Supplemental Nights, Volume 4
by
Richard F. Burton

Part 5 out of 7



happened to his daughter, how she had lost the Enchanting Bird,
also how the youth had come into her bower and had written a writ
upon the palm of her hand. But when the King heard from him this
account he knew and was certified that it was the same Prince who
had also slain the Elephant and who had on such wise saved his
daughter's life; so he said to the Sultan, "Verily he who took
the Bird belonging to thy Princess hath also married my daughter,
for he hath done such-and-such deeds." After which he related to
him the slaughter of the Elephant and all that had happened from
beginning to end. Now as soon an heard these words he cried, "By
Allah, my daughter is excusable and she hath shown her insight
and her contrivance;" and presently he arose and going in to her
related what he had heard from the King of the City, and she
wondered at the tale of the youth's adventures and the killing of
the Elephant. They nighted in that stead and the tidings soon
reached the ears of the youth's wife, the Princess who had been
saved from the Elephant, and she said to her sire, "I also needs
must go to him and forgather with him." Hereupon the King her
father bade muster his troops together with the Lords of the land
without the city beside the host of the chief Sultan, and on the
second day both Sovrans bade the loads be loaded for the march.
When their bidding was obeyed the twain set out together and
travelled for days and nights until they drew near to the capital
of the King where the youth had slain the Lion, and they pitched
their tents in its neighbourhood. Presently the Sovran of that
capital came out and greeted them and asked them the cause of
their coming; so they informed him of their adventures from
commencement to conclusion; and he, when certified of the truth
of this tale, returned to inform his daughter thereof.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was,

The Four Hundred and Thirty-fifth Night.

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the third
King informed his daughter of the certainty of the tidings, and
she also exclaimed, "Needs must I as well as they set out to seek
him and forgather with him." So her father returned to the Sultan
and the King and told them of the adventures of the youth, and
how he was the cause of his daughter's salvation from the Lion
which he had slain; and when the twain heard his words they
marveled and cried, "By Allah, verily this youth is fortunate in
all his doings: would Heaven we knew how be his condition with
his father and whether he is loved or he is loathed." Then the
three fell to talking of the Prince's qualities, and presently
the third King arose and gave orders for gathering together the
Lords of his land and his army, and he brought out for his
daughter mule-litters, and gat ready all she might require of
rarities and offerings. Then the three Kings gave orders to load
the beasts and fared together, taking with them their three
daughters who, whenever they conversed together used to praise
the high gifts of the Prince and she who was the mistress of the
Bird would say, "Ye twain have forgathered with him;" and the
others would answer, "We passed with him no more than a single
night;" after which they would relate to her the slaughter of the
Lion and the Elephant. So she wondered and cried, "By Allah!
verily he is auspicious of fortune. And they ceased not to be in
such case for whole days and nights, and nights and days,
throughout the length of the journey till they drew near the
far-famed[FN#322] city which was the bourne of their wayfare and
the object of their wishes. Now this happened about sunset-tide,
so the three Kings who had alighted together bade their tents and
pavilions be set up, and when their behest was obeyed, each and
every of the three commanded that the firemen and the linkmen
light up their torches and cressets, and they did so, one and
all, until that Wady was illumined as by the sheen of day. But
when the city folk saw what was done by the three Kings, their
hearts quaked and their flesh quivered, and they cried, "Verily
for the mighty hosts of these Kings there needs must be a cause
of coming." However the strangers knighted in sight until morn
grew light, when the three Sovrans forgathered, and sent a
messenger with an invite to the Lord of the city, who on
receiving him, exclaimed, "Hearkening and obedience!" Then
mounting without stay or delay he rode forth till he reached the
strangers' camp, where he alighted and went in and greeted them;
and they, on similar guise, arose to him and wished him long
life, and seated him and fell to conversing with him for a
full-told hour. But he was whelmed in the ocean of thought, and
he kept saying to himself, "Would Heaven I knew what be the cause
of the Kings coming to this my country." However, the four
Sovrans continued to converse until the noon-tide hour, when the
trays were dispread for them, and the tables were laid with
sumptuous meats in platters and chargers of precious metal, the
very basins and ewers being of virgin gold. But when the King of
that city beheld this he marveled, and said in his mind, "By
Allah, there is not with me aught of rarities like these." As
soon as they had ended eating what sufficed them, water was
brought to them and they washed their hands, after which they
were served with confections and coffee and sherbets. Anon the
three Kings said to their guest, "Thou, hast thou any children?"
and said he, "Yes, I have two sons." Quoth they, "Summon them
before us that we may look upon them;" so he sent and bade them
make act of presence. The Princes donned their finest dresses and
perfumed themselves; then they took horse and rode until they had
reached their father's palace. But the three Princesses stood to
look at them, and she who was the owner of the Bird Philomelet
asked of the two others, saying, "Is he amongst these twain?" and
they answered, "Nay, he is not." She exclaimed, "By Allah, both
of them be fine men," and the others cried, "Indeed, our husband
is far fairer and finer than they." But when the Kings saw the
two brothers they said to their sire, "Verily our need is not
with them."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was,

The Four Hundred and Thirty-seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the two
Kings said to the lord of the city, "Verily our need is not in
this pair of youths," and the third King added, "By Allah, indeed
these two young men be fair of favour," for that he had not seen
the Prince who had taken his daughter's Bird Philomelet.
Presently the two asked the father saying, "Thou, is there by
thee no issue other than these two?" and said he, "Yes, I have a
son, but I have cast him out and I have placed his mother amongst
the handmaids of the kitchen." "Send to fetch him," quoth they;
so he dispatched a messenger to bring him into the presence. And
he came, withal he was without any finery of dress; but as soon
as the two damsels saw him they communed concerning him and he
inclined to them and went into their pavilion, when they rose to
him and threw their arms round his neck and kissed him between
his eyes. Hereupon the mistress of the Bird said to the two
others, "Be this he?" and said they, "Yes;" so she also arose and
kissed his hand. But when he had finished greeting them he at
once went forth to the assembled Kings, who stood up in honour to
him and welcomed him and greeted him; and when his father saw
that case he wondered with great wonderment. Then the youth took
seat afar from his brothers and addressed them, saying, "Which of
the twain was first to take the necklace?" And they held their
peace. He resumed speech and said to them, "Which of you killed
the Lion and which of you slew the Elephant and which of you
embraved his heart and going into the bower of the august damsel,
daughter to this Sultan, carried off her Bird Philomelet?" But
they answered him never a syllable and were far from offering a
reply. So he resumed, "Wherefore did you fall upon me and beat me
and take away the Enchanting Bird, when I was able to slay you
both? Yet to everything is its own time and this my father had
banished me and banished my mother nor did he give her aught of
what became her." Saying these words the youth fell upon his two
brethren with his sword and striking a single stroke he slew the
twain, after which he would have assaulted his sire, and put him
to death. However the three Kings forbade him and presently he
whose daughter owned the Bird put an end to this by insisting
upon the marriage-tie with him being tied. So he went in unto her
that very night and the three damsels became his acknowledged
spouses. After this his father gave command that his mother be
admitted into the Palace and he honoured her and banished the
parents of his two elder sons for he was assured that their cadet
had done such derring-do by slaying the Lion and the Elephant and
by bringing into the presence Philomelet the Enchanting Bird and
he was certified that the deed had been done by none other. So he
set apart a palace for the young Prince and his three Princesses
and he gave him a commandment and their joys ever increased. And
lastly the three Kings ceased not abiding in that place for forty
days after which they devised their departure.--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was,

The Four Hundred and Thirty-eighth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the three
Kings desired, one and all of them, to depart and return to their
countries and their capitals; and their son-in-law presented them
with gifts and rarities, whereupon they blessed him and went
their ways. After this the young Prince, who had become Sovran
and Sultan, took seat upon the throne of his realm and by the
reign he was obeyed and the servants of Allah for him prayed.
Presently on a day of the days he inclined to the hunt and the
chase, so he went off with his suite till they found themselves
in the middle of the wildest of wolds where the ruler came upon
an underground cavern. He proposed to enter therein, when his
followers prevented him and behold, a man came to him from the
desert showing the signs of wayfare and carrying a somewhat of
water and victual and his garments were all threadbare. The King
enquired of him saying, "Whence hast thou come and wither art
thou going?" and the other replied, "We be three in this antre
who have fled our country; and whenever we require aught of meat
and drink, one of us fareth forth to fetch what will suffice us
of provision for ten days." "And what is the cause of your flying
your native land?" asked the King, and the other answered,
"Verily our tale is wondrous and our adventures are joyous and
marvellous." Hereupon quoth the King, "Wallahi, we will not quit
this spot till such time as we shall have heard your histories;
and let each one of you three recount to us what befell him, so
that we hear it from his own mouth." Hereupon the King commanded
sundry of his suite to set forth home and the rest to abide
beside him; and he sent a Chamberlain of the Chamberlains that he
might go bring from the city somewhat of victual and water and
wax candles and all the case required, saying the while to
himself, "Verily the hearing of histories is better than hunting
and birding, for haply they may solace and gladden the hearts of
men."[FN#323] So the Chamberlain went forth and, after an absence
of an hour or so he returned bringing all the King had commanded;
upon which he and the suite brought in the Larrikin[FN#324]
together with his two companions until they led them to the
presence and seated the three together. All this while none of
the vagabonds knew that the personage before them was King of the
city. So they fell to conversing until the next night came on
when the Sovran bade them tell their tales of themselves and what
had befallen each and every of them. They replied, "Hearkening
and obedience;" and the foremost of them began to recite the




History of the First Larrikin.



Verily, O King, my tale is a rare and it is e'en as follows:--I
had a mother of whose flocks the World had left her but a single
kid, and we owned ne'er another. Presently we determined to sell
it; and, having so done, we bought it with its price a young
calf, which we brought up for a whole year till it grew fat and
full-sized. Then my mother said to me, "Take yon calf and go sell
it;" so I went forth with it to the Bazar, and I saw that not one
was like it, when behold, a body of vagabonds,[FN#325] who
numbered some forty, looked at the beast, and it pleased them; so
they said one to other, "Let us carry this away and cut its
throat and flay it." Then one of them, as all were standing afar
off, came near me and said, "O youth, wilt thou sell this kid?"
and quoth I, "O my uncle, verily this is a calf and not a kid;"
and the other rejoined, "Art thou blind? This is a kid." Cried I,
"A calf!" So he asked, "Wilt thou take from me a dollar?"[FN#326]
and I answered, "Nay, O my uncle!" Thereupon he went away from
me, and another came after him and said, "O youth, wilt thou sell
this kid?" and said I, "This is a calf," and quoth he "This is a
kid," and reviled me the while I held my peace. Again quoth he,
"Wilt thou take for this a dollar?" but I was not satisfied
therewith, and they ceased not to wrangle with me, one after
other, each coming up and saying, "O youth, wilt thou sell this
kid?" At last their Shaykh[FN#327] accosted me and cried, "Wilt
thou sell it?" and I rejoined, "There is no Majesty save in
Allah! I will sell it on one condition, to wit, that I take from
thee its tail." Replied to me[FN#328] the Shaykh of the
Vagabonds, "Thou shalt take the tail when we have slaughtered
it;" then, paying me a dollar, he led off the beast, and returned
to his own folk. Presently they killed it and flayed it, when I
took the tail and hastened back to my mother. She said to me,
"Hast thou sold the calf?" and said I, "Yes, I have sold it, and
have taken a dollar and the calf's tail." "And what wilt thou do
for the tail?" asked she; and I answered, "I will do him
brown[FN#329] who took it from me saying, This is a kid, and I
will serve him a sleight which shall get out of him to its price
ten times one hundred."[FN#330] With these words I arose and,
taking the tail, I flayed it and studded it with nails and bits
of glass, and I asked of my mother a maiden's dress, which she
brought me; and presently I covered my face with a
Burka'-veil[FN#331] and I adorned me and perfumed myself and I
girded my loins underneath my clothes with the tail of that calf.
Then went I forth like a virgin girl till I reached the barrack
of those blackguards, when I found that they had cooked the whole
calf and naught of it remained undressed, and they had prepared
to spread the table and were about sitting downt o supper. Then I
went[FN#332] in to them and said, "The Peace be upon you," and
they rose to me in a body of their joy, and returned my greetings
and said, "By Allah, our night is a white one." So I entered to
them and supped with them, and they all inclined to me, and their
mustachios wagged in token that they would disport with me. But
when darkness came on they said, "This night is for our Shaykh,
but after this each one of us shall take her for his own
night."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day, and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Forty-first Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
vagabonds said, "Each one of us shall take her to him for a night
after the Shaykh, "and so saying they left me and went their
ways. Then the Chief fell to chatting with me and he was in high
spirits, when suddenly my glance fell upon a rope hanging from
the ceiling of that barrack and I cried, "O Shaykh!" whereto he
replied, "Yes, O my lady and light of mine eyes." Said I to him,
"What may be this cord thus suspended?" and said he, "This is
called 'hanging-gear'; and, when any of ours requireth
chastisement from my associates, we hoist him up by this rope and
we bash him." Quoth I, "Hang me up and let me see how 'tis done,"
but quoth he, "Heaven forfend, O my lady! I will hang myself in
thy stead and thou shalt look upon me." Hereat he arose and tied
himself tight and cried, "Haul up this rope and make it fast in
such a place!" I did his bidding and bound it right firmly and
left him hanging in the air. Presently he cried, "Let go the
cord," and replied I, "O Shaykh, first let me enoy the
spectacle." Then I stripped him of all his clothing and drawing
forth the calf's tail which was studded with nails and glass
splinters, I said to him, "O Shaykh, is this the tail of a kid or
of a calf?" "What woman art thou?" asked he, and I answered, "I
am the owner of the calf;" and then, tucking up my two sleeves to
the elbows, I beat him till I stripped him of his skin and he
lost his senses and he had no breath wherewith to speak.
Thereupon I arose and fell to searching the hall, where I found
sundry valuables amongst which was a box, so I opened it and came
upon three hundred gold pieces and a store of reals[FN#333] and
silverlings and jadids.[FN#334] I laid hands on the whole of it
and bore off somewhat of the most sumptuous dresses; and, having
wrapped them all up in a sheet, I carried them away; and about
dawn I went in to my mother and cried, "Take thee to the price of
the calf, which I have received from the purchaser." But when the
day was high and the sun waxed hot the whole troop of the Shaykh
collected and said, "Verily our Elder hath slept till the undurn
hour;" and one of them declared, "'Tis from enjoying so much
pleasure and luxury, he and the girl; and doubtless their night
hath been a white[FN#335] night." So they ceased not talking
together and each of them had his word until the noon was high,
when certain of them said, "Come with us and let us rouse him
from sleep:" and, saying thus, all went to the door of the hall
and opened it. Hereupon they found their Shaykh hanging up and
his body bleeding profusely;[FN#336] so they asked him, "What
hath befallen thee?" and he answered in a weak voice, "Verily
that girl is no girl at all, but she is the youth who owned the
calf." They replied, "By Allah, there is no help but that we
seize him and slay him;" whereto the Edler said, "Loose me and
lead me to the Hammam that I may wash clean my skin of all this
blood." Then they let him down and after mounting him upon a
donkey they bore him to the baths. Hereat I went to the
slaughterhouse and and covered my body with bullocks' blood and
stuck to it pledgets of cotton so that I became like one sorely
diseased and I repaired to the same Hammam propped upon a staff
and required admittance. They refused me saying, "The Shaykh of
the Vagabonds is now in the baths nor may anyone go in to him."
Quoth I to them, "I am a man with a malady," whereto quoth one of
them, "This is a poor wight, so let him come within." Accordingly
I entered and found the Chief alone, whereupon I drew forth the
tail and asked him, "O Shaykh, is this the tail of a calf or a
kid?" "Who art thou?" said he, and I said, "I am the owner of the
calf;" after which I fell to beating him with the tail until his
breath was clean gone. Then I left him and went forth from the
Hamam by another door so as to avoid his followers.--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Forty-second Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youth,
the owner of the calf, after beating the Shaykh of the Vagabonds
with a sore bashing within the Bath went forth by the back door.
Whereupon (continued the Larrikin) the followers of the Chief
went in and they found him at his last breath and moaning from
the excess of blows. Quoth they, "What is the matter with thee?"
and quoth he, "That man with a malady who came into the Hammam is
none other but the owner of the calf and he hath killed me." So
they took him up and carried him from the place and he said to
them, "Do ye bear me outside the city and set up for me a tent
and lay me therein, after which do ye gather round about me and
never leave me at all." Hereat they mounted him upon an ass and
bore him to the place he described and, pitching a tent, set him
therein and all sat around him. Presently the tidings reached me,
whereupon I changed my clothes for a disguise and drew near the
tent whereabouts I found a Badawi-man feeding his sheep. So I
said to him, "O Badawi, take this ducat and draw near yonder tent
and call aloud, saying, 'I am the owner of the calf;' after which
make off with thy life for an they catch thee they will slay
thee." "By Allah," quoth the Arab, "even if they rode their best
mares none of them could come up with me!" So I took charge of
the sheep while the Badawi approaching the tent cried in his
loudest voice, "By Allah, I am the owner of the calf." Hearing
this the vagabonds sprang to their feet as one body and drew
their weapons and rushed after the Badawi; but, when he had run
some distance from the tent with all the men behind him, I went
in and drawing from below my clothes the tail of the calf said,
"O Shaykh, is this the tail of a calf or a kid?" The Elder asked,
"Art thou not he who cried out, I am the owner of the calf?" and
I answered, "No, I am not," and came down upon him with the tail
and beat him until he could no longer breathe. Then I took the
properties belonging to his party and wrapping them in a sheet
carried them off and quitting the place I went in to my mother
and said to her, "Take them to the worth of the calf." Now those
who had run after the Badawi ceased not pursuing him, yet could
none of them come up with him and when they were tired they
returned from the chase and stinted not walking until they
entered the tent. There they found the Shaykh breathless nor
could he move save to make signs; so they sprinkled a little
water upon his face; and the life returned to him and he said to
them, "Verily the owner of the calf came to me and beat me till
he killed me and the wight who cried, 'I am the owner of the
calf' is an accomplice of his." Thereupon all waxed furious and
the Elder said to them, "Bear me home and give out that your
Shakyh is deceased; after which do you bathe my body and carry me
to the cemetery and bury me by night and next morning disinter me
so that the owner of this calf may hear that I am dead and leave
me in peace. Indeed as long as I continue in this condition he
will devise for me device after device and some day will come in
to me and kill me downright." They did what their Shaykh bade
them and began crying and keening and saying, "Verily our Chief
is deceased," so that the report was bruited abroad that the
Shaykh of the Vagabonds had died. But I, the owner of the calf,
said to myself, "By Allah, an he be dead, they will assuredly
make for him some mourning ceremony." Now when they had washed
him and shrouded him and carried him out upon the bier, and were
proceeding to the graveyard that they might bury him, and had
reached half way to it, lo and behold! I joined the funeral train
and suddenly walking under the coffin with a sharp
packing-needle[FN#337] in hand,--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable." Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the
coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Forty-third Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that I walked
under the bier packing-needle in hand, and thrust it into the
Shaykh of the Vagabonds, whereat he cried out and sprang up and
sat upright upon his shell.[FN#338] Now when the King heard this
tale he laughed and was cheered and the Larrikin resumed:--By
Allah, when I thrust the needle into him and he sat upright in
his coffin all the folk fell to wondering and cried, "Verily the
dead hath come to life." Hereupon, O my lord, my fear waxed great
and I said to myself, "All adventures are not like one another:
haply the crown[FN#339] will recognise me and slay me." So I went
forth the city and came hither. Cried the King, "Of a truth, this
tale is marvellous;" when the second Larrikin exclaimed, "By
Allah, O my lord, my tale is rarer and stranger than this, for
indeed therein I did deeds worthy of the Jinn-mad and amongst the
many tricks that came from my hand I died and was buried and I
devised a device whereby they drew me from my tomb." Quoth the
King, "Walláhi, if thy tale be more wondrous than that which
forewent it I needs must reward thee with somewhat. But now tell
us of what betided thee." So the man began to relate the




History of the Second Larrikin.



I was living, O my lord, under the same roof with my father's
wife and I had with me some bundles of sesame cobs, but no great
quantity, which I stored in a little basket hanging up in the
great ceiling-vault of our house. Now one day of the days a party
of merchants, numbering five or so, together with their head man,
came to our village and began asking for sesame; and they
happened to meet me on the road hard by our place, so they put me
the same question. I asked them, "Do you want much of it?" and
they answered, "We require[FN#340] about an hundred
ardabbs."[FN#341] Quoth I, "By me is a large quantity thereof;"
and quoth they, "Have the kindness to show us the
muster;"[FN#342] whereto I rejoined, "Upon the head and the eye!"
Hereat I led them into the room wherein the basket was suspended
with a few cobs of sesame (there being none other) and I went up
by an outside staircase to the top of the vault, which I pierced,
and putting forth my hand, took up a palm-full and therewith
returned to them and showed the specimen. They saw that the
sesame was clean grain, and said one to other, "This house is
naught but full to the vault,[FN#343] for had there been a small
quantity there he would have opened the door and shown us the
heaps." Hereupon I conversed with them and settled the price and
they paid me as earnest money for an hundred ardabbs of sesame
six hundred reals. I took the coin and gave it to the wife of my
father, saying to her, "Cook for us a supper that shall be
toothsome." Then I slaughtered for her five chickens and charged
her that, after she should have cooked the supper, she must
prepare for us a pot of Baysárah[FN#344] which must be slab and
thick. She did as I bade her and I returned to the merchants and
invited them to sup with us and night in our house. Now when
sunset time came I brought them in for the evening meal and they
supped and were cheered, and as soon as the hour for night-prayer
had passed I spread for them sleeping-gear and said to them, "O
our guests, be careful of yourselves lest the wind come forth
from your bellies, for with me dwelleth the wife of my father,
who disgusteth fizzles and who dieth if she hear a fart." After
this they slept soundly from the stress of their fatigue and were
overwhelmed with slumber; but when it was midnight, I took the
pot of Baysarah and approached them as they still slumbered and I
besmeared[FN#345] their backsides with the Baysarah and returned
and slept until dawn of day in my own stead hard beside them. At
this time all five were awake, and as each one arose before his
companions he sensed a somewhat soft below him and putting forth
his hand felt his bum bewrayed[FN#346] with the stuff, and said
to his neighbour, "Ho, such an one, I have skited!" and the other
said, "We have skited." But when I heard this, O my lord, I arose
forthwith and cried out saying, "Haste ye to my help, O ye folk,
for these guests have killed my father's wife."--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable
and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that
I should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
second Larrikin to the King:--O my lord, I cried out saying, "The
guests have slain the wife of my father." But when they heard me
the merchants arose and ran away, each following other, so I
rushed after them, shouting aloud, "Ye have killed my father's
wife," till such time as they had disappeared from sight. Then
said I to myself, "Inshallah! they will never more come back."
But after they had disappeared for a whole year they returned and
demanded their coin, to wit, six hundred reals; and I, when the
tidings reached me, feigned myself dead and ordered my father's
wife to bury me in the cemetery and I took to my grave a portion
of charcoal and a branding-iron. Now when the five merchants came
and asked after me the folk said, "He hath deceased and they have
graved him in his grave;" whereupon the creditors cried, "By
Allah, there is no help but that we go and piss upon his fosse."
Now I had made a crevice in the tomb[FN#347] and I had lighted
the charcoal and I had placed the branding-iron ready till it
became red hot and, when they came to piddle upon my grave, I
took the iron and branded their hinder cheeks with sore branding,
and this I did to one and all till the five had suffered in the
flesh. Presently they departed to their own country, when my
father's wife came and opened the tomb and drew me forth and we
returned together to our home. After a time, however, the news
reached these merchants in their towns that I was living and
hearty, so they came once more to our village and demanded of the
Governor that I be given up to them. So the rulers sent for and
summoned me, but when the creditors made a claim upon me for six
hundred reals, I said to the Governor, "O my lord, verily these
five fellows were slaves to my sire in bygone-times." Quoth the
ruler, "Were ye then in sooth chattels to his sire?" and said
they to me, "Thou liest!" Upon this I rejoined, "Bare their
bodies; and, if thou find a mark thereupon, they be my father's
serviles, and if thou find no sign then are my words false." So
they examined them and they found upon the rumps of the five,
marks of the branding-iron, and the Governor said, "By Allah, in
good sooth he hath told the truth and you five are the chattels
of his father." Hereupon began dispute and debate between us, nor
could they contrive aught to escape from me until they paid me
three hundred reals in addition to what I had before of them.
When the Sultan heard these words from the Larrikin he fell to
wondering and laughing at what the wight had done and he said,
"By Allah, verily thy deed is the deed of a vagabond who is a
past-master in fraud." Then the third Larrikin spoke and said,
"By Allah, in good sooth my story is more marvellous and wondrous
than the tales of this twain, for that none (methinketh) save I
could have done aught of the kind." The King asked him, "And what
may be thy story?" so he began to relate




The Tale of the Third Larrikin.



O my lord, I was once an owner of herds whereof naught remained
to me but a single bull well advanced in years and unhealthy of
flesh and of hide; and when I sought to sell him to the butchers
none was willing to buy him of me, nor even to accept him as a
gift. So I was disgusted with the beast and with the idea of
eating him; and, as he could not be used either to grind[FN#348]
or to plough, I led him into a great courtyard, where I
slaughtered him and stripped off his hide. Then I cut the flesh
into bittocks--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Forty-seveneth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
whilome owner of the bull said to the King:--O my lord, I cut his
flesh into bittocks and went forth and cried a loud upon the dogs
of the quarter, when they all gathered together nor did one
remain behind. Then I caused them to enter the court and having
bolted the door gave to each dog a bit of the meat weighing half
a pound.[FN#349] So all ate and were filled, after which I shut
them up in the house which was large, for a space of three days
when, behold, the folk came seeking their tykes and crying,
"Whither can the curs have gone?" So I related how I had locked
them up within the house and hereupon each man who had a hound
came and took it away. Then quoth I, "Thy dog hath eaten a full
pound of flesh," and I took from each owner six faddahs and let
him have his beast until I had recovered for the meat of that
bull a sum of two thousand faddahs.[FN#350] At last of these dogs
there remained to me but one unclaimed and he had only a single
eye and no owner. So I took up a staff and beat him and he ran
away and I ran after him to catch him until he came upon a house
with the door open and rushed within. Now by the decree of the
Decreer it so happened that the mistress of the house had a man
living with her who was one-eyed and I ran in and said to her,
"Bring out the one-eyed that is with thee," meaning the dog. But
when the house mistress heard me say, "Bring out the one-eyed,"
she fancied that I spoke of her mate, so knowing naught about the
matter of the tyke she came up to me and cried, "Allah upon thee,
O my lord, do thou veil what Allah hath veiled and rend not our
reputation and deal not disgrace to us;"[FN#351] presently
adding, "Take this bangle from me and betray us not." So I took
it and left her and went my ways, after which she returned to the
house and her heart was heaving and she found that her man had
been in like case ever since he heard me say, "Bring out the
one-eyed." So I went away carrying off the bracelet and fared
homeward. But when she looked about the room, lo and behold! she
espied the one-eyed dog lying in a corner and, as soon as she
caught sight of him, she was certified that I had alluded to the
beast. So she buffeted her face and regretted the loss of her
bangle and following me she came up and said to me, "O my lord, I
have found the one-eyed dog, so do thou return with me and take
him; "whereat I had pity upon the woman and restored to her the
ornament. However, when this had befallen me, fear possessed my
heart lest she denounce me, and I went away from my village and
came to this place where the three of us forgathered and have
lived ever since. When the King had given ear to this story he
was cheered and said, "By Allah, verily the adventures of you
three are wondrous, but my desire of you is to know if any of you
have heard aught of the histories of bygone Sultans; and, if so,
let him relate them to me. First, however, I must take you into
the city that you may enjoy your rest." "O my lord," quoth they,
"who art thou of the citizens?" and quoth he, "I am the King of
this country, and the cause of my coming hither was my design to
hunt and chase and the finding you here hath diverted me
therefrom." But when they heard his words, they forthwith rose to
their feet and did him obeisance saying, "Hearing and obeying,"
after which the three repaired with him to the city. Here the
King commanded that they set apart for them an apartment and
appointed to them rations of meat and drink and invested them
with robes of honour; and they remained in company one with other
till a certain night of the nights when the Sultan summoned them
and they made act of presence between his hands and the season
was after the King had prayed the Isha[FN#352] prayers. So he
said to them, "I require that each and every of you who knoweth
an history of the Kings of yore shall relate it to me," whereat
said one of the four, "I have by me such a tale." Quoth the King,
"Then tell it to us;" when the first Larrikin began to relate the




Story of a Sultan of Al-Hind and his Son Mohammed.[FN#353]



There was in days of yore a King in the land of Al-Hind, who
reigned over wide dominions (and praise be to Him who ruleth the
worlds material and spiritual!), but this Sultan had nor daughter
nor son. So once upon a time he took thought and said, "Glory to
Thee! no god is there save Thyself, O Lord; withal Thou hast not
vouchsafed to me a child either boy or girl." On the next day he
arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue,[FN#354]--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Forty-ninth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the King
of Al-Hind arose a-morn wholly clad in clothes of crimson hue,
and the Wazir, coming into the Divan, found him in such case. So
he salam'd to him and blessed him with the blessing due to
Caliphs, and said to him, "O King of the Age, doth aught irk thee
that thou art robed in red?" whereto he replied, "O Wazir, I have
risen with my heart grips hard." Said the other, "Go into thy
treasury of moneys and jewels and turn over thy precious ores,
that thy sorrow be dispersed." But said the Sultan, "O Wazir,
verily all this world is a transitory, and naught remaineth to
any save to seek the face of Allah the Beneficent: withal the
like of me may never more escape from cark and care, seeing that
I have lived for this length of time and that I have not been
blessed with or son or daughter, for verily children are the
ornament of the world." Hereupon a wight dark of hue, which was a
Takruri[FN#355] by birth, suddenly appeared before the Sultan and
standing between his hands said to him, "O King of the Age, I
have by me certain medicinal roots the bequeathal of my forbears
and I have heard that thou hast no issue; so an thou eat somewhat
thereof haply shall they gladden thy heart." "Where be these
simples?" cried the King, whereat the Takruri man drew forth a
bag and brought out from it somewhat that resembled a confection
and gave it to him with due injunctions. So when it was
night-time the Sultan ate somewhat of it and then slept with his
wife who, by the Omnipotence of Allah Almighty, conceived of him
that very time. Finding her pregnant the King was rejoiced
thereat and fell to distributing alms to the Fakirs and the
mesquin and the widows and the orphans, and this continued till
the days of his Queen's pregnancy were completed. Then she bare a
man-child fair of face and form, which event caused the King
perfect joy and complete; and on that day when the boy was named
Mohammed, Son of the Sultan,[FN#356] he scattered full half his
treasury amongst the lieges. Then he bade bring for the babe
wet-nurses who suckled him until milktime ended, when they weaned
him, after which he grew every day in strength and stature till
his age reached his sixth year. Hereupon his father appointed for
him a Divine to teach him reading and writing and the Koran and
all the sciences, which he mastered when his years numbered
twelve. And after this he took to mounting horses and learning to
shoot with shafts and to hit the mark, up to the time when he
became a knight who surpassed all other knights. Now one day of
the days Prince Mohammed rode off a-hunting, as was his wont,
when lo and behold! he beheld a fowl with green plumage wheeling
around him in circles and rocketing in the air and seeing this he
was desirous to bring it down with an arrow. But he found this
impossible so he ceased not following the quarry with intent to
catch it but again he failed and it flew away from his ken;
whereat he was sore vexed and he said to himself, "Needs must I
seize this bird," and he kept swerving to the right and the left
in order to catch sight of it but he saw it not. This endured
until the end of day when he returned to the city and sought his
father and his mother, and when they looked upon him they found
his case changed and they asked him concerning his condition, so
he related to them all about the bird and they said to him, "O
our son, O Mohammed, verily the creations of Allah be curious and
how many fowls are like unto this, nay even more wondrous." Cried
he, "Unless I catch her[FN#357] I will wholly give up eating."
Now when morning dawned he mounted according to his custom and
again went forth to the chase; and presently he pushed into the
middle of the desert when suddenly he saw the bird flying in air
and he pushed his horse to speed beneath her and shot at her a
shaft with the intent to make her his prey, but again was unable
to kill the bird. He persisted in the chase from sunrise until
sundown when he was tired and his horse was aweary, so he turned
him round purposing a return city-wards, when behold, he was met
in the middle of the road by an elderly man who said to him, "O
son of the Sultan, in very sooth thou art fatigued and on like
wise is thy steed." The Prince replied, "Yes," and the Elder
asked him, "What is the cause thereof?" Accordingly he told him
all anent the bird and the Shaykh replied to him, "O my son, an
thou absent thyself and ride for a whole year in pursuit of
yonder fowl thou wilt never be able to take her; and, O my child,
where is this bird![FN#358] I will now inform thee that in a City
of the Islands hight of Camphor there is a garden wide of sides
wherein are many of such fowls and far fairer than this, and of
them some can sing and others can speak with human speech; but, O
my son, thou art unable to reach that city. However, if thou
leave this bird and seek another of the same kind, haply I can
show thee one and thou wilt not weary thyself any more." When
Mohammed, Son of the Sultan, heard these words from the Elder he
cried, "By Allah, 'tis not possible but that I travel to that
city." Hereupon he left the Shaykh and returned to his own home,
but his heart was engrossed with the Capital of the Camphor
Islands, and when he went in to his sire, his case was troubled.
The father asked him thereof and he related to him what the
oldster had said. "O my son," quoth the sire, "cast out this
accident from thy heart and weary not thy soul, inasmuch as whoso
would seek an object he cannot obtain, shall destroy his own life
for the sake thereof and furthermore he shall fail of his gain.
Better therefore thou set thy heart at rest[FN#359] and weary
thyself no more." Quoth the Son, "Walláahi, O my sire, verily my
heart is hung to yonder fowl and specially to the words of the
Elder; nor is it possible to me to sit at home until I shall have
reached the city of the Camphor Islands and I shall have gazed
upon the gardens wherein such fowls do wone." Quoth his father,
"But why, O my child, wouldst thou deprive us of looking upon
thee?" And quoth the son, "There is no help but that I
travel."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Fifty-second Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Mohammed
the Son of the Sultan cried, "Needs must I travel, otherwise I
will slay myself." "There is no Majesty and there is no Might,"
quoth the father, "save in Allah the Glorious, the Great; and
saith the old saw, 'The chick is unsatisfied till the crow see it
and carry it off.'"[FN#360] Thereupon the King gave orders to get
ready provisions and other matters required for the Prince's
wayfare, and he sent with him an escort of friends and servants,
after which the youth took leave of his father and mother and he
with his many set forth seeking the Capital of the Camphor
Islands. He ceased not travelling for the space of an entire
month till he arrived at a place wherein three highways forked,
and he saw at the junction a huge rock whereon were written three
lines. Now the first read, "This is the road of safe chance," and
the second, "This is the way of repentance;" and the third, "This
is the path whereon whoso paceth shall return nevermore." When
the Prince perused these inscriptions he said to himself, "I will
tread the path whereon whoso paceth shall nevermore return." Then
he put his trust in Allah, and he travelled over that way for a
space of days a score, when suddenly he came upon a city deserted
and desolate, nor was there a single created thing therein and it
was utterly in ruins. So he alighted beside it and, as a flock of
sheep accompanied his suite, he bade slaughter five lambs and
commanded the cooks to prepare of them delicate dishes and to
roast one of them whole and entire. They did his bidding, and
when the meats were cooked he ordered the trays be spread in that
site and, as soon as all was done to his satisfaction, he
purposed sitting down to food, he and his host, when suddenly an
'Aun[FN#361] appeared coming from the ruined city. But when
Prince Mohammed beheld him he rose to him in honour saying,
"Welcome and fair welcome to him who of 'Auns is the head, and to
the brethren friend true-bred,[FN#362] and the Haunter of this
stead;" and he satisfied him with the eloquence of his tongue and
the elegance of his speech. Now this 'Aun had hair that overhung
either eye and fell upon his shoulders, so the Prince brought out
his scissors[FN#363] and trimmed his locks clearing them away
from his face, and he pared his nails which were like talons, and
finally let bathe his body with warm water. Then he served up to
him the barbecue of lamb which he caused to be roasted whole for
the use of the Jinni and bade place it upon the tray, so the
Haunter ate with the travellers and was cheered by the Prince's
kindness and said to him, "By Allah, O my lord Mohammed, O thou
Son of the Sultan, I was predestined to meet thee in this place
but now let me know what may be thy need." Accordingly the youth
informed him of the city of the Camphor Islands and of the garden
containing the fowls which he fared to seek, and of his design in
wayfaring thither to bring some of them away with him. But when
the 'Aun heard from him these words, he said to him, "O thou Son
of the Sultan, that site is a far cry for thee, nor canst thou
ever arrive thereat unless assisted, seeing that its distance
from this place be a march of two hundred years for a diligent
traveller. How then canst thou reach it and return from it?
However, the old saw saith, O my son, 'Good for good and the
beginner is worthier, and ill for ill and the beginner is
unworthier.'[FN#364] Now thou hast done to me a kindly deed and I
(Inshallah!) will requite thee with its match and will reward
thee with its mate; but let whatso is with thee of companions and
slaves and beasts and provisions abide in this site and we will
go together, I and thou, and I will win for thee thy wish even as
thou hast wrought by me a kindly work." Hereupon the Prince left
all that was with him in that place and the 'Aun said to him, "O
son of the Sultan, come mount upon my shoulders." The youth did
accordingly, after he had filled his ears with cotton, and the
'Aun rose from earth and towered in air and after the space of an
hour he descended again and the rider found himself in the
grounds about the capital of the Camphor Islands. So he
dismounted from the Jinni's shoulders and looked about that wady
where he espied pleasant spots and he descried trees and blooms
and rills and birds that trilled and shrilled with various notes.
Then quoth the 'Aun to him, "Go forth to yonder garden and thence
bring thy need;" so he walked thither and, finding the gates wide
open, he passed in and fell to solacing himself with looking to
the right and the left. Presently he saw bird-cages suspended and
in them were fowls of every kind, to each two, so he walked up to
them and whenever he noted a bird that pleased him he took it and
caged it till he had there six fowls and of all sorts twain. Then
he designed to leave the garden when suddenly a keeper met him
face to face at the door crying aloud, "A thief! a thief!" Hereat
all the other gardeners rushed up and seized him, together with
the cage, and carried him before the King, the owner of that
garden and lord of that city. They set him in the presence
saying, "Verily we found this young man stealing a cage wherein
be fowls and in good sooth he must be a thief." Quoth the Sultan,
"Who misled thee, O Youth, to enter my grounds and trespass
thereon and take of my birds?" Whereto the Prince returned no
reply. So the Sultan resumed, "By Allah, thou hast wilfully
wasted thy life, but, O Youngster, an it be thy desire to take my
birds and carry them away, do thou go and bring me from the
capital of the Isles of the Súdán[FN#365] bunches of grapes which
are clusters of diamonds and emeralds, when I will give thee over
and above these six fowls six other beside." So the Prince left
him and going to the 'Aun informed him of what had befallen him,
and the other cried, "'Tis easy, O Mohammed;" and mounting him
upon his shoulders flew with him for the space of two hours and
presently alighted. The youth saw himself in the lands
surrounding the capital of the Sudan Islands which he found more
beautiful than the fair region he had left; and he designed
forthright to approach the garden containing great clusters of
diamonds and emeralds, when he was confronted by a Lion in the
middle way. Now it was the wont of this beast yearly to visit
that city and to pounce upon everything he met of women as well
as of men; so seeing the Prince he charged down upon him,
designing to rend him limb from limb--And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Four Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale, that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Lion
charged down upon Mohammed, Son of the Sultan, designing to rend
him in pieces, but he confronted him and unsheathing his scymitar
made it glitter in the sunshine[FN#366] and pressed him close and
bashed him with brand between his eyes so that the blade came
forth gleaming from between his thighs. Now by doom of Destiny
the daughter of the Sultan was sitting at the latticed window of
her belvedere and was looking at her glass and solacing herself,
when her glance fell upon the King's son as he was smiting the
Lion. So she said to herself, "May thy hand never palsied grow
nor exult over thee any foe!" But the Prince after slaying the
Lion left the body and walked into the garden whose door had been
left open and therein he found that all the trees were of
precious metal bearing clusters like grapes of diamonds and
emeralds. So he went forwards and plucked from those trees six
bunches which he placed within a cage, when suddenly he was met
by the keeper who cried out, "A thief! a thief!" and when joined
by the other gardeners seized him and bore him before the Sultan
saying, "O my lord, I have come upon this youth who was
red-handed in robbing yonder clusters." The King would have slain
him forth-right, but suddenly there came to him a gathering of
the folk who cried, "O King of the Age, a gift of good
news!"[FN#367] Quoth he, "Wherefore?" and quoth they, "Verily the
Lion which was wont hither to come every year and to pounce upon
all that met him of men and of women and of maidens and of
children, we have found him in such a place clean slain and split
into twain." Now the Sultan's daughter was standing by the
lattice of the belvedere which was hard by the Divan of her sire
and was looking at the youth who stood before the King and was
awaiting to see how it would fare with him. But when the folk
came in and reported the death of the Lion, the Sultan threw
aside the affair of the youth of his joy and delight and fell to
asking, "Who was it slew the beast?" and to saying, "Walláhi! By
the rights of my forbears in this kingdom,[FN#368] let him who
killed the monster come before me and ask of me a boon which it
shall be given to him; nay, even if he demand of me a division of
all my good he shall receive that same." But when he had heard of
all present that the tidings were true then the city-folk
followed one another in a line and went in to the Sultan and one
of them said, "I have slain the Lion." Said the King, "And how
hast thou slain him; and in what manner hast thou been able to
prevail over and master him?" Then he spake with him
softly[FN#369] and proved him and at last so frightened him that
the man fell to the ground in his consternation; when they
carried him off and the King declared, "This wight lieth!" All
this and Mohammed, the Son of the Sultan, was still standing and
looking on and when he heard the man's claim he smiled. Suddenly
the King happening to glance at him saw the smile and was
astounded and said in his mind, "By Allah, this Youth is a
wondrous for he smileth he being in such case as this." But
behold, the King's daughter sent an eunuch to her father and he
delivered the message, when the King arose and went into his
Harem and asked her, "What is in thy mind and what is it thou
seekest?" She answered, "Is it thy desire to know who slew the
Lion that thou mayest largesse him?" and he rejoined, saying, "By
virtue of Him who created His servants and computeth their
numbers,[FN#370] when I know him and am certified of his truth my
first gift to him shall be to wed thee with him and he shall
become to me son-in-law were he in the farthest of lands."
Retorted she, "By Allah, O my father, none slew the Lion save the
young man who entered the garden and carried off the clusters of
gems, the youth whom thou art minded to slay." When he heard
these words from his daughter, the King returned to the Divan and
bade summon Mohammed the Son of the Sultan, and when they set him
between his hands he said to him, "O Youth, thou hast indemnity
from me and say me, art thou he who slew the Lion?" The other
answered, "O King, I am indeed young in years; how then shall I
prevail over a Lion and slaughter him, when, by Allah, in all my
born days I never met even with a hyena much less than a lion?
However, O King of the Age, an thou largesse me with these
clusters of gems and give them to me in free gift, I will wend my
ways, and if not my luck will be with Allah!" Rejoined the King,
"O Youth, speak thou sooth and fear not!" Here he fell to
soothing him with words and solacing him and gentling him, after
which he threatened him with his hand, but Mohammed the Son of
the Sultan raised his neave swiftlier than the lightning and
smote the King and caused him swoon. Now there was none present
in the Divan save Mohammed and the Monarch, who after an hour
came to himself and said, "By Allah, thou art he who slew the
Lion!" Hereupon he robed him with a robe of honour and, summoning
the Kazi, bade tie the marriage-tie with his daughter; but quoth
the young man, "O King of the Age, I have a counsel to consult,
after which I will return to thee." Quoth the King, "Right rede
is this same and a matter not to blame." Accordingly the Prince
repaired to the 'Aun in the place where he had left him and
related to him all that had betided himself, and of his intended
marriage with the King's daughter, whereupon said the Jinni,
"Condition with him that if thou take her to wife thou shalt
carry her along with thee to thine own country." The youth did
his bidding and returned to the King who said, "There is no harm
in that," and the marriage-knot was duly knotted. Then the
bridegroom was led in procession to his bride with whom he
remained a full month of thirty days, after which he craved leave
to fare for his own motherland.--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I should relate to you on the
coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Fifty-seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Mohammed
Son of the Sultan craved leave to return to his own motherland,
when his father-in-law gave him an hundred clusters of the
diamantine and smaragdine grapes, after which he farewelled the
King and taking his bride fared without the city. Here he found
expecting him the 'Aun, who, after causing them to fill their
ears with cotton, shouldered him, together with his wife, and
then flew with them through the firmament for two hours or so and
alighted with them near the capital of the Camphor Islands.
Presently Mohammed the Son of the Sultan took four clusters of
the emeralds and diamonds, and going in to the King laid them
before him and drew him back. The Sultan gazed upon them and
marvelled and cried, "Walláhi! doubtless this youth be a Magician
for that he hath covered a space of three hundred years in
three[FN#371] of coming and going, and this is amongst the
greatest of marvels." Presently he resumed, saying, "O Youth,
hast thou reached the city of the Sudan?" and the other replied,
"I have." The King continued, "What is its description and its
foundation and how are its gardens and its rills?" So he informed
him of all things required of him and the Sultan cried, "By
Allah, O Youth, thou deservest all thou askest of me." "I ask for
nothing," said the Prince, "save the birds," and the King, "O
Youth, there is with us in our town a Vulture which cometh every
year from behind Mount Káf and pounceth upon the sons of this
city and beareth them away and eateth them on the heads of the
hills. Now an thou canst master this monster-fowl and slay that
same I have a daughter whom I will marry to thee." Quoth the
Prince, "I have need of taking counsel;" and returned to the 'Aun
to inform him thereof when behold, the Vulture made its
appearance. But as soon as the Jinni espied it, he flew and made
for it, and caught it up; then, smiting it with a single stroke
of his hand, he cut it in two and presently he returned and
settled down upon the ground. Then, after a while, he went back
to Mohammed, the Son of the Sultan, and said to him, "Hie thee to
the King and report to him the slaughter of the Vulture." So he
went and entering the presence reported what had taken place,
where-upon the Sultan with his lords of the land mounted[FN#372]
their horses, and, going to the place, found the monster killed,
and cut into two halves. Anon the King returned, and leading
Prince Mohammed with him bade knit the marriage-knot with his
daughter and caused him to pay her the first visit. He tarried
beside her for a full-told month after which he asked leave to
travel and to seek the city of his first spouse, carrying with
him the second. Hereupon the King his father-in-law presented to
him ten cages, each containing four birds of vari-coloured coats
and farewelled him. After which he fared forth and left the city,
and outside it he found the 'Aun awaiting him and the Jinni
salam'd to the Prince and congratulated him in what he had won of
gifts and prizes. Then he arose high in air, bearing Mohammed and
his two brides and all that was with them, and he winged his way
for an hour or so until he alighted once more at the ruined city.
Here he found the Prince's suite of learned men, together with
the bat-beasts and their loads[FN#373] and everything other even
as he had left it. So they sat down to take their rest when the
'Aun said, "O Mohammed, O Son of the Sultan, I have been
predestined to thee in this site whither thou wast fated to come;
but I have another and a further covenant to keep wherewith I
would charge thee." "What is that?" quoth he, and quoth the 'Aun,
"Verily thou shalt not depart this place until thou shalt have
laved me and shrouded me and graved[FN#374] me in the ground;"
and so saying he shrieked a loud shriek and his soul fled his
flesh. This was grievous to the son of the King and he and his
men arose and washed him and shrouded him and having prayed over
him buried him in the earth. After this the Prince turned him to
travel, so they laded the loads and he and his set forth
intending for their families and native land. They journeyed
during the space of thirty days till they reached the fork of the
highway whereat stood the great rock, and here they found tents
and pavilions and a host nor did they know what this mighty many
might mean. Now the father, when his son left him, suffered from
straitness of breast and was sore perplexed as to his affair and
he wot not what to do; so he bade make ready his army and
commanded the lords of the land to prepare for the march and all
set out seeking his son and determined to find tidings of him.
Nor did they cease faring till they reached the place where the
road forked into three and on the first rock they saw written the
three lines--"This is the road of safe chance;" and "This is the
way of repentance;" and "This is the path whereon whoso paceth
shall return nevermore." But when the father read it he was posed
and perplext as to the matter and he cried, "Would Heaven I knew
by which road of these three my son Mohammed may have travelled;"
and as he was brooding over this difficulty--And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and
tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
should relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to
survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Fifty-ninth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that as the
Sultan was brooding over this difficulty lo and behold! his son
Mohammed appeared before him by the path which showed written,
"This is the path whereon whoso passeth shall nevermore return."
But when the King saw him, and face confronted face, he arose and
met him and salam'd to him giving him joy of his safety; and the
Prince told him all that had befallen him from beginning to
end--how he had not reached those places save by the All-might of
Allah, and how he had succeeded in winning his wish by meeting
with the 'Aun. So they nighted in that site and when it was
morning they resumed their march, all in gladness and happiness
for that the Sultan had recovered his son Mohammed. They ceased
not faring a while until they drew near their native city when
the bearers of good tidings ran forward announcing the arrival of
the Sultan and his son and, hereupon the houses were decorated in
honour of the Prince's safe return and crowds came out to meet
them till such time as all had entered the city-walls, after
which their joys increased and their annoy fell from them. And
this is the whole of the tale told by the first Larrikin. Now
when the Sultan heard it he marvelled at what had befallen the
chief adventurer therein, when the second Larrikin spoke saying
"I have by me a tale, a marvel of marvels, and which is a delight
to the hearer and a diversion to the reader and to the reciter."
Quoth the Sovran, "What may that be, O Shaykh?" and the man fell
to relating the






Tale of the Fisherman and his Son



They tell that whilome there was a Fisherman, a poor man with a
wife and family, who every day was wont to take his net and go
down to the river a-fishing for his daily bread which is
distributed. Then he would sell a portion of his catch and buy
victual and the rest he would carry to his wife and children that
they might eat. One day of the many days he said to his son who
was growing up to a biggish lad, "O my child, come forth with me
this morning, haply All-Mighty Allah may send us somewhat of
livelihood by thy footsteps;" and the other answered, "'Tis well,
O my father." Hereupon the Fisherman took his son and his net and
they twain went off together till they arrived at the river-bank,
when quoth the father, "O my boy I will throw the net upon the
luck of thee." Then he went forward to the water and standing
thereby took his net and unfokled it so that it spread when
entering the stream, and after waiting an hour or so he drew it
in and found it heavy of weight; so he cried, "O my son, bear a
hand" and the youth came up and lent him aidance in drawing it
in. And when they had haled it to shore they opened it and found
a fish of large size and glittering with all manner of colours.
Quoth the father, "O my son, by Allah, this fish befitteth not
any but the Caliph; do thou therefore abide with it till I go and
fetch a charger wherein to carry it as an offering for the Prince
of True Believers." The youth took his seat by the fish and when
his father was afar off he went up to her and said, "Doubtless
thou hast children and the byword saith, Do good and cast it upon
the waters." Then he took up the fish and setting her near the
river besprinkled[FN#375] her and said, "Go thou to thy children,
this is even better than being eaten by the Caliph." But having
thrown the fish into the stream, his fear of his father grew
strong upon him, so he arose and without stay or delay fled his
village; and he ceased not flying till he reached the Land of
Al-Irák whose capital was under a King of wide dominions (and
praise be to the King of all kingdoms!). So he entered the
streets and presently he met a baker-man who said to him, "O my
son, wilt thou serve?" whereto he replied, "I will serve, O
uncle." The man settled with him for a wage of two silver nusfs a
day together with his meat and his drink, and he remained working
with him for a while of time. Now one day of the days behold, he
saw a lad of the sons of that city carrying about a cock with the
intention of vending it, when he was met by a Jew who said to
him, "O my child, wilt thou sell this fowl?" and the other said,
"I will." Quoth the Jew, "For ten faddahs?" and quoth the youth,
"Allah openeth!" Said the other, "For twenty faddahs?" and the
lad, "Allah veileth!"[FN#376] Then the Jew fell to increasing his
offer for the cock until he reached a full dinar.--And Shahrazad
was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to
say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet
is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate
to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now
when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Sixty-first Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Jew
raised his bid for the cock till he reached a gold piece when the
lad said, "Here with it." So the man gave him the dinar and took
from him the fowl and slaughtered it forthright. Then he turned
to a boy, one of his servants, and said to him, "Take this cock
and carry it home and say to thy mistress, 'Pluck it, but open it
not until such time as I shall return.'" And the servant did his
bidding. But when the Fisherman's son who was standing hard by
heard these words and saw the bargain, he waited for a while and
as soon as the servant had carried off the fowl, he arose and
buying two cocks at four faddahs he slaughtered them and repaired
with them to the house of the Jew. Then he rapped at the door and
when the mistress came out to him he bespoke her saying, "The
house master saith to thee, 'Take these two silvers and send me
the bird which was brought to thee by the servant boy.'"[FN#377]
Quoth she, "'Tis well," so he gave her the two fowls and took
from her the cock which her husband had slaughtered. Then he
returned to the bakery, and when he was private he opened the
belly of the cock and found therein a signet-ring with a
bezel-gem which in the sun showed one colour and in the shade
another. So he took it up and hid it in his bosom, after which he
gutted the bird and cooked it in the furnace and ate it.
Presently the Jew having finished his business, returned home and
said to his wife, "Bring me the cock." She brought him the two
fowls and he seeing them asked her, "But where be the first
cock?" And she answered him, "Thou thyself sentest the boy with
these two birds and then orderedst him to bring thee the first
cock." The Jew held his peace but was sore distressed at heart,
so sore indeed that he came nigh to die and said to himself,
"Indeed it hath slipped from my grasp!" Now the Fisherman's son
after he had mastered the ring waited until the evening evened
when he said, "By Allah, needs must this bezel have some
mystery;" so he withdrew into the privacy of the furnace and
brought it out from his bosom and fell a-rubbing it. Thereupon
the Slave of the Ring appeared and cried, "Here I
stand[FN#378]-between thy hands." Then the Fisherman's son said
to himself, "This indeed is the perfection of good fortune," and
returned the gem to his breast-pocket as it was. Now when morning
morrowed the owner of the bakery came in and the youth said to
him, "O my master, I am longing for my people and my native land
and 'tis my desire to fare and look upon them and presently I
will return to thee." So the man paid him his wage, after which
he left him and walked from the bakery till he came to the Palace
of the Sultan where he found near the gate well nigh an hundred
heads which had been cut off and there suspended; so he leaned
for rest against the booth of a sherbet-seller and asked its
owner, "O master, what is the cause of all these heads being hung
up?" and the other answered, "O my son, inquire not, anent what
hath been done." However when he repeated the question the man
replied, "O my son, verily the Sultan hath a daughter, a model of
beauty and loveliness, of symmetric stature and perfect grace, in
fact likest a branch of the Rattan-palm;[FN#379] and whoso cometh
ever to seek her in marriage her father conditioneth with him a
condition." Cried the Fisherman's son, "What may be that
condition?" and the other replied, "There is a great mound of
ashes under the latticed windows of the Sultan's palace, and
whoso wisheth to take his daughter to wife he maketh a covenant
with him that he shall carry off that heap. So the other accepted
the agreement with only the proviso that he should have forty
days' grace and he consented that, an he fail within that time,
his head be cut off." "And the heap is high?" quoth the
Fisherman's son. "Like a hill," quoth the other. Now when the
youth had thoroughly comprehended what the sherbet-seller had
told him, he farewelled him and left him; then, going to a Khan,
he hired him a cell and taking seat therein for a time he
pondered how he should proceed, for he was indeed fearful yet was
his heart hanging to the love of the Sultan's daughter. Presently
he brought out his ring, and rubbed it, when the voice of the
Slave cried to him, "Here I stand between thy hands and what
mayst thou require of me?" Said the other, "I want a suit of
kingly clothes;" whereat without delay a bundle was set before
him and when he opened it he found therein princely gear. So he
took it and rising without loss of time he went into the Hammam
and caused himself to be soaped and gloved and thoroughly washed,
after which he donned the dress and his case was changed into
other case.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was

The Four Hundred and Sixty-third Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will." It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
son of the Fisherman came forth the Bath-house and donned his
fine dress, his was changed into other case and he appeared
before the folk in semblance of the sons of Kings. Presently he
went to the Sultan's palace and entering therein made his salam
and, blushing for modesty, did his obeisance and blessed the
Sultan with the blessing due to Caliphs. His greetings were
returned and the King welcomed him and after that looked at him,
and finding him after princely fashion, asked him, "What is thy
need, O Youth, and what requirest thou?" Answered the other, "I
seek connection with thy house, and I come desirous of betrothal
with the lady concealed and the pearl unrevealed, which is thy
daughter." "Art thou able to perform the condition, O Youth?"
asked the King; "For I want neither means nor moneys nor precious
stones nor other possession; brief, none other thing save that
thou remove yon mound of ashes from beneath the windows of my
palace." Upon this he bade the youth draw near him and when he
obeyed threw open the lattice; and, showing him the hillock that
stood underneath it, said, "O Youth, I will betroth to thee my
daughter an thou be pleased to remove this heap; but if thou
prove thee unable so to do I will strike off thy head." Quoth the
Fisherman's son, "I am satisfied therewith," presently adding, "A
delay![FN#380] grant me the term of forty days." "I have allowed
thy request to thee," said the King and wrote a document bearing
the testimony of those present, when cried the youth, "O King,
bid nail up thy windows and let them not be unfastened until the
fortieth day shall have gone by." "These words be fair," quoth
the Sultan, and accordingly he gave the order. Hereat the youth
went forth from him whereupon all present in the palace cried, "O
the pity of it, that this youngster should be done to die; indeed
there were many stronger than he, yet none of them availed to
remove the heap." In this way each and every said his say, but
when the Fisherman's son returned to his cell (and he was
thoughtful concerning his life and perplext as to his affair) he
cried, "Would Heaven I knew whether the Ring hath power to carry
it off." Then shutting himself up in his cell he brought out the
signet from his breast-pocket and rubbed it, and a Voice was
heard to cry, "Here I stand (and fair befall thy command) between
thy hands. What requirest thou of me, O my lord?" The other
replied, "I want thee to remove the ash-heap which standeth under
the windows of the royal palace, and I demand that thou lay out
in lieu thereof a garden wide of sides in whose middlemost must
be a mansion tall and choice-builded of base, for the special
domicile of the Sultan's daughter; furthermore, let all this be
done within the space of forty days." "Aye ready," quoth the
Jinni, "to do all thou desirest." Hereupon the youth felt his
affright assuaged and his heart rightly directed; and after this
he would go every day to inspect the heap and would find one
quarter of it had disappeared, nor did aught of it remain after
the fourth morning for that the ring was graved with the
cabalistic signs of the Cohens[FN#381] and they had set upon the
work an hundred Marids of the Jann that they might carry out the
wishes of any who required aught of them. And when the mound was
removed they dispread in its site a garden wide of sides in whose
midst they edified a palace choice-builded of base, and all this
was done within the space of fifteen days, whilst the Fisherman's
son ever repaired thither and inspected the work. But when he had
perfected his intent he entered to the Sultan and kissing ground
between his hands and having prayed for his glory and permanence,
said, "O King of the Age, deign open the lattices of thy Palace!"
So he went to them and threw them open when lo and behold, he
found in lieu of the mound a mighty fine garden wherein were
trees and rills and blooms and birds hymning the praises of their
Creator; moreover he saw in that garden a palace, an edifice
choice-builded of base which is not to be found with any King or
Kaysar. Seeing this he wondered at the circumstance and his wits
were wildered and he was perplext as to his affair; after which
he sent for the Minister and summoned him and said, "Counsel me,
O Wazir, as to what I shall do in the case of this youth and in
what way shall I fend him from me." Replied the Councillor, "How
shall I advise thee, seeing that thou madest condition with him
that should he fail in his undertaking thou wouldst strike off
his head? Now there is no contrivance in this matter and there is
naught to do save marrying him with the girl." By these words the
King was persuaded and caused the knot to be knotted and bade
them lead the bridegroom in procession to the bride, after which
the youth set her in the garden-palace and cohabited with her in
all joy and enjoyment and pleasure and disport. On this wise
fared it with them; but as regards the case of the Jew, when he
lost the cock he went forth in sore disappointment like unto one
Jinn-mad; and neither was his sleep sound and good nor were meat
and drink pleasant food, and he ceased not wandering about till
the Fates threw him into that garden. Now he had noted in past
time that a huge heap of ashes stood under the palace-windows and
when he looked he cried, "Verily, the youth hath been here and
all this work is the work of the signet-ring, for that none other
than the Márids of the Jánn could remove such a hillock." So
saying, the Jew returned to his place, where he brought out a
parcel of fine pearls and some few emeralds and specimens of
coral and other precious minerals, and set them for sale in a
tray. Then he approached the palace which was builded in the
garden and cried out saying, "The pearls! and the emeralds! and
the corals! and various kinds of fine jewels!" and he kept up
this cry.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I should relate to you on the coming night an the King
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was

The Four Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Jew
fell to hawking about his minerals and crying them for sale
beside the garden-palace and the Sultan's daughter hearing him
exclaimed, "O Handmaid, bring me that which is for sale with this
Jew." So the girl went down and said to the man, "What hast thou
by thee?" and said the other, "Precious stones." Quoth she, "Wilt
thou sell them for gold?" and quoth he, "No, O my lady, I will
sell them for nothing save for rings which must be old."[FN#382]
Accordingly she returned and herewith acquainted her lady who
said, "By Allah, my Lord hath in his pencase[FN#383] an old
worn-out ring, so do thou go and bring it to me while he
sleepeth." But she knew not what was hidden for her in the Secret
Purpose, nor that which was fated to be her Fate. So presently
she brought out of the pencase the bezel-ring afore-mentioned and
gave it to the handmaid who took it and faring outside the house
handed it to the Jew, and he received it with extreme joy and in
turn presented to her the tray with all thereon. Then he went
forth the city and set out on a voyage to the Seven Islands which
are not far from the earth-surrounding Ocean;[FN#384] and when he
arrived thither he landed upon a sea-holm and travelled to the
middle-most thereof. Anon he took seat, and presently brought out
the signet-ring and rubbed it, when the slave appeared and cried,
"Here I stand and between thy hands, what is it thou needest of
me?" "I require of thee," quoth the Jew, "to transport hither the
bower of the Sultan's daughter and to restore the ash-heap to the
stead it was in whilome under the lattice of the King's Palace."
Now ere night had passed away both Princess and Palace were
transported to the middlemost of the island; and when the Jew
beheld her his heart flamed high for the excess of her beauty and
loveliness. So he entered her bower and fell to conversing with
her, but she would return to him no reply and, when he would have
approached her, she started away in disgust. Hereupon, seeing no
signs of conquest, the Jew said in his mind, "Let her wax
accustomed to me and she will be satisfied," and on this wise he
continued to solace her heart. Now as regards the son of the
Fisherman his sleep had extended deep into the forenoon and when
the sun burnt upon his back he arose and found himself lying on
the ash-heap below the Palace, so he said to himself, "Up and
away, otherwise the Sultan will look out of the window and will
behold this mound returned to its place as it was before, and he
will order thy neck to be smitten." So he hurried him forth
hardly believing in his escape, and he ceased not hastening his
pace until he came to a coffee-house, which he entered; and there
he took him a lodging and used to lie the night, and to rise
amorn. Now one day of the days behold, he met a man who was
leading about a dog and a cat and a mouse[FN#385] and crying them
for sale at the price of ten faddahs; so the youth said in his
mind, "Let me buy these at their cheap price;" and he called
aloud to the man and having given him the ten silverlings took
away his purchase. After this he would fare every day to the
slaughter-house and would buy for them a bit of tripe or liver
and feed them therewith, but ever and anon he would sit down and
ponder the loss of the Ring and bespeak himself and say, "Would
Heaven I wot that which Allah Almighty hath done with my Ring and
my Palace and my bride the Sultan's daughter!" Now the dog and
the cat and the mouse heard him, and one day of the days as,
according to his custom, he took them with him and led them to
the slaughter-house and bought a meal of entrails and gave
somewhat to each that it might eat thereof, he sat down in sad
thought and groaned aloud and sorrow prevailed upon him till he
was overcome by sleep. The season was the mid-forenoon[FN#386]
and the while he slumbered and was drowned in drowsiness, the Dog
said to the Cat and the Mouse, "O brethren mine, in very deed
this youth, who hath bought us for ten faddahs, leadeth us every
day to this stead and giveth us our rations of food. But he hath
lost his Ring and the Palace wherein was his bride, the daughter
of the Sultan; so let us up and fare forth and seek therefore and
do ye twain mount upon my back so that we can overwander the seas
and the island-skirts." They did as he bade them and he walked
down with them to the waters and swam with them until they found
themselves amiddlemost the main; nor did he cease swimming with
them for about a day and a night until the morning morrowed and
they saw from afar a somewhat that glittered. So they made for it
till they drew near, when they saw that it was the Palace in
question, whereat the Dog continued swimming till such time as he
came ashore and dismounted the Cat and the Mouse. Then he said to
them, "Let us abide here."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I should relate to you
on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when
it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Dog
said to the Cat and the Mouse, "I will abide and await you here,
and do ye twain fare into the Palace, where the Cat shall take
her station upon the crenelles over the lattice window and the
Mouse shall enter the mansion and roam about and search through
the rooms until she come upon the Ring required." So they did the
Dog's bidding and sought the places he had appointed to them and
the Mouse crept about but found naught until she approached the
bedstead and beheld the Jew asleep and the Princess lying afar
off. He had been longsome in requiring of her her person and had
even threatened her with slaughter, yet he had no power to
approach her nor indeed had he even looked upon the form of her
face. Withal the Mouse ceased not faring about until she
approached the Jew, whom she discovered sleeping upon his back
and drowned in slumber for the excess of his drink that weighed
him down. So she drew near and considered him and saw the Ring in
his mouth below his tongue whereat she was perplext how to
recover it; but presently she went forth to a vessel of oil and
dipping her tail therein approached the sleeper and drew it over
his nostrils, whereat he sneezed with a sneeze so violent that
the Ring sprang from between his jaws and fell upon the side of
the bedstead. Then she seized it in huge joy and returning to the
Cat said to her, "Verily the prosperity of our lord hath returned
to him." After this the twain went back to the Dog whom they
found expecting them, so they marched down to the sea and mounted
upon his back and he swam with them both, all three being in the
highest spirits. But when they reached the middle of the main,
quoth the Cat to the Mouse, "Pass the Ring to me that I may carry
it awhile;" and the other did so, when she placed it in her chops
for an hour of time. Then quoth the Dog to them, "Ye twain have
taken to yourselves charge of the Ring, each of you for a little
time, and I also would do likewise." They both said to him, "O
our brother, haply 'twill fall from thy mouth;" but said he to
them, "By Allah, an ye give it not to me for a while I will drown
you both in this very place." Accordingly the two did in their
fear as the Dog desired and when he had set it in his chops it
dropped therefrom into the abyss of the ocean; seeing which all
repented thereat and they said, "Wasted is our work we have
wrought." But when they came to land they found their lord
sleeping from the excess of his cark and his care, and so the
trio stood on the shore and were sorrowing with sore sorrow, when
behold, there appeared to them a Fish strange of semblance who
said to them, "Take ye this Signet-ring and commit it to your
lord, the son of the Fisherman, and when giving it to him say,
'Since thou diddest a good deed and threwest the Fish into the
sea thy kindness shall not be for naught; and, if it fail with
the Creature, it shall not fail with Allah the Creator.' Then do
ye inform him that the Fish which his father the Fisher would
have presented to the King and whereupon he had mercy and
returned her to the waters, that Fish am I, and the old saw
saith, 'This for that, and tit for tat is its reward!'" Hereupon
the Dog took the Signet-ring and the other two went up with him
to their lord and awaking him from sleep returned to him his
Ring. But when he saw it he became like one Jinn-mad from the
excess of his joy and the three related to him the affair of the
Signet; how they had brought it away from the Jew and how it had
dropped from the Dog's mouth into the abyss of the sea and lastly
how the Fish who had found it brought it back to them declaring
that it was she whom his sire had netted and whom the son had
returned to the depths. Cried he, "Alham-dolillah"--Glory be to
the Lord--who caused us work this weal and requited us for our
kindness;" after which he took the Signet and waited until night
had nighted. Then he repaired to the mount which was under the
Sultan's Palace and brought out the Ring and rubbed it, when the
Slave appeared and cried to him, "Here I stand (and fair befal
thy command!) between thy hands: what is it needest thou and
requirest thou of me?" The other replied, "I demand that thou
carry off for me this mound."--And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was

The Four Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Sun of
the Fisherman bade the Slave of the Ring remove the mound and
return the garden as whilome it was and restore the Palace
containing the Jew and the Sultan's daughter. Nor did that hour
pass before everything was replaced in its proper stead. Then the
Youth went up to the saloon where he found the Jew recovered from
his drunkenness and he was threatening the Princess and saying,
"Thou! for thee there is no escape from me." But cried she, "O
dog, O accurst, joy from my lord is well nigh to me." Hearing
these words the Youth fell upon the Jew and dragging him along by
his neck, went down with him and bade them light a furious fire,
and so they did till it flamed and flared; after which he
pinioned his enemy and caused him to be cast therein when his
bones were melted upon his flesh. Then returning to the Palace he
fell to blaming the Sultan's daughter for the matter of the Ring,
and asking her, "Why didst thou on this wise?" She answered,
"From Fate there is no flight, and Alhamdolillah--praise to the
Lord--who after all that befell us from the Jew hath brought us
together once more." Now all that happened from the Jew and the
return of the Sultan's daughter and the restoring of the Palace
and the death of his deceiver remained unknown to the Sultan, and
here is an end to my history. And when the second Larrikin held
his peace quoth the King, "Allah quicken thee for this story; by
the Almighty 'tis wondrous, and it delighteth the hearer and
rejoiceth the teller." Then cried the third Larrikin, "I also
have by me an history more marvelous than these two; and, were it
written in water of gold upon the pages of men's hearts, it were
worthy thereof." Quoth the King, "O Larrikin, if it prove
stranger and rarer than these I will surely largesse thee."
Whereupon quoth he, "O King of the Age, listen to what I shall
relate," and he fell to telling the




Tale of the Third Larrikin Concerning Himself.



In my early years I had a cousin, the daughter of my paternal
uncle, who loved me and I loved her whilst her father loathed me.
So one day she sent to me saying, "Do thou fare forth and demand
me in marriage from my sire;" and, as I was poor and her father
was a wealthy merchant, she sent me to her dowry fifty gold
pieces which I took; and, accompanied by four of my comrades, I
went to the house of my father's brother and there arrived I went
within. But when he looked upon me his face showed wrath and my
friends said to him, "Verily, thy nephew seeketh in marriage the
daughter of his uncle;" and as soon as he heard these words he
cried aloud at them and reviled me and crave me from his doors.
So I went from him well nigh broken-hearted and I wept till I
returned to my mother who cried, "What is to do with thee, O my
son!" I related to her all that had befallen me from my uncle and
she said to me, "O my child, to a man who loveth thee not thou
goest, forsooth, to ask his daughter in marriage!" Whereto I
replied, "O mother mine, she sent a message bidding me so do and
verily she loveth me." Quoth my mother, Take patience, O my son!"
I heartened my heart, and my parent promised me all welfare and
favour from my cousin; more over she was thinking of me at all
times and presently she again sent to me and promised me that she
never would love any other. Then behold, a party of folk repaired
to her father and asked her to wife of him and prepared to take
her away. But when the tidings reached her that her parent
purposed marrying her to one of those people, she sent to me
saying, "Get thee ready for this mid-night and I will come to
thee." When night was at its noon she appeared, carrying a pair
of saddle-bags wherein was a somewhat of money and raiment, and
she was leading a she mule belonging to her father whereupon her
saddle-bags were packed. "Up with us," she cried, so I arose with
her in that outer darkness and we went forth the town forthright
and the Veiler veiled us, nor did we stint faring till morning
when we hid ourselves in fear lest we be overtaken. And when the
next night fell we made ready and set out again, but we knew not
whither we were wending, for the Predestinator existeth and what
is decided for us is like Destiny. At last we came to a wide and
open place where the heat smote us, and we sat down under a tree
to smell the air. Presently sleep came upon me and I was drowned
in slumber from the excess of my toil and travail, when suddenly
a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of my uncle--And
Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and
ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad,
"How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable !" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was

The Four Hundred and Seventy-first Night,

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Larrikin continued his tale saying to the King:--And as I was
drowned in slumber a dog-faced baboon came up to the daughter of
my uncle and assaulted her and knew her carnally; then, having
taken her pucelage he ran away,[FN#387] but I knew nothing
thereof from being fast asleep. Now when I awoke I found my
cousin was changed of case and her colour had waxed pale and she
was in saddest condition; so I asked her and she told me all that
had betided her and said to me, "O son of my uncle, from Fate
there is no flight, even as saith one of those who knoweth:--

'And when death shall claw with his firm-fixt nail * I saw that
spells[FN#388] were of scant avail.'

And one of them also said:--

'When God would execute His will in anything On one endowed with
sight, hearing and reasoning,
He stops his ears and blinds his eyes and draws his will From
him, as one draws out the hairs to paste that cling;
Till, His decrees fulfilled, He gives him back his wit, That
therewithal he may receive admonishing.'"[FN#389]

Then she spake concerning the predestination of the Creator till
she could say no more thereof. Presently we departed that stead
and we travelled till we came to a town of the towns frequented
by merchants, where we hired us a lodging and furnished it with
mats and necessaries. Here I asked for a Kazi and they pointed
out to me one of them amongst the judges of the place whom I
summoned with two of his witnesses; then I made one of them
deputy[FN#390] for my cousin and was married to her and went in
unto her and I said to myself, "All things depend upon Fate and
Lot." After that I tarried with her for a full told year in that
same town, a disease befel her and she drew nigh unto death.
Hereat quoth she to me, "Allah upon thee, O son of my uncle, when
I shall be dead and gone and the Destiny of Allah shall come upon
thee and drive thee to marry again, take not to wife any but a
virgin-girl or haply do thou wed one who hath known man but
once;[FN#391] for by Allah, O my cousin, I will say thee nothing
but sooth when I tell thee that the delight of that dog-faced
baboon who deflowered me hath remained with me ever
since."[FN#392] So saying she expired[FN#393] and her soul fled
forth her flesh. I brought to her a woman who washeth the dead
and shrouded her and buried her; and after her decease I went
forth from the town until Time bore me along and I became a
wanderer and my condition was changed and I fell into this case.
And no one knew me or aught of my affairs till I came and made
friends with yonder two men. Now the King hearing these words
marvelled at his adventure and what had betided him from the
Shifts of Time and his heart was softened to him and he largessed
him and his comrades and sent them about their business. Then
quoth one of the bystanders to the King, "O Sultan, I know a tale
still rarer than this;" and quoth the King, "Out with it;"
whereat the man began to relate




THE HISTORY OF ABU NIYYAH AND ABU
NIYYATAYN[FN#394]



It is recounted that in Mosel was a king and he was Lord of
moneys and means and troops and guards. Now in the beginning of
his career his adventures were strange for that he was not of
royal rank or race, nor was he of the sons of Kings but
prosperity met him because of the honesty of his manners and
morals. His name was Abu Niyyah, the single-minded--and he was
so poor that he had naught of worldly weal, so quoth he to
himself, "Remove thee from this town and haply Allah will widen
thy means of livelihood inasmuch as the byword said, ‘Travel, for
indeed much of the joys of life are in travelling.'" So he fixed
his mind upon removal from the town; and, having very few
articles of his own, he sold them for a single dinar which he
took and fared forth from his place of birth seeking another
stead. Now when journeying he sighted following him a man who
was also on the move and he made acquaintance with him and the
two fell to communing together upon the road. Each of the twain
wished to know the name of his comrade and Abu Niyyah asked his
fellow, saying, "O my brother, what may be thy name?" whereto the
other answered, "I am called Abu Niyyatayn--the two-minded."
"And I am Abu Niyyah!" cried the other, and his fellow-traveller
questioned him, saying, "Hast thou with thee aught of money?"
Whereto he replied, "I have with me a single Ashrafi and no
more." Quoth the other, "But I have ten gold pieces, so do thou
have a care of them and the same will be eleven." Abu Niyyan
accepted the charge and they went upon the road together and as
often as they entered a town they nighted therein for a single
night or two and in the morning they departed therefrom. This
continued for a while of time until they made a city which had
two gates and Abu Niyyah forewent his fellow through one of the
entrances and suddenly heard an asker which was a slave begging
and saying, "O ye beneficent, O doers of good deeds, an alms
shall bring ten-fold." And, as the chattel drew near[FN#395] and
Abu Niyyah noted his words, his heart was softened and he gave
him his single Ashrafi; whereupon his comrade looked upon him and
asked, "What hast thou doled to him?" Answered he, "An Ashrafi;"
and quoth the other, "Thou hast but a single gold piece while I
have ten;" so he took the joint stock from him and left him and
went his way.--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this
compared with that I should relate to you on the coming night an
the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night
and that was

The Four Hundred and Seventy-third Night

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish thy tale that we may cut short the
watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and
good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director,
the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of
deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the man Abu
Niyyatayn took from Abu Niyyah the ten Ashrafis[FN#396] and said
to him, "The gold piece belonging to thee thou hast given to the
asker;" then, carrying away the other ten he left him and went
about his business. Now Abu Niyyah had with him not a single
copper neither aught of provaunt so he wandered about the town to
find a Cathedral-mosque and seeing one he went into it and made
the Wuzu-ablution and prayed that which was incumbent on him of
obligatory prayers. Then he seated himself to rest until the
hour of the sunset devotions and he said to himself "Ho, Such-an-
one! this be a time when no one knoweth thee; so go forth and
fare round about the doors and have a heed, haply Allah Almighty
our Lord shall give thee somewhat of daily bread thou shalt eat
blessing the creator." Hereupon he went forth the Mosque and
wandered through the nearest quarter, when behold, he came upon a
lofty gate and a well adorned; so he stood before it and saw a
slave lad coming out therefrom and bearing on his head a platter
wherein was a pile of broken bread and some bones, and the boy
stood there and shook the contents of the platter upon the
ground. Abu Niyyah seeing this came forward and fell to picking
up the orts of bread and ate them and gnawed the flesh from
sundry of the bones until he was satisfied and the slave diverted
himself by looking on. After that he cried, "Alhamdolillah--
Glory be to God!"[FN#397] and the chattel went upstairs to his
master and said, "O my lord, I have seen a marvel!" Quoth the
other, "And what may that be?" and quoth the servile, "I found a
man standing at our door and he was silent and poke not a word;
but when he saw me throwing away the remnants[FN#398] of our
eating-cloth he came up to them and fell to devouring bittocks of
the bread and to breaking the bones and sucking them, after which
he cried, ‘Alhamdolillah.'" Said the master, "O my good slave,
do thou take these ten Ashrafis and give them to the man;" so the
lad went down the stair and was half-way when he filched one of
the gold-pieces and then having descended he gave the nine.
Hereupon Abu Niyyah counted them and finding only nine, said,
"There wanted one Ashrafi, for the asker declared, An almsdeed
bringeth tenfold, and I gave him a single gold piece." The
house-master heard him saying, "There wanteth an Ashrafi," and he
bade the slave call aloud to him and Abu Niyyah went upstairs to
the sitting room, where he found the owner, a merchant of repute,
and salam'd to him. The other returned his greeting and said,
"Ho fellow!" and the other said "Yes" when the first resumed,
"The slave, what did he give thee?" "He gave me," said Abu
Niyyah, "nine Ashrafis;" and the house-master rejoined,
"Wherefore didst thou declare, There faileth me one gold piece?
Hast thou a legal claim of debt upon us for an Ashrafi, O thou
scanty of shame?" He answered, "No, by Allah, O my lord; my
intent was not that but there befel me with a man which was a
beggar such-and-such matter." Hereupon the merchant understood
his meaning and said to him, "Do thou sit thee down here and pass
the night with us." So Abu Niyyah seated himself by his side and
nighted with the merchant until the morning. Now this was the
season for the payment of the poor-rates,[FN#399] and that
merchant was wont to take the sum from his property by weight of
scales, so he summoned the official weigher who by means of his
balance computed the account and took out the poor-rate and gave
the whole proceeds to Abu Niyyah. Quoth he, "O my lord, what
shall I do with all this good, especially as thou hast favoured
me with thy regard?" "No matter for that," quoth the other; so
Abu Niyyah went forth from the presence of his patron and hiring
himself a shop fell to buying what suited him of all kinds of
merchandise such as a portion of coffee-beans and of pepper and
of tin;[FN#400] and stuff of Al-Hind, together with other
matters, saying to himself, "Verily this shop is the property of
thy hand." So he sat there selling and buying and he was in the
easiest of life and in all comfort rife for a while of time when
behold, his quondam companion, Abu Niyyatayn was seen passing
along the market-street. His eyes were deep[FN#401] sunken and
he was propped upon a staff as he begged and cried, "O good folk,
O ye beneficent, give me an alms for the love of Allah!" But
when his sometime associate, Abu Niyyah looked upon him, he knew
him and said to the slave whom he had bought for his service, "Go
thou and bring me yonder man." Hereat the chattel went and
brought him and Abu Niyyah seated him upon the shop-board and
sent his servile to buy somewhat of food and he set it before Abu
Niyyatayn who ate until he was filled. After this the wanderer
asked leave to depart but the other said to him, "Sit thou here,
O Shaykh; for thou art my guest during the coming night."
Accordingly he seated himself in the shop till the hour of
sundown, when Abu Niyyah took him and led him to his lodging
where the slave served up the supper-tray and they ate till they
had eaten their sufficiency. Then they washed their hands and
abode talking together till at last quoth Abu Niyyah, "O my
brother, hast thou not recognised me?" to which the other
responded, "No, by Allah, O my brother." Hereupon said the
house-master, "I am thy whilome comrade Abu Niyyah, and we came
together, I and thou, from such-and-such a place to this city.
But I, O my brother, have never changed mine intent[FN#402] and
all thou seest with me of good, the half thereof belongeth to
thee." When it was morning tide he presented him with the moiety
of all he possessed of money and means and opened for him a shop
in the Bazar by the side of his own, and Abu Niyyatayn fell to
selling and buying, and he and his friend Abu Niyyah led the most
joyous of lives. This endured for a while of time until one day
of the days when quoth Abu Niyyatayn to Abu Niyyah, "O my
brother, we have exhausted our sitting in this city, so do thou
travel with us unto another." Quoth Abu Niyyah, "Why, O my
brother, should we cease abiding here in comfort when we have
gained abundance of wealth and moveables and valuables and we
seek naught save a restful life?" However Abu Niyyatayn ceased
not to repeat his words to him and persist in his purpose and
reiterate his demand, till Abu Niyyah was pleased with the idea
of travelling--And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I should relate to you on the coming
night and the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was


The Four Hundred and Seventy-fifth Night

Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that Abu Niyyah
was pleased with the idea of travelling companied with Abu
Niyyatayn: so they got themselves ready and loaded a caravan of
camels and mules and went off from that city and travelled for a
space of twenty days. At last they came to a camping ground
about sunset-hour and they alighted therein seeking rest and a
nighting stead, and next morning when they arose they sought
where they could fodder and water their cattle. Now the only
place they could find was a well and one said to other, "Who will
descend therein and draw for us drink?" Cried Abu Niyyah, "I
will go down" (but he knew not what was fated to him in the
Eternal Purpose), and so saying he let himself down by the rope
into the well and filled for them the water-buckets till the
caravan had its sufficiency. Now Abu Niyyatayn for the excess of
his envy and hatred was scheming in his heart and his secret soul
to slay Abu Niyyah, and when all had drunk he cut the cord and
loaded his beasts and fared away leaving his companion in the
well, for the first day and the second until the coming of night.
Suddenly two 'Ifrits forgathered in that well and sat down to
converse with each other, when quoth the first, "What is to do
with thee and how is thy case and what mayest thou be?" Quoth
his fellow, "By Allah, O my brother, I am satisfied with extreme
satisfaction and I never leave the Sultan's daughter at all at
all." The second Ifrit asked, "And what would forbid thee from
her?" and he answered, "I should be driven away by somewhat of
wormwood-powder scattered beneath the soles of her feet during
the congregational prayers of Friday." Then quoth the other, "I
also, by Allah, am joyful and exulting in the possession of a
Hoard of jewels buried without the town near the Azure Column
which serveth as benchmark."[FN#403] "And what," asked the other
to his friend, "would expel thee therefrom and expose the jewels
to the gaze of man?" whereto he answered, "A white cock in his
tenth month[FN#404] slaughtered upon the Azure Column would drive
me away from the Hoard and would break the Talisman when the gems
would be visible to all." Now as soon as Abu Niyyah had heard
the words of the two Ifrits, they arose and departed from the
well; and it was the morning hour when, behold, a caravan was
passing by that place, so the travellers halted seeking a drink
of water. Presently they let down a bucket which was seized by
Abu Niyyah and as he was being drawn up they cried out and asked,
"What art thou, of Jinn-kind or of man-kind?" and he answered, "I
am of the Sons of Adam." Hereupon they drew him up from the pit
and questioned him of his case and he said, "I have fallen into
it and I am sore ahungered." Accordingly they gave him somewhat
to eat and he ate and travelled with them till they entered a
certain city and it was on First day.[FN#405] So they passed
through the market streets which were crowded and found the
people in turmoil and trouble;[FN#406] and as one enquired the
cause thereof he was answered, "Verily the Sultan hath a
beautiful daughter who is possessed and overridden by an 'Ifrit,
and whoso of the physicians would lay[FN#407] the Spirit and is
unable or ignorant so to do, the King taketh him and cutteth off
his head and hangeth it up before his palace. Indeed of late
days a student came hither, a youth who knew nothing of expelling
the Evil One, and he accepted the task and the Sultan designeth
to smith his neck at this very hour; so the people are flocking
with design to divert themselves at the decapitation." Now when
Abu Niyyah heard these words he rose without stay or delay and
walked in haste till he came into the presence of the Sultan whom
he found seated upon his throne and the Linkman standing with his


 


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