{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_47285/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_47285","id":"gutenberg_47285","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/47285","summary":null,"tags":["Arabs -- Folklore","Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Fairy tales","Fairy tales -- Arab countries","Folklore -- Arab countries"],"text":"* * * * *\n\n[Illustration: Sindbad the Sailor entertains Sindbad the Landsman.\nPage 7]\n\n\n\n\nSindbad the Sailor\n\n& other Stories from\n\nthe Arabian Nights illustrated\n\nby Edmund Dulac\n\nHodder & Stoughton\n\n\n\n\nCONTENTS\n\n\n SINDBAD THE SAILOR 7\n\n THE FIRST VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 8\n THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 14\n THE THIRD VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 21\n THE FOURTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 28\n THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 40\n THE SIXTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 48\n THE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR 55\n\n\n ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP 61\n\n\n THE THREE CALENDERS 153\n\n THE STORY OF THE FIRST CALENDER 157\n THE STORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER 165\n THE STORY OF THE THIRD CALENDER 185\n\n\n THE SLEEPER AWAKENED 203\n\n\n\n\nILLUSTRATIONS\n\n\n SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\n _Sindbad the Sailor entertains Sindbad the Landsman_ FRONTISPIECE\n\n _Page_\n\n _The Episode of the Whale_ 16\n\n _The Episode of the Rokh_ 24\n\n _The Episode of the Snake_ 40\n\n _The Episode of the Old Man of the Sea_ 48\n\n\n ALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP\n\n _Aladdin finds the Magic Lamp_ 64\n\n _Aladdin and the Efrite_ 72\n\n _The Lady Bedr-el-Budur at her bath_ 80\n\n _The Lady Bedr-el-Budur_ 88\n\n _The Sultan and his Vizier looking for Aladdin's magic Palace_ 104\n\n _The Nuptial Dance of Aladdin and the Lady Bedr-el-Budur_ 112\n\n _Aladdin finds the Princess in Africa_ 128\n\n _The Lady Bedr-el-Budur and the wicked Magician_ 136\n\n\n THE STORY OF THE THREE CALENDERS\n\n _The Porter and the Ladies_ 144\n\n _The Prince leads the Lady to the Tomb_ 152\n\n _The Prince meets a noble Lady in the Underground Palace_ 160\n\n _The Princess burns the Efrite to death_ 168\n\n _The Prince is taken back to the Golden Palace by the Magic\n Black Horse_ 176\n\n\n THE SLEEPER AWAKENED\n\n _The Bridge at Baghdad where Abu-l-Hasan awaits strangers_ 184\n\n _Abu-l-Hasan entertains the strangers with dancing and music_ 192\n\n _Abu-l-Hasan awakens in the bed of the Khalifeh_ 200\n\n _Abu-l-Hasan orders that the Sheiks of the district should\n be taken to be impaled on the back of a mangy camel_ 208\n\n _The Room of the fruits prepared for Abu-l-Hasan_ 216\n\n\n\n\nSINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\n\nIN the time of Harun-er-Rashid there was, in Baghdad, a rich merchant\nnamed Sindbad the Sailor, the source of whose wealth was a mystery.\nIt seemed to be inexhaustible. For long seasons he kept open house,\nand his entertainments were the most magnificent of all save only\nthose of Er-Rashid himself. All that riches could buy seemed at his\ndisposal, and he lavished the good things of this life upon his guests.\nPages, slaves and attendants there were in great number; his garden\nwas spacious and beautiful, and his house was filled with every costly\nluxury.\n\nThis Sindbad the Sailor has a story to tell--the story of his life--but\nhe never told it to any until, one day, there came to him one Sindbad\nthe Landsman, a man of poor and humble birth. This man pleased him\ngreatly with an apt recitation dealing with the widely different lots\ndispensed by God to men, and, being pleased, he was struck with the\nhappy conceit that, now Sindbad the Sailor was at last confronted with\nSindbad the Landsman, it would be no bad thing were he to narrate the\nstory of his life so that all might know his strange adventures and\nconjecture no longer as to the source of his fabulous wealth.\n\nAccordingly Sindbad the Sailor held seven receptions on seven different\ndays, and, although on each occasion a multitude of guests was\nassembled to listen, he failed not to address his words from first to\nlast to his simple listener, Sindbad the Landsman. Following is his\nnarration of the strange and wonderful adventures he experienced in his\nseven voyages:--\n\n\nTHE FIRST VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nMY father was a merchant of high rank and rich possessions. He died\nwhen I was but a child, leaving me all his wealth. When I reached\nmanhood's estate I used my inheritance with no thought for the morrow,\nliving in a sumptuous manner and consorting with the richest young men\nof Baghdad. I continued this life for many years until, at last, when\nreason prevailed with me to mend my plan, I found with dismay that I\nhad sunk to poverty. And then it was that I arose and sold what goods\nremained to me for three thousand pieces of silver, and girded myself,\nresolving to travel to other lands and rebuild my fortune by the wit of\nmy mind and the labour of my hands.\n\nWith a part of my hoard I bought merchandise for exchange in far\nlands, and also such things as I should require in my travels. Thus\nprepared I set sail with a company of merchants in a ship bound for the\ncity of El-Basrah. For many days and nights we sailed upon the sea,\nvisiting islands and passing thence to other islands; and everywhere we\nbartered, and bought and sold. At length we came to an island unlike\nthe others. It seemed like a garden that had floated from off the sides\nof Paradise and established itself in the sea. And here our ship cast\nanchor and we landed. Then fires were lighted, and, while some cooked,\nothers washed in the cool stream, and yet others amused themselves\nadmiring the beauties of the place.\n\nWhen all had eaten of the food prepared the shore became a gay scene of\nsport and play, in which I engaged to the full. But, suddenly, a cry\nfrom the master of the ship put an end to our gaiety. Standing at the\nside of the vessel he called loudly, \"Hear me, and may God preserve\nyou! Hasten back and leave everything; save yourselves from sudden\ndeath, for this that ye think is an island is not such. It is a mighty\nfish lying entranced in sleep on the surface of the sea since times of\nold, and trees have grown upon it; but your fires and your frolicking\nhave awakened it, and lo! it moves; and, if it sink into the sea, ye\nwill assuredly be drowned. Hasten then, and save yourselves!\"\n\nAt this we all, with one accord, left everything and fled for the ship,\nhoping to escape with our lives. While we were making for safety the\nisland moved with a great turmoil and sank behind us in the sea, and\nthe waves leapt against each other above it. For a time I gave myself\nup as lost, for I was drawn down fathoms deep; but, by God's grace, I\nrose again to the surface, and to my hand was one of the large wooden\nbowls which some of the passengers had taken on shore for the purpose\nof washing. This I seized, and established myself in it, and thus\ncombated the leaping waves, steadying myself with my hands and feet. In\nvain I called on the master of the ship. He heard me not. He had spread\nhis sails and pursued his way, thinking that none beside those who had\nbeen taken up were left alive.\n\nAstride my wooden bowl I gazed longingly at the ship until it was out\nof sight. Then I prepared for death as the night was closing around me.\nPerchance I swooned, for I remembered naught else until I found myself\nstranded upon a mountainous island. There were trees overhanging, and\nI grasped a drooping bough and drew myself up from the fretting wave.\nMy limbs were benumbed, and, on looking at my legs, I saw the marks\nmade by the nibbling teeth of fish, and marvelled at my salvation from\ndeath.\n\nStaggering forward, I flung myself high on the beach like one dead,\nand so I remained until the dawn of the next day, when the sun, rising\nupon me, woke me to a sense of such a condition as I had never known\nbefore. Long--long it was before I could rise to a sitting posture,\nand longer still before I could crawl on my hands and knees to a space\nof grass that was shielded from the sun. Thence, in time, I staggered\ntill I came to a brook, of which I drank; and strength returned to me.\nI found luscious fruits and ate of them, and drank again of the clear\nwaters of the brook. And so I continued many days roaming the island\nand wondering at its beauties until I was strong again as before.\n\nAnd it chanced, as I took my way to and fro in the island, revelling\nin the sight of things that God had set there, that on a day when the\nsea was sounding loudly on the shore I beheld something in the distance\nwhich excited my curiosity. It seemed like a wild animal of gigantic\nsize, and, as I approached, I feared it was some fabulous beast of\nthe sea. But, as I drew still nearer, I was overcome with amazement\nto see a beautiful mare standing high, with mane and tail floating on\nthe breeze. She was tethered to a stake on the shore, and, at sight of\nme, she screamed loudly and stamped her fore-feet on the sand; but,\nere I turned to flee, I beheld a man come forth from a cave near by,\nand he ran after me, calling on me to give an account of myself and my\npresence in that place. Thereupon I laid my story before him, sparing\nno detail, even to the wooden bowl by means of which and the grace of\nGod I had come thither.\n\nGladness seized him at my recital, and he took my hand. Saying, \"Come\nwith me!\" he led me into his cave and set food before me. I ate until\nI was satisfied; and, being at my ease, I repeated my story more\nminutely, and he wondered thereat. Then I said, \"Thou hast the truth\nof my adventures upon the sea; now I pray thee, O my master, tell me\nwho _thou_ art, that thou dwellest hidden in a cave while thy mare is\ntethered on the shore.\" He was in no way displeased at my curiosity,\nbut answered me in plain words. \"I am one of the grooms of the King\nEl-Mihraj,\" he said, \"and the others are scattered about the island.\nFor, look you, friend, it is the time of the new moon, when the\nsea-horse cometh up out of the sea; and it is our plan to bring our\nbest mares hither and tether them by the shore so that they may lure\nthe sea-horses into our hands.\"\n\nWhile I was wondering at the manner of this cunning device a\nmagnificent sea-horse rose from the waves, shaking the foam from its\ncrest and neighing loudly. As it approached, my companion drew me into\nthe cave and placed himself at the opening with a long coil of thick\ncord in his hand. Presently by means of this he leashed the sea-horse\nwith great dexterity, and fettered him, and subdued him. Then, with the\nmare and the sea-horse, he led me to his companions, who, when they had\nheard my story, were all of one mind that I should accompany them to\nthe city of the King. So they mounted me on one of the mares and I rode\nwith them to the King's palace.\n\nAs soon as we had arrived at the palace gates they went in to the King\nand informed him of my strange adventures; whereupon he sent for me,\nand they led me before him. He greeted me very courteously and bade\nme tell him my story, which, when he had heard it, filled him with\namazement, so that he cried, \"By Allah! my son, of a truth thou art\nfavoured by fate; for how else could'st thou escape so great a peril?\nPraise God for thy deliverance!\" And he made much of me and caused me\nto be treated with honour; and he appointed me master of the harbour\nand comptroller of the shipping.\n\nMy condition then was no longer that of a wayfarer. I rose day by day\nto a higher and a higher place in the King's favour, and he took me\ninto his council in all affairs of State. For a long time I served\nhim well, and he ceased not to recompense me with a liberal hand. Yet\nmy thoughts turned ever to Baghdad, the Abode of Peace; but, when I\nenquired of merchants and travellers and masters of ships, in which\ndirection it lay, and how one might come at it, they one and all shook\ntheir heads at the name of a strange city of which they had never\nheard. At last, weary of the wonders of that island and the sea around\nit--wonders the which, if I had time to tell you, would cause you the\ngreatest amazement,--wearied, too, with my arduous duties, but most of\nall with my prolonged absence from my own land, I stood one day on the\nsea shore when a great ship drew near and a number of merchants landed\nfrom it.\n\nThe sailors brought forth their merchandise, and, when I had made an\naccount of it, I enquired of the master of the ship if that were the\nwhole of his cargo. \"All, O my master,\" he replied; \"all save some\nbales whose owner was drowned on our voyage hither; but even these,\nbeing in my charge, I desire to sell on behalf of his family in\nBaghdad.\" \"Sayest thou so?\" I cried. \"Tell me, I pray thee, the name\nof the owner of these goods.\" And he replied, \"His name was Sindbad the\nSailor, and he was drowned on our way hither.\"\n\nWhen I heard this I regarded him more closely and recognised him.\nThen I cried out, \"O my master, I am he; and they are my goods that\nare in thy hold.\" But he neither recognised me nor believed my words;\nwhereupon I narrated to him the history of my supposed death; but he\nshook his head and called upon Allah to witness that there was neither\nfaith nor conscience in any. \"Look you!\" he said. \"Thou heardst me\nsay the owner was dead, and therefore thou desirest the goods for\nthyself free of price. I tell thee we saw him sink into the sea with\nmany others.\" \"O my master,\" I answered, \"hear me and then judge of\nmy veracity.\" With this I narrated to him many trivial things which\nhappened before we reached the great-fish island, and which could never\nbe known to me had I not been on the ship. And then it was that he and\nmany of the merchants regarded me with fixed looks and recognised me.\n\"By Allah!\" said they one and all, \"we truly believed thee drowned, but\nhere we find thee alive.\" And they pressed upon me and congratulated\nme, and the master of the ship gave me my goods, at sight of which I\nwas overjoyed; and they all rejoiced with me.\n\nMindful of the King I served, I at once opened my bales, and, selecting\nthe most costly articles, went in to him and laid them at his feet,\ntelling him how I had regained the goods of which they were a part. And\nthe King wondered greatly at my good fortune and graciously accepted my\ngifts. He also showed me great favour and honour in that he bestowed\nupon me gifts in return for mine.\n\nThen, having sold my remaining goods at a profit, I bought largely of\nthe merchandise of the city, and, when the ship was about to sail, I\napproached the King and thanked him for his great kindness to me, and\nhumbly begged his leave to depart to my own city and family. So he gave\nme his blessing and a great wealth of merchandise and rare commodities,\nand bade me farewell. And soon thereafter, having stowed all my goods\nin the hold of the ship, I set sail with the others for Baghdad.\n\nOur voyage was fortunate, and, with the aid of favourable winds, we\nreached the city of El-Basrah in safety. Thence I repaired to Baghdad,\nand my family and my friends gave me a joyous welcome. And when I had\nsold my merchandise I set up a large establishment, sparing no cost.\nAnd I bought land and houses, and gathered round me wealthy companions,\nin whose society I soon forgot the dangers and terrors I had suffered\nin other lands. Such is the story of my first voyage; and, to-morrow,\nby God's grace, I will narrate to you the strange adventures of my\nsecond voyage.\n\n\nTHE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nAS I related yesterday, I was living here in Baghdad in the midst of\nevery delight, surrounded by companions after my own heart. But a time\ncame when the wandering spirit seized me again and I longed for the\nsight, even for the perils, of other and unknown lands. This, and the\nfact that I had decreased my substance by large expenditure, led me to\nadventure a second journey, at once to relieve the monotony of life and\nto replenish my exhausted store.\n\nThe step was quickly taken. Having collected suitable merchandise I\nrepaired to the river, and, without a word to anyone, embarked on a\nnew ship finely rigged and manned by a large crew. Together with a\ngoodly party of merchants I sailed away, and we passed over the deep\nfrom island to island and from sea to sea, with fair winds filling the\nsails. And at every place at which we cast anchor we bought and sold\nand bartered. So we continued until we came to an uninhabited island of\ngreat beauty. The trees hung with ripe fruits; birds of bright plumage\nflew hither and thither over the shining foliage, and their songs were\nheard in the topmost branches; rare flowers laid their scent upon the\nbreeze, and pure clear streams coursed everywhere. When we landed we\nfell to extolling these master touches of the Creator's hand, for,\nindeed, the place was, as it were, born of fragrant musk--so fresh\nand beautiful and full of all delights not made by man. Selecting a\nrare spot on the bank of a stream, I sat apart, meditating upon the\nwonderful works of the Omnipotent One. There the soft zephyrs singing\nin the trees, and the stream murmuring at my feet, lulled me to\nslumber; and, when I awoke later, I looked forth upon the sea and lo,\nthe ship was far out on the wall of the ocean sloping to the sky. They\nhad forgotten me and I was left alone upon the island.\n\nDespair fell upon me as I gazed around and realised that I was\ndesolate. And I said within myself, \"What if I escaped from dangers\nin the past when all seemed lost--it still remains that here at least\nthere is no escape.\" Then I blamed myself for leaving my comfortable\nlife in Baghdad to undertake this voyage; for here there was neither\nstrong food nor strong drink; nor rich apparel, nor gold, nor goods. As\nI pondered to the point of madness on these things a restless spirit\ncame upon me, and I ran to and fro in the island, retracing my steps\nand crossing them; but I found naught to lessen my despair.\n\n[Illustration: The Episode of the Whale. Page 9]\n\nAt last I climbed to the top of a high tree, and, looking forth in\nevery direction, saw only sky and sea and trees and watercourses. As\nI gazed, however, my eye reverted again and again to an object in a\ndistant part of the island. It was round and white, and of enormous\nsize. This aroused my curiosity and I resolved to find out what it was.\nHaving marked its position I descended from the tree and made my way\ntowards it. When I reached it I found to my astonishment that it was a\ngigantic dome, white and shining. My first thought was to walk round it\nto ascertain if there were some door or opening, but none could I find\nin its whole circumference, which was about fifty paces.\n\nWhile I was meditating on some means to gain an entrance to this\nstrange structure, behold, the sky darkened; and on looking towards the\nsinking sun, I saw it was hidden by a great black cloud,--an unwonted\nthing, as it was the summer season. While I continued to gaze the\nobject drew rapidly nearer, and now I could discern in it the shape of\na monstrous bird approaching swiftly through the air; and this it was\nthat blotted out the sun.\n\nMarvelling greatly I recalled a story told by travellers about certain\nislands where was found a bird of immense size called the rukh, which\nfed its young on elephants. It was then I knew that the great white\ndome I had discovered was one of this bird's eggs,--at which, not the\nleast of the Creator's works, I wondered greatly. Then, while I so\nwondered, the giant bird alighted over the egg, and, crouching down,\nspread its wings and brooded over it, and composed itself to sleep.\n\nHere, thought I, was a chance of escaping from the island. Unfolding my\nturban I twisted it into a rope, and bound one end of it tightly about\nmy waist; then I approached the great bird cautiously, and fastened the\nother end securely to one of its feet; for thus, when it flew away, it\nmight perchance bear me through the air to some inhabited region.\n\nThe whole night long I lay awake thinking of my projected flight, but\nit was not until morning that the bird awoke, and, with a loud cry,\nrose from the egg, bearing me aloft. Higher and higher it soared, until\nI thought it must reach the stars; then, gradually, in vast circles,\nit descended, and finally came to earth on a high table-land. In great\nfear lest the bird should discover my presence I made haste to loose\nthe turban from its foot, and, having done so, I crept away, trembling\nin every limb. Then, as I watched the bird from a distance, I observed\nit pick something from the ground and soar away with it clutched in\nits talons; and I looked again and saw that it was an enormous serpent\ntwisting and writhing in the grasp of the bird as it flew swiftly\ntowards the sea. And at this strange thing I wondered greatly as I\nfolded my turban.\n\nBut what desert place had I come to by this daring misadventure? On\nthe one side of the table-land was a deep valley, and, on the other, a\nsteep mountain which no foot of man could climb. Had I only remained\nin the island I should at least have had fruit to eat and water to\ndrink, but here was nothing but desolation, from which I had no hope of\nescape. There was no course but to descend into the valley; and this I\ndid, little caring whither I went.\n\nNow, I had not walked therein but a few furlongs when I observed that\nthe ground I trod was strewn with diamonds of large size, but--and\nthis gave me cause for wild alarm--coiled here and there amongst the\nstones were gigantic serpents such as the one I had seen the bird bear\naway in its talons. As soon as I was aware of these sleeping serpents,\nwhich were of the same hue as the ground whereon they lay, I stept\nwarily lest I should awaken them and be devoured.\n\nIn this way was I proceeding down that valley, my flesh quaking and\nmy knees a-tremble, when suddenly the flayed carcase of a slaughtered\nbeast fell with a great noise before me. This aroused great wonder\nin my mind and also called to my recollection a story I had heard\nin my youth from a merchant traveller who had visited lands whence\nnone else had ever come to deny the truth of it--a story confirmed\nby others who claimed a reputation for wide knowledge, and feared\nto lose it. It was this--that in a far land, where diamonds are as\nthickly strewn as the venomous serpents and other deadly perils which\nrender it difficult to come at them, the daring merchants who seek\nthese precious stones employ a cunning stratagem. They take a beast\nand slaughter it on the heights above the valley, and, having skinned\nit and lacerated the flesh, they throw it down. And, when it reaches\nthe bottom of the valley whereon the diamonds lie, the stones adhere\nto the moist flesh. From the depths of the sky descends the watching\nvulture of the giant kind, and this bird, seizing the carcase in its\ntalons, soars with it to the mountain tops; whereupon the merchants\nspring out and frighten the bird away with loud cries, and then take\nthe stones adhering to the meat and bear them to their own country. I\nhad my whole life long regarded this story with a half-shut eye, but\nnow, beholding the slaughtered beast before me, and guessing full well\nthe meaning of its presence there, I said within myself, \"By Allah! no\nmarvel is past belief, for here is the verification.\" I surveyed that\ncarcase and, having measured in a glance the distance to the mountains\nwhence it had descended, I gazed into the blue sky in whose depths\nlurked the watching vulture. A plan of escape then came to me and I\nhastened to put it into operation. First I gathered as many diamonds as\nI could well dispose within my garments. Then, unfolding my turban, I\napproached the slaughtered beast, and, lying on my back, drew it over\nme and bound myself firmly to it.\n\nI had not lain long in that position, with the heavy weight of the\nbeast upon me, when a monstrous vulture came out of the sky, and,\nseizing upon the carcase with a loud scream, gripped it in its powerful\ntalons and rose up and away with it and me. And it rose higher and\nhigher, with a mighty flapping of its wings, until at last it alighted\non a broad ledge near the summit of the mountain--a place which,\njudging by the bleached bones lying on every hand, was the favourite\nfeeding-place of these birds. This was clearly known to the merchant\nwho had cast the carcase down, for, no sooner had the vulture deposited\nhis burden and started to tear at the flesh, than he sprang out with\nloud cries and scared it away.\n\nHalf smothered by the weight of the slaughtered beast I lost no time in\nfreeing myself, and soon I struggled to my feet and stood there with my\nclothes stained and polluted with its blood. When the merchant saw me\nhis fear was great; but his disappointment was even greater when, his\nfear mastered by the lust of gain, he turned the carcase over and found\nno diamonds sticking to the flesh. Pitying him in his sad case--for he\nwas smiting hand on hand and calling out against fate--I advanced and\nsaid, \"Curse not fate, nor fear me, for I am of thy kind, and I hear\nwith me an abundance of these stones the loss of which thou lamentest;\nand they are of the largest that a man can carry upborne by a vulture's\nwings. Of these will I give unto thee; therefore forget thy fear and\nbury thy disappointment.\"\n\nOn hearing this the merchant thanked me and prayed fervently for me\nand my family; and he ceased not to pray for the prolongation of my\nlife until I had bestowed upon him the largest diamonds I could find\nwithin my garments. While he was thanking me for this there came his\ncompanions, each of whom had cast down a carcase; and, when they had\nheard the story of my escape, they congratulated me and bade me come\nwith them, for they said, \"By Allah! thou art greatly favoured by fate,\nsince none but thee hath been in that valley and escaped to tell the\ntale.\"\n\nAfter my perilous adventures, and my despairing sojourn in the valley\nof serpents, I was filled with the utmost joy at finding my fellow\nmortals around me; and, seeing this, they made me welcome among them,\nand I partook of their food and wine. We passed the night in a safe\nplace, and, when morning came, we set forth over the mountain ranges\noverlooking the valley of the serpents and at length descended to a\nstretch of sea. This we crossed by means of the boats which they had\nmoored by the shore, and came thus to a low-lying island where grew\ncamphor trees in abundance, each of which might shield a hundred men\nfrom the sun. Here, too, upon the plains roamed the wild rhinoceros,\nof which wonderful tales are told by people who return from unknown\nlands. This beast impales an elephant upon its horn with ease, and\nwanders thus, with little hindrance to its pasturing, until the fat\nof the elephant, melting in the heat of the sun, and flowing down into\nits eyes, renders it blind; whereupon it seeks the seashore and lies\ndown until such time as the rukh may find it and carry both it and the\nelephant away as a morsel for its young. But I speak of what I know\nand, as I saw naught of this kind, I can but say that I know not.\n\nI continued with my companions for some space, journeying from island\nto island and exchanging the diamonds we had acquired for rich\nmerchandise. And, in passing through many countries unheard of in\nthis city, I separated from them and went my way, coming at length\nto El-Basrah with a princely cargo of goods. Thence I journeyed to\nBaghdad, the Abode of Peace, and rejoined my family. Wealth I had\nin abundance, and I resorted to my former life of luxury, bestowing\ngifts and alms, wearing rich apparel, and eating and drinking with my\ncompanions. This is the story of my second voyage, and by the grace of\nGod (whose name be exalted!) I will narrate to-morrow the still more\nremarkable adventures that befell me on my third voyage.\n\n\nTHE THIRD VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nHAVING rested for a space in Baghdad, where I lived surrounded by every\nhappiness and delight, I began again to experience that restless desire\nfor travel and commerce which had drawn me forth on my former voyages.\nWhen the desire grew so great that I could no longer withstand it,\nI set out with a large stock of merchandise and arrived at the city\nof El-Basrah, where I took ship, together with a goodly company of\nmerchants, and others of high standing and repute.\n\nFor many days we sailed outwards, buying and selling among the\nislands; until, one day, while we were in the midst of the ocean, a\nstorm descended upon us and blew the ship out of its course. The wind\ncontinued from one quarter with great violence, and for a day and night\nwe were hurled before it. When morning came it abated, and the master\nof the ship looked forth on every hand to ascertain where we were.\nSuddenly he uttered a loud cry and plucked his beard. \"God preserve\nus!\" he said. \"The gale hath driven us to an evil fate. See! yonder is\nthe Mountain of Apes! None hath ever come near it and escaped.\"\n\nWe looked and beheld a high mountain on an island, and, while we\nwere gazing at it, and wondering where lay the danger at so great a\ndistance, behold, the sea around us was swarming with apes which had\nswum out from the island. They were hideous black beasts, not of large\nsize, but of malignant aspect; and so great was their number that we\nwere powerless to stand against them. They climbed up the sides of the\nship and seized upon the ropes, which they severed with their sharp\nteeth so that the sails were powerless and the vessel drifted with tide\nand wind to the shore. There we were seized by the apes and set on\nthe land, after which they returned to the ship and bent fresh ropes\nand set the sails and departed over the sea we knew not whither. But\nwe ceased to wonder at the manner of their going, for we were in a\ndesperate plight, since all sailors feared the Mountain of Apes and no\nship would ever approach the island to rescue us.\n\nIn our wanderings through the island, eating of its fruits and drinking\nof its streams, we came at length to an open space in which stood a\nhouse of gigantic size. The walls and the folding doors of ebony were\nvery lofty, and, when we walked into an immense apartment--for the\ndoors were open--we found everything within it of a corresponding size.\nThe cooking utensils were large enough to cook an ox whole, and, on the\ncouch at the upper end, a hundred men might sit with comfort. But no\noccupant could we find, so we seated ourselves and rested for a while,\nand then we slept.\n\nIt was about sunset when we were awakened suddenly by a loud noise and\na trembling of the earth; and lo, we beheld coming from the further\nend of the apartment a gigantic being in the shape of a man. His skin\nwas black, and his eyes blazed like fire; two gleaming tusks protruded\nfrom his great mouth, his enormous ears drooped to his shoulders,\nand his nails were like the sharp claws of a beast of prey. We were\nstricken with great fear at the approach of this frightful being so\nthat we could neither move nor cry out while he advanced to the couch\nand disposed his huge limbs thereon. Then, on turning his head, he\ncaught sight of us and arose and came towards us. As I was nearest to\nhis hand he seized me, and, taking me from the ground, turned me over\nand over in his palm, feeling my limbs to see if they were fat. But, by\nthe grace of God (whose name be exalted!) I was lean and wasted with\nfatigue and affliction; so he set me down and seized another, whom he\nturned over and felt in the same manner. He, too, was lean, and he let\nhim go; but he took one after another until he came to the master of\nship--a big man and fat. With him he was satisfied. Then, seeing what\nhe was about to do, we hid our eyes, and did not look again until the\nogre, having cooked and eaten our master, threw his bones upon a heap\nof others on one side of the apartment. Afterwards he arose and laid\nhimself down upon the couch and slept, and his snoring was like the\nroll of thunder.\n\n[Illustration: The Episode of the Rokh. Page 17]\n\nWe crept forth from that house in terror, feeling that it were happier\nto be killed by apes or drowned in the sea than to be roasted on live\ncoals--a terrible death for a man! We then considered means of hiding,\nor escaping from the place. But there was no place to hide, and the\nship, our only way of escape, was gone. While we were lamenting, a\nspell seemed to be cast over us, so that our very excess of fear drew\nus back to the ogre's house, wherein we sat as before, and slept.\n\nAgain we were awakened by the thunder of the ogre's approach, and\nagain he came and selected one of our number. When, having eaten, he\nslept upon the couch, we conversed together, thinking to find some way\nof escape. One said, \"By Allah! by Allah! let us kill him!\" and he\nproposed a plan. \"Listen, O my brothers!\" I said on hearing this; \"if\nwe seek to kill him let us first prepare some rafts on which to escape,\nfor we may fail of our purpose; and on these rafts we can at worst be\ndrowned, which is better than being roasted.\" They answered me, \"Thou\nart right!\" So we set to work and gathered stout pieces of wood and\ncarried them to the seashore, where we constructed rafts and stowed\nfood upon them in readiness for a hasty departure. Then we returned to\nthe giant's house to carry out our plan.\n\nThe sound of his snoring told us he still slept, so we took two\nsharp-pointed iron spits and heated the points red-hot in the fire.\nThen we approached him cautiously, and, at a given signal, thrust the\nred-hot points one into each of his eyes, and bore upon the spits with\nour combined weight. He arose with a mighty roar, and we fled right and\nleft; for, his sight being destroyed, we feared his blind rage. He\nsearched for us, but, not finding us, he groped for the door, and went\nforth uttering loud cries which shook the earth.\n\nIn great haste, and lashed by mortal fear, we gained the seashore and\nlaunched the rafts; but, scarcely had we gained the water, when we saw\nthe ogre approaching, led by a female more gigantic and more hideous\nthan himself. We swam out, pushing the rafts before us; but they hurled\ngreat rocks after us, and many of our number were killed. Three alone,\nincluding myself, escaped, and, after much stress and peril, reached\nanother island.\n\nWe had gained at length what seemed to us a place of safety, high and\ndry above the wave and far from the ogre's domain; and there, when\nnight came on, we slept, but only to awaken to fresh terrors. Lo! in\nthe act of coiling round us was a serpent of enormous size, its folds\ncontracting and its head raised to strike. At sight of this, another\nand myself were more nimble than our companion, for we sprang clear\nof the serpent's embrace while he was seized in the huge jaws and\nslowly swallowed with a horrible crackling of bones. And we mourned our\ncompanion and went thenceforth in fear for ourselves. Dreading to sleep\nagain on the ground we climbed a high tree, and, binding ourselves\neach in a safe position with our turbans, we slept fitfully. But alas!\nGod hath given to all serpents the wisdom of the Evil One. That night\nthe serpent mounted the tree, and, seizing my companion, proceeded to\nswallow him, while I looked on in helpless fear. Then, in descending\nthe tree, it coiled its vast bulk round the trunk and I heard my\ncompanion's bones crack within its paunch.\n\nWhen morning had come I descended from the tree feeling that my\nsafest course was to drown myself in the waves, for where else could\nI hide that the serpent could not find me? But life is sweet, and I\npondered long upon a cunning plan to protect myself. Then, repairing to\nthe seashore, I selected some pieces of wood from the raft, and took\nthem to a dry place. Towards evening, when I had eaten of the fruits\nof the island and drunk of its streams, I bound a long piece of wood\ncrosswise upon the soles of my feet and another crosswise upon my head;\nI secured a wide flat piece to my right side, another to my left side,\nand another to the front of my body; and there, having thrust my arms\nunder the side pieces, I lay encased. And, as the evening wore on, the\nserpent saw me, and drew near; but it could not swallow me because\nof the pieces of wood. All through the night it tried to come at me,\nattempting in all ways to effect its purpose; but in every way it\nfailed, while I lay like a dead man, gazing in speechless horror at the\nterrible creature. And it ceased not in its efforts to engulf me till\nmorning broke, when it went its way consumed with rage and vexation.\nThen I freed myself from the pieces of wood and arose, trembling in\nevery limb, but thanking God for my deliverance; for, look you, I was\nsorely tried by what I had endured from that serpent.\n\nNot many hours later I had the good fortune to espy a ship far out\nupon the sea, and, as it was making as if to pass a headland of the\nisland somewhat closely, I ran with all speed and established myself\non the furthest point. There I waved my unfolded turban to attract the\nnotice of those on the vessel. At last they saw me, and came and took\nme on board. They listened to my story with great astonishment, and\ncongratulated me on my escape. Then they gave me clean raiment, and\nset food and drink before me, so that I was revived and comforted. And,\nas we proceeded on our way I was emboldened to look back on all I had\nsuffered as nothing more than a terrible dream.\n\nIn the course of our journey we came to an island where the sandal\nwood grows, and here I landed with the other merchants. But they had\ngoods to sell, while I, alas! had none. Then, strange to relate, the\nsame kind Providence that had befriended me on my first voyage was at\nmy service once more, and in the same guise. The master of the ship,\nseeing me without merchandise, came to me, and, taking compassion upon\nmy poor condition, told me of some goods in the hold which belonged to\na man whom they had lost during the voyage. He offered me these goods\nto sell upon the island so that, when an account had been rendered\nto the owner's family in Baghdad, there would be a recompense for my\ntrouble and service. I thanked him gladly for this, and he ordered the\ngoods to be brought up and landed on the island. And lo! when I saw the\nbales, I knew them, and showed how they were marked with the name of\nSindbad the Sailor. Then, seeing that they were perplexed, I shouted\nin my excitement, \"Do you not hear me? _I_ am Sindbad the Sailor, and\nthese are my goods!\"\n\nWhile some believed and others doubted I related my story from the\ntime I had awakened upon the island to find myself alone; and, when I\nmentioned the valley of diamonds, a merchant came forward and confirmed\nmy words, for it was he whose slaughtered beast had helped me to\nsafety. \"Hear me, ye doubters!\" he said. \"When I related this very\nthing to you, you believed me not; but see--this is the man I spoke of,\nand now you have it independently from his own mouth. Learn from this,\nO my brothers, never while living, doubt a true tale because it is\nmarvellous.\" Then the master asked me what was the distinguishing mark\nof my goods, and I replied that it was such and such a mark, and I also\ncalled to his mind some conversation between him and me before the ship\nleft El-Basrah. He was then convinced that I was Sindbad the Sailor,\nand he congratulated me and embraced me, saying that my story was most\nextraordinary.\n\nThe remainder of this, my third voyage, was occupied in buying and\nselling among the islands on the way to El-Basrah, whence, in good\ntime, laden with wealth and rich merchandise, I proceeded to Baghdad to\ndwell in peace again, surrounded by my family and friends. Here, for\na season, charmed with every delight, I forgot the perils and horrors\nI had endured. But the longing for travel and adventure found me out\nagain, impelling me to undertake a fourth voyage; and the events of\nthis--more marvellous than those of the preceding voyages, O Sindbad,\nthe Landsman--I will narrate to you to-morrow.\n\n\nTHE FOURTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nLED by the desire to associate with other races, and to buy and sell\nfor gain,--for the soul is prone to evil,--I departed from Baghdad with\nmany precious bales, and set sail from El-Basrah in a large ship on\nwhich a company of other merchants embarked in like fashion.\n\nFor many days we had a pleasant journey among the islands, and all\nwent well with us until, on reaching the wider sea beyond, a mighty\nwind came up against us. The sea rose in great waves as the tempest\nincreased, and we were in dire peril. More and more violent grew the\ngale, lashing the sea into fury. The sails were rent, the masts were\nblown away, we sprang a leak, and slowly the vessel began to sink. We\ngave ourselves up for lost, and, indeed, when the waves passed over us\nand we sank, many perished. But, in the seething turmoil, it was my\ngood fortune to be cast against a broad plank, which I seized and held.\nOthers were struggling for life near by and I was able to draw some of\nthem to me. Sore buffetted as we were by wind and wave we mounted that\nplank and sat astride of it. Thus, through a whole day and night, we\ndrifted before the gale, now descending into despairing hollows of the\nsea, and now flung up on the mountain tops of billows. At dawn on the\nfollowing day the sea cast us like dead men upon an island, where, for\nmany hours, we lay exhausted. Albeit, strength began to return to us\nagain, and we arose feebly, and staggered forth into the island. Fruit\nand herbs there were in abundance, and clear fresh water; so we ate and\ndrank and were revived.\n\nThat night we slept upon the shore, and in the morning we arose\nstrengthened and invigorated. When we had broken our fast we set\nourselves to explore the island, and had not gone far in this before we\ncame to a great building. As we stood at the door of this, wondering\nwho dwelt within, a party of naked men came out, and without a word,\nseized us and led us in to a spacious apartment, where we found\nourselves standing before their King. He commanded us to be seated,\nand they brought us food of a strange kind, such as we had never seen.\nMy companions ate largely of this but my stomach revolted at it and I\nate but little--a thing which preserved me from a terrible fate. For,\nas my companions ate, they became mad with a ravenous hunger, and ate\nmore and more. Presently they were given cocoanut oil to drink, and,\nwhen they had swallowed it, their eyes rolled in their heads, and they\ncontinued to eat in a frenzy horrible to behold.\n\nI was consumed with fear at these things and said within myself, \"This\nis a tribe of the Magi and their King is a ghoul!\" As I observed them\nattentively I remembered a story of these people: how they seize on\ntravellers and set this loathsome food before them to eat, and give\nthem the oil to drink, so that they swell out and eat more and more\nuntil they are fattened to an enormous degree and their minds are\nrendered like those of idiots; whereupon, in due time, they kill and\nroast them and serve them up as food to their King. And all these\nthings I saw in the days that my companions were fattening, for there\nwere others who had been seized before us, and each day one of these\nwas killed and roasted and set before the King.\n\nWhile I was wasting away with fear and hunger--and it was on this\naccount that they forgot me and left me to die in my own way--my\ncompanions had come to be like dull, heavy, stupid beasts of the field,\nso that they were placed in the care of a beastherd, who led them\nforth every day to the pasturage. As for myself, as soon as I observed\nthat I was a failure in that I would not fatten, and that none took\nheed of me nor marked my coming or my going, I arose in the night and\ncrept away among the trees surrounding the King's dwelling. Then, when\nmorning came, I went forth with a heart of fear, knowing not what fresh\nterror I should encounter. In my wanderings back and forth I came about\nmidday to a stretch of green pasture, where I beheld with sorrow my\nlate companions grazing on all fours, and fattening like beasts for the\nslaughter, while the beastherd sat upon a rock and piped on an oaten\nreed. I breathed a silent farewell to them as to those I should never\nsee again, and turned sadly away.\n\nMy heart was cold within me, and my steps were faltering as I wandered\non, pausing here and there to gather edible herbs and roots, which, for\nwant of something better, served to sustain life in my body. Journeying\nin this way I came at length to a grove of pepper trees, and there were\nmen at work in it, gathering the berries. Their aspect seemed to me to\nbe peaceable, so I exposed myself, and they approached me and pressed\nupon me, asking my name and whence I had come, for my aspect excited\ntheir curiosity. Then I unfolded to them the tale of the adventures,\nthe perils, and the horrors that had befallen me; and, when I had\nrelated the sad case of my companions, they wondered greatly at my\nescape. While they resumed their work, they made me welcome amongst\nthem, and set nutritious food before me, the like of which I had not\ntasted for many days. I regaled myself on their bounty and rested, and\nwas content.\n\nWhen they had finished their work at the setting of the sun they took\nme with them to the seashore, and I accompanied them in their vessel\nto an island, not far distant, where they brought me to their King.\nAnd, there, before them and his court, at his command I narrated my\nadventures since leaving Baghdad, at which his interest was kindled,\nand he bade me sit with him and eat. And I did so gladly, for my body\nwas thin and meagre, and my vigour was sorely wanting. After that,\nhaving shewn my gratitude to the King and offered praise to God for\nHis saving grace, I rose, and, with the King's permission, went forth\ninto his city. It was a well-conditioned, flourishing place, thronged\nwith buyers and sellers; and there was an abundance of food and rich\nmerchandise.\n\nAs day followed day and time drew on I had cause to rejoice at my\narrival in that city, for I found favour with the King, and he\nmagnified me over his people and his great men. Observing the ways of\nthe people, I saw that the horses that they rode were without saddles;\nwhereupon I went in to the King and spoke to him on the matter,\ndescribing a saddle and the ease and comfort of it. At this the King\ndesired me to make him one, and placed at my disposal his cleverest\ncarpenter with many tools and instruments. And I sat with the carpenter\nand instructed him how to proceed, so that the saddle, covered with\npolished leather and stuffed with teased wool, was soon complete. I\nattached stirrup-straps and girths, and showed the blacksmith how\nto fashion the stirrups. Then, with the aid of costly fringes and\ntrappings, the work was complete. Full of satisfaction I sent for one\nof the King's finest horses, saddled and bridled him, and led him\nbefore His Majesty. He was greatly pleased at the sight of what I had\ndone, and, when he had mounted the horse and sat in the saddle, he was\noverjoyed at the ease and pleasure of it, and bestowed upon me a large\nreward.\n\nWhen the King's chief officials and the grandees of his Court saw the\nsaddle which I had made, they each and all desired me to make others\nlike it. Then, with the carpenter and the blacksmith, I employed many\ndays in the construction of numerous saddles, and for these I received\nmuch gold, and rose to an assured position in the land.\n\nThe high rank and honour which the King had bestowed upon me had but\nhalf expressed his heart towards me. I was yet to learn that he had a\nfurther favour in store. One day, while I was sitting at his right hand\ndiscussing affairs of state, he said to me, \"O my son, seeing thou hast\nnow become as one of us and we cannot part with thee, I desire that\nthou give ear to a matter which I have planned and which will bind thee\nmore closely to us.\" And I answered him, \"For thy great kindness to me,\nO King, I am now and henceforth thy faithful servant. What dost thou\ndesire me to do?\" And he looked at me intently and said, \"I would marry\nthee to a woman of high rank among us--one possessed of great beauty\nand wealth--so that thou mayest continue to dwell with us in pleasure\nand comfort and with a good heart. Thus shalt thou advantage greatly\nand receive every good thing at my hands; wherefore, refuse me not, nor\noppose my wish.\"\n\nI remained silent, for I was overwhelmed by his proposal and the stress\nof bashfulness it brought to my face. Seeing this, he rallied me and\nsaid, \"Art thou dumb? Is not thy heart with us?\" Then of a sudden I\nreplied, \"O King! Thy words took away my breath. As thou commandest, so\nI obey.\"\n\nPleased at my compliance the King immediately ordered his officials to\nbring the lady and the witnesses, and forthwith I was married to her\nwith the King's blessing and the acclamation of all his Court. She was\nof surpassing loveliness, and she brought me a dowry of abundant wealth\nand possessions. And to this the King added a magnificent house with\nservants and slaves, and assigned me a handsome salary. And I lived in\nease and comfort, our days being full of delights. Gone was all thought\nof the perils and hardships I had endured, and gone was the fear of\nadversities in store. But there is no strength nor power but in God,\nand He orders the fates of men as He will. On an evil day a great fear\nsuddenly came to me by reason of a thing which I will make known to you.\n\nA companion of mine suffered a bereavement in that his wife died;\nwhereupon I went to him, and mourned with him, saying, \"Take heart,\nO brother; God will fill her place to thee with one far better.\" But\nhe continued to weep, saying, \"Alas! How can I marry another when\nthis very day I depart this life?\" \"Nay,\" said I, \"that is not within\nreason, for thou art in good health and not like to die.\" He then\nraised his head and dried his tears, and said to me very slowly, \"Hear\nme, O my brother! Knowest thou not that, to-day, they will bury my\nwife, and that they will bury me also in the same tomb with her? For\nsuch is our custom. When husband or wife is buried the other must be\nburied also, so that neither may continue to enjoy life alone.\"\n\n\"By Allah!\" said I, smiting palm on palm, \"this custom is wholly vile,\nand it toucheth me closely.\" Then, as we continued to discuss this\nmatter, there came others who condoled with my companion, grieving not\nonly for the loss of his wife, but also that they should never see him\nmore. And, later in the day, came yet others bearing a bier; and on\nthis they laid the woman and carried her forth prepared for burial with\nall her jewels and raiment and wealth. And the husband went with them.\n\nThrough sympathy with my companion, and to bid him a last farewell, I\nfollowed this funeral procession till it halted in a distant spot on\nthe sea-shore. There a great stone was lifted and a vault exposed. Into\nthis they threw the body of the woman, and then, by means of a stout\ncord, they lowered the husband gently till he rested by her side. A\npitcher of water and seven cakes were then let down to him, and, when\nhe had freed himself from the cord, they drew it up and closed the\nsepulchre and went their ways.\n\n\"By Allah!\" said I within myself as I smote myself on my breast, \"this\nmanner of death is the worst of all!\" And on my return I went in to the\nKing with grief and fear gnawing at my heart. \"O King!\" I said, \"Tell\nme why is this: that ye bury the living with the dead?\" Said he, \"O\nmy son, it is the custom of our country and has descended to us from\nour ancestors: husband and wife are one, in death as in life.\" And I\nanswered him with a question that concerned me nearly. \"O my lord,\" I\nsaid, \"and the stranger that sojourneth with thee: if his wife die, do\nye treat him in like manner?\" \"Yea,\" he replied, \"in like manner, even\nas thou hast seen.\" Then I departed from him in grief and mourning lest\nI should perchance be bereft of my wife. In vain did I say to myself,\n\"Be comforted! Maybe thou wilt die before her--none knoweth.\" In vain\ndid I give myself up to my manifold occupations. The fear was not to be\ndispelled.\n\nAnd, within a short time, what I had feared came to pass. My wife\nwas stricken with a fever, and, when I had reason to hope she would\nrecover, she suddenly relapsed and died. My grief at this was\noverwhelming, but, as if to add to it, there came many to condole with\nme on her death and to mingle their tears with mine for that I should\nsoon be departing this life. The King himself came and commiserated\nwith me on my most unhappy fate. And he said, \"There is no strength nor\npower in any but God. Farewell, O my son!\"\n\nAnd they prepared my wife for burial, arraying her in her richest\ngarments and her finest jewels. But, when they carried her to the\nburial place and cast her down into the pit, and all my companions\npressed upon me to bid me farewell, my gorge rose and I cried out upon\nthem that their custom was vile. Loudly I spoke my bitter mind on the\nabominable nature of this thing; they would not listen, but took me\nby force and lowered me into the pit, together with the seven cakes\nand the pitcher of water. And when I had reached the floor of a vast\ncavern they called down to me: \"Untie the ropes that we may draw them\nup!\" I answered, \"Draw me up with them!\" \"Nay, nay;\" they replied, \"we\ndo but follow our custom.\" \"To the ravens with you and your custom!\" I\nretorted, for I had no stomach for this proceeding. Then, as I steadily\nrefused to loose the ropes, they at last threw them down upon me, and,\nhaving closed the mouth of the pit, went their way.\n\nNow was I in worse plight than I had ever been. On that cavern floor\nthere were the bodies and bleached bones of those that had died\na natural death cheek by jowl with those who had perished in the\nfulfilment of this abominable custom. And I said to myself, \"Better to\nremain single and live, than to marry and be buried alive.\"\n\nNevertheless, knowing not night from day, I kept myself from death by\neating sparingly of the cakes and drinking some of the water, for I\nwas in no mood to die in so vile a manner after having come through\ngreat perils by mountain and sea. At length, when I had eaten all the\ncakes and drunk all the water, and hunger and thirst began to cry out\nwithin me, I arose and wandered to and fro in the cavern, stumbling\nand falling over dead bodies and biting the dust of bones that had\ncrumbled long since. By dint of much groping in the dark I at length\nfound the wall of the cavern, and, selecting therein a cavity free from\nbones and corpses, I stretched myself and slept.\n\nI was awakened later as if by hunger and thirst knocking at the door;\nand, while I sat in gloom thinking of the plenty in Baghdad--fool that\nI was to leave it!--I heard a sudden noise. Looking forth from my\ncavity, I saw that the stone had been removed from the opening of the\ncavern and a dead body was being lowered. It was the body of a man, and\nafter him was let down the living body of his wife. She was weeping\nand wailing for him and for herself. Then the mouth of the cavern was\nclosed again and all was dark and silent save for the wailing of the\nwoman echoing through the cavern. \"Alas!\" she cried, \"that I should die\nthis lingering death! Had I the means to end my life, then would I do\nit. Would that there were one here to slay me!\"\n\nWhen I heard this I remembered that I had never been able to resist the\npleadings of a woman. So I arose, and, taking a stout leg-bone in my\nhand, I slew her according to her desire. And I took her seven cakes\nand the pitcher of water, which she would no longer need, and, retiring\nto my cavity, I ate and drank. This thing occurred many times during my\nsojourn in that cavern, for a number of married men and women chanced\nto die. And, though they did not always cry out for me to slay them, I\nknew their prayer before-hand and answered it speedily. Thus the cakes\nand the water bequeathed to me stayed my spirit and I continued to live.\n\nTime passed slowly, but yet it passed. I had no other means of\nmeasuring it except to call an hour a day and a day a year. And I\nwas weary to death of it all when an unwonted thing occurred. I was\nawakened suddenly from sleep by a noise at the far end of the cavern.\nThen I heard footsteps as of some beast. I arose, and, arming myself\nwith a stout bone, advanced upon the intruder; but it heard me and fled\nfrom me, and I could not come at it. Yet, as I followed its footsteps,\nI saw its form darken a pin-spot of daylight at the end of a crevice\nof the cavern. This gave me a glimmer of hope, for, where that beast\nhad passed, I myself might pass, and so gain the outer air. Over jagged\npoints of rock I clambered towards that opening, now losing sight\nof it, and now gaining view of it again, until at last I reached it\nand found that it was indeed a communication with the outer country.\nWith some difficulty I forced my way through it and climbed down by a\nperilous pathway to the seashore.\n\nI had escaped from the sepulchre of the living and the dead, and I\npraised God for the sight of the sky and the sea; but, when I had\nlooked into my position and found behind me an impassable precipice,\nbefore me the wide stretching sea, and above me the dome of heaven, I\nsat down on the shore with my head on my knees and said within myself,\n\"There is no way out! I cannot scale the sheer cliff, neither can I\ntread the fishes' pathways in the sea, nor walk in the tracks made by\nbirds in the air. There is no way out!\"\n\nDay followed day, and I strove to stay my hunger with what shell-fish I\ncould find; but the supply was meagre, and again and again I was forced\nto return to the cavern to receive reward of cakes and water in return\nfor merciful death dealt by my hand. Far be it from me to rob the\ndead, and none can say I did so. It was in the spirit of a last gift\ngenerously bestowed by those about to die that chains of pure gold\nwere hung about my neck and rich jewels thrust upon me. These keepsakes\nof many I retained, assured that later I should carry them with me to a\nnameless grave in a desolate spot.\n\nBut God, in His infinite mercy, willed it otherwise, for one day,\nsitting sadly on the shore as was my wont, I espied a vessel on the\nsea. Hope surged high within my breast and I arose and stripped myself\nof a white garment and mounted it on a staff and ran wildly to and fro,\nwaving it above me. And, when my signal was observed, the vessel stayed\nits course and sent a boat ashore.\n\n\"Who art thou, and what doest thou here?\" cried one from the boat as\nit ran upon the beach. \"Know ye not that this is a desolate coast, and\nnone has ever been seen upon it?\" And I greeted them with joy, and\nanswered them, telling my strange experience in a few words. Then,\ntheir wonder strong within them, they took me across to the ship and\nled me before the master, who marvelled greatly at finding a man where\nnone had ever seen a human being before. He asked me many questions,\nand when I answered him, giving him the whole history of my adventures\nas heretofore set down, he was a man bewildered. Raising his eyes to\nheaven he said, \"By Allah! thy case is extraordinary!\" And all around\nwondered that a man could experience such things and live.\n\nIn return for his kindness in rescuing me from my terrible plight, I\ntendered him some of the rarest jewels I had brought with me from the\ncavern. But he refused me courteously, saying, \"Nay, O my brother; if\nwe find one in like case with thee, we succour him and give him to eat\nand drink; and, if he be naked, we clothe him. Then, at the first city\nwe reach, we set him on land with some valuable token of our goodwill;\nfor so it is with us of the sea that we are not unmindful of the\nsufferings of others.\" And, when I heard this, I prayed for him and his\nfamily, that he and they might live long in health and prosperity.\n\n[Illustration: The Episode of the Snake. Page 25]\n\nOur journey from that place, where I had suffered so much, took us from\nisland unto island towards the city of El-Basrah. As we proceeded, the\nplaces where we cast anchor grew more and more familiar to me, and, as\nof old, I bought and sold as merchants do. At length we arrived at the\ncity of El-Basrah, whence, having transacted business there for some\ndays, bartering and selling the jewels I had acquired, I journeyed\nto Baghdad. There, in the bosom of my family, and surrounded by my\ncompanions, I returned to my former habit of life. These, then, were\nthe experiences of my fourth voyage; and, O my brother, Sindbad the\nLandsman! if thou wilt honour me by thy presence to-morrow, I will\nrelate to thee still stranger things that befel me in my fifth voyage.\n\n\nTHE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nLOOKING back from the position of safety and comfort to which I had\nreturned I came in time to make light of the perils I had encountered\nand the sufferings I had endured. The advantages that had come to me\nthrough these perils and sufferings now stood in the foreground of my\nthoughts and I said within myself, \"It is the life for a man; for how\notherwise can he come at the meaning of the great book of the world\nthan by treading its pages?\" And, moreover I had conceived the wish to\nbecome the owner of a ship, for thus the gain accruing from a voyage to\nother lands would be so much greater.\n\nHaving considered the matter deeply, I arose from my life of luxury\nand ease and departed with many bales of merchandise for the city of\nEl-Basrah. There in the river I found at length a splendid vessel,\nwhich I purchased. I found a master and a crew, over whom I set my own\ntrusty servants; and, having secured a goodly company of merchants as\npassengers, I embarked their bales and mine, and we set sail. We worked\nour way outwards, calling at island after island, and doing the usual\nbusiness that merchants find in those places, until one day we came to\na large uninhabited island.\n\nHere, while I was engaged in matters concerning the vessel, the\nmerchants landed and, as I afterwards learned, they found there the\ngreat egg of a rukh, such as I had met with on a former voyage.\nMistaking it for a deserted structure, and, failing to find an\nentrance, they had amused themselves by casting stones at it, so that\nit broke; whereupon a young rukh came forth from the shell. And they\nset upon this monstrous chicken in its helpless condition, and slew it,\nand brought great slabs of its flesh back to the ship.\n\nWhen I heard what they had done I was sore afraid and reproached them\nfor their rash action. \"For, look you,\" I said, \"there is not a doubt\nthe mother rukh will seek to revenge the loss of her young, and, seeing\nour ship, will attribute the deed to us, and attack us and destroy us.\"\nBut they neither heeded my warning nor repented them of their rash\naction.\n\nThe vengeance of the rukh was sudden and dire. Scarce had I spoken\nwhen the sun was obscured from our sight, and, looking up, we beheld\nthe gigantic bird descending upon the island. When it saw that its egg\nhad been broken and its young one destroyed it flew above us, looking\ndown at the ship and shrieking in a voice that filled the sky. On this\nit was joined by its mate, and the two circled round us, their hoarse\ncries of rage falling like thunder on the sea. In great fear I bade the\nmaster and the sailors hoist the sails and seek safety in flight.\n\nThen, as soon as we began to draw off from the island, the rukhs left\nus and flew inland, so that we thought we had made good our escape.\nBut soon they reappeared and came after us, each bearing in its talons\na huge mass of rock. One of them flew above us and dropped the rock,\nso that we saw death descending upon us. But the great mass missed\nthe ship by a narrow space, and, falling close astern, raised such a\ncommotion of waves that the ship was flung up on a mountain of water\nand then hurled down against the bottom of the sea before little by\nlittle she came to rest on the level tide. Then the other rukh dropped\nthe rock from its talons, and fate ordained that it struck the ship\nastern with a mighty crash. Amid cries of fear and despair we sank into\nthe sea, and all seemed lost.\n\nHow I survived the shock and turmoil of that sudden shipwreck I cannot\ndescribe clearly, for I was like one stunned or wrenched from his mind\napart. How I sought to save myself is gone from me by reason of the\nextreme peril. I can imagine only that I touched some wreckage and\nclung to it, for, when my mind returned to me, I found myself on the\nshore of an island sitting upon a plank, which, it seemed had borne me\nhither. That I had fought against wind and wave I knew, for I was well\nnigh exhausted. I could do nothing more than drag myself painfully to a\nsheltered spot, where I rested and slept.\n\nWhen I arose later in the day, I was refreshed; and, having found both\nfruit and water, I ate and drank and my strength returned to me. I went\nforth upon the island, and to and fro in it, but I found no other's\nfootprint on the shore, nor any sign of human habitation from coast to\ncoast. But that there _was_ a dweller there I was soon to learn, and to\nmy cost.\n\nIt was on the following day towards evening, when I was walking among\nthe trees, that I came upon an old man sitting on the bank of a stream.\nHe was a comely old man, with flowing silver locks and an ample white\nbeard. He was clothed, from the waist downward, with the leaves of\ntrees threaded together. As I regarded him for some moments I felt\nthat his whole aspect betokened a disposition of simplicity and mild\nbenevolence. Advancing upon the bank I spoke to him, but he shook his\nhead sadly and sighed; and I saw that his speech was gone. Then he made\nsigns with his hands as if to say, \"Mount me upon thy neck and carry me\nacross the stream.\"\n\nI felt kindly disposed towards this mild and gentle old man, and wished\nto do him a service; so I mounted him upon my neck and took him across\nthe stream. \"Now,\" I said, \"Thou canst dismount when it pleaseth thee!\"\nBut, instead of dismounting, he wound his legs still more closely round\nmy neck, and pressed his feet into my chest, so that I cried out with\npain and rage and attempted to throw him from my shoulders. But my\nfrantic efforts were in vain; he stuck like a leech, and I could not\ndislodge him. Indeed, he clung so tight that he nearly throttled me,\nand I fell to the ground exhausted. Then he belaboured me sorely with\nhis feet until I arose with him again, and, in this way, he compelled\nme to obey him. When he would go in among the trees he made a sign with\nhis hand, and, if I obeyed not with alacrity, he beat me with his feet\nunmercifully. By reason of his behaviour I was at last compelled to\ncancel my first opinion of him and, though he cleaved to me night and\nday, we were by no means friends. I was his captive and he ceased not\nto remind me of it. If I dallied by the way, or stumbled, his hard feet\nwould rain blows upon me; and, at night, when he slept with his legs\nwound tightly round my neck, he would often dream that I had disobeyed\nhim and would beat me violently with his feet and hands.\n\nFor many many days I was ridden hither and hither at the will of this\nobstinate old fellow, who, though he could not torment me with speech,\nwas truculent enough in his manner. And I reproached myself for having\ndesired to do him a service, saying constantly in my mind, \"By Allah!\nnever again while living will I do a service to any!\"\n\nAt length one day the old man guided and belaboured me into a space\non the island where pumpkins grew in abundance. While he was eating\nsome of these I took others that were ripe, and, having cleaned out\nthe seeds and coarse matter through a small aperture, filled them\nwith the juice of grapes; then I filled up the apertures and laid the\npumpkins in the sun. Thus in a few days I procured pure wine, and,\nevery day thereafter, while the old man on my neck ate of the pumpkins,\nI drank of the wine until I became intoxicated, and laughed and sang\nand danced about with him among the trees. And when, with fist and\nheel, he desired to know the cause of this, I showed him the wine that\nI had made. Seeing that its effect upon me was so agreeable he sought\nto achieve the same happy result by drinking largely of it himself,\nso that he grew hilarious and broke a pumpkin over my head, rocking\nand rolling in his seat with laughter. Then, as he continued to drink,\nhe gradually lost control of his limbs and lolled from side to side;\nwhereupon I grasped his feet and unwound them from my neck and threw\nhim on the ground. And so at last, to rid the earth of such a monster,\nI slew him, and left him there for the vultures.\n\nAfter this, happiness returned to me and I went about the island like\none relieved of a heavy burden, as indeed I had been. And day by day\nI sat by the sea watching for a vessel. But I lived upon the island\nmany days before at last I saw a ship approach and cast anchor off the\nshore. When the passengers had landed I ran towards them and welcomed\nthem, answering their many questions respecting my condition. They\nlistened to my story with great amazement. Then someone said, \"This old\nman of whom thou speakest is surely he whom they call the Old Man of\nthe Sea. He hath ridden many to death, and none hath escaped but thee.\nTherefore, praise God for thy deliverance.\"\n\nThey took me to the ship and set food before me, and, after I had\neaten, they brought me some clean clothes and I clad myself decently.\nAs the ship set sail for El-Basrah my thoughts went before it to\nBaghdad, The Abode of Peace; but I was destined to mischance, for a\nstrange thing befell me. We had journeyed but a few days when we came\nto an island whereon was a city with lofty spires and splendid houses.\nThis was the City of Apes, of which I had heard that at night-time the\npeople, fearing the apes, put out in boats upon the sea, so to sleep in\nsafety.\n\nI landed on this island with some companions, and, in our going about\nthe city, I missed them. While I was searching everywhere they must\nhave returned to the ship, thinking I had preceded them, for, when I\nreached the shore later, the vessel had gone. I reproached myself for\nthis mishap, for I had already suffered once at the hands of the apes.\nSo I sat on the seashore bemoaning my fate.\n\nWhile I was doing this, one of the people of the city came to me and\nenquired as to my trouble, and I told him. \"Then come with us in our\nboat,\" he said, \"for the night is falling, and if thou remain in the\ncity the apes will devour thee.\" So I went with them, and we pushed off\ntogether with a multitude of other boats until we rested about a mile\nfrom the shore; and there we remained and slept till the morning, when\neveryone returned to the city and went about his occupation. And in\nlike manner as the inhabitants sleep upon the sea by night, and dwell\nin the city by day, so the apes infest the city by night and sleep in\nthe forests by day. Woe betide any remaining in that city after the\nsun goes down, for he will of a certainty be torn limb from limb and\ndevoured.\n\nI earned my bread in that island in a strange manner, and was able to\nset by a small store of gold. It was in this way. I observed many of\nthe people gathering pebbles on the shore and placing them in bags,\nand, when they had collected a sufficient quantity, they went forth\ninto a valley filled with lofty trees. Here slept the apes among the\nbranches, for the trees were so high that none but an ape could climb\nthem. It was the way of the people then to pelt the apes with the\npebbles, whereupon they awoke screaming and chattering, and plucked the\nfruit from the trees, and hurled it down at their tormentors. And I saw\nthat the fruit was the cocoanut. When a sufficient number of these\nnuts had been secured the people gathered them up and returned to the\ncity, where they sold them. Very soon, I, too, was gathering pebbles\nand pelting the apes in the trees, and in this way I amassed a great\nstore of cocoanuts. These I sold, and bought merchandise and traded and\nprospered in the city.\n\nIn this way I continued for a long time, until at last I took to buying\ncocoanuts from the people and storing them against the arrival of a\nship, when I hoped to sell them in bulk. At length a large vessel\nanchored off the island, and I bargained with the merchants thereon.\nThey agreed with me upon a good price for my store. With the money thus\nobtained I bought more of the merchandise of the place, and embarked\nit on the ship; then, bidding farewell to my companions in the city, I\ntook my departure.\n\nThe ship was bound for El-Basrah, but on the voyage we lingered to\nvisit many islands that I had not seen before. Upon one we found an\nabundance of cinnamon and pepper, and here I noted a peculiar thing.\nOn every bunch of pepper was a large leaf that hung down when the sun\nshone, but, when it rained, this leaf twisted and erected itself above\nthe tendrils to shield them. And this is truth.\n\nSo we sailed onwards, past the islands of the aloes-wood, where the\npeople are depraved and know not the call to prayer, until we came\nat length to the Island of Pearls. Here I gave some cocoanuts to the\ndivers, saying, \"Dive for me for luck!\" And they dived in the sea and\nreturned to the surface with pearls of great size, which they gave\nto me, assuring me that my fortune was of the best. So that when we\nreached El-Basrah I was rich with pearls and merchandise, some of which\nI sold there, and some here in Baghdad.\n\n[Illustration: The Episode of the Old Man of the Sea. Page 43]\n\nOnce more in the lap of luxury, and reposing in the bosom of my family,\nI returned to my former life of revelry and ease, and soon forgot\nthe hardships I had endured. And this is the whole story of my fifth\nvoyage. Return to-morrow, O Sindbad the Landsman, and thou shalt hear\nfrom me the adventures of my sixth voyage, for they are even yet more\nwonderful.\n\n\nTHE SIXTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nON a day when I was living happily in Baghdad, having forgotten the\nperils and dangers of my former voyages, I was sitting at ease in\nmy garden when a party of merchants came to me, and their tales of\ntravel aroused within my bosom a great longing to engage again in the\nhazardous delights of those things. I pondered long upon the matter,\nand, though I had said within myself, \"never will I set forth again,\"\nI found that my mind was made up in spite of me. Therefore I set about\ncollecting merchandise, and, having packed a goodly number of bales, I\ndeparted for El-Basrah, where I took ship with a company of merchants\nand others of high repute.\n\nThe outward voyage was pleasant and fortunate, and we did as others do,\nbuying and selling and amusing ourselves in different cities. But there\ncame a day of disaster, when the master of the ship suddenly discovered\nthat we had wandered from our course, and had lost our reckoning. He\nplucked his beard and smote his breast, and cried out in despair that\nwe had sailed into an unknown sea, where dire perils awaited us. And\nso it proved, for not long afterwards, while we were sailing in a calm\nsea, a sudden wind burst upon us and, before the sails could be\nloosed, the rudder was broken and the ship drifted and was driven at\nlast upon the sides of a high mountain rising up to heaven. She was\ndashed to pieces by the violence of the waves, and, from that terrible\nwreck, few survived. There were some others besides myself who clung to\nthe sides of the mountain, and, by tooth and nail, climbed to a place\nof safety.\n\nLittle by little, when the tide receded, we made our way down among\nthe crags until we came to a strip of seashore, and from this point\nwe could see that the island was of large size, its interior being\nsheltered from storms by the front of the mountain. But what took our\nwonder was this: on the seashore was amassed the wealth of a thousand\nwrecks. Scattered here, there, and everywhere, in foam and high dry,\nwere flotsam and jetsam of richest merchandise, much of it spoiled\nby the sea, but much more cast high up and still of great value. All\nalong the shore were planks and fragments of many vessels that had been\nwrecked on this inhospitable coast. And this was not all, for, when\nwe proceeded through the island, we found a spring of pure ambergris\noverflowing into the sea; and by this the whales are attracted, but\nwhen they have swallowed it and dived to the depths of the sea it turns\nin their stomachs and they eject it, so that it rises to the surface\nin solid lumps such as are found by sailors. But the ambergris that is\ncast about the opening of the spring melts in the heat of the sun, and\nits perfume is blown about the island, wafted sweet upon the breeze\nlike fragrant musk.\n\nWhen we had explored the island and wondered at the many strange\nthings it contained, we searched among the wreckage on the shore and\nfound some few barrels of preserved meats, and on these we stayed\nour hunger. With the provisions on the shore and the fruit we secured\non the island we were in no danger of starvation, but a kind of fever\nseized upon our company and one after another sickened and died. This\nwas a time of stress and despair. Day after day the living buried the\ndead until there was only one left, and that one was I. And I wept and\nwaited, and, as if death would not come uninvited, I arose and dug\nmyself a grave in readiness, for there was none left to bury me when\nI died. It was on the seashore that I made my grave, so that, when I\nshould come to lie in it in my last moments, the wind should blow the\nsand upon me and bury me. And in this state of mind I blamed myself for\nsetting out on this voyage in disregard of the lessons learned from\nformer perils.\n\nBut God in His mercy led my footsteps forth and I roamed in the island,\nrestless for the end. In my wanderings I came to a river gushing forth\nout of the side of a mountain, and, after flowing for a space between\nbanks of verdure in a valley, entering again another mountain. Having\nfollowed it to this point, I sat down upon a bank against the mountain\nwall and pondered. And I said within myself, \"This river flowing\nthrough caverns within the mountain must have an opening somewhere,\nperchance in a fertile country where people dwell.\" For a long time I\nturned the chances of this within my mind and at last decided to build\na raft and commit myself upon it to the current; for at most it were\nbetter to die that way than in my present desolation.\n\nBy means of ropes and wreckage from the seashore my raft was soon\nconstructed, and in its construction I omitted not to measure it\naccording to the width of the river. Then, full of a wild hope that I\nmight at length reach an inhabited region, I stowed upon it rich goods\nfrom the shore, ambergris from the spring, and the rarest jewels I\ncould find in the beds of the watercourses. As I set myself upon the\nraft and launched it, I said, \"If I perish, I perish; but if I come to\nthe haunts of men, I come to them rich in precious things.\"\n\nNo sooner had I entered into the aperture of the mountain than I was\nsuddenly encased in darkness, and, having no choice which way I went,\nflung myself flat on the raft lest my head should be shattered against\nthe roof of the tunnel. Like this I floated on, sometimes feeling\nthere was a wide space around me, and sometimes clinging to the raft\nlest some narrowing of the passage should sweep me to destruction. And\nall this time my terror was so acute that at last I swooned and lay\nface downward on the raft, the plaything of fate and the sport of the\nrushing current.\n\nWhen I awoke I found myself in the open air. The sun was shining above\nand the birds were singing in the trees around me. I was still lying\non the raft, which was tied to a stake on the shore of a beautiful\nlake. As soon as I had raised myself and looked about me a number of\ndark-skinned people gathered round and questioned me in an unknown\ntongue; but I shook my head, understanding nothing of what they said.\nAt last one advanced from among them, and, addressing me in Arabic,\nsaid, \"Peace be with thee, brother!\" Then I seized him joyfully by\nthe hand and greeted him, but I was weary and hungry and could give\nno account of myself because of my utter exhaustion. Seeing my state\nhe called for food and wine, and they hastened to set them before me.\nWhen I had eaten and drunk and my strength had returned to me I told\nwhat I had come through, and the one who had addressed me in Arabic\ninterpreted it to the others. They were filled with wonder at my story\nand insisted that I should accompany them to their King and acquaint\nhim with the history of my strange adventure.\n\nSo they took me, with the raft and all the riches I had laid upon it,\nand led me before their King; and, from his state and magnificence,\nI knew that I beheld the King of Sarandib, whose name and power and\nlearning are known through all the earth. He saluted me in the custom\nof my own people, addressing me in Arabic which fell easily from his\ntongue. This set me at my ease and I told him my story, to which he\nlistened with great attention. When I had finished, he raised his\nhand and said, \"By Allah! thou hast endured much, and thy case is\nextraordinary. Thou art greatly favoured by fate: wherefore I join my\nhappiness with thine at thy deliverance and safety.\"\n\nI was greatly moved at his words, and, begging his acceptance of a gift\nat my hands, I took the rarest jewels from the raft, together with a\nquantity of ambergris and aloes-wood, and laid them at his feet. He\ngraciously accepted my present and immediately established me in a\nposition of honour, bidding me dwell with him in his palace. I accepted\nhis hospitality and remained in his land in great happiness and honour,\nassociating with the grandees and the people of rank. And I said to\nmyself, \"I care not if the rest of my days are passed in this kingdom\nof splendour and magnificence.\"\n\nIt was indeed a land of wealth and abundance. And there the day is\nequally divided with the night the whole year round; and, when the\nsun rises, light bursts suddenly upon the earth, and, when it sets,\nthe darkness descends like a curtain that is loosed. There is a lofty\nmountain whose glittering streams contain the richest jewels, with rare\nminerals; and everywhere, on hill and valley, are wafted the fragrant\nodours of spices. The delights of this realm held me enthralled for a\nlong time, so that I forgot my own country, wherein is the Abode of\nPeace.\n\nBut, on a day when I ascended the high mountain and looked far out\nacross the sea, I seemed to hear the voice of my own land calling\nto me. Then, with that far call still in my ears, I went in to the\nKing and asked him to let me go. At first he demurred, and tried to\ninduce me to remain with him and his people; but, when I pressed for\nhis permission, he relented and gave me a large sum of money for my\njourney, and also many gifts.\n\nWhen I was about to depart the King called me to him and handed me a\nletter written on fine parchment. This he asked me to give into the\nhands of the Khalifeh, Harun Er-Rashid. The substance of the letter\nwas this:--\"The King of Sarandib sends greeting. Peace be on thee, O\nBrother, from the King of Sarandib, who commands a thousand elephants,\nand in whose palace are ten thousand jewels. By the bearer of this we\nsend thee a gift, for we have a deep affection for thee. The gift is\nall too trifling, but we beseech thee to accept it graciously and reply\nto us. Peace be upon thee!\" The present with which I was entrusted was\na goblet of ruby, the inside of which was set with sparkling diamonds\nand priceless pearls--truly a kingly gift.\n\nHaving bade farewell to the King and such of his people that I had\nassociated with I embarked in a large ship which was bound for\nEl-Basrah. In good time we reached that port and I journeyed up the\nriver to Baghdad.\n\nMy first thought was to deliver the letter and the gift into the hands\nof the Khalifeh. So I lost no time in approaching him and fulfilling my\npledge to the King of Sarandib. He was greatly pleased with the letter,\nand, when he saw the sparkling goblet of ruby and precious stones, he\nwas filled with delight.\n\n\"O Sindbad,\" he said, \"this King must be exceedingly wealthy and\npowerful; what sayest thou?\" And I told him of the wonder and\nmagnificence of the land of Sarandib: how the King's seat of state is\non a splendid throne placed upon a gigantic elephant with his courtiers\nand officials standing about him on a richly decorated platform; how\nthere are around His Majesty a thousand other elephants on which sit\nthe princes of the land; and, surrounding all, on every hand, ten\nthousand horsemen clad in silk and gold; and how a crier goes before\nthe King exalting him to heaven, and another behind him proclaiming,\n\"Great is he, but he will die! Again, again and again I say it: he will\ndie!\"\n\nAnd as I continued to tell of these things the Khalifeh marvelled\ngreatly at the wisdom and power of this King. \"Report hath spoken\ntruly,\" he said. \"As thou hast witnessed to me, O Sindbad, the tales of\nhis might and dominion have exaggerated nothing.\"\n\nHe then thanked me for my faithful service and bestowed rich gifts upon\nme, and bade me seek my own house in peace and content. There in the\nbosom of my family, I lived at ease, having put behind me the perils of\ntravel and set fixedly before me the determination never to seek them\nagain. Yet, O Sindbad the Landsman, my determination was overruled\nby the direct command of the Khalifeh; and, if thou wilt honour me by\nthy presence again to-morrow, I will relate to thee the events of my\nseventh and last voyage.\n\n\nTHE SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR\n\nIN adhering to my vow never again to fare forth from my native land in\nsearch of strange wonders at the risk of deadly peril, I was contented\nand happy in my state. While I was sitting one day thinking on this and\nsaying within myself, \"I am here in the Abode of Peace, and Allah be\npraised! I shall never quit it for the haunts of trouble;\" lo! there\ncame a messenger summoning me to the Khalifeh. I arose and followed\nhim, and presently I was before his majesty, saluting him and kissing\nthe ground. \"Welcome, O Sindbad!\" he said. \"Know that I have a matter\nof importance for thee to execute.\" \"Sire,\" I answered, \"I am thy\nslave.\"\n\nThen the Khalifeh unfolded to me his wish: which was that I should go\nto the King of Sarandib bearing a letter and a gift. \"By Allah!\" I\ncried when I heard this. \"O my lord, be not displeased, but have I not\nalready taken a vow that I will not go forth again upon the sea lest I\nsuffer worse things than have already befallen me? The bare mention of\na voyage causes my knees to shake.\" And I repeated to him the terrible\nsufferings and perils I had encountered in my travels; whereupon the\nKhalifeh raised his hands and said no man had endured worse things.\n\"Nevertheless,\" he added, smiling upon me, \"thou wilt go forth once\nmore, for my sake, and thou wilt bear my letter and gift to the King of\nSarandib.\"\n\nIt was not for me to disobey the command of the Prince of the Faithful,\nand I bowed my head in submission. I took from his hands the account\nof the items composing the gift, together with a letter and a sum of\nmoney for my expenses; and, bidding him farewell, went forth, saying to\nmyself that fate was against me.\n\nThe Khalifeh's gift to the King of Sarandib was one of great\nmagnificence. First there was a splendid white horse, the equal of\nwhich was not to be found in the length and breadth of Arabia. Its\nsaddle and trappings were adorned with gold and set with brilliant\njewels. Then, in addition to this, there were a priceless robe, fit for\nthe king of all the earth; a great quantity of rich stuffs from Egypt\nand Greece, and a wonderful crystal goblet of such a kind that a man's\nwhole lifetime would be required to make it. And the Khalifeh's letter\nran as follows:--\"Peace be on thee from the King Er-Rashid, highest\nin any land but thine--under God (whose name be exalted!) We rejoiced\ngreatly at thy letter and we have sent thee some royal trifles, thy\ngracious acceptance of which will give us joy and happiness. Peace be\nwith thee!\"\n\nWith all these things I embarked upon a large vessel and set sail from\nEl-Basrah with a company of merchants. We journeyed for long days and\nnights until at length we came to the island of Sarandib. There I went\nin to the King in his palace, and he gave me a joyous welcome.\n\n\"By Allah!\" he said, \"we have often thought of thee, O Sindbad; and now\nwe rejoice to see thy face again.\" Then he bade me sit beside him, and\nasked with courtesy the reason of my visit. I informed him and told him\nof the Khalifeh's gift, handing him the letter. When he had read it\nhe was overjoyed, and when at length he saw the gift and the richness\nof it, he marvelled greatly and conferred upon me all the honours\nbefitting the ambassador of the Prince of the Faithful.\n\nAfter some days of pleasure and happiness in his land, I made known to\nhim my desire to depart speedily to my own country, but it was with\ndifficulty that I obtained his permission. At last he allowed me to go,\nbearing friendly messages to the Khalifeh; and I set sail for my own\nland, glad that I was now free to return to the life to which I had\nvowed myself.\n\nBut, O Sindbad the Landsman! the chances of long voyages upon the sea\nare such as thou know'st not of. We had not been many days on our\ncourse when, as we were passing near an island, a fleet of boats put\noff from the shore and surrounded us. They were manned by a host of\nmen clad in suits of mail. They looked more like demons than men and\nwere armed with swords and daggers. They drew in on us and attacked us,\nslaying those who offered resistance, and taking the rest prisoners.\nThey towed the ship to the island and took all the merchandise in the\nhold. Then they led us away to be sold as slaves.\n\nIt fell to my lot that I was purchased by a rich man of gentle mien.\nHe took me to his house, gave me food and drink, clothed me well and\ntreated me in a friendly fashion. Somewhat comforted I rested, giving\nmy hands to light tasks about his house. After some days he called me\nto him and said, \"Art thou skilled in any art or trade?\" I answered him\nthat I was a merchant, and was skilled only in the art of buying and\nselling. \"Canst thou not use the bow?\" he asked. Now, I was skilled in\narchery, and I offered to give him proof in the matter. He then placed\na bow and arrow in my hands and I pierced a mark at fifty paces. \"It is\nwell,\" he said; \"thou art skilled.\"\n\nThe next day he sat me behind him on an elephant, and, at nightfall, we\njourneyed to a place where there were some high trees. One of these he\nbade me climb and sit there with arrow on bowstring till the elephants\ncame at dawn, when I was to shoot; and, if I was so fortunate as to\nkill one, I was to run to him in all haste and inform him of it. He\nthen went away on his elephant, leaving me in the tree, full of terror.\n\nWhen at last the sun rose, a great number of elephants came straying\nabout among the trees, and when one came beneath mine I sent my arrows\nat him. Late in the morning a well-aimed shaft pierced the brain of a\nmonstrous beast, and, with loud roarings, he fell and died. At evening\ntime, when the other elephants had retired from the spot, I descended\nfrom the tree and ran with all haste to my master, who rejoiced at my\nnews and sent his slaves to bring the beast in.\n\nDay after day I continued at this sport, each day securing at least one\nelephant. But a day came when trouble gathered round that tree in which\nI sat. It appeared in the form of countless elephants of large size and\nferocious aspect. One who seemed to be king among them led the others\nto my tree. After he had thundered round it many times until the whole\nworld trembled, he made a dash at it, and, winding his trunk round it,\ntore it up by the roots and threw it down. When, half stunned, I found\nmy way out from among the broken branches, the great elephant came upon\nme bellowing loudly, and, seizing me with his trunk, bore me aloft.\nIn this manner he led the whole herd of elephants in a wild stampede\nthat made the earth shake; and they ceased not in their career until\nthey came to a valley in which were a great number of elephants' bones\nand teeth and tusks. On a heap of these the king-elephant set me down\nvery gently; and, after that, he and the others turned and walked away,\nleaving me there.\n\nI looked about in the valley and saw a wealth of gleaming white tusks\non every hand, and I said within myself, \"The elephants liked not the\ndeath of one of their number every day, and they have done this to show\nhow I may come by an abundance of tusks without further slaughter.\"\n\nThen I found my way back over a great distance to the abode of my\nmaster. He welcomed me as one returned from the dead, for, when he\nhad found the tree torn up by the roots, he had concluded that the\nelephants had made an end of me. I told him what had befallen me and\ndescribed the position of the valley where the tusks lay. When he heard\nthis he was greatly excited and lost no time in mounting me behind him\non an elephant and setting forth to find the spot where so much wealth\nwas stored. We reached the valley without mishap and I showed my master\nthe ivory, at sight of which his joy knew no bounds. We then laded the\nelephant with as much as he could carry and returned with it to the\nhouse.\n\nThis adventure of mine placed me in a most favourable light in my\nmaster's eyes; and, because I had been the means of revealing to him\na source of enormous wealth, he set me free and gave me permission to\nreturn to my own country. He was even better than his word, for, not\nmany days later, he set me on board a vessel bound for El-Basrah and\npresented me with a large sum of money for my passage and expenses,\ntogether with many bales of merchandise. And my return journey was very\nfortunate. The traffic I did at the different cities on the way brought\nme great profit, and I bought many rare things suitable for gifts.\n\nOn my arrival at Baghdad I went in to the Khalifeh and told him\nall that had befallen me; and he was so astonished thereat, and so\ndelighted at my return, that he commanded his scribes to write my story\nin letters of gold. And he said to me, \"O Sindbad, my son; thou hast\ndone well, and now thou shalt have the wish of thine heart and keep thy\nvow; for, unless thou so desirest, thou shalt go forth no more upon the\nsea.\"\n\n * * * * *\n\nThis, O Sindbad the Landsman, is the end of the story of my voyages;\nand now, as I have conceived an affection for thee, thou shalt dwell\nwith me and be my boon companion; and we shall pass our lives together\nin a state of the utmost joy and happiness, strengthened by God (whose\nname be exalted!) the Great! the Omnipotent Creator of sea and land!\n\n\n\n\nALADDIN AND THE WONDERFUL LAMP\n\n\nKNOW, O King, that, once upon a time, in a far city of Cathay, there\ndwelt a poor tailor who had an only son named Aladdin. This boy was a\nborn ne'er-do-well, and persistently resisted all his father's efforts\nto teach him a trade by means of which he would be able in future to\nearn a livelihood. Aladdin would sooner play at knucklebones in the\ngutter with others as careless as himself than he would set his mind to\nhonest business; and, as to obeying his parents in the smallest matter,\nit was not in his nature. Such was this boy Aladdin, and yet--so\nremarkable is the favour of fate--he was strangely predestined for\ngreat things.\n\nStricken with grief because of the waywardness and idle conduct of his\nson the father fell ill and died, and the mother found great difficulty\nin supporting herself, to say nothing of the worthless Aladdin as well.\nWhile she wore the flesh off her bones in the endeavour to obtain a\nmeagre subsistence Aladdin would amuse himself with his fellow urchins\nof the street, only returning home to his meals. In this way he\ncontinued until he was fourteen years of age, when his extraordinary\ndestiny took him by the hand, and led him, step by step, through\nadventures so wonderful that words can scarce describe them.\n\nOne day he was playing in the gutter with his ragged companions, as\nwas his wont, when a Moorish Dervish came by, and, catching sight of\nAladdin's face, suddenly stopped and approached him. This Dervish was\na sorcerer who had discovered many hidden secrets by his black art; in\nfact, he was on the track of one now; and, by the look on his face as\nhe scrutinised Aladdin's features, it seemed that the boy was closely\nconnected with his quest.\n\nThe Dervish beckoned to one of the urchins and asked him who Aladdin\nwas, who his father was, and indeed all about him. Having thus learned\nthe whole history of the boy and his family the Dervish gave his\ninformer some coins and sent him away to spend them. Then he approached\nAladdin and said to him, \"Boy, I seem to recognise in thee a family\nlikeness. Art thou not the tailor's son?\" Aladdin answered him that he\nwas, and added that his father was dead.\n\nOn hearing this the Dervish cried out with grief and embraced Aladdin,\nweeping bitterly. The boy was surprised at this and enquired the cause\nof such sorrow. \"Alas!\" replied the Dervish with tears running down his\ncheeks, \"my fate is an unhappy one. Boy, I have come from a distant\ncountry to find my brother, to look upon his face again, and to cheer\nand comfort him; and now thou tellest me he is dead.\" He took Aladdin's\nface in his hands and gazed searchingly upon it as he continued: \"Boy,\nI recognise my brother's features in thine; and, now that he is dead, I\nwill find comfort in thee.\"\n\nAladdin looked up at him in wonder, for he had never been told that he\nhad an uncle; indeed, he was inclined to doubt the truth of the matter;\nbut, when the Dervish took ten pieces of gold from his purse and placed\nthem in his hand, all doubt was out of the question, and he rejoiced at\nhaving found so rich an uncle. The Dervish then asked him concerning\nhis mother and begged him to show him the way to her house. And, when\nAladdin had shewed him, he gave the boy more gold and said, \"Give this\nto thy mother with my blessing, and say that her brother-in-law, who\nhas been absent forty years, has returned and will visit her to-morrow\nto weep with her over the place where his brother is buried.\" With this\nhe departed, and Aladdin ran to his mother to tell her the news.\n\n\"Mother! Mother!\" he cried excitedly, bursting in upon her, \"my uncle\nhath returned after forty years; he wept when I told him my father was\ndead; he salutes thee and--\" \"My son,\" she broke in, \"what are these\nwild words? Thou hast no uncle, and the only one thou ever hadst died\nmany years before thou wast born.\" \"Nay, nay;\" returned Aladdin, \"this\nis my father's brother; he recognised my father's features in mine and\nwept, and gave me this to bring to thee, with a message that he would\ncome to see thee to-morrow.\"\n\nHe handed her the gold, and, as the widow took it, her doubt was\nlessened considerably. \"I wonder,\" she cried. \"Can it be that my\nhusband's brother did not die after all, or that he has risen from the\ngrave? In either case he is rich and generous.\"\n\nOn the morrow the Dervish sought Aladdin in the street where he had\nseen him the day before, and found him there among his disreputable\nfriends. Taking him aside he kissed him and embraced him; then, placing\nten gold pieces in his hand, he said, \"Hasten now to thy mother and\ngive her these gold pieces and say that her brother-in-law would come\nto sup at her house this night.\"\n\nSo Aladdin left him and ran home to his mother with the gold pieces\nand the message. Then the widow busied herself and prepared for the\ncoming of this new-found relative. She bought rich food, and borrowed\nfrom the neighbours such dishes, utensils and napery as she required.\nWhen the supper was ready, and the widow was about to send Aladdin to\nhasten the guest, the Dervish entered, followed by a slave bearing\nfruit and wine, which he set down, and then went his way. The Dervish,\nweeping bitterly, saluted the widow and immediately fell to asking\nquestions about the departed, finally desiring to know which was his\nempty seat. On being shown it he prostrated himself and cried, \"Alas!\nthat I should return to find his place vacant. Oh! woe; there is no\npower nor strength but in God!\" And he ceased not to weep until he had\nconvinced the widow that his grief was genuine.\n\n[Illustration: Aladdin finds the Magic Lamp. Page 71]\n\nThen, when he was comforted and they all sat at supper together, the\nDervish told them how he had journeyed from a far land with one thought\nonly: to see his brother once again; and how, with a great joy, he had\nchanced to find Aladdin, in whose face he had recognised his brother's\nlikeness--a joy so suddenly turned to sadness and grief on his learning\nthat his only brother was dead. At his words the widow fell to weeping,\nwhereupon the Dervish, to change the subject of talk, turned to Aladdin\nand asked him if he knew any art or trade. At this Aladdin hung his\nhead, and, as he was too ashamed to answer, his mother dried her tears\nand answered for him. \"Alack!\" she said, \"he is nothing but an idler.\nHe spends his time as thou didst find him, playing with ragamuffins\nin the street, and is never at home except at meal times. And I--I\nam an old woman and ugly through toil and hardship, and grief at his\nbehaviour. O my brother-in-law! It is he who should provide for\nme, not I for him.\"\n\n\"I am grieved to hear this of thee,\" said the Dervish, turning to\nAladdin; \"for thou art no longer a child, but a man of ability and\nkindness; and thou shouldst work to provide for thine aged mother so\nthat she may live in comfort. Now, tell thine uncle what trade thou\nwouldst follow, and he will start thee in it so that in time thou mayst\nbe able to support thy mother and thyself. Come, my son!\" But Aladdin\nwas still silent, and it was clear that he had no mind to work at any\ntrade. Seeing this the Dervish made a better offer. \"Wouldst thou like\nto be a merchant?\" he asked. \"If so I will give thee a shop with all\nkinds of merchandise, and thou shalt buy and sell and get gain, and\nrise to a position of importance.\"\n\nNow Aladdin regarded a merchant as a well-dressed, well-fed being, who\ndid no work to speak of, but, from the profits on his wares, lived in a\nstate of perfect delight. So the suggestion pleased him, and he replied\nwith a smile that, above all things, he would like to be a merchant.\n\"It is well, O Son of my brother!\" replied the Dervish. \"Then,\nto-morrow, I will take thee to the market and purchase a fine dress for\nthee, so that thou wilt be well received amongst thy fellow merchants;\nand, on the following day, I will stock a shop and set thee up in it;\nfor this is the least I can do to show the great affection I bear for\nthe memory of my late lamented brother.\"\n\nAt this Aladdin clapped his hands with glee, and his mother was\nrejoiced. If at first she had been disposed to doubt the Dervish she\nnow accepted him unreservedly as her brother-in-law, saying within\nherself, \"Who but the boy's uncle would behave with such great\nkindness towards him?\" And she chid her boy for his own good, and\ncounselled him straitly to obey his uncle in all things. The Dervish\nalso gave Aladdin much sound advice on the conduct of trade, so that\nthe boy's head was bursting with buying and selling, and he could not\nsleep that night for dreams of rich stuffs, and bales of merchandise.\nAt last, when the Dervish arose and took his departure, promising to\nreturn for Aladdin on the morrow and take him to buy his merchant's\ndress, the wizard felt that he had proved himself undoubtedly the best\nof brothers-in-law, and the best of uncles.\n\nTrue to his word the Dervish came on the morrow, and Aladdin, holding\nhim affectionately by the hand, went with him forth to the market.\nThere they entered a shop full of the finest materials, and the Dervish\nasked to be shewn some dresses such as a wealthy merchant might wear.\nThe owner of the shop laid a great variety before him and the Dervish\nsaid, \"Now, my son, choose what dress you like.\" This delicate favour\nof choice pleased Aladdin greatly, for it seemed that he had now at\nlast reached the age of discretion. He picked out one that he liked,\nand the Dervish paid the price without any attempt at bargaining. Then\nthey went together to the Hammam, and, when they had bathed and rested,\nAladdin clothed himself in his new dress and came forth in great\ndelight, kissing his uncle's hand and thanking him again and again.\n\nThe Dervish then showed Aladdin the market and the traffic in goods,\nsaying that he must study all these things in order to be apt in his\nprofession. From the markets they passed on to the mosques and other\nfine buildings in the city, and thence to an eating-place where the\nfinest food was served on silver dishes, and the sherbet was of the\nrarest kind. Here they regaled themselves sumptuously, and rested.\nAnd, whenever Aladdin thanked his uncle for his kindness, the Dervish\nreplied, \"Nay, boy; am I not thine uncle? Would that I could do more by\nmy brother's son.\"\n\nWhen the afternoon came they strolled in the beautiful gardens, and the\nDervish delighted Aladdin by showing him the pleasure grounds and the\nmagnificent palaces. And so they wandered on, hand in hand, until they\ncame to a garden full of every delight, where crystal streams flowed\nbetween glorious banks of flowers, and fountains played and sparkled in\nthe sunlight. There they sat down by the side of the running water and\nmade merry, so that none observing them could doubt that they were kind\nuncle and glad nephew.\n\nAfter they had rested the Dervish suggested a walk, and he led Aladdin\nthrough garden after garden until they came to the confines of the\ncity, beyond which stood a high hill. \"Shall we return, O my uncle?\"\nsaid Aladdin, who was in no mood for climbing the hill. \"There are no\nmore gardens outside the city.\" \"Nay,\" replied the Dervish, \"on the\nhillside is the loveliest garden of all. Bear up, my son, and be a man;\nwe shall soon be there.\" And, as they went, he beguiled the boy with\nanecdotes, so that Aladdin forgot both the length of the way and his\nweariness.\n\nAt last they came to a place on the hillside where the Dervish paused\nand looked about him, saying to himself, \"This is the spot I have\njourneyed so far to find.\" But to Aladdin he said, \"Rest here awhile, O\nmy son, and, when thou art refreshed, gather some wood and we will make\na fire; then, if thou wish to see a most wonderful thing, I will shew\nthee that which will take thy breath away.\"\n\nAt this Aladdin's curiosity was excited, and, with no thought of\nresting, he began at once to gather wood. When he had collected a\nsufficient quantity the Dervish lighted the fire, and, taking from his\nwallet a little box, drew some fine powder from it and scattered it\nover the fire, uttering an incantation. Immediately, amid rumblings of\nthunder, the earth reeled and opened. At this Aladdin fled in terror,\nbut the Dervish, powerless to effect his purpose without the boy's aid,\nflew after him in a rage, and smote him over the head, so that he fell\nto the ground stunned.\n\nWhen, presently, he regained his senses, he sat up and cried out,\n\"What have I done, O my uncle, that thou shouldst strike me?\" \"Nay, my\nson,\" replied the Dervish, \"I intended not to hurt thee. Come, now,\nbe a man, and obey my wishes if thou wouldst see the wonderful things\nthat I will shew thee.\" With such words as these he banished Aladdin's\nfears and smoothed him over. Then he directed him to the opening in\nthe earth, where there was revealed a slab of marble with a brass ring\nlet into it. The Dervish stooped and began to draw figures upon the\nground, saying as he did so, \"Obey me, Aladdin, in all that I say, for\nso thou shalt become richer than all the kings of the earth. Know, O\nmy son, that beyond that slab of stone lies vast treasure which none\nbut thee can acquire and live. Therefore, advance, my son, and take\nthe brass ring in thy hand, and lift the slab from its place; for it\nis predestined that thou art the only one on this earth that hath the\npower to do this thing.\" And Aladdin, stirred to great wonder by the\nwords of the Dervish, would have done his bidding with alacrity, but,\non looking at the marble slab, he saw that it was far too heavy for\nhim.\n\n\"Never can I raise that alone, O my uncle,\" he said. \"Wilt thou not\nhelp me?\" \"Nay,\" answered the Dervish, \"it will yield to no hand\nbut thine. Grasp the ring and repeat the names of as many of thine\nancestors as thou canst remember, beginning with thy father and mother;\nfor thine ancestors are my ancestors, O my son! By this the stone will\ncome away quite easily in thy hand as if it were a feather. Am I not\nthine uncle, and have I not said it? And did I not cleave the hillside\nwith my incantations? Wherefore, pluck up courage, and forget not that\nall the riches beyond that stone are for thee.\"\n\nThus encouraged Aladdin advanced to the stone, repeating the names of\nall the ancestors he could remember; and, taking hold of the ring,\nlifted the heavy slab from its place with perfect ease, and threw it\naside. Then within the aperture lay revealed a stairway of twelve steps\nleading into a passage.\n\nWhile Aladdin was gazing at this wonder the Dervish took a ring from\nhis finger and placed it upon the middle finger of the boy's right\nhand, saying impressively as he did so, \"Listen to me, O my son! fear\nnothing in what I am about to bid thee do, for this ring will be thy\nprotection in all dangers and against all evils. If thou shouldst find\nthyself in evil case thou hast only to--, but of that I will tell\nthee presently. What is more important now is this. In order to come\nat the treasure, O my son, steady thyself and listen attentively, and\nsee to it that thou fail not a word of these my instructions. Go down\nthe steps and traverse the passage to the end, where thou wilt find a\nchamber divided into four parts, each containing four vessels of gold.\nTouch not these on thy life, for if so much as the fringe of thy robe\ncometh in contact with any of them, thou wilt immediately be turned\ninto stone. Linger not to gaze upon them, but pass right through to the\nend, where thou wilt find a door. Open this, repeating again the names\nof thine ancestors, when lo, thou wilt behold a beautiful garden before\nthee. Take the pathway that is ready for thy feet and proceed forty\nnine cubits until thou comest to an alcove, where is set a stairway of\nforty nine steps. Look not to ascend that stairway: it is not for thee\nnor me; but direct thine attention to a lamp hanging above the alcove.\nTake it from its fastening, and pour out the oil therein; then put it\nin thy breast securely, and retrace thy steps to me. Is it clear to\nthee, my son?\"\n\n\"O my uncle, it is quite clear,\" replied Aladdin, and he repeated the\ninstructions he had received. \"Pull thy wits together then, my son,\"\nsaid the Dervish, well pleased; \"and descend, for verily thou art a man\nof mettle, and not a child. Yea, thou, and thou only, art the rightful\nowner of all this great treasure. Come now!\"\n\nFilled with courage from the wizard's words, and enticed by the dazzle\nof untold riches, Aladdin descended the twelve steps and passed through\nthe fourfold chamber with the utmost care lest he should touch any of\nthe golden jars therein with so much as the fringe of his garment.\nWhen he came to the door at the far end he paused to repeat the names\nof his ancestors, and opened it; then, lo, before him lay a beautiful\ngarden where the trees were laden with many coloured fruit, while sweet\nvoiced birds sang in the branches. He took the pathway that lay before\nhis feet, and, as he followed it, he looked up and noticed that the\ntrees bore, not fruit as he had supposed, but sparkling jewels flashing\nwith many colours. On boughs where rosy apples might have hung were\nblood-red rubies half hidden in the leaves, and, where the purple\ngrape might have clustered, were branches of large sapphires. On some\ntrees white blossoms grew, and every blossom was a pearl, while what\nseemed like drops of dew among the blossoms were purest diamonds. All\nthe leaves of the trees were of mother-of-emerald, and on their under\nsurface they held, like seeds, rows of the emerald itself. Virgin gold\npeeled like bark from the trunks and branches, and, when bird chased\nbird through the foliage, there fell such a rain of wealth on the dull\nearth's lap as would have enriched a king far above his fellow kings.\n\nBut Aladdin, though dazzled by the glitter, thought these sparkling\nthings were but coloured glass; and it was for such that he plucked\nthem with boyish delight until his pockets were full. \"These are lovely\nthings to play with,\" he said, and proceeded to fill his girdle also.\n\nAs he made his way along the garden path, plucking the bright jewels as\nhe went, he caught sight of the alcove at the far end, and, remembering\nhis uncle's instructions, hastened towards it. There was the stairway\nof forty-nine steps, and there, hanging from a crystal beam, was the\nLamp. He paused, looking up at it. How should he reach it? His uncle\nhad said that the stairway was neither for Aladdin nor for himself, and\nyet he saw at a glance that the only way of reaching the Lamp was by\nmounting seven steps of the stairway. He hesitated, then, concluding\nthat the Lamp was the whole object of his quest, and that he must reach\nit at all costs, he ventured. With some misgivings he mounted the seven\nsteps and, reaching out, took the Lamp from its fastening and descended\nwith it. Then, emptying out the oil, he placed it securely in his\nbosom, saying \"Now, as my uncle said to me, with this Lamp in my bosom\nall is mine!\"\n\n[Illustration: Aladdin and the Efrite. Page 78]\n\nAs Aladdin was returning along the pathway among the trees, laden with\nthe precious jewels, fear assailed him lest his uncle would be angry at\nhis delay, for it was borne in upon him that no great delight can come\nto a mortal without his having to suffer for it. Whereupon he hastened\nhis footsteps, and, passing through the fourfold chamber without\ntouching the golden jars--for the fear of that was still upon him,--he\narrived quickly at the foot of the stairway of twelve steps. Heavily\nweighted as he was with the jewels and the Lamp he proceeded to mount\nthe stairs at a run. But the jewels grew heavier, and the Lamp weighed\nupon his bosom, so that he was exhausted by the time he was halfway up.\nKneeling on the seventh step he looked up and saw the Dervish urging\nhim on with the greatest impatience.\n\n\"Bear with me, O my uncle,\" he said. \"I am heavily weighted and am out\nof breath. I will soon come to thee.\" Then he climbed three steps and\none step more, and sank exhausted before the last, which was far higher\nthan the others. The jewels and the Lamp oppressed him with heaviness\nand he could not mount that last step. \"O my uncle, give me thy hand\nand help me up,\" he cried. But the wizard dare not touch him, for so\nthe spell of fate was worded and he must abide by it. \"Nay,\" he called\ndown, \"thou art man enough! It is the Lamp that hampers thee. Reach up\nand place it on the ledge here; then thou canst mount easily thyself.\"\n\nThe Dervish held out his hand expectantly for the Lamp and his eyes\nglittered. Aladdin saw the evil light in them, and, having some mother\nwit, replied, \"O my uncle, the Lamp is no weight at all; it is simply\nthat I am exhausted and this step is too high for me. Give me thy\nhand and help me up.\" \"Give me the Lamp!\" cried the Dervish holding his\nhand out for it, and beginning to rage. \"Place it on the ledge before\nthee, and then I will help thee up.\" \"Nay,\" returned Aladdin, growing\nobstinate, \"if thou wilt not give me thy hand I will not give thee the\nLamp, for it is in my thoughts that thou wantest the Lamp more than\nthou wantest me.\"\n\nThis enraged the Dervish to a point beyond control, and he said within\nhimself, \"If I get not the Lamp then may it perish with him!\" And,\ntaking a box from his wallet, he threw some powder on the embers of\nthe fire, muttering curses and incantations as he did so. Immediately\na flame shot up, and its many tongues went hither and thither, licking\nthe air. The earth shuddered and groaned with a hollow thunder; then\nthe marble slab closed of itself over the aperture, the hillside rushed\ntogether above it, and all was as before, save that Aladdin was sealed\nwithin that cavern without hope of escape.\n\nLong and loud did Aladdin call to his supposed uncle to save him from a\nliving death; but there was no answer to his cries, and, at last, when\nhe was almost exhausted, he took counsel of himself and plainly saw the\ntruth of the matter. The Dervish was no uncle of his, but a cunning\nwizard who had made a catspaw of him to secure treasure which, by the\nlaws of magic and destiny, he was powerless to come at in any other\nway. The whole thing, from the very beginning, was a trick; and he saw\nit clearly now that it was too late. The way out was sealed, and the\ndarkness pressed heavily upon him. Frantic with the desire to escape\nfrom this dungeon he thought of the garden and the stairway in the\nalcove; but, when he had groped his way to the end of the passage, he\nfound the door closed, and all his efforts failed to open it. The names\nof his ancestors were of no avail against the magic of the Dervish. At\nthis he wept loudly, and continued to weep throughout the night, until\nhis rage and despair were spent. At last he sank down exhausted on\nthe lowest step of the stairway by which he had first descended, and,\nfeeling himself utterly abandoned by man, he raised his hands to God,\npraying for deliverance from his calamity.\n\nNow, while he was holding his hands in supplication, he felt the ring\nupon his middle finger--the ring which the Dervish had placed there\nsaying, \"In whatever difficulty thou mayst find thyself this ring\nwill be thy protection; thou hast only to--but of that I will tell\nthee later.\" The Dervish had perhaps given him the ring to gain his\nconfidence, and had purposely omitted to reveal its secret. But now, in\nanswer to Aladdin's prayer, the power of the ring was revealed as if by\nthe merest chance; for, when he felt the ring, he looked at it; and,\nseeing a light from the jewel therein, he breathed upon it and rubbed\nit with his palm to increase its lustre. No sooner had he done this\nwhen, lo, the Slave of the Ring appeared, and gathered shape before\nhim, first in a luminous haze, and then, gradually, in clearer and\nclearer contour.\n\n\"Ask what thou wilt, and it shall be done,\" said the apparition; \"for\nknow that I am the Slave of the Ring and the slave of him on whose\nfinger my master placed the ring.\"\n\nAladdin, seeing before him an Efrite after the order of those invoked\nby the Lord Suleiman, was terrified, and his tongue clave to the roof\nof his mouth, so that he could not speak. But the Efrite reassured him\nwith kindly speech. \"Thou hast only to ask,\" he said, \"and thy wish\nwill be fulfilled; for, since my master's ring is on thy hand, I am thy\nservant.\"\n\nAt this Aladdin took heart, and, having considered his wish, resolved\nto put the matter to the test. \"O Slave of the Ring!\" he said, \"my wish\nis that thou take me from this dungeon and place me in the light of day\nwhere the sun shines and the breezes blow--if indeed it _is_ day, for\nhere have I been for many, many hours.\"\n\nScarcely had he spoken the words when there was a clap of thunder. The\ncavern opened, and, by some mysterious power, he was conveyed through\nthe opening. Then, when he sat up and looked around him, he was in the\nlight of day upon the hillside, and everything was as it had been when\nhe and the Dervish had first reached the spot.\n\nAladdin marvelled greatly at this, and said within himself, \"I wonder\nif it was all a dream!\" But, when he looked at the ring upon his finger\nand felt the Lamp and the jewel-fruit he had gathered from the trees\nin the garden, he knew it was not a dream. Besides, there was the spot\nwhere the fire had been; and it was now but a heap of grey ashes on\nthe ground. Turning himself about, he saw the path by which they had\nascended, and the gardens stretching below. Nothing had changed. The\nside of the hill which the Dervish by his magic had opened for his\nentrance, and the Slave of the Ring had now closed up behind him, was\nas it had been when he first saw it.\n\nSeeing that he was safe and sound in the outer world, Aladdin fell on\nhis knees and gave thanks to the most High for his deliverance from a\nterrible death. Then straightway he arose and took the path that led\ndown the hillside and through the gardens of the city in the direction\nof his home. At length, with wearied body, but elated mind, he reached\nthe doorway of his dwelling, and, entering, found his mother weeping.\n\n\"Where hast thou been, my son?\" she cried. \"All night long I lay awake,\nanxious for thee; and now it is again near nightfall, and thou comest\nlike one about to die. Where hast thou been, and where is thine uncle?\"\n\nBut Aladdin could not answer her. What with utter weariness, and the\njoy of gaining his home once more, he fell in a swoon at her feet.\nQuickly she dashed water on his face and restored him. Then, when she\nhad made him eat, she enquired gently what had befallen him.\n\n\"O my mother,\" said Aladdin, \"how much thou art to blame! Thou gavest\nme over to a devil of a sorcerer who tried, by his evil arts, to\ncompass my ruin. I have a stout reckoning against thee for this; for,\nlook you; this vile and wicked one, whom thou toldst me was my uncle,\nwas naught but a liar and an impostor. Think, mother, of the richness\nof his promises! What was he not going to do for me? His affection\nfor me was overwhelming, and he ceased not to pretend in that lying\nhypocrisy until the cheat was exposed and I saw that his purpose\nwas to use me for his own ends, and then to destroy me. Mother, the\ndevils beneath the sea and the earth are not the equal of this vile\nsorcerer.\" And thus, having vented his anger at the false conduct of\nthe Dervish, he proceeded to tell his mother, first about the lamp and\nthe jewel-fruit, then about all that had happened on the hillside, from\nthe opening of the earth by a magic spell, to the closing of it again,\nand his subsequent escape through the Slave of the Ring. \"And thus,\" he\nconcluded, \"thus did this devil's own shew me in the end that he was\naccursed and that he cared no jot for me, but only for the Lamp.\"\n\nThen Aladdin took the Lamp and the precious stones from his bosom and\nplaced them before his mother, albeit neither knew why the Lamp had\nbeen so coveted by the Dervish, or that the stones were more valuable\nthan any possessed by kings. And Aladdin, now weeping for joy at his\ndeliverance, and now cursing with rage at the vile hypocrisy of the\nsorcerer, found sympathy in both cases in his mother, who wept and\ncursed with him, crying out that the Omnipotent, who had graciously\nsaved his life, would most assuredly punish that wicked man for his\nabominable actions.\n\nNow, neither Aladdin nor his mother had rested for two days and two\nnights, so that, exhausted at length with weeping and with heaping\nmaledictions on the Dervish, they slept; and, when they awoke, it was\nabout noon of the following day. Aladdin's first words on pulling his\nwits together were to the effect that he was hungry. \"Nay, O my son,\"\nreplied his mother, \"there is nothing to eat in the house, for thou\ndidst eat yesterday all that there was. But stay, I have some spinning\nthat is ready for the market. I will take and sell it and buy some\nfood.\"\n\nShe was busying herself about this when Aladdin suddenly called out\nto her, \"Mother! bring me the Lamp, and I will take and sell that;\nit will fetch more than the spinning.\" Now, although Aladdin and his\nmother knew that the Dervish had greatly coveted the Lamp, they both\nimagined that he had some strange reason of his own for this; and, as\nthe Lamp was an article that would command a ready sale, the mother\nquickly agreed to Aladdin's proposal and brought the Lamp to him in\nanswer to his call. On regarding it closely, however, she observed that\nit was very dirty. Well knowing that it would fetch a better price if\nit were clean and bright, she set to work to polish it with some fine\nsand; when lo, as soon as she started to rub the Lamp, the air before\nher danced and quivered and a chill gasp of wind smote her in the\nface. Then, looking up, she saw, towering above her, a being monstrous\nand terrible, with a fierce face in which gleamed fiery eyes beneath\nfrowning brows. She gazed at this apparition in fear and astonishment,\nfor she knew it was surely a powerful Efrite such as were under the\npower of the Lord Suleiman. Then the being spoke: \"Thou hast invoked\nme; what is thy wish?\" But she only gazed at him, dumb with terror.\nAgain the awful being spoke: \"Thou hast summoned me, for I am the Slave\nof the Lamp which is in thy hand. What is thy desire?\" At this the poor\nwoman could no longer endure her fear, and, with a cry, she fell in a\nswoon.\n\nAladdin had heard the Efrite's words and had hastened to his mother's\nside. He had already seen the power of the Slave of the Ring, and he\nguessed that now the Slave of the Lamp had appeared, and was ready to\ndo the bidding of the one who held the Lamp. So he quickly took it from\nhis mother's hand, and, standing before the Efrite, plucked up courage\nand said, \"I desire food, O Slave of the Lamp! the finest food that\never was set before a king.\"\n\nNo sooner had he spoken than the Efrite vanished, but only to reappear\nimmediately, bearing a rich tray of solid silver, on which were twelve\ngolden dishes with fruits and meats of various kinds. There were also\nflagons of wine and silver goblets. As Aladdin stared in amazement at\nthis magnificent repast the Efrite set the tray down before him and\nvanished in a flash. Then Aladdin turned to his mother and dashed cold\nwater on her face, and held perfumes to her nostrils until she regained\nconsciousness and sat up. And when she beheld the sumptuous repast set\nout upon the golden dishes she was greatly astonished, and imagined\nthat the Sultan had sent it from his palace. But Aladdin, who was very\nhungry, fell to eating heartily; and, while persuading his mother to\neat, he would tell her nothing.\n\nIt was not until they had satisfied their hunger, and placed the\nremainder aside for the morrow, that Aladdin informed her what had\nhappened. Then she questioned him, saying, \"O my son, was not this the\nsame Efrite that appeared to thee when thou wast in the cavern?\" \"Nay,\"\nhe answered. \"That was the Slave of the Ring; this was the Slave of\nthe Lamp.\" \"At all events,\" said she, \"it was a terrible monster that\nnearly caused my death through fear. Promise me, O my son, that thou\nwilt have naught further to do with the Ring and the Lamp. Cast them\nfrom thee, for the Holy Prophet hath told us to have no traffic with\ndevils.\"\n\n\"Nay, nay, O my mother,\" protested Aladdin; \"it were wiser to keep\nthem, for did not the Slave of the Ring deliver me from death? and\nhas not the Slave of the Lamp brought us delicious food when we were\nhungry?\" \"That may be so,\" replied his mother, \"but hear my words, my\nson; no good thing can come of these dealings with accurs\u00e8d spirits,\nand it were better for thee to have died in the cavern than to invoke\ntheir aid.\" And thus she pleaded with him to cast away the Ring and the\nLamp, for she was sore afraid of the power of the Evil One. But Aladdin\nwould not undertake to do this, although, in respect for her wishes, he\nagreed to conceal the objects so that she might never need to look upon\nthem. He also agreed to invoke neither of the Efrites again, unless it\nwere a case of dire necessity. And with this his mother had to rest\ncontent.\n\n[Illustration: The Lady Bedr-el-Budur at her bath. Page 84]\n\nMother and son continued to live on the food that remained, until, in a\nfew days, it was all gone. Then Aladdin took up one of the dishes from\nthe tray, and, not knowing that it was of pure gold, went out to sell\nit and buy food with the proceeds. In the market he came to the shop of\na Jew--a man of exceeding vile methods of buying and selling; and he\nshowed the dish to him. This Jew, as soon as he saw the dish, knew it\nfor pure gold and glanced sharply at Aladdin to find whether he knew\nits value. But Aladdin's face told him nothing; so he enquired, \"What\nprice do you ask, O my master?\" \"Its value in the market,\" returned\nAladdin; and at this the Jew pondered, saying within himself, \"If he\nknoweth the value, and I offer him too little, he will give me a bad\nname in the market; yet, if he knoweth not, I should be ruining myself\nby offering him too large a price. Perchance he knoweth not.\" Then,\npreferring that others might call him a rogue rather than that the\nevent might prove him a fool in his own eyes, he took a single gold\npiece from his pocket and handed it to Aladdin. On this and its issue,\nseeing quickly that Aladdin knew not the value of the thing--for he\ntook the gold piece and walked away--the Jew repented him bitterly of\nhis rash act, for he could have bought the dish for much less.\n\nAs for Aladdin, he hastened home and gave the gold piece to his mother,\nbegging her to buy food with it. She did so, and they ate, and were\ncomforted. And so, from day to day, they lived on the proceeds of one\ndish after another, which the unregenerate Hebrew bought at cheaper\nand cheaper prices, saying always that the metal was inferior and that\nthe demand for such goods was not what it used to be. And, when at\nlast the dishes were all sold, Aladdin summoned the Jew to the house\nto inspect the goblets and also the tray, which was too heavy for him\nto carry to the market. When the Jew saw how much silver there was\nin the tray and the goblets he forgot himself and offered ten gold\npieces for them--at least a thirtieth part of their value. Aladdin\ntook the gold pieces, and the Jew departed with the tray. So food was\nforthcoming for many more days; but at last the money was exhausted and\nthere was now nothing left to sell. At this Aladdin, who, in deference\nto his mother's wishes, had concealed the Lamp and the Ring against a\nnecessitous occasion, brought forth the former and rubbed it, for so,\nhe concluded, was the Slave invoked. His conclusion was right, for no\nsooner had he rubbed the Lamp than the Efrite suddenly appeared before\nhim, immense and of terrible aspect.\n\n\"What is thy wish, O my master?\" said the Efrite; \"for I am the Slave\nof the Lamp and of him who holds it.\" \"My wish,\" answered Aladdin, \"is\nthat you bring me another tray of food similar to the one you brought\nbefore.\" Immediately the Efrite vanished, and, in a moment, appeared\nagain, bearing a tray of food exactly similar to the one he had brought\nbefore. He set this down before Aladdin and then disappeared.\n\n\"Mother! Mother!\" cried Aladdin in delight. \"Come here and see what we\nhave for supper.\" When she hastened to him and saw the delicate food,\nand smelt the rich savours, she was pleased, although she knew that\nAladdin had summoned the Efrite and commanded him to bring the tray.\n\"Look at it, Mother!\" cried Aladdin; \"and thou wouldst have me cast\naway the Lamp by means of which we have gotten this repast!\" \"O my\nson,\" answered she, \"if the Slave of the Lamp be a devil then he is a\ngood devil; but, for all that, I know I should swoon again at sight of\nhim.\"\n\nAnd they ate and drank and were merry, the food lasting them some days.\nThen, just as a tidy housewife clears away the platter after a meal,\nso, when the food was all gone, Aladdin proceeded to dispose of the\ndishes as before. Taking one of them he went forth to find the Jew,\nbut it chanced that on his way he passed the shop of a fair-dealing\nman--that is to say, not a Jew--who had no vile methods of buying\nand selling, but was just, and feared God. When this man saw Aladdin\npassing he called to him, and told him that he had frequently seen him\nselling things to the Jew, and warned him about it. \"Thou knowest not\nhow the Jew will trick thee,\" he said, \"for the goods of the faithful\nare fair spoil to the Jews; and it was ever so, and ever will be. If,\ntherefore, thou hast aught to sell, I will give thee its full value, in\nthe name of the Prophet.\"\n\nThen Aladdin shewed him the dish of gold and he took it, and weighed it\non the scales. \"Did you sell any of this kind to the Jew?\" he asked.\n\"Yes,\" answered Aladdin, \"many--all of them exactly the same.\" \"And\nwhat price did he pay you?\" \"A gold piece for the first, and afterwards\nless.\" The merchant looked grieved and spat on the ground. \"My son,\"\nhe said; \"it is not meet that a servant of God should fall into the\nhands of the Jew. Woe unto him, accurs\u00e8d! He hath cheated thee sore,\nfor my balance tells me truly the weight of this dish, which is of pure\ngold; and its value is seventy pieces of gold. Here is the price if\nthou wouldst sell.\"\n\nHe counted out seventy gold pieces and handed them to Aladdin, who took\nthem and thanked the merchant heartily for his honest exposure of the\nJew's wickedness. And thereafter he brought the remaining dishes, and\nat last the tray, to that merchant, and received from him their full\nvalue; so that Aladdin and his mother were placed above want and in a\ncomfortable position for people of their station in life.\n\nDuring this time Aladdin had changed his ways greatly. He no longer\nconsorted with the ragamuffins of the street but selected for his\nfriends men of standing and integrity. His daily practice was to\ngo to the market and converse with the merchants in a serious and\nbusiness-like manner in the endeavour to learn their methods and the\nvalue of stuffs. And often he would watch the jewellers at their work,\nand the goods they handled; and, through knowledge thus acquired, he\nbegan to suspect that the jewel-fruit he had gathered in the garden of\nthe cavern was not glass, as he had imagined, but real gems. By this\nand that, and by comparing and asking questions, he came at length to\nthe certainty that he actually possessed the richest jewels in all the\nearth. The smallest among them was bigger and more sparkling by far\nthan the largest and finest he could see in any jeweller's shop.\n\nOne day, while his mind was engaged with this amazing thing, and while\nhe was as usual studying the ways of the merchants in the bazaar\nand the varying quality of their goods, a thing happened which was\npredestined to have far-reaching results on his life. He was in the\njewellers' market, taking note of things, when a herald came by, crying\nto all people: \"Take heed! By command of the Sultan, King of the Age\nand Lord of the Earth, let all doors be closed, and let none come\nforth from shop or dwelling on pain of instant death, for the Sultan's\ndaughter, Bedr-el-Budur cometh to the bath! Take heed!\"\n\nNow, on hearing this, a great longing arose in Aladdin's breast to look\nupon the face of Bedr-el-Budur, the Sultan's daughter. \"All people\nextol her loveliness,\" he said to himself; \"and I--even if I die for\nit--I will look upon her face; for something--I know not what--impels\nme to gaze on Bedr-el-Budur the beautiful.\"\n\nSo, with this will, he speedily found the way. Hastening to the Hammam\nhe secreted himself behind the door so that, unobserved himself, he\nmight see her when she came in. And he had not long to wait, for,\npresently, the Sultan's daughter arrived; and, as she entered, she\nlifted the veil from her face, so that Aladdin saw her features clearly.\n\nWhat a wondrous beauty was there! The witchery of her eyes! The ivory\nof her skin! The jet of her glossy tresses! These, and the swaying\nof her graceful body as she walked, caused Aladdin's heart to turn\nto water and then to spring wildly into flame. \"What a creature is\nthis Princess!\" he said within himself. \"I knew not that God had ever\ncreated such a soul of loveliness.\" Then, suddenly, an overwhelming\nlove for her took him by the heart, and gat hold of him utterly, so\nthat he knew naught else for the very stress of it.\n\nLike one walking in a dream Aladdin went home and sat him down in\ndejection of spirit. For a long time he answered not his mother's\nquestions as to what ailed him, but continued like one who had beheld\na vision so lovely that it had deprived him of his senses. At last,\nhowever, he looked up, and said, \"O my mother, know that until to-day I\nhad believed that all women were of thy fashion of face, but now I find\nthey are not; for to-day I saw the Sultan's daughter, and she is more\nbeautiful than all others on earth.\" And Aladdin told her how he had\nhidden behind the door of the Hammam, so that, when Bedr-el-Budur had\nentered and lifted her veil, he had seen her clearly; and how, on that,\na great love had leapt up in his heart and filled him to the exclusion\nof all else. \"And there is no rest for me,\" he concluded, \"until I win\nthe Lady Bedr-el-Budur, and make her my wife.\"\n\nAt these daring words Aladdin's mother regarded him sharply, with fear\non her face. \"Art thou mad, my son?\" she cried. \"For, if such an insane\nact is thine intention, then God save thee!\" \"Nay, O my mother,\" he\nanswered, \"I am not mad. But, as I risked my life to see her, so will\nI risk it again to win her; for, without her, life is of no account\nto me. I will go to the Sultan and ask him to give me the lovely\nBedr-el-Budur for my lawful wife.\"\n\nSeeing his determination his mother was sore afraid, and knew not what\nto do. For a long time she reasoned with him anxiously, pointing out\nwhat a scandal it would be for the son of a poor tailor to aspire to\nthe Sultan's daughter--the highest in the land, and one whom the Sultan\nwould scarce bestow upon a King who was his equal. Aladdin listened\nvery quietly, and then replied that his resolve was unshaken; and,\nthough he admitted the truth of all she had said, he would nevertheless\ncarry out his purpose, for the Lady Bedr-el-Budur was the only thing\nin the world to him, and if he did not win her he would die. In vain\nshe suggested that there were many of his own class he might marry;\nbesides, to approach the Sultan on such a matter meant certain death;\nunless, indeed, the Sultan thought to bind him on an ass, with his face\nto the tail, and parade him through the city with the heralds shouting,\n\"Behold the reward of presumption and the payment of impertinence!\"\n\nThese arguments, and more, his mother put before him; but Aladdin shook\nhis head at all of them, and remained firm in his determination. \"And\nfurther, O my mother,\" he said, \"I wish now that thou go thyself to the\nSultan and put my request to him, for am I not thy child? And is it not\nthy duty to perform this office for me?\"\n\n\"O my son,\" she cried in despair, \"wilt thou bring me into thy madness?\nI, a poor woman of humble birth, to go in to the Sultan and demand the\nprincess for my son! Why, if I were to go even to one of our equals and\ndemand his daughter, I should immediately be asked what money and goods\nwe possessed; and, if I could not give a ready reply on that matter to\nan equal, what reply, do you imagine, could I give the Sultan? Besides\nall this, O my son, how shall I even gain access to the Sultan's\npresence for this purpose without bearing a rich gift to offer him?\nOut on thee, my son, for thy presumption! What hast thou done for thy\ncountry, or what are thy vast possessions that the Sultan should reward\nthee with his daughter?\"\n\n\"Mother,\" answered Aladdin, \"thy words have served me well, for they\nhave called to my recollection a thing which, through excess of love\nfor the Lady Bedr-el-Budur, I had forgotten. Thou sayest that thou\ncanst not approach the Sultan without a rich gift. Then, O my mother,\nif I place in thy hands an offering richer than any King in the world\ncan make to any other, wilt thou carry out my desire?\"\n\nThinking his words were wild as the wind, and that he could produce\nno such offering, his mother agreed; but, remembering the Slave of\nthe Lamp, and what had already been done in that way, she stipulated\nwith Aladdin that she would carry out his wish only on condition that\nit required no further invoking of the Efrite. Aladdin assured her\non this and asked her to fetch him a china bowl. Wondering greatly\nshe arose, and brought the bowl to him. Then Aladdin emptied into it\nall the sparkling jewels which he carried within his garments, and,\nwhen they were heaped together in the bowl they shone with a dazzling\nsplendour. Liking well her amazement he explained to his mother how\nhe had learned in the market place that what he had at first thought\nwere mere glass were really the rarest of precious stones, the equal of\nthe least of which could not be found in the treasuries of Kings. On\nhearing this, and at sight of the brilliant, flashing gems, his mother\nwas dumbfounded, for she saw that this was indeed a treasure beyond all\nimagination, and worthy of the Sultan's acceptance. But, as she had\nnaught to say, Aladdin spoke for her, and held her to her promise.\n\n\"Thou seest, O my mother,\" he said, \"that this is an offering excelling\nall others. Now, therefore, according to thy promise, arise straightway\nand go to the Sultan, bearing these wondrous jewels. I am greatly\nmistaken if he accepteth not the gift.\" \"But, O my son,\" answered she\nin dismay, \"what can I say to him? The gift is fabulous indeed, but\nstill more fabulous is the request thou desirest me to put to him. For,\nif I say I want his daughter for my son, he may be so angered at my\nimpertinence that he will take the jewels and condemn me to death. And\nthen he may search for thee, my son; and, when he hath found thee, and\nlooked upon thy face, we shall assuredly die together.\"\n\n[Illustration: The Lady Bedr-el-Budur. Page 113]\n\nAladdin made a gesture of impatience at his mother's view of the\nmatter. \"On my head and eye,\" he said angrily, \"though thou art my\nmother thou art verily lacking in sense. I put it to you: What man\nliving, yea, even though he be the Sultan, would refuse to grant thy\nrequest when thou comest to him with the price of more than half his\nkingdom? Nay, my mother,--for such thou art,--thou art surely deficient\nin wisdom.\" And he took up the bowl of glittering jewels and weighed\nthe chances of them in his hand.\n\nBut his mother, silenced as she was with his shrewd words, was\nterrified at the prospect of her visit to the Sultan, and still went on\nraising difficulties. \"Haply, O my son, he will be pleased to see me,\nbecause of the gift; but what if he say to me, 'Who is this, thy son,\nwho seeketh the hand of my daughter? What is his condition and state of\nlife?'\" \"How can he ask thee that,\" answered Aladdin, \"when the jewels\nin the bowl are crying out my state and my condition? Such a thing will\nnever happen, except in thy mind. Do thou now arise and go to him, for\nI will no longer listen to these fanciful excuses.\" \"Nay, nay, my son,\"\nshe cried, seeing there was no withdrawing from her promise; \"I will\ngo, but give me till the morning to strengthen and prepare myself.\"\n\nSo Aladdin curbed his impatience and agreed to wait until the following\nday; but, since he realised that it was not impossible that the project\nmight fail, and that he might have to seek to the Slave of the Lamp\nfor advice and help in difficulty, he spoke to his mother on the\nmatter. \"O my mother,\" he said, \"it was the condition of thy promise\nthat I should not invoke the Slave of the Lamp in the furtherance of\nthis my desire; yet it must be understood between us that if thou make\na blunder--which thou needst not do--then, to extricate us from a dire\ncalamity, I am free to rub the Lamp and see what its Slave can do for\nour salvation.\"\n\nHis mother assented to this, for she knew, if she failed with the\nSultan, all was lost; and, in such case, even the aid of a demon would\nbe acceptable. \"Then,\" said Aladdin, \"see thou to it that in thy gossip\nto our neighbours no word of the Lamp escape thy lips, for, if this\nwonderful possession of ours become known, it will speedily pass out\nof our hands and its virtues with it. Therefore keep thy counsel, O\nmy mother, and babble not of our secret.\" \"Fear nothing, my son,\" she\nreplied, \"the Lamp is our peculiar possession, and no word shall pass\nmy lips concerning it.\" And they ceased not to talk of their project,\nand the saving powers of the Lamp, far into the night.\n\nWhen morning dawned Aladdin's mother arose and prepared herself for the\nvisit to the Palace, and, wrapping the bowl of jewels in a cloth, went\nforth early. When she arrived at the Palace she found herself among\nthe first there assembled, and at once fell to watching the princes\nand nobles and high officials as they came in. When the audience was\nfull the Sultan came in and seated himself on the royal divan. All\nbowed down before him, and then stood waiting with folded arms for his\npermission to be seated. And, when he gave permission, all sat down in\ntheir due order of precedence. Then he listened to their petitions in\nthe same order, and gave his decisions, until the hour grew late, and\nthe audience was declared closed. The Sultan arose and went into the\nPalace, and the princes, with the nobles and the people, went their\nways. Among them went Aladdin's mother, thinking to herself that this\nwould be a matter of many days.\n\nShe hastened home to Aladdin, who, when he saw her with the bowl of\njewels just as when she departed, cried, \"What is this, O my mother?\nHath he refused the jewels, and thy head still on thy shoulders?\" \"Nay,\nmy son,\" she replied; \"be patient! There were many before me and I had\nno opportunity.\" And she told him how she had gained a place in the\naudience, and how it was only a matter of waiting till her turn came to\nplace her petition before the Sultan; perchance to-morrow or the next\nday.\n\nAladdin was overjoyed at this; and, though his exceeding love for\nthe Princess probed him sore, yet he resolved to possess his soul in\npatience against the fulfilment of his desire. But what he momently\nexpected was hourly delayed, and, from that time forth, the daily\npostponement of his request added fuel to the flame of love in his\nheart; for, on the following morning, his mother set forth again for\nthe Palace and returned again in the evening but one day nearer to the\nputting of her petition. And every day thereafter she stood in the\naudience with the bowl of jewels under her arm and heard the petitions,\nbut dared not for very timidity address the Sultan. And in this way she\ncontinued for a whole month, while Aladdin was nursing his impatient\nsoul and waiting on the issue.\n\nNow the Sultan, being observant, had noticed the woman present herself\nconstantly at the lev\u00e9e; and, at length, one day, after the audience\nhad dispersed and the Sultan had retired with his Grand Vizier, he\nsaid to him, \"Hearken, O Vizier! for many days have I seen an old woman\nat the lev\u00e9e, and on each occasion she has carried a bundle under her\narm. Knowest thou aught of her?\" And the Vizier, who had little esteem\nfor women, replied, \"Doubtless a woman like other women, O our Lord!\nMaybe she cometh with a deadly grievance against her husband, whom she\ndesires to be beheaded; and, when thou grantest her desire, she will\nplead for his life, supplicating thee with tears; for such was ever\ntheir way.\" But the Sultan was curious about the woman and her silent\npersistence, and was not satisfied to dismiss the matter so easily. So\nhe commanded the Vizier to see to it that, should the woman present\nherself again, she be instantly brought before him.\n\nAnd so it came about. Aladdin's mother, though weary with her many\nattendances, still persevered in her quest, feeling that, for the sake\nof her son, she would endure all delay so that the issue might come\nat last. And it came according to the Sultan's command to the Grand\nVizier; for one day the Sultan saw her waiting in the audience chamber\nand ordered the Vizier to bring her forward that he might consider her\naffair.\n\nNow, at last, she was face to face with the Sultan, making obeisance\nto him and kissing the ground at his feet. \"I have seen thee here, O\nwoman, for many days,\" said the Sultan; \"and thou hast not approached\nme. If thou hast a wish that I can grant, lay it before me.\" At this\nshe kissed the ground again, and prayed fervently for the prolongation\nof his life. Then she said, \"O King of all the Ages, I have a request;\nbut, peace be on thee, it is a strange one! Wherefore I claim thy\nclemency before I state it.\"\n\nThese words whetted the Sultan's curiosity, and, as he was a man of\ngreat gentleness, he spoke her softly in reply, and not only assured\nher of his clemency but ordered all others present to withdraw, saving\nonly the Grand Vizier, so that he might hear her petition in secret.\n\n\"Now, woman,\" said the Sultan, turning to her, \"make thy petition, and\nthe peace and protection of God be on thee.\" \"Thy forgiveness, also, O\nKing,\" she said. \"God forgive thee if there is aught to forgive,\" he\nreplied. And at this Aladdin's mother unfolded the tale of her son's\nexceeding love for Bedr-el-Budur, the Sultan's daughter: how life had\nbecome intolerable to him because of this, and how his only thought was\nto win the Lady Bedr-el-Budur for his wife, or die--either of grief,\nor by the Sultan's anger. Wherefore, his life being in the balance in\nany case, she had come as a last resort to beg the Sultan to bestow his\ndaughter on her son. And she concluded by beseeching the Sultan not to\npunish either her or her son for this unparalleled hardihood.\n\nThe Sultan looked at the Grand Vizier, whose face was of stone--for the\nLady Bedr-el-Budur had already been promised to his son: a matter well\nunderstood between them. \"What sayest thou?\" said the Sultan, regarding\nhim with merriment in his eyes. But the Grand Vizier only cast a\ncontemptuous look at Aladdin's mother, and answered him: \"O King of the\nAge! Thou knowest how to deal with this petition.\" At this the Sultan\nlaughed outright, and, turning a kindly face to the humble suppliant,\nobserved her minutely. \"What is that bundle thou hast under thine arm?\"\nhe said at last, remembering that she had brought it with her on every\noccasion.\n\nAladdin's mother, greatly relieved to see the Sultan laughing, unfolded\nthe wrappings of the bowl and handed it to him. As soon as he took it\nin his hand, and saw the size and splendid sparkle of the jewels, the\nSultan laughed no longer, but gazed at them, speechless with wonder and\nadmiration. Then at length, he handed the bowl to the Grand Vizier,\nsaying, \"Upon my oath, this is a marvellous thing! Tell me, O Vizier,\nhave I in my treasury a single jewel that will compare with even the\nsmallest of these?\"\n\nThe Grand Vizier also was taken aback by their dazzling loveliness and\nbeauty. He would have lied, saying they were glass or crystal, but the\nstones themselves flashed back the purposed lie in his teeth. All he\ncould reply was, \"Never, O my lord the King, have I beheld the like of\nthese; nor is there one in thy treasury that could equal the beauty\nof the smallest of them.\" And, saying this, the Vizier turned very\npale, for neither he nor his son could approach the Sultan with such a\ngift. And it was as he had feared, and as Aladdin had prophesied: the\nSultan required to know nothing further than what was before him in the\nbowl, for it was evident that the giver of these rare jewels must take\nprecedence of all others, since, if they were sold in the market, their\nprice would buy a dozen Grand Viziers and their sons, to say nothing of\nprinces and nobles with their palaces and all. Indeed, as the Vizier\nreadily saw, the worth of the precious stones might equal the worth\nof the Sultan's kingdom, and this caused his knees to quake, for he\nquickly concluded within his mind that there was more behind this thing\nthan what the eye beheld: perchance the old woman's story was but the\ncurtain that concealed a richer treasury than Cathay had ever heard of.\n\n\"O Vizier,\" said the Sultan in dry and chilling tones, \"it seemeth that\nin this land there are men greater than the greatest. What sayest thou?\nThe man who sends me this kingly gift cannot conceal his greatness and\nworthiness behind the thin, loose yarn spun by his messenger here.\nThat he is worthy of my daughter is clearly proved, O Vizier; and I,\nthe Sultan, King of the Age, having power over all men, do withdraw my\nformer promise to thee to bestow her on thy son. Bedr-el-Budur, the one\nbeautiful jewel in the treasury of my heart, is my gift in return to\nthe man who has sent me these priceless jewels.\"\n\nThe Grand Vizier bit his lips and pondered awhile. Then he spoke.\n\"Peace be on thee, O King of all the Earth. But is not thy promise\nworth most of all? Thou didst pledge me thy daughter for my son, and\nwith that pledge I went, thinking that the whole earth and all therein\nwere not its value. Wherefore, O King, I pray that thou wilt allow this\nmatter time. If thou wilt pledge this foster mother of a prince that\nthou wilt comply with her request in three months time, then it seems\nto me that, by so doing, thou wilt cement the good feeling and loosen\nthe griefs of all parties concerned. And in the meantime--yea, I have\ngood reason for saying it--there will come before thee, O King of the\nAge, a gift compared to which this thou hast seen is but dross.\"\n\nThe Sultan weighed the Grand Vizier's words in his mind, and concluded\nthat it would be best for all concerned to accept the gift from\nAladdin's mother and to grant her son's wish, but at the same time to\nfelicitate the Grand Vizier by imposing a three months' stay of the\nnuptials. Accordingly, he said to the woman, \"Tell thy son that he\nhath my royal assent, and that I will give him my daughter in marriage;\nbut, as every woman knows, these things cannot be hastened, for there\nare garments and necessaries to be prepared; wherefore thy son (on whom\nbe peace) must abide in patience for, let us say, three months. At the\nend of that time he may approach me for the fulfilment of my promise.\"\n\nSatisfied with this, Aladdin's mother thanked and blessed the Sultan,\nand, buoyed up with a burden of delight, almost flew back to her house.\nThere Aladdin was awaiting for her, and, when he saw her hastening, and\nnoticed that she had returned without the bowl of jewels, his heart\nrose high to meet her. \"Hath the Sultan considered thy request?\" he\ncried, as she came in panting. \"Hath he accepted the jewels? Tell me\nthat only, and I know the rest without a movement of thy tongue.\"\n\nAnd his mother, whose haste and condition had already answered all\nhis questions, answered them still further with \"Yea, yea, yea!\" Then\nshe related to him the details of the interview, laying stress upon\nthe fact that, although the Sultan had been moved at the sight of the\njewels to make immediate arrangements for the marriage, a private word\nfrom the Grand Vizier had led him to delay the ceremony for three\nmonths. \"Take heed, my son!\" she concluded. \"The Grand Vizier hath a\nmotive for this counsel of delay. He is thine enemy. I saw it in his\nface. Beware of him!\"\n\nAladdin was greatly relieved by her news. He felt like one jerked out\nof the grave; and, where the Sultan was favourable to his suit, he was\nin no mood to fear a Grand Vizier. \"Nay, nay,\" he said, \"the jewels\nhave the eye of the Sultan more than the Grand Vizier hath his ear.\nFear nothing, O my mother! The Sultan's word is good, and I rest\ncontent to wait; though I know not how such a long time as three months\ncan be got into the calendar.\"\n\nTwo of these long, weary months went by, and Aladdin nursed his soul\nin patience. Then a thing happened which gave him seriously to think.\nOn a day in the first week of the third month his mother went forth\ninto the market place about sunset to buy oil, and she saw that all\nthe shops were closed, and the people were adorning their windows with\nbright garlands as if for some festivity. She wondered greatly at this,\nthinking the Sultan had either changed his birthday or that another\nchild had been born to him. Yet she had gleaned nothing of any great\nevent from the gossip of her neighbours. Having, after much difficulty,\nfound an oil shop open, she bought her oil, and questioned the man.\n\"Uncle,\" she said; \"what is abroad in the city that the people close\ntheir shops and place candles and garlands in their windows?\" \"Thou art\nevidently a stranger,\" replied the man. \"Nay, I am of this city,\" said\nshe. \"Then must thou cleanse thine ears,\" he retorted. \"Hast thou not\nheard that the Grand Vizier's son is to take to himself this evening\nthe beautiful Bedr-el-Budur? Surely, woman, thou hast been sleeping all\nday on thine ears, for the news went abroad early this morning. The\nVizier's son is at the Hamman, and these soldiers and officials you see\nin the streets are waiting to escort him to the palace. And, look you,\nyou are fortunate to get oil to-day, for all those who purvey oil to\nthe Grand Vizier and his household have closed their shops as a mark of\nrespect.\"\n\nOn hearing this, Aladdin's mother was so distressed that her knees\nshook, and she walked away without replying--even forgetting to pay\nfor the oil. But the man speedily called her back and reminded her\nthat, though the Grand Vizier had never given him an order, she had,\nand the price of the oil was such and such. In confusion of face she\npaid him and then hurried away, the oilman looking after her and\nwondering what manner of woman was this. Had he known all, he might\nhave wondered more, or ceased to wonder.\n\nMeanwhile, Aladdin's mother went home in a state of great\nconsternation. Though her feet hastened, her heart lagged behind\nher, for she knew not how to tell her son the terrible news. She was\nafraid that after his joy at the Sultan's promise, and his patient\nwaiting, this blow would send him from his mind. Then she contrived it\nin her thoughts that it was best to provoke her son's anger against\nthe Sultan, rather than his grief at the loss of Bedr-el-Budur.\nAccordingly, as soon as she entered the house and found him sitting\nthinking, as was his wont of late, she said, \"O my son, who can put\ntrust in a King? When I went to buy oil, I found that the Sultan had\nproclaimed a holiday, and all the shops were closed except one. Tush!\nThere is no faith in Sultans!\"\n\n\"How now, O my mother?\" answered Aladdin. \"Treason hath a loud voice.\nWith the Sultan and the Grand Vizier, _hush_! What ails thee? Thy hand\nis a-tremble.\" And she answered him: \"O my son, there is no faith nor\ntrust but in God. Said I not to thee that the Grand Vizier was thine\nenemy? Out on him and the Sultan, for their word is but hot wind, and\nthere is no faith in the promise of a King.\" \"I see by thy face and by\nthy speech,\" said Aladdin, \"that thou hast some bad news. What is it, O\nmy mother?\"\n\nThen his mother told how that the Sultan had violated his covenant, and\nhow the marriage of the Lady Bedr-el-Budur to the Grand Vizier's son\nwas to take place that very evening. For this she heaped abuse upon\nthe Grand Vizier, saying that it was only the worst of men that could\nso lead the Sultan to break his promise. When she had told all, and\nAladdin understood how the matter lay, he arose, more in anger than\nin grief, and cried out against the Grand Vizier and cursed all the\nparties concerned in the affair. But presently he remembered that, when\nall seemed lost, he still had the Lamp, and that was something in time\nof trouble and difficulty. So he suddenly restrained his speech and\nfell to thinking what manner of death the Vizier's son should die. His\nmother, seeing him in better spirits, questioned him. \"What now, O my\nson?\" she said. \"Is thy bitterness of feeling gone? What gift wilt thou\nsend the wedded pair? Peradventure another bowl of jewels?\" She spoke\nmockingly for she wanted him to spend his wrath and save his reason.\n\"Nay, O my mother,\" replied Aladdin lightly; \"they are not wedded yet;\nand, on my head and eye, verily it is not every knot that holds.\"\n\nWith this he arose and retired to his own chamber, where he brought\nout the Lamp. Then, having considered well the manner of his wish, he\nrubbed it. Immediately the Efrite stepped out of the unseen and stood\nbefore him, saying, \"Thou hast invoked me: what is thy desire? I am\nthe Slave of the Lamp in thy hand and am here to do thy bidding.\" And\nAladdin answered: \"Know, O Slave of the Lamp, that the Sultan promised\nme his daughter for my wife, but he has broken his word, and this night\nshe is to be united with the Grand Vizier's son; wherefore I wish\nthat, as soon as the pair retire, thou take them up, with the couch\nwhereon they lie, and bring them hither to me.\" \"I hear and obey,\" said\nthe Slave of the Lamp, and immediately vanished.\n\nAladdin waited expectantly for some time, for he guessed that the\nmoment would not be long delayed when the wedded pair would retire\nfrom the ceremonies. And his guess was right, for when he had waited a\nlittle longer, suddenly a cold blast of air swept through the chamber;\nthe wall opened and there appeared the Efrite bearing in his arms the\nwedded pair upon the nuptial couch. They had been transported in the\ntwinkling of an eye, and, when the Efrite had set the couch down at\nAladdin's feet, they were both stupefied with astonishment at this\nproceeding.\n\n\"Take that scurvy thief,\" said Aladdin to the Efrite, pointing to the\nVizier's son, \"and bind him and lodge him in the wood-closet for the\nnight.\" And the Efrite did so. He took up the Vizier's son in one hand,\nand, reaching with the other for cords, drew them from the invisible\nand bound the miscreant securely. Then he placed him in the wood-closet\nand blew an icy blast upon him to comfort him. Returning to Aladdin he\nsaid, \"It is done, O Master of the Lamp! Is there aught else thou dost\ndesire?\" \"Naught but this,\" replied Aladdin. \"In the morning, when the\nSultan is proceeding towards their chamber to wish them long life and\nhappiness, convey them back thither in a state of sleep so that the\nSultan's knock at their door may wake them.\" \"I will obey,\" said the\nEfrite, and, in a moment, the air closed over him and he was gone.\n\nAnd Aladdin smiled to himself to think that this thing had been done.\nThen he turned to the Lady Bedr-el-Budur, who was sitting weeping on\nthe couch. \"O lovely one,\" said he, \"weep not; for I would not hurt one\nhair of thy head, nor sully thine honour in any way. Know that I love\nthee too much to harm thee; but, since thy father the Sultan promised\nme thee, and has violated his word, I am determined that none other\nshall call thee his. Rest in peace, lovely lady; for neither am I thy\nhusband nor the thief of thy husband's honour. Wherefore, weep not, but\nrest in peace.\"\n\nSo saying he took a sword that hung on the wall of his chamber, and,\nhaving placed it by her side in token of security, he stretched himself\nupon the couch so that they lay with the sword between them. Thus they\npassed the night. The Sultan's daughter wept the long night through,\nand Aladdin could not close his eyes for thinking of his unfortunate\nrival's condition in the wood-closet. Towards morning Bedr-el-Budur,\nutterly exhausted with weeping, fell asleep; and, as Aladdin gazed\nupon her, he saw that indeed her loveliness was rare; and, the more\nhe gazed, the more he thought of the unhappy fate of the Vizier's\nson. Never was a man so badly treated as to be bound fast on his\nwedding night and laid in a wood-cellar in deadly fear of the dreadful\napparition that had placed him there.\n\nIn the morning, while Bedr-el-Budur still slept, the Slave of the Lamp\nappeared according to Aladdin's command. \"O my master,\" he said, \"the\nSultan hath left his couch and is about to knock at the door of the\nbridal chamber. I am here to perform thy bidding on the instant.\" \"So\nbe it,\" answered Aladdin. \"Convey them together on the couch back to\ntheir place.\" And scarcely had he spoken when the Efrite vanished and\nreappeared with the Vizier's son, whom he quickly unbound and laid\nupon the couch beside the sleeping Bedr-el-Budur. Then, lifting the\ncouch with the two upon it, he vanished, and Aladdin knew that, before\nthe Sultan had knocked at the door of the bridal chamber, everything\nwould be as it had been. Everything? No, not everything; for the Lady\nBedr-el-Budur must awake as from a terrible nightmare; and, as for the\nVizier's son, would he sing a song to the Sultan about spending the\nnight in the wood-closet? Aladdin pondered over this and decided that\nnothing less than a repetition of the affair would wring the truth from\neither of them.\n\nAt this moment the Sultan knocked at the door of the bridal chamber\nin the Palace, and the Vizier's son, still cold from the wood-closet,\narose and opened to him. The Sultan advanced to the couch, and kissed\nhis daughter, and asked her if she was happy and content. By way of\nanswer she glared at him in sullen silence, for she had not forgotten,\nin dreams or in waking, what had happened to her. The Sultan, not\nunderstanding what had befallen, and feeling annoyed, turned and left\nthe chamber to lay the matter before the Queen, to whose ear their\ndaughter's tongue might the more easily be loosed. So he came to the\nQueen and told her how Bedr-el-Budur had received him, concluding his\nrecital with the remark, \"Thus it is; there is trouble behind the door\nof that bridal chamber.\"\n\nBut the Queen smiled at his serious fears and answered him: \"O my\nLord the King, thou knowest little of the heart of a woman. When it\nis happiest, a trifle makes it sad; and, when it would send tears of\nlaughter and joy to the eyes, it sometimes turns perverse against\nitself for very gladness, and sends tears of pain instead. Wherefore,\nbe not angry with her, but let me go and see her. She will surely\nconfide in me.\"\n\nSo saying, she arose and robed herself, and went to the bridal\nchamber. At first sight of her daughter's dejected attitude and pained\nexpression she imagined that some lovers' quarrel over a mere trifle\nhad occurred; but when she kissed her, wishing her good morning, and\nBedr-el-Budur answered no word to her salutation, she began to think\nthat some grave trouble rested on her daughter's mind. And it was not\nuntil she had coaxed her, and used every argument known to a mother,\nthat she received an answer to her questions. \"Be not angry with me,\nO my mother,\" said Bedr-el-Budur at last, raising her sad, beautiful\neyes, \"but know that a terrible thing has happened,--a thing which I\nhardly dare tell thee lest thou think I have lost my reason. Scarcely\nhad we retired, O my mother, when there suddenly appeared a huge\nblack shape,--terrible, horrific in aspect; and this--I know not what\nnor who--lifted the couch whereon we lay and conveyed us in a flash\nto some dark and vile abode of the common people.\" And then to her\nmother's astonished ears she unfolded the tale of all that had happened\nduring the night till, suddenly, in the morning, she awoke to find the\nmonstrous shape replacing them in the bridal chamber at the moment her\nfather the Sultan had knocked at the door. \"And that, O my mother,\"\nshe concluded, \"is why I could not answer my father, for I was so\nbewildered and stricken with unhappiness that I thought that I was mad;\nthough, now I have thought about the affair from beginning to end, I\nknow that I have my wits like any other.\"\n\n\"Truly, O my daughter,\" said the Queen with great concern, \"if thou\nwere to tell this story to thy father he would say thou wert mad.\nWherefore, I counsel thee, child, tell it to him not; neither to him\nnor to any other one.\" \"Nay, O my mother,\" answered Bedr-el-Budur,\n\"dost thou doubt me? I have told thee the plain truth, and, if thou\ndoubt it, ask my husband if my tale be true or not.\" But the Queen\nreplied, \"Sweep these fancies from thy mind, O my daughter; and arise\nand robe thyself to attend the rejoicings which this day have been\nprepared in the City in thine honour. For the whole people is in glad\narray, and the drums will beat and music will delight the ears of all;\nand the musicians will sing thy praises and all will wish thee long\nlife and happiness.\"\n\nLeaving Bedr-el-Budur, then, with her tirewomen, the Queen sought\nthe Sultan, and begged him not to be angry with their daughter, for\nshe had been distressed with unhappy dreams. Then she sent for the\nVizier's son to come to her secretly, and, when he stood before her,\nshe related to him what Bedr-el-Budur had told her, and asked him if\nit were true or if he knew aught of it. \"Nay,\" he answered, for he had\nthought the matter over and feared that the truth might rob him of his\nbride; besides, his acquaintance with the wood-closet seemed to him\ndiscreditable, and he felt little inclined to boast of it. \"Nay, O my\nlady the Queen,\" said he; \"I know naught of these things beyond what\nthou hast told me.\"\n\nFrom this there was no doubt left in the Queen's mind that her daughter\nhad suffered from a nightmare so vivid that she had been unable easily\nto cast it from her. Nevertheless, she felt assured that, as the day\nwore on, with its gaieties and rejoicings, Bedr-el-Budur would be\nenabled to rid herself of these troublous imaginings of the night, and\nresume her former self.\n\n[Illustration: The Sultan and his Vizier looking for Aladdin's magic\nPalace. Page 122]\n\nAll that day the City was thrown into a state of the utmost festivity\nwhich the Sultan and the Queen busied themselves to augment, for to\nrestore their daughter's happiness was their chief concern. The Grand\nVizier, who knew only that his daughter-in-law had been troubled by\nevil dreams, laid this not to his conscience in that he had persuaded\nthe Sultan to break his pledge, but attempted rather to mend matters by\nadopting every means in his power to increase the universal gaiety. The\ndrums beat, and music echoed through the City. Trumpeters went forth,\nfanfaring the beauty of Bedr-el-Budur; heralds proclaimed her graces\nin the streets and byways; singers extolled her charms; and the heavy\nburden of taxation was lifted from the people's backs for one month, so\nthat they might stand up for a little and see what a great man was the\nGrand Vizier in the Sultan's eyes, and what a charming person his son\nmust be to deserve the beautiful cause of these wonderful things. As\nfor the Vizier's son, he ceased not to pursue all manner of gaieties,\nthinking thereby to convince himself that the wood-closet was naught\nbut an odious dream. But all this festivity and rejoicing failed to\ndispel Bedr-el-Budur's gloom. Being of a sincere nature, she could not\npretend like the Vizier's son, nor could she love him the better for\nstoutly denying what was plain truth to them both.\n\nAnd, as the City went about its gladness without restraint, Aladdin\nstrolled forth from his mother's house and viewed it all from the\npoint of view of one who knows. When he surveyed the delighted rabble\nrejoicing over the happiness of bride and bridegroom he laughed\nwithin himself, saying, \"Little they know!\" But when he heard all men\nenvying the great honour and distinction of the Grand Vizier's\nson, and praising him in that his excellent qualities had won the\nheart of the Lady Bedr-el-Budur, he feared that he might die for\nlaughing. \"Verily, ye glad people,\" he said within himself, \"ye would\nenvy him to distraction if ye only knew that he would far sooner\nrest in a wood-closet than on the bridal couch. Ha! Ha! Ha! Ye doubt\nme? Then come and peep into the wood-closet to-night, ye rabble! and\nsee for yourselves what a happy bridegroom he makes of himself, the\ngallows-bird that he is!\"\n\nAt eventime, when the wild rejoicing of the City had fatigued itself\nagainst replenishment by wine, Aladdin retired to his chamber and\nrubbed the Lamp. Immediately the Slave appeared and desired to know\nhis wish. \"O Slave of the Lamp,\" said Aladdin, \"do as thou didst last\nnight. See to it that thou convey the bridal pair hither again as\nman and maid at the eleventh hour of their innocence.\" The Slave of\nthe Lamp vanished in a moment, and Aladdin sat for a long time; yet\nhe was content, for he knew that the wily Efrite was but waiting his\nopportunity. At length the monster reappeared before him, bearing in\nhis arms the bridal couch with the pair upon it, weeping and wringing\ntheir hands in excess of grief and terror. And, at Aladdin's word\nthe Slave took the Vizier's son as before and put him to bed in the\nwood-closet, where he remained, bound fast in an icy chill. Then\nhaving dismissed the Efrite with injunctions to convey the pair back\nin the morning as he had done the day before, Aladdin placed the\nsword between Bedr-el-Budur and himself and composed himself to rest,\nregardless of her weeping and restlessness; for, he said to himself,\n\"I am sufficiently rewarded for all my trouble. The Vizier's son hath\nretired to the wood-closet. He careth not for this world's joys--the\ngallows-bird! And he leaves me his bride to protect in the hour of\nneed. Verily he is of a trusting nature.\" And Aladdin slept not nor\nstirred the whole night through; and it was as if Bedr-el-Budur's\nsobbing and tribulation were cut off from him by the sword that lay\nbetween them. And when it was morning, and the Sultan was about to\nknock at the door of the bridal chamber in the palace, the Slave of the\nLamp appeared and conveyed the bride and the bridegroom swiftly back to\ntheir place.\n\nOn being set down in the bridal chamber, dazed and bewildered, they\nhad not returned to their proper senses when the knock came at the\ndoor. The Sultan had come to wish his daughter good-morning, and to see\nalso if she would behave towards him as on the former occasion. The\nbridegroom arose, shivering with cold,--for he had but a moment since\nleft the wood-closet,--and opened the door. He made way for the Sultan,\nwho entered, and, approaching the couch, saluted Bedr-el-Budur with a\nkiss. But, when he asked her if she was not the happiest of women, she\nmade no reply, but met his gaze with an angry stare. It was easy to see\nthat she was perfectly miserable. But the Sultan did not look at it in\nthat light, he saw only what he took for sullen obstinacy, and, flying\ninto a passion, drew his sword, saying, \"By Allah! tell me what ails\nthee, or thy head will not remain upon thy body.\"\n\nThen Bedr-el-Budur wept and supplicated him, and told him what had\nbefallen on the second night as on the first, so that as she revealed\nit all his pity was aroused, and he sheathed his sword. \"Thy words ring\ntrue, O my daughter!\" he said. \"But fear not, and be comforted; for at\nthis moment I am minded to set a guard on this chamber so that no such\nthing may happen a third time. For the present, peace be on thee!\"\n\nThe Sultan repaired immediately to the Grand Vizier and told him all;\nand asked him whether he had received the same version of this matter\nfrom his son. But the Grand Vizier shook his head in the manner of one\nwho might be lying and might not. \"Then,\" said the Sultan, \"go at once\nand question him, for it may be that my daughter hath seen visions and\ndreamed dreams; albeit, I am unable to disbelieve the truth of her\nstory.\"\n\nSo the Grand Vizier went and enquired of his son, and presently\nreturned to the Sultan in great perplexity of face, for his son,\nwhatever he had admitted before, had now confessed to everything, even\nto the wood-closet. And, moreover, he had begged and implored his\nfather to obtain his release from this most unhappy marriage, since it\nwas better to be without a bride and sleep in peace than to have one\nand perish with cold in a wood-closet. Thus it was with the Vizier's\nson.\n\n\"O King of the Age,\" said the Grand Vizier, who could not see his way\nto conceal the truth, \"my son telleth the same tale as thy daughter,\nthe Lady Bedr-el-Budur. Wherefore I beseech thee that thou set a guard\nthis night, so that----\" \"Nay,\" broke in the Sultan angrily; \"it is\nan unhappy marriage and bodes no good. Thou didst persuade me that my\npromise to that woman in respect of her son was not binding, but these\nunhappy events and ill-omened affairs make me think thou wast mistaken.\nAbide not another night, for worse may happen. Go forth, O Vizier,\nand proclaim the marriage annulled. Bid the people cease to rejoice,\nand command all to go their own ways and comport themselves as if the\nmarriage had not been.\"\n\nAt this the Grand Vizier bowed his head and went forth exceeding wroth,\nand proclaimed the annulment of the marriage to all the people. Great\nwas the wonder at this on every hand, for, among them all, none knew\nwhy, save one alone; and that one was Aladdin, the Master of the Lamp\nand of the Slave of the Lamp. He alone knew, and it was almost with\nregret that he decided the wood-closet need have no tenant that night.\n\nWhether the Sultan had swiftly forgotten, or tardily remembered, his\npledge, Aladdin troubled not to enquire. He waited patiently until the\nthree months had expired, and then sent his mother to demand of the\nSultan the fulfilment of his promise.\n\nSo it transpired that, on the day of the expiration of the term, the\nSultan saw Aladdin's mother standing in the Hall of Audience. He was\nnot astonished at this, for the matter of his broken or twisted pledge\nhad somewhat disturbed his dreams. \"Behold! there she stands!\" he said\nto the Grand Vizier. \"Bring her before me immediately.\" The Vizier\narose, his face like autumn leaves withered in the wind, and did as he\nwas bidden.\n\n\"What is thy suit?\" asked the Sultan of Aladdin's mother as soon as she\nstood before him. Then, when she had kissed the ground and prayed for\nthe prolongation of his life, she answered: \"O King of all the Earth,\nthe three months thou didst proscribe are at an end and I have come to\nask thee to redeem thy pledge in respect of thy daughter and my son\nAladdin.\"\n\nThe Sultan, who had not now the bowl of jewels before him to blind his\nvision, regarded her intently, and saw that she was of humble state;\nthen, as he turned in perplexity to the Grand Vizier, he observed that\nthe expression on his face was the expression of one who ponders the\nlaying of a stratagem and the way it should be hatched. \"What is thy\nthought on this, O Vizier?\" he said. \"My word is my word, and I regret\nthat thou shouldst have explained it away; yet it seems to me that this\nwoman is not of the kind that could mother-in-law my daughter. Hast\nthou a plan which is not a trick? If thou hast, whisper it in mine ear.\"\n\nThe Grand Vizier was pleased to hear the Sultan appealing to his ready\nwit in this way, for he was consumed with chagrin at what had befallen\nhis son and desired only to non-suit this woman who had out-bid him\nwith the jewels. So he unfolded his plan--his stratagem--his trick,\nprivately to the Sultan's ear. \"O King of the Age,\" he said, \"thy\npledge holds good, as ever it did; yea, as good as marriage vows.\nBut verily, if this common woman's son desireth thy daughter for his\nwife, there should be a settlement befitting such a suit. Wherefore\nask of him forty bowls of gold filled with jewels of the same blood\nand tincture as the woman brought at first, with forty female slaves\nto carry them, and a fitting retinue of forty. This thing, which is a\nSultan's right to ask, it seemeth to me he cannot contrive to execute,\nand thus thou shalt be free of him.\"\n\n\"By Allah!\" said the Sultan, \"thou art of ready wit, O Vizier! Truly a\nmarriage settlement is needed.\" Then, turning to Aladdin's mother, he\nsaid: \"O woman! know that when one asketh the daughter of the Sultan\none must have standing, for so it is in royal circles; and, to prove\nthat standing, the suitor must show that he is able to provide for the\nSultan's daughter and keep her in that state to which she has been\naccustomed. Wherefore he must bring to me forty golden bowls filled\nwith jewels such as thou didst bring, with forty beautiful female\nslaves to carry them and forty black slaves as a retinue. Coming like\nthis, thy son may claim my daughter, for the Sultan's word is the\nSultan's word.\"\n\nA sad woman then was Aladdin's mother. She returned to her son sick at\nheart, saying with herself, \"Forty bowls of jewels, with forty maids\nand forty black slaves! How can my son do this? Better he had not\nentered on this affair!\" Then, with bitterness, she added, \"The Sultan\nasketh far too little: forty _five_ bowls with forty _five_ maids\nand forty _five_ slaves and a palace to boot! Oh! what a thing it is\nto live up to such a demand as I have made.\" Thinking like this she\nfound her son and spoke sorrowfully to him. \"O my son,\" she exclaimed,\nweeping, \"said I not to thee that the Grand Vizier was thine enemy? The\nSultan remembered his pledge, but the Vizier--may his bones rot!--spake\nin his ear, and the outcome is this: forty golden bowls of jewels,\nforty female slaves to carry them, and forty slaves as an escort. With\nthis dowry, O my son, thou mayest approach the Sultan and claim his\ndaughter as thy bride.\"\n\nLoudly Aladdin laughed to scorn. \"O my mother,\" he said; \"is this all\nthe Sultan requireth? The Grand Vizier--may his bones rot as thou\nsayest!--hath proposed what he imagines an impossible thing; but it is\nnot at all impossible. Now, mother, set some food before me, and, when\nI have eaten, I will tell thee.\"\n\nAnd when his mother had brought him food, and he had eaten, he arose\nand went into his chamber. There he brought out the Lamp, and, sitting\ndown, he rubbed it. Immediately the Slave appeared. \"What is thy\nwish, O my master?\" \"Lo, O Slave of the Lamp, know that the Sultan\nhath promised me his daughter, but, repenting him of his promise, he\nhath required of me what he thinketh a dowry impossible for anyone to\ncompass: forty golden bowls of rare and splendid jewels, carried by\nforty maids, with an escort of forty slaves. Therefore I desire all\nthese things of thee.\" \"I obey!\" said the Efrite, and vanished.\n\nIn less than an hour he returned and led before Aladdin forty beautiful\nmaidens, each carrying a golden bowl of jewels on her head, and each\naccompanied by a magnificent black slave. And when Aladdin's mother saw\nthis array she knew that it was done by the Lamp, and she blessed it\nfor her son's sake. Then said Aladdin, \"O my mother, behold, the dowry\nis ready according to the Sultan's requirement. It is for thee to take\nit to him, to shew him what is in my power, and also that no time hath\nbeen lost in complying with his request.\"\n\nThen the maids, with the golden bowls of precious stones, arrayed\nthemselves in the street outside the house, and by each maid stood a\nslave. Thus, led by Aladdin's mother, they proceeded to the Sultan's\nPalace; and the people crowded in the streets to see this unwonted\nsight, for the maids were richly dressed, and all, with the sun\nshining on their raiment and flashing in the jewels they bore, made a\nmagnificent spectacle. Never had the people seen such jewels, never\nsuch beauteous damsels, never such magnificent slaves. A cort\u00e8ge like\nthis was a wonder beyond the reach of kings. But Aladdin's mother\nheaded the procession unmindful of their shouts of acclamation, for she\nwell knew that she was going before the Sultan in a manner and with a\ngift that would take his breath away.\n\n[Illustration: The Nuptial Dance of Aladdin and the Lady Bedr-el-Budur.\nPage 130]\n\nWhen they reached the Palace gates the wonder of the people spread\nto the soldiers and the guards, who, after a moment of speechless\nadmiration, found tongue to say to one another, \"Does this earth\ncontain such splendid jewels? And are there such radiant maidens even\nin the Fragrant Paradise?\" And amazement gat hold of them, and their\nhearts leapt in their breasts, so that not one amongst them could ever\nthink to become an anchorite, or hope to call one grandson. And so it\nwas with the commanding officers, the chamberlains, the officials of\nthe Palace and the grandees and nobles there assembled; they were all\ncast into the depths of wonder, and the whole place effervesced and\nsimmered with an excitement it had never known before.\n\nThus, in due course, came Aladdin's mother before the Sultan, leading\nthe cort\u00e8ge into the Audience Hall. And so they stood before him, a\nmagnificent array, before whose dazzle and splendour the richness of\nthe place, the nobles and grandees with their costly robes, even the\nSultan himself and the throne whereon he sat, all seemed poor and\ncommon by comparison. The maidens took the bowls of jewels from their\nheads and set them on the ground. Then they made obeisance, they and\nthe slaves prostrating themselves before the Sultan; and, having done\nthis, they all arose and stood before him in humble reverence. And,\nwhen the Sultan's gaze at last left the beauteous damsels and fell upon\nthe bowls of jewels at their feet, he was beside himself with wonder\nand admiration; and he was the more amazed that surpassing wealth in\nthis form could be brought before him in the short space of one hour.\nFor some moments he was speechless; then, when he found words,\nhe commanded that the whole cort\u00e8ge should present itself, with the\njewels, to the Lady Bedr-el-Budur in her Palace. So, in due order and\nwith perfect grace of movement, the damsels took up their precious\nburdens; and thus, escorted by the slaves, and led by Aladdin's mother,\nthey went in to the Sultan's daughter. While they were laying this\ndowry before her, Aladdin's mother returned to the Sultan and spoke\nwith him. \"O King of the Age,\" she said, \"'tis but a mere trifle, and\nscarcely worthy of the priceless rarity of thy fair daughter.\"\n\n\"What sayest thou?\" said the Sultan, addressing the Grand Vizier. \"He\nwho can control such wealth is surely worthy of my daughter.\" But the\nwily Vizier, who had twice persuaded the Sultan, and had twice been\nbeaten, was minded to chance a third attempt, for he could not bear to\nsee the Lady Bedr-el-Budur pass to Aladdin without a struggle. \"O my\nLord,\" he said, green with envy, \"rich though these things be, thinkest\nthou they are worth one single curl of thy daughter's head? Thou art\nthe King of Earth, and the Lady Bedr-el-Budur is thy daughter: this\ngift is not worthy of her.\"\n\n\"Perchance that is why thy son feared to bring the like lest I should\nbe displeased,\" returned the Sultan sharply, for he saw that the Grand\nVizier was envious to excess. Then he added to Aladdin's mother: \"Tell\nthy son he need fear not but that I shall keep my promise; but bid him\ncome hither to me with all haste, so that I may look upon his face and\naccept him as my son-in-law; for the marriage shall be this very night.\"\n\nAladdin's mother flushed red with joy--redder than she had ever known\nas a girl. The Grand Vizier turned white with rage--whiter than his\nfalse heart had ever been, even when a boy. After a dagger-thrust of\nglances between them, Aladdin's mother made obeisance to the Sultan and\nthanked him. Then, with contempt for the Grand Vizier written plainly\non her face, she withdrew, and returned home, walking on the air.\n\nAs soon as she was gone the Sultan dismissed the audience and repaired\nto his daughter's palace, where he found Bedr-el-Budur examining the\njewels in a state of the utmost delight, and singing a song of their\nwondrous beauty. Then, when the Sultan told her that they came from her\nnew bridegroom, she clapped her hands with joy and demanded to know\nwhat he was like, and where was his splendid kingdom. \"I know not,\"\nsaid the Sultan in answer, \"but he cometh to me shortly, and then he\nwill reveal to me his state. Meanwhile, O my daughter, do thou regard\nhim in the sparkling light of these wondrous jewels, and know that,\nwhile he regardeth them as not worth thy little finger, his love for\nthee must be great.\"\n\nNow Aladdin, when he saw his mother returning swift-footed and on wings\nof joy, knew that good tidings came with her. But, before he could\nspeak, his mother burst in upon him and embraced him, crying, \"O my\nson! thy heart's wish is fulfilled. This very night thou art to wed\nthe Sultan's daughter, and so it is proclaimed before all the world.\"\nThen did Aladdin rejoice that his expectations were fulfilled, and was\ncontinuing to rejoice when his mother addressed him suddenly. \"Nay,\"\nshe said, \"I have not told thee all. The Sultan bids thee go to him\nimmediately, for he desires to see his son-in-law. But how shalt thou\napproach the Sultan in thy merchant's garments? However, I have done\nall I can for thee, and it is now thine own affair.\"\n\nSo saying, she withdrew to rest a little, and Aladdin, having blessed\nher, retired to his chamber and brought forth the Lamp. With a set\npurpose in his mind, he rubbed it, and at once the Slave appeared.\n\"Thou knowest me: what is thy desire?\" \"I wish,\" answered Aladdin,\n\"that thou take me to a bath which hath no equal in all the kingdoms,\nand provide me there with a change of raiment of resplendent glory,\nricher than any the Sultan has ever worn.\"\n\nNo sooner had he spoken than the Efrite bore him away in his arms, and\ndeposited him in a bath the like of which no King could compass nor any\nman describe. Everything was there which delighted the eye, and not the\nleast of the wonders of this splendid bath was a hall whose walls were\nencrusted with jewels. Seeing there was no one in attendance, Aladdin\nclapped his hands, and immediately came slaves to wait upon him. And\none with marvellous strength and dexterity of hand washed him and\nmanipulated his limbs until he was altogether refreshed. Then he sought\nthe jewelled hall and found there, in place of his merchant's garb, a\nset of robes that exceeded all imagination. These he put on, and smiled\nto himself as if he looked down on kings; for, indeed, the robes were\nmore than royal. And, when he had drunk the sherbets and the coffee\nwhich the slaves brought him, he submitted to the completion of his\ndress by delicate unguents and perfumes, and then went forth. At the\ndoor of the bath, he was met by the Efrite in waiting, who took up and\nbore him in a flash to his home.\n\n\"Hast thou still some further need?\" asked the Slave of the Lamp,\nabout to vanish. \"Yea,\" replied Aladdin. \"Bring me here a Chief of\nMemluks with forty-eight in his train--twenty-four to precede me and\ntwenty-four to follow after; and see that they have splendid horses\nand equipments, so that not even the greatest in the world can say,\n'This is inferior to mine.' For myself I want a stallion such as\ncannot be equalled among the Arabs, and his housings must be for value\nsuch as one could purchase only in dreams. And to each memluk give a\nthousand gold pieces, and to the Chief Memluk ten thousand; for we go\nto the Sultan's palace and would scatter largesse on the way. Wait!\nAlso twelve maidens of unequalled grace and loveliness in person to\nattire and accompany my mother to the Sultan's presence. And look you!\nwhatever of grace and beauty is lacking in my person supply it to me on\nmy natural plan of being. See to it, O Slave of the Lamp!\"\n\n\"It is already done,\" said the Slave of the Lamp; and, vanishing on the\ninstant, he reappeared at once at the doorway of the house, leading a\nnoble white stallion gorgeously equipped, while behind came the twelve\ndamsels and forty-nine memluks on magnificent chargers. The damsels\nwere bearing rich stuffs in their arms; so Aladdin, guessing that these\nwere the robes for his mother, led them in to her that she might be\narrayed in a manner befitting the mother-in-law of a Princess. Then he\nsent the Chief Memluk post haste to the Palace to announce his speedy\narrival. The memluk rode like the wind, and soon returned at full\ngallop, saying as he drew rein, \"O my lord, the Sultan expecteth thee\nevery moment.\"\n\nThen Aladdin, having seen that the maidens had properly arrayed his\nmother, mounted his steed and set out for the Palace with memluks\nbefore and behind him, and his mother following, supported by the\nmaidens. It was a brave cavalcade that proceeded through the streets,\nand the people watched it in amazement. \"Is not this the tailor's son?\"\nsaid one to another. \"Yea, we all thought so,\" was the reply; \"but it\nseems we have never known the truth.\" For, when they saw Aladdin's\ncourtly grace, enhanced as it was by the Slave of the Lamp, and beheld\nhis memluks scattering gold, they said among themselves that he was the\nson of a potent king of far lands, and had been placed in the tailor's\ncare; for see! his foster mother, magnificently robed, was following.\nLittle did they think--for Aladdin's mother had not gossiped--that all\nthis ravishing splendour was of the Lamp, which could work wonders\nfor whosoever possessed it. And the cavalcade filed onwards amid the\nacclamations and blessings of the people, until the Palace was reached.\nAnd all the way they ceased not to distribute largesse to the people.\n\nNow, when the Sultan had received word that Aladdin was coming, he\ninformed his nobles and grandees of the meaning of this thing; so that,\nwhen Aladdin arrived, there was a vast concourse of people, and all the\nstateliest of the land were there awaiting his entry. And, as he rode\nin at the gates, he was received not only by the greatest personages\nof the Sultan's realm, but also by officials high and low, who did him\nhomage and extolled him. There was no office too small to be performed\nfor him--no word of welcome too great to greet him. As the sun rises in\nglory upon a waiting world, so came Aladdin to the Palace. At the door\nof the Hall of Audience he dismounted, while hands held his stirrup\nthat had never performed such an office before.\n\nThe Sultan was seated on his throne, and, immediately he saw Aladdin,\nhe arose and descended and took him to his breast, forbidding all\nceremony on so great an occasion. Then he led him up affectionately,\nand placed him on his right hand. In all this Aladdin forgot not the\nrespect due to kings. Forbidden to be too humble, he was not too lofty\nin his bearing. He spoke:\n\n\"O my Lord the Sultan! King of the Earth and Heaven's Dispenser of all\nGood! Truly thou hast treated me graciously in bestowing upon me thy\ndaughter the Lady Bedr-el-Budur. Know, O King, that when I consider her\ngrace and loveliness, which cometh from thee, I feel unworthy, like\none of the meanest slaves. Yet, since thou hast so honoured me of thy\nFelicity, I cannot bring to thy feet a slave's humility, for, by the\ngift of this lovely lady, thy daughter, thou hast raised me above my\nfellows beneath thy sheltering wing. Wherefore, while my tongue knoweth\nno words to thank and extol thee for the magnitude of thy favour, it\ncan still pray fervently for the prolongation of thy life. O King of\nthe Age! be gracious and hear me yet further, for I have a request to\nmake. Wilt thou grant me a site whereon to build a palace, unworthy as\nit may prove, for the comfort and happiness of thy daughter, the Lady\nBedr-el-Budur?\"\n\nNow, while Aladdin was thus speaking with courtly grace and diction,\nthe Sultan's attention was divided between his ears and eyes. While\nlistening to Aladdin's words he was noting his more than princely\nraiment, his beauty and perfection of form, his magnificent retinue\nof memluks, and the royal richness of everything that appertained to\nhim--all following his lordly wake without compulsion, as though it\nwere natural from long custom so to do. And he was bewildered, and\nwondered greatly that this son of a thousand kings should have been\nheralded by a woman of the people, saying, forsooth, she was his\nmother. And, while he was wondering, Aladdin's mother approached,\napparelled in robes more costly than any in his own Queen's wardrobe,\nand supported humbly and decorously by her twelve maidens of surpassing\nloveliness. At this, while the Grand Vizier came nigh to death with\nenvy, the Sultan on a sudden turned to Aladdin and embraced and kissed\nhim, saying, \"My son! My son! How hast thou hid from me so long?\"\n\nThen the Sultan conversed with Aladdin and was greatly charmed with his\ncourtliness and eloquence. Anon he ordered the musicians to play, and\ntogether they listened to the music in the utmost content. Finally he\narose, and, taking Aladdin by the hand, led him forth into the Palace\nbanqueting hall, where a splendid supper was awaiting them with the\nlords of the land standing ready in their proper order of degree. Yet\nabove them all sat Aladdin, for he was at the Sultan's right hand. And,\nwhile they ate, the music played and a merry wit prevailed; and the\nSultan drew nearer to Aladdin in their talk, and saw, from his grace,\nhis manner of speech, and his complaisance, that indeed he must have\nbeen brought up and nurtured among kings. Then, while they conversed,\nthe Sultan's heart went out with joy and satisfaction to Aladdin,\nand the whole assemblage saw that it was not as it had been with the\nVizier's son.\n\nThe Grand Vizier himself would have retired early had it not been that\nhis presence was required for the marriage ceremony. As soon as the\nbanquet was over and the tables cleared away, the Sultan commanded the\nVizier to summon the Kadis and the witnesses, and thus the contract\nbetween Aladdin and the Lady Bedr-el-Budur was duly executed. Then,\nwithout a warning word, Aladdin arose to depart. \"Wherefore, O\nmy son?\" said the Sultan. \"Thy wedding is duly contracted and the\nfestivities are about to begin.\"\n\n\"Yea, O my lord the King,\" replied Aladdin; \"and none rejoiceth at that\nmore than I; but, if it please thee, it is my thought to build a palace\nfor the Lady Bedr-el-Budur; and if my love and longing for her be\nanything, thou mayest rest assured that it will be completed so quickly\nas to amaze thee.\" At this the Grand Vizier tugged the Sultan's sleeve,\nbut received no attention. \"It is well,\" said the Sultan to Aladdin;\n\"choose what site seemeth best to thee and follow thine own heart in\nthe matter. See! this open space by my palace! What thinkest thou, my\nson?\" \"O King,\" replied Aladdin, \"I cannot thank thee enough, for it is\nthe summit of my felicity to be near thee.\"\n\nThen Aladdin left the Palace in the same royal manner as he had\napproached it, with his memluks preceding and following; and again\nthe people praised and blessed him as he passed. When he reached his\nhouse he left all other affairs in the hands of his Chief Memluk with\ncertain instructions, and went into his chamber. There he took the\nLamp and rubbed it. The Slave appeared on the instant and desired to\nknow his pleasure. \"O Slave,\" answered Aladdin, \"I have a great task\nfor thee. I desire thee to build for me in all haste a palace on the\nopen space near the Sultan's Serai,--a palace of magnificent design\nand construction, and filled with rare and costly things. And let it\nbe incomplete in one small respect, so that, when the Sultan offers\nto complete it to match the whole, all the wealth and artifice at his\ncommand will not suffice for the task.\" \"O my master,\" replied the\nEfrite, \"it shall be done with all speed. I will return when the work\nis finished.\" With this he vanished.\n\nIt was an hour before dawn when the Slave of the Lamp returned to\nAladdin, and, awakening him from sleep, stood before him. \"O Master of\nthe Lamp,\" he said, \"the palace is built as thou didst command.\" \"It\nis well, O Slave of the Lamp,\" answered Aladdin; \"and I would inspect\nthy work.\" No sooner had he spoken than he found himself being borne\nswiftly through the air in the arms of the Efrite, who set him down\nalmost immediately within the palace.\n\nMost excellently had the Slave done his work. Porphyry, jasper,\nalabaster and other rare stones had been used in the construction of\nthe building. The floors were of mosaics the which to match would cost\nmuch wealth and time in the fashioning, while the walls and ceilings,\nthe doors and the smallest pieces of detail were all such that even\nthe imagination of them could come only to one dissatisfied with the\npalaces of Kings. When Aladdin had wondered at all this, the Slave led\nhim into the Treasury, and showed him countless bars of gold and silver\nand gems of dazzling brilliance. Thence to the banqueting hall, where\nthe tables were arrayed in a manner to take one's breath away; for\nevery dish and every flagon were of gold or silver, and all the goblets\nwere crusted with jewels. Thence, again, to the wardrobes, where the\nrichest stuffs of the East were piled in great gold-bound chests to\nan extent that baffled the reason. And so from room to room, where\neverything that met the eye dazzled and captivated it. And all this had\nbeen done in a single night.\n\nHaving surveyed it all, Aladdin knew not what to say, scarcely even\nwhat to think. It seemed to him that the most sovereign monarch of all\nthe world could command nothing like this. But, when the Slave led him\nfurther and shewed him a pavilion with twenty-four niches thickly set\nwith diamonds and emeralds and rubies, he fairly lost his wits. And the\nSlave took him to one niche and shewed him how his command had been\ncarried out in that this was the one small part of the palace that was\nleft incomplete in order to tempt and tax the Sultan to finish it.\n\nWhen Aladdin had viewed the whole palace, and seen the numerous\nslaves and beautiful maidens therein, he asked yet one thing more of\nthe Efrite. \"O Slave of the Lamp,\" he said, \"the work is wonderful,\nyet it still lacketh an approach from the Sultan's palace. I desire,\ntherefore, a rich carpet laid upon the intervening space, so that\nthe Lady Bedr-el-Budur may come and go upon a splendid pathway of\nbrocade worked with gold and inwrought with precious stones.\" \"I hear\nand obey,\" said the Slave, and vanished. Presently he returned and\nled Aladdin to the steps of the palace. \"O my lord,\" he said, \"what\nthou didst command is done.\" And he pointed to a magnificent carpet\nextending from palace to palace. The gold and the precious stones in\nthe brocade gleamed and sparkled in the stars' last rays before the\nrise of dawn. When Aladdin had gazed upon it and wondered at it, the\nEfrite carried him in the twinkling of an eye back to his own home.\n\nShortly afterwards, when the dawn had arisen, the Sultan opened\nhis eyes, and, looking forth from his window, beheld a magnificent\nstructure where the day before had been an open space. Doubting the\nevidence of his senses, he turned himself about and rubbed his eyes\nand looked again. There, undoubtedly, was a palace more splendid and\nglorious than any he had ever seen; and there, leading to it, was a\ncarpet the like of which he had never trod. And all those who awoke\nbetimes in the Sultan's palace observed these wonderful things, and\nneither they nor the Sultan could keep their amazement to themselves.\nThe news of it spread through the palace like wildfire. The Grand\nVizier came rushing to the Sultan, and, finding him at the window, had\nno need to tell him the cause of his excitement. \"What sayest thou,\nO Vizier?\" said the Sultan. \"Yonder stands a palace surpassing all\nothers. Truly Aladdin is worthy of my daughter, since at his bidding\nsuch a royal edifice arises in a single night.\"\n\nThen the Vizier's envy found vent. \"O King,\" he said, \"thinkest\nthou that such a thing as this could be done save by the vilest of\nsorcery? Riches and jewels and costly attire are in the hands of\nmortals, but this--this is impossible!\" \"Impossible?\" said the Sultan.\n\"Behold!\"--and he pointed towards the palace--\"there it stands in the\nlight of day, and thou sayest it is impossible. Verily, O Vizier, it\nseems thy wits are turned with envy at the wealth of Aladdin. Prate\nnot to me of sorcery. There are few things beyond the power of a man\nin whose treasury are such jewels as those sent me by Aladdin.\" At\nthis the Grand Vizier was silent; indeed, his excess of envy well nigh\nchoked him, for he saw that the Sultan loved Aladdin greatly.\n\nNow when Aladdin awoke in the morning and knew that he must set forth\nfor the palace where the nobles and grandees were already assembling\nfor the wedding celebration, he took the Lamp and rubbed it. The slave\nappeared on the instant and desired to know his wish. \"O Slave of the\nLamp,\" said Aladdin, \"this is my wedding day and I go to the Sultan's\npalace. Wherefore I shall need ten thousand gold pieces.\" \"I hear and\nobey,\" said the Efrite, and, vanishing, returned on the instant with\nthe gold packed in bags. These he placed before Aladdin, and then,\nreceiving no further command, disappeared.\n\nAladdin called his Chief Memluk and ordered him to take the gold and\nsee that it was scattered among the people on the way to the palace.\nWhen all was ready Aladdin mounted his steed and rode through the\nCity while the memluks before and behind distributed largesse all the\nway. And the people were loud in their praises of his dignity and\ngrace and loved him greatly for his generosity. Anon the palace was\nreached and there the high officials, who were looking for Aladdin\nand his train, hastened to inform the Sultan of his approach. On this\nthe Sultan arose, and, going out to the gates of the palace to meet\nhim, embraced and kissed him. Then, taking him by the hand, he led him\nin and seated him at his right hand. Meanwhile the whole City was in\nfestivity. Pomp and ceremony went hand in hand with gaiety and mirth.\nSoldiers and guards kept holiday order in the streets where youths and\nbright-garlanded maidens made merry riot. Within the palace resounded\nmusic and singing and the murmur of happy voices, for this was the\nnation's day of joy.\n\nAnon the Sultan commanded the wedding banquet to be served, and the\neunuchs set the tables out with royal dishes of gold and silver\nfilled with sumptuous viands and fruits that might have been culled\nin Paradise. And, when it was all ready, Aladdin sat on the right\nhand of the Sultan; and they, with all the nobles and foremost in\nthe land, ate and drank. On every hand were honour and good will for\nAladdin. Everyone was filled with joy at the event, saying that this\nwedding was as happy as that of the Grand Vizier's son was unfortunate.\nAladdin's palace and the space around it were thronged with people of\nevery degree who ceased not to wonder at its resplendent beauty and the\nfact that it had been built in a single night. \"May his head survive us\nall!\" said some; and others, \"God give him every pleasure, for verily\nhe deserveth it.\"\n\nWhen the banquet was over Aladdin repaired with his memluks to his\npalace to make ready for the reception of his bride, Bedr-el-Budur.\nAnd, as he went, all the people thronged him shouting, \"God give thee\nhappiness! God bless thy days!\" And he scattered gold amongst them.\n\nComing to his palace he dismounted, and went in, and seated himself\nwhilst his attendants bowed before him. And, thinking of naught else\nbut his bride, the Lady Bedr-el-Budur, he commanded them to prepare for\nher reception. And they did so. Meanwhile Aladdin looked forth from a\nwindow of the palace and saw the Sultan with his horsemen descending\ninto the riding ground. At this he bethought him of his stallion and\ncommanded his Chief Memluk accordingly. Then, mounted on his steed and\naccompanied by his retinue, he galloped down into the riding ground.\nThere, javelin in hand, he displayed his prowess, and none could stand\nagainst him. Bedr-el-Budur, watching him from a window in her father's\npalace, felt her heart turn over and over in her bosom, and then,\nsaying within herself, \"He is my husband and none other,\" she renounced\nherself to the exquisite joy of sudden love.\n\nAt eventime, when the sport and play were over, the princes of the land\nsurrounded Aladdin--for he had become the centre of all interest--and\naccompanied him to the Hammam. There he was bathed and perfumed, and,\nwhen he came forth and mounted his matchless steed, he was escorted\nthrough the City by guards and emirs with drawn swords, while all the\npeople thronged in procession before and behind and on every side,\nbeating drums and playing musical instruments and singing for very\nexcess of joy and revel. And when he reached his palace he dismounted\nand entered, and seated himself. And the nobles and grandees,\nsubmitting to the ruling of his Chief Memluk, were seated also, each\naccording to his degree. Then refreshments were served without stint,\neven to the multitude without the gates. And Aladdin arose in the midst\nof this and beckoned to his Chief Memluk. \"Is there any gold?\" he\nasked. \"Yea,\" answered the Memluk, \"some thousands of pieces.\" \"Then,\"\nsaid Aladdin, \"scatter it among the people who throng the gates.\" And\nthus it was at Aladdin's palace.\n\nMeanwhile the Sultan, on returning from the riding ground, commanded\nan escort to conduct the Lady Bedr-el-Budur to her husband's abode.\nOn this the Captains of guards, the officers of state and nobles,\nwell equipped, were mounted in readiness and waiting at the door of\nBedr-el-Budur's apartments. Presently, preceded by female slaves and\neunuchs bearing lighted tapers set in jewelled candlesticks, came forth\na vision of liveliness. Bedr-el-Budur, aflame with love for Aladdin,\nappeared on the threshold like a pure white bird about to fly into\nspace. All too slow was the procession that escorted her to Aladdin's\npalace. The stately pomp and splendour accorded not with the beating of\nher heart. She saw not Aladdin's mother nor the beauteous damsels, nor\nthe mounted guards, nor the emirs, nor the nobles--her only thought was\nAladdin, for her heart was consumed with love.\n\nThus from the Seraglio to Aladdin's palace, where Bedr-el-Budur, as\none floating in a dream, was taken to her apartments and arrayed\nfor presentation to the Court assembled. And of all that Court and\nmultitude of people the only one who had no voice was Aladdin, for,\nwhen he looked upon his bride in her surpassing loveliness, he was\nreft of speech or thought, and stood silent before a joy too great for\ntongue to tell.\n\nAt last, when the presentation was over, Aladdin sought the bridal\nchamber where he found his mother with Bedr-el-Budur. And there, in\nthe apartment all sparkling with gold and precious stones, his mother\nunveiled her and Aladdin gazed into her eyes and took no thought for\nthe lustre of jewels. And while his mother went into raptures over the\nsplendour of the place, Aladdin and Bedr-el-Budur exchanged one look of\nlove--a thing which none could purchase with all the treasures of the\nearth. And so it was with Aladdin and his bride.\n\nIn the morning Aladdin arose and donned a costly robe of royal\nmagnificence; then, when he had quaffed some delicious coffee flavoured\nwith ambergris, he ordered his steed, and, with his memluks preceding\nand following, rode to the Sultan's palace. As soon as the Sultan was\ninformed of his arrival he came to meet him, and, having embraced\nand kissed him with great affection, led him in and seated him on\nhis right hand. And the nobles and grandees and high officials of\nthe realm craved the privilege to approach him with congratulations\nand blessings. When this was over--Aladdin having shown an exceeding\ngraciousness to all--the Sultan ordered breakfast to be brought. The\ntables were immediately laid, and all assembled ate and drank and\nconversed in a state of the utmost joy and happiness.\n\n[Illustration: Aladdin finds the Princess in Africa. Page 141]\n\n\"O my Lord,\" said Aladdin to the Sultan when they had finished\nthe repast, \"I crave that thou wilt favour and honour me with thy\npresence, and that of thy Court, to dine with thy well-beloved daughter\nBedr-el-Budur at her palace to-day. I entreat thy Felicity to refuse\nnot my request.\" And the Sultan answered with a charming smile, \"O\nmy son, thou art too generous; but who could refuse thee anything?\"\nAccordingly, in due course, the Sultan commanded his suite, and all\nrode forth with him and Aladdin to Bedr-el-Budur's palace.\n\nGreat was the Sultan's wonder and admiration when he saw the\narchitecture and masonry of the structure, for, even without, it was\nall of the rarest and most costly stone inwrought with gold and silver\nand fashioned with consummate skill; but when he entered and viewed the\nentrance hall his breath was snatched away from him, for he had never\nseen anything so magnificent in his life. At length, finding speech,\nhe turned to the Grand Vizier and said, \"Verily, this is the greatest\nwonder of all. Hast thou ever, from first to last, beheld a palace\nlike this?\" \"O King of the Age,\" replied the Vizier gravely, \"there\nhath never been the like of this among the sons of men. It would take\nten thousand workmen ten thousand days to construct it; wherefore, as\nI told thy Felicity, its completion in a single night is the work of\nsorcery.\" At this the Sultan was not pleased. \"Verily, O Vizier,\" he\nreplied, \"thou hast an envious heart, and thou speakest foolishly with\nthy mouth.\"\n\nAt this moment Aladdin approached the Sultan to conduct him through\nthe rooms of the palace. And, as they went from one to another, the\nSultan was simply astounded at the wealth of metal and precious stones\non every hand, and at the workmanship thereof. As for the Vizier, he\nhad said all he had to say, and followed sullenly, nursing an evil\nheart. At length they came to the kiosk, which was a crowning work of\njewel-clusters so rich and splendid that the treasuries of the earth\nmust have been emptied to fill them. The Sultan nearly went from his\nwits in the effort to calculate the fabulous wealth of this apartment\nalone. His thought sped onward through thousands, millions, of gold\npieces; and, losing itself in the thousands of millions, fell back\nstaggering and distraught. For relief he turned this way and that,\ngazing upon the niches, which were the most precious and wonderful of\nall. And in this way he came at length to the niche that had been left\nincomplete. This gave him speech. \"Alas!\" he said, relieved to find a\nflaw, \"this niche, at least, is imperfect.\" Then, turning to Aladdin,\nhe enquired the reason of it. \"Yea, O my Lord,\" answered Aladdin, \"woe\nunto it; it is indeed unfinished, for the workmen clamoured to be\nallowed to prepare themselves for the wedding festivities and I had not\nthe heart to say them nay. So they left it as thou seest it.\" Then,\nwhile Aladdin stood by observing intently the effect of his words,\nthe Sultan stroked his beard in contemplation. \"O my son,\" he said\npresently, \"the thought has come to me to complete it myself.\" \"On the\nhead and eye, O King!\" cried Aladdin. \"And may thy life be prolonged!\nIf thou wilt honour me thus it will be a fitting perpetuation of thy\nmemory in the palace of thy daughter.\" At this, the Sultan, vastly\npleased, summoned his jewellers and artificers, and, empowering them\nto draw on the Royal Treasury for all they might require, he commanded\nthem to complete the niche.\n\nScarcely had the Sultan finished his directions in this matter when\nBedr-el-Budur came to greet him. And his heart leapt with joy at her\nradiant face when he looked upon her. Then, when she had confided to\nhim how happy she was, Aladdin led them into the banqueting hall, where\nall was ready. One table was set apart for the Sultan and Bedr-el-Budur\nand Aladdin, and another for the Sultan's suite. Then the Sultan seated\nhimself between Aladdin and his daughter, and the meal proceeded. The\nviands were like ambrosia, and the wine like nectar; and the serving\nwas done by eighty damsels, to each one of whom the moon might have\ncurtseyed, saying, \"Thy pardon, but I have stolen thy seat.\" And some\nof these damsels took musical instruments and played and sang in a\nmanner divine. The Sultan's heart expanded, and he said, \"Verily, this\nis a feast to which a king might aspire.\"\n\nWhen they had eaten and emptied their cups the Chief Memluk opened the\nway to another room, where the most delicious fruits and sweetmeats\nwere set out against a wealth of delicate flowers and greenery. Here\nthe whole assembly lingered long in perfect delight while, upon the\nsoft carpets, the beauteous damsels danced to the sound of sweetest\nmusic. Never had any of them, including the Sultan himself, been so\nnear to Paradise before. Even the Grand Vizier shed his envy for the\nmoment and forgot himself to joy.\n\nWhen the Sultan's soul was well nigh weary with excess of enjoyment\nhe rose, and, bethinking himself of the unfinished niche, repaired to\nthe kiosk to see how his workmen had progressed with their task. And\nwhen he came to them and inspected their work he saw that they had\ncompleted only a small portion and that neither the execution nor the\nmaterial, which was already exhausted, could compare with that of the\nother niches. Seeing this he bethought him of his reserve Treasury and\nthe jewels Aladdin had given him. Wherefore he commanded the workmen\nto draw upon these and continue their work. This they did, and, in due\ncourse, the Sultan returned to find that the work was still incomplete.\nDetermined to carry out his design at whatever cost the Sultan\ncommanded his officials to seize all the jewels they could lay their\nhands on in the kingdom. Even this was done, and lo, still the niche\nwas unfinished.\n\nIt was not until late on a day thereafter that Aladdin found the\njewellers and goldsmiths adding to the work the last stones at their\ncommand. \"Hast thou jewels enough?\" he asked of the chief artificer.\n\"Nay, O my master,\" he replied sadly. \"We have used all the jewels in\nthe Treasuries; yea, even in all the kingdom, and yet the work is only\nhalf finished.\"\n\n\"Take it all away!\" said Aladdin. \"Restore the jewels to their rightful\nowners.\" So they undid their work and returned the jewels to the\nTreasuries and to the people from whom they had been taken. And they\nwent in to the Sultan and told him. Unable to learn from them the exact\nreason for this, the Sultan immediately called for his attendants and\nhis horses and repaired to Aladdin's palace.\n\nMeanwhile, Aladdin himself, as soon as the workmen had left, retired\nto a private chamber; and, taking out the Lamp, rubbed it. \"Ask what\nthou wilt,\" said the Slave, appearing on the instant. \"I desire thee\nto complete the niche which was left incomplete,\" answered Aladdin. \"I\nhear and obey,\" said the Slave, and vanished. In a very short space of\ntime he returned, saying, \"O my master, the work is complete.\" Then\nAladdin arose and went to the kiosk, and found that the Slave had\nspoken truly; the niche was finished. As he was examining it, a memluk\ncame to him and informed him that the Sultan was at the gates. At this\nAladdin hastened to meet him. \"O my son,\" cried the Sultan as Aladdin\ngreeted him, \"why didst thou not let my jewellers complete the niche in\nthe kiosk? Wilt thou not have the palace whole?\" And Aladdin answered\nhim, \"O my lord, I left it unfinished in order to raise a doubt in thy\nmind and then dispel it; for, if thy Felicity doubted my ability to\nfinish it, a glance at the kiosk as it now stands will make the matter\nplain.\" And he led the Sultan to the kiosk and showed him the completed\nniche.\n\nThe Sultan's astonishment was now greater than ever, that Aladdin had\naccomplished in so short a space that which he himself could command\nneither workmen nor jewels sufficient to accomplish in many months.\nIt filled him with wonder. He embraced Aladdin and kissed him, saying\nthere was none like him in all the world. Then, when he had rested\nawhile with his daughter Bedr-el-Budur, who was full of joy and\nhappiness, the Sultan returned to his own palace.\n\nAs the days passed by Aladdin's fame went forth through all the land.\nIt was his daily pleasure to ride through the City with his memluks,\nscattering gold among the people, and there was no kind of generosity\nor kindness that he did not practise. His hospitality drew the nobles\nand grandees to his table, and his name was exalted far and wide.\nIn the chase and on the riding ground there was none could vie with\nAladdin, and frequently Bedr-el-Budur, watching from a window in the\npalace, would glow with love and pride at the sight of his graceful and\ndaring horsemanship in the javelin joust. Then she would say within\nherself, \"A lucky one am I to have escaped the Vizier's son.\"\n\nNow it chanced that the Sultan's enemies from distant parts invaded his\nterritory and rode down against him. The Sultan assembled his armies\nfor war and gave the chief command to Aladdin, whose skill and prowess\nhad found great favour in his eyes. And Bedr-el-Budur wept when Aladdin\nwent forth to the wars, but great was her delight when he returned\nvictorious, having routed the enemy in a great battle with terrible\nslaughter. Many were the tales the soldiers told of Aladdin's courage\nand strength, his daring when, at the head of his troops, he thundered\ndown upon the enemy, sword in hand, and broke and dispersed them. A\ngreat triumph was held in the City, for Aladdin returned not only with\nvictory, but with much plunder and many flocks and herds of which he\nhad despoiled the enemy. And the Sultan rejoiced over Aladdin in that\nhe had saved the realm and smitten his enemies; and Bedr-el-Budur wept\nupon his breast with delight that he had returned to her safe and sound\nand covered with glory. The City was illuminated, and everyone feasted\nand drank by order of the Sultan, and praised Aladdin by the dictate of\ntheir own hearts. So greatly was he magnified by the people of high and\nlow degree that, if any swore, it was by Allah in Heaven and by Aladdin\non earth. Such was his exalted position in the land.\n\nNow the fame of Aladdin penetrated even to distant parts, so that\nhis name was heard even in the land of the Moors, where the accursed\nDervish dwelt. This sorcerer had not yet made an end of lamenting the\nloss of the Lamp just as it seemed about to pass into his hands. And,\nwhile he lamented, he cursed Aladdin in his bitter rage, saying within\nhimself, \"'Tis well that ill-omened miscreant is dead and buried, for,\nif I have not the Lamp, it is at least safe, and one day I may come by\nit.\" But when he heard the name \"Aladdin,\" and the fame attached to\nit, he muttered to himself, \"Can this be he? And hath he risen to a\nhigh position through the Lamp and the Slave of the Lamp?\" Then he rose\nand drew a table of magic signs in the sand in order to find if the\nAladdin of Destiny were indeed alive upon the earth. And the figures\ngave him what he feared. Aladdin was alive and the Lamp was not in\nthe cavern where by his magic he had first discovered it. At this a\ngreat fear struck him to the heart, and he wondered that he had lived\nto experience it, for he knew that at any moment Aladdin, by means of\nthe Slave of the Lamp, might slay him for revenge. Wondering that this\nhad not occurred to Aladdin's mind he hastened to draw another table;\nby which he saw that Aladdin had acquired great possessions and had\nmarried the Sultan's daughter. At this his rage mastered his fear and\nhe cursed Aladdin with fury and envy. But, though his magic was great,\nit could not cope with that which slumbered in the Lamp, and his curses\nmissed their mark, only to abide the time when they might circle back\nupon him. Meanwhile, in great haste, he arose and journeyed to the far\nland of Cathay, fearing every moment that Aladdin would bethink him of\nrevenge by means of the Slave of the Lamp. Yet he arrived safely at\nthe City of the Sultan and rested at an inn where he heard naught but\npraises of Aladdin's generosity, his bravery in battle, his beautiful\nbride Bedr-el-Budur and his magnificent palace. This gave a biting edge\nto his envious wrath, and, when he went forth into the ways of the City\nand still heard groups of people talking of Aladdin and the splendour\nof his state, he approached a young man, and, saluting him with feigned\ngraciousness, said, \"O my master, pray tell me, who is this great one\nthat all extol?\" And the young man replied, \"Verily thou art a stranger\nin the City and from exceeding distant parts if thou hast not heard of\nAladdin--whose glory be increased! His wonderful palace is the talk of\nthe world.\" \"Yea,\" answered the Dervish, \"I am a stranger from very\ndistant lands and there is nothing more to my desire than to see the\npalace, if thou wilt direct me.\" \"On the head and eye,\" replied the\nyouth; and, leading him through the City, he brought him to Aladdin's\nPalace. Then, when the Dervish scrutinised the wonderful building,\nhe knew it to be the work of the Slave of the Lamp. \"By Allah!\" he\ncried when the youth had left him, \"I will be even with this accursed\ntailor's son who got all this through me.\"\n\nHe returned to the inn, and, taking his instruments of divination, soon\nlearned that the Lamp was not on Aladdin's person, but in the Palace.\nAt this he was overjoyed, for he had a plan to get possession of it.\nThen he went out into the market and bought a great number of new\nlamps, which he put in a basket and took back to the inn. When evening\nwas drawing nigh, he took the basket and went forth in the City--for\nsuch was his plan--crying, \"New lamps for old! Who will exchange old\nlamps for new?\" And the people hearing this, laughed among themselves,\nsaying he was mad; and none brought an old lamp to him in exchange for\na new one, for they all thought there was nothing to be gained out of a\nmadman. But when the Dervish reached Aladdin's palace he began to cry\nmore lustily, \"New lamps for old! Who will exchange old lamps for new?\"\nAnd he took no heed of the boys who mocked him and the people who\nthronged him.\n\n[Illustration: The Lady Bedr-el-Budur and the Wicked Magician. Page 148]\n\nNow Fate so willed it that, as he came by, Bedr-el-Budur was sitting\nat a window of the kiosk; and, when she heard the tumult and saw the\npedlar about whom it turned, she bade her maid go and see what was the\nmatter. The girl went, and soon returned, saying, \"O my lady, it is a\npoor pedlar who is asking old lamps for new ones; and the people are\nmocking him, for without a doubt he is mad.\" \"It seems proof enough,\"\nanswered Lady Bedr-el-Budur, laughing. \"'Old wine for new' I could\nunderstand, but 'old lamps for new' is strange. Hast thou not an old\nlamp so that we might test him and see whether his cry be true or\nfalse?\"\n\nNow the damsel had seen an old lamp in Aladdin's apartment, and\nhastened to acquaint her mistress with this. \"Go and bring it!\" said\nthe Lady Bedr-el-Budur, who had no knowledge whatever of the Lamp and\nits wonderful virtues. So the maid went and brought the Lamp, little\nknowing what woe she was working Aladdin. Then the Lady Bedr-el-Budur\ncalled one of the memluks and handed him the Lamp, bidding him go down\nto the pedlar and exchange it for a new one. Presently he returned,\nbearing a new lamp, and, when the Princess took it and saw that it was\na far better one than the old one, she laughed and said, \"Verily this\nman is mad! A strange trade, and one that can bring him small profit.\nBut his cry is true, therefore take him this gold to cover his losses.\"\nAnd she gave the memluk ten gold pieces, and bad him hasten. But the\nmemluk returned anon with the ten pieces, saying that the pedlar had\ndisappeared, having left all his new lamps with the people. The\nLady Bedr-el-Budur wondered at this, but knew not, nor guessed the\nterrible consequences of her act.\n\nAs for the Dervish, as soon as he had got the Lamp, he recognised it.\nPlacing it in his bosom, he left all else and ran, which to the people\nwas only a further proof of his madness. On and on he ran, through the\nCity and its outskirts, until he came to the desert, where at last he\nwas alone. Then, and not till then, he took the Lamp from his bosom\nand rubbed it. In a flash appeared the Slave of the Lamp. \"What is\nthy wish? I am the Slave of the Lamp which is in thy hands.\" And the\nDervish replied, \"I desire thee to take the palace of Aladdin, with\nall it contains, and convey it to the land of the Moors in Africa, and\nset it down upon the open space within the gardens of my dwelling in\nthat land. Take me also with it. I have spoken.\" \"O my master,\" said\nthe Slave, \"in the twinkling of an eye it is done. If thou carest to\nclose thine eyes for one moment, when thou openest them thou wilt find\nthyself within the palace, in thy garden in the land of the Moors.\" And\nere the Dervish could say, \"I have closed my eye and opened it again,\"\nhe found that it was even so, as the Slave had said. The palace and\nall in it were in his own garden, in his own country, with the sun of\nAfrica shining in upon him.\n\nNow the Lady Bedr-el-Budur was within the palace, but Aladdin was not.\nHe had not yet returned from the chase. This thing had taken place\nafter nightfall, so that as yet none had perceived it. But at the hour\nof the rising of the full moon, the Sultan looked forth from a window\nto admire Aladdin's palace in its silver light; what was his surprise\nto find that there was no palace there! All was bare and open space\njust as it had been before this wonderful palace was built. \"By Allah!\"\nhe cried in distress and alarm. \"Can it be that the Vizier was right,\nand that this splendid thing was but the fabric of sorcery, built in a\nsingle night and dissolved in a moment like a dream on waking? And my\ndaughter, where is she? Oh woe! oh woe!\" And the Sultan wrung his hands\nin grief. Then presently he summoned the Grand Vizier, and bade him\nlook forth at the palace of Aladdin. And when the Vizier looked forth\nand saw no splendid edifice giving back the rays of the moon, but all\nas bare as it had been before, he turned to the Sultan, his face pale\nand twitching with excitement. \"O King of the Age,\" he said, \"doth thy\nFelicity now believe that the palace and all Aladdin's wealth were the\nwork of sorcery?\" And the Sultan did not reply, but beat his breast and\nplucked his beard; for, apart from sorcery, it was enough for him to\nknow that Aladdin's palace was gone and his daughter with it. \"Where\nis Aladdin?\" he demanded at last in wrath. \"At the chase,\" replied the\nVizier. \"Then I command thee to have him brought before me at once,\npinioned and shackled.\"\n\nA glad man then was the Vizier. With all alacrity he issued the\nSultan's commands to the captains, who went forth with their soldiers\nto find and seize Aladdin. It was a difficult task for them, for they\nall loved him greatly; and, when they came upon him, they asked his\nforgiveness, yet took him and led him bound and manacled before the\nSultan, whose word must be obeyed on the head and the eye. But when the\npeople saw him thus, they one and all armed themselves and followed the\nsoldiers with Aladdin to the palace, saying among themselves, \"It will\nbe a bad day for the Sultan if he cuts off Aladdin's head.\" But the\nSultan knew not of this rising of the people, and, being filled with\nrage at the loss of his daughter, no sooner set eyes on Aladdin among\nhis captors than he ordered him to the executioner. Now when this came\nto the ears of the people, they surrounded the palace and barred its\ngates and doors, and raised a great clamour without, so that the Sultan\nsent his Grand Vizier to ascertain the cause. Presently he returned,\nsaying, \"O King of the Age, the people have risen in a great multitude,\nand they are shouting that they will pull down the palace over thy\nhead if any harm come to Aladdin. Wherefore it were better to pardon\nAladdin, and so avert this great calamity, for it is evident the people\nlove Aladdin more than they love us.\"\n\nMeanwhile on the scaffold the executioner had spread the mat of death\nand Aladdin was kneeling thereon blindfolded, ready for the blow. The\nexecutioner walked round him thrice and then turned towards the Sultan,\nwho stood at a window and awaited his command to strike. At this moment\nthe cries of the people grew louder and fiercer and the Sultan beheld\nthem scaling the walls of the palace. Then fear gat hold of him for the\nissue, and he signalled to the executioner to stay his hand, and bade\nthe Vizier proclaim to the people that Aladdin was pardoned.\n\nAs soon as Aladdin was freed from his chains he begged speech of the\nSultan, and said to him, \"O my Lord, I thank thee for thy clemency,\nthough I know not yet wherein my offence lay.\" \"O base one,\" replied\nthe Sultan; \"hitherto I found thee blameless, but now--\" he turned to\nthe Grand Vizier, adding, \"Lead him to the windows overlooking his\npalace, and shew him how it sparkles in the light of the sun.\" So\nthe Vizier took Aladdin to the window and bade him look forth. Utter\namazement fell upon Aladdin when he saw that his palace had completely\ndisappeared, leaving no vestige to mark the spot where it had stood.\nHe was so dazed and bewildered that he turned in silence and walked\nback into the Sultan's presence like one in a dream. \"Well,\" said the\nSultan, \"where is thy palace? And, what is more to me, where is my\ndaughter?\" And Aladdin shook his head sorrowfully and spread his hands\nin helpless despair; but made no other reply for he was dumbfounded.\nAgain the Sultan spoke: \"It was my thought to set thee free so that\nthou mayest search for my daughter and restore her to me. For this\npurpose I grant thee a delay of forty days, and, if in that time thou\ncanst not find her, then, by Allah! I will cut off thy head.\" And\nAladdin answered him, \"O King of the Age, if I find her not within\nforty days then I no longer wish to have a head left upon my body.\"\n\nAnd Aladdin went forth sad and dejected. The cries of joy with which\nthe people greeted him fell like lead on his aching heart. He escaped\nfrom their goodwill and wandered in the City like one distraught,\ngreeting none, nor raising his eyes to any greeting. For two days\nhe neither ate nor drank for grief at what had happened. Finally he\nwandered beyond the confines of the City into the desert. There, on\nthe bank of a dark pool, he resolved to drown himself and so end his\nmisery. But, being devout and fearing God, he must first perform his\nablutions. So he stooped and took water in his hands and rubbed them\ntogether, when lo! a strange thing happened; for as his hands came\ntogether, he chanced to rub the ring which was on one of his fingers.\nIn a flash the Slave of the Ring appeared and standing before him,\nsaid, \"O my master, what is thy desire?\" Aladdin then was seized with\ngreat joy, and he cried, \"O Slave, I desire my palace and my wife.\"\n\"Alas!\" answered the Slave, \"that I cannot bring about, for this matter\nis protected by the Slave of the Lamp who hath put a seal upon it.\"\n\"Then,\" urged Aladdin, \"since thou canst not bring the palace and my\nwife to _me_, transport _me_ to the palace wherever it may be upon the\nearth.\" \"On the head and the eye,\" replied the Slave, and immediately\nAladdin found himself borne swiftly through the air and set down by his\npalace in the land of the Moors. Although the night had fallen he could\nrecognise it without difficulty, and close at hand was the window of\nhis wife's chamber. Great joy at this exhausted what little strength\nremained to him--for he had neither eaten nor slept for many days--and,\novercome with fatigue and weakness, he threw himself down beneath a\ntree hard by and slept.\n\nAwakened at dawn by the singing of birds in the garden, Aladdin arose,\nand, having bathed in a stream, recited the morning prayer, after which\nhe returned and sat beneath the window of Bedr-el-Budur's apartment.\nNow the Lady Bedr-el-Budur, filled with grief at her separation from\nher husband and her father, could neither sleep nor eat by reason of\nher keen distress. Each day when dawn leapt into the sky she would\narise and sit at her window and weep. And on this morning she came as\nusual, but did not weep, for she saw Aladdin sitting on the ground\noutside. And they both cried out and flew to one another; and their\ngreeting was full of joy. She opened a side door for him, bidding him\nenter, for she knew it was not the time for the accursed Dervish to\ncome to see her as was his daily wont. Then, when they had embraced\nand kissed and shed tears of joy, Aladdin said to her, \"O my beloved,\nbefore all else answer me one question: in my apartment there was an\nold copper lamp which--,\" \"Alas,\" broke in Bedr-el-Budur, \"that lamp\nwas the cause of it all, for the man who obtained it by a stratagem\ntold me of its virtues and how he had achieved this thing by its aid.\"\nAnd immediately Aladdin heard this he knew that it was indeed the\nDervish who had worked this woe upon him.\n\n\"Tell me, how doth this accursed man treat thee?\" he asked. \"He cometh\nonce a day,\" she replied, \"and he would fain win my love and console\nme for thy loss, for he saith the Sultan, my father, hath struck off\nthy head, and at the best thou wert of poor family and stole thy wealth\nfrom him. But he gets no word from me, only tears and lamentations.\"\nAnd Aladdin embraced her again and comforted her for what she had\nsuffered. \"Tell me,\" he asked again presently, \"where doth this\naccursed keep the Lamp?\" \"Always in his bosom,\" she replied, \"where he\nguards it with the greatest care and none knows of it but me.\" Aladdin\nwas overjoyed when he heard this, for he thought he saw a way to obtain\nthe Lamp. \"Listen, my beloved,\" he said, \"I will leave thee now and\nreturn shortly in disguise. Bid thy maid stand by the side door to let\nme in. Then I will tell thee my plan to slay this accursed one and take\nthe Lamp.\"\n\nThen Aladdin went forth upon the road that led to the city, and he had\nnot journeyed far before he met a poor peasant proceeding to his daily\ntoil. Stopping him he offered to exchange his own costly garments for\nthose the peasant was wearing. But the man demurred, whereat Aladdin\nset upon him and effected the exchange by force. Then, leaving the\npeasant battered and bruised but dressed like a prince, he went on into\nthe city, and, coming to the market, purchased some powder of benj,\nwhich is called \"the son of an instant,\" for it stupefies in a moment.\nWith this he returned to the palace, and, when he came to the side door\nwhere the maid was waiting, she recognised him and opened immediately.\nVery soon he was exposing his plan to Bedr-el-Budur.\n\n\"O my beloved,\" he said, \"I wish thee to attire thyself gaily, and\nadorn thyself with jewels in the sparkle of which no grief can live;\nand, when the accursed cometh, greet him with a smile and a look from\nthy lovely eyes; for so he will know thou hast turned his wooing\nover in thy mind and heart, and hast forgotten thy father and thine\nAladdin. Then invite him to sup with thee, and, when thou hast aroused\na blinding passion in his bosom, he will forget the Lamp which lieth\nthere. See,\" he drew forth the powder, \"this is benj, the 'son of an\ninstant.' It cannot be detected in red wine. Thou knowest the rest:\npledge him in a cup and see to it that the benj is in his and not in\nthine. Thou knowest how to ply him till he is careless, how to resist\nhim till he is blinded by thy loveliness, how at last to wish him joy\nand happiness for ever by thy side so that he will drain the cup. Then,\nO my beloved, ere he can set it down, he will fall at thy feet like one\nin death. Thou canst do this?\"\n\n\"Yea,\" replied Bedr-el-Budur. \"It is difficult, but I will dare all\nfor thee; and well I know that this accursed wretch deserves not to\nlive. Yet will I add something to thy plan from a woman's wit. Lest\nhe should suspect a trick he shall find me weeping when he cometh;\nthen will I take up some speech of his and dry my tears; and then, in\na space--having all things ready--will I appear before him in a manner\nto dazzle his senses, and then--then--Oh! my Aladdin; fear not, for\nall will be well.\" And on this assurance Aladdin withdrew to a private\nchamber and sat him down to wait. He realised his extreme danger, for\nhe knew that if the Dervish so much as suspected his existence in\nthe flesh a rub of the Lamp and a word to the Slave would bring him\ninstant death; but he did not know that Bedr-el-Budur, having learnt\nthe virtues of the Lamp, had exacted a pledge from the Dervish that\nhe would make no further use of it until she had given him her final\ndecision as to whether she would come to him of her own free will and\naccord, which she maintained was a better thing than subsequently to\nbe compelled by the abominable power of sorcery. Bedr-el-Budur, who in\nthis was merely temporising, had not thought, in the joy and stress of\ntheir conversation, to tell Aladdin of it; while, as for the wizard,\nhe had kept his pledge, deeming that a woman's love freely given was a\nbetter thing to have than any that could be acquired by magic spells.\n\n[Illustration: The Porter and the Ladies. Page 154]\n\nAccording to the plan set forth for the Dervish's undoing Bedr-el-Budur\nordered her slave girls to prepare everything of jewels and bright\nattire, ready for a rapid toilet. Then, when the Dervish appeared, she\nsat weeping as usual, and it was not until, in his protestations of\nlove, he said words that were suitable to her purpose that she paused\nand half dried her tears as if it needed little more to make her weigh\nhis petition with care. Observing this he drew near and sat by her\nside, and now, though no longer weeping, she had not yet found words\nfor him. He took her hand, but she snatched it away crying, \"No,\nit cannot be! Never can I forget Aladdin!\" He pleaded with her, and his\npassion made him eloquent. He showed her the uselessness of longing\nfor a dead man when a living one was by her side. He told her too--and\nwith the Lamp in his bosom she could not doubt the truth of it--that he\nand she could command the earth and look down on kings. Why had he not\nalready won this as well as her love by means of the Lamp? Because he\nhad pledged himself to wait and win her as a man wins woman. At this\nshe turned her face to him on a sudden. A faint smile seemed to live in\nthe corners of her bewitching mouth, and a look in her eyes convinced\nhim that he was a much better man than he had thought since he could\nkeep his pledge on so great a matter. On this, he drew still nearer to\nthe lovely Bedr-el-Budur, and this time she did not snatch her hand\naway, but left it in his, pondering dreamily the while. Presently, on\na sudden, she pushed him away petulantly. \"Nay, nay,\" she cried, \"I\ncannot rein my heart to thee at will. Give me, I pray thee, a little\nspace of time--two days; and when my eyes are dim with weeping for\nAladdin--\" \"Two days? Alas!\" broke in the Dervish, \"two days is a\nlifetime.\" \"_One_ day--I may decide in one, if weeping do not kill\nme.\" The Dervish smote his breast, \"_One_ day! one _hour_ is the limit\nof my life. Think, O Lovely One, how I have waited to win thee as man\nwins woman, when in a moment I could call thee mine by other means.\"\nAnd his hand moved to his bosom where lay the Lamp. \"Stay!\" she cried,\nrising and standing before him. \"Thy pledge! My decision is not yet.\nHaving waited so long, surely thou canst wait another--\" \"Day? say not\nthat.\" \"Well then, at least, another hour.\" And, flashing a look upon\nhim that might hold his wits in thrall for that space of time, she\nturned to leave the apartment. \"I go to weep,\" she said, throwing him a\nbackward glance, \"and my tears perchance will be for Aladdin, perchance\nfor thee if I cannot bend my heart from him. Abide thou in patience. I\nwill come to thee in one hour.\"\n\nSo she went, leaving the Dervish in an ecstasy of doubt. Time, times\npassed over his head as he sat weighing the issue, and yet he smiled\nto himself, for he knew that the Lady Bedr-el-Budur would sooner\ncompel herself than be compelled by the Slave of the Lamp. And he was\nright. At the expiration of the hour the door opened and she stood\nbefore him a vision of loveliness in resplendent attire bedecked with\npriceless jewels. A smile was on her face and her answer to him was\nin her eyes. Yet, as he darted forward, her manner of approach showed\nhim that, although he had won her, she was a surrendering princess\ndemanding in her condescension a fitting control--even homage--from\nhim. Having convinced him of this, she seated herself by his side and\nsaid boldly, \"Thou seest how it is with me. My tears for Aladdin--who\nis dead--flowed till the hour was half spent; then, I know not why,\nthey changed to tears of joy for thee, who art alive. Then I arose and\narrayed myself gladly and came to thee. Yet even now I am not wholly\nthine, for tears--now grief now joy, I know not which--contend in mine\neyes for him or thee. Wherefore come not too near me lest what thou\nhast won be forfeited. Perchance if we sup together with a jar of the\nred wine of thine own country--in which it may be that my soul will\ntaste thine--then, who knows--\" \"O my life's delight,\" broke in the\nDervish. \"A jar of red wine and thee! I have many jars in my house,\nand, not forgetting that tears contend in thine eyes as thou saidst, I\nwill go and return in all haste with the reddest wine.\" \"Nay, go not\nthyself,\" said Bedr-el-Budur, bethinking her of the Lamp. \"Do not leave\nme. One of my slave girls will go. My tears have dried in my heart,\nleaving it thirsty for love.\" And the Dervish was cajoled, and he\nremained while a slave girl went forth for the wine.\n\nWhile she was gone Bedr-el-Budur pretended to busy herself issuing\norders to the household about the preparation of supper. And under\ncover of this she sought and found Aladdin. \"It is well,\" she said\nas he held her to his heart and pressed his lips to hers. \"But, O my\nbeloved,\" he replied, \"art thou sure that the Lamp is in his bosom?\"\n\"I will go and see,\" she answered. And she returned to the Dervish\nand, approaching him shyly, began to doubt the truth of this great\nthing--his love for her. As she did this she placed her hands on his\nshoulders and looked into his eyes; whereat the Dervish drew her close\nto him and she felt the Lamp in his bosom. Immediately she wrenched\nherself free and left him with a glance in which disdain and love were\nkindly mixed. \"It is so,\" she said on returning to Aladdin, \"the Lamp\nis in his bosom, and, since he embraced me--I could not help it nor\ncould I endure it, beloved--it is a wonder the Slave of the Lamp did\nnot appear to see how I tore myself away, I was pressed so close.\"\n\nMeanwhile the slave girl returned with the wine, and, supper being\nready, Bedr-el-Budur invited the Dervish to sit by her at the table.\nAnd when they had eaten somewhat, she paused and questioned him with\na glance. It was for him to call for wine, and he did so. Immediately\na slave girl filled their goblets, and they drank; and another and\nanother until the distance between them was melted, and they became, so\nto speak, the best of boon companions. And he drank to her and she to\nhim, and her tongue was loosed and she bewitched him with her charming\neloquence of speech. But with it all was the dignity of the Princess,\nwhich repelled while it attracted. In this subtle manner she fanned his\npassion to a flame until his heart rocked and his head swam, and all\nelse but her was as nothing in his eyes.\n\nAt length, when the supper was drawing to an end, and the wits of the\nDervish were well mastered by wine, Bedr-el-Budur leaned towards him in\nan unbending mood. \"This wine of thine has set me on fire, beloved!\"\nshe said. \"But one more cup and then, if I say thee nay, do not believe\nme, for thou hast kept thy pledge and hast won me as man wins woman.\nAnd this shall be a loving cup, for it is the fashion in my country\nfor the lover to take the loved one's cup and drink it.\" \"O lovely one\nof my eye,\" he replied, \"I will honour thy custom, since thou hast so\ngreatly honoured _me_.\"\n\nAt this Bedr-el-Budur took his cup and filled it for herself, while\na slave girl, who knew what to do as well as she hated the Dervish,\nhanded him the cup which, though it contained the benj, she had just\nfilled as if for her mistress. She even had to be told twice that it\nwas not for her mistress but for the guest. So the Dervish took it, and\nfelt for one moment like the conqueror of worlds and the Lord of two\nHorns as he looked into the eyes of Bedr-el-Budur brimming with love.\nBut only for a moment. They drank, and immediately the Dervish fell\nsenseless at her feet, while the cup, flung from his nerveless hand,\nclattered across the floor.\n\nIn the space of moments Aladdin was on the spot. Bedr-el-Budur's arms\nwere round his neck, and she was sobbing on his breast, while the\nDervish lay stretched helpless before them. \"Come, come,\" said Aladdin,\nsmoothing her raven hair, \"thou hast succeeded: wherefore weep? Thou\nart the cleverest of women. Go now with the maidens, and leave me here\nwith this accursed.\" And when he had comforted her she went, and the\nslave girls with her. Then Aladdin locked the door, and, approaching\nthe Dervish, drew the Lamp from his bosom. This done, he stood over him\nand swore a fearful oath, then, without further shrift, he drew his\nsword and hewed off his head, after which he drove the point of the\nsword through his heart, for only in this way can a wizard be warned\noff the realm of mortals. And when the sword pierced the heart the\nlook of hate on the upturned face of the wizard died out, and he was\ngone--for ever.\n\nOnce in possession of the Lamp Aladdin lost no time. He rubbed it\nand immediately the Slave appeared. \"I am here, O my master; what is\nthy wish?\" \"Thou knowest,\" replied Aladdin. \"Bear this palace and\nall that is in it to the Land of Cathay and set it down on the spot\nfrom which thou didst take it at the command of that.\" He pointed to\nthe dismembered wizard. \"It is well,\" said the Slave, who served the\nliving and not the dead; \"I hear and obey, on the head and the eye.\"\nThen Aladdin returned to Bedr-el-Budur, and, in the space of one kiss\nof love, the palace with all therein was carried swiftly back to the\noriginal site from which it had been taken.\n\nWhen Aladdin and Bedr-el-Budur looked forth and saw the lights in the\nwindows of the Sultan's palace they were overcome with joy. They\nfeasted and drank and made merry far into the night. They kissed and\nembraced, and kissed again. And when Aladdin had told her all the\nwretchedness of his losing her she wept, saying it was nothing to what\nshe had endured. Then Aladdin made her narrate her way with the wizard,\npoint by point, till he exclaimed, laughing, that a woman's way in such\nwas more than a man could compass in a thousand years. And so, full of\ndelight for to-day and anticipation of joy for to-morrow, they rose\nand went hand in hand to rest--those lovers reunited. Thus it was with\nAladdin and Bedr-el-Budur.\n\nNow the Sultan was in grievous mood ever since the loss of his\ndaughter--the apple of his eye. All night long he would weep, and,\narising at dawn, would look forth on the empty space where once had\nstood Aladdin's palace. Then his tears would flow as from a woman's\neyes, for Bedr-el-Budur was very dear to him. But, when he looked forth\none morning and saw the palace standing as it had stood, he was rapt\nwith joy. Instantly he ordered his horse, and, mounting, rode to the\ngates. Aladdin came out to greet him, and, taking him by the hand with\nnever a word, led him towards the apartments of Bedr-el-Budur. She too,\nradiant with joy, was running to meet him. Like a bird of the air she\nflew to his arms, and for some moments neither of them could say a word\nfor very happiness. Then in a torrent of words, she told him all about\nthe accursed Dervish; how by his sorcery he had conveyed the palace to\nAfrica, and how Aladdin had slain him, thus releasing the spell and\nrestoring everything to its place. But not a word did she say about the\nLamp and its virtues. And the Sultan turned to Aladdin as if he might\nadd something to the tale. But Aladdin had nothing to add save that he\nhad outwitted the Dervish and reversed his sorcery by cutting off his\ndamnable head and plunging his sword through his heart. Then they arose\nand went to the chamber which contained the trunk and severed head of\nthe Dervish. And, by the Sultans orders, these remains of the Sorcerer\nwere burnt to ashes and scattered to the four winds of heaven.\n\nAnd so Aladdin was restored to the Sultan's favour, and he and the\nLady Bedr-el-Budur dwelt together in the utmost joy and happiness.\nAnd Aladdin guarded the Lamp with the greatest care, but, at the wish\nof Bedr-el-Budur, he refrained from seeking to it. \"Let well alone,\nmy beloved,\" she said; \"there is no happiness for us in commanding\neverything at will. Besides, we are grateful to the Lamp for what it\nhas done for us; any more is of sorcery.\" And Aladdin smiled to himself\nas he recognised the wisdom of a woman. Never did he gainsay her words.\nNever again did he rub the Lamp.\n\nTime, times, and the Sultan died. Then Aladdin sat on the throne, and\nruled the land wisely and well. And the people, with one heart, loved\nhim and his Queen Bedr-el-Budur; and the realm continued in peace and\nhappiness until at last the Great Gleaner came in their old age and\nknocked at the palace doors and gathered them in to rest.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n[Illustration: The Prince leads the Lady to the Tomb. Page 158]\n\n\n\n\nTHE THREE CALENDERS\n\n\nONE night, in the City of Baghdad, the Khalifeh Harun-er-Rashid went\nforth with Ja'far, his Grand Vizier, and Mesrur, his Executioner, all\nthree disguised as merchants, for it was the Khalifeh's whim to wander\nabroad in this way at times, in order to learn how his people fared\namong themselves.\n\nTaking their way at random, they had not gone far before they noticed a\nbrilliantly-lighted house whence came sounds of music and revelry. \"O\nVizier,\" the Khalifeh said to Ja'far, \"it is in my mind to enter this\nhouse, and see what entertainment we might find. Wherefore, devise some\nexcuse whereby we may gain admittance.\" So Ja'far knocked at the door,\nand it was opened presently by a beautiful lady, tall and graceful as a\nwindflower.\n\n\"O my mistress,\" said Ja'far courteously, \"we are merchants from\nTiberias, and, knowing not this City well, we have lost our way. I\nperceive that thou art kind, as well as beautiful; and I am emboldened\nto ask thee for safe shelter in thy house.\"\n\nThe lady regarded the three lost merchants with an approving glance,\nfor, though she knew not their high degree, the dignity of state cannot\nbe well concealed from a woman's eyes. \"Wait a little,\" she said; \"I\nwill consult my sisters.\" And with this she retired within the house.\nPresently she returned, and bade them enter; whereupon they followed\nher into a sumptuously furnished apartment, where they found two other\nladies as beautiful as the first; and with them was a porter--an\namusing fellow, as full of quips and cranks as he was of wine--who had\nbeen entertaining them with joke and song and dance. The ladies smiled\nupon the three merchants, and welcomed them graciously, setting food\nand wine before them, and bidding them join in their merriment.\n\nFor a while the porter, who, like the three merchants, had come\nunbidden, but had been made welcome because of his versatility and\nready wit in entertaining, kept the company in constant laughter, so\nthat the Khalifeh said to Ja'far, \"Verily, O Vizier, we should like\nthis fellow's head and all it contains. Nay, O Mesrur,\" he added,\nturning to his Executioner, \"I want not his head without the rest of\nhim. He shall be my wag.\" \"O King of the Age,\" answered the Grand\nVizier, \"I hear, and obey.\" Meanwhile, the porter continued to amuse\nthem, but at length he became so intoxicated that his efforts to amuse\nwere unsuccessful, whereat the entertainment flagged. \"It seems to me,\"\nsaid the Khalifeh, \"that these three ladies are no ordinary persons;\nperchance they have a history. Ask them to entertain us with their\nvarious stories.\" Accordingly, the Vizier singled out the eldest and\nput the question to her. But she liked it not, and, with a clouded\nbrow, led him to the door, on the lintel of which she pointed out\nan inscription: \"Ask not what doth not concern thee, lest thou hear\nwhat may not please thee.\" Ja'far returned and informed the Khalifeh\nof this, which only served to increase his curiosity. While he was\nplanning a way with the Vizier to induce them to tell their history,\nthere came a knock at the door. One of the sisters went to open it,\nand presently returned, saying, \"There, are three Dervishes without,\neach of them clean shaven, and each lacking an eye.\"\n\n\"Ask them if they were born blind of an eye,\" said one of the sisters,\n\"and if they are brothers.\" So the lady went and asked them these\nquestions, and returned presently with the answer: \"They were not born\nblind, but each lost his eye through an adventure; neither are they\nbrothers, having met for the first time in this City, where they have\nlost their way. They are wandering Mendicants or Calenders.\"\n\nAt this, her sister turned to Ja'far. \"Thou didst desire to hear our\nstories, O my master, but it seemeth that these Dervishes may have\nstories more interesting to hear. Shall we admit them?\" The Khalifeh\nadded his approval to that of Ja'far on this point, and the three\nCalenders were admitted. And strange looking men they were. Differing\nwidely in feature and expression, they were all alike in the manner of\ntheir dress and general appearance. Each had lost one eye; and each\nhad long black moustaches, twisted like silk, and drooping over a\nclean-shaven chin. Being of the order of mendicants, they bowed humbly,\nand stood silent. \"Tell us how it is,\" said the eldest of the sisters,\n\"that you three, being no relation one to another, and each lacking one\neye, should be together.\" \"In that,\" said one of the Calenders, \"there\nis no more cause for wonder than that you three women, all unrelated\none to another before birth, and all equally beautiful, should find\nyourselves sisters of one household.\"\n\nAt this the Khalifeh whispered to Ja'far, \"This man's speech and\naddress are not those of a mendicant. If I mistake not he hath moved in\nRoyal Courts.\"\n\n\"Yet, O my mistress,\" the First Calender continued, \"it may be that\nit was decreed by Destiny that we three, coming from three widely\nseparate kingdoms, should meet in this City, the Abode of Peace, for\nour conditions appear to be similar. Each of us having lost, not only\nan eye, but a throne--for know that we are kings, and the sons of\nkings--has been led hither by the same stars, to kneel at the feet of\nthe Khalifeh Harun-er-Rashid and implore his aid in the restoration of\nour royal state.\"\n\nOn hearing this, the Khalifeh looked down his beard, saying within\nhimself, \"If they knew, they would kneel and implore here and now. But\nthey know not.\" Then a stratagem within a stratagem got hold of him,\nand he arose and bowed low to the three ladies.\n\n\"O my mistresses,\" he said, \"whose beauty is unequalled, save by\nthat of each to each, I crave your permission. It seems there is an\nentertainment in this matter. Here we have Three Royal Calenders\nsuppliant to the Khalifeh--on whom be peace! Now, it will be good for\nthem to rehearse their parts for our amusement; for so, when at last\nthey gain audience of the Khalifeh, they will be well versed. Grant me\nthen the privilege, O fair ones, to play the part of the Khalifeh, for\nI am not unskilled in the art of such play. Indeed, I have appeared\nbefore the Khalifeh himself--(\"In a mirror,\" assented Ja'far, in\nthought),--and he was greatly pleased with my impersonation and my\nappearance.\"\n\n\"Verily,\" said one of the sisters, in approval, \"thou art a kingly man,\nand thou wilt play the part well. What say you, O my sisters?\" she\nadded, turning to the other two. They agreed, laughing, and clapping\ntheir hands, for they liked the idea of real suppliants rehearsing to a\nstage Khalifeh.\n\n\"Good!\" cried one, \"and these Calenders will approach thee as if thou\nwert in sober truth the Khalifeh.\"\n\n\"And,\" rejoined Er-Rashid, \"as if these two were indeed my Grand\nVizier, Ja'far, and Mesrur, my Executioner.\"\n\nLoudly the two laughed at the Khalifeh's happy conceit, and preened\nthemselves for office, Ja'far assuming his old look of terrible\nsolemnity, while Mesrur, drawing his great sword, with a grin, struck\nan attitude that many had beheld for the last time.\n\nThe Calenders unbent to the play; the ladies sprang into animation;\neven the porter was rolled from a couch to give place to the Khalifeh,\nwho sat himself thereon in royal state.\n\n\"On pain of death, O Calenders,\" said the Khalifeh--and all except\nJa'far and Mesrur marvelled at his royal dignity--\"I command you to\nmake known to me severally the stories of your lives, for I would fain\nlearn how each of you came to lose a throne, and an eye.\"\n\nOn this, the Royal Calenders, taking up the jest in a proper spirit,\nadvanced and kissed the ground.\n\n\"Rise!\" said the Khalifeh, imitating himself to perfection, \"and see to\nit that your stories please not only me, but Mesrur, my Executioner;\nfor his sword hath a cutting edge, and I observe that you have your\nheads with you.\" Singling out one of the three, he commanded the other\ntwo to stand aside. Then the first Royal Calender spoke as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE FIRST CALENDER\n\nKNOW, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am a King, the son of a King,\nand one robbed of his heritage. My father's brother was also a King,\nand his son, my cousin, was born on the same day as myself. We two\nPrinces were friends, and paid long visits to each other. On one\noccasion, when I was staying with him, he made much of me, honouring\nme with a rich banquet. When this was over, and we were alone, and the\nwine had made us genial, he drew near to me, and said: \"O my cousin, I\ndesire thine assistance in a matter that concerneth me greatly.\"\n\n\"I will serve thee without question, O son of my uncle,\" said I. But\nhe made me swear by the holiest oath that I would assist him in his\nundertaking. Then, when he was satisfied, he left me for a little,\nand returned with a beautiful young woman, dressed in the manner\nof a queen. \"Lead this woman before me,\" he said, \"to the place of\nsepulture, which thou knowest. Enter that place, and await my coming.\"\n\nWondering greatly, but questioning nothing, I led the woman forth, and\nwe waited for him among the tombs. Soon he came, bearing a bowl of\nwater, some plaster, and a pointed bar of iron. Approaching a certain\ntomb, he dislodged the stones with the iron bar, and disclosed a vault\nwith a stairway descending into it. Then, addressing the woman, he\nsaid: \"Hast thou chosen?\" And she replied, with a steady gaze, \"Yea,\nI have chosen.\" And she descended the stairway into the vault. Then\nhe said to me: \"Cousin, farewell! for I too descend. Place the stones\ntogether above us, and cement them with the plaster moistened with\nthe water, so that none can say, 'This vault is not as it should be.'\nFarewell! And may thy head long survive mine!\" With this, he descended\ninto the vault.\n\nBound by my oath, and like one compelled against his will, I did his\nbidding, ceasing not until I had closed up the tomb in such a way that\nnone could tell it had been opened. But that night I was visited by\nterrible dreams, which magnified the enormity of what I had done.\nRepentance pricked me, and I arose, and went to the place of sepulture.\nThere I searched for the tomb, but alas! so cleverly had I done my work\nthat I could not trace it. All day long I sought it, but in vain; and,\nwhen evening fell, I returned to the Palace burdened with grief and\nremorse. Again my sleep was disturbed with dreams of horror, so that at\ndaybreak, repenting of my action still more keenly, I repaired a second\ntime to the burial place. But again my search was unsuccessful. And so\nI continued for seven days, searching and calling out among the tombs,\nbut never could I find the place of my quest, nor from any tomb came\nback an answer to my cry. At last, nearly mad with grief and remorse, I\nleft my uncle's palace to return to my father. But there fresh trouble\nawaited me, for, no sooner had I entered the gates of the city, than\na party of guards sprang upon me, and bound me, and cast me into a\ndungeon.\n\nO Prince of the Faithful, imagine my despair. I was the son of the\nKing, and his servants had treated me in this manner. With anger I\nenquired the cause of this, but none answered me. At last I saw one who\nhad been my own servant, and had received many benefits at my hands. I\nput the question to him, and he replied: \"O my master, thy father is\nno more, for the Grand Vizier hath killed him, and now sitteth in his\nplace.\" At this I bowed my head in grief for my father, and despair for\nmy own life. And they led me before the Grand Vizier who had slain my\nfather.\n\nNow this Vizier had never been my friend, especially after an accident\nin which I was made instrumental by fate in depriving him of one of his\neyes. It happened in this way: One day I was using the cross-bow when\nI saw a rare bird alight on the parapet of one of the windows in the\nVizier's palace. I shot at it, but the missile struck not the bird,\nwhich was protected by Providence. Passing it narrowly it sped in at\nthe window, and, guided by destiny, struck out the eye of the Vizier.\nMy father being King the Vizier could do nothing against me, but the\nmalice and hatred with which he had always regarded me from two eyes\nlost naught through being concentrated into one. No wonder then that\nnow, my father being dead, and I standing before this regicide, bound\nand helpless, he fiercely commanded the executioner to strike off my\nhead.\n\n[Illustration: The Prince meets a noble lady in the underground Palace.\nPage 169]\n\n\"What is my offence?\" I asked. \"Offence!\" he cried. \"Is not this\noffence enough?\" and he pointed to the socket where his eye had been.\n\"That was done by accident,\" I said. \"And this by design,\" he answered,\nadvancing swiftly and thrusting out my left eye. He then commanded me\nto be bound, and placed in a chest, and when this was done, he said to\nthe Executioner: \"Take this carrion, and convey it beyond the confines\nof the city. There draw thy sword, and cut it in pieces, so that the\nwild beasts may the more readily devour it.\"\n\nAccordingly, the Executioner carried me forth upon a mule into the\ndesert, where he took me out of the chest, and was about to kill me,\nwhen I implored him to spare my life, reminding him of the many kind\ndeeds my father and I had done to him and to others. He was moved by\nmy supplications, but shook his head, saying: \"O my master, if I slay\nnot thee, the Vizier will slay me.\" \"The Vizier is not here to see,\" I\nsaid. \"There is none here but thee and me.\"\n\nHe was silent for a little. Then he said: \"Depart with thy life, and\nreturn not to this country, lest both our lives be forfeit.\" When\nhe had said this, I thanked him, and kissed his hands; then, lest he\nmight change his mind, I fled from him, and ceased not to journey night\nand day until I reached my uncle's palace. There I related to my uncle\nall that had taken place, and he wept with excess of grief. \"Woe cometh\non woe,\" he said, \"for know that thy cousin, my son, hath gone from me,\nand hath not returned for many days. None knoweth where he is, nor what\nfate hath overtaken him. Nephew, thou hast lost a father, and one of\nthine eyes; and now, woe is me! I have lost a brother, and an only son.\"\n\nOn witnessing his terrible grief I could no longer remain silent\nregarding the disappearance of my cousin. I told him all. \"By Allah!\"\nhe cried, joyfully. \"Where is this tomb of which thou speakest?\" \"Alas!\nO my uncle,\" I replied; \"I know not. I searched for it for many days,\nbut could not find it.\" On this my uncle commanded a company of workmen\nto proceed to the burial place, and there, in our presence, they opened\ntomb after tomb.\n\nIn this manner, on the evening of the second day, when a great number\nof tombs had been opened and closed again, we came upon what we soon\ndiscovered to be the right one. When the stones had been dislodged, my\nuncle descended the stairway, and I followed. On reaching the bottom,\nwe were met by a blinding smoke. Enduring this, we found our way into\nan apartment wherein was a table bearing food of many kinds. At the far\nend of this apartment we found a curtain. My uncle drew this aside, and\nwe looked within upon a sight of horror. There, side by side upon a\ncouch, were the forms of my cousin and the lady, charred by fire, as if\nthey had been thrown into a furnace.\n\nOn seeing this terrible thing, my uncle uttered a loud cry, and spat\nupon his dead son's face. \"Wretch!\" he exclaimed. \"Thou art come into\nthine own, and hast gone where worse awaits thee for this deed. May\nthou never find forgiveness!\" And he spat again upon the charred face.\n\n\"Wherefore, O my uncle?\" I said. \"Is not his state already grievous\nenough that thou must invoke a worse fate upon him?\"\n\n\"O son of my brother,\" he replied, \"thou knowest not the sin of this\naccursed. From his youth he was inflamed with love for his foster\nsister, who now lies there upon the couch, and, in defiance of my will,\nhe persisted in and encouraged this passion. While they were children I\nlet it pass, saying, 'They are young: they will grow out of it.' But,\nalas! when they came of age I discovered that they were both deeply\nenamoured of each other. Then I took my son, and counselled him, and\nbade him beware lest any act of his should bring us to dishonour, and\nI told him that if such occurred, I would slay him with my own hand. I\nthen took steps to separate them, but who can lock love out? For when\nhe knew my will, he called the Devil to his purpose, and he entered and\ntook possession of them both. And so it was that he made this secret\nplace among the tombs wherein they met. But fire from Heaven consumed\nthem, as thou hast seen, and now they are further punished in the fires\nof Iblis.\" Then he wept bitterly, and I covered my head, and wept with\nhim. And when at last he could speak, he said: \"But his place shall be\nfilled by thee. Thou art now my son in his stead.\"\n\nLong time we wept together there in the tomb by the side of the charred\nbodies of the dead, for we had no lack of trouble upon our heads.\nThen we arose, and ascended the stairway, and my uncle ordered the\nworkmen to replace the stones upon the tomb. Sadly we turned away, and\nretraced our steps to my uncle's palace. There we were about to dispose\nourselves to rest when we heard unwonted sounds without--the tramp of\nan advancing host; the clank of armour, and loud cries of dismay from\nthe populace. Drums beat and trumpets sounded; shrieks came out of\nriot, and groans issued from the wake of galloping hoofs. Then came\na eunuch running, his face distorted, and his garb dishevelled. \"The\nCity is lost!\" he cried. \"On a sudden, being taken unawares, it is\nsurrendered to the enemy. O King, thy brother's Vizier hath slain him,\nand he hath now come hither with his army, and none can stand against\nhim.\"\n\nAt this, my uncle arose, and hastened forth; but I, knowing full well\nwhat would happen to me if I fell into the Vizier's hands, remained,\nand took thought on how I might escape unobserved by any of my father's\ncity. I could think of naught but to shave off my beard, and change my\nclothes, thus disguising myself. This I did in all haste, and so made\nmy way through the turbulent crowds of people, and escaped.\n\nFar, far to the North I knew was the City of Baghdad, the Abode of\nPeace; and I bent my steps hither, for I said within myself, \"There\nabideth the Khalifeh, the Prince of the Faithful, and the King of\nthe Age. I will go and kneel at his feet, and humbly entreat him to\nstrike mine enemy, and restore to me my father's throne.\" And when I\narrived in this City some few hours since, it was night. I stood at\nthe cross roads, not knowing which way to turn, when one like myself,\na mendicant, drew nigh, and I saluted him. \"I am a stranger,\" I said.\n\"Canst thou direct me to a khan for shelter?\" And he replied, \"I too\nam a stranger, and would put the same question to thee.\" But lo, as I\nlooked at him, I saw that he was in like case with me, having lost his\nleft eye. I was about to question him on this, when a third mendicant\ncame out of the night, and accosted us. \"By Allah!\" cried the two of us\nin a breath, \"and thou too hast lost an eye!\" \"Verily,\" said he, \"we\nare all strangers one to another, but the stars have enmeshed us in\ntheir network, and so have drawn us together with one purpose.\" \"And\nthat is?\" we asked. \"To seek audience of the Khalifeh,\" he answered;\n\"for the tables of the stars have told me that I, a King, and the son\nof a King, should meet in this City two others who, royal like myself,\nhave planned to seek the Khalifeh of the Lord of all creatures, craving\nredress for wrongs.\"\n\nAnd the three of us marvelled at this thing, and at the exact\ncomputation of time and space in the mind of Destiny. And thus, from\nstrangers we speedily came to be friends, having a common object. Then,\nproceeding forth together, we came at length to this house, where, by\nthe grace of these hospitable ladies, we relate our true stories as if\nto the----\n\n\"As if?\" cried Mesrur, grasping his sword, and clanking it on the table\nbefore him.\n\n\"As if!\" echoed Ja'far, springing from his seat with well-feigned\nindignation.\n\n\"Silence!\" cried Er-Rashid, rising in stately wrath. \"O Calender, thy\nstory is good, but if thou wert about to say 'as if to the Khalifeh'\nthou wert out of order. When I play a part, I play a part. I _am_ the\nKhalifeh! The Prince of the Faithful! The King of the Age!\"\n\nThe ladies laughed, with beaming eyes. The three Royal Calenders\nyielded to the jest with winks and nods to one another; then, as the\nporter grovelled the floor in mock obeisance to the Lord of the Earth,\nthe others followed in like spirit, and prostrated themselves in all\nhumility.\n\n\"Peace be on you!\" said Er-Rashid. \"Rise, and be seated! As for thee, O\nCalender, thy case is extraordinary, and I will see to it that thou art\nrestored to thy throne. Now it is our royal will that ye proceed with\nthis entertainment.\"\n\nAt this, the second Calender advanced, and, having kissed the ground,\nrose, and spoke as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER\n\nO KING of the Age, my story is such that none hearing it need lack a\nlesson or a warning. I, a King, the son of a King, devoted my youth and\nearly manhood to the study of the arts and sciences, so that I became\nproficient, and excelled greatly in all branches of learning. My fame\nas a scribe spread far and wide, even to India, so that the King of\nthat land sent a messenger with rich gifts to my father, requesting\nthat I might be allowed to visit him. This pleased my father, and he\nfitted out a fleet of ships laden with rich gifts, and set them at my\ndisposal.\n\nWith a goodly company I sailed eastward, and after many days reached\nland. Disembarking some splendid horses we had brought with us, we\nloaded them with gifts and set out for the King's capital, but we had\nnot proceeded far when a cloud of dust arose in the distance and swept\nrapidly toward us, with a sound like thunder; and, not until it was\nnear at hand did we observe, outstripping the cloud, a large body of\nhorsemen. Wild-eyed and fierce, and with lances poised, these rode down\nupon us. We shouted to them that we were ambassadors to the King of\nIndia, but this was of no service to us, for it appeared that these men\nwere robbers and recognised no king. This we learned from their cries\nand shouts as they swept upon us, slaying all within reach of their\nspears. Some of us fled. I was one of them, though I was wounded; and\nso closely were the robbers occupied with the treasure upon the horses,\nthat they did not pursue.\n\nSeparated from the other survivors, and not knowing which way to search\nfor them, I journeyed on and on, weak from loss of blood, and wretched\nfrom my change of state, until in the evening I discovered a cave at\nthe foot of a mountain. Here I rested until the morning, when, after\nhaving journeyed on for some hours, I found I was approaching a great\ncity. With joy I made my way towards its sunlit towers and spires,\npassing through gardens of ever-increasing luxuriance, until I came\nto the busy parts of the thoroughfares, where merchants thronged the\nmarket places, buying and selling.\n\nNot knowing how to proceed in this city, I looked about for someone who\nmight give ear to my tale, and advise me what to do. At last I espied a\ntailor sitting at work in his shop, and decided that I would speak with\nhim. He received me kindly, and I told him my tale, acquainting him\nwith all that had happened since I left my father's capital. When I had\nfinished he shook his head gravely, and said: \"My son, verily thou art\nin hard case, though it is fortunate thou camest to me with thy story,\nand not to another. Knowest thou not that the King of this city is thy\nfather's greatest enemy, having a blood-debt against him? Wherefore,\ntell not thy tale again to any, lest the King hear of it, and inflict\nan injury of vengence upon thee.\" The tailor then treated me with\nhospitality, setting food and wine before me, and bade me remain in his\nhouse awhile.\n\nWhen he had harboured me for some days, the tailor desired to know if\nI had any trade by means of which I could earn my living. Whereat I\ninformed him that I was learned in the arts and sciences, and a fine\nwriter. \"Alas!\" he said, \"there is no profit in such things. This is\na city of commerce, where people devote themselves to getting money.\nArise, therefore, O my son, and work for thy living.\"\n\nHe then fetched an axe and a coil of rope, and bade me go to the forest\nwithout the city and hew firewood, which, on my return in the evening,\nI might sell for a good price. So I followed his counsel, and, when I\nfound that my day's work brought me half a gold piece, I continued to\ndwell with the tailor, and hewed wood for the space of a whole year,\npaying my way, and steadily setting by something of my earnings day by\nday. Then a strange thing happened to me.\n\nOne day, while I was clearing the earth from the roots of a tree in\nthe forest, I came upon a ring of brass. This, I soon discovered, was\nattached to a trap door, which, with some difficulty, I removed. Then,\nseeing before me a staircase, I descended until I reached a door, by\nwhich, on opening it, I found admittance to a large underground palace,\nrichly furnished. On wandering through the rooms of this place, I\ncame at length to one more richly decorated than all the others; and\nhere, reclining upon a couch, was a lady of surpassing loveliness. The\nrarity of her charms dazzled me and took my breath away, so that I\nstood speechless before her. \"Art thou a man?\" said the lady, regarding\nme intently, \"or art thou an Efrite?\" This loosened my tongue, and\nI replied, \"I am a man, as thou art a woman.\" She answered, \"Yea, I\nam a woman, and thou art the first man I have seen for a space of\ntwenty-five years, every day and night of which I have spent in this\nplace. How camest thou hither?\"\n\n[Illustration: The Princess burns the Efrite to death. Page 183]\n\nHer voice was sweet as her face was fair, and my heart was melted at\nthe thought of her long captivity. I resolved to tell her my story, for\nhere at least was one who could not spread it abroad in the bazaars.\nAccordingly I seated myself on the couch at a little distance from her,\nand related my story from beginning to end; whereupon she wept at my\nhard lot, saying, \"O my master, thy case is not unlike mine.\" And she\nproceeded to acquaint me with it.\n\n\"I am the daughter of the King of the Ebony Isles,\" she said. \"My\nfather married me to my cousin, but on the night of our wedding an\nEfrite--a true son of Iblis--appeared, and, snatching me from my\nhusband, carried me through the air to this spot where he had built\nthis palace and filled it with all things necessary to my comfort. And\nfrom that night, twenty-five years ago, to the present, I have never\nseen the outside world. On every tenth day he cometh to me, to leave me\non the following morning, but if I desire his instant presence at any\ntime, I have but to press this panel of the wall whereon are inscribed\nsome magic characters, and immediately he appeareth before me. Four\ndays have now passed since he was here, so that there remain six of the\nten. Do thou therefore dwell here with me for five days, and depart one\nday before he cometh.\"\n\nI agreed to this, and when I had bathed, and put on some garments which\nshe gave me, I sat by her side, and we ate and drank, and conversed\nhappily together. Presently she sang to me in a sweet low voice,\nand, being fatigued, as well as drowsy with wine, I slept.\n\nWhen I awoke, she was bending over me, with joy on her face. \"Allah\nhath been good to me in sending thee here,\" she said; \"for I was nigh\nto death with loneliness.\" At this my heart swelled with love for her,\nand I could think of naught else but her wondrous charm and beauty. And\nwhen I told her this, she said nothing, but the light of her eyes told\nme all there was to tell. And I remained with her in the greatest joy\nand happiness. We feasted, and drank, and sang; and, while I played\nupon musical instruments, she danced with a grace and skill that I had\nnever seen before. At length, on the third day, when I was drunk with\nlove and wine, I said to her: \"Let me take thee from this sumptuous\ndungeon, and free thee from this vile Efrite.\" But perchance she knew\nthat this would be impossible, for she replied, laughing softy, \"Hold\nthy peace, O man; thou hast nine days out of the ten.\" This inflamed\nme, and my passion made me valiant. \"It is the tenth day I want,\"\nI cried, \"and the other nine as well. Lo here! I am a slayer and a\nconqueror of Efrites. I will this instant break this panel with the\nmagic signs, so that the Efrite may come and be slain.\" With a cry she\nsprang forward to stop me, but I escaped from her embrace, and, aiming\na violent kick at the panel, broke it.\n\n\"Flee for thy life ere he cometh,\" she cried, pointing towards the\ndoor. I scarcely knew whether to flee or to remain and face the Efrite,\nbut my feet settled the matter for me, and I gained the doorway in a\nbound. Then, turning my head, I saw the ground open, and there rose\ninto the room an Efrite of terrible aspect, who looked threateningly\nat the woman, and demanded to know the cause of his being summoned in\nsuch a manner. \"Nay, it was naught,\" said she, \"save that I tripped and\nfell against the panel, breaking it as thou seest.\" \"Thou liest!\" he\ncried, in a voice of rage, and, as he said it, his eyes, rolling round\nin his head, fell upon my sandals and my axe, which in my haste I had\nleft. \"Ha!\" he exclaimed, snatching them up, \"some man hath visited\nthee, and hath left his axe and his sandals. Confess, vile woman!\"\n\nBut she denied it, saying, \"No man hath visited me, and thou must have\nbrought these things with thee, for I have never set eyes on them until\nthis instant.\" \"Again thou liest!\" he roared, \"and unless thou tell me\nhis name, I will beat thy body black and blue.\" With this he turned to\nlook for the wherewithal to beat her, and, at sight of his fierce face\nand huge bulk, my heart turned to water within me, and I fled up the\nstairway. Before I reached the top I heard the sound of blows, followed\nby loud cries and shrieks from the woman. Full of bitter repentance\nthat she should suffer thus on my account, and unable to endure the\nsounds of torture, I hastened through the trap door and fastened it\nbehind me. Then, when I had covered it with earth, I fled through the\nforest and paused not till I had gained the house of the tailor.\n\nI found him in a state of great anxiety on my account, for I had been\nabsent three days and three nights. \"I feared thou hadst fallen a prey\nto some wild beast,\" he cried, \"but praise be to God that thou art\nsafe!\" I thanked him, and, saying that I was fatigued and would tell\nhim all later, went to my own apartment to weep over what had come\nto that poor woman through my rash action. But I had not been there\nmany minutes when the tailor came to me, saying, \"There is one, a\nforeigner, in the shop, who desires to speak with thee. He hath an\naxe and a pair of sandals, which he thinks are thine, and the other\nwoodcutters have directed him to thee; so come forth to receive them,\nand to thank him.\" With this, he returned to the shop, leaving me\npale with fear, for well I knew the meaning of this thing. While I\nwas planning what to do--whether to go into the shop, or escape by\nsome other way--the floor was rent asunder, and there rose from it the\nEfrite. In a loud voice he told me that he had tortured the lady nigh\nto death, but without avail, for she would tell him nothing; whereat he\nhad taken the axe and the sandals, and, by enquiries, had traced me to\nthe tailor's abode. With this, he seized me and bore me aloft through\nthe roof of the house, and thence rapidly through the air into the\nforest, where he descended through the earth and placed me within the\nchamber of the palace from which I had fled. There, on the floor, laid\nthe lady, bleeding from the wounds inflicted by the Efrite's torture.\n\"Shameless woman!\" cried he, standing over her; \"here is thy lover:\ndeny it not.\" She glanced at me, and answered him: \"I have never set\neyes on this man before.\" He appeared to take thought for a moment,\nand then he said: \"Thou wilt swear that thou lovest not this man?\" She\nanswered him: \"I know him not; I love him not.\" The Efrite drew his\nsword. \"If thou lovest him not,\" said he, \"take this sword and strike\noff his head.\"\n\nShe took the sword from him, and, coming towards me, raised it to\nstrike; but I made a sign with my eye, imploring her pity. She replied\nalso with a sign, as if to say, \"I have suffered all this through\nthee.\" But I still implored her with the speech of the eye, for, as the\npoet saith:\n\n The language of the eye, like the kisses of the mouth is\n sweet as honey, and only lovers understand it.\n When the lips are closed, love openeth the windows of the\n soul, and conveyeth its meaning by soft glances.\n\nAnd when my meaning was thus conveyed to her, she flung away the sword\nand faced the Efrite, crying, \"I cannot slay him, for he hath done me\nno injury.\" The Efrite answered her not, but, taking up the sword,\nhanded it to me. \"Strike off her head,\" he said, \"and I will set thee\nfree.\" I took the sword, and arose to do the deed; but, while my arm\nwas raised to strike, love spoke again from her eyes. My hand trembled,\nmy heart melted. I flung the sword from me. \"Wherefore should I slay\nthis woman, who hath done me no injury, and whom I have never seen\nbefore?\" I said to the Efrite. \"Never before God can I commit this\ncrime.\" The Efrite took the sword, and saying, \"It is clear there is\nlove between you,\" he cut off one of the lady's hands, then the other,\nand then both her feet. And, in her pain, her eyes were turned on me,\nand the words of love were in them. The Efrite saw her look, and cried,\n\"Is it not enough? Wilt thou still commit the crime of unfaithfulness\nwith thine eye?\" And, raising the sword again, he cut off her head.\n\n\"O man,\" he said, turning to me, \"it is lawful for one, having\nknown his wife for twenty-five years, to kill her for the crime of\nunfaithfulness. As for thee, I will not permit thee to join her. I\nwill not take thy life, but, as I am minded to punish thee, I will\ngive thee thy choice as to whether thou wilt be changed into the form\nof a dog, or an ass, or an ape.\" Since he had shewn me this clemency,\nI thought by pleading to melt him further, so that perchance he would\npardon me altogether. Therefore, I recited many instances of kindness\nand generosity shewn by Efrites to mortals, some of which I had gleaned\nfrom books, while others I invented then and there, with a ready wit.\nBut, though the Efrite listened, his bearing changed not towards me one\nhair's breadth. \"Thou hast been misinformed,\" he said at last. \"The\nEfrite knows neither kindness nor generosity: he is only constrained by\nthe justice of those who have sovereignty over him. Wherefore, hold thy\npeace, and neither fear that I shall slay thee, nor hope that I shall\npardon thee. Thou shalt be punished by the power of enchantment, and\nthou knowest not how to prevent it.\"\n\nImmediately on these words, he stamped the floor with his foot, and the\nsides of the Palace rocked on their foundations, and fell together; but\nseizing me, he clove a way through the falling structure, and bore me\naloft to a great height. Presently he set me down upon the summit of a\nhigh mountain, where he took up a handful of dust, and, having chanted\nsome strange words over it, cast it upon me, crying, \"Change thy form,\nO Man! Retain thy form, O Ape!\" And immediately I suffered a rending\npang in my bones and flesh, and behold, I was a man ape, old and ugly,\nand clothed only with hair. When I looked up from examining my ungainly\nlimbs, the Efrite had disappeared.\n\nLong I remained, crouching on the summit of that mountain, realising\nmy punishment, the keenness of which lay in the fact that it was only\nmy form that was changed. My memory, my mental powers, and my likes\nand dislikes all remained to me, though I was bereft of the power of\narticulated speech. At last, rousing myself, I descended the mountain,\nsubdued and resigned, to meet whatever further fate awaited me. I\njourneyed on through strange places, meeting no human being nor any of\nmy present kind in the forests and deserts through which I passed, and\nsubsisting on berries which I gathered from the trees. Finally, I came\nto the seashore, and lo, there was a vessel making towards the land.\nPresently the ship cast anchor, and some sailors landed in a small boat\nwith some barrels, by which I knew that they were seeking water. There\nwere six of these barrels, and when they had filled three of them from\na spring some little distance inland, and had gone again with the other\nthree to fill them also, I jumped into the boat, and secreted myself\nbehind the three barrels, saying within myself, \"If I can get on to the\nship unobserved, and hide, I may reach a better land than this.\"\n\nPresently the sailors returned with the remaining barrels, and placed\nthem in the boat. I remained undiscovered, and when we reached the\nvessel's side, I leapt on board, and hid myself. But alas! I was soon\nobserved, and not being able to explain my position there, knew not\nwhat my end would be. Moreover, the merchants who found me clamoured\nthat I should be cast into the sea to drown, for they said, \"This ugly\nbrute will be unlucky to us, and, if he remain on the ship, we shall\nmeet with some grievous misfortune.\" While they were discussing among\nthemselves whether to slay me with the sword, or cast me overboard\nto drown, the master of the ship chanced to spy me, and as soon as I\nsaw him, and knew him for the master, I ran forward and threw myself\nat his feet, clutching and tugging his garment in the endeavour to\nexcite his compassion. And in this I was successful, for he looked\ndown at me with interest, saying: \"In truth, this is an intelligent\nape; see how he claims my protection! By Allah! he shall have it!\nKnow, O ye merchants, that this is _my_ ape, wherefore harm him not,\nnor hinder him in his coming and going.\" He then took me, and treated\nme henceforth with the greatest kindness; and, in return for this, I\nproved myself still more intelligent by serving him in every way I\ncould. When he discovered that I could understand everything he said\nto me, although I could not speak myself, his astonishment was great.\n\"By the Prophet!\" he cried, with a great laugh, \"methinks this ape hath\nalready forgotten much that I have yet to learn.\"\n\nMeanwhile, we sailed many days upon the sea, until at last we reached a\ngreat City built upon the side of a mountain. The houses of this City\nwere numberless, and the inhabitants thereof beyond all reckoning.\nScarcely had we cast anchor, and set foot on land, when there came to\nus some high officials of the King of that City, with many greetings\nand congratulations on our fortunate journey. \"Our King hath seen thy\nvessel drawing near,\" said one of them to the master, \"and he bade me\nsay to thee: 'Thine is a large vessel, and no doubt there are many\npassengers on board. Is there, perchance, one amongst them who is a\nskilled caligraphist?' For thou must know, O my master, that since\nthe death of one of the King's Viziers,--a marvellous writer,--he\nhath searched the City in vain to find his equal. Wherefore he hath\nsent thee this roll of parchment whereon he desireth that each of thy\ncompany write a line as candidate for the high office left vacant.\"\n\nImmediately on hearing this, I sprang past the master, and seized the\nparchment, whereat there was great consternation lest I should tear\nit to pieces. But when I ran to a bale of goods near by, and, seating\nmyself upon it, held the paper correctly with one hand, while making\nthe motions of writing with the other, the master said, \"Let him\nwrite. He is a most marvellous ape, and I have yet to discover the full\nextent of his intelligence.\" Out of curiosity, the officials, who were\nincredulous in the matter, agreed, and I was supplied with pen and ink.\nThen I wrote in a large formal hand:--\n\n He who writes will perish, though his writing live after him;\n Let him write, therefore, only what will stand to the end of time.\n\nThen in the epistolary hand I wrote:\n\n O King, thy virtues are so many and so great,\n Fame has not space to set them on her page.\n Ten thousand writers, writing for an age,\n One half thine excellence alone could indicate.\n\nTo these I added, in several smaller and different hands, other\nquatrains in praise of the King; and, having finished, I gave the\nparchment to the official. When he saw my writing he could not contain\nhis astonishment. He passed it round among the merchants, all of whom\nmarvelled greatly, while some, thinking they could outwrite what I had\nwritten, took pen and ink, and wrote. Finally, the official and his\nparty returned with the parchment to the King.\n\n[Illustration: The Prince is taken back to the Golden Palace by the\nMagic Black Horse. Page 197]\n\nNow, it seems that when the King had read all that was inscribed upon\nthe parchment, he liked none of it but mine; and, having summoned his\nattendants, he said to them: \"Take this parchment and find the author\nof this handwriting. Clothe him in a splendid robe, and mount him upon\nthe best of my horses, and bring him hither.\" On this, the officials\nwho stood by could not restrain their laughter, so that the King was\nincensed at their behaviour, and was about to mark his displeasure by\nswift punishment when their chief advanced and explained the matter. \"O\nKing, didst thou only know why we laugh, thou wouldst laugh louder\nthan any of us. We crave thy Felicity to pardon us, but this writing\nwas done, not by any son of Adam, but by an ape, which belongeth to the\nmaster of the ship.\" \"What?\" said the King, \"this excellent work done\nby an ape?\" \"Yea, your Majesty, it is even so, on the head and the eye.\nThis ape, which is at least a hundred years old, and proportionately\nugly, wrote those quatrains in our presence.\" The King laughed heartily\nand said, \"Make haste, and bring this ape before me in the manner I\ncommanded, for I have never heard of anything so wonderful.\" And he\ngave them a written and sealed order to the master of the vessel.\n\nO Prince of the Faithful, I learnt all this that I have told thee from\ntheir narration to the master on their arrival. On seeing the King's\norder the master handed me over to them, and they clothed me with the\nsplendid robe, and placed me upon the King's horse. Great was the\nwonder of the people when the procession started for the palace. Seeing\nan ugly ape, dressed in a royal robe and mounted upon the King's most\nsplendid steed, their laughter died a sudden death in their throats,\nand they gaped and wondered. The rumour of my progress went before, and\nthe way was soon thronged with people of high degree and low, while\nfrom the windows of houses and palaces looked forth a multitude of\ncitizens to witness this strangest of all spectacles. Then, gradually,\narose a great cry of wonder and astonishment, which spread throughout\nthe city: Had the King chosen an ape for his Grand Vizier? What\nmarvellous thing was this? But the King was the King, and the people\nwas the people, and none among them could doubt his doings. And so I\nrode on in dignified procession.\n\n * * * * *\n\n[At this point in the story, the Khalifeh, set off by the three ladies,\ncould not forbear laughing. \"Verily,\" he said, slapping his hand on\nhis knee, and rocking with mirth, \"were I in reality the Prince of the\nFaithful, and not a poor impersonator, so would I laugh at the thought\nof this solemn ape, clad in a royal robe, and mounted on the King's\nhorse, proceeding in stately dignity through the city.\" Then, mastering\nhis laughter, he added, to Ja'far, \"O Vizier, I play my part badly when\nI say 'were I in reality the Prince of the Faithful,' for thou knowest,\nand my Executioner knows, that I _am_ the Khalifeh!\" Loudly did Ja'far\nand Mesrur laugh at this, and the others joined them, and clapped their\nhands, saying it was an excellent piece of play acting. \"Proceed, O\nRoyal Brother!\" said the Khalifeh with grave dignity; and the story was\nresumed.]\n\nArriving at the palace I soon found myself before the King seated on\nhis throne in a vast chamber, where were assembled the great ones of\nthe earth. I made my obeisance three times to the King, and then, when\nhe motioned me to be seated, I sat down, in the fashion of an ape, upon\nmy haunches. So far, my intelligent respect to royalty commanded the\nadmiration at once of the King and his subjects, for my performance\nrequired only the gift of speech to render it perfect. The King\nthen ordered his Court to withdraw, saving only his chief Memluk, a\nyoung slave, and myself. He then bade us follow him into his private\napartment, where he ordered food to be served. When it was ready, he\nbeckoned me to approach and eat. At this I advanced and kissed the\nground before him seven times, after which I sat down at the table and\nate. When the repast was over I took a broad leaf from the flower-pod\nof a palm near at hand, and having signed to the slave to bring me pen\nand ink, wrote upon it the following verse:\n\n Know, O blade that enclosed the flower of the palm!\n That what thou protectedst less beautiful seems,\n Being now thus revealed, than the favour of Kings\n Unbladed to me by the finger of fate.\n\nHaving written this, I placed it before the King and arose, and seated\nmyself at a little distance. But when he had read it, his face was\ndistressed with wonder. \"This surpasseth all,\" said he. \"How can an ape\npossess such skill in the writing and rounding of a verse?\" And he was\novercome with astonishment. He motioned me to approach him, and said,\n\"Thou art a wonderful ape: drink to me in this my favourite liquor!\"\nAnd he handed me his cup. I took it and drank, and as soon as I felt\nthe warm impulse of the liquor I was quickened in my inspiration, and\nwrote upon the cup:\n\n Stronger than the blood of heroes,\n Sweeter than a woman's kiss;\n Rare and royal though its savour,\n Joy less fine than Kingly favour\n Lies in this.\n\nThe King took the cup, and read what I had written. \"By Allah!\" he\nexclaimed. \"Find me the man who hath the skill of this ape!\"\n\nStill wondering greatly as to the extent of my learning and\nintelligence, the King called for a chessboard; and, setting it before\nme, questioned me by signs as to whether I understood the game. By way\nof assent, I kissed the ground, and humbly seated myself before the\nboard. Now my name, as a chessplayer, had gone forth through all lands,\nbut it still remained for me, as an ape, to justify that name. Solemn\nand silent we sat at the board--the King of a vast territory matching\nhis skill (of which I had heard, as he had heard of mine, from afar)\nagainst that of an ape. Knowing all the science of the game, much of\nwhich I had myself discovered, I tested his skill by various openings,\nsaying within myself, \"This game I will not win, provided that I learn\nhis measure.\" It so fell out that I lost, and the King, noting the\ncharacter of my play, was pleased at his success. \"Another game,\" said\nhe, resetting the pieces.\n\nThis time, knowing his play, I held back in my moves, and awaited his\nopenings. At length he made one which I knew, for I myself had invented\nit. \"That,\" said he, \"is the opening of Prince Eymar, whose treatise I\nhave studied. I will allow thee a space to study it, and reply.\" What\nwas his surprise when I replied immediately with the counter move! At\nthat, from excess of wonder, he was unstrung, and, knowing not the\nfollowing moves as well as I, he lost. Again we played, a third time,\nand I, seeing from his eagerness that he had still something to spring\nupon me, fell in with his moves until we reached the position which was\nthe crowning point of my treatise. At length it came to a pass which\nI well knew. There was only one way out--a pawn in a distant corner\nof the board. I moved it readily. \"By Allah!\" he cried, upsetting the\nboard with all that was on it, \"thou art the most intelligent--as well\nas the ugliest--ape I ever saw.\" Then, to appease him, I bethought\nmyself of the battlefield of sixty-four squares, and wrote the\nfollowing stanza on the edge of the board:\n\n Two armies met and fought, and in the fight\n Were many slain;\n Yet peace succeeded; and that night\n Each drank success to each,\n And drank again.\n\nDuring all this, the perplexity of the King had waxed greater and\ngreater. At length, in order that his wonder might be shared by\nanother, he sent for his only daughter--the Lady of Beauty--in order\nthat she might witness these unheard of doings of an ape. No sooner\nhad she entered the apartment than she hastily adjusted her veil.\n\"Sire,\" said she, \"why dost thou summon me thus into the presence of\nmen?\" \"Nay, O my daughter,\" answered the King, \"there is none here\nbut myself, a eunuch, a slave, and this ape.\" Her fingers fastened\nher veil more closely as she replied, \"O my father, this that thou\ncallest an ape is no ape at all. Thou knowest I have the gift against\nenchantment, and I tell thee this is a man, the son of a king, and his\nname is Prince Eymar. He hath been transformed into this shape by a\nson of Iblis. Sire, I know this from the teaching of my old nurse, who\ninstructed me in the seventy rules of magic.\"\n\nThe King was amazed at his daughter's words, and, looking towards\nme, said, \"I can readily believe that thou art Eymar, for none other\ncould beat me twice at chess. What sayest thou?\" And I bowed my head,\nsignifying that what had been said was true, and I wept bitterly. Then\nsaid the King to the Lady of Beauty, \"O my daughter, if thou hast this\npower of discernment, which I knew not, perchance thou hast the power\nalso to undo the enchantment wrought upon this Prince. If thou canst, I\nam minded to make him my Grand Vizier, for there is none like him.\" And\nshe replied, \"O my father, I know, and I am able. Witness what I shall\ndo.\"\n\nThe King's daughter then brought forth a large knife, on the blade of\nwhich were strange characters engraven. With this she drew a wide\ncircle upon the floor before us, and inscribed within it many magic\nsigns. This done, she stood within the circle, and sang a wild barbaric\nchant, at which the place began to grow dark, while the roof and walls\nand floor creaked and groaned with ominous sounds. Suddenly, while fear\ngat hold on us, there was a blinding flash, and the Efrite appeared\nwithin the circle, immense and hideous, his teeth gnashing, and his\neyes flashing fire.\n\n\"Traitress!\" he cried; \"did we not swear never to cross one another's\npath?\" \"Wretch!\" she replied, \"I took no oath with thee.\" At this, the\nEfrite quickly assumed the form of a lion, and sprang upon her to rend\nher; but she, being wary, plucked a hair from her head, and breathed\nupon it, whereupon it was instantly changed into a sharp sword. With\nthis she severed the lion's head from his body, but the head at once\nbecame a scorpion. On this the lady became a serpent, and pursued\nthe scorpion, which then took the form of an eagle. But the lady was\nnow a vulture, and the two fought, screaming, in the air. Anon, the\neagle changed to a huge black cat, and the vulture, changing to a\nwolf, fought with it, until at last the cat, finding itself well-nigh\nvanquished, assumed the form of a pomegranate, and rolled into a pool\nat one side of the circle. When the wolf dashed in after it, the\npomegranate rose up into the air and burst, its grains being scattered\nover the floor. Quick as lightning, the wolf changed into a cock, which\nbegan picking up the grains. And when it had picked up what we thought\nwere all, it began to flap its wings, and run to and fro, looking, as\nit were, for the last seed. It ran to us with a terrible cry, then,\nturning, it espied a seed on the brink of the pool, but ere it could\nreach it, that seed had rolled into the water, and changed itself into\na fish. The cock flew screaming to the pool, and assuming the shape of\na pike, dived in. Then there was a terrible commotion in the depths.\nThe water foamed and boiled, and the whole place shook as if monsters\nof the deep were in conflict. Suddenly there was a mighty cry, as\nthe Efrite rose from the pool, encircled with a flame of fire, which\ncontinued to issue from his mouth, his nostrils, and eyes. But beside\nhim, in an instant, was the King's daughter, also emitting fire. Then\nbegan the most deadly contest between them. From their eyes and mouths\ndarted shafts of fire at one another, until they were enshrouded in\na dense smoke. Long the battle raged within this murky canopy, until\nat last the Efrite was driven forth from it. Pursued by the King's\ndaughter, he rushed at us, and blew fire in our faces, scorching the\nKing's beard, destroying one of my eyes, and killing the eunuch and the\nslave outright. But, in a moment, the King's daughter was upon him.\nThere was a blinding flash, a cry of victory from her, and we looked,\nand saw the Efrite reduced to a heap of ashes on the floor at her feet.\n\n\"It is done!\" she said, panting. \"He forced me to the last test of\nfire, and I conquered. Yet I die, for this fire cannot be quenched,\nexcept by my life. Quick! bring me here a bowl of water.\" I snatched a\nbowl that stood near by, and ran and dipped some water from the pool.\nShe took it, and having chanted some strange words over the water,\nsprinkled it upon me, saying: \"In the name of Truth, return to thine\noriginal form.\" At this the pang of change rent my flesh and bones,\nand I became a man again, as I was before, saving the loss of an eye.\nBut lo! as I looked at the King's daughter, to thank her, I saw a\nfire come out of her breast, and envelop her head and face. Moans\ncame from within the flame, and she staggered to and fro with muffled\ncries: \"There is no God but Allah! No God but Allah! and Mohammed\nis----\" Suddenly, there was a flash of of fire, and when the flames had\ndisappeared, there, at our feet, lay a second heap of ashes.\n\n[Illustration: The Bridge at Baghdad where Abu-l-Hasan awaits\nstrangers. Page 204]\n\nI mingled my tears with those of the King, and remorse and bitterness\ntook possession of my soul, for, I reflected, this sweet-faced lady\nhad met her death through me. Yet all is as Allah wills it. The whole\nrealm was cast into mourning over this sad event. The King enshrined\nhis daughter's ashes in a magnificent tomb, and commanded the ashes of\nthe Efrite to be scattered to the four winds. Me he summoned to his\npresence, and spoke these words: \"Would that I had never seen thee, for\nso I had not lost my daughter. Yet the ways of God are inscrutable, and\nhis will is fulfilled with thee and me. Depart, therefore, O my son, in\npeace; and think not that I bear thee malice.\"\n\nSo I went out from his presence, and shaved my beard, and left the\nCity. And thus through many regions have I travelled to gain the Abode\nof Peace, and lay my case before thee, O Prince of the Faithful.\n\n * * * * *\n\nHis story being finished, the Khalifeh spoke. \"Thy case is\nextraordinary,\" he said, \"and thou hast done well to bring it before\nme.\" And yet, none but Ja'far and Mesrur knew, or even suspected, that\nhe was the Khalifeh. Then, after an interval, the Third Royal Calender\nrose, and related his story as follows:--\n\n\nTHE STORY OF THE THIRD CALENDER.\n\nO KING of the Age, my history is more wonderful than those of my two\nassociates. Their misfortunes were fashioned by the finger of Fate,\nwhile mine were the outcome of my own self-will. Yet in the event we\nare equal, since we each account to thee for the loss of an eye.\n\nKnow then, O King, that I, who stand before thee, am a King, and the\nson of a King. At my father's death, I ascended the throne, and ruled\nmy subjects wisely, as he had done. Yet, unlike him, I was by nature\na seafarer, and would often absent myself for the space of a month or\nmore on voyages to parts beyond my kingdom. And it so chanced that from\none of these I never returned to my City. And the cause of this I will\nset before thee.\n\nI had been voyaging for some twenty days with a fleet of ten ships,\nwhen we were suddenly becalmed. A few hours later, the master of the\nvessel I was in came to me in a state of consternation, and told me\nwe were drifting in a rapid current, so wide as to include all the\nten ships of the fleet. At this, we signalled to the other ships,\nand all tried with oars to escape this current; but its width was\nbeyond us; it seemed to flow from all sides to a centre. Then, on a\ncloser scrutiny, we saw that our ships were out-stripping the current,\npropelled, or attracted, by we knew not what. At this, the master gave\na great cry, and plucked his beard, and flung his turban on the deck.\n\"O Sire,\" he said, \"we are doomed! I know now the fate that awaits us.\nWe are speeding towards a great mountain of loadstone, of which I have\nheard--a great black mountain, which attracteth everything that cometh\nnear it. Soon the very nails of all these ships will be drawn to this\nmountain, and the ships themselves will fall to pieces.\"\n\nAt this I was dumbfounded. I could not believe that such a thing were\npossible; and yet there was no denying that we were being drawn by some\nunseen influence ever more and more rapidly through the water. \"Tell\nme,\" I said, \"what is the history of this mountain?\"\n\n\"It is black, steep, and inaccessible,\" he replied. \"On its summit is\na dome of brass, supported by ten pillars of brass; and on this dome\nis a brazen horseman, mounted on a brazen horse, bearing in his hand a\nspear of brass, and on his breast a plate of lead, engraven with mystic\nsigns. Sire, while that horseman sits upon his horse, the spell of the\nloadstone spares no ship in the surrounding sea, for without iron no\nship is built.\"\n\nThe master's words were only too true, for soon the ships were rushing\nmore swiftly through the sea, and it was not long before we sighted\nthe black mountain, of which he had spoken. Our velocity increased.\nThe cleavage of the water rose from our bows. Our ships groaned with\nthe strain, which every moment grew more and more intense. Swifter and\nswifter we sped on, as nearer loomed the mountain; and we all knew what\nwas before us, and cried out to God for help. At last, our speed was\nso excessive that no ship could any longer endure the strain. With a\ncreaking and groaning and rending of planks, the nails and ironwork\nwere wrenched away; and every ship fell asunder, and spread itself in\nwreckage on the sea.\n\nMany were drowned immediately, while some few clung to floating spars.\nI was one of these, and I know not if others, beside myself, survived,\nfor I could only cling to my plank, and call on God, so great and\nboisterous were the waves. Hours later I found myself cast up on the\nstrip of shore at the foot of the great black mountain. I praised God\nfor my deliverance, and then, being both hungry and thirsty, I searched\nfor fruit among some trees growing upon the slopes. I soon found some\nhard by a small stream, and, when I had eaten and drunk, I noticed a\npathway by the stream, and followed it. Presently I came to the steep\nascent of the hill where the path took the form of rugged steps.\nRecalling the legend of the horseman, and praying devoutly that I might\noverthrow him, I toiled up and up the mountain side by this roughest of\npaths. By the grace of God I at length reached the summit, and found\nthere the great dome surmounted by the horseman. Too fatigued to do\nmore than climb into the dome, I flung myself down there and slept.\nAnd, as I slept, a voice spake to me in a dream: \"O valiant one, know\nthat in the ground beneath thy feet lie a bow of brass and three arrows\nof lead, all engraven with talismanic signs. Search for these, and,\nhaving found them, shoot the three arrows at the horseman, whereupon\nthy bow will fall from thy hand, and he and his horse will be hurled\ndown into the midst of the sea. Take thy bow, and bury it again; and,\nas soon as thou shalt have done this, the sea will rise swiftly up the\nmountain sides, until it reaches the foot of the dome. Then, before\nthee, thou wilt perceive a man in a boat, with an oar in each hand--he\nbeing of metal also, but different from the horseman. Embark with him\nin his boat, and within ten days he will convey thee to a calm sea, and\nto a ship which will bear thee to thine own land. But beware, O Prince,\nlest in all these things thou utter the name of God, for, by so doing,\nthou wilt be in extreme peril.\"\n\nWhen I awoke, I marvelled at the vividness of this dream, and,\nremembering all the voice had said, I dug in the ground where my feet\nhad lain. There I discovered the bow and the three arrows, and, taking\nthem forth, I shot at the horseman. Twice my aim failed, but the third\narrow struck him, and lo, he and his horse fell headlong down the\nmountain into the sea. Then, the bow having fallen from my hand, I\ntook it and buried it within the dome. As soon as I had done this, I\nperceived the sea surging rapidly up the mountain sides. Up and up it\ncame, boiling and seething, until at last it reached the foot of the\ndome, than which it rose no further. Presently a boat drew near from\nthe midst of the sea, rowed by a man of gleaming metal. Remembering\nthe warning not to utter the name of God, I entered the boat, and the\nman rowed me away over the sea for many days, until we came in sight\nof some beautiful islands. When I set eyes on these habitable spots of\nsafety then my heart leapt for joy, and, forgetting the warning of my\ndream, I cried in my delight, \"God be praised!\" No sooner had the words\nescaped my lips than the boat and the man sank in the sea, leaving me\nupon the surface. My peril was now extreme, for unless I could gain the\nland I must surely drown. The islands were distant, but they were my\nonly hope, so I swam towards them hour after hour, until night fell.\nStill I swam on and on in the dark, and at last, when I was spent,\nand about to sink, I felt a great wave rise beneath me, and hurl me\nforward. It carried me high up on the shore of an island, where it left\nme utterly exhausted, but safe from the sea.\n\nThe next day, as I was walking along the shore in search of food, I\nheard voices coming from behind a bend. Thinking not to lose a chance\nof being taken on board some vessel, I looked round the bend, and saw\nten black slaves of evil aspect, landing from a vessel and bearing\nspades and axes. I liked not the faces of these men, and feared to\nexpose myself to their view; moreover, being curious as to their\nmission, I resolved to watch them. Noting the direction they were\ntaking, I ran along the shore for some distance, and then, turning\ninland, I proceeded until I came to a high tree, into the topmost\nbranches of which I climbed. Presently I saw the slaves pass by and\nstop at a spot in the middle of the island, where they dug up the\nground, until at length they came upon a trap door, which they lifted\nand set on one side. Then they returned to the vessel, and brought\nfrom it loads of provisions, necessaries and even luxuries of every\nkind. Many times they went and came, and by their loads, it was evident\nthey were preparing some underground dwelling for habitation. At\nlength, after many journeys to and fro, they returned from the vessel\nladen with beautiful garments of every kind; and with them came an\naged sheik, leading by the hand a young man, whose grace and beauty\ncould scarce be expressed in poems. They and the slaves entered the\nunderground abode, and when, two hours later, I counted those who came\nforth, the young man was not of the number. When they had closed the\ntrap door, and replaced the earth upon it, the slaves conducted the\nsheik back to the vessel, and sailed away.\n\nThese doings caused me great wonder in my tree, and I resolved to see\nwhat they meant. I made haste to descend, and, having reached the spot,\nI ceased not to scrape away the earth until I had found the trap door.\nI removed this, and descended a flight of wooden steps, which led me to\na large apartment, luxuriously furnished; and there, reclining upon\na couch, with flowers and fruits before him, was the handsome youth.\n\"Fear me not,\" I said, when I saw that he had turned pale on observing\nmy sudden intrusion; \"I am a man, like thyself. Destiny hath led me\nhither, to relieve thy solitude.\" Then, seeing that he greeted me with\ndelight, I said to him: \"O, my brother, tell me how it is that thou\nart here in this secret place.\" And he complied with my request, and\nrelated to me his history.\n\n\"O brother,\" he said, \"my fate has been exceeding strange. My father is\na rich dealer in jewels, and his business lies with kings. Many years\nago he was wont to grieve that, though God had given him wealth, He\nhad not blest him with a son. Shortly after, he dreamed that a male\nchild would be born to him, but that its life would be cut off at the\nage of sixteen, and he awoke weeping. His dream was fulfilled, in so\nfar that within a year my mother gave birth to me. Great was his joy\nat this, but, remembering the further prophecy of his dream, he called\nin the astrologers, who, by their calculations, confirmed it. 'Thy\nson's fate,' they said, 'is connected with a great mountain in the sea,\ncalled the Mountain of Loadstone, on the summit of which is a horseman\nof brass, bearing on his breast a tablet of lead, with mystic signs\nengraven. Sixteen years hence a king, the son of a king, will arise,\nand hurl that horseman down into the sea, shortly after which he will\nslay thy son.'\n\n\"My father grieved very greatly at this, and ceased not to love me\nthe more throughout my youth. When I was nearing the age of sixteen,\nhe again summoned the astrologers, who told him that the horseman had\nalready been cast down into the sea, and there remained now only ten\ndays of my life. Then my father arose and prepared this place for me,\nso that I might dwell here in secret until the completion of the days,\nfor the astrologers had said that if, by the will of God, I passed\nsafely out of my sixteenth year, I should live to a great age. And thus\nit is that I am here, O my brother.\"\n\n\"What strange thing is this?\" said I within myself on hearing his\nwords. \"It was I who cast down the horseman, but, by Allah! it will not\nbe I who will slay this gracious youth.\" Then, turning to him, I said:\n\"Fear nothing, sweet youth! Here, at least, thou art safe. I myself\nwill protect thee, and, when the term is expired, I will go forth with\nthee to thy father, and he shall restore me to my country, and so reap\na great reward.\" He rejoiced at my words, and was comforted, and so\nfar was I from wishing him harm that I waited upon him, and during\nthe night slept by his side. Once he awoke from dreams, crying: \"The\nhorseman is down! He hath fallen into the sea! Whither, oh! whither\nshall I flee for safety?\" But I quieted him, and comforted him, saying:\n\"Never will such a calamity as thou fearest come to thee while I am by\nthy side.\"\n\nFor nine days I served him, sparing no trouble for his comfort; and on\nthe tenth I could not conceal my joy, for I knew that, if it rested\nwith me to slay him, he would be alive on the morrow. My happiness\ninfected him, and he begged me to heat some water that he might bathe\nand array himself in bright garments, and then, with me, celebrate\nthe hour of his release. I prepared all he required, and he bathed,\nand arrayed himself in costly robes, and reclined upon the couch to\nrest. It was the hour of sunset: a little while remained till the term\nexpired. \"O brother,\" he said to me, \"wilt thou in thy kindness cut\nme up a water melon, and sprinkle it with sugar?\" \"O brother mine,\"\nI replied, \"I see here a melon, but where is the knife?\" He pointed\nto the shelf above his head, saying, \"Thou wilt find one there, O my\ncreditor.\" Then I stepped up on the side of the couch, and found the\nknife, and drew it from its sheath; but, having done this, my foot\nslipped, and I fell headlong. The next thing I knew was that the knife\nwas buried in the youth's breast, with my hand upon the haft. I uttered\na loud cry, and beat my bosom. Oh! the grief of it! Dead! And by my\nhand! O God! by what cruel misfortunes dost thou convince mortals that\nFate and Destiny are thine instruments!\n\n[Illustration: Abu-l-Hasan entertains the strangers with dancing and\nmusic. Page 204]\n\nLong I wept by the side of the youth, imploring pardon from those cold\nlips; one glance of forgiveness from those glazed eyes. Then, sad and\nsorrowful, I arose and ascended the steps; and, having replaced and\ncovered the trap door, departed from that place. I remained upon the\nisland, nursing a heavy weight of grief. From a place of hiding I saw\nthem come and take the youth's dead body away. I saw his aged father's\nsorrow, as he followed weeping, and watched the vessel sail away out\nof sight. But great as was this calamity, I was destined to further\ntrouble.\n\nIn my daily wanderings about the island, I discovered that on one\nside of it the sea had been gradually receding. When another week had\npassed, there was a considerable extent of land that had risen above\nthe water. I watched this day by day for a space of some months, at\nthe end of which time dry land stretched into the distance so far\nthat I resolved to set forth upon it, hoping to come at length to an\ninhabited region. I had proceeded some leagues when I saw before me,\nin the distance, an upland with a splendid palace upon it, shining all\ngolden in the rays of the sun. When I drew near, almost dazzled at the\nsight of it, an old man came out to meet me; and following him\nwere ten young men, each lacking an eye--a thing which caused me great\nastonishment. They and the old man saluted me, and asked me whence I\ncame, whereupon I told them my story, which they listened to with looks\nof wonder. Then they invited me into the palace, and one of them said:\n\"Be welcome, O brother, but see to it that thou ask us not respecting\nour condition, nor yet how it is we each lack an eye.\" Presently\nthe old man brought food and wine, and we ate and drank together,\nconversing on many things until it was time to sleep. Then one of them\ncalled to the old man to bring the materials for penance, and he arose\nand placed before each a basin full of ashes and powdered charcoal.\nOne and all then bared their arms and blackened their faces with the\nmixture, crying continually, \"Once we were dwelling in happiness, but\nnow we are wretched; and this is the result of our idle curiosity.\"\nThis they kept up till daybreak, when they washed their faces and\nchanged their clothes and slept.\n\nNext day, being unable to cast off my curiosity regarding this strange\nbehaviour, I beseeched them to tell me the reason thereof, and one\nof them replied: \"O young man, ask not what doth not concern thee,\nlest thou hear what may not please thee.\" But I was not content with\nthis answer, and continued to entreat them to tell me the reason of\ntheir actions, and also the cause of each having lost an eye. \"Nay, be\nsilent,\" said another; \"what the mind doth not know, the heart doth\nnot grieve.\" Yet I still pestered them with my questions, giving them\nno peace. At length they lost patience, and, after conversing together\nawhile, one of them said to me: \"O young man, if thou dost above all\nthings desire to know the cause of these things, submit thyself to our\nhands, and thou shalt learn.\" And I answered, \"I desire nothing more\nthan to know;\" for my curiosity had become a fever.\n\nThen they slaughtered a ram and flayed it, and, placing a knife in my\nhand, sewed me up in the skin and carried me to a hilltop at a little\ndistance, where they left me. Presently I heard the flapping of giant\nwings, and then the ram's skin, with me inside it, was seized by the\ntalons of a great bird and borne up and away. After a long flight, the\nbird set me down upon a high plateau. Remembering the knife they had\nplaced in my hand, I ripped open the skin, and emerged. The gigantic\nbird, on seeing me, flew off screaming.\n\nFar in the distance, at the side of a hill, I saw a splendid palace,\nsparkling in the sunlight. It was the only habitation that I could\ndiscern, so I made my way towards it. After some hours' journey, I\nreached its gates, and seeing them open, entered, and soon found myself\nin a great chamber of indescribable splendour, where forty beautiful\ndamsels, each one like a goddess, welcomed me with cries of joy. \"O our\nMaster and Prince,\" they said, \"why hast thou tarried so long? We, thy\nhandmaids, have waited many weeks for thy coming.\" And they set food\nand wine before me, and while I ate and drank, some sang and others\ndanced; and they were so wildly beautiful that any one of them would\nhave melted the heart of an anchorite.\n\nThus suddenly was I launched into a life of pure delight, and I dwelt\namong these rare and radiant damsels, their sole Lord and Master, in\nluxury and joy. Thus it continued for a whole year, with never a shadow\nof dulness in our days; but, on the first morning of the new year, they\nall came to me weeping, and bidding me farewell, as each in turn clung\nto me with the sadness of parting. \"Wherefore this?\" I cried. \"Ye will\nbreak my heart if ye leave me.\" And one replied, \"Nay, O master; we\nlove thee most of any on earth, but we must leave thee for a time, and\nwe fear to lose thee.\" And she fell to weeping afresh, and the others\nadded their tears to hers. \"Tell me what this means,\" I said to her. \"O\nmy master, if thou wouldst know,\" she replied, \"we are the daughters\nof kings, and for many years it has been our practice to dwell in this\npalace, returning only to our fathers for forty days at the beginning\nof each year. To-day we must go, and we fear that, before we return,\nthou wilt disregard our directions, in which case thou wilt be lost to\nus. Here are the keys, a hundred in number, which will unlock a hundred\ndoors for thee, admitting to gardens of various kinds, in which thou\nwilt find a hundred different delights; but we do entreat thee, open\nnot the door which is fashioned of pure gold, for if thou dost, we\nshall never see thee again, and that is what we fear.\"\n\nI took the keys, greatly wondering, and when I had embraced them all,\nand said farewell, they departed, with sad looks, leaving me alone in\nthe palace. Many times I swore to myself that I would never open the\ngolden door, and even as I swore, the wish to do it came uppermost. But\nI forced it down, saying: \"There are ninety-nine doors without this\none: surely it is enough!\" And that evening, feeling sad and lonely,\nand longing for entertainment, I took the keys, and, selecting one\nengraven with a character corresponding to that on the first door, I\nopened and entered.\n\nWithin lay a garden like paradise, with running streams, and hanging\nfruits, and birds that sang the praises of their Creator. Every kind of\ndelicate perfume breathed from the rarest of flowers, and the bosom\nof the dreamy trees moved in the soft wind as if langorous with love.\nSeeing this wonderful place, I was impelled by curiosity to explore\nwhat lay behind the second door. Accordingly, I opened it and entered.\nHere was a large domain of forest and meadow, watered by a crystal\nriver. Uplands on which the sunlight slept, led up to mountain peaks\ntowering against the sides of heaven. I noted all this with wonder,\nsaying, \"I will return, and enjoy this at my leisure; meanwhile, I die\nto know what fresh joy is concealed by the third door.\"\n\nWhen I entered the third place of delight, I found it to be a spacious\naviary, containing all the birds of song and of rare plumage that could\nbe found on earth. This vast place was paven with many-coloured marble,\nand graced with patches of forest and greensward. The birds drank from\ncrystal fountains, and, flying off, sang gloriously. The streams of\nthese fountains were of different colours, and when I drank of one, I\nfound it was pure wine. So I wandered from one to another sipping the\nrarest vintages I had ever known, until, coming to a soft couch of\nmoss, I reclined, and was lulled to sleep by the songs of countless\nnightingales.\n\nWhen I awoke next morning, I opened the fourth door and found beyond it\na treasury passing the imagination of kings. Jewels and precious stones\nthere were beyond reckoning. \"These,\" I said, \"are mine, and forty\npriceless damsels are also mine: what Sultan can compare with me?\"\nThat day, and on the following days, I opened one door after another,\nfinding within each the strangest and most wonderful things man ever\nbeheld; until, on the thirty-ninth day, I had opened every door except\nthe last,--the one fashioned of pure gold. Long I looked at it,\nrecalling my oath, and fortifying myself against temptation. Many times\nI turned away from it, with the key in my hand, but always the Devil\ndrove me back again. Then, at last, my curiosity became acute, and I\ncould not refrain.\n\nI opened the door, and passed within. I was met by an odour fragrant\nbeyond conception, which mastered my brain so that I fell in a faint.\nBut I soon recovered, and, rising to my feet, went on, treading on\ngolden tiles spread with saffron, and lighted on my way by golden\nlamps, from which were wafted the odours of musk and ambergris. I\nsoon saw that the place was, in effect, a stable, though words fail\nto describe its splendour. There, standing at a crystal manger full\nof choice sesame, with a trough adjoining filled with rose-water,\nstood a magnificent steed, as black as night. Never had I seen his\nequal. He was saddled and bridled, and his trappings were of gold and\nthread-of-gold, sparkling with gems. \"This is the steed of my desire,\"\nI said, and then, as I approached him, he turned his head towards me,\nand neighed. Urged by the Devil, I led him forth and mounted him. But\nwhen I jerked the reins, he stood stock still. I persuaded him with\nmy heels, but he did not move. Then I espied a whip deposited in the\nsaddle. I took this and struck him a violent blow. With a neigh like\nthunder, he rose in the air, and soared up and up to a great height.\nThen he flew with me over hills and valleys, until at last he alighted\non the roof of another palace. There he plunged and reared, and finally\nshook me off behind him; and, as I fell, a blow from his tail struck\nout my eye. Leaving me thus, he soared up and away, and was soon lost\nto sight.\n\nWhen I descended from the roof, I found I was back in the Palace of\nthe ten young men. When they beheld me, and saw that my eye was gone,\nthey cried with one voice, \"No welcome to thee, O curious one! Thou art\nnow in like case with us, having been chastised for thine impertinent\ncuriosity. For know that we have all opened that golden door and\nridden that black horse, and that is why we do nightly penance for our\nfoolishness.\" I then begged them to receive me into their company,\nbut they refused, saying their number was complete. So I went my way\ndejected, and wandered as a mendicant, ever on and on towards Baghdad,\nthe Abode of Peace, resolved to seek the Khalifeh of the Lord of all\nCreatures and set my case before him.\n\n * * * * *\n\n\"Verily,\" exclaimed Harun-er-Rashid as the Third Royal Calender retired\nto his place, \"this is the most astounding tale of all. Hear me now,\nall of you. These men have suffered greatly, but Fate hath no further\ntrouble in store for them. By Allah! my armies are great, and I will\nrestore each to his throne. As for you, O ladies,\" he continued,\nturning to the three sisters, \"my Seraglio is dull and lifeless without\nyou. Will you grace it with your presence?\" \"Yes, O Commander of the\nFaithful,\" cried they all, laughing merrily and clapping their hands,\nfor they thought him a perfect impersonator; \"we will come to thee.\"\n\"On the head and the eye?\" \"Yea, O King, on the head and the eye is our\npromise given.\" At this the Khalifeh turned to his two officials. \"O\nVizier,\" he said, \"I call thee to witness; and thee also, O Mesrur.\"\nAnd they answered smiling, for they liked the pretence of his pretence,\n\"King of the Age, we hear and obey.\"\n\nThen the Khalifeh approached the porter, who was asleep upon the\nfloor, and stirred him with his foot so that he awoke and sat up. \"O\nthou carrier of goods and vast quantities of wine,\" said the Khalifeh,\n\"wouldst thou be the Wag of Harun-er-Rashid, Fifth Khalifeh of the\nHouse of Abbas?\" The porter grinned. \"O Prince of the Faithful,\"\nsaid he, \"I was born with that ambition, for they say that when the\nKhalifeh's Wag waggeth his tongue no other tongue may wag.\" And with\nthis he kissed the ground seven times in mock obeisance. \"It is well,\"\nsaid the Khalifeh, \"for verily thou art a wag.\" And they all applauded\nhis seeming royalty and said one among another, \"Never have we seen\nsuch an excellent impersonation of a king.\"\n\nThe Khalifeh then pointed to the first signs of day in the east,\nsaying, \"There was never so pleasant a night but morning ended it.\"\nAnd then, with Ja'far and Mesrur, he set about taking his departure,\nthanking the ladies for their kind hospitality and bidding them\nremember the promise they had given. The Three Royal Calenders and the\nporter also bade the sisters farewell, and, when they were outside the\nhouse, the Calenders were directed to a Khan, while the porter took his\nown way home and the Khalifeh and his two officials returned to the\npalace.\n\nOn the following morning the Khalifeh of Baghdad sat on his throne,\nand his first thought was to send for the Three Royal Calenders, the\nthree ladies, and the porter. \"Lose no time in bringing them hither, O\nVizier,\" said the Khalifeh to Ja'far. The Vizier sent in great haste,\nand, when the messengers returned with all of them, Er-Rashid received\nthem in private audience.\n\nNot one of them recognised the three merchants of the former evening,\nand their faces showed fear and surprise, for they knew not why they\nhad been thus summoned. The Khalifeh spoke. \"Know, O ye people, that\nI, Harun-er-Rashid, of the house of Abbas, do not forget my promises.\nI promised Three Royal Calenders that I would restore them to their\nthrones, and, by Allah! this shall be done. Three beautiful ladies of\nBaghdad promised me that they would come into my Seraglio, which thou\ndidst witness, O Ja'far; and thou, too, O Mesrur.\" The two officials\nbowed low, confirming this. \"But,\" continued the Khalifeh, \"I have\nsince decided to make them queens by bestowing them in marriage upon\nthese three kings.\" And he indicated the Calenders. Then, turning\ntowards the porter, he continued: \"I also promised that a carrier of\ngoods,--a merry fellow,--should be my Wag. This shall be, and his first\nduty will be to solve this riddle. Which is easier: for the Khalifeh to\nplay the merchant, or the merchant to play the Khalifeh? Meanwhile, do\nyou all agree to what I have proposed?\"\n\n[Illustration: Abu-l-Hasan awakens in the bed of the Khalifeh. Page 206]\n\nThey were all dumbfounded as they realised that their actor of the\nprevious night had played his part so well, because he was indeed the\nKhalifeh himself. For some moments no one spoke; then they all made\nobeisance to him and kissed the ground. \"O King of the Age,\" said one\nof the ladies, \"I answer for my sisters and myself. We will obey thy\ncommands willingly and with joy.\" Then one of the Calenders added, \"O\nPrince of the Faithful, we also hear and obey, with equal willingness\nand equal joy.\" \"And as for me, O King,\" said the porter, \"I, being a\nwag, and also a liar of some excellence, knew that indeed thou wert the\nKhalifeh of the Lord of All Creatures, but I was compelled to dissemble\nfor fear of thine Executioner's sword. Thus I solve thy riddle,\nO King: The Khalifeh played better than the merchant, whose play was\nequally good.\" The Khalifeh smiled and, turning to Ja'far, said, \"O\nVizier, bestow upon him the Robe of the Wag.\"\n\nThen the Khalifeh arose, and, descending from his throne, placed the\nhands of the three ladies in those of the Three Royal Calenders. The\nKadi and witnesses were summoned and the marriage contracts were signed\nand sealed. He then bestowed upon each of the three wedded pairs a\nsplendid palace and sufficient money for their needs until such time\nas he had succeeded in restoring them to their thrones. And so did\nHarun-er-Rashid draw upon himself ten thousand blessings.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n\n\n\nTHE SLEEPER AWAKENED\n\n\nIN the reign of Harun-er-Rashid, a merchant of the city of Baghdad\ndied, leaving his vast fortune to his son Abu-l-Hasan, the Wag, who\nat once divided it into two equal parts: one to be set aside, and the\nother to be spent. Selecting a number of wealthy merchants' sons as his\nboon companions, he lived a life of extravagance until every fraction\nof that which was to be spent was exhausted. At this he called his boon\ncompanions and laid his case before them, expecting at least sympathy,\nif not offers of assistance. But one and all treated him with the\nutmost unconcern and turned their backs on him. Sad at heart he sought\ncomfort of his mother, complaining of the injustice of this treatment.\n\"O, Abu-l-Hasan,\" said she, \"it was ever thus; when thou wast rich they\nwere thy friends, but now thou art poor they look the other way.\" And\nshe wept with him, mingling her tears with his.\n\nThen Abu-l-Hasan arose and at once took steps to withdraw the other\nhalf of his fortune from the safe-keeping in which he had placed it.\nUpon this he lived as befitted his condition in life, for he was still\na wealthy man. But, remembering the lesson he had bought with the other\nhalf of his riches, he took an oath that henceforth he would consort\nneither with relations nor friends nor acquaintances, but only with\nstrangers; and, furthermore, that the extent of his association with\nany one person would be for one night only, the acquaintanceship\nceasing entirely at sunrise next morning.\n\nEvery evening thereafter, when the purple twilight fell upon Baghdad,\nAbu-l-Hasan would walk in the ways of the city, saluting none, but at\nlast waylaying a stranger, upon whom he would press an invitation to\ngood food and wine and entertainment at his house. What stranger could\nrefuse? With the guest in the place of honour Abu-l-Hasan drank deep\nwith him till morning, when the guest departed with the understanding\nthat if they ever met again they were not to recognise each other.\n\nThis went on night after night for a whole year, until one night an\nillustrious stranger accepted Abu-l-Hasan's invitation. It was none\nother than Harun-er-Rashid himself, who had wandered forth in disguise\nto amuse himself, as was his wont at times. Little dreaming that he\nwas entertaining the Khalifeh unawares, Abu-l-Hasan led his guest\ninto his saloon--a most luxurious apartment where every comfort was\nprovided: streams of water murmuring through silver channels; golden\nfountains playing in cool grottoes, and, over all, an amber light shed\nby a wonderful lamp, subduing the richness of the place to a vague and\ndreaming glamour.\n\nHere they reclined, and Abu-l-Hasan summoned a slave girl, lissom as\nthe willow tendril, and bade her sing to the music of her lute. Sweetly\nthen she sang these verses, inspired by the soft languor of the night:--\n\n Oh! Love, thy footsteps stray in lands afar,\n But here within my heart thou dost abide.\n E'en though thou dwelt in yonder distant star\n No depths of space our spirits could divide.\n Thou art my Love! Thro' all eternity\n Thou art my soul, and nothing is but thee.\n\nEr-Rashid marvelled greatly at the singer and her song, and wondered in\nhis heart what manner of man was Abu-l-Hasan that he could entertain on\nso magnificent a scale.\n\n\"Tell me, young man,\" he said, \"what is thy name, that on a future\noccasion I may return thy hospitality?\"\n\nAnd Abu-l-Hasan told him, but added with a smile: \"Alas! this night\nmust end our acquaintance, for I have so vowed it.\" Then he set forth\nthe nature and the cause of his vow, at which Er-Rashid laughed\nheartily and said, \"By Allah! brother; I do not blame thee!\"\n\nAfter this came the slave girls and spread a banquet before them, and\nthey partook of it, Abu-l-Hasan giving the choicest portions to the\nKhalifeh. When they had finished their repast Abu-l-Hasan brought\nout his oldest and most fragrant wines, laid the wine-cloth himself,\nand, having lighted some small lamps and candles, filled a goblet and\nraised it to the Khalifeh. \"Best of boon companions,\" he said, \"away\nwith ceremony! Regard me as thy faithful slave and may I never be\ncompelled to grieve thy loss.\" With this he drained the goblet, and,\nstill acting the part of the Khalifeh's servant, filled another for\nhis master and handed it to him. This pleased the Khalifeh greatly.\nHe appreciated such delicate attention. He took the goblet and drank,\nsaying within himself, \"By Allah! a good return will I make him for\nthis.\" Abu-l-Hasan continued to wait upon his guest in humble fashion,\nand the Khalifeh enjoyed his hospitality to the full. If his host had\nknown him to be Er-Rashid himself--which he did not--he could not have\nentertained him better.\n\nAt the hour of midnight the Khalifeh spoke to his host in serious\ntones. \"O, Abu-l-Hasan,\" said he, \"tell me what thing thou dost most\ndesire.\"\n\n\"Why, my master,\" replied Abu-l-Hasan, \"if thou wouldst know: my most\nconstant prayer is that I may be rid of the incessant annoyance imposed\nupon me by the Imam and the four Sheiks of the neighbouring mosque.\nWhen they hear the sound of music and revelry at night they inform\nagainst me, so that I am harassed by heavy fines. By Allah! if I had my\nway I would give each of them a thousand lashes.\"\n\n\"May Allah grant thy prayer!\" said Er-Rashid, and, unobserved, he\ndropped a lozenge into his host's wine and handed him the goblet,\nbidding him drink.\n\nAbu-l-Hasan did so and speedily thereafter fell sound asleep. The\nKhalifeh at once summoned his servants, who, having followed him at\na little distance, were waiting without. He commanded them to place\nAbu-l-Hasan upon a mule and convey him to the Palace. This was soon\ndone.\n\nLater, when the Khalifeh had rested somewhat, he summoned the most\nimportant officials of his Court, and, indicating the sleeping figure\nof Abu-l-Hasan, said to them, \"In the morning you will find this young\nman upon the royal couch. When he awakes, see to it that you obey his\nlightest wish as you would my own; salute him as the Khalifeh and make\nobeisance before him.\" To his women slaves he gave similar instructions\nand ordered them to address Abu-l-Hasan as the Prince of the Faithful.\nThen Er-Rashid retired to another part of the Palace and slept.\n\nIn the morning when Abu-l-Hasan awoke upon the royal couch he stared in\namazement at the attendants making obeisance before him. \"O, Prince of\nthe Faithful! it is the hour of morning prayer,\" said a beautiful slave\ngirl, stepping forward. Abu-l-Hasan laughed, for he knew not what to\nmake of it. Then he rubbed his eyes and gazed around upon the sumptuous\nmagnificence of the apartment with its gorgeous roof and walls, its\nrich silk hangings, its vessels of gold and sparkling crystal, its\njewelled furniture, ornaments and luxurious carpets. \"By Allah!\" he\ngasped; \"have I attained to the fragrant Paradise, or do I dream?\"\n\nWith that he closed his eyes as if to hold the dream in further\nslumber, but a eunuch advanced and kissed the ground before the royal\ncouch. \"O, Prince of the Faithful!\" he said, humbly; \"bethink thee of\nthy usual custom.\" At this Abu-l-Hasan, sorely perplexed, opened his\neyes again very slowly, and saw the rich trappings of the couch whereon\nhe lay. Little by little he opened them until at last they were wide\nwith wonder, for this was no dream--the voice of the eunuch who had\nspoken, the faces and forms of the attendants, the royal splendour of\nthe place--all were as real as he could wish; and yet--yet--he raised\nhis hand to his mouth and bit one of his fingers--hard; then cried\nout with sudden pain. Angrily he raised himself on one elbow, and,\naddressing one of the female slaves, \"Come here!\" he said. \"My lord,\nI am always at thy service,\" she answered, drawing near. \"What is thy\nwill, O Prince of the Faithful?\" \"Tell me,\" he said, \"who am I, and\nwhere am I?\" \"Thou art the Prince of the Faithful,\" answered she. \"Thou\nart in thy palace and upon thy royal couch.\" \"Nay, nay,\" said he; \"I\nsleep. Methinks I dream, or--\" he went on, half to himself,--\"Can it\nbe? My guest--he bade me drink and--what subtle enchantment is this? Am\nI now Abu-l-Hasan dreaming I am the Khalifeh, or was I, last night and\nheretofore for many nights, the Khalifeh dreaming he was Abu-l-Hasan?\"\nAnd the Khalifeh himself, observing him all the while from a sheltered\nnook, revelled in the perplexity of his guest.\n\n[Illustration: Abu-l-Hasan orders that the Sheiks of the district\nshould be taken to be impaled on the back of a mangy camel. Page 209]\n\nAt last Abu-l-Hasan called one after another to him and questioned each\nin turn, asking if indeed he were the Prince of the Faithful; and in\nturn each showed amazement that he should put the question and assured\nhim that indeed he was the Khalifeh of the Lord of all creatures. To\nthe first he said, hotly, \"Thou liest!\" To the next: \"Thou art in\nerror!\" To others: \"Impossible!\" and \"It cannot be!\" Until at last\nhe was fairly beaten, and had to admit that he indeed was Er-Rashid\nhimself, the Prince of the Faithful. He asked the attendants to\nwithdraw so that he might give himself up to this new-found wonder and\nperplexity, and accustom himself to the strange position in which he\nfound himself.\n\nThe morning wore on and he was aroused from his reverie by a eunuch who\napproached with a salutation and handed him a pair of shoes of fine\nspun gold set with precious stones. Abu-l-Hasan put these on. Then came\nfemale slaves with a golden basin and a silver jug and they bathed his\nhands. On this being done, they spread a praying carpet before him.\nAlthough he knew not well how to pray, he made many protestations to\nAllah, earnestly entreating that he might be convinced that this was\nnot a dream. His prayers dispelled the doubt, but it returned when\nthe eunuchs brought him priceless apparel in which to clothe himself,\nfor, when he was arrayed in these magnificent garments, and sat\ncontemplating himself, he muttered, \"Surely, 'tis all a dream, and a\ntrick of the Evil One.\"\n\nThis thought was heavy upon him when a memluk entered. \"O Prince of the\nFaithful!\" he said, \"the chamberlain craves speech with thee.\"\n\"Bid him enter!\" replied Abu-l-Hasan, rousing himself. And presently\nthe chamberlain was kissing the ground before him and saying, \"Peace be\nunto thee, O Prince of the Faithful!\" Then Abu-l-Hasan descended from\nthe couch and stood before the chamberlain. \"Allah! Allah!\" cried that\nworthy servitor in astonishment. \"O our Lord! forget not that all men\nare thy slaves and it is not fitting that the Prince of the Faithful\nshould rise to anyone.\" But Abu-l-Hasan bade him proceed with his\nbusiness.\n\nThe chamberlain then informed Abu-l-Hasan that certain high officials\nand the chief memluks were without, awaiting his commands. \"Let them\nenter!\" said Abu-l-Hasan with growing authority. So they were summoned,\nand each as he advanced kissed the ground before him, saluting him as\nthe Prince of the Faithful. Abu-l-Hasan was greatly pleased with this\ncrowning proof of his position, and gave his commands forthwith. To the\nWali he said: \"Go at once to the mother of Abu-l-Hasan and give her a\nhundred gold pieces, with my blessing.\" And he named the street where\nhe would find her. \"When you have done this,\" he continued in tones\nof severity, \"repair to the mosque and bestow upon the Imam and the\nfour Sheiks, each a thousand lashes. Then thou shalt bind them upon\ncamels, with their faces to the beasts' tails, and make a public show\nof them in the ways of the city, proclaiming to all, 'Behold the reward\nof fools who trouble their neighbours!' When this is done thou shalt\nexecute a sworn bond expelling them from the mosque. And see to it that\nthou carry this out to the very letter.\"\n\nAnd the Wali did as he was commanded. And Abu-l-Hasan continued issuing\nhis commands in like fashion until the evening, when he felt weary\nand hungry. Dismissing the officials, he summoned a eunuch and desired\nfood to be brought him. \"It is prepared, O Prince of the Faithful!\"\nreplied the eunuch. And he led him into the banqueting chamber, where\na sumptuous feast was spread. Ten slave-girls waited upon him and he\nate with relish of the delicate viands they placed before him. When he\nhad finished they led him to the drinking chamber and danced before him\nwhile he drank of the choicest and rarest wines.\n\n\"By Allah!\" he said in his cups, \"this is enchantment--naught but\ndevilry, practised upon me by that guest of mine. Here, girl! why dost\nthou laugh?\" The girl he had called came and kissed the ground before\nhim. \"O Prince of the Faithful,\" she said, \"here in thy palace all is\nthine. I laughed for very gladness to be thy slave.\" And she whirled\naway again into the dance. Presently, however, she returned with a cup\nof wine and handed it to him. He drank, after which another came with\nanother cup of wine, until the last was reached; and she, by order of\nthe Khalifeh, had dropped a drugged lozenge into the cup. Ignorant of\nthis, Abu-l-Hasan took it from her hand, and, saying to himself, \"May\nAllah protect me from the Evil One!\" drank the wine; and immediately\non this he fell back senseless. The attendants then, in obedience to\nEr-Rashid's orders, took him back to his own house and laid him on his\nbed, still unconscious.\n\nWhen he awoke from his stupor it was dark, and he called loudly for\nlights; but there was no answer. Where were the slave girls? Angrily\nhe summoned one or two by name. Then it was that his mother, hearing\nhim calling out in this way, came to his couch and asked what ailed\nhim. Had he gone mad? \"Darest thou address the Prince of the Faithful\nso?\" he replied. \"Who art thou, miserable old woman?\" \"Canst thou not\nrecognise thy mother?\" \"Cease, woman! I am the Prince of the Faithful,\nthe lord of the earth and all its treasures; all people are my slaves\nand--\" \"Silence!\" she broke in, \"if thou valuest thy life!\" And,\nguessing that some spell had been laid upon him, she began to mutter\ncharms to drive away the evil spirits. Then, seeking to divert his\nmind, she told him the good news about the Imam and the Sheiks; how\nthey had been punished, and how she herself had received a hundred gold\npieces with the Khalifeh's blessing. When he heard this he started\nup, shouting: \"It was I who gave orders that these things should be\ndone; I, the Khalifeh, the Prince of the Faithful.\" And thereupon he\ntook a stick and beat his mother till the neighbours flocked in and\ndemanded to know the cause of the trouble. \"Wretched old woman!\" he was\nshouting; \"am I not the Prince of the Faithful?\"\n\nHearing this the neighbours said among themselves, \"He is mad!\" And\nwithout more ado they fell upon him, and bound him, and took him to\nthe madhouse. There he was beaten every day and treated in such a\nmanner that he feared indeed to lose his reason. After many days of\nthis harsh treatment his mother came to him and asked him what he was\ndoing in such a distressful plight if, indeed, he was the Prince of\nthe Faithful. And he was fain to admit that he had been mistaken--nay,\nworse still; he had been made the sport of evil spirits and the subject\nof enchantment. So he repented, and prayed to Allah for forgiveness;\nand they released him from the madhouse.\n\nAbu-l-Hasan's return to his old life brought with it a desire for a\nboon companion, and this urged his restless feet through the ways of\nthe city again, searching for one as of old. Now Er-Rashid had kept\na watchful eye on Abu-l-Hasan's movements, and thus it happened that\none evening the Khalifeh, in the garb of a merchant, stood before him.\n\"Greeting to thee, O master of devils!\" cried Abu-l-Hasan, recognising\nhim as soon as he saw him. \"Hast thou then suffered at my hands?\" asked\nEr-Rashid. \"Suffered! vilest of devil drivers!\" returned Abu-l-Hasan\nwith bitter anger. Then, after recounting the many things he had\nendured, he asked, \"Is this the way thou returnest my hospitality,\nto give thy devils control over me, to make sport of my sufferings?\nBegone! I wish to see thy face no more.\"\n\nEr-Rashid then sought to disarm his resentment with courteous\nexplanations. \"Nay,\" he said, \"thou art surely in error, brother. Yet\nI am to blame in some way, for, on parting with thee that night, I\nneglected to close the door of thy house behind me; and, methinks, the\nDevil entered to thee after I had gone.\" And so, with subtle words,\nEr-Rashid softened the anger of Abu-l-Hasan and drew from him the whole\ntale of his sufferings, advising him on this point and on that and\nshowing a pitiful countenance at his wrongs. But not until Er-Rashid\nhad sworn on oath that, neither by carelessness nor otherwise, would\nhe let in the Devil upon him again, would Abu-l-Hasan comply with his\nearnest entreaty to be invited once more to his house that evening. \"I\nswear by Allah,\" said Er-Rashid, \"thou shalt suffer no manner of ill\nthrough me.\"\n\nDuring the evening Abu-l-Hasan entertained his guest as before, and\nagain, at midnight, the Khalifeh dropped a lozenge into his host's\nwine, so that as soon as he had drained his cup he fell into a deep\nslumber. Then once more the Khalifeh commanded him to be taken to\nthe Palace and placed upon the royal couch and surrounded by slave\ngirls to attend his waking. Towards morning Er-Rashid, from his place\nof concealment, commanded one of the slave girls to strike the cords\nof her lute above the sleeper's head, so that Abu-l-Hasan awoke to\nthe strains of music. \"Mother! Mother!\" he called out, but the slave\ngirls answered him, \"O Prince of the Faithful! we are here to do thy\nbidding.\" At this he gazed about him and immediately threw up his hands\nand called on Allah to deliver him from the wicked enchantment which\nthe Evil One had a second time imposed upon him. Then he turned to a\nmemluk and bade him bite his ear so that he might know whether or no he\nwas in the flesh, and awake. The memluk at first refused to bite the\near of the Prince of the Faithful, whereupon Abu-l-Hasan would have\narisen and hewn off his head, had he not obeyed and bitten the ear\ntill his teeth met. A loud shriek from Abu-l-Hasan brought Er-Rashid\nto his knees with suppressed laughter. Then Abu-l-Hasan rose in wrath\nand cursed those who stood around him, calling upon their Master by the\nmost holy passages of the Koran to break the spell which held him in so\nvile a thrall. At this Er-Rashid, unable to endure it further, called\nout from his hiding-place, \"O Abu-l-Hasan! this is more than I can\nbear.\" And he came forth laughing.\n\nAbu-l-Hasan at once recognised him as Er-Rashid, the Khalifeh, and\nmade obeisance to him, praying that he might live for ever. \"Rise,\nAbu-l-Hasan, the Wag!\" commanded the Khalifeh then; \"and the peace of\nAllah be with thee.\" With his own hands Er-Rashid then clothed him in\nrich apparel; after which he bestowed upon him a thousand gold pieces\nand raised him to the dignity of chief of his boon companions.\n\nAbu-l-Hasan quickly grew in favour with the Khalifeh and the Lady\nZubeydeh, his wife; and, in the course of time, married Nuzhat-el-Fuad,\nZubeydeh's Treasurer. They lived very happily together, tasting every\ndelight, until all their money was spent. Then, Abu-l-Hasan, confronted\nwith poverty and ashamed to beg a further favour from the Khalifeh,\nbelaboured his wits with regard to filling his empty treasure chest.\n\"O, Nuzhat-el-Fuad!\" he said at length, \"I would play a jest upon the\nKhalifeh, and I would that thou shouldst play a similar jest upon\nthe Lady Zubeydeh; for so, methinks, we shall receive from them two\nhundred pieces of gold and two pieces of fine spun silk.\" \"I am at thy\nservice,\" she replied. \"What is thy plan?\" And he unfolded it to her.\n\nIt was that they should both feign death. He was to die first, and,\nwhen she had laid him out with all the proper trappings of a corpse,\nshe was to run dishevelled and in grief to the Lady Zubeydeh, and\nbeat her breast and shriek and moan, and finally acquaint her with\nthe sad cause of her sorrowing. \"Then,\" went on Abu-l-Hasan, \"she\nwill weep with thee, for have I not found favour in her eyes? And she\nwill comfort thee and give thee a hundred pieces of gold and a piece\nof fine spun silk, and bid thee go and prepare my corpse decently for\nthe grave.\" \"It is well, O my lord!\" said Nuzhat-el-Fuad, eagerly,\n\"proceed--what then?\"\n\n\"Then,\" continued Abu-l-Hasan, \"when thou comest to me with the spoil,\nwe will set it by; and thou shalt take my place, and, when I have\nbestowed on thee the honours of the much-lamented dead, I myself will\nrun to the Khalifeh, distracted with grief, and beat upon my breast\nand pluck my beard and tear my garments, and prostrate myself in sorrow\nbefore him, crying, 'There is no deity but Allah!' And, when he has\nlifted me up and wiped away my tears, and drawn from me the history of\nthy death, then will he do by me in like manner as Zubeydeh will have\ndone by thee. He will bestow on me a hundred pieces of gold and a piece\nof fine spun silk, bidding me go and prepare thy corpse for decent\nburial. Then I will come to thee and lay my piece of silk by thine, and\nplace my hundred pieces on thy hundred pieces, and thenceforward we\nshall live in luxury, my Nuzhat-el-Fuad.\"\n\nHis wife laughed with glee and clapped her hands. \"Verily,\nAbu-l-Hasan,\" she cried, \"thou art a wag.\"\n\nStill laughing, she proceeded to lay him out, directed by her lord and\nmaster, who, though dead, failed nothing in his instructions as to the\nminutest details--even to placing upon his stomach a knife and a pinch\nof salt. Then she put on the garb of woe and dishevelled her hair, and\nran weeping to the Lady Zubeydeh, who, seeing her thus distracted, was\nfilled with pity and questioned her gently as to the cause of so great\na grief. But Nuzhat-el-Fuad's sobs and tears rose to shrieks of wild\ndespair before at length she made the matter plain. And, when Zubeydeh\nknew it, she wept with her and mourned for Abu-l-Hasan the Wag; and she\nbestowed upon her a hundred pieces of gold and a piece of fine spun\nsilk, bidding her prepare his body for the grave.\n\nWhen Nuzhat-el-Fuad returned to the house and showed Abu-l-Hasan the\nfirst fruits of his plan, he arose and, sharing her delight, danced\nwith glee. Together they took the spoil and laid it by; then they\naddressed themselves to the second part of their jest. Nuzhat-el-Fuad\nwas speedily disposed according to the first rites of the dead, and\nAbu-l-Hasan fell to tearing his garments and setting his turban awry,\nand practising postures of grief. Then he set forth to the Palace,\nplucking his beard and moaning as he ran. When he arrived there the\nKhalifeh was in the judgment hall, but Abu-l-Hasan was given immediate\naudience because of his haste and despair. \"What ails thee?\" said the\nKhalifeh, regarding Abu-l-Hasan with dismay, for he was beating his\nbreast and moaning in agony of mind. \"Alas! O Prince of the Faithful!\nAlas! that thy boon companion had ever been born!\" At which outburst\nof grief the Khalifeh took him gently and sought to learn the cause of\nsuch overwhelming woe. At length, Abu-l-Hasan told him. Nuzhat-el-Fuad,\nthe half of his life, was dead! \"Now, by Allah!\" said the Khalifeh,\n\"there is no god but Allah!\" And he smote his palms together and raised\nhis eyes to heaven. He condoled with the bereaved man and bade him\nsubmit to the will of Allah. It was Abu-l-Hasan's plain duty to do\nthis--especially as he, the Khalifeh, would send him a far fairer woman\nthan the one he had lost. Then he bestowed on Abu-l-Hasan a hundred\npieces of gold and a piece of fine silk, and bade him prepare the\ncorpse for burial in a manner befitting one so dear.\n\n[Illustration: The room of the fruits prepared for Abu-l-Hasan. Page\n210]\n\nFull of suppressed joy, Abu-l-Hasan took the guerdon and hastened back\nto his house, where he found Nuzhat-el-Fuad ready to dance in her turn.\nThey rejoiced together and presently added the gold pieces and the silk\nto those already laid by.\n\nNow, the Khalifeh, as soon as he could dismiss his Council, hurried\nwith Mesrur, his executioner, to Zubeydeh to condole with her on the\nloss of Nuzhat-el-Fuad. But when he came to her he found her\nweeping and waiting for his coming to condole with him on the loss\nof Abu-l-Hasan. And when it came to a clear misunderstanding between\nthem as to which was dead--Abu-l-Hasan or Nuzhat-el-Fuad,--or, at the\nfurthest, which had died first, the Khalifeh settled the matter in his\nown mind by turning to Mesrur, his executioner, and saying, \"Truly,\nthere is little sense in a woman.\"\n\n\"Jest not with me,\" cried Zubeydeh, laughing contemptuously. \"Is it not\nenough that Abu-l-Hasan is dead, that thou shouldst seek to bury his\nwife with him! Cease! Nuzhat-el-Fuad came to me in grief, mourning the\ndeath of Abu-l-Hasan.\"\n\n\"Cease to _thee_!\" replied Er-Rashid, \"for Abu-l-Hasan came since\nto me, mourning the death of Nuzhat-el-Fuad. Silence, woman! It is\nNuzhat-el-Fuad who is dead.\" Then Zubeydeh recounted all the facts\nof the case, but the Khalifeh only laughed and reiterated: \"It is\ncertainly Nuzhat-el-Fuad who is dead, and not Abu-l-Hasan.\"\n\nAnd so they continued to contradict each other until the Khalifeh grew\nvery angry, and, thinking to settle the matter easily, sent Mesrur in\nall haste to the house of Abu-l-Hasan to ascertain the truth.\n\nThe Executioner set forth running at full speed, and no sooner was he\ngone than the Khalifeh said to Zubeydeh, \"Wilt thou make me a wager?\"\n\"I will,\" said she, \"for certain am I that Abu-l-Hasan is dead.\"\n\"And equally certain am I that none but Nuzhat-el-Fuad is dead.\" So\nthe Khalifeh staked his Garden of Delight against Zubeydeh's Hall of\nStatues, and, when this was agreed upon, they waited impatiently for\nMesrur's return.\n\nMeanwhile, Abu-l-Hasan, seated at the window in his house, beheld the\nexecutioner come running in haste, and said to his wife, \"Methinks the\nKhalifeh hath announced thy death to Zubeydeh and she hath contradicted\nhim, saying it is Abu-l-Hasan that is dead. And then, one word giving\nanother, each hath become more obstinate, until the Khalifeh hath\nproposed a wager and hath now sent his executioner running hither to\nlearn which is dead. I think, therefore, to preserve my honour in the\nKhalifeh's eyes, it is well that _thou_ be the corpse so that Mesrur\nmay see thee and return and inform the Khalifeh, who will then at once\nbelieve my assertion and win his wager.\"\n\nSwiftly Nuzhat-el-Fuad obeyed, and, by the time Mesrur reached the\nhouse, she was extended ready for burial, while Abu-l-Hasan sat at\nher head weeping and beating his breast. And Mesrur advanced and\nuncovered her face, crying \"There is no god but Allah! Alas! Our sister\nNuzhat-el-Fuad is taken away!\" He hastened back to the Palace and told\nthe Khalifeh and Zubeydeh that Abu-l-Hasan was alive and well, and\nthat Nuzhat-el-Fuad was dead. At this the Khalifeh laughed heartily,\nsaying \"Now have I won thy Hall of Statues!\" Then he bade Mesrur tell\nthe story again, omitting no smallest point; for he said Zubeydeh was\nlacking in sense and dull of comprehension. This enraged Zubeydeh and\nshe retorted that it was the one who believed the word of a slave like\nMesrur who was lacking in sense. But the more angry she became the more\nthe Khalifeh laughed, until she calmed herself and said, \"O Prince of\nthe Faithful! this slave here is lying in order to please thee. Now\nI will send my messenger, and then the truth of the matter will be\nclear.\" The Khalifeh, still laughing, readily consented; and Zubeydeh\nsummoned an old woman and bade her run with all speed to this house of\nthe quick and the dead and learn for a certainty which was prepared\nfor the grave. And the old woman set forth running as fast as her legs\nwould carry her.\n\nNow, when Nuzhat-el-Fuad, seated at the window, saw her drawing near,\nshe said to Abu-l-Hasan, \"Methinks the Lady Zubeydeh hath found fault\nwith Mesrur's report of thy death, and hath sent her messenger to learn\nthe truth. Therefore, to preserve my honour in Zubeydeh's eyes, is it\nnot proper that _thou_ be dead?\"\n\n\"That is so,\" said Abu-l-Hasan, and he extended himself on the floor,\nwhile his wife prepared his corpse for the grave. When the old woman\ncame in she found Nuzhat-el-Fuad sitting at his head, weeping bitterly\nand tearing her hair. \"O my mother!\" she wailed, \"there was none like\nhim! Alas! I am alone and wretched!\" And she fell to moaning and\nsobbing and rocking herself to and fro in uncontrollable grief.\n\nThe old woman comforted her and told her how Mesrur had sought to stir\nup a quarrel between the Khalifeh and Zubeydeh by a lying report.\nNuzhet-el-Fuad, in return, protested that, not long since, she was with\nthe Lady Zubeydeh, who had bestowed upon her a hundred pieces of gold\nand a piece of fine spun silk, saying, \"Go prepare thy husband's body\nfor the grave!\" And in a fresh outburst of grief Nuzhet-el-Fuad cried,\n\"Oh! would that Mesrur's tale were true! Would that I had died and\nAbu-l-Hasan had lived, for I am solitary and know not what to do.\"\n\nAfter the two had wept together over the body of Abu-l-Hasan the old\nwoman hastened back to the Palace and told her story to the Lady\nZubeydeh, who laughed heartily and bade her tell it to the Khalifeh. On\nhearing it the Khalifeh paused and pondered, but Mesrur cried, \"Thou\nliest, hag! I myself saw Nuzhet-el-Fuad lying dead and Abu-l-Hasan\nalive.\"\n\n\"It is thou that liest!\" retorted the old woman, \"and thou hast a\nreason.\" And Mesrur would have laid his hands upon her, but Zubeydeh\ninterposed, weeping; whereupon the Khalifeh said, \"Nay, nay; it seems\nwe are all liars, and methinks the proper course is that we all go\ntogether to the house of Abu-l-Hasan and so see who lieth truly and who\nlieth falsely.\" So all four went forth disputing and laying wager on\nwager as they went.\n\nNow, Abu-l-Hasan, who had said within himself, \"The matter cannot end\nhere,\" had seated himself at the window to watch; and, when he saw\nthe four approaching, he turned to his wife and remarked wisely, \"O\nNuzhet-el-Fuad! Verily, all is not a pancake that is slippery, and the\npitcher that goes often to the fountain will one day be broken. Mesrur\nand the old woman have brewed trouble with their different tales. See!\nhere come the Khalifeh and _his_ messenger, and the Lady Zubeydeh\nand _her_ messenger; and they are contending and disputing among\nthemselves. Now, to save our reputation for veracity, we must _both_ be\ndead.\"\n\nWith great haste they laid themselves out, and, before the babel of\ncontention reached the house, they were lying side by side prepared\nfor burial, and like nothing so much as the silence of the grave. And\nthus the Khalifeh, and Zubeydeh, and Mesrur, and the old woman, found\nthem when they entered. \"Alas!\" cried the Lady Zubeydeh, turning to the\nKhalifeh and Mesrur, \"by your repeated tales of her death you have\nsucceeded at last in killing her!\" \"This is foolish talk,\" replied\nthe Khalifeh, while Mesrur and the old woman glared at one another,\nspeechless. \"Did not Abu-l-Hasan come to me, plucking his beard and\nsmiting his breast, and saying, 'Nuzhet-el-Fuad is dead?' Truly, then,\nshe died first, and he, after we had made our wager, died of grief.\nI, therefore, have won.\" But Zubeydeh replied to this in a torrent of\nwords, saying that Nuzhet-el-Fuad came to her, tearing her hair and\ncalling out in sorrow for the death of Abu-l-Hasan. And as this was\n_before_ the wager was made she in her turn claimed to have won. A long\ndispute ensued in which Mesrur and the old woman joined, but neither\nside could convince the other; and none knew but the two who lay still\nas death.\n\nAt last the Khalifeh, weary of the wrangle, sat himself down at the\nheads of the two corpses and said hotly, \"By Allah! By the tomb of the\nProphet! By the graves of all my ancestors! I would give a thousand\npieces of gold to any one who could tell me which of these two died\nbefore the other.\"\n\nNo sooner had Abu-l-Hasan heard these words than he, being somewhat\nquicker in such things than his wife, sprang up crying, \"O Prince of\nthe Faithful! it was I who died first. And I have won the thousand\npieces according to thine oath.\" But, when Nuzhet-el-Fuad sat up before\nthem, and the Lady Zubeydeh saw that they had practised a trick to\nobtain the gold, she chid her gently, reproaching her for not asking\nfor help; and yet she wept all the time with joy that she was alive.\nAnd the Khalifeh--he wept with laughter, and, as soon as he could\nspeak, he cried, \"O Abu-l-Hasan, truly thou art a wag!\" \"Nay, O Prince\nof the Faithful!\" replied Abu-l-Hasan, \"I had dispensed the good gifts\nat thy hands, and, being sore stricken with poverty, could contrive no\nother way but to play this trick upon thee. When I was alone I used my\ngold wisely, but since thou hast given me this female slave to wife,\nall thy wealth would not suffice for our extravagance; wherefore, if\nmy lord make not haste to bestow upon me the thousand pieces of gold\naccording to his oath, I may not take it, and--\"\n\nAt this the Khalifeh and the Lady Zubeydeh laughed heartily, and even\nMesrur twisted his face into a grin and forgot his threat to bastinade\nthe old woman.\n\n\"Come,\" said the Khalifeh, \"I must reward thee for thy victory over\ndeath.\" And, when they had gained the Palace, Er-Rashid gave him the\nthousand pieces of gold, and assured to him an unstinted plenitude\nin the future. Zubeydeh also, in token of similar goodwill, bestowed\na thousand pieces of gold upon Nuzhet-el-Fuad. And Abu-l-Hasan and\nNuzhet-el-Fuad lived happily thereafter, until, in the end, the last\ncup of joy was drunk, and the Gleaner, who gleans in palaces and the\nhumblest homes, came to gather them in.\n\n[Illustration]\n\n _Engraved and Printed by HENRY STONE & SON, Ltd., BANBURY_\n\n * * * * *\n\nTranscriber's Notes:\n\nThe table of contents was created by the transcriber to aid the reader.\n\nObvious punctuation errors repaired. In \"The Sleeper Awakened,\" the\ncharacter of Zubeydeh's treasurer is first spelled \"Nuzhat-el-Fuad.\" It\nis spelled this way 22 times. Halfway through page 219, the spelling is\nchanged to \"Nuzhet-el-Fuad\" which continues nine more times. This was\nretained as printed.\n\nPage 53, \"Kalifah\" changed to \"Kalifeh\" (hands of the Khalifeh, Harun)\n\nPage 83, word \"of\" added to text (hands of the Jew)\n\nPage 181, \"eunnch\" changed to \"eunuch\" (myself, a eunuch, a slave)\n\nPage 209, \"Hassan\" changed to \"Hasan\" (Abu-l-Hasan descended from)\n\nPage 213, word \"of\" added to text (commanded one of the slave)\n\nPage 217, \"contempously\" changed to \"contemptuously\" (Zubeydeh, laughing\ncontemptuously)","title":"Sindbad the Sailor, & Other Stories from the Arabian Nights","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":68765}