{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_24473/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_24473","id":"gutenberg_24473","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/24473","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Children & Young Adult Reading","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Children's Myths, Fairy Tales, etc.","Fairy tales -- Iran","Folklore"],"text":"E-text prepared by Michael Gray (Lost_Gamer@comcast.net)\n\n\n\nNote: Project Gutenberg also has an HTML version of this\n      file which includes the original illustrations.\n      See 24473-h.htm or 24473-h.zip:\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/4/7/24473/24473-h/24473-h.htm)\n      or\n      (https://www.gutenberg.org/dirs/2/4/4/7/24473/24473-h.zip)\n\n\n\n\n\nPersian Fairy Tales\n\nAltemus' Fairy Tales Series\n\nTHE CAT AND THE MOUSE\n\nA Book of Persian Fairy Tales\n\nEdited with an Introduction by\n\nHARTWELL JAMES\n\nWith Forty Illustrations by John R. Neill\n\n\n\n\n\n\nPhiladelphia\nHenry Altemus Company\n\n      *      *      *      *      *\n\nAltemus'\nIllustrated\nFairy Tales Series\n\n\nThe Magic Bed\n     A Book of East Indian Tales\nThe Cat and the Mouse\n     A Book of Persian Tales\nThe Jeweled Sea\n     A Book of Chinese Tales\nThe Magic Jaw Bone\n     A Book of South Sea Islands Tales\nThe Man Elephant\n     A Book of African Tales\nThe Enchanted Castle\n     A Book of Tales from Flower Land\n\nFifty Cents Each\n\n      *      *      *      *      *\n\nCopyright, 1906\nby Henry Altemus\n\n\n\n\nINTRODUCTION\n\nPersia is rich in folk lore. For hundreds and hundreds of years the\nstories in this book, and many others as well, have been told to the\nwondering boys and girls of that country, who, as they hear them,\npicture their native land as one of roses and tulips, where beautiful\nfairies build their castles in the rosy morn, and black gnomes fly\naround in the darkness of midnight.\n\nA land, too, where the sun gleams like a fire above the blue mountains,\nand the water lilies are mirrored in the deep lakes. A land where the\neyes of the tigers gleam through the reeds by the riverside, and\ndark-eyed, sunburned people are quick to love and quick to hate.\n\nThe belief in the \"Ghool,\" or \"Old Man of the Desert,\" is still\nprevalent in Persia, which probably accounts for the popularity of the\nstory of \"The Son of the Soap Seller.\" The other stories selected for\nthis volume are great favorites, but the story of \"The Cat and the\nMouse\" is perhaps the most popular of all.\n\nThe frontispiece to this volume is a reduced facsimile of a whole page\nin a Persian book, showing both the pictures and the reading as they\nwere published in Persia. The other illustrations for \"The Cat and the\nMouse\" are copies of drawings by a Persian artist.\n\n\"Two friends on one carpet may with contentment sleep;\n  Two monarchs in one kingdom the peace can never keep.\n  While earth revolves, and little children play,\n  Cats over mice will always hold the sway.\"\n\n                                         H. J.\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n   The Cat and The Mouse\n   The Son of the Soap Seller\n   The King's Treasure\n   The King and The Fisherman\n\n\nLIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS\n\n   Frontispiece\n   \"Nobody was happier than this cat\"\n   \"'Now will you take off my head?'\"\n   \"The cat had a rosary of beads\"\n   \"The mice began to make merry\"\n   \"Discreetly they bore their gifts\"\n   \"And they went forward trembling\"\n   \"Five mice he caught\"\n   \"The King was sitting on his throne\"\n   \"The armies fell upon each other\"\n   \"So he mounted his elephant\"\n   \"The lion sprang upon the Princess\"\n   \"'O brothers, buy my pure soap'\"\n   \"Things became blacker and blacker\"\n   \"Leading a fine lion by a chain\"\n   \"They set forth on their journey\"\n   \"The rain fell in torrents\"\n   \"'Give me a drink of water'\"\n   \"They ran here and there\"\n   \"'Sleep, my son, while I keep watch'\"\n   \"A beautiful young woman appeared\"\n   \"Every morning Ahmed looked in the cup\"\n   \"Ahmed sprang upon the figure\"\n   \"'Ask for anything in reason'\"\n   \"A brass vessel full of round white stones\"\n   \"Lived in a sheltered valley\"\n   \"Abdul Karim was lost in wonder\"\n   \"Priests were calling the people to prayer\"\n   \"The noise and bustle of the crowded streets\"\n   \"'Two hundred krans!' repeated Abdul Karim\"\n   \"'Get out of my shop!'\"\n   \"'Here are eight krans'\"\n   \"Came in sight of his cottage\"\n   \"He hid most of the treasure\"\n   \"'Is this fish male or female?'\"\n   \"Begged that he would accept the fish\"\n   \"'The matter is closed'\"\n   \"'Are you a human being or a beast?'\"\n   \"The fisherman fell on his knees\"\n   \"His bag laden with money\"\n\n\n\nTHE CAT AND THE MOUSE\n\n\n\n\nPERSIAN FAIRY TALES\n\n\nThe Cat and the Mouse\n\n\nShowing how one may be lost in wonder at the story of the cat and the\nmouse, when related with a clear and rolling voice, as if from a\npulpit.\n\n\nACCORDING to the decree of Heaven, there once lived in the Persian city\nof Kerman a cat like unto a dragon--a longsighted cat who hunted like a\nlion; a cat with fascinating eyes and long whiskers and sharp teeth.\nIts body was like a drum, its beautiful fur like ermine skin.\n\nNobody was happier than this cat, neither the newly-wedded bride, nor\nthe hospitable master of the house when he looks round on the smiling\nfaces of his guests.\n\nThis cat moved in the midst of friends, boon companions of the\nsaucepan, the cup, and the milk jug of the court, and of the dinner\ntable when the cloth is spread.\n\nPerceiving the wine cellar open, one day, the cat ran gleefully into it\nto see if he could catch a mouse, and hid himself behind a wine jar. At\nthat moment a mouse ran out of a hole in the wall, quickly climbed the\njar, and putting his head into it, drank so long and so deeply that he\nbecame drunk, talked very stupidly, and fancied he was as bold as a\nlion.\n\n\"Where is the cat?\" shouted he, \"that I may off with his head. I would\ncut off his head as if on the battlefield. A cat in front of me would\nfare worse than any dog who might happen to cross my path.\"\n\nThe cat ground his teeth with rage while hearing this. Quicker than the\neye could follow, he made a spring, seized the mouse in his claws, and\nsaid, \"Oh, little mouse, now will you take off my head?\"\n\n\"I am thy servant,\" replied the mouse; \"forgive my sin. I was drunk. I\nam thy slave; a slave whose ear is pierced and on whose shoulder the\nyoke is.\"\n\n\"Tell fewer lies,\" replied the cat. \"Was there ever such a liar? I\nheard all you said and you shall pay for your sin with your life. I\nwill make your life less than that of a dead dog.\"\n\nSo the cat killed and ate the mouse; but afterwards, being sorry for\nwhat he had done, he ran to the Mosque, and passed his hands over his\nface, poured water on his hands, and anointed himself as he had seen\nthe faithful do at the appointed hours of prayer.\n\nThen he began to recite the beautiful chapter to Allah in the Holy Book\nof the Persians, and to make his confession in this wise:\n\n\"I have repented, and will not again tear the body of a mouse with my\nteeth. I will give bread to the deserving poor. Forgive my sin, O great\nForgiver, for have I not come to Thee bowed down with sorrow?\"\n\nHe repeated this so many times and with so much feeling that he really\nthought he meant it, and finally wept for grief.\n\nA little mouse happened to be behind the pulpit, and overhearing the\ncat's vows, speedily carried the glad but surprising news to the other\nmice. Breathlessly he related how that the cat had become a true\nMussulman; how that he had seen him in the Mosque weeping and\nlamenting, and saying:\n\n\"Oh, Creator of the world, put away my sin, for I have offended like a\nbig fool.\" Then the mouse went on to describe how that the cat had a\nrosary of beads, and made pious reflections in the spirit of a true\npenitent.\n\nThe mice began to make merry when they heard this startling news, for\nthey were exceedingly glad. Seven chosen mice, each the headman of the\nvillage, arose and gave thanks that the cat should at last have entered\nthe fold of the true believers.\n\nAll danced and shouted, \"Ah! Ah! Hu! Hu!\" and drank red wine and white\nwine until they were very merry. Two rang bells, two played castanets,\nand two sang. One carried a tray behind his back laden with good\nthings, so that all could help themselves; some smoked water-pipes;\nanother acted like a clown; others played various tunes on different\ninstruments of music.\n\nA few days after the feast, the King of the mice said to them, \"Oh,\nfriends, all of you bring costly presents worthy of the cat!\" Then the\nmice scattered in search of gifts, but soon returned, each bearing\nsomething worthy of presentation, even to a nobleman.\n\nOne brought a bottle of wine; another a dish full of raisins; others\ncame with salted nuts and melon seeds, lumps of cheese, basins of\nsugar-candy, pistachio nuts, little cakes iced with sugar, bottles of\nlemon juice, Indian shawls, hats, cloaks and many other things.\n\nDiscreetly they bore their gifts before the King of the Cats. When in\nthe royal presence, they made humble obeisances, touching their\nforeheads on the ground, and saluting him, said:\n\n\"Oh, master, liberator of the lives of all, we have brought gifts\nworthy of thy service. We beseech thee to deign to accept of them.\"\n\nThen the cat thought to himself, \"I am rewarded for becoming a pious\nMussulman. Though I have endured much hunger, yet this day finds me\nfreely and amply provided for. Not for many days have I broken my fast.\nIt is clear that Allah is appeased.\"\n\nThen he turned to the mice, and bade them come nearer, calling them his\nfriends. And they went forward trembling. So frightened were they that\nthey were hardly aware of what they were doing. When they were close\nthe cat made a sudden spring upon them.\n\nFive mice he caught, each one the chief of a village; two with his\nfront paws, two with his hind ones, and one in his mouth. The remaining\nmice barely escaped with their lives.\n\nPicking up one of their murdered brothers, they quickly carried the sad\nnews to the mice, saying: \"Why do ye sit still, oh mice? Throw dust on\nyour heads, oh young men, for the cruel cat has seized five of our\nunsuspecting companions with teeth and claws and has killed them.\"\n\nThen for the space of five days they rent their clothes as do the\nmourners, and cast dust on their heads. Then they said: \"We must go and\ntell our King all that has befallen the mice. We must not fail to tell\nhim this calamity.\"\n\nWhereupon they all rose up and went their way in deep sorrow; one\nbeating the muffled drum, one tolling the bell; all had shawls around\ntheir necks; their tears the while running in little streams down their\nwhiskers.\n\nArrived where the King was sitting on his throne, the mice paid homage\nto him, saying: \"Master, we are subjects and thou art King. Behold the\ncat has treated us cruelly since he became a pious follower of Mahomet.\nWhereas, before his conversion he was wont to catch only one of us in a\nyear, now that he is a sincere Mussulman his appetite has so increased\nthat only five at a time will satisfy him.\"\n\nWhereupon the King fell into such a violent rage that he resembled a\nsaucepan boiling over. But to the deputation of mice he spoke very\nkindly, calling them his newly-arrived and welcome guests, and to\ncomfort them vowed that he would give the cat such a chastisement that\nthe news of it should circulate through the world.\n\nThen, observing their grief, he commanded that the dead mouse should be\nburied with all pomp and ceremony. Accordingly they made lamentation\nfor a whole week, as though it had been for one of royal degree; and\nhaving prepared delicious sweetmeats, they placed them in baskets and\ncarried them with streaming eyes to the grave.\n\nAfter the burial service, the King ordered the army to assemble on a\ngiven day on the great sandy plain that stretches as far as the eye can\nsee around the city. Then he addressed them, saying:\n\n\"Oh, men and soldiers, inasmuch as the cat has so cruelly ill-treated\nour countrymen, he being a heretic and an evil doer, and brutal in\nnature, we must now go to the city of Kerman and fight him.\"\n\nSo three hundred and thirty thousand mice went forth, armed with\nswords, guns, and spears; and with flags and pennons bravely flying. A\npassing Arab from the desert, skilfully balancing himself on the back\nof a swift-traveling camel by means of a long pole, spied the great\narmy in motion, and was so overcome with astonishment that he lost his\nbalance and fell off. Several regiments of mice were put out of action\nby his fall; but nothing daunted, the army pressed on.\n\nWhen the army was ready for battle, the King again addressed them\nsaying: \"O young men, an ambassador must be sent to the cat, one who is\nable, discreet, and eloquent.\" Then they all shouted: \"The King's\norders shall be carried out! Upon our heads be it.\"\n\nNow, there was present a learned and eloquent mouse, the ruler of a\nprovince, and he it was that the King commanded to go as an ambassador\nto the cat in the city of Kerman. Almost before his name was out of the\nKing's mouth, he had jumped out of his place in the ranks, and,\ntraveling swiftly as the winds of the desert, he went in boldly before\nthe cat and said:\n\n\"As an ambassador from the King of the Mice am I come, bowed down with\ngrief and fatigue. Know this, my master has determined to wage war, and\nis even now come with his army to take off your head.\"\n\nThe cat roared out in reply, \"Go tell your King to eat dust! I come not\nout of this city except at my good pleasure!\" Then he sent messengers\nto bring up quickly some fighting and hunting cats from Khorassan--the\nland of the sun--to Kerman.\n\nAs soon as the cat's army was ready, the King of the Cats gave them\nmarching orders, promising to come himself to the battle on the next\nday. The cats came out on horseback, each one like a hungry tiger. The\nmice also mounted their steeds, armed to the teeth, and boiling with\nrage. Shouting \"Allah! Allah!\" the armies fell upon each other with\nunsheathed swords.\n\nSo many cats and mice were killed that there was no room for the\nhorses' feet. The cats fought valiantly, their fierce attacks carrying\nthem through the first line of the mice, then through the second, and\nmany Ameers and chiefs were killed. The mice, thinking the battle lost,\nturned to flee, crying out:\n\n\"Throw dust upon your heads, young men!\"\n\nBut afterwards, rallying again, they faced their pursuers and attacked\nthe right wing of the cat's army, shouting their battle cry of \"Allah!\nAllah!\"\n\nIn the thickest of the fray a mounted mouse speared the King of the\nCats, so that he fell fainting to the ground. Before he could rise, the\nmouse leaped upon him and brought him captive to the King. So the cats\nwere defeated on that day and sullenly retreated to the city of Kerman.\n\nHaving bound the cat, the mice beat him until he became unconscious.\nThen the plain echoed with the beating of tom-toms and shouts of joy.\nThen the King of the Mice seated himself on his throne and ordered the\ncat to be brought before him.\n\n\"Scoundrel!\" he said to him, \"Why hast thou eaten up my army? Hear now\nthe King of the Mice.\" The cat hung his head in fear, and remained\nsilent. After a few minutes, he said: \"I am thy servant, even to\ndeath.\" Then the King replied:\n\n\"Carry this black-faced dog to the execution ground. I will come in\nperson without delay to kill him in revenge for the blood of my\nslaughtered subjects.\"\n\nSo he mounted his elephant, and his guard marched proudly before him.\nThe cat, with his hands tied together, stood weeping. Upon arriving at\nthe execution grounds and discerning that the cat was not yet executed,\nthe King said angrily to the hangman: \"Why is it this prisoner is still\nalive? Hang him immediately!\"\n\nAt that very moment a horseman came galloping furiously from the city\nand besought the King, saying: \"Forgive this miserable cat; in future\nhe will do us no harm.\" However, the King turned a deaf ear to his\nentreaties, ordering that the cat be killed at once. The mice\nhesitated, being unwilling, through fear, to carry out the order.\n\nOf course, this made the King very angry. \"O foolish mice!\" he cried,\n\"Ye will all take pity on the cat, in order that he may again make a\nsacrifice of you.\"\n\nDirectly the cat saw the horseman, his courage revived. With one bound\nhe sprang from his place as does the tiger on his prey, burst his bonds\nasunder, and seized five unfortunate mice. The other mice, filled with\ndismay and terror, ran hither and thither, crying wildly:\n\n\"Allah! Allah! Shoot him! Cut off his head, as did Rastam his enemies\non the day of battle!\"\n\nWhen the King of the Mice saw what, had happened, he fainted; whereupon\nthe cat leaped on him, pulled off his crown, and placing the rope over\nhis head, hanged him, so that he died immediately.\n\nThen he darted here and there, seizing and slaying, and dashing mice to\nthe earth, till the whole army of mice was routed, and there was none\nleft to oppose him.\n\n\n\n\nTHE SON OF THE SOAP SELLER\n\n\nPERSIAN FAIRY TALES\n\n\nThe Son of the Soap Seller\n\n\nCleverly proving that a princess with a necklace can frustrate the\nintentions of a Ghool, and that every king should have near his person\nthe owner of a crystal cup.\n\n\nTHERE once dwelt a poor but worthy man named Abdullah in Meshed, the\nHoly City, the place of pilgrimage, whose beautiful mosque with the\ngolden dome is the glory of the kingdom of Persia. He barely managed to\nget a living by the sale of soap.\n\nAll day long, from sunrise to sunset, he tramped the city, crying out:\n\"O brothers, buy my pure soap. There is none better in the city, as\nevery one knows. Even the little babes would say so if they could but\nspeak.\"\n\nStill, if you looked closely at it, you would never guess it to be\nsoap; it was black and coarse, and more like wood than anything else.\nIf any unlucky pilgrim used it on his face or hands, it would make his\nskin burn like fire. But this did not often happen, for the people in\nPersia do not use much soap on themselves, or their clothes, and sand\ndoes very well for cleaning cooking pots and pans. So it was that there\nwere many days when poor Abdullah did not sell enough to buy sufficient\nbread for himself and his little boy Ahmed.\n\nAt such times, the father would creep sadly into his wretched mud-built\nhovel, and bury his face in his hands, so that he might not see his son\ntrying to keep back the tears caused by hunger. The little fellow,\nhowever, now ten years of age, would comfort his father by saying:\n\n\"Inshallah\"--if God wills--\"to-morrow you will sell more soap than you\nhave done for weeks past.\" And the father, looking into the bright,\nopen face of his boy, would take courage, and pray that this might be\nso.\n\nBut the days went on and things became blacker and blacker, when one\nday an adventure befell little Ahmed. He was on his way to school, and\nas the sun was very hot, he sought the shelter of the big plane-trees\nthat lined the banks of the stream flowing down the center of the\nprincipal street.\n\nWomen were filling their water jugs, or washing clothes; a string of\ncamels were drinking; several donkeys were rolling playfully over and\nover in the water, and some dyers were wringing out newly-dyed\ngarments, causing waves of many colors to flow past.\n\nJust as Ahmed had stopped to look, a dervish, leading a fine lion by a\nchain, and some runners with curious hats and coats rushed past,\nshouting:\n\n\"Make way for the King! Turn your faces to the wall!\" And there was the\ngreat King, seated on a beautiful Arabian horse, surrounded by\nsoldiers. Then there passed a palanquin borne on the backs of four\nmules.\n\nThe party stopped just opposite to Ahmed, and from the palanquin there\nalighted a lady closely veiled, evidently wishing to inspect some\nbeautiful Meshed silver work. Before she could reach the shop, a great\ntumult arose among the people. The lion had broken his chain and was\nmadly leaping here and there, tearing and rending and dashing people to\nthe ground. Women fainted, men fled, little children stood still and\ncried pitifully, some jumped into the stream; the frightened horses\ndashed madly through the crowd. All was terror and confusion.\n\nThen with a roar the lion sprang upon the princess, and bore her to the\nground; but ere he could tear her to pieces, Ahmed had sprang forward,\nseized a piece of iron, one end of which was red hot, from the shop of\na blacksmith, and thrust it furiously into the face of the lion. With a\ncry of pain and rage the lion left the princess and bounded off to the\nbazaars, where he did great damage.\n\nAs soon as the princess had recovered from her fright, she beckoned to\nAhmed to come near, and removing her veil, told him he was a brave\nlittle fellow, and ordered one of her servants to give him a purse of\ngold. Ahmed had never seen anyone so beautiful, and was so lost in\nwonder, that before he could find words of thanks, the party had passed\non.\n\nBut when the money was spent, Ahmed and his father began to be in want\nagain. A Jewish pedlar having told him how much better trade was in the\ncapital, they determined to set forth to that city, though the way was\nlong and full of danger. \"Better to die in the desert, than in the\nheart of a great city,\" said Ahmed.\n\nSo they set forth on their journey, sometimes climbing up winding paths\namong the mountains, at other times traversing the desert, footsore,\nand weary almost to death, often hungry and thirsty, tormented by the\nthought that they would fall into the hands of the man-stealing robbers\nwho haunted this great pilgrim road.\n\nOn account of the intense heat and the cruel robbers, they traveled by\nnight. In every shadow cast by the moon upon the ground, they thought\nthey saw a robber on his big horse. During the day they slept at\nwayside inns, and in return for little services rendered by Ahmed to\nthe muleteers, they would give him a handful of rice or bread, or a few\ndried fruits which kept them from starvation.\n\nSo it went on until one night, when searching for the bridge that\ncrosses the Salt River, the sky became suddenly overcast, the rain fell\nin torrents, and soon the river was in flood. There was nothing to be\ndone but to sit down and wait until the moon should rise. The fierce\nwind buffeted them, the rain drenched them; they had lost their way,\nand were at the mercy of wild beasts.\n\nOnce, when the wind dropped for a little, out of the darkness came a\ngroan. \"Keep still as death, my son,\" said the father to Ahmed, \"for it\nis the Old Man of the Desert.\"\n\nNow Ahmed had never before heard of the Old Man of the Desert, and\ntherefore knew no fear, so despite his father's warning, he got up and\nwent in the direction from whence came the groans. As he reached the\nspot, the moon came out from behind a bank of clouds, and Ahmed saw a\npoor dervish lying on the sand. He had a leopard skin thrown over his\nshoulders; by his side lay a big stick studded with sharp nails, and a\nbasin made of the outer skin of a pumpkin in which he collected alms.\n\n\"For the sake of the Prophet,\" he moaned when he saw Ahmed, \"give me a\ndrink of water.\" And Ahmed, filling his pitcher from the river gave him\nto drink, though the water was somewhat salty.\n\nThe water revived the dervish, and he said: \"I am Ali, the dervish, and\nam known throughout Persia. Two months ago I left Mazandaran to go to\nMeshed. But yesterday the fever seized me. This is the third attack,\nand, as you know, it is always fatal.\n\n\"Stay with me, my son, in this dark hour when I shall pass through the\nvalley of the shadow of death. And when my soul shall have crossed the\nBridge of Death, take this little leather bag hanging round my neck,\nand therein you shall find a tiny cup, cut from a crystal, which if\nused rightly, shall lift thee to great power and wealth.\n\n\"Each morning when you rise, place a drop of pure water in the cup, and\nlook intently therein, and should any danger threaten you or those near\nand dear to you, it will be made manifest. And if--\" but here his\nstrength failed him, his head fell back, and he passed away. Ahmed\nfound the bag and the beautifully cut crystal, just as the dervish had\nsaid, and returning to his father, told him all that had happened.\n\nAhmed did as the dervish had directed him for several mornings, but\nseeing nothing in the crystal, he dropped the practice. There came a\nday, however, when they were overtaken by a dreadful dust storm. From\nacross the wide stretch of sand, the wind raged, the sky and sun were\nblotted out, the air was laden with dust, and the small pebbles and\nstones carried in the wind cut them until they cried with pain. Shelter\nthere was none.\n\nIn fear and pain they ran here and there, and when after several hours\nof misery, the storm had passed, they could not see each other. They\nwere lost in the cruel desert, with no food, and worse still, no water.\nSobbing in despair, Ahmed straggled on. He went like one in a dream.\nTime after time he fell tripping over rocks and bushes, but he pressed\nonward. Then came a time when he could go no further, and he lay down\nto die.\n\nFor a long time he slept, and then he was awakened by being shaken.\nLooking up, he saw an old man smiling and saying: \"Why, it's little\nAhmed, the son of Abdullah, the Soap Seller. Don't you know me, Ahmed?\nI am your uncle. Don't cry because you have lost your way. Come, take\nmy hand and we will soon find your father.\"\n\nNow Ahmed wondered why he had never seen or even heard his father speak\nof this particular uncle, but he took the old man's hand, and together\nthey set forth. Mile after mile they went, but no trace of his father\ncould be found. Then he sat down crying, and said: \"I am so tired, I\ncan go no further.\" And the old man replied: \"Sleep, my son, while I\nkeep watch.\"\n\nBut just as Ahmed was closing his eyes, the old man turned, and Ahmed\nsaw that he had thin legs like those of a sheep. \"The Ghool! the\nGhool!\" he shrieked, and fainted. Then this wicked ogre of the desert\nbegan to open Ahmed's coat in order to suck his blood.\n\nBut another cry answered that of the boy, and then appeared on the\nscene a beautiful young woman, carrying in her harid a necklace of gold\nand silver beads. Casting but one glance at the beads, the old man flew\nswifter than the wild sheep of the mountains, for the sight of metal\nrendered him powerless to do harm.\n\nOf course, it was the princess whose life Ahmed had saved in Meshed.\nThe King, her father, happened to be returning from a pilgrimage, and\nto give a fright to her servants, she had scampered off the track, and\nthus had found Ahmed. At her request, Ahmed became one of the King's\nfollowers, and together with his father, whom they found the next day,\nthey journeyed to the capital.\n\nSome three days' march from the capital, in the mountains near Kazveen,\nthere lived the Old Man of the Mountains, or as he is generally known,\nthe King of the Assassins, with his followers. So great was his power\nthat he had but to say the word and any of his men would throw\nthemselves from the topmost crags to the valleys beneath and be dashed\nto pieces, or at his bidding, they would travel forth to the most\ndistant parts of the world in order to kill any persons, however great\nthey might be.\n\nWhen he heard that the King of Persia was collecting an army to destroy\nboth him and his tribe, he became very angry, and said to one of his\nfollowers: \"Go, rid me of the King of Persia;\" and the mart-took bread\nand water and a sharp dagger, and went.\n\nNow after his narrow escape from the Old Man of the Desert, Ahmed took\npains every morning to place a drop of water in the crystal cup and\nlook therein. Nothing appeared until one morning he saw in the bead of\nwater a vision of the King asleep, and standing by him a robber with an\nuplifted dagger, about to strike. Hurrying to the King's presence, he\nwarned him of the danger, but the King only laughed, for he trusted his\nguards.\n\nNevertheless, Ahmed determined to keep watch. Darkness came, and the\nguards slept. The palace was silent. The hours slipped by, and Ahmed,\nweary with much waiting was about to retire, when he perceived a dark\nshadow creeping into that part of the palace where the King slept.\n\nThe figure noiselessly made its way to the very threshold of the King's\nroom, when Ahmed sprang upon it, at the same time giving the alarm. The\nwhole palace was aroused and the murdered secured.\n\nWhen the messenger did not return, the Old Man of the Mountains sent a\nsecond, and then a third, and finally the most daring and skilful of\nall his followers; but thanks to Ahmed's crystal cup, all attempts upon\nthe life of the King failed.\n\nThen the King sent for Ahmed, and said: \"Ask for anything in reason,\nand it shall be given thee.\" And though he was trembling in every limb,\nAhmed replied: \"Neither wealth nor power does thy slave desire, save\nthe hand of thy daughter.\"\n\n\"If she loves you, it shall be so,\" replied the King, and she did love\nhim; they were married, and Ahmed became the King's Prime Minister.\n\n\n\nTHE KING'S TREASURE\n\nPERSIAN FAIRY TALES\n\n\nThe King's Treasure\n\n\nAccurately relating how a marked advance in material and political\nprosperity accrued to Abdul Karim, and the part played by a monarch\nwhose philosophy included the immediate advancement of a worthy\nsubject.\n\n\nA LABORING man named Abdul Karim, with his wife, Zeeba--\"the beautiful\none\"--lived in a sheltered valley, surrounded by hills, the sides of\nwhich were covered with fine gardens, in which the peach, the grape,\nthe mulberry, and other delicious fruits grew in great profusion.\n\nAlthough his wife's name was Zeeba, as a matter of fact, she was very\nplain in appearance. But from having been named Zeeba, she really\nthought she was beautiful, and thus it came about that, moved by\nvanity, her two children were named, the boy, Yusuf, or Joseph, who as\nyou know, was sold by his brethren into Egypt and became next to the\nKing; and the girl, Fatima, after Fatima, the favorite daughter of\nMahomet, and the wife of the famous Ali.\n\nNow Abdul Karim was only a laborer on the land, receiving no wages,\nmerely being paid in grain and cloth sufficient for the wants of\nhimself and family. Of money he knew nothing except by name.\n\nOne day his master was so pleased with his work that he actually gave\nhim ten \"krans,\" equivalent to about a dollar of our money. To Abdul\nKarim this seemed great wealth, and directly his day's work was done,\nhe ran home to his wife and said: \"Look, Zeeba, there's riches for\nyou!\" and spread out the money before her. His good wife was delighted,\nand so were the children.\n\nThen Abdul Karim said: \"How shall we spend this great sum? The master\nhas also given me a day's holiday, so if you don't mind, I will go to\nthe famous city of Meshed, which is only twenty miles from here, and\nafter placing two krans on the shrine of the holy Imam, I will then\nvisit the bazaars and buy everything you and the children desire.\"\n\n\"You would better buy me a piece of silk for a new dress,\" said Zeeba.\n\n\"I want a fine horse and a sword,\" said little Yusuf.\n\n\"I would like an Indian handkerchief and a pair of gold slippers,\" said\nFatima.\n\n\"They shall be here by to-morrow night,\" said the father, and taking a\nbig stick, he set off on his journey.\n\nWhen he had come down from the mountains to the plain below, Abdul\nKarim saw stretched before him the glorious city, and was lost in\nwonder at the sight of the splendid domes, where roofs glittered with\ngold, and the minarets, from the tops of which the priests were calling\nthe people to prayer.\n\nThen coming to the gate of the shrine, he asked an old priest if he\nmight enter. \"Yes, my son,\" was the reply. \"Go in and give what thou\ncanst spare to the mosque, and Allah will reward thee.\"\n\nSo Abdul Karim walked through the great court, amidst worshipers from\nevery city in Asia. With open-mouthed astonishment he gazed on the\nriches of the temple, the jewels, the lovely carpets, the silks, the\ngolden ornaments, and with humility he placed his two pieces of money\non the sacred tomb. Then through the noise and bustle of the crowded\nstreets, he went until he found the bazaars.\n\nHe found the sellers of fruits in one place, in another those who sold\npots and pans, then he came to the jewelers, the bakers, the butchers,\neach trade having its own part of the bazaar, and so on, until he\nreached that part where there were only those who sold silks.\n\nHe entered one of the shops and asked to see some silks, and after much\npicking and choosing, fixed upon a superb piece of purple silk with an\nembroidered border of exquisite design. \"I will take this,\" he said.\n\"What is the price?\"\n\n\"I shall only ask you two hundred krans, as you are a new customer,\"\nsaid the shopkeeper. \"Anybody else but you would have to pay three or\nfour hundred.\"\n\n\"Two hundred krans,\" repeated Abdul Karim, in astonishment. \"Surely you\nhave made a mistake. Do you mean krans like these?\" taking one out of\nhis pocket.\n\n\"Certainly I do,\" replied the shopkeeper, \"and let me tell you it is\nvery cheap at that price.\"\n\nAbdul Karim pictured the disappointment of his wife. \"Poor Zeeba,\" he\nsighed.\n\n\"Poor who?\" said the silk merchant.\n\n\"My wife,\" said Abdul Karim.\n\n\"What have I to do with your wife?\" asked the merchant, getting angry\nbecause he saw that all his trouble was in vain.\n\n\"I will tell you about it,\" said Abdul Karim. \"Because I did my work\nwell, my master gave me ten krans, the first time I ever have had any\nmoney. After giving two krans to the shrine, I intended to buy a piece\nof silk for my wife, a horse and sword for my little boy Yusuf, and an\nIndian handkerchief and a pair of gold slippers for my little girl\nFatima. And here you ask me two hundred krans for one piece of silk.\nHow can I pay you and buy the other things?\"\n\n\"Here I have been wasting my time and rumpling my beautiful silks for a\nfool like you,\" cried the angry merchant. \"Get out of my shop! Go home\nto your stupid Zeeba and your stupid children. Buy them some stale\ncakes and some black sugar, and don't put your head in my shop again,\nor it will be worse for you.\"\n\nThen he took off his slipper, and with many blows drove poor Abdul\nKarim out into the street. Then Abdul Karim went to the horse market,\nonly to find that the lowest-priced horse would cost two hundred and\nfifty krans.\n\nThe horse dealer mocked him when they found he had only eight krans,\nand suggested that he buy the sixteenth part of a donkey for his little\nson. As for a sword, he found that it would cost at least thirty krans;\nwhile a pair of golden slippers would run into many hundreds of krans;\nand for an Indian handkerchief, the price was twelve krans.\n\nAs poor Abdul Karim bent his weary way home, he met a beggar crying:\n\"Dear friend, give me something, for to-morrow is Friday\"--the\nMahommedan Sunday. \"He that giveth to the poor, lendeth to the Lord,\nand of a certainty the Lord will pay him back a hundredfold.\"\n\n\"Of all the men I have met to-day, you are the only one with whom I can\ndeal,\" said simple Abdul Karim. \"Here are eight krans. Use them in the\nservice of God, and don't forget to pay me back a hundredfold.\"\n\nWrapping up the eight krans very carefully, the cunning beggar promised\nsome day to return them a hundredfold.\n\nAt last Abdul Karim came in sight of his cottage, and little Yusuf, who\nhad been all day on the look-out for him, ran breathlessly to meet him.\n\"Where's my horse and sword, father?\" he cried. And Fatima, who had\njust come up, called out, \"And my handkerchief and golden slippers?\"\nAnd Zeeba asked for her bit of silk.\n\nPoor Abdul Karim looked so confused, that his wife said: \"Be quiet, my\ndears. Your father could not bring them all with him, so he has packed\nthem on Yusuf's horse and left him in charge of a servant, who will be\nhere presently.\" But when she heard his story, and above all that he\nhad given eight krans to a beggar, she got very angry, and marched off\nand told the master.\n\nBut the master was still more angry, and said: \"What! the blockhead\ngave his eight krans to a beggar? Send him to me.\" And when Abdul Karim\ncame before him, he said scornfully: \"You must fancy yourself a big\nman, Abdul. I never give more than a copper coin to a beggar, but your\nExcellency gives them silver. The beggar promised that you should be\nrepaid a hundredfold, did he? And it shall be so, even now.\" Then as\nAbdul's face brightened, he laughed and said: \"Not in money, but in\nstripes.\" And his servants threw Abdul on the ground and gave him one\nhundred blows on his bare feet.\n\nThe next day, Abdul's master sent for him again, and after calling him\na fool, said: \"I have a nice little job for you, that will bring you to\nyour proper senses. Go into the field and dig for water, day after day\nuntil you find it.\"\n\nSo for many days Abdul labored under the scorching sun, until he had\ndug down to a depth of about thirty feet, and then he came upon a brass\nvessel, finely chased, full of round white stones, which fairly dazzled\nhis eyes in the fierce sunlight. He put one in his mouth and tried to\nbreak it with his teeth, but could not.\n\nThen he said to himself, \"The master has planted some rice and it has\nturned into stones. Perhaps there are some more.\" And going down a few\nfeet lower, he found another pot filled with sparkling stones of\nvarious colors.\n\nThen he remembered that he had seen pretty pieces of glass like these\nfor sale in Meshed, and made up his mind that on the first opportunity\nhe would again visit the city and take the stones with him. Meanwhile,\nhe would hide them, and say nothing.\n\nAbdul did not have to wait long for a holiday, for on finding water a\nlittle lower down, his master was so pleased that he gave him a\nwell-deserved rest, and then Abdul set off for Meshed. But before\nentering the city, he hid most of the treasure at the foot of a tree\nunder a big stone. Then with still a pocket full, he went straight to\nthe shop where he had seen such stones, and spoke to the shopkeeper who\nwas seated at the entrance to his shop, calmly smoking his water-pipe.\n\n\"Do you want to buy any more stones like those?\" he asked, pointing to\nsome in a brass tray. \"Yes, have you got one?\" replied the merchant,\nfor Abdul did not look like a man who was likely to have more than one,\nif any.\n\n\"I have a pocket full of them,\" said Abdul.\n\n\"You have a pocket full of pebbles, more likely,\" said the jeweler. But\nwhen Abdul took out a handful and showed him, he was so astonished that\nhe could hardly speak. Trembling in every limb, he bade Abdul wait a\nminute, and leaving his apprentice in charge, he hastily left the shop.\nWhen he returned, the chief of the police was with him.\n\n\"I am innocent,\" cried the jeweler. \"There is the man. His pockets are\nfilled with diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and pearls of great price.\nWithout doubt he has found the long-lost treasure of Cyrus.\"\n\nThen Abdul was searched; the precious stones were found upon him; and\nwhen they had brought Zeeba and the children, the whole family were\nsent under a guard of five hundred soldiers to the capital.\n\nWhile all these things were taking place, the King saw in his dreams,\nfor three nights, one after the other, the Holy Prophet, who, looking\nsteadfastly at him, exclaimed: \"Abbas, protect and favor my friend.\"\nAnd on the third night, the King took courage and said to the Prophet:\n\"And who is thy friend?\" And the answer came:\n\n\"He is a poor laboring man, Abdul Karim by name, who of his poverty\ngave one-fifth to the shrine at Meshed, and now, because he has found\nthe King's treasure, they have bound him, and are bringing him to this\ncity to oppress him.\"\n\nSo the King went forth two days' journey to meet Abdul. First came one\nhundred horsemen. Next, poor Abdul, seated on a camel, with his arms\nbound tightly. Walking behind the camel were the weeping children and\ntheir mother. Then came the foot soldiers guarding the treasure. The\nKing made the camel kneel down, and with his own hands undid the cruel\nbonds.\n\nThen with tears running down his face, Abdul knelt before the King and\npleaded for his dear ones, saying: \"If thou slay me, at least let these\ninnocent ones go free!\"\n\nLifting Abdul from the ground, the King then said: \"I am come to honor,\nnot to slay thee. When thou hast rested, thou shalt return to thine own\nprovince, not as a prisoner, but as the Governor thereof.\" And smiling,\nhe added:\n\n\"Already is the silk dress prepared for Zeeba; the horse and sword for\nYusuf; and the Indian handkerchief and the golden slippers for Fatima\nhave not been forgotten.\" For the King had read in the report of the\nchief of police all the details of Abdul's case.\n\nAnd so it was that Abdul's piety and gift to the shrine had come back,\nnot a hundredfold, but beyond his wildest dreams, and the shrine and\nthe poor benefited greatly thereby.\n\n\n\nTHE KING AND THE FISHERMAN\n\n\nPERSIAN FAIRY TALES\n\n\nThe King and the Fisherman\n\n\nIllustrating the advantage of being able to formulate a judicious reply\nto an embarrassing question, especially when material plenitude may\nensue.\n\nTHE countries washed by the great rivers Tigris and Euphrates were once\nruled by a certain King who was passionately fond of fish.\n\nHe was seated one day with Sherem, his wife, in the royal gardens that\nstretch down to the banks of the Tigris, at the point where it is\nspanned by the wonderful bridge of boats; and looking up spied a boat\ngliding by, in which was seated a fisherman having a large fish.\n\nNoticing that the King was looking closely at him, and knowing how much\nthe King liked this particular kind of fish, the fisherman made his\nobeisance, and skilfully bringing his boat to the shore, came before\nthe King and begged that he would accept the fish as a present. The\nKing was greatly pleased at this, and ordered that a large sum of money\nbe given to the fisherman.\n\nBut before the fisherman had left the royal presence, the Queen turned\ntowards the King and said: \"You have done a foolish thing.\" The King\nwas astonished to hear her speak in this way, and asked how that could\nbe. The Queen replied:\n\n\"The news of your having given so large a reward for so small a gift\nwill spread through the city and it will be known as the fisherman's\ngift. Every fisherman who catches a big fish will bring it to the\npalace, and should he not be paid in like manner, he will go away\ndiscontented, and secretly speak evil of you among his fellows.\"\n\n\"Thou speakest the truth, light of my eyes,\" said the King, \"but can\nnot you see how mean it would be for a King, if for that reason he were\nto take back his gift?\" Then perceiving that the Queen was ready to\nargue the matter, he turned away angrily, saying: \"The matter is\nclosed.\"\n\nHowever, later in the day, when he was in a more amiable frame of mind,\nthe Queen again approached him, and said that if that was his only\nreason for not taking back his gift, she would arrange it. \"You must\nsummon the fisherman,\" she said, \"and then ask him, 'Is this fish male\nor female?' If he says male, then you will tell him that you wanted a\nfemale fish; but if he should say female, your reply will be that you\nwanted a male fish. In this way the matter will be properly adjusted.\"\n\nThe King thought this an easy way out of the difficulty, and commanded\nthe fisherman to be brought before him. When the fisherman, who by the\nway, was a most intelligent man, stood before the King, the King said\nto him: \"O fisherman, tell me, is this fish male or female?\"\n\nThe fisherman replied, \"The fish is neither male nor female.\" Whereupon\nthe King smiled at the clever answer, and to add to the Queen's\nannoyance, directed the keeper of the royal purse to give the fisherman\na further sum of money.\n\nThen the fisherman placed the money in his leather bag, thanked the\nKing, and swinging the bag over his shoulder, hurried away, but not so\nquickly that he did not notice that he had dropped one small coin.\nPlacing the bag on the ground, he stooped and picked up the coin, and\nagain went on his way, with the King and Queen carefully watching his\nevery action.\n\n\"Look! what a miser he is!\" said Sherem, triumphantly. \"He actually put\ndown his bag to pick up one small coin because it grieved him to think\nthat it might reach the hands of one of the King's servants, or some\npoor person, who, needing it, would buy bread and pray for the long\nlife of the King.\"\n\n\"Again thou speakest the truth,\" replied the King, feeling the justice\nof this remark; and once more was the fisherman brought into the royal\npresence. \"Are you a human being or a beast?\" the King asked him.\n\"Although I made it possible for you to become rich without toil, yet\nthe miser within you could not allow you to leave even one small piece\nof money for others.\" Then the King bade him to go forth and show his\nface no more within the city.\n\nAt this the fisherman fell on his knees and cried: \"Hear me, O King,\nprotector of the poor! May God grant the King a long life. Not for its\nvalue did thy servant pick up the coin, but because on one side it bore\nthe name of God, and on the other the likeness of the King. Thy servant\nfeared that someone, not seeing the coin, would tread it into the dirt,\nand thus defile both the name of God and the face of the King. Let the\nKing judge if by so doing I have merited reproach.\"\n\nThis answer pleased the King beyond all measure, and he gave the\nfisherman another large sum of money. And the Queen's wrath was turned\naway, and she looked kindly upon the fisherman as he departed with his\nbag laden with money.","title":"The Cat and the Mouse: A Book of Persian Fairy Tales","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":8242}