidly dressed.\nTell him that I await his answer.\"  The mother of Aladdin bowed low and\nwent home, thinking all was lost.\n\nShe gave Aladdin the message, adding:  \"He may wait long enough for\nyour answer!\"\n\n\"Not so long, mother, as you think,\" her son replied \"I would do a\ngreat deal more than that for the princess.\"\n\nHe summoned the genie, and in a few moments the eighty slaves arrived,\nand filled up the small house and garden.\n\nAladdin made them set out to the palace, two and two, followed by his\nmother.  They were so richly dressed, with such splendid jewels in\ntheir girdles, that everyone crowded to see them and the basins of gold\nthey carried on their heads.\n\nThey entered the palace, and, after kneeling before the Sultan, stood\nin a half-circle round the throne with their arms crossed, while\nAladdin's mother presented them to the Sultan.\n\nHe hesitated no longer, but said:  \"Good woman, return and tell your\nson that I wait for him with open arms.\"\n\nShe lost no time in telling Aladdin, bidding him make haste.  But\nAladdin first called the genie.\n\n\"I want a scented bath,\" he said, \"a richly embroidered habit, a horse\nsurpassing the Sultan's, and twenty slaves to attend me.  Besides this,\nsix slaves, beautifully dressed, to wait on my mother; and lastly, ten\nthousand pieces of gold in ten purses.\"\n\nNo sooner said than done.  Aladdin mounted his horse and passed through\nthe streets, the slaves strewing gold as they went.  Those who had\nplayed with him in his childhood knew him not, he had grown so handsome.\n\nWhen the Sultan saw him he came down from his throne, embraced him, and\nled him into a hall where a feast was spread, intending to marry him to\nthe princess that very day.\n\nBut Aladdin refused, saying, \"I must build a palace fit for her,\" and\ntook his leave.\n\nOnce home he said to the genie:  \"Build me a palace of the finest\nmarble, set with jasper, agate, and other precious stones.  In the\nmiddle you shall build me a large hall with a dome, its four walls of\nmassy gold and silver, each side having six windows, whose lattices,\nall except one, which is to be left unfinished, must be set with\ndiamonds and rubies.  There must be stables and horses and grooms and\nslaves; go and see about it!\"\n\nThe palace was finished by next day, and the genie carried him there\nand showed him all his orders faithfully carried out, even to the\nlaying of a velvet carpet from Aladdin's palace to the Sultan's.\nAladdin's mother then dressed herself carefully, and walked to the\npalace with her slaves, while he followed her on horseback.  The Sultan\nsent musicians with trumpets and cymbals to meet them, so that the air\nresounded with music and cheers.  She was taken to the princess, who\nsaluted her and treated her with great honour.  At night the princess\nsaid good-bye to her father, and set out on the carpet for Aladdin's\npalace, with his mother at her side, and followed by the hundred\nslaves.  She was charmed at the sight of Aladdin, who ran to receive\nher.\n\n\"Princess,\" he said, \"blame your beauty for my boldness if I have\ndispleased you.\"\n\nShe told him that, having seen him, she willingly obeyed her father in\nthis matter.  After the wedding had taken place Aladdin led her into\nthe hall, where a feast was spread, and she supped with him, after\nwhich they danced till midnight.\n\nNext day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace.  On entering the\nhall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies, diamonds, and\nemeralds, he cried:\n\n\"It is a world's wonder!  There is only one thing that surprises me.\nWas it by accident that one window was left unfinished?\"\n\n\"No, sir, by design,\" returned Aladdin.  \"I wished your Majesty to have\nthe glory of finishing this palace.\"\n\nThe Sultan was pleased, and sent for the best jewelers in the city.  He\nshowed them the unfinished window, and bade them fit it up like the\nothers.\n\n\"Sir,\" replied their spokesman, \"we cannot find jewels enough.\"\n\nThe Sultan had his own fetched, which they soon used, but to no\npurpose, for in a month's time the work was not half done.  Aladdin,\nknowing that their task was vain, bade them undo their work and carry\nthe jewels back, and the genie finished the window at his command.  The\nSultan was surprised to receive his jewels again and visited Aladdin,\nwho showed him the window finished.  The Sultan embraced him, the\nenvious vizir meanwhile hinting that it was the work of enchantment.\n\nAladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing.  He was\nmade captain of the Sultan's armies, and won several battles for him,\nbut remained modest and courteous as before, and lived thus in peace\nand content for several years.\n\nBut far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and by his\nmagic arts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing miserably in\nthe cave, had escaped, and had married a princess, with whom he was\nliving in great honour and wealth.  He knew that the poor tailor's son\ncould only have accomplished this by means of the lamp, and travelled\nnight and day till he reached the capital of China, bent on Aladdin's\nruin.  As he passed through the town he heard people talking everywhere\nabout a marvellous palace.\n\n\"Forgive my ignorance,\" he asked, \"what is this palace you speak of?\"\n\n\"Have you not heard of Prince Aladdin's palace,\" was the reply, \"the\ngreatest wonder of the world?  I will direct you if you have a mind to\nsee it.\"\n\nThe magician thanked him who spoke, and having seen the palace knew\nthat it had been raised by the genie of the lamp, and became half mad\nwith rage.  He determined to get hold of the lamp, and again plunge\nAladdin into the deepest poverty.\n\nUnluckily, Aladdin had gone a-hunting for eight days, which gave the\nmagician plenty of time.  He bought a dozen copper lamps, put them into\na basket, and went to the palace, crying:  \"New lamps for old!\"\nfollowed by a jeering crowd.\n\nThe princess, sitting in the hall of four-and-twenty windows, sent a\nslave to find out what the noise was about, who came back laughing, so\nthat the princess scolded her.\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the slave, \"who can help laughing to see an old fool\noffering to exchange fine new lamps for old ones?\"\n\nAnother slave, hearing this, said:  \"There is an old one on the cornice\nthere which he can have.\"\n\nNow this was the magic lamp, which Aladdin had left there, as he could\nnot take it out hunting with him.  The princess, not knowing its value,\nlaughingly bade the slave take it and make the exchange.\n\nShe went and said to the magician:  \"Give me a new lamp for this.\"\n\nHe snatched it and bade the slave take her choice, amid the jeers of\nthe crowd.  Little he cared, but left off crying his lamps, and went\nout of the city gates to a lonely place, where he remained till\nnightfall, when he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it.  The genie\nappeared, and at the magician's command carried him, together with the\npalace and the princess in it, to a lonely place in Africa.\n\nNext morning the Sultan looked out of the window towards Aladdin's\npalace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone.  He sent for the vizir,\nand asked what had become of the palace.  The vizir looked out too, and\nwas lost in astonishment.  He again put it down to enchantment, and\nthis time the Sultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback to\nfetch Aladdin in chains.  They met him riding home, bound him, and\nforced him to go with them on foot.  The people, however, who loved\nhim, followed, armed, to see that he came to no harm.  He was carried\nbefore the Sultan, who ordered the executioner to cut off his head.\nThe executioner made Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised\nhis scimitar to strike.\n\nAt that instant the vizir, who saw that the crowd had forced their way\ninto the courtyard and were scaling the walls to rescue Aladdin, called\nto the executioner to stay his hand.  The people, indeed, looked so\nthreatening that the Sultan gave way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound,\nand pardoned him in the sight of the crowd.\n\nAladdin now begged to know what he had done.\n\n\"False wretch!\" said the Sultan, \"come hither,\" and showed him from the\nwindow the place where his palace had stood.\n\nAladdin was so amazed that he could not say a word.\n\n\"Where is my palace and my daughter?\" demanded the Sultan.  \"For the\nfirst I am not so deeply concerned, but my daughter I must have, and\nyou must find her or lose your head.\"\n\nAladdin begged for forty days in which to find her, promising if he\nfailed to return and suffer death at the Sultan's pleasure.  His prayer\nwas granted, and he went forth sadly from the Sultan's presence.  For\nthree days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone what had\nbecome of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him.  He came to\nthe banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers before throwing\nhimself in.  In so doing he rubbed the magic ring he still wore.\n\nThe genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his will.\n\n\"Save my life, genie,\" said Aladdin, \"and bring my palace back.\"\n\n\"That is not in my power,\" said the genie; \"I am only the slave of the\nring; you must ask the slave of the lamp.\"\n\n\"Even so,\" said Aladdin \"but thou canst take me to the palace, and set\nme down under my dear wife's window.\"  He at once found himself in\nAfrica, under the window of the princess, and fell asleep out of sheer\nweariness.\n\nHe was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.\nHe saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owing to the loss of the\nlamp, and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.\n\nThat morning the princess rose earlier than she had done since she had\nbeen carried into Africa by the magician, whose company she was forced\nto endure once a day.  She, however, treated him so harshly that he\ndared not live there altogether.  As she was dressing, one of her women\nlooked out and saw Aladdin.  The princess ran and opened the window,\nand at the noise she made Aladdin looked up.  She called to him to come\nto her, and great was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other\nagain.\n\nAfter he had kissed her Aladdin said:  \"I beg of you, Princess, in\nGod's name, before we speak of anything else, for your own sake and\nmine, tell me what has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice in\nthe hall of four-and-twenty windows, when I went a-hunting.\"\n\n\"Alas!\" she said \"I am the innocent cause of our sorrows,\" and told him\nof the exchange of the lamp.\n\n\"Now I know,\" cried Aladdin, \"that we have to thank the African\nmagician for this!  Where is the lamp?\"\n\n\"He carries it about with him,\" said the princess, \"I know, for he\npulled it out of his breast to show me.  He wishes me to break my faith\nwith you and marry him, saying that you were beheaded by my father's\ncommand.  He is forever speaking ill of you, but I only reply by my\ntears.  If I persist, I doubt not that he will use violence.\"\n\nAladdin comforted her, and left her for a while.  He changed clothes\nwith the first person he met in the town, and having bought a certain\npowder returned to the princess, who let him in by a little side door.\n\n\"Put on your most beautiful dress,\" he said to her, \"and receive the\nmagician with smiles, leading him to believe that you have forgotten\nme.  Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste the wine of\nhis country.  He will go for some, and while he is gone I will tell you\nwhat to do.\"\n\nShe listened carefully to Aladdin, and when he left her arrayed herself\ngaily for the first time since she left China.  She put on a girdle and\nhead-dress of diamonds, and seeing in a glass that she looked more\nbeautiful than ever, received the magician, saying to his great\namazement:  \"I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and that all\nmy tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved to mourn no\nmore, and have therefore invited you to sup with me; but I am tired of\nthe wines of China, and would fain taste those of Africa.\"\n\nThe magician flew to his cellar, and the princess put the powder\nAladdin had given her in her cup.  When he returned she asked him to\ndrink her health in the wine of Africa, handing him her cup in exchange\nfor his as a sign she was reconciled to him.\n\nBefore drinking the magician made her a speech in praise of her beauty,\nbut the princess cut him short saying:\n\n\"Let me drink first, and you shall say what you will afterwards.\" She\nset her cup to her lips and kept it there, while the magician drained\nhis to the dregs and fell back lifeless.\n\nThe princess then opened the door to Aladdin, and flung her arms round\nhis neck, but Aladdin put her away, bidding her to leave him, as he had\nmore to do.  He then went to the dead magician, took the lamp out of\nhis vest, and bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back to\nChina.  This was done, and the princess in her chamber only felt two\nlittle shocks, and little thought she was at home again.\n\nThe Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lost\ndaughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood the\npalace as before!  He hastened thither, and Aladdin received him in the\nhall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the princess at his side.\nAladdin told him what had happened, and showed him the dead body of the\nmagician, that he might believe.  A ten days' feast was proclaimed, and\nit seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace;\nbut it was not to be.\n\nThe African magician had a younger brother, who was, if possible, more\nwicked and more cunning than himself.  He travelled to China to avenge\nhis brother's death, and went to visit a pious woman called Fatima,\nthinking she might be of use to him.  He entered her cell and clapped a\ndagger to her breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of\ndeath.  He changed clothes with her, coloured his face like hers, put\non her veil and murdered her, that she might tell no tales.  Then he\nwent towards the palace of Aladdin, and all the people thinking he was\nthe holy woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his\nblessing.  When he got to the palace there was such a noise going on\nround him that the princess bade her slave look out of the window and\nask what was the matter.  The slave said it was the holy woman, curing\npeople by her touch of their ailments, whereupon the princess, who had\nlong desired to see Fatima, sent for her.  On coming to the princess\nthe magician offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity.  When\nhe had done the princess made him sit by her, and begged him to stay\nwith her always.  The false Fatima, who wished for nothing better,\nconsented, but kept his veil down for fear of discovery.  The princess\nshowed him the hall, and asked him what he thought of it.\n\n\"It is truly beautiful,\" said the false Fatima.  \"In my mind it wants\nbut one thing.\"\n\n\"And what is that?\" said the princess.\n\n\"If only a roc's egg,\" replied he, \"were hung up from the middle of\nthis dome, it would be the wonder of the world.\"\n\nAfter this the princess could think of nothing but a roc's egg, and\nwhen Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very ill humour.\nHe begged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all her\npleasure in the hall was spoilt for the want of a roc's egg hanging\nfrom the dome.\n\n\"It that is all,\" replied Aladdin, \"you shall soon be happy.\"\n\nHe left her and rubbed the lamp, and when the genie appeared commanded\nhim to bring a roc's egg.  The genie gave such a loud and terrible\nshriek that the hall shook.\n\n\"Wretch!\" he cried, \"is it not enough that I have done everything for\nyou, but you must command me to bring my master and hang him up in the\nmidst of this dome?  You and your wife and your palace deserve to be\nburnt to ashes; but this request does not come from you, but from the\nbrother of the African magician whom you destroyed.  He is now in your\npalace disguised as the holy woman--whom he murdered.  He it was who\nput that wish into your wife's head.  Take care of yourself, for he\nmeans to kill you.\"  So saying the genie disappeared.\n\nAladdin went back to the princess, saying his head ached, and\nrequesting that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands on\nit.  But when the magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his dagger,\npierced him to the heart.\n\n\"What have you done?\" cried the princess.  \"You have killed the holy\nwoman!\"\n\n\"Not so,\" replied Aladdin, \"but a wicked magician,\" and told her of how\nshe had been deceived.\n\nAfter this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace.  He succeeded the\nSultan when he died, and reigned for many years, leaving behind him a\nlong line of kings.\n\n\n\nThe Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad\n\n\nThe Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sat in his palace, wondering if there was\nanything left in the world that could possibly give him a few hours'\namusement, when Giafar the grand-vizir, his old and tried friend,\nsuddenly appeared before him.  Bowing low, he waited, as was his duty,\ntill his master spoke, but Haroun-al-Raschid merely turned his head and\nlooked at him, and sank back into his former weary posture.\n\nNow Giafar had something of importance to say to the Caliph, and had no\nintention of being put off by mere silence, so with another low bow in\nfront of the throne, he began to speak.\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" said he, \"I have taken on myself to remind\nyour Highness that you have undertaken secretly to observe for yourself\nthe manner in which justice is done and order is kept throughout the\ncity.  This is the day you have set apart to devote to this object, and\nperhaps in fulfilling this duty you may find some distraction from the\nmelancholy to which, as I see to my sorrow, you are a prey.\"\n\n\"You are right,\" returned the Caliph, \"I had forgotten all about it.\nGo and change your coat, and I will change mine.\"\n\nA few moments later they both re-entered the hall, disguised as foreign\nmerchants, and passed through a secret door, out into the open country.\nHere they turned towards the Euphrates, and crossing the river in a\nsmall boat, walked through that part of the town which lay along the\nfurther bank, without seeing anything to call for their interference.\nMuch pleased with the peace and good order of the city, the Caliph and\nhis vizir made their way to a bridge, which led straight back to the\npalace, and had already crossed it, when they were stopped by an old\nand blind man, who begged for alms.\n\nThe Caliph gave him a piece of money, and was passing on, but the blind\nman seized his hand, and held him fast.\n\n\"Charitable person,\" he said, \"whoever you may be grant me yet another\nprayer.  Strike me, I beg of you, one blow.  I have deserved it richly,\nand even a more severe penalty.\"\n\nThe Caliph, much surprised at this request, replied gently: \"My good\nman, that which you ask is impossible.  Of what use would my alms be if\nI treated you so ill?\"  And as he spoke he tried to loosen the grasp of\nthe blind beggar.\n\n\"My lord,\" answered the man, \"pardon my boldness and my persistence.\nTake back your money, or give me the blow which I crave.  I have sworn\na solemn oath that I will receive nothing without receiving\nchastisement, and if you knew all, you would feel that the punishment\nis not a tenth part of what I deserve.\"\n\nMoved by these words, and perhaps still more by the fact that he had\nother business to attend to, the Caliph yielded, and struck him lightly\non the shoulder.  Then he continued his road, followed by the blessing\nof the blind man.  When they were out of earshot, he said to the vizir,\n\"There must be something very odd to make that man act so--I should\nlike to find out what is the reason.  Go back to him; tell him who I\nam, and order him to come without fail to the palace to-morrow, after\nthe hour of evening prayer.\"\n\nSo the grand-vizir went back to the bridge; gave the blind beggar first\na piece of money and then a blow, delivered the Caliph's message, and\nrejoined his master.\n\nThey passed on towards the palace, but walking through a square, they\ncame upon a crowd watching a young and well-dressed man who was urging\na horse at full speed round the open space, using at the same time his\nspurs and whip so unmercifully that the animal was all covered with\nfoam and blood.  The Caliph, astonished at this proceeding, inquired of\na passer-by what it all meant, but no one could tell him anything,\nexcept that every day at the same hour the same thing took place.\n\nStill wondering, he passed on, and for the moment had to content\nhimself with telling the vizir to command the horseman also to appear\nbefore him at the same time as the blind man.\n\nThe next day, after evening prayer, the Caliph entered the hall, and\nwas followed by the vizir bringing with him the two men of whom we have\nspoken, and a third, with whom we have nothing to do.  They all bowed\nthemselves low before the throne and then the Caliph bade them rise,\nand ask the blind man his name.\n\n\"Baba-Abdalla, your Highness,\" said he.\n\n\"Baba-Abdalla,\" returned the Caliph, \"your way of asking alms yesterday\nseemed to me so strange, that I almost commanded you then and there to\ncease from causing such a public scandal.  But I have sent for you to\ninquire what was your motive in making such a curious vow.  When I know\nthe reason I shall be able to judge whether you can be permitted to\ncontinue to practise it, for I cannot help thinking that it sets a very\nbad example to others.  Tell me therefore the whole truth, and conceal\nnothing.\"\n\nThese words troubled the heart of Baba-Abdalla, who prostrated himself\nat the feet of the Caliph.  Then rising, he answered: \"Commander of the\nFaithful, I crave your pardon humbly, for my persistence in beseeching\nyour Highness to do an action which appears on the face of it to be\nwithout any meaning.  No doubt, in the eyes of men, it has none; but I\nlook on it as a slight expiation for a fearful sin of which I have been\nguilty, and if your Highness will deign to listen to my tale, you will\nsee that no punishment could atone for the crime.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla\n\n\nI was born, Commander of the Faithful, in Bagdad, and was left an\norphan while I was yet a very young man, for my parents died within a\nfew days of each other.  I had inherited from them a small fortune,\nwhich I worked hard night and day to increase, till at last I found\nmyself the owner of eighty camels.  These I hired out to travelling\nmerchants, whom I frequently accompanied on their various journeys, and\nalways returned with large profits.\n\nOne day I was coming back from Balsora, whither I had taken a supply of\ngoods, intended for India, and halted at noon in a lonely place, which\npromised rich pasture for my camels.  I was resting in the shade under\na tree, when a dervish, going on foot towards Balsora, sat down by my\nside, and I inquired whence he had come and to what place he was going.\nWe soon made friends, and after we had asked each other the usual\nquestions, we produced the food we had with us, and satisfied our\nhunger.\n\nWhile we were eating, the dervish happened to mention that in a spot\nonly a little way off from where we were sitting, there was hidden a\ntreasure so great that if my eighty camels were loaded till they could\ncarry no more, the hiding place would seem as full as if it had never\nbeen touched.\n\nAt this news I became almost beside myself with joy and greed, and I\nflung my arms round the neck of the dervish, exclaiming:  \"Good\ndervish, I see plainly that the riches of this world are nothing to\nyou, therefore of what use is the knowledge of this treasure to you?\nAlone and on foot, you could carry away a mere handful.  But tell me\nwhere it is, and I will load my eighty camels with it, and give you one\nof them as a token of my gratitude.\"\n\nCertainly my offer does not sound very magnificent, but it was great to\nme, for at his words a wave of covetousness had swept over my heart,\nand I almost felt as if the seventy-nine camels that were left were\nnothing in comparison.\n\nThe dervish saw quite well what was passing in my mind, but he did not\nshow what he thought of my proposal.\n\n\"My brother,\" he answered quietly, \"you know as well as I do, that you\nare behaving unjustly.  It was open to me to keep my secret, and to\nreserve the treasure for myself.  But the fact that I have told you of\nits existence shows that I had confidence in you, and that I hoped to\nearn your gratitude for ever, by making your fortune as well as mine.\nBut before I reveal to you the secret of the treasure, you must swear\nthat, after we have loaded the camels with as much as they can carry,\nyou will give half to me, and let us go our own ways.  I think you will\nsee that this is fair, for if you present me with forty camels, I on my\nside will give you the means of buying a thousand more.\"\n\nI could not of course deny that what the dervish said was perfectly\nreasonable, but, in spite of that, the thought that the dervish would\nbe as rich as I was unbearable to me.  Still there was no use in\ndiscussing the matter, and I had to accept his conditions or bewail to\nthe end of my life the loss of immense wealth.  So I collected my\ncamels and we set out together under the guidance of the dervish.\nAfter walking some time, we reached what looked like a valley, but with\nsuch a narrow entrance that my camels could only pass one by one.  The\nlittle valley, or open space, was shut up by two mountains, whose sides\nwere formed of straight cliffs, which no human being could climb.\n\nWhen we were exactly between these mountains the dervish stopped.\n\n\"Make your camels lie down in this open space,\" he said, \"so that we\ncan easily load them; then we will go to the treasure.\"\n\nI did what I was bid, and rejoined the dervish, whom I found trying to\nkindle a fire out of some dry wood.  As soon as it was alight, he threw\non it a handful of perfumes, and pronounced a few words that I did not\nunderstand, and immediately a thick column of smoke rose high into the\nair.  He separated the smoke into two columns, and then I saw a rock,\nwhich stood like a pillar between the two mountains, slowly open, and a\nsplendid palace appear within.\n\nBut, Commander of the Faithful, the love of gold had taken such\npossession of my heart, that I could not even stop to examine the\nriches, but fell upon the first pile of gold within my reach and began\nto heap it into a sack that I had brought with me.\n\nThe dervish likewise set to work, but I soon noticed that he confined\nhimself to collecting precious stones, and I felt I should be wise to\nfollow his example.  At length the camels were loaded with as much as\nthey could carry, and nothing remained but to seal up the treasure, and\ngo our ways.\n\nBefore, however, this was done, the dervish went up to a great golden\nvase, beautifully chased, and took from it a small wooden box, which he\nhid in the bosom of his dress, merely saying that it contained a\nspecial kind of ointment.  Then he once more kindled the fire, threw on\nthe perfume, and murmured the unknown spell, and the rock closed, and\nstood whole as before.\n\nThe next thing was to divide the camels, and to charge them with the\ntreasure, after which we each took command of our own and marched out\nof the valley, till we reached the place in the high road where the\nroutes diverge, and then we parted, the dervish going towards Balsora,\nand I to Bagdad.  We embraced each other tenderly, and I poured out my\ngratitude for the honour he had done me, in singling me out for this\ngreat wealth, and having said a hearty farewell we turned our backs,\nand hastened after our camels.\n\nI had hardly come up with mine when the demon of envy filled my soul.\n\"What does a dervish want with riches like that?\"  I said to myself.\n\"He alone has the secret of the treasure, and can always get as much as\nhe wants,\" and I halted my camels by the roadside, and ran back after\nhim.\n\nI was a quick runner, and it did not take me very long to come up with\nhim.  \"My brother,\" I exclaimed, as soon as I could speak, \"almost at\nthe moment of our leave-taking, a reflection occurred to me, which is\nperhaps new to you.  You are a dervish by profession, and live a very\nquiet life, only caring to do good, and careless of the things of this\nworld.  You do not realise the burden that you lay upon yourself, when\nyou gather into your hands such great wealth, besides the fact that no\none, who is not accustomed to camels from his birth, can ever manage\nthe stubborn beasts.  If you are wise, you will not encumber yourself\nwith more than thirty, and you will find those trouble enough.\"\n\n\"You are right,\" replied the dervish, who understood me quite well, but\ndid not wish to fight the matter.  \"I confess I had not thought about\nit.  Choose any ten you like, and drive them before you.\"\n\nI selected ten of the best camels, and we proceeded along the road, to\nrejoin those I had left behind.  I had got what I wanted, but I had\nfound the dervish so easy to deal with, that I rather regretted I had\nnot asked for ten more.  I looked back.  He had only gone a few paces,\nand I called after him.\n\n\"My brother,\" I said, \"I am unwilling to part from you without pointing\nout what I think you scarcely grasp, that large experience of\ncamel-driving is necessary to anybody who intends to keep together a\ntroop of thirty.  In your own interest, I feel sure you would be much\nhappier if you entrusted ten more of them to me, for with my practice\nit is all one to me if I take two or a hundred.\"\n\nAs before, the dervish made no difficulties, and I drove off my ten\ncamels in triumph, only leaving him with twenty for his share.  I had\nnow sixty, and anyone might have imagined that I should be content.\n\nBut, Commander of the Faithful, there is a proverb that says, \"the more\none has, the more one wants.\"  So it was with me.  I could not rest as\nlong as one solitary camel remained to the dervish; and returning to\nhim I redoubled my prayers and embraces, and promises of eternal\ngratitude, till the last twenty were in my hands.\n\n\"Make a good use of them, my brother,\" said the holy man.  \"Remember\nriches sometimes have wings if we keep them for ourselves, and the poor\nare at our gates expressly that we may help them.\"\n\nMy eyes were so blinded by gold, that I paid no heed to his wise\ncounsel, and only looked about for something else to grasp.  Suddenly I\nremembered the little box of ointment that the dervish had hidden, and\nwhich most likely contained a treasure more precious than all the rest.\nGiving him one last embrace, I observed accidentally, \"What are you\ngoing to do with that little box of ointment?  It seems hardly worth\ntaking with you; you might as well let me have it.  And really, a\ndervish who has given up the world has no need of ointment!\"\n\nOh, if he had only refused my request!  But then, supposing he had, I\nshould have got possession of it by force, so great was the madness\nthat had laid hold upon me.  However, far from refusing it, the dervish\nat once held it out, saying gracefully, \"Take it, my friend, and if\nthere is anything else I can do to make you happy you must let me know.\"\n\nDirectly the box was in my hands I wrenched off the cover.  \"As you are\nso kind,\" I said, \"tell me, I pray you, what are the virtues of this\nointment?\"\n\n\"They are most curious and interesting,\" replied the dervish.  \"If you\napply a little of it to your left eye you will behold in an instant all\nthe treasures hidden in the bowels of the earth.  But beware lest you\ntouch your right eye with it, or your sight will be destroyed for ever.\"\n\nHis words excited my curiosity to the highest pitch.  \"Make trial on\nme, I implore you,\" I cried, holding out the box to the dervish.  \"You\nwill know how to do it better than I!  I am burning with impatience to\ntest its charms.\"\n\nThe dervish took the box I had extended to him, and, bidding me shut my\nleft eye, touched it gently with the ointment.  When I opened it again\nI saw spread out, as it were before me, treasures of every kind and\nwithout number.  But as all this time I had been obliged to keep my\nright eye closed, which was very fatiguing, I begged the dervish to\napply the ointment to that eye also.\n\n\"If you insist upon it I will do it,\" answered the dervish, \"but you\nmust remember what I told you just now--that if it touches your right\neye you will become blind on the spot.\"\n\nUnluckily, in spite of my having proved the truth of the dervish's\nwords in so many instances, I was firmly convinced that he was now\nkeeping concealed from me some hidden and precious virtue of the\nointment.  So I turned a deaf ear to all he said.\n\n\"My brother,\" I replied smiling, \"I see you are joking.  It is not\nnatural that the same ointment should have two such exactly opposite\neffects.\"\n\n\"It is true all the same,\" answered the dervish, \"and it would be well\nfor you if you believed my word.\"\n\nBut I would not believe, and, dazzled by the greed of avarice, I\nthought that if one eye could show me riches, the other might teach me\nhow to get possession of them.  And I continued to press the dervish to\nanoint my right eye, but this he resolutely declined to do.\n\n\"After having conferred such benefits on you,\" said he, \"I am loth\nindeed to work you such evil.  Think what it is to be blind, and do not\nforce me to do what you will repent as long as you live.\"\n\nIt was of no use.  \"My brother,\" I said firmly, \"pray say no more, but\ndo what I ask.  You have most generously responded to my wishes up to\nthis time, do not spoil my recollection of you for a thing of such\nlittle consequence.  Let what will happen I take it on my own head, and\nwill never reproach you.\"\n\n\"Since you are determined upon it,\" he answered with a sigh, \"there is\nno use talking,\" and taking the ointment he laid some on my right eye,\nwhich was tight shut.  When I tried to open it heavy clouds of darkness\nfloated before me.  I was as blind as you see me now!\n\n\"Miserable dervish!\"  I shrieked, \"so it is true after all!  Into what\na bottomless pit has my lust after gold plunged me.  Ah, now that my\neyes are closed they are really opened.  I know that all my sufferings\nare caused by myself alone!  But, good brother, you, who are so kind\nand charitable, and know the secrets of such vast learning, have you\nnothing that will give me back my sight?\"\n\n\"Unhappy man,\" replied the dervish, \"it is not my fault that this has\nbefallen you, but it is a just chastisement.  The blindness of your\nheart has wrought the blindness of your body.  Yes, I have secrets;\nthat you have seen in the short time that we have known each other.\nBut I have none that will give you back your sight.  You have proved\nyourself unworthy of the riches that were given you.  Now they have\npassed into my hands, whence they will flow into the hands of others\nless greedy and ungrateful than you.\"\n\nThe dervish said no more and left me, speechless with shame and\nconfusion, and so wretched that I stood rooted to the spot, while he\ncollected the eighty camels and proceeded on his way to Balsora.  It\nwas in vain that I entreated him not to leave me, but at least to take\nme within reach of the first passing caravan.  He was deaf to my\nprayers and cries, and I should soon have been dead of hunger and\nmisery if some merchants had not come along the track the following day\nand kindly brought me back to Bagdad.\n\nFrom a rich man I had in one moment become a beggar; and up to this\ntime I have lived solely on the alms that have been bestowed on me.\nBut, in order to expiate the sin of avarice, which was my undoing, I\noblige each passer-by to give me a blow.\n\nThis, Commander of the Faithful, is my story.\n\nWhen the blind man had ended the Caliph addressed him: \"Baba-Abdalla,\ntruly your sin is great, but you have suffered enough.  Henceforth\nrepent in private, for I will see that enough money is given you day by\nday for all your wants.\"\n\nAt these words Baba-Abdalla flung himself at the Caliph's feet, and\nprayed that honour and happiness might be his portion for ever.\n\n\n\nThe Story of Sidi-Nouman\n\n\nThe Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, was much pleased with the tale of the\nblind man and the dervish, and when it was finished he turned to the\nyoung man who had ill-treated his horse, and inquired his name also.\nThe young man replied that he was called Sidi-Nouman.\n\n\"Sidi-Nouman,\" observed the Caliph, \"I have seen horses broken all my\nlife long, and have even broken them myself, but I have never seen any\nhorse broken in such a barbarous manner as by you yesterday.  Every one\nwho looked on was indignant, and blamed you loudly.  As for myself, I\nwas so angry that I was very nearly disclosing who I was, and putting a\nstop to it at once.  Still, you have not the air of a cruel man, and I\nwould gladly believe that you did not act in this way without some\nreason.  As I am told that it was not the first time, and indeed that\nevery day you are to be seen flogging and spurring your horse, I wish\nto come to the bottom of the matter.  But tell me the whole truth, and\nconceal nothing.\"\n\nSidi-Nouman changed colour as he heard these words, and his manner grew\nconfused; but he saw plainly that there was no help for it.  So he\nprostrated himself before the throne of the Caliph and tried to obey,\nbut the words stuck in his throat, and he remained silent.\n\nThe Caliph, accustomed though he was to instant obedience, guessed\nsomething of what was passing in the young man's mind, and sought to\nput him at his ease.  \"Sidi-Nouman,\" he said, \"do not think of me as\nthe Caliph, but merely as a friend who would like to hear your story.\nIf there is anything in it that you are afraid may offend me, take\ncourage, for I pardon you beforehand.  Speak then openly and without\nfear, as to one who knows and loves you.\"\n\nReassured by the kindness of the Caliph, Sidi-Nouman at length began\nhis tale.\n\n\"Commander of the Faithful,\" said he, \"dazzled though I am by the\nlustre of your Highness' presence, I will do my best to satisfy your\nwishes.  I am by no means perfect, but I am not naturally cruel,\nneither do I take pleasure in breaking the law.  I admit that the\ntreatment of my horse is calculated to give your Highness a bad opinion\nof me, and to set an evil example to others; yet I have not chastised\nit without reason, and I have hopes that I shall be judged more worthy\nof pity than punishment.\"\n\nCommander of the Faithful, I will not trouble to describe my birth; it\nis not of sufficient distinction to deserve your Highness' attention.\nMy ancestors were careful people, and I inherited enough money to\nenable me to live comfortably, though without show.\n\nHaving therefore a modest fortune, the only thing wanting to my\nhappiness was a wife who could return my affection, but this blessing I\nwas not destined to get; for on the very day after my marriage, my\nbride began to try my patience in every way that was most hard to bear.\n\nNow, seeing that the customs of our land oblige us to marry without\never beholding the person with whom we are to pass our lives, a man has\nof course no right to complain as long as his wife is not absolutely\nrepulsive, or is not positively deformed.  And whatever defects her\nbody may have, pleasant ways and good behaviour will go far to remedy\nthem.\n\nThe first time I saw my wife unveiled, when she had been brought to my\nhouse with the usual ceremonies, I was enchanted to find that I had not\nbeen deceived in regard to the account that had been given me of her\nbeauty.  I began my married life in high spirits, and the best hopes of\nhappiness.\n\nThe following day a grand dinner was served to us but as my wife did\nnot appear, I ordered a servant to call her.  Still she did not come,\nand I waited impatiently for some time.  At last she entered the room,\nand she took our places at the table, and plates of rice were set\nbefore us.\n\nI ate mine, as was natural, with a spoon, but great was my surprise to\nnotice that my wife, instead of doing the same, drew from her pocket a\nlittle case, from which she selected a long pin, and by the help of\nthis pin conveyed her rice grain by grain to her mouth.\n\n\"Amina,\" I exclaimed in astonishment, \"is that the way you eat rice at\nhome?  And did you do it because your appetite was so small, or did you\nwish to count the grains so that you might never eat more than a\ncertain number?  If it was from economy, and you are anxious to teach\nme not to be wasteful, you have no cause for alarm.  We shall never\nruin ourselves in that way!  Our fortune is large enough for all our\nneeds, therefore, dear Amina, do not seek to check yourself, but eat as\nmuch as you desire, as I do!\"\n\nIn reply to my affectionate words, I expected a cheerful answer; yet\nAmina said nothing at all, but continued to pick her rice as before,\nonly at longer and longer intervals.  And, instead of trying the other\ndishes, all she did was to put every now and then a crumb, of bread\ninto her mouth, that would not have made a meal for a sparrow.\n\nI felt provoked by her obstinacy, but to excuse her to myself as far as\nI could, I suggested that perhaps she had never been used to eat in the\ncompany of men, and that her family might have taught her that she\nought to behave prudently and discreetly in the presence of her\nhusband.  Likewise that she might either have dined already or intend\nto do so in her own apartments.  So I took no further notice, and when\nI had finished left the room, secretly much vexed at her strange\nconduct.\n\nThe same thing occurred at supper, and all through the next day,\nwhenever we ate together.  It was quite clear that no woman could live\nupon two or three bread-crumbs and a few grains of rice, and I\ndetermined to find out how and when she got food.  I pretended not to\npay attention to anything she did, in the hope that little by little\nshe would get accustomed to me, and become more friendly; but I soon\nsaw that my expectations were quite vain.\n\nOne night I was lying with my eyes closed, and to, all appearance sound\nasleep, when Amina arose softly, and dressed herself without making the\nslightest sound.  I could not imagine what she was going to do, and as\nmy curiosity was great I made up my mind to follow her.  When she was\nfully dressed, she stole quietly from the room.\n\nThe instant she had let the curtain fall behind her, I flung a garment\non my shoulders and a pair of slippers on my feet.  Looking from a\nlattice which opened into the court, I saw her in the act of passing\nthrough the street door, which she carefully left open.\n\nIt was bright moonlight, so I easily managed to keep her in sight, till\nshe entered a cemetery not far from the house.  There I hid myself\nunder the shadow of the wall, and crouched down cautiously; and hardly\nwas I concealed, when I saw my wife approaching in company with a\nghoul--one of those demons which, as your Highness is aware, wander\nabout the country making their lairs in deserted buildings and\nspringing out upon unwary travellers whose flesh they eat.  If no live\nbeing goes their way, they then betake themselves to the cemeteries,\nand feed upon the dead bodies.\n\nI was nearly struck dumb with horror on seeing my wife with this\nhideous female ghoul.  They passed by me without noticing me, began to\ndig up a corpse which had been buried that day, and then sat down on\nthe edge of the grave, to enjoy their frightful repast, talking quietly\nand cheerfully all the while, though I was too far off to hear what\nthey said.  When they had finished, they threw back the body into the\ngrave, and heaped back the earth upon it.  I made no effort to disturb\nthem, and returned quickly to the house, when I took care to leave the\ndoor open, as I had previously found it.  Then I got back into bed, and\npretended to sleep soundly.\n\nA short time after Amina entered as quietly as she had gone out.  She\nundressed and stole into bed, congratulating herself apparently on the\ncleverness with which she had managed her expedition.\n\nAs may be guessed, after such a scene it was long before I could close\nmy eyes, and at the first sound which called the faithful to prayer, I\nput on my clothes and went to the mosque.  But even prayer did not\nrestore peace to my troubled spirit, and I could not face my wife until\nI had made up my mind what future course I should pursue in regard to\nher.  I therefore spent the morning roaming about from one garden to\nanother, turning over various plans for compelling my wife to give up\nher horrible ways; I thought of using violence to make her submit, but\nfelt reluctant to be unkind to her.  Besides, I had an instinct that\ngentle means had the best chance of success; so, a little soothed, I\nturned towards home, which I reached about the hour of dinner.\n\nAs soon as I appeared, Amina ordered dinner to be served, and we sat\ndown together.  As usual, she persisted in only picking a few grains of\nrice, and I resolved to speak to her at once of what lay so heavily on\nmy heart.\n\n\"Amina,\" I said, as quietly as possible, \"you must have guessed the\nsurprise I felt, when the day after our marriage you declined to eat\nanything but a few morsels of rice, and altogether behaved in such a\nmanner that most husbands would have been deeply wounded.  However I\nhad patience with you, and only tried to tempt your appetite by the\nchoicest dishes I could invent, but all to no purpose.  Still, Amina,\nit seems to me that there be some among them as sweet to the taste as\nthe flesh of a corpse?\"\n\nI had no sooner uttered these words than Amina, who instantly\nunderstood that I had followed her to the grave-yard, was seized with a\npassion beyond any that I have ever witnessed.  Her face became purple,\nher eyes looked as if they would start from her head, and she\npositively foamed with rage.\n\nI watched her with terror, wondering what would happen next, but little\nthinking what would be the end of her fury.  She seized a vessel of\nwater that stood at hand, and plunging her hand in it, murmured some\nwords I failed to catch.  Then, sprinkling it on my face, she cried\nmadly:\n\n\"Wretch, receive the reward of your prying, and become a dog.\"\n\nThe words were not out of her mouth when, without feeling conscious\nthat any change was passing over me, I suddenly knew that I had ceased\nto be a man.  In the greatness of the shock and surprise--for I had no\nidea that Amina was a magician--I never dreamed of running away, and\nstood rooted to the spot, while Amina grasped a stick and began to beat\nme.  Indeed her blows were so heavy, that I only wonder they did not\nkill me at once.  However they succeeded in rousing me from my stupor,\nand I dashed into the court-yard, followed closely by Amina, who made\nfrantic dives at me, which I was not quick enough to dodge.  At last\nshe got tired of pursuing me, or else a new trick entered into her\nhead, which would give me speedy and painful death; she opened the gate\nleading into the street, intending to crush me as I passed through.\nDog though I was, I saw through her design, and stung into presence of\nmind by the greatness of the danger, I timed my movements so well that\nI contrived to rush through, and only the tip of my tail received a\nsqueeze as she banged the gate.\n\nI was safe, but my tail hurt me horribly, and I yelped and howled so\nloud all along the streets, that the other dogs came and attacked me,\nwhich made matters no better.  In order to avoid them, I took refuge in\na cookshop, where tongues and sheep's heads were sold.\n\nAt first the owner showed me great kindness, and drove away the other\ndogs that were still at my heels, while I crept into the darkest\ncorner.  But though I was safe for the moment, I was not destined to\nremain long under his protection, for he was one of those who hold all\ndogs to be unclean, and that all the washing in the world will hardly\npurify you from their contact.  So after my enemies had gone to seek\nother prey, he tried to lure me from my corner in order to force me\ninto the street.  But I refused to come out of my hole, and spent the\nnight in sleep, which I sorely needed, after the pain inflicted on me\nby Amina.\n\nI have no wish to weary your Highness by dwelling on the sad thoughts\nwhich accompanied my change of shape, but it may interest you to hear\nthat the next morning my host went out early to do his marketing, and\nreturned laden with the sheep's heads, and tongues and trotters that\nformed his stock in trade for the day.  The smell of meat attracted\nvarious hungry dogs in the neighbourhood, and they gathered round the\ndoor begging for some bits.  I stole out of my corner, and stood with\nthem.\n\nIn spite of his objection to dogs, as unclean animals, my protector was\na kind-hearted man, and knowing I had eaten nothing since yesterday, he\nthrew me bigger and better bits than those which fell to the share of\nthe other dogs.  When I had finished, I tried to go back into the shop,\nbut this he would not allow, and stood so firmly at the entrance with a\nstout stick, that I was forced to give it up, and seek some other home.\n\nA few paces further on was a baker's shop, which seemed to have a gay\nand merry man for a master.  At that moment he was having his\nbreakfast, and though I gave no signs of hunger, he at once threw me a\npiece of bread.  Before gobbling it up, as most dogs are in the habit\nof doing, I bowed my head and wagged my tail, in token of thanks, and\nhe understood, and smiled pleasantly.  I really did not want the bread\nat all, but felt it would be ungracious to refuse, so I ate it slowly,\nin order that he might see that I only did it out of politeness.  He\nunderstood this also, and seemed quite willing to let me stay in his\nshop, so I sat down, with my face to the door, to show that I only\nasked his protection.  This he gave me, and indeed encouraged me to\ncome into the house itself, giving me a corner where I might sleep,\nwithout being in anybody's way.\n\nThe kindness heaped on me by this excellent man was far greater than I\ncould ever have expected.  He was always affectionate in his manner of\ntreating me, and I shared his breakfast, dinner and supper, while, on\nmy side, I gave him all the gratitude and attachment to which he had a\nright.\n\nI sat with my eyes fixed on him, and he never left the house without\nhaving me at his heels; and if it ever happened that when he was\npreparing to go out I was asleep, and did not notice, he would call\n\"Rufus, Rufus,\" for that was the name he gave me.\n\nSome weeks passed in this way, when one day a woman came in to buy\nbread.  In paying for it, she laid down several pieces of money, one of\nwhich was bad.  The baker perceived this, and declined to take it,\ndemanding another in its place.  The woman, for her part, refused to\ntake it back, declaring it was perfectly good, but the baker would have\nnothing to do with it.  \"It is really such a bad imitation,\" he\nexclaimed at last, \"that even my dog would not be taken in.  Here\nRufus!  Rufus!\" and hearing his voice, I jumped on to the counter.  The\nbaker threw down the money before me, and said, \"Find out if there is a\nbad coin.\"  I looked at each in turn, and then laid my paw on the false\none, glancing at the same time at my master, so as to point it out.\n\nThe baker, who had of course been only in joke, was exceedingly\nsurprised at my cleverness, and the woman, who was at last convinced\nthat the man spoke the truth, produced another piece of money in its\nplace.  When she had gone, my master was so pleased that he told all\nthe neighbours what I had done, and made a great deal more of it than\nthere really was.\n\nThe neighbours, very naturally, declined to believe his story, and\ntried me several times with all the bad money they could collect\ntogether, but I never failed to stand the test triumphantly.\n\nSoon, the shop was filled from morning till night, with people who on\nthe pretence of buying bread came to see if I was as clever as I was\nreported to be.  The baker drove a roaring trade, and admitted that I\nwas worth my weight in gold to him.\n\nOf course there were plenty who envied him his large custom, and many\nwas the pitfall set for me, so that he never dared to let me out of his\nsight.  One day a woman, who had not been in the shop before, came to\nask for bread, like the rest.  As usual, I was lying on the counter,\nand she threw down six coins before me, one of which was false.  I\ndetected it at once, and put my paw on it, looking as I did so at the\nwoman.  \"Yes,\" she said, nodding her head.  \"You are quite right, that\nis the one.\"  She stood gazing at me attentively for some time, then\npaid for the bread, and left the shop, making a sign for me to follow\nher secretly.\n\nNow my thoughts were always running on some means of shaking off the\nspell laid on me, and noticing the way in which this woman had looked\nat me, the idea entered my head that perhaps she might have guessed\nwhat had happened, and in this I was not deceived.  However I let her\ngo on a little way, and merely stood at the door watching her.  She\nturned, and seeing that I was quite still, she again beckoned to me.\n\nThe baker all this while was busy with his oven, and had forgotten all\nabout me, so I stole out softly, and ran after the woman.\n\nWhen we came to her house, which was some distance off, she opened the\ndoor and then said to me, \"Come in, come in; you will never be sorry\nthat you followed me.\"  When I had entered she fastened the door, and\ntook me into a large room, where a beautiful girl was working at a\npiece of embroidery.  \"My daughter,\" exclaimed my guide, \"I have\nbrought you the famous dog belonging to the baker which can tell good\nmoney from bad.  You know that when I first heard of him, I told you I\nwas sure he must be really a man, changed into a dog by magic.  To-day\nI went to the baker's, to prove for myself the truth of the story, and\npersuaded the dog to follow me here.  Now what do you say?\"\n\n\"You are right, mother,\" replied the girl, and rising she dipped her\nhand into a vessel of water.  Then sprinkling it over me she said, \"If\nyou were born dog, remain dog; but if you were born man, by virtue of\nthis water resume your proper form.\"  In one moment the spell was\nbroken.  The dog's shape vanished as if it had never been, and it was a\nman who stood before her.\n\nOvercome with gratitude at my deliverance, I flung myself at her feet,\nand kissed the hem of her garment.  \"How can I thank you for your\ngoodness towards a stranger, and for what you have done?  Henceforth I\nam your slave.  Deal with me as you will!\"\n\nThen, in order to explain how I came to be changed into a dog, I told\nher my whole story, and finished with rendering the mother the thanks\ndue to her for the happiness she had brought me.\n\n\"Sidi-Nouman,\" returned the daughter, \"say no more about the obligation\nyou are under to us.  The knowledge that we have been of service to you\nis ample payment.  Let us speak of Amina, your wife, with whom I was\nacquainted before her marriage.  I was aware that she was a magician,\nand she knew too that I had studied the same art, under the same\nmistress.  We met often going to the same baths, but we did not like\neach other, and never sought to become friends.  As to what concerns\nyou, it is not enough to have broken your spell, she must be punished\nfor her wickedness.  Remain for a moment with my mother, I beg,\" she\nadded hastily, \"I will return shortly.\"\n\nLeft alone with the mother, I again expressed the gratitude I felt, to\nher as well as to her daughter.\n\n\"My daughter,\" she answered, \"is, as you see, as accomplished a\nmagician as Amina herself, but you would be astonished at the amount of\ngood she does by her knowledge.  That is why I have never interfered,\notherwise I should have put a stop to it long ago.\"  As she spoke, her\ndaughter entered with a small bottle in her hand.\n\n\"Sidi-Nouman,\" she said, \"the books I have just consulted tell me that\nAmina is not home at present, but she should return at any moment.  I\nhave likewise found out by their means, that she pretends before the\nservants great uneasiness as to your absence.  She has circulated a\nstory that, while at dinner with her, you remembered some important\nbusiness that had to be done at once, and left the house without\nshutting the door.  By this means a dog had strayed in, which she was\nforced to get rid of by a stick.  Go home then without delay, and await\nAmina's return in your room.  When she comes in, go down to meet her,\nand in her surprise, she will try to run away.  Then have this bottle\nready, and dash the water it contains over her, saying boldly, \"Receive\nthe reward of your crimes.\" That is all I have to tell you.\"\n\nEverything happened exactly as the young magician had foretold.  I had\nnot been in my house many minutes before Amina returned, and as she\napproached I stepped in front of her, with the water in my hand.  She\ngave one loud cry, and turned to the door, but she was too late.  I had\nalready dashed the water in her face and spoken the magic words.  Amina\ndisappeared, and in her place stood the horse you saw me beating\nyesterday.\n\nThis, Commander of the Faithful, is my story, and may I venture to hope\nthat, now you have heard the reason of my conduct, your Highness will\nnot think this wicked woman too harshly treated?\n\n\"Sidi-Nouman,\" replied the Caliph, \"your story is indeed a strange one,\nand there is no excuse to be offered for your wife.  But, without\ncondemning your treatment of her, I wish you to reflect how much she\nmust suffer from being changed into an animal, and I hope you will let\nthat punishment be enough.  I do not order you to insist upon the young\nmagician finding the means to restore your wife to her human shape,\nbecause I know that when once women such as she begin to work evil they\nnever leave off, and I should only bring down on your head a vengeance\nfar worse than the one you have undergone already.\"\n\n\n\nThe Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad\n\n\nIn the reign of Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived in Bagdad a merchant\nnamed Ali Cogia, who, having neither wife nor child, contented himself\nwith the modest profits produced by his trade.  He had spent some years\nquite happily in the house his father had left him, when three nights\nrunning he dreamed that an old man had appeared to him, and reproached\nhim for having neglected the duty of a good Mussulman, in delaying so\nlong his pilgrimage to Mecca.\n\nAli Cogia was much troubled by this dream, as he was unwilling to give\nup his shop, and lose all his customers.  He had shut his eyes for some\ntime to the necessity of performing this pilgrimage, and tried to atone\nto his conscience by an extra number of good works, but the dream\nseemed to him a direct warning, and he resolved to put the journey off\nno longer.\n\nThe first thing he did was to sell his furniture and the wares he had\nin his shop, only reserving to himself such goods as he might trade\nwith on the road.  The shop itself he sold also, and easily found a\ntenant for his private house.  The only matter he could not settle\nsatisfactorily was the safe custody of a thousand pieces of gold which\nhe wished to leave behind him.\n\nAfter some thought, Ali Cogia hit upon a plan which seemed a safe one.\nHe took a large vase, and placing the money in the bottom of it, filled\nup the rest with olives.  After corking the vase tightly down, he\ncarried it to one of his friends, a merchant like himself, and said to\nhim:\n\n\"My brother, you have probably heard that I am staffing with a caravan\nin a few days for Mecca.  I have come to ask whether you would do me\nthe favour to keep this vase of olives for me till I come back?\"\n\nThe merchant replied readily, \"Look, this is the key of my shop: take\nit, and put the vase wherever you like.  I promise that you shall find\nit in the same place on your return.\"\n\nA few days later, Ali Cogia mounted the camel that he had laden with\nmerchandise, joined the caravan, and arrived in due time at Mecca.\nLike the other pilgrims he visited the sacred Mosque, and after all his\nreligious duties were performed, he set out his goods to the best\nadvantage, hoping to gain some customers among the passers-by.\n\nVery soon two merchants stopped before the pile, and when they had\nturned it over, one said to the other:\n\n\"If this man was wise he would take these things to Cairo, where he\nwould get a much better price than he is likely to do here.\"\n\nAli Cogia heard the words, and lost no time in following the advice.\nHe packed up his wares, and instead of returning to Bagdad, joined a\ncaravan that was going to Cairo.  The results of the journey gladdened\nhis heart.  He sold off everything almost directly, and bought a stock\nof Egyptian curiosities, which he intended selling at Damascus; but as\nthe caravan with which he would have to travel would not be starting\nfor another six weeks, he took advantage of the delay to visit the\nPyramids, and some of the cities along the banks of the Nile.\n\nNow the attractions of Damascus so fascinated the worthy Ali, that he\ncould hardly tear himself away, but at length he remembered that he had\na home in Bagdad, meaning to return by way of Aleppo, and after he had\ncrossed the Euphrates, to follow the course of the Tigris.\n\nBut when he reached Mossoul, Ali had made such friends with some\nPersian merchants, that they persuaded him to accompany them to their\nnative land, and even as far as India, and so it came to pass that\nseven years had slipped by since he had left Bagdad, and during all\nthat time the friend with whom he had left the vase of olives had never\nonce thought of him or of it.  In fact, it was only a month before Ali\nCogia's actual return that the affair came into his head at all, owing\nto his wife's remarking one day, that it was a long time since she had\neaten any olives, and would like some.\n\n\"That reminds me,\" said the husband, \"that before Ali Cogia went to\nMecca seven years ago, he left a vase of olives in my care.  But really\nby this time he must be dead, and there is no reason we should not eat\nthe olives if we like.  Give me a light, and I will fetch them and see\nhow they taste.\"\n\n\"My husband,\" answered the wife, \"beware, I pray, of your doing\nanything so base!  Supposing seven years have passed without news of\nAli Cogia, he need not be dead for all that, and may come back any day.\nHow shameful it would be to have to confess that you had betrayed your\ntrust and broken the seal of the vase!  Pay no attention to my idle\nwords, I really have no desire for olives now.  And probably after all\nthis while they are no longer good.  I have a presentiment that Ali\nCogia will return, and what will he think of you?  Give it up, I\nentreat.\"\n\nThe merchant, however, refused to listen to her advice, sensible though\nit was.  He took a light and a dish and went into his shop.\n\n\"If you will be so obstinate,\" said his wife, \"I cannot help it; but do\nnot blame me if it turns out ill.\"\n\nWhen the merchant opened the vase he found the topmost olives were\nrotten, and in order to see if the under ones were in better condition\nhe shook some out into the dish.  As they fell out a few of the gold\npieces fell out too.\n\nThe sight of the money roused all the merchant's greed.  He looked into\nthe vase, and saw that all the bottom was filled with gold.  He then\nreplaced the olives and returned to his wife.\n\n\"My wife,\" he said, as he entered the room, \"you were quite right; the\nolives are rotten, and I have recorked the vase so well that Ali Cogia\nwill never know it has been touched.\"\n\n\"You would have done better to believe me,\" replied the wife.  \"I trust\nthat no harm will come of it.\"\n\nThese words made no more impression on the merchant than the others had\ndone; and he spent the whole night in wondering how he could manage to\nkeep the gold if Ali Cogia should come back and claim his vase.  Very\nearly next morning he went out and bought fresh new olives; he then\nthrew away the old ones, took out the gold and hid it, and filled up\nthe vase with the olives he had bought.  This done he recorked the vase\nand put it in the same place where it had been left by Ali Cogia.\n\nA month later Ali Cogia re-entered Bagdad, and as his house was still\nlet he went to an inn; and the following day set out to see his friend\nthe merchant, who received him with open arms and many expressions of\nsurprise.  After a few moments given to inquiries Ali Cogia begged the\nmerchant to hand him over the vase that he had taken care of for so\nlong.\n\n\"Oh certainly,\" said he, \"I am only glad I could be of use to you in\nthe matter.  Here is the key of my shop; you will find the vase in the\nplace where you put it.\"\n\nAli Cogia fetched his vase and carried it to his room at the inn, where\nhe opened it.  He thrust down his hand but could feel no money, but\nstill was persuaded it must be there.  So he got some plates and\nvessels from his travelling kit and emptied out the olives.  To no\npurpose.  The gold was not there.  The poor man was dumb with horror,\nthen, lifting up his hands, he exclaimed, \"Can my old friend really\nhave committed such a crime?\"\n\nIn great haste he went back to the house of the merchant.  \"My friend,\"\nhe cried, \"you will be astonished to see me again, but I can find\nnowhere in this vase a thousand pieces of gold that I placed in the\nbottom under the olives.  Perhaps you may have taken a loan of them for\nyour business purposes; if that is so you are most welcome.  I will\nonly ask you to give me a receipt, and you can pay the money at your\nleisure.\"\n\nThe merchant, who had expected something of the sort, had his reply all\nready.  \"Ali Cogia,\" he said, \"when you brought me the vase of olives\ndid I ever touch it?\"\n\n\"I gave you the key of my shop and you put it yourself where you liked,\nand did you not find it in exactly the same spot and in the same state?\nIf you placed any gold in it, it must be there still.  I know nothing\nabout that; you only told me there were olives.  You can believe me or\nnot, but I have not laid a finger on the vase.\"\n\nAli Cogia still tried every means to persuade the merchant to admit the\ntruth.  \"I love peace,\" he said, \"and shall deeply regret having to\nresort to harsh measures.  Once more, think of your reputation.  I\nshall be in despair if you oblige me to call in the aid of the law.\"\n\n\"Ali Cogia,\" answered the merchant, \"you allow that it was a vase of\nolives you placed in my charge.  You fetched it and removed it\nyourself, and now you tell me it contained a thousand pieces of gold,\nand that I must restore them to you!  Did you ever say anything about\nthem before?  Why, I did not even know that the vase had olives in it!\nYou never showed them to me.  I wonder you have not demanded pearls or\ndiamonds.  Retire, I pray you, lest a crowd should gather in front of\nmy shop.\"\n\nBy this time not only the casual passers-by, but also the neighbouring\nmerchants, were standing round, listening to the dispute, and trying\nevery now and then to smooth matters between them.  But at the\nmerchant's last words Ali Cogia resolved to lay the cause of the\nquarrel before them, and told them the whole story.  They heard him to\nthe end, and inquired of the merchant what he had to say.\n\nThe accused man admitted that he had kept Ali Cogia's vase in his shop;\nbut he denied having touched it, and swore that as to what it contained\nhe only knew what Ali Cogia had told him, and called them all to\nwitness the insult that had been put upon him.\n\n\"You have brought it on yourself,\" said Ali Cogia, taking him by the\narm, \"and as you appeal to the law, the law you shall have!  Let us see\nif you will dare to repeat your story before the Cadi.\"\n\nNow as a good Mussulman the merchant was forbidden to refuse this\nchoice of a judge, so he accepted the test, and said to Ali Cogia,\n\"Very well; I should like nothing better.  We shall soon see which of\nus is in the right.\"\n\nSo the two men presented themselves before the Cadi, and Ali Cogia\nagain repeated his tale.  The Cadi asked what witnesses he had.  Ali\nCogia replied that he had not taken this precaution, as he had\nconsidered the man his friend, and up to that time had always found him\nhonest.\n\nThe merchant, on his side, stuck to his story, and offered to swear\nsolemnly that not only had he never stolen the thousand gold pieces,\nbut that he did not even know they were there.  The Cadi allowed him to\ntake the oath, and pronounced him innocent.\n\nAli Cogia, furious at having to suffer such a loss, protested against\nthe verdict, declaring that he would appeal to the Caliph,\nHaroun-al-Raschid, himself.  But the Cadi paid no attention to his\nthreats, and was quite satisfied that he had done what was right.\n\nJudgment being given the merchant returned home triumphant, and Ali\nCogia went back to his inn to draw up a petition to the Caliph.  The\nnext morning he placed himself on the road along which the Caliph must\npass after mid-day prayer, and stretched out his petition to the\nofficer who walked before the Caliph, whose duty it was to collect such\nthings, and on entering the palace to hand them to his master.  There\nHaroun-al-Raschid studied them carefully.\n\nKnowing this custom, Ali Cogia followed the Caliph into the public hall\nof the palace, and waited the result.  After some time the officer\nappeared, and told him that the Caliph had read his petition, and had\nappointed an hour the next morning to give him audience.  He then\ninquired the merchant's address, so that he might be summoned to attend\nalso.\n\nThat very evening, the Caliph, with his grand-vizir Giafar, and\nMesrour, chief of the eunuchs, all three disguised, as was their habit,\nwent out to take a stroll through the town.\n\nGoing down one street, the Caliph's attention was attracted by a noise,\nand looking through a door which opened into a court he perceived ten\nor twelve children playing in the moonlight.  He hid himself in a dark\ncorner, and watched them.\n\n\"Let us play at being the Cadi,\" said the brightest and quickest of\nthem all; \"I will be the Cadi.  Bring before me Ali Cogia, and the\nmerchant who robbed him of the thousand pieces of gold.\"\n\nThe boy's words recalled to the Caliph the petition he had read that\nmorning, and he waited with interest to see what the children would do.\n\nThe proposal was hailed with joy by the other children, who had heard a\ngreat deal of talk about the matter, and they quickly settled the part\neach one was to play.  The Cadi took his seat gravely, and an officer\nintroduced first Ali Cogia, the plaintiff, and then the merchant who\nwas the defendant.\n\nAli Cogia made a low bow, and pleaded his cause point by point;\nconcluding by imploring the Cadi not to inflict on him such a heavy\nloss.\n\nThe Cadi having heard his case, turned to the merchant, and inquired\nwhy he had not repaid Ali Cogia the sum in question.\n\nThe false merchant repeated the reasons that the real merchant had\ngiven to the Cadi of Bagdad, and also offered to swear that he had told\nthe truth.\n\n\"Stop a moment!\" said the little Cadi, \"before we come to oaths, I\nshould like to examine the vase with the olives.  Ali Cogia,\" he added,\n\"have you got the vase with you?\" and finding he had not, the Cadi\ncontinued, \"Go and get it, and bring it to me.\"\n\nSo Ali Cogia disappeared for an instant, and then pretended to lay a\nvase at the feet of the Cadi, declaring it was his vase, which he had\ngiven to the accused for safe custody; and in order to be quite\ncorrect, the Cadi asked the merchant if he recognised it as the same\nvase.  By his silence the merchant admitted the fact, and the Cadi then\ncommanded to have the vase opened.  Ali Cogia made a movement as if he\nwas taking off the lid, and the little Cadi on his part made a pretence\nof peering into a vase.\n\n\"What beautiful olives!\" he said, \"I should like to taste one,\" and\npretending to put one in his mouth, he added, \"they are really\nexcellent!\n\n\"But,\" he went on, \"it seems to me odd that olives seven years old\nshould be as good as that!  Send for some dealers in olives, and let us\nhear what they say!\"\n\nTwo children were presented to him as olive merchants, and the Cadi\naddressed them.  \"Tell me,\" he said, \"how long can olives be kept so as\nto be pleasant eating?\"\n\n\"My lord,\" replied the merchants, \"however much care is taken to\npreserve them, they never last beyond the third year.  They lose both\ntaste and colour, and are only fit to be thrown away.\"\n\n\"If that is so,\" answered the little Cadi, \"examine this vase, and tell\nme how long the olives have been in it.\"\n\nThe olive merchants pretended to examine the olives and taste them;\nthen reported to the Cadi that they were fresh and good.\n\n\"You are mistaken,\" said he, \"Ali Cogia declares he put them in that\nvase seven years ago.\"\n\n\"My lord,\" returned the olive merchants, \"we can assure you that the\nolives are those of the present year.  And if you consult all the\nmerchants in Bagdad you will not find one to give a contrary opinion.\"\n\nThe accused merchant opened his mouth as if to protest, but the Cadi\ngave him no time.  \"Be silent,\" he said, \"you are a thief.  Take him\naway and hang him.\"  So the game ended, the children clapping their\nhands in applause, and leading the criminal away to be hanged.\n\nHaroun-al-Raschid was lost in astonishment at the wisdom of the child,\nwho had given so wise a verdict on the case which he himself was to\nhear on the morrow.  \"Is there any other verdict possible?\" he asked\nthe grand-vizir, who was as much impressed as himself.  \"I can imagine\nno better judgment.\"\n\n\"If the circumstances are really such as we have heard,\" replied the\ngrand-vizir, \"it seems to me your Highness could only follow the\nexample of this boy, in the method of reasoning, and also in your\nconclusions.\"\n\n\"Then take careful note of this house,\" said the Caliph, \"and bring me\nthe boy to-morrow, so that the affair may be tried by him in my\npresence.  Summon also the Cadi, to learn his duty from the mouth of a\nchild.  Bid Ali Cogia bring his vase of olives, and see that two\ndealers in olives are present.\"  So saying the Caliph returned to the\npalace.\n\nThe next morning early, the grand-vizir went back to the house where\nthey had seen the children playing, and asked for the mistress and her\nchildren.  Three boys appeared, and the grand-vizir inquired which had\nrepresented the Cadi in their game of the previous evening.  The eldest\nand tallest, changing colour, confessed that it was he, and to his\nmother's great alarm, the grand-vizir said that he had strict orders to\nbring him into the presence of the Caliph.\n\n\"Does he want to take my son from me?\" cried the poor woman; but the\ngrand-vizir hastened to calm her, by assuring her that she should have\nthe boy again in an hour, and she would be quite satisfied when she\nknew the reason of the summons.  So she dressed the boy in his best\nclothes, and the two left the house.\n\nWhen the grand-vizir presented the child to the Caliph, he was a little\nawed and confused, and the Caliph proceeded to explain why he had sent\nfor him.  \"Approach, my son,\" he said kindly.  \"I think it was you who\njudged the case of Ali Cogia and the merchant last night?  I overheard\nyou by chance, and was very pleased with the way you conducted it.\nTo-day you will see the real Ali Cogia and the real merchant.  Seat\nyourself at once next to me.\"\n\nThe Caliph being seated on his throne with the boy next him, the\nparties to the suit were ushered in.  One by one they prostrated\nthemselves, and touched the carpet at the foot of the throne with their\nforeheads.  When they rose up, the Caliph said:  \"Now speak.  This\nchild will give you justice, and if more should be wanted I will see to\nit myself.\"\n\nAli Cogia and the merchant pleaded one after the other, but when the\nmerchant offered to swear the same oath that he had taken before the\nCadi, he was stopped by the child, who said that before this was done\nhe must first see the vase of olives.\n\nAt these words, Ali Cogia presented the vase to the Caliph, and\nuncovered it.  The Caliph took one of the olives, tasted it, and\nordered the expert merchants to do the same.  They pronounced the\nolives good, and fresh that year.  The boy informed them that Ali Cogia\ndeclared it was seven years since he had placed them in the vase; to\nwhich they returned the same answer as the children had done.\n\nThe accused merchant saw by this time that his condemnation was\ncertain, and tried to allege something in his defence.  The boy had too\nmuch sense to order him to be hanged, and looked at the Caliph, saying,\n\"Commander of the Faithful, this is not a game now; it is for your\nHighness to condemn him to death and not for me.\"\n\nThen the Caliph, convinced that the man was a thief, bade them take him\naway and hang him, which was done, but not before he had confessed his\nguilt and the place in which he had hidden Ali Cogia's money.  The\nCaliph ordered the Cadi to learn how to deal out justice from the mouth\nof a child, and sent the boy home, with a purse containing a hundred\npieces of gold as a mark of his favour.\n\n\n\nThe Enchanted Horse\n\n\nIt was the Feast of the New Year, the oldest and most splendid of all\nthe feasts in the Kingdom of Persia, and the day had been spent by the\nking in the city of Schiraz, taking part in the magnificent spectacles\nprepared by his subjects to do honour to the festival.  The sun was\nsetting, and the monarch was about to give his court the signal to\nretire, when suddenly an Indian appeared before his throne, leading a\nhorse richly harnessed, and looking in every respect exactly like a\nreal one.\n\n\"Sire,\" said he, prostrating himself as he spoke, \"although I make my\nappearance so late before your Highness, I can confidently assure you\nthat none of the wonders you have seen during the day can be compared\nto this horse, if you will deign to cast your eyes upon him.\"\n\n\"I see nothing in it,\" replied the king, \"except a clever imitation of\na real one; and any skilled workman might do as much.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" returned the Indian, \"it is not of his outward form that I\nwould speak, but of the use that I can make of him.  I have only to\nmount him, and to wish myself in some special place, and no matter how\ndistant it may be, in a very few moments I shall find myself there.  It\nis this, Sire, that makes the horse so marvellous, and if your Highness\nwill allow me, you can prove it for yourself.\"\n\nThe King of Persia, who was interested in every thing out of the\ncommon, and had never before come across a horse with such qualities,\nbade the Indian mount the animal, and show what he could do.  In an\ninstant the man had vaulted on his back, and inquired where the monarch\nwished to send him.\n\n\"Do you see that mountain?\" asked the king, pointing to a huge mass\nthat towered into the sky about three leagues from Schiraz; \"go and\nbring me the leaf of a palm that grows at the foot.\"\n\nThe words were hardly out of the king's mouth when the Indian turned a\nscrew placed in the horse's neck, close to the saddle, and the animal\nbounded like lightning up into the air, and was soon beyond the sight\neven of the sharpest eyes.  In a quarter of an hour the Indian was seen\nreturning, bearing in his hand the palm, and, guiding his horse to the\nfoot of the throne, he dismounted, and laid the leaf before the king.\n\nNow the monarch had no sooner proved the astonishing speed of which the\nhorse was capable than he longed to possess it himself, and indeed, so\nsure was he that the Indian would be quite ready to sell it, that he\nlooked upon it as his own already.\n\n\"I never guessed from his mere outside how valuable an animal he was,\"\nhe remarked to the Indian, \"and I am grateful to you for having shown\nme my error,\" said he.  \"If you will sell it, name your own price.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the Indian, \"I never doubted that a sovereign so wise\nand accomplished as your Highness would do justice to my horse, when he\nonce knew its power; and I even went so far as to think it probable\nthat you might wish to possess it.  Greatly as I prize it, I will yield\nit up to your Highness on one condition.  The horse was not constructed\nby me, but it was given me by the inventor, in exchange for my only\ndaughter, who made me take a solemn oath that I would never part with\nit, except for some object of equal value.\"\n\n\"Name anything you like,\" cried the monarch, interrupting him.  \"My\nkingdom is large, and filled with fair cities.  You have only to choose\nwhich you would prefer, to become its ruler to the end of your life.\"\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the Indian, to whom the proposal did not seem nearly\nso generous as it appeared to the king, \"I am most grateful to your\nHighness for your princely offer, and beseech you not to be offended\nwith me if I say that I can only deliver up my horse in exchange for\nthe hand of the princess your daughter.\"\n\nA shout of laughter burst from the courtiers as they heard these words,\nand Prince Firouz Schah, the heir apparent, was filled with anger at\nthe Indian's presumption.  The king, however, thought that it would not\ncost him much to part from the princess in order to gain such a\ndelightful toy, and while he was hesitating as to his answer the prince\nbroke in.\n\n\"Sire,\" he said, \"it is not possible that you can doubt for an instant\nwhat reply you should give to such an insolent bargain.  Consider what\nyou owe to yourself, and to the blood of your ancestors.\"\n\n\"My son,\" replied the king, \"you speak nobly, but you do not realise\neither the value of the horse, or the fact that if I reject the\nproposal of the Indian, he will only make the same to some other\nmonarch, and I should be filled with despair at the thought that anyone\nbut myself should own this Seventh Wonder of the World.  Of course I do\nnot say that I shall accept his conditions, and perhaps he may be\nbrought to reason, but meanwhile I should like you to examine the\nhorse, and, with the owner's permission, to make trial of its powers.\"\n\nThe Indian, who had overheard the king's speech, thought that he saw in\nit signs of yielding to his proposal, so he joyfully agreed to the\nmonarch's wishes, and came forward to help the prince to mount the\nhorse, and show him how to guide it:  but, before he had finished, the\nyoung man turned the screw, and was soon out of sight.\n\nThey waited some time, expecting that every moment he might be seen\nreturning in the distance, but at length the Indian grew frightened,\nand prostrating himself before the throne, he said to the king, \"Sire,\nyour Highness must have noticed that the prince, in his impatience, did\nnot allow me to tell him what it was necessary to do in order to return\nto the place from which he started.  I implore you not to punish me for\nwhat was not my fault, and not to visit on me any misfortune that may\noccur.\"\n\n\"But why,\" cried the king in a burst of fear and anger, \"why did you\nnot call him back when you saw him disappearing?\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the Indian, \"the rapidity of his movements took me so\nby surprise that he was out of hearing before I recovered my speech.\nBut we must hope that he will perceive and turn a second screw, which\nwill have the effect of bringing the horse back to earth.\"\n\n\"But supposing he does!\" answered the king, \"what is to hinder the\nhorse from descending straight into the sea, or dashing him to pieces\non the rocks?\"\n\n\"Have no fears, your Highness,\" said the Indian; \"the horse has the\ngift of passing over seas, and of carrying his rider wherever he wishes\nto go.\"\n\n\"Well, your head shall answer for it,\" returned the monarch, \"and if in\nthree months he is not safe back with me, or at any rate does not send\nme news of his safety, your life shall pay the penalty.\" So saying, he\nordered his guards to seize the Indian and throw him into prison.\n\nMeanwhile, Prince Firouz Schah had gone gaily up into the air, and for\nthe space of an hour continued to ascend higher and higher, till the\nvery mountains were not distinguishable from the plains.  Then he began\nto think it was time to come down, and took for granted that, in order\nto do this, it was only needful to turn the screw the reverse way; but,\nto his surprise and horror, he found that, turn as he might, he did not\nmake the smallest impression.  He then remembered that he had never\nwaited to ask how he was to get back to earth again, and understood the\ndanger in which he stood.  Luckily, he did not lose his head, and set\nabout examining the horse's neck with great care, till at last, to his\nintense joy, he discovered a tiny little peg, much smaller than the\nother, close to the right ear.  This he turned, and found him-self\ndropping to the earth, though more slowly than he had left it.\n\nIt was now dark, and as the prince could see nothing, he was obliged,\nnot without some feeling of disquiet, to allow the horse to direct his\nown course, and midnight was already passed before Prince Firouz Schah\nagain touched the ground, faint and weary from his long ride, and from\nthe fact that he had eaten nothing since early morning.\n\nThe first thing he did on dismounting was to try to find out where he\nwas, and, as far as he could discover in the thick darkness, he found\nhimself on the terraced roof of a huge palace, with a balustrade of\nmarble running round.  In one corner of the terrace stood a small door,\nopening on to a staircase which led down into the palace.\n\nSome people might have hesitated before exploring further, but not so\nthe prince.  \"I am doing no harm,\" he said, \"and whoever the owner may\nbe, he will not touch me when he sees I am unarmed,\" and in dread of\nmaking a false step, he went cautiously down the staircase.  On a\nlanding, he noticed an open door, beyond which was a faintly lighted\nhall.\n\nBefore entering, the prince paused and listened, but he heard nothing\nexcept the sound of men snoring.  By the light of a lantern suspended\nfrom the roof, he perceived a row of black guards sleeping, each with a\nnaked sword lying by him, and he understood that the hall must form the\nante-room to the chamber of some queen or princess.\n\nStanding quite still, Prince Firouz Schah looked about him, till his\neyes grew accustomed to the gloom, and he noticed a bright light\nshining through a curtain in one corner.  He then made his way softly\ntowards it, and, drawing aside its folds, passed into a magnificent\nchamber full of sleeping women, all lying on low couches, except one,\nwho was on a sofa; and this one, he knew, must be the princess.\n\nGently stealing up to the side of her bed he looked at her, and saw\nthat she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever beheld.  But,\nfascinated though he was, he was well aware of the danger of his\nposition, as one cry of surprise would awake the guards, and cause his\ncertain death.\n\nSo sinking quietly on his knees, he took hold of the sleeve of the\nprincess and drew her arm lightly towards him.  The princess opened her\neyes, and seeing before her a handsome well-dressed man, she remained\nspeechless with astonishment.\n\nThis favourable moment was seized by the prince, who bowing low while\nhe knelt, thus addressed her:\n\n\"You behold, madame, a prince in distress, son to the King of Persia,\nwho, owing to an adventure so strange that you will scarcely believe\nit, finds himself here, a suppliant for your protection.  But\nyesterday, I was in my father's court, engaged in the celebration of\nour most solemn festival; to-day, I am in an unknown land, in danger of\nmy life.\"\n\nNow the princess whose mercy Prince Firouz Schah implored was the\neldest daughter of the King of Bengal, who was enjoying rest and change\nin the palace her father had built her, at a little distance from the\ncapital.  She listened kindly to what he had to say, and then answered:\n\n\"Prince, be not uneasy; hospitality and humanity are practised as\nwidely in Bengal as they are in Persia.  The protection you ask will be\ngiven you by all.  You have my word for it.\"  And as the prince was\nabout to thank her for her goodness, she added quickly, \"However great\nmay be my curiosity to learn by what means you have travelled here so\nspeedily, I know that you must be faint for want of food, so I shall\ngive orders to my women to take you to one of my chambers, where you\nwill be provided with supper, and left to repose.\"\n\nBy this time the princess's attendants were all awake, and listening to\nthe conversation.  At a sign from their mistress they rose, dressed\nthemselves hastily, and snatching up some of the tapers which lighted\nthe room, conducted the prince to a large and lofty room, where two of\nthe number prepared his bed, and the rest went down to the kitchen,\nfrom which they soon returned with all sorts of dishes.  Then, showing\nhim cupboards filled with dresses and linen, they quitted the room.\n\nDuring their absence the Princess of Bengal, who had been greatly\nstruck by the beauty of the prince, tried in vain to go to sleep again.\nIt was of no use:  she felt broad awake, and when her women entered the\nroom, she inquired eagerly if the prince had all he wanted, and what\nthey thought of him.\n\n\"Madame,\" they replied, \"it is of course impossible for us to tell what\nimpression this young man has made on you.  For ourselves, we think you\nwould be fortunate if the king your father should allow you to marry\nanyone so amiable.  Certainly there is no one in the Court of Bengal\nwho can be compared with him.\"\n\nThese flattering observations were by no means displeasing to the\nprincess, but as she did not wish to betray her own feelings she merely\nsaid, \"You are all a set of chatterboxes; go back to bed, and let me\nsleep.\"\n\nWhen she dressed the following morning, her maids noticed that,\ncontrary to her usual habit, the princess was very particular about her\ntoilette, and insisted on her hair being dressed two or three times\nover.  \"For,\" she said to herself, \"if my appearance was not\ndispleasing to the prince when he saw me in the condition I was, how\nmuch more will he be struck with me when he beholds me with all my\ncharms.\"\n\nThen she placed in her hair the largest and most brilliant diamonds she\ncould find, with a necklace, bracelets and girdle, all of precious\nstones.  And over her shoulders her ladies put a robe of the richest\nstuff in all the Indies, that no one was allowed to wear except members\nof the royal family.  When she was fully dressed according to her\nwishes, she sent to know if the Prince of Persia was awake and ready to\nreceive her, as she desired to present herself before him.\n\nWhen the princess's messenger entered his room, Prince Firouz Schah was\nin the act of leaving it, to inquire if he might be allowed to pay his\nhomage to her mistress:  but on hearing the princess's wishes, he at\nonce gave way.  \"Her will is my law,\" he said, \"I am only here to obey\nher orders.\"\n\nIn a few moments the princess herself appeared, and after the usual\ncompliments had passed between them, the princess sat down on a sofa,\nand began to explain to the prince her reasons for not giving him an\naudience in her own apartments.  \"Had I done so,\" she said, \"we might\nhave been interrupted at any hour by the chief of the eunuchs, who has\nthe right to enter whenever it pleases him, whereas this is forbidden\nground.  I am all impatience to learn the wonderful accident which has\nprocured the pleasure of your arrival, and that is why I have come to\nyou here, where no one can intrude upon us.  Begin then, I entreat you,\nwithout delay.\"\n\nSo the prince began at the beginning, and told all the story of the\nfestival of Nedrouz held yearly in Persia, and of the splendid\nspectacles celebrated in its honour.  But when he came to the enchanted\nhorse, the princess declared that she could never have imagined\nanything half so surprising.  \"Well then,\" continued the prince, \"you\ncan easily understand how the King my father, who has a passion for all\ncurious things, was seized with a violent desire to possess this horse,\nand asked the Indian what sum he would take for it.\n\n\"The man's answer was absolutely absurd, as you will agree, when I tell\nyou that it was nothing less than the hand of the princess my sister;\nbut though all the bystanders laughed and mocked, and I was beside\nmyself with rage, I saw to my despair that my father could not make up\nhis mind to treat the insolent proposal as it deserved.  I tried to\nargue with him, but in vain.  He only begged me to examine the horse\nwith a view (as I quite understood) of making me more sensible of its\nvalue.\"\n\n\"To please my father, I mounted the horse, and, without waiting for any\ninstructions from the Indian, turned the peg as I had seen him do.  In\nan instant I was soaring upwards, much quicker than an arrow could fly,\nand I felt as if I must be getting so near the sky that I should soon\nhit my head against it!  I could see nothing beneath me, and for some\ntime was so confused that I did not even know in what direction I was\ntravelling.  At last, when it was growing dark, I found another screw,\nand on turning it, the horse began slowly to sink towards the earth.  I\nwas forced to trust to chance, and to see what fate had in store, and\nit was already past midnight when I found myself on the roof of this\npalace.  I crept down the little staircase, and made directly for a\nlight which I perceived through an open door--I peeped cautiously in,\nand saw, as you will guess, the eunuchs lying asleep on the floor.  I\nknew the risks I ran, but my need was so great that I paid no attention\nto them, and stole safely past your guards, to the curtain which\nconcealed your doorway.\n\n\"The rest, Princess, you know; and it only remains for me to thank you\nfor the kindness you have shown me, and to assure you of my gratitude.\nBy the law of nations, I am already your slave, and I have only my\nheart, that is my own, to offer you.  But what am I saying?  My own?\nAlas, madame, it was yours from the first moment I beheld you!\"\n\nThe air with which he said these words could have left no doubt on the\nmind of the princess as to the effect of her charms, and the blush\nwhich mounted to her face only increased her beauty.\n\n\"Prince,\" returned she as soon as her confusion permitted her to speak,\n\"you have given me the greatest pleasure, and I have followed you\nclosely in all your adventures, and though you are positively sitting\nbefore me, I even trembled at your danger in the upper regions of the\nair!  Let me say what a debt I owe to the chance that has led you to my\nhouse; you could have entered none which would have given you a warmer\nwelcome.  As to your being a slave, of course that is merely a joke,\nand my reception must itself have assured you that you are as free here\nas at your father's court.  As to your heart,\" continued she in tones\nof encouragement, \"I am quite sure that must have been disposed of long\nago, to some princess who is well worthy of it, and I could not think\nof being the cause of your unfaithfulness to her.\"\n\nPrince Firouz Schah was about to protest that there was no lady with\nany prior claims, but he was stopped by the entrance of one of the\nprincess's attendants, who announced that dinner was served, and, after\nall, neither was sorry for the interruption.\n\nDinner was laid in a magnificent apartment, and the table was covered\nwith delicious fruits; while during the repast richly dressed girls\nsang softly and sweetly to stringed instruments.  After the prince and\nprincess had finished, they passed into a small room hung with blue and\ngold, looking out into a garden stocked with flowers and arbutus trees,\nquite different from any that were to be found in Persia.\n\n\"Princess,\" observed the young man, \"till now I had always believed\nthat Persia could boast finer palaces and more lovely gardens than any\nkingdom upon earth.  But my eyes have been opened, and I begin to\nperceive that, wherever there is a great king he will surround himself\nwith buildings worthy of him.\"\n\n\"Prince,\" replied the Princess of Bengal, \"I have no idea what a\nPersian palace is like, so I am unable to make comparisons.  I do not\nwish to depreciate my own palace, but I can assure you that it is very\npoor beside that of the King my father, as you will agree when you have\nbeen there to greet him, as I hope you will shortly do.\"\n\nNow the princess hoped that, by bringing about a meeting between the\nprince and her father, the King would be so struck with the young man's\ndistinguished air and fine manners, that he would offer him his\ndaughter to wife.  But the reply of the Prince of Persia to her\nsuggestion was not quite what she wished.\n\n\"Madame,\" he said, \"by taking advantage of your proposal to visit the\npalace of the King of Bengal, I should satisfy not merely my curiosity,\nbut also the sentiments of respect with which I regard him.  But,\nPrincess, I am persuaded that you will feel with me, that I cannot\npossibly present myself before so great a sovereign without the\nattendants suitable to my rank.  He would think me an adventurer.\"\n\n\"If that is all,\" she answered, \"you can get as many attendants here as\nyou please.  There are plenty of Persian merchants, and as for money,\nmy treasury is always open to you.  Take what you please.\"\n\nPrince Firouz Schah guessed what prompted so much kindness on the part\nof the princess, and was much touched by it.  Still his passion, which\nincreased every moment, did not make him forget his duty.  So he\nreplied without hesitation:\n\n\"I do not know, Princess, how to express my gratitude for your obliging\noffer, which I would accept at once if it were not for the recollection\nof all the uneasiness the King my father must be suffering on my\naccount.  I should be unworthy indeed of all the love he showers upon\nme, if I did not return to him at the first possible moment.  For,\nwhile I am enjoying the society of the most amiable of all princesses,\nhe is, I am quite convinced, plunged in the deepest grief, having lost\nall hope of seeing me again.  I am sure you will understand my\nposition, and will feel that to remain away one instant longer than is\nnecessary would not only be ungrateful on my part, but perhaps even a\ncrime, for how do I know if my absence may not break his heart?\n\n\"But,\" continued the prince, \"having obeyed the voice of my conscience,\nI shall count the moments when, with your gracious permission, I may\npresent myself before the King of Bengal, not as a wanderer, but as a\nprince, to implore the favour of your hand.  My father has always\ninformed me that in my marriage I shall be left quite free, but I am\npersuaded that I have only to describe your generosity, for my wishes\nto become his own.\"\n\nThe Princess of Bengal was too reasonable not to accept the explanation\noffered by Prince Firouz Schah, but she was much disturbed at his\nintention of departing at once, for she feared that, no sooner had he\nleft her, than the impression she had made on him would fade away.  So\nshe made one more effort to keep him, and after assuring him that she\nentirely approved of his anxiety to see his father, begged him to give\nher a day or two more of his company.\n\nIn common politeness the prince could hardly refuse this request, and\nthe princess set about inventing every kind of amusement for him, and\nsucceeded so well that two months slipped by almost unnoticed, in\nballs, spectacles and in hunting, of which, when unattended by danger,\nthe princess was passionately fond.  But at last, one day, he declared\nseriously that he could neglect his duty no longer, and entreated her\nto put no further obstacles in his way, promising at the same time to\nreturn, as soon as he could, with all the magnificence due both to her\nand to himself.\n\n\"Princess,\" he added, \"it may be that in your heart you class me with\nthose false lovers whose devotion cannot stand the test of absence.  If\nyou do, you wrong me; and were it not for fear of offending you, I\nwould beseech you to come with me, for my life can only be happy when\npassed with you.  As for your reception at the Persian Court, it will\nbe as warm as your merits deserve; and as for what concerns the King of\nBengal, he must be much more indifferent to your welfare than you have\nled me to believe if he does not give his consent to our marriage.\"\n\nThe princess could not find words in which to reply to the arguments of\nthe Prince of Persia, but her silence and her downcast eyes spoke for\nher, and declared that she had no objection to accompanying him on his\ntravels.\n\nThe only difficulty that occurred to her was that Prince Firouz Schah\ndid not know how to manage the horse, and she dreaded lest they might\nfind themselves in the same plight as before.  But the prince soothed\nher fears so successfully, that she soon had no other thought than to\narrange for their flight so secretly, that no one in the palace should\nsuspect it.\n\nThis was done, and early the following morning, when the whole palace\nwas wrapped in sleep, she stole up on to the roof, where the prince was\nalready awaiting her, with his horse's head towards Persia.  He mounted\nfirst and helped the princess up behind; then, when she was firmly\nseated, with her hands holding tightly to his belt, he touched the\nscrew, and the horse began to leave the earth quickly behind him.\n\nHe travelled with his accustomed speed, and Prince Firouz Schah guided\nhim so well that in two hours and a half from the time of starting, he\nsaw the capital of Persia lying beneath him.  He determined to alight\nneither in the great square from which he had started, nor in the\nSultan's palace, but in a country house at a little distance from the\ntown.  Here he showed the princess a beautiful suite of rooms, and\nbegged her to rest, while he informed his father of their arrival, and\nprepared a public reception worthy of her rank.  Then he ordered a\nhorse to be saddled, and set out.\n\nAll the way through the streets he was welcomed with shouts of joy by\nthe people, who had long lost all hope of seeing him again.  On\nreaching the palace, he found the Sultan surrounded by his ministers,\nall clad in the deepest mourning, and his father almost went out of his\nmind with surprise and delight at the mere sound of his son's voice.\nWhen he had calmed down a little, he begged the prince to relate his\nadventures.\n\nThe prince at once seized the opening thus given him, and told the\nwhole story of his treatment by the Princess of Bengal, not even\nconcealing the fact that she had fallen in love with him.  \"And, Sire,\"\nended the prince, \"having given my royal word that you would not refuse\nyour consent to our marriage, I persuaded her to return with me on the\nIndian's horse.  I have left her in one of your Highness's country\nhouses, where she is waiting anxiously to be assured that I have not\npromised in vain.\"\n\nAs he said this the prince was about to throw himself at the feet of\nthe Sultan, but his father prevented him, and embracing him again, said\neagerly:\n\n\"My son, not only do I gladly consent to your marriage with the\nPrincess of Bengal, but I will hasten to pay my respects to her, and to\nthank her in my own person for the benefits she has conferred on you.\nI will then bring her back with me, and make all arrangements for the\nwedding to be celebrated to-day.\"\n\nSo the Sultan gave orders that the habits of mourning worn by the\npeople should be thrown off and that there should be a concert of\ndrums, trumpets and cymbals.  Also that the Indian should be taken from\nprison, and brought before him.\n\nHis commands were obeyed, and the Indian was led into his presence,\nsurrounded by guards.  \"I have kept you locked up,\" said the Sultan,\n\"so that in case my son was lost, your life should pay the penalty.  He\nhas now returned; so take your horse, and begone for ever.\"\n\nThe Indian hastily quitted the presence of the Sultan, and when he was\noutside, he inquired of the man who had taken him out of prison where\nthe prince had really been all this time, and what he had been doing.\nThey told him the whole story, and how the Princess of Bengal was even\nthen awaiting in the country palace the consent of the Sultan, which at\nonce put into the Indian's head a plan of revenge for the treatment he\nhad experienced.  Going straight to the country house, he informed the\ndoorkeeper who was left in charge that he had been sent by the Sultan\nand by the Prince of Persia to fetch the princess on the enchanted\nhorse, and to bring her to the palace.\n\nThe doorkeeper knew the Indian by sight, and was of course aware that\nnearly three months before he had been thrown into prison by the\nSultan; and seeing him at liberty, the man took for granted that he was\nspeaking the truth, and made no difficulty about leading him before the\nPrincess of Bengal; while on her side, hearing that he had come from\nthe prince, the lady gladly consented to do what he wished.\n\nThe Indian, delighted with the success of his scheme, mounted the\nhorse, assisted the princess to mount behind him, and turned the peg at\nthe very moment that the prince was leaving the palace in Schiraz for\nthe country house, followed closely by the Sultan and all the court.\nKnowing this, the Indian deliberately steered the horse right above the\ncity, in order that his revenge for his unjust imprisonment might be\nall the quicker and sweeter.\n\nWhen the Sultan of Persia saw the horse and its riders, he stopped\nshort with astonishment and horror, and broke out into oaths and\ncurses, which the Indian heard quite unmoved, knowing that he was\nperfectly safe from pursuit.  But mortified and furious as the Sultan\nwas, his feelings were nothing to those of Prince Firouz Schah, when he\nsaw the object of his passionate devotion being borne rapidly away.\nAnd while he was struck speechless with grief and remorse at not having\nguarded her better, she vanished swiftly out of his sight.  What was he\nto do?  Should he follow his father into the palace, and there give\nreins to his despair?  Both his love and his courage alike forbade it;\nand he continued his way to the palace.\n\nThe sight of the prince showed the doorkeeper of what folly he had been\nguilty, and flinging himself at his master's feet, implored his pardon.\n\"Rise,\" said the prince, \"I am the cause of this misfortune, and not\nyou.  Go and find me the dress of a dervish, but beware of saying it is\nfor me.\"\n\nAt a short distance from the country house, a convent of dervishes was\nsituated, and the superior, or scheih, was the doorkeeper's friend.  So\nby means of a false story made up on the spur of the moment, it was\neasy enough to get hold of a dervish's dress, which the prince at once\nput on, instead of his own.  Disguised like this and concealing about\nhim a box of pearls and diamonds he had intended as a present to the\nprincess, he left the house at nightfall, uncertain where he should go,\nbut firmly resolved not to return without her.\n\nMeanwhile the Indian had turned the horse in such a direction that,\nbefore many hours had passed, it had entered a wood close to the\ncapital of the kingdom of Cashmere.  Feeling very hungry, and supposing\nthat the princess also might be in want of food, he brought his steed\ndown to the earth, and left the princess in a shady place, on the banks\nof a clear stream.\n\nAt first, when the princess had found herself alone, the idea had\noccurred to her of trying to escape and hide herself.  But as she had\neaten scarcely anything since she had left Bengal, she felt she was too\nweak to venture far, and was obliged to abandon her design.  On the\nreturn of the Indian with meats of various kinds, she began to eat\nvoraciously, and soon had regained sufficient courage to reply with\nspirit to his insolent remarks.  Goaded by his threats she sprang to\nher feet, calling loudly for help, and luckily her cries were heard by\na troop of horsemen, who rode up to inquire what was the matter.\n\nNow the leader of these horsemen was the Sultan of Cashmere, returning\nfrom the chase, and he instantly turned to the Indian to inquire who he\nwas, and whom he had with him.  The Indian rudely answered that it was\nhis wife, and there was no occasion for anyone else to interfere\nbetween them.\n\nThe princess, who, of course, was ignorant of the rank of her\ndeliverer, denied altogether the Indian's story.  \"My lord,\" she cried,\n\"whoever you may be, put no faith in this impostor.  He is an\nabominable magician, who has this day torn me from the Prince of\nPersia, my destined husband, and has brought me here on this enchanted\nhorse.\"  She would have continued, but her tears choked her, and the\nSultan of Cashmere, convinced by her beauty and her distinguished air\nof the truth of her tale, ordered his followers to cut off the Indian's\nhead, which was done immediately.\n\nBut rescued though she was from one peril, it seemed as if she had only\nfallen into another.  The Sultan commanded a horse to be given her, and\nconducted her to his own palace, where he led her to a beautiful\napartment, and selected female slaves to wait on her, and eunuchs to be\nher guard.  Then, without allowing her time to thank him for all he had\ndone, he bade her repose, saying she should tell him her adventures on\nthe following day.\n\nThe princess fell asleep, flattering herself that she had only to\nrelate her story for the Sultan to be touched by compassion, and to\nrestore her to the prince without delay.  But a few hours were to\nundeceive her.\n\nWhen the King of Cashmere had quitted her presence the evening before,\nhe had resolved that the sun should not set again without the princess\nbecoming his wife, and at daybreak proclamation of his intention was\nmade throughout the town, by the sound of drums, trumpets, cymbals, and\nother instruments calculated to fill the heart with joy.  The Princess\nof Bengal was early awakened by the noise, but she did not for one\nmoment imagine that it had anything to do with her, till the Sultan,\narriving as soon as she was dressed to inquire after her health,\ninformed her that the trumpet blasts she heard were part of the solemn\nmarriage ceremonies, for which he begged her to prepare.  This\nunexpected announcement caused the princess such terror that she sank\ndown in a dead faint.\n\nThe slaves that were in waiting ran to her aid, and the Sultan himself\ndid his best to bring her back to consciousness, but for a long while\nit was all to no purpose.  At length her senses began slowly to come\nback to her, and then, rather than break faith with the Prince of\nPersia by consenting to such a marriage, she determined to feign\nmadness.  So she began by saying all sorts of absurdities, and using\nall kinds of strange gestures, while the Sultan stood watching her with\nsorrow and surprise.  But as this sudden seizure showed no sign of\nabating, he left her to her women, ordering them to take the greatest\ncare of her.  Still, as the day went on, the malady seemed to become\nworse, and by night it was almost violent.\n\nDays passed in this manner, till at last the Sultan of Cashmere decided\nto summon all the doctors of his court to consult together over her sad\nstate.  Their answer was that madness is of so many different kinds\nthat it was impossible to give an opinion on the case without seeing\nthe princess, so the Sultan gave orders that they were to be introduced\ninto her chamber, one by one, every man according to his rank.\n\nThis decision had been foreseen by the princess, who knew quite well\nthat if once she allowed the physicians to feel her pulse, the most\nignorant of them would discover that she was in perfectly good health,\nand that her madness was feigned, so as each man approached, she broke\nout into such violent paroxysms, that not one dared to lay a finger on\nher.  A few, who pretended to be cleverer than the rest, declared that\nthey could diagnose sick people only from sight, ordered her certain\npotions, which she made no difficulty about taking, as she was\npersuaded they were all harmless.\n\nWhen the Sultan of Cashmere saw that the court doctors could do nothing\ntowards curing the princess, he called in those of the city, who fared\nno better.  Then he had recourse to the most celebrated physicians in\nthe other large towns, but finding that the task was beyond their\nscience, he finally sent messengers into the other neighbouring states,\nwith a memorandum containing full particulars of the princess's\nmadness, offering at the same time to pay the expenses of any physician\nwho would come and see for himself, and a handsome reward to the one\nwho should cure her.  In answer to this proclamation many foreign\nprofessors flocked into Cashmere, but they naturally were not more\nsuccessful than the rest had been, as the cure depended neither on them\nnor their skill, but only on the princess herself.\n\nIt was during this time that Prince Firouz Schah, wandering sadly and\nhopelessly from place to place, arrived in a large city of India, where\nhe heard a great deal of talk about the Princess of Bengal who had gone\nout of her senses, on the very day that she was to have been married to\nthe Sultan of Cashmere.  This was quite enough to induce him to take\nthe road to Cashmere, and to inquire at the first inn at which he\nlodged in the capital the full particulars of the story.  When he knew\nthat he had at last found the princess whom he had so long lost, he set\nabout devising a plan for her rescue.\n\nThe first thing he did was to procure a doctor's robe, so that his\ndress, added to the long beard he had allowed to grow on his travels,\nmight unmistakably proclaim his profession.  He then lost no time in\ngoing to the palace, where he obtained an audience of the chief usher,\nand while apologising for his boldness in presuming to think that he\ncould cure the princess, where so many others had failed, declared that\nhe had the secret of certain remedies, which had hitherto never failed\nof their effect.\n\nThe chief usher assured him that he was heartily welcome, and that the\nSultan would receive him with pleasure; and in case of success, he\nwould gain a magnificent reward.\n\nWhen the Prince of Persia, in the disguise of a physician, was brought\nbefore him, the Sultan wasted no time in talking, beyond remarking that\nthe mere sight of a doctor threw the princess into transports of rage.\nHe then led the prince up to a room under the roof, which had an\nopening through which he might observe the princess, without himself\nbeing seen.\n\nThe prince looked, and beheld the princess reclining on a sofa with\ntears in her eyes, singing softly to herself a song bewailing her sad\ndestiny, which had deprived her, perhaps for ever, of a being she so\ntenderly loved.  The young man's heart beat fast as he listened, for he\nneeded no further proof that her madness was feigned, and that it was\nlove of him which had caused her to resort to this species of trick.\nHe softly left his hiding-place, and returned to the Sultan, to whom he\nreported that he was sure from certain signs that the princess's malady\nwas not incurable, but that he must see her and speak with her alone.\n\nThe Sultan made no difficulty in consenting to this, and commanded that\nhe should be ushered in to the princess's apartment.  The moment she\ncaught sight of his physician's robe, she sprang from her seat in a\nfury, and heaped insults upon him.  The prince took no notice of her\nbehaviour, and approaching quite close, so that his words might be\nheard by her alone, he said in a low whisper, \"Look at me, princess,\nand you will see that I am no doctor, but the Prince of Persia, who has\ncome to set you free.\"\n\nAt the sound of his voice, the Princess of Bengal suddenly grew calm,\nand an expression of joy overspread her face, such as only comes when\nwhat we wish for most and expect the least suddenly happens to us.  For\nsome time she was too enchanted to speak, and Prince Firouz Schah took\nadvantage of her silence to explain to her all that had occurred, his\ndespair at watching her disappear before his very eyes, the oath he had\nsworn to follow her over the world, and his rapture at finally\ndiscovering her in the palace at Cashmere.  When he had finished, he\nbegged in his turn that the princess would tell him how she had come\nthere, so that he might the better devise some means of rescuing her\nfrom the tyranny of the Sultan.\n\nIt needed but a few words from the princess to make him acquainted with\nthe whole situation, and how she had been forced to play the part of a\nmad woman in order to escape from a marriage with the Sultan, who had\nnot had sufficient politeness even to ask her consent.  If necessary,\nshe added, she had resolved to die sooner than permit herself to be\nforced into such a union, and break faith with a prince whom she loved.\n\nThe prince then inquired if she knew what had become of the enchanted\nhorse since the Indian's death, but the princess could only reply that\nshe had heard nothing about it.  Still she did not suppose that the\nhorse could have been forgotten by the Sultan, after all she had told\nhim of its value.\n\nTo this the prince agreed, and they consulted together over a plan by\nwhich she might be able to make her escape and return with him into\nPersia.  And as the first step, she was to dress herself with care, and\nreceive the Sultan with civility when he visited her next morning.\n\nThe Sultan was transported with delight on learning the result of the\ninterview, and his opinion of the doctor's skill was raised still\nhigher when, on the following day, the princess behaved towards him in\nsuch a way as to persuade him that her complete cure would not be long\ndelayed.  However he contented himself with assuring her how happy he\nwas to see her health so much improved, and exhorted her to make every\nuse of so clever a physician, and to repose entire confidence in him.\nThen he retired, without awaiting any reply from the princess.\n\nThe Prince of Persia left the room at the same time, and asked if he\nmight be allowed humbly to inquire by what means the Princess of Bengal\nhad reached Cashmere, which was so far distant from her father's\nkingdom, and how she came to be there alone.  The Sultan thought the\nquestion very natural, and told him the same story that the Princess of\nBengal had done, adding that he had ordered the enchanted horse to be\ntaken to his treasury as a curiosity, though he was quite ignorant how\nit could be used.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the physician, \"your Highness's tale has supplied me\nwith the clue I needed to complete the recovery of the princess.\nDuring her voyage hither on an enchanted horse, a portion of its\nenchantment has by some means been communicated to her person, and it\ncan only be dissipated by certain perfumes of which I possess the\nsecret.  If your Highness will deign to consent, and to give the court\nand the people one of the most astonishing spectacles they have ever\nwitnessed, command the horse to be brought into the big square outside\nthe palace, and leave the rest to me.  I promise that in a very few\nmoments, in presence of all the assembled multitude, you shall see the\nprincess as healthy both in mind and body as ever she was in her life.\nAnd in order to make the spectacle as impressive as possible, I would\nsuggest that she should be richly dressed and covered with the noblest\njewels of the crown.\"\n\nThe Sultan readily agreed to all that the prince proposed, and the\nfollowing morning he desired that the enchanted horse should be taken\nfrom the treasury, and brought into the great square of the palace.\nSoon the rumour began to spread through the town, that something\nextraordinary was about to happen, and such a crowd began to collect\nthat the guards had to be called out to keep order, and to make a way\nfor the enchanted horse.\n\nWhen all was ready, the Sultan appeared, and took his place on a\nplatform, surrounded by the chief nobles and officers of his court.\nWhen they were seated, the Princess of Bengal was seen leaving the\npalace, accompanied by the ladies who had been assigned to her by the\nSultan.  She slowly approached the enchanted horse, and with the help\nof her ladies, she mounted on its back.  Directly she was in the\nsaddle, with her feet in the stirrups and the bridle in her hand, the\nphysician placed around the horse some large braziers full of burning\ncoals, into each of which he threw a perfume composed of all sorts of\ndelicious scents.  Then he crossed his hands over his breast, and with\nlowered eyes walked three times round the horse, muttering the while\ncertain words.  Soon there arose from the burning braziers a thick\nsmoke which almost concealed both the horse and princess, and this was\nthe moment for which he had been waiting.  Springing lightly up behind\nthe lady, he leaned forward and turned the peg, and as the horse darted\nup into the air, he cried aloud so that his words were heard by all\npresent, \"Sultan of Cashmere, when you wish to marry princesses who\nhave sought your protection, learn first to gain their consent.\"\n\nIt was in this way that the Prince of Persia rescued the Princess of\nBengal, and returned with her to Persia, where they descended this time\nbefore the palace of the King himself.  The marriage was only delayed\njust long enough to make the ceremony as brilliant as possible, and, as\nsoon as the rejoicings were over, an ambassador was sent to the King of\nBengal, to inform him of what had passed, and to ask his approbation of\nthe alliance between the two countries, which he heartily gave.\n\n\n\nThe Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister\n\n\nOnce upon a time there reigned over Persia a Sultan named Kosrouschah,\nwho from his boyhood had been fond of putting on a disguise and seeking\nadventures in all parts of the city, accompanied by one of his\nofficers, disguised like himself.  And no sooner was his father buried\nand the ceremonies over that marked his accession to the throne, than\nthe young man hastened to throw off his robes of state, and calling to\nhis vizir to make ready likewise, stole out in the simple dress of a\nprivate citizen into the less known streets of the capital.\n\nPassing down a lonely street, the Sultan heard women's voices in loud\ndiscussion; and peeping through a crack in the door, he saw three\nsisters, sitting on a sofa in a large hall, talking in a very lively\nand earnest manner.  Judging from the few words that reached his ear,\nthey were each explaining what sort of men they wished to marry.\n\n\"I ask nothing better,\" cried the eldest, \"than to have the Sultan's\nbaker for a husband.  Think of being able to eat as much as one wanted,\nof that delicious bread that is baked for his Highness alone!  Let us\nsee if your wish is as good as mine.\"\n\n\"I,\" replied the second sister, \"should be quite content with the\nSultan's head cook.  What delicate stews I should feast upon!  And, as\nI am persuaded that the Sultan's bread is used all through the palace,\nI should have that into the bargain.  You see, my dear sister, my taste\nis as good as yours.\"\n\nIt was now the turn of the youngest sister, who was by far the most\nbeautiful of the three, and had, besides, more sense than the other\ntwo.  \"As for me,\" she said, \"I should take a higher flight; and if we\nare to wish for husbands, nothing less than the Sultan himself will do\nfor me.\"\n\nThe Sultan was so much amused by the conversation he had overheard,\nthat he made up his mind to gratify their wishes, and turning to the\ngrand-vizir, he bade him note the house, and on the following morning\nto bring the ladies into his presence.\n\nThe grand-vizir fulfilled his commission, and hardly giving them time\nto change their dresses, desired the three sisters to follow him to the\npalace.  Here they were presented one by one, and when they had bowed\nbefore the Sultan, the sovereign abruptly put the question to them:\n\n\"Tell me, do you remember what you wished for last night, when you were\nmaking merry?  Fear nothing, but answer me the truth.\"\n\nThese words, which were so unexpected, threw the sisters into great\nconfusion, their eyes fell, and the blushes of the youngest did not\nfail to make an impression on the heart of the Sultan.  All three\nremained silent, and he hastened to continue:  \"Do not be afraid, I\nhave not the slightest intention of giving you pain, and let me tell\nyou at once, that I know the wishes formed by each one.  You,\" he said,\nturning to the youngest, \"who desired to have me for an husband, shall\nbe satisfied this very day.  And you,\" he added, addressing himself to\nthe other two, \"shall be married at the same moment to my baker and to\nmy chief cook.\"\n\nWhen the Sultan had finished speaking the three sisters flung\nthemselves at his feet, and the youngest faltered out, \"Oh, sire, since\nyou know my foolish words, believe, I pray you, that they were only\nsaid in joke.  I am unworthy of the honour you propose to do me, and I\ncan only ask pardon for my boldness.\"\n\nThe other sisters also tried to excuse themselves, but the Sultan would\nhear nothing.\n\n\"No, no,\" he said, \"my mind is made up.  Your wishes shall be\naccomplished.\"\n\nSo the three weddings were celebrated that same day, but with a great\ndifference.  That of the youngest was marked by all the magnificence\nthat was customary at the marriage of the Shah of Persia, while the\nfestivities attending the nuptials of the Sultan's baker and his chief\ncook were only such as were suitable to their conditions.\n\nThis, though quite natural, was highly displeasing to the elder\nsisters, who fell into a passion of jealousy, which in the end caused a\ngreat deal of trouble and pain to several people.  And the first time\nthat they had the opportunity of speaking to each other, which was not\ntill several days later at a public bath, they did not attempt to\ndisguise their feelings.\n\n\"Can you possibly understand what the Sultan saw in that little cat,\"\nsaid one to the other, \"for him to be so fascinated by her?\"\n\n\"He must be quite blind,\" returned the wife of the chief cook.  \"As for\nher looking a little younger than we do, what does that matter?  You\nwould have made a far better Sultana than she.\"\n\n\"Oh, I say nothing of myself,\" replied the elder, \"and if the Sultan\nhad chosen you it would have been all very well; but it really grieves\nme that he should have selected a wretched little creature like that.\nHowever, I will be revenged on her somehow, and I beg you will give me\nyour help in the matter, and to tell me anything that you can think of\nthat is likely to mortify her.\"\n\nIn order to carry out their wicked scheme the two sisters met\nconstantly to talk over their ideas, though all the while they\npretended to be as friendly as ever towards the Sultana, who, on her\npart, invariably treated them with kindness.  For a long time no plan\noccurred to the two plotters that seemed in the least likely to meet\nwith success, but at length the expected birth of an heir gave them the\nchance for which they had been hoping.\n\nThey obtained permission of the Sultan to take up their abode in the\npalace for some weeks, and never left their sister night or day.  When\nat last a little boy, beautiful as the sun, was born, they laid him in\nhis cradle and carried it down to a canal which passed through the\ngrounds of the palace.  Then, leaving it to its fate, they informed the\nSultan that instead of the son he had so fondly desired the Sultana had\ngiven birth to a puppy.  At this dreadful news the Sultan was so\novercome with rage and grief that it was with great difficulty that the\ngrand-vizir managed to save the Sultana from his wrath.\n\nMeanwhile the cradle continued to float peacefully along the canal\ntill, on the outskirts of the royal gardens, it was suddenly perceived\nby the intendant, one of the highest and most respected officials in\nthe kingdom.\n\n\"Go,\" he said to a gardener who was working near, \"and get that cradle\nout for me.\"\n\nThe gardener did as he was bid, and soon placed the cradle in the hands\nof the intendant.\n\nThe official was much astonished to see that the cradle, which he had\nsupposed to be empty, contained a baby, which, young though it was,\nalready gave promise of great beauty.  Having no children himself,\nalthough he had been married some years, it at once occurred to him\nthat here was a child which he could take and bring up as his own.\nAnd, bidding the man pick up the cradle and follow him, he turned\ntowards home.\n\n\"My wife,\" he exclaimed as he entered the room, \"heaven has denied us\nany children, but here is one that has been sent in their place.  Send\nfor a nurse, and I will do what is needful publicly to recognise it as\nmy son.\"\n\nThe wife accepted the baby with joy, and though the intendant saw quite\nwell that it must have come from the royal palace, he did not think it\nwas his business to inquire further into the mystery.\n\nThe following year another prince was born and sent adrift, but happily\nfor the baby, the intendant of the gardens again was walking by the\ncanal, and carried it home as before.\n\nThe Sultan, naturally enough, was still more furious the second time\nthan the first, but when the same curious accident was repeated in the\nthird year he could control himself no longer, and, to the great joy of\nthe jealous sisters, commanded that the Sultana should be executed.\nBut the poor lady was so much beloved at Court that not even the dread\nof sharing her fate could prevent the grand-vizir and the courtiers\nfrom throwing themselves at the Sultan's feet and imploring him not to\ninflict so cruel a punishment for what, after all, was not her fault.\n\n\"Let her live,\" entreated the grand-vizir, \"and banish her from your\npresence for the rest of her days.  That in itself will be punishment\nenough.\"\n\nHis first passion spent, the Sultan had regained his self-command.\n\"Let her live then,\" he said, \"since you have it so much at heart.  But\nif I grant her life it shall only be on one condition, which shall make\nher daily pray for death.  Let a box be built for her at the door of\nthe principal mosque, and let the window of the box be always open.\nThere she shall sit, in the coarsest clothes, and every Mussulman who\nenters the mosque shall spit in her face in passing.  Anyone that\nrefuses to obey shall be exposed to the same punishment himself.  You,\nvizir, will see that my orders are carried out.\"\n\nThe grand-vizir saw that it was useless to say more, and, full of\ntriumph, the sisters watched the building of the box, and then listened\nto the jeers of the people at the helpless Sultana sitting inside.  But\nthe poor lady bore herself with so much dignity and meekness that it\nwas not long before she had won the sympathy of those that were best\namong the crowd.\n\nBut it is now time to return to the fate of the third baby, this time a\nprincess.  Like its brothers, it was found by the intendant of the\ngardens, and adopted by him and his wife, and all three were brought up\nwith the greatest care and tenderness.\n\nAs the children grew older their beauty and air of distinction became\nmore and more marked, and their manners had all the grace and ease that\nis proper to people of high birth.  The princes had been named by their\nfoster-father Bahman and Perviz, after two of the ancient kings of\nPersia, while the princess was called Parizade, or the child of the\ngenii.\n\nThe intendant was careful to bring them up as befitted their real rank,\nand soon appointed a tutor to teach the young princes how to read and\nwrite.  And the princess, determined not to be left behind, showed\nherself so anxious to learn with her brothers, that the intendant\nconsented to her joining in their lessons, and it was not long before\nshe knew as much as they did.\n\nFrom that time all their studies were done in common.  They had the\nbest masters for the fine arts, geography, poetry, history and science,\nand even for sciences which are learned by few, and every branch seemed\nso easy to them, that their teachers were astonished at the progress\nthey made.  The princess had a passion for music, and could sing and\nplay upon all sorts of instruments she could also ride and drive as\nwell as her brothers, shoot with a bow and arrow, and throw a javelin\nwith the same skill as they, and sometimes even better.\n\nIn order to set off these accomplishments, the intendant resolved that\nhis foster children should not be pent up any longer in the narrow\nborders of the palace gardens, where he had always lived, so he bought\na splendid country house a few miles from the capital, surrounded by an\nimmense park.  This park he filled with wild beasts of various sorts,\nso that the princes and princess might hunt as much as they pleased.\n\nWhen everything was ready, the intendant threw himself at the Sultan's\nfeet, and after referring to his age and his long services, begged his\nHighness's permission to resign his post.  This was granted by the\nSultan in a few gracious words, and he then inquired what reward he\ncould give to his faithful servant.  But the intendant declared that he\nwished for nothing except the continuance of his Highness's favour, and\nprostrating himself once more, he retired from the Sultan's presence.\n\nFive or six months passed away in the pleasures of the country, when\ndeath attacked the intendant so suddenly that he had no time to reveal\nthe secret of their birth to his adopted children, and as his wife had\nlong been dead also, it seemed as if the princes and the princess would\nnever know that they had been born to a higher station than the one\nthey filled.  Their sorrow for their father was very deep, and they\nlived quietly on in their new home, without feeling any desire to leave\nit for court gaieties or intrigues.\n\nOne day the princes as usual went out to hunt, but their sister\nremained alone in her apartments.  While they were gone an old\nMussulman devotee appeared at the door, and asked leave to enter, as it\nwas the hour of prayer.  The princess sent orders at once that the old\nwoman was to be taken to the private oratory in the grounds, and when\nshe had finished her prayers was to be shown the house and gardens, and\nthen to be brought before her.\n\nAlthough the old woman was very pious, she was not at all indifferent\nto the magnificence of all around her, which she seemed to understand\nas well as to admire, and when she had seen it all she was led by the\nservants before the princess, who was seated in a room which surpassed\nin splendour all the rest.\n\n\"My good woman,\" said the princess pointing to a sofa, \"come and sit\nbeside me.  I am delighted at the opportunity of speaking for a few\nmoments with so holy a person.\"  The old woman made some objections to\nso much honour being done her, but the princess refused to listen, and\ninsisted that her guest should take the best seat, and as she thought\nshe must be tired ordered refreshments.\n\nWhile the old woman was eating, the princess put several questions to\nher as to her mode of life, and the pious exercises she practiced, and\nthen inquired what she thought of the house now that she had seen it.\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the pilgrim, \"one must be hard indeed to please to\nfind any fault.  It is beautiful, comfortable and well ordered, and it\nis impossible to imagine anything more lovely than the garden.  But\nsince you ask me, I must confess that it lacks three things to make it\nabsolutely perfect.\"\n\n\"And what can they be?\" cried the princess.  \"Only tell me, and I will\nlose no time in getting them.\"\n\n\"The three things, madam,\" replied the old woman, \"are, first, the\nTalking Bird, whose voice draws all other singing birds to it, to join\nin chorus.  And second, the Singing Tree, where every leaf is a song\nthat is never silent.  And lastly the Golden Water, of which it is only\nneedful to pour a single drop into a basin for it to shoot up into a\nfountain, which will never be exhausted, nor will the basin ever\noverflow.\"\n\n\"Oh, how can I thank you,\" cried the princess, \"for telling me of such\ntreasures!  But add, I pray you, to your goodness by further informing\nme where I can find them.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the pilgrim, \"I should ill repay the hospitality you\nhave shown me if I refused to answer your question.  The three things\nof which I have spoken are all to be found in one place, on the borders\nof this kingdom, towards India.  Your messenger has only to follow the\nroad that passes by your house, for twenty days, and at the end of that\ntime, he is to ask the first person he meets for the Talking Bird, the\nSinging Tree, and the Golden Water.\" She then rose, and bidding\nfarewell to the princess, went her way.\n\nThe old woman had taken her departure so abruptly that the Princess\nParizade did not perceive till she was really gone that the directions\nwere hardly clear enough to enable the search to be successful.  And\nshe was still thinking of the subject, and how delightful it would be\nto possess such rarities, when the princes, her brothers, returned from\nthe chase.\n\n\"What is the matter, my sister?\" asked Prince Bahman; \"why are you so\ngrave?  Are you ill?  Or has anything happened?\"\n\nPrincess Parizade did not answer directly, but at length she raised her\neyes, and replied that there was nothing wrong.\n\n\"But there must be something,\" persisted Prince Bahman, \"for you to\nhave changed so much during the short time we have been absent.  Hide\nnothing from us, I beseech you, unless you wish us to believe that the\nconfidence we have always had in one another is now to cease.\"\n\n\"When I said that it was nothing,\" said the princess, moved by his\nwords, \"I meant that it was nothing that affected you, although I admit\nthat it is certainly of some importance to me.  Like myself, you have\nalways thought this house that our father built for us was perfect in\nevery respect, but only to-day I have learned that three things are\nstill lacking to complete it.  These are the Talking Bird, the Singing\nTree, and the Golden Water.\"  After explaining the peculiar qualities\nof each, the princess continued:  \"It was a Mussulman devotee who told\nme all this, and where they might all be found.  Perhaps you will think\nthat the house is beautiful enough as it is, and that we can do quite\nwell without them; but in this I cannot agree with you, and I shall\nnever be content until I have got them.  So counsel me, I pray, whom to\nsend on the undertaking.\"\n\n\"My dear sister,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"that you should care about\nthe matter is quite enough, even if we took no interest in it\nourselves.  But we both feel with you, and I claim, as the elder, the\nright to make the first attempt, if you will tell me where I am to go,\nand what steps I am to take.\"\n\nPrince Perviz at first objected that, being the head of the family, his\nbrother ought not to be allowed to expose himself to danger; but Prince\nBahman would hear nothing, and retired to make the needful preparations\nfor his journey.\n\nThe next morning Prince Bahman got up very early, and after bidding\nfarewell to his brother and sister, mounted his horse.  But just as he\nwas about to touch it with his whip, he was stopped by a cry from the\nprincess.\n\n\"Oh, perhaps after all you may never come back; one never can tell what\naccidents may happen.  Give it up, I implore you, for I would a\nthousand times rather lose the Talking Bird, and the Singing Tree and\nthe Golden Water, than that you should run into danger.\"\n\n\"My dear sister,\" answered the prince, \"accidents only happen to\nunlucky people, and I hope that I am not one of them.  But as\neverything is uncertain, I promise you to be very careful.  Take this\nknife,\" he continued, handing her one that hung sheathed from his belt,\n\"and every now and then draw it out and look at it.  As long as it\nkeeps bright and clean as it is to-day, you will know that I am living;\nbut if the blade is spotted with blood, it will be a sign that I am\ndead, and you shall weep for me.\"\n\nSo saying, Prince Bahman bade them farewell once more, and started on\nthe high road, well mounted and fully armed.  For twenty days he rode\nstraight on, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, till he\nfound himself drawing near the frontiers of Persia.  Seated under a\ntree by the wayside he noticed a hideous old man, with a long white\nmoustache, and beard that almost fell to his feet.  His nails had grown\nto an enormous length, and on his head he wore a huge hat, which served\nhim for an umbrella.\n\nPrince Bahman, who, remembering the directions of the old woman, had\nbeen since sunrise on the look-out for some one, recognised the old man\nat once to be a dervish.  He dismounted from his horse, and bowed low\nbefore the holy man, saying by way of greeting, \"My father, may your\ndays be long in the land, and may all your wishes be fulfilled!\"\n\nThe dervish did his best to reply, but his moustache was so thick that\nhis words were hardly intelligible, and the prince, perceiving what was\nthe matter, took a pair of scissors from his saddle pockets, and\nrequested permission to cut off some of the moustache, as he had a\nquestion of great importance to ask the dervish.  The dervish made a\nsign that he might do as he liked, and when a few inches of his hair\nand beard had been pruned all round the prince assured the holy man\nthat he would hardly believe how much younger he looked.  The dervish\nsmiled at his compliments, and thanked him for what he had done.\n\n\"Let me,\" he said, \"show you my gratitude for making me more\ncomfortable by telling me what I can do for you.\"\n\n\"Gentle dervish,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"I come from far, and I seek\nthe Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water.  I know that\nthey are to be found somewhere in these parts, but I am ignorant of the\nexact spot.  Tell me, I pray you, if you can, so that I may not have\ntravelled on a useless quest.\"  While he was speaking, the prince\nobserved a change in the countenance of the dervish, who waited for\nsome time before he made reply.\n\n\"My lord,\" he said at last, \"I do know the road for which you ask, but\nyour kindness and the friendship I have conceived for you make me loth\nto point it out.\"\n\n\"But why not?\" inquired the prince.  \"What danger can there be?\"\n\n\"The very greatest danger,\" answered the dervish.  \"Other men, as brave\nas you, have ridden down this road, and have put me that question.  I\ndid my best to turn them also from their purpose, but it was of no use.\nNot one of them would listen to my words, and not one of them came\nback.  Be warned in time, and seek to go no further.\"\n\n\"I am grateful to you for your interest in me,\" said Prince Bahman,\n\"and for the advice you have given, though I cannot follow it.  But\nwhat dangers can there be in the adventure which courage and a good\nsword cannot meet?\"\n\n\"And suppose,\" answered the dervish, \"that your enemies are invisible,\nhow then?\"\n\n\"Nothing will make me give it up,\" replied the prince, \"and for the\nlast time I ask you to tell me where I am to go.\"\n\nWhen the dervish saw that the prince's mind was made up, he drew a ball\nfrom a bag that lay near him, and held it out.  \"If it must be so,\" he\nsaid, with a sigh, \"take this, and when you have mounted your horse\nthrow the ball in front of you.  It will roll on till it reaches the\nfoot of a mountain, and when it stops you will stop also.  You will\nthen throw the bridle on your horse's neck without any fear of his\nstraying, and will dismount.  On each side you will see vast heaps of\nbig black stones, and will hear a multitude of insulting voices, but\npay no heed to them, and, above all, beware of ever turning your head.\nIf you do, you will instantly become a black stone like the rest.  For\nthose stones are in reality men like yourself, who have been on the\nsame quest, and have failed, as I fear that you may fail also.  If you\nmanage to avoid this pitfall, and to reach the top of the mountain, you\nwill find there the Talking Bird in a splendid cage, and you can ask of\nhim where you are to seek the Singing Tree and the Golden Water.  That\nis all I have to say.  You know what you have to do, and what to avoid,\nbut if you are wise you will think of it no more, but return whence you\nhave come.\"\n\nThe prince smilingly shook his head, and thanking the dervish once\nmore, he sprang on his horse and threw the ball before him.\n\nThe ball rolled along the road so fast that Prince Bahman had much\ndifficulty in keeping up with it, and it never relaxed its speed till\nthe foot of the mountain was reached.  Then it came to a sudden halt,\nand the prince at once got down and flung the bridle on his horse's\nneck.  He paused for a moment and looked round him at the masses of\nblack stones with which the sides of the mountain were covered, and\nthen began resolutely to ascend.  He had hardly gone four steps when he\nheard the sound of voices around him, although not another creature was\nin sight.\n\n\"Who is this imbecile?\" cried some, \"stop him at once.\"  \"Kill him,\"\nshrieked others, \"Help! robbers! murderers! help! help!\"  \"Oh, let him\nalone,\" sneered another, and this was the most trying of all, \"he is\nsuch a beautiful young man; I am sure the bird and the cage must have\nbeen kept for him.\"\n\nAt first the prince took no heed to all this clamour, but continued to\npress forward on his way.  Unfortunately this conduct, instead of\nsilencing the voices, only seemed to irritate them the more, and they\narose with redoubled fury, in front as well as behind.  After some time\nhe grew bewildered, his knees began to tremble, and finding himself in\nthe act of falling, he forgot altogether the advice of the dervish.  He\nturned to fly down the mountain, and in one moment became a black stone.\n\nAs may be imagined, Prince Perviz and his sister were all this time in\nthe greatest anxiety, and consulted the magic knife, not once but many\ntimes a day.  Hitherto the blade had remained bright and spotless, but\non the fatal hour on which Prince Bahman and his horse were changed\ninto black stones, large drops of blood appeared on the surface.  \"Ah!\nmy beloved brother,\" cried the princess in horror, throwing the knife\nfrom her, \"I shall never see you again, and it is I who have killed\nyou.  Fool that I was to listen to the voice of that temptress, who\nprobably was not speaking the truth.  What are the Talking Bird and the\nSinging Tree to me in comparison with you, passionately though I long\nfor them!\"\n\nPrince Perviz's grief at his brother's loss was not less than that of\nPrincess Parizade, but he did not waste his time on useless\nlamentations.\n\n\"My sister,\" he said, \"why should you think the old woman was deceiving\nyou about these treasures, and what would have been her object in doing\nso!  No, no, our brother must have met his death by some accident, or\nwant of precaution, and to-morrow I will start on the same quest.\"\n\nTerrified at the thought that she might lose her only remaining\nbrother, the princess entreated him to give up his project, but he\nremained firm.  Before setting out, however, he gave her a chaplet of a\nhundred pearls, and said, \"When I am absent, tell this over daily for\nme.  But if you should find that the beads stick, so that they will not\nslip one after the other, you will know that my brother's fate has\nbefallen me.  Still, we must hope for better luck.\"\n\nThen he departed, and on the twentieth day of his journey fell in with\nthe dervish on the same spot as Prince Bahman had met him, and began to\nquestion him as to the place where the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree\nand the Golden Water were to be found.  As in the case of his brother,\nthe dervish tried to make him give up his project, and even told him\nthat only a few weeks since a young man, bearing a strong resemblance\nto himself, had passed that way, but had never come back again.\n\n\"That, holy dervish,\" replied Prince Perviz, \"was my elder brother, who\nis now dead, though how he died I cannot say.\"\n\n\"He is changed into a black stone,\" answered the dervish, \"like all the\nrest who have gone on the same errand, and you will become one likewise\nif you are not more careful in following my directions.\" Then he\ncharged the prince, as he valued his life, to take no heed of the\nclamour of voices that would pursue him up the mountain, and handing\nhim a ball from the bag, which still seemed to be half full, he sent\nhim on his way.\n\nWhen Prince Perviz reached the foot of the mountain he jumped from his\nhorse, and paused for a moment to recall the instructions the dervish\nhad given him.  Then he strode boldly on, but had scarcely gone five or\nsix paces when he was startled by a man's voice that seemed close to\nhis ear, exclaiming:  \"Stop, rash fellow, and let me punish your\naudacity.\"  This outrage entirely put the dervish's advice out of the\nprince's head.  He drew his sword, and turned to avenge himself, but\nalmost before he had realised that there was nobody there, he and his\nhorse were two black stones.\n\nNot a morning had passed since Prince Perviz had ridden away without\nPrincess Parizade telling her beads, and at night she even hung them\nround her neck, so that if she woke she could assure herself at once of\nher brother's safety.  She was in the very act of moving them through\nher fingers at the moment that the prince fell a victim to his\nimpatience, and her heart sank when the first pearl remained fixed in\nits place.  However she had long made up her mind what she would do in\nsuch a case, and the following morning the princess, disguised as a\nman, set out for the mountain.\n\nAs she had been accustomed to riding from her childhood, she managed to\ntravel as many miles daily as her brothers had done, and it was, as\nbefore, on the twentieth day that she arrived at the place where the\ndervish was sitting.  \"Good dervish,\" she said politely, \"will you\nallow me to rest by you for a few moments, and perhaps you will be so\nkind as to tell me if you have ever heard of a Talking Bird, a Singing\nTree, and some Golden Water that are to be found somewhere near this?\"\n\n\"Madam,\" replied the dervish, \"for in spite of your manly dress your\nvoice betrays you, I shall be proud to serve you in any way I can.  But\nmay I ask the purpose of your question?\"\n\n\"Good dervish,\" answered the princess, \"I have heard such glowing\ndescriptions of these three things, that I cannot rest till I possess\nthem.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" said the dervish, \"they are far more beautiful than any\ndescription, but you seem ignorant of all the difficulties that stand\nin your way, or you would hardly have undertaken such an adventure.\nGive it up, I pray you, and return home, and do not ask me to help you\nto a cruel death.\"\n\n\"Holy father,\" answered the princess, \"I come from far, and I should be\nin despair if I turned back without having attained my object.  You\nhave spoken of difficulties; tell me, I entreat you, what they are, so\nthat I may know if I can overcome them, or see if they are beyond my\nstrength.\"\n\nSo the dervish repeated his tale, and dwelt more firmly than before on\nthe clamour of the voices, the horrors of the black stones, which were\nonce living men, and the difficulties of climbing the mountain; and\npointed out that the chief means of success was never to look behind\ntill you had the cage in your grasp.\n\n\"As far as I can see,\" said the princess, \"the first thing is not to\nmind the tumult of the voices that follow you till you reach the cage,\nand then never to look behind.  As to this, I think I have enough\nself-control to look straight before me; but as it is quite possible\nthat I might be frightened by the voices, as even the boldest men have\nbeen, I will stop up my ears with cotton, so that, let them make as\nmuch noise as they like, I shall hear nothing.\"\n\n\"Madam,\" cried the dervish, \"out of all the number who have asked me\nthe way to the mountain, you are the first who has ever suggested such\na means of escaping the danger!  It is possible that you may succeed,\nbut all the same, the risk is great.\"\n\n\"Good dervish,\" answered the princess, \"I feel in my heart that I shall\nsucceed, and it only remains for me to ask you the way I am to go.\"\n\nThen the dervish said that it was useless to say more, and he gave her\nthe ball, which she flung before her.\n\nThe first thing the princess did on arriving at the mountain was to\nstop her ears with cotton, and then, making up her mind which was the\nbest way to go, she began her ascent.  In spite of the cotton, some\nechoes of the voices reached her ears, but not so as to trouble her.\nIndeed, though they grew louder and more insulting the higher she\nclimbed, the princess only laughed, and said to herself that she\ncertainly would not let a few rough words stand between her and the\ngoal.  At last she perceived in the distance the cage and the bird,\nwhose voice joined itself in tones of thunder to those of the rest:\n\"Return, return! never dare to come near me.\"\n\nAt the sight of the bird, the princess hastened her steps, and without\nvexing herself at the noise which by this time had grown deafening, she\nwalked straight up to the cage, and seizing it, she said: \"Now, my\nbird, I have got you, and I shall take good care that you do not\nescape.\"  As she spoke she took the cotton from her ears, for it was\nneeded no longer.\n\n\"Brave lady,\" answered the bird, \"do not blame me for having joined my\nvoice to those who did their best to preserve my freedom.  Although\nconfined in a cage, I was content with my lot, but if I must become a\nslave, I could not wish for a nobler mistress than one who has shown so\nmuch constancy, and from this moment I swear to serve you faithfully.\nSome day you will put me to the proof, for I know who you are better\nthan you do yourself.  Meanwhile, tell me what I can do, and I will\nobey you.\"\n\n\"Bird,\" replied the princess, who was filled with a joy that seemed\nstrange to herself when she thought that the bird had cost her the\nlives of both her brothers, \"bird, let me first thank you for your good\nwill, and then let me ask you where the Golden Water is to be found.\"\n\nThe bird described the place, which was not far distant, and the\nprincess filled a small silver flask that she had brought with her for\nthe purpose.  She then returned to the cage, and said:  \"Bird, there is\nstill something else, where shall I find the Singing Tree?\"\n\n\"Behind you, in that wood,\" replied the bird, and the princess wandered\nthrough the wood, till a sound of the sweetest voices told her she had\nfound what she sought.  But the tree was tall and strong, and it was\nhopeless to think of uprooting it.\n\n\"You need not do that,\" said the bird, when she had returned to ask\ncounsel.  \"Break off a twig, and plant it in your garden, and it will\ntake root, and grow into a magnificent tree.\"\n\nWhen the Princess Parizade held in her hands the three wonders promised\nher by the old woman, she said to the bird:  \"All that is not enough.\nIt was owing to you that my brothers became black stones.  I cannot\ntell them from the mass of others, but you must know, and point them\nout to me, I beg you, for I wish to carry them away.\"\n\nFor some reason that the princess could not guess these words seemed to\ndisplease the bird, and he did not answer.  The princess waited a\nmoment, and then continued in severe tones, \"Have you forgotten that\nyou yourself said that you are my slave to do my bidding, and also that\nyour life is in my power?\"\n\n\"No, I have not forgotten,\" replied the bird, \"but what you ask is very\ndifficult.  However, I will do my best.  If you look round,\" he went\non, \"you will see a pitcher standing near.  Take it, and, as you go\ndown the mountain, scatter a little of the water it contains over every\nblack stone and you will soon find your two brothers.\"\n\nPrincess Parizade took the pitcher, and, carrying with her besides the\ncage the twig and the flask, returned down the mountain side.  At every\nblack stone she stopped and sprinkled it with water, and as the water\ntouched it the stone instantly became a man.  When she suddenly saw her\nbrothers before her her delight was mixed with astonishment.\n\n\"Why, what are you doing here?\" she cried.\n\n\"We have been asleep,\" they said.\n\n\"Yes,\" returned the princess, \"but without me your sleep would probably\nhave lasted till the day of judgment.  Have you forgotten that you came\nhere in search of the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden\nWater, and the black stones that were heaped up along the road?  Look\nround and see if there is one left.  These gentlemen, and yourselves,\nand all your horses were changed into these stones, and I have\ndelivered you by sprinkling you with the water from this pitcher.  As I\ncould not return home without you, even though I had gained the prizes\non which I had set my heart, I forced the Talking Bird to tell me how\nto break the spell.\"\n\nOn hearing these words Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz understood all\nthey owed their sister, and the knights who stood by declared\nthemselves her slaves and ready to carry out her wishes.  But the\nprincess, while thanking them for their politeness, explained that she\nwished for no company but that of her brothers, and that the rest were\nfree to go where they would.\n\nSo saying the princess mounted her horse, and, declining to allow even\nPrince Bahman to carry the cage with the Talking Bird, she entrusted\nhim with the branch of the Singing Tree, while Prince Perviz took care\nof the flask containing the Golden Water.\n\nThen they rode away, followed by the knights and gentlemen, who begged\nto be permitted to escort them.\n\nIt had been the intention of the party to stop and tell their\nadventures to the dervish, but they found to their sorrow that he was\ndead, whether from old age, or whether from the feeling that his task\nwas done, they never knew.\n\nAs they continued their road their numbers grew daily smaller, for the\nknights turned off one by one to their own homes, and only the brothers\nand sister finally drew up at the gate of the palace.\n\nThe princess carried the cage straight into the garden, and, as soon as\nthe bird began to sing, nightingales, larks, thrushes, finches, and all\nsorts of other birds mingled their voices in chorus.  The branch she\nplanted in a corner near the house, and in a few days it had grown into\na great tree.  As for the Golden Water it was poured into a great\nmarble basin specially prepared for it, and it swelled and bubbled and\nthen shot up into the air in a fountain twenty feet high.\n\nThe fame of these wonders soon spread abroad, and people came from far\nand near to see and admire.\n\nAfter a few days Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz fell back into their\nordinary way of life, and passed most of their time hunting.  One day\nit happened that the Sultan of Persia was also hunting in the same\ndirection, and, not wishing to interfere with his sport, the young men,\non hearing the noise of the hunt approaching, prepared to retire, but,\nas luck would have it, they turned into the very path down which the\nSultan was coming.  They threw themselves from their horses and\nprostrated themselves to the earth, but the Sultan was curious to see\ntheir faces, and commanded them to rise.\n\nThe princes stood up respectfully, but quite at their ease, and the\nSultan looked at them for a few moments without speaking, then he asked\nwho they were and where they lived.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"we are sons of your Highness's late\nintendant of the gardens, and we live in a house that he built a short\ntime before his death, waiting till an occasion should offer itself to\nserve your Highness.\"\n\n\"You seem fond of hunting,\" answered the Sultan.\n\n\"Sire,\" replied Prince Bahman, \"it is our usual exercise, and one that\nshould be neglected by no man who expects to comply with the ancient\ncustoms of the kingdom and bear arms.\"\n\nThe Sultan was delighted with this remark, and said at once, \"In that\ncase I shall take great pleasure in watching you.  Come, choose what\nsort of beasts you would like to hunt.\"\n\nThe princes jumped on their horses and followed the Sultan at a little\ndistance.  They had not gone very far before they saw a number of wild\nanimals appear at once, and Prince Bahman started to give chase to a\nlion and Prince Perviz to a bear.  Both used their javelins with such\nskill that, directly they arrived within striking range, the lion and\nthe bear fell, pierced through and through.  Then Prince Perviz pursued\na lion and Prince Bahman a bear, and in a very few minutes they, too,\nlay dead.  As they were making ready for a third assault the Sultan\ninterfered, and, sending one of his officials to summon them, he said\nsmiling, \"If I let you go on, there will soon be no beasts left to\nhunt.  Besides, your courage and manners have so won my heart that I\nwill not have you expose yourselves to further danger.  I am convinced\nthat some day or other I shall find you useful as well as agreeable.\"\n\nHe then gave them a warm invitation to stay with him altogether, but\nwith many thanks for the honour done them, they begged to be excused,\nand to be suffered to remain at home.\n\nThe Sultan who was not accustomed to see his offers rejected inquired\ntheir reasons, and Prince Bahman explained that they did not wish to\nleave their sister, and were accustomed to do nothing without\nconsulting all three together.\n\n\"Ask her advice, then,\" replied the Sultan, \"and to-morrow come and\nhunt with me, and give me your answer.\"\n\nThe two princes returned home, but their adventure made so little\nimpression on them that they quite forgot to speak to their sister on\nthe subject.  The next morning when they went to hunt they met the\nSultan in the same place, and he inquired what advice their sister had\ngiven.  The young men looked at each other and blushed.  At last Prince\nBahman said, \"Sire, we must throw ourselves on your Highness's mercy.\nNeither my brother nor myself remembered anything about it.\"\n\n\"Then be sure you do not forget to-day,\" answered the Sultan, \"and\nbring me back your reply to-morrow.\"\n\nWhen, however, the same thing happened a second time, they feared that\nthe Sultan might be angry with them for their carelessness.  But he\ntook it in good part, and, drawing three little golden balls from his\npurse, he held them out to Prince Bahman, saying, \"Put these in your\nbosom and you will not forget a third time, for when you remove your\ngirdle to-night the noise they will make in falling will remind you of\nmy wishes.\"\n\nIt all happened as the Sultan had foreseen, and the two brothers\nappeared in their sister's apartments just as she was in the act of\nstepping into bed, and told their tale.\n\nThe Princess Parizade was much disturbed at the news, and did not\nconceal her feelings.  \"Your meeting with the Sultan is very honourable\nto you,\" she said, \"and will, I dare say, be of service to you, but it\nplaces me in a very awkward position.  It is on my account, I know,\nthat you have resisted the Sultan's wishes, and I am very grateful to\nyou for it.  But kings do not like to have their offers refused, and in\ntime he would bear a grudge against you, which would render me very\nunhappy.  Consult the Talking Bird, who is wise and far-seeing, and let\nme hear what he says.\"\n\nSo the bird was sent for and the case laid before him.\n\n\"The princes must on no account refuse the Sultan's proposal,\" said he,\n\"and they must even invite him to come and see your house.\"\n\n\"But, bird,\" objected the princess, \"you know how dearly we love each\nother; will not all this spoil our friendship?\"\n\n\"Not at all,\" replied the bird, \"it will make it all the closer.\"\n\n\"Then the Sultan will have to see me,\" said the princess.\n\nThe bird answered that it was necessary that he should see her, and\neverything would turn out for the best.\n\nThe following morning, when the Sultan inquired if they had spoken to\ntheir sister and what advice she had given them, Prince Bahman replied\nthat they were ready to agree to his Highness's wishes, and that their\nsister had reproved them for their hesitation about the matter.  The\nSultan received their excuses with great kindness, and told them that\nhe was sure they would be equally faithful to him, and kept them by his\nside for the rest of the day, to the vexation of the grand-vizir and\nthe rest of the court.\n\nWhen the procession entered in this order the gates of the capital, the\neyes of the people who crowded the streets were fixed on the two young\nmen, strangers to every one.\n\n\"Oh, if only the Sultan had had sons like that!\" they murmured, \"they\nlook so distinguished and are about the same age that his sons would\nhave been!\"\n\nThe Sultan commanded that splendid apartments should be prepared for\nthe two brothers, and even insisted that they should sit at table with\nhim.  During dinner he led the conversation to various scientific\nsubjects, and also to history, of which he was especially fond, but\nwhatever topic they might be discussing he found that the views of the\nyoung men were always worth listening to.  \"If they were my own sons,\"\nhe said to himself, \"they could not be better educated!\" and aloud he\ncomplimented them on their learning and taste for knowledge.\n\nAt the end of the evening the princes once more prostrated themselves\nbefore the throne and asked leave to return home; and then, encouraged\nby the gracious words of farewell uttered by the Sultan, Prince Bahman\nsaid:  \"Sire, may we dare to take the liberty of asking whether you\nwould do us and our sister the honour of resting for a few minutes at\nour house the first time the hunt passes that way?\"\n\n\"With the utmost pleasure,\" replied the Sultan; \"and as I am all\nimpatience to see the sister of such accomplished young men you may\nexpect me the day after to-morrow.\"\n\nThe princess was of course most anxious to entertain the Sultan in a\nfitting way, but as she had no experience in court customs she ran to\nthe Talking Bird, and begged he would advise her as to what dishes\nshould be served.\n\n\"My dear mistress,\" replied the bird, \"your cooks are very good and you\ncan safely leave all to them, except that you must be careful to have a\ndish of cucumbers, stuffed with pearl sauce, served with the first\ncourse.\"\n\n\"Cucumbers stuffed with pearls!\" exclaimed the princess.  \"Why, bird,\nwho ever heard of such a dish?  The Sultan will expect a dinner he can\neat, and not one he can only admire!  Besides, if I were to use all the\npearls I possess, they would not be half enough.\"\n\n\"Mistress,\" replied the bird, \"do what I tell you and nothing but good\nwill come of it.  And as to the pearls, if you go at dawn to-morrow and\ndig at the foot of the first tree in the park, on the right hand, you\nwill find as many as you want.\"\n\nThe princess had faith in the bird, who generally proved to be right,\nand taking the gardener with her early next morning followed out his\ndirections carefully.  After digging for some time they came upon a\ngolden box fastened with little clasps.\n\nThese were easily undone, and the box was found to be full of pearls,\nnot very large ones, but well-shaped and of a good colour.  So leaving\nthe gardener to fill up the hole he had made under the tree, the\nprincess took up the box and returned to the house.\n\nThe two princes had seen her go out, and had wondered what could have\nmade her rise so early.  Full of curiosity they got up and dressed, and\nmet their sister as she was returning with the box under her arm.\n\n\"What have you been doing?\" they asked, \"and did the gardener come to\ntell you he had found a treasure?\"\n\n\"On the contrary,\" replied the princess, \"it is I who have found one,\"\nand opening the box she showed her astonished brothers the pearls\ninside.  Then, on the way back to the palace, she told them of her\nconsultation with the bird, and the advice it had given her.  All three\ntried to guess the meaning of the singular counsel, but they were\nforced at last to admit the explanation was beyond them, and they must\nbe content blindly to obey.\n\nThe first thing the princess did on entering the palace was to send for\nthe head cook and to order the repast for the Sultan When she had\nfinished she suddenly added, \"Besides the dishes I have mentioned there\nis one that you must prepare expressly for the Sultan, and that no one\nmust touch but yourself.  It consists of a stuffed cucumber, and the\nstuffing is to be made of these pearls.\"\n\nThe head cook, who had never in all his experience heard of such a\ndish, stepped back in amazement.\n\n\"You think I am mad,\" answered the princess, who perceived what was in\nhis mind.  \"But I know quite well what I am doing.  Go, and do your\nbest, and take the pearls with you.\"\n\nThe next morning the princes started for the forest, and were soon\njoined by the Sultan.  The hunt began and continued till mid-day, when\nthe heat became so great that they were obliged to leave off.  Then, as\narranged, they turned their horses' heads towards the palace, and while\nPrince Bahman remained by the side of the Sultan, Prince Perviz rode on\nto warn his sister of their approach.\n\nThe moment his Highness entered the courtyard, the princess flung\nherself at his feet, but he bent and raised her, and gazed at her for\nsome time, struck with her grace and beauty, and also with the\nindefinable air of courts that seemed to hang round this country girl.\n\"They are all worthy one of the other,\" he said to himself, \"and I am\nnot surprised that they think so much of her opinions.  I must know\nmore of them.\"\n\nBy this time the princess had recovered from the first embarrassment of\nmeeting, and proceeded to make her speech of welcome.\n\n\"This is only a simple country house, sire,\" she said, \"suitable to\npeople like ourselves, who live a quiet life.  It cannot compare with\nthe great city mansions, much less, of course, with the smallest of the\nSultan's palaces.\"\n\n\"I cannot quite agree with you,\" he replied; \"even the little that I\nhave seen I admire greatly, and I will reserve my judgment until you\nhave shown me the whole.\"\n\nThe princess then led the way from room to room, and the Sultan\nexamined everything carefully.  \"Do you call this a simple country\nhouse?\" he said at last.  \"Why, if every country house was like this,\nthe towns would soon be deserted.  I am no longer astonished that you\ndo not wish to leave it.  Let us go into the gardens, which I am sure\nare no less beautiful than the rooms.\"\n\nA small door opened straight into the garden, and the first object that\nmet the Sultan's eyes was the Golden Water.\n\n\"What lovely coloured water!\" he exclaimed; \"where is the spring, and\nhow do you make the fountain rise so high?  I do not believe there is\nanything like it in the world.\"  He went forward to examine it, and\nwhen he had satisfied his curiosity, the princess conducted him towards\nthe Singing Tree.\n\nAs they drew near, the Sultan was startled by the sound of strange\nvoices, but could see nothing.  \"Where have you hidden your musicians?\"\nhe asked the princess; \"are they up in the air, or under the earth?\nSurely the owners of such charming voices ought not to conceal\nthemselves!\"\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the princess, \"the voices all come from the tree which\nis straight in front of us; and if you will deign to advance a few\nsteps, you will see that they become clearer.\"\n\nThe Sultan did as he was told, and was so wrapt in delight at what he\nheard that he stood some time in silence.\n\n\"Tell me, madam, I pray you,\" he said at last, \"how this marvellous\ntree came into your garden?  It must have been brought from a great\ndistance, or else, fond as I am of all curiosities, I could not have\nmissed hearing of it!  What is its name?\"\n\n\"The only name it has, sire,\" replied she, \"is the Singing Tree, and it\nis not a native of this country.  Its history is mixed up with those of\nthe Golden Water and the Talking Bird, which you have not yet seen.  If\nyour Highness wishes I will tell you the whole story, when you have\nrecovered from your fatigue.\"\n\n\"Indeed, madam,\" returned he, \"you show me so many wonders that it is\nimpossible to feel any fatigue.  Let us go once more and look at the\nGolden Water; and I am dying to see the Talking Bird.\"\n\nThe Sultan could hardly tear himself away from the Golden Water, which\npuzzled him more and more.  \"You say,\" he observed to the princess,\n\"that this water does not come from any spring, neither is brought by\npipes.  All I understand is, that neither it nor the Singing Tree is a\nnative of this country.\"\n\n\"It is as you say, sire,\" answered the princess, \"and if you examine\nthe basin, you will see that it is all in one piece, and therefore the\nwater could not have been brought through it.  What is more astonishing\nis, that I only emptied a small flaskful into the basin, and it\nincreased to the quantity you now see.\"\n\n\"Well, I will look at it no more to-day,\" said the Sultan.  \"Take me to\nthe Talking Bird.\"\n\nOn approaching the house, the Sultan noticed a vast quantity of birds,\nwhose voices filled the air, and he inquired why they were so much more\nnumerous here than in any other part of the garden.\n\n\"Sire,\" answered the princess, \"do you see that cage hanging in one of\nthe windows of the saloon? that is the Talking Bird, whose voice you\ncan hear above them all, even above that of the nightingale.  And the\nbirds crowd to this spot, to add their songs to his.\"\n\nThe Sultan stepped through the window, but the bird took no notice,\ncontinuing his song as before.\n\n\"My slave,\" said the princess, \"this is the Sultan; make him a pretty\nspeech.\"\n\nThe bird stopped singing at once, and all the other birds stopped too.\n\n\"The Sultan is welcome,\" he said.  \"I wish him long life and all\nprosperity.\"\n\n\"I thank you, good bird,\" answered the Sultan, seating himself before\nthe repast, which was spread at a table near the window, \"and I am\nenchanted to see in you the Sultan and King of the Birds.\"\n\nThe Sultan, noticing that his favourite dish of cucumber was placed\nbefore him, proceeded to help himself to it, and was amazed to and that\nthe stuffing was of pearls.  \"A novelty, indeed!\" cried he, \"but I do\nnot understand the reason of it; one cannot eat pearls!\"\n\n\"Sire,\" replied the bird, before either the princes or the princess\ncould speak, \"surely your Highness cannot be so surprised at beholding\na cucumber stuffed with pearls, when you believed without any\ndifficulty that the Sultana had presented you, instead of children,\nwith a dog, a cat, and a log of wood.\"\n\n\"I believed it,\" answered the Sultan, \"because the women attending on\nher told me so.\"\n\n\"The women, sire,\" said the bird, \"were the sisters of the Sultana, who\nwere devoured with jealousy at the honour you had done her, and in\norder to revenge themselves invented this story.  Have them examined,\nand they will confess their crime.  These are your children, who were\nsaved from death by the intendant of your gardens, and brought up by\nhim as if they were his own.\"\n\nLike a flash the truth came to the mind of the Sultan.  \"Bird,\" he\ncried, \"my heart tells me that what you say is true.  My children,\" he\nadded, \"let me embrace you, and embrace each other, not only as\nbrothers and sister, but as having in you the blood royal of Persia\nwhich could flow in no nobler veins.\"\n\nWhen the first moments of emotion were over, the Sultan hastened to\nfinish his repast, and then turning to his children he exclaimed:\n\"To-day you have made acquaintance with your father.  To-morrow I will\nbring you the Sultana your mother.  Be ready to receive her.\"\n\nThe Sultan then mounted his horse and rode quickly back to the capital.\nWithout an instant's delay he sent for the grand-vizir, and ordered him\nto seize and question the Sultana's sisters that very day.  This was\ndone.  They were confronted with each other and proved guilty, and were\nexecuted in less than an hour.\n\nBut the Sultan did not wait to hear that his orders had been carried\nout before going on foot, followed by his whole court to the door of\nthe great mosque, and drawing the Sultana with his own hand out of the\nnarrow prison where she had spent so many years, \"Madam,\" he cried,\nembracing her with tears in his eyes, \"I have come to ask your pardon\nfor the injustice I have done you, and to repair it as far as I may.  I\nhave already begun by punishing the authors of this abominable crime,\nand I hope you will forgive me when I introduce you to our children,\nwho are the most charming and accomplished creatures in the whole\nworld.  Come with me, and take back your position and all the honour\nthat is due to you.\"\n\nThis speech was delivered in the presence of a vast multitude of\npeople, who had gathered from all parts on the first hint of what was\nhappening, and the news was passed from mouth to mouth in a few seconds.\n\nEarly next day the Sultan and Sultana, dressed in robes of state and\nfollowed by all the court, set out for the country house of their\nchildren.  Here the Sultan presented them to the Sultana one by one,\nand for some time there was nothing but embraces and tears and tender\nwords.  Then they ate of the magnificent dinner which had been prepared\nfor them, and after they were all refreshed they went into the garden,\nwhere the Sultan pointed out to his wife the Golden Water and the\nSinging Tree.  As to the Talking Bird, she had already made\nacquaintance with him.\n\nIn the evening they rode together back to the capital, the princes on\neach side of their father, and the princess with her mother.  Long\nbefore they reached the gates the way was lined with people, and the\nair filled with shouts of welcome, with which were mingled the songs of\nthe Talking Bird, sitting in its cage on the lap of the princess, and\nof the birds who followed it.\n\nAnd in this manner they came back to their father's palace.","title":"The Arabian Nights Entertainments","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":111586}