{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_3440/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_3440","id":"gutenberg_3440","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/3440","summary":null,"tags":["Category: Adventure","Category: Classics of Literature","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Tales -- Arab countries"],"text":"THE BOOK OF THE\n THOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n\nA Plain and Literal Translation\n\nof the Arabian Nights Entertainments\n\n\nTranslated and Annotated by\n Richard F. Burton\n\n\n\n\nVOLUME SIX\n\n\nPrivately Printed By The Burton Club\n\n\n\n\n                     I Inscribe This Volume\n              To My Old And Valued Correspondent,\n                    I Whose Debt I Am Deep,\n\n                    Professor Aloys Sprenger\n                        (of Heidelberg),\n\nArabist, Philosopher and Friend.\n\nRichard F. Burton.\n\n\nContents of the Sixth Volume\n\n\n 133. Sindbad the Seaman and Sindbad the Landsman\n     a. The First Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     b. The Second Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     c. The Third Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     d. The Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     e. The Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     f. The Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n     g. The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n        The Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n          (according to the Calcutta Edition)\n 134. The City of Brass\n 135. The Craft and Malice of Woman\n     a. The King and His Wazir\u2019s Wife\n     b. The Confectioner, His Wife and the Parrot\n     c. The Fuller and His Son\n     d. The Rake\u2019s Trick Against the Chaste Wife\n     e. The Miser and the Loaves of Bread\n     f. The Lady and Her Two Lovers\n     g. The King\u2019s Son and the Ogress\n     h. The Drop of Honey\n     i. The Woman Who Made Her Husband Sift Dust\n     j. The Enchanted Spring\n     k. The Wazir\u2019s Son and the Hamman-Keeper\u2019s Wife\n     l. The Wife\u2019s Device to Cheat her Husband\n     m. The Goldsmith and the Cashmere Singing-Girl\n     n. The Man who Never Laughed During the Rest of His Days\n     o. The King\u2019s Son and the Merchant\u2019s Wife\n     p. The Page Who Feigned to Know the Speech of Birds\n     q. The Lady and Her Five Suitors\n     r. The Three Wishes, or the Man Who Longed to see the Night of Power\n     s. The Stolen Necklace\n     t. The Two Pigeons\n     u. Prince Behram and the Princess Al-Datma\n     v. The House With the Belvedere\n     w. The King\u2019s Son and the Ifrit\u2019s Mistress\n     x. The Sandal-Wood Merchant and the Sharpers\n     y. The Debauchee and the Three-Year-Old Child\n     z. The Stolen Purse\n     aa. The Fox and the Folk\n 136. Judar and His Brethren\n 137. The History of Gharib and His Brother Ajib\n\n\n\n\nThe Book Of The\n\nTHOUSAND NIGHTS AND A NIGHT\n\n\n\n\nSindbad The Seaman[FN#1] and Sindbad The Landsman.\n\n\nThere lived in the city of Baghdad, during the reign of the Commander\nof the Faithful, Harun al-Rashid, a man named Sindb\u00e1d the Hamm\u00e1l,[FN#2]\none in poor case who bore burdens on his head for hire. It happened to\nhim one day of great heat that whilst he was carrying a heavy load, he\nbecame exceeding weary and sweated profusely, the heat and the weight\nalike oppressing him. Presently, as he was passing the gate of a\nmerchant\u2019s house, before which the ground was swept and watered, and\nthere the air was temperate, he sighted a broad bench beside the door;\nso he set his load thereon, to take rest and smell the air,\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Hammal\nset his load upon the bench to take rest and smell the air, there came\nout upon him from the court-door a pleasant breeze and a delicious\nfragrance. He sat down on the edge of the bench, and at once heard from\nwithin the melodious sound of lutes and other stringed instruments, and\nmirth-exciting voices singing and reciting, together with the song of\nbirds warbling and glorifying Almighty Allah in various tunes and\ntongues; turtles, mocking-birds, merles, nightingales, cushats and\nstone-curlews,[FN#3] whereat he marvelled in himself and was moved to\nmighty joy and solace. Then he went up to the gate and saw within a\ngreat flower-garden wherein were pages and black slaves and such a\ntrain of servants and attendants and so forth as is found only with\nKings and Sultans; and his nostrils were greeted with the savoury\nodours of all manner meats rich and delicate, and delicious and\ngenerous wines. So he raised his eyes heavenwards and said, \u201cGlory to\nThee, O Lord, O Creator and Provider, who providest whomso Thou wilt\nwithout count or stint! O mine Holy One, I cry Thee pardon for all sins\nand turn to Thee repenting of all offences! O Lord, there is no\ngainsaying Thee in Thine ordinance and Thy dominion, neither wilt Thou\nbe questioned of that Thou dost, for Thou indeed over all things art\nAlmighty! Extolled be Thy perfection: whom Thou wilt Thou makest poor\nand whom Thou wilt Thou makest rich! Whom Thou wilt Thou exaltest and\nwhom Thou wilt Thou abasest and there is no god but Thou! How mighty is\nThy majesty and how enduring Thy dominion and how excellent Thy\ngovernment! Verily, Thou favourest whom Thou wilt of Thy servants,\nwhereby the owner of this place abideth in all joyance of life and\ndelighteth himself with pleasant scents and delicious meats and\nexquisite wines of all kinds. For indeed Thou appointest unto Thy\ncreatures that which Thou wilt and that which Thou hast foreordained\nunto them; wherefore are some weary and others are at rest and some\nenjoy fair fortune and affluence, whilst others suffer the extreme of\ntravail and misery, even as I do.\u201d And he fell to reciting,\n\n\u201cHow many by my labours, that evermore endure, * All goods of\n     life enjoy and in cooly shade recline?\nEach morn that dawns I wake in travail and in woe, * And strange\n     is my condition and my burden gars me pine:\nMany others are in luck and from miseries are free, * And Fortune\n     never loads them with loads the like o\u2019 mine:\nThey live their happy days in all solace and delight; * Eat,\n     drink and dwell in honour \u2019mid the noble and the digne:\nAll living things were made of a little drop of sperm, * Thine\n     origin is mine and my provenance is thine;\nYet the difference and distance \u2019twixt the twain of us are far *\n     As the difference of savour \u2019twixt vinegar and wine:\nBut at Thee, O God All-wise! I venture not to rail * Whose\n     ordinance is just and whose justice cannot fail.\u201d\n\n\nWhen Sindbad the Porter had made an end of reciting his verses, he bore\nup his burden and was about to fare on, when there came forth to him\nfrom the gate a little foot-page, fair of face and shapely of shape and\ndainty of dress who caught him by the hand saying, \u201cCome in and speak\nwith my lord, for he calleth for thee.\u201d The Porter would have excused\nhimself to the page but the lad would take no refusal; so he left his\nload with the doorkeeper in the vestibule and followed the boy into the\nhouse, which he found to be a goodly mansion, radiant and full of\nmajesty, till he brought him to a grand sitting-room wherein he saw a\ncompany of nobles and great lords, seated at tables garnished with all\nmanner of flowers and sweet-scented herbs, besides great plenty of\ndainty viands and fruits dried and fresh and confections and wines of\nthe choicest vintages. There also were instruments of music and mirth\nand lovely slave-girls playing and singing. All the company was ranged\naccording to rank; and in the highest place sat a man of worshipful and\nnoble aspect whose beard-sides hoariness had stricken; and he was\nstately of stature and fair of favour, agreeable of aspect and full of\ngravity and dignity and majesty. So Sindbad the Porter was confounded\nat that which he beheld and said in himself, \u201cBy Allah, this must be\neither a piece of Paradise or some King\u2019s palace!\u201d Then he saluted the\ncompany with much respect praying for their prosperity, and kissing the\nground before them, stood with his head bowed down in humble\nattitude.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nPorter, after kissing ground between their hands stood with his head\nbowed down in humble attitude. The master of the house bade him draw\nnear and be seated and bespoke him kindly, bidding him welcome. Then he\nset before him various kinds of viands, rich and delicate and\ndelicious, and the Porter, after saying his Bismillah, fell to and ate\nhis fill, after which he exclaimed, \u201cPraised be Allah whatso be our\ncase![FN#4]\u201d and, washing his hands, returned thanks to the company for\nhis entertainment. Quoth the host, \u201cThou art welcome and thy day is a\nblessed. But what is thy name and calling?\u201d Quoth the other, \u201cO my\nlord, my name is Sindbad the Hammal, and I carry folk\u2019s goods on my\nhead for hire.\u201d The house-master smiled and rejoined, \u201cKnow, O Porter\nthat thy name is even as mine, for I am Sindbad the Seaman; and now, O\nPorter, I would have thee let me hear the couplets thou recitedst at\nthe gate anon.\u201d The Porter was abashed and replied, \u201cAllah upon thee!\nExcuse me, for toil and travail and lack of luck when the hand is\nempty, teach a man ill manners and boorish ways.\u201d Said the host, \u201cBe\nnot ashamed; thou art become my brother; but repeat to me the verses,\nfor they pleased me whenas I heard thee recite them at the gate.\nHereupon the Porter repeated the couplets and they delighted the\nmerchant, who said to him,\u2014Know, O Hammal, that my story is a\nwonderful one, and thou shalt hear all that befel me and all I\nunderwent ere I rose to this state of prosperity and became the lord of\nthis place wherein thou seest me; for I came not to this high estate\nsave after travail sore and perils galore, and how much toil and\ntrouble have I not suffered in days of yore! I have made seven voyages,\nby each of which hangeth a marvellous tale, such as confoundeth the\nreason, and all this came to pass by doom of fortune and fate; for from\nwhat destiny doth write there is neither refuge nor flight. Know, then,\ngood my lords (continued he) that I am about to relate the\n\n\nFirst Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\u201d[FN#5]\n\nMy father was a merchant, one of the notables of my native place, a\nmonied man and ample of means, who died whilst I was yet a child,\nleaving me much wealth in money and lands and farmhouses. When I grew\nup, I laid hands on the whole and ate of the best and drank freely and\nwore rich clothes and lived lavishly, companioning and consorting with\nyouths of my own age, and considering that this course of life would\ncontinue for ever and ken no change. Thus did I for a long time, but at\nlast I awoke from my heedlessness and, returning to my senses, I found\nmy wealth had become unwealth and my condition ill-conditioned and all\nI once hent had left my hand. And recovering my reason I was stricken\nwith dismay and confusion and bethought me of a saying of our lord\nSolomon, son of David (on whom be peace!), which I had heard aforetime\nfrom my father, \u201cThree things are better than other three; the day of\ndeath is better than the day of birth, a live dog is better than a dead\nlion and the grave is better than want.\u201d[FN#6] Then I got together my\nremains of estates and property and sold all, even my clothes, for\nthree thousand dirhams, with which I resolved to travel to foreign\nparts, remembering the saying of the poet,\n\n\u201cBy means of toil man shall scale the height; * Who to fame\n     aspires mustn\u2019t sleep o\u2019 night:\nWho seeketh pearl in the deep must dive, * Winning weal and\n     wealth by his main and might:\nAnd who seeketh Fame without toil and strife * Th\u2019 impossible\n     seeketh and wasteth life.\u201d\n\n\nSo taking heart I bought me goods, merchandise and all needed for a\nvoyage and, impatient to be at sea, I embarked, with a company of\nmerchants, on board a ship bound for Bassorah. There we again embarked\nand sailed many days and nights, and we passed from isle to isle and\nsea to sea and shore to shore, buying and selling and bartering\neverywhere the ship touched, and continued our course till we came to\nan island as it were a garth of the gardens of Paradise. Here the\ncaptain cast anchor and making fast to the shore, put out the landing\nplanks. So all on board landed and made furnaces[FN#7] and lighting\nfires therein, busied themselves in various ways, some cooking and some\nwashing, whilst other some walked about the island for solace, and the\ncrew fell to eating and drinking and playing and sporting. I was one of\nthe walkers but, as we were thus engaged, behold the master who was\nstanding on the gunwale cried out to us at the top of his voice,\nsaying, \u201cHo there! passengers, run for your lives and hasten back to\nthe ship and leave your gear and save yourselves from destruction,\nAllah preserve you! For this island whereon ye stand is no true island,\nbut a great fish stationary a-middlemost of the sea, whereon the sand\nhath settled and trees have sprung up of old time, so that it is become\nlike unto an island;[FN#8] but, when ye lighted fires on it, it felt\nthe heat and moved; and in a moment it will sink with you into the sea\nand ye will all be drowned. So leave your gear and seek your safety ere\nye die!\u201d\u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Thirty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nship-master cried to the passengers, \u201cLeave your gear and seek safety,\nere ye die;\u201d all who heard him left gear and goods, clothes washed and\nunwashed, fire pots and brass cooking-pots, and fled back to the ship\nfor their lives, and some reached it while others (amongst whom was I)\ndid not, for suddenly the island shook and sank into the abysses of the\ndeep, with all that were thereon, and the dashing sea surged over it\nwith clashing waves. I sank with the others down, down into the deep,\nbut Almighty Allah preserved me from drowning and threw in my way a\ngreat wooden tub of those that had served the ship\u2019s company for\ntubbing. I gripped it for the sweetness of life and, bestriding it like\none riding, paddled with my feet like oars, whilst the waves tossed me\nas in sport right and left. Meanwhile the captain made sail and\ndeparted with those who had reached the ship, regardless of the\ndrowning and the drowned; and I ceased not following the vessel with my\neyes, till she was hid from sight and I made sure of death. Darkness\nclosed in upon me while in this plight and the winds and waves bore me\non all that night and the next day, till the tub brought to with me\nunder the lee of a lofty island, with trees overhanging the tide. I\ncaught hold of a branch and by its aid clambered up on to the land,\nafter coming nigh upon death; but when I reached the shore, I found my\nlegs cramped and numbed and my feet bore traces of the nibbling of fish\nupon their soles; withal I had felt nothing for excess of anguish and\nfatigue. I threw myself down on the island ground, like a dead man, and\ndrowned in desolation swooned away, nor did I return to my senses till\nnext morning, when the sun rose and revived me. But I found my feet\nswollen, so made shift to move by shuffling on my breech and crawling\non my knees, for in that island were found store of fruits and springs\nof sweet water. I ate of the fruits which strengthened me; and thus I\nabode days and nights, till my life seemed to return and my spirits\nbegan to revive and I was better able to move about. So, after due\nconsideration, I fell to exploring the island and diverting myself with\ngazing upon all things that Allah Almighty had created there; and\nrested under the trees from one of which I cut me a staff to lean upon.\nOne day as I walked along the marge, I caught sight of some object in\nthe distance and thought it a wild beast or one of the\nmonster-creatures of the sea; but, as I drew near it, looking hard the\nwhile, I saw that it was a noble mare, tethered on the beach. Presently\nI went up to her, but she cried out against me with a great cry, so\nthat I trembled for fear and turned to go away, when there came forth a\nman from under the earth and followed me, crying out and saying, \u201cWho\nand whence art thou, and what caused thee to come hither?\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d\nanswered I, \u201cI am in very sooth, a waif, a stranger, and was left to\ndrown with sundry others by the ship we voyaged in;[FN#9] but Allah\ngraciously sent me a wooden tub; so I saved myself thereon and it\nfloated with me, till the waves cast me up on this island.\u201d When he\nheard this, he took my hand and saying, \u201cCome with me,\u201d carried me into\na great Sardab, or underground chamber, which was spacious as a saloon.\nHe made me sit down at its upper end; then he brought me somewhat of\nfood and, being anhungered, I ate till I was satisfied and refreshed;\nand when he had put me at mine ease he questioned me of myself, and I\ntold him all that had befallen me from first to last; and, as he\nwondered at my adventure, I said, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, excuse me; I\nhave told thee the truth of my case and the accident which betided me;\nand now I desire that thou tell me who thou art and why thou abidest\nhere under the earth and why thou hast tethered yonder mare on the\nbrink of the sea.\u201d Answered he, \u201cKnow, that I am one of the several who\nare stationed in different parts of this island, and we are of the\ngrooms of King Mihrjan[FN#10] and under our hand are all his horses.\nEvery month, about new-moon tide we bring hither our best mares which\nhave never been covered, and picket them on the sea-shore and hide\nourselves in this place under the ground, so that none may espy us.\nPresently, the stallions of the sea scent the mares and come up out of\nthe water and seeing no one, leap the mares and do their will of them.\nWhen they have covered them, they try to drag them away with them, but\ncannot, by reason of the leg-ropes; so they cry out at them and butt at\nthem and kick them, which we hearing, know that the stallions have\ndismounted; so we run out and shout at them, whereupon they are\nstartled and return in fear to the sea. Then the mares conceive by them\nand bear colts and fillies worth a mint of money, nor is their like to\nbe found on earth\u2019s face. This is the time of the coming forth of the\nsea-stallions; and Inshallah! I will bear thee to King Mihrjan\u201d\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fortieth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the\nSyce[FN#11] said to Sindbad the Seaman, \u201cI will bear thee to King\nMihrjan and show thee our country. And know that hadst thou not\nhappened on us thou hadst perished miserably and none had known of\nthee: but I will be the means of the saving of thy life and of thy\nreturn to thine own land.\u201d I called down blessings on him and thanked\nhim for his kindness and courtesy; and, while we were yet talking,\nbehold, the stallion came up out of the sea; and, giving a great cry,\nsprang upon the mare and covered her. When he had done his will of her,\nhe dismounted and would have carried her away with him, but could not\nby reason of the tether. She kicked and cried out at him, whereupon the\ngroom took a sword and target[FN#12] and ran out of the underground\nsaloon, smiting the buckler with the blade and calling to his company,\nwho came up shouting and brandishing spears; and the stallion took\nfright at them and plunging into the sea, like a buffalo, disappeared\nunder the waves.[FN#13] After this we sat awhile, till the rest of the\ngrooms came up, each leading a mare, and seeing me with their\nfellow-Syce, questioned me of my case and I repeated my story to them.\nThereupon they drew near me and spreading the table, ate and invited me\nto eat; so I ate with them, after which they took horse and mounting me\non one of the mares, set out with me and fared on without ceasing, till\nwe came to the capital city of King Mihrjan, and going in to him\nacquainted him with my story. Then he sent for me, and when they set me\nbefore him and salams had been exchanged, he gave me a cordial welcome\nand wishing me long life bade me tell him my tale. So I related to him\nall that I had seen and all that had befallen me from first to last,\nwhereat he marvelled and said to me, \u201cBy Allah, O my son, thou hast\nindeed been miraculously preserved! Were not the term of thy life a\nlong one, thou hadst not escaped from these straits; but praised by\nAllah for safety!\u201d Then he spoke cheerily to me and entreated me with\nkindness and consideration: moreover, he made me his agent for the port\nand registrar of all ships that entered the harbour. I attended him\nregularly, to receive his commandments, and he favoured me and did me\nall manner of kindness and invested me with costly and splendid robes.\nIndeed, I was high in credit with him, as an intercessor for the folk\nand an intermediary between them and him, when they wanted aught of\nhim. I abode thus a great while and, as often as I passed through the\ncity to the port, I questioned the merchants and travellers and sailors\nof the city of Baghdad; so haply I might hear of an occasion to return\nto my native land, but could find none who knew it or knew any who\nresorted thither. At this I was chagrined, for I was weary of long\nstrangerhood; and my disappointment endured for a time till one day,\ngoing in to King Mihrjan, I found him with a company of Indians. I\nsaluted them and they returned my salam; and politely welcomed me and\nasked me of my country.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-first Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman said:\u2014When they asked me of my country I questioned them of\ntheirs and they told me that they were of various castes, some being\ncalled Shakiriyah[FN#14] who are the noblest of their castes and\nneither oppress nor offer violence to any, and others Brahmans, a folk\nwho abstain from wine, but live in delight and solace and merriment and\nown camels and horses and cattle. Moreover, they told me that the\npeople of India are divided into two-and-seventy castes, and I\nmarvelled at this with exceeding marvel. Amongst other things that I\nsaw in King Mihrjan\u2019s dominions was an island called K\u00e1sil,[FN#15]\nwherein all night is heard the beating of drums and tabrets; but we were\ntold by the neighbouring islanders and by travellers that the\ninhabitants are people of diligence and judgment.[FN#16] In this sea I\nsaw also a fish two hundred cubits long and the fishermen fear it; so\nthey strike together pieces of wood and put it to flight.[FN#17] I also\nsaw another fish, with a head like that of an owl, besides many other\nwonders and rarities, which it would be tedious to recount. I occupied\nmyself thus in visiting the islands till, one day, as I stood in the\nport, with a staff in my hand, according to my custom, behold, a great\nship, wherein were many merchants, came sailing for the harbour. When\nit reached the small inner port where ships anchor under the city, the\nmaster furled his sails and making fast to the shore, put out the\nlanding-planks, whereupon the crew fell to breaking bulk and landing\ncargo whilst I stood by, taking written note of them. They were long in\nbringing the goods ashore so I asked the master, \u201cIs there aught left\nin thy ship?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cO my lord, there are divers bales of\nmerchandise in the hold, whose owner was drowned from amongst us at one\nof the islands on our course; so his goods remained in our charge by\nway of trust and we purpose to sell them and note their price, that we\nmay convey it to his people in the city of Baghdad, the Home of Peace.\u201d\n\u201cWhat was the merchant\u2019s name?\u201d quoth I, and quoth he, \u201cSindbad the\nSeaman;\u201d whereupon I straitly considered him and knowing him, cried out\nto him with a great cry, saying, \u201cO captain, I am that Sindbad the\nSeaman who travelled with other merchants; and when the fish heaved and\nthou calledst to us some saved themselves and others sank, I being one\nof them. But Allah Almighty threw in my way a great tub of wood, of\nthose the crew had used to wash withal, and the winds and waves carried\nme to this island, where by Allah\u2019s grace, I fell in with King\nMihrjan\u2019s grooms and they brought me hither to the King their master.\nWhen I told him my story, he entreated me with favour and made me his\nharbour-master, and I have prospered in his service and found\nacceptance with him. These bales, therefore are mine, the goods which\nGod hath given me.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-second Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sindbad\nthe Seaman said to the captain, \u201cThese bales are mine, the goods which\nAllah hath given me,\u201d the other exclaimed, \u201cThere is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! Verily, there\nis neither conscience nor good faith left among men!\u201d said I, \u201cO\nRais,[FN#18] what mean these words, seeing that I have told thee my\ncase?\u201d And he answered, \u201cBecause thou heardest me say that I had with\nme goods whose owner was drowned, thou thinkest to take them without\nright; but this is forbidden by law to thee, for we saw him drown\nbefore our eyes, together with many other passengers, nor was one of\nthem saved. So how canst thou pretend that thou art the owner of the\ngoods?\u201d \u201cO captain,\u201d said I, \u201clisten to my story and give heed to my\nwords, and my truth will be manifest to thee; for lying and leasing are\nthe letter-marks of the hypocrites.\u201d Then I recounted to him all that\nhad befallen me since I sailed from Baghdad with him to the time when\nwe came to the fish-island where we were nearly drowned; and I reminded\nhim of certain matters which had passed between us; whereupon both he\nand the merchants were certified at the truth of my story and\nrecognized me and gave me joy of my deliverance, saying, \u201cBy Allah, we\nthought not that thou hadst escaped drowning! But the Lord hath granted\nthee new life.\u201d Then they delivered my bales to me, and I found my name\nwritten thereon, nor was aught thereof lacking. So I opened them and\nmaking up a present for King Mihrjan of the finest and costliest of the\ncontents, caused the sailors carry it up to the palace, where I went in\nto the King and laid my present at his feet, acquainting him with what\nhad happened, especially concerning the ship and my goods; whereat he\nwondered with exceeding wonder and the truth of all that I had told him\nwas made manifest to him. His affection for me redoubled after that and\nhe showed me exceeding honour and bestowed on me a great present in\nreturn for mine. Then I sold my bales and what other matters I owned\nmaking a great profit on them, and bought me other goods and gear of\nthe growth and fashion of the island-city. When the merchants were\nabout to start on their homeward voyage, I embarked on board the ship\nall that I possessed, and going in to the King, thanked him for all his\nfavours and friendship and craved his leave to return to my own land\nand friends. He farewelled me and bestowed on me great store of the\ncountry-stuffs and produce; and I took leave of him and embarked. Then\nwe set sail and fared on nights and days, by the permission of Allah\nAlmighty; and Fortune served us and Fate favoured us, so that we\narrived in safety at Bassorah-city where I landed rejoiced at my safe\nreturn to my natal soil. After a short stay, I set out for Baghdad, the\nHouse of Peace, with store of goods and commodities of great price.\nReaching the city in due time, I went straight to my own quarter and\nentered my house where all my friends and kinsfolk came to greet me.\nThen I bought me eunuchs and concubines, servants and negro slaves till\nI had a large establishment, and I bought me houses, and lands and\ngardens, till I was richer and in better case than before, and returned\nto enjoy the society of my friends and familiars more assiduously than\never, forgetting all I had suffered of fatigue and hardship and\nstrangerhood and every peril of travel; and I applied myself to all\nmanner joys and solaces and delights, eating the dantiest viands and\ndrinking the deliciousest wines; and my wealth allowed this state of\nthings to endure. \u201cThis, then, is the story of my first voyage, and\nto-morrow, Inshallah! I will tell you the tale of the second of my\nseven voyages.\u201d (Saith he who telleth the tale), Then Sindbad the\nSeaman made Sindbad the Landsman sup with him and bade give him an\nhundred gold pieces, saying, \u201cThou hast cheered us with thy company\nthis day.\u201d[FN#19] The Porter thanked him and, taking the gift, went his\nway, pondering that which he had heard and marvelling mightily at what\nthings betide mankind. He passed the night in his own place and with\nearly morning repaired to the abode of Sindbad the Seaman, who received\nhim with honour and seated him by his side. As soon as the rest of the\ncompany was assembled, he set meat and drink before them and, when they\nhad well eaten and drunken and were merry and in cheerful case, he took\nup his discourse and recounted to them in these words the narrative of\n\n\nThe Second Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nKnow, O my brother, that I was living a most comfortable and enjoyable\nlife, in all solace and delight, as I told you yesterday,\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-third Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sindbad\nthe Seaman\u2019s guests were all gathered together he thus bespake them:\u2014I\nwas living a most enjoyable life until one day my mind became possessed\nwith the thought of travelling about the world of men and seeing their\ncities and islands; and a longing seized me to traffic and to make\nmoney by trade. Upon this resolve I took a great store of cash and,\nbuying goods and gear fit for travel, bound them up in bales. Then I\nwent down to the river-bank, where I found a noble ship and brand-new\nabout to sail, equipped with sails of fine cloth and well manned and\nprovided; so I took passage in her, with a number of other merchants,\nand after embarking our goods we weighed anchor the same day. Right\nfair was our voyage and we sailed from place to place and from isle to\nisle; and whenever we anchored we met a crowd of merchants and notables\nand customers, and we took to buying and selling and bartering. At last\nDestiny brought us to an island, fair and verdant, in trees abundant,\nwith yellow-ripe fruits luxuriant, and flowers fragrant and birds\nwarbling soft descant; and streams crystalline and radiant; but no sign\nof man showed to the descrier, no, not a blower of the fire.[FN#20] The\ncaptain made fast with us to this island, and the merchants and sailors\nlanded and walked about, enjoying the shade of the trees and the song\nof the birds, that chanted the praises of the One, the Victorious, and\nmarvelling at the works of the Omnipotent King.[FN#21] I landed with\nthe rest; and, sitting down by a spring of sweet water that welled up\namong the trees, took out some vivers I had with me and ate of that\nwhich Allah Almighty had allotted unto me. And so sweet was the zephyr\nand so fragrant were the flowers, that presently I waxed drowsy and,\nlying down in that place, was soon drowned in sleep. When I awoke, I\nfound myself alone, for the ship had sailed and left me behind, nor had\none of the merchants or sailors bethought himself of me. I seared the\nisland right and left, but found neither man nor Jinn, whereat I was\nbeyond measure troubled and my gall was like to burst for stress of\nchagrin and anguish and concern, because I was left quite alone,\nwithout aught of worldly gear or meat or drink, weary and heart-broken.\nSo I gave myself up for lost and said, \u201cNot always doth the crock\nescape the shock. I was saved the first time by finding one who brought\nme from the desert island to an inhabited place, but now there is no\nhope for me.\u201d Then I fell to weeping and wailing and gave myself up to\nan access of rage, blaming myself for having again ventured upon the\nperils and hardships of voyage, whenas I was at my ease in mine own\nhouse in mine own land, taking my pleasure with good meat and good\ndrink and good clothes and lacking nothing, neither money nor goods.\nAnd I repented me of having left Baghdad, and this the more after all\nthe travails and dangers I had undergone in my first voyage, wherein I\nhad so narrowly escaped destruction, and exclaimed \u201cVerily we are\nAllah\u2019s and unto Him we are returning!\u201d I was indeed even as one mad\nand Jinn-struck and presently I rose and walked about the island, right\nand left and every whither, unable for trouble to sit or tarry in any\none place. Then I climbed a tall tree and looked in all directions, but\nsaw nothing save sky and sea and trees and birds and isles and sands.\nHowever, after a while my eager glances fell upon some great white\nthing, afar off in the interior of the island; so I came down from the\ntree and made for that which I had seen; and behold, it was a huge\nwhite dome rising high in air and of vast compass. I walked all around\nit, but found no door thereto, nor could I muster strength or\nnimbleness by reason of its exceeding smoothness and slipperiness. So I\nmarked the spot where I stood and went round about the dome to measure\nits circumference which I found fifty good paces. And as I stood,\ncasting about how to gain an entrance the day being near its fall and\nthe sun being near the horizon, behold, the sun was suddenly hidden\nfrom me and the air became dull and dark. Methought a cloud had come\nover the sun, but it was the season of summer; so I marvelled at this\nand lifting my head looked steadfastly at the sky, when I saw that the\ncloud was none other than an enormous bird, of gigantic girth and\ninordinately wide of wing which, as it flew through the air, veiled the\nsun and hid it from the island. At this sight my wonder redoubled and I\nremembered a story,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued in these words:\u2014My wonder redoubled and I remembered a\nstory I had heard aforetime of pilgrims and travellers, how in a\ncertain island dwelleth a huge bird, called the \u201cRukh\u201d[FN#22] which\nfeedeth its young on elephants; and I was certified that the dome which\ncaught my sight was none other than a Rukh\u2019s egg. As I looked and\nwondered at the marvellous works of the Almighty, the bird alighted on\nthe dome and brooded over it with its wings covering it and its legs\nstretched out behind it on the ground, and in this posture it fell\nasleep, glory be to Him who sleepeth not! When I saw this, I arose and,\nunwinding my turband from my head, doubled it and twisted it into a\nrope, with which I girt my middle and bound my waist fast to the legs\nof the Rukh, saying in myself, \u201cPeradventure, this bird may carry me to\na land of cities and inhabitants, and that will be better than abiding\nin this desert island.\u201d I passed the night watching and fearing to\nsleep, lest the bird should fly away with me unawares; and, as soon as\nthe dawn broke and morn shone, the Rukh rose off its egg and spreading\nits wings with a great cry flew up into the air dragging me with it;\nnor ceased it to soar and to tower till I thought it had reached the\nlimit of the firmament; after which it descended, earthwards, little by\nlittle, till it lighted on the top of a high hill. As soon as I found\nmyself on the hard ground, I made haste to unbind myself, quaking for\nfear of the bird, though it took no heed of me nor even felt me; and,\nloosing my turband from its feet, I made off with my best speed.\nPresently, I saw it catch up in its huge claws something from the earth\nand rise with it high in air, and observing it narrowly I saw it to be\na serpent big of bulk and gigantic of girth, wherewith it flew away\nclean out of sight. I marvelled at this and faring forwards found\nmyself on a peak overlooking a valley, exceeding great and wide and\ndeep, and bounded by vast mountains that spired high in air: none could\ndescry their summits, for the excess of their height, nor was any able\nto climb up thereto. When I saw this, I blamed myself for that which I\nhad done and said, \u201cWould Heaven I had tarried in the island! It was\nbetter than this wild desert; for there I had at least fruits to eat\nand water to drink, and here are neither trees nor fruits nor streams.\nBut there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great! Verily, as often as I am quit of one peril, I fall\ninto a worse danger and a more grievous.\u201d However, I took courage and\nwalking along the Wady found that its soil was of diamond, the stone\nwherewith they pierce minerals and precious stones and porcelain and\nthe onyx, for that it is a dense stone and a dure, whereon neither iron\nnor hardhead hath effect, neither can we cut off aught therefrom nor\nbreak it, save by means of leadstone.[FN#23] Moreover, the valley\nswarmed with snakes and vipers, each big as a palm tree, that would\nhave made but one gulp of an elephant; and they came out by night,\nhiding during the day, lest the Rukhs and eagles pounce on them and\ntear them to pieces, as was their wont, why I wot not. And I repented\nof what I had done and said, \u201cBy Allah, I have made haste to bring\ndestruction upon myself!\u201d The day began to wane as I went along and I\nlooked about for a place where I might pass the night, being in fear of\nthe serpents; and I took no thought of meat and drink in my concern for\nmy life. Presently, I caught sight of a cave nearhand, with a narrow\ndoorway; so I entered and seeing a great stone close to the mouth, I\nrolled it up and stopped the entrance, saying to myself, \u201cI am safe\nhere for the night; and as soon as it is day, I will go forth and see\nwhat destiny will do.\u201d Then I looked within the cave and saw to the\nupper end a great serpent brooding on her eggs, at which my flesh\nquaked and my hair stood on end; but I raised my eyes to Heaven and,\ncommitting my case to fate and lot, abode all that night without sleep\ntill daybreak, when I rolled back the stone from the mouth of the cave\nand went forth, staggering like a drunken man and giddy with watching\nand fear and hunger. As in this sore case I walked along the valley,\nbehold, there fell down before me a slaughtered beast; but I saw no\none, whereat I marvelled with great marvel and presently remembered a\nstory I had heard aforetime of traders and pilgrims and travellers; how\nthe mountains where are the diamonds are full of perils and terrors,\nnor can any fare through them; but the merchants who traffic in\ndiamonds have a device by which they obtain them, that is to say, they\ntake a sheep and slaughter and skin it and cut it in pieces and cast\nthem down from the mountain-tops into the valley-sole, where the meat\nbeing fresh and sticky with blood, some of the gems cleave to it. There\nthey leave it till mid-day, when the eagles and vultures swoop down\nupon it and carry it in their claws to the mountain-summits, whereupon\nthe merchants come and shout at them and scare them away from the meat.\nThen they come and, taking the diamonds which they find sticking to it,\ngo their ways with them and leave the meat to the birds and beasts; nor\ncan any come at the diamonds but by this device,\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued his relation of what befel him in the Mountain of\nDiamonds, and informed them that the merchants cannot come at the\ndiamonds save by the device aforesaid. So, when I saw the slaughtered\nbeast fall (he pursued) and bethought me of the story, I went up to it\nand filled my pockets and shawl-girdle and turband and the folds of my\nclothes with the choicest diamonds; and, as I was thus engaged, down\nfell before me another great piece of meat. Then with my unrolled\nturband and lying on my back, I set the bit on my breast so that I was\nhidden by the meat, which was thus raised above the ground. Hardly had\nI gripped it, when an eagle swooped down upon the flesh and, seizing it\nwith his talons, flew up with it high in air and me clinging thereto,\nand ceased not its flight till it alighted on the head of one of the\nmountains where, dropping the carcass he fell to rending it; but,\nbehold, there arose behind him a great noise of shouting and clattering\nof wood, whereat the bird took fright and flew away. Then I loosed off\nmyself the meat, with clothes daubed with blood therefrom, and stood up\nby its side; whereupon up came the merchant, who had cried out at the\neagle, and seeing me standing there, bespoke me not, but was affrighted\nat me and shook with fear. However, he went up to the carcass and\nturning it over, found no diamonds sticking to it, whereat he gave a\ngreat cry and exclaimed, \u201cHarrow, my disappointment! There is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah with whom we seek refuge\nfrom Satan the stoned!\u201d And he bemoaned himself and beat hand upon\nhand, saying, \u201cAlas, the pity of it! How cometh this?\u201d Then I went up\nto him and he said to me, \u201cWho art thou and what causeth thee to come\nhither?\u201d And I, \u201cFear not, I am a man and a good man and a merchant. My\nstory is a wondrous and my adventures marvellous and the manner of my\ncoming hither is prodigious. So be of good cheer, thou shalt receive of\nme what shall rejoice thee, for I have with me great plenty of diamonds\nand I will give thee thereof what shall suffice thee; for each is\nbetter than aught thou couldst get otherwise. So fear nothing.\u201d The man\nrejoiced thereat and thanked and blessed me; then we talked together\ntill the other merchants, hearing me in discourse with their fellow,\ncame up and saluted me; for each of them had thrown down his piece of\nmeat. And as I went off with them I told them my whole story, how I had\nsuffered hardships at sea and the fashion of my reaching the valley.\nBut I gave the owner of the meat a number of the stones I had by me, so\nthey all wished me joy of my escape, saying, \u201cBy Allah a new life hath\nbeen decreed to thee, for none ever reached yonder valley and came off\nthence alive before thee; but praised be Allah for thy safety!\u201d We\npassed the night together in a safe and pleasant place, beyond measure\nrejoiced at my deliverance from the Valley of Serpents and my arrival\nin an inhabited land; and on the morrow we set out and journeyed over\nthe mighty range of mountains, seeing many serpents in the valley, till\nwe came to a fair great island, wherein was a garden of huge camphor\ntrees under each of which an hundred men might take shelter. When the\nfolk have a mind to get camphor, they bore into the upper part of the\nbole with a long iron; whereupon the liquid camphor, which is the sap\nof the tree, floweth out and they catch it in vessels, where it\nconcreteth like gum; but, after this, the tree dieth and becometh\nfirewood.[FN#24] Moreover, there is in this island a kind of wild\nbeast, called \u201cRhinoceros,\u201d[FN#25] that pastureth as do steers and\nbuffalos with us; but it is a huge brute, bigger of body than the camel\nand like it feedeth upon the leaves and twigs of trees. It is a\nremarkable animal with a great and thick horn, ten cubits long,\namiddleward its head; wherein, when cleft in twain, is the likeness of\na man. Voyagers and pilgrims and travellers declare that this beast\ncalled \u201cKarkadan\u201d will carry off a great elephant on its horn and graze\nabout the island and the sea-coast therewith and take no heed of it,\ntill the elephant dieth and its fat, melting in the sun, runneth down\ninto the rhinoceros\u2019s eyes and blindeth him, so that he lieth down on\nthe shore. Then comes the bird Rukh and carrieth off both the\nrhinoceros\u2019s eyes and blindeth him, so that he lieth down on the shore.\nThen comes the bird Rukh and carrieth off both the rhinoceros and that\nwhich is on its horn to feed its young withal. Moreover, I saw in this\nisland many kinds of oxen and buffalos, whose like are not found in our\ncountry. Here I sold some of the diamonds which I had by me for gold\ndinars and silver dirhams and bartered others for the produce of the\ncountry; and, loading them upon beasts of burden, fared on with the\nmerchants from valley to valley and town to town, buying and selling\nand viewing foreign countries and the works and creatures of Allah,\ntill we came to Bassorah-city, where we abode a few days, after which I\ncontinued my journey to Baghdad.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sindbad the\nSeaman returned from his travel to Baghdad, the House of Peace, he\narrived at home with great store of diamonds and money and goods.\n(Continued he) I foregathered with my friends and relations and gave\nalms and largesse and bestowed curious gifts and made presents to all\nmy friends and companions. Then I betook myself to eating well and\ndrinking well and wearing fine clothes and making merry with my\nfellows, and forgot all my sufferings in the pleasures of return to the\nsolace and delight of life, with light heart and broadened breast. And\nevery one who heard of my return came and questioned me of my\nadventures and of foreign countries, and I related to them all that had\nbefallen me, and the much I had suffered, whereat they wondered and\ngave me joy of my safe return. \u201cThis, then is the end of the story of\nmy second voyage; and to-morrow, Inshallah! I will tell you what befel\nme in my third voyage.\u201d The company marvelled at his story and supped\nwith him; after which he ordered an hundred dinars of gold to be given\nto the Porter, who took the sum with many thanks and blessings (which\nhe stinted not even when he reached home) and went his way, wondering\nat what he had heard. Next morning as soon as day came in its sheen and\nshone, he rose and praying the dawn-prayer, repaired to the house of\nSindbad the Seaman, even as he had bidden him, and went in and gave him\ngood-morrow. The merchant welcomed him and made him sit with him, till\nthe rest of the company arrived; and when they had well eaten and\ndrunken and were merry with joy and jollity, their host began by\nsaying, \u201cHearken, O my brothers, to what I am about to tell you; for it\nis even more wondrous than what you have already heard; but Allah alone\nkenneth what things His Omniscience concealed from man! And listen to\n\n\nThe Third Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nAs I told you yesterday, I returned from my second voyage overjoyed at\nmy safety and with great increase of wealth, Allah having requited me\nall that I had wasted and lost, and I abode awhile in Baghdad-city\nsavouring the utmost ease and prosperity and comfort and happiness,\ntill the carnal man was once more seized with longing for travel and\ndiversion and adventure, and yearned after traffic and lucre and\nemolument, for that the human heart is naturally prone to evil. So\nmaking up my mind I laid in great plenty of goods suitable for a\nsea-voyage and repairing to Bassorah, went down to the shore and found\nthere a fine ship ready to sail, with a full crew and a numerous\ncompany of merchants, men of worth and substance; faith, piety and\nconsideration. I embarked with them and we set sail on the blessing of\nAllah Almighty and on His aidance and His favour to bring our voyage to\na safe and prosperous issue and already we congratulated one another on\nour good fortune and boon voyage. We fared on from sea to sea and from\nisland to island and city to city, in all delight and contentment,\nbuying and selling wherever we touched, and taking our solace and our\npleasure, till one day when, as we sailed athwart the dashing sea,\nswollen with clashing billows, behold, the master (who stood on the\ngunwale examining the ocean in all directions) cried out with a great\ncry, and buffeted his face and pluckt out his beard and rent his\nraiment, and bade furl the sail and cast the anchors. So we said to\nhim, \u201cO Rais, what is the matter?\u201d \u201cKnow, O my brethren (Allah preserve\nyou!), that the wind hath gotten the better of us and hath driven us\nout of our course into mid-ocean, and destiny, for our ill luck, hath\nbrought us to the Mountain of the Zughb, a hairy folk like apes,[FN#26]\namong whom no man ever fell and came forth alive; and my heart\npresageth that we all be dead men.\u201d Hardly had the master made an end\nof his speech when the apes were upon us. They surrounded the ship on\nall sides swarming like locusts and crowding the shore. They were the\nmost frightful of wild creatures, covered with black hair like felt,\nfoul of favour and small of stature, being but four spans high,\nyellow-eyed and black-faced; none knoweth their language nor what they\nare, and they shun the company of men. We feared to slay them or strike\nthem or drive them away, because of their inconceivable multitude;\nlest, if we hurt one, the rest fall on us and slay us, for numbers\nprevail over courage; so we let them do their will, albeit we feared\nthey would plunder our goods and gear. They swarmed up the cables and\ngnawed them asunder, and on like wise they did with all the ropes of\nthe ship, so that it fell off from the wind and stranded upon their\nmountainous coast. Then they laid hands on all the merchants and crew,\nand landing us on the island, made off with the ship and its cargo and\nwent their ways, we wot not whither. We were thus left on the island,\neating of its fruits and pot-herbs and drinking of its streams till,\none day, we espied in its midst what seemed an inhabited house. So we\nmade for it as fast as our feet could carry us and behold, it was a\ncastle strong and tall, compassed about with a lofty wall, and having a\ntwo-leaved gate of ebony-wood both of which leaves open stood. We\nentered and found within a space wide and bare like a great square,\nround which stood many high doors open thrown, and at the farther end a\nlong bench of stone and brasiers, with cooking gear hanging thereon and\nabout it great plenty of bones; but we saw no one and marvelled thereat\nwith exceeding wonder. Then we sat down in the courtyard a little while\nand presently falling asleep, slept from the forenoon till sundown,\nwhen lo! the earth trembled under our feet and the air rumbled with a\nterrible tone. Then there came down upon us, from the top of the\ncastle, a huge creature in the likeness of a man, black of colour, tall\nand big of bulk, as he were a great date-tree, with eyes like coals of\nfire and eye-teeth like boar\u2019s tusks and a vast big gape like the mouth\nof a well. Moreover, he had long loose lips like camel\u2019s, hanging down\nupon his breast and ears like two Jarms[FN#27] falling over his\nshoulder-blades and the nails of his hands were like the claws of a\nlion.[FN#28] When we saw this frightful giant, we were like to faint\nand every moment increased our fear and terror; and we became as dead\nmen for excess of horror and affright.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014When we saw this frightful giant we were struck with\nexceeding terror and horror. And after trampling upon the earth, he sat\nawhile on the bench; then he arose and coming to us seized me by the\narm choosing me out from among my comrades the merchants. He took me up\nin his hand and turning me over felt me, as a butcher feeleth a sheep\nhe is about to slaughter, and I but a little mouthful in his hands; but\nfinding me lean and fleshless for stress of toil and trouble and\nweariness, let me go and took up another, whom in like manner he turned\nover and felt and let go; nor did he cease to feel and turn over the\nrest of us, one after another, till he came to the master of the ship.\nNow he was a sturdy, stout, broad-shouldered wight, fat and in full\nvigour; so he pleased the giant, who seized him, as a butcher seizeth a\nbeast, and throwing him down, set his foot on his neck and brake it;\nafter which he fetched a long spit and thrusting it up his backside,\nbrought it forth of the crown of his head. Then, lighting a fierce\nfire, he set over it the spit with the Rais thereon, and turned it over\nthe coals, till the flesh was roasted, when he took the spit off the\nfire and set it like a Kab\u00e1b-stick before him. Then he tare the body,\nlimb from limb, as one jointeth a chicken and, rending the flesh with\nhis nails, fell to eating of it and gnawing the bones, till there was\nnothing left but some of these, which he threw on one side of the wall.\nThis done, he sat for a while; then he lay down on the stone-bench and\nfell asleep, snarking and snoring like the gurgling of a lamb or a cow\nwith its throat cut; nor did he awake till morning, when he rose and\nfared forth and went his ways. As soon as we were certified that he was\ngone, we began to talk with one another, weeping and bemoaning\nourselves for the risk we ran, and saying, \u201cWould Heaven we had been\ndrowned in the sea or that the apes had eaten us! That were better than\nto be roasted over the coals; by Allah, this is a vile, foul death! But\nwhatso the Lord willeth must come to pass and there is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might, save in Him, the Glorious, the Great! We shall\nassuredly perish miserably and none will know of us; as there is no\nescape for us from this place.\u201d Then we arose and roamed about the\nisland, hoping that haply we might find a place to hide us in or a\nmeans of flight, for indeed death was a light matter to us, provided we\nwere not roasted over the fire[FN#29] and eaten. However, we could find\nno hiding-place and the evening overtook us; so, of the excess of our\nterror, we returned to the castle and sat down awhile. Presently, the\nearth trembled under our feet and the black ogre came up to us and\nturning us over, felt one after other, till he found a man to his\nliking, whom he took and served as he had done the captain, killing and\nroasting and eating him: after which he lay down on the bench[FN#30]\nand slept all night, snarking and snoring like a beast with its throat\ncut, till daybreak, when he arose and went out as before. Then we drew\ntogether and conversed and said one to other, \u201cBy Allah, we had better\nthrow ourselves into the sea and be drowned than die roasted; for this\nis an abominable death!\u201d Quoth one of us, \u201cHear ye my words! let us\ncast about to kill him, and be at peace from the grief of him and rid\nthe Moslems of his barbarity and tyranny.\u201d Then said I, \u201cHear me, O my\nbrothers; if there is nothing for it but to slay him, let us carry some\nof this firewood and planks down to the sea-shore and make us a boat\nwherein, if we succeed in slaughtering him, we may either embark and\nlet the waters carry us whither Allah willeth, or else abide here till\nsome ship pass, when we will take passage in it. If we fail to kill\nhim, we will embark in the boat and put out to sea; and if we be\ndrowned, we shall at least escape being roasted over a kitchen fire\nwith sliced weasands; whilst, if we escape, we escape, and if we be\ndrowned, we die martyrs.\u201d \u201cBy Allah,\u201d said they all, \u201cthis rede is a\nright;\u201d and we agreed upon this, and set about carrying it out. So we\nhaled down to the beach the pieces of wood which lay about the bench;\nand, making a boat, moored it to the strand, after which we stowed\ntherein somewhat of victual and returned to the castle. As soon as\nevening fell the earth trembled under our feet and in came the\nblackamoor upon us, snarling like a dog about to bite. He came up to us\nand feeling us and turning us over one by one, took one of us and did\nwith him as he had done before and ate him, after which he lay down on\nthe bench and snored and snorted like thunder. As soon as we were\nassured that he slept, we arose and taking two iron spits of those\nstanding there, heated them in the fiercest of the fire, till they were\nred-hot, like burning coals, when we gripped fast hold of them and\ngoing up to the giant, as he lay snoring on the bench, thrust them into\nhis eyes and pressed upon them, all of us, with our united might, so\nthat his eyeballs burst and he became stone blind. Thereupon he cried\nwith a great cry, whereat our hearts trembled, and springing up from\nthe bench, he fell a-groping after us, blind-fold. We fled from him\nright and left and he saw us not, for his sight was altogether blent;\nbut we were in terrible fear of him and made sure we were dead men\ndespairing of escape. Then he found the door, feeling for it with his\nhands and went out roaring aloud; and behold, the earth shook under us,\nfor the noise of his roaring, and we quaked for fear. As he quitted the\ncastle we followed him and betook ourselves to the place where we had\nmoored our boat, saying to one another, \u201cIf this accursed abide absent\ntill the going down of the sun and come not to the castle, we shall\nknow that he is dead; and if he come back, we will embark in the boat\nand paddle till we escape, committing our affair to Allah.\u201d But, as we\nspoke, behold, up came the blackamoor with other two as they were\nGhuls, fouler and more frightful than he, with eyes like red-hot coals;\nwhich when we saw, we hurried into the boat and casting off the\nmoorings paddled away and pushed out to sea.[FN#31] As soon as the\nogres caught sight of us, they cried out at us and running down to the\nsea-shore, fell a-pelting us with rocks, whereof some fell amongst us\nand others fell into the sea. We paddled with all our might till we\nwere beyond their reach, but the most part of us were slain by the\nrock-throwing, and the winds and waves sported with us and carried us\ninto the midst of the dashing sea, swollen with billows clashing. We\nknew not whither we went and my fellows died one after another, till\nthere remained but three, myself and two others;\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman thus continued:\u2014Most part of us were slain by the rock-thowing\nand only three of us remained on board the boat for, as often as one\ndied, we threw him into the sea. We were sore exhausted for stress of\nhunger, but we took courage and heartened one another and worked for\ndear life and paddled with main and might, till the winds cast us upon\nan island, as we were dead men for fatigue and fear and famine. We\nlanded on the island and walked about it for a while, finding that it\nabounded in trees and streams and birds; and we ate of the fruits and\nrejoiced in our escape from the black and our deliverance from the\nperils of the sea; and thus we did till nightfall, when we lay down and\nfell asleep for excess of fatigue. But we had hardly closed our eyes\nbefore we were aroused by a hissing sound like the sough of wind, and\nawaking, saw a serpent like a dragon, a seld-seen sight, of monstrous\nmake and belly of enormous bulk which lay in a circle around us.\nPresently it reared its head and, seizing one of my companions,\nswallowed him up to his shoulders; then it gulped down the rest of him,\nand we heard his ribs crack in its belly. Presently it went its way,\nand we abode in sore amazement and grief for our comrade and mortal\nfear for ourselves, saying, \u201cBy Allah, this is a marvellous thing! Each\nkind of death that threatened us is more terrible than the last. We\nwere rejoicing in our escape from the black ogre and our deliverance\nfrom the perils of the sea; but now we have fallen into that which is\nworse. There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah! By the\nAlmighty, we have escaped from the blackamoor and from drowning: but\nhow shall we escape from this abominable and viperish monster?\u201d Then we\nwalked about the island, eating of its fruits and drinking of its\nstreams till dusk, when we climbed up into a high tree and went to\nsleep there, I being on the topmost bough. As soon as it was dark\nnight, up came the serpent, looking right and left; and, making for the\ntree whereon we were, climbed up to my comrade and swallowed him down\nto his shoulders. Then it coiled about the bole[FN#32] with him, whilst\nI, who could not take my eyes off the sight, heard his bones crack in\nits belly, and it swallowed him whole, after which it slid down from\nthe tree. When the day broke and the light showed me that the serpent\nwas gone, I came down, as I were a dead man for stress of fear and\nanguish, and thought to cast myself into the sea and be at rest from\nthe woes of the world; but could not bring myself to this, for verily\nlife is dear. So I took five pieces of wood, broad and long, and bound\none crosswise to the soles of my feet and others in like fashion on my\nright and left sides and over my breast; and the broadest and largest I\nbound across my head and made them fast with ropes. Then I lay down on\nthe ground on my back, so that I was completely fenced in by the pieces\nof wood, which enclosed me like a bier.[FN#33] So as soon as it was\ndark, up came the serpent, as usual, and made towards me, but could not\nget at me to swallow me for the wood that fenced me in. So it wriggled\nround me on every side, whilst I looked on, like one dead by reason of\nmy terror; and every now and then it would glide away and come back;\nbut as often as it tried to come at me, it was hindered by the pieces\nof wood wherewith I had bound myself on every side. It ceased not to\nbeset me thus from sundown till dawn, but when the light of day shone\nupon the beast it made off, in the utmost fury and extreme\ndisappointment. Then I put out my hand and unbound myself, well-nigh\ndown among the dead men for fear and suffering; and went down to the\nisland-shore, whence a ship afar off in the midst of the waves suddenly\nstruck my sight. So I tore off a great branch of a tree and made signs\nwith it to the crew, shouting out the while; which when the ship\u2019s\ncompany saw they said to another, \u201cWe must stand in and see what this\nis; peradventure \u2019tis a man.\u201d So they made for the island and presently\nheard my cries, whereupon they took me on board and questioned me of my\ncase. I told them all my adventures from first to last, whereat they\nmarvelled mightily and covered my shame[FN#34] with some of their\nclothes. Moreover, they set before me somewhat of food and I ate my\nfill and I drank cold sweet water and was mightily refreshed; and Allah\nAlmighty quickened me after I was virtually dead. So I praised the Most\nHighest and thanked Him for His favours and exceeding mercies, and my\nheart revived in me after utter despair, till meseemed as if all I had\nsuffered were but a dream I had dreamed. We sailed on with a fair wind\nthe Almighty sent us till we came to an island, called\nAl-Sal\u00e1hitah,[FN#35] which aboundeth in sandal-wood when the captain\ncast anchor,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014And when we had cast anchor, the merchants and the\nsailors landed with their goods to sell and to buy. Then the captain\nturned to me and said, \u201cHark\u2019ee, thou art a stranger and a pauper and\ntellest us that thou hast undergone frightful hardship; wherefore I\nhave a mind to benefit thee with somewhat that may further thee to thy\nnative land, so thou wilt ever bless me and pray for me.\u201d \u201cSo be it,\u201d\nanswered I; \u201cthou shalt have my prayers.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cKnow then that\nthere was with us a man, a traveller, whom we lost, and we know not if\nhe be alive or dead, for we had no news of him; so I purpose to commit\nhis bales of goods to thy charge, that thou mayst sell them in this\nisland. A part of the proceeds we will give thee as an equivalent for\nthy pains and service, and the rest we will keep till we return to\nBaghdad, where we will enquire for his family and deliver it to them,\ntogether with the unsold goods. Say me then, wilt thou undertake the\ncharge and land and sell them as other merchants do?\u201d I replied\n\u201cHearkening and obedience to thee, O my lord; and great is thy kindness\nto me,\u201d and thanked him; whereupon he bade the sailors and porters bear\nthe bales in question ashore and commit them to my charge. The ship\u2019s\nscribe asked him, \u201cO master, what bales are these and what merchant\u2019s\nname shall I write upon them?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cWrite on them the\nname of Sindbad the Seaman, him who was with us in the ship and whom we\nlost at the Rukh\u2019s island, and of whom we have no tidings; for we mean\nthis stranger to sell them; and we will give him a part of the price\nfor his pains and keep the rest till we return to Baghdad where, if we\nfind the owner we will make it over to him, and if not, to his family.\u201d\nAnd the clerk said, \u201cThy words are apposite and thy rede is right.\u201d Now\nwhen I heard the captain give orders for the bales to be inscribed with\nmy name, I said to myself, \u201cBy Allah, I am Sindbad the Seaman!\u201d So I\narmed myself with courage and patience and waited till all the\nmerchants had landed and were gathered together, talking and chaffering\nabout buying and selling; then I went up to the captain and asked him,\n\u201cO my lord, knowest thou what manner of man was this Sindbad, whose\ngoods thou hast committed to me for sale?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI know of\nhim naught save that he was a man from Baghdad-city, Sindbad hight the\nSeaman, who was drowned with many others when we lay anchored at such\nan island and I have heard nothing of him since then.\u201d At this I cried\nout with a great cry and said, \u201cO captain, whom Allah keep! know that I\nam that Sindbad the Seaman and that I was not drowned, but when thou\ncastest anchor at the island, I landed with the rest of the merchants\nand crew; and I sat down in a pleasant place by myself and ate somewhat\nof food I had with me and enjoyed myself till I became drowsy and was\ndrowned in sleep; and when I awoke, I found no ship and none near me.\nThese goods are my goods and these bales are my bales; and all the\nmerchants who fetch jewels from the Valley of Diamonds saw me there and\nwill bear me witness that I am the very Sindbad the Seaman; for I\nrelated to them everything that had befallen me and told them how you\nforgot me and left me sleeping on the island, and that betided me which\nbetided me.\u201d When the passengers and crew heard my words, they gathered\nabout me and some of them believed me and others disbelieved; but\npresently, behold, one of the merchants, hearing me mention the Valley\nof Diamonds, came up to me and said to them, \u201cHear what I say, good\npeople! When I related to you the most wonderful thing in my travels,\nand I told you that, at the time we cast down our slaughtered animals\ninto the Valley of Serpents (I casting with the rest as was my wont),\nthere came up a man hanging to mine, ye believed me not and gave me the\nlie.\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d quoth they, \u201cthou didst tell us some such tale, but we had\nno call to credit thee.\u201d He resumed, \u201cNow this is the very man, by\ntoken that he gave me diamonds of great value, and high price whose\nlike are not to be found, requiting me more than would have come up\nsticking to my quarter of meat; and I companied with him to\nBassorah-city, where he took leave of us and went on to his native\nstead, whilst we returned to our own land. This is he; and he told us\nhis name, Sindbad the Seaman, and how the ship left him on the desert\nisland. And know ye that Allah hath sent him hither, so might the truth\nof my story be made manifest to you. Moreover, these are his goods for,\nwhen he first foregathered with us, he told us of them; and the truth\nof his words is patent.\u201d Hearing the merchant\u2019s speech the captain came\nup to me and considered me straitly awhile, after which he said, \u201cWhat\nwas the mark on thy bales?\u201d \u201cThus and thus,\u201d answered I, and reminded\nhim of somewhat that had passed between him and me, when I shipped with\nhim from Bassorah. Thereupon he was convinced that I was indeed Sindbad\nthe Seaman and took me round the neck and gave me joy of my safety,\nsaying, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord, thy case is indeed wondrous and thy tale\nmarvellous; but lauded be Allah who hath brought thee and me together\nagain, and who hath restored to thee thy goods and gear!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fiftieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman thus continued:\u2014\u201cAlhamdolillah!\u201d quoth the captain, \u201clauded be\nAllah who hath restored unto thee thy goods and gear.\u201d Then I disposed\nof my merchandise to the best of my skill, and profited largely on them\nwhereat I rejoiced with exceeding joy and congratulated myself on my\nsafety and the recovery of my goods. We ceased not to buy and sell at\nthe several islands till we came to the land of Hind, where we bought\ncloves and ginger and all manner spices; and thence we fared on to the\nland of Sind, where also we bought and sold. In these Indian seas, I\nsaw wonders without number or count, amongst others a fish like a cow\nwhich bringeth forth its young and suckleth them like human beings; and\nof its skin bucklers are made.[FN#36] There were eke fishes like asses\nand camels[FN#37] and tortoises twenty cubits wide.[FN#38] And I saw\nalso a bird that cometh out of a sea-shell and layeth eggs and hatcheth\nher chicks on the surface of the water, never coming up from the sea to\nthe land.[FN#39] Then we set sail again with a fair wind and the\nblessing of Almighty Allah; and, after a prosperous voyage, arrived\nsafe and sound at Bassorah. Here I abode a few days and presently\nreturned to Baghdad where I went at once to my quarter and my house and\nsaluted my family and familiars and friends. I had gained on this\nvoyage what was beyond count and reckoning, so I gave alms and largesse\nand clad the widow and the orphan, by way of thanksgiving for my happy\nreturn, and fell to feasting and making merry with my companions and\nintimates and forgot, while eating well and drinking well and dressing\nwell, everything that had befallen me and all the perils and hardships\nI had suffered. \u201cThese, then, are the most admirable things I sighted\non my third voyage, and to-morrow, an it be the will of Allah, you\nshall come to me and I will relate the adventures of my fourth voyage,\nwhich is still more wonderful than those you have already heard.\u201d\n(Saith he who telleth the tale), Then Sindbad the Seaman bade give\nSindbad the Landsman an hundred golden dinars as of wont and called for\nfood. So they spread the tables and the company ate the night-meal and\nwent their ways, marvelling at the tale they had heard. The Porter\nafter taking his gold passed the night in his own house, also wondering\nat what his namesake the Seaman had told him, and as soon as day broke\nand the morning showed with its sheen and shone, he rose and praying\nthe dawn-prayer betook himself to Sindbad the Seaman, who returned his\nsalute and received him with an open breast and cheerful favour and\nmade him sit with him till the rest of the company arrived, when he\ncaused set on food and they ate and drank and made merry. Then Sindbad\nthe Seaman bespake them and related to them the narrative of\n\n\nThe Fourth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nKnow, O my brethren that after my return from my third voyage and\nforegathering with my friends, and forgetting all my perils and\nhardships in the enjoyment of ease and comfort and repose, I was\nvisited one day by a company of merchants who sat down with me and\ntalked of foreign travel and traffic, till the old bad man within me\nyearned to go with them and enjoy the sight of strange countries, and I\nlonged for the society of the various races of mankind and for traffic\nand profit. So I resolved to travel with them and buying the\nnecessaries for a long voyage, and great store of costly goods, more\nthan ever before, transported them from Baghdad to Bassorah where I\ntook ship with the merchants in question, who were of the chief of the\ntown. We set out, trusting in the blessing of Almighty Allah; and with\na favouring breeze and the best conditions we sailed from island to\nisland and sea to sea, till, one day, there arose against us a contrary\nwind and the captain cast out his anchors and brought the ship to a\nstandsill, fearing lest she should founder in mid-ocean. Then we all\nfell to prayer and humbling ourselves before the Most High; but, as we\nwere thus engaged there smote us a furious squall which tore the sails\nto rags and tatters: the anchor-cable parted and, the ship foundering,\nwe were cast into the sea, goods and all. I kept myself afloat by\nswimming half the day, till, when I had given myself up for lost, the\nAlmighty threw in my way one of the planks of the ship, whereon I and\nsome others of the merchants scrambled.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued as follows:\u2014And when the ship foundered I scrambled on\nto a plank with some others of the merchants and, mounting it as we\nwould a horse, paddled with our feet in the sea. We abode thus a day\nand a night, the wind and waves helping us on, and on the second day\nshortly before the mid-time between sunrise and noon[FN#40] the breeze\nfreshened and the sea wrought and the rising waves cast us upon an\nisland, well-nigh dead bodies for weariness and want of sleep, cold and\nhunger and fear and thirst. We walked about the shore and found\nabundance of herbs, whereof we ate enough to keep breath in body and to\nstay our failing spirits, then lay down and slept till morning hard by\nthe sea. And when morning came with its sheen and shone, we arose and\nwalked about the island to the right and left, till we came in sight of\nan inhabited house afar off. So we made towards it, and ceased not\nwalking till we reached the door thereof when lo! a number of naked men\nissued from it and without saluting us or a word said, laid hold of us\nmasterfully and carried us to their king, who signed us to sit. So we\nsat down and they set food before us such as we knew not[FN#41] and\nwhose like we had never seen in all our lives. My companions ate of it,\nfor stress of hunger, but my stomach revolted from it and I would not\neat; and my refraining from it was, by Allah\u2019s favour, the cause of my\nbeing alive till now: for no sooner had my comrades tasted of it than\ntheir reason fled and their condition changed and they began to devour\nit like madmen possessed of an evil spirit. Then the savages gave them\nto drink of cocoa-nut oil and anointed them therewith; and straightway\nafter drinking thereof, their eyes turned into their heads and they\nfell to eating greedily, against their wont. When I saw this, I was\nconfounded and concerned for them, nor was I less anxious about myself,\nfor fear of the naked folk. So I watched them narrowly, and it was not\nlong before I discovered them to be a tribe of Magian cannibals whose\nKing was a Ghul.[FN#42] All who came to their country or whoso they\ncaught in their valleys or on their roads they brought to this King and\nfed them upon that food and anointed them with that oil, whereupon\ntheir stomachs dilated that they might eat largely, whilst their reason\nfled and they lost the power of thought and became idiots. Then they\nstuffed them with cocoa-nut oil and the aforesaid food, till they\nbecame fat and gross, when they slaughtered them by cutting their\nthroats and roasted them for the King\u2019s eating; but, as for the savages\nthemselves, they ate human flesh raw.[FN#43] When I saw this, I was\nsore dismayed for myself and my comrades, who were now become so\nstupefied that they knew not what was done with them and the naked folk\ncommitted them to one who used every day to lead them out and pasture\nthem on the island like cattle. And they wandered amongst the trees and\nrested at will, thus waxing very fat. As for me, I wasted away and\nbecame sickly for fear and hunger and my flesh shrivelled on my bones;\nwhich when the savages saw, they left me alone and took no thought of\nme and so far forgot me that one day I gave them the slip and walking\nout of their place made for the beach which was distant and there\nespied a very old man seated on a high place, girt by the waters. I\nlooked at him and knew him for the herdsman, who had charge of\npasturing my fellows, and with him were many others in like case. As\nsoon as he saw me, he knew me to be in possession of my reason and not\nafflicted like the rest whom he was pasturing; so signed to me from\nafar, as who should say, \u201cTurn back and take the right-hand road, for\nthat will lead thee into the King\u2019s highway.\u201d So I turned back, as he\nbade me, and followed the right-hand road, now running for fear and\nthen walking leisurely to rest me, till I was out of the old man\u2019s\nsight. By this time, the sun had gone down and the darkness set in; so\nI sat down to rest and would have slept, but sleep came not to me that\nnight, for stress of fear and famine and fatigue. When the night was\nhalf spent, I rose and walked on, till the day broke in all its beauty\nand the sun rose over the heads of the lofty hills and athwart the low\ngravelly plains. Now I was weary and hungry and thirsty; so I ate my\nfill of herbs and grasses that grew in the island and kept life in body\nand stayed my stomach, after which I set out again and fared on all\nthat day and the next night, staying my greed with roots and herbs; nor\ndid I cease walking for seven days and their nights, till the morn of\nthe eighth day, when I caught sight of a faint object in the distance.\nSo I made towards it, though my heart quaked for all I had suffered\nfirst and last, and behold it was a company of men gathering\npepper-grains.[FN#44] As soon as they saw me, they hastened up to me\nand surrounding me on all sides, said to me, \u201cWho art thou and whence\ncome?\u201d I replied, \u201cKnow, O folk, that I am a poor stranger,\u201d and\nacquainted them with my case and all the hardships and perils I had\nsuffered,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014And the men gathering pepper in the island questioned\nme of my case, when I acquainted them with all the hardships and perils\nI had suffered and how I had fled from the savages; whereat they\nmarvelled and gave me joy of my safety, saying, \u201cBy Allah, this is\nwonderful! But how didst thou escape from these blacks who swarm in the\nisland and devour all who fall in with them; nor is any safe from them,\nnor can any get out of their clutches?\u201d And after I had told them the\nfate of my companions, they made me sit by them, till they got quit of\ntheir work; and fetched me somewhat of good food, which I ate, for I\nwas hungry, and rested awhile, after which they took ship with me and\ncarrying me to their island-home brought me before their King, who\nreturned my salute and received me honourably and questioned me of my\ncase. I told him all that had befallen me, from the day of my leaving\nBaghdad-city, whereupon he wondered with great wonder at my adventures,\nhe and his courtiers, and bade me sit by him; then he called for food\nand I ate with him what sufficed me and washed my hands and returned\nthanks to Almighty Allah for all His favours praising Him and\nglorifying Him. Then I left the King and walked for solace about the\ncity, which I found wealthy and populous, abounding in market-streets\nwell stocked with food and merchandise and full of buyers and sellers.\nSo I rejoiced at having reached so pleasant a place and took my ease\nthere after my fatigues; and I made friends with the townsfolk, nor was\nit long before I became more in honour and favour with them and their\nKing than any of the chief men of the realm. Now I saw that all the\ncitizens, great and small, rode fine horses, high-priced and\nthorough-bred, without saddles or housings, whereat I wondered and said\nto the King, \u201cWherefore, O my lord, dost thou not ride with a saddle?\nTherein is ease for the rider and increase of power.\u201d \u201cWhat is a\nsaddle?\u201d asked he: \u201cI never saw nor used such a thing in all my life;\u201d\nand I answered, \u201cWith thy permission I will make thee a saddle, that\nthou mayest ride on it and see the comfort thereof.\u201d And quoth he, \u201cDo\nso.\u201d So quoth I to him, \u201cFurnish me with some wood,\u201d which being\nbrought, I sought me a clever carpenter and sitting by him showed him\nhow to make the saddle-tree, portraying for him the fashion thereof in\nink on the wood. Then I took wool and teased it and made felt of it,\nand, covering the saddle-tree with leather, stuffed it and polished it\nand attached the girth and stirrup leathers; after which I fetched a\nblacksmith and described to him the fashion of the stirrups and\nbridle-bit. So he forged a fine pair of stirrups and a bit, and filed\nthem smooth and tinned[FN#45] them. Moreover, I made fast to them\nfringes of silk and fitted bridle-leathers to the bit. Then I fetched\none of the best of the royal horses and saddling and bridling him, hung\nthe stirrups to the saddle and led him to the King. The thing took his\nfancy and he thanked me; then he mounted and rejoiced greatly in the\nsaddle and rewarded me handsomely for my work. When the King\u2019s Wazir\nsaw the saddle, he asked of me one like it and I made it for him.\nFurthermore, all the grandees and officers of state came for saddles to\nme; so I fell to making saddles (having taught the craft to the\ncarpenter and blacksmith), and selling them to all who sought, till I\namassed great wealth and became in high honour and great favour with\nthe King and his household and grandees. I abode thus till, one day, as\nI was sitting with the King in all respect and contentment, he said to\nme, \u201cKnow thou, O such an one, thou art become one of us, dear as a\nbrother, and we hold thee in such regard and affection that we cannot\npart with thee nor suffer thee to leave our city; wherefore I desire of\nthee obedience in a certain matter, and I will not have thee gainsay\nme.\u201d Answered I, \u201cO King, what is it thou desirest of me? Far be it\nfrom me to gainsay thee in aught, for I am indebted to thee for many\nfavours and bounties and much kindness, and (praised be Allah!) I am\nbecome one of thy servants.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI have a mind to marry thee to\na fair, clever and agreeable wife who is wealthy as she is beautiful;\nso thou mayst be naturalised and domiciled with us: I will lodge thee\nwith me in my palace; wherefore oppose me not neither cross me in\nthis.\u201d When I heard these words I was ashamed and held my peace nor\ncould make him any answer,[FN#46] by reason of my much bashfulness\nbefore him. Asked he, \u201cWhy dost thou not reply to me, O my son?\u201d; and I\nanswered saying, \u201cO my master, it is thine to command, O King of the\nage!\u201d So he summoned the Kazi and the witnesses and married me\nstraightway to a lady of a noble tree and high pedigree; wealthy in\nmoneys and means; the flower of an ancient race; of surpassing beauty\nand grace, and the owner of farms and estates and many a\ndwelling-place.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued in these words:\u2014Now after the King my master had\nmarried me to this choice wife, he also gave me a great and goodly\nhouse standing alone, together with slaves and officers, and assigned\nme pay and allowances. So I became in all ease and contentment and\ndelight and forgot everything which had befallen me of weariness and\ntrouble and hardship; for I loved my wife with fondest love and she\nloved me no less, and we were as one and abode in the utmost comfort of\nlife and in its happiness. And I said in myself, \u201cWhen I return to my\nnative land, I will carry her with me.\u201d But whatso is predestined to a\nman, that needs must be, and none knoweth what shall befal him. We\nlived thus a great while, till Almighty Allah bereft one of my\nneighbours of his wife. Now he was a gossip of mine; so hearing the cry\nof the keeners I went in to condole with him on his loss and found him\nin very ill plight, full of trouble and weary of soul and mind. I\ncondoled with him and comforted him, saying, \u201cMourn not for thy wife\nwho hath now found the mercy of Allah; the Lord will surely give thee a\nbetter in her stead and thy name shall be great and thy life shall be\nlong in the land, Inshallah!\u201d[FN#47] But he wept bitter tears and\nreplied, \u201cO my friend, how can I marry another wife and how shall Allah\nreplace her to me with a better than she, whenas I have but one day\nleft to live?\u201d \u201cO my brother,\u201d said I, \u201creturn to thy senses and\nannounce not the glad tidings of thine own death, for thou art well,\nsound and in good case.\u201d \u201cBy thy life, O my friend,\u201d rejoined he,\n\u201cto-morrow thou wilt lose me and wilt never see me again till the Day\nof Resurrection.\u201d I asked, \u201cHow so?\u201d and he answered, \u201cThis very day\nthey bury my wife, and they bury me with her in one tomb; for it is the\ncustom with us, if the wife die first, to bury the husband alive with\nher and in like manner the wife, if the husband die first; so that\nneither may enjoy life after losing his or her mate.\u201d \u201cBy Allah,\u201d cried\nI, \u201cthis is a most vile, lewd custom and not to be endured of any!\u201d\nMeanwhile, behold, the most part of the townsfolk came in and fell to\ncondoling with my gossip for his wife and for himself. Presently they\nlaid the dead woman out, as was their wont; and, setting her on a bier,\ncarried her and her husband without the city, till they came to a place\nin the side of the mountain at the end of the island by the sea; and\nhere they raised a great rock and discovered the mouth of a\nstone-rivetted pit or well,[FN#48] leading down into a vast underground\ncavern that ran beneath the mountain. Into this pit they threw the\ncorpse, then tying a rope of palm-fibres under the husband\u2019s armpits,\nthey let him down into the cavern, and with him a great pitcher of\nfresh water and seven scones by way of viaticum.[FN#49] When he came to\nthe bottom, he loosed himself from the rope and they drew it up; and,\nstopping the mouth of the pit with the great stone, they returned to\nthe city, leaving my friend in the cavern with his dead wife. When I\nsaw this, I said to myself, \u201cBy Allah, this fashion of death is more\ngrievous than the first!\u201d And I went in to the King and said to him, \u201cO\nmy lord, why do ye bury the quick with the dead?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cIt hath\nbeen the custom, thou must know, of our forbears and our olden Kings\nfrom time immemorial, if the husband die first, to bury his wife with\nhim, and the like with the wife, so we may not sever them, alive or\ndead.\u201d I asked, \u201cO King of the age, if the wife of a foreigner like\nmyself die among you, deal ye with him as with yonder man?\u201d; and he\nanswered, \u201cAssuredly, we do with him even as thou hast seen.\u201d When I\nheard this, my gall-bladder was like to burst, for the violence of my\ndismay and concern for myself: my wit became dazed; I felt as if in a\nvile dungeon; and hated their society; for I went about in fear lest my\nwife should die before me and they bury me alive with her. However,\nafter a while, I comforted myself, saying, \u201cHaply I shall predecease\nher, or shall have returned to my own land before she die, for none\nknoweth which shall go first and which shall go last.\u201d Then I applied\nmyself to diverting my mind from this thought with various occupations;\nbut it was not long before my wife sickened and complained and took to\nher pillow and fared after a few days to the mercy of Allah; and the\nKing and the rest of the folk came, as was their wont, to condole with\nme and her family and to console us for her loss and not less to\ncondole with me for myself. Then the women washed her and arraying her\nin her richest raiment and golden ornaments, necklaces and jewellery,\nlaid her on the bier and bore her to the mountain aforesaid, where they\nlifted the cover of the pit and cast her in; after which all my\nintimates and acquaintances and my wife\u2019s kith and kin came round me,\nto farewell me in my lifetime and console me for my own death, whilst I\ncried out among them, saying, \u201cAlmighty Allah never made it lawful to\nbury the quick with the dead! I am a stranger, not one of your kind;\nand I cannot abear your custom, and had I known it I never would have\nwedded among you!\u201d They heard me not and paid no heed to my words, but\nlaying hold of me, bound me by force and let me down into the cavern,\nwith a large gugglet of sweet water and seven cakes of bread, according\nto their custom. When I came to the bottom, they called out to me to\ncast myself loose from the cords, but I refused to do so; so they threw\nthem down on me and, closing the mouth of the pit with the stones\naforesaid, went their ways,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014When they left me in the cavern with my dead wife\nand, closing the mouth of the pit, went their ways, I looked about me\nand found myself in a vast cave full of dead bodies, that exhaled a\nfulsome and loathsome smell and the air was heavy with the groans of\nthe dying. Thereupon I fell to blaming myself for what I had done,\nsaying, \u201cBy Allah, I deserve all that hath befallen me and all that\nshall befal me! What curse was upon me to take a wife in this city?\nThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great! As often as I say, I have escaped from one calamity, I fall\ninto a worse. By Allah, this is an abominable death to die! Would\nHeaven I had died a decent death and been washed and shrouded like a\nman and a Moslem. Would I had been drowned at sea or perished in the\nmountains! It were better than to die this miserable death!\u201d And on\nsuch wise I kept blaming my own folly and greed of gain in that black\nhole, knowing not night from day; and I ceased not to ban the Foul\nFiend and to bless the Almighty Friend. Then I threw myself down on the\nbones of the dead and lay there, imploring Allah\u2019s help and in the\nviolence of my despair, invoking death which came not to me, till the\nfire of hunger burned my stomach and thirst set my throat aflame when I\nsat up and feeling for the bread, ate a morsel and upon it swallowed a\nmouthful of water. After this, the worst night I ever knew, I arose,\nand exploring the cavern, found that it extended a long way with\nhollows in its sides; and its floor was strewn with dead bodies and\nrotten bones, that had lain there from olden time. So I made myself a\nplace in a cavity of the cavern, afar from the corpses lately thrown\ndown and there slept. I abode thus a long while, till my provision was\nlike to give out; and yet I ate not save once every day or second day;\nnor did I drink more than an occasional draught, for fear my victual\nshould fail me before my death; and I said to myself, \u201cEat little and\ndrink little; belike the Lord shall vouchsafe deliverance to thee!\u201d One\nday, as I sat thus, pondering my case and bethinking me how I should\ndo, when my bread and water should be exhausted, behold, the stone that\ncovered the opening was suddenly rolled away and the light streamed\ndown upon me. Quoth I, \u201cI wonder what is the matter: haply they have\nbrought another corpse.\u201d Then I espied folk standing about the mouth of\nthe pit, who presently let down a dead man and a live woman, weeping\nand bemoaning herself, and with her an ampler supply of bread and water\nthan usual.[FN#50] I saw her and she was a beautiful woman; but she saw\nme not; and they closed up the opening and went away. Then I took the\nleg-bone of a dead man and, going up to the woman, smote her on the\ncrown of the head; and she cried one cry and fell down in a swoon. I\nsmote her a second and a third time, till she was dead, when I laid\nhands on her bread and water and found on her great plenty of ornaments\nand rich apparel, necklaces, jewels and gold trinkets;[FN#51] for it\nwas their custom to bury women in all their finery. I carried the\nvivers to my sleeping place in the cavern-side and ate and drank of\nthem sparingly, no more than sufficed to keep the life in me, lest the\nprovaunt come speedily to an end and I perish of hunger and thirst. Yet\ndid I never wholly lose hope in Almighty Allah. I abode thus a great\nwhile, killing all the live folk they let down into the cavern and\ntaking their provisions of meat and drink; till one day, as I slept, I\nwas awakened by something scratching and burrowing among the bodies in\na corner of the cave and said, \u201cWhat can this be?\u201d fearing wolves or\nhyaenas. So I sprang up and seizing the leg-bone aforesaid, made for\nthe noise. As soon as the thing was ware of me, it fled from me into\nthe inward of the cavern, and lo! it was a wild beast. However, I\nfollowed it to the further end, till I saw afar off a point of light\nnot bigger than a star, now appearing and then disappearing. So I made\nfor it, and as I drew near, it grew larger and brighter, till I was\ncertified that it was a crevice in the rock, leading to the open\ncountry; and I said to myself, \u201cThere must be some reason for this\nopening: either it is the mouth of a second pit, such as that by which\nthey let me down, or else it is a natural fissure in the stonery.\u201d So I\nbethought me awhile and nearing the light, found that it came from a\nbreach in the back side of the mountain, which the wild beasts had\nenlarged by burrowing, that they might enter and devour the dead and\nfreely go to and fro. When I saw this, my spirits revived and hope came\nback to me and I made sure of life, after having died a death. So I\nwent on, as in a dream, and making shift to scramble through the breach\nfound myself on the slope of a high mountain, overlooking the salt sea\nand cutting off all access thereto from the island, so that none could\ncome at that part of the beach from the city.[FN#52] I praised my Lord\nand thanked Him, rejoicing greatly and heartening myself with the\nprospect of deliverance; then I returned through the crack to the\ncavern and brought out all the food and water I had saved up and donned\nsome of the dead folk\u2019s clothes over my own; after which I gathered\ntogether all the collars and necklaces of pearls and jewels and\ntrinkets of gold and silver set with precious stones and other\nornaments and valuables I could find upon the corpses; and, making them\ninto bundles with the grave clothes and raiment of the dead, carried\nthem out to the back of the mountain facing the sea-shore, where I\nestablished myself, purposing to wait there till it should please\nAlmighty Allah to send me relief by means of some passing ship. I\nvisited the cavern daily and as often as I found folk buried alive\nthere, I killed them all indifferently, men and women, and took their\nvictual and valuables and transported them to my seat on the sea-shore.\nThus I abode a long while,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014And after carrying all my victuals and valuables from\nthe cavern to the coast I abode a long while by the sea, pondering my\ncase, till one day I caught sight of a ship passing in the midst of the\nclashing sea, swollen with dashing billows. So I took a piece of a\nwhite shroud I had with me and, tying it to a staff, ran along the\nsea-shore, making signals therewith and calling to the people in the\nship, till they espied me and hearing my shouts, sent a boat to fetch\nme off. When it drew near, the crew called out to me, saying, \u201cWho art\nthou and how camest thou to be on this mountain, whereon never saw we\nany in our born days?\u201d I answered, \u201cI am a gentleman[FN#53] and a\nmerchant, who hath been wrecked and saved myself on one of the planks\nof the ship, with some of my goods; and by the blessing of the Almighty\nand the decrees of Destiny and my own strength and skill, after much\ntoil and moil I have landed with my gear in this place where I awaited\nsome passing ship to take me off.\u201d So they took me in their boat\ntogether with the bundles I had made of the jewels and valuables from\nthe cavern, tied up in clothes and shrouds, and rowed back with me to\nthe ship, where the captain said to me, \u201cHow camest thou, O man, to\nyonder place on yonder mountain behind which lieth a great city? All my\nlife I have sailed these seas and passed to and fro hard by these\nheights; yet never saw I here any living thing save wild beasts and\nbirds.\u201d I repeated to him the story I had told the sailors,[FN#54] but\nacquainted him with nothing of that which had befallen me in the city\nand the cavern, lest there should be any of the islandry in the ship.\nThen I took out some of the best pearls I had with me and offered them\nto the captain, saying, \u201cO my lord, thou hast been the means of saving\nme off this mountain. I have no ready money; but take this from me in\nrequital of thy kindness and good offices.\u201d But he refused to accept it\nof me, saying, \u201cWhen we find a shipwrecked man on the sea-shore or on\nan island, we take him up and give him meat and drink, and if he be\nnaked we clothe him; nor take we aught from him; nay, when we reach a\nport of safety, we set him ashore with a present of our own money and\nentreat him kindly and charitably, for the love of Allah the Most\nHigh.\u201d So I prayed that his life be long in the land and rejoiced in my\nescape, trusting to be delivered from my stress and to forget my past\nmishaps; for every time I remembered being let down into the cave with\nmy dead wife I shuddered in horror. Then we pursued our voyage and\nsailed from island to island and sea to sea, till we arrived at the\nIsland of the Bell, which containeth a city two days\u2019 journey in\nextent, whence after a six days\u2019 run we reached the Island Kala, hard\nby the land of Hind.[FN#55] This place is governed by a potent and\npuissant King and it produceth excellent camphor and an abundance of\nthe Indian rattan: here also is a lead mine. At last by the decree of\nAllah, we arrived in safety at Bassorah-town where I tarried a few\ndays, then went on to Baghdad-city, and, finding my quarter, entered my\nhouse with lively pleasure. There I foregathered with my family and\nfriends, who rejoiced in my happy return and gave my joy of my safety.\nI laid up in my storehouses all the goods I had brought with me, and\ngave alms and largesse to Fakirs and beggars and clothed the widow and\nthe orphan. Then I gave myself up to pleasure and enjoyment, returning\nto my old merry mode of life. \u201cSuch, then, be the most marvellous\nadventures of my fourth voyage, but to-morrow if you will kindly come\nto me, I will tell you that which befel me in my fifth voyage, which\nwas yet rarer and more marvellous than those which forewent it. And\nthou, O my brother Sindbad the Landsman, shalt sup with me as thou art\nwont.\u201d (Saith he who telleth the tale), When Sindbad the Seaman had\nmade an end of his story, he called for supper; so they spread the\ntable and the guests ate the evening meal; after which he gave the\nPorter an hundred dinars as usual, and he and the rest of the company\nwent their ways, glad at heart and marvelling at the tales they had\nheard, for that each story was more extraordinary than that which\nforewent it. The porter Sindbad passed the night in his own house, in\nall joy and cheer and wonderment; and, as soon as morning came with its\nsheen and shone, he prayed the dawn-prayer and repaired to the house of\nSindbad the Seaman, who welcomed him and bade him sit with him till the\nrest of the company arrived, when they ate and drank and made merry and\nthe talk went round amongst them. Presently, their host began the\nnarrative of the fifth voyage,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the host began in\nthese words the narrative of\n\n\nThe Fifth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nKnow, O my brothers, that when I had been awhile on shore after my\nfourth voyage; and when, in my comfort and pleasures and merry-makings\nand in my rejoicing over my large gains and profits, I had forgotten\nall I had endured of perils and sufferings, the carnal man was again\nseized with the longing to travel and to see foreign countries and\nislands.[FN#56] Accordingly I bought costly merchandise suited to my\npurpose and, making it up into bales, repaired to Bassorah, where I\nwalked about the river-quay till I found a fine tall ship, newly\nbuilded with gear unused and fitted ready for sea. She pleased me; so I\nbought her and, embarking my goods in her, hired a master and crew,\nover whom I set certain of my slaves and servants as inspectors. A\nnumber of merchants also brought their outfits and paid me freight and\npassage-money; then, after reciting the Fatihah we set sail over\nAllah\u2019s pool in all joy and cheer, promising ourselves a prosperous\nvoyage and much profit. We sailed from city to city and from island to\nisland and from sea to sea viewing the cities and countries by which we\npassed, and selling and buying in not a few till one day we came to a\ngreat uninhabited island, deserted and desolate, whereon was a white\ndome of biggest bulk half buried in the sands. The merchants landed to\nexamine this dome, leaving me in the ship; and when they drew near,\nbehold, it was a huge Rukh\u2019s egg. They fell a-beating it with stones,\nknowing not what it was, and presently broke it open, whereupon much\nwater ran out of it and the young Rukh appeared within. So they pulled\nit forth of the shell and cut its throat and took of it great store of\nmeat. Now I was in the ship and knew not what they did; but presently\none of the passengers came up to me and said, \u201cO my lord, come and look\nat the egg we thought to be a dome.\u201d So I looked and seeing the\nmerchants beating it with stones, called out to them, \u201cStop, stop! do\nnot meddle with that egg, or the bird Rukh will come out and break our\nship and destroy us.\u201d[FN#57] But they paid no heed to me and gave not\nover smiting upon the egg, when behold, the day grew dark and dun and\nthe sun was hidden from us, as if some great cloud had passed over the\nfirmament.[FN#58] So we raised our eyes and saw that what we took for a\ncloud was the Rukh poised between us and the sun, and it was his wings\nthat darkened the day. When he came and saw his egg broken, he cried a\nloud cry, whereupon his mate came flying up and they both began\ncircling about the ship, crying out at us with voices louder than\nthunder. I called to the Rais and crew, \u201cPut out to sea and seek safety\nin flight, before we be all destroyed.\u201d So the merchants came on board\nand we cast off and made haste from the island to gain the open sea.\nWhen the Rukhs saw this, they flew off and we crowded all sail on the\nship, thinking to get out of their country; but presently the two\nre-appeared and flew after us and stood over us, each carrying in its\nclaws a huge boulder which it had brought from the mountains. As soon\nas the he-Rukh came up with us, he let fall upon us the rock he held in\nhis pounces; but the master put about ship, so that the rock missed her\nby some small matter and plunged into the waves with such violence,\nthat the ship pitched high and then sank into the trough of the sea and\nthe bottom of the ocean appeared to us. Then the she-Rukh let fall her\nrock, which was bigger than that of her mate, and as Destiny had\ndecreed, it fell on the poop of the ship and crushed it, the rudder\nflying into twenty pieces; whereupon the vessel foundered and all and\neverything on board were cast into the main.[FN#59] As for me I\nstruggled for sweet life, till Almighty Allah threw in my way one of\nthe planks of the ship, to which I clung and bestriding it, fell\na-paddling with my feet. Now the ship had gone down hard by an island\nin the midst of the main and the winds and waves bore me on till, by\npermission of the Most High, they cast me up on the shore of the\nisland, at the last gasp for toil and distress and half dead with\nhunger and thirst. So I landed more like a corpse than a live man and\nthrowing myself down on the beach, lay there awhile, till I began to\nrevive and recover spirits, when I walked about the island and found it\nas it were one of the garths and gardens of Paradise. Its trees, in\nabundance dight, bore ripe-yellow fruit for freight; its streams ran\nclear and bright; its flowers were fair to scent and to sight and its\nbirds warbled with delight the praises of Him to whom belong permanence\nand all-might. So I ate my fill of the fruits and slaked my thirst with\nthe water of the streams till I could no more and I returned thanks to\nthe Most High and glorified Him;\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014So when I escaped drowning and reached the island\nwhich afforded me fruit to eat and water to drink, I returned thanks to\nthe Most High and glorified Him; after which I sat till nightfall,\nhearing no voice and seeing none inhabitant. Then I lay down, well-nigh\ndead for travail and trouble and terror, and slept without surcease\ntill morning, when I arose and walked about under the trees, till I\ncame to the channel of a draw-well fed by a spring of running water, by\nwhich well sat an old man of venerable aspect, girt about with a\nwaist-cloth[FN#60] made of the fibre of palm-fronds.[FN#61] Quoth I to\nmyself, \u201cHaply this Shaykh is one of those who were wrecked in the ship\nand hath made his way to this island.\u201d So I drew near to him and\nsaluted him, and he returned my salam by signs, but spoke not; and I\nsaid to him, \u201cO nuncle mine, what causeth thee to sit here?\u201d He shook\nhis head and moaned and signed to me with his hands as who should say,\n\u201cTake me on thy shoulders and carry me to the other side of the\nwell-channel.\u201d And quoth I in my mind, \u201cI will deal kindly with him and\ndo what he desireth; it may be I shall win me a reward in Heaven for he\nmay be a paralytic.\u201d So I took him on my back and carrying him to the\nplace whereat he pointed, said to him, \u201cDismount at thy leisure.\u201d But\nhe would not get off my back and wound his legs about my neck. I looked\nat them and seeing that they were like a buffalo\u2019s hide for blackness\nand roughness,[FN#62] was affrighted and would have cast him off; but\nhe clung to me and gripped my neck with his legs, till I was well-nigh\nchoked, the world grew black in my sight and I fell senseless to the\nground like one dead. But he still kept his seat and raising his legs\ndrummed with his heels and beat harder than palm-rods my back and\nshoulders, till he forced me to rise for excess of pain. Then he signed\nto me with his hand to carry him hither and thither among the trees\nwhich bore the best fruits; and if ever I refused to do his bidding or\nloitered or took my leisure he beat me with his feet more grievously\nthan if I had been beaten with whips. He ceased not to signal with his\nhand wherever he was minded to go; so I carried him about the island,\nlike a captive slave, and he bepissed and conskited my shoulders and\nback, dismounting not night nor day; and whenas he wished to sleep he\nwound his legs about my neck and leaned back and slept awhile, then\narose and beat me; whereupon I sprang up in haste, unable to gainsay\nhim because of the pain he inflicted on me. And indeed I blamed myself\nand sore repented me of having taken compassion on him and continued in\nthis condition, suffering fatigue not to be described, till I said to\nmyself, \u201cI wrought him a weal and he requited me with my ill; by Allah,\nnever more will I do any man a service so long as I live!\u201d And again\nand again I besought the Most High that I might die, for stress of\nweariness and misery; and thus I abode a long while till, one day, I\ncame with him to a place wherein was abundance of gourds, many of them\ndry. So I took a great dry gourd and, cutting open the head, scooped\nout the inside and cleaned it; after which I gathered grapes from a\nvine which grew hard by and squeezed them into the gourd, till it was\nfull of the juice. Then I stopped up the mouth and set it in the sun,\nwhere I left it for some days, until it became strong wine; and every\nday I used to drink of it, to comfort and sustain me under my fatigues\nwith that froward and obstinate fiend; and as often as I drank myself\ndrunk, I forgot my troubles and took new heart. One day he saw me\ndrinking and signed to me with his hand, as who should say, \u201cWhat is\nthat?\u201d Quoth I, \u201cIt is an excellent cordial, which cheereth the heart\nand reviveth the spirits.\u201d Then, being heated with wine, I ran and\ndanced with him among the trees, clapping my hands and singing and\nmaking merry; and I staggered under him by design. When he saw this, he\nsigned to me to give him the gourd that he might drink, and I feared\nhim and gave it him. So he took it and, draining it to the dregs, cast\nit on the ground, whereupon he grew frolicsome and began to clap hands\nand jig to and fro on my shoulders and he made water upon me so\ncopiously that all my dress was drenched. But presently the fumes of\nthe wine rising to his head, he became helplessly drunk and his\nside-muscles and limbs relaxed and he swayed to and fro on my back. When I\nsaw that he had lost his senses for drunkenness, I put my hand to his\nlegs and, loosing them from my neck, stooped down well-nigh to the\nground and threw him at full length,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014So I threw the devil off my shoulders, hardly\ncrediting my deliverance from him and fearing lest he should shake off\nhis drunkenness and do me a mischief. Then I took up a great stone from\namong the trees and coming up to him smote him therewith on the head\nwith all my might and crushed in his skull as he lay dead drunk.\nThereupon his flesh and fat and blood being in a pulp, he died and went\nto his deserts, The Fire, no mercy of Allah be upon him! I then\nreturned, with a heart at ease, to my former station on the sea-shore\nand abode in that island many days, eating of its fruits and drinking\nof its waters and keeping a look-out for passing ships; till one day,\nas I sat on the beach, recalling all that had befallen me and saying,\n\u201cI wonder if Allah will save me alive and restore me to my home and\nfamily and friends!\u201d behold, a ship was making for the island through\nthe dashing sea and clashing waves. Presently, it cast anchor and the\npassengers landed; so I made for them, and when they saw me all\nhastened up to me and gathering round me questioned me of my case and\nhow I came thither. I told them all that had betided me, whereat they\nmarvelled with exceeding marvel and said, \u201cHe who rode on thy shoulder\nis called the \u2018Shaykh al-Bahr\u2019 or Old Man of the Sea,[FN#63] and none\never felt his legs on neck and came off alive but thou; and those who\ndie under him he eateth: so praised be Allah for thy safety!\u201d Then they\nset somewhat of food before me, whereof I ate my fill, and gave me\nsomewhat of clothes wherewith I clad myself anew and covered my\nnakedness; after which they took me up into the ship, and we sailed\ndays and nights, till fate brought us to a place called the City of\nApes, builded with lofty houses, all of which gave upon the sea and it\nhad a single gate studded and strengthened with iron nails. Now every\nnight, as soon as it is dusk the dwellers in this city use to come\nforth of the gates and, putting out to sea in boats and ships, pass the\nnight upon the waters in their fear lest the apes should come down on\nthem from the mountains. Hearing this I was sore troubled remembering\nwhat I had before suffered from the ape-kind. Presently I landed to\nsolace myself in the city, but meanwhile the ship set sail without me\nand I repented of having gone ashore, and calling to mind my companions\nand what had befallen me with the apes, first and after, sat down and\nfell a-weeping and lamenting. Presently one of the townsfolk accosted\nme and said to me, \u201cO my lord, meseemeth thou art a stranger to these\nparts?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered I, \u201cI am indeed a stranger and a poor one, who\ncame hither in a ship which cast anchor here, and I landed to visit the\ntown; but when I would have gone on board again, I found they had\nsailed without me.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cCome and embark with us, for if thou lie\nthe night in the city, the apes will destroy thee.\u201d \u201cHearkening and\nobedience,\u201d replied I, and rising, straightway embarked with him in one\nof the boats, whereupon they pushed off from shore and anchoring a mile\nor so from the land, there passed the night. At daybreak, they rowed\nback to the city and landing, went each about his business. Thus they\ndid every night, for if any tarried in the town by night the apes came\ndown on him and slew him. As soon as it was day, the apes left the\nplace and ate of the fruits of the gardens, then went back to the\nmountains and slept there till nightfall, when they again came down\nupon the city.[FN#64] Now this place was in the farthest part of the\ncountry of the blacks, and one of the strangest things that befel me\nduring my sojourn in the city was on this wise. One of the company with\nwhom I passed the night in the boat, asked me, \u201cO my lord, thou art\napparently a stranger in these parts; hast thou any craft whereat thou\ncanst work?\u201d; and I answered, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother, I have no trade\nnor know I any handicraft, for I was a merchant and a man of money and\nsubstance and had a ship of my own, laden with great store of goods and\nmerchandise; but it foundered at sea and all were drowned excepting me\nwho saved myself on a piece of plank which Allah vouchsafed to me of\nHis favour.\u201d Upon this he brought me a cotton bag and giving it to me,\nsaid, \u201cTake this bag and fill it with pebbles from the beach and go\nforth with a company of the townsfolk to whom I will give a charge\nrespecting thee. Do as they do and belike thou shalt gain what may\nfurther thy return voyage to thy native land.\u201d Then he carried me to\nthe beach, where I filled my bag with pebbles large and small, and\npresently we saw a company of folk issue from the town, each bearing a\nbag like mine, filled with pebbles. To these he committed me,\ncommending me to their care, and saying, \u201cThis man is a stranger, so\ntake him with you and teach him how to gather, that he may get his\ndaily bread, and you will earn your reward and recompense in Heaven.\u201d\n\u201cOn our head and eyes be it!\u201d answered they and bidding me welcome,\nfared on with me till we came to a spacious Wady, full of lofty trees\nwith trunks so smooth that none might climb them. Now sleeping under\nthese trees were many apes, which when they saw us rose and fled from\nus and swarmed up among the branches; whereupon my companions began to\npelt them with what they had in their bags, and the apes fell to\nplucking of the fruit of the trees and casting them at the folk. I\nlooked at the fruits they cast at us and found them to be Indian[FN#65]\nor cocoa-nuts; so I chose out a great tree, full of apes, and going up\nto it, began to pelt them with stones, and they in return pelted me\nwith nuts, which I collected, as did the rest; so that even before I\nhad made an end of my bagful of pebbles, I had gotten great plenty of\nnuts; and as soon as my companions had in like manner gotten as many\nnuts as they could carry, we returned to the city, where we arrived at\nthe fag-end of day. Then I went in to the kindly man who had brought me\nin company with the nut-gatherers and gave him all I had gotten,\nthanking him for his kindness; but he would not accept them, saying,\n\u201cSell them and make profit by the price;\u201d and presently he added (giving\nme the key of a closet in his house) \u201cStore thy nuts in this safe place\nand go thou forth every morning and gather them as thou hast done\nto-day, and choose out the worst for sale and supplying thyself; but\nlay up the rest here, so haply thou mayst collect enough to serve thee\nfor thy return home.\u201d \u201cAllah requite thee!\u201d answered I and did as he\nadvised me, going out daily with the cocoa-nut gatherers, who commended\nme to one another and showed me the best-stocked trees.[FN#66] Thus did\nI for some time, till I had laid up great store of excellent nuts,\nbesides a large sum of money, the price of those I had sold. I became\nthus at my ease and bought all I saw and had a mind to, and passed my\ntime pleasantly greatly enjoying my stay in the city, till, as I stood\non the beach, one day, a great ship steering through the heart of the\nsea presently cast anchor by the shore and landed a company of\nmerchants, who proceeded to sell and buy and barter their goods for\ncocoa-nuts and other commodities. Then I went to my friend and told him\nof the coming of the ship and how I had a mind to return to my own\ncountry; and he said, \u201c\u2019Tis for thee to decide.\u201d So I thanked him for\nhis bounties and took leave of him; then, going to the captain of the\nship, I agreed with him for my passage and embarked my cocoa-nuts and\nwhat else I possessed. We weighed anchor,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014So I left the City of the Apes and embarked my\ncocoa-nuts and what else I possessed. We weighed anchor the same day\nand sailed from island to island and sea to sea; and whenever we\nstopped, I sold and traded with my cocoa-nuts, and the Lord requited me\nmore than I erst had and lost. Amongst other places, we came to an\nisland abounding in cloves[FN#67] and cinnamon and pepper; and the\ncountry people told me that by the side of each pepper-bunch groweth a\ngreat leaf which shadeth it from the sun and casteth the water off it\nin the wet season; but, when the rain ceaseth the leaf turneth over and\ndroopeth down by the side of the bunch.[FN#68] Here I took in great\nstore of pepper and cloves and cinnamon, in exchange for cocoa-nuts,\nand we passed thence to the Island of Al-Usirat,[FN#69] whence cometh\nthe Comorin aloes-wood and thence to another island, five days\u2019 journey\nin length, where grows the Chinese lign-aloes, which is better than the\nComorin; but the people of this island[FN#70] are fouler of condition\nand religion than those of the other, for that they love fornication\nand wine-bibbing, and know not prayer nor call to prayer. Thence we\ncame to the pearl-fisheries, and I gave the divers some of my\ncocoa-nuts and said to them, \u201cDive for my luck and lot!\u201d They did so\nand brought up from the deep bight[FN#71] great store of large and\npriceless pearls; and they said to me, \u201cBy Allah, O my master, thy luck\nis a lucky!\u201d Then we sailed on, with the blessing of Allah (whose name\nbe exalted!); and ceased not sailing till we arrived safely at\nBassorah. There I abode a little and then went on to Baghdad, where I\nentered my quarter and found my house and foregathered with my family\nand saluted my friends who gave me joy of my safe return, and I laid up\nall my goods and valuables in my storehouses. Then I distributed alms\nand largesse and clothed the widow and the orphan and made presents to\nmy relations and comrades; for the Lord had requited me fourfold that I\nhad lost. After which I returned to my old merry way of life and forgot\nall I had suffered in the great profit and gain I had made. \u201cSuch,\nthen, is the history of my fifth voyage and its wonderments, and now to\nsupper; and to-morrow, come again and I will tell you what befel me in\nmy sixth voyage; for it was still more wonderful than this.\u201d (Saith he\nwho telleth the tale), Then he called for food; and the servants spread\nthe table, and when they had eaten the evening-meal, he bade give\nSindbad the porter an hundred golden dinars and the Landsman returned\nhome and lay him down to sleep, much marvelling at all he had heard.\nNext morning, as soon as it was light, he prayed the dawn-prayer; and,\nafter blessing Mohammed the Cream of all creatures, betook himself to\nthe house of Sindbad the Seaman and wished him a good day. The merchant\nbade him sit and talked with him, till the rest of the company arrived.\nThen the servants spread the table and when they had well eaten and\ndrunken and were mirthful and merry, Sindbad the Seaman began in these\nwords the narrative of\n\n\nThe Sixth Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nKnow, O my brothers and friends and companions all, that I abode some\ntime, after my return from my fifth voyage, in great solace and\nsatisfaction and mirth and merriment, joyance and enjoyment; and I\nforgot what I had suffered, seeing the great gain and profit I had made\ntill, one day, as I sat making merry and enjoying myself with my\nfriends, there came in to me a company of merchants whose case told\ntales of travel, and talked with me of voyage and adventure and\ngreatness of pelf and lucre. Hereupon I remembered the days of my\nreturn from abroad, and my joy at once more seeing my native land and\nforegathering with my family and friends; and my soul yearned for\ntravel and traffic. So compelled by Fate and Fortune I resolved to\nundertake another voyage; and, buying me fine and costly merchandise\nmeet for foreign trade, made it up into bales, with which I journeyed\nfrom Baghdad to Bassorah. Here I found a great ship ready for sea and\nfull of merchants and notables, who had with them goods of price; so I\nembarked my bales therein. And we left Bassorah in safety and good\nspirits under the safeguard of the King, the Preserver.\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014And after embarking my bales and leaving Bassorah in\nsafety and good spirits, we continued our voyage from place to place\nand from city to city, buying and selling and profiting and diverting\nourselves with the sight of countries where strange folk dwell. And\nFortune and the voyage smiled upon us, till one day, as we went along,\nbehold, the captain suddenly cried with a great cry and cast his\nturband on the deck. Then he buffeted his face like a woman and plucked\nout his beard and fell down in the waist of the ship will nigh fainting\nfor stress of grief and rage, and crying, \u201cOh and alas for the ruin of\nmy house and the orphanship of my poor children!\u201d So all the merchant\nand sailors came round about him and asked him, \u201cO master, what is the\nmatter?\u201d; for the light had become night before their sight. And he\nanswered, saying, \u201cKnow, O folk, that we have wandered from our course\nand left the sea whose ways we wot, and come into a sea whose ways I\nknow not; and unless Allah vouchsafe us a means of escape, we are all\ndead men; wherefore pray ye to the Most High, that He deliver us from\nthis strait. Haply amongst you is one righteous whose prayers the Lord\nwill accept.\u201d Then he arose and clomb the mast to see an there were any\nescape from that strait; and he would have loosed the sails; but the\nwind redoubled upon the ship and whirled her round thrice and drave her\nbackwards; whereupon her rudder brake and she fell off towards a high\nmountain. With this the captain came down from the mast, saying, \u201cThere\nis no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the\nGreat; nor can man prevent that which is fore-ordained of fate! By\nAllah, we are fallen on a place of sure destruction, and there is no\nway of escape for us, nor can any of us be saved!\u201d Then we all fell\na-weeping over ourselves and bidding one another farewell for that our\ndays were come to an end, and we had lost all hopes of life. Presently\nthe ship struck the mountain and broke up, and all and everything on\nboard of her were plunged into the sea. Some of the merchants were\ndrowned and others made shift to reach the shore and save themselves\nupon the mountain; I amongst the number, and when we got ashore, we\nfound a great island, or rather peninsula[FN#72] whose base was strewn\nwith wreckage of crafts and goods and gear cast up by the sea from\nbroken ships whose passengers had been drowned; and the quantity\nconfounded compt and calculation. So I climbed the cliffs into the\ninward of the isle and walked on inland, till I came to a stream of\nsweet water, that welled up at the nearest foot of the mountains and\ndisappeared in the earth under the range of hills on the opposite side.\nBut all the other passengers went over the mountains to the inner\ntracts; and, dispersing hither and thither, were confounded at what\nthey saw and became like madmen at the sight of the wealth and\ntreasures wherewith the shores were strewn. As for me I looked into the\nbed of the stream aforesaid and saw therein great plenty of rubies, and\ngreat royal pearls[FN#73] and all kinds of jewels and precious stones\nwhich were as gravel in the bed of the rivulets that ran through the\nfields, and the sands sparkled and glittered with gems and precious\nores. Moreover we found in the island abundance of the finest\nlign-aloes, both Chinese and Comorin; and there also is a spring of\ncrude ambergris[FN#74] which floweth like wax or gum over the\nstream-banks, for the great heat of the sun, and runneth down to the\nsea-shore, where the monsters of the deep come up and swallowing it,\nreturn into the sea. But it burneth in their bellies; so they cast it\nup again and it congealeth on the surface of the water, whereby its\ncolor and quantities are changed; and at last, the waves cast it\nashore, and the travellers and merchants who know it, collect it and\nsell it. But as to the raw ambergris which is not swallowed, it floweth\nover the channel and congealeth on the banks and when the sun shineth\non it, it melteth and scenteth the whole valley with a musk-like\nfragrance: then, when the sun ceaseth from it, it congealeth again. But\nnone can get to this place where is the crude ambergris, because of the\nmountains which enclose the island on all sides and which foot of man\ncannot ascend.[FN#75] We continued thus to explore the island,\nmarvelling at the wonderful works of Allah and the riches we found\nthere, but sore troubled for our own case, and dismayed at our\nprospects. Now we had picked up on the beach some small matter of\nvictual from the wreck and husbanded it carefully, eating but once\nevery day or two, in our fear lest it should fail us and we die\nmiserably of famine or affright. Moreover, we were weak for colic\nbrought on by sea-sickness and low diet, and my companions deceased,\none after other, till there was but a small company of us left. Each\nthat died we washed and shrouded in some of the clothes and linen cast\nashore by the tides; and after a little, the rest of my fellows\nperished, one by one, till I had buried the last of the party and abode\nalone on the island, with but a little provision left, I who was wont\nto have so much. And I wept over myself, saying, \u201cWould Heaven I had\ndied before my companions and they had washed and buried me! It had\nbeen better than I should perish and none wash me and shroud me and\nbury me. But there is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the\nGlorious, the Great!\u201d\u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued in these words:\u2014Now after I had buried the last of my\nparty and abode alone on the island, I arose and dug me a deep grave on\nthe sea-shore, saying to myself, \u201cWhenas I grow weak and know that\ndeath cometh to me, I will cast myself into the grave and die there, so\nthe wind may drift the sand over me and cover me and I be buried\ntherein.\u201d[FN#76] Then I fell to reproaching myself for my little wit in\nleaving my native land and betaking me again to travel, after all I had\nsuffered during my first five voyages, and when I had not made a single\none without suffering more horrible perils and more terrible hardships\nthan in its forerunner and having no hope of escape from my present\nstress; and I repented me of my folly and bemoaned myself, especially\nas I had no need of money, seeing that I had enough and more than\nenough and could not spend what I had, no, nor a half of it in all my\nlife. However, after a while Allah sent me a thought and I said to\nmyself, \u201cBy God, needs must this stream have an end as well as a\nbeginning; ergo an issue somewhere, and belike its course may lead to\nsome inhabited place; so my best plan is to make me a little\nboat[FN#77] big enough to sit in, and carry it and launching it on the\nriver, embark therein and drop down the stream. If I escape, I escape,\nby God\u2019s leave; and if I perish, better die in the river than here.\u201d\nThen, sighing for myself, I set to work collecting a number of pieces\nof Chinese and Comorin aloes-wood and I bound them together with ropes\nfrom the wreckage; then I chose out from the broken-up ships straight\nplanks of even size and fixed them firmly upon the aloes-wood, making\nme a boat-raft a little narrower than the channel of the stream; and I\ntied it tightly and firmly as though it were nailed. Then I loaded it\nwith the goods, precious ores and jewels: and the union pearls which\nwere like gravel and the best of the ambergris crude and pure, together\nwith what I had collected on the island and what was left me of victual\nand wild herbs. Lastly I lashed a piece of wood on either side, to\nserve me as oars; and launched it, and embarking, did according to the\nsaying of the poet,\n\n\u201cFly, fly with life whenas evils threat; * Leave the house to\n     tell of its builder\u2019s fate!\nLand after land shalt thou seek and find * But no other life on\n     thy wish shall wait:\nFret not thy soul in thy thoughts o\u2019 night; * All woes shall end\n     or sooner or late.\nWhoso is born in one land to die, * There and only there shall\n     gang his gait:\nNor trust great things to another wight, * Soul hath only soul\n     for confederate.\u201d[FN#78]\n\n\nMy boat-raft drifted with the stream, I pondering the issue of my\naffair; and the drifting ceased not till I came to the place where it\ndisappeared beneath the mountain. I rowed my conveyance into the place\nwhich was intensely dark; and the current carried the raft with it down\nthe underground channel.[FN#79] The thin stream bore me on through a\nnarrow tunnel where the raft touched either side and my head rubbed\nagainst the roof, return therefrom being impossible. Then I blamed\nmyself for having thus risked my life, and said, \u201cIf this passage grow\nany straiter, the raft will hardly pass, and I cannot turn back; so I\nshall inevitably perish miserably in this place.\u201d And I threw myself\ndown upon my face on the raft, by reason of the narrowness of the\nchannel, whilst the stream ceased not to carry me along, knowing not\nnight from day, for the excess of the gloom which encompassed me about\nand my terror and concern for myself lest I should perish. And in such\ncondition my course continued down the channel which now grew wide and\nthen straiter till, sore aweary by reason of the darkness which could\nbe felt, I fell asleep, as I lay prone on the raft, and I slept knowing\nnot an the time were long or short. When I awoke at last, I found\nmyself in the light of Heaven and opening my eyes I saw myself in a\nbroad stream and the raft moored to an island in the midst of a number\nof Indians and Abyssinians. As soon as these blackamoors[FN#80] saw\nthat I was awake, they came up to me and bespoke me in their speech;\nbut I understood not what they said and thought that this was a dream\nand a vision which had betided me for stress of concern and chagrin.\nBut I was delighted at my escape from the river. When they saw I\nunderstood them not and made them no answer, one of them came forward\nand said to me in Arabic, \u201cPeace be with thee, O my brother! Who art\nthou and whence faredst thou thither? How camest thou into this river\nand what manner of land lies behind yonder mountains, for never knew we\nany one make his way thence to us?\u201d Quoth I, \u201cAnd upon thee be peace\nand the ruth of Allah and his blessing! Who are ye and what country is\nthis?\u201d \u201cO my brother,\u201d answered he, \u201cwe are husbandmen and tillers of\nthe soil, who came out to water our fields and plantations; and,\nfinding thee asleep on this raft, laid hold of it and made it fast by\nus, against thou shouldst awake at thy leisure. So tell us how thou\ncamest hither?\u201d I answered, \u201cFor Allah\u2019s sake, O my lord, ere I speak\ngive me somewhat to eat, for I am starving, and after ask me what thou\nwilt.\u201d So he hastened to fetch me food and I ate my fill, till I was\nrefreshed and my fear was calmed by a good belly-full and my life\nreturned to me. Then I rendered thanks to the Most High for mercies\ngreat and small, glad to be out of the river and rejoicing to be\namongst them, and I told them all my adventures from first to last,\nespecially my troubles in the narrow channel.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014When I landed and found myself amongst the Indians\nand Abyssinians and had taken some rest, they consulted among\nthemselves and said to one another, \u201cThere is no help for it but we\ncarry him with us and present him to our King, that he may acquaint him\nwith his adventures.\u201d So they took me, together with the raft-boat and\nits lading of monies and merchandise; jewels, minerals and golden gear,\nand brought me to their King, who was King of Sarandib,[FN#81] telling\nhim what had happened; whereupon he saluted me and bade me welcome.\nThen he questioned me of my condition and adventures through the man\nwho had spoken Arabic and I repeated to him my story from beginning to\nend, whereat he marvelled exceedingly and gave me joy of my\ndeliverance; after which I arose and fetched from the raft great store\nof precious ores and jewels and ambergris and lign-aloes and presented\nthem to the King, who accepted them and entreated me with the utmost\nhonour, appointing me a lodging in his own palace. So I consorted with\nthe chief of the islanders, and they paid me the utmost respect. And I\nquitted not the royal palace. Now the Island Sarandib lieth under the\nequinoctial line, its night and day both numbering twelve house. It\nmeasureth eighty leagues long by a breadth of thirty and its width is\nbounded by a lofty mountain[FN#82] and a deep valley, The mountain is\nconspicuous from a distance of three days and it containeth many kinds\nof rubies and other minerals, and spice-trees of all sorts. The surface\nis covered with emery wherewith gems are cut and fashioned; diamonds\nare in its rivers and pearls are in its valleys. I ascended that\nmountain and solaced myself with a view of its marvels which are\nindescribable and afterwards I returned to the King.[FN#83] Thereupon,\nall the travellers and merchants who came to the place questioned me of\nthe affairs of my native land and of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid and his\nrule and I told them of him and of that wherefor he was renowned, and\nthey praised him because of this; whilst I in turn questioned them of\nthe manners and customers of their own countries and got the knowledge\nI desired. One day, the King himself asked me of the fashions and form\nof government of my country, and I acquainted him with the circumstance\nof the Caliph\u2019s sway in the city of Baghdad and the justice of his\nrule. The King marvelled at my account of his appointments and said,\n\u201cBy Allah, the Caliph\u2019s ordinances are indeed wise and his fashions of\npraiseworthy guise and thou hast made me love him by what thou tellest\nme; wherefore I have a mind to make him a present and send it by thee.\u201d\nQuoth I, \u201cHearkening and obedience, O my lord; I will bear thy gift to\nhim and inform him that thou art his sincere lover and true friend.\u201d\nThen I abode with the King in great honour and regard and consideration\nfor a long while till, one day, as I sat in his palace, I heard news of\na company of merchants, that were fitting out a ship for Bassorah, and\nsaid to myself, \u201cI cannot do better than voyage with these men.\u201d So I\nrose without stay or delay and kissed the King\u2019s hand and acquainted\nhim with my longing to set out with the merchants, for that I pined\nafter my people and mine own land. Quoth he, \u201cThou art thine own\nmaster; yet, if it be thy will to abide with us, on our head and eyes\nbe it, for thou gladdenest us with thy company.\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O my lord,\u201d\nanswered I, \u201cthou hast indeed overwhelmed me with thy favours and\nwell-doings; but I weary for a sight of my friends and family and native\ncountry.\u201d When he heard this, he summoned the merchants in question and\ncommended me to their care, paying my freight and passage-money. Then\nhe bestowed on me great riches from his treasuries and charged me with\na magnificent present for the Caliph Harun al-Rashid. Moreover he gave\nme a sealed letter, saying, \u201cCarry this with thine own hand to the\nCommander of the Faithful and give him many salutations from us!\u201d\n\u201cHearing and obedience,\u201d I replied. The missive was written on the skin\nof the Kh\u00e1wi[FN#84] (which is finer than lamb-parchment and of yellow\ncolour), with ink of ultramarine and the contents were as follows.\n\u201cPeace be with thee from the King of Al-Hind, before whom are a\nthousand elephants and upon whose palace-crenelles are a thousand\njewels. But after (laud to the Lord and praises to His Prophet!): we\nsend thee a trifling gift which be thou pleased to accept. Thou art to\nus a brother and a sincere friend; and great is the love we bear for\nthee in heart; favour us therefore with a reply. The gift besitteth not\nthy dignity: but we beg of thee, O our brother, graciously to accept it\nand peace be with thee.\u201d And the present was a cup of ruby a span\nhigh[FN#85] the inside of which was adorned with precious pearls; and a\nbed covered with the skin of the serpent which swalloweth the elephant,\nwhich skin hath spots each like a dinar and whoso sitteth upon it never\nsickeneth;[FN#86] and an hundred thousand miskals of Indian lign-aloes\nand a slave-girl like a shining moon. Then I took leave of him and of\nall my intimates and acquaintances in the island and embarked with the\nmerchants aforesaid. We sailed with a fair wind, committing ourselves\nto the care of Allah (be He extolled and exalted!) and by His\npermission arrived at Bassorah, where I passed a few days and nights\nequipping myself and packing up my bales. Then I went on to\nBaghdad-city, the House of Peace, where I sought an audience of the\nCaliph and laid the King\u2019s presents before him. He asked me whence they\ncame and I said to him, \u201cBy Allah, O Commander of the Faithful, I know\nnot the name of the city nor the way thither!\u201d He then asked me, \u201cO\nSindbad, is this true which the King writeth?\u201d; and I answered, after\nkissing the ground, \u201cO my lord, I saw in his kingdom much more than he\nhath written in his letter. For state processions a throne is set for\nhim upon a huge elephant, eleven cubits high: and upon this he sitteth\nhaving his great lords and officers and guests standing in two ranks,\non his right hand and on his left. At his head is a man hending in hand\na golden javelin and behind him another with a great mace of gold whose\nhead is an emerald[FN#87] a span long and as thick as a man\u2019s thumb.\nAnd when he mounteth horse there mount with him a thousand horsemen\nclad in gold brocade and silk; and as the King proceedeth a man\nprecedeth him, crying, \u2018This is the King of great dignity, of high\nauthority!\u2019 And he continueth to repeat his praises in words I remember\nnot, saying at the end of his panegyric, \u2018This is the King owning the\ncrown whose like nor Solomon nor the Mihraj[FN#88] ever possessed.\u2019\nThen he is silent and one behind him proclaimeth, saying, \u2018He will die!\nAgain I say he will die!;\u2019 and the other addeth, \u2018Extolled be the\nperfection of the Living who dieth not!\u2019[FN#89] Moreover by reason of\nhis justice and ordinance and intelligence, there is no Kazi in his\ncity, and all his lieges distinguish between Truth and Falsehood.\u201d\nQuoth the Caliph, \u201cHow great is this King! His letter hath shown me\nthis; and as for the mightiness of his dominion thou hast told us what\nthou hast eye-witnessed. By Allah, he hath been endowed with wisdom as\nwith wide rule.\u201d Then I related to the Commander of the Faithful all\nthat had befallen me in my last voyage; at which he wondered\nexceedingly and bade his historians record my story and store it up in\nhis treasuries, for the edification of all who might see it. Then he\nconferred on me exceeding great favours, and I repaired to my quarter\nand entered my home, where I warehoused all my goods and possessions.\nPresently, my friends came to me and I distributed presents among my\nfamily and gave alms and largesse; after which I yielded myself to\njoyance and enjoyment, mirth and merry-making, and forgot all that I\nhad suffered. \u201cSuch, then, O my brothers, is the history of what befel\nme in my sixth voyage, and to-morrow, Inshallah! I will tell you the\nstory of my seventh and last voyage, which is still more wondrous and\nmarvellous than that of the first six.\u201d (Saith he who telleth the\ntale), Then he bade lay the table, and the company supped with him;\nafter which he gave the Porter an hundred dinars, as of wont, and they\nall went their ways, marvelling beyond measure at that which they had\nheard.\u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sindbad the\nSeaman had related the history of what befel him in his sixth voyage,\nand all the company had dispersed, Sindbad the Landsman went home and\nslept as of wont. Next day he rose and prayed the dawn-prayer and\nrepaired to his namesake\u2019s house where, after the company was all\nassembled, the host began to relate\n\n\nThe Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman.\n\nKnow, O company, that after my return from my sixth voyage, which\nbrought me abundant profit, I resumed my former life in all possible\njoyance and enjoyment and mirth and making merry day and night; and I\ntarried some time in this solace and satisfaction till my soul began\nonce more to long to sail the seas and see foreign countries and\ncompany with merchants and hear new things. So having made up my mind,\nI packed up in bales a quantity of precious stuffs suited for sea-trade\nand repaired with them from Baghdad-city to Bassorah-town, where I\nfound a ship ready for sea, and in her a company of considerable\nmerchants. I shipped with them and becoming friends, we set forth on\nour venture, in health and safety; and sailed with a fair wind, till we\ncame to a city called Mad\u00ednat-al-S\u00edn; but after we had left it, as we\nfared on in all cheer and confidence, devising of traffic and travel,\nbehold, there sprang up a violent head-wind and a tempest of rain fell\non us and drenched us and our goods. So we covered the bales with our\ncloaks and garments and drugget and canvas, lest they be spoiled by the\nrain, and betook ourselves to prayer and supplication to Almighty Allah\nand humbled ourselves before Him for deliverance from the peril that\nwas upon us. But the captain arose and tightening his girdle tucked up\nhis skirts and, after taking refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned,\nclomb to the mast-head, whence he looked out right and left and gazing\nat the passengers and crew fell to buffeting his face and plucking out\nhis beard. So we cried to him, \u201cO Rais, what is the matter?\u201d; and he\nreplied saying, \u201cSeek ye deliverance of the Most High from the strait\ninto which we have fallen and bemoan yourselves and take leave of one\nanother; for know that the wind hath gotten the mastery of us and hath\ndriven us into the uttermost of the seas of the world.\u201d Then he came\ndown from the mast-head and opening his sea-chest, pulled out a bag of\nblue cotton, from which he took a powder like ashes. This he set in a\nsaucer wetted with a little water and, after waiting a short time,\nsmelt and tasted it; and then he took out of the chest a booklet,\nwherein he read awhile and said weeping, \u201cKnow, O ye passengers, that\nin this book is a marvellous matter, denoting that whoso cometh hither\nshall surely die, without hope of escape; for that this ocean is called\nthe Sea of the Clime of the King, wherein is the sepulchre of our lord\nSolomon, son of David (on both be peace!) and therein are serpents of\nvast bulk and fearsome aspect: and what ship soever cometh to these\nclimes there riseth to her a great fish[FN#90] out of the sea and\nswalloweth her up with all and everything on board her.\u201d Hearing these\nwords from the captain great was our wonder, but hardly had he made an\nend of speaking, when the ship was lifted out of the water and let fall\nagain and we applied to praying the death-prayer[FN#91] and committing\nour souls to Allah. Presently we heard a terrible great cry like the\nloud-pealing thunder, whereat we were terror-struck and became as dead\nmen, giving ourselves up for lost. Then behold, there came up to us a\nhuge fish, as big as a tall mountain, at whose sight we became wild for\naffright and, weeping sore, made ready for death, marvelling at its vast\nsize and gruesome semblance; when lo! a second fish made its appearance\nthan which we had seen naught more monstrous. So we bemoaned ourselves\nof our lives and farewelled one another; but suddenly up came a third\nfish bigger than the two first; whereupon we lost the power of thought\nand reason and were stupefied for the excess of our fear and horror.\nThen the three fish began circling round about the ship and the third\nand biggest opened his mouth to swallow it, and we looked into its\nmouth and behold, it was wider than the gate of a city and its throat\nwas like a long valley. So we besought the Almighty and called for\nsuccour upon His Apostle (on whom be blessing and peace!), when\nsuddenly a violent squall of wind arose and smote the ship, which rose\nout of the water and settled upon a great reef, the haunt of\nsea-monsters, where it broke up and fell asunder into planks and all\nand everything on board were plunged into the sea. As for me, I tore\noff all my clothes but my gown and swam a little way, till I happened\nupon one of the ship\u2019s planks whereto I clung and bestrode it like a\nhorse, whilst the winds and the waters sported with me and the waves\ncarried me up and cast me down; and I was in most piteous plight for\nfear and distress and hunger and thirst. Then I reproached myself for\nwhat I had done and my soul was weary after a life of ease and comfort;\nand I said to myself, \u201cO Sindbad, O Seaman, thou repentest not and yet\nthou art ever suffering hardships and travails; yet wilt thou not\nrenounce sea-travel; or, an thou say, \u2018I renounce,\u2019 thou liest in thy\nrenouncement. Endure then with patience that which thou sufferest, for\nverily thou deservest all that betideth thee!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman continued:\u2014But when I had bestridden the plank, quoth I to\nmyself, \u201cThou deservest all that betideth thee. All this is decreed to\nme of Allah (whose name be exalted!), to turn me from my greed of gain,\nwhence ariseth all that I endure, for I have wealth galore.\u201d Then I\nreturned to my senses and said, \u201cIn very sooth, this time I repent to\nthe Most High, with a sincere repentance, of my lust for gain and\nventure; and never will I again name travel with tongue nor in\nthought.\u201d And I ceased not to humble myself before Almighty Allah and\nweep and bewail myself, recalling my former estate of solace and\nsatisfaction and mirth and merriment and joyance; and thus I abode two\ndays, at the end of which time I came to a great island abounding in\ntrees and streams. There I landed and ate of the fruits of the island\nand drank of its waters, till I was refreshed and my life returned to\nme and my strength and spirits were restored and I recited,\n\n\u201cOft when thy case shows knotty and tangled skein, * Fate downs\n     from Heaven and straightens every ply:\nIn patience keep thy soul till clear thy lot * For He who ties\n     the knot can eke untie.\u201d\n\n\nThen I walked about, till I found on the further side, a great river of\nsweet water, running with a strong current; whereupon I called to mind\nthe boat-raft I had made aforetime and said to myself, \u201cNeeds must I\nmake another; haply I may free me from this strait. If I escape, I have\nmy desire and I vow to Allah Almighty to foreswear travel; and if I\nperish I shall be at peace and shall rest from toil and moil.\u201d So I\nrose up and gathered together great store of pieces of wood from the\ntrees (which were all of the finest sanders-wood, whose like is not\nalbe I knew it not), and made shift to twist creepers and tree-twigs\ninto a kind of rope, with which I bound the billets together and so\ncontrived a raft. Then saying, \u201cAn I be saved, \u2019tis of God\u2019s grace,\u201d I\nembarked thereon and committed myself to the current, and it bore me on\nfor the first day and the second and the third after leaving the\nisland; whilst I lay in the raft, eating not and drinking, when I was\nathirst, of the water of the river, till I was weak and giddy as a\nchicken, for stress of fatigue and famine and fear. At the end of this\ntime I came to a high mountain, whereunder ran the river; which when I\nsaw, I feared for my life by reason of the straitness I had suffered in\nmy former journey, and I would fain have stayed the raft and landed on\nthe mountain-side; but the current overpowered me and drew it into the\nsubterranean passage like an archway; whereupon I gave myself up for\nlost and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d However, after a little, the raft\nglided into open air and I saw before me a wide valley, whereinto the\nriver fell with a noise like the rolling of thunder and a swiftness as\nthe rushing of the wind. I held on to the raft, for fear of falling off\nit, whilst the waves tossed me right and left; and the craft continued\nto descend with the current nor could I avail to stop it nor turn it\nshorewards, till it stopped with me at a great and goodly city, grandly\nedified and containing much people. And when the townsfolk saw me on\nthe raft, dropping down with the current, they threw me out ropes which\nI had not strength enough to hold; then they tossed a net over the\ncraft and drew it ashore with me, whereupon I fell to the ground amidst\nthem, as I were a dead man, for stress of fear and hunger and lack of\nsleep. After awhile, there came up to me out of the crowd an old man of\nreverend aspect, well stricken in years, who welcomed me and threw over\nme abundance of handsome clothes, wherewith I covered my nakedness.\nThen he carried me to the Hammam-bath and brought me cordial sherbets\nand delicious perfumes; moreover, when I came out, he bore me to his\nhouse, where his people made much of me and, seating me in a pleasant\nplace, set rich food before me, whereof I ate my fill and returned\nthanks to God the Most High for my deliverance. Thereupon his pages\nfetched me hot water, and I washed my hands, and his handmaids brought\nme silken napkins, with which I dried them and wiped my mouth. Also the\nShaykh set apart for me an apartment in a part of his house and charged\nhis pages and slave-girls to wait upon me and do my will and supply my\nwants. They were assiduous in my service, and I abode with him in the\nguest-chamber three days, taking my ease of good eating and good\ndrinking and good scents till life returned to me and my terrors\nsubsided and my heart was calmed and my mind was eased. On the fourth\nday the Shaykh, my host, came in to me and said, \u201cThou cheerest us with\nthy company, O my son, and praised be Allah for thy safety! Say: wilt\nthou now come down with me to the beach and the bazar and sell thy\ngoods and take their price? Belike thou mayst buy thee wherewithal to\ntraffic. I have ordered my servants to remove thy stock-in-trade from\nthe sea and they have piled it on the shore.\u201d I was silent awhile and\nsaid to myself, \u201cWhat mean these words and what goods have I?\u201d Then\nsaid he, \u201cO my son, be not troubled nor careful, but come with me to\nthe market and if any offer for thy goods what price contenteth thee,\ntake it; but, an thou be not satisfied, I will lay them up for thee in\nmy warehouse, against a fitting occasion for sale.\u201d So I bethought me\nof my case and said to myself, \u201cDo his bidding and see what are these\ngoods!\u201d; and I said to him, \u201cO my nuncle the Shaykh, I hear and I obey;\nI may not gainsay thee in aught for Allah\u2019s blessing is on all thou\ndost.\u201d Accordingly he guided me to the market-street, where I found\nthat he had taken in pieces the raft which carried me and which was of\nsandal-wood and I heard the broker calling it for sale.\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman thus resumed his tale:\u2014I found that the Shaykh had taken to\npieces my raft which lay on the beach and the broker was crying the\nsandal-wood for sale. Then the merchants came and opened the gate of\nbidding for the wood and bid against one another till its price reached\na thousand dinars, when they left bidding and my host said to me,\n\u201cHear, O my son, this is the current price of thy goods in hard times\nlike these: wilt thou sell them for this or shall I lay them up for\nthee in my storehouses, till such time as prices rise?\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d\nanswered I, \u201cthe business is in thy hands: do as thou wilt.\u201d Then asked\nhe, \u201cWilt thou sell the wood to me, O my son, for an hundred gold\npieces over and above what the merchants have bidden for it?\u201d and I\nanswered, \u201cYes, I have sold it to thee for monies received.\u201d[FN#92] So,\nhe bade his servants transport the wood to his storehouses and,\ncarrying me back to his house, seated me and counted out to me the\npurchase money; after which he laid it in bags and setting them in a\nprivy place, locked them up with an iron padlock and gave me its key.\nSome days after this, the Shaykh said to me, \u201cO my son, I have somewhat\nto propose to thee, wherein I trust thou wilt do my bidding.\u201d Quoth I,\n\u201cWhat is it?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI am a very old man and have no son; but I\nhave a daughter who is young in years and fair of favour and endowed\nwith abounding wealth and beauty. Now I have a mind to marry her to\nthee, that thou mayst abide with her in this our country, and I will\nmake thee master of all I have in hand for I am an old man and thou\nshalt stand in my stead.\u201d I was silent for shame and made him no\nanswer, whereupon he continued, \u201cDo my desire in this, O my son, for I\nwish but thy weal; and if thou wilt but do as I say, thou shalt have\nher at once and be as my son; and all that is under my hand or that\ncometh to me shall be thine. If thou have a mind to traffic and travel\nto thy native land, none shall hinder thee, and thy property will be at\nthy sole disposal; so do as thou wilt.\u201d \u201cBy Allah, O my uncle,\u201d replied\nI, \u201cthou art become to me even as my father, and I am a stranger and\nhave undergone many hardships: while for stress of that which I have\nsuffered naught of judgment or knowledge is left to me. It is for thee,\ntherefore, to decide what I shall do.\u201d Hereupon he sent his servants\nfor the Kazi and the witnesses and married me to his daughter making us\nfor a noble marriage-feast[FN#93] and high festival. When I went in to\nher, I found her perfect in beauty and loveliness and symmetry and\ngrace, clad in rich raiment and covered with a profusion of ornaments\nand necklaces and other trinkets of gold and silver and precious\nstones, worth a mint of money, a price none could pay. She pleased me\nand we loved each other; and I abode with her in solace and delight of\nlife, till her father was taken to the mercy of Allah Almighty. So we\nshrouded him and buried him, and I laid hands on the whole of his\nproperty and all his servants and slaves became mine. Moreover, the\nmerchants installed me in his office, for he was their Shaykh and their\nChief; and none of them purchased aught but with his knowledge and by\nhis leave. And now his rank passed on to me. When I became acquainted\nwith the townsfolk, I found that at the beginning of each month they\nwere transformed, in that their faces changed and they became like\nbirds and they put forth wings wherewith they flew unto the upper\nregions of the firmament and none remained in the city save the women\nand children; and I said in my mind, \u201cWhen the first of the month\ncometh, I will ask one of them to carry me with them, whither they go.\u201d\nSo when the time came and their complexion changed and their forms\naltered, I went in to one of the townsfolk and said to him, \u201cAllah upon\nthee! carry me with thee, that I might divert myself with the rest and\nreturn with you.\u201d \u201cThis may not be,\u201d answered he; but I ceased not to\nsolicit him and I importuned him till he consented. Then I went out in\nhis company, without telling any of my family[FN#94] or servants or\nfriends, and he took me on his back and flew up with me so high in air,\nthat I heard the angels glorifying God in the heavenly dome, whereat I\nwondered and exclaimed, \u201cPraised be Allah! Extolled be the perfection\nof Allah!\u201d Hardly had I made an end of pronouncing the Tasbih\u2014praised\nbe Allah!\u2014when there came out a fire from heaven and all but consumed\nthe company; whereupon they fled from it and descended with curses upon\nme and, casting me down on a high mountain, went away, exceeding wroth\nwith me, and left me there alone. As I found myself in this plight, I\nrepented of what I had done and reproached myself for having undertaken\nthat for which I was unable, saying, \u201cThere is no Majesty and there is\nno Might, save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great! No sooner am I\ndelivered from one affliction than I fall into a worse.\u201d And I\ncontinued in this case knowing not whither I should go, when lo! there\ncame up two young men, as they were moons, each using as a staff a rod\nof red gold. So I approached them and saluted them; and when they\nreturned my salam, I said to them, \u201cAllah upon you twain; who are ye\nand what are ye?\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWe are of the servants of the Most High\nAllah, abiding in this mountain;\u201d and, giving me a rod of red gold they\nhad with them, went their ways and left me. I walked on along the\nmountain-ridge staying my steps with the staff and pondering the case\nof the two youths, when behold, a serpent came forth from under the\nmountain, with a man in her[FN#95] jaws, whom she had swallowed even to\nbelow his navel, and he was crying out and saying, \u201cWhoso delivereth\nme, Allah will deliver him from all adversity!\u201d So I went up to the\nserpent and smote her on the head with the golden staff, whereupon she\ncast the man forth of her mouth.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sindbad the\nSeaman thus continued:\u2014When I smote the serpent on the head with my\ngolden staff she cast the man forth of her mouth. Then I smote her a\nsecond time, and she turned and fled; whereupon he came up to me and\nsaid, \u201cSince my deliverance from yonder serpent hath been at thy hands\nI will never leave thee, and thou shalt be my comrade on this\nmountain.\u201d \u201cAnd welcome,\u201d answered I; so we fared on along the\nmountain, till we fell in with a company of folk, and I looked and saw\namongst them the very man who had carried me and cast me down there. I\nwent up to him and spake him fair, excusing myself to him and saying,\n\u201cO my comrade, it is not thus that friend should deal with friend.\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cIt was thou who well-nigh destroyed us by thy Tasbih and thy\nglorifying God on my back.\u201d Quoth I, \u201cPardon me, for I had no knowledge\nof this matter; but, if thou wilt take me with thee, I swear not to say\na word.\u201d So he relented and consented to carry me with him, but he made\nan express condition that, so long as I abode on his back, I should\nabstain from pronouncing the Tasbih or otherwise glorifying God. Then I\ngave the wand of gold to him whom I had delivered from the serpent and\nbade him farewell, and my friend took me on his back and flew with me\nas before, till he brought me to the city and set me down in my own\nhouse. My wife came to meet me and saluting me gave me joy of my safety\nand then said, \u201cBeware of going forth hereafter with yonder folk,\nneither consort with them, for they are brethren of the devils, and\nknow not how to mention the name of Allah Almighty; neither worship\nthey Him.\u201d \u201cAnd how did thy father with them?\u201d asked I; and she\nanswered, \u201cMy father was not of them, neither did he as they; and as\nnow he is dead methinks thou hadst better sell all we have and with the\nprice buy merchandise and journey to thine own country and people, and\nI with thee; for I care not to tarry in this city, my father and my\nmother being dead.\u201d So I sold all the Shaykh\u2019s property piecemeal, and\nlooked for one who should be journeying thence to Bassorah that I might\njoin myself to him. And while thus doing I heard of a company of\ntownsfolk who had a mind to make the voyage, but could not find them a\nship; so they bought wood and built them a great ship wherein I took\npassage with them, and paid them all the hire. Then we embarked, I and\nmy wife, with all our moveables, leaving our houses and domains and so\nforth, and set sail, and ceased not sailing from island to island and\nfrom sea to sea, with a fair wind and a favouring, till we arrived at\nBassorah safe and sound. I made no stay there, but freighted another\nvessel and, transferring my goods to her, set out forthright for\nBaghdad-city, where I arrived in safety, and entering my quarter and\nrepairing to my house, foregathered with my family and friends and\nfamiliars who laid up my goods in my warehouses. When my people who,\nreckoning the period of my absence on this my seventh voyage, had found\nit to be seven and twenty years, and had given up all hope of me, heard\nof my return, they came to welcome me and to give me joy of my safety;\nand I related to them all that had befallen me; whereat they marvelled\nwith exceeding marvel. Then I forswore travel and vowed to Allah the\nMost High I would venture no more by land or sea, for that this seventh\nand last voyage had surfeited me of travel and adventure; and I thanked\nthe Lord (be He praised and glorified!), and blessed Him for having\nrestored me to my kith and kin and country and home. \u201cConsider,\ntherefore, O Sindbad, O Landsman,\u201d continued Sindbad the Seaman, \u201cwhat\nsufferings I have undergone and what perils and hardships I have\nendured before coming to my present state.\u201d \u201cAllah upon thee, O my\nLord!\u201d answered Sindbad the Landsman, \u201cpardon me the wrong I did\nthee.\u201d[FN#96] \u201cAnd they ceased not from friendship and fellowship,\nabiding in all cheer and pleasures and solace of life till there came\nto them the Destroyer of delights and the Sunderer of Societies, and the\nShatterer of palaces and the Caterer for Cemeteries to wit, the Cup of\nDeath, and glory be to the Living One who dieth not!\u201d[FN#97]\n\n\nA Translation of\n\nThe Seventh Voyage of Sindbad the Seaman\n\naccording to\n\nthe version of the\n\nCalcutta Edition\nwhich differs in essential form\n\nfrom the preceding\n\ntale\n\nKnow, O my brothers and friends and companions all, that when I left\nvoyaging and commercing, I said in myself, \u201cSufficeth me that hath\nbefallen me;\u201d and I spent my time in solace and pleasure. One day as I\nsat at home there came a knock at the door, and when the porter opened\na page entered and said, \u201cThe Caliph biddeth thee to him.\u201d I went with\nhim to the King\u2019s majesty and kissed ground and saluted him; whereupon\nhe welcomed me and entreated me with honour and said, \u201cO Sindbad, I\nhave an occasion for thee: wilt thou do it?\u201d So I kissed his hand and\nasked him, saying, \u201cO my lord, what occasion hath the master for the\nslave?\u201d; whereto he answered me, \u201cI am minded that thou travel to the\nKing of Sarandib and carry to him our writ and our gift, for that he\nhath sent to us a present and a letter.\u201d I trembled at these words and\nrejoined, \u201cBy Allah the Omnipotent, O my lord, I have taken a loathing\nto wayfare, and when I hear the words \u2018Voyage\u2019 or \u2018Travel,\u2019 my limbs\ntremble for what hath befallen me of hardships and horrors. Indeed I\nhave no desire whatever for this; more by token as I have bound myself\nby oath not to quit Baghdad.\u201d Then I informed the Caliph of all I had\npassed through from first to last, and he marvelled with exceeding\nmarvel and said, \u201cBy the Almighty, O Sindbad, from ages of old such\nmishaps as happened to thee were never known to happen to any, and thou\ndost only right never even to talk of travel. For our sake, however,\nthou wilt go this time and carry our present and our letter to him of\nSarandib; and Inshallah\u2014by God\u2019s leave!\u2014thou shalt return quickly; and\non this wise we shall be under no obligation to the said King.\u201d I\nreplied that I heard and obeyed, being unable to oppose his command, so\nhe gave me the gifts and the missive with money to pay my way and I\nkissed hands and left the presence. Then I dropped down from Baghdad to\nthe Gulf, and with other merchants embarked, and our ship sailed before\na fair wind many days and nights till, by Allah\u2019s aid, we reached the\nisland of Sarandib. As soon as we had made fast we landed and I took\nthe present and the letter; and, going in with them to the King, kissed\nground before him. When he saw me, he said, \u201cWell come, O Sindbad! By\nAllah Omnipotent we were longing to see thee, and glory be to God who\nhath again shown us thy face!\u201d Then taking me by the hand he made me\nsit by his side, rejoicing, and he welcomed me with familiar kindness\nagain and entreated me as a friend. After this he began to converse\nwith me and courteously addressed me and asked, \u201cWhat was the cause of\nthy coming to us, O Sindbad?\u201d So after kissing his hand and thanking\nhim I answered, \u201cO my lord, I have brought thee a present from my\nmaster, the Caliph Harun Al-Rashid;\u201d and offered him the present and\nthe letter which he read and at which he rejoiced with passing joy. The\npresent consisted of a mare worth ten thousand ducats, bearing a golden\nsaddle set with jewels; a book; a sumptuous suit of clothes and an\nhundred different kinds of white Cairene cloths and silks of\nSuez,[FN#98] Cufa and Alexandria; Greek carpets and an hundred\nmaunds[FN#99] weight of linen and raw silk. Moreover there was a\nwondrous rarety, a marvellous cup of crystal middlemost of which was\nthe figure of a lion faced by a kneeling man grasping a bow with arrow\ndrawn to the very head, together with the food-tray[FN#100] of Sulayman\nthe son of David (on whom be peace!). The missive ran as follows,\n\u201cPeace from King Al-Rashid, the aided of Allah (who hath vouchsafed to\nhim and his forefathers noble rank and wide-spread glory), be on the\nfortunate Sultan. But after. Thy letter came to our hands and we\nrejoiced thereat; and we have sent the book entitled \u2018Delight of the\nIntelligent and for Friends the Rare Present,\u2019[FN#101] together with\nsundry curiosities suitable for Kings; so do thou favour us by\naccepting them: and peace be with thee!\u201d Then the King lavished upon me\nmuch wealth and entreated me with all honour; so I prayed for him and\nthanked him for his munificence. Some days after I craved his leave to\ndepart, but could not obtain it except by great pressing, whereupon I\nfarewelled him and fared forth from his city, with merchants and other\ncompanions, homewards-bound without any desire for travel or trade. We\ncontinued voyaging and coasting along many islands; but, when we were\nhalf-way, we were surrounded by a number of canoes, wherein were men\nlike devils armed with bows and arrows, swords and daggers; habited in\nmail-coats and other armoury. They fell upon us and wounded and slew\nall who opposed them; then, having captured the ship and her contents,\ncarried us to an island, where they sold us at the meanest price. Now I\nwas bought by a wealthy man who, taking me to his house, gave me meat\nand drink and clothing and treated me in the friendliest manner; so I\nwas heartened and I rested a little. One day he asked me, \u201cDost thou\nknow any art or craft?\u201d and I answered him, \u201cO my lord, I am a merchant\nand know nothing but trade and traffic.\u201d \u201cDost thou know,\u201d rejoined he,\n\u201chow to use bow and arrow?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied I, \u201cI know that much.\u201d\nThereupon he brought me a bow and arrows and mounted me behind him upon\nan elephant: then he set out as night was well nigh over and, passing\nthrough a forest of huge growths, came to a tall and sturdy tree up\nwhich he made me climb. Then he gave me the bow and arrows, saying,\n\u201cSit here now, and when the elephants troop hither in early morning,\nshoot at them; belike thou wilt hit one; and, if he fall, come and tell\nme.\u201d With this he left me. I hid myself in the tree being in sore\nterror and trembled till the sun arose; and, when the elephants\nappeared and wandered about among the trees, I shot my arrows at them\nand continued till I had shot down one of them. In the evening I\nreported my success to my master who was delighted in me and entreated\nme with high honour; and next morning he removed the slain elephant. In\nthis wise I continued, every morning shooting an elephant which my\nmaster would remove till, one day, as I was perched in hiding on the\ntree there came on suddenly and unexpectedly an innumerable host of\nelephants whose screaming and trumpeting were such that I imagined the\nearth trembled under them. All surrounded my tree, whose circumference\nwas some fifty cubits,[FN#102] and one enormous monster came up to it\nand winding his trunk round the bole haled it up by the roots, and\ndashed it to the ground. I fell down fainting amongst the beasts when\nthe monster elephant wound his trunk about me and, setting me on his\nback, went off with me, the others accompanying us. He carried me still\nunconscious till he reached the place for which he was making, when he\nrolled me off his back and presently went his ways followed by the\nothers. So I rested a little; and, when my terror had subsided, I\nlooked about me and I found myself among the bones of elephants,\nwhereby I concluded that this was their burial-place, and that the\nmonster elephant had led me thither on account of the tusks.[FN#103] So\nI arose and walked a whole day and night till I arrived at the house of\nmy master, who saw my colour changed by stress of affright and famine.\nHe rejoiced in my return and said to me, \u201cBy Allah, thou hast made my\nheart sore! I went when thou wast missing and found the tree torn up,\nand thought that the elephants had slain thee. Tell me how it was with\nthee.\u201d I acquainted him with all that had betided me; whereat he\nwondered greatly, and rejoiced and at last asked me, \u201cDost thou know\nthe place?\u201d; whereto I answered, \u201cYes, O my master!\u201d So we mounted an\nelephant and fared until we came to the spot and, when my master beheld\nthe heaps of tusks, he rejoiced greatly; then carrying away as many as\nhe wanted he returned with me home. After this, he entreated me with\nincreased favour and said, \u201cO my son, thou hast shown us the way to\ngreat gain, wherefore Allah requite thee! Thou art freed for the\nAlmighty\u2019s sake and before His face! The elephants used to destroy many\nof us on account of our hunting them for their ivories and sorivellos;\nbut Allah hath preserved thee from them, and thou hast profited us by\nthe heaps to which thou hast led us.\u201d \u201cO my master,\u201d replied I, \u201cGod\nfree thy neck from the fire! And do thou grant me, O my master, thy\ngracious leave to return to my own country.\u201d \u201cYes\u201d quoth he, \u201cthou\nshalt have that permission. But we have a yearly fair, when merchants\ncome to us from various quarters to buy up these ivories. The time is\ndrawing near; and, when they shall have done their business, I will\nsend thee under their charge and will give thee wherewithal to reach\nthy home.\u201d So I blessed and thanked him and remained with him, treated\nwith respect and honour, for some days, when the merchants came as he\nhad foretold, and bought and sold and bartered; and when they had made\ntheir preparations to return, my master came to me and said, \u201cRise and\nget thee ready to travel with the traders en route to thy country.\u201d\nThey had bought a number of tusks which they had bound together in\nloads and were embarking them when my master sent me with them, paying\nfor my passage and settling all my debts; besides which he gave me a\nlarge present in goods. We set out and voyaged from island to island\ntill we had crossed the sea and landed on the shores of the Persian\nGulf, when the merchants brought out and sold their stores: I also sold\nwhat I had at a high profit; and I bought some of the prettiest things\nin the place for presents and beautiful rarities and everything else I\nwanted. I likewise bought for myself a beast and we fared forth and\ncrossed the deserts from country to country till I reached Baghdad.\nHere I went in to the Caliph and, after saluting him and kissing hands,\ninformed him of all that had befallen me; whereupon he rejoiced in my\nsafety and thanked Almighty Allah; and he bade my story be written in\nletters of gold. I then entered my house and met my family and\nbrethren: and such is the end of the history that happened to me during\nmy seven voyages. Praise be to Allah, the One, the Creator, the Maker\nof all things in Heaven and Earth!\u2014\n\nNow when Shahrazad had ended her story of the two Sindbads, Dinarzad\nexclaimed, \u201cO my sister, how pleasant is thy tale and how tasteful! How\nsweet and how grateful!\u201d She replied, \u201cAnd what is this compared with\nthat I could tell thee to-morrow night?\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cWhat may it\nbe?\u201d And she said:\u2014It is a tale touching\n\n\n\n\nTHE CITY OF BRASS.[FN#104]\n\n\nIt is related that there was, in tide of yore and in times and years\nlong gone before, at Damascus of Syria, a Caliph known as Abd al-Malik\nbin Marwan, the fifth of the Ommiade house. As this Commander of the\nFaithful was seated one day in his palace, conversing with his Sultans\nand Kings and the Grandees of his empire, the talk turned upon the\nlegends of past peoples and the traditions of our lord Solomon, David\u2019s\nson (on the twain be peace!), and on that which Allah Almighty had\nbestowed on him of lordship and dominion over men and Jinn and birds\nand beasts and reptiles and the wind and other created things; and\nquoth the Caliph, \u201cOf a truth we hear from those who forewent us that\nthe Lord (extolled and exalted be He!) vouchsafed unto none the like of\nthat which He vouchsafed unto our lord Solomon and that he attained\nunto that whereto never attained other than he, in that he was wont to\nimprison Jinns and Marids and Satans in cucurbites of copper and to\nstop them with lead and seal[FN#105] them with his ring.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Caliph\nAbd al-Malik bin Marwan sat conversing with his Grandees concerning our\nlord Solomon, and these noted what Allah had bestowed upon him of\nlordship and dominion, quoth the Commander of the Faithful, \u201cIndeed he\nattained unto that whereto never attained other than he, in that he was\nwont to imprison Jinns and Marids and Satans in cucurbites of copper\nand stop them with lead and seal them with his ring.\u201d Then said Talib\nbin Sahl (who was a seeker after treasures and had books that\ndiscovered to him hoards and wealth hidden under the earth), \u201cO\nCommander of the Faithful,\u2014Allah make thy dominion to endure and exalt\nthy dignity here and hereafter!\u2014my father told me of my grandfather,\nthat he once took ship with a company, intending for the island of\nSikiliyah or Sicily, and sailed until there arose against them a\ncontrary wind, which drove them from their course and brought them,\nafter a month, to a great mountain in one of the lands of Allah the\nMost High, but where that land was they wot not. Quoth my\ngrandfather:\u2014This was in the darkness of the night and as soon as it\nwas day, there came forth to us, from the caves of the mountain, folk\nblack of colour and naked of body, as they were wild beasts,\nunderstanding not one word of what was addressed to them; nor was there\nany of them who knew Arabic, save their King who was of their own kind.\nWhen he saw the ship, he came down to it with a company of his\nfollowers and saluting us, bade us welcome and questioned us of our\ncase and our faith. We told him all concerning ourselves and he said,\nBe of good cheer for no harm shall befal you. And when we, in turn,\nasked them of their faith, we found that each was of one of the many\ncreeds prevailing before the preaching of Al-Islam and the mission of\nMohammed, whom may Allah bless and keep! So my shipmates remarked, We\nwot not what thou sayest. Then quoth the King, No Adam-son hath ever\ncome to our land before you: but fear not, and rejoice in the assurance\nof safety and of return to your own country. Then he entertained us\nthree days, feeding us on the flesh of birds and wild beasts and\nfishes, than which they had no other meat; and, on the fourth day, he\ncarried us down to the beach, that we might divert ourselves by looking\nupon the fisher-folk. There we saw a man casting his net to catch\nfish, and presently he pulled them up and behold, in them was a\ncucurbite of copper, stopped with lead and sealed with the signet of\nSolomon, son of David, on whom be peace! He brought the vessel to land\nand broke it open, when there came forth a smoke, which rose a-twisting\nblue to the zenith, and we heard a horrible voice, saying, I repent! I\nrepent! Pardon, O Prophet of Allah! I will never return to that which I\ndid aforetime. Then the smoke became a terrible Giant frightful of\nform, whose head was level with the mountain-tops, and he vanished from\nour sight, whilst our hearts were well-nigh torn out for terror; but\nthe blacks thought nothing of it. Then we returned to the King and\nquestioned him of the matter; whereupon quoth he, Know that this was\none of the Jinns whom Solomon, son of David, being wroth with them,\nshut up in these vessels and cast into the sea, after stopping the\nmouths with melted lead. Our fishermen ofttimes, in casting their nets,\nbring up such bottles, which being broken open, there come forth of\nthem Jinnis who, deeming that Solomon is still alive and can pardon\nthem, make their submission to him and say, I repent, O Prophet of\nAllah!\u201d The Caliph marvelled at Talib\u2019s story and said, \u201cGlory be to\nGod! Verily, to Solomon was given a mighty dominion.\u201d Now al-N\u00e1bighah\nal-Zuby\u00e1n\u00ed[FN#106] was present, and he said, \u201cTalib hath spoken soothly\nas is proven by the saying of the All-wise, the Prim\u0107val One,\n\nAnd Solomon, when Allah to him said, * \u2018Rise, be thou Caliph,\n     rule with righteous sway:\nHonour obedience for obeying thee; * And who rebels imprison him\n     for aye\u2019\n\n\nWherefore he used to put them in copper-bottles and cast them into the\nsea.\u201d The poet\u2019s words seemed good to the Caliph, and he said, \u201cBy\nAllah, I long to look upon some of these Solomonic vessels, which must\nbe a warning to whoso will be warned.\u201d \u201cO Commander of the Faithful,\u201d\nreplied Talib, \u201cit is in thy power to do so, without stirring abroad.\nSend to thy brother Abd al-Aziz bin Marw\u00e1n, so he may write to M\u00fas\u00e1 bin\nNusayr,[FN#107] governor of the Maghrib or Morocco, bidding him take\nhorse thence to the mountains whereof I spoke and fetch thee therefrom\nas many of such cucurbites as thou hast a mind to; for those mountains\nadjoin the frontiers of his province.\u201d The Caliph approved his counsel\nand said \u201cThou hast spoken sooth, O Talib, and I desire that, touching\nthis matter, thou be my messenger to Musa bin Nusayr; wherefore thou\nshalt have the White Flag[FN#108] and all thou hast a mind to of monies\nand honour and so forth; and I will care for thy family during thine\nabsence.\u201d \u201cWith love and gladness, O Commander of the Faithful!\u201d\nanswered Talib. \u201cGo, with the blessing of Allah and His aid,\u201d quoth the\nCaliph, and bade write a letter to his brother, Abd al-Aziz, his\nviceroy in Egypt, and another to Musa bin Nusayr, his viceroy in North\nWestern Africa, bidding him go himself in quest of the Solomonic\nbottles, leaving his son to govern in his stead. Moreover, he charged\nhim to engage guides and to spare neither men nor money, nor to be\nremiss in the matter as he would take no excuse. Then he sealed the two\nletters and committed them to Talib bin Sahl, bidding him advance the\nroyal ensigns before him and make his utmost speed and he gave him\ntreasure and horsemen and footmen, to further him on his way, and made\nprovision for the wants of his household during his absence. So Talib\nset out and arrived in due course at Cairo.[FN#109]\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Talib bin Sahl\nset out with his escort and crossed the desert country between Syria\nand Egypt, where the Governor came out to meet him and entreated him\nand his company with high honour whilst they tarried with him. Then he\ngave them a guide to bring them to the Sa\u2019\u00edd or Upper Egypt, where the\nEmir Musa had his abiding-place; and when the son of Nusayr heard of\nTalib\u2019s coming, he went forth to meet him and rejoiced in him. Talib\ngave him the Caliph\u2019s letter, and he took it reverently and, laying it\non his head, cried, \u201cI hear and I obey the Prince of the Faithful.\u201d\nThen he deemed it best to assemble his chief officers and when all were\npresent he acquainted them with the contents of the Caliph\u2019s letter and\nsought counsel of them how he should act. \u201cO Emir,\u201d answered they, \u201cif\nthou seek one who shall guide thee to the place summon the Shaykh \u2019Abd\nal-Samad, ibn \u2019Abd al-Kudd\u00fas, al-Sam\u00fad\u00ed;[FN#110] for he is a man of\nvaried knowledge, who hath travelled much and knoweth by experience all\nthe seas and wastes and words and countries of the world and the\ninhabitants and wonders thereof; wherefore send thou for him and he\nwill surely guide thee to thy desire.\u201d So Musa sent for him, and\nbehold, he was a very ancient man shot in years and broken down with\nlapse of days. The Emir saluted him and said, \u201cO Shaykh Abd al-Samad,\nour lord the Commander of the Faithful, Abd al-Malik bin Marwan\u2019 hath\ncommanded me thus and thus. I have small knowledge of the land wherein\nis that which the Caliph desireth; but it is told me that thou knowest\nit well and the ways thither. Wilt thou, therefore, go with me and help\nme to accomplish the Caliph\u2019s need? So it please Allah the Most High,\nthy trouble and travail shall not go waste.\u201d Replied the Shaykh, \u201cI\nhear and obey the bidding of the Commander of the Faithful; but know, O\nEmir, that the road thither is long and difficult and the ways few.\u201d\n\u201cHow far is it?\u201d asked Musa, and the Shaykh answered, \u201cIt is a journey\nof two years and some months going and the like returning; and the way\nis full of hardships and terrors and things wondrous and marvellous.\nNow thou art a champion of the Faith[FN#111] and our country is hard by\nthat of the enemy; and peradventure the Nazarenes may come out upon us\nin thine absence; wherefore it behoveth thee to leave one to rule thy\ngovernment in thy stead.\u201d \u201cIt is well,\u201d answered the Emir and appointed\nhis son H\u00e1r\u00fan Governor during his absence, requiring the troops to take\nthe oath of fealty to him and bidding them obey him in all he should\ncommand. And they heard his words and promised obedience. Now this\nHarun was a man of great prowess and a renowned warrior and a doughty\nknight, and the Shaykh Abd al-Samad feigned to him that the place they\nsought was distant but four months\u2019 journey along the shore of the sea,\nwith camping-places all the way, adjoining one another, and grass and\nsprings, adding, \u201cAllah will assuredly make the matter easy to us\nthrough thy blessing, O Lieutenant of the Commander of the Faithful!\u201d\nQuoth the Emir Musa, \u201cKnowest thou if any of the Kings have trodden\nthis land before us?\u201d; and quoth the Shaykh, \u201cYes, it belonged\naforetime to Darius the Greek, King of Alexandria.\u201d But he said to Musa\nprivily, \u201cO Emir, take with thee a thousand camels laden with victual\nand store of gugglets.\u201d[FN#112] The Emir asked, \u201cAnd what shall we do\nwith these?\u201d, and the Shaykh answered. \u201cOn our way is the desert of\nKayrw\u00e1n or Cyrene, the which is a vast wold four days\u2019 journey long,\nand lacketh water; nor therein doth sound of voice ever sound nor is\nsoul at any time to be seen. Moreover, there bloweth the Simoon[FN#113]\nand other hot winds called Al-Juwayb, which dry up the water-skins; but\nif the water be in gugglets, no harm can come to it.\u201d \u201cRight,\u201d said\nMusa and sending to Alexandria, let bring thence great plenty of\ngugglets. Then he took with him his Wazir and two thousand cavalry,\nclad in mail cap-\u00e0-pie and set out, without other to guide them but Abd\nal-Samad who forewent them, riding on his hackney. The party fared on\ndiligently, now passing through inhabited lands, then ruins and anon\ntraversing frightful wolds and thirsty wastes and then mountains which\nspired high in air; nor did they leave journeying a whole year\u2019s space\ntill, one morning, when the day broke, after they had travelled all\nnight, behold, the Shaykh found himself in a land he knew not and said,\n\u201cThere is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious,\nthe Great!\u201d Quoth the Emir, \u201cWhat is to do, O Shaykh?\u201d; and he\nanswered, saying, \u201cBy the Lord of the Ka\u2019abah, we have wandered from\nour road!\u201d \u201cHow cometh that?\u201d asked Musa, and Abd al-Samad replied,\n\u201cThe stars were overclouded and I could not guide myself by them.\u201d\n\u201cWhere on God\u2019s earth are we now?\u201d asked the Emir, and the Shaykh\nanswered, \u201cI know not; for I never set eyes on this land till this\nmoment.\u201d Said Musa, \u201cGuide us back to the place where we went astray\u201d,\nbut the other, \u201cI know it no more.\u201d Then Musa, \u201cLet us push on; haply\nAllah will guide us to it or direct us aright of His power.\u201d So they\nfared on till the hour of noon-prayer, when they came to a fair\nchampaign, and wide and level and smooth as it were the sea when calm,\nand presently there appeared to them, on the horizon some great thing,\nhigh and black, in whose midst was as it were smoke rising to the\nconfines of the sky. They made for this, and stayed not in their course\ntill they drew near thereto, when, lo! it was a high castle, firm of\nfoundations and great and gruesome, as it were a towering mountain,\nbuilded all of black stone, with frowning crenelles and a door of\ngleaming China steel, that dazzled the eyes and dazed the wits. Round\nabout it were a thousand steps and that which appeared afar off as it\nwere smoke was a central dome of lead an hundred cubits high. When the\nEmir saw this, he marvelled thereat with exceeding marvel and how this\nplace was void of inhabitants; and the Shaykh, after he had certified\nhimself thereof, said, \u201cThere is no god but the God and Mohammed is the\nApostle of God!\u201d Quoth Musa, \u201cI hear thee praise the Lord and hallow\nHim, and meseemeth thou rejoicest.\u201d \u201cO Emir,\u201d answered Abd al-Samad,\n\u201cRejoice, for Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) hath delivered us\nfrom the frightful wolds and thirsty wastes.\u201d \u201cHow knowest thou that?\u201d\nsaid Musa, and the other, \u201cI know it for that my father told me of my\ngrandfather that he said, We were once journeying in this land and,\nstraying from the road, we came to this palace and thence to the City\nof Brass; between which and the place thou seekest is two full months\u2019\ntravel; but thou must take to the sea-shore and leave it not, for there\nbe watering-places and wells and camping-grounds established by King Z\u00fa\nal-Karnayn Iskandar who, when he went to the conquest of Mauritania,\nfound by the way thirsty deserts and wastes and wilds and dug therein\nwater-pits and built cisterns.\u2019\u201d Quoth Musa, \u201cAllah rejoice thee with\ngood news!\u201d and quoth the Shaykh, \u201cCome, let us go look upon yonder\npalace and its marvels, for it is an admonition to whose will be\nadmonished.\u201d So the Emir went up to the palace, with the Shaykh and his\nofficers, and coming to the gate, found it open. Now this gate was\nbuilded with lofty columns and porticoes whose walls and ceilings were\ninlaid with gold and silver and precious stones; and there led up to it\nflights of steps, among which were two wide stairs of coloured marble,\nnever was seen their like; and over the doorway was a tablet whereon\nwere graven letters of gold in the old ancient Ionian character. \u201cO\nEmir,\u201d asked the Shaykh, \u201cShall I read?\u201d; and Musa answered, \u201cRead and\nGod bless thee!; for all that betideth us in this journey dependeth\nupon thy blessing.\u201d So the Shaykh, who was a very learned man and\nversed in all tongues and characters, went up to the tablet and read\nwhatso was thereon and it was verse like this,\n\n\u201cThe signs that here their mighty works portray * Warn us that\n     all must tread the self-same way:\nO thou who standest in this stead to hear * Tidings of folk,\n     whose power hath passed for aye,\nEnter this palace-gate and ask the news * Of greatness fallen\n     into dust and clay:\nDeath has destroyed them and dispersed their might * And in the\n     dust they lost their rich display;\nAs had they only set their burdens down * To rest awhile, and\n     then had rode away.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the Emir Musa heard these couplets, he wept till he lost his\nsenses and said, \u201cThere is no god but the God, the Living, the Eternal,\nwho ceaseth not!\u201d Then he entered the palace and was confounded at its\nbeauty and the goodliness of its construction. He diverted himself\nawhile by viewing the pictures and images therein, till he came to\nanother door, over which also were written verses, and said to the\nShaykh, \u201cCome read me these!\u201d So he advanced and read as follows,\n\n\u201cUnder these domes how many a company * Halted of old and fared\n     with-outen stay:\nSee thou what might displays on other wights * Time with his\n     shifts which could such lords waylay:\nThey shared together what they gathered * And left their joys and\n     fared to Death-decay:\nWhat joys they joyed! what food they ate! and now * In dust\n     they\u2019re eaten, for the worm a prey.\u201d\n\n\nAt this the Emir Musa wept bitter tears; and the world waxed yellow\nbefore his eyes and he said, \u201cVerily, we were created for a mighty\nmatter!\u201d[FN#114] Then they proceeded to explore the palace and found it\ndesert and void of living thing, its courts desolate and dwelling\nplaces waste laid. In the midst stood a lofty pavilion with a dome\nrising high in air, and about it were four hundred tombs, builded of\nyellow marble. The Emir drew near unto these and behold, amongst them\nwas a great tomb, wide and long; and at its head stood a tablet of\nwhite marble, whereon were graven these couplets,\n\n\u201cHow oft have I fought! and how many have slain! * How much have\n     I witnessed of blessing and bane!\nHow much have I eaten! how much have I drunk! * How oft have I\n     hearkened to singing-girl\u2019s strain!\nHow much have I bidden! how oft have forbid! * How many a castle\n     and castellain\nI have sieged and have searched, and the cloistered maids * In\n     the depths of its walls for my captives were ta\u2019en!\nBut of ignorance sinned I to win me the meeds * Which won proved\n     naught and brought nothing of gain:\nThen reckon thy reck\u2019ning, O man, and be wise * Ere the goblet of\n     death and of doom thou shalt drain;\nFor yet but a little the dust on thy head * They shall strew, and\n     thy life shall go down to the dead.\u201d\n\n\nThe Emir and his companions wept; then, drawing near unto the pavilion,\nthey saw that it had eight doors of sandal-wood, studded with nails of\ngold and stars of silver and inlaid with all manner precious stones. On\nthe first door were written these verses,\n\n\u201cWhat I left, I left it not for nobility of soul, * But through\n     sentence and decree that to every man are dight.\nWhat while I lived happy, with a temper haught and high, * My\n     hoarding-place defending like a lion in the fight,\nI took no rest, and greed of gain forbad me give a grain * Of\n     mustard seed to save from the fires of Hell my sprite,\nUntil stricken on a day, as with arrow, by decree * Of the Maker,\n     the Fashioner, the Lord of Might and Right.\nWhen my death was appointed, my life I could not keep * By the\n     many of my stratagems, my cunning and my sleight:\nMy troops I had collected availed me not, and none * Of my\n     friends and of my neighbours had power to mend my plight:\nThrough my life I was weaned in journeying to death * In stress\n     or in solace, in joyance or despight:\nSo when money-bags are bloated, and dinar unto dinar * Thou\n     addest, all may leave thee with fleeting of the night:\nAnd the driver of a camel and the digger of a grave[FN#115] * Are\n     what thine heirs shall bring ere the morning dawneth bright:\nAnd on Judgment Day alone shalt thou stand before thy Lord, *\n     Overladen with thy sins and thy crimes and thine affright:\nLet the world not seduce thee with lurings, but behold * What\n     measure to thy family and neighbours it hath doled.\u201d\n\n\nWhen Musa heard these verses, he wept with such weeping that he swooned\naway; then, coming to himself, he entered the pavilion and saw therein\na long tomb, awesome to look upon, whereon was a tablet of China steel\nand Shaykh Abd al-Samad drew near it and read this inscription: \u201cIn the\nname of Ever-lasting Allah, the Never-beginning, the Never-ending; in\nthe name of Allah who begetteth not nor is He begot and unto whom the\nlike is not; in the name of Allah the Lord of Majesty and Might; in the\nname of the Living One who to death is never dight!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Shaykh Abd\nal-Samad, having read the aforesaid, also found the following, \u201cO thou\nwho comest to this place, take warning by that which thou seest of the\naccidents of Time and the vicissitudes of Fortune and be not deluded by\nthe world and its pomps and vanities and fallacies and falsehoods and\nvain allurements, for that it is flattering, deceitful and treacherous,\nand the things thereof are but a loan to us which it will borrow back\nfrom all borrowers. It is like unto the dreams of the dreamer and the\nsleep-visions of the sleeper or as the mirage of the desert, which the\nthirsty take for water;[FN#116] and Satan maketh it fair for men even\nunto death. These are the ways of the world; wherefore put not thou thy\ntrust therein neither incline thereto, for it betrayeth him who leaneth\nupon it and who committeth himself thereunto in his affairs. Fall not\nthou into its snares neither take hold upon its skirts, but be warned\nby my example. I possessed four thousand bay horses and a haughty\npalace, and I had to wife a thousand daughters of kings, high-bosomed\nmaids, as they were moons: I was blessed with a thousand sons as they\nwere fierce lions, and I abode a thousand years, glad of heart and\nmind, and I amassed treasures beyond the competence of all the Kings of\nthe regions of the earth, deeming that delight would still endure to\nme. But there fell on me unawares the Destroyer of delights and the\nSunderer of societies, the Desolator of domiciles and the Spoiler of\ninhabited spots, the Murtherer of great and small, babes and children\nand mothers, he who hath no ruth on the poor for his poverty, or\nfeareth the King for all his bidding or forbidding. Verily, we abode\nsafe and secure in this palace, till there descended upon us the\njudgment of the Lord of the Three Worlds, Lord of the Heavens, and Lord\nof the Earths, the vengeance of the Manifest Truth[FN#117] overtook us,\nwhen there died of us every day two, till a great company of us had\nperished. When I saw that destruction had entered our dwellings and had\nhomed with us and in the sea of deaths had drowned us, I summoned a\nwriter and bade him indite these verses and instances and admonitions,\nthe which I let grave, with rule and compass, on these doors and\ntablets and tombs. Now I had an army of a thousand thousand bridles,\nmen of warrior mien with forearms strong and keen, armed with spears\nand mail-coats sheen and swords that gleam; so I bade them don their\nlong-hanging hauberks and gird on their biting blades and mount their\nhigh-mettled steeds and level their dreadful lances; and whenas there\nfell on us the doom of the Lord of heaven and earth, I said to them,\nHo, all ye soldiers and troopers, can ye avail to ward off that which\nis fallen on me from the Omnipotent King?\u2019 But troopers and soldiers\navailed not unto this and said, How shall we battle with Him to whom no\nchamberlain barreth access, the Lord of the door which hath no\ndoorkeeper?\u2019 Then quoth I to them, Bring me my treasures\u2019 Now I had in\nmy treasuries a thousand cisterns in each of which were a thousand\nquintals[FN#118] of red gold and the like of white silver, besides\npearls and jewels of all kinds and other things of price, beyond the\nattainment of the kings of the earth. So they did that and when they\nhad laid all the treasure in my presence, I said to them, Can ye ransom\nme with all this treasure or buy me one day of life therewith?\u2019 But\nthey could not! So they resigned themselves to fore-ordained Fate and\nfortune and I submitted to the judgment of Allah, enduring patiently\nthat which he decreed unto me of affliction, till He took my soul and\nmade me to dwell in my grave. And if thou ask of my name, I am K\u00fash,\nthe son of Shadd\u00e1d son of \u00c1d the Greater.\u201d And upon the tablets were\nengraved these lines,\n\n\u201cAn thou wouldst know my name, whose day is done * With shifts of\n     time and chances \u2019neath the sun,\nKnow I am Shadd\u00e1d\u2019s son, who ruled mankind * And o\u2019er all earth\n     upheld dominion!\nAll stubborn peoples abject were to me; * And Sh\u00e1m to Cairo and\n     to Adnanwone;[FN#119]\nI reigned in glory conquering many kings; * And peoples feared my\n     mischief every one.\nYea, tribes and armies in my hand I saw; * The world all dreaded\n     me, both friends and fone.\nWhen I took horse, I viewed my numbered troops, * Bridles on\n     neighing steeds a million.\nAnd I had wealth that none could tell or count, * Against\n     misfortune treasuring all I won;\nFain had I bought my life with all my wealth, * And for a\n     moment\u2019s space my death to shun;\nBut God would naught save what His purpose willed; * So from my\n     brethren cut I \u2019bode alone:\nAnd Death, that sunders man, exchanged my lot * To pauper hut\n     from grandeur\u2019s mansion\nWhen found I all mine actions gone and past * Wherefor I\u2019m\n     pledged[FN#120] and by my sin undone.\nThen fear, O man, who by a brink dost range, * The turns of\n     Fortune and the chance of Change.\u201d\n\n\nThe Emir Musa was hurt to his heart and loathed his life for what he\nsaw of the slaughtering-places of the folk; and, as they went about the\nhighways and byeways of the palace, viewing its sitting-chambers and\npleasaunces, behold they came upon a table of yellow onyx, upborne on\nfour feet of juniper-wood,[FN#121] and there-on these words graven, \u201cAt\nthis table have eaten a thousand kings blind of the right eye and a\nthousand blind of the left and yet other thousand sound of both eyes,\nall of whom have departed the world and have taken up their sojourn in\nthe tombs and the catacombs.\u201d All this the Emir wrote down and left the\npalace, carrying off with him naught save the table aforesaid. Then he\nfared on with his host three days\u2019 space, under the guidance of the\nShaykh Abd al-Samad, till they came to a high hill, whereon stood a\nhorseman of brass. In his hand he held a lance with a broad head, in\nbrightness like blinding leven, whereon was graven, \u201cO thou that comest\nunto me, if thou know not the way to the City of Brass, rub the hand of\nthis rider and he will turn round and presently stop. Then take the\ndirection whereto he faceth and fare fearless, for it will bring thee,\nwithout hardship, to the city aforesaid.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Emir\nMusa rubbed the horseman\u2019s hand he revolved like the dazzling\nlightning, and stopped facing in a direction other than that wherein\nthey were journeying. So they took the road to which he pointed (which\nwas the right way) and, finding it a beaten track, fared on through\ntheir days and nights till they had covered a wide tract of country.\nThen they came upon a pillar of black stone like a furnace chimney\nwherein was one sunken up to his armpits. He had two great wings and\nfour arms, two of them like the arms of the sons of Adam and other two\nas they were lion\u2019s paws, with claws of iron, and he was black and tall\nand frightful of aspect, with hair like horses\u2019 tails and eyes like\nblazing coals, slit upright in his face. Moreover, he had in the middle\nof his forehead a third eye, as it were that of a lynx, from which flew\nsparks of fire, and he cried out saying, \u201cGlory to my Lord, who hath\nadjudged unto me this grievous torment and sore punishment until the\nDay of Doom!\u201d When the folk saw him, they lost their reason for\naffright and turned to flee; so the Emir Musa asked the Shaykh Abd\nal-Samad, \u201cWhat is this?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cI know not.\u201d Whereupon\nquoth Musa, \u201cDraw near and question him of his condition; haply he will\ndiscover to thee his case.\u201d \u201cAllah assain thee, Emir! Indeed, I am\nafraid of him;\u201d replied the Shaykh; but the Emir rejoined, saying,\n\u201cFear not; he is hindered from thee and from all others by that wherein\nhe is.\u201d So Abd al-Samad drew near to the pillar and said to him which\nwas therein, \u201cO creature, what is thy name and what art thou and how\ncamest thou here in this fashion?\u201d \u201cI am an Ifrit of the Jinn,\u201d replied\nhe, \u201cby name D\u00e1hish, son of Al-A\u2019amash,[FN#122] and am confined here by\nthe All-might, prisoned here by the Providence and punished by the\njudgement of Allah, till it pleases Him, to whom belong Might and\nMajesty, to release me.\u201d Then said Musa, \u201cAsk him why he is in durance\nof this column?\u201d So the Shaykh asked him of this, and the Ifrit\nreplied, saying,\u2014Verily my tale is wondrous and my case marvellous,\nand it is this. One of the sons of Iblis had an idol of red carnelian,\nwhereof I was guardian, and there served it a King of the Kings of the\nsea, a Prince of puissant power and prow of prowess, over-ruling a\nthousand thousand warriors of the Jann who smote with swords before him\nand answered his summons in time of need. All these were under my\ncommandment and obeyed my behest, being each and every rebels against\nSolomon, son of David, on whom be peace! And I used to enter the belly\nof the idol and thence bid and forbid them. Now this King\u2019s daughter\nloved the idol and was frequent in prostration to it and assiduous in\nits service; and she was the fairest woman of her day, accomplished in\nbeauty and loveliness, elegance and grace. She was described unto\nSolomon and he sent to her father, saying, \u201cGive me thy daughter to wife\nand break thine idol of carnelian and testify saying, There is no god\nbut _the_ God and Solomon is the Prophet of Allah! an thou do this, our\ndue shall be thy due and thy debt shall be our debt, but, if thou\nrefuse, make ready to answer the summons of the Lord and don thy\ngrave-gear, for I will come upon thee with an irresistible host, which\nshall fill the waste places of earth and make thee as yesterday that is\npassed away and hath no return for aye. When this message reached the\nKing, he waxed insolent and rebellious, pride-full and contumacious and\nhe cried to his Wazirs, What say ye of this? Know ye that Solomon son\nof David hath sent requiring me to give him my daughter to wife, and\nbreak my idol of carnelian and enter his faith!\u2019 And they replied, O\nmighty King, how shall Solomon do thus with thee? Even could he come at\nthee in the midst of this vast ocean, he could not prevail against\nthee, for the Marids of the Jann will fight on thy side and thou wilt\nask succour of thine idol whom thou servest, and he will help thee and\ngive thee victory over him. So thou wouldst do well to consult on this\nmatter thy Lord,\u2019 (meaning the idol aforesaid) and hear what he saith.\nIf he say, Fight him, fight him, and if not, not.\u2019 So the King went in\nwithout stay or delay to his idol and offered up sacrifices and\nslaughtered victims; after which he fell down before him, prostrate and\nweeping, and repeated these verses,\n\n\u201cO my Lord, well I weet thy puissant hand: * Sulaym\u00e1n would break\n     thee and see thee bann\u2019d.\nO my Lord, to crave succour here I stand * Command and I bow to\n     thy high command!\u201d\n\n\nThen I (continued the Ifrit addressing the Shaykh and those about\nhim), of my ignorance and want of wit and recklessness of the\ncommandment of Solomon and lack of knowledge anent his power, entered\nthe belly of the idol and made answer as follows.\n\n\u201cAs for me, of him I feel naught affright, * For my lore and my\n     wisdom are infinite:\nIf he wish for warfare I\u2019ll show him fight * And out of his body\n     I\u2019ll tear his sprite!\u201d\n\n\nWhen the King heard my boastful reply, he hardened his heart and\nresolved to wage war upon the Prophet and to offer him battle;\nwherefore he beat the messenger with a grievous beating and returned a\nfoul answer to Solomon, threatening him and saying, Of a truth, thy\nsoul hath suggested to thee a vain thing; dost thou menace me with\nmendacious words? But gird thyself for battle; for, an thou come not to\nme, I will assuredly come to thee.\u2019 So the messenger returned to\nSolomon and told him all that had passed and whatso had befallen him,\nwhich when the Prophet heard, he raged like Doomsday and addressed\nhimself to the fray and levied armies of men and Jann and birds and\nreptiles. He commanded his Wazir Al-Dimiry\u00e1t, King of the Jann, to\ngather together the Marids of the Jinn from all parts, and he collected\nfor him six hundred thousand thousand of devils.[FN#123] Moreover, by\nhis order, his Wazir \u00c1saf bin Barkhiy\u00e1 levied him an army of men, to\nthe number of a thousand thousand or more. These all he furnished with\narms and armour and mounting, with his host, upon his carpet, took\nflight through air, while the beasts fared under him and the birds flew\noverhead, till he lighted down on the island of the refractory King and\nencompassed it about, filling earth with his hosts.\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Ifrit\ncontinued, \u201cSo when Solomon the prophet (with whom be peace!) lighted\ndown with his host on the island he sent to our King, saying, Behold, I\nam come: defend thy life against that which is fallen upon thee, or\nelse make thy submission to me and confess my apostleship and give me\nthy daughter to lawful wife and break thine idol and worship the one\nGod, the alone Worshipful; and testify, thou and thine, and say, There\nis no God but the God, and Solomon is the Apostle of Allah![FN#124]\nThis if thou do, thou shalt have pardon and peace; but if not, it will\navail thee nothing to fortify thyself in this island, for Allah\n(extolled and exalted be He!) hath bidden the wind obey me; so I will\nbid it bear me to thee on my carpet and make thee a warning and an\nexample to deter others.\u2019 But the King made answer to his messenger,\nsaying, It may not on any wise be as he requireth of me; so tell him I\ncome forth to him,\u2019 With this reply the messenger returned to Solomon,\nwho thereupon gathered together all the Jinn that were under his hand,\nto the number of a thousand thousand, and added to them other than they\nof Marids and Satans from the islands of the sea and the tops of the\nmountains and, drawing them up on parade, opened his armouries and\ndistributed to them arms and armour. Then the Prophet drew out his host\nin battle array, dividing the beasts into two bodies, one on the right\nwing of the men and the other on the left, and bidding them tear the\nenemies\u2019 horses in sunder. Furthermore, he ordered the birds which were\nin the island to hover over their heads and, whenas the assault should\nbe made, that they should swoop down and tear out the foe\u2019s eyes with\ntheir beaks and buffet their faces with their wings; and they answered,\nsaying, We hear and we obey Allah and thee, O Prophet of Allah!\u2019 Then\nSolomon seated himself on a throne of alabaster, studded with precious\nstones and plated with red gold; and, commanding the wind to bear him\naloft, set his Wazir Asaf bin Barkhiya[FN#125] and the kings of mankind\non his right and his Wazir Al-Dimiryat and the kings of the Jinn on his\nleft, arraying the beasts and vipers and serpents in the van. Thereupon\nthey all set on us together, and we gave them battle two days over a\nvast plain; but, on the third day, disaster befel us, and the judgment\nof Allah the Most High was executed upon us. Now the first to charge\nupon them were I and my troops, and I said to my companions, Abide in\nyour places, whilst I sally forth to them and provoke Al-Dimiryat to\ncombat singular.\u2019 And behold, he came forth to the duello as he were a\nvast mountain, with his fires flaming and his smoke spireing, and shot\nat me a falling star of fire; but I swerved from it and it missed me.\nThen I cast at him in my turn, a flame of fire, and smote him; but his\nshaft[FN#126] overcame my fire and he cried out at me so terrible a cry\nthat meseemed the skies were fallen flat upon me, and the mountains\ntrembled at his voice. Then he commanded his hosts to charge;\naccordingly they rushed on us and we rushed on them, each crying out\nupon other, and battle reared its crest rising in volumes and smoke\nascending in columns and hearts well nigh cleaving. The birds and the\nflying Jinn fought in the air and the beasts and men and the\nfoot-faring Jann in the dust and I fought with Al-Dimiryat, till I was\naweary and he not less so. At last, I grew weak and turned to flee from\nhim, whereupon my companions and tribesmen likewise took to flight and\nmy hosts were put to the rout, and Solomon cried out, saying, Take\nyonder furious tyrant, the accursed, the infamous!\u2019 Then man fell upon\nman and Jinn upon Jinn and the armies of the Prophet charged down upon\nus, with the wild beasts and lions on their right hand and on their\nleft, rending our horses and tearing our men; whilst the birds hovered\nover-head in air pecking out our eyes with their claws and beaks and\nbeating our faces with their wings, and the serpents struck us with\ntheir fangs, till the most of our folk lay prone upon the face of the\nearth, like the trunks of date-trees. Thus defeat befel our King and we\nbecame a spoil unto Solomon. As to me, I fled from before Al-Dimiryat,\nbut he followed me three months\u2019 journey, till I fell down for\nweariness and he overtook me, and pouncing upon me, made me prisoner.\nQuoth I, By the virtue of Him who hath exalted thee and abased me,\nspare me and bring me into the presence of Solomon, on whom be peace!\u2019\nSo he carried me before Solomon, who received me after the foulest\nfashion and bade bring this pillar and hollow it out. Then he set me\nherein and chained me and sealed me with his signet-ring, and\nAl-Dimiryat bore me to this place wherein thou seest me. Moreover, he\ncharged a great angel to guard me, and this pillar is my prison until\nJudgment-day.\u201d Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Jinni\nwho was prisoned in the pillar had told them his tale, from first to\nlast, the folk marvelled at his story and at the frightfulness of his\nfavour, and the Emir Musa said, \u201cThere is no God but the God! Soothly\nwas Solomon gifted with a mighty dominion.\u201d Then said the Shaykh Abd\nal-Samad to the Jinni, \u201cHo there! I would fain ask thee of a thing,\nwhereof do thou inform us.\u201d \u201cAsk what thou wilt,\u201d answered the Ifrit\nDahish and the Shaykh said, \u201cAre there hereabouts any of the Ifrits\nimprisoned in bottles of brass from the time of Solomon (on whom be\npeace!)?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied the Jinni; \u201cthere be such in the sea of\nal-Karkar[FN#127] on the shores whereof dwell a people of the lineage\nof Noah (on whom be peace!); for their country was not reached by the\nDeluge and they are cut off there from the other sons of Adam.\u201d Quoth\nAbd al-Samad, \u201cAnd which is the way to the City of Brass and the place\nwherein are the cucurbites of Solomon, and what distance lieth between\nus and it?\u201d Quoth the Ifrit, \u201cIt is near at hand,\u201d and directed them in\nthe way thither. So they left him and fared forward till there appeared\nto them afar off a great blackness and therein two fires facing each\nother, and the Emir Musa asked the Shaykh, \u201cWhat is yonder vast\nblackness and its twin fires?\u201d; and the guide answered, \u201cRejoice O\nEmir, for this is the City of Brass, as it is described in the Book of\nHidden Treasures which I have by me. Its walls are of black stone and\nit hath two towers of Andalusian brass,[FN#128] which appear to the\nbeholder in the distance as they were twin fires, and hence is it named\nthe City of Brass.\u201d Then they fared on without ceasing till they drew\nnear the city and behold, it was as it were a piece of a mountain or a\nmass of iron cast in a mould and impenetrable for the height of its\nwalls and bulwarks; while nothing could be more beautiful than its\nbuildings and its ordinance. So they dismounted down and sought for an\nentrance, but saw none neither found any trace of opening in the walls,\nalbeit there were five-and-twenty portals to the city, but none of them\nwas visible from without. Then quoth the Emir, \u201cO Shaykh, I see to this\ncity no sign of any gate;\u201d and quoth he, \u201cO Emir, thus is it described\nin my Book of Hidden Treasures; it hath five-and-twenty portals; but\nnone thereof may be opened save from within the city.\u201d Asked Musa,\n\u201cAnd how shall we do to enter the city and view its wonders?\u201d and Talib\nson of Sahl, his Wazir, answered, \u201cAllah assain the Emir! let us rest\nhere two or three days and, God willing, we will make shift to come\nwithin the walls.\u201d Then said Musa to one of his men, \u201cMount thy camel\nand ride round about the city, so haply thou may light upon a gate or a\nplace somewhat lower than this fronting us, or Inshallah! a breach\nwhereby we can enter.\u201d Accordingly he mounted his beast, taking water\nand victuals with him, and rode round the city two days and two nights,\nwithout drawing rein to rest, but found the wall thereof as it were one\nblock, without breach or way of ingress; and on the third day, he came\nagain in sight of his companions, dazed and amazed at what he had seen\nof the extent and loftiness of the place, and said, \u201cO Emir, the\neasiest place of access is this where you have alighted.\u201d Then Musa\ntook Talib and Abd al-Samad and ascended the highest hill which\noverlooked the city. When they reached the top, they beheld beneath\nthem a city, never saw eyes a greater or a goodlier, with\ndwelling-places and mansions of towering height, and palaces and\npavilions and domes gleaming gloriously bright and sconces and bulwarks\nof strength infinite; and its streams were a-flowing and flowers\na-blowing and fruits a glowing. It was a city with gates impregnable;\nbut void and still, without a voice or a cheering inhabitant. The owl\nhooted in its quarters; the bird skimmed circling over its squares and\nthe raven croaked in its great thoroughfares weeping and bewailing the\ndwellers who erst made it their dwelling.[FN#129] The Emir stood\nawhile, marvelling and sorrowing for the desolation of the city and\nsaying, \u201cGlory to Him whom nor ages nor changes nor times can blight,\nHim who created all things of His Might!\u201d Presently, he chanced to look\naside and caught sight of seven tablets of white marble afar off. So he\ndrew near them and finding inscriptions graven thereon, called the\nShaykh and bade him read these. Accordingly he came forward and,\nexamining the inscriptions, found that they contained matter of\nadmonition and warning and instances and restraint to those of\nunderstanding. On the first tablet was inscribed, in the ancient Greek\ncharacter: \u201cO son of Adam, how heedless art thou of that which is\nbefore thee! Verily, thy years and months and days have diverted thee\ntherefrom. Knowest thou not that the cup of death is filled for thy\nbane which in a little while to the dregs thou shalt drain? Look to thy\ndoom ere thou enter thy tomb. Where be the Kings who held dominion over\nthe lands and abased Allah\u2019s servants and built these palaces and had\narmies under their commands? By Allah, the Destroyer of delights and\nthe Severer of societies and the Devastator of dwelling-places came\ndown upon them and transported them from the spaciousness of their\npalaces to the staitness of their burial-places.\u201d And at the foot of\nthe tablet were written the following verses,\n\n\u201cWhere are the Kings earth-peopling, where are they? * The built\n     and peopled left they e\u2019er and aye!\nThey\u2019re tombed yet pledged to actions past away * And after death\n     upon them came decay.\nWhere are their troops? They failed to ward and guard! * Where\n     are the wealth and hoards in treasuries lay?\nTh\u2019 Empyrean\u2019s Lord surprised them with one word, * Nor wealth\n     nor refuge could their doom delay!\u201d\n\n\nWhen the Emir heard this, he cried out and the tears ran down his\ncheeks and he exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, from the world abstaining is the\nwisest course and the sole assaining!\u201d And he called for pen-case and\npaper and wrote down what was graven on the first tablet. Then he drew\nnear the second tablet and found these words graven thereon, \u201cO son of\nAdam, what hath seduced thee from the service of the Ancient of Days\nand made thee forget that one day thou must defray the debt of death?\nWottest thou not that it is a transient dwelling wherein for none there\nis abiding; and yet thou taketh thought unto the world and cleavest\nfast thereto? Where be the kings who Irak peopled and the four quarters\nof the globe possessed? Where be they who abode in Ispahan and the land\nof Khorasan? The voice of the Summoner of Death summoned them and they\nanswered him, and the Herald of Destruction hailed them and they\nreplied, Here are we! Verily, that which they builded and fortified\nprofited them naught; neither did what they had gathered and provided\navail for their defence.\u201d And at the foot of the tablet were graven the\nfollowing verses,\n\nWhere be the men who built and fortified * High places never man\n     their like espied?\nIn fear of Fate they levied troops and hosts, * Availing naught\n     when came the time and tide,\nWhere be the Kisr\u00e1s homed in strongest walls? * As though they\n     ne\u2019er had been from home they tried!\n\n\nThe Emir Musa wept and exclaimed, \u201cBy Allah, we are indeed created for\na grave matter!\u201d Then he copied the inscription and passed on to the\nthird tablet,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Emir Musa\npassed on to the third tablet, whereon was written, \u201cO son of Adam, the\nthings of this world thou lovest and prizest and the hest of thy Lord\nthou spurnest and despisest. All the days of thy life pass by and thou\nart content thus to aby. Make ready thy viaticum against the day\nappointed for thee to see and prepare to answer the Lord of every\ncreature that be!\u201d And at the foot were written these verses,\n\n\u201cWhere is the wight who peopled in the past * Hind land and Sind;\n     and there the tyrant played?\nWho Zanj[FN#130] and Habash bound beneath his yoke, * And Nubia\n     curbed and low its puissance laid.\nLook not for news of what is in his grave. * Ah, he is far who\n     can thy vision aid!\nThe stroke of death fell on him sharp and sure; * Nor saved him\n     palace, nor the lands he swayed.\u201d\n\n\nAt this Musa wept with sore weeping and, going on to the fourth tablet,\nhe read inscribed thereon, \u201cO son of Adam, how long shall thy Lord bear\nwith thee and thou every day sunken in the sea of thy folly? Hath it\nthen been stablished unto thee that some day thou shalt not die? O son\nof Adam, let not the deceits of thy days and nights and times and hours\ndelude thee with their delights; but remember that death lieth ready\nfor thee ambushing, fain on thy shoulders to spring, nor doth a day\npass but he morneth with thee in the morning and nighteth with thee by\nnight. Beware, then, of his onslaught and make provision there-against.\nAs was with me, so it is with thee; thou wastest thy whole life and\nsquanderest the joys in which thy days are rife. Hearken, therefore, to\nmy words and put thy trust in the Lord of Lords; for in the world there\nis no stability; it is but as a spider\u2019s web to thee.\u201d And at the foot\nof the tablet were written these couplets,\n\n\u201cWhere is the man who did those labours ply * And based and built\n     and reared these walls on high?\nWhere be the castles\u2019 lords? Who therein dwelt * Fared forth and\n     left them in decay to lie.\nAll are entombed, in pledge against the day * When every sin\n     shall show to every eye.\nNone but the Lord Most High endurance hath, * Whose Might and\n     Majesty shall never die.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the Emir read this, he swooned away and presently coming to\nhimself marvelled exceedingly and wrote it down. Then he drew near the\nfifth tablet and behold, thereon was graven, \u201cO son of Adam, what is it\nthat distracteth thee from obedience of thy Creator and the Author of\nthy being, Him who reared thee whenas thou west a little one, and fed\nthee whenas thou west full-grown? Thou art ungrateful for His bounty,\nalbeit He watcheth over thee with His favours, letting down the curtain\nof His protection over thee. Needs must there be for thee an hour\nbitterer than aloes and hotter than live coals. Provide thee,\ntherefore, against it; for who shall sweeten its gall or quench its\nfires? Bethink thee who forewent thee of peoples and heroes and take\nwarning by them, ere thou perish.\u201d And at the foot of the tablet were\ngraven these couplets,\n\n\u201cWhere be the Earth-kings who from where they bode, * Sped and\n     to grave yards with their hoardings yode:\nErst on their mounting-days there hadst beheld * Hosts that\n     concealed the ground whereon they rode:\nHow many a king they humbled in their day! * How many a host they\n     led and laid on load!\nBut from th\u2019 Empyrean\u2019s Lord in haste there came * One word, and\n     joy waxed grief ere morning glowed.\u201d\n\n\nThe Emir marvelled at this and wrote it down; after which he passed on\nto the sixth tablet and behold, was inscribed thereon, \u201cO son of Adam,\nthink not that safety will endure for ever and aye, seeing that death\nis sealed to thy head alway. Where be thy fathers, where be thy\nbrethren, where thy friends and dear ones? They have all gone to the\ndust of the tombs and presented themselves before the Glorious, the\nForgiving, as if they had never eaten nor drunken, and they are a\npledge for that which they have earned. So look to thyself, ere thy\ntomb come upon thee.\u201d And at the foot of the tablet were these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cWhere be the Kings who ruled the Franks of old? * Where be the\n     King who peopled Tingis-wold[FN#131]?\nTheir works are written in a book which He, * The One, th\u2019\n     All-father shall as witness hold.\u201d\n\n\nAt this the Emir Musa marvelled and wrote it down, saying, \u201cThere is no\ngod but the God! Indeed, how goodly were these folk!\u201d Then he went up\nto the seventh tablet and behold, thereon was written, \u201cGlory to Him\nwho fore-ordaineth death to all He createth, the Living One, who dieth\nnot! O son of Adam, let not thy days and their delights delude thee,\nneither thine hours and the delices of their time, and know that death\nto thee cometh and upon thy shoulder sitteth. Beware, then, of his\nassault and make ready for his onslaught. As it was with me, so it is\nwith thee; thou wastest the sweet of thy life and the joyance of thine\nhours. Give ear, then, to my rede and put thy trust in the Lord of\nLords and know that in the world is no stability, but it is as it were\na spider\u2019s web to thee and all that is therein shall die and cease to\nbe. Where is he who laid the foundation of Amid[FN#132] and builded it\nand builded F\u00e1rik\u00edn[FN#133] and exalted it? Where be the peoples of the\nstrong places? Whenas them they had inhabited, after their might into\nthe tombs they descended. They have been carried off by death and we\nshall in like manner be afflicted by doom. None abideth save Allah the\nMost High, for He is Allah the Forgiving One.\u201d The Emir Musa wept and\ncopied all this, and indeed the world was belittled in his eyes. Then\nhe descended the hill and rejoined his host, with whom he passed the\nrest of tile day, casting about for a means of access to the city. And\nhe said to his Wazir Talib bin Sahl and to the chief officers about\nhim, \u201cHow shall we contrive to enter this city and view its marvels?:\nhaply we shall find therein wherewithal to win the favour of the\nCommander of the Faithful.\u201d \u201cAllah prolong the Emir\u2019s fortune!\u201d replied\nTalib, \u201clet us make a ladder and mount the wall therewith, so\nperadventure we may come at the gate from within.\u201d Quoth the Emir,\n\u201cThis is what occurred to my thought also, and admirable is the\nadvice!\u201d Then he called for carpenters and blacksmiths and bade them\nfashion wood and build a ladder plated and banded with iron. So they\nmade a strong ladder and many men wrought at it a whole month. Then all\nthe company laid hold of it and set it up against the wall, and it\nreached the top as truly as if it had been built for it before that\ntime. The Emir marvelled and said, \u201cThe blessing of Allah be upon you.\nIt seems as though ye had taken the measure of the mure, so excellent\nis your work.\u201d Then said he to his men, \u201cWhich of you will mount the\nladder and walk along the wall and cast about for a way of descending\ninto the city, so to see how the case stands and let us know how we may\nopen the gate?\u201d Whereupon quoth one of them, \u201cI will go up, O Emir, and\ndescend and open to you\u201d; and Musa answered, saying, \u201cGo and the\nblessing of Allah go with thee!\u201d So the man mounted the ladder; but,\nwhen he came to the top of the wall, he stood up and gazed fixedly down\ninto the city, then clapped his hands and crying out, at the top of his\nvoice, \u201cBy Allah, thou art fair!\u201d cast himself down into the place, and\nMusa cried, \u201cBy Allah, he is a dead man!\u201d But another came up to him\nand said, \u201cO Emir, this was a madman and doubtless his madness got the\nbetter of him and destroyed him. I will go up and open the gate to you,\nif it be the will of Allah the Most High.\u201d \u201cGo up,\u201d replied Musa, \u201cand\nAllah be with thee! But beware lest thou lose thy head, even as did thy\ncomrade.\u201d Then the man mounted the ladder, but no sooner had he reached\nthe top of the wall than he laughed aloud, saying, \u201cWell done! well\ndone!\u201d; and clapping palms cast himself down into the city and died\nforthright. When the Emir saw this, he said, \u201cAn such be the action of\na reasonable man, what is that of the madman? If all our men do on this\nwise, we shall have none left and shall fail of our errand and that of\nthe Commander of the Faithful. Get ye ready for the march: verily we\nhave no concern with this city.\u201d But a third one of the company said,\n\u201cHaply another may be steadier than they.\u201d So a third mounted the wall\nand a fourth and a fifth and all cried out and cast themselves down,\neven as did the first, nor did they leave to do thus, till a dozen had\nperished in like fashion. Then the Shaykh Abd al-Samad came forward and\nheartened himself and said, \u201cThis affair is reserved to none other than\nmyself; for the experienced is not like the inexperienced.\u201d Quoth the\nEmir, \u201cIndeed thou shalt not do that nor will I have thee go up: an\nthou perish, we shall all be cut off to the last man since thou art our\nguide.\u201d But he answered, saying, \u201cPeradventure, that which we seek may\nbe accomplished at my hands, by the grace of God Most High!\u201d So the\nfolk all agreed to let him mount the ladder, and he arose and\nheartening himself, said, \u201cIn the name of Allah, the Compassionating,\nthe Compassionate!\u201d and mounted the ladder, calling on the name of the\nLord and reciting the Verses of Safety.[FN#134] When he reached the top\nof the wall, he clapped his hands and gazed fixedly down into the city;\nwhereupon the folk below cried out to him with one accord, saying \u201cO\nShaykh Abd al-Samad, for the Lord\u2019s sake, cast not thyself down!\u201d; and\nthey added, \u201cVerily we are Allah\u2019s and unto Him we are returning! If\nthe Shaykh fall, we are dead men one and all.\u201d Then he laughed beyond\nall measure and sat a long hour, reciting the names of Allah Almighty\nand repeating the Verses of Safety; then he rose and cried out at the\ntop of his voice, saying, \u201cO Emir, have no fear; no hurt shall betide\nyou, for Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) hath averted from me\nthe wiles and malice of Satan, by the blessing of the words, \u2018In the\nname of Allah the Compassionating the Compassionate!\u2019\u201d Asked Musa,\n\u201cWhat didst thou see, O Shaykh?\u201d; and Abd al-Samad answered, \u201cI saw ten\nmaidens, as they were Houris of Heaven calling to me with their\nhands\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Shaykh Abd\nal-Samad answered, \u201cI saw ten maidens like Houris of Heaven,[FN#135]\nand they calling and signing,[FN#136] Come hither to us\u2019; and meseemed\nthere was below me a lake of water. So I thought to throw myself down,\nwhen behold, I espied my twelve companions lying dead; so I restrained\nmyself and recited somewhat of Allah\u2019s Book, whereupon He dispelled\nfrom me the damsels\u2019 witchlike wiles and malicious guiles and they\ndisappeared. And doubtless this was an enchantment devised by the\npeople of the city, to repel any who should seek to gaze upon or to\nenter the place. And it hath succeeded in slaying our companions.\u201d Then\nhe walked on along the wall, till he came to the two towers of brass\naforesaid and saw therein two gates of gold, without pad locks or\nvisible means of opening. Hereat he paused as long as Allah\npleased[FN#137] and gazed about him awhile, till he espied in the\nmiddle of one of the gates, a horseman of brass with hand outstretched\nas if pointing, and in his palm was somewhat written. So he went up to\nit and read these words, \u201cO thou who comest to this place, an thou\nwouldst enter turn the pin in my navel twelve times and the gate will\nopen.\u201d Accordingly, he examined the horseman and finding in his navel a\npin of gold, firm-set and fast fixed, he turned it twelve times,\nwhereupon the horseman revolved like the blinding lightning and the\ngate swung open with a noise like thunder. He entered and found himself\nin a long passage,[FN#138] which brought him down some steps into a\nguard-room furnished with goodly wooden benches, whereon sat men dead,\nover whose heads hung fine shields and keen blades and bent bows and\nshafts ready notched. Thence, he came to the main gate of the city;\nand, finding it secured with iron bars and curiously wrought locks and\nbolts and chains and other fastenings of wood and metal, said to\nhimself, \u201cBelike the keys are with yonder dead folk.\u201d So he turned back\nto the guard-room and seeing amongst the dead an old man seated upon a\nhigh wooden bench, who seemed the chiefest of them, said in his mind,\n\u201cWho knows but they are with this Shaykh? Doubtless he was the warder\nof the city and these others were under his hand.\u201d So he went up to him\nand lifting his gown, behold, the keys were hanging to his girdle;\nwhereat he joyed with exceeding joy and was like to fly for gladness.\nThen he took them and going up to the portal, undid the padlocks and\ndrew back the bolts and bars, whereupon the great leaves flew open with\na crash like the pealing thunder by reason of its greatness and\nterribleness. At this he cried out saying, \u201cAllaho Akbar\u2014God is most\ngreat!\u201d And the folk without answered him with the same words,\nrejoicing and thanking him for his deed. The Emir Musa also was\ndelighted at the Shaykh\u2019s safety and the opening of the city-gate, and\nthe troops all pressed forward to enter; but Musa cried out to them,\nsaying, \u201cO folk, if we all go in at once we shall not be safe from some\nill-chance which may betide us. Let half enter and other half tarry\nwithout.\u201d So he pushed forwards with half his men, bearing their\nweapons of war, and finding their comrades lying dead, they buried\nthem; and they saw the doorkeepers and eunuchs and chamberlains and\nofficers reclining on couches of silk and all were corpses. Then they\nfared on till they came to the chief market-place, full of lofty\nbuildings whereof none overpassed the others, and found all its shops\nopen, with the scales hung out and the brazen vessels ordered and the\ncaravanserais full of all manner goods; and they beheld the merchants\nsitting on the shop-boards dead, with shrivelled skin and rotted bones,\na warning to those who can take warning; and here they saw four\nseparate markets all replete with wealth. Then they left the great\nbazar and went on till they came to the silk market, where they found\nsilks and brocades, orfrayed with red gold and diapered with white\nsilver upon all manner of colours, and the owners lying dead upon mats\nof scented goats\u2019 leather, and looking as if they would speak; after\nwhich they traversed the market-street of pearls and rubies and other\njewels and came to that of the schroffs and money-changers, whom they\nsaw sitting dead upon carpets of raw silk and dyed stuffs in shops full\nof gold and silver. Thence they passed to the perfumers\u2019 bazar where\nthey found the shops filled with drugs of all kinds and bladders of\nmusk and ambergris and Nadd-scent and camphor and other perfumes, in\nvessels of ivory and ebony and Khalanj-wood and Andalusian copper, the\nwhich is equal in value to gold; and various kinds of rattan and Indian\ncane; but the shopkeepers all lay dead nor was there with them aught of\nfood. And hard by this drug-market they came upon a palace, imposingly\nedified and magnificently decorated; so they entered and found therein\nbanners displayed and drawn sword blades and strung bows and bucklers\nhanging by chains of gold and silver and helmets gilded with red gold.\nIn the vestibules stood benches of ivory, plated with glittering gold\nand covered with silken stuffs, whereon lay men, whose skin had dried\nup on their bones; the fool had deemed them sleeping; but, for lack of\nfood, they had perished and tasted the cup of death. Now when the Emir\nMusa saw this, he stood still, glorifying Allah the Most High and\nhallowing Him and contemplating the beauty of the palace and the\nmassiveness of its masonry and fair perfection of its ordinance, for it\nwas builded after the goodliest and stablest fashion and the most part\nof its adornment was of green[FN#139] lapis-lazuli, and on the inner\ndoor, which stood open, were written in characters of gold and\nultramarine, these couplets,\n\n\u201cConsider thou, O man, what these places to thee showed * And be\n     upon thy guard ere thou travel the same road:\nAnd prepare thee good provision some day may serve thy turn * For\n     each dweller in the house needs must yede wi\u2019 those who yode\nConsider how this people their palaces adorned * And in dust have\n     been pledged for the seed of acts they sowed\nThey built but their building availed them not, and hoards * Nor\n     saved their lives nor day of Destiny forslowed:\nHow often did they hope for what things were undecreed. * And\n     passed unto their tombs before Hope the bounty showed\nAnd from high and awful state all a sudden they were sent * To\n     the straitness of the grave and oh! base is their abode:\nThen came to them a Crier after burial and cried, * What booted\n     thrones or crowns or the gold to you bestowed:\nWhere now are gone the faces hid by curtain and by veil, * Whose\n     charms were told in proverbs, those beauties \u00e0-la-mode?\nThe tombs aloud reply to the questioners and cry, * Death\u2019s\n     canker and decay those rosy cheeks corrode\u2019\nLong time they ate and drank, but their joyaunce had a term, *\n     And the eater eke was eaten, and was eaten by the worm.\u201d\n\n\nWhen the Emir read this, he wept, till he was like to swoon away\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred ante Seventy-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Emir wept\ntill he was like to swoon away, and bade write down the verses, after\nwhich he passed on into the inner palace and came to a vast hall, at\neach of whose four corners stood a pavilion lofty and spacious, washed\nwith gold and silver and painted in various colours. In the heart of\nthe hall was a great jetting-fountain of alabaster, surmounted by a\ncanopy of brocade, and in each pavilion was a sitting-place and each\nplace had its richly-wrought fountain and tank paved with marble and\nstreams flowing in channels along the floor and meeting in a great and\ngrand cistern of many-coloured marbles. Quoth the Emir to the Shaykh\nAbd al-Samad, \u201cCome let us visit yonder pavilion!\u201d So they entered the\nfirst and found it full of gold and silver and pearls and jacinths and\nother precious stones and metals, besides chests filled with brocades,\nred and yellow and white. Then they repaired to the second pavilion,\nand, opening a closet there, found it full of arms and armour, such as\ngilded helmets and Davidean[FN#140] hauberks and Hindi swords and\nArabian spears and Chorasmian[FN#141] maces and other gear of fight and\nfray. Thence they passed to the third pavilion, wherein they saw\nclosets padlocked and covered with curtains wrought with all manner of\nembroidery. They opened one of these and found it full of weapons\ncuriously adorned with open work and with gold and silver damascene and\njewels. Then they entered the fourth pavilion, and opening one of the\nclosets there, beheld in it great store of eating and drinking vessels\nof gold and silver, with platters of crystal and goblets set with fine\npearls and cups of carnelian and so forth. So they all fell to taking\nthat which suited their tastes and each of the soldiers carried off\nwhat he could. When they left the pavilions, they saw in the midst of\nthe palace a door of teak-wood marquetried with ivory and ebony and\nplated with glittering gold, over which hung a silken curtain purfled\nwith all manner of embroideries; and on this door were locks of white\nsilver, that opened by artifice without a key. The Shaykh Abd al-Samad\nwent valiantly up thereto and by the aid of his knowledge and skill\nopened the locks, whereupon the door admitted them into a corridor\npaved with marble and hung with veil-like[FN#142] tapestries\nembroidered with figures of all manner beasts and birds, whose bodies\nwere of red gold and white silver and their eyes of pearls and rubies,\namazing all who looked upon them. Passing onwards they came to a saloon\nbuilded all of polished marble, inlaid with jewels, which seemed to the\nbeholder as though the floor were flowing water[FN#143] and whoso\nwalked thereon slipped. The Emir bade the Shaykh strew somewhat upon\nit, that they might walk over it; which being done, they made shift to\nfare forwards till they came to a great domed pavilion of stone, gilded\nwith red gold and crowned with a cupola of alabaster, about which were\nset lattice-windows carved and jewelled with rods of emerald,[FN#144]\nbeyond the competence of any King. Under this dome was a canopy of\nbrocade, reposing upon pillars of red gold and wrought with figures of\nbirds whose feet were of smaragd, and beneath each bird was a network\nof fresh-hued pearls. The canopy was spread above a jetting fountain\nof ivory and carnelian, plated with glittering gold and thereby stood a\ncouch set with pearls and rubies and other jewels and beside the couch\na pillar of gold. On the capital of the column stood a bird fashioned\nof red rubies and holding in his bill a pearl which shone like a star;\nand on the couch lay a damsel, as she were the lucident sun, eyes never\nsaw a fairer. She wore a tight-fitting body-robe of fine pearls, with a\ncrown of red gold on her head, filleted with gems, and on her forehead\nwere two great jewels, whose light was as the light of the sun. On her\nbreast she wore a jewelled amulet, filled with musk and ambergris and\nworth the empire of the Caesars; and around her neck hung a collar of\nrubies and great pearls, hollowed and filled with odoriferous musk And\nit seemed as if she gazed on them to the right and to the left.\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel seemed\nto be gazing at the folk to the right and to the left. The Emir Musa\nmarvelled at her exceeding beauty and was confounded at the blackness\nof her hair and the redness of her cheeks, which made the beholder deem\nher alive and not dead, and said to her, \u201cPeace be with thee, O\ndamsel!\u201d But Talib ibn Sahl said to him, \u201cAllah preserve thee, O Emir,\nverily this damsel is dead and there is no life in her; so how shall\nshe return thy salam?\u201d adding, \u201cIndeed, she is but a corpse embalmed\nwith exceeding art; her eyes were taken out after her death and\nquicksilver set under them, after which they were restored to their\nsockets. Wherefore they glisten and when the air moveth the lashes, she\nseemeth to wink and it appeareth to the beholder as though she looked\nat him, for all she is dead.\u201d At this the Emir marvelled beyond measure\nand said, \u201cGlory be to God who subjugateth His creatures to the\ndominion of Death!\u201d Now the couch on which the damsel lay, had steps,\nand thereon stood two statues of Andalusian copper representing slaves,\none white and the other black. The first held a mace of steel[FN#145]\nand the second a sword of watered steel which dazzled the eye; and\nbetween them, on one of the steps of the couch, lay a golden tablet,\nwhereon were written, in characters of white silver, the following\nwords: \u201cIn the name of God, the Compassionating, the Compassionate!\nPraise be to Allah, the Creator of mankind; and He is the Lord of\nLords, the Causer of Causes! In the name of Allah, the Never beginning,\nthe Everlasting, the Ordainer of Fate and Fortune! O son of Adam! what\nhath befooled thee in this long esperance? What hath unminded thee of\nthe Death-day\u2019s mischance? Knowest thou not that Death calleth for thee\nand hasteneth to seize upon the soul of thee? Be ready, therefore, for\nthe way and provide thee for thy departure from the world; for,\nassuredly, thou shalt leave it without delay. Where is Adam, first of\nhumanity? Where is Noah with his progeny? Where be the Kings of Hind\nand Irak-plain and they who over earth\u2019s widest regions reign? Where do\nthe Amalekites abide and the giants and tyrants of olden tide? Indeed,\nthe dwelling-places are void of them and they have departed from\nkindred and home. Where be the Kings of Arab and Ajam? They are dead,\nall of them, and gone and are become rotten bones. Where be the lords\nso high in stead? They are all done dead. Where are Kora and Haman?\nWhere is Shaddad son of Ad? Where be Canaan and Zul-Autad,[FN#146] Lord\nof the Stakes? By Allah, the Reaper of lives hath reaped them and made\nvoid the lands of them. Did they provide them against the Day of\nResurrection or make ready to answer the Lord of men? O thou, if thou\nknow me not, I will acquaint thee with my name: I am Tadmurah,[FN#147]\ndaughter of the Kings of the Amalekites, of those who held dominion\nover the lands in equity and brought low the necks of humanity. I\npossessed that which never King possessed and was righteous in my rule\nand did justice among my lieges; yea, I gave gifts and largesse and\nfreed bondsmen and bondswomen. Thus lived I many years in all ease and\ndelight of life, till Death knocked at my door and to me and to my folk\nbefel calamities galore; and it was on this wise. There betided us\nseven successive years of drought, wherein no drop of rain fell on us\nfrom the skies and no green thing sprouted for us on the face of\nearth.[FN#148] So we ate what was with us of victual, then we fell upon\nthe cattle and devoured them, until nothing was left. Thereupon I let\nbring my treasures and meted them with measures and sent out trusty men\nto buy food. They circuited all the lands in quest thereof and left no\ncity unsought, but found it not to be bought and returned to us with\nthe treasure after a long absence; and gave us to know that they could\nnot succeed in bartering fine pearls for poor wheat, bushel for bushel,\nweight for weight. So, when we despaired of succour, we displayed all\nour riches and things of price and, shutting the gates of the city and\nits strong places, resigned ourselves to the deme of our Lord and\ncommitted our case to our King. Then we all died,[FN#149] as thou seest\nus, and left what we had builded and all we had hoarded. This, then, is\nour story, and after the substance naught abideth but the trace.\u201d Then\nthey looked at the foot of the tablet and read these couplets,\n\n\u201cO child of Adam, let not hope make mock and flyte at thee, *\n     From all thy hands have treasur\u00e9d, remov\u00e9d thou shalt be;\nI see thou covetest the world and fleeting worldly charms, * And\n     races past and gone have done the same as thou I see.\nLawful and lawless wealth they got; but all their hoarded store,\n     * Their term accomplished, naught delayed of Destiny\u2019s\n     decree.\nArmies they led and puissant men and gained them gold galore; *\n     Then left their wealth and palaces by Pate compelled to\n     flee,\nTo straitness of the grave-yard and humble bed of dust * Whence,\n     pledged for every word and deed, they never more win free:\nAs a company of travellers had unloaded in the night * At house\n     that lacketh food nor is o\u2019erfain of company:\nWhose owner saith, O folk, there be no lodging here for you;\u2019 *\n     So packed they who had erst unpacked and far\u00e9d hurriedly:\nMisliking much the march, nor the journey nor the halt * Had\n     aught of pleasant chances or had aught of goodly greet\nThen prepare thou good provision for to-morrow\u2019s journey stored,\n     * Naught but righteous honest life shall avail thee with the\n     Lord!\u201d\n\n\nAnd the Emir Musa wept as he read, \u201cBy Allah, the fear of the Lord is\nthe best of all property, the pillar of certainty and the sole sure\nstay. Verily, Death is the truth manifest and the sure behest, and\ntherein, O thou, is the goal and return place evident. Take warning,\ntherefore, by those who to the dust did wend and hastened on the way of\nthe predestined end. Seest thou not that hoary hairs summon thee to the\ntomb and that the whiteness of thy locks maketh moan of thy doom?\nWherefore be thou on the wake ready for thy departure and thine account\nto make. O son of Adam, what hath hardened thy heart in mode abhorred?\nWhat hath seduced thee from the service of thy Lord? Where be the\npeoples of old time? They are a warning to whoso will be warned! Where\nbe the Kings of al-S\u00edn and the lords of majestic mien? Where is Shaddad\nbin Ad and whatso he built and he stablished? Where is Nimrod who\nrevolted against Allah and defied Him? Where is Pharaoh who rebelled\nagainst God and denied Him? Death followed hard upon the trail of them\nall, and laid them low sparing neither great nor small, male nor\nfemale; and the Reaper of Mankind cut them off, yea, by Him who maketh\nnight to return upon day! Know, O thou who comest to this place, that\nshe whom thou seest here was not deluded by the world and its frail\ndelights, for it is faithless, perfidious, a house of ruin, vain and\ntreacherous; and salutary to the creature is the remembrance of his\nsins; wherefore she feared her Lord and made fair her dealings and\nprovided herself with provaunt against the appointed marching day.\nWhoso cometh to our city and Allah vouchsafeth him competence to enter\nit, let him take of the treasure all he can, but touch not aught that\nis on my body, for it is the covering of my shame[FN#150] and the\noutfit for the last journey; wherefore let him fear Allah and despoil\nnaught thereof; else will he destroy his own self. This have I set\nforth to him for a warning from me and a solemn trust to be; wherewith,\npeace be with ye and I pray Allah to keep you from sickness and\ncalamity.\u201d And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, it hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Emir\nMusa read this, he wept with exceeding weeping till he swooned away and\npresently coming to himself, wrote down all he had seen and was\nadmonished by all he had witnessed. Then he said to his men, \u201cFetch the\ncamels and load them with these treasures and vases and jewels.\u201d \u201cO\nEmir,\u201d asked Talib, \u201cshall we leave our damsel with what is upon her,\nthings which have no equal and whose like is not to be found and more\nperfect than aught else thou takest; nor couldst thou find a goodlier\noffering wherewithal to propitiate the favour of the Commander of the\nFaithful?\u201d But Musa answered, \u201cO man, heardest thou not what the Lady\nsaith on this tablet? More by token that she giveth it in trust to us\nwho are no traitors.\u201d \u201cAnd shall we,\u201d rejoined the Wazir Talib,\n\u201cbecause of these words, leave all these riches and jewels, seeing that\nshe is dead? What should she do with these that are the adornments of\nthe world and the ornament of the worldling, seeing that one garment of\ncotton would suffice for her covering? We have more right to them than\nshe.\u201d So saying he mounted the steps of the couch between the pillars,\nbut when he came within reach of the two slaves, lo! the mace-bearer\nsmote him on the back and the other struck him with the sword he held\nin his hand and lopped off his head, and he dropped down dead. Quoth\nthe Emir, \u201cAllah have no mercy on thy resting-place! Indeed there was\nenough in these treasures, and greed of gain assuredly degradeth a\nman.\u201d Then he bade admit the troops; so they entered and loaded the\ncamels with those treasures and precious ores; after which they went\nforth and the Emir commanded them to shut the gate as before. They\nfared on along the sea-shore a whole month, till they came in sight of\na high mountain overlooking the sea and full of caves, wherein dwelt a\ntribe of blacks, clad in hides, with burnooses also of hide and\nspeaking an unknown tongue. When they saw the troops they were startled\nlike shying steeds and fled into the caverns, whilst their women and\nchildren stood at the cave doors, looking on the strangers. \u201cO Shaykh\nAbd al-Samad,\u201d asked the Emir, \u201cwhat are these folk?\u201d and he answered,\n\u201cThey are those whom we seek for the Commander of the Faithful.\u201d So\nthey dismounted and setting down their loads, pitched their tents;\nwhereupon, almost before they had done, down came the King of the\nblacks from the mountain and drew near the camp. Now he understood the\nArabic tongue; so, when he came to the Emir he saluted him with the\nsalam and Musa returned his greeting and entreated him with honour.\nThen quoth he to the Emir, \u201cAre ye men or Jinn?\u201d \u201cWell, we are men,\u201d\nquoth Musa; \u201cbut doubtless ye are Jinn, to judge by your dwelling apart\nin this mountain which is cut off from mankind, and by your inordinate\nbulk.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d rejoined the black; \u201cwe also are children of Adam, of the\nlineage of Ham, son of Noah (with whom be peace!), and this sea is\nknown as Al-Karkar.\u201d Asked Musa, \u201cO King, what is your religion and\nwhat worship ye?\u201d; and he answered, saying, \u201cWe worship the God of the\nheavens and our religion is that of Mohammed, whom Allah bless and\npreserve!\u201d \u201cAnd how came ye by the knowledge of this,\u201d questioned the\nEmir, \u201cseeing that no prophet was inspired to visit this country?\u201d\n\u201cKnow, Emir,\u201d replied the King, \u201cthat there appeared to us whilere from\nout the sea a man, from whom issued a light that illumined the horizons\nand he cried out, in a voice which was heard of men far and near,\nsaying, O children of Ham, reverence to Him who seeth and is not seen\nand say ye, There is no god but the God, and Mohammed is the messenger\nof God!\u2019 And he added, I am Abu al-Abb\u00e1s al-Khizr.\u2019 Before this we were\nwont to worship one another, but he summoned us to the service of the\nLord of all creatures; and he taught us to repeat these words, There is\nno god save the God alone, who hath for partner none, and His is the\nkingdom and His is the praise. He giveth life and death and He over all\nthings is Almighty.\u2019 Nor do we draw near unto Allah (be He exalted and\nextolled!) except with these words, for we know none other; but every\neve before Friday[FN#151] we see a light upon the face of earth and we\nhear a voice saying, Holy and glorious, Lord of the Angels and the\nSpirit! What He willeth is, and what He willeth not, is not. Every boon\nis of His grace and there is neither Majesty nor is there Might save in\nAllah, the Glorious, the Great!\u2019 But ye,\u201d quoth the King, \u201cwho and what\nare ye and what bringeth you to this land?\u201d Quoth Musa, \u201cWe are\nofficers of the Sovereign of Al-Islam, the Commander of the Faithful,\nAbd al-Malik bin Marwan, who hath heard tell of the lord Solomon, son\nof David (on whom be peace!) and of that which the Most High bestowed\nupon him of supreme dominion; how he held sway over Jinn and beast and\nbird and was wont when he was wroth with one of the Marids, to shut him\nin a cucurbite of brass and, stopping its mouth on him with lead,\nwhereon he impressed his seal ring, to cast him into the sea of\nAl-Karkar. Now we have heard tell that this sea is nigh your land; so\nthe Commander of the Faithful hath sent us hither, to bring him some of\nthese cucurbites, that he may look thereon and solace himself with\ntheir sight. Such, then, is our case and what we seek of thee, O King,\nand we desire that thou further us in the accomplishment of our errand\ncommanded by the Commander of the Faithful.\u201d \u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d\nreplied the black King, and carrying them to the guest house, entreated\nthem with the utmost honour and furnished them with all they needed,\nfeeding them upon fish. They abode thus three days, when he bade his\ndivers fetch from out the sea some of the vessels of Solomon. So they\ndived and brought up twelve cucurbites, whereat the Emir and the Shaykh\nand all the company rejoiced in the accomplishment of the Caliph\u2019s\nneed. Then Musa gave the King of the blacks many and great gifts; and\nhe, in turn, made him a present Of the wonders of the deep, being\nfishes in human form,[FN#152] saying \u201cYour entertainment these three\ndays hath been of the meat of these fish.\u201d Quoth the Emir, \u201cNeeds must\nwe carry some of these to the Caliph, for the sight of them will please\nhim more than the cucurbites of Solomon.\u201d Then they took leave of the\nblack King and, setting out on their homeward journey, travelled till\nthey came to Damascus, where Musa went in to the Commander of the\nFaithful and told him all that he had sighted and heard of verses and\nlegends and instances, together with the manner of the death of Talib\nbin Sahl; and the Caliph said, \u201cWould I had been with you, that I might\nhave seen what you saw!\u201d Then he took the brazen vessels and opened\nthem, cucurbite after cucurbite, whereupon the devils came forth of\nthem, saying, \u201cWe repent, O Prophet of Allah! Never again will we\nreturn to the like of this thing; no never!\u201d And the Caliph marvelled\nat this. As for the daughters of the deep presented to them by the\nblack King, they made them cisterns of planks, full of water, and laid\nthem therein; but they died of the great heat. Then the Caliph sent for\nthe spoils of the Brazen City and divided them among the Faithful,\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay,\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph\nmarvelled much at the cucurbites and their contents; then he sent for\nthe spoils and divided them among the Faithful, saying, \u201cNever gave\nAllah unto any the like of that which he bestowed upon Solomon\nDavid-son!\u201d Thereupon the Emir Musa sought leave of him to appoint his\nson Governor of the Province in his stead, that he might be take\nhimself to the Holy City of Jerusalem, there to worship Allah. So the\nCommander of the Faithful invested his son Harun with the government\nand Musa repaired to the Glorious and Holy City, where he died. This,\nthen, is all that hath come down to us of the story of the City of\nBrass, and God is All-knowing! Now (continued Shahrazad) I have another\ntale to tell anent the\n\n\n\n\nCRAFT AND MALICE OF WOMEN,[FN#153] OR THE TALE OF THE KING, HIS SON,\nHIS CONCUBINE AND THE SEVEN WAZIRS.\n\n\nThere was, in days of yore and in ages and times long gone before, a\npuissant King among the Kings of China, the crown of crowned heads, who\nruled over many men of war and vassals with wisdom and justice, might\nand majesty; equitable to his Ryots, liberal to his lieges and dearly\nbeloved by the hearts of his subjects. He was wealthy as he was\npowerful, but he had grown old without being blessed with a son, and\nthis caused him sore affliction. He could only brood over the cutting\noff of his seed and the oblivion that would bury his name and the\npassing of his realm into the stranger\u2019s hands. So he secluded himself\nin his palace, never going in and out or rising and taking rest till\nthe lieges lost all tidings of him and were sore perplexed and began to\ntalk about their King. Some said, \u201cHe\u2019s dead\u201d; others said, \u201cNo, he\u2019s\nnot\u201d; but all resolved to find a ruler who could reign over them and\ncarry out the customs of government. At last, utterly despairing of\nmale issue, he sought the intercession of the Prophet (whom Allah bless\nand keep!) with the Most High and implored Him, by the glory of His\nProphets and Saints and Martyrs and others of the Faithful who were\nacceptable to Heaven that he would grant him a son, to be the coolth of\nhis eyes and heir to the kingdom after him. Then he rose forthright\nand, withdrawing to his sitting-saloon, sent for his wife who was the\ndaughter of his uncle. Now this Queen was of surpassing beauty and\nloveliness, the fairest of all his wives and the dearest to him as she\nwas the nearest: and to boot a woman of excellent wit and passing\njudgement. She found the King dejected and sorrowful, tearful-eyed and\nheavy-hearted; so she kissed ground between his hands and said, \u201cO\nKing, may my life ransom thy life! may Time never prove thy foe, nor\nthe shifts of Fortune prevail over thee; may Allah grant thee every joy\nand ward off from thee all annoy! How is it I see thee brooding over\nthy case and tormented by the displeasures of memory?\u201d He replied,\n\u201cThou wottest well that I am a man now shotten in years, who hath never\nbeen blessed with a son, a sight to cool his eyes; so I know that my\nkingdom shall pass away to the stranger in blood and my name and memory\nwill be blotted out amongst men. \u2019Tis this causeth me to grieve with\nexcessive grief.\u201d \u201cAllah do away with thy sorrows,\u201d quoth she: \u201clong\nere this day a thought struck me; and yearning for issue arose in my\nheart even as in thine. One night I dreamed a dream and a voice said to\nme, \u2018The King thy husband pineth for progeny: if a daughter be\nvouchsafed to him, she will be the ruin of his realm; if a son, the\nyouth will undergo much trouble and annoy but he will pass through it\nwithout loss of life. Such a son can be conceived by thee and thee only\nand the time of thy conception is when the moon conjoineth with\nGemini!\u2019 I woke from my dream, but after what I heard that voice\ndeclare I refrained from breeding and would not consent to bear\nchildren.\u201d \u201cThere is no help for it but that I have a son, Inshallah,\n\u2014God willing!\u201d cried the King. Thereupon she soothed and consoled him\ntill he forgot his sorrows and went forth amongst the lieges and sat,\nas of wont, upon his throne of estate. All rejoiced to see him once\nmore and especially the Lords of his realm. Now when the conjunction of\nthe moon and Gemini took place, the King knew his wife carnally and, by\norder of Allah Almighty she became pregnant. Presently she anounced the\nglad tidings to her husband and led her usual life until her nine\nmonths of pregnancy were completed and she bare a male child whose face\nwas as the rondure of the moon on its fourteenth night. The lieges of\nthe realm congratulated one another thereanent and the King commanded\nan assembly of his Olema and philosophers, astrologers and\nhoroscopists, whom he thus addressed, \u201cI desire you to forecast the\nfortune of my son and to determine his ascendant[FN#154] and whatever\nis shown by his nativity.\u201d They replied \u201c\u2019Tis well, in Allah\u2019s name,\nlet us do so!\u201d and cast his nativity with all diligence. After\nascertaining his ascendant, they pronounced judgement in these words,\n\u201cWe see his lot favourable and his life viable and durable; save that a\ndanger awaiteth his youth.\u201d The father was sorely concerned at this\nsaying, when they added \u201cBut, O King, he shall escape from it nor shall\naught of injury accrue to him!\u201d Hereupon the King cast aside all cark\nand care and robed the wizards and dismissed them with splendid\nhonoraria; and he resigned himself to the will of Heaven and\nacknowledged that the decrees of destiny may not be countervailed. He\ncommitted his boy to wet nurses and dry nurses, handmaids and eunuchs,\nleaving him to grow and fill out in the Harim till he reached the age\nof seven. Then he addressed letters to his Viceroys and Governors in\nevery clime and by their means gathered together Olema and philosophers\nand doctors of law and religion, from all countries, to a number of\nthree hundred and three score. He held an especial assembly for them\nand, when all were in presence, he bade them draw near him and be at\ntheir ease while he sent for the food-trays and all ate their\nsufficiency. And when the banquet ended and the wizards had taken seats\nin their several degrees, the King asked them, \u201cWot ye wherefore I have\ngathered ye together?\u201d; whereto all answered, \u201cWe wot not, O King!\u201d He\ncontinued, \u201cIt is my wish that you select from amongst you fifty men,\nand from these fifty ten, and from these ten one, that he may teach my\nson omnem rem scibilem; for whenas I see the youth perfect in all\nscience, I will share my dignity with the Prince and make him partner\nwith me in my possessions.\u201d \u201cKnow, O King,\u201d they replied, \u201cthat among\nus none is more learned or more excellent than Al-Sindibad,[FN#155]\nhight the Sage, who woneth in thy capital under thy protection. If such\nbe thy design, summon him and bid him do thy will.\u201d The King acted upon\ntheir advice and the Sage, standing in the presence, expressed his\nloyal sentiments with his salutation, whereupon his Sovereign bade him\ndraw nigh and thus raised his rank, saying, \u201cI would have thee to know,\nO Sage, that I summoned this assembly of the learned and bade them\nchoose me out a man to teach my son all knowledge; when they selected\nthee without dissenting thought or voice. If, then, thou feel capable\nof what they claimed for thee, come thou to the task and understand\nthat a man\u2019s son and heir is the very fruit of his vitals and core of\nhis heart and liver. My desire of thee is thine instruction of him; and\nto happy issue Allah guideth!\u201d The King then sent for his son and\ncommitted him to Al-Sindibad conditioning the Sage to finish his\neducation in three years. He did accordingly but, at the end of that\ntime, the young Prince had learned nothing, his mind being wholly\noccupied with play and disport; and when summoned and examined by his\nsire, behold, his knowledge was as nil. Thereupon the King turned his\nattention to the learned once more and bade them elect a tutor for his\nyouth; so they asked, \u201cAnd what hath his governor, Al-Sindibad, been\ndoing?\u201d and when the King answered, \u201cHe hath taught my son naught;\u201d the\nOlema and philosophers and high officers summoned the instructor and\nsaid to him, \u201cO Sage, what prevented thee from teaching the King\u2019s son\nduring this length of days?\u201d \u201cO wise men,\u201d he replied, \u201cthe Prince\u2019s\nmind is wholly occupied with disport and play; yet, an the King will\nmake with me three conditions and keep to them, I will teach him in\nseven months what he would not learn (nor indeed could any other lesson\nhim) within seven years.\u201d \u201cI hearken to thee,\u201d quoth the King, \u201cand I\nsubmit myself to thy conditions;\u201d and quoth Al-Sindibad, \u201cHear from me,\nSire, and bear in mind these three sayings, whereof the first is, \u2018Do\nnot to others what thou wouldst not they do unto thee\u2019;[FN#156] and\nsecond, \u2018Do naught hastily without consulting the experienced\u2019; and\nthirdly, \u2018Where thou hast power show pity.\u2019[FN#157] In teaching this\nlad I require no more of thee but to accept these three dictes and\nadhere thereto.\u201d Cried the King, \u201cBear ye witness against me, O all ye\nhere assembled, that I stand firm by these conditions!\u201d; and caused a\nproces verbal to be drawn up with his personal security and the\ntestimony of his courtiers. Thereupon the Sage, taking the Prince\u2019s\nhand, led him to his place, and the King sent them all requisites of\nprovaunt and kitchen-batteries, carpets and other furniture. Moreover\nthe tutor bade build a house whose walls he lined with the whitest\nstucco painted over with ceruse,[FN#158] and, lastly, he delineated\nthereon all the objects concerning which he proposed to lecture his\npupil. When the place was duly furnished, he took the lad\u2019s hand and\ninstalled him in the apartment which was amply furnished with\nbelly-timber; and, after stablishing him therein, went forth and\nfastened the door with seven padlocks. Nor did he visit the Prince save\nevery third day when he lessoned him on the knowledge to be extracted\nfrom the wall-pictures and renewed his provision of meat and drink,\nafter which he left him again to solitude. So whenever the youth was\nstraitened in breast by the tedium and ennui of loneliness, he applied\nhimself diligently to his object-lessons and mastered all the\ndeductions therefrom. His governor seeing this turned his mind into\nother channel and taught him the inner meanings of the external\nobjects; and in a little time the pupil mastered every requisite. Then\nthe Sage took him from the house and taught him cavalarice and Jerid\nplay and archery. When the pupil had thoroughly mastered these arts,\nthe tutor sent to the King informing him that the Prince was perfect\nand complete in all things required to figure favourably amongst his\npeers. Hereat the King rejoiced; and, summoning his Wazirs and Lords of\nestate to be present at the examination, commanded the Sage to send his\nson into the presence. Thereupon Al-Sindibad consulted his pupil\u2019s\nhoroscope and found it barred by an inauspicious conjunction which\nwould last seven days; so, in sore affright for the youth\u2019s life, he\nsaid, \u201cLook into thy nativity-scheme.\u201d The Prince did so and,\nrecognising the portent, feared for himself and presently asked the\nSage, saying, \u201cWhat dost thou bid me do?\u201d \u201cI bid thee,\u201d he answered,\n\u201cremain silent and speak not a word during this se\u2019nnight; even though\nthy sire slay thee with scourging. An thou pass safely through this\nperiod, thou shalt win to high rank and succeed to thy sire\u2019s reign;\nbut an things go otherwise then the behest is with Allah from the\nbeginning to the end thereof.\u201d Quoth the pupil, \u201cThou art in fault, O\npreceptor, and thou hast shown undue haste in sending that message to\nthe King before looking into my horoscope. Hadst thou delayed till the\nweek had passed all had been well.\u201d Quoth the tutor, \u201cO my son, what\nwas to be was; and the sole defaulter therein was my delight in thy\nscholarship. But now be firm in thy resolve; rely upon Allah Almighty\nand determine not to utter a single word.\u201d Thereupon the Prince fared\nfor the presence and was met by the Wazirs who led him to his father.\nThe King accosted him and addressed him but he answered not; and sought\nspeech of him but he spake not. Whereupon the courtiers were astounded\nand the monarch, sore concerned for his son, summoned Al-Sindibad. But\nthe tutor so hid himself that none could hit upon his trace nor gain\ntidings of him; and folk said, \u201cHe was ashamed to appear before the\nKing\u2019s majesty and the courtiers.\u201d Under these conditions the Sovereign\nheard some of those present saying, \u201cSend the lad to the Serraglio\nwhere he will talk with the women and soon set aside this bashfulness;\u201d\nand, approving their counsel, gave orders accordingly. So the Prince\nwas led into the palace, which was compassed about by a running stream\nwhose banks were planted with all manner of fruit-trees and\nsweet-smelling flowers. Moreover, in this palace were forty chambers\nand in every chamber ten slave-girls, each skilled in some instrument\nof music, so that whenever one of them played, the palace danced to her\nmelodious strains. Here the Prince passed one night; but, on the\nfollowing morning, the King\u2019s favourite concubine happened to cast eyes\nupon his beauty and loveliness, his symmetrical stature, his brilliancy\nand his perfect grace, and love gat hold of her heart and she was\nravished with his charms.[FN#159] So she went up to him and threw\nherself upon him, but he made her no response; whereupon, being dazed\nby his beauty, she cried out to him and required him of himself and\nimportuned him; then she again threw herself upon him and clasped him\nto her bosom kissing him and saying, \u201cO King\u2019s son, grant me thy\nfavours and I will set thee in thy father\u2019s stead; I will give him to\ndrink of poison, so he may die and thou shalt enjoy his realm and\nwealth.\u201d When the Prince heard these words, he was sore enraged against\nher and said to her by signs, \u201cO accursed one, so it please Almighty\nAllah, I will assuredly requite thee this thy deed, whenas I can speak;\nfor I will go forth to my father and will tell him, and he shall kill\nthee.\u201d So signing, he arose in rage, and went out from her chamber;\nwhereat she feared for herself. Thereupon she buffeted her face and\nrent her raiment and tare her hair and bared her head, then went in to\nthe King and cast herself at his feet, weeping and wailing. When he saw\nher in this plight, he was sore concerned and asked her, \u201cWhat aileth\nthee, O damsel? How is it with thy lord, my son? Is he not well?\u201d; and\nshe answered, \u201cO King, this thy son, whom thy courtiers avouch to be\ndumb, required me of myself and I repelled him, whereupon he did with\nme as thou seest and would have slain me; so I fled from him, nor will\nI ever return to him, nor to the palace again, no, never again!\u201d When\nthe King heard this, he was wroth with exceeding wrath and, calling his\nseven Wazirs, bade them put the Prince to death. However, they said one\nto other, \u201cIf we do the King\u2019s commandment, he will surely repent of\nhaving ordered his son\u2019s death, for he is passing dear to him and this\nchild came not to him save after despair; and he will round upon us and\nblame us, saying, \u2018Why did ye not contrive to dissuade me from slaying\nhim?\u2019\u201d So they took counsel together, to turn him from his purpose, and\nthe chief Wazir said, \u201cI will warrant you from the King\u2019s mischief this\nday.\u201d Then he went in to the presence and prostrating himself craved\nleave to speak. The King gave him permission, and he said, \u201cO King,\nthough thou hadst a thousand sons, yet were it no light matter to thee\nto put one of them to death, on the report of a woman, be she true or\nbe she false; and belike this is a lie and a trick of her against thy\nson; for indeed, O King, I have heard tell great plenty of stories of\nthe malice, the craft and perfidy of women.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cTell me\nsomewhat of that which hath come to thy knowledge thereof.\u201d And the\nWazir answered, saying, \u2018Yes, there hath reached me, O King, a tale\nentitled\n\n\nThe King and his Wazir\u2019s Wife.[FN#160]\n\nThere was once a King of the Kings, a potent man and a proud, who was\ndevoted to the love of women and one day being in the privacy of his\npalace, he espied a beautiful woman on the terraceroof of her house and\ncould not contain himself from falling consumedly in love with\nher.[FN#161] He asked his folk to whom the house and the damsel\nbelonged and they said, \u201cThis is the dwelling of the Wazir such an one\nand she is his wife.\u201d So he called the Minister in question and\ndespatched him on an errand to a distant part of the kingdom, where he\nwas to collect information and to return; but, as soon as he obeyed and\nwas gone, the King contrived by a trick to gain access to his house and\nhis spouse. When the Wazir\u2019s wife saw him, she knew him and springing\nup, kissed his hands and feet and welcomed him. Then she stood afar\noff, busying herself in his service, and said to him, \u201cO our lord, what\nis the cause of thy gracious coming? Such an honour is not for the like\nof me.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cThe cause of it is that love of thee and desire\nthee-wards have moved me to this.\u201d Whereupon she kissed ground before\nhim a second time and said, \u201cBy Allah, O our lord, indeed I am not\nworthy to be the handmaid of one of the King\u2019s servants; whence then\nhave I the great good fortune to be in such high honour and favour with\nthee?\u201d Then the King put out his hand to her intending to enjoy her\nperson, when she said, \u201cThis thing shall not escape us; but take\npatience, O my King, and abide with thy handmaid all this day, that she\nmay make ready for thee somewhat to eat and drink.\u201d So the King sat\ndown on his Minister\u2019s couch and she went in haste and brought him a\nbook wherein he might read, whilst she made ready the food. He took the\nbook and, beginning to read, found therein moral instances and\nexhortations, such as restrained him from adultery and broke his\ncourage to commit sin and crime. After awhile, she returned and set\nbefore him some ninety dishes of different kinds of colours, and he ate\na mouthful of each and found that, while the number was many, the taste\nof them was one. At this, he marvelled with exceeding marvel and said\nto her, \u201cO damsel, I see these meats to be manifold and various, but\nthe taste of them is simple and the same.\u201d \u201cAllah prosper the King!\u201d\nreplied she, \u201cthis is a parable I have set for thee, that thou mayst be\nadmonished thereby.\u201d He asked, \u201cAnd what is its meaning?\u201d; and she\nanswered, \u201cAllah amend the case of our lord the King!; in thy palace\nare ninety concubines of various colours, but their taste is\none.\u201d[FN#162] When the King heard this, he was ashamed and rising\nhastily, went out, without offering her any affront and returned to his\npalace; but, in his haste and confusion, he forgot his signet-ring and\nleft it under the cushion where he had been sitting and albeit he\nremembered it he was ashamed to send for it. Now hardly had he reached\nhome when the Wazir returned and, presenting himself before the King,\nkissed the ground and made his report to him of the state of the\nprovince in question. Then he repaired to his own house and sat down on\nhis couch and chancing to put his hand under the cushion, behold, he\nfound the King\u2019s seal-ring. So he knew it and taking the matter to\nheart, held aloof in great grief from his wife for a whole year, not\ngoing in unto her nor even speaking to her, whilst she knew not the\nreason of his anger. \u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Wazir held\naloof from his wife, whilst she knew not the cause of his wrath. At\nlast, being weary of the longsome neglect, she sent for her sire and\ntold him the case; whereupon quoth he, \u201cI will complain of him to the\nKing, at some time when he is in the presence.\u201d So, one day, he went in\nto the King and, finding the Wazir and the Kazi of the army before\nhim,[FN#163] complained thus saying, \u201cAlmighty Allah amend the King\u2019s\ncase! I had a fair flower-garden, which I planted with mine own hand\nand thereon spent my substance till it bare fruit; and its fruitage was\nripe for plucking, when I gave it to this thy Wazir, who ate of it what\nseemed good to him, then deserted it and watered it not, so that its\nbloom wilted and withered and its sheen departed and its state\nchanged.\u201d Then said the Wazir, \u201cO my King, this man saith sooth. I did\nindeed care for and guard the garden and kept it in good condition and\nate thereof, till one day I went thither and I saw the trail of the\nlion there, wherefore I feared for my life and withdrew from the\ngarden.\u201d The King understood him that the trail of the lion meant his\nown seal-ring, which he had forgotten in the woman\u2019s house; so he said,\n\u201cReturn, O Wazir, to thy flower-garden and fear nothing, for the lion\ncame not near it. It hath reached me that he went thither; but, by the\nhonour of my fathers and forefathers, he offered it no hurt.\u201d\n\u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d answered the Minister and, returning home\nsent for his wife and made his peace with her and thenceforth put faith\nin her chastity. \u201cThis I tell thee, O King (continued the Wazir), for\nno other purpose save to let thee know how great is their craft and how\nprecipitancy bequeatheth repentance.[FN#164] And I have also heard the\nfollowing\n\n\nStory of the Confectioner, his Wife, and the Parrot.\n\nOnce upon a time there dwelt in Egypt a confectioner who had a wife\nfamed for beauty and loveliness; and a parrot which, as occasion\nrequired, did the office of watchman and guard, bell and spy, and\nflapped her wings did she but hear a fly buzzing about the sugar. This\nparrot caused abundant trouble to the wife, always telling her husband\nwhat took place in his absence. Now one evening, before going out to\nvisit certain friends, the confectioner gave the bird strict\ninjunctions to watch all night and bade his wife make all fast, as he\nshould not return until morning. Hardly had he left the door than the\nwoman went for her old lover, who returned with her and they passed the\nnight together in mirth and merriment, while the parrot observed all.\nBetimes in the morning the lover fared forth and the husband,\nreturning, was informed by the parrot of what had taken place;\nwhereupon he hastened to his wife\u2019s room and beat her with a painful\nbeating. She thought in herself, \u201cWho could have informed against me?\u201d\nand she asked a woman that was in her confidence whether it was she.\nThe woman protested by the worlds visible and invisible that she had\nnot betrayed her mistress; but informed her that on the morning of his\nreturn home, the husband had stood some time before the cage listening\nto the parrot\u2019s talk. When the wife heard this, she resolved to\ncontrive the destruction of the bird. Some days after, the husband was\nagain invited to the house of a friend where he was to pass the night;\nand, before departing, he enjoined the parrot with the same injunctions\nas before; wherefore his heart was free from care, for he had his spy\nat home. The wife and her confidante then planned how they might\ndestroy the credit of the parrot with the master. For this purpose they\nresolved to counterfeit a storm; and this they did by placing over the\nparrot\u2019s head a hand-mill (which the lover worked by pouring water upon\na piece of hide), by waving a fan and by suddenly uncovering a candle\nhid under a dish. Thus did they raise such a tempest of rain and\nlightning, that the parrot was drenched and half-drowned in a deluge.\nNow rolled the thunder, then flashed the lightning; that from the noise\nof the hand-mill, this from the reflection of the candle; when thought\nthe parrot to herself, \u201cIn very sooth the flood hath come on, such an\none as belike Noah himself never witnessed.\u201d So saying she buried her\nhead under her wing, a prey to terror. The husband, on his return,\nhastened to the parrot to ask what had happened during his absence; and\nthe bird answered that she found it impossible to describe the deluge\nand tempest of the last night; and that years would be required to\nexplain the uproar of the hurricane and storm. When the shopkeeper\nheard the parrot talk of last night\u2019s deluge, he said: \u201cSurely O bird,\nthou art gone clean daft! Where was there, even in a dream, rain or\nlightning last night? Thou hast utterly ruined my house and ancient\nfamily. My wife is the most virtuous woman of the age and all thine\naccusations of her are lies.\u201d So in his wrath he dashed the cage upon\nthe ground, tore off the parrot\u2019s head, and threw it from the window.\nPresently his friend, coming to call upon him, saw the parrot in this\ncondition with head torn off, and without wings or plumage. Being\ninformed of the circumstances he suspected some trick on the part of\nthe woman, and said to the husband, \u201cWhen your wife leaves home to go\nto the Hammam-bath, compel her confidante to disclose the secret.\u201d So\nas soon as his wife went out, the husband entered his Harim and\ninsisted on the woman telling him the truth. She recounted the whole\nstory and the husband now bitterly repented having killed the parrot,\nof whose innocence he had proof. \u201cThis I tell thee, O King (continued\nthe Wazir), that thou mayst know how great are the craft and malice of\nwomen and that to act in haste leadeth to repent at leisure.\u201d So the\nKing turned from slaying his son: but, next day, the favourite came in\nto him and, kissing the ground before him, said, \u201cO King, why dost thou\ndelay to do me justice? Indeed, the Kings have heard that thou\ncommandest a thing and thy Wazir countermandeth it. Now the obedience\nof Kings is in the fulfilment of their commandments, and every one\nknows thy justice and equity: so do thou justice for me on the Prince.\nI also have heard tell a tale concerning\n\n\nThe Fuller and his Son.\n\nThere was once a man which was a fuller, and he used every day to go\nforth to the Tigris-bank a-cleaning clothes; and his son was wont to go\nwith him that he might swim whilst his father was fulling, nor was he\nforbidden from this. One day, as the boy was swimming,[FN#165] he was\ntaken with cramp in the forearms and sank, whereupon the fuller plunged\ninto the water and caught hold of him; but the boy clung about him and\npulled him down and so father and son were both drowned. \u201cThus it is\nwith thee, O King. Except thou prevent thy son and do me justice on\nhim, I fear lest both of you sink together, thou and he.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it Was the Five Hundred and Eightieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nfavourite had told her tale of the Fuller and his son, she ended with,\n\u201cI fear lest both of you sink together, thou and he. Moreover,\u201d\ncontinued she, \u201cfor an instance of the malice of men, I have heard tell\na tale concerning\n\n\nThe Rake\u2019s Trick against the Chaste Wife.\n\nA certain man loved a beautiful and lovely woman, a model of charms and\ngrace, married to a man whom she loved and who loved her. Moreover, she\nwas virtuous and chaste, like unto me, and her rake of a lover found no\nway to her; so when his patience was at an end, he devised a device to\nwin his will. Now the husband had a young man, whom he had brought up\nin his house and who was in high trust with him as his steward. So the\nrake addressed himself to the youth and ceased not insinuating himself\ninto his favour by presents and fair words and deeds, till he became\nmore obedient to him than the hand to the mouth and did whatever he\nordered him. One day, he said to him, \u201cHarkye, such an one; wilt thou\nnot bring me into the family dwelling-place some time when the lady is\ngone out?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d answered the young steward so, when his master was at\nthe shop and his mistress gone forth to the Hammam, he took his friend\nby the hand and, bringing him into the house, showed him the\nsitting-rooms and all that was therein. Now the lover was determined to\nplay a trick upon the woman; so he took the white of an egg which he\nhad brought with him in a vessel, and spilt it on the merchant\u2019s\nbedding, unseen by the young man; after which he returned thanks and\nleaving the house went his way. In an hour or so the merchant came\nhome; and, going to the bed to rest himself, found thereon something\nwet. So he took it up in his hand and looked at it and deemed it man\u2019s\nseed; whereat he stared at the young man with eyes of wrath, and asked\nhim, \u201cWhere is thy mistress?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cShe is gone forth to\nthe Hammam and will return forthright after she has made her\nablutions.\u201d[FN#166] When the man heard this, his suspicion concerning\nthe semen was confirmed; and he waxed furious and said, \u201cGo at once and\nbring her back.\u201d The steward accordingly fetched her and when she came\nbefore her husband, the jealous man sprang upon her and beat her a\ngrievous beating; then, binding her arms behind her, offered to cut her\nthroat with a knife; but she cried out to the neighbours, who came to\nher, and she said to them, \u201cThis my man hath beaten me unjustly and\nwithout cause and is minded to kill me, though I know not what is mine\noffence.\u201d So they rose up and asked him, \u201cWhy hast thou dealt thus by\nher?\u201d And he answered, \u201cShe is divorced.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cThou hast no\nright to maltreat her; either divorce her or use her kindly, for we\nknow her prudence and purity and chastity. Indeed, she hath been our\nneighbour this long time and we wot no evil of her.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhen I\ncame home, I found on my bed seed like human sperm, and I know not the\nmeaning of this.\u201d Upon this a little boy, one of those present, came\nforward and said, \u201cShow it to me, nuncle mine!\u201d When he saw it, he\nsmelt it and, calling for fire and a frying-pan, he took the white of\negg and cooked it so that it became solid. Then he ate of it and made\nthe husband and the others taste if it, and they were certified that it\nwas white of egg. So the husband was convinced that he had sinned\nagainst his wife\u2019s innocence, she being clear of all offence, and the\nneighbours made peace between them after the divorce, and he prayed her\npardon and presented her with an hundred gold pieces. And so the wicked\nlover\u2019s cunning trick came to naught. \u201cAnd know, O King, that this is\nan instance of the malice of men and their perfidy.\u201d When the King\nheard this, he bade his son be slain; but on the next day the second\nWazir came forward for intercession and kissed ground in prostration.\nWhereupon the King said, \u201cRaise thy head: prostration must be made to\nAllah only.\u201d[FN#167] So the Minister rose from before him and said, \u201cO\nKing, hasten not to slay thy son, for he was not granted to his mother\nby the Almighty but after despair, nor didst thou expect such good\nluck; and we hope that he will live to become a guerdon to thy reign\nand a guardian of thy good. Wherefore, have patience, O King; belike he\nwill offer a fit excuse; and, if thou make haste to slay him, thou wilt\nsurely repent, even as the merchant-wight repented.\u201d Asked the King,\n\u201cAnd how was it with the merchant, O Wazir?\u201d; and the Wazir answered,\n\u201cO King, I have heard a tale of\n\n\nThe Miser and the Loaves of Bread.\n\nThere was once a merchant, who was a niggard and miserly in his eating\nand drinking. One day, he went on a journey to a certain town and as he\nwalked in the market-streets, behold, he met an old trot with two\nscones of bread which looked sound and fair, He asked her, \u201cAre these\nfor sale?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cYes!\u201d So he beat her down and bought\nthem at the lowest price and took them home to his lodging, where he\nate them that day. When morning morrowed, he returned to the same place\nand, finding the old woman there with other two scones, bought these\nalso; and thus he ceased not during twenty-five days\u2019 space when the\nold wife disappeared. He made enquiry for her, but could hear no\ntidings of her, till, one day as he was walking about the high streets,\nhe chanced upon her: so he accosted her and, after the usual salutation\nand with much praise and politeness, asked why she had disappeared from\nthe market and ceased to supply the two cakes of bread? Hearing this,\nat first she evaded giving him a reply; but he conjured her to tell him\nher case; so she said, \u201cHear my excuse, O my lord, which is that I was\nattending upon a man who had a corroding ulcer on his spine, and his\ndoctor bade us knead flour with butter into a plaster and lay it on the\nplace of pain, where it abode all night. In the morning, I used to take\nthat flour and turn it into dough and make it into two scones, which I\ncooked and sold to thee or to another; but presently the man died and I\nwas cut off from making cakes.\u201d[FN#168] When the merchant heard this,\nhe repented whenas repentance availed him naught, saying, \u201cVerily, we\nare Allah\u2019s and verily unto Him we are returning! There is no Majesty\nand there is no Might save in Him, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d \u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the old trot\ntold the merchant the provenance of the scones, he cried, \u201cThere is no\nMajesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d\nAnd he repeated the saying of the Most High, \u201cWhatever evil falleth to\nthee it is from thyself;\u201d[FN#169] and vomited till he fell sick and\nrepented whenas repentance availed him naught. \u201cMoreover, O King\u201d\n(continued the second Wazir), \u201cI have heard tell, of the malice of\nwomen, a tale of\n\n\nThe Lady and her Two Lovers.\n\nOnce upon a time there was a man, who was sword-bearer to one of the\nKings, and he loved a damsel of the common sort. One day, he sent his\npage to her with a message, as of wont between them, and the lad sat\ndown with her and toyed with her. She inclined to him and pressed him\nto her breast and groped him and kissed him whereupon he sought carnal\nconnection of her and she consented; but, as the two were thus, lo! the\nyouth\u2019s master knocked at the door. So she pushed the page through a\ntrapdoor into an underground chamber there and opened the door to his\nlord, who entered hending sword in hand and sat down upon her bed. Then\nshe came up to him and sported and toyed with him, kissing him and\npressing him to her bosom, and he took her and lay with her. Presently,\nher husband knocked at the door and the gallant asked her, \u201cWho is\nthat?\u201d; whereto she answered, \u201cMy husband.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cHow shall I do?\u201d\nQuoth she, \u201cDraw thy sword and stand in the vestibule and abuse me and\nrevile me; and when my husband comes in to thee, do thou go forth and\nwend thy ways.\u201d He did as she bade him; and, when the husband entered,\nhe saw the King\u2019s sword-bearer standing with naked brand in hand,\nabusing and threatening his wife; but, when the lover saw him, he was\nashamed and sheathing his scymitar, went forth the house. Said the man\nto his wife, \u201cWhat means this?\u201d; and she replied, \u201cO man, how blessed\nis the hour of thy coming! Thou hast saved a True Believer from\nslaughter, and it happed after this fashion. I was on the\nhouse-terrace, spinning,[FN#170] when behold, there came up to me a\nyouth, distracted and panting for fear of death, fleeing from yonder\nman, who followed upon him as hard as he could with his drawn sword.\nThe young man fell down before me, and kissed my hands and feet,\nsaying, \u201cO Protector, of thy mercy, save me from him who would slay me\nwrongously!\u201d So I hid him in that underground chamber of ours and\npresently in came yonder man to me, naked brand in hand, demanding the\nyouth. But I denied him to him, whereupon he fell to abusing and\nthreatening me as thou sawest. And praised be Allah who sent thee to\nme, for I was distraught and had none to deliver me!\u201d \u201cWell hast thou\ndone, O woman!\u201d answered the husband. \u201cThy reward is with Allah the\nAlmighty, and may He abundantly requite thy good deed!\u201d Then he went to\nthe trap door and called to the page, saying, \u201cCome forth and fear not;\nno harm shall befal thee.\u201d So he came out, trembling for fear, and the\nhusband said, \u201cBe of good cheer: none shall I hurt thee;\u201d condoling\nwith him on what had befallen him; whilst the page called down\nblessings on his head. Then they both went forth, nor was that Cornuto\nnor was the page aware of that which the woman had contrived. \u201cThis,\nthen, O King,\u201d said the Wazir, \u201cis one of the tricks of women; so\nbeware lest thou rely upon their words.\u201d The King was persuaded and\nturned from putting his son to death; but, on the third day, the\nfavourite came in to him and, kissing the ground before him, cried, \u201cO\nKing, do me justice on thy son and be not turned from thy purpose by\nthy Ministers\u2019 prate, for there is no good in wicked Wazirs, and be not\nas the King of Baghdad, who relied on the word of a certain wicked\ncounsellor of his.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAnd how was that?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThere\nhath been told me, O auspicious and well-advised King, a tale of\n\n\nThe Kings Son and the Ogress.[FN#171]\n\nA certain King had a son, whom he loved and favoured with exceeding\nfavour, over all his other children; and this son said to him one day,\n\u201cO my father, I have a mind to fare a-coursing and a-hunting.\u201d So the\nKing bade furnish him and commanded one of his Wazirs to bear him\ncompany and do all the service he needed during his trip. The Minister\naccordingly took everything that was necessary for the journey and they\nset out with a retinue of eunuchs and officers and pages, and rode on,\nsporting as they went, till they came to a green and well-grassed\nchampaign abounding in pasture and water and game. Here the Prince\nturned to the Minister and told him that the place pleased him and he\npurposed to halt there. So they set down in that site and they loosed\nthe falcons and lynxes and dogs and caught great plenty of game,\nwhereat they rejoiced and abode there some days, in all joyance of life\nand its delight. Then the King\u2019s son gave the signal for departure;\nbut, as they went along, a beautiful gazelle, as if the sun rose\nshining from between her horns, that had strayed from her mate, sprang\nup before the Prince, whereupon his soul longed to make prize of her\nand he coveted her. So he said to the Wazir, \u201cI have a mind to follow\nthat gazelle;\u201d and the Minister replied, \u201cDo what seemeth good to\nthee.\u201d Thereupon the Prince rode single-handed after the gazelle, till\nhe lost sight of his companions, and chased her all that day till dusk,\nwhen she took refuge in a bit of rocky ground[FN#172] and darkness\nclosed in upon him. Then he would have turned back, but knew not the\nway; whereat he was sore concerned and said, \u201cThere is no Majesty and\nthere is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!\u201d He sat his\nmare all night till morning dawned, in quest of relief, but found none;\nand, when the day appeared, he fared on at hazard fearful, famished,\nthirsty, and knowing not whither to wend till it was noon and the sun\nbeat down upon him with burning heat. By that time he came in sight of\na great city, with massive base and lofty bulwarks; but it was ruined\nand desolate, nor was there any live thing therein save owl and raven.\nAs he stood among the buildings, marvelling at their ordinance, lo! his\neyes fell on a damsel, young, beautiful and lovely, sitting under one\nof the city walls wailing and weeping copious tears. So he drew nigh to\nher and asked, \u201cWho art thou and who brought thee hither?\u201d She\nanswered, \u201cI am called Bint al-Tamimah, daughter of Al-Tiyakh, King of\nthe Gray Country. I went out one day to obey a call of nature,[FN#173]\nwhen an Ifrit of the Jinn snatched me up and soared with me between\nheaven and earth; but as he flew there fell on him a shooting-star in\nthe form of a flame of fire and burned him, and I dropped here, where\nthese three days I have hungered and thirsted; but when I saw thee I\nlonged for life.\u201d \u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince when\naddressed by the daughter of King Al-Tiyakh who said to him, \u201cWhen I\nsaw thee I longed for life,\u201d was smitten with ruth and grief for her\nand took her up on his courser\u2019s crupper, saying, \u201cBe of good cheer and\nkeep thine eyes cool and clear; for, if Allah (extolled and exalted be\nHe!) restore me to my people and family, I will send thee back to thine\nown folk.\u201d Then he rode on, praying for deliverance, and presently the\ndamsel said to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son, set me down, that I may do an\noccasion under this wall.\u201d So he drew bridle and she alighted. He\nwaited for her a long while as she hid herself behind the wall; and she\ncame forth, with the foulest of favours; which when he saw, his hair\nstood on end and he quaked for fear of her and he turned deadly pale.\nThen she sprang up on his steed, behind him, wearing the most loathly\nof aspects, and presently she said to him, \u201cO King\u2019s son, what ails\nthee that I see thee troubled and thy favour changed?\u201d \u201cI have\nbethought me of somewhat that troubles me.\u201d \u201cSeek aid against it of thy\nfather\u2019s troops and his braves.\u201d \u201cHe whom I fear careth naught for\ntroops, neither can braves affright him.\u201d \u201cAid thyself against him with\nthy father\u2019s monies and treasures.\u201d \u201cHe whom I fear will not be\nsatisfied with wealth.\u201d \u201cYe hold that ye have in Heaven a God who seeth\nand is not seen and is Omnipotent and Omniscient.\u201d \u201cYes, we have none\nbut Him.\u201d \u201cThen pray thou to Him; haply He will deliver thee from me\nthine enemy!\u201d So the King\u2019s son raised his eyes to heaven and began to\npray with his whole heart, saying, \u201cO my God, I implore Thy succour\nagainst that which troubleth me.\u201d Then he pointed to her with his hand,\nand she fell to the ground, burnt black as charcoal. Therewith he\nthanked Allah and praised Him and ceased not to fare forwards; and the\nAlmighty (extolled and exalted be He!) of His grace made the way easy\nto him and guided him into the right road, so that he reached his own\nland and came upon his father\u2019s capital, after he had despaired of\nlife. Now all this befel by the contrivance of the Wazir, who travelled\nwith him, to the end that he might cause him to perish on the way; but\nAlmighty Allah succoured him. \u201cAnd this\u201d (said the damsel) \u201chave I told\nthee, O King, that thou mayst know that wicked Wazirs deal not honestly\nby nor counsel with sincere intent their Kings; wherefore be thou wise\nand ware of them in this matter.\u201d The King gave ear to her speech and\nbade put his son to death; but the third Wazir came in and said to his\nbrother Ministers, \u201cI will warrant you from the King\u2019s mischief this\nday\u201d and, going in to him, kissed the ground between his hands and\nsaid, \u201cO King, I am thy true counsellor and solicitous for thee and for\nthine estate, and indeed I rede thee the best of rede; it is that thou\nhasten not to slay thy son, the coolth of thine eyes and the fruit of\nthy vitals. Haply his sin is but a slight slip, which this damsel hath\nmade great to thee; and indeed I have heard tell that the people of two\nvillages once destroyed one another, because of a drop of honey.\u201d Asked\nthe King, \u201cHow was that?\u201d; and the Wazir answered, saying, \u201cKnow, O\nKing, that I have heard this story anent\n\n\nThe Drop of Honey.[FN#174]\n\nA certain hunter used to chase wild beasts in wold, and one day he came\nupon a grotto in the mountains, where he found a hollow full of bees\u2019\nhoney. So he took somewhat thereof in a water-skin he had with him and,\nthrowing it over his shoulder, carried it to the city, followed by a\nhunting dog which was dear to him. He stopped at the shop of an oilman\nand offered him the honey for sale and he bought it. Then he emptied it\nout of the skin, that he might see it, and in the act a drop fell to\nthe ground, whereupon the flies flocked to it and a bird swooped down\nupon the flies. Now the oilman had a cat, which sprang upon the bird,\nand the huntsman\u2019s dog, seeing the cat, sprang upon it and slew it;\nwhereupon the oilman sprang upon the dog and slew it, and the huntsman\nin turn sprang upon the oilman and slew him. Now the oilman was of one\nvillage and the huntsman of another; and when the people of the two\nplaces heard what had passed, they took up arms and weapons and rose\none on other in wrath and the two lines met; nor did the sword leave to\nplay amongst them, till there died of them much people, none knoweth\ntheir number save Almighty Allah. \u201cAnd amongst other stories of the\nmalice of women\u201d (continued the Wazir) \u201cI have heard tell, O King, one\nconcerning\n\n\nThe Woman who made her Husband Sift Dust.[FN#175]\n\nA man once gave his wife a dirham to buy rice; so she took it and went\nto the rice-seller, who gave her the rice and began to jest with her\nand ogle her, for she was dowered with beauty and loveliness, saying,\n\u201cRice is not good but with sugar which if thou wilt have, come in with\nme for an hour.\u201d So, saying, \u201cGive me sugar,\u201d she went in with him into\nhis shop and he won his will of her and said to his slave, \u201cWeigh her\nout a dirham\u2019s worth of sugar.\u201d But he made the slave a privy sign, and\nthe boy, taking the napkin, in which was the rice, emptied it out and\nput in earth and dust in its stead, and for the sugar set stones, after\nwhich he again knotted up the napkin and left it by her. His object, in\ndoing this, was that she should come to him a second time; so, when she\nwent forth of the shop, he gave her the napkin and she took it,\nthinking to have in it rice and sugar, and ganged her gait; but when\nshe returned home and, setting it before her husband, went for a\ncooking-pot, he found in it earth and stones. So, as soon as she came\nback bringing the pot, he said to her, \u201cDid I tell thee I had aught to\nbuild, that thou bringest me earth and stones?\u201d When she saw this; she\nknew that the rice-seller\u2019s slave had tricked her; so she said to her\nhusband, \u201cO man, in my trouble of mind for what hath befallen me, I\nwent to fetch the sieve and brought the cooking-pot.\u201d \u201cWhat hath\ntroubled thee?\u201d asked he; and she answered, \u201cO husband, I dropped the\ndirham thou gavest me in the market-street and was ashamed to search\nfor it before the folk; yet I grudged to lose the silver, so I gathered\nup the earth from the place where it fell and brought it away, thinking\nto sift it at home. Wherefore I went to fetch the sieve, but brought\nthe cooking-pot instead.\u201d Then she fetched the sieve and gave it to her\nhusband, saying, \u201cDo thou sift it; for thine eyes are sharper than\nmine.\u201d Accordingly he sat, sifting the clay, till his face and beard\nwere covered with dust; and he discovered not her trick, neither knew\nwhat had befallen her. \u201cThis then, O King,\u201d said the Wazir, \u201cis an\ninstance of the malice of women, and consider the saying of Allah\nAlmighty,\u2014Surely the cunning of you (women) is great![FN#176] And\nagain, \u2018Indeed, the malice of Satan is weak in comparison with the\nmalice of women.\u2019\u201d[FN#177] The King gave ear to his Wazir\u2019s speech and\nwas persuaded thereby and was satisfied by what he cited to him of the\nsigns of Allah[FN#178]; and the lights of good counsel arose and shone\nin the firmament of his understanding and he turned from his purpose of\nslaying his son. But on the fourth day, the favourite came in to him\nweeping and wailing and, kissing the ground before him, said, \u201cO\nauspicious King, and lord of good rede, I have made plainly manifest to\nthee my grievance and thou hast dealt unjustly by me and hast forborne\nto avenge me on him who hath wronged me, because he is thy son and the\ndarling of thy heart; but Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) will\npresently succour me against him, even as He succoured the King\u2019s son\nagainst his father\u2019s Wazir.\u201d \u201cAnd how was that?\u201d asked the King; and\nshe answered, \u201cI have heard tell, O King, a tale of\n\n\nThe Enchanted String.[FN#179]\n\nThere was once in times gone by a King who had one son and none other;\nand, when the Prince grew up to man\u2019s estate, he contracted him in\nmarriage to another King\u2019s daughter. Now the damsel was a model of\nbeauty and grace and her uncle\u2019s son had sought her in wedlock of her\nsire, but she would none of him. So, when he knew that she was to be\nmarried to another, envy and jealousy gat hold of him and he bethought\nhimself and sent a noble present to the Wazir of the bridegroom\u2019s\nfather and much treasure, desiring him to use craft for slaying the\nPrince or contrive to make him leave his intent of espousing the girl\nand adding, \u201cO Wazir, indeed jealousy moveth me to this for she is my\ncousin.\u201d[FN#180] The Wazir accepted the present and sent an answer,\nsaying, \u201cBe of good cheer and of eyes cool and clear, for I will do all\nthat thou wishest.\u201d Presently, the bride\u2019s father wrote to the Prince,\nbidding him to his capital, that he might go in to his daughter;\nwhereupon the King his father gave him leave to wend his way thither,\nsending with him the bribed Wazir and a thousand horse, besides\npresents and litters, tents and pavilions. The Minister set out with\nthe Prince, plotting the while in his heart to do him a mischief; and\nwhen they came into the desert, he called to mind a certain spring of\nrunning water in the mountains there, called Al-Zahra,[FN#181] whereof\nwhosoever drank from a man became a woman. So he called a halt of the\ntroops near the fountain and presently mounting steed again, said to\nthe Prince, \u201cHast thou a mind to go with me and look upon a spring of\nwater near hand?\u201d The Prince mounted, knowing not what should befal him\nin the future,[FN#182] and they rode on, unattended by any, and without\nstopping till they came to the spring. The Prince being thirsty said to\nthe Wazir, \u201cO Minister, I am suffering from drouth,\u201d and the other\nanswered, \u201cGet thee down and drink of this spring!\u201d So he alighted and\nwashed his hands and drank, when behold, he straightway became a woman.\nAs soon as he knew what had befallen him, he cried out and wept till he\nfainted away, and the Wazir came up to him as if to learn what had\nbefallen him and cried, \u201cWhat aileth thee?\u201d So he told him what had\nhappened, and the Minister feigned to condole with him and weep for his\naffliction, saying, \u201cAllah Almighty be thy refuge in thine affliction!\nHow came this calamity upon thee and this great misfortune to betide\nthee, and we carrying thee with joy and gladness, that thou mightest go\nin to the King\u2019s daughter? Verily, now I know not whether we shall go\nto her or not; but the rede[FN#183] is thine. What dost thou command me\nto do?\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cGo back to my sire and tell him what hath\nbetided me, for I will not stir hence till this matter be removed from\nme or I die in my regret.\u201d So he wrote a letter to his father, telling\nhim what had happened, and the Wazir took it and set out on his return\nto the city, leaving what troops he had with the Prince and inwardly\nexulting for the success of his plot. As soon as he reached the King\u2019s\ncapital, he went in to him and, telling him what had passed, delivered\nthe letter. The King mourned for his son with sore mourning and sent\nfor the wise men and masters of esoteric science, that they might\ndiscover and explain to him this thing which had befallen his son, but\nnone could give him an answer. Then the Wazir wrote to the lady\u2019s\ncousin, conveying to him the glad news of the Prince\u2019s misfortune, and\nhe when he read the letter rejoiced with great joy and thought to marry\nthe Princess and answered the Minister sending him rich presents and\ngreat store of treasure and thanking him exceedingly. Meanwhile, the\nPrince abode by the stream three days and three nights, eating not nor\ndrinking and committing himself, in his strait, unto Allah (extolled\nand exalted be He!) who disappointeth not whoso relieth on him. On the\nfourth night, lo! there came to him a cavalier on a bright-bay\nsteed[FN#184] with a crown on his head, as he were of the sons of the\nKings, and said to him, \u201cWho brought thee hither, O youth?\u201d The Prince\ntold him his mishap, how he was wending to his wedding, and how the\nWazir had led him to a spring whereof he drank and incurred what had\noccurred; and as he spoke his speech was broken by tears. Having heard\nhim the horseman pitied his case and said, \u201cIt was thy father\u2019s Wazir\nwho cast thee into this strait, for no man alive save he knoweth of\nthis spring;\u201d presently adding, \u201cMount thee behind me and come with me\nto my dwelling, for thou art my guest this night.\u201d \u201cAcquaint me who\nthou art ere I fare with thee,\u201d quoth the Prince; and quoth the other,\n\u201cI am a King\u2019s son of the J\u00e1nn, as thou a King\u2019s son of mankind; so be\nof good cheer and keep thine eyes clear of tear, for I will surely do\naway thy cark and care; and this is a slight thing unto me.\u201d So the\nPrince mounted him behind the stranger, and they rode on, leaving the\ntroops, from the first of the day till midnight, when the King\u2019s son of\nthe Jinn asked the Prince, \u201cKnowest thou how many days\u2019 march we have\ncovered in this time?\u201d \u201cNot I.\u201d \u201cWe have come a full year\u2019s journey for\na diligent horseman.\u201d The Prince marvelled at this and said, \u201cHow shall\nI do to return to my people?\u201d \u201cThat is not thine affair, but my\nbusiness. As soon as thou art quit of thy complaint, thou shalt return\nto thy people in less than the twinkling of an eye; for that is an easy\nmatter to me.\u201d When the Prince heard these words he was ready to fly\nfor excess of joy; it seemed to him as he were in the imbroglio of a\ndream and he exclaimed, \u201cGlory be to Him who can restore the unhappy to\nhappiness!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Prince of the\nJinn said to the Prince of mankind, \u201cWhen thou art quit of thy\ncomplaint, thou shalt return to thy folk in less than the twinkling of\nan eye;\u201d and the King\u2019s son rejoiced. They fared on all that night till\nthe morning morrowed when lo! they found themselves in a green and\nsmiling country, full of trees spireing and birds quiring and garths\nfruit-growing and palaces highshowing and waters a-flowing and\nodoriferous flowers a-blowing. Here the King\u2019s son of the Jinn alighted\nfrom his steed and, bidding the Prince do the like, took him by the\nhand and carried him into one of the palaces, where he found a great\nKing and puissant Sultan; and abode with him all that day eating and\ndrinking, till nightfall. Then the King\u2019s son of the Jinn mounted his\ncourser and taking the Prince up behind him, fared on swiftly through\nthe murks and glooms until morning, when lo, they found themselves in a\ndark land and a desert, full of black rocks and stones, as it were a\npiece of Hell; and the Prince asked the Jinni, \u201cWhat is the name of\nthis land?\u201d Answered the other, \u201cIt is called the Black Country, and\nbelongs to one of the Kings of the Jinn, by name Zu\u2019l Janahayn, against\nwhom none of the other Kings may prevail, neither may any enter his\ndominions save by his permit; so tarry thou here, whilst I go ask\nleave.\u201d So saying, he went away and, returning after awhile, they fared\non again, till they landed at a spring of water welling forth of a\nblack rock, and the King\u2019s son of the Jinn said to the King\u2019s son of\nmen, \u201cAlight!\u201d He dismounted and the other cried, \u201cDrink of this\nwater!\u201d So he drank of the spring without stay or delay; and, no sooner\nhad he done so than, by grace of Allah, he became a man as before. At\nthis he joyed with exceeding joy and asked the Jinni, \u201cO my brother,\nhow is this spring called?\u201d Answered the other, \u201cIt is called the\nWomen\u2019s Spring, for that no woman drinketh thereof but she becometh a\nman: wherefore do thou praise Allah the Most High and thank Him for thy\nrestoration and mount.\u201d So the Prince prostrated himself in gratitude\nto the Almighty, after which he mounted again and they fared on\ndiligently all that day, till they returned to the Jinni\u2019s home, where\nthe Prince passed the night in all solace of life. They spent the next\nday in eating and drinking till nightfall, when the King\u2019s son of the\nJinn asked the Prince, \u201cHast thou a mind to return to thy people this\nvery night?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d he answered; \u201cfor indeed I long for them.\u201d Then the\nJinni called one of his father\u2019s slaves, Rajiz[FN#185] hight, and said\nto him, \u201cTake this young man mounted on thy shoulders, and let not the\nday dawn ere he be with his father-in-law and his wife.\u201d Replied the\nslave, \u201cHearkening and obedience, and with love and gladness, and upon\nmy head and eyes!\u201d then, withdrawing awhile, re-appeared in the form of\nan Ifrit. When the Prince saw this, he lost his senses for affright,\nbut the Jinni said to him, \u201cFear not; no harm shall befal thee. Mount\nthy horse and leap him on to the Ifrit\u2019s shoulders.\u201d \u201cNay,\u201d answered\nhe, \u201cI will leave my horse with thee and bestride his shoulders\nmyself.\u201d So he bestrode the Ifrit\u2019s shoulders and, when the Jinni\ncried, \u201cClose thine eyes, O my lord, and be not a craven!\u201d he\nstrengthened his heart and shut his eyes. Thereupon the Ifrit rose with\nhim into the air and ceased not to fly between sky and earth, whilst\nthe Prince was unconscious, nor was the last third of the night come\nbefore he alighted down with him on the terrace-roof of his\nfather-in-law\u2019s palace. Then said the Ifrit, \u201cDismount and open thine\neyes; for this is the palace of thy father-in-law and his daughter.\u201d So\nhe came down and the Ifrit flew away and left him on the roof of the\npalace. When the day broke and the Prince recovered from his troubles,\nhe descended into the palace and as his father-in-law caught sight of\nhim, he came to meet him and marvelled to see him descend from the roof\nof the palace, saying, \u201cWe see folk enter by the doors; but thou comest\nfrom the skies.\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cWhatso Allah (may He be extolled\nand exalted!) willeth that cometh to pass.\u201d And he told him all that\nhad befallen him, from first to last, whereat the King marvelled and\nrejoiced in his safety; and, as soon as the sun rose, bade his Wazir\nmake ready splendid bride-feasts. So did he and they held the marriage\nfestival: after which the Prince went in unto his bride and abode with\nher two months, then departed with her for his father\u2019s capital. As for\nthe damsel\u2019s cousin, he died forthright of envy and jealousy. When the\nPrince and his bride drew near his father\u2019s city, the King came out to\nmeet them with his troops and Wazirs, and so Allah (blessed and exalted\nbe He!) enabled the Prince to prevail against his bride\u2019s cousin and\nhis father\u2019s Minister. \u201cAnd I pray the Almighty\u201d (added the damsel) \u201cto\naid thee against thy Wazirs, O King, and I beseech thee to do me\njustice on thy son!\u201d When the King heard this, he bade put his son to\ndeath;\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen is was the Five Hundred and Eighty-forth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nfavourite had told her tale to the King she said, \u201cI beseech thee to do\nme justice by putting thy son to death.\u201d Now this was the fourth day,\nso the fourth Wazir entered and, kissing the ground before him, said,\n\u201cAllah stablish and protect the King! O King, be deliberate in doing\nthis thou art resolved upon, for the wise man doth naught till he hath\nconsidered the issue thereof, and the proverb saith, \u2018Whoso looketh not\nto his actions\u2019 end, hath not the world to friend; and whoso acteth\nwithout consideration, there befalleth him what befel the Hammam-keeper\nwith his wife.\u2019\u201d \u201cAnd what betided him?\u201d asked the King. And the Wazir\nanswered, \u201cI have heard tell, O King, a tale of the\n\n\nWazir\u2019s Son and the Hammam-Keepeer\u2019s Wife.\u201d[FN#186]\n\nThere was once a bath-keeper, to whom resorted the notables of the folk\nand head men, and one day there came in to him a handsome youth of the\nsons of Wazirs who was fat and bulky of body. So he stood to serve him\nand when the young man put off his clothes[FN#187] he saw not his yard,\nfor that it was hidden between his thighs, by reason of the excess of\nhis fat, and there appeared thereof but what was like unto a\nfilbert.[FN#188] At this the bath-keeper fell a-lamenting and smiting\nhand upon hand, which when the youth saw, he said to him, \u201cWhat ails\nthee, O bath-keeper, to lament thus?\u201d And he answered, saying, \u201cO my\nlord, my lamentation is for thee, because thou art in sore straits, for\nall thy fair fortune and goodliness and exceeding comeliness, seeing\nthou hast naught wherewithal to do and receive delight, like unto other\nmen.\u201d Quoth the youth, \u201cThou sayst sooth, but thou mindest me of\nsomewhat I had forgotten.\u201d \u201cWhat is that?\u201d asked the bathkeeper, and\nthe youth answered, \u201cTake this gold piece and fetch me a pretty woman,\nthat I may prove my nature on her.\u201d So he took the money and betaking\nhimself to his wife, said to her, \u201cO woman, there is come to me in the\nbath a young man of the sons of the Wazirs, as he were the moon on the\nfullest night; but he hath no prickle like other men, for that which he\nhath is but some small matter like unto a filbert. I lamented over his\nyouth and he gave me this dinar and asked me to fetch him a woman on\nwhom he might approve himself. Now thou art worthier of the money than\nanother, and from this no harm shall betide us, for I will protect\nthee. So do thou sit with him awhile and laugh at him and take this\ndinar from him.\u201d So the good wife took the dinar and rising, adorned\nherself and donned the richest of her raiment. Now she was the fairest\nwoman of her time. Then she went out with her husband and he carried\nher in to the Wazir\u2019s son in a privy place. When she came in to him,\nshe looked at him and finding him a handsome youth, fair of favour as\nhe were the moon at full, was confounded at his beauty and loveliness;\nand on like wise his heart and wit were amazed at the first sight of\nher and the sweetness of her smile. So he rose forthright and locking\nthe door, took the damsel in his arms and pressed her to his bosom and\nthey embraced, whereupon the young man\u2019s yard swelled and rose on end,\nas it were that of a jackass, and he rode upon her breast and futtered\nher, whilst she sobbed and sighed and writhed and wriggled under him.\nNow the bathkeeper was standing behind the door, awaiting what should\nbetide between them, and he began to call her saying, \u201cO Umm Abdillah,\nenough! Come out, for the day is long upon thy sucking child.\u201d Quoth\nthe youth, \u201cGo forth to thy boy and come back;\u201d but quoth she, \u201cIf I go\nforth from thee, my soul will depart my body; as regards the child, so\nI must either leave him to die of weeping or let him be reared an\norphan, without a mother.\u201d So she ceased not to abide with him till he\nhad done his desire of her ten times running, while her husband stood\nat the door, calling her and crying out and weeping and imploring\nsuccour. But none came to aid him and he ceased not to do thus, saying,\n\u201cI will slay myself!\u201d; till at last, finding no way of access to his\nwife, and being distraught with rage and jealousy, to hear her sighing\nand murmuring and breathing hard under the young man, he went up to the\ntop of the bath and, casting himself down therefrom, died. \u201cMoreover, O\nKing\u201d (continued the Wazir), \u201cthere hath reached me another story of\nthe malice of women.\u201d \u201cWhat is that?\u201d asked the King, and the Wazir\nsaid, \u201cKnow, O King, that it is anent\n\n\nThe Wife\u2019s Device to Cheat her Husband.\u201d\n\nThere was once a woman who had no equal in her day for beauty and\nloveliness and grace and perfection; and a certain lewd youth and an\nobscene setting eyes on her, fell in love with her and loved her with\nexceeding passion, but she was chaste and inclined not to adultery. It\nchanced one day that her husband went on a journey to a certain town,\nwhereupon the young man fell to sending to her many times a day; but\nshe made him no reply. At last, he resorted to an old woman, who dwelt\nhard by, and after saluting her he sat down and complained to her of\nhis sufferings for love of the woman and his longing to enjoy her.\nQuoth she, \u201cI will warrant thee this; no harm shall befal thee, for I\nwill surely bring thee to thy desire, Inshallah, \u2014an it please Allah\nthe Most High!\u201d At these words he gave her a dinar and went his way.\nWhen the morning morrowed she appeared before the woman and, renewing\nan old acquaintance with her, fell to visiting her daily, eating the\nundertime with her and the evening meal and carrying away food for her\nchildren. Moreover, she used to sport and jest with her, till the wife\nbecame corrupted[FN#189] and could not endure an hour without her\ncompany. Now she was wont, when she left the lady\u2019s house, to take\nbread and fat wherewith she mixed a little pepper and to feed a bitch,\nthat was in that quarter; and thus she did day by day, till the bitch\nbecame fond of her and followed her wherever she went. One day she took\na cake of dough and, putting therein an overdose of pepper, gave it to\nthe bitch to eat, whereupon the beast\u2019s eyes began to shed tears, for\nthe heat of the pepper, and she followed the old woman, weeping. When\nthe lady saw this she was amazed and asked the ancient, \u201cO my mother,\nwhat ails this bitch to weep?\u201d Answered she, \u201cLearn, O my heart\u2019s love,\nthat hers is a strange story. Know that she was once a close friend of\nmine, a lovely and accomplished young lady, a model of comeliness and\nperfect grace. A young Nazarene of the quarter fell in love with her\nand his passion and pining increased on him, till he took to his\npillow, and he sent to her times manifold, begging her to have\ncompassion on him and show him mercy, but she refused, albeit I gave\nher good counsel, saying,\u2014O my daughter, have pity on him and be kind\nand consent to all he wisheth. She gave no heed to my advice, until,\nthe young man\u2019s patience failing him, he complained at last to one of\nhis friends, who cast an enchantment on her and changed her human shape\ninto canine form. When she saw what transformation had befallen her and\nthat there was none to pity her case save myself, she came to my house\nand began to fawn on me and buss my hands and feet and whine and shed\ntears, till I recognised her and said to her, \u2018How often did I not warn\nthee?; but my advice profited thee naught.\u2019\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old trot\nrelated to the young lady the tale of the bitch and recounted the case\nin her cunning and deceit, with the view to gain her consent and said\nto her, \u201cWhen the enchanted beast came to me and wept I reminded her,\n\u2018How often did I not warn thee?; but my advice profited thee naught.\u2019\nHowever, O my daughter, seeing her misery, I had compassion on her case\nand kept her by me; and as often as she bethinketh herself of her\nformer estate, she weepeth thus, in pity for herself.\u201d When the lady\nheard this, she was taken with great alarm and said, \u201cO my mother, by\nAllah, thou affrightest me with this thy story.\u201d \u201cWhy so?\u201d asked the\nold woman. Answered the lady, \u201cBecause a certain handsome young man\nfell in love with me and hath sent many times to me, but hitherto I\nhave repelled him; and now I fear lest there befal me the like of what\nbefel this bitch.\u201d \u201cO my daughter,\u201d rejoined the old woman, \u201clook thou\nto what I counsel thee and beware of crossing me, for I am in great\nfear for thee. If thou know not his abiding-place, describe his\nsemblance to me, that I may fetch him to thee, and let not any one\u2019s\nheart be angered against thee.\u201d So the lady described him to her, and\nshe showed not to know him and said, \u201cWhen I go out, I will ask after\nhim.\u201d But when she left the lady, she went straight to the young man\nand said to him, \u201cBe of good cheer, for I have played with the girl\u2019s\nwits; so to-morrow at noon wait thou at the head of the street, till I\ncome and carry thee to her house, where thou shalt take thine ease with\nher the rest of the day and all night long.\u201d At this the young man\nrejoiced with exceeding joy and gave her two dinars, saying, \u201cWhen I\nhave won my wish of her, I will give thee ten gold pieces.\u201d Then she\nreturned to the lady and said to her, \u201cI have seen him and spoken with\nhim on this matter. I found him exceeding wroth with thee and minded to\ndo thee a harm, but I plied him with fair words till he agreed to come\nto-morrow at the time of the call to noon-prayer.\u201d When the lady heard\nthis she rejoiced exceedingly and said, \u201cO my mother, if he keep his\npromise, I will give thee ten dinars.\u201d Quoth the old woman, \u201cLook to\nhis coming from none but from me.\u201d When the next morn morrowed she said\nto the lady, \u201cMake ready the early meal and forget not the wine and\nadorn thyself and don thy richest dress and decoration, whilst I go and\nfetch him to thee.\u201d So she clad herself in her finest finery and\nprepared food, whilst the old woman went out to look for the young man,\nwho came not. So she went around searching for him, but could come by\nno news of him, and she said to herself, \u201cWhat is to be done? Shall the\nfood and drink she hath gotten ready be wasted and I lose the gold\npieces she promised me? Indeed, I will not allow my cunning contrivance\nto come to naught, but will look her out another man and carry him to\nher.\u201d So she walked about the highways till her eyes fell on a pretty\nfellow, young and distinguished-looking, to whom the folk bowed and who\nbore in his face the traces of travel. She went up to him and saluting\nhim, asked, \u201cHast thou a mind to meat and drink and a girl adorned and\nready?\u201d Answered he, \u201cWhere is this to be had?\u201d \u201cAt home, in my house,\u201d\nrejoined she and carrying him to his own house, knocked at the door.\nThe lady opened to them and ran in again, to make an end of her\ndressing and perfuming; whilst the wicked old woman brought the man,\nwho was the husband and house-master, into the saloon and made him sit\ndown congratulating herself on her cunning contrivance. Presently in\nwalked the lady, who no sooner set eyes on her husband sitting by the\nold trot than she knew him and guessed how the case stood;\nnevertheless, she was not taken aback and without stay or delay\nbethought her of a device to hoodwink him. So she pulled off her outer\nboot and cried at her husband, \u201cIs this how thou keepest the contract\nbetween us? How canst thou betray me and deal thus with me? Know that,\nwhen I heard of thy coming, I sent this old woman to try thee and she\nhath made thee fall into that against which I warned thee: so now I am\ncertified of thine affair and that thou hast broken faith with me. I\nthought thee chaste and pure till I saw thee, with my own eyes, in this\nold woman\u2019s company and knew that thou didst frequent loose baggages.\u201d\nSo saying, she fell to beating him with her slipper about the head, and\ncrying out, \u201cDivorce me! Divorce me!\u201d; whilst he excused himself and\nswore to her, by Allah the Most High, that he had never in his life\nbeen untrue to her nor had done aught of that whereof she suspected\nhim. But she stinted not to weep and scream and bash him, crying out\nand saying, \u201cCome to my help, O Moslems!\u201d; till he laid hold of her\nmouth with his hand and she bit it. Moreover, he humbled himself to her\nand kissed her hands and feet, whilst she would not be appeased and\ncontinued to cuff him. At last, she winked at the old woman to come and\nhold her hand from him. So she came up to her and kissed her hands and\nfeet, till she made peace between them and they sat down together;\nwhereupon the husband began to kiss her hands, saying, \u201cAllah Almighty\nrequite thee with all good, for that thou hast delivered me from her!\u201d\nAnd the old woman marvelled at the wife\u2019s cunning and ready wit. \u201cThis,\nthen, O King\u201d (said the Wazir) \u201cis one of many instances of the craft\nand malice and perfidy of women.\u201d When the King heard this story, he\nwas persuaded by it and turned from his purpose to slay his son;\u2014 And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the fourth\nWazir had told his tale, the King turned from his purpose to slay his\nson; but, on the fifth day, the damsel came in to him hending a bowl of\npoison in hand, calling on Heaven for help and buffeting her cheeks and\nface, and said to him, \u201cO King, either thou shalt do me justice and\navenge me on thy son, or I will drink up this poison-cup and die, and\nthe sin of my blood shall be on thy head at the Day of Doom. These thy\nMinisters accuse me of malice and perfidy, but there be none in the\nworld more perfidious than men. Hast thou not heard the story of the\nGoldsmith and the Cashmere[FN#190] singing-girl?\u201d \u201cWhat befel the\ntwain, O damsel?\u201d asked the King; and she answered, saying, \u201cThere hath\ncome to my knowledge, O august King, a tale of the\n\n\nGoldsmith and the Cashmere Singing-Girl.\n\nThere lived once, in a city of Persia a goldsmith who delighted in\nwomen and in drinking wine. One day, being in the house of one of his\nintimates, he saw painted on the wall the figure of a lutanist, a\nbeautiful damsel, beholder never beheld a fairer or a more pleasant. He\nlooked at the picture again and again, marvelling at its beauty, and\nfell so desperately in love with it, that he sickened for passion and\ncame near to die. It chanced that one of his friends came to visit him\nand sitting down by his side, asked how he did and what ailed him,\nwhereto the goldsmith answered, \u201cO my brother, that which ails me is\nlove, and it befel on this wise. I saw a figure of a woman painted on\nthe house-wall of my brother such an one and became enamoured of it.\u201d\nHereupon the other fell to blaming him and said, \u201cThis was of thy lack\nof wit; how couldst thou fall in love with a painted figure on a wall,\nthat can neither harm nor profit, that seeth not neither heareth, that\nneither taketh nor withholdeth.\u201d Said the sick man, \u201cHe who painted\nyonder picture never could have limned it save after the likeness of\nsome beautiful woman.\u201d \u201cHaply,\u201d rejoined his friend, \u201che painted it\nfrom imagination.\u201d \u201cIn any case,\u201d replied the goldsmith, \u201chere am I\ndying for love of the picture, and if there live the original thereof\nin the world, I pray Allah Most High to protect my life till I see\nher.\u201d When those who were present went out, they asked for the painter\nof the picture and, finding that he had travelled to another town,\nwrote him a letter, complaining of their comrade\u2019s case and enquiring\nwhether he had drawn the figure of his own inventive talents or copied\nit from a living model; to which he replied, \u201cI painted it after a\ncertain singing-girl belonging to one of the Wazirs in the city of\nCashmere in the land of Hind.\u201d When the goldsmith heard this, he left\nPersia for Cashmere-city, where he arrived after much travail. He\ntarried awhile there till one day he went and clapped up an\nacquaintance with a certain of the citizens who was a druggist, a\nfellow of a sharp wit, keen, crafty; and, being one even-tide in\ncompany with him, asked him of their King and his polity; to which the\nother answered, saying, \u201cWell, our King is just and righteous in his\ngovernance, equitable to his lieges and beneficent to his commons and\nabhorreth nothing in the world save sorcerers; but, whenever a sorcerer\nor sorceress falls into his hands, he casteth them into a pit without\nthe city and there leaveth them in hunger to die.\u201d Then he questioned\nhim of the King\u2019s Wazirs, and the druggist told him of each Minister,\nhis fashion and condition, till the talk came round to the singing-girl\nand he told him, \u201cShe belongeth to such a Wazir.\u201d The goldsmith took\nnote of the Minister\u2019s abiding place and waited some days, till he had\ndevised a device to his desire; and one night of rain and thunder and\nstormy winds, he provided himself with thieves\u2019 tackle and repaired to\nthe house of the Wazir who owned the damsel. Here he hanged a\nrope-ladder with grappling-irons to the battlements and climbed up to\nthe terrace-roof of the palace. Thence he descended to the inner court\nand, making his way into the Harim, found all the slave-girls lying\nasleep, each on her own couch; and amongst them reclining on a couch of\nalabaster and covered with a coverlet of cloth of gold a damsel, as she\nwere the moon rising on a fourteenth night. At her head stood a candle\nof ambergris, and at her feet another, each in a candlestick of\nglittering gold, her brilliancy dimming them both; and under her pillow\nlay a casket of silver, wherein were her Jewels. He raised the coverlet\nand drawing near her, considered her straitly, and behold, it was the\nlutanist whom he desired and of whom he was come in quest. So he took\nout a knife and wounded her in the back parts, a palpable outer wound,\nwhereupon she awoke in terror; but, when she saw him, she was afraid to\ncry out, thinking he came to steal her goods. So she said to him, \u201cTake\nthe box and what is therein, but slay me not, for I am in thy\nprotection and under thy safe-guard[FN#191] and my death will profit\nthee nothing.\u201d Accordingly, he took the box and went away.\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen is was the Five Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\ngoldsmith had entered the Wazir\u2019s palace he wounded the damsel slightly\nin the back parts and, taking the box which contained her jewels,\nwended his way. And when morning morrowed he donned clothes after the\nfashion of men of learning and doctors of the law and, taking the\njewel-case went in therewith to the King of the city, before whom he\nkissed the ground and said to him, \u201cO King, I am a devout man; withal a\nloyal well-wisher to thee and come hither a pilgrim to thy court from\nthe land of Khorasan, attracted by the report of thy just governance\nand righteous dealing with thy subjects and minded to be under thy\nstandard. I reached this city at the last of the day and finding the\ngate locked and barred, threw me down to sleep without the walls; but,\nas I lay betwixt sleep and wake, behold, I saw four women come up; one\nriding on a broom-stick, another on a wine-jar, a third on an oven-peel\nand a fourth on a black bitch,[FN#192] and I knew that they were\nwitches making for thy city. One of them came up to me and kicked me\nwith her foot and beat me with a fox\u2019s tail she had in her hand,\nhurting me grievously, whereat I was wroth and smote her with a knife I\nhad with me, wounding her in the back parts, as she turned to flee from\nme. When she felt the wound, she fled before me and in her flight let\ndrop this casket, which I picked up and opening, found these costly\njewels therein. So do thou take it, for I have no need thereof, being a\nwanderer in the mountains[FN#193] who hath rejected the world from my\nheart and renounced it and all that is in it, seeking only the face of\nAllah the Most High.\u201d Then he set the casket before the King and fared\nforth. The King opened the box and emptying out all the trinkets it\ncontained, fell to turning them over with his hand, till he chanced\nupon a necklace whereof he had made gift to the Wazir to whom the girl\nbelonged. Seeing this, he called the Minister in question and said to\nhim, \u201cThis is the necklace I gave thee?\u201d He knew it at first sight and\nanswered, \u201cIt is; and I gave it to a singing girl of mine.\u201d Quoth the\nKing, \u201cFetch that girl to me forthwith.\u201d So he fetched her to him, and\nhe said, \u201cUncover her back parts and see if there be a wound therein or\nno.\u201d The Wazir accordingly bared her backside and finding a knife-wound\nthere, said, \u201cYes, O my lord, there is a wound.\u201d Then said the King,\n\u201cThis is the witch of whom the devotee told me, and there can be no\ndoubt of it,\u201d and bade cast her into the witches\u2019 well. So they carried\nher thither at once. As soon as it was night and the goldsmith knew\nthat his plot had succeeded, he repaired to the pit, taking with him a\npurse of a thousand dinars, and, entering into converse with the\nwarder, sat talking with him till a third part of the night was passed,\nwhen he broached the matter to him, saying, \u201cKnow, O my brother, that\nthis girl is innocent of that they lay to her charge and that it was I\nbrought this calamity upon her.\u201d Then he told him the whole story,\nfirst and last, adding, \u201cTake, O my brother, this purse of a thousand\ndinars and give me the damsel, that I may carry her to my own land, for\nthese gold pieces will profit thee more than keeping her in prison;\nmoreover Allah will requite thee for us, and we too will both offer up\nprayers for thy prosperity and safety.\u201d When the warder heard this\nstory, he marvelled with exceeding marvel at that device and its\nsuccess; then taking the money, he delivered the girl to the goldsmith,\nconditioning that he should not abide one hour with her in the city.\nThereupon the goldsmith took the girl and fared on with her, without\nceasing, till he reached his own country and so he won his wish. \u201cSee,\nthen, O King\u201d (said the damsel), \u201cthe malice of men and their wiles.\nNow thy Wazirs hinder thee from doing me justice on thy son; but\nto-morrow we shall stand, both thou and I, before the Just Judge, and\nHe shall do me justice on thee, O King.\u201d When the King heard this, he\ncommanded to put his son to death; but the fifth Wazir came in to him\nand kissing the ground before him, said, \u201cO mighty King, delay and\nhasten not to slay thy son: speed will oftentimes repentance breed; and\nI fear for thee lest thou repent, even as did the man who never laughed\nfor the rest of his days.\u201d \u201cAnd how was that, O Wazir?\u201d asked the King.\nQuoth he, \u201cI have heard tell, O King, this tale concerning\n\n\nThe Man who never Laughed during the Rest of his Days.\n\nThere was once a man who was rich in lands and houses and monies and\ngoods, eunuchs and slaves, and he died and went to the mercy of Allah\nthe Most High; leaving a young son, who, when he grew up, gave himself\nto feasting and carousing and hearing music and singing and the loud\nlaughter of parasites; and he wasted his substance in gifts and\nprodigality till he had squandered all the money his father left him,\n\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the young man,\nwhen he had squandered all the money his father had left him and naught\nthereof remained to him, betook himself to selling his slaves and\nhandmaids, lands and houses and spent the proceeds on like wise, till\nhe was reduced to beggary and must needs labour for his living. He\nabode thus a year\u2019s space, at the end of which time he was sitting one\nday under a wall, awaiting who should hire him when behold, there came\nup to him an old man of comely aspect and apparel and saluted him. The\nyoung man asked, \u201cO uncle, hast thou known me aforetime?\u201d and the other\nanswered, \u201cNot so, O my son, I know thee not at all, at all; but I see\nthe trace of gentle breeding on thee despite thy present case.\u201d \u201cO\nuncle,\u201d rejoined the poor man, \u201cneeds must Fate and Fortune be\naccomplished; but, O uncle, O bright of blee, hast thou any occasion\nwherein thou wouldst employ me?\u201d Said the other, \u201cI wish, O my son, to\nemploy thee in a slight matter.\u201d \u201cWhat is it?\u201d quoth the young man, and\nquoth the stranger, \u201cWe are eleven old men in one house, but we have\nnone to serve us; so an thou wilt stay and take service with us, thou\nshalt have food and clothing to thy heart\u2019s content, besides what\ncometh to thee of coin and other good; and haply Allah will restore\nthee thy fortune by our means.\u201d Replied the youth, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience!\u201d \u201cBut I have a condition to impose on thee.\u201d \u201cWhat is that?\u201d\n\u201cO my son, it is that thou keep our secret in what thou seest us do,\nand if thou see us weep, that thou question us not of the cause of our\nweeping.\u201d \u201cIt is well, O uncle;\u201d \u201cCome with me, O my son, with the\nblessing of Allah Almighty.\u201d So he followed him to the bath, where the\nold man caused cleanse his body of the crusted dirt, after which he\nsent one to fetch a handsome garment of linen and clad him therein.\nThen he carried him to his company which was in his domicile and the\nyouth found a house lofty and spacious and strongly builded, wherein\nwere sitting-chambers facing one another; and saloons, in each one a\nfountain of water, with the birds warbling over it, and windows on\nevery side, giving upon a fair garden within the house. The old man\nbrought him into one of the parlours, which was variegated with\nmany-coloured marbles, the ceiling thereof being decorated with\nultramarine and glowing gold; and the floor bespread with silken\ncarpets. Here he found ten Shaykhs in mourning apparel, seated one\nopposite other, weeping and wailing. He marvelled at their case and\npurposed to ask the reason, when he remembered the condition and held\nhis peace. Then he who had brought him delivered to him a chest\ncontaining thirty thousand dinars and said to him, \u201cO my son, spend\nfreely from this chest what is fitting for our entertainment and thine\nown; and be thou faithful and remember that wherewith I charged thee.\u201d\n\u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d answered he and served them days and nights, till\none of them died, whereupon his fellows washed him and shrouded him and\nburied him in a garden behind the house,[FN#194] nor did death cease to\ntake them, one after other, till there remained but the Shaykh who had\nhired the youth for service. Then the two men, old and young, dwelt\ntogether in that house alone for years and years, nor was there with\nthem a third save Allah the Most High, till the elder fell sick; and\nwhen the younger despaired of his life, he went up to him and condoling\nwith him, said, \u201cO nuncle mine, I have waited upon you twelve years and\nhave not failed of my duties a single hour, but have been loyal and\nfaithful to you and served you with my might and main.\u201d \u201cYes, O my\nson,\u201d answered the old man, \u201cthou hast served us well until all my\ncomrades are gone to the mercy of Allah (to whom belong honour and\nglory!) and needs must I die also.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d said the other, \u201cthou\nart in danger of death and I would fain have thee acquaint me with the\ncause of your weeping and wailing and of your unceasing mourning and\nlamentation and regrets.\u201d \u201cO my son,\u201d answered the old man, \u201cit\nconcerns thee not to know this, so importune me not of what I may not\ndo: for I have vowed to Almighty Allah that I would acquaint none of\nHis creatures with this, lest he be afflicted with what befel me and my\ncomrades. If, then, thou desire to be delivered from that into which we\nfell, look thou open not yonder door,\u201d[FN#195] and pointed to a\ncertain part of the house; \u201cbut, if thou have a mind to suffer what we\nhave suffered, then open it and thou shalt learn the cause of that thou\nhast seen us do; and whenas thou knowest it, thou shalt repent what\ntime repentance will avail thee not.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the surviving\nShaykh of the ten said to the youth, \u201cBeware how thou open yonder door\nor thou shalt repent what time repentance will avail thee not.\u201d Then\nhis sickness grew on him and he accomplished his term and departed life\nto the presence of his Lord; and the young man washed him with his own\nhands and shrouded him and buried him by the side of his comrades;\nafter which he abode alone in the place and took possession of\nwhatsoever was therein. Withal he was uneasy and troubled concerning\nthe case of the old men, till, one day, as he sat pondering the words\nof his dead master and his injunction not to open the door, he suddenly\nbethought himself to go and look for it. So he rose up and repaired to\nthe part whither the dead man had pointed and sought till, in a dark\nunfrequented corner, he found a little door, over which the spider had\nspun her webs and which was fastened with four padlocks of steel.\nSeeing this he recalled the old man\u2019s warning and restrained himself\nand went away; and he held aloof from it seven days, whilst all the\ntime his heart prompted him to open it. On the eighth day his curiosity\ngot the better of him and he said, \u201cCome what will, needs must I open\nthe door and see what will happen to me therefrom. Nothing can avert\nwhat is fated and fore-ordained of Allah the Most High; nor doth aught\nbefal but by His will.\u201d So saying, he rose and broke the padlocks and\nopening the door saw a narrow passage, which he followed for some three\nhours when lo! he came out on the shore of a vast ocean[FN#196] and\nfared on along the beach, marvelling at this main, whereof he had no\nknowledge and turning right and left. Presently, a great eagle swooped\ndown upon him from the lift and seizing him in its talons, flew away\nwith him betwixt heaven and earth, till it came to an island in the\nmidst of the sea, where it cast him down and flew away. The youth was\ndazed and knew not whither he should wend, but after a few days as he\nsat pondering his case, he caught sight of the sails of a ship in the\nmiddlemost of the main, as it were a star in the sky; and his heart\nclave to it, so haply his deliverance might be therein. He continued\ngazing at the ship, until it drew nigh, when he saw that it was a foyst\nbuilded all of ivory and ebony, inlaid with glistening gold made fast\nby nails of steel, with oars of sandal and lign-aloes. In it were ten\ndamsels, high-bosomed maids, as they were moons; and when they saw him,\nthey came ashore to him and kissed his hands, saying, \u201cThou art the\nKing, the Bridegroom!\u201d Then there accosted him a young lady, as she\nwere the sun shining in sky serene bearing in hand a silken napkin,\nwherein were a royal robe and a crown of gold set with all manner\nrubies and pearls. She threw the robe over him and set the crown upon\nhis head, after which the damsels bore him on their arms to the foyst,\nwhere he found all kinds of silken carpets and hangings of various\ncolours. Then they spread the sails and stretched out into mid-ocean.\nQuoth the young man, \u201cIndeed, when they put to sea with me, meseemed it\nwas a dream and I knew not whither they were wending with me.\nPresently, we drew near to land, and I saw the shore full of troops\nnone knoweth their number save Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) and\nall were magnificently arrayed and clad in complete steel. As soon as\nthe vessel had made fast to the land, they brought me five\nmarked[FN#197] horses of noble breeds, housed and saddled with gold,\ninlaid with all manner pearls and high-priced bezel stones. I chose out\none of them and mounted it, whilst they led the four others before me.\nThen they raised the banners and the standards over my head, whilst the\ntroops ranged themselves right and left, and we set out, with drums\nbeating and cymbals clashing, and rode on; whilst I debated in myself\nwhether I were in sleep or on wake; and we never ceased faring, I\nbelieving not in that my estate, but taking all this for the imbroglio\nof a dream, till we drew near to the green mead, full of palaces and\ngardens and trees and streams and blooms and birds chanting the praises\nof Allah the One, the Victorious. Hereupon, behold, an army sallied out\nfrom amid the palaces and gardens, as it were the torrent when it\npoureth down,[FN#198] and the host overflowed the mead. These troops\nhalted at a little distance from me and presently there rode forth from\namongst them a King, preceded by some of his chief officers on foot.\u201d\nWhen he came up to the young man (saith the tale-teller) he dismounted\nalso, and the two saluted each other after the goodliest fashion. Then\nsaid the King, \u201cCome with us, for thou art my guest.\u201d So they took\nhorse again and rode on stirrup touching stirrup in great and stately\nprocession, conversing as they went, till they came to the royal\npalace, where they alighted together.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninetieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two rode\ntogether in stately procession till they entered the palace, when the\nKing taking the young man by the hand, led him into a domed room\nfollowed by his suite, and making him sit down on a throne of gold,\nseated himself beside him. Then he unbound the swathe from his lower\nface; and behold, the King was a young lady, like the splendid sun\nshining in the sheeny sky, perfect in beauty and loveliness, brilliancy\nand grace, arrogance[FN#199] and all perfection. The youth looked upon\nthis singular blessing and embodied boon and was lost in wonder at her\ncharms and comeliness and seemlihead and at the splendour and affluence\nhe saw about him, when she said \u201cKnow, O King, that I am the Queen of\nthis land and that all the troops thou hast seen, whether horse or\nfoot, are women, there is no man amongst them; for in this our state\nthe men delve and sow and ear and occupy themselves with the tillage of\nthe earth and the building of towns and other mechanical crafts and\nuseful arts, whilst the women govern and fill the great offices of\nstate and bear arms.\u201d At this the youth marvelled with exceeding marvel\nand, as they were in discourse, behold, in came the Wazir who was a\ntall gray-haired old woman of venerable semblance and majestic aspect,\nand it was told him that this was the Minister. Quoth the Queen to her,\n\u201cBring us the Kazi and witnesses.\u201d So she went out to do this, and the\nQueen, turning to him, conversed with him in friendly fashion, and\nenforced herself to reassure his awe of her and do away his shame with\nspeech blander than the zephyr, saying, \u201cArt thou content to be to me\nbaron and I to thee feme?\u201d Thereupon he arose and would have kissed\nground between her hands, but she forbade him and he replied, saying,\n\u201cO my lady, I am the least of thy slaves who serve thee.\u201d \u201cSeest thou\nall these servants and soldiers and riches and hoards and treasures?\u201d\nasked she, and he answered, \u201cYes!\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAll these are at thy\ncommandment to dispose of them and give and bestow as seemeth good to\nthee.\u201d Then she pointed to a closed door and said, \u201cAll these things\nare at thy disposal, save yonder door; that shalt thou not open, and if\nthou open it thou shalt repent when repentance will avail thee naught.\nSo beware! and again I say, beware!\u201d Hardly had she made an end of\nspeaking when the Waziress entered followed by the Kazii and witnesses,\nall old women, with their hair streaming over their shoulders and of\nreverend and majestic presence; and the Queen bade them draw up the\ncontract of marriage between herself and the young man. Accordingly,\nthey performed the marriage-ceremony and the Queen made a great\nbride-feast, to which she bade all the troops; and after they had eaten\nand drunken, he went in unto his bride and found her a maid virginal.\nSo he did away her hymen and abode with her seven years in all joyance\nand solace and delight of life, till, one day of the days, he bethought\nhimself of the forbidden door and said in himself, \u201cExcept there were\ntherein treasures greater and grander than any I have seen, she had not\nforbidden me therefrom.\u201d So he rose and opened the door, when, lo!\nbehind it was the very bird which had brought him from the sea-shore to\nthe island, and it said to him, \u201cNo welcome to a face that shall never\nprosper!\u201d When he saw it and heard what it said, he fled from it; but\nit followed him and seizing him in its talons, flew with him an hour\u2019s\njourney betwixt heaven and earth, till it set him down in the place\nwhence it had first carried him off and flew away. When he came to his\nsenses, he remembered his late estate, great, grand and glorious, and\nthe troops which rode before him and his lordly rule and all the honour\nand fair fortune he had lost and fell to weeping and wailing.[FN#200]\nHe abode two months on the sea-shore, where the bird had set him down,\nhoping yet to return to his wife, till, as he sat one night wakeful,\nmourning and musing, behold, he heard one speaking, albeit he saw no\none, and saying, \u201cHow great were the delights! Alas, far from thee is\nthe return of that which is past!\u201d When he heard this, he redoubled in\nhis regrets and despaired of recovering his wife and his fair estate\nthat was; so he returned, weary and broken-hearted, to the house where\nhe had dwelt with the old men and knew that they had fared even as he\nand that this was the cause of their shedding tears and lamenting their\nlot; wherefore he ever after held them excused. Then, being overcome\nwith chagrin and concern, he took to his chamber and gave himself up to\nmourning and lamentation; and he ceased not crying and complaining and\nleft eating and drinking and pleasant scents and merriment; nor did he\nlaugh once till the day of his death, when they buried him beside the\nShaykhs. \u201cSee, then, O King,\u201d continued the Wazir \u201cwhat cometh of\nprecipitance; verily, it is unpraiseworthy and bequeatheth repentance;\nand in this I give thee true advice and loyal counsel.\u201d When the King\nheard this story, he turned from slaying his son;\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\nheard this story he turned from slaying his son; but, on the sixth day,\nthe favourite came in to him hending a naked knife in hand, and said to\nhim, \u201cKnow, O my lord, that except thou hearken to my complaint and\nprotect thy right and thine honour against these thy Ministers, who are\nbanded together against me, to do me wrong, I will kill myself with\nthis knife, and my blood will testify against thee on the Day of Doom.\nIndeed, they pretend that women are full of tricks and malice and\nperfidy; and they design thereby to defeat me of my due and hinder the\nKing from doing me justice; but, behold, I will prove to thee that men\nare more perfidious than women by the story of a King among the Kings\nand how he gained access to the wife of a certain merchant.\u201d \u201cAnd what\npassed between them?\u201d asked the King, and she answered, \u201cI have heard\ntell, O august King, a tale of\n\n\nThe King\u2019s Son and the Merchant\u2019s Wife.\n\nA certain merchant, who was addicted to jealousy, had a wife that was a\nmodel of beauty and loveliness; and of the excess of his fear and\njealousy of her, he would not abide with her in any town, but built her\na pavilion without the city, apart from all other buildings. And he\nraised its height and strengthened its doors and provided them with\ncurious locks; and when he had occasion to go into the city, he locked\nthe doors and hung the keys about his neck.[FN#201] One day, when the\nmerchant was abroad, the King\u2019s son of that city came forth, to take\nhis pleasure and solace in the open country without the walls, and\nseeing the solitary pavilion, stood still to examine it for a long\nwhile. At last he caught sight of a charming lady looking and leaning\nout of one of the windows,[FN#202] and being smitten with amazement at\nher grace and charms, cast about for a means of getting to her, but\ncould find none. So he called up one of his pages, who brought him\nink-case[FN#203] and paper and wrote her a letter, setting forth his\ncondition for love of her. Then he set it on the pile-point of an arrow\nand shot it at the pavilion, and it fell in the garden, where the lady\nwas then walking with her maidens. She said to one of the girls,\n\u201cHasten and bring me yon letter,\u201d for she could read writing;[FN#204]\nand, when she had read it and understood what he said in it of his love\nand passion, yearning and longing, she wrote him a merciful reply, to\nthe effect that she was smitten with a yet fiercer desire for him; and\nthen threw the letter down to him from one of the windows of the\npavilion. When he saw her, he picked up the reply and after reading it,\ncame under the window and said to her, \u201cLet me down a thread, that I\nmay send thee this key; which do thou take and keep by thee.\u201d So she\nlet down a thread and he tied the key to it.[FN#205] Then he went away\nand repairing to one of his father\u2019s Wazirs, complained to him of his\npassion for the lady and that he could not live without her; and the\nMinister said, \u201cAnd how dost thou bid me contrive?\u201d Quoth the Prince,\n\u201cI would have thee set me in a chest[FN#206] and commit it to the\nmerchant, feigning to him that it is thine and desiring him to keep it\nfor thee in his country-house some days, that I may have my will of\nher; then do thou demand it back from him.\u201d The Wazir answered, \u201cWith\nlove and gladness.\u201d So the Prince returned to his palace and fixing the\npadlock, the key whereof he had given the lady, on a chest he had by\nhim, entered therein. Then the Wazir locked it upon him and setting it\non a mule, carried it to the pavilion of the merchant, who, seeing the\nMinister, came forth to him and kissed his hands, saying, \u201cBelike our\nlord the Wazir hath some need or business which we may have the\npleasure and honour of accomplishing for him?\u201d Quoth the Minister, \u201cI\nwould have thee set this chest in the safest and best place within thy\nhouse and keep it till I seek it of thee.\u201d So the merchant made the\nporters carry it inside and set it down in one of his store-closets,\nafter which he went out on business. As soon as he was gone, his wife\narose and went up to the chest and unlocked it with the key the King\u2019s\nson had given her, whereupon there came forth a youth like the moon.\nWhen she saw him, she donned her richest raiment and carried him to her\nsitting-saloon, where they abode seven days, eating and drinking and\nmaking merry: and as often as her husband came home, she put the Prince\nback into the chest and locked it upon him. One day the King asked for\nhis son and the Wazir hurried off to the merchant\u2019s place of business\nand sought of him the chest.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir\nreached the merchant\u2019s counting-house he asked for the box. The man\naccordingly repaired in haste to his pavilion, contrary to his custom\nand knocked at the door. When his wife was ware of him, she hurried the\nPrince back into the chest, but, in her confusion, forgot to lock it.\nThe merchant bade the porters take it up and carry it to his house in\nthe town. So they took up the box by the lid, whereupon it flew open\nand lo! the Prince was lying within. When the merchant saw him and knew\nhim for the King\u2019s son, he went out to the Wazir and said to him, \u201cGo\nin, thou, and take the King\u2019s son; for none of us may lay hands on\nhim.\u201d So the Minister went in and taking the Prince, went away with\nhim. As soon as they were gone, the merchant put away his wife and\nswore that he would never marry again. \u201cAnd,\u201d continued the damsel, \u201cI\nhave heard tell, also, O King, a tale of\n\n\nThe Page who Feigned to Know the Speech of Birds.[FN#207]\n\nA certain man of rank once entered the slave-market and saw a page\nbeing cried for sale; so he bought him and carrying him home, said to\nhis wife, \u201cTake good care of him.\u201d The lad abode there for a while\ntill, one day, the man said to his wife, \u201cGo forth to-morrow to the\ngarden and take thy solace therein and amuse thyself and enjoy\nthyself.\u201d And she replied, \u201cWith love and gladness!\u201d Now when the page\nheard this, he made ready in secret meat and drink and fruits and\ndesert, and sallied forth with them privily that night to the garden,\nwhere he laid the meat under one tree, the wine under another and the\nfruit and conserves under a third, in the way his mistress must pass.\nWhen morning morrowed the husband bade him accompany the lady to that\ngarden carrying with him all the provisions required for the day; so\nshe took horse and riding thither with him, dismounted and entered.\nPresently, as they were walking about, a crow croaked,[FN#208] and the\npage said, \u201cThou sayst sooth;\u201d whereupon his mistress asked him, \u201cDost\nthou know what the crow said?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cYes, O my lady, he\nsaid, Under yonder tree is meat; go and eat it.\u201d So she said, \u201cI see\nthou really dost understand them;\u201d then she went up to the tree and,\nfinding a dish of meat ready dressed, was assured that the youth told\nthe truth and marvelled with exceeding marvel. They ate of the meat and\nwalked about awhile, taking their pleasure in the garden, till the crow\ncroaked a second time, and the page again replied, \u201cThou sayst sooth.\u201d\n\u201cWhat said he?\u201d quoth the lady, and quoth the page, \u201cO my lady, he\nsaith that under such a tree are a gugglet of water flavoured with musk\nand a pitcher of old wine.\u201d So she went up with him to the tree and,\nfinding the wine and water there, redoubled in wonderment and the page\nwas magnified in her eyes. They sat down and drank, then arose and\nwalked in another part of the garden. Presently the crow croaked again\nand the page said, \u201cThou sayst sooth.\u201d Said the lady, \u201cWhat saith he\nnow?\u201d and the page replied, \u201cHe saith that under yonder tree are\nfruits, fresh and dried.\u201d So they went thither and found all as he said\nand sat down and ate. Then they walked about again till the crow\ncroaked a fourth time, whereupon the page took up a stone and threw it\nat him. Quoth she, \u201cWhat said he, that thou shouldst stone him?\u201d \u201cO my\nlady,\u201d answered he, \u201che said what I cannot tell thee.\u201d \u201cSay on,\u201d\nrejoined she, \u201cand be not abashed in my presence, for there is naught\nbetween me and thee.\u201d But he ceased not to say, \u201cNo,\u201d and she to press\nhim to speak, till at last she conjured him to tell her, and he\nanswered, \u201cThe crow said to me, \u2018Do with thy lady even as doth her\nhusband.\u2019\u201d When she heard his words she laughed till she fell backward\nand said, \u201cThis is a light matter, and I may not gainsay thee therein.\u201d\nSo saying, she went up to a tree and, spreading the carpet under it,\nlay down, and called to him to come and do her need, when, lo! her\nhusband, who had followed them unawares and saw this, called out to the\npage, saying, \u201cHarkye, boy! What ails thy mistress to lie there,\nweeping?\u201d Answered the page, \u201cO my lord, she fell off the tree and was\nkilled;[FN#209] and none but Allah (be He extolled and exalted!)\nrestored her to thee. Wherefore she lay down awhile to recover herself\nby rest.\u201d When the lady saw her husband standing by her head, she rose\nand made a show of weakness and pain, saying, \u201cO my back! O my sides!\nCome to my help, O my friends! I shall never survive this.\u201d So her\nhusband was deceived and said to the page, \u201cFetch thy mistress\u2019s horse\nand set her thereon.\u201d Then he carried her home, the boy holding one\nstirrup and the man the other and saying, \u201cAllah vouchsafe thee ease\nand recovery!\u201d \u201cThese then, O King,\u201d (said the damsel) \u201care some\ninstances of the craft of men and their perfidy; wherefore let not thy\nWazirs turn thee from succouring me and doing me justice.\u201d Then she\nwept, and when the King saw her weeping (for she was the dearest to him\nof all his slave-girls) he once more commanded to put his son to death;\nbut the sixth Minister entered and kissing ground before him, said,\n\u201cMay the Almighty advance the King! Verily I am a loyal counsellor to\nthee, in that I counsel thee to deal deliberately in the matter of thy\nson;\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the sixth Wazir\nsaid, \u201cO King, deal deliberately in the matter of thy son; for\nfalsehood is as smoke and fact is built on base which shall not be\nbroken; yea, and the light of sooth dispelleth the night of untruth.\nKnow that the perfidy of women is great, even as saith Allah the Most\nHigh in His Holy Book, \u201cVerily, the malice of you is great.[FN#210] And\nindeed a tale hath reached me that a certain woman befooled the Chiefs\nof the State on such wise as never did any before her.\u201d Asked the King,\n\u201cAnd how was that?\u201d And the Wazir answered, \u201cI have heard tell a tale,\nO King, as follows concerning\n\n\nThe Lady and her Five Suitors.[FN#211]\n\nA woman of the daughters of the merchants was married to a man who was\na great traveller. It chanced once that he set out for a far country\nand was absent so long that his wife, for pure ennui, fell in love with\na handsome young man of the sons of the merchants, and they loved each\nother with exceeding love. One day, the youth quarrelled with another\nman, who lodged a complaint against him with the Chief of Police, and\nhe cast him into prison. When the news came to the merchant\u2019s wife his\nmistress, she wellnigh lost her wits; then she arose and donning her\nrichest clothes repaired to the house of the Chief of Police. She\nsaluted him and presented a written petition to this purport, \u201cHe thou\nhast clapped in jail is my brother, such and such, who fell out with\nsuch an one; and those who testified against him bore false witness. He\nhath been wrongfully imprisoned, and I have none other to come in to me\nnor to provide for my support; therefore I beseech thee of thy grace to\nrelease him.\u201d When the magistrate had read the paper, he cast his eyes\non her and fell in love with her forthright; so he said to her, \u201cGo\ninto the house, till I bring him before me; then I will send for thee\nand thou shalt take him.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d replied she, \u201cI have none to\nprotect me save Almighty Allah!: I am a stranger and may not enter any\nman\u2019s abode.\u201d Quoth the Wali, \u201cI will not let him go, except thou come\nto my home and I take my will of thee.\u201d Rejoined she, \u201cIf it must be\nso, thou must needs come to my lodging and sit and sleep the siesta and\nrest the whole day there.\u201d \u201cAnd where is thy abode?\u201d asked he; and she\nanswered, \u201cIn such a place,\u201d and appointed him for such a time. Then\nshe went out from him, leaving his heart taken with love of her, and\nshe repaired to the Kazi of the city, to whom she said, \u201cO our lord the\nKazi!\u201d He exclaimed, \u201cYes!\u201d and she continued, \u201cLook into my case, and\nthy reward be with Allah the Most High!\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWho hath wronged\nthee?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cO my lord, I have a brother and I have none but\nthat one, and it is on his account that I come to thee; because the\nWali hath imprisoned him for a criminal and men have borne false\nwitness against him that he is a wrong-doer; and I beseech thee to\nintercede for him with the Chief of Police.\u201d When the Kazi looked on\nher, he fell in love with her forthright and said to her, \u201cEnter the\nhouse and rest awhile with my handmaids whilst I send to the Wali to\nrelease thy brother. If I knew the money-fine which is upon him, I\nwould pay it out of my own purse, so I may have my desire of thee, for\nthou pleasest me with thy sweet speech.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cIf thou, O my\nlord, do thus, we must not blame others.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cAn thou wilt not\ncome in, wend thy ways.\u201d Then said she, \u201cAn thou wilt have it so, O our\nlord, it will be privier and better in my place than in thine, for here\nare slave-girls and eunuchs and goers-in and comers-out, and indeed I\nam a woman who wotteth naught of this fashion; but need compelleth.\u201d\nAsked the Kazi, \u201cAnd where is thy house?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cIn such a\nplace,\u201d and appointed him for the same day and time as the Chief of\nPolice. Then she went out from him to the Wazir, to whom she preferred\nher petition for the release from prison of her brother who was\nabsolutely necessary to her: but he also required her of herself,\nsaying, \u201cSuffer me to have my will of thee and I will set thy brother\nfree.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cAn thou wilt have it so, be it in my house, for\nthere it will be privier both for me and for thee. It is not far\ndistant and thou knowest that which behoveth us women of cleanliness\nand adornment.\u201d Asked he, \u201cWhere is thy house?\u201d \u201cIn such a place,\u201d\nanswered she and appointed him for the same time as the two others.\nThen she went out from him to the King of the city and told him her\nstory and sought of him her brother\u2019s release. \u201cWho imprisoned him?\u201d\nenquired he; and she replied, \u201cTwas thy Chief of Police.\u201d When the King\nheard her speech, it transpierced his heart with the arrows of love and\nhe bade her enter the palace with him, that he might send to the Kazi\nand release her brother. Quoth she, \u201cO King, this thing is easy to\nthee, whether I will or nill; and if the King will indeed have this of\nme, it is of my good fortune; but, if he come to my house, he will do\nme the more honour by setting step therein, even as saith the poet,\n\n\u2018O my friends, have ye seen or have ye heard * Of his visit whose\nvirtues I hold so high?\u2019\u201d\n\nQuoth the King, \u201cWe will not cross thee in this.\u201d So she appointed him\nfor the same time as the three others, and told him where her house\nwas.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the woman told\nthe King where her house was and appointed him for the same time as the\nWali, the Kazi and the Wazir. Then she left him and betaking herself to\na man which was a carpenter, said to him, \u201cI would have thee make me a\ncabinet with four compartments one above other, each with its door for\nlocking up. Let me know thy hire and I will give it thee.\u201d Replied he,\n\u201cMy price will be four dinars; but, O noble lady and well-protected, if\nthou wilt vouchsafe me thy favours, I will ask nothing of thee.\u201d\nRejoined she, \u201cAn there be no help but that thou have it so, then make\nthou five compartments with their padlocks;\u201d and she appointed him to\nbring it exactly on the day required. Said he, \u201cIt is well; sit down, O\nmy lady, and I will make it for thee forthright, and after I will come\nto thee at my leisure.\u201d So she sat down by him, whilst he fell to work\non the cabinet, and when he had made an end of it she chose to see it\nat once carried home and set up in the sitting-chamber. Then she took\nfour gowns and carried them to the dyer, who dyed them each of a\ndifferent colour; after which she applied herself to making ready meat\nand drink; fruits, flowers and perfumes. Now when the appointed\ntrysting day came, she donned her costliest dress and adorned herself\nand scented herself, then spread the sitting-room with various kinds of\nrich carpets and sat down to await who should come. And behold, the\nKazi was the first to appear, devancing the rest, and when she saw him,\nshe rose to her feet and kissed the ground before him; then, taking him\nby the hand, made him sit down by her on the couch and lay with him and\nfell to jesting and toying with him. By and by, he would have her do\nhis desire, but she said, \u201cO my lord, doff thy clothes and turband and\nassume this yellow cassock and this head-kerchief,[FN#212] whilst I\nbring thee meat and drink; and after thou shalt win thy will.\u201d So\nsaying, she took his clothes and turband and clad him in the cassock\nand the kerchief; but hardly had she done this, when lo! there came a\nknocking at the door. Asked he, \u201cWho is that rapping at the door?\u201d and\nshe answered, \u201cMy husband.\u201d Quoth the Kazi, \u201cWhat is to be done, and\nwhere shall I go?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cFear nothing, I will hide thee in this\ncabinet;\u201d and he, \u201cDo as seemeth good to thee.\u201d So she took him by the\nhand and pushing him into the lowest compartment, locked the door upon\nhim. Then she went to the house-door, where she found the Wali; so she\nbussed ground before him and taking his hand brought him into the\nsaloon, where she made him sit down and said to him, \u201cO my lord, this\nhouse is thy house; this place is thy place, and I am thy handmaid:\nthou shalt pass all this day with me; wherefore do thou doff thy\nclothes and don this red gown, for it is a sleeping gown.\u201d So she took\naway his clothes and made him assume the red gown and set on his head\nan old patched rag she had by her; after which she sat by him on the\ndivan and she sported with him while he toyed with her awhile, till he\nput out his hand to her. Whereupon she said to him, \u201cO our lord, this\nday is thy day and none shall share in it with thee; but first, of thy\nfavour and benevolence, write me an order for my brother\u2019s release from\ngaol that my heart may be at ease.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cHearkening and\nobedience: on my head and eyes be it!\u201d; and wrote a letter to his\ntreasurer, saying, \u201cAs soon as this communication shall reach thee, do\nthou set such an one free, without stay or delay; neither answer the\nbearer a word.\u201d Then he sealed it and she took it from him, after which\nshe began to toy again with him on the divan when, behold, some one\nknocked at the door. He asked, \u201cWho is that?\u201d and she answered, \u201cMy\nhusband.\u201d \u201cWhat shall I do?\u201d said he, and she, \u201cEnter this cabinet,\ntill I send him away and return to thee.\u201d So she clapped him into the\nsecond compartment from the bottom and padlocked the door on him; and\nmeanwhile the Kazi heard all they said. Then she went to the house-door\nand opened it, whereupon lo! the Wazir entered. She bussed the ground\nbefore him and received him with all honour and worship, saying, \u201cO my\nlord, thou exaltest us by thy coming to our house; Allah never deprive\nus of the light of thy countenance!\u201d Then she seated him on the divan\nand said to him, \u201cO my lord, doff thy heavy dress and turband and don\nthese lighter vestments.\u201d So he put off his clothes and turband and she\nclad him in a blue cassock and a tall red bonnet, and said to him,\n\u201cErst thy garb was that of the Wazirate; so leave it to its own time\nand don this light gown, which is better fitted for carousing and\nmaking merry and sleep.\u201d Thereupon she began to play with him and he\nwith her, and he would have done his desire of her; but she put him\noff, saying, \u201cO my lord, this shall not fail us.\u201d As they were talking\nthere came a knocking at the door, and the Wazir asked her, \u201cWho is\nthat?\u201d: to which she answered, \u201cMy husband.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhat is to be\ndone?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cEnter this cabinet, till I get rid of him and come\nback to thee and fear thou nothing.\u201d So she put him in the third\ncompartment and locked the door on him, after which she went out and\nopened the house-door when lo and behold! in came the King. As soon as\nshe saw him she kissed ground before him, and taking him by the hand,\nled him into the saloon and seated him on the divan at the upper end.\nThen said she to him, \u201cVerily, O King, thou dost us high honour, and if\nwe brought thee to gift the world and all that therein is, it would not\nbe worth a single one of thy steps us-wards.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\nentered the lady\u2019s house she said to him, \u201cHad we brought thee to gift\nthe world and all which is therein, it would not be worth a single one\nof thy steps us-wards.\u201d And when he had taken his seat upon the divan\nshe said, \u201cGive me leave to speak one word.\u201d \u201cSay what thou wilt,\u201d\nanswered he, and she said, \u201cO my lord, take thine ease and doff thy\ndress and turband.\u201d Now his clothes were worth a thousand dinars; and\nwhen he put them off she clad him in a patched gown, worth at the very\nmost ten dirhams, and fell to talking and jesting with him; all this\nwhile the folk in the cabinet hearing everything that passed, but not\ndaring to say a word. Presently, the King put his hand to her neck and\nsought to do his desire of her; when she said, \u201cThis thing shall not\nfail us, but I had first promised myself to entertain thee in this\nsitting-chamber, and I have that which shall content thee.\u201d Now as they\nwere speaking, some one knocked at the door and he asked her, \u201cWho is\nthat?\u201d \u201cMy husband,\u201d answered she, and he, \u201cMake him go away of his own\ngood will, or I will fare forth to him and send him away perforce.\u201d\nReplied she, \u201cNay, O my lord, have patience till I send him away by my\nskilful contrivance.\u201d \u201cAnd I, how shall I do!\u201d enquired the King;\nwhereupon she took him by the hand and making him enter the fourth\ncompartment of the cabinet, locked it upon him. Then she went out and\nopened the house-door when behold, the carpenter entered and saluted\nher. Quoth she, \u201cWhat manner of thing is this cabinet thou hast made\nme?\u201d \u201cWhat aileth it, O my lady?\u201d asked he, and she answered, \u201cThe top\ncompartment is too strait.\u201d Rejoined he, \u201cNot so;\u201d and she, \u201cGo in\nthyself and see; it is not wide enough for thee.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cIt is wide\nenough for four,\u201d and entered the fifth compartment, whereupon she\nlocked the door on him. Then she took the letter of the Chief of Police\nand carried it to the treasurer who, having read and understood it,\nkissed it and delivered her lover to her. She told him all she had done\nand he said, \u201cAnd how shall we act now?\u201d She answered, \u201cWe will remove\nhence to another city, for after this work there is no tarrying for us\nhere.\u201d So the twain packed up what goods they had and, loading them on\ncamels, set out forthright for another city. Meanwhile, the five abode\neach in his compartment of the cabinet without eating or drinking three\nwhole days, during which time they held their water until at last the\ncarpenter could retain his no longer; so he staled on the King\u2019s head,\nand the King urined on the Wazir\u2019s head, and the Wazir piddled on the\nWali and the Wali pissed on the head of the Kazi; whereupon the Judge\ncried out and said, \u201cWhat nastiness[FN#213] is this? Doth not what\nstrait we are in suffice us, but you must make water upon us?\u201d The\nChief of Police recognised the Kazi\u2019s voice and answered, saying aloud,\n\u201cAllah increase thy reward, O Kazi!\u201d And when the Kazi heard him, he\nknew him for the Wali. Then the Chief of Police lifted up his voice and\nsaid, \u201cWhat means this nastiness?\u201d and the Wazir answered, saying,\n\u201cAllah increase thy reward, O Wali!\u201d whereupon he knew him to be the\nMinister. Then the Wazir lifted up his voice and said, \u201cWhat means this\nnastiness?\u201d But when the King heard and recognised his Minister\u2019s\nvoice, he held his peace and concealed his affair. Then said the Wazir,\n\u201cMay God damn[FN#214] this woman for her dealing with us! She hath\nbrought hither all the Chief Officers of the state, except the King.\u201d\nQuoth the King, \u201cHold your peace, for I was the first to fall into the\ntoils of this lewd strumpet.\u201d Whereat cried the carpenter, \u201cAnd I, what\nhave I done? I made her a cabinet for four gold pieces, and when I came\nto seek my hire, she tricked me into entering this compartment and\nlocked the door on me.\u201d And they fell to talking with one another,\ndiverting the King and doing away his chagrin. Presently the neighbours\ncame up to the house and, seeing it deserted, said one to other, \u201cBut\nyesterday our neighbour, the wife of such an one, was in it; but now no\nsound is to be heard therein nor is soul to be seen. Let us break open\nthe doors and see how the case stands, lest it come to the ears of the\nWali or the King and we be cast into prison and regret not doing this\nthing before.\u201d So they broke open the doors and entered the saloon,\nwhere they saw a large wooden cabinet and heard men within groaning for\nhunger and thirst. Then said one of them, \u201cIs there a Jinni in this\ncabinet?\u201d and his fellow, \u201cLet us heap fuel about it and burn it with\nfire.\u201d When the Kazi heard this, he bawled out to them, \u201cDo it\nnot!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nneighbours proposed to heap fuel about the cabinet and to burn it the\nKazi bawled out to them, \u201cDo it not!\u201d And they said to one another,\n\u201cVerily the Jinn make believe to be mortals and speak with men\u2019s\nvoices.\u201d Thereupon the Kazi repeated somewhat of the Sublime Koran and\nsaid to the neighbours, \u201cDraw near to the cabinet wherein we are.\u201d So\nthey drew near, and he said, \u201cI am so and so the Kazi, and ye are such\nan one and such an one, and we are here a company.\u201d Quoth the\nneighbours, \u201cWho brought you here?\u201d And he told them the whole case\nfrom beginning to end. Then they fetched a carpenter, who opened the\nfive doors and let out Kazi, Wazir, Wali, King and carpenter in their\nqueer disguises; and each, when he saw how the others were accoutred,\nfell a-laughing at them. Now she had taken away all their clothes; so\nevery one of them sent to his people for fresh clothes and put them on\nand went out, covering himself therewith from the sight of the folk.\n\u201cConsider, therefore, O our lord the King\u201d (said the Wazir), \u201cwhat a\ntrick this woman played off upon the folk! And I have heard tell also a\ntale of\n\n\nThe Three Wishes,[FN#215] or the Man who Longed to see the Night of\nPower.\n\nA certain man had longed all his life to look upon the Night of\nPower,[FN#216] and one night it befel that he gazed at the sky and saw\nthe angels, and Heaven\u2019s gates thrown open; and he beheld all things\nprostrating themselves before their Lord, each in its several stead. So\nhe said to his wife, \u201cHarkye, such an one, verily Allah hath shown me\nthe Night of Power, and it hath been proclaimed to me, from the\ninvisible world, that three prayers will be granted unto me; so I\nconsult thee for counsel as to what shall I ask.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cO man,\nthe perfection of man and his delight is in his prickle; therefore do\nthou pray Allah to greaten thy yard and magnify it.\u201d So he lifted up\nhis hands to heaven and said, \u201cO Allah, greaten my yard and magnify\nit.\u201d Hardly had he spoken when his tool became as big as a column and\nhe could neither sit nor stand nor move about nor even stir from his\nstead; and when he would have carnally known his wife, she fled before\nhim from place to place. So he said to her, \u201cO accursed woman, what is\nto be done? This is thy list, by reason of thy lust.\u201d She replied, \u201cNo,\nby Allah, I did not ask for this length and huge bulk, for which the\ngate of a street were too strait. Pray Heaven to make it less.\u201d So he\nraised his eyes to Heaven and said, \u201cO Allah, rid me of this thing and\ndeliver me therefrom.\u201d And immediately his prickle disappeared\naltogether and he became clean smooth. When his wife saw this, she\nsaid, \u201cI have no occasion for thee, now thou are become pegless as a\neunuch, shaven and shorn;\u201d and he answered her, saying, \u201cAll this comes\nof thine ill-omened counsel and thine imbecile judgment. I had three\nprayers accepted of Allah, wherewith I might have gotten me my good,\nboth in this world and in the next, and now two wishes are gone in pure\nwaste, by thy lewd will, and there remaineth but one.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cPray\nAllah the Most High to restore thee thy yard as it was.\u201d So he prayed\nto his Lord and his prickle was restored to its first estate. Thus the\nman lost his three wishes by the ill counsel and lack of wit in the\nwoman; \u201cAnd this, O King\u201d (said the Wazir), \u201chave I told thee, that\nthou mightest be certified of the thoughtlessness of women and their\ninconsequence and silliness and see what cometh of hearkening to their\ncounsel. Wherefore be not persuaded by them to slay thy son, thy\nheart\u2019s core, who shall cause thy remembrance to survive thee.\u201d The\nKing gave ear to his Minister\u2019s words and forbore to put his son to\ndeath; but, on the seventh day, the damsel came in, shrieking, and\nafter lighting a great fire in the King\u2019s presence, made as she would\ncast herself therein; whereupon they laid hands on her and brought her\nbefore him. He asked her, \u201cWhy hast thou done this?\u201d; and she answered,\n\u201cExcept thou do me justice on thy son, I will cast myself into this\nvery fire and accuse thee of this on the Day of Resurrection, for I am\na-weary of my life, and before coming into thy presence I wrote my last\nwill and testament and gave alms of my goods and resolved upon death.\nAnd thou wilt repent with all repentance, even as did the King of\nhaving punished the pious woman who kept the Hammam.\u201d Quoth the King,\n\u201cHow was that?\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI have heard tell, O King, this tale\nconcerning\n\n\nThe Stolen Necklace.\n\nThere was once a devotee, a recluse, a woman who had devoted herself to\nreligion. Now she used to resort to a certain King\u2019s palace,[FN#217]\nwhose dwellers were blessed by her presence and she was held of them in\nhigh honour. One day she entered that palace according to her custom\nand sat down beside the King\u2019s wife. Presently the Queen gave her a\nnecklace, worth a thousand dinars, saying, \u201cKeep this for me, O woman,\nwhilst I go to the Hammam.\u201d So she entered the bath, which was in the\npalace, and the pious woman remaining in the place where the Queen was\nand awaiting her return laid the necklace on the prayer-carpet and\nstood up to pray. As she was thus engaged, there came a magpie[FN#218]\nwhich snatched up the necklace, while she went out to obey a call of\nnature and carrying it off, hid it inside a crevice in a corner of the\npalace-walls. When the Queen came out of the bath, she sought the\nnecklace of the recluse, who also searched for it, but found it not nor\ncould light on any trace of it; so she said to the King\u2019s wife, \u201cBy\nAllah, O my daughter, none hath been with me. When thou gavest me the\nnecklace, I laid it on the prayer-carpet, and I know not if one of the\nservants saw it and took it without my heed, whilst I was engaged in\nprayer. Almighty Allah only knoweth what is come of it!\u201d When the King\nheard what had happened, he bade his Queen put the bath-woman to the\nquestion by fire and grievous blows, \u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\nbade his Queen question the bath-woman with fire and grievous blows,\nthey tortured her with all manner tortures, but could not bring her to\nconfess or to accuse any. Then he commanded to cast her into prison and\nmanacle and fetter her; and they did as he bade. One day, after this,\nas the King sat in the inner court of his palace, with the Queen by his\nside and water flowing around him, he saw the pie fly into a crevice in\na corner of the wall and pull out the necklace, whereupon he cried out\nto a damsel who was with him, and she caught the bird and took the\nnecklace from it. By this the King knew that the pious bath-woman had\nbeen wronged and repented of that he had done with her. So he sent for\nher to the presence and fell to kissing her head and with many tears\nsought pardon of her. Moreover, he commanded much treasure to be given\nto her, but she refused and would none of it. However, she forgave him\nand went away, swearing never again to enter any one\u2019s house. So she\nbetook herself to wandering in the mountains and valleys and worshipped\nGod until she died, and Almighty Allah have mercy upon her! \u201cAnd for an\ninstance of the malice of the male sex\u201d (continued the damsel), \u201cI have\nheard, O King, tell this tale of\n\n\nThe Two Pigeons.[FN#219]\n\nA pair of pigeons once stored up wheat and barley in their nest during\nthe winter, and when the summer came, the grain shrivelled and became\nless; so the male pigeon said to his wife, \u201cThou hast eaten of this\ngrain.\u201d Replied she, \u201cNo, by Allah, I have never touched it!\u201d But he\nbelieved not her words and beat her with his wings and pecked her with\nhis bill, till he killed her. When the cold season returned, the corn\nswelled out and became as before, whereupon he knew that he had slain\nhis wife wrongously and wickedly, and he repented whenas repentance\navailed him naught. Then he lay down by her side, mourning over her and\nweeping for grief, and left meat and drink, till he fell sick and died.\n\u201cBut\u201d (added the damsel), \u201cI know a story of the malice of men more\nextraordinary than either of these.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cLet us hear what\nthou hast to tell;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI have heard tell, O King, this\n\n\nStory of Prince Behram and the Princess Al-Datma.\n\nThere was once a King\u2019s daughter, who had no equal in her time for\nbeauty and loveliness and symmetrical stature and grace, brilliancy,\namorous lace and the art of ravishing the wits of the masculine race\nand her name was Al-Datm\u00e1. She used to boast, \u201cIndeed there is none\nlike me in this age.\u201d Nor was there one more accomplished than she in\nhorsemanship and martial exercises and all that behoveth a cavalier. So\nall the Kings\u2019 sons sought her to wife; but she would take none of\nthem, saying, \u201cNo man shall marry me except he overcome me at lunge of\nlance and stroke of sword in fair field and patent plain. If any can do\nthis, I will willingly wed him; but, if I overcome him, I will take his\nhorse and clothes and arms and write with fire upon his forehead, \u2018This\nis the freed man of Al-Datma.\u2019\u201d Now the sons of the Kings flocked to\nher from every quarter far and near, and she overcame them and put them\nto shame, stripping them of their arms and branding them with fire.\nPresently the son of a King of the Kings of the Persians, by name\nBehram ibn T\u00e1j\u00ed, heard of her and journeyed from afar to her father\u2019s\ncourt, bringing with him men and horses and great store of wealth and\nroyal treasures. When he drew near the city, he sent her parent a rich\npresent and the King came out to meet him and honoured him with the\nutmost honour. Then the King\u2019s son sent a message to him by his Wazir,\ndemanding his daughter\u2019s hand in marriage; but the King answered,\nsaying, \u201cO my son, as regards my daughter Al-Datma, I have no power\nover her, for she hath sworn by her soul to marry none except he\novercome her in the listed field.\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cI journeyed\nhither from my father\u2019s court with no other object but this; I came\nhere to woo and for thine alliance to sue;\u201d quoth the King, \u201cThou shalt\nmeet her to-morrow.\u201d So next day he sent to bid his daughter who, making\nready for battle, donned her harness of war, and the folk, hearing of\nthe coming joust, flocked from all sides to the field. Presently the\nPrincess rode into the lists, armed cap-\u00e0-pie and belted and with vizor\ndown, and the Persian King\u2019s son came out singlehanded to meet her,\nequipped at all points after the fairest of fashions. Then they drove\nat each other and fought a great while, wheeling and falsing, advancing\nand retreating, till the Princess, finding in him such courage and\ncavalarice as she had seen in none else, began to fear for herself lest\nhe put her to shame before the bystanders and knew that he would\nassuredly overcome her. So she resolved to trick him and, raising her\nvizor, lo! her face appeared more brilliant than the full moon, which\nwhen he saw, he was confounded by her beauty and his strength failed\nand his spirit faltered. When she perceived this, she fell upon him\nunawares in his moment of weakness, and tare him from his saddle, and\nhe became in her hands as he were a sparrow in the clutches of an\neagle, knowing not what was done with him for amazement and confusion.\nSo she took his steed and clothes and armour and, branding him with\nfire, let him wend his ways. When he recovered from his stupor, he\nabode several days without meat or drink or sleep for despite and love\nof the girl which had taken hold upon his heart. Then he sent a letter\nby certain of his slaves to his father, advising him that he could not\nreturn home till he had won his will of the Princess or died for want\nof her. When his sire got the letter, he was sore concerned for his son\nand would have succoured him by sending troops and soldiers; but his\nWazirs dissuaded him from this and exhorted him to patience; so he\ncommitted his affair to Almighty Allah. Meanwhile, the Prince cast\nabout for a means of coming to his desire; and presently, disguising\nhimself as a decrepit old man, with a white beard over his own black\nbeard repaired to a garden of the Princess wherein she used to walk\nmost of her days. Here he sought out the gardener and said to him, \u201cI\nam a stranger from a far country and from my youth upwards I have been\na gardener, and in the grafting of trees and the culture of fruits and\nflowers and care of the vine none is more skilled than I.\u201d When the\ngardener heard this, he rejoiced in him with exceeding joy and carried\nhim into the garden, where he commended him to his underlings, and the\nPrince betook himself to the service of the garden and the tending of\nthe trees and the bettering of their fruits and improving the Persian\nwater-wheels and disposing the irrigation-channels. One day, as he was\nthus employed, lo! he saw some slaves enter the garden, leading mules\nladen with carpets and vessels, and asked them the meaning of this, to\nwhich they answered, \u201cThe Princess is minded to take her pleasure.\u201d\nWhen he heard these words he hastened to his lodging and, fetching some\nof the jewels and ornaments he had brought with him from home, sat down\nin the garden and spread somewhat of them out before him, shaking and\nmaking a show of extreme old age,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the son of the\nPersian King, after disguising himself as an old man shotten in years\nand taking a seat in the garden, spread out somewhat of the jewels and\nornaments before him and made a show of shaking and trembling as if for\ndecrepitude and the weakness of extreme senility. After an hour or so a\ncompany of damsels and eunuchs entered with the Princess in their\nmidst, as she were the moon among the stars, and dispersed about the\ngarden, plucking the fruits and diverting themselves. Presently they\nespied a man sitting under one of the trees; and, making towards him\n(who was the Prince), found him a very old man, whose hands and feet\ntrembled for decrepitude, and before him store of precious jewels and\nroyal ornaments. So they marvelled at his case and asked him what he\ndid there with the jewels; when he answered, \u201cWith these trinkets I\nwould fain buy me to wife one of you.\u201d They laughed together at him and\nsaid, \u201cIf one of us marry thee, what wilt thou do with her?\u201d Said he,\n\u201cI will give her one kiss and divorce her.\u201d Then quoth the Princess, \u201cI\ngive thee this damsel to wife.\u201d So he rose and coming up to her,\nleaning on his staff and shivering and staggering, kissed her and gave\nher the jewels and ornaments; whereat she rejoiced and they, laughing\nat him, went their way. Next day, they came again to the garden, and\nfinding him seated in the same place, with more jewels and ornaments\nthan before spread in front of him, asked him, \u201cO Shaykh, what wilt\nthou do with this jewellery?\u201d; and he answered, saying, \u201cI wish\ntherewith to take one of you to wife even as yesterday.\u201d So the\nPrincess said, \u201cI marry thee to this damsel;\u201d and he came up to her and\nkissed her and gave her the jewels, and they all went their ways. But,\nseeing such generosity to her handmaids, the Princess said in herself,\n\u201cI have more right to all these fine things than these baggages, and no\nharm can betide me.\u201d So when morning morrowed she went down from her\nchamber singly into the garden, in the habit of one of her damsels, and\npresenting herself privily before the Prince, said to him, \u201cO Shaykh,\nthe King\u2019s daughter hath sent me to thee, that thou mayst marry me.\u201d He\nlooked at her and knew her; so he answered, \u201cWith love and gladness,\u201d\nand gave her jewels and ornaments of the finest and costliest. Then he\nrose to kiss her, and she off her guard and fearing nothing but, when\nhe came up to her, he suddenly laid hold of her with a strong hand and\ninstantly throwing her down, on the ground abated her\nmaidenhead.[FN#220] Then he pulled the beard from his face and said to\nher, \u201cDost thou not know me?\u201d Asked she, \u201cWho art thou?\u201d and he\nanswered, \u201cI am Behram, the King\u2019s son of Persia, who have changed my\nfavour and am become a stranger to my people and estate for thy sake\nand have lavished my treasures for thy love.\u201d So she rose from under\nhim in silence and answered not his address nor spake a word of reply\nto him, being dazed for what had befallen her and seeing nothing better\nthan to be silent, for fear of shame; and she bethought herself and\nsaid, \u201cIf I kill myself it will be useless and if I do him die, his\ndeath will profit me naught;\u201d and presently added, \u201cNothing will serve\nme but that I elope with him to his own country.\u201d Then she gathered\ntogether her monies and treasures and sent to him, acquainting him\ntherewith, to the intent that he also might equip himself with his\nwealth and needs; and they agreed upon a night on which to depart. So,\nat the appointed time, they mounted race-horses and set out under cover\nof the gloom, nor did morning morrow till they had traversed a great\ndistance; and they ceased not faring forwards till they drew near his\nfather\u2019s capital in the land of the Persians. When the King heard of\nhis son\u2019s coming, he rode out to meet him with his troops and rejoiced\nin him with exceeding joy. Then, after a few days, he sent the\nPrincess\u2019s father a splendid present, and a letter to the effect that\nhis daughter was with him and demanding her wedding equipage.\nAl-Datma\u2019s father came out to meet the messengers with the greatest\ngladness (for that he had deemed his daughter lost and had grieved sore\nfor her loss): after which he made bride-feasts and, summoning the Kazi\nand the witnesses, let draw up the marriage-contract between his\ndaughter and the Prince of Persia. He invested the envoys with robes of\nhonour, then he made ready her equipage and despatched it to her; and\nPrince Behram abode with her till death sundered their union. \u201cSee\ntherefore, O King\u201d (continued the favourite), \u201cthe malice of men in\ntheir dealing with women. As for me, I will not go back from my due\ntill I die.\u201d So the King once more commanded to put his son to death;\nbut the seventh Wazir came in to him and kissing the ground before him,\nsaid, \u201cO King, have patience with me whilst I speak these words of good\ncounsel to thee; how many patient and slow-moving men unto their hope\nattain, and how many who are precipitate fall into shameful state! Now\nI have seen how this damsel hath profligately excited the King by lies\nto horrible and unnatural cruelties; but I his Mameluke, whom he hath\noverwhelmed with his favours and bounties, do proffer him true and\nloyal rede; for that I, O King, know of the malice of women that which\nnone knoweth save myself; and in particular there hath reached me, on\nthis subject, the story of the old woman and the son of the merchant\nwith its warning instances.\u201d Asked the King, \u201cAnd what fell out between\nthem, O Wazir?\u201d and the seventh Wazir answered, \u201cI have heard tell, O\nKing, the tale of\n\n\nThe House with the Belvedere.[FN#221]\n\nA wealthy merchant had a son who was very dear to him and who said to\nhim one day, \u201cO my father, I have a boon to beg of thee.\u201d Quoth the\nmerchant, \u201cO my son, what is it, that I may give it thee and bring thee\nto thy desire, though it were the light of mine eyes.\u201d Quoth the youth,\n\u201cGive me money, that I may journey with the merchants to the city of\nBaghdad and see its sights and sail on the Tigris and look upon the\npalace of the Caliphs[FN#222]; for the sons of the merchants have\ndescribed these things to me and I long to see them for myself.\u201d Said\nthe father, \u201cO my child, O my little son, how can I endure to part from\nthee?\u201d But the youth replied, \u201cI have said my say and there is no help\nfor it but I journey to Baghdad with thy consent or e\u2019en without it:\nsuch a longing for its sight hath fallen upon me as can only be\nassuaged by the going hither.\u201d \u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Five Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the merchant\u2019s\nson said to his sire, \u201cThere is no help for it but that I journey to\nBaghdad.\u201d Now when the father saw that there was no help for it, he\nprovided his son with goods to the value of thirty thousand gold pieces\nand sent him with certain merchants in whom he trusted, committing him\nto their charge. Then he took leave of the youth, who journeyed with\nhis friends the merchants till they reached Baghdad, the House of\nPeace, where he entered the market and hired him a house, so handsome\nand delectable and spacious and elegant that on seeing it he well nigh\nlost his wits for admiration; for therein were pavilions facing one\nanother, with floors of coloured marbles and ceilings inlaid with gold\nand lapis lazuli, and its gardens were full of warbling birds. So he\nasked the door keeper[FN#223] what was its monthly rent, and he\nreplied, \u201cTen dinars.\u201d Quoth the young man, \u201cSpeakest thou soothly or\ndost thou but jest with me?\u201d Quoth the porter, \u201cBy Allah, I speak\nnaught but the truth, for none who taketh up his abode in This house\nlodgeth in it more than a week[FN#224] or two.\u201d \u201cAnd how is that?\u201d\nquoth the youth; and quoth the porter, \u201cO my son, whoso dwelleth in\nthis house cometh not forth of it, except sick or dead, wherefore it is\nknown amongst all the folk of Baghdad so that none offereth to inhabit\nit, and thus cometh it that its rent is fallen so low.\u201d Hearing this\nthe young merchant marvelled with exceeding marvel and said, \u201cNeeds\nmust there be some reason for this sickening and perishing.\u201d However\nafter considering awhile and seeking refuge with Allah from Satan the\nStoned, he rented the house and took up his abode there. Then he put\naway apprehension from his thought and busied himself with selling and\nbuying; and some days passed by without any such ill case befalling him\nin the house, as the doorkeeper had mentioned. One day as he sat upon\nthe bench before his door, there came up a grizzled crone, as she were\na snake speckled white and black, calling aloud on the name of Allah,\nmagnifying Him inordinately and, at the same time, putting away the\nstones and other obstacles from the path.[FN#225] Seeing the youth\nsitting there, she looked at him and marvelled at his case; where upon\nquoth he to her, \u201cO woman, dost thou know me or am I like any thou\nknowest?\u201d When she heard him speak, she toddled up to him and saluting\nhim with the salaam, asked, \u201cHow long hast thou dwelt in this house?\u201d\nAnswered he, \u201cTwo months, O my mother;\u201d and she said, \u201cIt was hereat I\nmarvelled; for I, O my son, know thee not, neither dost thou know me,\nnor yet art thou like unto any one I know; but I marvelled for that\nnone other than thou hath taken up his abode in this house but hath\ngone forth from it, dead or dying, saving thee alone. Doubtless, O my\nson, thou hast periled thy young years; but I suppose thou hast not\ngone up to the upper story neither looked out from the belvedere\nthere.\u201d So saying, she went her way and he fell a pondering her words\nand said to himself, \u201cI have not gone up to the top of the house; nor\ndid I know that there was a belvedere there.\u201d Then he arose forthright\nand going in, searched the by ways of the house till he espied, in a\nwall corner among the trees, a narrow door between whose posts[FN#226]\nthe spider had woven her webs, and said in himself, \u201cHaply the spider\nhath not webbed over the door, but because death and doom is within.\u201d\nHowever, he heartened himself with the saying of God the Most High,\n\u201cSay, nothing shall befall us but what Allah hath written for\nus;\u201d[FN#227] and opening the door, ascended a narrow flight of stairs,\ntill he came to the terrace roof, where he found a belvedere, in which\nhe sat down to rest and solace himself with the view. Presently, he\ncaught sight of a fine house and a well cared for hard by, surmounted\nby a lofty belvedere, over looking the whole of Baghdad, in which sat a\ndamsel fair as a Houri. Her beauty took possession of his whole heart\nand made away with his reason, bequeathing to him the pains and\npatience of Job and the grief and weeping of Jacob. And as he looked at\nher and considered her curiously, an object to enamour an ascetic and\nmake a devotee lovesick, fire was lighted in his vitals and he cried,\n\u201cFolk say that whoso taketh up his abode in this house dieth or\nsickeneth. An this be so, yon damsel is assuredly the cause. Would\nHeaven I knew how I shall win free of this affair, for my wits are\nclean gone!\u201d Then he descended from the terrace, pondering his case,\nand sat down in the house, but being unable to rest, he went out and\ntook his seat at the door, absorbed in melancholy thought when, behold,\nup came the old woman afoot, praising and magnifying Allah as she went.\nWhen he saw her, he rose and accosting her with a courteous salaam and\nwishes for her life being prolonged said to her, \u201cO my mother, I was\nhealthy and hearty till thou madest mention to me of the door leading\nto the belvedere; so I opened it and ascending to the top Of the house,\nsaw thence what stole away my senses; and now methinks I am a lost man,\nand I know no physician for me but thyself.\u201d When she heard this, she\nlaughed and said, \u201cNo harm shall befall thee Inshallah so Allah\nplease!\u201d Whereupon he rose and went into the house and coming back with\nan hundred dinars in his sleeve, said to her, \u201cTake this, O my mother,\nand deal with me the dealing of lords with slaves and succour me\nquickly for, if I die, a claim for my blood will meet thee on the Day\nof Doom.\u201d Answered she, \u201cWith love and gladness; but, O my son, I\nexpect thou lend me thine aid in some small matter, whereby hangs the\nwinning of thy wish.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhat wouldst thou have me do, O my\nmother?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cGo to the silk market and enquire for the shop of\nAb\u00fa al-Fath bin Kayd\u00e1m. Sit thee down on his counter and salute him and\nsay to him, \u2018Give me the face veil[FN#228] thou hast by thee orfrayed\nwith gold:\u2019 for he hath none handsomer in his shop. Then buy it of him,\nO my son, at his own price however high and keep it till I come to thee\nto morrow, Allah Almighty willing.\u201d So saying, she went away and he\npassed the night upon live coals of the Ghaz\u00e1[FN#229]-wood. Next\nmorning he took a thousand ducats in his pocket and repairing to the\nsilk market, sought out the shop of Abu al-Fath to whom he was directed\nby one of the merchants. He found him a man of dignified aspect,\nsurrounded by pages, eunuchs and attendants; for he was a merchant of\ngreat wealth and consideration befriended by the Caliph; and of the\nblessings which Allah the Most High had bestowed upon him was the\ndamsel who had ravished the young man\u2019s heart. She was his wife and had\nnot her match for beauty, nor was her like to be found with any of the\nsons of the Kings. The young man saluted him and Abu al-Fath returned\nhis salaam and bade him be seated. So he sat down by him and said to\nhim, \u201cO merchant, I wish to look at such a face veil.\u201d Accordingly he\nbade his slave bring him a bundle of silk from the inner shop And\nopening it, brought out a number of veils, whose beauty amazed the\nyouth. Among them was the veil he sought; so he bought it for fifty\ngold pieces and bore it home well pleased.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundredth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the youth after\nbuying the veil of the merchant bore it home; but hardly had he reached\nthe house when lo! up came the old woman. He rose to her and gave her\nhis purchase when she bade him bring a live coal, with which she burnt\none of the corners of the veil, then folded it up as before and,\nrepairing to Abu al-Fath\u2019s house, knocked at the door. Asked the\ndamsel, \u201cWho is there?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cI, such an one.\u201d Now the\ndamsel knew her for a friend of her mother so, when she heard her\nvoice, she came out and opening the door to her, said, \u201cWhat brought\nthee here, O my mother? My mamma hath left me and gone to her own\nhouse.\u201d Replied the old woman, \u201cO my daughter, I know thy mother is not\nwith thee, for I have been with her in her home, and I come not to\nthee, but because I fear to pass the hour of prayer; wherefore I desire\nto make my Wuzu-ablution with thee, for I know thou art clean and thy\nhouse pure.\u201d[FN#230] The damsel admitted the old trot who saluted her\nand called down blessings upon her. Then she took the ewer and went\ninto the wash house, where she made her ablutions and prayed in a place\nthere. Presently, she came out again and said to the damsel, \u201cO my\ndaughter, I suspect thy handmaidens have been in yonder place and\ndefiled it; so do thou show me another place where I may pray, for the\nprayer I have prayed I account null and void.\u201d Thereupon the damsel\ntook her by the hand and said to her, \u201cO my mother, come and pray on my\ncarpet, where my husband sits.\u201d So she stood there and prayed and\nworshipped, bowed and prostrated; and presently, she took the damsel\nunawares and made shift to slip the veil under the cushion, unseen of\nher. Then she blessed her and went her ways. Now as the day was closing\nAbu al-Fath came home and sat down upon the carpet, whilst his wife\nbrought him food and he ate of it his sufficiency and washed his hands;\nafter which he leant back upon the cushion. Presently, he caught sight\nof a corner of the veil protruding from under the cushion; so he pulled\nit out and considered it straitly, when, knowing it for that he had\nsold to the young man, he at once suspected his wife of unchastity.\nThereupon he called her and said, \u201cWhence hadst thou this veil?\u201d And\nshe swore an oath to him, saying, \u201cNone hath come to me but thou.\u201d The\nmerchant was silent for fear of scandal, and said to himself, \u201cIf I\nopen up this chapter, I shall be put to shame before all Baghdad;\u201d for\nhe was one of the intimates of the Caliph and so he could do nothing\nsave hold his peace. So he asked no questions, but said to his wife,\nwhose name was Mahz\u00edyah, \u201cIt hath reached me that thy mother lieth ill\nof heart ache[FN#231] and all the women are with her, weeping over her;\nwherefore I order thee to go to her.\u201d Accordingly, she repaired to her\nmother\u2019s house and found her in the best of health; and she asked her\ndaughter, \u201cWhat brings thee here at this hour?\u201d So she told her what\nher husband had said and sat with her awhile; when behold, up came\nporters, who brought her clothes from her husband\u2019s house, and\ntransporting all her paraphernalia and what not else belonged to her of\ngoods and vessels, deposited them in her mother\u2019s lodging. When the\nmother saw this, she said to her daughter, \u201cTell me what hath passed\nbetween thee and thy husband, to bring about this.\u201d But she swore to\nher that she knew not the cause thereof and that there had befallen\nnothing between them to call for this conduct. Quoth her mother, \u201cNeeds\nmust there be a cause for this.\u201d And she answered, saying, \u201cI know of\nnone, and after this, with Almighty Allah be it to make provision!\u201d\nWhereupon her mother fell a weeping and lamented her daughter\u2019s\nseparation from the like of this man, by reason of his sufficiency and\nfortune and the greatness of his rank and dignity. On this wise things\nabode some days, after which the curst, ill omened old woman, whose\nname was Miryam the Koranist,[FN#232] paid a visit to Mahziyah, in her\nmother\u2019s house and saluted her cordially, saying, \u201cWhat ails thee, O my\ndaughter, O my darling? Indeed, thou hast troubled my mind.\u201d Then she\nwent in to her mother and said to her, \u201cO my sister, what is this\nbusiness about thy daughter and her husband? It hath reached me that he\nhath divorced her! What hath she done to call for this?\u201d Quoth the\nmother, \u201cBelike her husband will return to her by the blessed influence\nof thy prayers, O H\u00e1fizah; so do thou pray for her, O my sister, for\nthou art a day faster and a night prayer.\u201d Then the three fell to\ntalking together and the old woman said to the damsel, \u201cO my daughter,\ngrieve not for, if Allah please, I will make peace between thee and thy\nhusband before many days.\u201d Then she left them and going to the young\nmerchant, said to him, \u201cGet ready a handsome entertainment for us, for\nI will bring her to thee this very night.\u201d So he sprang up and went\nforth and provided all that was fitting of meat and drink and so forth,\nthen sat down to await the twain; whilst the old woman returned to the\ngirl\u2019s mother and said to her, \u201cO my sister, we have a splendid bride\nfeast to night; so let thy daughter go with me, that she may divert\nherself and make merry with us and throw off her cark and care, and\nforget the ruin of her home. I will bring her back to thee even as I\ntook her away.\u201d The mother dressed her daughter in her finest dress and\ncostliest jewels and accompanied her to the door, where she commended\nher to the old woman\u2019s charge, saying, \u201c\u2019Ware lest thou let any of\nAlmighty Allah\u2019s creatures look upon her, for thou knowest her\nhusband\u2019s rank with the Caliph; and do not tarry, but bring her back to\nme as soon as possible.\u201d The old woman carried the girl to the young\nman\u2019s house which she entered, thinking it the place where the wedding\nwas to be held: but as soon as she came into the sitting saloon,\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and First Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that as soon as the\ndamsel entered the sitting saloon, the youth sprang up to her and flung\nhis arms round her neck and kissed her hands and feet. She was\nconfounded at his loveliness, as well as at the beauty of the place and\nthe profusion of meat and drink, flowers and perfumes that she saw\ntherein, and deemed all was a dream. When the old woman saw her\namazement, she said to her, \u201cThe name of Allah be upon thee, O my\ndaughter! Fear not; I am here sitting with thee and will not leave thee\nfor a moment. Thou art worthy of him and he is worthy of thee.\u201d So the\ndamsel sat down shame-fast and in great confusion; but the young man\njested and toyed with her and entertained her with laughable stories\nand loving verses, till her breast broadened and she became at her\nease. Then she ate and drank and growing warm with wine, took the lute\nand sang these couplets,\n\n\u201cMy friend who went hath returned once more; * Oh, the welcome\n     light that such beauty shows!\n And but for the fear of those arrowy eyes, * From his lovely\n     cheek I had culled the rose.\u201d\n\n\nAnd when the youth saw that she to his beauty did incline he waxt\ndrunken without wine and his life was a light matter to him compared\nwith his love.[FN#233] Presently the old woman went out and left them\nalone together to enjoy their loves till the next morning, when she\nwent into them and gave them both good morrow[FN#234] and asked the\ndamsel, \u201cHow hast thou passed the night, O my lady?\u201d Answered the girl,\n\u201cRight well, thanks to thy adroitness and the excellence of thy going\nbetween.\u201d[FN#235] Then said the old woman, \u201cUp, let us go back to thy\nmother.\u201d At these words the young man pulled out an hundred sequins and\ngave them to her, saying, \u201cTake this and leave her with me to night.\u201d\nSo she left them and repaired to the girl\u2019s mother, to whom quoth she,\n\u201cThy daughter saluteth thee, and the bride\u2019s mother hath sworn her to\nabide with her this night.\u201d Replied the mother, \u201cO my sister, bear her\nmy salaam, and, if it please and amuse the girl, there is no harm in\nher staying the night; so let her do this and divert herself and come\nback to me at her leisure, for all I fear for her is chagrin on account\nof an angry husband.\u201d The old woman ceased not to make excuse after\nexcuse to the girl\u2019s mother and to put off cheat upon cheat upon her,\ntill Mahziyah had tarried seven days with the young man, of whom she\ntook an hundred dinars each day for herself; while he enjoyed all the\nsolace of life and coition. But at the end of this time, the girl\u2019s\nmother said to her, \u201cBring my daughter back to me forthright; for I am\nuneasy about her, because she hath been so long absent, and I misdoubt\nme of this.\u201d So the old woman went out saying, \u201cWoe to thee! shall such\nwords be spoken to the like of me?\u201d; and, going to the young man\u2019s\nhouse, took the girl by the hand and carried her away (leaving him\nlying asleep on his bed, for he was drunken with wine) to her mother.\nShe received her with pleasure and gladness and seeing her in redoubled\nbeauty and brilliancy rejoiced in her with exceeding joy, saying, \u201cO my\ndaughter, my heart was troubled about thee and in my uneasiness I\noffended against this my sister the Koranist with a speech that wounded\nher.\u201d Replied Mahziyah, \u201cRise and kiss her hands and feet, for she hath\nbeen to me as a servant in my hour of need, and if thou do it not thou\nart no mamma of mine, nor am I thy girl.\u201d So the mother went up at once\nto the old woman and made her peace with her. Meanwhile, the young man\nrecovered from his drunkenness and missed the damsel, but congratulated\nhimself on having enjoyed his desire. Presently Miryam the old Koranist\ncame in to him and saluted him, saying, \u201cWhat thinkest thou of my\nfeat?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cExcellently well conceived and contrived of thee was\nthat same.\u201d Then quoth she, \u201cCome, let us mend what we have marred and\nrestore this girl to her husband, for we have been the cause of their\nseparation and it is unrighteous.\u201d Asked he, \u201cHow shall I do?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cGo to Abu al-Fath\u2019s shop and salute him and sit down by him,\ntill thou seest me pass by, when do thou rise in haste and catch hold\nof my dress and abuse me and threaten me, demanding of me the veil. And\ndo thou say to the merchant, \u2018Thou knowest, O my lord, the face veil I\nbought of thee for fifty dinars? It so chanced that my handmaid put it\non and burnt a corner of it by accident; so she gave it to this old\nwoman, who took it, promising to get it fine-drawn[FN#236] and return\nit, and went away, nor have I seen her from that day to this.\u2019\u201d \u201cWith\njoy and good will,\u201d replied the young man, and rising forthright,\nwalked to the shop of the silk merchant, with whom he sat awhile till\nbehold, the old woman passed telling her beads on a rosary she held in\nhand; whereupon he sprang up and laying hold of her dress began to\nabuse and rail at her, whilst she answered him with fair words, saying,\n\u201cIndeed, my son, thou art excusable.\u201d So the people of the bazaar\nflocked round the two, saying, \u201cWhat is the matter?\u201d and he replied, \u201cO\nfolk, I bought of this merchant a veil for fifty dinars and gave it to\nmy slave girl, who wore it awhile, then sat down to fumigate it with\nperfume. Presently a spark flew out of the censer and, lighting on the\nedge of the veil, burnt a hole in it. So we committed it to this\npestilent old woman, that she might give it to who should fine-draw it\nand return it to us; but from that time we have never set eyes on her\nagain till this day.\u201d Answered the old woman, \u201cThis young man speaks\nsooth. I had the veil from him, but I took it with me into one of the\nhouses where I am wont to visit and forgot it there, nor do I know\nwhere I left it; and, being a poor woman, I feared its owner and dared\nnot face him.\u201d Now the girl\u2019s husband was listening to all they\nsaid,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the young\nman seized the old woman and spoke to her of the veil as she had primed\nhim, the girl\u2019s husband was listening to all they said, from beginning\nto end, and when he heard the tale which the crafty old woman had\ncontrived with the young man, he rose to his feet and said, \u201cAllah\nAlmighty! I crave pardon of the Omnipotent One for my sins and for what\nmy heart suspected!\u201d And he praised the Lord who had discovered to him\nthe truth. Then he accosted the old woman and said to her, \u201cDost thou\nuse to visit us?\u201d[FN#237] Replied she, \u201cO my son, I visit you and other\nthan you, for the sake of alms; but from that day to this, none hath\ngiven me news of the veil.\u201d Asked the merchant, \u201cHast thou enquired at\nmy house?\u201d and she answered, \u201cO my lord, I did indeed go to thy house\nand ask; but they told me that the person of the house[FN#238] had been\ndivorced by the merchant; so I went away and asked no farther; nor have\nI enquired of anybody else until this day.\u201d Hereupon the merchant\nturned to the young man and said, \u201cLet the old woman go her way; for\nthe veil is with me.\u201d So saying he brought it out from the shop and\ngave it to the fine-drawer before all present. Then he betook himself\nto his wife and, giving her somewhat of money, took her to himself\nagain, after making abundance of excuses to her and asking pardon of\nAllah, because he knew not what the old woman had done. (Said the\nWazir), \u201cThis then, O King, is an instance of the malice of women and\nfor another to the same purport, I have heard tell the following tale\nanent\n\n\nThe King\u2019s Son and the Ifrit\u2019s Mistress[FN#239]\n\nA certain King\u2019s son was once walking alone for his pleasure, when he\ncame to a green meadow, abounding in trees laden with fruit and birds\nsinging on the boughs, and a river running athwart it. The place\npleased him; so he sat down there and taking out some dried fruits he\nhad brought with him, began to eat, when lo! he espied a great smoke\nrising up to heaven and, taking fright, he climbed up into a tree and\nhid himself among the branches. Thence he saw an Ifrit rise out of the\nmidst of the stream bearing on his head a chest of marble, secured by a\npadlock. He set down the chest on the meadow-sward and opened it and\nthere came forth a damsel of mortal race like the sun shining in the\nsheeny sky. After seating her he solaced himself by gazing on her\nawhile, then laid his head in her lap and fell asleep, whereupon she\nlifted up his head and laying it on the chest, rose and walked about.\nPresently, she chanced to raise her eyes to the tree wherein was the\nPrince, and seeing him, signed to him to come down. He refused, but she\nswore to him, saying, \u201cExcept thou come down and do as I bid thee, I\nwill wake the Ifrit and point thee out to him, when he will straightway\nkill thee.\u201d The King\u2019s son fearing she would do as she said, came down,\nwhereupon she kissed his hands and feet and besought him to do her\nneed. To this he consented and, when he had satisfied her wants, she\nsaid to him, \u201cGive me this seal ring I see on thy finger.\u201d So he gave\nher his signet and she set it in a silken kerchief she had with her,\nwherein were more than four score others. When the Prince saw this, he\nasked her, \u201cWhat dost thou with all these rings?\u201d; and she answered,\n\u201cIn very sooth this Ifrit carried me off from my father\u2019s palace and\nshut me in this box, which he beareth about on his head wherever he\ngoeth, with the keys about him; and he hardly leaveth me one moment\nalone of the excess of his jealousy over me, and hindereth me from what\nI desire. When I saw this, I swore that I would deny my last favours to\nno man whatsoever, and these rings thou seest are after the tale of the\nmen who have had me; for after coition I took from each a seal ring and\nlaid it in this kerchief.\u201d Then she added, \u201cAnd now go thy ways, that I\nmay look for another than thyself, for the Ifrit will not awake yet\nawhile.\u201d Hardly crediting what he had heard, the Prince returned to his\nfather\u2019s palace, but the King knew naught of the damsel\u2019s malice (for\nshe feared not this and took no count thereof), and seeing that his son\nhad lost his ring, he bade put him to death.[FN#240] Then he rose from\nhis place and entered his palace; but his Wazirs came in to him and\nprevailed with him to abandon his purpose. The same night, the King\nsent for all of them and thanked them for having dissuaded him from\nslaying his son; and the Prince also thanked them, saying, \u201cIt was well\ndone of you to counsel my father to let me live and Inshallah! I will\nsoon requite you abundantly.\u201d Then he related to them how he had lost\nthe ring, and they offered up prayers for his long life and advancement\nand withdrew. \u201cSee then, O King,\u201d (said the Wazir), \u201cthe malice of\nwomen and what they do unto men.\u201d The King hearkened to the Minister\u2019s\ncounsel and again countermanded his order to slay his son. Next\nmorning, it being the eighth day, as the King sat in his audience\nchamber in the midst of his Grandees and Emirs and Wazirs and Olema,\nthe Prince entered, with his hand in that of his governor, Al Sindibad,\nand praised his father and his Ministers and lords and divines in the\nmost eloquent words and thanked them for having saved his life; so that\nall who were present wondered at his eloquence and fluency of speech.\nHis father rejoiced in him with exceeding, all surpassing joy, and\ncalling him to him, kissed him between the eyes. Then he called his\npreceptor, al-Sindibad, and asked him why his son had kept silence\nthese seven days, to which he replied, \u201cO our lord, the truth is, it\nwas I who enjoined him to this, in my fear for him of death: I knew\nthis from the day of his birth; and, when I took his nativity, I found\nit written in the stars that, if he should speak during this period, he\nwould surely die; but now the danger is over, by the King\u2019s fortune.\u201d\nAt this the King was glad and said to his Wazirs, \u201cIf I had killed my\nson, would the fault have fallen on me or the damsel or on the\npreceptor, al-Sindibad?\u201d But all present refrained from replying, and\nal-Sindibad said to the Prince, \u201cAnswer thou, O my son.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Al-Sindibad\nsaid, \u201cAnswer thou, O my son,\u201d the Prince replied, \u201cI have heard tell\nthat a merchant at whose house certain guests once alighted sent his\nslave girl to the market to buy a jar of clotted milk.[FN#241] So she\nbought it and set out on her return home; but on the way there passed\nover her a kite, holding and squeezing a serpent in its claws, and a\ndrop of the serpent\u2019s venom fell into the milk jar, unknown of the\ngirl. So, when she came back, the merchant took the milk from her and\ndrank of it, he and his guests; but hardly had it settled in their\nstomachs when they all died.[FN#242] Now consider, O King, whose was\nthe fault in this matter?\u201d Thereupon some present said, \u201cIt was the\nfault of the company who drank the milk without examining it.\u201d And\nother some, \u201cThat of the girl, who left the jar without cover.\u201d But\nal-Sindibad asked the Prince, \u201cWhat sayest thou, O my son?\u201d Answered\nhe, \u201cI say that the folk err; it was neither the fault of the damsel\nnor of the company, for their appointed hour was come, their divinely\ndecreed provision was exhausted and Allah had fore ordained them to die\nthus.\u201d[FN#243] When the courtiers heard this, they marvelled greatly\nand lifted up their voices, blessing the King\u2019s son, and saying, \u201cO our\nlord, thou hast made a reply sans peur, and thou art the sagest man of\nthine age sans reproche.\u201d \u201cIndeed, I am no sage,\u201d answered the Prince;\n\u201cthe blind Shaykh and the son of three years and the son of five years\nwere wiser than I.\u201d Said the bystanders, \u201cO youth, tell us the stories\nof these three who were wiser than thou art, O youth.\u201d Answered he,\n\u201cWith all my heart. I have heard tell this tale concerning the\n\n\nSandal-Wood Merchant and the Sharpers.[FN#244]\n\nThere once lived an exceeding rich merchant, who was a great traveller\nand who visited all manner of places. One day, being minded to journey\nto a certain city, he asked those who came thence, saying, \u201cWhat kind\nof goods brought most profit there?\u201d and they answered, \u201cChanders-wood;\nfor it selleth at a high price.\u201d So he laid out all his money in sandal\nand set out for that city; and arriving there at close of day, behold,\nhe met and old woman driving her sheep. Quoth she to him, \u201cWho art\nthou, O man?\u201d and quoth he, \u201cI am a stranger, a merchant.\u201d \u201cBeware of\nthe townsfolk,\u201d said she, \u201cfor they are cheats, rascals, robbers who\nlove nothing more than imposing on the foreigner that they may get the\nbetter of him and devour his substance. Indeed I give thee good\ncounsel.\u201d Then she left him and on the morrow there met him one of the\ncitizens who saluted him and asked him, \u201cO my lord, whence comest\nthou?\u201d Answered the merchant, \u201cFrom such a place.\u201d \u201cAnd what\nmerchandise hast thou brought with thee?\u201d enquired the other; and\nreplied he, \u201cChanders-wood, for it is high of price with you.\u201d Quoth\nthe townsman, \u201cHe blundered who told thee that; for we burn nothing\nunder our cooking-pots save sandal-wood, whose worth with us is but\nthat of fuel.\u201d When the merchant heard this he sighed and repented and\nstood balanced between belief and unbelief. Then he alighted at one of\nthe khans of the city, and, when it was night, he saw a merchant make\nfire of chanders-wood under his cooking pot. Now this was the man who\nhad spoken with him and this proceeding was a trick of his. When the\ntownsman saw the merchant looking at him, he asked, \u201cWilt thou sell me\nthy sandal-wood for a measure[FN#245] of whatever thy soul shall\ndesire?\u201d \u201cI sell it to thee,\u201d answered the merchant; and the buyer\ntransported all the wood to his own house and stored it up there;\nwhilst the seller purposed to take an equal quantity of gold for it.\nNext morning the merchant, who was a blue-eyed man, went out to walk in\nthe city but, as he went along, one of the townsfolk, who was blue-eyed\nand one-eyed to boot, caught hold of him, saying, \u201cThou are he who\nstole my eye and I will never let thee go.\u201d[FN#246] The merchant denied\nthis, saying, \u201cI never stole it: the thing is impossible.\u201d Whereupon\nthe folk collected round them and besought the one-eyed man to grant\nhim till the morrow, that he might give him the price of his eye. So\nthe merchant procured one to be surety for him, and they let him go.\nNow his sandal had been rent in the struggle with the one-eyed man; so\nhe stopped at a cobbler\u2019s stall and gave it to him, saying, \u201cMend it\nand thou shalt have of me what shall content thee.\u201d Then he went on,\ntill he came to some people sitting at play of forfeits and sat down\nwith them, to divert his cark and care. They invited him to play with\nthem and he did so; but they practised on him and overcoming him,\noffered him his choice,[FN#247] either to drink up the sea or disburse\nall the money he had. \u201cHave patience with me till to-morrow,\u201d said he,\nand they granted him the delay he sought; whereupon he went away, sore\nconcerned for what had betided him and knowing not how he should do,\nand sat down in a solitary place heart-heavy, care-full,\nthought-opprest. And behold, the old woman passed by and seeing him\nthus, said to him, \u201cPeradventure the townsfolk have gotten the better\nof thee, for I see the troubled at that which hath befallen thee:\nrecount to me what aileth thee.\u201d So he told her all that had passed\nfrom first to last, and she said, \u201cAs for him who diddled thee in the\nmatter of the chanders-wood, thou must know that with us it is worth\nten gold pieces a pound. But I will give thee a rede, whereby I trust\nthou shalt deliver thyself; and it is this. Go to such and such a gate\nwhereby lives a blind Shaykh, a cripple, who is knowing, wise as a\nwizard and experienced; and all resort to him and ask him what they\nrequire, when he counsels them what will be their advantage; for he is\nversed in craft[FN#248] and magic and trickery. Now he is a sharper and\nthe sharpers resort to him by night; therefore, I repeat, go thou to\nhis lodging and hide thyself from thine adversaries, so thou mayst hear\nwhat they say, unseen of them; for he telleth them which party got the\nbetter and which got the worse; and haply thou shalt learn from them\nsome plan which may avail to deliver thee from them.\u201d \u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fourth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the old woman\nsaid to the merchant, \u201cGo this night to that expert who is frequented\nby the townsfolk and hide thine identity: haply shalt thou hear from\nhim some plea which shall deliver thee from thine adversaries.\u201d So he\nwent to the place she mentioned and hid himself albeit he took seat\nnear the blind man. Before long, up came the Shaykh\u2019s company who were\nwont to choose him for their judge: they saluted the oldster and one\nanother and sat down round him, whereupon the merchant recognised his\nfour adversaries. The Chief set somewhat of food before them and they\nate; then each began to tell what had befallen him during his day, and\namongst the rest came forward he of the chanders-wood and told the\nShaykh how he had bought of one man sandal below its price, and had\nagreed to pay for it a S\u00e1\u2019a or measure of whatever the seller should\ndesire.[FN#249] Quoth the old man, \u201cThine opponent hath the better of\nthee.\u201d Asked the other, \u201cHow can that be?\u201d; and the Shaykh answered,\n\u201cWhat if he say, I will take the measure full of gold or silver, wilt\nthou give it to him?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d replied the other, \u201cI will give it to him\nand still be the gainer.\u201d And the Shaykh answered, \u201cAnd if he say,\nI will take the measure full of fleas,[FN#250] half male and half\nfemale, what wilt thou do?\u201d So the sharper knew that he was worsted.\nThen came forward the one-eyed man and said, \u201cO Shaykh, I met to-day a\nblue-eyed man, a stranger to the town; so I picked a quarrel with him\nand caught hold of him, saying, \u2018\u2019Twas thou robbedst me of my eye\u2019;\nnor did I let him go, till some became surety for him that he should\nreturn to me to-morrow and satisfy me for my eye.\u201d Quoth the oldster,\n\u201cIf he will he may have the better of thee and thou the worse.\u201d \u201cHow\nso?\u201d asked the sharper; and the Chief said, \u201che may say to thee, \u2018Pluck\nout thine eye, and I will pluck out one of mine; then we will weigh\nthem both, and if thine eye be of the same weight as mine, thou sayest\nsooth in what thou avouchest.\u2019 So wilt thou owe him the legal price of\nhis eye and be stone blind, whilst he will still see with his other\neye.\u201d So the sharper knew that the merchant might baffle him with such\nplea. Then came the cobbler; and said, \u201cO Shaykh, a man brought me his\nsandal-shoe to-day, saying, \u2018Mend this;\u2019 and I asked him, \u2018What wage\nwilt thou give me?\u2019; when he answered, \u2018Thou shalt have of me what will\ncontent thee.\u2019 Now nothing will content me but all the wealth he hath.\u201d\nQuoth the oldster, \u201cAnd he will, he may take his sandal from thee and\ngive thee nothing.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d quoth the cobbler, and quoth the Shaykh,\n\u201cHe has but to say to thee, \u2018The Sultan\u2019s enemies are put to the rout;\nhis foes are waxed weak and his children and helpers are multiplied.\nArt thou content or no?\u2019 If thou say, \u2018I am content,\u2019[FN#251] he will\ntake his sandal and go away; and if thou say, \u2018I am not content,\u2019 he\nwill take his sandal and beat thee therewith over the face and neck.\u201d\nSo the cobbler owned himself worsted. Then came forward the gamester\nand said, \u201cO Shaykh, I played at forfeits with a man to-day and beat\nhim and quoth I to hime, \u2018If thou drink the sea I will give thee all\nmy wealth; and if not I will take all that is thine.\u2019\u201d Replied the\nChief, \u201cAn he will he may worst thee.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d asked the sharper,\nand the Shaykh answered, \u201cHe hath but to say, \u2018Hold for me the mouth\nof the sea in thine hand and give it me and I will drink it.\u2019 But thou\nwilt not be able to do this; so he will baffle thee with this plea.\u201d\nWhen the merchant heard this, he knew how it behoved him to deal with\nhis adversaries. Then the sharpers left the Shaykh and the merchant\nreturned to his lodging. Now when morning morrowed, the gamester came\nto him and summoned him to drink the sea; so he said to him, \u201cHold for\nme its mouth and I will drink it up.\u201d Whereupon he confessed himself\nbeaten and redeemed his forfeit by paying an hundred gold pieces.\nThen came the cobbler and sought of him what should content him.\nQuoth the merchant, \u201cOur lord the Sultan hath overcome his foes and\nhath destroyed his enemies and his children are multiplied. Art thou\ncontent or no?\u201d \u201cI am content,\u201d replied the cobbler and, giving up the\nshoe[FN#252] without wage, went away. Next came the one-eyed man and\ndemanded the legal price of his eye. Said the merchant, \u201cPluck out\nthine eye, and I will pluck out mine: then we will weigh them, and if\nthey are equal in weight, I will acknowledge thy truth, and pay thee\nthe price of thine eye; but, if they differ, thou liest and I will sue\nthee for the price of mine eye.\u201d Quoth the one-eyed man, \u201cGrant me\ntime;\u201d but the merchant answered, saying, \u201cI am a stranger and grant\ntime to none, nor will I part from thee till thou pay.\u201d So the sharper\nransomed his eye by paying him an hundred ducats and went away. Last\nof all came the buyer of the chanders-wood and said, \u201cTake the price\nof thy ware.\u201d Asked the merchant, \u201cWhat wilt thou give me?\u201d; and the\nother answered, \u201cWe agreed for a S\u00e1\u2019a-measure of whatever thou shouldst\ndesire; so, if thou wilt, take it full of gold and silver.\u201d \u201cNot I,\u201d\nrejoined the merchant, \u201cNot I! nothing shall serve me but I must have\nit full of fleas, half male and half female.\u201d Said the sharper, \u201cI can\ndo nothing of the kind;\u201d and, confessing himself beaten, returned him\nhis sandal-wood and redeemed himself from him with an hundred sequins,\nto be off his bargain. Then the merchant sold the chanders-wood at\nhis own price and, quitting the city of sharpers, returned to his own\nland,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifth Night\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the merchant\nhad sold his chanders-wood and had taken the money he quitted that city\nand returned to his own land. Then the Prince continued, \u201cBut this is\nnot more wondrous than the tale of the three-year-old child.\u201d \u201cWhat may\nthat be?\u201d asked the King, and the Prince answered, \u201cI have heard tell\nthis tale of\n\n\nThe Debauchee and the Three-Year-Old Child.\n\nKnow, O King that a certain profligate man, who was addicted to the\nsex, once heard of a beautiful and lovely woman who dwelt in a city\nother than his own. So he journeyed thither, taking with him a present,\nand wrote her a note, setting forth all that he suffered of\nlove-longing and desire for her and how his passion for her had driven\nhim to forsake his native land and come to her; and he ended by praying\nfor an assignation. She gave him leave to visit her and, as he entered\nher abode, she stood up and received him with all honour and worship,\nkissing his hands and entertaining him with the best entertainment of\nmeat and drink. Now she had a little son, but three years old, whom she\nleft and busied herself in cooking rice.[FN#253] Presently the man said\nto her, \u201cCome, let us go and lie together;\u201d but she replied, \u201cMy son is\nsitting looking at us.\u201d Quoth the man, \u201cHe is a little child,\nunderstanding not neither knowing how to speak.\u201d Quoth the woman, \u201cThou\nwouldst not say thus, and thou knew his intelligence.\u201d When the boy saw\nthat the rice was done, he wept with bitter weeping and his mother said\nto him, \u201cWhat gars thee weep, O my son?\u201d \u201cLadle me out some rice,\u201d\nanswered he, \u201cand put clarified butter in it.\u201d So she ladled him out\nsomewhat of rice and put butter therein; and the child ate a little,\nthen began to weep again. Quoth she, \u201cWhat ails thee now, O my son?\u201d;\nand quoth he, \u201cO mother mine, I want some sugar with my rice.\u201d At this\nsaid the man, who was an-angered, \u201cThou art none other than a curst\nchild.\u201d \u201cCurst thyself, by Allah,\u201d answered the boy, \u201cseeing thou\nweariest thyself and journeyest from city to city, in quest of\nadultery. As for me, I wept because I had somewhat in my eye, and my\ntears brought it out; and now I have eaten rice with butter and sugar\nand am content; so which is the curst of us twain?\u201d The man was\nconfounded at this rebuke from a little child and forthright grace\nentered him and he was reclaimed. Wherefor he laid not a finger on the\nwoman, but went out from her and returned to his own country, where he\nlived a contrite life till he died. \u201cAs for the story of the\nfive-year-old child\u201d (continued the Prince), \u201cI have heard tell, O\nKing, the following anent\n\n\nThe Stolen Purse.\n\nFour merchants once owned in common a thousand gold pieces; so they\nlaid them mingled together in one purse and set out to buy merchandise\ntherewith. They happened as they wended their way on a beautiful\ngarden; so they left the purse with a woman who had care of the garden,\nsaying to here, \u201cMind thee, thou shalt not give it back save when all\nfour of us in person demand it of thee.\u201d She agreed to this and they\nentered and strolled awhile about the garden-walks and ate and drank\nand made merry, after which one of them said to the others, \u201cI have\nwith me scented fuller\u2019s-earth; come, let us wash our heads therewith\nin this running water.\u201d Quoth another, \u201cWe lack a comb;\u201d and a third,\n\u201cLet us ask the keeper; belike she hath a comb.\u201d Thereupon one of them\narose and accosting the care-taker, said to her, \u201cGive me the purse.\u201d\nSaid she, \u201cNot until ye be all present or thy fellows bid me give it\nthee.\u201d Then he called to his companions (who could see him but not hear\nhim) saying, \u201cShe will not give it me;\u201d and they said to her, \u201cGive it\nhim,\u201d thinking he meant the comb. So she gave him the purse and he took\nit and made off as fast as he could. When the three others were wary of\nwaiting, they went to the keeper and asked her, \u201cWhy wilt thou not give\nhim the comb?\u201d Answered she, \u201cHe demanded naught of me save the purse,\nand I gave not that same but with your consent, and he went his way\nwith it.\u201d When they heard her words they buffeted their faces and,\nlaying hands upon her, said, \u201cWe authorized thee only to give him the\ncomb;\u201d and she rejoined, \u201cHe named not a comb to me.\u201d Then they seized\nher and haled her before the Kazi, to whom they related their claim and\nhe condemned her to make good the purse and bound over sundry of\nher debtors to answer for her.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixth Night\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Kazi\ncondemned the care-taker to make good the purse and bound over sundry\nof her debtors to answer for her. So she went forth, confounded and\nknowing not her way out of difficulty. Presently she met a\nfive-year-old boy who, seeing her troubled, said to her, \u201cWhat ails\nthee, O my mother?\u201d But she gave him no answer, contemning him because\nof his tender age, and he repeated his question a second time and a\nthird time till, at last, she told him all that had passed,[FN#254] not\nforgetting the condition that she was to keep the purse until all four\nhad demanded it of her. Said the boy, \u201cGive me a dirham to buy\nsweetmeats withal and I will tell the how thou mayst acquit thyself.\u201d\nSo she gave him a silver and said to him, \u201cWhat hast thou to say?\u201d\nQuoth he, \u201cReturn to the Kazi, and say to him, It was agreed between\nmyself and them that I should not give them the purse, except all four\nof them were present. Let them all four come and I will give them the\npurse, as was agreed.\u201d So she went back to the Kazi and said to him as\nthe boy had counselled; and he asked the merchants, \u201cWas it thus agreed\nbetween you and this woman?\u201d; and they answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Quoth the Kazi,\n\u201cThen bring me your comrade and take the purse.\u201d So they went in quest\nof their fellow, whilst the keeper came off scot-free and went her way\nwithout let or hindrance. And Allah is Omniscient![FN#255] When the\nKing and his Wazir and those present in the assembly heard the Prince\u2019s\nwords they said to his father, \u201cO our lord the King, in very sooth thy\nson is the most accomplished man of his time;\u201d and they called down\nblessings upon the King and the Prince. Then the King strained his son\nto his bosom and kissed him between the eyes and questioned him of what\nhad passed between the favourite and himself; and the Prince sware to\nhim, by Almighty Allah and by His Holy Prophet that it was she who had\nrequired him of love which he refused, adding, \u201cMoreover, she promised\nme that she would give thee poison to drink and kill thee, so should the\nkingship be mine; whereupon I waxed wroth and signed to her, \u2018O\naccursed one, whenas I can speak I will requite thee!\u2019 So she feared me\nand did what she did.\u201d The King believed his words and sending for the\nfavourite said to those present, \u201cHow shall we put this damsel to\ndeath?\u201d Some counselled him to cut out her tongue and other some to\nburn it with fire; but, when she came before the King, she said to him,\n\u201cMy case with thee is like unto naught save the tale of the fox and the\nfolk.\u201d \u201cHow so?\u201d asked he; and she said, \u201cI have heard, O King, tell a\n\n\nStory of the Fox and the Folk.[FN#256]\n\nA fox once made his way into a city by the wall and, entering a\ncurrier\u2019s store-house, played havoc with all therein and spoiled the\nskins for the owner. One day, the currier set a trap for him and taking\nhim, beat him with the hides, till he fell down senseless, whereupon\nthe man deeming him to be dead, cast him out into the road by the\ncity-gate. Presently, an old woman who was walking by, seeing the fox\nsaid, \u201cThis is a fox whose eye, hung about a child\u2019s neck, is salutary\nagainst weeping.\u201d So she pluckt out his right eye and went away. Then\npassed a boy, who said, \u201cWhat does this tail on this fox?\u201d; and cut off\nhis brush. After a while, up came a man and saying, \u201cThis is a fox\nwhose gall cleareth away film and dimness from the eyes, if they be\nanointed therewith like kohl,\u201d took out his knife to slit up the fox\u2019s\npaunch. But Reynard said in himself, \u201cWe bore with the plucking out of\nthe eye and the cutting off of the tail; but, as for the slitting of\nthe paunch, there is no putting up with that!\u201d So saying, he sprang up\nand made off through the gate of the city, hardly believing in his\nescape. Quoth the King, \u201cI excuse her, and in my son\u2019s hands be her\ndoom. If he will, let him torture her, and if he will, let him kill\nher.\u201d Quoth the Prince, \u201cPardon is better than vengeance and mercy is\nof the quality of the noble;\u201d and the King repeated, \u201c\u2019Tis for thee to\ndecide, O my son.\u201d So the Prince set her free, saying, \u201cDepart from our\nneighbourhood and Alla pardon what is past!\u201d Therewith the King rose\nfrom his throne of estate and seating his son thereon, crowned him with\nhis crown and bade the Grandees of his realm swear fealty and commanded\nthem do homage to him. And he said, \u201cO folk, indeed, I am stricken in\nyears and desire to withdraw apart and devote myself only to the\nservice of my Lord; and I call you to witness that I divest myself of\nthe kingly dignity, even as I have divested myself of my crown and set\nit on my son\u2019s head.\u201d So the troops and officers swore fealty to the\nPrince, and his father gave himself up to the worship of his Lord nor\nstinted from this, whilst his son abode in his kingship, doing justice\nand righteousness; and his power was magnified and his sultanate\nstrengthened and he abode in all delight and solace of life, till there\ncame to him the Certainty.\n\n\n\n\nJUDAR[FN#257] AND HIS BRETHREN.\n\n\nThere was once a man and a merchant named Omar and he had for issue\nthree sons, the eldest called S\u00e1lim, the youngest J\u00fadar and the cadet\nSal\u00edm. He reared them all till they came to man\u2019s estate, but the\nyoungest he loved more than his brothers, who seeing this, waxed\njealous of Judar and hated him. Now when their father, who was a man\nshotten in years, saw that his two eldest sons hated their brother, he\nfeared lest after his death trouble should befall him from them. So he\nassembled a company of his kinsfolk, together with divers men of\nlearning and property distributors of the Kazi\u2019s court, and bidding\nbring all his monies and cloth, said to them, \u201cO folk, divide ye this\nmoney and stuff into four portions according to the law.\u201d They did so,\nand he gave one part to each of his sons and kept the fourth himself,\nsaying, \u201cThis was my good and I have divided it among them in my\nlifetime; and this that I have kept shall be for my wife, their mother,\nwherewithal to provide for her subsistence whenas she shall be a\nwidow.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the merchant\nhad divided his money and stuff into four portions he said, \u201cThis share\nshall be for my wife, their mother, wherewithal to provide for her\nsubsistence whenas she shall be a widow.\u201d A little while after this he\ndied, and neither of the two elder brothers was content with his\nshare,[FN#258] but sought more of Judar, saying, \u201cOur father\u2019s wealth\nis in thy hands.\u201d So he appealed to the judges; and the Moslems who had\nbeen present at the partition came and bore witness of that which they\nknew, wherefore the judge forbade them from one another; but Judar and\nhis brothers wasted much money in bribes to him. After this, the twain\nleft him awhile; presently, however, they began again to plot against\nhim and he appealed a second time to the magistrate, who once more\ndecided in his favour; but all three lost much money which went to the\njudges. Nevertheless S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm forbore not to seek his hurt and\nto carry the case from court to court,[FN#259] he and they losing till\nthey had given all their good for food to the oppressors and they\nbecame poor, all three. Then the two elder brothers went to their\nmother and flouted her and beat her, and seizing her money crave her\naway. So she betook herself to her son Judar and told him how his\nbrothers had dealt with her and fell to cursing the twain. Said he, \u201cO\nmy mother, do not curse them, for Allah will requite each of them\naccording to his deed. But, O mother mine, see, I am become poor, and\nso are my brethren, for strife occasioneth loss ruin rife, and we have\nstriven amain, and fought, I and they, before the judges, and it hath\nprofited us naught: nay, we have wasted all our father left us and are\ndisgraced among the folk by reason of our testimony one against other.\nShall I then con tend with them anew on thine account and shall we\nappeal to the judges? This may not be! Rather do thou take up thine\nabode with me, and the scone I eat I will share with thee. Do thou pray\nfor me and Allah will give me the means of thine alimony. Leave them to\nreceive of the Almighty the recompense of their deed, and console\nthyself with the saying of the poet who said,\n\n\u2018If a fool oppress thee bear patiently; * And from Time expect\n     thy revenge to see:\nShun tyranny; for if mount oppressed * A mount, \u2019twould be\n     shattered by tyranny.\u2019\u201d\n\n\nAnd he soothed and comforted her till she consented and took up her\ndwelling with him. Then he get him a net and went a fishing every day\nin the river or the banks about Bul\u00e1k and old Cairo or some other place\nin which there was water; and one day he would earn ten\ncoppers,[FN#260] another twenty and another thirty, which he spent upon\nhis mother and himself, and they ate well and drank well. But, as for\nhis brothers, they plied no craft and neither sold nor bought; misery\nand ruin and overwhelming calamity entered their houses and they wasted\nthat which they had taken from their mother and became of the wretched\nnaked beggars. So at times they would come to their mother, humbling\nthemselves before her exceedingly and complaining to her of hunger; and\nshe (a mother\u2019s heart being pitiful) would give them some mouldy, sour\nsmelling bread or, if there were any meat cooked the day before, she\nwould say to them, \u201cEat it quick and go ere your brother come; for\n\u2019twould be grievous to him and he would harden his heart against me,\nand ye would disgrace me with him.\u201d So they would eat in haste and go.\nOne day among days they came in to their mother, and she set cooked\nmeat and bread before them. As they were eating, behold, in came their\nbrother Judar, at whose sight the parent was put to shame and\nconfusion, fearing lest he should be wroth with her; and she bowed her\nface earthwards abashed before her son. But he smiled in their faces,\nsaying, \u201cWelcome, O my brothers! A blessed day![FN#261] How comes it\nthat ye visit me this blessed day?\u201d Then he embraced them both and\nentreated them lovingly, saying to them, \u201cI thought not that ye would\nhave left me desolate by your absence nor that ye would have forborne\nto come and visit me and your mother.\u201d Said they, \u201cBy Allah, O our\nbrother, we longed sore for thee and naught withheld us but abashment\nbecause of what befell between us and thee; but indeed we have repented\nmuch. \u2019Twas Satan\u2019s doing, the curse of Allah the Most High be upon\nhim! And now we have no blessing but thyself and our mother.\u201d\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar\nentered his place and saw his brothers, he welcomed them both, saying,\n\u201cAnd I have no blessing but you twain.\u201d And his mother exclaimed,\n\u201cAllah whiten thy face, and increase thy prosperity, for thou art the\nmost generous of us all, O my son!\u201d Then he said \u201cWelcome to you both!\nAbide with me; for the Lord is bountiful and good aboundeth with me.\u201d\nSo he made peace with them, and they supped and righted with him; and\nnext morning, after they had broken their fast, Judar shouldered his\nnet and went out, trusting in The Opener[FN#262] whilst the two others\nalso went forth and were absent till midday, when they returned and\ntheir mother set the noon meal before them. At nightfall Judar came\nhome, bearing meat and greens, and they abode on this wise a month\u2019s\nspace, Judar catching fish and selling it and spending their price on\nhis mother and his brothers, and these eating and frolicking till, one\nday, it chanced he went down to the river bank and throwing his net,\nbrought it up empty. He cast it a second time, but again it came up\nempty and he said in himself, \u201cNo fish in this place!\u201d So he removed to\nanother and threw the net there, but without avail. And he ceased not\nto remove from place to place till night fall, but caught not a single\nsprat[FN#263] and said to himself, \u201cWonderful! Hath the fish fled the\nriver or what?\u201d Then he shouldered the net and made for home,\nchagrined, concerned, feeling for his mother and brothers and knowing\nnot how he should feed them that night. Presently, he came to a baker\u2019s\noven and saw the folk crowding for bread, with silver in their hands,\nwhilst the baker took no note of them. So he stood there sighing, and\nthe baker said to him, \u201cWelcome to thee, O Judar! Dost thou want\nbread?\u201d But he was silent and the baker continued, \u201cAn thou have no\ndirhams, take thy sufficiency and thou shalt get credit.\u201d So Judar\nsaid, \u201cGive me ten coppers\u2019 worth of bread and take this net in\npledge.\u201d Rejoined the baker, \u201cNay, my poor fellow, the net is thy gate\nof earning thy livelihood, and if I take it from thee, I shall close up\nagainst thee the door of thy subsistence. Take thee ten Nusfs\u2019 worth of\nbread and take these other ten, and to morrow bring me fish for the\ntwenty.\u201d \u201cOn my head and eyes be it!\u201d quoth Judar and took the bread\nand money saying, \u201cTo morrow the Lord will dispel the trouble of my\ncase and will provide me the means of acquittance.\u201d Then he bought meat\nand vegetables and carried them home to his mother, who cooked them and\nthey supped and went to bed. Next morning he arose at daybreak and took\nthe net, and his mother said to him, \u201cSit down and break thy fast.\u201d But\nhe said, \u201cDo thou and my brothers break fast,\u201d and went down to the\nriver about Bulak where he ceased not to cast once, twice, thrice; and\nto shift about all day, without aught falling to him, till the hour of\nmid afternoon prayer, when he shouldered his net and went away sore\ndejected. His way led him perforce by the booth of the baker who, when\nhe saw him counted out to him the loaves and the money, saying, \u201cCome,\ntake it and go; an it be not to-day, \u2019twill be to-morrow.\u201d Judar would\nhave excused himself, but the baker said to him, \u201cGo! There needeth no\nexcuse; an thou had netted aught, it would be with thee; so seeing thee\nempty handed, I knew thou hadst gotten naught; and if to-morrow thou\nhave no better luck, come and take bread and be not abashed, for I will\ngive thee credit.\u201d So Judar took the bread and money and went home. On\nthe third day also he sallied forth and fished from tank to tank until\nthe time of afternoon prayer, but caught nothing; so he went to the\nbaker and took the bread and silver as usual. On this wise he did seven\ndays running, till he became disheartened and said in himself, \u201cTo day\nI go to the Lake K\u00e1r\u00fan.\u201d[FN#264] So he went thither and was about to\ncast his net, when there came up to him unawares a Maghrab\u00ed, a Moor,\nclad in splendid attire and riding a she mule with a pair of gold\nembroidered saddle bags on her back and all her trappings also\norfrayed. The Moor alighted and said to him, \u201cPeace be upon thee, O\nJudar, O son of Omar!\u201d \u201cAnd on thee likewise be peace, O my lord the\npilgrim!\u201d replied the fisherman. Quoth the Maghrabi, \u201cO Judar, I have\nneed of thee and, given thou obey me, thou shalt get great good and\nshalt be my companion and manage my affairs for me.\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cO my\nlord, tell me what is in thy mind and I will obey thee, without demur.\u201d\nSaid the Moor, \u201cRepeat the Fatihah, the Opening Chapter of the\nKoran.\u201d[FN#265] So he recited it with him and the Moor bringing out a\nsilken cord, said to Judar, \u201cPinion my elbows behind me with this cord,\nas fast as fast can be, and cast me into the lake; then wait a little\nwhile; and, if thou see me put forth my hands above the water, raising\nthem high ere my body show, cast thy net over me and drag me out in\nhaste; but if thou see me come up feet foremost, then know that I am\ndead; in which case do thou leave me and take the mule and saddle bags\nand carry them to the merchants\u2019 bazaar, where thou wilt find a Jew by\nname Sham\u00e1yah. Give him the mule and he will give thee an hundred\ndinars, which do thou take and go thy ways and keep the matter secret\nwith all secrecy.\u201d So Judar tied his arms tightly behind his back and\nhe kept saying, \u201cTie tighter.\u201d Then said he \u201cPush me till I fall into\nthe lake:\u201d so he pushed him in and he sank. Judar stood waiting some\ntime till, behold, the Moor\u2019s feet appeared above the water, whereupon\nhe knew that he was dead. So he left him and drove the mule to the\nbazaar, where seated on a stool at the door of his storehouse he saw\nthe Jew who spying the mule, cried, \u201cIn very sooth the man hath\nperished,\u201d adding, \u201cand naught undid him but covetise.\u201d Then he took\nthe mule from Judar and gave him an hundred dinars, charging him to\nkeep the matter secret. So Judar went and bought what bread he needed,\nsaying to the baker, \u201cTake this gold piece!\u201d; and the man summed up\nwhat was due to him and said, \u201cI still owe thee two days\u2019 bread\u201d\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, when\nthe baker after summing up what was due to him said, \u201cI still owe thee\ntwo days\u2019 bread,\u201d replied, \u201cGood,\u201d and went on to the butcher, to whom\nhe gave a gold piece and took meat, saying, \u201cKeep the rest of the dinar\non account.\u201d Then he bought vegetables and going home, found his\nbrothers importuning their mother for victual, whilst she cried, \u201cHave\npatience till your brother come home, for I have naught.\u201d So he went in\nto them and said, \u201cTake and eat;\u201d and they fell on the food like\ncannibals. Then he gave his mother the rest of his gold saying, \u201cIf my\nbrothers come to thee, give them wherewithal to buy food and eat in my\nabsence.\u201d He slept well that night and next morning he took his net and\ngoing down to Lake Karun stood there and was about to cast his net,\nwhen behold, there came up to him a second Maghribi, riding on a she\nmule more handsomely accoutred than he of the day before and having\nwith him a pair of saddle bags of which each pocket contained a casket.\n\u201cPeace be with thee, O Judar!\u201d said the Moor: \u201cAnd with thee be peace,\nO my lord, the pilgrim!\u201d replied Judar. Asked the Moor, \u201cDid there come\nto thee yesterday a Moor riding on a mule like this of mine?\u201d Hereat\nJudar was alarmed and answered, \u201cI saw none,\u201d fearing lest the other\nsay, \u201cWhither went he?\u201d and if he replied, \u201cHe was drowned in the\nlake,\u201d that haply he should charge him with having drowned him;\nwherefore he could not but deny. Rejoined the Moor, \u201cHark ye, O\nunhappy![FN#266] this was my brother, who is gone before me.\u201d Judar\npersisted, \u201cI know naught of him.\u201d Then the Moor enquired, \u201cDidst thou\nnot bind his arms behind him and throw him into the lake, and did he\nnot say to thee, \u2018If my hands appear above the water first, cast thy\nnet over me and drag me out in haste; but, if my feet show first, know\nthat I am dead and carry the mule to the Jew Shamayah, who shall give\nthee an hundred dinars?\u2019\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cSince thou knowest all this why\nand wherefore dost thou question me?\u201d; and quoth the Moor, \u201cI would\nhave thee do with me as thou didst with my brother.\u201d Then he gave him a\nsilken cord, saying, \u201cBind my hands behind me and throw me in, and if I\nfare as did my brother, take the mule to the Jew and he will give thee\nother hundred dinars.\u201d Said Judar, \u201cCome on;\u201d so he came and he bound\nhim and pushed him into the lake, where he sank. Then Judar sat\nwatching and after awhile, his feet appeared above the water and the\nfisher said, \u201cHe is dead and damned! Inshallah, may Maghribis come to\nme every day, and I will pinion them and push them in and they shall\ndie; and I will content me with an hundred dinars for each dead man.\u201d\nThen he took the mule to the Jew, who seeing him asked, \u201cThe other is\ndead?\u201d Answered Judar, \u201cMay thy head live!\u201d; and the Jew said, \u201cThis is\nthe reward of the covetous!\u201d Then he took the mule and gave Judar an\nhundred dinars, with which he returned to his mother. \u201cO my son,\u201d said\nshe, \u201cwhence hast thou this?\u201d So he told her, and she said, \u201cGo not\nagain to Lake Karun, indeed I fear for thee from the Moors.\u201d Said he,\n\u201cO my mother, I do but cast them in by their own wish, and what am I to\ndo? This craft bringeth me an hundred dinars a day and I return\nspeedily; wherefore, by Allah, I will not leave going to Lake Karun,\ntill the race of the Magh\u00e1ribah[FN#267] is cut off and not one of them\nis left.\u201d So, on the morrow which was the third day, he went down to\nthe lake and stood there, till there came up a third Moor, riding on a\nmule with saddle bags and still more richly accoutred than the first\ntwo, who said to him, \u201cPeace be with thee, O Judar, O son of Omar!\u201d And\nthe fisherman saying in himself, \u201cHow comes it that they all know me?\u201d\nreturned his salute. Asked the Maghribi, \u201cHave any Moors passed by\nhere?\u201d \u201cTwo,\u201d answered Judar. \u201cWhither went they?\u201d enquired the Moor,\nand Judar replied, \u201cI pinioned their hands behind them and cast them\ninto the lake, where they were drowned, and the same fate is in store\nfor thee.\u201d The Moor laughed and rejoined, saying, \u201cO unhappy! Every\nlife hath its term appointed.\u201d Then he alighted and gave the fisherman\nthe silken cord, saying, \u201cDo with me, O Judar, as thou didst with\nthem.\u201d Said Judar, \u201cPut thy hands behind thy back, that I may pinion\nthee, for I am in haste, and time flies.\u201d So he put his hands behind\nhim and Judar tied him up and cast him in. Then he waited awhile;\npresently the Moor thrust both hands forth of the water and called out\nto him, saying, \u201cHo, good fellow, cast out thy net!\u201d So Judar threw the\nnet over him and drew him ashore, and lo! in each hand he held a fish\nas red as coral. Quoth the Moor, \u201cBring me the two caskets that are in\nthe saddle bags.\u201d So Judar brought them and opened them to him, and he\nlaid in each casket a fish and shut them up. Then he pressed Judar to\nhis bosom and kissed him on the right cheek and the left, saying,\n\u201cAllah save thee from all stress! By the Almighty, hadst thou not cast\nthe net over me and pulled me out, I should have kept hold of these two\nfishes till I sank and was drowned, for I could not get ashore of\nmyself.\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cO my lord the pilgrim, Allah upon thee, tell me\nthe true history of the two drowned men and the truth anent these two\nfishes and the Jew.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nto say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Tenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar\nasked the Maghribi, saying, \u201cPrithee tell me first of the drowned\nmen,\u201d the Maghribi answered, \u201cKnow, O Judar, that these drowned men\nwere my two brothers, by name Abd al-Sal\u00e1m and Abd al-Ahad. My own\nname is Abd al-Samad, and the Jew also is our brother; his name is Abd\nal-Rahim and he is no Jew but a true believer of the Maliki school. Our\nfather, whose name was Abd al-Wad\u00fad,[FN#268] taught us magic and the\nart of solving mysteries and bringing hoards to light, and we applied\nourselves thereto, till we compelled the Ifrits and Marids of the Jinn\nto do us service. By and by, our sire died and left us much wealth,\nand we divided amongst us his treasures and talismans, till we came to\nthe books, when we fell out over a volume called \u2018The Fables of the\nAncients,\u2019 whose like is not in the world, nor can its price be paid of\nany, nor is its value to be evened with gold and jewels; for in it are\nparticulars of all the hidden hoards of the earth and the solution of\nevery secret. Our father was wont to make use of this book, of which we\nhad some small matter by heart, and each of us desired to possess it,\nthat he might acquaint himself with what was therein. Now when we fell\nout there was in our company an old man by name Cohen Al-Abtan,[FN#269]\nwho had reared our sire and taught him divination and gramarye, and he\nsaid to us, \u2018Bring me the book.\u2019 So we gave it him and he continued,\u2014Ye\nare my son\u2019s sons, and it may not be that I should wrong any of you.\nSo whoso is minded to have the volume, let him address himself to\nachieve the treasure of Al-Shamardal[FN#270] and bring me the celestial\nplanisphere and the Kohl phial and the seal ring and the sword. For the\nring hath a Marid that serveth it called Al-Ra\u2019ad al-K\u00e1sif;[FN#271]\nand whoso hath possession thereof, neither King nor Sultan may prevail\nagainst him; and if he will, he may therewith make himself master of\nthe earth, in all the length and breadth thereof. As for the brand, if\nits bearer draw it and brandish it against an army, the army will be\nput to the rout; and if he say the while, \u2018Slay yonder host,\u2019 there\nwill come forth of that sword lightning and fire, that will kill the\nwhole many. As for the planisphere, its possessor hath only to turn\nits face toward any country, east or west, with whose sight he hath a\nmind to solace himself, and therein he will see that country and its\npeople, as they were between his hands and he sitting in his place;\nand if he be wroth with a city and have a mind to burn it, he hath but\nto face the planisphere towards the sun\u2019s disc, saying, \u2018Let such a\ncity be burnt,\u2019 and that city will be consumed with fire. As for the\nKohl phial, whoso pencilleth his eyes therefrom, he shall espy all\nthe treasures of the earth. And I make this condition with you which\nis that whoso faileth to hit upon the hoards shall forfeit his right;\nand that none save he who shall achieve the treasure and bring me the\nfour precious things which be therein shall have any claim to take this\nbook.\u2019 So we all agreed to this condition, and he continued, \u2018O my\nsons, know that the treasure of Al-Shamardal is under the commandment\nof the sons of the Red King, and your father told me that he had\nhimself essayed to open the treasure, but could not; for the sons of\nthe Red King fled from him into the land of Egypt and took refuge in a\nlake there, called Lake Karun, whither he pursued them, but could not\nprevail over them, by reason of their stealing into that lake, which\nwas guarded by a spell.\u2019 \u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eleventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Cohen\nal-Abtan had told the youths this much, he continued his tale as\nfollows, \u201cSo your father returned empty handed and unable to win to his\nwish; and after failing he complained to me of his ill-success,\nwhereupon I drew him an astrological figure and found that the treasure\ncould be achieved only by means of a young fisherman of Cairo, highs\nJudar bin Omar, the place of foregathering with whom was at Lake Karun,\nfor that he should be the means of capturing the sons of the Red King\nand that the charm would not be dissolved, save if he should bind the\nhands of the treasure seeker behind him and cast him into the lake,\nthere to do battle with the sons of the Red King. And he whose lot it\nwas to succeed would lay hands upon them; but, if it were not destined\nto him he should perish and his feet appear above water. As for him who\nwas successful, his hands would show first, whereupon it behoved that\nJudar should cast the net over him and draw him ashore.\u201d Now quoth my\nbrothers Abd al-Salam and Abd al-Ahad, \u201cWe will wend and make trial,\nalthough we perish;\u201d and quoth I, \u201cAnd I also will go;\u201d but my brother\nAbd al-Rahim (he whom thou sawest in the habit of a Jew) said, \u201cI have\nno mind to this.\u201d Thereupon we agreed with him that he should repair to\nCairo in the disguise of a Jewish merchant, so that, if one of us\nperished in the lake, he might take his mule and saddle bags and give\nthe bearer an hundred dinars. The first that came to thee the sons of\nthe Red King slew, and so did they with my second brother; but against\nme they could not prevail and I laid hands on them. Cried Judar, \u201cAnd\nwhere is thy catch?\u201d Asked the Moor, \u201cDidst thou not see me shut them\nin the caskets?\u201d \u201cThose were fishes,\u201d said Judar. \u201cNay,\u201d answered the\nMaghribi, \u201cthey are Ifrits in the guise of fish. But, O Judar,\u201d\ncontinued he, \u201cthou must know that the treasure can be opened only by\nthy means: so say, wilt thou do my bidding and go with me to the city\nFez and Mequinez[FN#272] where we will open the treasure?; and after I\nwill give thee what thou wilt and thou shalt ever be my brother in the\nbond of Allah and return to thy family with a joyful heart.\u201d Said\nJudar, \u201cO my lord the pilgrim, I have on my neck a mother and two\nbrothers,\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twelfth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar said\nto the Maghribi, \u201cI have on my neck a mother and two brothers, whose\nprovider I am; and if I go with thee, who shall give them bread to\neat?\u201d Replied the Moor, \u201cThis is an idle excuse! if it be but a matter\nof expenditure, I will give thee a thousand ducats for thy mother,\nwherewith she may provide her self till thou come back: and indeed thou\nshalt return before the end of four months.\u201d So when Judar heard\nmention of the thousand diners, he said, \u201cHere with them, O Pilgrim,\nand I am thy man;\u201d and the Moor, pulling out the money, gave it to him,\nwhereupon he carried it to his mother and told her what had passed\nbetween them, saying, \u201cTake these thousand diners and expend of them\nupon thyself and my brothers, whilst I journey to Marocco with the\nMoor, for I shall be absent four months, and great good will betide me;\nso bless me, O my mother!\u201d Answered she, \u201cO my son, thou desolatest me\nand I fear for thee.\u201d \u201cO my mother,\u201d rejoined he, \u201cno harm can befall\nhim who is in Allah\u2019s keeping, and the Maghribi is a man of worth;\u201d and\nhe went on to praise his condition to her. Quoth she, \u201cAllah incline\nhis heart to thee! Go with him, O my son; peradventure, he will give\nthee somewhat.\u201d So he took leave of his mother and rejoined the Moor\nAbd al-Samad, who asked him, \u201cHast thou consulted thy mother?\u201d \u201cYes,\u201d\nanswered Judar; \u201cand she blessed me.\u201d \u201cThen mount behind me,\u201d said the\nMaghribi. So Judar mounted the mule\u2019s crupper and they rode on from\nnoon till the time of mid afternoon prayer, when the fisherman was an\nhungered; but seeing no victual with the Moor, said to him, \u201cO my lord\nthe pilgrim, belike thou hast forgotten to bring us aught to eat by the\nway?\u201d Asked the Moor, \u201cArt thou hungry?\u201d and Judar answered, \u201cYes.\u201d So\nAbd al-Samad alighted and made Judar alight and take down the saddle\nbage[FN#273]; then he said to him, \u201cWhat wilt thou have, O my brother?\u201d\n\u201cAnything.\u201d \u201cAllah upon thee, tell me what thou hast a mind to.\u201d \u201cBread\nand cheese.\u201d \u201cO my poor fellow! bread and cheese besit thee not; wish\nfor some thing good.\u201d \u201cJust now everything is good to me.\u201d \u201cDost thou\nlike nice browned chicken?\u201d \u201cYes!\u201d \u201cDost thou like rice and honey?\u201d\n\u201cYes!\u201d And the Moor went on to ask him if he liked this dish and that\ndish till he had named four and twenty kinds of meats; and Judar\nthought to himself, \u201cHe must be daft! Where are all these dainties to\ncome from, seeing he hath neither cook nor kitchen? But I\u2019ll say to\nhim, \u2018\u2019Tis enough!\u2019\u201d So he cried, \u201cThat will do: thou makest me long\nfor all these meats, and I see nothing.\u201d Quoth the Moor, \u201cThou art\nwelcome, O Judar!\u201d and, putting his hand into the saddle bags, pulled\nout a golden dish containing two hot browned chickens. Then he thrust\nhis hand a second time and drew out a golden dish, full of\nkabobs[FN#274]; nor did he stint taking out dishes from saddle bags,\ntill he had brought forth the whole of the four and twenty kinds he had\nnamed, whilst Judar looked on. Then said the Moor, \u201cFall to poor\nfellow!\u201d, and Judar said to him, \u201cO my lord, thou carriest in yonder\nsaddle bags kitchen and kitcheners!\u201d The Moor laughed and replied,\n\u201cThese are magical saddle bags and have a servant, who would bring us a\nthousand dishes an hour, if we called for them.\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cBy\nAllah, a meat thing in saddle bags\u2019\u201d Then they ate their fill and threw\naway what was left; after which the Moor replaced the empty dishes in\nthe saddle bags and putting in his hand, drew out an ewer. They drank\nand making the Wuzu ablution, prayed the mid afternoon prayer; after\nwhich Abd al-Samad replaced the ewer and the two caskets in the saddle\nbags and throwing them over the mule\u2019s back, mounted and cried \u201cUp with\nthee and let us be off,\u201d presently adding, \u201cO Judar, knowest thou how\nfar we have come since we left Cairo?\u201d \u201cNot I, by Allah,\u201d replied he,\nand Abd al-Samad, \u201cWe have come a whole month\u2019s journey.\u201d Asked Judar,\n\u201cAnd how is that?\u201d; and the Moor answered, \u201cKnow, O Judar, that this\nmule under us is a Marid of the Jinn who every day performeth a year\u2019s\njourney; but, for thy sake, she hath gone an easier pace.\u201d Then they\nset out again and fared on westwards till nightfall, when they halted\nand the Maghribi brought out supper from the saddle bags, and in like\nmanner, in the morning, he took forth wherewithal to break their fast.\nSo they rode on four days, journeying till midnight and then alighting\nand sleeping until morning, when they fared on again; and all that\nJudar had a mind to, he sought of the Moor, who brought it out of the\nsaddle bags. On the fifth day, they arrived at Fez and Mequinez and\nentered the city, where all who met the Maghribi saluted him and kissed\nhis hands; and he continued riding through the streets, till he came to\na certain door, at which he knocked, whereupon it opened and out came a\ngirl like the moon, to whom said he, \u201cO my daughter, O Rahmah,[FN#275]\nopen us the upper chamber.\u201d \u201cOn my head and eyes, O my papa!\u201d replied\nshe and went in, swaying her hips to and fro with a graceful and\nswimming gait like a thirsting gazelle, movements that ravished Judar\u2019s\nreason, and he said, \u201cThis is none other than a King\u2019s daughter.\u201d So\nshe opened the upper chamber, and the Moor, taking the saddle bags from\nthe mule\u2019s back, said, \u201cGo, and God bless thee!\u201d when lo! the earth\nclove asunder and swallowing the mule, closed up again as before. And\nJudar said, \u201cO Protector! praised be Allah, who hath kept us in safety\non her back!\u201d Quoth the Maghribi, \u201cMarvel not, O Judar. I told thee\nthat the mule was an Ifrit; but come with us into the upper chamber.\u201d\nSo they went up into it, and Judar was amazed at the profusion of rich\nfurniture and pendants of gold and silver and jewels and other rare and\nprecious things which he saw there. As soon as they were seated, the\nMoor bade Rahmah bring him a certain bundle[FN#276] and opening it,\ndrew out a dress worth a thousand diners, which he gave to Judar,\nsaying, \u201cDon this dress, O Judar, and welcome to thee!\u201d So Judar put it\non and became a fair en sample of the Kings of the West. Then the\nMaghribi laid the saddle bags before him, and, putting in his hand,\npulled out dish after dish, till they had before them a tray of forty\nkinds of meat, when he said to Judar, \u201cCome near, O my master! eat and\nexcuse us\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Maghribi\nhaving served up in the pavilion a tray of forty kinds of meat, said to\nJudar, \u201cCome near, O my master, and excuse us for that we know not what\nmeats thou desirest; but tell us what thou hast a mind to, and we will\nset it before thee without delay.\u201d Replied Judar, \u201cBy Allah, O my lord\nthe pilgrim, I love all kinds of meat and unlove none; so ask me not of\naught, but bring all that cometh to thy thought, for save eating to do\nI have nought.\u201d After this he tarried twenty days with the Moor, who\nclad him in new clothes every day, and all this time they ate from the\nsaddle bags; for the Maghribi bought neither meat nor bread nor aught\nelse, nor cooked, but brought everything out of the bags, even to\nvarious sorts of fruit. On the twenty first day, he said, \u201cO Judar up\nwith thee; this is the day appointed for opening the hoard of\nAl-Shamardal.\u201d So he rose and they went afoot[FN#277] without the city,\nwhere they found two slaves, each holding a she mule. The Moor mounted\none beast and Judar the other, and they ceased not riding till noon,\nwhen they came to a stream of running water, on whose banks Abd\nal-Samad alighted saying, \u201cDismount, O Judar!\u201d Then he signed with his\nhand to the slaves and said, \u201cTo it!\u201d So they took the mules and going\neach his own way, were absent awhile, after which they returned, one\nbearing a tent, which he pitched, and the other carpets, which he\nspread in the tent and laid mattresses, pillows and cushions there\naround. Then one of them brought the caskets containing the two fishes;\nand another fetched the saddle bags; whereupon the Maghribi arose and\nsaid, \u201cCome, O Judar!\u201d So Judar followed him into the tent and sat down\nbeside him; and he brought out dishes of meat from the saddle bags and\nthey ate the undurn meal. Then the Moor took the two caskets and\nconjured over them both, whereupon there came from within voices that\nsaid\u2019 \u201cAdsumus, at thy service, O diviner of the world! Have mercy upon\nus!\u201d and called aloud for aid. But he ceased not to repeat conjurations\nand they to call for help, till the two caskets flew in sunder, the\nfragments flying about, and there came forth two men, with pinioned\nhands saying, \u201cQuarter, O diviner of the world! What wilt thou with\nus?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cMy will is to burn you both with fire, except ye make a\ncovenant with me, to open to me the treasure of Al-Shamardal.\u201d Quoth\nthey, \u201cWe promise this to thee, and we will open the tree sure to thee,\nso thou produce to us Judar bin Omar, the fisherman, for the hoard may\nnot be opened but by his means, nor can any enter therein save Judar.\u201d\nCried the Maghribi \u201cHim of whom ye speak, I have brought, and he is\nhere, listening to you and looking at you.\u201d Thereupon they covenanted\nwith him to open the treasure to him, and he released them. Then he\nbrought out a hollow wand and tablets of red carnelian which he laid on\nthe rod; and after this he took a chafing dish and setting charcoal\nthereon, blew one breath into it and it kindled forthwith. Presently he\nbrought incense and said, \u201cO Judar, I am now about to begin the\nnecessary conjurations and fumigations, and when I have once begun, I\nmay not speak, or the charm will be naught; so I will teach thee first\nwhat thou must do to win thy wish.\u201d \u201cTeach me,\u201d quoth Judar. \u201cKnow,\u201d\nquoth the Moor, \u201cthat when I have recited the spell and thrown on the\nincense, the water will dry up from the river\u2019s bed and discover to\nthee, a golden door, the bigness of the city gate, with two rings of\nmetal thereon; whereupon do thou go down to the door and knock a light\nknock and wait awhile; then knock a second time a knock louder than the\nfirst and wait another while; after which give three knocks in rapid\nsuccession, and thou wilt hear a voice ask, \u2018Who knocketh at the door\nof the treasure, unknowing how to solve the secrets?\u2019 Do thou answer,\n\u2018I am Judar the fisherman son of Omar\u2019: and the door will open and\nthere will come forth a figure with a brand in hand who will say to\nthee: \u2018If thou be that man, stretch forth thy neck, that I may strike\noff thy head.\u2019 Then do thou stretch forth thy neck and fear not; for,\nwhen he lifts his hand and smites thee with the sword, he will fall\ndown before thee, and in a little thou wilt see him a body sans soul;\nand the stroke shall not hurt thee nor shall any harm befall thee; but,\nif thou gainsay him, he will slay thee. When thou hast undone his\nenchantment by obedience, enter and go on till thou see another door,\nat which do thou knock, and there will come forth to thee a horseman\nriding a mare with a lance on his shoulder and say to thee, \u2018What\nbringeth thee hither, where none may enter ne man ne Jinni?\u2019 And he\nwill shake his lance at thee. Bare thy breast to him and he will smite\nthee and fall down forthright and thou shalt see him a body without a\nsoul; but if thou cross him he will kill thee. Then go on to the third\ndoor, whence there will come forth to thee a man with a bow and arrows\nin his hand and take aim at thee. Bare thy breast to him and he will\nshoot at thee and fall down before thee, a body without a soul; but if\nthou oppose him, he will kill thee. Then go on to the fourth door\u201d\u2014And\nShahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per misted\nsay.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fourteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Maghribi\nsaid to Judar, \u201cGo on to the fourth door and knock and it shall be\nopened to thee, when there will come forth to thee a lion huge of bulk\nwhich will rush upon thee, opening his mouth and showing he hath a mind\nto devour thee. Have no fear of him, neither flee from him: but when he\ncometh to thee, give him thy hand and he will bite at it and fall down\nstraightway, nor shall aught of hurt betide thee. Then enter the fifth\ndoor, where thou shalt find a black slave, who will say to thee, \u2018Who\nart thou?\u2019 Say, \u2018I am Judar!\u2019 and he will answer, \u2018If thou be that man,\nopen the sixth door.\u2019 Then do thou go up to the door and say, \u2018O Isa,\ntell Musa to open the door\u2019; whereupon the door will fly open and thou\nwilt see two dragons, one on the left hand and another on the right,\nwhich will open their mouths and fly at thee, both at once. Do thou put\nforth to them both hands and they will bite each a hand and fall down\ndead; but an thou resist them, they will slay thee. Then go on to the\nseventh door and knock, whereupon there will come forth to thee thy\nmother and say, \u2018Welcome, O my son! Come, that I may greet thee!\u2019 But\ndo thou reply, \u2018Hold off from me and doff thy dress.\u2019 And she will make\nanswer, \u2018O my son, I am thy mother and I have a claim upon thee for\nsuckling thee and for rearing thee: how then wouldst thou strip me\nnaked?\u2019 Then do thou say, \u2018Except thou put off thy clothes, I will kill\nthee!\u2019 and look to thy right where thou wilt see a sword hanging up.\nTake it and draw it upon her, saying, \u2018Strip!\u2019 where upon she will\nwheedle thee and humble herself to thee; but have thou no ruth on her\nnor be beguiled, and as often as she putteth off aught, say to her,\n\u2018Off with the rave\u2019; nor do thou cease to threaten her with death, till\nshe doff all that is upon her and fall down, whereupon the enchantment\nwill be dissolved and the charms undone, and thou wilt be safe as to\nthy life. Then enter the hall of the treasure, where thou wilt see the\ngold lying in heaps; but pay no heed to aught thereof, but look to a\ncloset at the upper end of the hall, where thou wilt see a curtain\ndrawn. Draw back the curtain and thou wilt descry the enchanter,\nAl-Shamardal, lying upon a couch of gold, with something at his head\nround and shining like the moon, which is the celestial planisphere. He\nis baldrick\u2019d with the sword[FN#278]; his finger is the ring and about\nhis neck hangs a chain, to which hangs the Kohl phial. Bring me the\nfour talismans, and beware lest thou forget aught of that which I have\ntold thee, or thou wilt repent and there will be fear for thee.\u201d And he\nrepeated his directions a second and a third and a fourth time, till\nJudar said, \u201cI have them by heart: but who may face all these\nenchantments that thou namest and endure against these mighty terrors?\u201d\nReplied the Moor, \u201cO Judar, fear not, for they are semblances without\nlife;\u201d and he went on to hearten him, till he said, \u201cI put my trust in\nAllah.\u201d Then Abd al-Samad threw perfumes on the chafing dish, and\naddressed himself to reciting conjurations for a time when, behold, the\nwater disappeared and uncovered the river bed and discovered the door\nof the treasure, whereupon Judar went down to the door and knocked.\nTherewith he heard a voice saying, \u201cWho knocketh at the door of the\ntreasure, unknowing how to solve the secrets?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cI am Judar\nson of Omar;\u201d whereupon the door opened and there came forth a figure\nwith a drawn sword, who said to him, \u201cStretch forth thy neck.\u201d So he\nstretched forth his neck and the species smote him and fell down,\nlifeless. Then he went on to the second door and did the like, nor did\nhe cease to do thus, till he had undone the enchantments of the first\nsix doors and came to the seventh door, whence there issued forth to\nhim his mother, saying, \u201cI salute thee, O my son!\u201d He asked, \u201cWhat art\nthou?\u201d, and she answered, \u201cO my son, I am thy mother who bare thee nine\nmonths and suckled thee and reared thee.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cPut off thy\nclothes.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cThou art my son, how wouldst thou strip me\nnaked?\u201d But he said \u201cStrip, or I will strike off thy head with this\nsword;\u201d and he stretched out his hand to the brand and drew it upon her\nsaying, \u201cExcept thou strip, I will slay thee.\u201d Then the strife became\nlong between them and as often as he redoubled on her his threats, she\nput off somewhat of her clothes and he said to her, \u201cDoff the rest,\u201d\nwith many menaces; while she removed each article slowly and kept\nsaying, \u201cO my son, thou hast disappointed my fosterage of thee,\u201d till\nshe had nothing left but her petticoat trousers Then said she, \u201cO my\nson, is thy heart stone? Wilt thou dishonour me by discovering my\nshame? Indeed, this is unlawful, O my son!\u201d And he answered, \u201cThou\nsayest sooth; put not off thy trousers.\u201d At once, as he uttered these\nwords, she cried out, \u201cHe hath made default; beat him!\u201d Whereupon there\nfell upon him blows like rain drops and the servants of the treasure\nflocked to him and dealt him a funding which he forgot not in all his\ndays; after which they thrust him forth and threw him down without the\ntreasure and the hoard doors closed of themselves, whilst the waters of\nthe river returned to their bed.\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Fifteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the servants\nof the treasure beat Judar and cast him out and the hoard doors closed\nof themselves, whilst the river waters returned to their bed, Abd\nal-Samad the Maghribi took Judar up in haste and repeated conjurations\nover him, till he came to his senses but still dazed as with drink,\nwhen he asked him, \u201cWhat hast thou done, O wretch?\u201d Answered Judar, \u201cO\nmy brother, I undid all the opposing enchantments, till I came to my\nmother and there befell between her and myself a long contention. But I\nmade her doff her clothes, O my brother, till but her trousers remained\nupon her and she said to me, \u2018Do not dishonour me; for to discover\none\u2019s shame is forbidden.\u2019 So I left her her trousers out of pity, and\nbehold, she cried out and said, \u2018He hath made default; beat him!\u2019\nWhereupon there came out upon me folk, whence I know not, and funding\nme with a belabouring which was a Sister of Death, thrust me forth; nor\ndo I know what befell me after this.\u201d Quoth the Moor, \u201cDid I not warn\nthee not to swerve from my directions? Verily, thou hast injured me and\nhast injured thyself: for if thou hadst made her take off her petticoat\ntrousers, we had won to our wish; but now thou must abide with me till\nthis day next year.\u201d Then he cried out to the two slaves, who struck\nthe tent forthright and loaded it on the beasts; then they were absent\nawhile and presently returned with the two mules; and the twain mounted\nand rode back to the city of Fez, where Judar tarried with the\nMaghribi, eating well and drinking well and donning a grand dress every\nday, till the year was ended and the anniversary day dawned. Then the\nMoor said to him, \u201cCome with me, for this is the appointed day.\u201d And\nJudar said, \u201c\u2019Tis well.\u201d So the Maghribi carried him without the city,\nwhere they found the two slaves with the mules, and rode on till they\nreached the river. Here the slaves pitched the tent and furnished it;\nand the Moor brought forth the tray of food and they ate the morning\nmeal; after which Abd al-Samad brought out the wand and the tablets as\nbefore and, kindling the fire in the chafing dish, made ready the\nincense. Then said he, \u201cO Judar, I wish to renew my charge to thee.\u201d \u201cO\nmy lord the pilgrim,\u201d replied he, \u201cif I have forgotten the bastinado, I\nhave forgotten the injunctions.\u201d[FN#279] Asked the Moor, \u201cDost thou\nindeed remember them?\u201d and he answered, \u201cYes.\u201d Quoth the Moor, \u201cKeep\nthy wits, and think not that the woman is thy very mother; nay, she is\nbut an enchantment in her semblance, whose purpose is to find thee\ndefaulting. Thou camest off alive the first time; but, an thou trip\nthis time, they will slay thee.\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cIf I slip this time, I\ndeserve to be burnt of them.\u201d Then Abd al-Samad cast the perfumes into\nthe fire and recited the conjurations, till the river dried up;\nwhereupon Judar descended and knocked. The door opened and he entered\nand undid the several enchantments, till he came to the seventh door\nand the semblance of his mother appeared before him, saying,\n\u201cWelcome,[FN#280] O my son!\u201d But he said to her, \u201cHow am I thy son, O\naccursed? Strip!\u201d And she began to wheedle him and put off garment\nafter garment, till only her trousers remained; and he said to her,\n\u201cStrip, O accursed!\u201d So she put off her trousers and became a body\nwithout a soul. Then he entered the hall of the treasures, where he saw\ngold lying in heaps, but paid no heed to it and passed on to the closet\nat the upper end, where he saw the enchanter Al-Shamardal lying on a\ncouch of gold, baldrick\u2019d with the sword, with the ring on his finger,\nthe Kohl phial on his breast and the celestial planisphere hanging over\nhis head. So he loosed the sword and taking the ring, the Kohl phial\nand the planisphere, went forth, when behold, a band of music sounded\nfor him and the servants of the treasure cried out, saying, \u201cMayest\nthou be assained with that thou hast gained, O Judar!\u201d Nor did the\nmusic leave sounding, till he came forth of the treasure to the\nMaghribi, who gave up his conjurations and fumigations and rose up and\nembraced him and saluted him. Then Judar made over to him the four\nhoarded talismans, and he took them and cried out to the slaves, who\ncarried away the tent and brought the mules. So they mounted and\nreturned to Fez-city, where the Moor fetched the saddle bags and\nbrought forth dish after dish of meat, till the tray was full, and\nsaid, \u201cO my brother, O Judar, eat!\u201d So he ate till he was satisfied,\nwhen the Moor emptied what remained of the meats and other dishes and\nreturned the empty platters to the saddle bags. Then quoth he, \u201cO\nJudar, thou hast left home and native land on our account and thou hast\naccomplished our dearest desire; wherefore thou hast a right to require\na reward of us. Ask, therefore, what thou wilt, it is Almighty Allah\nwho giveth unto thee by our means.[FN#281] Ask thy will and be not\nashamed, for thou art deserving.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d quoth Judar, \u201cI ask\nfirst of Allah the Most High and then of thee, that thou give me yonder\nsaddle bags.\u201d So the Maghribi called for them and gave them to him,\nsaying, \u201cTake them, for they are thy due; and, if thou hadst asked of\nme aught else instead, I had given it to thee. Eat from them, thou and\nthy family; but, my poor fellow, these will not profit thee, save by\nway of provaunt, and thou hast wearied thyself with us and we promised\nto send thee home rejoicing. So we will join to these other saddle\nbags, full of gold and gems, and forward thee back to thy native land,\nwhere thou shalt become a gentleman and a merchant and clothe thyself\nand thy family; nor shalt thou want ready money for thine expenditure.\nAnd know that the manner of using our gift is on this wise. Put thy\nhand therein and say, \u2018O servant of these saddle bags, I conjure thee\nby the virtue of the Mighty Names which have power over thee, bring me\nsuch a dish!\u2019 And he will bring thee whatsoever thou askest, though\nthou shouldst call for a thousand different dishes a day.\u201d So saying,\nhe filled him a second pair of saddle bags half with gold and half with\ngems and precious stones; and, sending for a slave and a mule, said to\nhim, \u201cMount this mule, and the slave shall go before thee and show thee\nthe way, till thou come to the door of thy house, where do thou take\nthe two pair of saddle bags and give him the mule, that he may bring it\nback. But admit none into thy secret; and so we commend thee to Allah!\u201d\n\u201cMay the Almighty increase thy good!\u201d replied Judar and, laying the two\npairs of saddle bags on the mule\u2019s back, mounted and set forth. The\nslave went on before him and the mule followed him all that day and\nnight, and on the morrow he entered Cairo by the Gate of\nVictory,[FN#282] where he saw his mother seated, saying, \u201cAlms, for the\nlove of Allah!\u201d At this sight he well nigh lost his wits and alighting,\nthrew himself upon her: and when she saw him she wept. Then he mounted\nher on the mule and walked by her stirrup,[FN#283] till they came to\nthe house, where he set her down and, taking the saddle bags, left the\nshe mule to the slave, who led her away and returned with her to his\nmaster, for that both slave and mule were devils. As for Judar, it was\ngrievous to him that his mother should beg; so, when they were in the\nhouse, he asked her, \u201cO my mother, are my brothers well?\u201d; and she\nanswered, \u201cThey are both well.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cWhy dost thou beg by the\nwayside?\u201d Quoth she, \u201cBecause I am hungry, O my son,\u201d and he, \u201cBefore I\nwent away, I gave thee an hundred dinars one day, the like the next and\na thousand on the day of my departure.\u201d \u201cO my son, they cheated me and\ntook the money from me, saying, \u2018We will buy goods with it.\u2019 Then they\ndrove me away, and I fell to begging by the wayside, for stress of\nhunger.\u201d \u201cO my mother, no harm shall befall thee, now I am come; so\nhave no concern, for these saddle bags are full of gold and gems, and\ngood aboundeth with me.\u201d \u201cVerily, thou art blessed, O my son! Allah\naccept of thee and increase thee of His bounties! Go, O my son, fetch\nus some victual, for I slept not last night for excess of hunger,\nhaving gone to bed supperless.\u201d \u201cWelcome to thee, O my mother! Call for\nwhat thou wilt to eat, and I will set it before thee this moment; for I\nhave no occasion to buy from the market, nor need I any to cook. \u201cO my\nson, I see naught with thee.\u201d \u201cI have with me in these saddle bags all\nmanner of meats.\u201d \u201cO my son, whatever is ready will serve to stay\nhunger.\u201d \u201cTrue, when there is no choice, men are content with the\nsmallest thing; but where there is plenty, they like to eat what is\ngood: and I have abundance; so call for what thou hast a mind to.\u201d \u201cO\nmy son, give me some hot bread and a slice of cheese.\u201d \u201cO my mother,\nthis befitteth not thy condition.\u201d \u201cThen give me to eat of that which\nbesitteth my case, for thou knowest it.\u201d \u201cO my mother,\u201d rejoined he,\n\u201cwhat suit thine estate are browned meat and roast chicken and peppered\nrice and it becometh thy rank to eat of sausages and stuffed cucumbers\nand stuffed lamb and stuffed ribs of mutton and vermicelli with broken\nalmonds and nuts and honey and sugar and fritters and almond cakes.\u201d\nBut she thought he was laughing at her and making mock of her; so she\nsaid to him, \u201cYauh! Yauh![FN#284] what is come to thee? Dost thou dream\nor art thou daft?\u201d Asked he, \u201cWhy deemest thou that I am mad?\u201d and she\nanswered, \u201cBecause thou namest to me all manner rich dishes. Who can\navail unto their price, and who knoweth how to dress them?\u201d Quoth he,\n\u201cBy my life! thou shalt eat of all that I have named to thee, and that\nat once;\u201d and quoth she, \u201cI see nothing;\u201d and he, \u201cBring me the saddle\nbags.\u201d So she fetched them and feeling them, found them empty. However,\nshe laid them before him and he thrust in his hand and pulled out dish\nafter dish, till he had set before her all he had named. Whereupon\nasked she, \u201cO my son, the saddle bags are small and moreover they were\nempty; yet hast thou taken thereout all these dishes. Where then were\nthey all?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cO my mother, know that these saddle bags,\nwhich the Moor gave me, are enchanted and they have a servant whom, if\none desire aught, he hath but to adjure by the Names which command him,\nsaying, \u2018O servant of these saddle bags, bring me such a dish!\u2019 and he\nwill bring it.\u201d Quoth his mother, \u201cAnd may I put out my hand and ask of\nhim?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cDo so.\u201d So she stretched out her hand and said, \u201cO\nservant of the saddle bags, by the virtue of the Names which command\nthee, bring me stuffed ribs.\u201d Then she thrust in her hand and found a\ndish containing delicate stuffed ribs of lamb. So she took it out, and\ncalled for bread and what else she had a mind to: after which Judar\nsaid to her, \u201cO my mother, when thou hast made an end of eating, empty\nwhat is left of the food into dishes other than these, and restore the\nempty platters to the saddle bags carefully.\u201d So she arose and laid\nthem up in a safe place. \u201cAnd look, O mother mine, that thou keep this\nsecret,\u201d added he; \u201cand whenever thou hast a mind to aught, take it\nforth of the saddle bags and give alms and feed my brothers, whether I\nbe present or absent.\u201d Then he fell to eating with her and behold,\nwhile they were thus occupied, in came his two brothers, whom a son of\nthe quarter[FN#285] had apprised of his return, saying, \u201cYour brother\nis come back, riding on a she mule, with a slave before him, and\nwearing a dress that hath not its like.\u201d So they said to each other,\n\u201cWould to Heaven we had not evilly entreated our mother! There is no\nhope but that she will surely tell him how we did by her, and then, oh\nour disgrace with him!\u201d But one of the twain said, \u201cOur mother is soft\nhearted, and if she tell him, our brother is yet tenderer over us than\nshe; and, given we excuse ourselves to him, he will accept our excuse.\u201d\nSo they went in to him and he rose to them and saluting them with the\nfriendliest salutation, bade them sit down and eat. So they ate till\nthey were satisfied, for they were weak with hunger; after which Judar\nsaid to them, \u201cO my brothers, take what is left and distribute it to\nthe poor and needy.\u201d \u201cO brother,\u201d replied they, \u201clet us keep it to sup\nwithal.\u201d But he answered, \u201cWhen supper time cometh, ye shall have more\nthan this.\u201d So they took the rest of the victual and going out, gave it\nto every poor man who passed by them, saying, \u201cTake and eat,\u201d till\nnothing was left. Then they brought back the dishes and Judar said to\nhis mother, \u201cPut them in the saddle bags.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Sixteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, when\nhis brethren had finished their under meal, said to his mother, \u201cPut\nback the platters in the saddle bags.\u201d And when it was eventide, he\nentered the saloon and took forth of the saddle bags a table of forty\ndishes; after which he went up to the upper room and, sitting down\nbetween his brothers, said to his mother, \u201cBring the supper.\u201d[FN#286]\nSo she went down to the saloon and, finding there the dishes ready,\nlaid the tray and brought up the forty dishes, one after other. Then\nthey ate the evening meal, and when they had done, Judar said to his\nbrothers, \u201cTake and feed the poor and needy.\u201d So they took what was\nleft and gave alms thereof, and presently he brought forth to them\nsweetmeats, whereof they ate, and what was left he bade them give to\nthe neighbours. On the morrow, they brake their fast after the same\nfashion, and thus they fared ten days, at the end of which time quoth\nS\u00e1lim to Sal\u00edm, \u201cHow cometh it that our brother setteth before us a\nbanquet in the morning, a banquet at noon, and a banquet at sundown,\nbesides sweetmeats late at night, and all that is left he giveth to the\npoor? Verily, this is the fashion of Sultans. Yet we never see him buy\naught, and he hath neither kitchener nor kitchen, nor doth he light a\nfire. Whence hath he this great plenty? Hast thou not a mind to\ndiscover the cause of all this?\u201d Quoth Sal\u00edm, \u201cBy Allah, I know not:\nbut knowest thou any who will tell us the truth of the case?\u201d Quoth\nS\u00e1lim, \u201cNone will tell us save our mother.\u201d So they laid a plot and\nrepairing to their mother one day, in their brother\u2019s absence, said to\nher, \u201cO our mother, we are hungry.\u201d Replied she, \u201cRejoice, for ye shall\npresently be satisfied;\u201d and going into the saloon, sought of the\nservant of the saddle bags hot meats, which she took out and set before\nher sons. \u201cO our mother,\u201d cried they, \u201cthis meat is hot; yet hast thou\nnot cooked, neither kindled a fire.\u201d Quoth she, \u201cIt cometh from the\nsaddle bags;\u201d and quoth they, \u201cWhat manner of thing be these saddle\nbags?\u201d She answered, \u201cThey are enchanted; and the required is produced\nby the charm:\u201d she then told her sons their virtue, enjoining them to\nsecrecy. Said they, \u201cThe secret shall be kept, O our mother, but teach\nus the manner of this.\u201d So she taught them the fashion thereof and they\nfell to putting their hands into the saddle bags and taking forth\nwhatever they had a mind to. But Judar knew naught of this. Then quoth\nS\u00e1lim privily to Sal\u00edm, \u201cO my brother, how long shall we abide with\nJudar servant wise and eat of his alms? Shall we not contrive to get\nthe saddle bags from him and make off with them?\u201d \u201cAnd how shall we\nmake shift to do this?\u201d \u201cWe will sell him to the galleys.\u201d \u201cHow shall\nwe do that?\u201d \u201cWe two will go to the Ra\u00eds, the Chief Captain of the Sea\nof Suez and bid him to an entertainment, with two of his company. What\nI say to Judar do thou confirm, and at the end of the night I will show\nthee what I will do.\u201d So they agreed upon the sale of their brother and\ngoing to the Captain\u2019s quarters said to him, \u201cO Rais, we have come to\nthee on an errand that will please thee.\u201d \u201cGood,\u201d answered he; and they\ncontinued, \u201cWe two are brethren, and we have a third brother, a lewd\nfellow and good for nothing. When our father died, he left us some\nmoney, which we shared amongst us, and he took his part of the\ninheritance and wasted it in frowardness and debauchery, till he was\nreduced to poverty, when he came upon us and cited us before the\nmagistrates, avouching that we had taken his good and that of his\nfather, and we disputed the matter before the judges and lost the\nmoney. Then he waited awhile and attacked us a second time, until he\nbrought us to beggary; nor will he desist from us, and we are utterly\nweary of him; wherefore we would have thee buy him of us.\u201d Quoth the\nCaptain, \u201cCan ye cast about with him and bring him to me here? If so, I\nwill pack him off to sea forthright.\u201d Quoth they \u201cWe cannot manage to\nbring him here; but be thou our guest this night and bring with thee\ntwo of thy men, not one more; and when he is asleep, we will aid one\nanother to fall upon him, we five, and seize and gag him. Then shalt\nthou carry him forth the house, under cover of the night, and after do\nthou with him as thou wilt.\u201d Rejoined the Captain, \u201cWith all my heart!\nWill ye sell him for forty dinars?\u201d and they, \u201cYes, come after\nnightfall to such a street, by such a mosque, and thou shalt find one\nof us awaiting thee.\u201d And he replied, \u201cNow be off.\u201d Then they repaired\nto Judar and waited awhile, after which S\u00e1lim went up to him and kissed\nhis hand. Quoth Judar, \u201cWhat ails thee, O my brother?\u201d And he made\nanswer, saying, \u201cKnow that I have a friend, who hath many a time bidden\nme to his house in thine absence and hath ever hospitably entreated me,\nand I owe him a thousand kindnesses, as my brother here wotteth. I met\nhim to day and he invited me to his house, but I said to him, \u2018I cannot\nleave my brother Judar.\u2019 Quoth he, \u2018Bring him with thee\u2019; and quoth I,\n\u2018He will not consent to that; but if ye will be my guests, thou and thy\nbrothers\u2019[FN#287] * * * * * (for his brothers were sitting with him);\nand I invited them thinking that they would refuse. But he accepted my\ninvitation for all of them, saying, \u2018Look for me at the gate of the\nlittle mosque,[FN#288] and I will come to thee, I and my brothers.\u2019 And\nnow I fear they will come and am ashamed before thee. So wilt thou\nhearten my heart and entertain them this night, for thy good is\nabundant, O my brother? Or if thou consent not, give me leave to take\nthem into the neighbours\u2019 houses.\u201d Replied Judar, \u201cWhy shouldst thou\ncarry them into the neighbours\u2019 houses? Is our house then so strait or\nhave we not wherewith to give them supper? Shame on thee to consult me!\nThou hast but to call for what thou needest and have rich viands and\nsweetmeats and to spare. Whenever thou bringest home folk in my\nabsence, ask thy mother, and she will set before thee victual more than\nenough. Go and fetch them; blessings have descended upon us through\nsuch guests.\u201d So S\u00e1lim kissed his hand and going forth, sat at the gate\nof the little mosque till after sundown, when the Captain and his men\ncame up to him, and he carried them to the house. When Judar saw them\nhe bade them welcome and seated them and made friends of them, knowing\nnot what the future had in store for him at their hands. Then he called\nto his mother for supper, and she fell to taking dishes out of the\nsaddlebags, whilst he said, \u201cBring such and such meats,\u201d till she had\nset forty different dishes before them. They ate their sufficiency and\nthe tray was taken away, the sailors thinking the while that this\nliberal entertainment came from S\u00e1lim. When a third part of the night\nwas past, Judar set sweetmeats before them and S\u00e1lim served them,\nwhilst his two brothers sat with the guests, till they sought to sleep.\nAccordingly Judar lay down and the others with him, who waited till he\nwas asleep, when they fell upon him together and gagging and pinioning\nhim, before he was awake, carried him forth of the house,[FN#289] under\ncover of the night,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Seventeenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they seized Judar\nand carrying him forth of the house under cover of the night, at once\npacked him off to Suez, where they shackled him and set him to work as\na galley slave; and he ceased not to serve thus in silence a whole\nyear.[FN#290] So far concerning Judar; but as for his brothers, they\nwent in next morning to his mother and said to her, \u201cO our mother, our\nbrother Judar is not awake.\u201d Said she, \u201cDo ye wake him.\u201d Asked they,\n\u201cWhere lieth he?\u201d and she answered, \u201cWith the guests.\u201d They rejoined,\n\u201cHaply he went away with them whilst we slept, O mother. It would seem\nthat he had tasted of strangerhood and yearned to get at hidden hoards;\nfor we heard him at talk with the Moors, and they said to him, \u2018We will\ntake thee with us and open the treasure to thee.\u2019\u201d She enquired, \u201cHath\nhe then been in company with Moors?;\u201d and they replied, saying, \u201cWere\nthey not our guests yester night?\u201d And she, \u201cMost like he hath gone\nwith them, but Allah will direct him on the right way; for there is a\nblessing upon him and he will surely come back with great good.\u201d But\nshe wept, for it was grievous to her to be parted from her son. Then\nsaid they to her, \u201cO accursed woman, dost thou love Judar with all this\nlove, whilst as for us, whether we be absent or present, thou neither\njoyest in us nor sorrowest for us? Are we not thy sons, even as Judar\nis thy son?\u201d She said, \u201cYe are indeed my sons: but ye are reprobates\nwho deserve no favour of me, for since your father\u2019s death I have never\nseen any good in you; whilst as for Judar, I have had abundant good of\nhim and he hath heartened my heart and entreated me with honour;\nwherefore it behoveth me to weep for him, because of his kindness to me\nand to you.\u201d When they heard this, they abused her and beat her; after\nwhich they sought for the saddle bags, till they found the two pairs\nand took the enchanted one and all the gold from one pouch and jewels\nfrom the other of the unenchanted, saying, \u201cThis was our father\u2019s\ngood.\u201d Said their mother, \u201cNot so, by Allah!, it belongeth to your\nbrother Judar, who brought it from the land of the Magharibah.\u201d Said\nthey, \u201cThou liest, it was our father\u2019s property; and we will dispose of\nit, as we please.\u201d Then they divided the gold and jewels between them;\nbut a brabble arose between them concerning the enchanted saddle bags,\nS\u00e1lim saying, \u201cI will have them;\u201d and Sal\u00edm, saying, \u201cI will take\nthem;\u201d and they came to high words. Then said she, \u201cO my sons, ye have\ndivided the gold and the jewels, but this may not be divided, nor can\nits value be made up in money; and if it be cut in twain, its spell\nwill be voided; so leave it with me and I will give you to eat from it\nat all times and be content to take a morsel with you. If ye allow me\naught to clothe me, \u2019twill be of your bounty, and each of you shall\ntraffic with the folk for himself. Ye are my sons and I am your mother;\nwherefore let us abide as we are, lest your brother come back and we be\ndisgraced.\u201d But they accepted not her words and passed the night,\nwrangling with each other. Now it chanced that a Janissary[FN#291] of\nthe King\u2019s guards was a guest in the house adjoining Judar\u2019s and heard\nthem through the open window. So he looked out and listening, heard all\nthe angry words that passed between them and saw the division of the\nspoil. Next morning he presented himself before the King of Egypt,\nwhose name was Shams al-Daulah,[FN#292] and told him all he had heard,\nwhereupon he sent for Judar\u2019s brothers and put them to the question,\ntill they confessed; and he took the two pairs of Saddle bags from them\nand clapped them in prison, appointing a sufficient daily allowance to\ntheir mother. Now as regards Judar, he abode a whole year in service at\nSuez, till one day, being in a ship bound on a voyage over the sea, a\nwind arose against them and cast the vessel upon a rock projecting from\na mountain, where she broke up and all on board were drowned and none\nget ashore save Judar. As soon as he landed he fared on inland, till he\nreached an encampment of Badawi, who questioned him of his case, and he\ntold them he had been a sailor.[FN#293] Now there was in camp a\nmerchant, a native of Jiddah, who took pity on him and said to him,\n\u201cWilt thou take service with me, O Egyptian, and I will clothe thee and\ncarry thee with me to Jiddah?\u201d So Judar took service with him and\naccompanied him to Jiddah, where he showed him much favour. After\nawhile, his master the merchant set out on a pilgrimage to Meccah,\ntaking Judar with him, and when they reached the city, the Cairene\nrepaired to the Haram temple, to circumambulate the Ka\u2019abah. As he was\nmaking the prescribed circuits,[FN#294] he suddenly saw his friend Abd\nal-Samad the Moor doing the like;\u2014 And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Eighteenth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, as he was\nmaking the circuits, suddenly saw his friend Abd al-Samad also\ncircumambulating; and when the Maghribi caught sight of him, he saluted\nhim and asked him of his state; whereupon Judar wept and told him all\nthat had befallen him. So the Moor carried him to his lodging and\nentreated him with honour, clothing him in a dress of which the like\nwas not, and saying to him, \u201cThou hast seen the end of thine ills, O\nJudar.\u201d Then he drew out for him a geomantic figure, which showed what\nhad befallen S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm and said to Judar, \u201cSuch and such things\nhave befallen thy brothers and they are now in the King of Egypt\u2019s\nprison; but thou art right welcome to abide with me and accomplish\nthine ordinances of pilgrimage and all shall be well.\u201d Replied Judar,\n\u201cO my lord, let me go and take leave of the merchant with whom I am and\nafter I will come back to thee.\u201d \u201cDost thou owe money?\u201d asked the Moor,\nand he answered, \u201cNo.\u201d Said Abd al-Samad, \u201cGo thou and take leave of\nhim and come back forth right, for bread hath claims of its own from\nthe ingenuous.\u201d So Judar returned to the merchant and farewelled him,\nsaying, \u201cI have fallen in with my brother.\u201d[FN#295] \u201cGo bring him\nhere,\u201d said the merchant, \u201cand we will make him an entertainment.\u201d But\nJudar answered, saying, \u201cHe hath no need of that; for he is a man of\nwealth and hath many servants.\u201d Then the merchant gave Judar twenty\ndinars, saying, \u201cAcquit me of responsibility\u201d;[FN#296] and he bade him\nadieu and went forth from him. Presently, he saw a poor man, so he gave\nhim the twenty ducats and returned to the Moor, with whom he abode till\nthey had accomplished the pilgrimage rites when Abd al-Samad gave him\nthe seal ring, that he had taken from the treasure of Al-Shamardal,\nsaying, \u201cThis ring will win thee thy wish, for it enchanteth and hath a\nservant, by name Al-Ra\u2019ad al-K\u00e1sif; so whatever thou hast a mind to of\nthe wants of this world, rub this ring and its servant will appear and\ndo all thou biddest him.\u201d Then he rubbed the ring before him, whereupon\nthe Jinni appeared, saying, \u201cAdsum, O my lord! Ask what thou wilt and\nit shall be given thee. Hast thou a mind to people a ruined city or\nruin a populous one? to slay a king or to rout a host?\u201d \u201cO Ra\u2019ad,\u201d said\nAbd al-Samad, \u201cthis is become thy lord; do thou serve him faithfully.\u201d\nThen he dismissed him and said to Judar, \u201cRub the ring and the servant\nwill appear and do thou command him to do whatever thou desirest, for\nhe will not gainsay thee. Now go to thine own country and take care of\nthe ring, for by means of it thou wilt baffle thine enemies; and be not\nignorant of its puissance.\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d quoth Judar, \u201cwith thy leave,\nI will set out homewards.\u201d Quoth the Maghribi, \u201cSummon the Jinni and\nmount upon his back; and if thou say to him, \u2018Bring me to my native\ncity this very day,\u2019 he will not disobey thy commandment.\u201d So he took\nleave of Moor Abd al-Samad and rubbed the ring, whereupon Al-Ra\u2019ad\npresented himself, saying, \u201cAdsum; ask and it shall be given to thee.\u201d\nSaid Judar, \u201cCarry me to Cairo this day;\u201d and he replied, \u201cThy will be\ndone;\u201d and, taking him on his back, flew with him from noon till\nmidnight, when he set him down in the courtyard of his mother\u2019s house\nand disappeared. Judar went in to his mother, who rose weeping, and\ngreeted him fondly, and told him how the King had beaten his brothers\nand cast them into gaol and taken the two pairs of saddle bags; which\nwhen he heard, it was no light matter to him and he said to her,\n\u201cGrieve not for the past; I will show thee what I can do and bring my\nbrothers hither forth right.\u201d So he rubbed the ring, whereupon its\nservant appeared, saying, \u201cHere am I! Ask and thou shalt have.\u201d Quoth\nJudar, \u201cI bid thee bring me my two brothers from the prison of the\nKing.\u201d So the Jinni sank into the earth and came not up but in the\nmidst of the gaol where S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm lay in piteous plight and sore\nsorrow for the plagues of prison,[FN#297] so that they wished for\ndeath, and one of them said to the other, \u201cBy Allah, O my brother,\naffliction is longsome upon us! How long shall we abide in this prison?\nDeath would be relief.\u201d As he spoke, behold, the earth clove in sunder\nand out came Al-Ra\u2019ad, who took both up and plunged with them into the\nearth. They swooned away for excess of fear, and when they recovered,\nthey found themselves in their mother\u2019s house and saw Judar seated by\nher side. Quoth he, \u201cI salute you, O my brothers! you have cheered me\nby your presence.\u201d And they bowed their heads and burst into tears.\nThen said he, \u201cWeep not, for it was Satan and covetise that led you to\ndo thus. How could you sell me? But I comfort myself with the thought\nof Joseph, whose brothers did with him even more than ye did with me,\nbecause they cast him into the pit.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn\nof day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Nineteenth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar said\nto his brothers, \u201cHow could you do with me thus? But repent unto Allah\nand crave pardon of Him, and He will forgive you both, for He is the\nMost Forgiving, the Merciful. As for me, I pardon you and welcome you:\nno harm shall befall you.\u201d Then he comforted them and set their hearts\nat ease and related to them all he had suffered, till he fell in with\nShaykh Abd al-Samad, and told them also of the seal ring. They replied,\n\u201cO our brother, forgive us this time; and, if we return to our old\nways, do with us as thou wilt.\u201d Quoth he, \u201cNo harm shall befall you;\nbut tell me what the King did with you.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cHe beat us and\nthreatened us with death and took the two pairs of saddle bags from\nus.\u201d \u201cWill he not care?\u201d[FN#298] said Judar, and rubbed the ring,\nwhereupon Al-Ra\u2019ad appeared. When his brothers saw him, they were\nfrighted and thought Judar would bid him slay them; so they fled to\ntheir mother, crying, \u201cO our mother, we throw our selves on thy\ngenerosity; do thou intercede for us, O our mother!\u201d And she said to\nthem, \u201cO my sons, fear nothing!\u201d Then said Judar to the servant, \u201cI\ncommand thee to bring me all that is in the King\u2019s treasury of goods\nand such; let nothing remain and fetch the two pairs of saddle bags he\ntook from my brothers.\u201d \u201cI hear and I obey,\u201d replied Al-Ra\u2019ad; and,\ndisappearing straight way gathered together all he found in the\ntreasury and returned with the two pairs of saddle bags and the\ndeposits therein and laid them before Judar, saying, \u201cO my lord, I have\nleft nothing in the treasury.\u201d Judar gave the treasure to his mother\nbidding her keep it and laying the enchanted saddle bags before him,\nsaid to the Jinni, \u201cI command thee to build me this night a lofty\npalace and overlay it with liquid gold and furnish it with magnificent\nfurniture: and let not the day dawn, ere thou be quit of the whole\nwork.\u201d Replied he, \u201cThy bidding shall be obeyed;\u201d and sank into the\nearth. Then Judar brought forth food and they ate and took their ease\nand lay down to sleep. Meanwhile, Al-Ra\u2019ad summoned his attendant Jinn\nand bade them build the palace. So some of them fell to hewing stones\nand some to building, whilst others plastered and painted and\nfurnished; nor did the day dawn ere the ordinance of the palace was\ncomplete; whereupon Al-Ra\u2019ad came to Judar and said to him, \u201cO my lord,\nthe palace is finished and in best order, an it please thee to come and\nlook on it.\u201d So Judar went forth with his mother and brothers and saw a\npalace, whose like there was not in the whole world; and it confounded\nall minds with the goodliness of its ordinance. Judar was delighted\nwith it while he was passing along the highway and withal it had cost\nhim nothing. Then he asked his mother, \u201cSay me, wilt thou take up thine\nabode in this palace?\u201d and she answered, \u201cI will, O my son,\u201d and called\ndown blessings upon him. Then he rubbed the ring and bade the Jinni\nfetch him forty handsome white hand maids and forty black damsels and\nas many Mamelukes and negro slaves. \u201cThy will be done,\u201d answered\nAl-Ra\u2019ad and betaking himself, with forty of his attendant Genii to\nHind and Sind and Persia, snatched up every beautiful girl and boy they\nsaw, till they had made up the required number. Moreover, he sent other\nfour score, who fetched comely black girls, and forty others brought\nmale chattels and carried them all to Judar\u2019s house, which they filled.\nThen he showed them to Judar, who was pleased with them and said,\n\u201cBring for each a dress of the finest.\u201d \u201cReady!\u201d replied the servant.\nThen quoth he, \u201cBring a dress for my mother and another for myself, and\nalso for my brothers.\u201d So the Jinni fetched all that was needed and\nclad the female slaves, saying to them, \u201cThis is your mistress: kiss\nher hands and cross her not, but serve her, white and black.\u201d The\nMamelukes also dressed them selves and kissed Judar\u2019s hands; and he and\nhis brothers arrayed themselves in the robes the Jinni had brought them\nand Judar became like unto a King and his brothers as Wazirs. Now his\nhouse was spacious; so he lodged S\u00e1lim and his slave girls in one part\nthereof and Sal\u00edm and his slave girls in another, whilst he and his\nmother took up their abode in the new palace; and each in his own place\nwas like a Sultan. So far concerning them; but as regards the King\u2019s\nTreasurer, thinking to take something from the treasury, he went in and\nfound it altogether empty, even as saith the poet,\n\n\u201c\u2019Twas as a hive of bees that greatly thrived; * But, when the bee\nswarm fled, \u2019twas clean unhived.\u201d[FN#299]\n\nSo he gave a great cry and fell down in a fit. When he came to himself,\nhe left the door open and going in to King Shams al-Daulah, said to\nhim, \u201cO Commander of the Faithful,[FN#300] I have to inform thee that\nthe treasury hath become empty during the night.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cWhat\nhast thou done with my monies which were therein?\u201d Quoth he, \u201cBy Allah,\nI have not done aught with them nor know I what is come of them! I\nvisited the place yesterday and saw it full; but to day when I went in,\nI found it clean empty, albeit the doors were locked, the walls were\nunpierced[FN#301] and the bolts[FN#302] are unbroken; nor hath a thief\nentered it.\u201d Asked the King, \u201cAre the two pairs of saddle bags gone?\u201d\n\u201cYes,\u201d replied the Treasurer; whereupon the King\u2019s reason flew from his\nhead,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twentieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nTreasurer informed the King that all in the treasury had been\nplundered, including the two pairs of saddlebags, the King\u2019s reason\nflew from his head and he rose to his feet, saying, \u201cGo thou before\nme.\u201d Then he followed the Treasurer to the treasury and he found\nnothing there, whereat he was wroth with him; and he said to them, \u201cO\nsoldiers! know that my treasury hath been plundered during the night,\nand I know not who did this deed and dared thus to outrage me, without\nfear of me.\u201d Said they, \u201cHow so?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cAsk the Treasurer.\u201d\nSo they questioned him, and he answered, saying, \u201cYesterday I visited\nthe treasury and it was full, but this morning when I entered it I\nfound it empty, though the walls were unpierced and the doors\nunbroken.\u201d They all marvelled at this and could make the King no\nanswer, when in came the Janissary, who had denounced S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm,\nand said to Shams al-Daulah, \u201cO King of the age, all this night I have\nnot slept for that which I saw.\u201d And the King asked, \u201cAnd what didst\nthou see?\u201d \u201cKnow, O King of the age,\u201d answered the Kaww\u00e1s, \u201cthat all\nnight long I have been amusing myself with watching builders at work;\nand, when it was day, I saw a palace ready edified, whose like is not\nin the world. So I asked about it and was told that Judar had come back\nwith great wealth and Mamelukes and slaves and that he had freed his\ntwo brothers from prison, and built this palace, wherein he is as a\nSultan.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cGo, look in the prison.\u201d So they went thither\nand not finding S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm, returned and told the King, who said,\n\u201cIt is plain now who be the thief; he who took S\u00e1lim and Sal\u00edm out of\nprison it is who hath stolen my monies.\u201d Quoth the Wazir, \u201cO my lord,\nand who is he?\u201d; and quoth the King, \u201cTheir brother Judar, and he hath\ntaken the two pairs of saddle bags; but, O Wazir do thou send him an\nEmir with fifty men to seal up his goods and lay hands on him and his\nbrothers and bring them to me, that I may hang them.\u201d And he was sore\nenraged and said, \u201cHo, off with the Emir at once, and fetch them, that\nI may put them to death.\u201d But the Wazir said to him, \u201cBe thou merciful,\nfor Allah is merciful and hasteth not to punish His servants, whenas\nthey sin against Him. More over, he who can build a palace in a single\nnight, as these say, none in the world can vie with him; and verily I\nfear lest the Emir fall into difficulty for Judar. Have patience,\ntherefore, whilst I devise for thee some device of getting at the truth\nof the case, and so shalt thou win thy wish, O King of the age.\u201d Quoth\nthe King, \u201cCounsel me how I shall do, O Wazir.\u201d And the Minister said,\n\u201cSend him an Emir with an invitation; and I will make much of him for\nthee and make a show of love for him and ask him of his estate; after\nwhich we will see. If we find him stout of heart, we will use sleight\nwith him, and if weak of will, then do thou seize him and do with him\nthy desire.\u201d The King agreed to this and despatched one of his Emirs,\nOthman highs, to go and invite Judar and say to him, \u201cThe King biddeth\nthee to a banquet;\u201d and the King said to him, \u201cReturn not, except with\nhim.\u201d Now this Othman was a fool, proud and conceited; so he went forth\nupon his errand, and when he came to the gate of Judar\u2019s palace, he saw\nbefore the door an eunuch seated upon a chair of gold, who at his\napproach rose not, but sat as if none came near, though there were with\nthe Emir fifty footmen. Now this eunuch was none other than Al-Ra\u2019ad\nal-Kasif, the servant of the ring, whom Judar had commanded to put on\nthe guise of an eunuch and sit at the palace gate. So the Emir rode up\nto him and asked him, \u201cO slave, where is thy lord?\u201d; whereto he\nanswered, \u201cIn the palace;\u201d but he stirred not from his leaning posture;\nwhereupon the Emir Othman waxed wroth and said to him, \u201cO pestilent\nslave, art thou not ashamed, when I speak to thee, to answer me,\nsprawling at thy length, like a gallows bird?\u201d Replied the eunuch \u201cOff\nand multiply not words.\u201d Hardly had Othman heard this, when he was\nfilled with rage and drawing his mace[FN#303] would have smitten the\neunuch, knowing not that he was a devil; but Al-Ra\u2019ad leapt upon him\nand taking the mace from him, dealt him four blows with it. Now when\nthe fifty men saw their lord beaten, it was grievous to them; so they\ndrew their swords and ran to slay the slave; but he said, \u201cDo ye draw\non us, O dogs?\u201d and rose at them with the mace, and every one whom he\nsmote, he broke his bones and drowned him in his blood. So they fell\nback before him and fled, whilst he followed them, beating them, till\nhe had driven them far from the palace gate; after which he returned\nand sat down on his chair at the door, caring for none.\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the eunuch having\nput to flight the Emir Othman, the King\u2019s officer, and his men, till\nthey were driven far from Judar\u2019s gate, returned and sat down on his\nchair at the door, caring for none. But as for the Emir and his\ncompany, they returned, discomfited and funded, to King Shams\nal-Daulah, and Othman said, \u201cO King of the age, when I came to the\npalace gate, I espied an eunuch seated there in a chair of gold and he\nwas passing proud for, when he saw me approach, he stretched himself at\nfull length albeit he had been sitting in his chair and entreated me\ncontumeliously, neither offered to rise to me. So I began to speak to\nhim and he answered without stirring, whereat wrath get hold of me and\nI drew the mace upon him, thinking to smite him. But he snatched it\nfrom me and beat me and my men therewith and overthrew us. So we fled\nfrom before him and could not prevail against him.\u201d At this, the King\nwas wroth and said, \u201cLet an hundred men go down to him.\u201d Accordingly,\nthe hundred men went down to attack him; but he arose and fell upon\nthem with the mace and ceased not smiting them till he had put them to\nthe rout; when he regained his chair; upon which they returned to the\nKing and told him what had passed, saying, \u201cO King of the age, he beat\nus and we fled for fear of him.\u201d Then the King sent two hundred men\nagainst him, but these also he put to the rout, and Shams Al-Daulah\nsaid to his Minister, \u201cI charge thee, O Wazir, take five hundred men\nand bring this eunuch in haste, and with him his master Judar and his\nbrothers.\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cO King of the age, I need no soldiers,\nbut will go down to him alone and unarmed.\u201d \u201cGo,\u201d quoth the King, \u201cand\ndo as thou seest suitable.\u201d So the Wazir laid down his arms and donning\na white habit,[FN#304] took a rosary in his hand and set out afoot\nalone and unattended. When he came to Judar\u2019s gate, he saw the slave\nsitting there; so he went up to him and seating himself by his side\ncourteously, said to him, \u201cPeace be with thee!\u201d; whereto he replied,\n\u201cAnd on thee be peace, O mortal! What wilt thou?\u201d When the Wazir heard\nhim say \u201cO mortal,\u201d he knew him to be of the Jinn and quaked for fear;\nthen he asked him, \u201cO my lord, tell me, is thy master Judar here?\u201d\nAnswered the eunuch, \u201cYes, he is in the palace.\u201d Quoth the Minister, \u201cO\nmy lord, go thou to him and say to him, \u2018King Shams Al-Daulah saluteth\nthee and biddeth thee honour his dwelling with thy presence and eat of\na banquet he hath made for thee;\u2019\u201d Quoth the eunuch, \u201cTarry thou here,\nwhilst I consult him.\u201d So the Wazir stood in a respectful attitude,\nwhilst the Marid went up to the palace and said to Judar, \u201cKnow, O my\nlord, that the King sent to thee an Emir and fifty men, and I beat them\nand drove them away. Then he sent an hundred men and I beat them also;\nthen two hundred, and these also I put to the rout. And now he hath\nsent thee his Wazir unarmed, bidding thee visit him and eat of his\nbanquet. What sayst thou?\u201d Said Judar, \u201cGo, bring the Wazir hither.\u201d So\nthe Marid went down and said to him, \u201cO Wazir, come speak with my\nlord.\u201d \u201cOn my head be it.\u201d, replied he and going in to Judar, found him\nseated, in greater state than the King, upon a carpet, whose like the\nKing could not spread, and was dazed and amazed at the goodliness of\nthe palace and its decoration and appointments, which made him seem as\nhe were a beggar in comparison. So he kissed the ground before Judar\nand called down blessings on him; and Judar said to him, \u201cWhat is thy\nbusiness, O Wazir?\u201d Replied he, \u201cO my lord, thy friend King Shams\nAl-Daulah saluteth thee with the salaam and longeth to look upon thy\nface; wherefore he hath made thee an entertainment. So say, wilt thou\nheal his heart and eat of his banquet?\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cIf he be indeed\nmy friend, salute him and bid him come to me.\u201d \u201cOn my head be it,\u201d\nquoth the Minister. Then Judar bringing out the ring rubbed it and bade\nthe Jinni fetch him a dress of the best, which he gave to the Wazir\nsaying, \u201cDon this dress and go tell the King what I say.\u201d So the Wazir\ndonned the dress, the like whereof he had never donned, and returning\nto the King told him what had passed and praised the palace and that\nwhich was therein, saying, \u201cJudar biddeth thee to him.\u201d So the King\ncalled out, \u201cUp, ye men; mount your horses and bring me my steed, that\nwe may go to Judar!\u201d Then he and his suite rode off for the Cairene\npalace. Meanwhile Judar summoned the Marid and said to him, \u201cIt is my\nwill that thou bring me some of the Ifrits at thy command in the guise\nof guards and station them in the open square before the palace, that\nthe King may see them and be awed by them; so shall his heart tremble\nand he shall know that my power and majesty be greater than his.\u201d\nThereupon Al-Ra\u2019ad brought him two hundred Ifrits of great stature and\nstrength, in the guise of guards, magnificently armed and equipped, and\nwhen the King came and saw these tall burly fellows his heart feared\nthem. Then he entered the palace, and found Judar sitting in such state\nas nor King nor Sultan could even. So he saluted him and made his\nobeisance to him, yet Judar rose not to him nor did him honour nor said\n\u201cBe seated,\u201d but left him standing,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of\nday and ceased to say her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\nentered, Judar rose not to him, nor did him honour nor even said \u201cBe\nseated!\u201d; but left him standing,[FN#305] so that fear entered into him\nand he could neither sit nor go away and said to himself, \u201cIf he feared\nme, he would not leave me thus unheeded peradventure he will do me a\nmischief, because of that which I did with his brothers.\u201d Then said\nJudar, \u201cO King of the age, it beseemeth not the like of thee to wrong\nthe folk and take away their good.\u201d Replied the King, \u201cO my lord, deign\nexcuse me, for greed impelled me to this and fate was thereby\nfulfilled; and, were there no offending, there would be no forgiving.\u201d\nAnd he went on to excuse himself for the past and pray to him for\npardon and indulgence till he recited amongst other things this poetry,\n\n\u201cO thou of generous seed and true nobility, * Reproach me not for\n     that which came from me to thee\nWe pardon thee if thou have wrought us any wrong * And if I\n     wrought the wrong I pray thee pardon me!\u201d\n\n\nAnd he ceased not to humble himself before him, till he said, \u201cAllah\npardon thee!\u201d and bade him be seated. So he sat down and Judar invested\nhim with garments of pardon and immunity and ordered his brothers\nspread the table. When they had eaten, he clad the whole of the King\u2019s\ncompany in robes of honour and gave them largesse; after which he bade\nthe King depart. So he went forth and thereafter came every day to\nvisit Judar and held not his Divan save in his house: wherefore\nfriendship and familiarity waxed great between them, and they abode\nthus awhile, till one day the King, being alone with his Minister, said\nto him, \u201cO Wazir, I fear lest Judar slay me and take the kingdom away\nfrom me.\u201d Replied the Wazir, \u201cO King of the age, as for his taking the\nkingdom from thee, have no fear of that, for Judar\u2019s present estate is\ngreater than that of the King, and to take the kingdom would be a\nlowering of his dignity; but, if thou fear that he kill thee, thou hast\na daughter: give her to him to wife and thou and he will be of one\ncondition.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cO Wazir, be thou intermediary between us\nand him\u201d; and quoth the Minister, \u201cDo thou invite him to an\nentertainment and pass the night with him in one of thy saloons. Then\nbid thy daughter don her richest dress and ornaments and pass by the\ndoor of the saloon. When he seeth her, he will assuredly fall in love\nwith her, and when we know this, I will turn to him and tell him that\nshe is thy daughter and engage him in converse and lead him on, so that\nthou shalt seem to know nothing of the matter, till he ask her to thee\nto wife. When thou hast married him to the Princess, thou and he will\nbe as one thing and thou wilt be safe from him; and if he die, thou\nwilt inherit all he hath, both great and small.\u201d Replied the King,\n\u201cThou sayst sooth, O my Wazir,\u201d and made a banquet and invited thereto\nJudar who came to the Sultan\u2019s palace and they sat in the saloon in\ngreat good cheer till the end of the day. Now the King had commanded\nhis wife to array the maiden in her richest raiment and ornaments and\ncarry her by the door of the saloon. She did as he told her, and when\nJudar saw the Princess, who had not her match for beauty and grace, he\nlooked fixedly at her and said, \u201cAh!\u201d; and his limbs were loosened; for\nlove and longing and passion and pine were sore upon him; desire and\ntransport get hold upon him and he turned pale. Quoth the Wazir, \u201cMay\nno harm befall thee, O my lord! Why do I see thee change colour and in\nsuffering?\u201d Asked Judar, \u201cO Wazir, whose daughter is this damsel?\nVerily she hath enthralled me and ravished my reason.\u201d Replied the\nWazir, \u201cShe is the daughter of thy friend the King; and if she please\nthee, I will speak to him that he marry thee to her.\u201d Quoth Judar, \u201cDo\nso, O Wazir, and as I live, I will bestow on thee what thou wilt and\nwill give the King whatsoever he shall ask to her dowry; and we will\nbecome friends and kinsfolk.\u201d Quoth the Minister, \u201cIt shall go hard but\nthy desire be accomplished.\u201d Then he turned to the King and said in his\near, \u201cO King of the age, thy friend Judar seeketh alliance with thee\nand will have me ask of thee for him the hand of thy daughter, the\nPrincess Asiyah; so disappoint me not, but accept my intercession, and\nwhat dowry soever thou askest he will give thee.\u201d Said the King, \u201cThe\ndowry I have already received, and as for the girl, she is his\nhandmaid; I give her to him to wife and he will do me honour by\naccepting her.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir\nwhispered the King, \u201cJudar seeketh alliance with thee by taking thy\ndaughter to wife,\u201d the other replied, \u201cThe dowry I have already\nreceived, and the girl is his handmaid: he will do me honour by\naccepting her.\u201d So they spent the rest of that night together and on\nthe morrow the King held a court, to which he summoned great and small,\ntogether with the Shaykh al-Islam.[FN#306] Then Judar demanded the\nPrincess in marriage and the King said, \u201cThe dowry I have received.\u201d\nThereupon they drew up the marriage contract and Judar sent for the\nsaddle bags containing the jewels and gave them to the King as\nsettlement upon his daughter. The drums beat and the pipes sounded and\nthey held high festival, whilst Judar went in unto the girl.\nThenceforward he and the King were as one flesh and they abode thus for\nmany days, till Shams al-Daulah died; whereupon the troops proclaimed\nJudar Sultan, and he refused; but they importuned him, till he\nconsented and they made him King in his father in law\u2019s stead. Then he\nbade build a cathedral mosque over the late King\u2019s tomb in the\nBunduk\u00e1niyah[FN#307] quarter and endowed it. Now the quarter of Judar\u2019s\nhouse was called Yam\u00e1niyah; but, when he became Sultan he built therein\na congregational mosque and other buildings, wherefore the quarter was\nnamed after him and was called the Judariyah[FN#308] quarter. Moreover,\nhe made his brother S\u00e1lim his Wazir of the right and his brother Sal\u00edm\nhis Wazir of the left hand; and thus they abode a year and no more;\nfor, at the end of that time, S\u00e1lim said to Sal\u00edm, \u201cO my brother, how\nlong is this state to last? Shall we pass our whole lives in slavery to\nour brother Judar? We shall never enjoy luck or lordship whilst he\nlives,\u201d adding, \u201cso how shall we do to kill him and take the ring and\nthe saddle bags?\u201d Replied Sal\u00edm, \u201cThou art craftier than I; do thou\ndevise, whereby we may kill him.\u201d \u201cIf I effect this,\u201d asked S\u00e1lim,\n\u201cwilt thou agree that I be Sultan and keep the ring and that thou be my\nright hand Wazir and have the saddle bags?\u201d Sal\u00edm answered, \u201cI consent\nto this;\u201d and they agreed to slay Judar their brother for love of the\nworld and of dominion. So they laid a snare for Judar and said to him,\n\u201cO our brother, verily we have a mind to glory in thee and would fain\nhave thee enter our houses and eat of our entertainment and solace our\nhearts.\u201d Replied Judar, \u201cSo be it, in whose house shall the banquet\nbe?\u201d \u201cIn mine,\u201d said S\u00e1lim \u201cand after thou hast eaten of my victual,\nthou shalt be the guest of my brother.\u201d Said Judar, \u201c\u2019Tis well,\u201d and\nwent with him to his house, where he set before him poisoned food, of\nwhich when he had eaten, his flesh rotted from his bones and he\ndied.[FN#309] Then S\u00e1lim came up to him and would have drawn the ring\nfrom his finger, but it resisted him; so he cut off the finger with a\nknife. Then he rubbed the ring and the Marid presented himself, saying,\n\u201cAdsum! Ask what thou wilt.\u201d Quoth S\u00e1lim, \u201cTake my brother Sal\u00edm and\nput him to death and carry forth the two bodies, the poisoned and the\nslaughtered, and cast them down before the troops.\u201d So the Marid took\nSal\u00edm and slew him; then, carrying the two corpses forth, he cast them\ndown before the chief officers of the army, who were sitting at table\nin the parlour of the house. When they saw Judar and Sal\u00edm slain, they\nraised their hands from the food and fear get hold of them and they\nsaid to the Marid, \u201cWho hath dealt thus with the Sultan and the Wazir?\u201d\nReplied the Jinni, \u201cTheir brother S\u00e1lim.\u201d And behold, S\u00e1lim came up to\nthem and said, \u201cO soldiers, eat and make merry, for Judar is dead and I\nhave taken to me the seal ring, whereof the Marid before you is the\nservant; and I bade him slay my brother Sal\u00edm lest he dispute the\nkingdom with me, for he was a traitor and I feared lest he should\nbetray me. So now I am become Sultan over you; will ye accept of me? If\nnot, I will rub the ring and bid the Marid slay you all, great and\nsmall.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when S\u00e1lim\nsaid to the officers, \u201cWill ye accept me as your Sultan, otherwise I\nwill rub the ring and the Marid shall slay you all, great and small?\u201d;\nthey replied, \u201cWe accept thee to King and Sultan.\u201d Then he bade bury\nhis brothers and summoned the Divan; and some of the folk followed the\nfuneral, whilst others forewent him in state procession to the audience\nhall of the palace, where he sat down on the throne and they did homage\nto him as King; after which he said, \u201cIt is my will to marry my brother\nJudar\u2019s wife.\u201d Quoth they, \u201cWait till the days of widowhood are\naccomplished.\u201d[FN#310] Quoth he, \u201cI know not days of widowhood nor aught\nelse. As my head liveth, I needs must go in unto her this very night.\u201d\nSo they drew up the marriage contract and sent to tell the Princess\nAsiyah, who replied, \u201cBid him enter.\u201d Accordingly, he went in to her\nand she received him with a show of joy and welcome; but by and by she\ngave him poison in water and made an end of him. Then she took the ring\nand broke it, that none might possess it thenceforward, and tore up the\nsaddle bags; after which she sent to the Shaykh al-Islam and other\ngreat officers of state, telling them what had passed and saying to\nthem, \u201cChoose you out a King to rule over you.\u201d And this is all that\nhath come down to us of the Story of Judar and his Brethren.[FN#311]\nBut I have also heard, O King, a tale called the\n\n\n\n\nHISTORY OF GHARIB AND HIS BROTHER AJIB.[FN#312]\n\n\nThere was once in olden time a King of might, Kundamir highs, who had\nbeen a brave and doughty man of war, a Kahram\u00e1n,[FN#313] in his day,\nbut was grown passing old and decrepit. Now it pleased Allah to\nvouchsafe him, in his extreme senility, a son, whom he named\nAj\u00edb[FN#314]\u2014the Wonderful\u2014because of his beauty and loveliness; so he\ncommitted the babe to the midwives and wet-nurses and handmaids and\nserving-women, and they reared him till he was full seven years old,\nwhen his father gave him in charge to a divine of his own folk and\nfaith. The priest taught him the laws and tenets of their Misbelief and\ninstructed him in philosophy and all manner of other knowledge, and it\nneeded but three full told years ere he was proficient therein and his\nspirit waxed resolute and his judgment mature; and he became learned,\neloquent and philosophic[FN#315]; consorting with the wise and\ndisputing with the doctors of the law. When his father saw this of him,\nit pleased him and he taught him to back the steed and stab with spear\nand smite with sword, till he grew to be an accomplished cavalier,\nversed in all martial exercises; and, by the end of his twentieth year,\nhe surpassed in all things all the folk of his day. But his skill in\nweapons made him grow up a stubborn tyrant and a devil arrogant, using\nto ride forth a-hunting and a-chasing amongst a thousand horsemen and\nto make raids and razzias upon the neighbouring knights, cutting off\ncaravans and carrying away the daughters of Kings and nobles; wherefore\nmany brought complaints against him to his father, who cried out to\nfive of his slaves and when they came said, \u201cSeize this dog!\u201d So they\nseized Prince Ajib and, pinioning his hands behind him, beat him by his\nfather\u2019s command till he lost his senses; after which the King\nimprisoned him in a chamber so dark one might not know heaven from\nearth or length from breadth; and there he abode two days and a night.\nThen the Emirs went in to the King and, kissing the ground between his\nhands, interceded with him for the Prince, and he released him. So Ajib\nbore with his father for ten days, at the end of which he went in to\nhim as he slept by night and smote his neck. When the day rose, he\nmounted the throne of his sire\u2019s estate and bade his men arm themselves\ncap-\u00e0-pie in steel and stand with drawn swords in front of him and on\nhis right hand and on his left. By and by, the Emirs and Captains\nentered and finding their King slain and his son Ajib seated on the\nthrone were confounded in mind and knew not what to do. But Ajib said\nto them, \u201cO folk, verily ye see what your King hath gained. Whoso\nobeyeth me, I will honour him, and whoso gainsayeth me I will do with\nhim that which I did with my sire.\u201d When they heard these words they\nfeared lest he do them a mischief; so they replied, \u201cThou art our King\nand the son of our King;\u201d and kissed ground before him; whereupon he\nthanked them and rejoiced in them. Then he bade bring forth money and\napparel and clad them in sumptuous robes of honour and showered\nlargesse upon them, wherefore they all loved him and obeyed him. In\nlike manner he honoured the governors of the Provinces and the Shaykhs\nof the Badawin, both tributary and independent, so that the whole\nkingdom submitted to him and the folk obeyed him and he reigned and\nbade and forbade in peace and quiet for a time of five months. One\nNight, however, he dreamed a dream as he lay slumbering; whereupon he\nawoke trembling, nor did sleep visit him again till the morning. As\nsoon as it was dawn he mounted his throne and his officers stood before\nhim, right and left. Then he called the oneiromants and the astrologers\nand said to them \u201cExpound to me my dream!\u201d \u201cWhat was the dream?\u201d asked\nthey; and he answered, \u201cAs I slept last Night, I saw my father standing\nbefore me, with his yard uncovered, and there came forth of it a thing\nthe bigness of a bee, which grew till it became as a mighty lion, with\nclaws like hangers. As I lay wondering at this lo! it ran upon me and\nsmiting me with its claws, rent my belly in sunder; whereupon I awoke\nstartled and trembling. So expound ye to me the meaning of this dream.\u201d\nThe interpreters looked one at other; and, after considering, said, \u201cO\nmighty King, this dream pointeth to one born of thy sire, between whom\nand thee shall befal strife and enmity, wherein he shall get the better\nof thee: so be on thy guard against him, by reason of this thy vision.\u201d\nWhen Ajib heard their words, he said, \u201cI have no brother whom I should\nfear; so this your speech is mere lying.\u201d They replied, \u201cWe tell thee\nnaught save what we know;\u201d but he was an angered with them and\nbastinadoed them. Then he rose and, going in to the paternal palace,\nexamined his father\u2019s concubines and found one of them seven months\ngone with child; whereupon he gave an order to two of his slaves,\nsaying, \u201cTake this damsel, ye twain, and carry her to the sea-shore and\ndrown her.\u201d So they took her forthright and, going to the sea-shore,\ndesigned to drown her, when they looked at her and seeing her to be of\nsingular beauty and loveliness said to each other, \u201cWhy should we drown\nthis damsel? Let us rather carry her to the forest and live with her\nthere in rare love-liasse.\u201d Then they took her and fared on with her\ndays and nights till they had borne her afar off and had brought her to\na bushy forest, abounding in fruit-trees and streams, where they both\nthought at the same time to win their will of her; but each said, \u201cI\nwill have her first.\u201d So they fell out one with the other concerning\nthis, and while so doing a company of blackamoors came down upon them,\nand they drew their swords and both sides fell to laying on load. The\nmellay waxed hot with cut and thrust; and the two slaves fought their\nbest; but the blacks slew them both in less than the twinkling of an\neye. So the damsel abode alone and wandered about the forest, eating of\nits fruits and drinking of its founts, till in due time she gave birth\nto a boy, brown but clean limbed and comely, whom she named Ghar\u00edb, the\nStranger, by reason of her strangerhood. Then she cut his navel-string\nand wrapping him in some of her own clothes, gave him to suck, harrowed\nat heart, and with vitals sorrowing for the estate she had lost and its\nhonour and solace. And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased\nsaying her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the damsel abode\nin the bush harrowed at heart and a-sorrowed; but she suckled her babe\nalbeit she was full of grief and fear for her loneliness. Now behold,\none day, there came horsemen and footmen into the forest with hawks and\nhounds and horses laden with partridges and cranes and wild geese and\ndivers and other waterfowl; and young ostriches and hares and gazelles\nand wild oxen and lynxes and wolves and lions.[FN#316] Presently, these\nArabs entered the thicket and came upon the damsel, sitting with her\nchild on her breast a-suckling him: so they drew near and asked her,\n\u201cSay art thou a mortal or a Jinniyah?\u201d Answered she, \u201cI am a mortal, O\nChiefs of the Arabs.\u201d Thereupon they told their Emir, whose name was\nMard\u00e1s, Prince of the Ban\u00fa Kaht\u00e1n,[FN#317] and who had come forth that\nday to hunt with five hundred of his cousins and the nobles of his\ntribe, and who in the course of the chase had happened upon her. He\nbade them bring her before him, which they did and she related to him\nher past from first to last, whereat he marvelled. Then he cried to his\nkinsmen and escort to continue the chase, after which they took her and\nreturned to their encampment, where the Emir appointed her a separate\ndwelling-place and five damsels to serve her; and he loved her with\nexceeding love and went in to her and lay with her. She conceived by\nhim straightway, and, when her months were accomplished, she bare a man\nchild and named him Sah\u00edm al-Layl.[FN#318] He grew up with his brother\nGharib among the nurses and throve and waxed upon the lap of the Emir\nMardas who, in due time committed the two boys to a Fakih for\ninstruction in the things of their faith; after which he gave them in\ncharge to valiant knights of the Arabs, for training them to smite with\nsword and lunge with lance and shoot with shaft; so by the time they\nreached the age of fifteen, they knew all they needed and surpassed\neach and every brave of their tribe; for Gharib would undertake a\nthousand horse and Sahim al-Layl no fewer. Now Mardas had many enemies,\nand the men of his tribe were the bravest of all the Arabs, being\ndoughty cavaliers, none might warm himself at their fire.[FN#319] In\nhis neighbourhood was an Emir of the Arabs, Hassan bin S\u00e1bit hight, who\nwas his intimate friend; and he took to wife a noble lady of his tribe\nand bade all his friends to the wedding, amongst them Mardas lord of\nthe Banu Kahtan, who accepted his invitation and set forth with three\nhundred riders of his tribe, leaving other four hundred to guard the\nwomen. Hassan met him with honour and seated him in the highest stead.\nThen came all the cavaliers to the bridal and he made them bride-feasts\nand held high festival by reason of the marriage, after which the Arabs\ndeparted to their dwelling-places. When Mardas came in sight of his\ncamp, he saw slain men lying about and birds hovering over them right\nand left; and his heart sank within him at the sight. Then he entered\nthe camp and was met by Gharib, clad in complete suit of ring-mail, who\ngave him joy of his safe return. Quoth Mardas, \u201cWhat meaneth this case,\nO Gharib?\u201d; and quoth Gharib, \u201cAl-Hamal bin M\u00e1jid attacked us with five\nhundred horsemen of his tribe.\u201d Now the reason of this was that the\nEmir Mardas had a daughter called Mahd\u00edyah, seer never saw fairer than\nshe, and Al-Hamal, lord of the Banu Nabh\u00e1n,[FN#320] heard of her\ncharms; whereupon he took horse with five hundred of his men and rode\nto Mardas to demand her hand; but he was not accepted and was sent away\ndisappointed.[FN#321] So he awaited till Mardas was absent on his visit\nto Hassan, when he mounted with his champions and, falling upon the\ncamp of the Banu Kahtan, slew a number of their knights and the rest\nfled to the mountains. Now Gharib and his brother had ridden forth\na-hunting and chasing with an hundred horse and returned not till midday,\nwhen they found that Al-Hamal had seized the camp and all therein and\nhad carried off the maidens, among whom was Mahdiyah, driving her away\nwith the captives. When Gharib saw this, he lost his wits for rage and\ncried out to Sahim, saying, \u201cO my brother, O son of an accursed\ndam,[FN#322] they have plundered our camp and carried off our women and\nchildren! Up and at the enemy, that we may deliver the captives!\u201d So\nGharib and Sahim and their hundred horse rushed upon the foe, and\nGharib\u2019s wrath redoubled, and he reaped a harvest of heads slain,\ngiving the champions death-cup to drain, till he won to Al-Hamal and\nsaw Mahdiyah among the captives. Then he drave at the lord of the Banu\nNabhan braves; with his lance lunged him and from his destrier hurled\nhim; nor was the time of mid-afternoon prayer come before he had slain\nthe most part of the foe and put to rout the rest and rescued the\ncaptives; whereupon he returned to the camp in triumph, bearing the\nhead of Al-Hamal on the point of his lance and improvising these\ncouplets,\n\n\u201cI am he who is known on the day of fight, * And the Jinn of\n     earth at my shade take fright:\nAnd a sword have I when my right hand wields, * Death hastens\n     from left on mankind to alight;\nI have eke a lance and who look thereon * See a crescent head of\n     the liveliest light.[FN#323]\nAnd Gharib I\u2019m highs of my tribe the brave * And if few my men I\n     feel naught affright.\u201d\n\n\nHardly had Gharib made an end of these verses when up came Mardas who,\nseeing the slain and the vultures, was sore troubled and with\nfluttering heart asked the cause. The youth, after due greetings,\nrelated all that had befallen the tribe in his step-sire\u2019s absence. So\nMardas thanked him and said, \u201cThou hast well requited our\nfosterage-pains in rearing thee, O Gharib!\u201d; then he alighted and\nentered his pavilion, and the men stood about him, all the tribe\npraising Gharib and saying, \u201cO our Emir, but for Gharib, not one of the\ntribe had been saved!\u201d And Mardas again thanked him.\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Mardas, hearing\nthe tribesmen\u2019s praises of Gharib, again thanked him for his\nderring-do. But the youth, when he had delivered Mahdiyah from Al-Hamal\nwhom he slew, was smitten by the shaft of her glances and fell into the\nnets of her allurements, wherefore his heart could not forget her and\nhe became drowned in love and longing and the sweets of sleep forsook\nhim and he had no joy of drink or meat. He would spur his horse up to\nthe mountain tops, where he would spend the day in composing verses and\nreturn at nightfall; and indeed manifest upon him were the signs of\naffection and distraction. He discovered his secret to one of his\ncompanions and it became noised abroad in the camp, till it reached the\nears of Mardas, who thundered and lightened and rose up and sat down\nand sparked and snorted and reviled the sun and the moon, saying, \u201cThis\nis the reward of him who reareth the sons of adultery! But except I\nkill Gharib, I shall be put to shame.\u201d[FN#324] Then he consulted one\nof the wise men of his tribe and after telling his secret took counsel\nwith him of killing the youth. Quoth the elder, \u201cO Emir, \u2019twas but\nyesterday that he freed thy daughter from captivity. If there be no\nhelp for it but thou must slay him, let it be by the hand of another\nthan thyself, so none of the folk may misdoubt of thee.\u201d Quoth Mardas,\n\u201cAdvise me how I may do him die, for I look to none but to thee for his\ndeath.\u201d \u201cO Emir,\u201d answered the other, \u201cwait till he go forth to hunt\nand chase, when do thou take an hundred horse and lie in wait for him\nin some cave till he pass; then fall upon him unawares and cut him in\npieces, so shalt thou be quit of his reproach.\u201d Said Mardas, \u201cThis\nshould serve me well;\u201d and chose out an hundred and fifty of his\nfurious knights and Amalekites[FN#325] whom he lessoned to his will.\nThen he watched Gharib till one day, he went forth to hunt and rode far\naway amongst the dells and hills; whereupon Mardas followed him with\nhis men, ill-omened wights, and lay in wait for him by the way against\nhe should return from the chase that they might sally forth and slay\nhim. But as they lay in ambush among the trees behold, there fell upon\nthem five hundred true Amalekites, who slew sixty of them and made\nfourscore and ten prisoners and trussed up Mardas with his arms behind\nhis back. Now the reason of this was that when Gharib put Al-Hamal and\nhis men to the sword, the rest fled and ceased not flying till they\nreached their lord\u2019s brother and told him what had happened, whereat\nhis Doom-day rose and he gathered together his Amalekites and choosing\nout five hundred cavaliers, each fifty ells high,[FN#326] set out with\nthem in quest of blood-revengement for his brother. By the way he fell\nin with Mardas and his companions and there happened between them what\nhappened; after which he bade his men alight and rest, saying, \u201cO folk,\nthe idols have given us an easy brood-wreak; so guard ye Mardas and his\ntribesmen, till I carry them away and do them die with the foulest of\ndeaths.\u201d When Mardas saw himself a prisoner, he repented of what he had\ndone and said, \u201cThis is the reward of rebelling against the Lord!\u201d Then\nthe enemy passed the night rejoicing in their victory, whilst Mardas\nand his men despaired of life and made sure of doom. So far concerning\nthem; but as regards Sahim al-Layl, who had been wounded in the fight\nwith Al-Hamal, he went in to his sister Mahdiyah, and she rose to him\nand kissed his hands, saying, \u201cMay thy two hands ne\u2019er wither nor thine\nenemies have occasion to be blither! But for thee and Gharib, we had\nnot escaped captivity among our foes. Know, however, O my brother, that\nthy father hath ridden forth with an hundred and fifty horse, purposing\nto slaughter Gharib; and thou wottest it would be sore loss and foul\nwrong to slay him, for that it was he who saved your shame and rescued\nyour good.\u201d When Sahim heard this, the light in his sight became Night,\nhe donned his battle-harness; and, mounting steed, rode for the place\nwhere Gharib was a-hunting. He presently came up with him and found\nthat he had taken great plenty of game; so he accosted him and saluted\nhim and said, \u201cO my brother, why didst thou go forth without telling\nme?\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cBy Allah, naught hindered me but that I saw thee\nwounded and thought to give thee rest.\u201d Then said Sahim, \u201cO my brother,\nbeware of my sire!\u201d and told him how Mardas was abroad with an hundred\nand fifty men, seeking to slay him. Quoth Gharib, \u201cAllah shall cause\nhis treason to cut his own throat.\u201d Then the brothers set out\ncampwards, but night overtook them by the way and they rode on in the\ndarkness, till they drew near the Wady wherein the enemy lay and heard\nthe neighing of steeds in the gloom; whereupon said Sahim, \u201cO my\nbrother, my father and his men are ambushed in yonder valley; let us\nflee from it.\u201d But Gharib dismounted and throwing his bridle to his\nbrother, said to him, \u201cStay in this stead till I come back to thee.\u201d\nThen he went on till he drew in sight of the folk, when he saw that\nthey were not of his tribe and heard them naming Mardas and saying, \u201cWe\nwill not slay him, save in his own land.\u201d Wherefore he knew that nuncle\nMardas was their prisoner, and said, \u201cBy the life of Mahdiyah, I will\nnot depart hence till I have delivered her father, that she may not be\ntroubled!\u201d Then he sought and ceased not seeking till he hit upon\nMardas and found him bound with cords; so he sat down by his side and\nsaid to him, \u201cHeaven deliver thee, O uncle, from these bonds and this\nshame!\u201d When Mardas saw Gharib his reason fled, and he said to him, \u201cO\nmy son, I am under thy protection: so deliver me in right of my\nfosterage of thee!\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cIf I deliver thee, wilt thou give me\nMahdiyah?\u201d Quoth the Emir, \u201cO my son, by whatso I hold sacred, she is\nthine to all time!\u201d So he loosed him, saying, \u201cMake for the horses, for\nthy son Sahim is there:\u201d and Mardas crept along like a snake till he\ncame to his son, who rejoiced in him and congratulated him on his\nescape. Meanwhile, Gharib unbound one after another of the prisoners,\ntill he had freed the whole ninety and they were all far from the foe.\nThen he sent them their weapons and war horses, saying to them, \u201cMount\nye and scatter yourselves round about the enemy and cry out, Ho, sons\nof Kahtan! And when they awake, do ye remove from them and encircle\nthem in a thin ring.\u201d[FN#327] So he waited till the last and third\nwatch of the Night, when he cried out, \u201cHo, sons of Kahtan!\u201d and his\nmen answered in like guise, crying, \u201cHo, sons of Kahtan,\u201d as with one\nvoice; and the mountains echoed their slogan, so that it seemed to the\nraiders as though the whole tribe of Banu Kahtan were assailing them;\nwherefore they all snatched up their arms and fell upon one\nanother,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-seventh Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the\nraiders[FN#328] awoke from sleep and heard Gharib and his men crying\nout, \u201cHo, sons of Kahtan!\u201d; they imagined that the whole tribe was\nassailing them; wherefore they snatched up their arms and fell one upon\nother with mighty slaughter. Gharib and his men held aloof, and they\nfought one another till daybreak, when Gharib and Mardas and their\nninety warriors came down upon them and killed some of them and put the\nrest to flight. Then the Banu Kahtan took the horses of the fugitives\nand the weapons of the slain and returned to their tribal camp, whilst\nMardas could hardly credit his deliverance from the foe. When they\nreached the encampment, the stay-at-home folk all came forth to meet\nthem and rejoiced in their safe return. Then they alighted and betook\nthem to their tents; and all the youths of the tribe flocked to\nGharib\u2019s stead and great and small saluted him and did him honour. But\nwhen Mardas saw this and the youths encircling his stepson he waxed\nmore jealous of Gharib than before and said to his kinsfolk, \u201cVerily,\nhatred of Gharib groweth on my heart, and what irketh me most is that I\nsee these flocking about him! And to-morrow he will demand Mahdiyah of\nme.\u201d Quoth his confidant, \u201cO Emir, ask of him somewhat he cannot avail\nto do.\u201d This pleased Mardas who passed a pleasant night and on the\nmorrow, as he sat on his stuffed carpet, with the Arabs about him,\nGharib entered, followed by his men and surrounded by the youth of the\ntribe, and kissed the ground before Mardas who, making a show of joy,\nrose to do him honour and seated him beside himself. Then said Gharib,\n\u201cO uncle, thou madest me a promise; do thou fulfil it.\u201d Replied the\nEmir, \u201cO my son, she is thine to all time; but thou lackest wealth.\u201d\nQuoth Gharib, \u201cO uncle, ask of me what thou wilt, and I will fall upon\nthe Emirs of the Arabs in their houses and on the Kings in their towns\nand bring thee fee[FN#329] enough to fence the land from East to West.\u201d\n\u201cO my son,\u201d quoth Mardas, \u201cI have sworn by all the Idols that I would\nnot give Mahdiyah save to him who should take my blood-wite of mine\nenemy and do away my reproach.\u201d \u201cO uncle,\u201d said Gharib, \u201ctell me with\nwhich of the Kings thou hast a feud, that I may go to him and break his\nthrone upon his pate.\u201d \u201cO my son,\u201d replied Mardas, \u201cI once had a son, a\nchampion of champions, and he went forth one day to chase and hunt with\nan hundred horse. They fared on from valley to valley, till they had\nwandered far away amongst the mountains and came to the Wady of\nBlossoms and the Castle of H\u00e1m bin Shays bin Shadd\u00e1d bin Khalad. Now in\nthis place, O my son, dwelleth a black giant, seventy cubits high, who\nfights with trees from their roots uptorn; and when my son reached his\nWady, the tyrant sallied out upon him and his men and slew them all,\nsave three braves, who escaped and brought me the news. So I assembled\nmy champions and fared forth to fight the giant, but could not prevail\nagainst him; wherefore I was baulked of my revenge and swore that I\nwould not give my daughter in marriage save to him who should avenge me\nof my son.\u201d Said Gharib, \u201cO uncle, I will go to this Amalekite and take\nthe wreak of thy son on him with the help of Almighty Allah.\u201d And\nMardas answered, saying, \u201cO Gharib, if thou get the victory over him,\nthou wilt gain of him such booty of wealth and treasures as fires may\nnot devour.\u201d Cried Gharib, \u201cSwear to me before witnesses thou wilt give\nme her to wife, so that with heart at ease I may go forth to find my\nfortune.\u201d Accordingly, Mardas swore this to him and took the elders of\nthe tribe to witness; whereupon Gharib fared forth, rejoicing in the\nattainment of his hopes, and went in to his mother, to whom he related\nwhat had passed. \u201cO my son,\u201d said she, \u201cknow that Mardas hateth thee\nand doth but send thee to this mountain, to bereave me of thee; then\ntake me with thee and let us depart the tents of this tyrant.\u201d But he\nanswered, \u201cO my mother, I will not depart hence till I win my wish and\nfoil my foe.\u201d Thereupon he slept till morning arose with its sheen and\nshone, and hardly had he mounted his charger when his friends, the\nyoung men, came up to him; two hundred stalwart knights armed cap-\u00e0-pie\nand cried out to him, saying, \u201cTake us with thee; we will help thee and\ncompany thee by the way.\u201d And he rejoiced in them and cried, \u201cAllah\nrequite you for us with good!\u201d adding, \u201cCome, my friends, let us go.\u201d\nSo they set out and fared on the first day and the second day till\nevening, when they halted at the foot of a towering mount and baited\ntheir horses. As for Gharib, he left the rest and walked on into that\nmountain, till he came to a cave whence issued a light. He entered and\nfound, at the higher facing end of the cave a Shaykh, three hundred and\nforty years old, whose eyebrows overhung his eyes and whose moustachios\nhid his mouth. Gharib at this sight was filled with awe and veneration,\nand the hermit said to him, \u201cMethinks thou art of the idolaters, O my\nson, stone-worshipping[FN#330] in the stead of the All-powerful King,\nthe Creator of Night and Day and of the sphere rolling on her way.\u201d\nWhen Gharib heard his words, his side muscles quivered and he said, \u201cO\nShaykh, where is this Lord of whom thou speakest, that I may worship\nhim and take my fill of his sight?\u201d Replied the Shaykh, \u201cO my son, this\nis the Supreme Lord, upon whom none may look in this world. He seeth\nand is not seen. He is the Most High of aspect and is present\neverywhere in His works. He it is who maketh all the made and ordereth\ntime to vade and fade; He is the Creator of men and Jinn and sendeth\nthe Prophets to guide His creatures into the way of right. Whoso\nobeyeth Him, He bringeth into Heaven, and whoso gainsayeth Him, He\ncasteth into Hell.\u201d Asked Gharib, \u201cAnd how, O uncle, saith whoso\nworshippeth this puissant Lord who over all hath power?\u201d \u201cO my son,\u201d\nanswered the Shaykh, \u201cI am of the tribe of Ad, which were transgressors\nin the land and believed not in Allah. So He sent unto them a Prophet\nnamed H\u00fad, but they called him liar and he destroyed them by means of a\ndeadly wind; but I believed together with some of my tribe, and we were\nsaved from destruction.[FN#331] Moreover, I was present with the tribe\nof Tham\u00fad and saw what befel them with their Prophet S\u00e1lih. After\nSalih, the Al-mighty sent a prophet, called Abraham the Friend,[FN#332]\nto Nimrod son of Canaan, and there befel what befel between them. Then\nmy companions died in the Saving Faith and I continued in this cave to\nserve Allah the Most High, who provideth my daily bread without my\ntaking thought.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cO uncle, what shall I say, that I may\nbecome of the troop of this mighty Lord?\u201d \u201cSay,\u201d replied the old\nman,\u2014\u201cThere is no god but _the_ God and Abraham is the Friend of God.\u201d So\nGharib embraced the Faith of Submission[FN#333] with heart and tongue\nand the Shaykh said to him, \u201cMay the sweetness of belief and devotion\nbe stablished in thy heart!\u201d Then he taught him somewhat of the\nbiblical ordinances and scriptures of Al-Islam and said to him, \u201cWhat\nis thy name?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cMy name is Gharib.\u201d Asked the old man,\n\u201cWhither art thou bound, O Gharib?\u201d So he told him all his history,\ntill he came to the mention of the Gh\u00fal of the Mountain whom he\nsought,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her\npermitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-eighth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nbecame a Moslem and told the Shaykh his past, from first to last, till\nhe came to the mention of the Mountain-Ghul whom he sought, the old man\nasked him, \u201cO Gharib, art thou mad that thou goest forth against the\nGhul of the Mountain single handed?\u201d; and he answered, \u201cO my lord, I\nhave with me two hundred horse.\u201d \u201cO Gharib,\u201d rejoined the hermit,\n\u201chadst thou ten thousand riders yet shouldst thou not prevail against\nhim, for his name is The-Ghul-who-eateth-men-we-pray-Allah-for-safety,\nand he is of the children of Ham. His father\u2019s name was Hindi who\npeopled Hind and named it, and he left this son after him, whom he\ncalled Sa\u2019adan the Ghul. Now the same was, O my son, even in his sire\u2019s\nlifetime, a cruel tyrant and a rebellious devil and had no other food\nthan flesh of the sons of Adam. His father when about to die forbade\nhim from this, but he would not be forbidden and he redoubled in his\nforwardness, till Hindi banished him and drove him forth the Land of\nHind, after battles and sore travail. Then he came to this country and\nfortifying himself herein, established his home in this place, whence\nhe is wont to sally forth and cut the road of all that come and go,\npresently returning to the valley he haunteth. Moreover, he hath\nbegotten five sons, warlike warlocks, each one of whom will do battle\nwith a thousand braves, and he hath flocked the valley with his booty\nof treasure and goods besides horses and camels and cattle and sheep.\nWherefore I fear for thee from him; so do thou implore Almighty Allah\nto further thee against him by the Tahl\u00edl, the formula of Unity, and\nwhen thou drivest at the Infidels, cry, God is most Great!\u2019 for,\nsaying, There is no god but the God\u2019 confoundeth those who misbelieve.\u201d\nThen the Shaykh gave him a steel mace, an hundred pounds in weight,\nwith ten rings which clashed like thunder whenas the wielder brandished\nit, and a sword forged of a thunderbolt,[FN#334] three ells long and\nthree spans broad, wherewith if one smote a rock, the stroke would\ncleave it in sunder. Moreover he gave him a hauberk and target and a\nbook and said to him, \u201cReturn to thy tribe and expound unto them\nAl-Islam.\u201d So Gharib left him, rejoicing in his new Faith, and fared\ntill he found his companions, who met him with salams, saying, \u201cWhat\nmade thee tarry thus?\u201d Whereupon he related to them that which had\nbefallen him and expounded to them Al-Islam, and they all islamised.\nEarly next morning, Gharib mounted and rode to the hermit to farewell\nhim, after which he set out to return to his camp when behold, on his\nway, there met him a horseman cap-\u00e0-pie armed so that only his eyes\nappeared, who made at him, saying, \u201cDoff what is on thee, O\nscum[FN#335] of the Arabs; or I will do thee die!\u201d Therewith Gharib\ncrave at him and there befel between them a battle such as would make a\nnew-born child turn grey and melt the flinty rock with its sore affray;\nbut presently the Badawi did off his face-veil, and lo! it was Gharib\u2019s\nhalf-brother Sahim al-Layl. Now the cause of his coming thither was\nthat when Gharib set out in quest of the Mountain-Ghul, Sahim was\nabsent and on his return, not seeing his brother, he went in to his\nmother, whom he found weeping. He asked the reason of her tears and she\ntold him what had happened of his brother\u2019s journey, whereupon, without\nallowing himself aught of rest, he donned his war-gear and mounting\nrode after Gharib, till he overtook him and there befel between them\nwhat befel. When, therefore. Sahim discovered his face, Gharib knew him\nand saluted him, saying, \u201cWhat moved thee to do this?\u201d Quoth Sahim, \u201cI\nhad a mind to measure myself with thee in the field and make trial of\nmy lustihood in cut and thrust.\u201d Then they rode together and on the way\nGharib expounded Al-Islam to Sahim, who embraced the Faith; nor did\nthey cease riding till they were hard upon the valley. Meanwhile, the\nMountain-Ghul espied the dust of their horses\u2019 feet and said to his\nsons, \u201cO my sons, mount and fetch me yonder loot.\u201d So the five took\nhorse and made for the party. When Gharib saw the five Amalekites\napproaching, he plied shovel-iron upon his steed\u2019s flank and cried out,\nsaying, \u201cWho are ye, and what is your race and what do ye require?\u201d\nWhereupon Falh\u00fan bin Sa\u2019adan, the eldest of the five, came out and\nsaid, \u201cDismount ye and bind one another[FN#336] and we will drive you\nto our father, that he may roast various of you and boil various, for\nit is long since he has tasted the flesh of Adam-son.\u201d When Gharib\nheard these words he drove at Falhun, shaking his mace, so that the\nrings rang like the roaring thunder and the giant was confounded. Then\nhe smote him a light blow with the mace between the shoulders, and he\nfell to the ground like a tall-trunked palm-tree; whereupon Sahim and\nsome of his men fell upon him and pinioned him; then, putting a rope\nabout his neck, they haled him along like a cow. Now when his brothers\nsaw him a prisoner they charged home upon Gharib, who took\nthree[FN#337] of them captive and the fifth fled back to his sire, who\nsaid to him, \u201cWhat is behind thee and where are the brothers of thee?\u201d\nQuoth he \u201cVerily, a beardless youth, forty cubits high, hath taken them\nprisoner.\u201d Quoth Sa\u2019adan, \u201cMay the sun pour no blessing on you!\u201d and,\ngoing down from his hold, tore up a huge tree, with which he went in\nquest of Gharib and his folk; and he was on foot, for that no horse\nmight carry him, because of the bigness of his body. His son followed\nhim and the twain went on till they came up with Gharib and his\ncompany, when the Ghul fell upon them, without word said, and slew five\nmen with his club. Then he made at Sahim and struck at him with his\ntree, but Sahim avoided the blow and it fell harmless; whereat Sa\u2019adan\nwas wroth and throwing down the weapon, sprang upon Sahim and caught\nhim in his pounces as the sparrow hawk catcheth up the sparrow. Now\nwhen Gharib saw his brother in the Ghul\u2019s clutches, he cried out,\nsaying, \u201cAllaho Akbar God is most Great! Oh the favour of Abraham the\nFriend, the Muhammad,[FN#338] the Blessed One (whom Allah keep and\nassain!)\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying\nher permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-ninth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib\nsaw his brother in the clutches of the Ghul, he cried out, saying \u201cOh\nthe favour of Ibrahim, the Friend, the Blessed One (whom Allah keep\nand assain!) \u201d; and crave his charger at Sa\u2019adan, shaking his mace,\ntill the rings loud rang. Then he cried out again, \u201cGod is most Great!\u201d\nand smote the Ghul on the flat of the ribs with his mace, whereupon he\nfell to the ground, insensible, and loosed his grip on Sahim; nor did\nhe come to himself ere he was pinioned and shackled. When his son saw\nthis, he turned and fled; but Gharib drove steed after him and smiting\nhim with his mace between the shoulders, threw him from his horse. So\nthey bound him with his father and brethren and haltering them with\nropes, haled them all six along like baggage-camels, till they reached\nthe Ghul\u2019s castle, which they found full of goods and treasures and\nthings of price; and there they also came upon twelve hundred Ajamis,\nmen of Persia, bound and shackled. Gharib sat down on Sa\u2019adan\u2019s chair,\nwhich had aforetime belonged to S\u00e1s\u00e1[FN#339] bin Shays bin Shaddad\nbin Ad causing Sahim to stand on his right and his companions on his\neither hand, and sending for the Ghul of the Mountain, said to him,\n\u201cHow findest thou thyself, O accursed?\u201d Replied Sa\u2019adan, \u201cO my lord, in\nthe sorriest of plights for abasement and mortification; my sons and\nI, we are bound with ropes like camels.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cIt is my will\nthat you enter my faith, the faith Al-Islam highs, and acknowledge\nthe Unity of the All knowing King whose All-might created Light and\nNight and every thing, there is no God but He, the Requiting King! and\nconfess the mission and prophethood of Abraham the Friend (on whom be\npeace!).\u201d So the Ghul and his sons made the required profession after\nthe goodliest fashion, and Gharib bade loose their bonds; whereupon\nSa\u2019adan wept and would have kissed his feet, he and his sons: but\nGharib forbade them and they stood with the rest who stood before him.\nThen said Gharib, \u201cHarkye, Sa\u2019adan!\u201d; and he replied, \u201cAt thy service,\nO my lord!\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cWhat are these captives?\u201d \u201cO my lord,\u201d\nquoth the Ghul, \u201cthese are my game from the land of the Persians and\nare not the only ones.\u201d Asked Gharib, \u201cAnd who is with them?\u201d; and\nSa\u2019adan answered, \u201cO my lord, there is with them the Princess Fakhr\nT\u00e1j, daughter of King Sab\u00far of Persia,[FN#340] and an hundred damsels\nlike moons.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he marvelled and said, \u201cO Emir,\nhow came ye by these?\u201d Replied Sa\u2019adan, \u201cI went forth one night with\nmy sons and five of my slaves in quest of booty, but finding no spoil\nin our way, we dispersed over wilds and words and fared on, hoping\nwe might happen on somewhat of prey and not return emptyhanded, till\nwe found ourselves in the land of the Persians. Presently, we espied\na dust cloud and sent on to reconnoitre one of our slaves, who was\nabsent a while and presently returned and said, O my lord, this is the\nPrincess Fakhr Taj, daughter of Sabur, King of the Persians, Turcomans\nand Medes; and she is on a journey, attended by two thousand horse.\u2019\nQuoth I, Thou hast gladdened us with good news! We could have no finer\nloot than this.\u2019 Then I and my sons fell upon the Persians and slew\nof them three hundred men and took the Princess and twelve hundred\ncavaliers prisoners, together with all that was with her of treasure\nand riches and brought them to this our castle.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cHast\nthou offered any violence to the Princess Fakhr Taj?\u201d Quoth Sa\u2019adan,\n\u201cNot I, as thy head liveth and by the virtue of the Faith I have but\nnow embraced!\u201d Gharib replied \u201cIt was well done of thee, O Sa\u2019adan,\nfor her father is King of the world and doubtless he will despatch\ntroops in quest of her and lay waste the dwellings of those who took\nher. And whoso looketh not to issue and end hath not Fate to friend.\nBut where is the damsel?\u201d Said Sa\u2019adan, \u201cI have set apart a pavilion\nfor her and her damsels;\u201d and said Gharib, \u201cShow me her lodging,\u201d\nwhereto Sa\u2019adan rejoined, \u201cHearkening and obedience!\u201d So he carried\nhim to the pavilion, and there he found the Princess mournful and cast\ndown, weeping for her former condition of dignity and delight. When\nGharib saw her, he thought the moon was near him and magnified Allah,\nthe All-hearing, the All-seeing. The Princess also looked at him and\nsaw him a princely cavalier, with velour shining from between his eyes\nand testifying for him and not against him; so she rose and kissed his\nhands, then fell at his feet, saying, \u201cO hero of the age, I am under\nthy protection; guard me from this Ghul, for I fear lest he do away my\nmaidenhead and after devour me. So take me to serve thine handmaidens.\u201d\nQuoth Gharib, \u201cThou art safe and thou shalt be restored to thy father\nand the seat of thy worship.\u201d Whereupon she prayed that he might\nlive long and have advancement in rank and honour. Then he bade\nunbind the Persians and, turning to the Princess, said to her, \u201cWhat\nbrought thee forth of thy palace to the wilds and wastes, so that the\nhighway-robbers made prize of thee?\u201d She replied, \u201cO my lord, my father\nand all the people of his realm, Turks and Daylamites, are Magians,\nworshipping fire, and not the All-powerful King. Now in our country is\na monastery called the Monastery of the Fire, whither every year the\ndaughters of the Magians and worshippers of the Fire resort at the time\nof their festival and abide there a month, after which they return to\ntheir houses. So I and my damsels set out, as of wont, attended by two\nthousand horse, whom my father sent with me to guard me; but by the\nway this Ghul came out against us and slew some of us and, taking the\nrest captive, imprisoned us in this hold. This, then, is what befel\nme, O valiant champion, whom Allah guard against the shifts of Time!\u201d\nAnd Gharib said, \u201cFear not; for I will bring thee to thy palace and\nthe seat of thy honours.\u201d Wherefore she blessed him and kissed his\nhands and feet. Then he went out from her, after having commanded\nto treat her with respect, and slept till morning, when he made the\nWuzu-ablution and prayed a two-bow prayer, after the rite of our father\nAbraham the Friend (on whom be peace!), whilst the Ghul and his sons\nand Gharib\u2019s company all did the like after him. Then he turned to the\nGhul and said to him, \u201cO Sa\u2019adan, wilt thou not show me the Wady of\nBlossoms?\u201d[FN#341] \u201cI will, O my lord,\u201d answered he. So Gharib and his\ncompany and Princess Fakhr Taj and her maidens all rose and went forth,\nwhilst Sa\u2019adan commanded his slaves and slave-girls to slaughter and\ncook and make ready the morning-meal and bring it to them among the\ntrees. For the Giant had an hundred and fifty handmaids and a thousand\nchattels to pasture his camels and oxen and sheep. When they came to\nthe valley, they found it beautiful exceedingly and passing all degree;\nand birds on tree sang joyously and the mocking-nightingale trilled out\nher melody, and the cushat filled with her moan the mansions made by\nthe Deity,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirtieth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib and\nhis merry men and the Giant and his tribe reached the Wady of Blossoms\nthey found birds flying free; the cushat filling with her moan the\nmansions made by the Deity, the bulbul singing as if \u2019twere human\nharmony and the merle whom to describe tongue faileth utterly; the\nturtle, whose plaining maddens men for loveecstasy and the ringdove and\nthe popinjay answering her with fluency. There also were trees laden\nwith all manner of fruitery, of each two kinds,[FN#342] the\npomegranate, sweet and sour upon branches growing luxuriantly, the\nalmond-apricot,[FN#343] the camphor-apricot[FN#344] and the almond\nKhorasan highs; the plum, with whose branches the boughs of the\nmyrobalan were entwined tight; the orange, as it were a cresses flaming\nlight, the shaddock weighed down with heavy freight; the lemon, that\ncures lack of appetite, the citron against jaundice of sovereign might,\nand the date, red and yellow-bright, the especial handiwork of Allah\nthe Most High. Of the like of this place saith the enamoured poet,\n\n\u201cWhen its birds in the lake make melody, * The lorn lover\n     yearneth its sight to see:\n\u2019Tis as Eden breathing a fragrant breeze, * With its shade and\n     fruits and rills flowing free.\u201d\n\n\nGharib marvelled at the beauty of that Wady and bade them set up there\nthe pavilion of Fakhr Taj the Chosroite; so they pitched it among the\ntrees and spread it with rich tapestries. Then he sat down and the\nslaves brought food and they ate their sufficiency; after which quoth\nGharib, \u201cHarkye, Sa\u2019adan!\u201d: and quoth he, \u201cAt thy service, O my lord.\u201d\n\u201cHast thou aught of wine?\u201d asked Gharib, and Sa\u2019adan answered, \u201cYes, I\nhave a cistern full of old wine.\u201d Said Gharib, \u201cBring us some of it.\u201d\nSo Sa\u2019adan sent ten slaves, who returned with great plenty of wine, and\nthey ate and drank and were mirthful and merry. And Gharib bethought\nhim of Mahdiyah and improvised these couplets,\n\n\u201cI mind our union days when ye were nigh, * And flames my heart\n     with love\u2019s consuming lowe.\nBy Allah, Ne\u2019er of will I quitted you: * But shifts of Time from\n     you compelled me go:\nPeace and fair luck and greetings thousand-fold * To you, from\n     exiled lover\u2019s pining woe.\u201d\n\n\nThey abode eating and drinking and taking their pleasure in the valley\nfor three days, after which they returned to the castle. Then Gharib\ncalled Sahim and said to him, \u201cTake an hundred horse and go to thy\nfather and mother and thy tribe, the Banu Kahtan, and bring them all to\nthis place, here to pass the rest of their days, whilst I carry the\nPrincess of Persia back to her father. As for thee, O Sa\u2019adan, tarry\nthou here with thy sons, till I return to thee.\u201d Asked Sa\u2019adan, \u201cAnd\nwhy wilt thou not carry me with thee to the land of the Persians?\u201d; and\nGharib answered, \u201cBecause thou stolest away King Sabur\u2019s daughter and\nif his eye fall on thee, he will eat thy flesh and drink thy blood.\u201d\nWhen the Ghul heard this, he laughed a loud laugh, as it were the\npealing thunder, and said, \u201cO my lord, by the life of thy head, if the\nPersians and Medes united against me, I would make them quaff the cup\nof annihilation.\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201c\u2019Tis as thou sayest;[FN#345] but\ntarry thou here in fort till I return to thee;\u201d and quoth the Ghul, \u201cI\nhear and I obey.\u201d Then Sahim departed with his comrades of the Banu\nKahtan for the dwelling places of their tribe, and Gharib set out with\nPrincess Fakhr Taj and her company, intending for the cities of Sabur,\nKing of the Persians. Thus far concerning them; but as regards King\nSabur, he abode awaiting his daughter\u2019s return from the Monastery of\nthe Fire, and when the appointed time passed by and she came not,\nflames raged in his heart. Now he had forty Wazirs, whereof the oldest,\nwisest and chiefest was highs Dayd\u00e1n: so he said to him, \u201cO Minister,\nverily my daughter delayeth her return and I have no news of her though\nthe appointed time is past; so do thou send a courier to the Monastery\nof the Fire to learn what is come of her.\u201d \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d\nreplied Daydan; and, summoning the chief of the couriers, said to him,\n\u201cWend thou forthright to the Monastery.\u201d So he lost no time and when he\nreached it, he asked the monks of the King\u2019s daughter, but they said,\n\u201cWe have not seen her this year.\u201d So the courier returned to the city\nof Isb\u00e1n\u00edr[FN#346] and told the Wazir, who went in to the King and\nacquainted him with the message. Now when Sabur heard this, he cast his\ncrown on the ground, tore his beard and fell down in a trance. They\nsprinkled water upon him, and presently he came to himself,\ntearful-eyed and heavy-hearted, and repeated the words of the poet,\n\n\u201cWhen I far-parted patience call and tears, * Tears came to call\n     but Patience never hears:\nWhat, then, if Fortune parted us so far? * Fortune and Perfidy\n     are peers\n\n\nThen he called ten of his captains and bade them mount with a thousand\nhorse and ride in different directions, in quest of his daughter. So\nthey mounted forthright and departed each with his thousand; whilst\nFakhr Taj\u2019s mother clad herself and her women in black and strewed\nashes on her head and sat weeping and lamenting. Such was their\ncase;\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her\npermitted say.\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-first Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that King Sabur sent\nhis troops in quest of his daughter, whose mother clad herself and her\nwomen in black. Such was their case; but as regards the strange\nadventures of Gharib and the Princess, they journeyed on ten days, and\non the eleventh day, appeared a dust cloud which rose to the confines\nof the sky; whereupon Gharib called the Emir of the Persians and said\nto him, \u201cGo learn the cause thereof.\u201d \u201cI hear and obey,\u201d replied he and\ncrave his charger, till he came under the cloud of dust, where he saw\nfolk and enquired of them. Quoth one of them, \u201cWe are of the Banu\nHatt\u00e1l and are questing for plunder; our Emir is Samsam bin Al-Jir\u00e1h\nand we are five thousand horse.\u201d The Persians returned in haste and\ntold their saying to Gharib, who cried out to his men of the Banu\nKahtan and to the Persians, saying, \u201cDon your arms!\u201d They did as he\nbade them and presently up came the Arabs who were shouting, \u201cA\nplunder! a plunder!\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cAllah confound you, O dogs of\nArabs!\u201d Then he loosed his horse and drove at them with the career of a\nright valiant knight, shouting, \u201cAllaho Akbar! Ho for the faith of\nAbraham the Friend, on whom be peace!\u201d And there befel between them\ngreat fight and sore fray and the sword went round in sway and there\nwas much said and say; nor did they leave fighting till fled the day\nand gloom came, when they drew from one another away. Then Gharib\nnumbered his tribesmen and found that five of the Banu Kahtan had\nfallen and three-and-seventy of the Persians; but of the Banu Hattal\nthey had slain more than five hundred horse. As for Samsam, he alighted\nand sought nor meat nor sleep, but said, \u201cIn all my life I never saw\nsuch a fighter as this youth! Anon he fighteth with the sword and anon\nwith the mace; but, to-morrow I will go forth on champion wise and defy\nhim to combat of twain in battle plain where edge and point are fain\nand I will cut off these Arabs.\u201d Now, when Gharib returned to his camp,\nthe Princess Fakhr Taj met him, weeping and affrighted for the terror\nof that which had befallen, and kissed his foot in the stirrup, saying,\n\u201cMay thy hands never wither nor thy foes be blither, O champion of the\nage! Alhamdolillah\u2014Praise to God\u2014who hath saved thee alive this day!\nVerily, I am in fear for thee from yonder Arabs.\u201d When Gharib heard\nthis, he smiled in her face and heartened and comforted her, saying,\n\u201cFear not, O Princess! Did the enemy fill this wild and wold yet would\nI scatter them, by the might of Allah Almighty.\u201d She thanked him and\nprayed that he might be given the victory over his foes; after which\nshe returned to her women and Gharib went to his tent, where he\ncleansed himself of the blood of the Infidels, and they lay on guard\nthrough the night. Next morning, the two hosts mounted and sought the\nplain where cut and thrust ruled sovereign. The first to prick into the\nopen was Gharib, who crave his charger till he was near the Infidels\nand cried out, \u201cWho is for jousting with me? Let no sluggard or\nweakling come out to me!\u201d Whereupon there rushed forth a giant\nAmalekite of the lineage of the tribe of Ad, armed with an iron flail\ntwenty pounds in weight, and drove at Gharib, saying, \u201cO scum of the\nArabs, take what cometh to thee and learn the glad tidings that thy\nlast hour is at hand!\u201d So saying, he aimed a blow at Gharib, but he\navoided it and the flail sank a cubit into the ground. Now the badawi\nwas bent double with the blow, so Gharib smote him with his mace and\nclove his forehead in sunder and he fell down dead and Allah hurried\nhis soul to Hell-fire. Then Gharib charged and wheeled and called for\nchampions; so there came out to him a second and a third and a fourth\nand so on, till ten had come forth to him and he slew them all. When\nthe Infidels saw his form of fight and his smashing blows they hung\nback and forebore to fare forth to him, whereupon Samsam looked at them\nand said, \u201cAllah never bless you! I will go forth to him.\u201d So he donned\nhis battle-gear and driving his charger into mid-field where he fronted\nthe foe and cried out to Gharib saying, \u201cFie on thee, O dog of the\nArabs! hath thy strength waxed so great that thou shouldst defy me in\nthe open field and slaughter my men?\u201d And Gharib replied, \u201cUp and take\nbloodrevenge for the slaughter of thy braves!\u201d So Samsam ran at Gharib\nwho awaited him with broadened breast and heart enheartened, and they\nsmote each at other with maces, till the two hosts marvelled and every\neye was fixed on them. Then they wheeled about in the field and struck\nat each other two strokes; but Gharib avoided Samsam\u2019s stroke which\nwreak had wroke and dealt with a buffet that beat in his breastbone and\ncast him to the ground\u2014stone dead. Thereupon all his host ran at Gharib\nas one man, and he ran at them, crying, \u201cGod is most Great! Help and\nVictory for us and shame and defeat for those who misbelieve the faith\nof Abraham the Friend, on whom be peace!\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the\ndawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-second Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sam sam\u2019s\ntribesmen rushed upon Gharib as one man, he ran at them crying, \u201cGod is\nmost Great! Help and Victory for us and shame and defeat for the\nMiscreant!\u201d Now when the Infidels heard the name of the All-powerful\nKing, the One, the All-conquering, whom the sight comprehendeth not,\nbut He comprehendeth the sight,[FN#347] they looked at one another and\nsaid, \u201cWhat is this say that maketh our side-muscles tremble and\nweakeneth our resolution and causeth the life to fail in us? Never in\nour lives heard we aught goodlier than this saying!\u201d adding, \u201cLet us\nleave fighting, that we may ask its meaning.\u201d So they held their hands\nfrom the battle and dismounted; and their elders assembled and held\ncounsel together, seeking to go to Gharib and saying, \u201cLet ten of us\nrepair to him!\u201d So they chose out ten of their best, who set out for\nGharib\u2019s tents. Now he and his people had alighted and returned to\ntheir camp, marvelling at the withdrawal of the Infidels from the\nfight. But, presently, lo and behold! the ten came up and seeking\nspeech of Gharib, kissed the earth before him and wished him glory and\nlasting life. Quoth he to them, \u201cWhat made you leave fighting?\u201d; and\nquoth they, \u201cO, my lord, thou didst affright us with the words thou\nshoutest out at us.\u201d Then asked Gharib, \u201cWhat calamity do ye worship?\u201d;\nand they answered, \u201cWe worship Wadd and Suw\u00e1\u2019a and Yagh\u00fas,[FN#348]\nlords of the tribe of Noah\u201d; and Gharib, \u201cWe serve none but Allah\nAlmighty, Maker of all things and Provider of all livings. He it is who\ncreated the heavens and the earth and stablished the mountains, who\nmade water to well from the stones and the trees to grow and feedeth\nwild beasts in word; for He is Allah, the One, the All-powerful Lord.\u201d\nWhen they heard this, their bosoms broadened to the words of\nUnity-faith, and they said, \u201cVerily, this be a Lord high and great,\ncompassionating and compassionate!\u201d; adding, \u201cAnd what shall we say, to\nbecome of the Moslems, of those which submit themselves to Him?\u201d Quoth\nGharib, \u201cSay, There is no god but the God and Abraham is the Friend of\nGod.\u2019\u201d So the ten made veracious profession of the veritable religion\nand Gharib said to them, \u201cAn the sweet savour of Al-Islam be indeed\nstablished in your hearts, fare ye to your tribe and expound the faith\nto them; and if they profess, they shall be saved, but if they refuse\nwe will burn them with fire.\u201d So the ten elders returned and expounded\nAl-Islam to their people and set forth to them the path of truth and\ncreed, and they embraced the Faith of Submission with heart and tongue.\nThen they repaired on foot to Gharib\u2019s tent and kissing ground between\nhis hands wished him honour and high rank, saying, \u201cO our lord, we are\nbecome thy slaves; so command us what thou wilt, for we are to thee\naudient and obedient and we will never depart from thee, since Allah\nhath guided us into the right way at thy hands.\u201d Replied he, \u201cAllah\nabundantly requite you! Return to your dwellings and march forth with\nyour good and your children and forego me to the Wady of Blossoms and\nthe castle of S\u00e1s\u00e1 bin Shays,[FN#349] whilst I carry the Princess Fakhr\nTaj, daughter of Sabur, King of the Persians, back to her father and\nreturn to you.\u201d \u201cHearkening and obedience,\u201d said they and straightway\nreturned to their encampment, rejoicing in Al-Islam, and expounded the\nTrue Faith to their wives and children, who became Believers. Then they\nstruck their tents and set forth, with their good and cattle, for the\nWady of Blossoms. When they came in sight of the castle of Shays,\nSa\u2019adan and his sons sallied forth to them, but Gharib had charged\nthem, saying, \u201cIf the Ghul of the Mountain come out to you and offer to\nattack you, do ye call upon the name of Allah the All-creator, and he\nwill leave his hostile intent and receive you hospitably.\u201d So when he\nwould have fallen upon them they called aloud upon the name of Almighty\nAllah and straightway he received them kindly and asked them of their\ncase. They told him all that had passed between Gharib and themselves,\nwhereupon he rejoiced in them and lodged them with him and loaded them\nwith favours. Such was their case; but as regards Gharib, he and his,\nescorting the Princess fared on five days\u2019 journey towards the City of\nIsbanir, and on the sixth day they saw a dust-cloud. So Gharib sent one\nof the Persians to learn the meaning of this and he went and returned,\nswiftlier than bird in flight, saying, \u201cO my lord, these be a thousand\nhorse of our comrades, whom the King hath sent in quest of his daughter\nFakhr Taj.\u201d When Gharib heard this, he commanded his company to halt\nand pitch the tents. So they halted and waited till the new comers\nreached them, when they went to meet them and told T\u00fam\u00e1n, their\ncaptain, that the Princess was with them; whereupon he went in to\nGharib and kissing the ground before him, enquired for her. Gharib sent\nhim to her pavilion, and he entered and kissed her hands and feet and\nacquainted her with what had befallen her father and mother. She told\nhim in return all that had betided her and how Gharib had delivered her\nfrom the Ghul of the Mountain,\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day\nand ceased saying her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-third Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King\u2019s\ndaughter, Fakhr Taj, had told Tuman all that had befallen her from the\nMountain-Ghul, and how he had imprisoned her and would have devoured\nher but for Gharib, adding, \u201cAnd indeed, it behoveth my sire to give\nhim the half of his reign,\u201d Tuman arose and returned to Gharib and\nkissed his hands and feet and thanked him for his good dealing, saying,\n\u201cWith thy leave, O my lord, I will return to Isbanir City and deliver\nto our King the good news of his daughter\u2019s approach.\u201d \u201cGo,\u201d replied\nGharib, \u201cand take of him the gift of glad tidings.\u201d So Tuman returned\nwith all diligence to Isbanir, the Cities, and entering the palace,\nkissed ground before the King, who said to him, \u201cWhat is there of new,\nO bringer of good news?\u201d Quoth Tuman, \u201cI will not speak thee, till thou\ngive me the gift of glad tidings.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cTell me thy glad\ntidings and I will content thee.\u201d So Tuman said, \u201cO King, I bring thee\njoyful intelligence of the return of Princess Fakhr Taj.\u201d When Sabur\nheard his daughter\u2019s name, he fell down fainting and they sprinkled\nrose-water on him, till he recovered and cried to Tuman, \u201cDraw near to\nme and tell me all the good which hath befallen her.\u201d So he came\nforward and acquainted him with all that had betided the Princess; and\nSabur beat hand upon hand, saying, \u201cUnhappy thou, O Fakhr\nTaj!\u201d[FN#350] And he bade give Tuman ten thousand gold pieces and\nconferred on him the government of Isf\u00e1h\u00e1n City and its dependencies.\nThen he cried out to his Emirs, saying, \u201cMount, all of you, and fare we\nforth to meet the Princess Fakhr Taj!\u201d; and the Chief Eunuch went in to\nthe Queen-mother and told her and all the Harim the good news, whereat\nshe rejoiced and gave him a robe of honour and a thousand dinars.\nMoreover, the people of the city heard of this and decorated the market\nstreets and houses. Then the King and Tuman took horse and rode till\nthey had sight of Gharib, when Sabur footed it and made some steps\ntowards Gharib, who also dismounted and advanced to meet him; and they\nembraced and saluted each other, and Sabur bent over Gharib\u2019s hand and\nkissed it and thanked him for his favours.[FN#351] They pitched their\npavilions in face of each other and Sabur went in to his daughter, who\nrose and embracing him told him, all that had befallen her and how\nGharib had rescued her from the clutches of the Ghul of the Mountain.\nQuoth the King, \u201cBy thy life, O Princess of fair ones, I will overwhelm\nhim with gifts!\u201d; and quoth she, \u201cO my papa, make him thy son-in-law,\nthat he may be to thee a force against thy foes, for he is passing\nvaliant.\u201d Her father replied, \u201cO my daughter, knowest thou not that King\nKhirad Sh\u00e1h seeketh thee in marriage and that he hath cast the\nbrocade[FN#352] and hath given an hundred thousand dinars in\nsettlement, and he is King of Shiraz and its dependencies and is lord\nof empire and horsemen and footmen?\u201d But when the Princess heard these\nwords she said, \u201cO my papa! I desire not that whereof thou speakest,\nand if thou constrain me to that I have no mind to, I will slay\nmyself.\u201d So Sabur left her and went in to Gharib, who rose to him; and\nthey sat awhile together; but the King could not take his fill of\nlooking upon him; and he said in his mind, \u201cBy Allah, my daughter is\nexcusable if she love this Badawi!\u201d Then he called for food and they\nate and passed the night together. On the morrow, they took horse and\nrode till they arrived at the City of Isbanir and entered, stirrup to\nstirrup, and it was for them a great day. Fakhr Taj repaired to her\npalace and the abiding-place of her rank, where her mother and her\nwomen received her with cries of joy and loud lullilooings. As for King\nSabur, he sat down on his throne and seated Gharib on his right hand,\nwhilst the Princes and Chamberlains, the Emirs, Wazirs and Nabobs stood\non either hand and gave him joy of the recovery of his daughter. Said\nSabur, \u201cWhoso loveth me let him bestow a robe of honour on Gharib,\u201d and\nthere fell dresses of honour on him like drops of rain. Then Gharib\nabode the King\u2019s guest ten days, when he would have departed, but Sabur\nclad him in an honourable robe and swore him by his faith that he\nshould not march for a whole month. Quoth Gharib, \u201cO King, I am\nplighted to one of the girls of the Arabs and I desire to go in to\nher.\u201d Quoth the King, \u201cWhether is the fairer, thy betrothed or Fakhr\nTaj?\u201d \u201cO King of the age,\u201d replied Gharib, \u201cwhat is the slave beside\nthe lord?\u201d And Sabur said, \u201cFakhr Taj is become thy handmaid, for that\nthou didst rescue her from the pounces of the Ghul, and she shall have\nnone other husband than thyself.\u201d Thereupon Gharib rose and kissed\nground, saying, \u201cO King of the age, thou art a sovereign and I am but a\npoor man, and belike thou wilt ask a heavy dowry.\u201d Replied the King, \u201cO\nmy son, know that Khirad Shah, lord of Shiraz and dependencies thereof,\nseeketh her in marriage and hath appointed an hundred thousand dinars\nto her dower; but I have chosen thee before all men, that I may make\nthee the sword of my kingship and my shield against\nvengeance.\u201d[FN#353] Then he turned to his Chief Officers and said to\nthem, \u201cBear witness[FN#354] against me, O Lords of mine Empire, that I\nmarry my daughter Fakhr Taj to my son Gharib.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived\nthe dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-fourth Night,\n\nShe continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sabur, King\nof Ajam-land said to his Chief Officers, \u201cBear ye witness against me\nthat I marry my daughter Fakhr Taj, to my son Gharib!\u201d With that he\njoined palms[FN#355] with him and she became his wife. Then said\nGharib, \u201cAppoint me a dower and I will bring it to thee, for I have in\nthe Castle of Sasa wealth and treasures beyond count.\u201d Replied Sabur,\n\u201cO my son, I want of thee neither treasure nor wealth and I will take\nnothing for her dower save the head of Jamrk\u00e1n King of Dasht and the\ncity of Ahw\u00e1z.[FN#356]\u201d Quoth Gharib, \u201cO King of the age, I will fetch\nmy folk forthright and go to thy foe and spoil his realm.\u201d Quoth Sabur,\n\u201cAllah requite thee with good!\u201d and dismissed the lords and commons,\nthinking, \u201cIf Gharib go forth against Jamrkan, he will never more\nreturn.\u201d When morning morrowed the King mounted with Gharib and bidding\nall his troops take horse rode forth to the plain, where he said to his\nmen, \u201cDo ye tilt with spears and gladden my heart.\u201d So the champions of\nPersia land played one against other, and Gharib said, \u201cO King of the\nage, I have a mind to tilt with the horsemen of Ajam-land, but on one\ncondition.\u201d Asked the King, \u201cWhat is that?\u201d; and answered Gharib, \u201cIt\nis that I shall don a light tunic and take a headless lance, with a\npennon dipped in saffron, whilst the Persian champions sally forth and\ntilt against me with sharp spears. If any conquer me, I will render\nmyself to him: but, if I conquer him I will mark him on the breast and\nhe shall leave the plain.\u201d Then the King cried to the commander of the\ntroops to bring forward the champions of the Persians; so he chose out\nfrom amongst the Princes one thousand two hundred of his stoutest\nchampions, and the King said to them, in the Persian tongue, \u201cWhoso\nslayeth this Badawi may ask of me what he will.\u201d So they strove with\none another for precedence and charged down upon Gharib and truth was\ndistinguished from falsehood and jest from earnest. Quoth Gharib, \u201cI\nput my trust in Allah, the God of Abraham the Friend, the Deity who\nhath power over all and from whom naught is hidden, the One, the\nAlmighty, whom the sight comprehendeth not!\u201d Then an Amalekite-like\ngiant of the Persian champions rushed out to him, but Gharib let him\nnot stand long before him ere he marked him and covered his breast with\nsaffron and as he turned away, he smote him on the nape with the shaft\nof his lance, and he fell to the ground and his pages bore him from the\nlists.[FN#357] Then a second champion came forth against him and he\novercame him and marked him on the breast; and thus did he with a third\nand a fourth and a fifth; and there came out against him champion after\nchampion till he had overcome them all and marked them on the breast;\nfor Almighty Allah gave him the victory over them and they fared forth\nvanquish from the plain. Then the servants set food and strong wine\nbefore them! and they ate and drank, till Gharib\u2019s wits were dazed by\nthe drink. By and by, he went out to obey a call of Nature and would\nhave returned, but lost his way and entered the palace of Fakhr Taj.\nWhen she saw him, her reason fled and she cried out to her women\nsaying, \u201cGo forth from me to your own places!\u201d So they withdrew and she\nrose and kissed Gharib\u2019s hand, saying \u201cWelcome to my lord, who\ndelivered me from the Ghul! Indeed I am thine handmaid for ever and\never.\u201d Then she drew him to her bed and embraced him, whereupon desire\nwas hot upon him and he broke her seal and lay with her till the\nmorning. Meanwhile the King thought that he had departed; but on the\nmorrow he went in to him and Sabur rose to him and made him sit by his\nside. Then entered the tributary kings and kissing the ground stood\nranged in rows on the right and left and fell to talking of Gharib\u2019s\nvelour and saying, \u201cExtolled be He who gave him such prowess albeit he\nis so young in years!\u201d As they were thus engaged, behold all espied\nfrom the palace-windows the dust of horse approaching and the King\ncried out to his scouts, saying, \u201cWoe to you! Go and bring me news of\nyonder dust!\u201d So a cavalier took horse and riding off, returned after a\nwhile, and said \u201cO King, we found under that dust an hundred horse\nbelonging to an Emir highs Sahim al-Layl.\u201d Gharib hearing these words,\ncried out, \u201cO my lord, this is my brother, whom I had sent on an\nerrand, and I will go forth to meet him.\u201d So saying, he mounted, with\nhis hundred men of the Banu Kahtan and a thousand Persians, and rode to\nmeet his brother in great state, but greatness belongeth to God\nalone.[FN#358] When the two came up with each other, they dismounted\nand embraced, and Gharib said to Sahim, \u201cO my brother, hast thou\nbrought our tribe to the Castle of Sasa and the Wady of Blossoms?\u201d \u201cO\nmy brother,\u201d replied Sahim, \u201cwhen the perfidious dog Mardas heard that\nthou hadst made thee master of the stronghold belonging to the\nMountain-Ghul, he was sore chagrined and said, Except I march hence,\nGharib will come and carry off my daughter Mahdiyah without dower.\u2019 So\nhe took his daughter and his goods and set out with his tribe for the\nland of Irak, where he entered the city of Cufa and put himself under\nthe protection of King Ajib, seeking to give him his daughter to wife.\u201d\nWhen Gharib heard his brother\u2019s story, he well-nigh gave up the ghost\nfor rage and said, \u201cBy the virtue of the faith of Al-Islam, the faith\nof Abraham the Friend, and by the Supreme Lord, I will assuredly go to\nthe land of Irak and fierce war upon it I will set on foot.\u201d Then they\nreturned to the city and going in to the King, kissed ground before\nhim. He rose to Gharib and saluted Sahim; after which the elder brother\ntold him what had happened and he put ten captains at his commandment,\nunder each one\u2019s hand ten thousand horse of the doughtiest of the Arabs\nand the Ajams, who equipped themselves and were ready to depart in\nthree days. Then Gharib set out and journeyed till he reached the\nCastle of Sasa whence the Ghul and his sons came forth to meet him and\ndismounting, kissed his feet in the stirrups. He told them all that had\npassed and the giant said, \u201cO my lord, do thou abide in this thy\ncastle, whilst I with my sons and servants repair to Irak and lay waste\nthe city Al-Rust\u00e1k[FN#359] and bring to thy hand all its defenders\nbound in straitest bond.\u201d But Gharib thanked him and said, \u201cO Sa\u2019adan,\nwe will all go.\u201d So he made him ready and the whole body set out for\nIrak, leaving a thousand horse to guard the Castle. Thus far concerning\nthem; but as regards Mardas, he arrived with his tribe in the land of\nIrak bringing with him a handsome present and fared for Cufa-city which\nhe entered. Then, he presented himself before Ajib and kissed ground\nbetween his hands and, after wishing him what is wished to kings, said,\n\u201cO my lord, I come to place myself under thy protection.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad\nperceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King that Mardas coming into\nthe presence of Ajib, said to him, \u201cI come to place myself under thy\nprotection!\u201d Quoth Ajib, \u201cTell me who hath wronged thee, that I may\nprotect thee against him, though it were Sabur, King of the Persians\nand Turcomans and Daylamites.\u201d Quoth Mardas, \u201cO King of the Age, he who\nhath wronged me is none other than a youth whom I reared in my bosom. I\nfound him in his mother\u2019s lap in a certain valley and took her to wife\nShe brought me a son, whom I named Sahim al-Layl, and her own son,\nGharib highs, grew up on my knees and became a blasting thunderbolt and\na lasting calamity,[FN#360] for he smote Al-Hamal,[FN#361] Prince of\nthe Banu Nabhan, and slew footmen and threw horsemen. Now I have a\ndaughter, who befitteth thee alone, and he sought her of me; so I\nrequired of him the head of the Ghul of the Mountain, wherefore he went\nto him and, after engaging him in singular combat, made the master his\nman and took the Castle of Sasa bin Shays bin Shaddad bin Ad, wherein\nare the treasures of the ancients and the hoards of the moderns.\nMoreover, I hear that, become a Moslem, he goeth about, summoning the\nfolk to his faith. He is now gone to bear the Princess of Persia, whom\nhe delivered from the Ghul, back to her father, King Sabur, and will\nnot return but with the treasures of the Persians.\u201d When Ajib heard the\nstory of Mardas he changed colour to yellow and was in ill case and\nmade sure of his own destruction; then he said, \u201cO Mardas, is the\nyouth\u2019s mother with thee or with him?\u201d; and Mardas replied, \u201cShe is\nwith me in my tents.\u201d Quoth Ajib, \u201cWhat is her name?\u201d; quoth Mardas,\n\u201cHer name is Nusrah.\u201d \u201c\u2019Tis very she,\u201d rejoined Ajib and sent for her\nto the presence. Now when she came before him, he looked on her and\nknew her and asked her, \u201cO accursed, where are the two slaves I sent\nwith thee?\u201d; and she answered, \u201cThey slew each other on my account;\u201d\nwhereupon Ajib bared his blade and smote her and cut her in twain. Then\nthey dragged her away and cast her out; but trouble and suspicion\nentered Ajib\u2019s heart and he cried, \u201cO Mardas, give me thy daughter to\nwife.\u201d He rejoined, \u201cShe is one of thine handmaids: I give her to thee\nto wife, and I am thy slave.\u201d Said Ajib, \u201cI desire to look upon this\nson of an adulteress, Gharib, that I may destroy him and cause him\ntaste all manner of torments.\u201d Then he bade give Mardas, to his\ndaughter\u2019s dowry, thirty thousand dinars and an hundred pieces of\nsilk-brocaded and fringed with gold and an hundred pieces of silk\nbordered stuffs and kerchiefs and golden collars. So he went forth with\nthis mighty fine dowry and set himself to equip Mahdiyah in all\ndiligence. Such was their case; but as regards Gharib, he fared on till\nhe came to Al-Jaz\u00edrah, which is the first town of Al-Irak[FN#362] and\nis a walled and fortified city and he hard by it called a halt. When\nthe townsfolk saw his army encamped before it, they bolted the gates\nand manned the walls, then went to the King of the city, who was called\nAl-D\u00e1migh, the Brainer, for that he used to brain the champions in the\nopen field of fight, and told him what was come upon them. So he looked\nforth from the battlements of the palace and seeing a conquering host,\nall of them Persians, encamped before the city, said to the citizens,\n\u201cO folk, what do yonder Ajams want?\u201d; and they replied, \u201cWe know not.\u201d\nNow Al-Damigh had among his officers a man called Saba\u2019 al-Kif\u00e1r, the\nDesert-lion, keen of wit and penetrating as he were a flame of fire; so\nhe called him and said to him, \u201cGo to this stranger host and find out\nwho they be and what they want and return quickly.\u201d Accordingly, he\nsped like the wind to the Persian tents, where a company of Arabs rose\nup and met him saying, \u201cWho art thou and what dost thou require?\u201d He\nreplied, \u201cI am a messenger and an envoy from the lord of the city to\nyour chief.\u201d So they took him and carried him through the lines of\ntents, pavilions and standards, till they came to Gharib\u2019s Shahmiy\u00e1nah\nand told him of the mission. He bade them bring him in and they did so,\nwhereupon he kissed ground before Gharib and wished him honour and\nlength of days. Quoth Gharib, \u201cWhat is thine errand?\u201d and quoth Saba\u2019\nal-Kifar, \u201cI am an envoy from the lord of the city of Al-Jazirah,\nAl-Damigh, brother of King Kundamir, lord of the city of Cufa and the\nland of Irak.\u201d When Gharib heard his father\u2019s name, the tears railed\nfrom his eyes in rills and he looked at the messenger and said, \u201cWhat\nis thy name?\u201d; and he replied, \u201cMy name is Saba\u2019 al-Kifar.\u201d Said\nGharib, \u201cReturn to thy lord and tell him that the commander of this\nhost is called Gharib, son of Kundamir, King of Cufa, whom his son Ajib\nslew, and he is come to take blood-revenge for his sire on Ajib the\nperfidious hound.\u201d So Saba\u2019 al-Kifar returned to the city and in great\njoy kissed the ground, when Al-Damigh said, \u201cWhat is going on there, O\nSaba\u2019 al-Kifar?\u201d He replied, \u201cO my master, the leader of yon host is\nthy nephew, thy brother\u2019s son,\u201d and told him all. The King deemed\nhimself in a dream and asked the messenger, \u201cO Saba\u2019 al-Kifar, is this\nthou tellest me true?\u201d and the Desert-lion answered, \u201cAs thy head\nliveth, it is sooth!\u201d Then Al-Damigh bade his chief officers take horse\nforthright and all rode out to the camp, whence Gharib came forth and\nmet him and they embraced and saluted each other; after which Gharib\ncarried him to his tents and they sat down on beds of estate. Al-Damigh\nrejoiced in Gharib, his brother\u2019s son, and presently turning to him,\nsaid, \u201cI also have yearned to take blood-revenge for thy father, but\ncould not avail against the dog thy brother; for that his troops are\nmany and my troops are few.\u201d Replied Gharib, \u201cO uncle, here am I come\nto avenge my sire and blot out our shame and rid the realm of Ajib.\u201d\nSaid Al-Damigh, \u201cO son of my brother, thou hast two blood-wreaks to\ntake, that of thy father and that of thy mother.\u201d Asked Gharib, \u201cAnd\nwhat aileth my mother?\u201d and Al-Damigh answered, \u201cThy brother Ajib hath\nslain her.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say\nher permitted say,\n\nWhen it was the Six Hundred and Thirty-sixth Night,\n\nShe said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Gharib heard\nthese words of his uncle Al-Damigh, \u201cVerily thy brother Ajib hath slain\nher!\u201d, he asked what was the cause thereof and was told of all that had\nhappened, especially how Mardas had married his daughter to Ajib who\nwas about to go into her. Thereupon Gharib\u2019s reason fled from his head\nand he swooned away and was nigh upon death. No sooner did he come to\nhimself than he cried out to the troops, saying, \u201cTo horse!\u201d But\nAl-Damigh said to him, \u201cO son of my brother, wait till I make ready\nmine affairs and mount among my men and fare with thee at thy stirrup.\u201d\nReplied Gharib \u201cI have no patience to wait; do thou equip thy troops\nand join me at Cufa.\u201d Thereupon Gharib mounted with his troops and\nrode, till he came to the town of Babel,[FN#363] whose folk took fright\nat him. Now there was in this town a King called Jamak, under whose\nhand were twenty thousand horsemen, and there gathered themselves\ntogether to him from the villages other fifty thousand horse, who\npitched their tents facing the city. Then Gharib wrote a letter and\nsent it to King Jamak by a messenger, who came up to the city-gate and\ncried out, saying, \u201cI am an envoy;\u201d whereupon the Warder of the Gate\nwent in and told Jamak, who said, \u201cBring him to me.\u201d So he led in the\nmessenger, who kissing the ground before the King, gave him the letter,\nand Jamak opened it and read its contents as follows: \u201cPraise be to\nAllah, Lord of the Three Worlds, Lord of all things, who giveth to all\ncreatures their daily bread and who over all things is Omnipotent!\nThese from Gharib, son of King Kundamir, lord of Irak and Cufa, to\nJamak. Immediately this letter reacheth thee, let not thy reply be\nother than to break thine idols and confess the unity of the\nAll-knowing King, Creator of light and darkness, Creator of all things,\nthe All-powerful; and except thou do as I bid thee, I will make this\nday the blackest of thy days. Peace be on those who follow in the way\nof Salvation, fearing the issues of fornication, and obey the hest of\nthe Most High King, Lord of this world and the next, Him who saith to a\nthing, Be\u2019; and it becometh!\u201d Now when Jamak read this letter, his eyes\npaled and his colour failed and he cried out to the messenger, \u201cGo to\nthy lord and say to him, To-morrow, at daybreak there shall be fight\nand conflict and it shall appear who is the conquering hero.\u2019\u201d So he\nreturned and told Gharib, who bade his men make ready for battle,\nwhilst Jamak commanded his tents to be pitched in face of Gharib\u2019s\ncamp; and his troops poured forth like the surging sea and passed the\nnight with intention of slaughter. As soon as dawned the day, the two\nhosts mounted and drew up in battle array and beat their drums amain\nand drave their steeds of swiftest strain; and they filled the whole\nearthly plain; and the champions to come out were fain. Now the first\nwho sallied forth a championing to the field was the Ghul of the\nMountain, bearing on shoulder a terrible tree, and he cried out between\nthe two hosts, saying, \u201cI am Sa\u2019adan the Ghul! Who is for fighting, who\nis for jousting? Let no sluggard come forth to me nor weakling.\u201d And he\ncalled out to his sons, saying, \u201cWoe to you! Bring me fuel and fire,\nfor I am an-hungered.\u201d So they cried upon their slaves who brought\nfirewood and kindled a fire in the heart of the plain. Then there came\nout to him a man of the Kafirs, an Amalekite of the unbelieving\nAmalekites, bearing on his shoulder a mace like the mast of a ship, and\ndrove at Sa\u2019adan the Ghul, saying, \u201cWoe to thee, O Sa\u2019adan!\u201d When the\ngiant heard this, he waxed furious beyond measure and raising his tree\nclub, aimed at the Infidel a blow, that hummed through the air. The\nAmalekite met the stroke with his mace, but the tree beat down his\nguard and descending with its own weight, together with the weight of\nthe mace upon his head, beat in his brain pan, and he fell like a\nlong-stemmed palm-tree. Thereupon Sa\u2019adan cried to his slaves, saying,\n\u201cTake this fatted calf and roast him quickly.\u201d So they hastened to skin\nthe Infidel and roasted him and brought him to the Ghul, who ate his\nflesh and crunched his bones.[FN#364] Now when the Kafirs saw how\nSa\u2019adan did with their fellow, their hair and pile stood on end; their\nskins quaked, their colour changed, their hearts died within them and\nthey said to one another, \u201cWhoso goeth out against this Ghul, he eateth\nhim and cracketh his bones and causeth him to lack the zephyr-wind of\nthe world.\u201d Wherefore they held their hands, quailing for fear of the\nGhul and his sons and turned to fly, making for the town; but Gharib\ncried out to his troops, saying, \u201cUp and after the runaways!\u201d So the\nPersians and the Arabs crave after the King of Babel and his host and\ncaused sword to smite them, till they slew of them twenty thousand or\nmore. Then the fugitives crowded together in the city gate and they\nkilled of them much people; and they could not avail to shut the gate.\nSo the Arabs and the Persians entered with them, fighting, and Sa\u2019adan,\nsnatching a mace from one of the slain, wielded it in the enemy\u2019s face\nand gained the city race-course. Thence he fought his way through the\nfoe and broke into the King\u2019s palace, where he met with Jamak and so\nsmote him with the mace, that he toppled senseless to the ground. Then\nhe fell upon those who were in the palace and pounded them into pieces,\ntill all that were left cried out, \u201cQuarter! Quarter!\u201d and Sa\u2019adan said\nto them, \u201cPinion your King.\u201d\u2014And Shahrazad saw the dawn of day and\nceased saying her permitted say,\n\nEnd of Vol 6.\n\n                    Arabian Nights, Volume 6\n                           Footnotes\n\n\n[FN#1] Lane (vol. iii. 1) calls our old friend \u201cEs-Sindib\u00e1d of the\nSea,\u201d and Benfey derives the name from the Sanskrit \u201cSiddhapati\u201d=lord\nof sages. The etymology (in Heb. Sandabar and in Greek Syntipas) is\nstill uncertain, although the term often occurs in Arab stories; and\nsome look upon it as a mere corruption of \u201cBidpai\u201d (Bidy\u00e1pati). The\nderivation offered by Hole (Remarks on the Arabian Nights\u2019\nEntertainments, by Richard Hole, LL.D. London, Cadell, 1797) from the\nPersian \u00e1b\u00e1d (a region) is impossible. It is, however, not a little\ncurious that this purely Persian word (=a \u201chabitation\u201d) should be found\nin Indian names as early as Alexanders\u2019 day, e.g. the \u201cDachina bades\u201d\nof the Periplus is \u201cDakhsin-\u00e1b\u00e1d,\u201d the Sansk. being \u201cDakshinapatha.\u201d\n\n[FN#2] A porter like the famous Armenians of Constantinople. Some\nedits, call him \u201cAl-Hindib\u00e1d.\u201d\n\n[FN#3] Arab. \u201cKaraw\u00e1n\u201d (Charadrius dicnemus, Linn.): its shrill note is\nadmired by Egyptians and hated by sportsmen.\n\n[FN#4] This ejaculation, still popular, averts the evil eye. In\ndescribing Sindbad the Seaman the Arab writer seems to repeat what one\nreads of Marco Polo returned to Venice.\n\n[FN#5] Our old friend must not be confounded with the eponym of the\n\u201cSindib\u00e1d-n\u00e1mah;\u201d the Persian book of Sindbad the Sage. See Night\ndlxxviii.\n\n[FN#6] The first and second are from Eccles. chaps. vii. 1, and ix. 4.\nThe Bul. Edit. reads for the third, \u201cThe grave is better than the\npalace.\u201d None are from Solomon, but Easterns do not \u201cverify\nquotations.\u201d\n\n[FN#7] Arab. \u201cK\u00e1n\u00fan\u201d; a furnace, a brasier before noticed (vol. v., p.\n272); here a pot full of charcoal sunk in the ground, or a little\nhearth of clay shaped like a horseshoe and opening down wind.\n\n[FN#8] These fish-islands are common in the Classics, e.g. the Pristis\nof Pliny (xvii. 4), which Olaus Magnus transfers to the Baltic (xxi. 6)\nand makes timid as the whales of Nearchus. C. J. Solinus (Plinii Simia)\nsays, \u201cIndica maria bal\u0107nas habent ultra spatia quatuor jugerum.\u201d See\nalso Bochart\u2019s Hierozoicon (i. 50) for Job\u2019s Leviathan (xli. 16\u201317).\nHence deemed an island. A basking whale would readily suggest the\nKrakan and Cetus of Olaus Magnus (xxi. 25). Al-Kazw\u00edni\u2019s famous\ntreatise on the \u201cWonders of the World\u201d (Aj\u00e1ib al-Makhl\u00fak\u00e1t) tells the\nsame tale of the \u201cSulahfah\u201d tortoise, the colossochelys, for which see\nNight dl.\n\n[FN#9] Sindbad does not say that he was a shipwrecked man, being a\nmodel in the matter of \u201ctravellers\u2019 tales,\u201d i.e. he always tells the\ntruth when an untruth would not serve him.\n\n[FN#10] Lane (iii. 83) would make this a corruption of the Hindu\n\u201cMahar\u00e1j\u201d=great Rajah: but it is the name of the great autumnal f\u0119te of\nthe Guebres; a term composed of two good old Persian words \u201cMihr\u201d (the\nsun, whence \u201cMithras\u201d) and \u201cj\u00e1n\u201d=life. As will presently appear, in the\ndays of the Just King Anushirw\u00e1n, the Persians possessed Southern\nArabia and East Africa south of Cape Guardafui (Jird H\u00e1f\u00fan). On the\nother hand, supposing the word to be a corruption of Maharaj, Sindbad\nmay allude to the famous Narsinga kingdom in Mid-south India whose\ncapital was Vijaya-nagar; or to any great Indian Rajah even he of\nKachch (Cutch), famous in Moslem story as the Balhar\u00e1 (Ballaba Rais,\nwho founded the Ballabhi era; or the Zamorin of Camoens, the Samdry\nRajah of Malabar). For Mahrage, or Mihrage, see Renaudot\u2019s \u201cTwo\nMohammedan Travellers of the Ninth Century.\u201d In the account of Ceylon\nby Wolf (English Transl. p. 168) it adjoins the \u201cIlhas de Cavalos\u201d (of\nwild horses) to which the Dutch merchants sent their brood-mares. Sir\nW. Jones (Description of Asia, chapt. ii.) makes the Arabian island\nSoborma or Mahr\u00e1j=Borneo.\n\n[FN#11] Arab. \u201cS\u00e1is\u201d; the well-known Anglo-Indian word for a groom or\nrather a \u201chorse-keeper.\u201d\n\n[FN#12] Arab. \u201cDarakah\u201d; whence our word.\n\n[FN#13] The myth of mares being impregnated by the wind was known to\nthe Classics of Europe; and the \u201csea-stallion\u201d may have arisen from the\nArab practice of picketing mare asses to be covered by the wild ass.\nColonel J. D. Watson of the Bombay Army suggests to me that Sindbad was\nwrecked at the mouth of the Ran of Kachch (Cutch) and was carried in a\nboat to one of the Islands there formed during the rains and where the\nwild ass (Equus Onager, Khar-gadh, in Pers. Gor-khar) still breeds.\nThis would explain the \u201cstallions of the sea\u201d and we find traces of the\nass blood in the true Kathiaw\u00e1r horse, with his dun colour, barred legs\nand dorsal stripe.\n\n[FN#14] The second or warrior caste (Kshatriya), popularly supposed to\nhave been annihilated by Battle-axe Ram\u00e1 (Parashu R\u00e1ma); but several\ntribes of Rajputs and other races claim the honourable genealogy.\nColonel Watson would explain the word by \u201cShakh\u00e1y\u00e1t\u201d or noble K\u00e1this\n(Kathiawar-men), or by \u201cShik\u00e1ri,\u201d the professional hunter here acting\nas stable-groom.\n\n[FN#15] In Bul. Edit. \u201cK\u00e1bil.\u201d Lane (iii. 88) supposes it to be the\n\u201cBartail\u201d of Al-Kazwini near Borneo and quotes the Spaniard B. L. de\nArgensola (History of the Moluccas), who places near Banda a desert\nisland, Poelsatton, infamous for cries, whistlings, roarings and\ndreadful apparitions, suggesting that it was peopled by devils\n(Stevens, vol. i., p. 168).\n\n[FN#16] Some texts substitute for this last phrase, \u201cAnd the sailors\nsay that Al-Dajj\u00e1l is there.\u201d He is a manner of Moslem Antichrist, the\nMan of Sin per excellentiam, who will come in the latter days and lay\nwaste the earth, leading 70,000 Jews, till encountered and slain by\nJesus at the gate of Lud. (Sale\u2019s Essay, sect. 4.)\n\n[FN#17] Also from Al-Kazwini: it is an exaggerated description of the\nwhale still common off the East African Coast. My crew was dreadfully\nfrightened by one between Berberah and Aden. Nearchus scared away the\nwhales in the Persian Gulf by trumpets (Strabo, lib. xv.). The\nowl-faced fish is unknown to me: it may perhaps be a seal or a manatee.\nHole says that Father Martini, the Jesuit (seventeenth century), placed\nin the Canton Seas, an \u201canimal with the head of a bird and the tail of\na fish,\u201d\u2014a parrot-beak?\n\n[FN#18] The captain or master (not owner) of a ship.\n\n[FN#19] The kindly Moslem feeling, shown to a namesake, however humble.\n\n[FN#20] A popular phrase to express utter desolation.\n\n[FN#21] The literature of all peoples contains this physiological\nperversion. Birds do not sing hymns; the song of the male is simply to\ncall the female and when the pairing-season ends all are dumb.\n\n[FN#22] The older \u201croc.\u201d The word is Persian, with many meanings, e.g.\na cheek (Lalla \u201cRookh\u201d); a \u201crook\u201d (hero) at chess; a rhinoceros, etc.\nThe fable world-wide of the wundervogel is, as usual, founded upon\nfact: man remembers and combines but does not create. The Egyptian\nBennu (Ti-bennu=phoenix) may have been a reminiscence of gigantic\npterodactyls and other winged monsters. From the Nile the legend fabled\nby these Oriental \u201cputters out or five for one\u201d overspread the world\nand gave birth to the Eorosh of the Zend, whence the Pers. \u201cS\u00edmurgh\u201d\n(=the \u201cthirty-fowl-like\u201d), the \u201cBar Yuchre\u201d of the Rabbis, the\n\u201cGaruda\u201d of the Hindus; the \u201cAnk\u00e1\u201d (\u201clong-neck\u201d) of the Arabs; the\n\u201cHathilinga bird,\u201d of Buddhagosha\u2019s Parables, which had the strength of\nfive elephants; the \u201cKerkes\u201d of the Turks; the \u201cGryps\u201d of the Greeks;\nthe Russian \u201cNorka\u201d; the sacred dragon of the Chinese; the Japanese\n\u201cPheng\u201d and \u201cKirni\u201d; the \u201cwise and ancient Bird\u201d which sits upon the\nash-tree yggdrasil, and the dragons, griffins, basilisks, etc. of the\nMiddle Ages. A second basis wanting only a superstructure of\nexaggeration (M. Polo\u2019s Ruch had wing-feathers twelve paces long) would\nbe the huge birds but lately killed out. Sindbad may allude to the\n\u0106pyornus of Madagascar, a gigantic ostrich whose egg contains 2.35\ngallons. The late Herr Hildebrand discovered on the African coast,\nfacing Madagascar, traces of another huge bird. Bochart (Hierozoicon\nii. 854) notices the Avium Avis Ruch and taking the pulli was followed\nby lapidation on the part of the parent bird. A Persian illustration in\nLane (iii. 90) shows the Rukh carrying off three elephants in beak and\npounces with the proportions of a hawk and field mice: and the Rukh\nhawking at an elephant is a favourite Persian subject. It is possible\nthat the \u201cTwelve Knights of the Round Table\u201d were the twelve Rukhs of\nPersian story. We need not go, with Faber, to the Cherubim which\nguarded the Paradise-gate. The curious reader will consult Dr. H. H.\nWilson\u2019s Essays, edited by my learned correspondent, Dr. Rost,\nLibrarian of the India House (vol. i. pp. 192\u20133).\n\n[FN#23] It is not easy to explain this passage unless it be a garbled\nallusion to the steel-plate of the diamond-cutter. Nor can we account\nfor the wide diffusion of this tale of perils unless to enhance the\nvalue of the gem. Diamonds occur in alluvial lands mostly open and\ncomparatively level, as in India, the Brazil and the Cape. Archbishop\nEpiphanius of Salamis (ob. A.D. 403) tells this story about the jacinth\nor ruby (Epiphanii Opera, a Petaio, Coloni\u0107 1682); and it was\ntransferred to the diamond by Marco Polo (iii. 29, \u201cof Eagles bring up\ndiamonds\u201d) and Nicolo de Conti, whose \u201cmountain Albenigaras\u201d must be\nVijayanagar in the kingdom of Golconda. Major Rennel places the famous\nmines of Pauna or Purna in a mountain-tract of more than 200 miles\nsquare to the southwest of the Jumna. Al-Kazwini locates the \u201cChaos\u201d in\nthe \u201cValley of the Moon amongst the mountains of Serendib\u201d (Ceylon);\nthe Chinese tell the same tale in the campaigns of Hulaku; and it is\nknown in Armenia. Col. Yule (M. P. ii. 349) suggests that all these are\nramifications of the legend told by Herodotus concerning the Arabs and\ntheir cinnamon (iii. 3). But whence did Herodotus borrow the tale?\n\n[FN#24] Sindbad correctly describes the primitive way of extracting\ncamphor, a drug unknown to the Greeks and Romans, introduced by the\nArabs and ruined in reputation by M. Raspail. The best Laurus Camphora\ngrows in the Malay Peninsula, Sumatra and Borneo: although Marsden\n(Marco Polo) declares that the tree is not found South of the Equator.\nIn the Calc. Edit. of two hundred Nights the camphor-island (or\npeninsula) is called \u201cAl-R\u00edhah\u201d which is the Arab name for\nJericho-town.\n\n[FN#25] In Bul. Edit. Kazkazan: Calc. Karkaddan and others Karkand and\nKarkadan; the word being Persian, Karg or Kargadan; the {Greek letters}\nof \u0106lian (Hist. Anim. xvi. 21). The length of the horn (greatly\nexaggerated) shows that the white species is meant; and it supplies\nonly walking-sticks. Cups are made of the black horn (a bundle of\nfibres) which, like Venetian glass, sweat at the touch of poison. A\nsection of the horn is supposed to show white lines in the figure of a\nman, and sundry likenesses of birds; but these I never saw. The\nrhinoceros gives splendid sport and the African is perhaps the most\ndangerous of noble game. It has served to explain away and abolish the\nunicorn among the Scientists of Europe. But Central Africa with one\nvoice assures us that a horse-like animal with a single erectile horn\non the forehead exists. The late Dr. Baikic, of Niger fame, thoroughly\nbelieved in it and those curious on the subject will read about Abu\nKarn (Father of a Horn) in Preface (pp. xvi.-xviii.) of the Voyage au\nDarfour, by Mohammed ibn Oman al-Tounsy (Al-Tunisi), Paris, Duprat,\n1845.\n\n[FN#26] Ibn al-Wardi mentions an \u201cIsle of Apes\u201d in the Sea of China and\nAl-Idr\u00edsi places it two days\u2019 sail from Sukutra (Dwipa Sukhatra,\nSocotra). It is a popular error to explain the Homeric and Herodotean\nlegend of the Pygmies by anthropoid apes. The Pygmy fable (Pygm\u0107i\nSpithamai=1 cubit=3 spans) was, as usual, based upon fact, as the\nexplorations of late years have proved: the dwarfs are homunculi of\nvarious tribes, the Akka, Doko, Tiki-Tiki, Wambilikimo (\u201ctwo-cubit\nmen\u201d), the stunted race that share the central regions of Intertropical\nAfrica with the abnormally tall peoples who speak dialects of the Great\nSouth African tongue, miscalled the \u201cBantu.\u201d Hole makes the Pygmies\n\u201cmonkeys,\u201d a word we have borrowed from the Italians (monichio \u00e0\nmono=ape) and quotes Ptolemy, (Ape-Islands) East of Sunda.\n\n[FN#27] A kind of barge (Arab. B\u00e1rijah, plur. Baw\u00e1rij) used on the Nile\nof sub-pyriform shape when seen in bird\u2019s eye. Lane translates \u201cears\nlike two mortars\u201d from the Calc. Edit.\n\n[FN#28] This giant is distinctly Polyphemus; but the East had giants\nand cyclopes of her own (Hierozoicon ii. 845). The Aj\u00e1ib al-Hind\n(chapt. cxxii.) makes Polyphemus copulate with the sheep. Sir John\nMandeville (if such person ever existed) mentions men fifty feet high\nin the Indian Islands; and Al-Kazwini and Al-Idrisi transfer them to\nthe Sea of China, a Botany Bay for monsters in general.\n\n[FN#29] Fire is forbidden as a punishment amongst Moslems, the idea\nbeing that it should be reserved for the next world. Hence the sailors\nfear the roasting more than the eating: with ours it would probably be\nthe reverse. The Persian insult \u201cPidar-sokhtah\u201d=(son of a) burnt\nfather, is well known. I have noted the advisability of burning the\nMoslem\u2019s corpse under certain circumstances: otherwise the murderer may\ncome to be canonised.\n\n[FN#30] Arab. \u201cMastabah\u201d=the bench or form of masonry before noticed.\nIn olden Europe benches were much more used than chairs, these being\narticles of luxury. So King Horne \u201csett him abenche;\u201d and hence our\n\u201cKing\u2019s Bench\u201d (Court).\n\n[FN#31] This is from the Bresl. Edit. vol. iv. 32: the Calc. Edit gives\nonly an abstract and in the Bul. Edit. the Ogre returned \u201caccompanied\nby a female, greater than he and more hideous.\u201d We cannot accept\nMistress Polyphemus.\n\n[FN#32] This is from Al-Kazwini, who makes the serpent \u201cwind itself\nround a tree or a rock, and thus break to pieces the bones of the\nbreast in its belly.\u201d\n\n[FN#33] \u201cLike a closet,\u201d in the Calc. Edit. The serpent is an\nexaggeration of the python which grows to an enormous size. Monstrous\nOphidia are mentioned in sober history, e.g. that which delayed the\narmy of Regulus. Dr. de Lacerda, a sober and sensible Brazilian\ntraveller, mentions his servants sitting down upon a tree-trunk in the\nCaptaincy of San Paulo (Brasil), which began to move and proved to be a\nhuge snake. F. M. Pinto (the Sindbad of Portugal though not so\nrespectable) when in Sumatra takes refuge in a tree from \u201ctigers,\ncrocodiles, copped adders and serpents which slay men with their\nbreath.\u201d Father Lobo in Tigre (chapt. x.) was nearly killed by the\npoison-breath of a huge snake, and healed himself with a bezoar carried\nad hoc. Maff\u0107\u0107us makes the breath of crocodiles suavissimus, but that\nof the Malabar serpents and vipers \u201cadeo teter ac noxius ut afflatu\nipso necare perhibeantur.\u201d\n\n[FN#34] Arab. \u201cAurat\u201d: the word has been borrowed by the\nHindostani jargon, and means a woman, a wife.\n\n\n[FN#35] So in Al-Idr\u00edsi and Langl\u010ds: the Bresl. Edit. has\n\u201cAl-Kal\u00e1sitah\u201d; and Al-Kazwini \u201cAl-Sal\u00e1mit.\u201d The latter notes in it a\npetrifying spring which Camoens (The Lus. x. 104), places in Sunda,\ni.e. Java-Minor of M. Polo. Some read Salabat-Timor, one of the\nMoluccas famed for sanders, cloves, cinnamon, etc. (Purchas ii. 1784.)\n\n[FN#36] Evidently the hippopotamus (Pliny, viii. 25; ix. 3 and xxiii.\n11). It can hardly be the Mulaccan Tapir, as shields are not made of\nthe hide. Hole suggests the buffalo which found its way to Egypt from\nIndia vi\u00e2 Persia; but this would not be a speciosum miraculum.\n\n[FN#37] The ass-headed fish is from Pliny (ix. cap. 3): all those tales\nare founded upon the manatee (whose dorsal protuberance may have\nsuggested the camel), the seal and the dugong or sea calf. I have\nnoticed (Zanzibar i. 205) legends of ichthyological marvels current on\nthe East African seaboard; and even the monsters of the Scottish waters\nare not all known: witness the mysterious \u201cbrigdie.\u201d See Bochart De\nCetis i. 7; and Purchas iii. 930.\n\n[FN#38] The colossal tortoise is noticed by \u0106lian (De Nat. Animal. xvi.\n17), by Strabo (Lib. xv.), by Pliny (ix. 10) and Diodorus Siculus (iv.\n1) who had heard of a tribe of Chelonophagi. \u0106lian makes them 16 cubits\nlong near Taprobane and serving as house-roofs; and others turn the\nshell into boats and coracles. A colossochelys was first found on the\nScwalik Hills by Dr. Falconer and Major (afterwards Sir Proby) Cantley.\nIn 1867 M. Emile Blanchard exhibited to the Academie des Sciences a\nmonster crab from Japan 1.20 metres long (or 2.50 including legs); and\nother travellers have reported 4 metres. These crustace\u0107 seem never to\ncease growing and attain great dimensions under favourable\ncircumstances, i.e. when not troubled by man.\n\n[FN#39] Lane suggests (iii. 97), and with some probability, that the\n\u201cbird\u201d was a nautilus; but the wild traditions concerning the\nbarnacle-goose may perhaps have been the base of the fable. The\nalbatross also was long supposed never to touch land. Possible the\nbarnacle, like the barometz of Tartarean lamb, may be a survivor of the\nday when the animal and vegetable kingdoms had not yet branched off\ninto different directions.\n\n[FN#40] Arab. \u201cZahwah,\u201d also meaning a luncheon. The five daily prayers\nmade all Moslems take strict account of time, and their nomenclature of\nits division is extensive.\n\n[FN#41] This is the \u201cinsane herb.\u201d Davis, who visited Sumatra in 1599\n(Purchas i. 120) speaks \u201cof a kind of seed, whereof a little being\neaten, maketh a man to turn foole, all things seeming to him to be\nmetamorphosed.\u201d Linschoten\u2019s \u201cDutroa\u201d was a poppy-like bud containing\nsmall kernels like melons which stamped and administered as a drink\nmake a man \u201cas if he were foolish, or out of his wits.\u201d This is Father\nLobo\u2019s \u201cVanguini\u201d of the Cafres, called by the Portuguese dutro (Datura\nStramonium) still used by dishonest confectioners. It may be Dampier\u2019s\nGanga (Ganjah) or Bang (Bhang) which he justly describes as acting\ndifferently \u201caccording to different constitutions; for some it\nstupefies, others it makes sleepy, others merry and some quite mad.\u201d\n(Harris, Collect. ii. 900.) Dr. Fryer also mentions Duty, Bung and\nPost, the Poust of Bernier, an infusion of poppy-seed.\n\n[FN#42] Arab. \u201cGhul,\u201d here an ogre, a cannibal. I cannot but regard the\n\u201cGhul of the waste\u201d as an embodiment of the natural fear and horror\nwhich a man feels when he faces a really dangerous desert. As regards\ncannibalism, Al-Islam\u2019s religion of common sense freely allows it when\nnecessary to save life, and unlike our mawkish modern sensibility,\nnever blames those who\n\n     Alimentis talibus usi\n     Produxere animos.\n\n\n[FN#43] For Cannibals, see the Massaget\u0107 of Herod (i.), the Pad\u0107i of\nIndia (iii.), and the Essedones near M\u0107otis (iv.); Strabo (lib. iv.) of\nthe Luci; Pomponious Mela (iii. 7) and St. Jerome (ad Jovinum) of\nScoti. M. Polo locates them in Dragvia, a kingdom of Sumatra (iii. 17),\nand in Angaman (the Andamanian Isles?), possibly the ten Maniolai which\nPtolemy (vii.), confusing with the Nicobars, places on the Eastern side\nof the Bay of Bengal; and thence derives the Heraklian stone (magnet)\nwhich attracts the iron of ships (See Serapion, De Magnete, fol. 6,\nEdit. of 1479, and Brown\u2019s Vulgar Errors, p. 74, 6th Edit.). Mandeville\nfinds his cannibals in Lamaray (Sumatra) and Barthema in the \u201cIsle of\nGyava\u201d (Java). Ibn Al-Wardi and Al-Kazwini notice them in the Isle\nSaksar, in the Sea of the Zanj (Zanzibar): the name is corrupted\nPersian \u201cSag-Sar\u201d (Dogs\u2019-heads) hence the dog-descended race of\nCamoens in Pegu (The Lus. x. 122). The Bresl. Edit. (iv. 52) calls them\n\u201cKhaw\u00e1rij\u201d=certain sectarians in Eastern Arabia. Needless to say that\ncocoa-nut oil would have no stupefying effect unless mixed with opium\nor datura, hemp or henbane.\n\n[FN#44] Black pepper is produced in the Goanese but we must go south to\nfind the \u201cBil\u00e1d al-Filfil\u201d (home of pepper) i.e. Malabar. The\nexorbitant prices demanded by Venice for this spice led directly to the\ndiscovery of The Cape route by the Portuguese; as the \u201cGrains of\nParadise\u201d (Amomum Granum Paradisi) induced the English to explore the\nWest African Coast.\n\n[FN#45] Arab. \u201cKazd\u00edr.\u201d Sansk. \u201cKast\u00edr.\u201d Gr. \u201cKassiteron.\u201d Lat.\n\u201cCassiteros,\u201d evidently derived from one root. The Heb. is \u201cBadih,\u201d a\nsubstitute, an alloy. \u201cTanakah\u201d is the vulg. Arab. word, a congener of\nthe Assyrian \u201cAnaku,\u201d and \u201cKala-i\u201d is the corrupt Arab. term used in\nIndia.\n\n[FN#46] Our Arabian Ulysses had probably left a Penelope or two at home\nand finds a Calypso in this Ogygia. His modesty at the mention of\nwomankind is notable.\n\n[FN#47] These are the commonplaces of Moslem consolation on such\noccasions: the artistic part is their contrast with the unfortunate\nwidower\u2019s prospect.\n\n[FN#48] Lit. \u201ca margin of stone, like the curb-stone of a well.\u201d\n\n[FN#49] I am not aware that this vivisepulture of the widower is the\ncustom of any race, but the fable would be readily suggested by the\nSati (Suttee)-rite of the Hindus. Simple vivisepulture was and is\npractised by many people.\n\n[FN#50] Because she was weaker than a man. The Bresl. Edit. however,\nhas \u201ca gugglet of water and five scones.\u201d\n\n[FN#51] The confession is made with true Eastern sang-froid and\nprobably none of the hearers \u201cdisapproved\u201d of the murders which saved\nthe speaker\u2019s life.\n\n[FN#52] This tale is evidently taken from the escape of Aristomenes the\nMessenian from the pit into which he had been thrown, a fox being his\nguide. The Arabs in an early day were eager students of Greek\nliterature. Hole (p. 140) noted the coincidence.\n\n[FN#53] Bresl. Edit. \u201cKhw\u00e1jah,\u201d our \u201cHowajee,\u201d meaning a schoolmaster,\na man of letters, a gentleman.\n\n[FN#54] And he does repeat at full length what the hearers must have\nknown right well. I abridge.\n\n[FN#55] Island of the Bell (Arab. \u201cN\u00e1k\u00fas\u201d=a wooden gong used by\nChristians but forbidden to Moslems). \u201cKala\u201d is written \u201cKela,\u201d\n\u201cKullah\u201d and a variety of ways. Baron Walckenaer places it at\nKeydah in the Malay peninsula opposite Sumatra. Renaudot\nidentifies it with Calabar, \u201csomewhere about the point of\nMalabar.\u201d\n\n\n[FN#56] Islands, because Arab cosmographers love to place their\nspeciosa miracula in such places.\n\n[FN#57] Like the companions of Ulysses who ate the sacred oxen\n(Od. xii.).\n\n\n[FN#58] So the enormous kingfisher of Lucian\u2019s True History (lib. ii.).\n\n[FN#59] This tale is borrowed from Ibn Al-Wardi, who adds that the\ngreybeards awoke in the morning after eating the young Rukh with black\nhair which never turned white. The same legend is recounted by\nAl-Dimiri (ob. A.H. 808=1405\u20136) who was translated into Latin by\nBochart (Hierozoicon ii. p. 854) and quoted by Hole and Lane (iii.\n103). An excellent study of Marco Polo\u2019s Rukh was made by my learned\nfriend the late Prof. G. G. Bianconi of Bologna, \u201cDell\u2019Uccello Ruc,\u201d\nBologna, Gamberini, 1868. Prof. Bianconi predicted that other giant\nbirds would be found in Madagascar on the East African Coast opposite;\nbut he died before hearing of Hildebrand\u2019s discovery.\n\n[FN#60] Arab. \u201cIz\u00e1r,\u201d the earliest garb of Eastern man; and, as such\npreserved in the Meccan pilgrimage. The \u201cwaist-cloth\u201d is either tucked\nin or kept in place by a girdle.\n\n[FN#61] Arab. \u201cL\u00edf,\u201d a succedaneum for the unclean sponge, not unknown\nin the \u201cTurkish Baths\u201d of London.\n\n[FN#62] The Persians have a Plinian monster called\n\u201cTasmeh-p\u00e1\u201d=Strap-legs without bones. The \u201cOld Man\u201d is not an\nourang-outang nor an Ifr\u00edt as in Sayf al-Mul\u00fak, Night dcclxxi., but\na jocose exaggeration of a custom prevailing in parts of Asia and\nespecially in the African interior where the Tsetse-fly prevents\nthe breeding of burden-beasts. Ibn Bat\u00fatah tells us that in Malabar\neverything was borne upon men\u2019s backs. In Central Africa the kinglet\nrides a slave, and on ceremonious occasions mounts his Prime Minister.\nI have often been reduced to this style of conveyance and found man\nthe worst imaginable riding: there is no hold and the sharpness of the\nshoulder-ridge soon makes the legs ache intolerably. The classicists\nof course find the Shaykh of the Sea in the Tritons and Nereus, and\nBochart (Hiero. ii. 858, 880) notices the homo aquaticus, Senex Jud\u0107us\nand Senex Marinus. Hole (p. 151) suggests the inevitable ouran-outan\n(man o\u2019 wood), one of \u201cour humiliating copyists,\u201d and quotes \u201cDestiny\u201d\nin Scarron\u2019s comical romance (Part ii. chapt. i) and \u201cJealousy\u201d\nenfolding Rinaldo. (O.F. lib. 42).\n\n[FN#63] More literally \u201cThe Chief of the Sea (-Coast),\u201d Shaykh being\nhere a chief rather than an elder (eoldermann, alderman). So the \u201cOld\nMan of the Mountain,\u201d famous in crusading days, was the Chief who lived\non the Nusayriyah or Ans\u00e1ri range, a northern prolongation of the\nLibanus. Our \u201cold man\u201d of the text may have been suggested by the\nKoranic commentators on chapt. vi. When an Infidel rises from the\ngrave, a hideous figure meets him and says, \u201cWhy wonderest thou at my\nloathsomeness? I am thine Evil Deeds: thou didst ride upon me in the\nworld and now I will ride upon thee.\u201d (Suiting the action to the\nwords.)\n\n[FN#64] In parts of West Africa and especially in Gorilla-land there\nare many stories of women and children being carried off by apes, and\nall believe that the former bear issue to them. It is certain that the\nanthropoid ape is lustfully excited by the presence of women and I have\nrelated how at Cairo (1856) a huge cynocephalus would have raped a girl\nhad it not been bayonetted. Young ladies who visited the Demidoff\nGardens and menagerie at Florence were often scandalised by the vicious\nexposure of the baboons\u2019 parti-coloured persons. The female monkey\nequally solicits the attentions of man and I heard in India from my\nlate friend, Mirza Ali Akbar of Bombay, that to his knowledge\nconnection had taken place. Whether there would be issue and whether\nsuch issue would be viable are still disputed points: the produce would\nadd another difficulty to the pseudo-science called psychology, as such\nmule would have only half a soul and issue by a congener would have a\nquarter-soul. A traveller well known to me once proposed to breed\npithecoid men who might be useful as hewers of wood and drawers of\nwater: his idea was to put the highest races of apes to the lowest of\nhumanity. I never heard what became of his \u201cbreeding stables.\u201d\n\n[FN#65] Arab. \u201cJauz al-Hindi\u201d: our word cocoa is from the Port. \u201cCoco,\u201d\nmeaning a \u201cbug\u201d (bugbear) in allusion to its caricature of the human\nface, hair, eyes and mouth. I may here note that a cocoa-tree is easily\nclimbed with a bit of rope or a handkerchief.\n\n[FN#66] Tomb-pictures in Egypt show tame monkeys gathering fruits and\nGrossier (Description of China, quoted by Hole and Lane) mentions a\nsimilar mode of harvesting tea by irritating the monkeys of the Middle\nKingdom.\n\n[FN#67] Bresl. Edit. Cloves and cinnamon in those days grew in widely\ndistant places.\n\n[FN#68] In pepper-plantations it is usual to set bananas (Musa\nParadisiaca) for shading the young shrubs which bear bunches like\nivy-fruit, not pods.\n\n[FN#69] The Bresl. Edit. has \u201cAl-Ma\u2019arat.\u201d Langl\u010ds calls it the\nIsland of Al-Kam\u00e1r\u00ed. See Lane, iii. 86.\n\n\n[FN#70] Insula, pro. peninsula. \u201cComorin\u201d is a corrupt. of \u201cKany\u00e1\u201d\n(=Virgo, the goddess Durg\u00e1) and \u201cKum\u00e1ri\u201d (a maid, a princess); from a\ntemple of Shiva\u2019s wife: hence Ptolemy\u2019s {Greek letters} and near it to\nthe N. East {Greek letters}, \u201cPromontorium Cori quod Comorini caput\ninsul\u0107 vocant,\u201d says Maff\u0107us (Hist. Indic. i. p. 16). In the text\n\u201cAl\u2019\u00fad\u201d refers to the eagle-wood (Aloekylon Agallochum) so called\nbecause spotted like the bird\u2019s plume. That of Champa (Cochin-China,\nmentioned in Camoens, The Lus. x. 129) is still famous.\n\n[FN#71] Arab. \u201cBirkat\u201d=tank, pool, reach, bight. Hence Birkat\nFar\u2019aun in the Suez Gulf. (Pilgrimage i. 297.)\n\n\n[FN#72] Probably Cape Comorin; to judge from the river, but the text\nnames Sarandib (Ceylon Island) famous for gems. This was noticed by\nMarco Polo, iii. cap. 19; and ancient authors relate the same of\n\u201cTaprobane.\u201d\n\n[FN#73] I need hardly trouble the reader with a note on\npearl-fisheries: the descriptions of travellers are continuous from the days\nof Pliny (ix. 35), Solinus (cap. 56) and Marco Polo (iii. 23).\nMaximilian of Transylvania, in his narrative of Magellan\u2019s voyage\n(Novus Orbis, p. 532) says that the Celebes produce pearls big as\nturtle-doves\u2019 eggs; and the King of Porne (Borneo) had two unions as\ngreat as goose\u2019s eggs. Pigafetta (in Purchas) reduces this to hen\u2019s\neggs and Sir Thomas Herbert to dove\u2019s eggs.\n\n[FN#74] Arab. \u201cAnbar\u201d pronounced \u201cAmbar;\u201d wherein I would derive\n\u201cAmbrosia.\u201d Ambergris was long supposed to be a fossil, a vegetable\nwhich grew upon the sea-bottom or rose in springs; or a \u201csubstance\nproduced in the water like naphtha or bitumen\u201d(!): now it is known to\nbe the egesta of a whale. It is found in lumps weighing several pounds\nupon the Zanzibar Coast and is sold at a high price, being held a\npotent aphrodisiac. A small hollow is drilled in the bottom of the cup\nand the coffee is poured upon the bit of ambergris it contains; when\nthe oleaginous matter shows in dots amidst the \u201cKaymagh\u201d\n(coffee-cream), the bubbly froth which floats upon the surface and\nwhich an expert \u201ccoffee servant\u201d distributes equally among the guests.\nArgensola mentions in Ceylon, \u201csprings of liquid bitumen thicker than\nour oil and some of pure balsam.\u201d\n\n[FN#75] The tale-teller forgets that Sindbad and his companions have\njust ascended it; but this incons\u00e9quence is a characteristic of the\nEastern Saga. I may note that the description of ambergris in the text\ntells us admirably well what it is not.\n\n[FN#76] This custom is alluded to by Lane (Mod Egypt, ch. xv.): it is\nthe rule of pilgrims to Meccah when too ill to walk or ride (Pilgrimage\ni. 180). Hence all men carry their shrouds: mine, after being dipped in\nthe Holy Water of Zemzem, was stolen from me by the rascally Somal of\nBerberah.\n\n[FN#77] Arab. \u201cFulk;\u201d some Edits. read \u201cKalak\u201d and \u201cRamaz\u201d (=a raft).\n\n[FN#78] These lines occur in modified form in Night xi.\n\n[FN#79] These underground rivers (which Dr. Livingstone derided) are\nfamiliar to every geographer from Spenser\u2019s \u201cMole\u201d to the Poika of\nAdelberg and the Timavo near Trieste. Hence \u201cPeter Wilkins\u201d borrowed\nhis cavern which let him to Grandevolet. I have some experience of\nSindbad\u2019s sorrows, having once attempted to descend the Poika on foot.\nThe Classics had the Alpheus (Pliny v. 31; and Seneca, Nat. Quae. vi.),\nand the Tigris-Euphrates supposed to flow underground: and the\nMedi\u0107vals knew the Abana of Damascus and the Zender\u00fad of Isfahan.\n\n[FN#80] Abyssinians can hardly be called \u201cblackamoors,\u201d but the\narrogance of the white skin shows itself in Easterns (e.g. Turks and\nBrahmans) as much as, if not more than, amongst Europeans. Southern\nIndia at the time it was explored by Vasco da Gama was crowded with\nAbyssinian slaves imported by the Arabs.\n\n[FN#81] \u201cSarandib\u201d and \u201cCeylon\u201d (the Taprobane of Ptolemy and Diodorus\nSiculus) derive from the Pali \u201cSihalam\u201d (not the Sansk. \u201cSinhala\u201d)\nshortened to Silam and Ilam in old Tamul. Van der Tunk would find it in\nthe Malay \u201cPulo Selam\u201d=Isle of Gems (the Ratna-dw\u00edpa or Jewel Isle of\nthe Hindus and the Jazirat al-Yak\u00fat or Ruby-Island of the Arabs); and\nthe learned Colonel Yule (Marco Polo ii 296) remarks that we have\nadopted many Malayan names, e.g. Pegu, China and Japan. Sarandib is\nclearly \u201cSelan-dw\u00edpa,\u201d which Mandeville reduced to \u201cSilha.\u201d\n\n[FN#82] This is the well-known Adam\u2019s Peak, the Jabal al-Ramun of the\nArabs where Adam fell when cast out of Eden in the lowest or lunar\nsphere. Eve fell at Jeddah (a modern myth) and the unhappy pair met at\nMount Arafat (i.e. recognition) near Meccah. Thus their fall was a fall\nindeed. (Pilgrimage iii. 259.)\n\n[FN#83] He is the Alcinous of our Arabian Odyssey.\n\n[FN#84] This word is not in the dictionaries; Hole (p. 192) and Lane\nunderstand it to mean the hog-deer; but why, one cannot imagine. The\nanimal is neither \u201cbeautiful\u201d nor \u201cuncommon\u201d and most men of my day\nhave shot dozens in the Sind-Shik\u00e1rgahs.\n\n[FN#85] M. Polo speaks of a ruby in Seilan (Ceylon) a palm long and\nthree fingers thick: William of Tyre mentions a ruby weighing twelve\nEgyptian drams (Gibbon ii. 123), and Mandeville makes the King of\nMammera wear about his neck a \u201crubye orient\u201d one foot long by five\nfingers large.\n\n[FN#86] The fable is from Al-Kazwini and Ibn Al-Wardi who place the\nserpent (an animal sacred to \u0106sculapius, Pliny, xxix. 4) \u201cin the sea of\nZanj\u201d (i.e. Zanzibar). In the \u201cgarrow hills\u201d of N. Eastern Bengal the\nskin of the snake Burrawar (?) is held to cure pain. (Asiat. Res. vol.\niii.)\n\n[FN#87] For \u201cEmerald,\u201d Hole (p. 177) would read emery or adamantine\nspar.\n\n[FN#88] Evidently Mah\u00e1r\u00e1j=Great Rajah, Rajah in Chief, an Hindu title\ncommon to the three potentates before alluded to, the Narsinga, Balhara\nor Samiry.\n\n[FN#89] This is probably classical. So the page said to Philip of\nMacedon every morning, \u201cRemember, Philip, thou art mortal\u201d; also the\nslave in the Roman Triumph,\n\n\u201cRespice poste te: hominem te esse memento!\u201d\n\nAnd the dying Severus, \u201cUrnlet, soon shalt thou enclose what hardly a\nwhole world could contain.\u201d But the custom may also have been Indian:\nthe contrast of external pomp with the real vanity of human life\nsuggests itself to all.\n\n[FN#90] Arab. \u201cH\u00fat\u201d; a term applied to Jonah\u2019s whale and to monsters of\nthe deep, \u201cSamak\u201d being the common fishes.\n\n[FN#91] Usually a two-bow prayer.\n\n[FN#92] This is the recognised formula of Moslem sales.\n\n[FN#93] Arab. \u201cWal\u00edmah\u201d; like our wedding-breakfast but a much more\nceremonious and important affair.\n\n[FN#94] i.e. his wife (euphemistically). I remember an Italian lady\nbeing much hurt when a Maltese said to her \u201cMia moglie con rispetto\nparlando\u201d (my wife, saving your presence). \u201cWhat,\u201d she cried, \u201che\nspeaks of his wife as he would of the sweepings!\u201d\n\n[FN#95] The serpent in Arabic is mostly feminine.\n\n[FN#96] i.e. in envying his wealth, with the risk of the evil eye.\n\n[FN#97] I subjoin a translation of the Seventh Voyage from the Calc.\nEdit. of the two hundred Nights which differs in essential points from\nthe above. All respecting Sindbad the Seaman has an especial interest.\nIn one point this world-famous tale is badly ordered. The most exciting\nadventures are the earliest and the falling off of the interest has a\nsomewhat depressing effect. The Rukh, the Ogre and the Old Man o\u2019 the\nSea should come last.\n\n[FN#98] Arab. \u201cAl-Suways:\u201d this successor of ancient Arsino\u00eb was,\naccording to local tradition, founded by a Santon from Al-S\u00fas in\nMarocco who called it after his name \u201cLittle S\u00fas\u201d (the wormlet).\n\n[FN#99] Arab. \u201cMann,\u201d a weight varying from two to six pounds: even\nthis common term is not found in the tables of Lane\u2019s Mod. Egyptians,\nAppendix B. The \u201cMaund\u201d is a well-known Anglo-Indian weight.\n\n[FN#100] This article is not mentioned elsewhere in The Nights.\n\n[FN#101] Apparently a fancy title.\n\n[FN#102] The island is evidently Ceylon, long famed for elephants, and\nthe tree is the well known \u201cBanyan\u201d (Ficus Indica). According to\nLinschoten and Wolf, the elephants of all lands do reverence and honour\nto those of Ceylon.\n\n[FN#103] \u201cTusks\u201d not \u201cteeth\u201d which are not valued. As Hole remarks, the\nelephants of Pliny and Sindbad are equally conscious of the value of\nivory. Pliny (viii. 3) quotes Herodotus about the buying of ivories and\nrelates how elephants, when hunted, break their \u201ccornua\u201d (as Juba\ncalled them) against a tree trunk by way of ransom. \u0106lian, Plutarch,\nand Philostratus speak of the linguistic intelligence and religious\nworship of the \u201chalf-reason with the hand,\u201d which the Hindus term\n\u201cH\u00e1th\u00ed\u201d=unimanus. Finally, Topsell\u2019s Gesner (p. 152) makes elephants\nbury their tusks, \u201cwhich commonly drop out every tenth year.\u201d In\nArabian literature the elephant is always connected with India.\n\n[FN#104] This is a true \u201cCity of Brass.\u201d (Nuh\u00e1s asfar=yellow copper),\nas we learn in Night dcclxxii. It is situated in the \u201cMaghrib\u201d\n(Mauritania), the region of magic and mystery; and the idea was\nprobably suggested by the grand Roman ruins which rise abruptly from\nwhat has become a sandy waste. Compare with this tale \u201cThe City of\nBrass\u201d (Night cclxxii.). In Egypt Nuh\u00e1s is vulg. pronounced Nih\u00e1s.\n\n[FN#105] The Bresl. Edit. adds that the seal-ring was of stamped stone\nand iron, copper and lead. I have borrowed copiously from its vol. vi.\npp. 343, et seq.\n\n[FN#106] As this was a well-known pre-Islamitic bard, his appearance\nhere is decidedly anachronistic, probably by intention.\n\n[FN#107] The first Moslem conqueror of Spain whose lieutenant,\nT\u00e1rik, the gallant and unfortunate, named Gibraltar (Jabal\nal-Tarik).\n\n\n[FN#108] The colours of the Ban\u00fa Umayyah (Ommiade) Caliphs were white,\nof the Ban\u00fa Abb\u00e1s (Abbasides) black, and of the Fatimites green.\nCarrying the royal flag denoted the generalissimo or plenipotentiary.\n\n[FN#109] i.e. Old Cairo, or Fustat: the present Cairo was then a Coptic\nvillage founded on an old Egyptian settlement called Lui-Tkeshroma, to\nwhich belonged the tanks on the hill and the great well, Bir Yusuf,\nabsurdly attributed to Joseph the Patriarch. Lui is evidently the\norigin of Levi and means a high priest (Brugsh ii. 130) and his son\u2019s\nname was Roma.\n\n[FN#110] I cannot but suspect that this is a clerical error for\n\u201cAl-Samanh\u00fadi,\u201d a native of Samanh\u00fad (Wilkinson\u2019s \u201cSemenood\u201d) in the\nDelta on the Damietta branch, the old Sebennytus (in Coptic\nJem-nuti=Jem the God), a town which has produced many distinguished men\nin Moslem times. But there is also a Samh\u00fad lying a few miles down\nstream from Denderah and, as its mounds prove, it is an ancient site.\n\n[FN#111] Egypt had not then been conquered from the Christians.\n\n[FN#112] Arab. \u201cK\u00edz\u00e1n fukk\u00e1\u2019a,\u201d i.e. thin and slightly porous\nearthenware jars used for Fukk\u00e1\u2019a, a fermented drink, made of barley or\nraisins.\n\n[FN#113] I retain this venerable blunder: the right form is\nSam\u00fam, from Samm, the poison-wind.\n\n\n[FN#114] i.e. for worship and to prepare for futurity.\n\n[FN#115] The camel carries the Badawi\u2019s corpse to the cemetery which is\noften distant: hence to dream of a camel is an omen of death.\n\n[FN#116] Koran xxiv 39. The word \u201cSar\u00e1b\u201d (mirage) is found in Isaiah\n(xxxv. 7) where the passage should be rendered \u201cAnd the mirage (sharab)\nshall become a lake\u201d (not, \u201cand the parched ground shall become a\npool\u201d). The Hindus prettily call it \u201cMrigatrishn\u00e1\u201d = the thirst of the\ndeer.\n\n[FN#117] A name of Allah.\n\n[FN#118] Arab. \u201cKint\u00e1r\u201d=a hundredweight (i.e. 100 Ibs.), about 98\u00be\nIbs. avoir. Hence the French quintal and its congeners (Littr\u00e9).\n\n[FN#119] i.e. \u201cfrom Sh\u00e1m (Syria) to (the land of) Adnan,\u201d ancestor of\nthe Naturalized Arabs that is, to Arabia.\n\n[FN#120] Koran lii. 21. \u201cEvery man is given in pledge for that which he\nshall have wrought.\u201d\n\n[FN#121] There is a constant clerical confusion in the texts between\n\u201cArar\u201d (Juniperus Oxycedrus used by the Greeks for the images of their\ngods) and \u201cMarmar\u201d marble or alabaster, in the Talmud \u201cMarmora\u201d =\nmarble. evidently from {Greek letters} = brilliant, the brilliant\nstone.\n\n[FN#122] These Ifritical names are chosen for their bizarrerie.\n\u201cAl-D\u00e1hish\u201d = the Amazed; and \u201cAl-A\u2019amash\u201d = one with weak eyes always\nwatering.\n\n[FN#123] The Arabs have no word for million; so Messer Marco Miglione\ncould not have learned it from them. On the other hand the Hindus have\nmore quadrillions than modern Europe.\n\n[FN#124] This formula, according to Moslems, would begin with the\nbeginning \u201cThere is no il\u00e1h but Allah and Adam is the Apostle (ras\u00fal =\none sent, a messenger, not nab\u00ed = prophet) of Allah.\u201d And so on with\nNoah, Moses, David (not Solomon as a rule) and Jesus, to Mohammed.\n\n[FN#125] This son of Barachia has been noticed before. The text\nembroiders the Koranic chapter No. xxvii.\n\n[FN#126] The Bresl. Edit. (vi. 371) reads \u201cSamm-hu\u201d=his poison, prob. a\nclerical error for \u201cSahmhu\u201d=his shaft. It was a duel with the \u201cShih\u00e1b\u201d\nor falling stars, the meteors which are popularly supposed, I have\nsaid, to be the arrows shot by the angels against devils and evil\nspirits when they approach too near Heaven in order to overhear divine\nsecrets.\n\n[FN#127] A fancy sea from the Lat. \u201cCarcer\u201d (?).\n\n[FN#128] Andalusian = Spanish, the Vandal-land, a term accepted by the\nMoslem invader.\n\n[FN#129] This fine description will remind the traveller of the old\nHaurani towns deserted since the sixth century, which a silly writer\nmiscalled the \u201cGiant Cities of Bashan.\u201d I have never seen anything\nweirder than a moonlight night in one of these strong places whose\nmasonry is perfect as when first built, the snowy light pouring on the\njet-black basalt and the breeze sighing and the jackal wailing in the\ndesert around.\n\n[FN#130] \u201cZanj,\u201d I have said, is the Arab. form of the Persian\n\u201cZang-bar\u201d (=Black-land), our Zanzibar. Those who would know more of\nthe etymology will consult my \u201cZanzibar,\u201d etc., chaps. i.\n\n[FN#131] Arab. \u201cTanjah\u201d=Strabo {Greek letters} (derivation uncertain),\nTingitania, Tangiers. But why the terminals?\n\n[FN#132] Or Amidah, by the Turks called \u201cKara (black) Amid\u201d from the\ncolour of the stones and the Arabs \u201cDiyar-bakr\u201d (Diarbekir), a name\nwhich they also give to the whole province\u2014Mesopotamia.\n\n[FN#133] Mayy\u00e1f\u00e1rik\u00edn, an episcopal city in Diyar-bakr: the natives are\ncalled F\u00e1rik\u00ed; hence the abbreviation in the text.\n\n[FN#134] Arab. \u201cAy\u00e1t al-Naj\u00e1t,\u201d certain Koranic verses which act as\ntalismans, such as, \u201cAnd wherefore should we not put our trust in\nAllah?\u201d (xiv. 15); \u201cSay thou, Naught shall befall us save what Allah\nhath decreed for us,\u2019\u201d (ix. 51), and sundry others.\n\n[FN#135] These were the \u201cBrides of the Treasure,\u201d alluded to in the\nstory of Hasan of Bassorah and elsewhere.\n\n[FN#136] Arab. \u201cIsh\u00e1rah,\u201d which may also mean beckoning. Easterns\nreverse our process: we wave hand or finger towards ourselves; they\ntowards the object; and our fashion represents to them, Go away!\n\n[FN#137] i.e. musing a long time and a longsome.\n\n[FN#138] Arab. \u201cDihl\u00edz\u201d from the Persian. This is the long dark passage\nwhich leads to the inner or main gate of an Eastern city, and which is\nbuilt up before a siege. It is usually furnished with Mastabah-benches\nof wood and masonry, and forms a favourite lounge in hot weather. Hence\nLot and Moses sat and stood in the gate, and here man speaks with his\nenemies.\n\n[FN#139] The names of colours are as loosely used by the Arabs as by\nthe Classics of Europe; for instance, a light grey is called a \u201cblue or\na green horse.\u201d Much nonsense has been written upon the colours in\nHomer by men who imagine that the semi-civilised determine tints as we\ndo. They see them but they do not name them, having no occasion for the\nwords. As I have noticed, however, the Arabs have a complete\nterminology for the varieties of horse-hues. In our day we have\nwitnessed the birth of colours, named by the dozen, because required by\nwomen\u2019s dress.\n\n[FN#140] For David\u2019s miracles of metallurgy see vol. i. 286.\n\n[FN#141] Arab. \u201cKhw\u00e1razm,\u201d the land of the Chorasmioi, who are\nmentioned by Herodotus (iii. 93) and a host of classical geographers.\nThey place it in Sogdiana (hod. Sughd) and it corresponds with the\nKhiva country.\n\n[FN#142] Arab. \u201cBurka\u2019,\u201d usually applied to a woman\u2019s face-veil and\nhence to the covering of the Ka\u2019abah, which is the \u201cBride of Meccah.\u201d\n\n[FN#143] Alluding to the trick played upon Bilk\u00eds by Solomon who had\nheard that her legs were hairy like those of an ass: he laid down a\npavement of glass over flowing water in which fish were swimming and\nthus she raised her skirts as she approached him and he saw that the\nreport was true. Hence, as I have said, the depilatory.\n\n[FN#144] I understand the curiously carved windows cut in\narabesque-work of marble. (India) or basalt (the Haur\u00e1n) and provided\nwith small panes of glass set in emeralds where tin would be used by\nthe vulgar.\n\n[FN#145] Arab. \u201cBul\u00e1d\u201d from the Pers. \u201cPul\u00e1d.\u201d Hence the name of the\nfamous Druze family \u201cJumblat,\u201d a corruption of \u201cJ\u00e1n-pul\u00e1d\u201d=Life o\u2019\nSteel.\n\n[FN#146] Pharaoh, so called in Koran (xxxviii. 11) because he tortured\nmen by fastening them to four stakes driven into the ground. Sale\ntranslates \u201cthe contriver of the stakes\u201d and adds, \u201cSome understand the\nword figuratively, of the firm establishment of Pharaoh\u2019s kingdom,\nbecause the Arabs fix their tents with stakes; but they may possibly\nintend that prince\u2019s obstinacy and hardness of heart.\u201d I may note that\nin \u201cTasawwuf,\u201d or Moslem Gnosticism, Pharaoh represents, like\nPrometheus and Job, the typical creature who upholds his own dignity\nand rights in presence and despight of the Creator. S\u00e1hib the S\u00faf\u00ed\ndeclares that the secret of man\u2019s soul (i.e. its emanation) was first\nrevealed when Pharaoh declared himself god; and Al-Ghaz\u00e1l\u00ed sees in his\nclaim the most noble aspiration to the divine, innate in the human\nspirit. (Dabistan, vol. iii.)\n\n[FN#147] In the Calc. Edit. \u201cTarmuz, son of the daughter,\u201d etc.\nAccording to the Arabs Tadmur (Palmyra) was built by Queen\nTadmurah, daughter of Hass\u00e1n bin Uzaynah.\n\n\n[FN#148] It is only by some such drought that I can account for the\nsurvival of those marvellous Haurani cities in the great valley S. E.\nof Damascus.\n\n[FN#149] So Moses described his own death and burial.\n\n[FN#150] A man\u2019s \u201caurat\u201d (shame) extends from the navel (included) to\nhis knees, a woman\u2019s from the top of the head to the tips of her toes.\nI have before noticed the Hindostan\u00ed application of the word.\n\n[FN#151] Arab. \u201cJum\u2019ah\u201d ( = the assembly) so called because the General\nResurrection will take place on that day and it witnessed the creation\nof Adam. Both these reasons are evidently after-thoughts; as the Jews\nreceived a divine order to keep Saturday, and the Christians, at their\nown sweet will, transferred the weekly rest-day to Sunday, wherefore\nthe Moslem preferred Friday. Sabbatarianism, however, is unknown to\nAl-Islam and business is interrupted, by Koranic order ([xii. 9\u201310]),\nonly during congregational prayers in the Mosque. The most a Mohammedan\ndoes is not to work or travel till after public service. But the Moslem\nhardly wants a \u201cday of rest;\u201d whereas a Christian, especially in the\ndesperately dull routine of daily life and toil, without a gleam of\nlight to break the darkness of his civilised and most unhappy\nexistence, distinctly requires it.\n\n[FN#152] Mankind, which sees itself everywhere and in everything, must\ncreate its own analogues in all the elements, air (Sylphs), fire\n(Jinns), water (Mermen and Mermaids) and earth (Kobolds), These\nmerwomen were of course seals or manatees, as the wild women of Hanno\nwere gorillas.\n\n[FN#153] Here begins the Sindibad-namah, the origin of Dolopathos\n(thirteenth century by the Trouv\u010dre Harbers); of the \u201cSeven Sages\u201d\n(John Holland in 1575); the \u201cSeven Wise Masters\u201d and a host of minor\nromances. The Persian Sindib\u00e1d-N\u00e1mah assumed its present shape in A.D.\n1375: Professor Falconer printed an abstract of it in the Orient.\nJourn. (xxxv. and xxxvi. 1841), and Mr. W. A. Clouston reissued the\n\u201cBook of Sindibad,\u201d with useful notes in 1884. An abstract of the\nPersian work is found in all edits. of The Nights; but they differ\ngreatly, especially that in the Bresl. Edit. xii. pp. 237\u2013377, from\nwhich I borrow the introduction. According to Hamzah Isfah\u00e1n\u00ed (ch.\nxli.) the Reguli who succeeded to Alexander the Great and preceded\nSapor caused some seventy books to be composed, amongst which were the\nLiber Maruc, Liber Bars\u00ednas, Liber Sindibad, Liber Shim\u00e1s, etc., etc.\n\n[FN#154] Eusebius De Praep. Evang. iii. 4, quotes Prophesy concerning\nthe Egyptian belief in the Lords of the Ascendant whose names are given\n{Greek letters}: in these \u201cAlmenichiaka\u201d we have the first almanac, as\nthe first newspaper in the Roman \u201cActa Diurna.\u201d\n\n[FN#155] \u201cAl-Mas\u2019\u00fadi,\u201d the \u201cHerodotus of the Arabs,\u201d thus notices\nSindibad the Sage (in his Mur\u00faj, etc., written about A.D. 934). \u201cDuring\nthe reign of Kur\u00fash (Cyrus) lived Al-Sindibad who wrote the Seven\nWazirs, etc.\u201d Al-Ya\u2019ak\u00fabi had also named him, circ. A.D. 880. For notes\non the name Sindibad, see Sindbad the Seaman, Night dxxxvi. I need not\nenter into the history of the \u201cSeven Sages,\u201d a book evidently older\nthan The Nights in present form; but refer the reader to Mr. Clouston,\nof whom more in a future page.\n\n[FN#156] Evidently borrowed from the Christians, although the latter\nborrowed from writers of the most remote antiquity. Yet the saying is\nthe basis of all morality and in few words contains the highest human\nwisdom.\n\n[FN#157] It is curious to compare the dry and business-like tone of the\nArab style with the rhetorical luxuriance of the Persian: p.10 of Mr.\nClouston\u2019s \u201cBook of Sindibad.\u201d\n\n[FN#158] In the text \u201cIsf\u00edd\u00e1j,\u201d the Pers. Isped (or Saf\u00e9d) \u00e1b,\nlit. = white water, ceruse used for women\u2019s faces suggesting our\n\u201cAge of Bismuth,\u201d Blanc Rosati, Cr\u0119me de l\u2019Imp\u00e9ratrice, Perline,\nOpaline, Milk of Beauty, etc., etc.\n\n\n[FN#159] Commentators compare this incident with the biblical story of\nJoseph and Potiphar\u2019s wife and with the old Egyptian romance and fairy\ntale of the brothers Anapon and Saton dating from the fourteenth\ncentury, the days of Pharaoh Ramses Miamun (who built Pi-tum and\nRamses) at whose court Moses or Osarsiph is supposed to have been\nreared (Cambridge Essays 1858). The incident would often occur, e.g.\nPh\u0107dra-cum-Hippolytus; Fausta-cum-Crispus and Lucinian; Asoka\u2019s wife\nand Kun\u00e1la, etc., etc. Such things happen in every-day life, and the\nsituation has recommended itself to the folk lore of all peoples.\n\n[FN#160] Another version of this tale is given in the Bresl. Edit.\n(vol. viii. pp. 273\u20138: Night 675\u20136). It is the \u201cStory of the King and\nthe Virtuous Wife\u201d in the Book of Sindibad. In the versions Arabic and\nGreek (Syntipas) the King forgets his ring; in the Hebrew Mishl\u00e9\nSandabar, his staff, and his sandals in the old Spanish Libro de los\nEngannos et los Asayamientos de las Mugeres.\n\n[FN#161] One might fancy that this is Biblical, Bathsheba and Uriah.\nBut such \u201cvillanies\u201d must often have occurred in the East, at different\ntimes and places, without requiring direct derivation. The learned\nProf. H. H. Wilson was mistaken in supposing that these fictions\n\u201coriginate in the feeling which has always pervaded the East\nunfavourable to the dignity of women.\u201d They belong to a certain stage\nof civilisation when the sexes are at war with each other; and they\ncharacterise chivalrous Europe as well as misogynous Asia; witness\nJankins, clerk of Oxenforde; while \u0106sop\u2019s fable of the Lion and the Man\nalso explains their frequency.\n\n[FN#162] The European form of the tale is \u201cToujours perdrix,\u201d a\nsentence often quoted but seldom understood. It is the reproach of M.\nl\u2019Abb\u00e9 when the Count (proprietor of the pretty Countess) made him eat\npartridge every day for a month; on which the Abb\u00e9 says, \u201cAlway\npartridge is too much of a good thing!\u201d Upon this text the Count\nspeaks. A correspondent mentions that it was told by Horace Walpole\nconcerning the Confessor of a French King who reproved him for conjugal\ninfidelities. The degraded French (for \u201ctoujours de la perdrix\u201d or \u201cdes\nperdrix\u201d) suggests a foreign origin. Another friend refers me to No. x.\nof the \u201cCent Nouvelles Nouvelles\u201d (compiled in A.D. 1432 for the\namusement of the Dauphin, afterwards Louis XI.) whose chief personage\n\u201cun grand seigneur du Royaulme d\u2019Angleterre,\u201d is lectured upon fidelity\nby the lord\u2019s mignon, a \u201cjeune et gracieux gentil homme de son hostel.\u201d\nHere the partridge became past\u00e9s d\u2019anguille. Possibly Scott refers to\nit in Redgauntlet (chapt. iv.); \u201cOne must be very fond of partridge to\naccept it when thrown in one\u2019s face.\u201d Did not Voltaire complain at\nPotsdam of \u201ctoujours perdrix\u201d and make it one of his grievances? A\nsimilar story is that of the chaplain who, weary of the same diet,\nuttered \u201cgrace\u201d as follows:\u2014\n\n          Rabbits hot, rabbits cold,\n             Rabbits tender, and rabbits tough,\n          Rabbits young, and rabbits old\n             I thank the Lord I\u2019ve had enough.\n\n\nAnd I as cordially thank my kind correspondents.\n\n[FN#163] The great legal authority of the realm.\n\n[FN#164] In all editions the Wazir here tells the Tale of the\nMerchant\u2019s Wife and the Parrot which, following Lane, I have\ntransferred to vol. i. p. 52. But not to break the tradition I here\nintroduce the Persian version of the story from the \u201cBook of Sindibad.\u201d\nIn addition to the details given in the note to vol. i., 52;\nI may quote the two talking-birds left to watch over his young\nwife by Rajah Ras\u00e1l\u00fa (son of Shaliv\u00e1hana the great Indian monarch circ.\nA.D. 81), who is to the Punjab what Rustam is to Persia and Antar to\nArabia. In the \u201cSeven Wise Masters\u201d the parrot becomes a magpie and Mr.\nClouston, in some clever papers on \u201cPopular Tales and Fictions\u201d\ncontributed to the Glasgow Evening Times (1884), compares it with the\nhistory, in the Gesta Romanorum, of the Adulteress, the Abigail, and\nthe Three Cocks, two of which crowed during the congress of the lady\nand her lover. All these evidently belong to the Sindibad cycle.\n\n[FN#165] In the days of the Caliph Al-Mustakf\u00ed bi llah (A.H. 333=944)\nthe youth of Baghdad studied swimming and it is said that they could\nswim holding chafing-dishes upon which were cooking-pots and keep\nafloat till the meat was dressed. The story is that of \u201cThe Washerman\nand his Son who were drowned in the Nile,\u201d of the Book of Sindibad.\n\n[FN#166] Her going to the bath suggested that she was fresh from\ncoition.\n\n[FN#167] Taken from the life of the Egyptian Mameluke Sultan (No. viii,\nregn. A.H., 825= A.D. 1421) who would not suffer his subjects to\nprostrate themselves or kiss the ground before him. See D\u2019Herbelot for\ndetails.\n\n[FN#168] This nauseous Joe Miller has often been told in the hospitals\nof London and Paris. It is as old as the Hitopadesa.\n\n[FN#169] Koran iv. 81, \u201cAll is from Allah;\u201d but the evil which befals\nmankind, though ordered by Allah, is yet the consequence of their own\nwickedness (I add, which wickedness was created by Allah).\n\n[FN#170] The Bresl. Edit. (xii. 266) says \u201cbathing.\u201d\n\n[FN#171] This tale is much like that told in the Fifth Night (vol. i.\n54). It is the story of the Prince and the Lamia in the Book of\nSindibad wherein it is given with Persian rhetoric and diffuseness.\n\n[FN#172] Arab. \u201cWa\u2019ar\u201d= rocky, hilly, tree-less ground unfit for\nriding. I have noted that the three Heb. words \u201cYear\u201d (e.g.\nKiryath-Yearin=City of forest), \u201cChoresh\u201d (now Hirsh, a scrub), and\n\u201cPardes\u201d ({Greek letters} a chase, a hunting-park opposed to {Greek\nletters}, an orchard) are preserved in Arabic and are intelligible in\nPalestine. (Unexplored Syria, i. 207.)\n\n[FN#173] The privy and the bath are favourite haunts of the\nJinns.\n\n\n[FN#174] Arab history is full of petty wars caused by trifles. In Egypt\nthe clans Sa\u2019ad and Har\u00e1m and in Syria the Kays and Yaman (which remain\nto the present day) were as pugnacious as Highland Caterans. The tale\nbears some likeness to the accumulative nursery rhymes in \u201cThe House\nthat Jack Built,\u201d and \u201cThe Old Woman and the Crooked Sixpence;\u201d which\nfind their indirect original in an allegorical Talmudic hymn.\n\n[FN#175] This is \u201cThe Story of the Old Man who sent his Young Wife to\nthe Market to buy Rice,\u201d told with Persian reflections in the \u201cBook of\nSindibad.\u201d\n\n[FN#176] Koran xii. 28. The words were spoken by Potiphar to\nJoseph.\n\n\n[FN#177] Koran iv. 78. A mis-quotation, the words are, \u201cFight therefore\nagainst the friends of Satan, for the craft of Satan shall be weak.\u201d\n\n[FN#178] i.e. Koranic versets.\n\n[FN#179] In the Book of Sindibad this is the \u201cStory of the Prince who\nwent out to hunt and the stratagem which the Wazir practised on him.\u201d\n\n[FN#180] I have noted that it is a dire affront to an Arab if his first\ncousin marry any save himself without his formal leave.\n\n[FN#181] i.e. the flowery, the splendid; an epithet of Fatimah, the\ndaughter of the Apostle \u201cthe bright blooming.\u201d F\u00e1timah is an old Arab\nname of good omen, \u201cthe weaner:\u201d in Egypt it becomes Fatt\u00famah (an\nincrementative= \u201cgreat weaner\u201d); and so Am\u00ednah, Khad\u00edjah and Naf\u00edsah on\nthe banks of the Nile are barbarised to Amm\u00fanah, Khadd\u00fagah and\nNaff\u00fasah.\n\n[FN#182] i.e. his coming misfortune, the phrase being euphemistic.\n\n[FN#183] Arab. \u201cR\u00e1y:\u201d in theology it means \u201cprivate judgment\u201d and\n\u201cR\u00e1y\u00ed\u201d (act. partic.) is a Rationalist. The Hanaf\u00ed School is called\n\u201cAsh\u00e1b al-R\u00e1y\u201d because it allows more liberty of thought than the other\nthree orthodox.\n\n[FN#184] The angels in Al-Islam ride piebalds.\n\n[FN#185] In the Bresl. Edit. \u201cZ\u00e1jir\u201d (xii. 286).\n\n[FN#186] This is the \u201cKing\u2019s Son and the Merchant\u2019s Wife\u201d of the\nHitopadesa (chapt. i.) transferred to all the Prakrit versions of\nIndia. It is the Story of the Bath-keeper who conducted his Wife\nto the Son of the King of Kanuj in the Book of Sindibad.\n\n\n[FN#187] The pious Caliph Al-Muktadi bi Amri llah (A.H. 467=A.D. 1075)\nwas obliged to forbid men entering the baths of Baghdad without\ndrawers.\n\n[FN#188] This peculiarity is not uncommon amongst the so-called Aryan\nand Semitic races, while to the African it is all but unknown. Women\nhighly prize a conformation which (as the prostitute described it) is\nalways \u201ceither in his belly or in mine.\u201d\n\n[FN#189] Easterns, I have said, are perfectly aware of the fact that\nwomen corrupt women much more than men do. The tale is the \u201cStory of\nthe Libertine Husband\u201d in the Book of Sindibad; blended with the \u201cStory\nof the Go-between and the Bitch\u201d in the Book of Sindibad. It is related\nin the \u201cDisciplina Clericalis\u201d of Alphonsus (A.D. 1106); the fabliau of\nLa vieille qui seduisit la jeune fille; the Gesta Romanorum (thirteenth\ncentury) and the \u201cCunning Siddhikari\u201d in the Kath\u00e1-Sarit-S\u00e1gara.\n\n[FN#190] The Kashmir people, men and women, have a very bad name in\nEastern tales, the former for treachery and the latter for unchastity.\nA Persian distich says:\n\n  If folk be scarce as food in dearth ne\u2019er let three lots come\nnear ye:\n  First Sindi, second Jat, and third a rascally Kashmeeree.\n\n\nThe women have fair skins and handsome features but, like all living in\nthat zone, Persians, Sindis, Afghans, etc., their bosoms fall after the\nfirst child and become like udders. This is not the case with Hind\u00fa\nwomen, Rajp\u00fats, Mar\u00e1th\u00eds, etc.\n\n[FN#191] By these words she appealed to his honour.\n\n[FN#192] These vehicles suggest derivation from European witchery. In\nthe Bresl. Edit. (xii. 304) one of the women rides a \u201cMiknasah\u201d or\nbroom.\n\n[FN#193] i.e. a recluse who avoids society.\n\n[FN#194] \u201cConsecrated ground\u201d is happily unknown to Moslems.\n\n[FN#195] This incident occurs in the \u201cThird Kalandar\u2019s Tale.\u201d See vol.\ni. 157 {Vol 1, FN#290}; and note to p. 145. {Vol 1, FN#264}\n\n[FN#196] The Mac. Edit. has \u201cNahr\u201d= river.\n\n[FN#197] i.e. marked with the Wasm or tribal sign to show their blood.\nThe subject of Wasm is extensive and highly interesting, for many of\nthese brands date doubtless from prehistoric ages. For instance, some\nof the great Anazah nation (not tribe) use a circlet, the initial of\ntheir name (an Ayn-letter), which thus shows the eye from which it was\nformed. I have given some specimens of Wasm in The Land of Midian (i.\n320) where, as amongst the \u201cSinaitic\u201d Badawin, various kinds of crosses\nare preserved long after the death and burial of Christianity.\n\n[FN#198] i.e. from the heights. The \u201cSayl\u201d is a dangerous feature in\nArabia as in Southern India, where many officers have lost their lives\nby trying to swim it.\n\n[FN#199] Arab. \u201c\u2019Ujb\u201d I use arrogance in the Spanish sense of\n\u201carrogante,\u201d gay and gallant.\n\n[FN#200] In this rechauff\u00e9 Paul Pry escapes without losing an eye.\n\n[FN#201] Eastern tale-tellers always harp upon this theme, the cunning\nprecautions taken by mankind and their utter confusion by \u201cFate and\nFortune.\u201d In such matters the West remarks, \u201cCe que femme veut, Dieu\nveut.\u201d\n\n[FN#202] As favourite an occupation in Oriental lands as in Southern\nEurope and the Brazil, where the Quinta or country villa must be built\nby the road-side to please the mistress.\n\n[FN#203] The ink-case would contain the pens; hence called in India\nKalamd\u00e1n=reed (pen) box. I have advised travellers to prefer the strong\nEgyptian article of brass to the Persian, which is of wood or\npapier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9, prettily varnished, but not to wear it in the waist-belt,\nas this is a sign of being a scribe. (Pilgrimage i. 353.)\n\n[FN#204] The vulgar Eastern idea is that women are quite knowing enough\nwithout learning to read and write; and at all events they should not\nbe taught anything beyond reading the Koran, or some clearly-written\nbook. The contrast with modern Europe is great; greater still in\nAnglo-America of our day, and greatest with the new sects which propose\n\u201cbiunes\u201d and \u201cbisexuals\u201d and \u201cwomen robed with the sun.\u201d\n\n[FN#205] In the Bresl. Edit. the Prince ties a key to a second arrow\nand shoots it into the pavilion.\n\n[FN#206] The \u201cbox-trick\u201d has often been played with success, by Lord\nByron amongst a host of others. The readiness with which the Wazir\nenters into the scheme is characteristic of oriental servility: an\nhonest Moslem should at least put in a remonstrance.\n\n[FN#207] This story appears familiar, but I have not found it easy to\ntrace. In \u201cThe Book of Sindibad\u201d (p. 83) it is apparently represented\nby a lacuna. In the Squire\u2019s Tale of Chaucer Canace\u2019s ring enables the\nwearer to understand bird-language, not merely to pretend as does the\nslave-boy in the text.\n\n[FN#208] The crow is an ill-omened bird in Al-lslam and in Eastern\nChristendom. \u201cThe crow of cursed life and foul odour,\u201d says the Book of\nKalilah and Dimna (p. 44). The Hindus are its only protectors, and in\nthis matter they follow suit with the Guebres. I may note that the word\nbelongs to the days before \u201cAryan\u201d and \u201cSemitic\u201d speech had parted; we\nfind it in Heb. Oreb; Arab. Ghurab; Lat. Corvus; Engl. Crow, etc.\n\n[FN#209] Again in the Hibernian sense of being \u201ckilt.\u201d\n\n[FN#210] Quoted in Night dlxxxii.; said by Kitf\u00edr or Itf\u00edr (Potiphar)\nwhen his wife (R\u00e1il or Zulaykha) charged Joseph with attempting her\nchastity and he saw that the youth\u2019s garment was whole in front and\nrent in rear. (Koran, chapt. xii.)\n\n[FN#211] This witty tale, ending somewhat grossly here, has\nover-wandered the world. First we find it in the Kath\u00e1 (S. S.) where\nUpakosh\u00e1, the merry wife of Vararuchi, disrobes her suitors, a family\npriest, a commander of the guard and the prince\u2019s tutor, under plea of\nthe bath and stows them away in baskets which suggest Falstaff\u2019s\n\u201cbuck-basket.\u201d In Miss Stokes\u2019 \u201cIndian Fairy Tales\u201d the fair wife of an\nabsent merchant plays a similar notable prank upon the Kotwal, the\nWazir, the Kazi and the King; and akin to this is the exploit of Temal\nR\u00e1m\u00e1kistnan, the Madrasi Tyl Eulenspiegel and Scogin who by means of a\nlady saves his life from the Rajah and the High Priest. Mr. G. H.\nDamant (pp. 357\u2013360 of the \u201cIndian Antiquary\u201d of 1873) relates the\n\u201cTale of the Touchstone,\u201d a legend of Dinahpur, wherein a woman \u201csells\u201d\nher four admirers. In the Persian Tales ascribed to the Dervish\n\u201cMokles\u201d (Mukhlis) of Isfahan, the lady Aruy\u00e1 tricks and exposes a\nKazi, a doctor and a governor. Boccaccio (viii. 1) has the story of a\nlady who shut up her gallant in a chest with her husband\u2019s sanction;\nand a similar tale (ix. 1) of Rinuccio and Alexander with the corpse of\nScannadeo (Throkh-god). Hence a Lydgate (circ. A.D. 1430) derived the\nplot of his metrical tale of \u201cThe Lady Prioress and her Three Sisters\u201d;\nwhich was modified in the Netherlandish version by the introduction of\nthe Long Wapper, a Flemish Robin Goodfellow. Followed in English the\nmetrical tale of \u201cThe Wright\u2019s Chaste Wife,\u201d by Adam of Cobham (edited\nby Mr. Furnivall from a MS. of circ. A.D. 1460) where the victims are a\nlord, a steward and a proctor. See also \u201cThe Master-Maid\u201d in Dr. (now\nSir George) Dasent\u2019s \u201cPopular Tales from the Norse,\u201d Mr. Clouston, who\ngives these details more fully, mentions a similar Scottish story\nconcerning a lascivious monk and the chaste wife of a miller.\n\n[FN#212]When Easterns sit down to a drinking bout, which means to get\ndrunk as speedily and pleasantly as possible, they put off dresses of\ndull colours and robe themselves in clothes supplied by the host, of\nthe brightest he may have, especially yellow, green and red of\ndifferent shades. So the lady\u2019s proceeding was not likely to breed\nsuspicion: al-though her tastes were somewhat fantastic and like Miss\nJulia\u2019s\u2014peculiar.\n\n[FN#213] Arab. \u201cNaj\u00e1sah,\u201d meaning anything unclean which requires\nablution before prayer. Unfortunately mucus is not of the number, so\nthe common Moslem is very offensive in the matter of nose.\n\n[FN#214] Here the word \u201cla\u2019an\u201d is used which most Moslems express by\nsome euphemism. The vulgar Egyptian says \u201cNa\u2019al\u201d (Sapr\u00e9 and Sapristi\nfor Sacr\u00e9 and Sacristie), the Hindostani express it \u201cI send him the\nthree letters\u201d\u2014l\u00e1m, ayn and n\u00fan.\n\n[FN#215] The Mac. Edit. is here very concise; better the Bresl. Edit.\n(xii. 326). Here we have the Eastern form of the Three Wishes which\ndates from the earliest ages and which amongst us has been degraded to\na matter of \u201cblack pudding.\u201d It is the grossest and most brutal satire\non the sex, suggesting that a woman would prefer an additional inch of\npenis to anything this world or the next can offer her. In the Book of\nSindibad it is the story of the Peri and Religious Man; his learning\nthe Great Name; and his consulting with his wife. See also La\nFontaine\u2019s \u201cTrois Souhaits,\u201d Prior\u2019s \u201cLadle,\u201d and \u201cLes quatre Souhaits\nde Saint-Martin.\u201d\n\n[FN#216] Arab. \u201cLaylat al-Kadr\u201d= Night of Power or of Divine Decrees.\nIt is \u201cbetter than a thousand months\u201d (Koran xcvii. 3), but unhappily\nthe exact time is not known although all agree that it is one of the\nlast ten in Ramazan. The latter when named by Kil\u00e1b ibn Murrah,\nancestor of Mohammed, about two centuries before Al-lslam, corresponded\nwith July-August and took its name from \u201cRamz\u00e1\u201d or intense heat. But\nthe Prophet, in the tenth Hijrah year, most unwisely forbade \u201cNasy\u201d=\ntriennial intercalation (Koran ix. 36) and thus the lunar month went\nround all the seasons. On the Night of Power the Koran was sent down\nfrom the Preserved Tablet by Allah\u2019s throne, to the first or lunar\nHeaven whence Gabriel brought it for opportunest revelation to the\nApostle (Koran xcvii.). Also during this night all Divine Decrees for\nthe ensuing year are taken from the Tablet and are given to the angels\nfor execution whilst, the gates of Heaven being open, prayer (as in the\ntext) is sure of success. This mass of absurdity has engendered a host\nof superstitions everywhere varying. Lane (Mod. Egypt, chapt. xxv.)\ndescribes how some of the Faithful keep tasting a cup of salt water\nwhich should become sweet in the Night of Nights. In (Moslem) India not\nonly the sea becomes sweet, but all the vegetable creation bows down\nbefore Allah. The exact time is known only to Prophets; but the pious\nsit through the Night of Ramazan 27th (our 26th) praying and burning\nincense-pastilles. In Stambul this is officially held to be the Night\nof Power. So in medi\u0107val Europe on Christmas Eve the cattle worshipped\nGod in their stalls and I have met peasants in France and Italy who\nfirmly believed that brute beasts on that night not only speak but\npredict the events of the coming year.\n\n[FN#217] Hence the misfortune befel her; the pious especially avoid\ntemporal palaces.\n\n[FN#218] This is our tale of \u201cThe Maid and the Magpie;\u201d the Mac. Edit.\ndoes not specify the \u201cTayr\u201d (any bird) but the Bresl. Edit. has Ak\u2019ak,\na pie. The true Magpie (C. Pica) called Buzar\u00e1i (?) and Zaghzagh\u00e1n Ab\u00fa\nM\u00e1ssah (=the Sweeper, from its tail) is found on the Libanus and\nAnti-Libanus (Unexplored Syria ii. 77\u2013143), but I never saw it in other\nparts of Syria or in Arabia. It is completely ignored by the Reverend\nMr. Tristram in his painfully superficial book \u201cThe Natural History of\nthe Bible,\u201d published by the Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge\n(or rather Ignorance), London, 1873.\n\n[FN#219] This is \u201cThe Story of the Two Partridges,\u201d told at great\nlength in the Book of Sindibad. See De Sacy\u2019s text in the Kalilah wa\nDamnah, quoted in the \u201cBook of Kalilah and Damnah\u201d (p. 306).\n\n[FN#220] This extremely wilful young person had rendered rape\nexcusable. The same treat-ment is much called for by certain heroines\nof modern fiction\u2014let me mention Princess Napraxine.\n\n[FN#221] The Story of the Hidden Robe, in the Book of Sindibad; where\nit is told with all manner of Persian embellishments.\n\n[FN#222] Now turned into Government offices for local administration; a\n\u201cTribunal of Commerce,\u201d etc.\n\n[FN#223] Arab. \u201cBaww\u00e1b,\u201d a personage as important as the old French\nconcierge and a man of trust who has charge of the keys and with\nletting vacant rooms. In Egypt the Berber from the Upper Nile is the\nfavourite suisse; being held more honest or rather less rascally than\nthe usual Egyptian. These Berbers, however, are true barbarians,\noverfond of B\u00fazah (the beer of Osiris) and not unfrequently dangerous.\nThey are supposed by Moslems to descend from the old Syrians expelled\nby Joshua. For the favourite chaff against them, eating the dog (not\nthe puppy-pie), see Pilgrimage i. 93. They are the \u201cpaddies\u2019, of Egypt\nto whom all kinds of bulls and blunders are attributed.\n\n[FN#224] Arab. \u201cJuma\u2019ah,\u201d which means either Friday or a week. In\npre-Moslem times it was called Al-Ar\u00fabah (the other week-days being\nShiy\u00e1r or Saturday, Bawal, Bahan Jabar, Dabar and F\u00e1mun\u00eds or Thursday).\nJuma\u2019ah, literally = \u201cMeeting\u201d or Congregation (-day), was made to\nrepresent the Jewish Sabbath and the Christian Sunday because on that\nday Allah ended the work of creation; it was also the date of\nMohammed\u2019s entering Al-Medinah. According to Al-Bayz\u00e1w\u00ed, it was called\nAssembly day because Ka\u2019ab ibn Lowa, one of the Prophet\u2019s ancestors,\nused to gather the people before him on Fridays. Moslems are not\nforbidden to do secular work after the congregational prayers at the\nhour when they must \u201chasten to the commemoration of Allah and leave\nmerchandising.\u201d (Koran, chaps. Ixii. 9.)\n\n[FN#225] This is done only by the very pious: if they see a bit of\nbread they kiss it, place it upon their heads and deposit it upon a\nwall or some place where it will not be trodden on. She also removed\nthe stones lest haply they prove stumbling-blocks to some Moslem foot.\n\n[FN#226] Arab. \u201cAshj\u00e1r,\u201d which may mean either the door-posts or the\nwooden bolts. Lane (iii. 174) translates it \u201camong the trees\u201d in a\nroom!\n\n[FN#227] Koran (ix. 51), when Mohammed reproaches the unbelievers for\nnot accompanying him to victory or martyrdom.\n\n[FN#228] Arab. \u201cKin\u00e1,\u201d a true veil, not the \u201cBurk\u00e1\u201d or \u201cnose bag\u201d with\nthe peep-holes. It is opposed to the \u201cTarkah\u201d or \u201chead veil.\u201d Europeans\ninveigh against the veil which represents the loup of Louis Quatorze\u2019s\nday: it is on the contrary the most coquettish of contrivances, hiding\ncoarse skins, fleshy noses, wide mouths and vanishing chins, and\nshowing only lustrous and liquid black eyes. Moreover a pretty woman,\nwhen she wishes, will always let you see something under the veil.\n(Pilgrimage i. 337.)\n\n[FN#229] A yellow-flowered artemisia or absinthe whose wood burns like\nholm-oak. (Unexplored Syria ii. 43.) See vol. ii. 24 for further\ndetails.\n\n[FN#230] The Farz or obligatory prayers, I have noted, must be recited\n(if necessary) in the most impure place; not so the other orisons.\nHence the use of the \u201cSajj\u00e1dah\u201d or prayer-rug an article too well known\nto require description.\n\n[FN#231] Anglic\u010d a stomach-ache, a colic.\n\n[FN#232] Arab. \u201cAl-H\u00e1fizah\u201d which has two meanings. Properly it\nsignifies the third order of Traditionists out of a total of five or\nthose who know 300,000 traditions and their ascriptions. Popularly \u201cone\nwho can recite the Koran by rote.\u201d There are six great Traditionists\nwhose words are held to be prime authorities; (1) Al-Bokh\u00e1ri, (2)\nMuslim, and these are entitled Al-Sah\u00edhayn, The (two true) authorities.\nAfter them (3) Al-Tirmidi; and (4) Abu Da\u00fad: these four being the\nauthors of the \u201cFour Sunan,\u201d the others are (5) Al-Nas\u00e1i and (6) Ibn\nM\u00e1jah (see Jarrett\u2019s Al-Siyuti pp. 2, 6; and, for modern Arab studies,\nPilgrimage i. 154 et seq.).\n\n[FN#233] Lane (iii. 176) marries the amorous couple, thus making the\nstory highly proper and robbing it of all its point.\n\n[FN#234] Arab. \u201cSabbahat,\u201d i.e. Sabbah-ak\u2019 Allah bi\u2019l khayr =\nAllah give thee good morning: still the popular phrase.\n\n\n[FN#235] Arab. \u201cTa\u2019r\u00edsak,\u201d with the implied hint of her being a\n\u201cMu\u2019arrisah\u201d or she pander. The Bresl. Edit. (xii. 356) bluntly says\n\u201cKiv\u00e1datak\u201d thy pimping.\n\n[FN#236] Arab. \u201cRafw\u201d: the \u201cRafu-gar\u201d or fine-drawer in India, who does\nthis artistic style of darning, is famed for skill.\n\n[FN#237] The question sounds strange to Europeans, but in the Moslem\nEast a man knows nothing, except by hearsay, of the women who visit his\nwife.\n\n[FN#238] Arab. \u201cAhl al-bayt,\u201d so as not rudely to say \u201cwife.\u201d\n\n[FN#239] This is a mere abstract of the tale told in the Introduction\n(vol. i. 10\u201312). Here however, the rings are about eighty; there the\nnumber varies from ninety to five hundred and seventy.\n\n[FN#240] The father suspected the son of intriguing with one of his own\nwomen.\n\n[FN#241] Arab. and Heb. \u201cLaban\u201d (opp. to \u201claban-hal\u00edb,\u201d or simply\n\u201chal\u00edb\u201d = fresh milk), milk artificially soured, the Dahin of India,\nthe Kisain\u00e1 of the Slavs and our Corstophine cream. But in The Nights,\ncontrary to modern popular usage, \u201cLaban\u201d is also applied to Fresh\nmilk. The soured form is universally in the East eaten with rice and\nenters into the Sal\u00e1tah or cucumber-salad. I have noted elsewhere that\nall the Galactophagi, the nomades who live on milk, use it in the\nsoured never in the fresh form. The Badawi have curious prejudices\nabout it: it is a disgrace to sell it (though not to exchange it), and\n\u201cLabb\u00e1n,\u201d or \u201cmilk-vendor,\u201d is an insult. The Br\u00e1hni and Beloch pomades\nhave the same pundonor possibly learnt from the Arabs (Pilgrimage i.\n363). For Igt (Akit), Mahir, Saribah, Jam\u00eddah and other lacteal\npreparations, see ibid. i. 362.\n\n[FN#242] I need hardly say that the poison would have been utterly\nharmless, unless there had been an abrasion of the skin. The\nslave-girl is blamed for carrying the jar uncovered because thus it would\nattract the evil eye. In the Book of Sindibad the tale appears as the\nStory of the Poisoned Guest; and the bird is a stork.\n\n[FN#243] The Prince expresses the pure and still popular Moslem\nfeeling; and yet the learned and experienced Mr. Redhouse would confuse\nthis absolute Predestination with Providence. A friend tells me that\nthe idea of absolute Fate in The Nights makes her feel as if the world\nwere a jail.\n\n[FN#244] In the Book of Sindibad this is the Story of the\nSandal-wood Merchant and the Advice of the Blind Old Man. Mr.\nClouston (p. 163) quotes a Talmudic joke which is akin to the\nShaykh\u2019s advice and a reply of Tyl Eulenspiegel, the arch-rogue,\nwhich has also a family resemblance.\n\n\n[FN#245] Arab. \u201cS\u00e1\u2019a,\u201d a measure of corn, etc., to be given in alms.\nThe Kamus makes it = four mudds (each being \u2153 lbs.); the people\nunderstand by it four times the measure of a man\u2019s two open hands.\n\n[FN#246] i.e. till thou restore my eye to me. This style of prothesis\nwithout apodosis is very common in Arabic and should be preserved in\ntranslation, as it adds a na\u010fvet\u00e9 to the style. We find it in Genesis\niii. 2, \u201cAnd now lest he put forth his hand,\u201d etc.\n\n[FN#247] They were playing at Mur\u00e1hanah, like children amongst us. It\nis also called \u201cHukm wa Riz\u00e1\u201d = order and consent. The penalty is\nusually something ridiculous, but here it was villainous.\n\n[FN#248] Every Moslem capital has a \u201cShaykh of the thieves\u201d who holds a\nregular lev\u00e9es and who will return stolen articles for consideration;\nand this has lasted since the days of Diodorus Siculus (Pilgrimage i.\n91).\n\n[FN#249] This was not the condition; but I have left the text as it is\ncharacteristic of the writer\u2019s inconsequence.\n\n[FN#250] The idea would readily occur in Egypt where the pulex is still\na plague although the Sultan is said to hold his court at Tiberias.\n\u201cMale and female\u201d says the rouge, otherwise it would be easy to fill a\nbushel with fleas. The insect was unknown to older India according to\nsome and was introduced by strangers. This immigration is quite\npossible. In 1863 the jigger (P. penetrans) was not found in Western\nAfrica; when I returned there in 1882 it had passed over from the\nBrazil and had become naturalised on the equatorial African seaboard.\nthe Arabs call shrimps and prawns \u201csea-fleas\u201d (barg\u00fath al-bahr) showing\nan inland race. (See Pilgrimage i. 322.)\n\n[FN#251] Submission to the Sultan and the tidings of his well-being\nshould content every Eastern subject. But, as Oriental history shows,\nthe form of government is a Despotism tempered by assassination. And\nunder no rule is man socially freer and his condition contrasts\nstrangely with the grinding social tyranny which characterises every\nmode of democracy or constitutionalism, i.e. political equality.\n\n[FN#252] Here the text has \u201cMark\u00fab\u201d = a shoe; elsewhere \u201cNa\u2019al\u201d = a\nsandal, especially with wooden sole. In classical Arabia, however,\n\u201cNa\u2019al\u201d may be a shoe, a horse-shoe (iron-plate, not rim like ours).\nThe Bresl. Edit. has \u201cWat\u00e1,\u201d any foot-gear.\n\n[FN#253] Water-melons (bat\u00e1yikh) says the Mac. Edit. a misprint for\nAruz or rice. Water-melons are served up raw cut into square mouthfuls,\nto be eaten with rice and meat. They serve excellently well to keep the\npalate clean and cool.\n\n[FN#254] The text recounts the whole story over again\u2014more than\nEuropean patience can bear.\n\n\n[FN#255] The usual formula when telling an improbable tale. But here it\nis hardly called for: the same story is told (on weak authority) of the\nAlewife, the Three Graziers and Attorney-General Nay (temp. James II.\n1577\u20131634) when five years old (Journ. Asiat. Soc. N.S. xxx. 280). The\nsame feat had been credited to Thomas Egerton, Lord Chancellor in A.D.\n1540\u20131617 (Chalmers, Biographical Dictionary xxiii. 267\u201368). But the\nstory had already found its way into the popular jest-books such as\n\u201cTales and Quick Answers, very Mery and Pleasant to Rede\u201d (1530);\n\u201cJacke of Dover\u2019s Quest of Inquirie for the Foole of all Fooles\u201d (1604)\nunder the title \u201cThe Foole of Westchester\u201d, and in \u201cWitty and\nEntertaining Exploits of George Buchanan, commonly called the King\u2019s\nFool.\u201d The banker-bard Rogers (in Italy) was told a similar story\nconcerning a widow of the Lambertini house (xivth century). Thomas\nWright (Introduction to the Seven Sages) says he had met the tale in\nLatin( xiiith-xivth centuries) and a variant in the \u201cNouveaux Contes \u00e0\nrire\u201d (Amsterdam 1737), under the title \u201cJugement Subtil du Duc d\u2019Ossone\ncontre Deux Marchands.\u201d Its origin is evidently the old Sindib\u00e1d-namah\ntranslated from Syriac into Greek (\u201cSyntipas,\u201d xith century); into\nHebrew (Mishl\u00e9 Sandabar, xiith century) and from the Arabian version\ninto old Castilian, \u201cLibro de los Engannos et los Asayamientos de las\nMugeres\u201d (A.D. 1255), whereof a translation is appended to Professor\nComparetti\u2019s Society. The Persian metrical form (an elaboration of one\nmuch older) dates from 1375; and gave rise to a host of imitations such\nas the Turkish Tales of the Forty Wazirs and the Canarese \u201cKath\u00e1\nManjari,\u201d where four persons contend about a purse. See also Gladwin\u2019s\n\u201cPersian Moonshee,\u201d No. vi. of \u201cPleasing Stories;\u201d and Mr. Clouston\u2019s\npaper, \u201cThe Lost Purse,\u201d in the Glasgow Evening Times. All are the\nEastern form of Gavarni\u2019s \u201cEnfants Terribles,\u201d showing the portentous\nprecocity for which some children (infant phenomena, calculating boys,\netc. etc.) have been famous.\n\n[FN#256] From the Bresl. Edit. xii. 381. The Sa\u2019lab or Abu Hosayn\n(Father of the Fortlet) is the fox, in Marocco Akk\u00e1b: Talib Yusuf and\nWa\u2019wi are the jackal. Arabas have not preserved \u201cJakal\u201d from the Heb.\nShu\u2019al and Persian Shaghal and Persian Shagh\u00e1l (not Shagul) as the Rev.\nMr. Tristram misinforms his readers. (Nat. Hist. p. 85)\n\n[FN#257] The name is old and classical Arabic: in Antar the young\nAmazon Jayd\u00e1 was called Judar in public (Story of Jayd\u00e1 and Kh\u00e1lid). It\nis also, as will be seen, the name of a quarter in Cairo, and men are\noften called after such places, e.g. Al-Jubn\u00ed from the S\u00fak al Jubn in\nDamascus. The story is exceedingly Egyptian and the style abounds in\nCairene vulgarisms, especially in the Bresl. Edit. ix. 311.\n\n[FN#258] Had the merchant left his property to be divided after his\ndeath and not made a will he widow would have had only one-eighth\ninstead of a fourth.\n\n[FN#259] Lit. \u201cfrom tyrant to tyrant,\u201d i.e. from official to official,\nAl-Zalamah, the \u201ctyranny\u201d of popular parlance.\n\n[FN#260] The coin is omitted in the text but it is evidently the \u201cNusf\u201d\nor half-dirham. Lane (iii.235), noting that the dinar is worth 170\n\u201cnusfs\u201d in this tale, thinks that it was written (or copied?) after the\nOsmanh Conquest of Egypt. Unfortunately he cannot tell the precise\nperiod when the value of the small change fell so low.\n\n[FN#261] Arab \u201cYaum mub\u00e1rak!\u201d still a popular exclamation.\n\n[FN#262] i.e. of the door of daily bread.\n\n[FN#263] Arab. \u201cS\u00edrah,\u201d a small fish differently described (De\nSacy, \u201cRelation de l\u2019Egypte par Abd allatif,\u201d pp. 278\u2013288: Lane,\nNights iii. 234). It is not found in Sonnini\u2019s list.\n\n\n[FN#264] A tank or lakelet in the southern parts of Cairo, long ago\nfilled up; Von Hammer believes it inherited the name of the old\nCharon\u2019s Lake of Memphis, over which corpses were ferried.\n\n[FN#265] Thus making the agreement a kind of religious covenant, as\nCatholics would recite a Pater or an Ave Maria.\n\n[FN#266] Arab. \u201cY\u00e1 misk\u00edm\u201d=O poor devil; mesquin, meschino, words\nevidently derived from the East.\n\n[FN#267] Plur. of Maghrib\u00ed a Western man, a Moor. I have already\nderived the word through the Lat. \u201cMaurus\u201d from Maghribiy\u00fan. Europeans\nbeing unable to pronounce the Ghayn (or gh like the modern Cairenes)\nwould turn it into \u201cMa\u2019ariy\u00fan.\u201d They are mostly of the Maliki school\n(for which see Sale) and are famous as magicians and treasure-finders.\nAmongst the suite of the late Amir Abd al-Kadir, who lived many years\nand died in Damascus, I found several men profoundly versed in Eastern\nspiritualism and occultism.\n\n[FN#268] The names are respectively, Slave of the Salvation, of the One\n(God), of the Eternal; of the Compassionate; and of the Loving.\n\n[FN#269] i.e. \u201cthe most profound\u201d; the root is that of \u201cB\u00e1tin\u00ed,\u201d a\ngnostic, a reprobate.\n\n[FN#270] i.e. the Tall One.\n\n[FN#271] The loud pealing or (ear-) breaking Thunder.\n\n[FN#272] Arab. \u201cF\u00e1s and Mikn\u00e1s\u201d which the writer evidently regards as\none city. \u201cF\u00e1s\u201d means a hatchet, from the tradition of one having been\nfound, says Ibn Sa\u2019\u00edd, when digging the base under the founder Idr\u00eds\nbin Idr\u00eds (A.D. 808). His sword was placed on the pinnacle of the\nminaret built by the Im\u00e1m Abu Ahmad bin Abi Bakr enclosed in a golden\n\u00e9tui studded with pearls and precious stones. From the local\npronunciation \u201cFes\u201d is derived the red cap of the nearer Moslem East\n(see Ibn Batutah p. 230).\n\n[FN#273] Arab. \u201cAl-Khurj,\u201d whence the Span. Las Alforjas.\n\n[FN#274] Arab. \u201cKeb\u00e1b,\u201d mutton or lamb cut into small squares and\ngrilled upon skewers: it is the roast meat of the nearer East where, as\nin the West, men have not learned to cook meat so as to preserve all\nits flavour. This is found in the \u201cAsa\u2019o\u201d of the Argentine Gaucho who\nbroils the flesh while still quivering and before the fibre has time to\nset. Hence it is perfectly tender, if the animal be young, and has a\n\u201cmeaty\u201d taste half lost by keeping\n\n[FN#275] Equivalent to our puritanical \u201cMercy.\u201d\n\n[FN#276] Arab. \u201cBukjah,\u201d from the Persian Bukcheh: a favourite way of\nkeeping fine clothes in the East is to lay them folded in a piece of\nrough long-cloth with pepper and spices to drive away moths.\n\n[FN#277] This is always specified, for respectable men go out of town\non horse-back, never on \u201cfoot-back,\u201d as our friends the Boers say. I\nhave seen a Syrian put to sore shame when compelled by politeness to\nwalk with me, and every acquaintance he met addressed him \u201cAnta\nZalamah!\u201d What! afoot?\n\n[FN#278] This tale, including the Enchanted Sword which slays whole\narmies, was adopted in Europe as we see in Straparola (iv. 3), and the\n\u201cWater of Life\u201d which the Grimms found in Hesse, etc., \u201cGammer\nGrethel\u2019s German Popular Stories,\u201d Edgar Taylor, Bells, 1878; and now\npublished in fuller form as \u201cGrimm\u2019s Household Tales,\u201d by Mrs. Hunt,\nwith Introduction by A. Lang, 2 vols. 8vo, 1884. It is curious that so\nbiting and carping a critic, who will condescend to notice a misprint\nin another\u2019s book, should lay himself open to general animadversion by\nsuch a rambling farrago of half-digested knowledge as that which\ncomposes Mr. Andrew Lang\u2019s Introduction.\n\n[FN#279] These retorts of Judar are exactly what a sharp Egyptian\nFellah would say on such occasions.\n\n\n[FN#280] Arab. \u201cSal\u00e1m\u00e1t,\u201d plur. of Salam, a favourite Egyptian welcome.\n\n[FN#281] This sentence expresses a Moslem idea which greatly puzzles\nstrangers. Arabic has no equivalent of our \u201cThank you\u201d (Kassara \u2019llah\nKhayr-ak being a mere blessing Allah increase thy weal!), nor can\nAl-lslam express gratitude save by a periphrase. The Moslem\nacknowledges a favour by blessing the donor and by wishing him increase\nof prosperity. \u201cMay thy shadow never be less!\u201d means, Mayest thou\nalways extend to me thy shelter and protection. I have noticed this\nbefore but it merits repetition. Strangers, and especially Englishmen,\nare very positive and very much mistaken upon a point, which all who\nhave to do with Egyptians and Arabs ought thoroughly to understand. Old\ndwellers in the East know that the theory of ingratitude in no way\ninterferes with the sense of gratitude innate in man (and beast) and\nthat the \u201clively sense of favours to come,\u201d is as quick in Orient land\nas in Europe.\n\n[FN#282] Outside this noble gate, the Bab al-Nay, there is a great\ncemetery wherein, by the by, lies Burckhardt, my predecessor as a H\u00e1jj\nto Meccah and Al-Medinah. Hence many beggars are always found squatting\nin its neighbourhood.\n\n[FN#283] Friends sometimes walk alongside the rider holding the stirrup\nin sign of affection and respect, especially to the returning pilgrim.\n\n[FN#284] Equivalent to our Alas! It is woman\u2019s word never used by men;\nand foreigners must be most careful of this distinction under pain of\nincurring something worse than ridicule. I remember an officer in the\nBombay Army who, having learned Hindostani from women, always spoke of\nhimself in the feminine and hugely scandalised the Sepoys.\n\n[FN#285] i.e. a neighbour. The \u201cquarters\u201d of a town in the East are\noften on the worst of terms. See Pilgrimage.\n\n[FN#286] In the patriarchal stage of society the mother waits upon her\nadult sons. Even in Dalmatia I found, in many old-fashioned houses, the\nladies of the family waiting upon the guests. Very pleasant, but\nsomewhat startling at first.\n\n[FN#287] Here the apodosis would be \u201cWe can all sup together.\u201d\n\n[FN#288] Arab. \u201cZ\u00e1wiyah\u201d (=oratory), which is to a Masjid what a chapel\nis to a church.\n\n[FN#289] Arab. \u201cKasr,\u201d prop. a palace: so the Tuscan peasant speaks of\nhis \u201cpalazzo.\u201d\n\n[FN#290] This sale of a free-born Moslem was mere felony. But many\ncenturies later Englishmen used to be sold and sent to the plantations\nin America.\n\n[FN#291] Arab. \u201cKaww\u00e1s,\u201d lit. an archer, suggesting les archers de la\nSainte Hermandade. In former days it denoted a sergeant, an apparitor,\nan officer who executed magisterial orders. In modern Egypt he became a\npoliceman (Pilgrimage i. 29). As \u201cCavass\u201d he appears in gorgeous\nuniform and sword, an orderly attached to public offices and\nConsulates.\n\n[FN#292] A purely imaginary King.\n\n[FN#293] The Bresl. Edit. (ix. 370) here and elsewhere uses the word\n\u201cN\u00fatiy\u00e1\u201d=Nauta, for the common Bahr\u00edyah or Mall\u00e1h.\n\n[FN#294] Arab. \u201cTawaf,\u201d the name given to the sets (Ashwat) of seven\ncircuits with the left shoulder presented to the Holy House, that is\nwalking \u201cwiddershins\u201d or \u201cagainst the sun\u201d (\u201cwith the sun\u201d being like\nthe movement of a watch). For the requisites of this rite see\nPilgrimage iii. 234.\n\n[FN#295] Arab. \u201cAkh\u201d; brother has a wide signification amongst\nMoslems and may be used to and of any of the Saving Faith.\n\n\n[FN#296] Said by the master when dismissing a servant and meaning, \u201cI\nhave not failed in my duty to thee!\u201d The answer is, \u201cAllah acquit thee\nthereof!\u201d\n\n[FN#297] A Moslem prison is like those of Europe a century ago; to\nthink of it gives gooseflesh. Easterns laugh at our idea of\npenitentiary and the Arabs of Bombay call it \u201cAl-Bist\u00e1n\u201d (the Garden)\nbecause the court contains a few trees and shrubs. And with them a\ngarden always suggests an idea of Paradise. There are indeed only two\nefficacious forms of punishment all the world over, corporal for the\npoor and fines for the rich, the latter being the severer form.\n\n[FN#298] i.e. he shall answer for this.\n\n[FN#299] A pun upon \u201cKhal\u00edyah\u201d (bee hive) and \u201cKhaliyah\u201d (empty).\nKhal\u00edyah is properly a hive of bees with a honey-comb in the hollow of\na tree-trunk, opposed to Kaww\u00e1rah, hive made of clay or earth\n(Al-Hariri; Ass. of Tiflis). There are many other terms, for Arabs are\ncurious about honey. Pilgrimage iii. 110.\n\n[FN#300] Lane (iii. 237) supposes by this title that the author\nreferred his tale to the days of the Caliphate. \u201cCommander of the\nFaithful\u201d was, I have said, the style adopted by Omar in order to avoid\nthe clumsiness of \u201cCaliph\u201d (successor) of the Caliph (Abu Bakr) of the\nApostle of Allah.\n\n[FN#301] eastern thieves count four modes of housebreaking, (1)picking\nout burnt bricks; (2) cutting through unbaked bricks; (3) wetting a mud\nwall and (4) boring through a wooden wall (Vikram and the Vampire p.\n172).\n\n[FN#302] Arab. \u201cZabbat,\u201d lit. a lizard (fem.) also a wooden lock, the\nonly one used throughout Egypt. An illustration of its curious\nmechanism is given in Lane (M. E. Introduction)\n\n[FN#303] Arab. \u201cDabb\u00fas.\u201d The Eastern mace is well known to English\ncollectors, it is always of metal, and mostly of steel, with a short\nhandle like our facetiously called \u201clife-preterver\u201d The head is in\nvarious forms, the simplest a ball, smooth and round, or broken into\nsundry high and angular ridges like a melon, and in select weapons\nshaped like the head of some animal. bull, etc. See Night dcxlvi.\n\n[FN#304] The red habit is a sign of wrath and vengeance and the Persian\nKings like Fath Al Shah, used to wear it when about to order some\nhorrid punishment, such as the \u201cShakk\u201d; in this a man was hung up by\nhis heels and cut in two from the fork downwards to the neck, when a\nturn of the chopper left that untouched. White robes denoted peace and\nmercy as well as joy. The \u201cwhite\u201d hand and \u201cblack\u201d hand have been\nexplained. A \u201cwhite death\u201d is quiet and natural, with forgiveness of\nsins. A \u201cblack death\u201d is violent and dreadful, as by strangulation; a\n\u201cgreen death\u201d is robing in rags and patches like a dervish, and a \u201cred\ndeath\u201d is by war or bloodshed (A. P. ii. 670). Among the mystics it is\nthe resistance of man to his passions.\n\n[FN#305] This in the East is the way \u201cpour se faire valoir\u201d; whilst\nEuropeans would hold it a mere \u201cbit of impudence.\u201d aping dignity.\n\n[FN#306] The Chief Mufti or Doctor of the Law, an appointment first\nmade by the Osmanli Mohammed II., when he captured Constantinople in\nA.D. 1453. Before that time the functions were discharged by the K\u00e1zi\nal-Kuzat (Kazi-in-Chief), the Chancellor.\n\n[FN#307] So called because here lived the makers of crossbows (Arab.\nBunduk now meaning a fire piece, musket, etc.). It is the modern\ndistrict about the well-known Khan al-Hamzawi.\n\n[FN#308] Pronounced \u201cGoodareeyyah,\u201d and so called after one of the\ntroops of the Fatimite Caliphs. The name \u201cYam\u00e1niyah\u201d is probably due to\nthe story-teller\u2019s inventiveness.\n\n[FN#309] I have noted that as a rule in The Nights poetical justice is\nadministered with much rigour and exactitude. Here, however, the\ntale-teller allows the good brother to be slain by the two wicked\nbrothers as he permitted the adulterous queens to escape the sword of\nKamar al-Zaman. Dr. Steingass brings to my notice that I have failed to\ndo justice to the story of Sharrk\u00e1n (vol. ii., p. 172), where I note\nthat the interest is injured by the gratuitous incest But this has a\ndeeper meaning and a grander artistic effect. Sharrk\u00e1n begins with most\nunbrotherly feelings towards his father\u2019s children by a second wife.\nBut Allah\u2019s decree forces him to love his half-sister despite himself,\nand awe and repentance convert the savage, who joys at the news of his\nbrother\u2019s reported death, to a loyal and devoted subject of the same\nbrother. But Judar with all his goodness proved himself an arrant softy\nand was no match for two atrocious villains. And there may be overmuch\nof forgiveness as of every other good thing.\n\n[FN#310] In such case the \u201c\u2019iddah\u201d would be four months and ten days.\n\n[FN#311] Not quite true. Weil\u2019s German version, from a MS. in the Ducal\nLibrary of Gotha gives the \u201cStory of Judar of Cairo and Mahmud of\nTunis\u201d in a very different form. It has been pleasantly \u201ctranslated\n(from the German) and edited\u201d by Mr. W. F. Kirby, of the British\nMuseum, under the title of \u201cThe New Arabian Nights\u201d (London: W. Swan\nSonnenschein & Co.), and the author kindly sent me a copy. \u201cNew Arabian\nNights\u201d seems now to have become a fashionable title applied without\nany signification: such at least is the pleasant collection of\nNineteenth Century Novelettes, published under that designation by Mr.\nRobert Louis Stevenson, Chatto and Windus, Piccadilly, 1884.\n\n[FN#312] Von Hammer holds this story to be a satire on Arab\nsuperstition and the compulsory propagation, the compelle intrare, of\nAl-Islam. Lane (iii. 235) omits it altogether for reasons of his own. I\ndiffer with great diffidence from the learned Baron whose Oriental\nreading was extensive; but the tale does not seem to justify his\nexplanations. It appears to me simply one of the wilder romances, full\nof purposeful anachronisms (e.g. dated between Abraham and Moses, yet\nquoting the Koran) and written by someone familiar with the history of\nOman. The style too is peculiar, in many places so abrupt that much\nmanipulation is required to make it presentable: it suits, however, the\nrollicking, violent brigand-like life which it depicts. There is only\none incident about the end which justifies Von Hammer\u2019s suspicion.\n\n[FN#313] The Persian hero of romance who converses with the\nSimurgh or Griffin.\n\n\n[FN#314] The word is as much used in Egypt as wunderbar in\nGermany. As an exclamation is equivalent to \u201cmighty fine!\u201d\n\n\n[FN#315] In modern days used in a bad sense, as a freethinker, etc. So\nDalilah the Wily is noted to be a philosopheress.\n\n[FN#316] The game is much mixed up after Arab fashion. The\n\u201cTufat\u201d is the Siy\u00e1hgosh= Black-ears, of India (Felis caracal),\nthe Persian lynx, which gives very good sport with Dachshunds.\nLynxes still abound in the thickets near Cairo\n\n\n[FN#317] The \u201cSons of Kaht\u00e1n,\u201d especially the Ya\u2019arubah tribe, made\nmuch history in Oman. Ya\u2019arub (the eponymus) is written Ya\u2019arab and\nYa\u2019arib; but Ya\u2019arub (from Ya\u2019arubu Aorist of \u2019Aruba) is best, because\naccording to all authorities he was the first to cultivate primitive\nArabian speech and Arabic poetry. (Caussin de Perceval\u2019s Hist. des\nArabes i. 50, etc.)\n\n[FN#318] He who shooteth an arrow by night. See the death of Antar shot\ndown in the dark by the archer Jaz\u00e1r, son of J\u00e1b\u00edr, who had been\nblinded by a red hot sabre passed before his eyes. I may note that it\nis a mere fiction of Al-Asma\u2019i, as the real \u2019Antar (or \u2019Antarah) lived\nto a good old age, and probably died the \u201cstraw death.\u201d\n\n[FN#319] See vol. ii., p. 77, for a reminiscence of masterful\nKing Kulayb and his Him\u00e1 or domain. Here the phrase would mean,\n\u201cNone could approach them when they were wroth; none were safe\nfrom their rage.\u201d\n\n\n[FN#320] The sons of Nabh\u00e1n (whom Mr. Badger calls Nebh\u00e1n) supplied the\nold Maliks or Kings of Oman. (History of the Imams and Sayyids of Oman,\netc., London, Hakluyt Soc. 1871.)\n\n[FN#321] This is a sore insult in Arabia, where they have not dreamt of\na \u201cJawab-club,\u201d like that of Calcutta in the old days, to which only\nmen who had been half a dozen times \u201cjawab\u2019d\u201d (= refused in\nAnglo-lndian jargon) could belong. \u201cI am not a stallion to be struck on\nthe nose,\u201d say the Arabs.\n\n[FN#322] Again \u201cinverted speech\u201d: it is as if we said, \u201cNow, you\u2019re a\ndamned fine fellow, so,\u201d etc. \u201cAllah curse thee! Thou hast guarded thy\nwomen alive and dead;\u201d said the man of Sulaym in admiration after\nthrusting his spear into the eye of dead Rabi\u2019ah.\n\n[FN#323] The Badawi use javelins or throw-spears of many kinds,\nespecially the prettily worked Mizr\u00e1k (Pilgrimage i. 349); spears for\nfootmen (Shalfah, a bamboo or palm-stick with a head about a hand\nbroad), and the knightly lance, a male bamboo some 12 feet long with\niron heel and a long tapering point often of open work or damascened\nsteel, under which are tufts of black ostrich feathers, one or two. I\nnever saw a crescent-shaped head as the text suggests. It is a\n\u201cPundonor\u201d not to sell these weapons: you say, \u201cGive me that article\nand I will satisfy thee!\u201d After which the Sons of the Sand will haggle\nover each copper as if you were cheapening a sheep. (Ibid. iii. 73.)\n\n[FN#324] The shame was that Gharib had seen the girl and had fallen in\nlove with her beauty instead of applying for her hand in recognised\nform. These punctilios of the Desert are peculiarly nice and tetchy;\nnor do strangers readily realise them.\n\n[FN#325] The Arabs derive these Noachid\u0107 from Imlik, great-grandson of\nShem, who after the confusion of tongues settled at Sana\u2019a, then moved\nNorth to Meccah and built the fifth Ka\u2019abah. The dynastic name was\nArkam, M. C. de Perceval\u2019s \u201cArcam,\u201d which he would identify with Rekem\n(Numbers xxxi. 8). The last Arkam fell before an army sent by Moses to\npurge the Holy Land (Al-Hijaz) of idolatry. Commentators on the Koran\n(chaps. vii.) call the Pharaoh of Moses Al-Walid and derive him from\nthe Amalekites: we have lately ascertained that this Mene-Ptah was of\nthe Shepherd-Kings and thus, according to the older Moslems, the Hyksos\nwere of the seed of Imlik. (Pilgrimage ii. 116, and iii. 190.) In Syria\nthey fought with Joshua son of Nun. The tribe or rather nationality was\nfamous and powerful: we know little about it and I may safely predict\nthat when the Amalekite country shall have been well explored, it will\nproduce monuments second in importance only to the Hittites. \u201cA nomadic\ntribe which occupied the Peninsula of Sinai\u201d (Smith\u2019s Dict. of the\nBible) is peculiarly superficial, even for that most superficial of\nbooks.\n\n[FN#326] The Amalekites were giants and lived 500 years.\n(Pilgrimage, loc. cit.)\n\n\n[FN#327] His men being ninety against five hundred.\n\n[FN#328] Arab. \u201cKaum\u201d (pron. G\u00fam) here=a razzia, afterwards=a tribe.\nRelations between Badawi tribes are of three kinds; (1) Ash\u00e1b, allies\noffensive and defensive, friends who intermarry; (2) K\u00edm\u00e1n (plur. of\nKaum) when the blood-feud exists, and (3) Akhwan= brothers. The last is\na complicated affair, \u201cAkh\u00e1wat\u201d or brotherhood, denotes the tie between\npatron and client (a noble and an ignoble tribe) or between the\nstranger and the tribe which claims an immemorial and unalienable right\nto its own lands. Hence a small fee (Al-Rifkah) must be paid and the\ntraveller and his beast become \u201cdakh\u00edl,\u201d or entitled to brother-help.\nThe guardian is known in the West as Raf\u00edk; Rab\u00ed\u2019a in Eastern Arabia;\nGhaf\u00edr in \u201cSinai;\u201d amongst the Somal, Abb\u00e1n and the Gallas Mog\u00e1s\u00e1.\nFurther details are given in Pilgrimage iii. 85\u201387.\n\n[FN#329] Arab. \u201cM\u00e1l,\u201d here=Badawi money, flocks and herds, our \u201cfee\u201d\nfrom feoh, vieh, cattle; as pecunia from pecus, etc., etc.\n\n[FN#330] The litholatry of the old Arabs is undisputed: Man\u00e1t the\ngoddess-idol was a large rude stone and when the Meccans sent out\ncolonies these carried with them stones of the Holy Land to be set up\nand worshipped like the Ka\u2019abah. I have suggested (Pilgrimage iii. 159)\nthat the famous Black Stone of Meccah, which appears to me a large\naerolite, is a remnant of this worship and that the tomb of Eve near\nJeddah was the old \u201cSakhrah taw\u00edlah\u201d or Long Stone (ibid. iii. 388).\nJeddah is now translated the grandmother, alluding to Eve, a myth of\nlate growth: it is properly Juddah=a plain lacking water.\n\n[FN#331] The First Adites, I have said, did not all perish: a few\nbelievers retired with the prophet Hud (Heber?) to Hazramaut. The\nSecond Adites, who had M\u00e1rib of the Dam for capital and Lukman for\nking, were dispersed by the Flood of Al-Yaman. Their dynasty lasted a\nthousand years, the exodus taking place according to De Sacy in A.D.\n150\u2013170 or shortly after A.D. 100 (C. de Perceval), and was overthrown\nby Ya\u2019arub bin Kaht\u00e1n, the first Arabist; see Night dcxxv.\n\n[FN#332] This title has been noticed: it suggests the \u201cSaint Abraham\u201d\nof our medaeval travellers. Every great prophet has his agnomen: Adam\nthe Pure (or Elect) of Allah, Noah the N\u00e1jiy (or saved) of Allah; Moses\n(Kal\u00edm) the Speaker with Allah; Jesus the R\u00fah (Spirit breath) or Kal\u00e1m\n(the word) of Allah. For Mohammed\u2019s see Al-Busiri\u2019s Mantle-poem vv.\n31\u201358.\n\n[FN#333] Koran (chaps. iii. 17), \u201cVerily the true religion in the\nsight of Allah is Islam\u201d i.e. resigning or devoting myself to the\nLord, with a suspicion of \u201cSalvation\u201d conveyed by the root\nSalima, he was safe.\n\n\n[FN#334] Arab. \u201cS\u00e1\u2019ikah,\u201d which is supposed to be a stone. The allusion\nis to Antar\u2019s sword, \u201cDh\u00e1mi,\u201d made of a stone, black, brilliant and\nhard as a rock (an aerolite), which had struck a camel on the right\nside and had come out by the left. The blacksmith made it into a blade\nthree feet long by two spans broad, a kind of falchion or chopper,\ncased it with gold and called it Dh\u00e1mi (the \u201cTrenchant\u201d) from its\nsharpness. But he said to the owner:\u2014\n\n     The sword is trenchant, O son of the Ghalib clan,\n     Trenchant in sooth, but where is the sworder-man?\n\n\nWhereupon the owner struck off the maker\u2019s head, a most satisfactory\nanswer to all but one.\n\n[FN#335] Arab. \u201cKut\u00e1\u2019ah\u201d: lit. a bit cut off, fragment, nail-paring,\nand here un diminutif. I have described this scene in Pilgrimage iii.\n68. Latro often says, \u201cThy gear is wanted by the daughter of my\npaternal uncle\u201d (wife), and thus parades his politeness by asking in a\nlady\u2019s name.\n\n[FN#336] As will appear the two brothers were joined by a party of\nhorsemen.\n\n[FN#337] \u201cFour\u201d says the Mac. Edit. forgetting Falhun with\ncharacteristic inconsequence.\n\n[FN#338] Muhammad (the deserving great praise) is the name used by men;\nAhmad (more laudable) by angels, and Mahm\u00fad (praised) by devils. For a\nsimilar play upon the name, \u201cAllah Allah Muhammad ast\u201d (God is God the\npraiseworthy) see Dabistan ii. 416.\n\n[FN#339] The Mac. Edit. here gives \u201cS\u00e1s,\u201d but elsewhere \u201cS\u00e1s\u00e1,\u201d which\nis the correct form\n\n[FN#340] Sapor the Second (A.D. 310\u2013330) was compelled to attack the\npowerful Arab hordes of Oman, most of whom, like the Tayy, Aus and\nKhazraj, the Banu Nabh\u00e1n and the Hin\u00e1wi left Al-Yaman A.D. 100\u2013170, and\nsettled in the north and northeast of Al-Najd This great exodus and\ndispersion of the tribes was caused, as has been said, by the bursting\nof the Dam of M\u00e1rib originally built by Abd al-Shams Sab\u00e1, father of\nHimyar. These Yamanian races were plunged into poverty and roamed\nnorthwards, planting themselves amongst the Arabs of Ma\u2019add son of\nAdn\u00e1n. Hence the kingdom of Ghassan in Syria whose phylarchs under the\nRomans (i.e. Greek Emperors of Constantinople) controlled Palestine\nTertia, the Arabs of Syria and Palestine, and the kingdom of H\u00e1rah,\nwhose Lakhmite Princes, dependent upon Persia, managed the Arabs of the\nEuphrates, Oman and Al-Bahrayn. The Ma\u2019addites still continued to\noccupy the central plateau of Arabia, a feature analogous with India\n\u201cabove the Ghauts.\u201d\n\n[FN#341] I have described (Pilgrimage i. 370) the grisly spot which a\nBadawi will dignify by the name of Wady al-Ward=Vale of Roses.\n\n[FN#342] Koran xiii. 3, \u201cOf every fruit two different kinds\u201d i.e.\nlarge and small, black and white, sweet and sour.\n\n[FN#343] A graft upon an almond tree, which makes its kernel sweet\nand gives it an especial delicacy of favour. See Russell\u2019s (excellent)\nNatural History of Aleppo, p. 21.\n\n[FN#344] So called from the flavour of the kernel it is well-known at\nDamascus where a favourite fruit is the dried apricot with an almond by\nway of kernel. There are many preparations of apricots, especially the\n\u201cMare\u2019s skin\u201d (Jild al-fares or Kamar al-din) a paste folded into\nsheets and exactly resembling the article from which it takes a name.\nWhen wanted it is dissolved in water and eaten as a relish with bread\nor biscuit (Pilgrimage i. 289).\n\n[FN#345] \u201cAnte Kam\u00e1 tak\u00fal\u201d=the vulgarest Cairene.\n\n[FN#346] This may be Ctesiphon, the ancient capital of the\nChosro\u00ebs, on the Tigris below Baghdad; and spoken of elsewhere in\nThe Nights; especially as, in Night dclxvii., it is called\nIsbanir Al-Mad\u00e1in; Mad\u00e1in Kisr\u00e1 (the cities of Chosro\u00ebs) being\nthe Arabic name of the old dual city.\n\n\n[FN#347] Koran vi. 103. The translation is Sale\u2019s which I have\ngenerally preferred, despite many imperfections: Lane renders this\nsentence, \u201cThe eyes see not Him, but He seeth the eyes;\u201d and Mr.\nRodwell, \u201cNo vision taketh in Him (?), but He taketh in all vision,\u201d\nand (better) \u201cNo eyesight reacheth to Him.\u201d\n\n[FN#348] Sale (sect. 1.) tells us all that was then known of these\nthree which with Y\u00e1\u2019\u00fak and Nasr and the three \u201cdaughters of God,\u201d\nGoddesses or Energies (the Hindu Saktis) All\u00e1t Al-Uzz\u00e1 and Man\u00e1t\nmentioned in the Koran were the chiefs of the pre-lslamitic Pantheon. I\ncannot but suspect that all will be connected with old Babylonian\nworship. Al-Bayd\u00e1wi (in Kor. Ixxi. 22) says of Wadd, Suw\u00e1\u2019a, Yaghus,\nYa\u2019\u00fak and Nasr that they were names of pious men between Adam and Noah,\nafterwards deified: Yagh\u00fas was the giant idol of the Mazhaj tribe at\nAkamah of Al-Yaman and afterwards at Najr\u00e1n Al-Uzz\u00e1 was widely\nworshipped: her idol (of the tree Semurat) belonging to Ghataf\u00e1n was\ndestroyed after the Prophet\u2019s order by Kh\u00e1lid bin Wal\u00edd. All\u00e1t or\nAl-L\u00e1t is written by Pocock (spec. 110) \u201cIlahat\u201d i.e. deities in\ngeneral. But Herodotus evidently refers to one god when he makes the\nArabs worship Dionysus as {Greek letters} and Urania as {Greek letters}\nand the \u201ctashdid\u201d in All\u00e1t would, to a Greek ear, introduce another\nsyllable (Alilat). This was the goddess of the Kuraysh and Thak\u00edf whose\ntemple at Ta\u00edf was circuited like the Ka\u2019abah before Mohammed destroyed\nit.\n\n[FN#349] Shays (Shayth) is Ab Seth (Father Seth,) of the Hebrews, a\nname containing the initial and terminal letters of the\nEgypto-Phoenico-Hebrew Alphabet and the \u201cAbjad\u201d of the Arabs. Those curious\nabout its connection with the name of Allah (El), the Zodiacal signs\nand with the constellations, visions but not wholly uninteresting, will\nconsult \u201cUnexplored Syria\u201d (vol. i. 33).\n\n[FN#350] The exclamation of an honest Fellah.\n\n[FN#351] This is Antar with the Chosro\u00eb who \u201ckissed the Absian hero\nbetween the eyes and bade him adieu, giving him as a last token a rich\nrobe.\u201d The coarser hand of the story-teller exaggerates everything till\nhe makes it ridiculous.\n\n[FN#352] The context suggests thee this is a royal form of \u201cthrowing\nthe handkerchief;\u201d but it does not occur elsewhere. In face, the\nEuropean idea seems to have arisen from the oriental practice of\nsending presents in napkins or kerchiefs.\n\n[FN#353] i.e. if the disappointed suitor attack me.\n\n[FN#354] i.e. if ever I be tempted to deny it.\n\n[FN#355] Arab. \u201cMus\u00e1fahah,\u201d the Arab fashion of shaking hands. The\nright palms are applied flat to each other; then the fingers are\nsqueezed and the hand is raised to the forehead (Pilgrimage ii. 332).\n\n[FN#356] A city and province of Khuzist\u00e1n the old Susiana. Dasht may be\neither the town in Khorasan or the \u201cforests\u201d (dasht) belonging to Ahw\u00e1z\n(Ahuaz in D\u2019Herbelot).\n\n[FN#357] This is the contest between \u201cAntar and the Satrap Khosrewan at\nthe Court of Monzer.\u201d but without its tragical finish.\n\n[FN#358] Elliptical \u201che rode out in great state, that is to say if\ngreatness can truly be attributed to man,\u201d for, etc.\n\n[FN#359] According to D\u2019Herbelot (s.v. Rostac) it is a name given to\nthe villages of Khorasan as \u201cSouad\u201d (Saw\u00e1d) to those of Irak and\nMakhlaf to those of Al-Yaman: there is, how ever, a well-known\nAl-Rustak (which like Al-Bahrayn always takes the article) in the\nProvince of Oman West of Maskat, and as it rhymes with \u201cIrak\u201d it does\nwell enough. Mr. Badger calls this ancient capital of the Ya\u2019arubah\nImams \u201cer-Rast\u00e1k\u201d (Imams of Oman).\n\n[FN#360] i.e. a furious knight.\n\n[FN#361] In the Mac. Edit. \u201cHass\u00e1n,\u201d which may rhyme with Nabh\u00e1n, but\nit is a mere blunder.\n\n[FN#362] In Classical Arabic Irak (like Yaman, Bahrayn and\nRust\u00e1k) always takes the article.\n\n[FN#363] The story-teller goes back from Kufah founded in Omar\u2019s day to\nthe times of Abraham.\n\n[FN#364] This manuvre has often been practiced; especially by the first\nCrusaders under Bohemond (Gibbon) and in late years by the Arab slavers\nin Eastern Intertropical Africa. After their skirmishes with the\nnatives they quartered and \u201cbristled\u201d the dead like game, roasted and\nboiled the choice pieces and pretended to eat the flesh. The enemy, who\nwas not afraid of death, was struck with terror by the idea of being\ndevoured, and this seems instinctive to the undeveloped mind.","title":"The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night \u2014 Volume 06 (of 10)","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":135568}