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The best ride on toys for easter basketArabian Nights Entertainments,

Selected and Edited

by

Andrew Lang

after the edition of
Longmans, Green and Co, 1918 (1898)

Contents

Preface  The Arabian Nights  The Story of the Merchant and the Genius  The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind  The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs  The Story of the Fisherman  The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban  The Story of the Husband and the Parrot  The Story of the Vizir Who Was Punished  The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles  The Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings, and of Five Ladies of Bagdad  The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King  The Story of the Second Calender, Son of a King  The Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied  The Story of the Third Calender, Son of a King  The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor      First Voyage      Second Voyage      Third Voyage      Fourth Voyage      Fifth Voyage      Sixth Voyage      Seventh and Last Voyage  The Little Hunchback  The Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother  The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother  The Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura  Noureddin and the Fair Persian  Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp  The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad  The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla  The Story of Sidi-Nouman  The Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad  The Enchanted Horse  The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister

Preface

The stories in the Fairy Books have generally been such as old women incountry places tell to their grandchildren. Nobody knows how old theyare, or who told them first. The children of Ham, Shem and Japhet mayhave listened to them in the Ark, on wet days. Hector's little boy mayhave heard them in Troy Town, for it is certain that Homer knew them,and that some of them were written down in Egypt about the time ofMoses.

People in different countries tell them differently, but they arealways the same stories, really, whether among little Zulus, at theCape, or little Eskimo, near the North Pole. The changes are only inmatters of manners and customs; such as wearing clothes or not, meetinglions who talk in the warm countries, or talking bears in the coldcountries. There are plenty of kings and queens in the fairy tales,just because long ago there were plenty of kings in the country. Agentleman who would be a squire now was a kind of king in Scotland invery old times, and the same in other places. These old stories, neverforgotten, were taken down in writing in different ages, but mostly inthis century, in all sorts of languages. These ancient stories are thecontents of the Fairy books.

Now "The Arabian Nights," some of which, but not nearly all, are givenin this volume, are only fairy tales of the East. The people of Asia,Arabia, and Persia told them in their own way, not for children, butfor grown-up people. There were no novels then, nor any printed books,of course; but there were people whose profession it was to amuse menand women by telling tales. They dressed the fairy stories up, andmade the characters good Mahommedans, living in Bagdad or India. Theevents were often supposed to happen in the reign of the great Caliph,or ruler of the Faithful, Haroun al Raschid, who lived in Bagdad in786-808 A.D. The vizir who accompanies the Caliph was also a realperson of the great family of the Barmecides. He was put to death bythe Caliph in a very cruel way, nobody ever knew why. The stories musthave been told in their present shape a good long while after theCaliph died, when nobody knew very exactly what had really happened.At last some storyteller thought of writing down the tales, and fixingthem into a kind of framework, as if they had all been narrated to acruel Sultan by his wife. Probably the tales were written down aboutthe time when Edward I. was fighting Robert Bruce. But changes weremade in them at different times, and a great deal that is very dull andstupid was put in, and plenty of verses. Neither the verses nor thedull pieces are given in this book.

People in France and England knew almost nothing about "The ArabianNights" till the reigns of Queen Anne and George I., when they weretranslated into French by Monsieur Galland. Grown-up people were thenvery fond of fairy tales, and they thought these Arab stories the bestthat they had ever read. They were delighted with Ghouls (who livedamong the tombs) and Geni, who seemed to be a kind of ogres, and withPrincesses who work magic spells, and with Peris, who are Arab fairies.Sindbad had adventures which perhaps came out of the Odyssey of Homer;in fact, all the East had contributed its wonders, and sent them toEurope in one parcel. Young men once made a noise at MonsieurGalland's windows in the dead of night, and asked him to tell them oneof his marvellous tales. Nobody talked of anything but dervishes andvizirs, rocs and peris. The stories were translated from French intoall languages, and only Bishop Atterbury complained that the tales werenot likely to be true, and had no moral. The bishop was presentlybanished for being on the side of Prince Charlie's father, and hadleisure to repent of being so solemn.

In this book "The Arabian Nights" are translated from the Frenchversion of Monsieur Galland, who dropped out the poetry and a greatdeal of what the Arabian authors thought funny, though it seemswearisome to us. In this book the stories are shortened here andthere, and omissions are made of pieces only suitable for Arabs and oldgentlemen. The translations are by the writers of the tales in theFairy Books, and the pictures are by Mr. Ford.

I can remember reading "The Arabian Nights" when I was six years old,in dirty yellow old volumes of small type with no pictures, and I hopechildren who read them with Mr. Ford's pictures will be as happy as Iwas then in the company of Aladdin and Sindbad the Sailor.

The Arabian Nights

In the chronicles of the ancient dynasty of the Sassanidae, who reignedfor about four hundred years, from Persia to the borders of China,beyond the great river Ganges itself, we read the praises of one of thekings of this race, who was said to be the best monarch of his time.His subjects loved him, and his neighbors feared him, and when he diedhe left his kingdom in a more prosperous and powerful condition thanany king had done before him.

The two sons who survived him loved each other tenderly, and it was areal grief to the elder, Schahriar, that the laws of the empire forbadehim to share his dominions with his brother Schahzeman. Indeed, afterten years, during which this state of things had not ceased to troublehim, Schahriar cut off the country of Great Tartary from the PersianEmpire and made his brother king.

Now the Sultan Schahriar had a wife whom he loved more than all theworld, and his greatest happiness was to surround her with splendour,and to give her the finest dresses and the most beautiful jewels. Itwas therefore with the deepest shame and sorrow that he accidentallydiscovered, after several years, that she had deceived him completely,and her whole conduct turned out to have been so bad, that he felthimself obliged to carry out the law of the land, and order thegrand-vizir to put her to death. The blow was so heavy that his mindalmost gave way, and he declared that he was quite sure that at bottomall women were as wicked as the sultana, if you could only find themout, and that the fewer the world contained the better. So everyevening he married a fresh wife and had her strangled the followingmorning before the grand-vizir, whose duty it was to provide theseunhappy brides for the Sultan. The poor man fulfilled his task withreluctance, but there was no escape, and every day saw a girl marriedand a wife dead.

This behaviour caused the greatest horror in the town, where nothingwas heard but cries and lamentations. In one house was a fatherweeping for the loss of his daughter, in another perhaps a mothertrembling for the fate of her child; and instead of the blessings thathad formerly been heaped on the Sultan's head, the air was now full ofcurses.

The grand-vizir himself was the father of two daughters, of whom theelder was called Scheherazade, and the younger Dinarzade. Dinarzadehad no particular gifts to distinguish her from other girls, but hersister was clever and courageous in the highest degree. Her father hadgiven her the best masters in philosophy, medicine, history and thefine arts, and besides all this, her beauty excelled that of any girlin the kingdom of Persia.

One day, when the grand-vizir was talking to his eldest daughter, whowas his delight and pride, Scheherazade said to him, "Father, I have afavour to ask of you. Will you grant it to me?"

"I can refuse you nothing," replied he, "that is just and reasonable."

"Then listen," said Scheherazade. "I am determined to stop thisbarbarous practice of the Sultan's, and to deliver the girls andmothers from the awful fate that hangs over them."

"It would be an excellent thing to do," returned the grand-vizir, "buthow do you propose to accomplish it?"

"My father," answered Scheherazade, "it is you who have to provide theSultan daily with a fresh wife, and I implore you, by all the affectionyou bear me, to allow the honour to fall upon me."

"Have you lost your senses?" cried the grand-vizir, starting back inhorror. "What has put such a thing into your head? You ought to knowby this time what it means to be the sultan's bride!"

"Yes, my father, I know it well," replied she, "and I am not afraid tothink of it. If I fail, my death will be a glorious one, and if Isucceed I shall have done a great service to my country."

"It is of no use," said the grand-vizir, "I shall never consent. Ifthe Sultan was to order me to plunge a dagger in your heart, I shouldhave to obey. What a task for a father! Ah, if you do not fear death,fear at any rate the anguish you would cause me."

"Once again, my father," said Scheherazade, "will you grant me what Iask?"

"What, are you still so obstinate?" exclaimed the grand-vizir. "Why areyou so resolved upon your own ruin?"

But the maiden absolutely refused to attend to her father's words, andat length, in despair, the grand-vizir was obliged to give way, andwent sadly to the palace to tell the Sultan that the following eveninghe would bring him Scheherazade.

The Sultan received this news with the greatest astonishment.

"How have you made up your mind," he asked, "to sacrifice your owndaughter to me?"

"Sire," answered the grand-vizir, "it is her own wish. Even the sadfate that awaits her could not hold her back."

"Let there be no mistake, vizir," said the Sultan. "Remember you willhave to take her life yourself. If you refuse, I swear that your headshall pay forfeit."

"Sire," returned the vizir. "Whatever the cost, I will obey you.Though a father, I am also your subject." So the Sultan told thegrand-vizir he might bring his daughter as soon as he liked.

The vizir took back this news to Scheherazade, who received it as if ithad been the most pleasant thing in the world. She thanked her fatherwarmly for yielding to her wishes, and, seeing him still bowed downwith grief, told him that she hoped he would never repent havingallowed her to marry the Sultan. Then she went to prepare herself forthe marriage, and begged that her sister Dinarzade should be sent forto speak to her.

When they were alone, Scheherazade addressed her thus:

"My dear sister; I want your help in a very important affair. Myfather is going to take me to the palace to celebrate my marriage withthe Sultan. When his Highness receives me, I shall beg him, as a lastfavour, to let you sleep in our chamber, so that I may have yourcompany during the last night I am alive. If, as I hope, he grants memy wish, be sure that you wake me an hour before the dawn, and speak tome in these words: 'My sister, if you are not asleep, I beg you,before the sun rises, to tell me one of your charming stories.' Then Ishall begin, and I hope by this means to deliver the people from theterror that reigns over them." Dinarzade replied that she would do withpleasure what her sister wished.

When the usual hour arrived the grand-vizir conducted Scheherazade tothe palace, and left her alone with the Sultan, who bade her raise herveil and was amazed at her beauty. But seeing her eyes full of tears,he asked what was the matter. "Sire," replied Scheherazade, "I have asister who loves me as tenderly as I love her. Grant me the favour ofallowing her to sleep this night in the same room, as it is the last weshall be together." Schahriar consented to Scheherazade's petition andDinarzade was sent for.

An hour before daybreak Dinarzade awoke, and exclaimed, as she hadpromised, "My dear sister, if you are not asleep, tell me I pray you,before the sun rises, one of your charming stories. It is the lasttime that I shall have the pleasure of hearing you."

Scheherazade did not answer her sister, but turned to the Sultan."Will your highness permit me to do as my sister asks?" said she.

"Willingly," he answered. So Scheherazade began.

The Story of the Merchant and the Genius

Sire, there was once upon a time a merchant who possessed great wealth,in land and merchandise, as well as in ready money. He was obligedfrom time to time to take journeys to arrange his affairs. One day,having to go a long way from home, he mounted his horse, taking withhim a small wallet in which he had put a few biscuits and dates,because he had to pass through the desert where no food was to be got.He arrived without any mishap, and, having finished his business, setout on his return. On the fourth day of his journey, the heat of thesun being very great, he turned out of his road to rest under sometrees. He found at the foot of a large walnut-tree a fountain of clearand running water. He dismounted, fastened his horse to a branch ofthe tree, and sat by the fountain, after having taken from his walletsome of his dates and biscuits. When he had finished this frugal mealhe washed his face and hands in the fountain.

When he was thus employed he saw an enormous genius, white with rage,coming towards him, with a scimitar in his hand.

"Arise," he cried in a terrible voice, "and let me kill you as you havekilled my son!"

As he uttered these words he gave a frightful yell. The merchant,quite as much terrified at the hideous face of the monster as at hiswords, answered him tremblingly, "Alas, good sir, what can I have doneto you to deserve death?"

"I shall kill you," repeated the genius, "as you have killed my son."

"But," said the merchant, "how can I have killed your son? I do notknow him, and I have never even seen him."

"When you arrived here did you not sit down on the ground?" asked thegenius, "and did you not take some dates from your wallet, and whilsteating them did not you throw the stones about?"

"Yes," said the merchant, "I certainly did so."

"Then," said the genius, "I tell you you have killed my son, for whilstyou were throwing about the stones, my son passed by, and one of themstruck him in the eye and killed him. So I shall kill you."

"Ah, sir, forgive me!" cried the merchant.

"I will have no mercy on you," answered the genius.

"But I killed your son quite unintentionally, so I implore you to sparemy life."

"No," said the genius, "I shall kill you as you killed my son," and sosaying, he seized the merchant by the arm, threw him on the ground, andlifted his sabre to cut off his head.

The merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife and children,and tried pitifully to avert his fate. The genius, with his raisedscimitar, waited till he had finished, but was not in the least touched.

Scheherazade, at this point, seeing that it was day, and knowing thatthe Sultan always rose very early to attend the council, stoppedspeaking.

"Indeed, sister," said Dinarzade, "this is a wonderful story."

"The rest is still more wonderful," replied Scheherazade, "and youwould say so, if the sultan would allow me to live another day, andwould give me leave to tell it to you the next night."

Schahriar, who had been listening to Scheherazade with pleasure, saidto himself, "I will wait till to-morrow; I can always have her killedwhen I have heard the end of her story."

All this time the grand-vizir was in a terrible state of anxiety. Buthe was much delighted when he saw the Sultan enter the council-chamberwithout giving the terrible command that he was expecting.

The next morning, before the day broke, Dinarzade said to her sister,"Dear sister, if you are awake I pray you to go on with your story."

The Sultan did not wait for Scheherazade to ask his leave. "Finish,"said he, "the story of the genius and the merchant. I am curious tohear the end."

So Scheherazade went on with the story. This happened every morning.The Sultana told a story, and the Sultan let her live to finish it.

When the merchant saw that the genius was determined to cut off hishead, he said: "One word more, I entreat you. Grant me a littledelay; just a short time to go home and bid my wife and childrenfarewell, and to make my will. When I have done this I will come backhere, and you shall kill me."

"But," said the genius, "if I grant you the delay you ask, I am afraidthat you will not come back."

"I give you my word of honour," answered the merchant, "that I willcome back without fail."

"How long do you require?" asked the genius.

"I ask you for a year's grace," replied the merchant. "I promise youthat to-morrow twelvemonth, I shall be waiting under these trees togive myself up to you."

On this the genius left him near the fountain and disappeared.

The merchant, having recovered from his fright, mounted his horse andwent on his road.

When he arrived home his wife and children received him with thegreatest joy. But instead of embracing them he began to weep sobitterly that they soon guessed that something terrible was the matter.

"Tell us, I pray you," said his wife, "what has happened."

"Alas!" answered her husband, "I have only a year to live."

Then he told them what had passed between him and the genius, and howhe had given his word to return at the end of a year to be killed.When they heard this sad news they were in despair, and wept much.

The next day the merchant began to settle his affairs, and first of allto pay his debts. He gave presents to his friends, and large alms tothe poor. He set his slaves at liberty, and provided for his wife andchildren. The year soon passed away, and he was obliged to depart.When he tried to say good-bye he was quite overcome with grief, andwith difficulty tore himself away. At length he reached the placewhere he had first seen the genius, on the very day that he hadappointed. He dismounted, and sat down at the edge of the fountain,where he awaited the genius in terrible suspense.

Whilst he was thus waiting an old man leading a hind came towards him.They greeted one another, and then the old man said to him, "May I ask,brother, what brought you to this desert place, where there are so manyevil genii about? To see these beautiful trees one would imagine itwas inhabited, but it is a dangerous place to stop long in."

The merchant told the old man why he was obliged to come there. Helistened in astonishment.

"This is a most marvellous affair. I should like to be a witness ofyour interview with the genius." So saying he sat down by the merchant.

While they were talking another old man came up, followed by two blackdogs. He greeted them, and asked what they were doing in this place.The old man who was leading the hind told him the adventure of themerchant and the genius. The second old man had not sooner heard thestory than he, too, decided to stay there to see what would happen. Hesat down by the others, and was talking, when a third old man arrived.He asked why the merchant who was with them looked so sad. They toldhim the story, and he also resolved to see what would pass between thegenius and the merchant, so waited with the rest.

They soon saw in the distance a thick smoke, like a cloud of dust.This smoke came nearer and nearer, and then, all at once, it vanished,and they saw the genius, who, without speaking to them, approached themerchant, sword in hand, and, taking him by the arm, said, "Get up andlet me kill you as you killed my son."

The merchant and the three old men began to weep and groan.

Then the old man leading the hind threw himself at the monster's feetand said, "O Prince of the Genii, I beg of you to stay your fury and tolisten to me. I am going to tell you my story and that of the hind Ihave with me, and if you find it more marvellous than that of themerchant whom you are about to kill, I hope that you will do away witha third part of his punishment?"

The genius considered some time, and then he said, "Very well, I agreeto this."

The Story of the First Old Man and of the Hind

I am now going to begin my story (said the old man), so please attend.

This hind that you see with me is my wife. We have no children of ourown, therefore I adopted the son of a favorite slave, and determined tomake him my heir.

My wife, however, took a great dislike to both mother and child, whichshe concealed from me till too late. When my adopted son was about tenyears old I was obliged to go on a journey. Before I went I entrustedto my wife's keeping both the mother and child, and begged her to takecare of them during my absence, which lasted a whole year. During thistime she studied magic in order to carry out her wicked scheme. Whenshe had learnt enough she took my son into a distant place and changedhim into a calf. Then she gave him to my steward, and told him to lookafter a calf she had bought. She also changed the slave into a cow,which she sent to my steward.

When I returned I inquired after my slave and the child. "Your slaveis dead," she said, "and as for your son, I have not seen him for twomonths, and I do not know where he is."

I was grieved to hear of my slave's death, but as my son had onlydisappeared, I thought I should soon find him. Eight months, however,passed, and still no tidings of him; then the feast of Bairam came.

To celebrate it I ordered my steward to bring me a very fat cow tosacrifice. He did so. The cow that he brought was my unfortunateslave. I bound her, but just as I was about to kill her she began tolow most piteously, and I saw that her eyes were streaming with tears.It seemed to me most extraordinary, and, feeling a movement of pity, Iordered the steward to lead her away and bring another. My wife, whowas present, scoffed at my compassion, which made her malice of noavail. "What are you doing?" she cried. "Kill this cow. It is thebest we have to sacrifice."

To please her, I tried again, but again the animal's lows and tearsdisarmed me.

"Take her away," I said to the steward, "and kill her; I cannot."

The steward killed her, but on skinning her found that she was nothingbut bones, although she appeared so fat. I was vexed.

"Keep her for yourself," I said to the steward, "and if you have a fatcalf, bring that in her stead."

In a short time he brought a very fat calf, which, although I did notknow it, was my son. It tried hard to break its cord and come to me.It threw itself at my feet, with its head on the ground, as if itwished to excite my pity, and to beg me not to take away its life.

I was even more surprised and touched at this action than I had been atthe tears of the cow.

"Go," I said to the steward, "take back this calf, take great care ofit, and bring me another in its place instantly."

As soon as my wife heard me speak this she at once cried out, "What areyou doing, husband? Do not sacrifice any calf but this."

"Wife," I answered, "I will not sacrifice this calf," and in spite ofall her remonstrances, I remained firm.

I had another calf killed; this one was led away. The next day thesteward asked to speak to me in private.

"I have come," he said, "to tell you some news which I think you willlike to hear. I have a daughter who knows magic. Yesterday, when Iwas leading back the calf which you refused to sacrifice, I noticedthat she smiled, and then directly afterwards began to cry. I askedher why she did so."

"Father," she answered, "this calf is the son of our master. I smilewith joy at seeing him still alive, and I weep to think of his mother,who was sacrificed yesterday as a cow. These changes have been wroughtby our master's wife, who hated the mother and son."

"At these words, of Genius," continued the old man, "I leave you toimagine my astonishment. I went immediately with the steward to speakwith his daughter myself. First of all I went to the stable to see myson, and he replied in his dumb way to all my caresses. When thesteward's daughter came I asked her if she could change my son back tohis proper shape."

"Yes, I can," she replied, "on two conditions. One is that you willgive him to me for a husband, and the other is that you will let mepunish the woman who changed him into a calf."

"To the first condition," I answered, "I agree with all my heart, and Iwill give you an ample dowry. To the second I also agree, I only begyou to spare her life."

"That I will do," she replied; "I will treat her as she treated yourson."

Then she took a vessel of water and pronounced over it some words I didnot understand; then, on throwing the water over him, he becameimmediately a young man once more.

"My son, my dear son," I exclaimed, kissing him in a transport of joy."This kind maiden has rescued you from a terrible enchantment, and I amsure that out of gratitude you will marry her."

He consented joyfully, but before they were married, the young girlchanged my wife into a hind, and it is she whom you see before you. Iwished her to have this form rather than a stranger one, so that wecould see her in the family without repugnance.

Since then my son has become a widower and has gone travelling. I amnow going in search of him, and not wishing to confide my wife to thecare of other people, I am taking her with me. Is this not a mostmarvellous tale?

"It is indeed," said the genius, "and because of it I grant to you thethird part of the punishment of this merchant."

When the first old man had finished his story, the second, who wasleading the two black dogs, said to the genius, "I am going to tell youwhat happened to me, and I am sure that you will find my story evenmore astonishing than the one to which you have just been listening.But when I have related it, will you grant me also the third part ofthe merchant's punishment?"

"Yes," replied the genius, "provided that your story surpasses that ofthe hind."

With this agreement the second old man began in this way.

The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs

Great prince of the genii, you must know that we are threebrothers--these two black dogs and myself. Our father died, leaving useach a thousand sequins. With this sum we all three took up the sameprofession, and became merchants. A short time after we had opened ourshops, my eldest brother, one of these two dogs, resolved to travel inforeign countries for the sake of merchandise. With this intention hesold all he had and bought merchandise suitable to the voyages he wasabout to make. He set out, and was away a whole year. At the end ofthis time a beggar came to my shop. "Good-day," I said. "Good-day,"he answered; "is it possible that you do not recognise me?" Then Ilooked at him closely and saw he was my brother. I made him come intomy house, and asked him how he had fared in his enterprise.

"Do not question me," he replied, "see me, you see all I have. Itwould but renew my trouble to tell of all the misfortunes that havebefallen me in a year, and have brought me to this state."

I shut up my shop, paid him every attention, taking him to the bath,giving him my most beautiful robes. I examined my accounts, and foundthat I had doubled my capital--that is, that I now possessed twothousand sequins. I gave my brother half, saying: "Now, brother, youcan forget your losses." He accepted them with joy, and we livedtogether as we had before.

Some time afterwards my second brother wished also to sell his businessand travel. My eldest brother and I did all we could to dissuade him,but it was of no use. He joined a caravan and set out. He came backat the end of a year in the same state as his elder brother. I tookcare of him, and as I had a thousand sequins to spare I gave them tohim, and he re-opened his shop.

One day, my two brothers came to me to propose that we should make ajourney and trade. At first I refused to go. "You travelled," I said,"and what did you gain?" But they came to me repeatedly, and afterhaving held out for five years I at last gave way. But when they hadmade their preparation, and they began to buy the merchandise weneeded, they found they had spent every piece of the thousand sequins Ihad given them. I did not reproach them. I divided my six thousandsequins with them, giving a thousand to each and keeping one formyself, and the other three I buried in a corner of my house. Webought merchandise, loaded a vessel with it, and set forth with afavorable wind.

After two months' sailing we arrived at a seaport, where we disembarkedand did a great trade. Then we bought the merchandise of the country,and were just going to sail once more, when I was stopped on the shoreby a beautiful though poorly dressed woman. She came up to me, kissedmy hand, and implored me to marry her, and take her on board. At firstI refused, but she begged so hard and promised to be such a good wifeto me, that at last I consented. I got her some beautiful dresses, andafter having married her, we embarked and set sail. During the voyage,I discovered so many good qualities in my wife that I began to love hermore and more. But my brothers began to be jealous of my prosperity,and set to work to plot against my life. One night when we weresleeping they threw my wife and myself into the sea. My wife, however,was a fairy, and so she did not let me drown, but transported me to anisland. When the day dawned, she said to me,

"When I saw you on the sea-shore I took a great fancy to you, andwished to try your good nature, so I presented myself in the disguiseyou saw. Now I have rewarded you by saving your life. But I am veryangry with your brothers, and I shall not rest till I have taken theirlives."

I thanked the fairy for all that she had done for me, but I begged hernot to kill my brothers.

I appeased her wrath, and in a moment she transported me from theisland where we were to the roof of my house, and she disappeared amoment afterwards. I went down, and opened the doors, and dug up thethree thousand sequins which I had buried. I went to the place wheremy shop was, opened it, and received from my fellow-merchantscongratulations on my return. When I went home, I saw two black dogswho came to meet me with sorrowful faces. I was much astonished, butthe fairy who reappeared said to me,

"Do not be surprised to see these dogs; they are your two brothers. Ihave condemned them to remain for ten years in these shapes." Thenhaving told me where I could hear news of her, she vanished.

The ten years are nearly passed, and I am on the road to find her. Asin passing I met this merchant and the old man with the hind, I stayedwith them.

This is my history, O prince of genii! Do you not think it is a mostmarvellous one?

"Yes, indeed," replied the genius, "and I will give up to you the thirdof the merchant's punishment."

Then the third old man made the genius the same request as the othertwo had done, and the genius promised him the last third of themerchant's punishment if his story surpassed both the others.

So he told his story to the genius, but I cannot tell you what it was,as I do not know.

But I do know that it was even more marvellous than either of theothers, so that the genius was astonished, and said to the third oldman, "I will give up to you the third part of the merchant'spunishment. He ought to thank all three of you for having interestedyourselves in his favour. But for you, he would be here no longer."

So saying, he disappeared, to the great joy of the company. Themerchant did not fail to thank his friends, and then each went on hisway. The merchant returned to his wife and children, and passed therest of his days happily with them.

"But, sire," added Scheherazade, "however beautiful are the stories Ihave just told you, they cannot compare with the story of theFisherman."

The Story of the Fisherman

Sire, there was once upon a time a fisherman so old and so poor that hecould scarcely manage to support his wife and three children. He wentevery day to fish very early, and each day he made a rule not to throwhis nets more than four times. He started out one morning by moonlightand came to the sea-shore. He undressed and threw his nets, and as hewas drawing them towards the bank he felt a great weight. He though hehad caught a large fish, and he felt very pleased. But a momentafterwards, seeing that instead of a fish he only had in his nets thecarcase of an ass, he was much disappointed.

Vexed with having such a bad haul, when he had mended his nets, whichthe carcase of the ass had broken in several places, he threw them asecond time. In drawing them in he again felt a great weight, so thathe thought they were full of fish. But he only found a large basketfull of rubbish. He was much annoyed.

"O Fortune," he cried, "do not trifle thus with me, a poor fisherman,who can hardly support his family!"

So saying, he threw away the rubbish, and after having washed his netsclean of the dirt, he threw them for the third time. But he only drewin stones, shells, and mud. He was almost in despair.

Then he threw his nets for the fourth time. When he thought he had afish he drew them in with a great deal of trouble. There was no fishhowever, but he found a yellow pot, which by its weight seemed full ofsomething, and he noticed that it was fastened and sealed with lead,with the impression of a seal. He was delighted. "I will sell it tothe founder," he said; "with the money I shall get for it I shall buy ameasure of wheat."

He examined the jar on all sides; he shook it to see if it wouldrattle. But he heard nothing, and so, judging from the impression ofthe seal and the lid, he thought there must be something preciousinside. To find out, he took his knife, and with a little trouble heopened it. He turned it upside down, but nothing came out, whichsurprised him very much. He set it in front of him, and whilst he waslooking at it attentively, such a thick smoke came out that he had tostep back a pace or two. This smoke rose up to the clouds, andstretching over the sea and the shore, formed a thick mist, whichcaused the fisherman much astonishment. When all the smoke was out ofthe jar it gathered itself together, and became a thick mass in whichappeared a genius, twice as large as the largest giant. When he sawsuch a terrible-looking monster, the fisherman would like to have runaway, but he trembled so with fright that he could not move a step.

"Great king of the genii," cried the monster, "I will never againdisobey you!"

At these words the fisherman took courage.

"What is this you are saying, great genius? Tell me your history andhow you came to be shut up in that vase."

At this, the genius looked at the fisherman haughtily. "Speak to memore civilly," he said, "before I kill you."

"Alas! why should you kill me?" cried the fisherman. "I have justfreed you; have you already forgotten that?"

"No," answered the genius; "but that will not prevent me from killingyou; and I am only going to grant you one favour, and that is to choosethe manner of your death."

"But what have I done to you?" asked the fisherman.

"I cannot treat you in any other way," said the genius, "and if youwould know why, listen to my story.

"I rebelled against the king of the genii. To punish me, he shut me upin this vase of copper, and he put on the leaden cover his seal, whichis enchantment enough to prevent my coming out. Then he had the vasethrown into the sea. During the first period of my captivity I vowedthat if anyone should free me before a hundred years were passed, Iwould make him rich even after his death. But that century passed, andno one freed me. In the second century I vowed that I would give allthe treasures in the world to my deliverer; but he never came.

"In the third, I promised to make him a king, to be always near him,and to grant him three wishes every day; but that century passed awayas the other two had done, and I remained in the same plight. At lastI grew angry at being captive for so long, and I vowed that if anyonewould release me I would kill him at once, and would only allow him tochoose in what manner he should die. So you see, as you have freed meto-day, choose in what way you will die."

The fisherman was very unhappy. "What an unlucky man I am to havefreed you! I implore you to spare my life."

"I have told you," said the genius, "that it is impossible. Choosequickly; you are wasting time."

The fisherman began to devise a plot.

"Since I must die," he said, "before I choose the manner of my death, Iconjure you on your honour to tell me if you really were in that vase?"

"Yes, I was," answered the genius.

"I really cannot believe it," said the fisherman. "That vase could notcontain one of your feet even, and how could your whole body go in? Icannot believe it unless I see you do the thing."

Then the genius began to change himself into smoke, which, as before,spread over the sea and the shore, and which, then collecting itselftogether, began to go back into the vase slowly and evenly till therewas nothing left outside. Then a voice came from the vase which saidto the fisherman, "Well, unbelieving fisherman, here I am in the vase;do you believe me now?"

The fisherman instead of answering took the lid of lead and shut itdown quickly on the vase.

"Now, O genius," he cried, "ask pardon of me, and choose by what deathyou will die! But no, it will be better if I throw you into the seawhence I drew you out, and I will build a house on the shore to warnfishermen who come to cast their nets here, against fishing up such awicked genius as you are, who vows to kill the man who frees you."

At these words the genius did all he could to get out, but he couldnot, because of the enchantment of the lid.

Then he tried to get out by cunning.

"If you will take off the cover," he said, "I will repay you."

"No," answered the fisherman, "if I trust myself to you I am afraid youwill treat me as a certain Greek king treated the physician Douban.Listen, and I will tell you."

The Story of the Greek King and the Physician Douban

In the country of Zouman, in Persia, there lived a Greek king. Thisking was a leper, and all his doctors had been unable to cure him, whena very clever physician came to his court.

He was very learned in all languages, and knew a great deal about herbsand medicines.

As soon as he was told of the king's illness he put on his best robeand presented himself before the king. "Sire," said he, "I know thatno physician has been able to cure your majesty, but if you will followmy instructions, I will promise to cure you without any medicines oroutward application."

The king listened to this proposal.

"If you are clever enough to do this," he said, "I promise to make youand your descendants rich for ever."

The physician went to his house and made a polo club, the handle ofwhich he hollowed out, and put in it the drug he wished to use. Thenhe made a ball, and with these things he went the next day to the king.

He told him that he wished him to play at polo. Accordingly the kingmounted his horse and went into the place where he played. There thephysician approached him with the bat he had made, saying, "Take this,sire, and strike the ball till you feel your hand and whole body in aglow. When the remedy that is in the handle of the club is warmed byyour hand it will penetrate throughout your body. The you must returnto your palace, bathe, and go to sleep, and when you awake to-morrowmorning you will be cured."

The king took the club and urged his horse after the ball which he hadthrown. He struck it, and then it was hit back by the courtiers whowere playing with him. When he felt very hot he stopped playing, andwent back to the palace, went into the bath, and did all that thephysician had said. The next day when he arose he found, to his greatjoy and astonishment, that he was completely cured. When he enteredhis audience-chamber all his courtiers, who were eager to see if thewonderful cure had been effected, were overwhelmed with joy.

The physician Douban entered the hall and bowed low to the ground. Theking, seeing him, called him, made him sit by his side, and showed himevery mark of honour.

That evening he gave him a long and rich robe of state, and presentedhim with two thousand sequins. The following day he continued to loadhim with favours.

Now the king had a grand-vizir who was avaricious, and envious, and avery bad man. He grew extremely jealous of the physician, anddetermined to bring about his ruin.

In order to do this he asked to speak in private with the king, sayingthat he had a most important communication to make.

"What is it?" asked the king.

"Sire," answered the grand-vizir, "it is most dangerous for a monarchto confide in a man whose faithfulness is not proved, You do not knowthat this physician is not a traitor come here to assassinate you."

"I am sure," said the king, "that this man is the most faithful andvirtuous of men. If he wished to take my life, why did he cure me?Cease to speak against him. I see what it is, you are jealous of him;but do not think that I can be turned against him. I remember wellwhat a vizir said to King Sindbad, his master, to prevent him fromputting the prince, his son, to death."

What the Greek king said excited the vizir's curiosity, and he said tohim, "Sire, I beg your majesty to have the condescension to tell mewhat the vizir said to King Sindbad."

"This vizir," he replied, "told King Sindbad that one ought not believeeverything that a mother-in-law says, and told him this story."

The Story of the Husband and the Parrot

A good man had a beautiful wife, whom he loved passionately, and neverleft if possible. One day, when he was obliged by important businessto go away from her, he went to a place where all kinds of birds aresold and bought a parrot. This parrot not only spoke well, but it hadthe gift of telling all that had been done before it. He brought ithome in a cage, and asked his wife to put it in her room, and takegreat care of it while he was away. Then he departed. On his returnhe asked the parrot what had happened during his absence, and theparrot told him some things which made him scold his wife.

She thought that one of her slaves must have been telling tales of her,but they told her it was the parrot, and she resolved to revengeherself on him.

When her husband next went away for one day, she told on slave to turnunder the bird's cage a hand-mill; another to throw water down fromabove the cage, and a third to take a mirror and turn it in front ofits eyes, from left to right by the light of a candle. The slaves didthis for part of the night, and did it very well.

The next day when the husband came back he asked the parrot what he hadseen. The bird replied, "My good master, the lightning, thunder andrain disturbed me so much all night long, that I cannot tell you what Ihave suffered."

The husband, who knew that it had neither rained nor thundered in thenight, was convinced that the parrot was not speaking the truth, so hetook him out of the cage and threw him so roughly on the ground that hekilled him. Nevertheless he was sorry afterwards, for he found thatthe parrot had spoken the truth.

"When the Greek king," said the fisherman to the genius, "had finishedthe story of the parrot, he added to the vizir, "And so, vizir, I shallnot listen to you, and I shall take care of the physician, in case Irepent as the husband did when he had killed the parrot." But thevizir was determined. "Sire," he replied, "the death of the parrot wasnothing. But when it is a question of the life of a king it is betterto sacrifice the innocent than save the guilty. It is no uncertainthing, however. The physician, Douban, wishes to assassinate you. Myzeal prompts me to disclose this to your Majesty. If I am wrong, Ideserve to be punished as a vizir was once punished." "What had thevizir done," said the Greek king, "to merit the punishment?" "I willtell your Majesty, if you will do me the honour to listen," answeredthe vizir."

The Story of the Vizir Who Was Punished

There was once upon a time a king who had a son who was very fond ofhunting. He often allowed him to indulge in this pastime, but he hadordered his grand-vizir always to go with him, and never to lose sightof him. One day the huntsman roused a stag, and the prince, thinkingthat the vizir was behind, gave chase, and rode so hard that he foundhimself alone. He stopped, and having lost sight of it, he turned torejoin the vizir, who had not been careful enough to follow him. Buthe lost his way. Whilst he was trying to find it, he saw on the sideof the road a beautiful lady who was crying bitterly. He drew hishorse's rein, and asked her who she was and what she was doing in thisplace, and if she needed help. "I am the daughter of an Indian king,"she answered, "and whilst riding in the country I fell asleep andtumbled off. My horse has run away, and I do not know what has becomeof him."

The young prince had pity on her, and offered to take her behind him,which he did. As they passed by a ruined building the lady dismountedand went in. The prince also dismounted and followed her. To hisgreat surprise, he heard her saying to some one inside, "Rejoice mychildren; I am bringing you a nice fat youth." And other voicesreplied, "Where is he, mamma, that we may eat him at once, as we arevery hungry?"

The prince at once saw the danger he was in. He now knew that the ladywho said she was the daughter of an Indian king was an ogress, wholived in desolate places, and who by a thousand wiles surprised anddevoured passers-by. He was terrified, and threw himself on his horse.The pretended princess appeared at this moment, and seeing that she hadlost her prey, she said to him, "Do not be afraid. What do you want?"

"I am lost," he answered, "and I am looking for the road."

"Keep straight on," said the ogress, "and you will find it."

The prince could hardly believe his ears, and rode off as hard as hecould. He found his way, and arrived safe and sound at his father'shouse, where he told him of the danger he had run because of thegrand-vizir's carelessness. The king was very angry, and had himstrangled immediately.

"Sire," went on the vizir to the Greek king, "to return to thephysician, Douban. If you do not take care, you will repent of havingtrusted him. Who knows what this remedy, with which he has cured you,may not in time have a bad effect on you?"

The Greek king was naturally very weak, and did not perceive the wickedintention of his vizir, nor was he firm enough to keep to his firstresolution.

"Well, vizir," he said, "you are right. Perhaps he did come to take mylife. He might do it by the mere smell of one of his drugs. I mustsee what can be done."

"The best means, sire, to put your life in security, is to send for himat once, and to cut off his head directly he comes," said the vizir.

"I really think," replied the king, "that will be the best way."

He then ordered one of his ministers to fetch the physician, who cameat once.

"I have had you sent for," said the king, "in order to free myself fromyou by taking your life."

The physician was beyond measure astonished when he heard he was to die.

"What crimes have I committed, your majesty?"

"I have learnt," replied the king, "that you are a spy, and intend tokill me. But I will be first, and kill you. Strike," he added to anexecutioner who was by, "and rid me of this assassin."

At this cruel order the physician threw himself on his knees. "Sparemy life," he cried, "and yours will be spared."

The fisherman stopped here to say to the genius: "You see what passedbetween the Greek king and the physician has just passed between ustwo. The Greek king," he went on, "had no mercy on him, and theexecutioner bound his eyes."

All those present begged for his life, but in vain.

The physician on his knees, and bound, said to the king: "At least letme put my affairs in order, and leave my books to persons who will makegood use of them. There is one which I should like to present to yourmajesty. It is very precious, and ought to be kept carefully in yourtreasury. It contains many curious things the chief being that whenyou cut off my head, if your majesty will turn to the sixth leaf, andread the third line of the left-hand page, my head will answer all thequestions you like to ask it."

The king, eager to see such a wonderful thing, put off his execution tothe next day, and sent him under a strong guard to his house. Therethe physician put his affairs in order, and the next day there was agreat crowd assembled in the hall to see his death, and the doingsafter it. The physician went up to the foot of the throne with a largebook in his hand. He carried a basin, on which he spread the coveringof the book, and presenting it to the king, said: "Sire, take thisbook, and when my head is cut off, let it be placed in the basin on thecovering of this book; as soon as it is there, the blood will cease toflow. Then open the book, and my head will answer your questions.But, sire, I implore your mercy, for I am innocent."

"Your prayers are useless, and if it were only to hear your head speakwhen you are dead, you should die."

So saying, he took the book from the physician's hands, and ordered theexecutioner to do his duty.

The head was so cleverly cut off that it fell into the basin, anddirectly the blood ceased to flow. Then, to the great astonishment ofthe king, the eyes opened, and the head said, "Your majesty, open thebook." The king did so, and finding that the first leaf stuck againstthe second, he put his finger in his mouth, to turn it more easily. Hedid the same thing till he reached the sixth page, and not seeing anywriting on it, "Physician," he said, "there is no writing."

"Turn over a few more pages," answered the head. The king went onturning, still putting his finger in his mouth, till the poison inwhich each page was dipped took effect. His sight failed him, and hefell at the foot of his throne.

When the physician's head saw that the poison had taken effect, andthat the king had only a few more minutes to live, "Tyrant," it cried,"see how cruelty and injustice are punished."

Scarcely had it uttered these words than the king died, and the headlost also the little life that had remained in it.

That is the end of the story of the Greek king, and now let us returnto the fisherman and the genius.

"If the Greek king," said the fisherman, "had spared the physician, hewould not have thus died. The same thing applies to you. Now I amgoing to throw you into the sea."

"My friend," said the genius, "do not do such a cruel thing. Do nottreat me as Imma treated Ateca."

"What did Imma do to Ateca?" asked the fisherman.

"Do you think I can tell you while I am shut up in here?" replied thegenius. "Let me out, and I will make you rich."

The hope of being no longer poor made the fisherman give way.

"If you will give me your promise to do this, I will open the lid. Ido not think you will dare to break your word."

The genius promised, and the fisherman lifted the lid. He came out atonce in smoke, and then, having resumed his proper form, the firstthing he did was to kick the vase into the sea. This frightened thefisherman, but the genius laughed and said, "Do not be afraid; I onlydid it to frighten you, and to show you that I intend to keep my word;take your nets and follow me."

He began to walk in front of the fisherman, who followed him with somemisgivings. They passed in front of the town, and went up a mountainand then down into a great plain, where there was a large lake lyingbetween four hills.

When they reached the lake the genius said to the fisherman, "Throwyour nets and catch fish."

The fisherman did as he was told, hoping for a good catch, as he sawplenty of fish. What was his astonishment at seeing that there werefour quite different kinds, some white, some red, some blue, and someyellow. He caught four, one of each colour. As he had never seen anylike them he admired them very much, and he was very pleased to thinkhow much money he would get for them.

"Take these fish and carry them to the Sultan, who will give you moremoney for them than you have ever had in your life. You can come everyday to fish in this lake, but be careful not to throw your nets morethan once every day, otherwise some harm will happen to you. If youfollow my advice carefully you will find it good."

Saying these words, he struck his foot against the ground, whichopened, and when he had disappeared, it closed immediately.

The fisherman resolved to obey the genius exactly, so he did not casthis nets a second time, but walked into the town to sell his fish atthe palace.

When the Sultan saw the fish he was much astonished. He looked at themone after the other, and when he had admired them long enough, "Takethese fish," he said to his first vizir, "and given them to the clevercook the Emperor of the Greeks sent me. I think they must be as goodas they are beautiful."

The vizir took them himself to the cook, saying, "Here are four fishthat have been brought to the Sultan. He wants you to cook them."

Then he went back to the Sultan, who told him to give the fishermanfour hundred gold pieces. The fisherman, who had never beforepossessed such a large sum of money at once, could hardly believe hisgood fortune. He at once relieved the needs of his family, and madegood use of it.

But now we must return to the kitchen, which we shall find in greatconfusion. The cook, when she had cleaned the fish, put them in a panwith some oil to fry them. When she thought them cooked enough on oneside she turned them on the other. But scarcely had she done so whenthe walls of the kitchen opened, and there came out a young andbeautiful damsel. She was dressed in an Egyptian dress of floweredsatin, and she wore earrings, and a necklace of white pearls, andbracelets of gold set with rubies, and she held a wand of myrtle in herhand.

She went up to the pan, to the great astonishment of the cook, whostood motionless at the sight of her. She struck one of the fish withher rod, "Fish, fish," said she, "are you doing your duty?" The fishanswered nothing, and then she repeated her question, whereupon theyall raised their heads together and answered very distinctly, "Yes,yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you pay your debts, we pay ours.If you fly, we conquer, and we are content."

When they had spoken the girl upset the pan, and entered the opening inthe wall, which at once closed, and appeared the same as before.

When the cook had recovered from her fright she lifted up the fishwhich had fallen into the ashes, but she found them as black ascinders, and not fit to serve up to the Sultan. She began to cry.

"Alas! what shall I say to the Sultan? He will be so angry with me,and I know he will not believe me!"

Whilst she was crying the grand-vizir came in and asked if the fishwere ready. She told him all that had happened, and he was muchsurprised. He sent at once for the fisherman, and when he came said tohim, "Fisherman, bring me four more fish like you have brought already,for an accident has happened to them so that they cannot be served upto the Sultan."

The fisherman did not say what the genius had told him, but he excusedhimself from bringing them that day on account of the length of theway, and he promised to bring them next day.

In the night he went to the lake, cast his nets, and on drawing them infound four fish, which were like the others, each of a different colour.

He went back at once and carried them to the grand-vizir as he hadpromised.

He then took them to the kitchen and shut himself up with the cook, whobegan to cook them as she had done the four others on the previous day.When she was about to turn them on the other side, the wall opened, thedamsel appeared, addressed the same words to the fish, received thesame answer, and then overturned the pan and disappeared.

The grand-vizir was filled with astonishment. "I shall tell the Sultanall that has happened," said he. And he did so.

The Sultan was very much astounded, and wished to see this marvel forhimself. So he sent for the fisherman, and asked him to procure fourmore fish. The fisherman asked for three days, which were granted, andhe then cast his nets in the lake, and again caught four differentcoloured fish. The sultan was delighted to see he had got them, andgave him again four hundred gold pieces.

As soon as the Sultan had the fish he had them carried to his room withall that was needed to cook them.

Then he shut himself up with the grand-vizir, who began to prepare themand cook them. When they were done on one side he turned them over onthe other. Then the wall of the room opened, but instead of the maidena black slave came out. He was enormously tall, and carried a largegreen stick with which he touched the fish, saying in a terrible voice,"Fish, fish, are you doing your duty?" To these words the fish liftingup their heads replied, "Yes, yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If youpay your debts, we pay ours. If you fly, we conquer, and are content."

The black slave overturned the pan in the middle of the room, and thefish were turned to cinders. Then he stepped proudly back into thewall, which closed round him.

"After having seen this," said the Sultan, "I cannot rest. These fishsignify some mystery I must clear up."

He sent for the fisherman. "Fisherman," he said, "the fish you havebrought us have caused me some anxiety. Where did you get them from?"

"Sire," he answered, "I got them from a lake which lies in the middleof four hills beyond yonder mountains."

"Do you know this lake?" asked the Sultan of the grand-vizir.

"No; though I have hunted many times round that mountain, I have neverheard of it," said the vizir.

As the fisherman said it was only three hours' journey away, the sultanordered his whole court to mount and ride thither, and the fishermanled them.

They climbed the mountain, and then, on the other side, saw the lake asthe fisherman had described. The water was so clear that they couldsee the four kinds of fish swimming about in it. They looked at themfor some time, and then the Sultan ordered them to make a camp by theedge of the water.

When night came the Sultan called his vizir, and said to him, "I haveresolved to clear up this mystery. I am going out alone, and do youstay here in my tent, and when my ministers come to-morrow, say I amnot well, and cannot see them. Do this each day till I return."

The grand-vizir tried to persuade the Sultan not to go, but in vain.The Sultan took off his state robe and put on his sword, and when hesaw all was quiet in the camp he set forth alone.

He climbed one of the hills, and then crossed the great plain, till,just as the sun rose, he beheld far in front of him a large building.When he came near to it he saw it was a splendid palace of beautifulblack polished marble, covered with steel as smooth as a mirror.

He went to the gate, which stood half open, and went in, as nobody camewhen he knocked. He passed through a magnificent courtyard and stillsaw no one, though he called aloud several times.

He entered large halls where the carpets were of silk, the lounges andsofas covered with tapestry from Mecca, and the hangings of the mostbeautiful Indian stuffs of gold and silver. Then he found himself in asplendid room, with a fountain supported by golden lions. The waterout of the lions' mouths turned into diamonds and pearls, and theleaping water almost touched a most beautifully-painted dome. Thepalace was surrounded on three sides by magnificent gardens, littlelakes, and woods. Birds sang in the trees, which were netted over tokeep them always there.

Still the Sultan saw no one, till he heard a plaintive cry, and a voicewhich said, "Oh that I could die, for I am too unhappy to wish to liveany longer!"

The Sultan looked round to discover who it was who thus bemoaned hisfate, and at last saw a handsome young man, richly clothed, who wassitting on a throne raised slightly from the ground. His face was verysad.

The sultan approached him and bowed to him. The young man bent hishead very low, but did not rise.

"Sire," he said to the Sultan, "I cannot rise and do you the reverencethat I am sure should be paid to your rank."

"Sir," answered the Sultan, "I am sure you have a good reason for notdoing so, and having heard your cry of distress, I am come to offer youmy help. Whose is this palace, and why is it thus empty?"

Instead of answering the young man lifted up his robe, and showed theSultan that, from the waist downwards, he was a block of black marble.

The Sultan was horrified, and begged the young man to tell him hisstory.

"Willingly I will tell you my sad history," said the young man.

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

You must know, sire, that my father was Mahmoud, the king of thiscountry, the Black Isles, so called from the four little mountainswhich were once islands, while the capital was the place where now thegreat lake lies. My story will tell you how these changes came about.

My father died when he was sixty-six, and I succeeded him. I marriedmy cousin, whom I loved tenderly, and I thought she loved me too.

But one afternoon, when I was half asleep, and was being fanned by twoof her maids, I heard one say to the other, "What a pity it is that ourmistress no longer loves our master! I believe she would like to killhim if she could, for she is an enchantress."

I soon found by watching that they were right, and when I mortallywounded a favourite slave of hers for a great crime, she begged thatshe might build a palace in the garden, where she wept and bewailed himfor two years.

At last I begged her to cease grieving for him, for although he couldnot speak or move, by her enchantments she just kept him alive. Sheturned upon me in a rage, and said over me some magic words, and Iinstantly became as you see me now, half man and half marble.

Then this wicked enchantress changed the capital, which was a verypopulous and flourishing city, into the lake and desert plain you saw.The fish of four colours which are in it are the different races wholived in the town; the four hills are the four islands which give thename to my kingdom. All this the enchantress told me to add to mytroubles. And this is not all. Every day she comes and beats me witha whip of buffalo hide.

When the young king had finished his sad story he burst once more intotears, and the Sultan was much moved.

"Tell me," he cried, "where is this wicked woman, and where is themiserable object of her affection, whom she just manages to keep alive?"

"Where she lives I do not know," answered the unhappy prince, "but shegoes every day at sunrise to see if the slave can yet speak to her,after she has beaten me."

"Unfortunate king," said the Sultan, "I will do what I can to avengeyou."

So he consulted with the young king over the best way to bring thisabout, and they agreed their plan should be put in effect the next day.The Sultan then rested, and the young king gave himself up to happyhopes of release. The next day the Sultan arose, and then went to thepalace in the garden where the black slave was. He drew his sword anddestroyed the little life that remained in him, and then threw the bodydown a well. He then lay down on the couch where the slave had been,and waited for the enchantress.

She went first to the young king, whom she beat with a hundred blows.

Then she came to the room where she thought her wounded slave was, butwhere the Sultan really lay.

She came near his couch and said, "Are you better to-day, my dearslave? Speak but one word to me."

"How can I be better," answered the Sultan, imitating the language ofthe Ethiopians, "when I can never sleep for the cries and groans ofyour husband?"

"What joy to hear you speak!" answered the queen. "Do you wish him toregain his proper shape?"

"Yes," said the Sultan; "hasten to set him at liberty, so that I may nolonger hear his cries."

The queen at once went out and took a cup of water, and said over itsome words that made it boil as if it were on the fire. Then she threwit over the prince, who at once regained his own form. He was filledwith joy, but the enchantress said, "Hasten away from this place andnever come back, lest I kill you."

So he hid himself to see the end of the Sultan's plan.

The enchantress went back to the Palace of Tears and said, "Now I havedone what you wished."

"What you have done," said the Sultan, "is not enough to cure me.Every day at midnight all the people whom you have changed into fishlift their heads out of the lake and cry for vengeance. Go quickly,and give them their proper shape."

The enchantress hurried away and said some words over the lake.

The fish then became men, women, and children, and the houses and shopswere once more filled. The Sultan's suite, who had encamped by thelake, were not a little astonished to see themselves in the middle of alarge and beautiful town.

As soon as she had disenchanted it the queen went back to the palace.

"Are you quite well now?" she said.

"Come near," said the Sultan. "Nearer still."

She obeyed. Then he sprang up, and with one blow of his sword he cuther in two.

Then he went and found the prince.

"Rejoice," he said, "your cruel enemy is dead."

The prince thanked him again and again.

"And now," said the Sultan. "I will go back to my capital, which I amglad to find is so near yours."

"So near mine!" said the King of the Black Isles.

"Do you know it is a whole year's journey from here? You came here ina few hours because it was enchanted. But I will accompany you on yourjourney."

"It will give me much pleasure if you will escort me," said the Sultan,"and as I have no children, I will make you my heir."

The Sultan and the prince set out together, the Sultan laden with richpresents from the King of the Black Isles.

The day after he reached his capital the Sultan assembled his court andtold them all that had befallen him, and told them how he intended toadopt the young king as his heir.

Then he gave each man presents in proportion to his rank.

As for the fisherman, as he was the first cause of the deliverance ofthe young prince, the Sultan gave him much money, and made him and hisfamily happy for the rest of their days.

The Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,
and of Five Ladies of Bagdad

In the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived at Bagdad aporter who, in spite of his humble calling, was an intelligent andsensible man. One morning he was sitting in his usual place with hisbasket before him, waiting to be hired, when a tall young lady, coveredwith a long muslin veil, came up to him and said, "Pick up your basketand follow me." The porter, who was greatly pleased by her appearanceand voice, jumped up at once, poised his basket on his head, andaccompanied the lady, saying to himself as he went, "Oh, happy day!Oh, lucky meeting!"

The lady soon stopped before a closed door, at which she knocked. Itwas opened by an old man with a long white beard, to whom the lady heldout money without speaking. The old man, who seemed to understand whatshe wanted, vanished into the house, and returned bringing a large jarof wine, which the porter placed in his basket. Then the lady signedto him to follow, and they went their way.

The next place she stopped at was a fruit and flower shop, and here shebought a large quantity of apples, apricots, peaches, and other things,with lilies, jasmine, and all sorts of sweet-smelling plants. Fromthis shop she went to a butcher's, a grocer's, and a poulterer's, tillat last the porter exclaimed in despair, "My good lady, if you had onlytold me you were going to buy enough provisions to stock a town, Iwould have brought a horse, or rather a camel." The lady laughed, andtold him she had not finished yet, but after choosing various kinds ofscents and spices from a druggist's store, she halted before amagnificent palace, at the door of which she knocked gently. Theporteress who opened it was of such beauty that the eyes of the manwere quite dazzled, and he was the more astonished as he saw clearlythat she was no slave. The lady who had led him hither stood watchinghim with amusement, till the porteress exclaimed, "Why don't you comein, my sister? This poor man is so heavily weighed down that he isready to drop."

When they were both inside the door was fastened, and they all threeentered a large court, surrounded by an open-work gallery. At one endof the court was a platform, and on the platform stood an amber thronesupported by four ebony columns, garnished with pearls and diamonds.In the middle of the court stood a marble basin filled with water fromthe mouth of a golden lion.

The porter looked about him, noticing and admiring everything; but hisattention was specially attracted by a third lady sitting on thethrone, who was even more beautiful than the other two. By the respectshown to her by the others, he judged that she must be the eldest, andin this he was right. This lady's name was Zobeida, the porteress wasSadie, and the housekeeper was Amina. At a word from Zobeida, Sadieand Amina took the basket from the porter, who was glad enough to berelieved from its weight; and when it was emptied, paid him handsomelyfor its use. But instead of taking up his basket and going away, theman still lingered, till Zobeida inquired what he was waiting for, andif he expected more money. "Oh, madam," returned he, "you have alreadygiven me too much, and I fear I may have been guilty of rudeness in nottaking my departure at once. But, if you will pardon my saying so, Iwas lost in astonishment at seeing such beautiful ladies by themselves.A company of women without men is, however, as dull as a company of menwithout women." And after telling some stories to prove his point, heended by entreating them to let him stay and make a fourth at theirdinner.

The ladies were rather amused at the man's assurances and after somediscussion it was agreed that he should be allowed to stay, as hissociety might prove entertaining. "But listen, friend," said Zobeida,"if we grant your request, it is only on condition that you behave withthe utmost politeness, and that you keep the secret of our way ofliving, which chance has revealed to you." Then they all sat down totable, which had been covered by Amina with the dishes she had bought.

After the first few mouthfuls Amina poured some wine into a golden cup.She first drank herself, according to the Arab custom, and then filledit for her sisters. When it came to the porter's turn he kissedAmina's hand, and sang a song, which he composed at the moment inpraise of the wine. The three ladies were pleased with the song, andthen sang themselves, so that the repast was a merry one, and lastedmuch longer than usual.

At length, seeing that the sun was about to set, Sadia said to theporter, "Rise and go; it is now time for us to separate."

"Oh, madam," replied he, "how can you desire me to quit you in thestate in which I am? Between the wine I have drunk, and the pleasureof seeing you, I should never find the way to my house. Let me remainhere till morning, and when I have recovered my senses I will go whenyou like."

"Let him stay," said Amina, who had before proved herself his friend."It is only just, as he has given us so much amusement."

"If you wish it, my sister," replied Zobeida; "but if he does, I mustmake a new condition. Porter," she continued, turning to him, "if youremain, you must promise to ask no questions about anything you maysee. If you do, you may perhaps hear what you don't like."

This being settled, Amina brought in supper, and lit up the hall with anumber of sweet smelling tapers. They then sat down again at thetable, and began with fresh appetites to eat, drink, sing, and reciteverses. In fact, they were all enjoying themselves mightily when theyheard a knock at the outer door, which Sadie rose to open. She soonreturned saying that three Calenders, all blind in the right eye, andall with their heads, faces, and eyebrows clean shaved, begged foradmittance, as they were newly arrived in Bagdad, and night had alreadyfallen. "They seem to have pleasant manners," she added, "but you haveno idea how funny they look. I am sure we should find their companydiverting."

Zobeida and Amina made some difficulty about admitting the new comers,and Sadie knew the reason of their hesitation. But she urged thematter so strongly that Zobeida was at last forced to consent. "Bringthem in, then," said she, "but make them understand that they are notto make remarks about what does not concern them, and be sure to makethem read the inscription over the door." For on the door was writtenin letters of gold, "Whoso meddles in affairs that are no business ofhis, will hear truths that will not please him."

The three Calenders bowed low on entering, and thanked the ladies fortheir kindness and hospitality. The ladies replied with words ofwelcome, and they were all about to seat themselves when the eyes ofthe Calenders fell on the porter, whose dress was not so very unliketheir own, though he still wore all the hair that nature had given him."This," said one of them, "is apparently one of our Arab brothers, whohas rebelled against our ruler."

The porter, although half asleep from the wine he had drunk, heard thewords, and without moving cried angrily to the Calender, "Sit down andmind your own business. Did you not read the inscription over thedoor? Everybody is not obliged to live in the same way."

"Do not be so angry, my good man," replied the Calender; "we should bevery sorry to displease you;" so the quarrel was smoothed over, andsupper began in good earnest. When the Calenders had satisfied theirhunger, they offered to play to their hostesses, if there were anyinstruments in the house. The ladies were delighted at the idea, andSadie went to see what she could find, returning in a few moments ladenwith two different kinds of flutes and a tambourine. Each Calendertook the one he preferred, and began to play a well-known air, whilethe ladies sang the words of the song. These words were the gayest andliveliest possible, and every now and then the singers had to stop toindulge the laughter which almost choked them. In the midst of alltheir noise, a knock was heard at the door.

Now early that evening the Caliph secretly left the palace, accompaniedby his grand-vizir, Giafar, and Mesrour, chief of the eunuchs, allthree wearing the dresses of merchants. Passing down the street, theCaliph had been attracted by the music of instruments and the sound oflaughter, and had ordered his vizir to go and knock at the door of thehouse, as he wished to enter. The vizir replied that the ladies wholived there seemed to be entertaining their friends, and he thought hismaster would do well not to intrude on them; but the Caliph had takenit into his head to see for himself, and insisted on being obeyed.

The knock was answered by Sadie, with a taper in her hand, and thevizir, who was surprised at her beauty, bowed low before her, and saidrespectfully, "Madam, we are three merchants who have lately arrivedfrom Moussoul, and, owing to a misadventure which befel us this verynight, only reached our inn to find that the doors were closed to ustill to-morrow morning. Not knowing what to do, we wandered in thestreets till we happened to pass your house, when, seeing lights andhearing the sound of voices, we resolved to ask you to give us sheltertill the dawn. If you will grant us this favour, we will, with yourpermission, do all in our power to help you spend the time pleasantly."

Sadie answered the merchant that she must first consult her sisters;and after having talked over the matter with them, she returned to tellhim that he and his two friends would be welcome to join their company.They entered and bowed politely to the ladies and their guests. ThenZobeida, as the mistress, came forward and said gravely, "You arewelcome here, but I hope you will allow me to beg one thing ofyou--have as many eyes as you like, but no tongues; and ask noquestions about anything you see, however strange it may appear to you."

"Madam," returned the vizir, "you shall be obeyed. We have quiteenough to please and interest us without troubling ourselves about thatwith which we have no concern." Then they all sat down, and drank tothe health of the new comers.

While the vizir, Giafar, was talking to the ladies the Caliph wasoccupied in wondering who they could be, and why the three Calendershad each lost his right eye. He was burning to inquire the reason ofit all, but was silenced by Zobeida's request, so he tried to rousehimself and to take his part in the conversation, which was verylively, the subject of discussion being the many different sorts ofpleasures that there were in the world. After some time the Calendersgot up and performed some curious dances, which delighted the rest ofthe company.

When they had finished Zobeida rose from her seat, and, taking Amina bythe hand, she said to her, "My sister, our friends will excuse us if weseem to forget their presence and fulfil our nightly task." Aminaunderstood her sister's meaning, and collecting the dishes, glasses,and musical instruments, she carried them away, while Sadie swept thehall and put everything in order. Having done this she begged theCalenders to sit on a sofa on one side of the room, and the Caliph andhis friends to place themselves opposite. As to the porter, sherequested him to come and help her and her sister.

Shortly after Amina entered carrying a seat, which she put down in themiddle of the empty space. She next went over to the door of a closetand signed to the porter to follow her. He did so, and soon reappearedleading two black dogs by a chain, which he brought into the centre ofthe hall. Zobeida then got up from her seat between the Calenders andthe Caliph and walked slowly across to where the porter stood with thedogs. "We must do our duty," she said with a deep sigh, pushing backher sleeves, and, taking a whip from Sadie, she said to the man, "Takeone of those dogs to my sister Amina and give me the other."

The porter did as he was bid, but as he led the dog to Zobeida ituttered piercing howls, and gazed up at her with looks of entreaty.But Zobeida took no notice, and whipped the dog till she was out ofbreath. She then took the chain from the porter, and, raising the dogon its hind legs, they looked into each other's eyes sorrowfully tilltears began to fall from both. Then Zobeida took her handkerchief andwiped the dog's eyes tenderly, after which she kissed it, then, puttingthe chain into the porter's hand she said, "Take it back to the closetand bring me the other."

The same ceremony was gone through with the second dog, and all thewhile the whole company looked on with astonishment. The Caliph inparticular could hardly contain himself, and made signs to the vizir toask what it all meant. But the vizir pretended not to see, and turnedhis head away.

Zobeida remained for some time in the middle of the room, till at lastSadie went up to her and begged her to sit down, as she also had herpart to play. At these words Amina fetched a lute from a case ofyellow satin and gave it to Sadie, who sang several songs to itsaccompaniment. When she was tired she said to Amina, "My sister, I cando no more; come, I pray you, and take my place."

Amina struck a few chords and then broke into a song, which she sangwith so much ardour that she was quite overcome, and sank gasping on apile of cushions, tearing open her dress as she did so to give herselfsome air. To the amazement of all present, her neck, instead of beingas smooth and white as her face, was a mass of scars.

The Calenders and the Caliph looked at each other, and whisperedtogether, unheard by Zobeida and Sadie, who were tending their faintingsister.

"What does it all mean?' asked the Caliph.

"We know no more than you," said the Calender to whom he had spoken.

"What! You do not belong to the house?"

"My lord," answered all the Calenders together, "we came here for thefirst time an hour before you."

They then turned to the porter to see if he could explain the mystery,but the porter was no wiser than they were themselves. At length theCaliph could contain his curiosity no longer, and declared that hewould compel the ladies to tell them the meaning of their strangeconduct. The vizir, foreseeing what would happen, implored him toremember the condition their hostesses had imposed, and added in awhisper that if his Highness would only wait till morning he could asCaliph summon the ladies to appear before him. But the Caliph, who wasnot accustomed to be contradicted, rejected this advice, and it wasresolved after a little more talking that the question should be put bythe porter. Suddenly Zobeida turned round, and seeing their excitementshe said, "What is the matter--what are you all discussing soearnestly?"

"Madam," answered the porter, "these gentlemen entreat you to explainto them why you should first whip the dogs and then cry over them, andalso how it happens that the fainting lady is covered with scars. Theyhave requested me, Madam, to be their mouthpiece."

"Is it true, gentlemen," asked Zobeida, drawing herself up, "that youhave charged this man to put me that question?"

"It is," they all replied, except Giafar, who was silent.

"Is this," continued Zobeida, growing more angry every moment, "is thisthe return you make for the hospitality I have shown you? Have youforgotten the one condition on which you were allowed to enter thehouse? Come quickly," she added, clapping her hands three times, andthe words were hardly uttered when seven black slaves, each armed witha sabre, burst in and stood over the seven men, throwing them on theground, and preparing themselves, on a sign from their mistress, to cutoff their heads.

The seven culprits all thought their last hour had come, and the Caliphrepented bitterly that he had not taken the vizir's advice. But theymade up their minds to die bravely, all except the porter, who loudlyinquired of Zobeida why he was to suffer for other people's faults, anddeclared that these misfortunes would never have happened if it had notbeen for the Calenders, who always brought ill-luck. He ended byimploring Zobeida not to confound the innocent with the guilty and tospare his life.

In spite of her anger, there was something so comic in the groans ofthe porter that Zobeida could not refrain from laughing. But puttinghim aside she addressed the others a second time, saying, "Answer me;who are you? Unless you tell me truly you have not another moment tolive. I can hardly think you are men of any position, whatever countryyou belong to. If you were, you would have had more consideration forus."

The Caliph, who was naturally very impatient, suffered far more thaneither of the others at feeling that his life was at the mercy of ajustly offended lady, but when he heard her question he began tobreathe more freely, for he was convinced that she had only to learnhis name and rank for all danger to be over. So he whispered hastilyto the vizir, who was next to him, to reveal their secret. But thevizir, wiser than his master, wished to conceal from the public theaffront they had received, and merely answered, "After all, we haveonly got what we deserved."

Meanwhile Zobeida had turned to the three Calenders and inquired if, asthey were all blind, they were brothers.

"No, madam," replied one, "we are no blood relations at all, onlybrothers by our mode of life."

"And you," she asked, addressing another, "were you born blind of oneeye?"

"No, madam," returned he, "I became blind through a most surprisingadventure, such as probably has never happened to anybody. After thatI shaved my head and eyebrows and put on the dress in which you see menow."

Zobeida put the same question to the other two Calenders, and receivedthe same answer.

"But," added the third, "it may interest you, madam, to know that weare not men of low birth, but are all three sons of kings, and ofkings, too, whom the world holds in high esteem."

At these words Zobeida's anger cooled down, and she turned to herslaves and said, "You can give them a little more liberty, but do notleave the hall. Those that will tell us their histories and theirreasons for coming here shall be allowed to leave unhurt; those whorefuse--" And she paused, but in a moment the porter, who understoodthat he had only to relate his story to set himself free from thisterrible danger, immediately broke in,

"Madam, you know already how I came here, and what I have to say willsoon be told. Your sister found me this morning in the place where Ialways stand waiting to be hired. She bade me follow her to variousshops, and when my basket was quite full we returned to this house,when you had the goodness to permit me to remain, for which I shall beeternally grateful. That is my story."

He looked anxiously to Zobeida, who nodded her head and said, "You cango; and take care we never meet again."

"Oh, madam," cried the porter, "let me stay yet a little while. It isnot just that the others should have heard my story and that I shouldnot hear theirs," and without waiting for permission he seated himselfon the end of the sofa occupied by the ladies, whilst the rest crouchedon the carpet, and the slaves stood against the wall.

Then one of the Calenders, addressing himself to Zobeida as theprincipal lady, began his story.

The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King

In order, madam, to explain how I came to lose my right eye, and towear the dress of a Calender, you must first know that I am the son ofa king. My father's only brother reigned over the neighbouringcountry, and had two children, a daughter and a son, who were of thesame age as myself.

As I grew up, and was allowed more liberty, I went every year to pay avisit to my uncle's court, and usually stayed there about two months.In this way my cousin and I became very intimate, and were muchattached to each other. The very last time I saw him he seemed moredelighted to see me than ever, and gave a great feast in my honour.When we had finished eating, he said to me, "My cousin, you would neverguess what I have been doing since your last visit to us! Directlyafter your departure I set a number of men to work on a building aftermy own design. It is now completed, and ready to be lived in. Ishould like to show it to you, but you must first swear two things: tobe faithful to me, and to keep my secret."

Of course I did not dream of refusing him anything he asked, and gavethe promise without the least hesitation. He then bade me wait aninstant, and vanished, returning in a few moments with a richly dressedlady of great beauty, but as he did not tell me her name, I thought itwas better not to inquire. We all three sat down to table and amusedourselves with talking of all sorts of indifferent things, and withdrinking each other's health. Suddenly the prince said to me, "Cousin,we have no time to lose; be so kind as to conduct this lady to acertain spot, where you will find a dome-like tomb, newly built. Youcannot mistake it. Go in, both of you, and wait till I come. I shallnot be long."

As I had promised I prepared to do as I was told, and giving my hand tothe lady, I escorted her, by the light of the moon, to the place ofwhich the prince had spoken. We had barely reached it when he joinedus himself, carrying a small vessel of water, a pickaxe, and a littlebag containing plaster.

With the pickaxe he at once began to destroy the empty sepulchre in themiddle of the tomb. One by one he took the stones and piled them up ina corner. When he had knocked down the whole sepulchre he proceeded todig at the earth, and beneath where the sepulchre had been I saw atrap-door. He raised the door and I caught sight of the top of a spiralstaircase; then he said, turning to the lady, "Madam, this is the waythat will lead you down to the spot which I told you of."

The lady did not answer, but silently descended the staircase, theprince following her. At the top, however, he looked at me. "Mycousin," he exclaimed, "I do not know how to thank you for yourkindness. Farewell."

"What do you mean?" I cried. "I don't understand."

"No matter," he replied, "go back by the path that you came."

He would say no more, and, greatly puzzled, I returned to my room inthe palace and went to bed. When I woke, and considered my adventure,I thought that I must have been dreaming, and sent a servant to ask ifthe prince was dressed and could see me. But on hearing that he hadnot slept at home I was much alarmed, and hastened to the cemetery,where, unluckily, the tombs were all so alike that I could not discoverwhich was the one I was in search of, though I spent four days inlooking for it.

You must know that all this time the king, my uncle, was absent on ahunting expedition, and as no one knew when he would be back, I at lastdecided to return home, leaving the ministers to make my excuses. Ilonged to tell them what had become of the prince, about whose fatethey felt the most dreadful anxiety, but the oath I had sworn kept mesilent.

On my arrival at my father's capital, I was astonished to find a largedetachment of guards drawn up before the gate of the palace; theysurrounded me directly I entered. I asked the officers in command thereason of this strange behaviour, and was horrified to learn that thearmy had mutinied and put to death the king, my father, and had placedthe grand-vizir on the throne. Further, that by his orders I wasplaced under arrest.

Now this rebel vizir had hated me from my boy-hood, because once, whenshooting at a bird with a bow, I had shot out his eye by accident. Ofcourse I not only sent a servant at once to offer him my regrets andapologies, but I made them in person. It was all of no use. Hecherished an undying hatred towards me, and lost no occasion of showingit. Having once got me in his power I felt he could show no mercy, andI was right. Mad with triumph and fury he came to me in my prison andtore out my right eye. That is how I lost it.

My persecutor, however, did not stop here. He shut me up in a largecase and ordered his executioner to carry me into a desert place, tocut off my head, and then to abandon my body to the birds of prey. Thecase, with me inside it, was accordingly placed on a horse, and theexecutioner, accompanied by another man, rode into the country untilthey found a spot suitable for the purpose. But their hearts were notso hard as they seemed, and my tears and prayers made them waver.

"Forsake the kingdom instantly," said the executioner at last, "andtake care never to come back, for you will not only lose your head, butmake us lose ours." I thanked him gratefully, and tried to consolemyself for the loss of my eye by thinking of the other misfortunes Ihad escaped.

After all I had gone through, and my fear of being recognised by someenemy, I could only travel very slowly and cautiously, generallyresting in some out-of-the-way place by day, and walking as far as Iwas able by night, but at length I arrived in the kingdom of my uncle,of whose protection I was sure.

I found him in great trouble about the disappearance of his son, whohad, he said, vanished without leaving a trace; but his own grief didnot prevent him sharing mine. We mingled our tears, for the loss ofone was the loss of the other, and then I made up my mind that it wasmy duty to break the solemn oath I had sworn to the prince. Itherefore lost no time in telling my uncle everything I knew, and Iobserved that even before I had ended his sorrow appeared to belightened a little.

"My dear nephew," he said, "your story gives me some hope. I was awarethat my son was building a tomb, and I think I can find the spot. Butas he wished to keep the matter secret, let us go alone and seek theplace ourselves."

He then bade me disguise myself, and we both slipped out of a gardendoor which opened on to the cemetery. It did not take long for us toarrive at the scene of the prince's disappearance, or to discover thetomb I had sought so vainly before. We entered it, and found thetrap-door which led to the staircase, but we had great difficulty inraising it, because the prince had fastened it down underneath with theplaster he had brought with him.

My uncle went first, and I followed him. When we reached the bottom ofthe stairs we stepped into a sort of ante-room, filled with such adense smoke that it was hardly possible to see anything. However, wepassed through the smoke into a large chamber, which at first seemedquite empty. The room was brilliantly lighted, and in another momentwe perceived a sort of platform at one end, on which were the bodies ofthe prince and a lady, both half-burned, as if they had been draggedout of a fire before it had quite consumed them.

This horrible sight turned me faint, but, to my surprise, my uncle didnot show so much surprise as anger.

"I knew," he said, "that my son was tenderly attached to this lady,whom it was impossible he should ever marry. I tried to turn histhoughts, and presented to him the most beautiful princesses, but hecared for none of them, and, as you see, they have now been united by ahorrible death in an underground tomb." But, as he spoke, his angermelted into tears, and again I wept with him.

When he recovered himself he drew me to him. "My dear nephew," hesaid, embracing me, "you have come to me to take his place, and I willdo my best to forget that I ever had a son who could act in so wicked amanner." Then he turned and went up the stairs.

We reached the palace without anyone having noticed our absence, when,shortly after, a clashing of drums, and cymbals, and the blare oftrumpets burst upon our astonished ears. At the same time a thickcloud of dust on the horizon told of the approach of a great army. Myheart sank when I perceived that the commander was the vizir who haddethroned my father, and was come to seize the kingdom of my uncle.

The capital was utterly unprepared to stand a siege, and seeing thatresistance was useless, at once opened its gates. My uncle fought hardfor his life, but was soon overpowered, and when he fell I managed toescape through a secret passage, and took refuge with an officer whom Iknew I could trust.

Persecuted by ill-fortune, and stricken with grief, there seemed to beonly one means of safety left to me. I shaved my beard and myeyebrows, and put on the dress of a calender, in which it was easy forme to travel without being known. I avoided the towns till I reachedthe kingdom of the famous and powerful Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, whenI had no further reason to fear my enemies. It was my intention tocome to Bagdad and to throw myself at the feet of his Highness, whowould, I felt certain, be touched by my sad story, and would grant me,besides, his help and protection.

After a journey which lasted some months I arrived at length at thegates of this city. It was sunset, and I paused for a little to lookabout me, and to decide which way to turn my steps. I was stilldebating on this subject when I was joined by this other calender, whostopped to greet me. "You, like me, appear to be a stranger," I said.He replied that I was right, and before he could say more the thirdcalender came up. He, also, was newly arrived in Bagdad, and beingbrothers in misfortune, we resolved to cast in our lots together, andto share whatever fate might have in store.

By this time it had grown late, and we did not know where to spend thenight. But our lucky star having guided us to this door, we took theliberty of knocking and of asking for shelter, which was given to us atonce with the best grace in the world.

This, madam, is my story.

"I am satisfied," replied Zobeida; "you can go when you like."

The calender, however, begged leave to stay and to hear the historiesof his two friends and of the three other persons of the company, whichhe was allowed to do.

The Story of the Second Calender, Son of a King

"Madam," said the young man, addressing Zobeida, "if you wish to knowhow I lost my right eye, I shall have to tell you the story of my wholelife."

I was scarcely more than a baby, when the king my father, finding meunusually quick and clever for my age, turned his thoughts to myeducation. I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn theKoran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better tounderstand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on itsteaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting theProphet, which have been gathered from the mouth of those who were hisfriends. I also learnt history, and was instructed in poetry,versification, geography, chronology, and in all the outdoor exercisesin which every prince should excel. But what I liked best of all waswriting Arabic characters, and in this I soon surpassed my masters, andgained a reputation in this branch of knowledge that reached as far asIndia itself.

Now the Sultan of the Indies, curious to see a young prince with suchstrange tastes, sent an ambassador to my father, laden with richpresents, and a warm invitation to visit his court. My father, who wasdeeply anxious to secure the friendship of so powerful a monarch, andheld besides that a little travel would greatly improve my manners andopen my mind, accepted gladly, and in a short time I had set out forIndia with the ambassador, attended only by a small suite on account ofthe length of the journey, and the badness of the roads. However, aswas my duty, I took with me ten camels, laden with rich presents forthe Sultan.

We had been travelling for about a month, when one day we saw a cloudof dust moving swiftly towards us; and as soon as it came near, wefound that the dust concealed a band of fifty robbers. Our men barelynumbered half, and as we were also hampered by the camels, there was nouse in fighting, so we tried to overawe them by informing them who wewere, and whither we were going. The robbers, however, only laughed,and declared that was none of their business, and, without more words,attacked us brutally. I defended myself to the last, wounded though Iwas, but at length, seeing that resistance was hopeless, and that theambassador and all our followers were made prisoners, I put spurs to myhorse and rode away as fast as I could, till the poor beast fell deadfrom a wound in his side. I managed to jump off without any injury,and looked about to see if I was pursued. But for the moment I wassafe, for, as I imagined, the robbers were all engaged in quarrellingover their booty.

I found myself in a country that was quite new to me, and dared notreturn to the main road lest I should again fall into the hands of therobbers. Luckily my wound was only a slight one, and after binding itup as well as I could, I walked on for the rest of the day, till Ireached a cave at the foot of a mountain, where I passed the night inpeace, making my supper off some fruits I had gathered on the way.

I wandered about for a whole month without knowing where I was going,till at length I found myself on the outskirts of a beautiful city,watered by winding streams, which enjoyed an eternal spring. Mydelight at the prospect of mixing once more with human beings wassomewhat damped at the thought of the miserable object I must seem. Myface and hands had been burned nearly black; my clothes were all inrags, and my shoes were in such a state that I had been forced toabandon them altogether.

I entered the town, and stopped at a tailor's shop to inquire where Iwas. The man saw I was better than my condition, and begged me to sitdown, and in return I told him my whole story. The tailor listenedwith attention, but his reply, instead of giving me consolation, onlyincreased my trouble.

"Beware," he said, "of telling any one what you have told me, for theprince who governs the kingdom is your father's greatest enemy, and hewill be rejoiced to find you in his power."

I thanked the tailor for his counsel, and said I would do whatever headvised; then, being very hungry, I gladly ate of the food he putbefore me, and accepted his offer of a lodging in his house.

In a few days I had quite recovered from the hardships I had undergone,and then the tailor, knowing that it was the custom for the princes ofour religion to learn a trade or profession so as to provide forthemselves in times of ill-fortune, inquired if there was anything Icould do for my living. I replied that I had been educated as agrammarian and a poet, but that my great gift was writing.

"All that is of no use here," said the tailor. "Take my advice, put ona short coat, and as you seem hardy and strong, go into the woods andcut firewood, which you will sell in the streets. By this means youwill earn your living, and be able to wait till better times come. Thehatchet and the cord shall be my present."

This counsel was very distasteful to me, but I thought I could not dootherwise than adopt it. So the next morning I set out with a companyof poor wood-cutters, to whom the tailor had introduced me. Even onthe first day I cut enough wood to sell for a tolerable sum, and verysoon I became more expert, and had made enough money to repay thetailor all he had lent me.

I had been a wood-cutter for more than a year, when one day I wanderedfurther into the forest than I had ever done before, and reached adelicious green glade, where I began to cut wood. I was hacking at theroot of a tree, when I beheld an iron ring fastened to a trapdoor ofthe same metal. I soon cleared away the earth, and pulling up thedoor, found a staircase, which I hastily made up my mind to go down,carrying my hatchet with me by way of protection. When I reached thebottom I discovered that I was in a huge palace, as brilliantly lightedas any palace above ground that I had ever seen, with a long gallerysupported by pillars of jasper, ornamented with capitals of gold. Downthis gallery a lady came to meet me, of such beauty that I forgoteverything else, and thought only of her.

To save her all the trouble possible, I hastened towards her, and bowedlow.

"Who are you? Who are you?" she said. "A man or a genius?"

"A man, madam," I replied; "I have nothing to do with genii."

"By what accident do you come here?" she asked again with a sigh. "Ihave been in this place now for five and twenty years, and you are thefirst man who has visited me."

Emboldened by her beauty and gentleness, I ventured to reply, "Before,madam, I answer your question, allow me to say how grateful I am forthis meeting, which is not only a consolation to me in my own heavysorrow, but may perhaps enable me to render your lot happier," and thenI told her who I was, and how I had come there.

"Alas, prince," she said, with a deeper sigh than before, "you haveguessed rightly in supposing me an unwilling prisoner in this gorgeousplace. I am the daughter of the king of the Ebony Isle, of whose fameyou surely must have heard. At my father's desire I was married to aprince who was my own cousin; but on my very wedding day, I wassnatched up by a genius, and brought here in a faint. For a long whileI did nothing but weep, and would not suffer the genius to come nearme; but time teaches us submission, and I have now got accustomed tohis presence, and if clothes and jewels could content me, I have themin plenty. Every tenth day, for five and twenty years, I have receiveda visit from him, but in case I should need his help at any other time,I have only to touch a talisman that stands at the entrance of mychamber. It wants still five days to his next visit, and I hope thatduring that time you will do me the honour to be my guest."

I was too much dazzled by her beauty to dream of refusing her offer,and accordingly the princess had me conducted to the bath, and a richdress befitting my rank was provided for me. Then a feast of the mostdelicate dishes was served in a room hung with embroidered Indianfabrics.

Next day, when we were at dinner, I could maintain my patience nolonger, and implored the princess to break her bonds, and return withme to the world which was lighted by the sun.

"What you ask is impossible," she answered; "but stay here with meinstead, and we can be happy, and all you will have to do is to betakeyourself to the forest every tenth day, when I am expecting my masterthe genius. He is very jealous, as you know, and will not suffer a manto come near me."

"Princess," I replied, "I see it is only fear of the genius that makesyou act like this. For myself, I dread him so little that I mean tobreak his talisman in pieces! Awful though you think him, he shallfeel the weight of my arm, and I herewith take a solemn vow to stampout the whole race."

The princess, who realized the consequences of such audacity, entreatedme not to touch the talisman. "If you do, it will be the ruin of bothof us," said she; "I know genii much better than you." But the wine Ihad drunk had confused my brain; I gave one kick to the talisman, andit fell into a thousand pieces.

Hardly had my foot touched the talisman when the air became as dark asnight, a fearful noise was heard, and the palace shook to its veryfoundations. In an instant I was sobered, and understood what I haddone. "Princess!" I cried, "what is happening?"

"Alas!" she exclaimed, forgetting all her own terrors in anxiety forme, "fly, or you are lost."

I followed her advice and dashed up the staircase, leaving my hatchetbehind me. But I was too late. The palace opened and the geniusappeared, who, turning angrily to the princess, asked indignantly,

"What is the matter, that you have sent for me like this?"

"A pain in my heart," she replied hastily, "obliged me to seek the aidof this little bottle. Feeling faint, I slipped and fell against thetalisman, which broke. That is really all."

"You are an impudent liar!" cried the genius. "How did this hatchetand those shoes get here?"

"I never saw them before," she answered, "and you came in such a hurrythat you may have picked them up on the road without knowing it." Tothis the genius only replied by insults and blows. I could hear theshrieks and groans of the princess, and having by this time taken offmy rich garments and put on those in which I had arrived the previousday, I lifted the trap, found myself once more in the forest, andreturned to my friend the tailor, with a light load of wood and a heartfull of shame and sorrow.

The tailor, who had been uneasy at my long absence, was, delighted tosee me; but I kept silence about my adventure, and as soon as possibleretired to my room to lament in secret over my folly. While I was thusindulging my grief my host entered, and said, "There is an old mandownstairs who has brought your hatchet and slippers, which he pickedup on the road, and now restores to you, as he found out from one ofyour comrades where you lived. You had better come down and speak tohim yourself." At this speech I changed colour, and my legs trembledunder me. The tailor noticed my confusion, and was just going toinquire the reason when the door of the room opened, and the old manappeared, carrying with him my hatchet and shoes.

"I am a genius," he said, "the son of the daughter of Eblis, prince ofthe genii. Is not this hatchet yours, and these shoes?" Withoutwaiting for an answer--which, indeed, I could hardly have given him, sogreat was my fright--he seized hold of me, and darted up into the airwith the quickness of lightning, and then, with equal swiftness,dropped down towards the earth. When he touched the ground, he rappedit with his foot; it opened, and we found ourselves in the enchantedpalace, in the presence of the beautiful princess of the Ebony Isle.But how different she looked from what she was when I had last seenher, for she was lying stretched on the ground covered with blood, andweeping bitterly.

"Traitress!" cried the genius, "is not this man your lover?"

She lifted up her eyes slowly, and looked sadly at me. "I never sawhim before," she answered slowly. "I do not know who he is."

"What!" exclaimed the genius, "you owe all your sufferings to him, andyet you dare to say he is a stranger to you!"

"But if he really is a stranger to me," she replied, "why should I tella lie and cause his death?"

"Very well," said the genius, drawing his sword, "take this, and cutoff his head."

"Alas," answered the princess, "I am too weak even to hold the sabre.And supposing that I had the strength, why should I put an innocent manto death?"

"You condemn yourself by your refusal," said the genius; then turningto me, he added, "and you, do you not know her?"

"How should I?" I replied, resolved to imitate the princess in herfidelity. "How should I, when I never saw her before?"

"Cut her head off," then, "if she is a stranger to you, and I shallbelieve you are speaking the truth, and will set you at liberty."

"Certainly," I answered, taking the sabre in my hands, and making asign to the princess to fear nothing, as it was my own life that I wasabout to sacrifice, and not hers. But the look of gratitude she gaveme shook my courage, and I flung the sabre to the earth.

"I should not deserve to live," I said to the genius, "if I were such acoward as to slay a lady who is not only unknown to me, but who is atthis moment half dead herself. Do with me as you will--I am in yourpower--but I refuse to obey your cruel command."

"I see," said the genius, "that you have both made up your minds tobrave me, but I will give you a sample of what you may expect." Sosaying, with one sweep of his sabre he cut off a hand of the princess,who was just able to lift the other to wave me an eternal farewell.Then I lost consciousness for several minutes.

When I came to myself I implored the genius to keep me no longer inthis state of suspense, but to lose no time in putting an end to mysufferings. The genius, however, paid no attention to my prayers, butsaid sternly, "That is the way in which a genius treats the woman whohas betrayed him. If I chose, I could kill you also; but I will bemerciful, and content myself with changing you into a dog, an ass, alion, or a bird--whichever you prefer."

I caught eagerly at these words, as giving me a faint hope of softeninghis wrath. "O genius!" I cried, "as you wish to spare my life, begenerous, and spare it altogether. Grant my prayer, and pardon mycrime, as the best man in the whole world forgave his neighbour who waseaten up with envy of him." Contrary to my hopes, the genius seemedinterested in my words, and said he would like to hear the story of thetwo neighbours; and as I think, madam, it may please you, I will tellit to you also.

The Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied

In a town of moderate size, two men lived in neighbouring houses;but they had not been there very long before one man took such ahatred of the other, and envied him so bitterly, that the poor mandetermined to find another home, hoping that when they no longermet every day his enemy would forget all about him. So he soldhis house and the little furniture it contained, and moved intothe capital of the country, which was luckily at no great distance.About half a mile from this city he bought a nice little place,with a large garden and a fair-sized court, in the centre of whichstood an old well.

In order to live a quieter life, the good man put on the robeof a dervish, and divided his house into a quantity of small cells,where he soon established a number of other dervishes.The fame of his virtue gradually spread abroad, and many people,including several of the highest quality, came to visit him and askhis prayers.

Of course it was not long before his reputation reached the ears ofthe man who envied him, and this wicked wretch resolved never to resttill he had in some way worked ill to the dervish whom he hated.So he left his house and his business to look after themselves,and betook himself to the new dervish monastery, where he waswelcomed by the founder with all the warmth imaginable. The excusehe gave for his appearance was that he had come to consult thechief of the dervishes on a private matter of great importance."What I have to say must not be overheard," he whispered;"command, I beg of you, that your dervishes retire into their cells,as night is approaching, and meet me in the court."

The dervish did as he was asked without delay, and directly theywere alone together the envious man began to tell a long story,edging, as they walked to and fro, always nearer to the well, and whenthey were quite close, he seized the dervish and dropped him in.He then ran off triumphantly, without having been seen by anyone,and congratulating himself that the object of his hatred was dead,and would trouble him no more.

But in this he was mistaken! The old well had long been inhabited(unknown to mere human beings) by a set of fairies and genii,who caught the dervish as he fell, so that he received no hurt.The dervish himself could see nothing, but he took for granted thatsomething strange had happened, or he must certainly have been dashedagainst the side of the well and been killed. He lay quite still,and in a moment he heard a voice saying, "Can you guess whom this manis that we have saved from death?"

"No," replied several other voices.

And the first speaker answered, "I will tell you. This man,from pure goodness of heart, forsook the town where he lived andcame to dwell here, in the hope of curing one of his neighboursof the envy he felt towards him. But his character soon won himthe esteem of all, and the envious man's hatred grew, till hecame here with the deliberate intention of causing his death.And this he would have done, without our help, the very day beforethe Sultan has arranged to visit this holy dervish, and to entreathis prayers for the princess, his daughter."

"But what is the matter with the princess that she needsthe dervish's prayers?" asked another voice.

"She has fallen into the power of the genius Maimoum, the son of Dimdim,"replied the first voice. "But it would be quite simple for thisholy chief of the dervishes to cure her if he only knew! In hisconvent there is a black cat which has a tiny white tip to its tail.Now to cure the princess the dervish must pull out seven of thesewhite hairs, burn three, and with their smoke perfume the headof the princess. This will deliver her so completely that Maimoum,the son of Dimdim, will never dare to approach her again."

The fairies and genii ceased talking, but the dervish did not forgeta word of all they had said; and when morning came he perceiveda place in the side of the well which was broken, and where hecould easily climb out.

The dervishes, who could not imagine what had become of him,were enchanted at his reappearance. He told them of the attempt onhis life made by his guest of the previous day, and then retired intohis cell. He was soon joined here by the black cat of which the voicehad spoken, who came as usual to say good-morning to his master.He took him on his knee and seized the opportunity to pull sevenwhite hairs out of his tail, and put them on one side till theywere needed.

The sun had not long risen before the Sultan, who was anxiousto leave nothing undone that might deliver the princess,arrived with a large suite at the gate of the monastery,and was received by the dervishes with profound respect.The Sultan lost no time in declaring the object of his visit,and leading the chief of the dervishes aside, he said to him,"Noble scheik, you have guessed perhaps what I have come to ask you?"

"Yes, sire," answered the dervish; "if I am not mistaken, it isthe illness of the princess which has procured me this honour."

"You are right," returned the Sultan, "and you will give me freshlife if you can by your prayers deliver my daughter from the strangemalady that has taken possession of her."

"Let your highness command her to come here, and I will see what Ican do."

The Sultan, full of hope, sent orders at once that the princesswas to set out as soon as possible, accompanied by her usual staffof attendants. When she arrived, she was so thickly veiled thatthe dervish could not see her face, but he desired a brazier to beheld over her head, and laid the seven hairs on the burning coals.The instant they were consumed, terrific cries were heard,but no one could tell from whom they proceeded. Only the dervishguessed that they were uttered by Maimoum the son of Dimdim,who felt the princess escaping him.

All this time she had seemed unconscious of what she was doing,but now she raised her hand to her veil and uncovered her face."Where am I?" she said in a bewildered manner; "and how did Iget here?"

The Sultan was so delighted to hear these words that he not onlyembraced his daughter, but kissed the hand of the dervish.Then, turning to his attendants who stood round, he said to them,"What reward shall I give to the man who has restored me my daughter?"

They all replied with one accord that he deserved the handof the princess.

"That is my own opinion," said he, "and from this moment I declarehim to be my son-in-law."

Shortly after these events, the grand-vizir died, and his postwas given to the dervish. But he did not hold it for long, for theSultan fell a victim to an attack of illness, and as he had no sons,the soldiers and priests declared the dervish heir to the throne,to the great joy of all the people.

One day, when the dervish, who had now become Sultan, was makinga royal progress with his court, he perceived the envious man standingin the crowd. He made a sign to one of his vizirs, and whispered inhis ear, "Fetch me that man who is standing out there, but take greatcare not to frighten him." The vizir obeyed, and when the envious manwas brought before the Sultan, the monarch said to him, "My friend,I am delighted to see you again." Then turning to an officer,he added, "Give him a thousand pieces of gold out of my treasury,and twenty waggon-loads of merchandise out of my private stores,and let an escort of soldiers accompany him home." He then tookleave of the envious man, and went on his way.

Now when I had ended my story, I proceeded to show the geniushow to apply it to himself. "O genius," I said, "you see that thisSultan was not content with merely forgiving the envious manfor the attempt on his life; he heaped rewards and riches upon him."

But the genius had made up his mind, and could not be softened."Do not imagine that you are going to escape so easily," he said."All I can do is to give you bare life; you will have to learn whathappens to people who interfere with me."

As he spoke he seized me violently by the arm; the roof of the palaceopened to make way for us, and we mounted up so high into the airthat the earth looked like a little cloud. Then, as before,he came down with the swiftness of lightning, and we touchedthe ground on a mountain top.

Then he stooped and gathered a handful of earth, and murmured somewords over it, after which he threw the earth in my face, saying ashe did so, "Quit the form of a man, and assume that of a monkey."This done, he vanished, and I was in the likeness of an ape,and in a country I had never seen before.

However there was no use in stopping where I was, so I came downthe mountain and found myself in a flat plain which was boundedby the sea. I travelled towards it, and was pleased to see avessel moored about half a mile from shore. There were no waves,so I broke off the branch of a tree, and dragging it down to thewater's edge, sat across it, while, using two sticks for oars,I rowed myself towards the ship.

The deck was full of people, who watched my progress with interest,but when I seized a rope and swung myself on board, I found that Ihad only escaped death at the hands of the genius to perishby those of the sailors, lest I should bring ill-luck to thevessel and the merchants. "Throw him into the sea!" cried one."Knock him on the head with a hammer," exclaimed another. "Let meshoot him with an arrow," said a third; and certainly somebodywould have had his way if I had not flung myself at the captain'sfeet and grasped tight hold of his dress. He appeared touchedby my action and patted my head, and declared that he would takeme under his protection, and that no one should do me any harm.

At the end of about fifty days we cast anchor before a large town,and the ship was immediately surrounded by a multitude of smallboats filled with people, who had come either to meet their friendsor from simple curiosity. Among others, one boat contained severalofficials, who asked to see the merchants on board, and informedthem that they had been sent by the Sultan in token of welcome,and to beg them each to write a few lines on a roll of paper."In order to explain this strange request," continued the officers,"it is necessary that you should know that the grand-vizir,lately dead, was celebrated for his beautiful handwriting,and the Sultan is anxious to find a similar talent in his successor.Hitherto the search has been a failure, but his Highness has not yetgiven up hope."

One after another the merchants set down a few lines upon the roll,and when they had all finished, I came forward, and snatchedthe paper from the man who held it. At first they all thought Iwas going to throw it into the sea, but they were quieted when theysaw I held it with great care, and great was their surprise when Imade signs that I too wished to write something.

"Let him do it if he wants to," said the captain. "If he only makesa mess of the paper, you may be sure I will punish him for it.But if, as I hope, he really can write, for he is the cleverestmonkey I ever saw, I will adopt him as my son. The one I lost hadnot nearly so much sense!"

No more was said, and I took the pen and wrote the six sortsof writing in use among the Arabs, and each sort containedan original verse or couplet, in praise of the Sultan. And notonly did my handwriting completely eclipse that of the merchants,but it is hardly too much to say that none so beautiful had everbefore been seen in that country. When I had ended the officialstook the roll and returned to the Sultan.

As soon as the monarch saw my writing he did not so much as lookat the samples of the merchants, but desired his officials to takethe finest and most richly caparisoned horse in his stables,together with the most magnificent dress they could procure,and to put it on the person who had written those lines, and bringhim to court.

The officials began to laugh when they heard the Sultan's command,but as soon as they could speak they said, "Deign, your highness,to excuse our mirth, but those lines were not written by a manbut by a monkey."

"A monkey!" exclaimed the Sultan.

"Yes, sire," answered the officials. "They were written by a monkeyin our presence."

"Then bring me the monkey," he replied, "as fast as you can."

The Sultan's officials returned to the ship and showed the royalorder to the captain.

"He is the master," said the good man, and desired that I shouldbe sent for.

Then they put on me the gorgeous robe and rowed me to land, where Iwas placed on the horse and led to the palace. Here the Sultanwas awaiting me in great state surrounded by his court.

All the way along the streets I had been the object of curiosityto a vast crowd, which had filled every doorway and every window,and it was amidst their shouts and cheers that I was ushered intothe presence of the Sultan.

I approached the throne on which he was seated and made him threelow bows, then prostrated myself at his feet to the surprise of everyone,who could not understand how it was possible that a monkey shouldbe able to distinguish a Sultan from other people, and to pay himthe respect due to his rank. However, excepting the usual speech,I omitted none of the common forms attending a royal audience.

When it was over the Sultan dismissed all the court, keeping with himonly the chief of the eunuchs and a little slave. He then passedinto another room and ordered food to be brought, making signsto me to sit at table with him and eat. I rose from my seat,kissed the ground, and took my place at the table, eating, as youmay suppose, with care and in moderation.

Before the dishes were removed I made signs that writing materials,which stood in one corner of the room, should be laid in front of me.I then took a peach and wrote on it some verses in praise of the Sultan,who was speechless with astonishment; but when I did the samething on a glass from which I had drunk he murmured to himself,"Why, a man who could do as much would be cleverer than any other man,and this is only a monkey!"

Supper being over chessmen were brought, and the Sultan signed to meto know if I would play with him. I kissed the ground and laid my handon my head to show that I was ready to show myself worthy of the honour.He beat me the first game, but I won the second and third, and seeingthat this did not quite please I dashed off a verse by way of consolation.

The Sultan was so enchanted with all the talents of which I had givenproof that he wished me to exhibit some of them to other people.So turning to the chief of the eunuchs he said, "Go and beg my daughter,Queen of Beauty, to come here. I will show her something she hasnever seen before."

The chief of the eunuchs bowed and left the room, ushering in a fewmoments later the princess, Queen of Beauty. Her face was uncovered,but the moment she set foot in the room she threw her veil overher head. "Sire," she said to her father, "what can you be thinkingof to summon me like this into the presence of a man?"

"I do not understand you," replied the Sultan. "There is nobodyhere but the eunuch, who is your own servant, the little slave,and myself, yet you cover yourself with your veil and reproach mefor having sent for you, as if I had committed a crime."

"Sire," answered the princess, "I am right and you are wrong.This monkey is really no monkey at all, but a young prince who hasbeen turned into a monkey by the wicked spells of a genius, son ofthe daughter of Eblis."

As will be imagined, these words took the Sultan by surprise, and helooked at me to see how I should take the statement of the princess.As I was unable to speak, I placed my hand on my head to show that itwas true.

"But how do you know this, my daughter?" asked he.

"Sire," replied Queen of Beauty, "the old lady who took care of mein my childhood was an accomplished magician, and she taught meseventy rules of her art, by means of which I could, in the twinklingof an eye, transplant your capital into the middle of the ocean.Her art likewise teaches me to recognise at first sight all personswho are enchanted, and tells me by whom the spell was wrought."

"My daughter," said the Sultan, "I really had no idea you wereso clever."

"Sire," replied the princess, "there are many out-of-the-way thingsit is as well to know, but one should never boast of them."

"Well," asked the Sultan, "can you tell me what must be doneto disenchant the young prince?"

"Certainly; and I can do it."

"Then restore him to his former shape," cried the Sultan."You could give me no greater pleasure, for I wish to make himmy grand-vizir, and to give him to you for your husband."

"As your Highness pleases," replied the princess.

Queen of Beauty rose and went to her chamber, from which shefetched a knife with some Hebrew words engraven on the blade.She then desired the Sultan, the chief of the eunuchs, the littleslave, and myself to descend into a secret court of the palace,and placed us beneath a gallery which ran all round, she herselfstanding in the centre of the court. Here she traced a largecircle and in it wrote several words in Arab characters.

When the circle and the writing were finished she stood in the middleof it and repeated some verses from the Koran. Slowly the airgrew dark, and we felt as if the earth was about to crumble away,and our fright was by no means diminished at seeing the genius,son of the daughter of Eblis, suddenly appear under the form of acolossal lion.

"Dog," cried the princess when she first caught sight of him,"you think to strike terror into me by daring to present yourselfbefore me in this hideous shape."

"And you," retorted the lion, "have not feared to break our treatythat engaged solemnly we should never interfere with each other."

"Accursed genius!" exclaimed the princess, "it is you by whomthat treaty was first broken."

"I will teach you how to give me so much trouble," said the lion,and opening his huge mouth he advanced to swallow her. But theprincess expected something of the sort and was on her guard.She bounded on one side, and seizing one of the hairs of his manerepeated two or three words over it. In an instant it became a sword,and with a sharp blow she cut the lion's body into two pieces.These pieces vanished no one knew where, and only the lion'shead remained, which was at once changed into a scorpion.Quick as thought the princess assumed the form of a serpentand gave battle to the scorpion, who, finding he was gettingthe worst of it, turned himself into an eagle and took flight.But in a moment the serpent had become an eagle more powerful still,who soared up in the air and after him, and then we lost sight ofthem both.

We all remained where we were quaking with anxiety, when the groundopened in front of us and a black and white cat leapt out, its hairstanding on end, and miauing frightfully. At its heels was a wolf,who had almost seized it, when the cat changed itself into a worm,and, piercing the skin of a pomegranate which had tumbled from a tree,hid itself in the fruit. The pomegranate swelled till it grew aslarge as a pumpkin, and raised itself on to the roof of the gallery,from which it fell into the court and was broken into bits.While this was taking place the wolf, who had transformed himselfinto a cock, began to swallow the seed of the pomegranate as fastas he could. When all were gone he flew towards us, flapping hiswings as if to ask if we saw any more, when suddenly his eye fellon one which lay on the bank of the little canal that flowedthrough the court; he hastened towards it, but before he could touchit the seed rolled into the canal and became a fish. The cockflung himself in after the fish and took the shape of a pike,and for two hours they chased each other up and down under the water,uttering horrible cries, but we could see nothing. At length theyrose from the water in their proper forms, but darting such flamesof fire from their mouths that we dreaded lest the palace shouldcatch fire. Soon, however, we had much greater cause for alarm,as the genius, having shaken off the princess, flew towards us.Our fate would have been sealed if the princess, seeing our danger,had not attracted the attention of the genius to herself. As it was,the Sultan's beard was singed and his face scorched, the chiefof the eunuchs was burned to a cinder, while a spark deprived meof the sight of one eye. Both I and the Sultan had given up allhope of a rescue, when there was a shout of "Victory, victory!"from the princess, and the genius lay at her feet a great heapof ashes.

Exhausted though she was, the princess at once ordered the little slave,who alone was uninjured, to bring her a cup of water, which shetook in her hand. First repeating some magic words over it,she dashed it into my face saying, "If you are only a monkeyby enchantment, resume the form of the man you were before."In an instant I stood before her the same man I had formerly been,though having lost the sight of one eye.

I was about to fall on my knees and thank the princess but she didnot give me time. Turning to the Sultan, her father, she said,"Sire, I have gained the battle, but it has cost me dear. The firehas penetrated to my heart, and I have only a few moments to live.This would not have happened if I had only noticed the lastpomegranate seed and eaten it like the rest. It was the laststruggle of the genius, and up to that time I was quite safe.But having let this chance slip I was forced to resort to fire,and in spite of all his experience I showed the genius that Iknew more than he did. He is dead and in ashes, but my owndeath is approaching fast." "My daughter," cried the Sultan,"how sad is my condition! I am only surprised I am alive at all!The eunuch is consumed by the flames, and the prince whom you havedelivered has lost the sight of one eye." He could say no more,for sobs choked his voice, and we all wept together.

Suddenly the princess shrieked, "I burn, I burn!" and death cameto free her from her torments.

I have no words, madam, to tell you of my feelings at thisterrible sight. I would rather have remained a monkey all mylife than let my benefactress perish in this shocking manner.As for the Sultan, he was quite inconsolable, and his subjects,who had dearly loved the princess, shared his grief. For sevendays the whole nation mourned, and then the ashes of the princesswere buried with great pomp, and a superb tomb was raised over her.

As soon as the Sultan recovered from the severe illness whichhad seized him after the death of the princess he sent for meand plainly, though politely, informed me that my presence wouldalways remind him of his loss, and he begged that I would instantlyquit his kingdom, and on pain of death never return to it. I was,of course, bound to obey, and not knowing what was to become of meI shaved my beard and eyebrows and put on the dress of a calender.After wandering aimlessly through several countries, I resolved to cometo Bagdad and request an audience of the Commander of the Faithful.

And that, madam, is my story.

The other Calender then told his story.

The Story of the Third Calender, Son of a King

My story, said the Third Calender, is quite different from those of mytwo friends. It was fate that deprived them of the sight of theirright eyes, but mine was lost by my own folly.

My name is Agib, and I am the son of a king called Cassib, who reignedover a large kingdom, which had for its capital one of the finestseaport towns in the world.

When I succeeded to my father's throne my first care was to visit theprovinces on the mainland, and then to sail to the numerous islandswhich lay off the shore, in order to gain the hearts of my subjects.These voyages gave me such a taste for sailing that I soon determinedto explore more distant seas, and commanded a fleet of large ships tobe got ready without delay. When they were properly fitted out Iembarked on my expedition.

For forty days wind and weather were all in our favour, but the nextnight a terrific storm arose, which blew us hither and thither for tendays, till the pilot confessed that he had quite lost his bearings.Accordingly a sailor was sent up to the masthead to try to catch asight of land, and reported that nothing was to be seen but the sea andsky, except a huge mass of blackness that lay astern.

On hearing this the pilot grew white, and, beating his breast, hecried, "Oh, sir, we are lost, lost!" till the ship's crew trembled atthey knew not what. When he had recovered himself a little, and wasable to explain the cause of his terror, he replied, in answer to myquestion, that we had drifted far out of our course, and that thefollowing day about noon we should come near that mass of darkness,which, said he, is nothing but the famous Black Mountain. Thismountain is composed of adamant, which attracts to itself all the ironand nails in your ship; and as we are helplessly drawn nearer, theforce of attraction will become so great that the iron and nails willfall out of the ships and cling to the mountain, and the ships willsink to the bottom with all that are in them. This it is that causesthe side of the mountain towards the sea to appear of such a denseblackness.

As may be supposed--continued the pilot--the mountain sides are veryrugged, but on the summit stands a brass dome supported on pillars, andbearing on top the figure of a brass horse, with a rider on his back.This rider wears a breastplate of lead, on which strange signs andfigures are engraved, and it is said that as long as this statueremains on the dome, vessels will never cease to perish at the foot ofthe mountain.

So saying, the pilot began to weep afresh, and the crew, fearing theirlast hour had come, made their wills, each one in favour of his fellow.

At noon next day, as the pilot had foretold, we were so near to theBlack Mountain that we saw all the nails and iron fly out of the shipsand dash themselves against the mountain with a horrible noise. Amoment after the vessels fell asunder and sank, the crews with them. Ialone managed to grasp a floating plank, and was driven ashore by thewind, without even a scratch. What was my joy on finding myself at thebottom of some steps which led straight up the mountain, for there wasnot another inch to the right or the left where a man could set hisfoot. And, indeed, even the steps themselves were so narrow and sosteep that, if the lightest breeze had arisen, I should certainly havebeen blown into the sea.

When I reached the top I found the brass dome and the statue exactly asthe pilot had described, but was too wearied with all I had gonethrough to do more than glance at them, and, flinging myself under thedome, was asleep in an instant. In my dreams an old man appeared to meand said, "Hearken, Agib! As soon as thou art awake dig up the groundunderfoot, and thou shalt find a bow of brass and three arrows of lead.Shoot the arrows at the statue, and the rider shall tumble into thesea, but the horse will fall down by thy side, and thou shalt bury himin the place from which thou tookest the bow and arrows. This beingdone the sea will rise and cover the mountain, and on it thou wiltperceive the figure of a metal man seated in a boat, having an oar ineach hand. Step on board and let him conduct thee; but if thouwouldest behold thy kingdom again, see that thou takest not the name ofAllah into thy mouth."

Having uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke, muchcomforted. I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of the ground,and with the third shot the horseman fell with a great crash into thesea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I had hardly timeto bury the horse before the boat approached me. I stepped silently inand sat down, and the metal man pushed off, and rowed without stoppingfor nine days, after which land appeared on the horizon. I was soovercome with joy at this sight that I forgot all the old man had toldme, and cried out, "Allah be praised! Allah be praised!"

The words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man sank frombeneath me, and left me floating on the surface. All that day and thenext night I swam and floated alternately, making as well as I couldfor the land which was nearest to me. At last my strength began tofail, and I gave myself up for lost, when the wind suddenly rose, and ahuge wave cast me on a flat shore. Then, placing myself in safety, Ihastily spread my clothes out to dry in the sun, and flung myself onthe warm ground to rest.

Next morning I dressed myself and began to look about me. There seemedto be no one but myself on the island, which was covered with fruittrees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance from themainland which I hoped to reach. Before, however, I had time to feelcast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island, and not knowingwhether it would contain friends or foes, I hid myself in the thickbranches of a tree.

The sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed,carrying spades and pickaxes. In the middle of the island theystopped, and after digging some time, lifted up what seemed to be atrapdoor. They then returned to the vessel two or three times forfurniture and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man,leading a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age. They alldisappeared down the trapdoor, and after remaining below for a fewminutes came up again, but without the boy, and let down the trapdoor,covering it with earth as before. This done, they entered the ship andset sail.

As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree, and wentto the place where the boy had been buried. I dug up the earth till Ireached a large stone with a ring in the centre. This, when removed,disclosed a flight of stone steps which led to a large room richlyfurnished and lighted by tapers. On a pile of cushions, covered withtapestry, sat the boy. He looked up, startled and frightened at thesight of a stranger in such a place, and to soothe his fears, I at oncespoke: "Be not alarmed, sir, whoever you may be. I am a king, and theson of a king, and will do you no hurt. On the contrary, perhaps Ihave been sent here to deliver you out of this tomb, where you havebeen buried alive."

Hearing my words, the young man recovered himself, and when I hadended, he said, "The reasons, Prince, that have caused me to be buriedin this place are so strange that they cannot but surprise you. Myfather is a rich merchant, owning much land and many ships, and hasgreat dealings in precious stones, but he never ceased mourning that hehad no child to inherit his wealth.

"At length one day he dreamed that the following year a son would beborn to him, and when this actually happened, he consulted all the wisemen in the kingdom as to the future of the infant. One and all theysaid the same thing. I was to live happily till I was fifteen, when aterrible danger awaited me, which I should hardly escape. If, however,I should succeed in doing so, I should live to a great old age. And,they added, when the statue of the brass horse on the top of themountain of adamant is thrown into the sea by Agib, the son of Cassib,then beware, for fifty days later your son shall fall by his hand!

"This prophecy struck the heart of my father with such woe, that henever got over it, but that did not prevent him from attendingcarefully to my education till I attained, a short time ago, myfifteenth birthday. It was only yesterday that the news reached himthat ten days previously the statue of brass had been thrown into thesea, and he at once set about hiding me in this underground chamber,which was built for the purpose, promising to fetch me out when theforty days have passed. For myself, I have no fears, as Prince Agib isnot likely to come here to look for me."

I listened to his story with an inward laugh as to the absurdity of myever wishing to cause the death of this harmless boy, whom I hastenedto assure of my friendship and even of my protection; begging him, inreturn, to convey me in his father's ship to my own country. I needhardly say that I took special care not to inform him that I was theAgib whom he dreaded.

The day passed in conversation on various subjects, and I found him ayouth of ready wit and of some learning. I took on myself the dutiesof a servant, held the basin and water for him when he washed, preparedthe dinner and set it on the table. He soon grew to love me, and forthirty-nine days we spent as pleasant an existence as could be expectedunderground.

The morning of the fortieth dawned, and the young man when he woke gavethanks in an outburst of joy that the danger was passed. "My fathermay be here at any moment," said he, "so make me, I pray you, a bath ofhot water, that I may bathe, and change my clothes, and be ready toreceive him."

So I fetched the water as he asked, and washed and rubbed him, afterwhich he lay down again and slept a little. When he opened his eyesfor the second time, he begged me to bring him a melon and some sugar,that he might eat and refresh himself.

I soon chose a fine melon out of those which remained, but could findno knife to cut it with. "Look in the cornice over my head," said he,"and I think you will see one." It was so high above me, that I hadsome difficulty in reaching it, and catching my foot in the covering ofthe bed, I slipped, and fell right upon the young man, the knife goingstraight into his heart.

At this awful sight I shrieked aloud in my grief and pain. I threwmyself on the ground and rent my clothes and tore my hair with sorrow.Then, fearing to be punished as his murderer by the unhappy father, Iraised the great stone which blocked the staircase, and quitting theunderground chamber, made everything fast as before.

Scarcely had I finished when, looking out to sea, I saw the vesselheading for the island, and, feeling that it would be useless for me toprotest my innocence, I again concealed myself among the branches of atree that grew near by.

The old man and his slaves pushed off in a boat directly the shiptouched land, and walked quickly towards the entrance to theunderground chamber; but when they were near enough to see that theearth had been disturbed, they paused and changed colour. In silencethey all went down and called to the youth by name; then for a moment Iheard no more. Suddenly a fearful scream rent the air, and the nextinstant the slaves came up the steps, carrying with them the body ofthe old man, who had fainted from sorrow! Laying him down at the footof the tree in which I had taken shelter, they did their best torecover him, but it took a long while. When at last he revived, theyleft him to dig a grave, and then laying the young man's body in it,they threw in the earth.

This ended, the slaves brought up all the furniture that remainedbelow, and put it on the vessel, and breaking some boughs to weave alitter, they laid the old man on it, and carried him to the ship, whichspread its sails and stood out to sea.

So once more I was quite alone, and for a whole month I walked dailyover the island, seeking for some chance of escape. At length one dayit struck me that my prison had grown much larger, and that themainland seemed to be nearer. My heart beat at this thought, which wasalmost too good to be true. I watched a little longer: there was nodoubt about it, and soon there was only a tiny stream for me to cross.

Even when I was safe on the other side I had a long distance to go onthe mud and sand before I reached dry ground, and very tired I was,when far in front of me I caught sight of a castle of red copper,which, at first sight, I took to be a fire. I made all the haste Icould, and after some miles of hard walking stood before it, and gazedat it in astonishment, for it seemed to me the most wonderful buildingI had ever beheld. While I was still staring at it, there came towardsme a tall old man, accompanied by ten young men, all handsome, and allblind of the right eye.

Now in its way, the spectacle of ten men walking together, all blind ofthe right eye, is as uncommon as that of a copper castle, and I wasturning over in my mind what could be the meaning of this strange fact,when they greeted me warmly, and inquired what had brought me there. Ireplied that my story was somewhat long, but that if they would takethe trouble to sit down, I should be happy to tell it them. When I hadfinished, the young men begged that I would go with them to the castle,and I joyfully accepted their offer. We passed through what seemed tome an endless number of rooms, and came at length into a large hall,furnished with ten small blue sofas for the ten young men, which servedas beds as well as chairs, and with another sofa in the middle for theold man. As none of the sofas could hold more than one person, theybade me place myself on the carpet, and to ask no questions aboutanything I should see.

After a little while the old man rose and brought in supper, which Iate heartily, for I was very hungry. Then one of the young men beggedme to repeat my story, which had struck them all with astonishment, andwhen I had ended, the old man was bidden to "do his duty," as it waslate, and they wished to go to bed. At these words he rose, and wentto a closet, from which he brought out ten basins, all covered withblue stuff. He set one before each of the young men, together with alighted taper.

When the covers were taken off the basins, I saw they were filled withashes, coal-dust, and lamp-black. The young men mixed these alltogether, and smeared the whole over their heads and faces. They thenwept and beat their breasts, crying, "This is the fruit of idleness,and of our wicked lives."

This ceremony lasted nearly the whole night, and when it stopped theywashed themselves carefully, and put on fresh clothes, and lay down tosleep.

All this while I had refrained from questions, though my curiosityalmost seemed to burn a hole in me, but the following day, when we wentout to walk, I said to them, "Gentlemen, I must disobey your wishes,for I can keep silence no more. You do not appear to lack wit, yet youdo such actions as none but madmen could be capable of. Whateverbefalls me I cannot forbear asking, `Why you daub your faces withblack, and how it is you are all blind of one eye?'" But they onlyanswered that such questions were none of my business, and that Ishould do well to hold my peace.

During that day we spoke of other things, but when night came, and thesame ceremony was repeated, I implored them most earnestly to let meknow the meaning of it all.

"It is for your own sake," replied one of the young men, "that we havenot granted your request, and to preserve you from our unfortunatefate. If, however, you wish to share our destiny we will delay nolonger."

I answered that whatever might be the consequence I wished to have mycuriosity satisfied, and that I would take the result on my own head.He then assured me that, even when I had lost my eye, I should beunable to remain with them, as their number was complete, and could notbe added to. But to this I replied that, though I should be grieved topart company with such honest gentlemen, I would not be turned from myresolution on that account.

On hearing my determination my ten hosts then took a sheep and killedit, and handed me a knife, which they said I should by-and-by finduseful. "We must sew you into this sheep-skin," said they, "and thenleave you. A fowl of monstrous size, called a roc, will appear in theair, taking you to be a sheep. He will snatch you up and carry youinto the sky, but be not alarmed, for he will bring you safely down andlay you on the top of a mountain. When you are on the ground cut theskin with the knife and throw it off. As soon as the roc sees you hewill fly away from fear, but you must walk on till you come to a castlecovered with plates of gold, studded with jewels. Enter boldly at thegate, which always stands open, but do not ask us to tell you what wesaw or what befel us there, for that you will learn for yourself. Thisonly we may say, that it cost us each our right eye, and has imposedupon us our nightly penance."

After the young gentlemen had been at the trouble of sewing thesheep-skin on me they left me, and retired to the hall. In a fewminutes the roc appeared, and bore me off to the top of the mountain inhis huge claws as lightly as if I had been a feather, for this greatwhite bird is so strong that he has been known to carry even anelephant to his nest in the hills.

The moment my feet touched the ground I took out my knife and cut thethreads that bound me, and the sight of me in my proper clothes soalarmed the roc that he spread his wings and flew away. Then I set outto seek the castle.

I found it after wandering about for half a day, and never could I haveimagined anything so glorious. The gate led into a square court, intowhich opened a hundred doors, ninety-nine of them being of rare woodsand one of gold. Through each of these doors I caught glimpses ofsplendid gardens or of rich storehouses.

Entering one of the doors which was standing open I found myself in avast hall where forty young ladies, magnificently dressed, and ofperfect beauty, were reclining. As soon as they saw me they rose anduttered words of welcome, and even forced me to take possession of aseat that was higher than their own, though my proper place was attheir feet. Not content with this, one brought me splendid garments,while another filled a basin with scented water and poured it over myhands, and the rest busied themselves with preparing refreshments.After I had eaten and drunk of the most delicate food and rarest wines,the ladies crowded round me and begged me to tell them all myadventures.

By the time I had finished night had fallen, and the ladies lighted upthe castle with such a prodigious quantity of tapers that even daycould hardly have been brighter. We then sat down to a supper of driedfruits and sweetmeats, after which some sang and others danced. I wasso well amused that I did not notice how the time was passing, but atlength one of the ladies approached and informed me it was midnight,and that, as I must be tired, she would conduct me to the room that hadbeen prepared for me. Then, bidding me good-night, I was left to sleep.

I spent the next thirty-nine days in much the same way as the first,but at the close of that time the ladies appeared (as was their custom)in my room one morning to inquire how I had slept, and instead oflooking cheerful and smiling they were in floods of tears. "Prince,"said they, "we must leave you, and never was it so hard to part fromany of our friends. Most likely we shall never see you again, but ifyou have sufficient self-command perhaps we may yet look forward to ameeting."

"Ladies," I replied, "what is the meaning of these strange words--Ipray you to tell me?"

"Know then," answered one of them, "that we are all princesses--each aking's daughter. We live in this castle together, in the way that youhave seen, but at the end of every year secret duties call us away forthe space of forty days. The time has now come; but before we depart,we will leave you our keys, so that you may not lack entertainmentduring our absence. But one thing we would ask of you. The GoldenDoor, alone, forbear to open, as you value your own peace, and thehappiness of your life. That door once unlocked, we must bid youfarewell for ever."

Weeping, I assured them of my prudence, and after embracing metenderly, they went their ways.

Every day I opened two or three fresh doors, each of which containedbehind it so many curious things that I had no chance of feeling dull,much as I regretted the absence of the ladies. Sometimes it was anorchard, whose fruit far exceeded in bigness any that grew in myfather's garden. Sometimes it was a court planted with roses,jessamine, dafeodils, hyacinths and anemones, and a thousand otherflowers of which I did not know the names. Or again, it would be anaviary, fitted with all kinds of singing birds, or a treasury heaped upwith precious stones; but whatever I might see, all was perfect of itsown sort.

Thirty-nine days passed away more rapidly than I could have conceivedpossible, and the following morning the princesses were to return tothe castle. But alas! I had explored every corner, save only the roomthat was shut in by the Golden Door, and I had no longer anything toamuse myself with. I stood before the forbidden place for some time,gazing at its beauty; then a happy inspiration struck me, that becauseI unlocked the door it was not necessary that I should enter thechamber. It would be enough for me to stand outside and view whateverhidden wonders might be therein.

Thus arguing against my own conscience, I turned the key, when a smellrushed out that, pleasant though it was, overcame me completely, and Ifell fainting across the threshold. Instead of being warned by thisaccident, directly I came to myself I went for a few moments into theair to shake of the effects of the perfume, and then entered boldly. Ifound myself in a large, vaulted room, lighted by tapers, scented withaloes and ambergris, standing in golden candle-sticks, whilst gold andsilver lamps hung from the ceiling.

Though objects of rare workmanship lay heaped around me, I paid themscant attention, so much was I struck by a great black horse whichstood in one corner, the handsomest and best-shaped animal I had everseen. His saddle and bridle were of massive gold, curiously wrought;one side of his trough was filled with clean barley and sesame, and theother with rose water. I led the animal into the open air, and thenjumped on his back, shaking the reins as I did so, but as he neverstirred, I touched him lightly with a switch I had picked up in hisstable. No sooner did he feel the stroke, than he spread his wings(which I had not perceived before), and flew up with me straight intothe sky. When he had reached a prodigious height, he next darted backto earth, and alighted on the terrace belonging to a castle, shaking meviolently out of the saddle as he did so, and giving me such a blowwith his tail, that he knocked out my right eye.

Half-stunned as I was with all that had happened to me, I rose to myfeet, thinking as I did so of what had befallen the ten young men, andwatching the horse which was soaring into the clouds. I left theterrace and wandered on till I came to a hall, which I knew to havebeen the one from which the roc had taken me, by the ten blue sofasagainst the wall.

The ten young men were not present when I first entered, but came insoon after, accompanied by the old man. They greeted me kindly, andbewailed my misfortune, though, indeed, they had expected nothing less."All that has happened to you," they said, "we also have undergone, andwe should be enjoying the same happiness still, had we not opened theGolden Door while the princesses were absent. You have been no wiserthan we, and have suffered the same punishment. We would gladlyreceive you among us, to perform such penance as we do, but we havealready told you that this is impossible. Depart, therefore, fromhence and go to the Court of Bagdad, where you shall meet with him thatcan decide your destiny." They told me the way I was to travel, and Ileft them.

On the road I caused my beard and eyebrows to be shaved, and put on aCalender's habit. I have had a long journey, but arrived this eveningin the city, where I met my brother Calenders at the gate, beingstrangers like myself. We wondered much at one another, to see we wereall blind of the same eye, but we had no leisure to discourse at lengthof our common calamities. We had only so much time as to come hitherto implore those favours which you have been generously pleased togrant us.

He finished, and it was Zobeida's turn to speak: "Go wherever youplease," she said, addressing all three. "I pardon you all, but youmust depart immediately out of this house."

The Seven Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor

In the times of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid there lived in Bagdad apoor porter named Hindbad, who on a very hot day was sent to carry aheavy load from one end of the city to the other. Before he hadaccomplished half the distance he was so tired that, finding himself ina quiet street where the pavement was sprinkled with rose water, and acool breeze was blowing, he set his burden upon the ground, and satdown to rest in the shade of a grand house. Very soon he decided thathe could not have chosen a pleasanter place; a delicious perfume ofaloes wood and pastilles came from the open windows and mingled withthe scent of the rose water which steamed up from the hot pavement.Within the palace he heard some music, as of many instruments cunninglyplayed, and the melodious warble of nightingales and other birds, andby this, and the appetising smell of many dainty dishes of which hepresently became aware, he judged that feasting and merry making weregoing on. He wondered who lived in this magnificent house which he hadnever seen before, the street in which it stood being one which heseldom had occasion to pass. To satisfy his curiosity he went up tosome splendidly dressed servants who stood at the door, and asked oneof them the name of the master of the mansion.

"What," replied he, "do you live in Bagdad, and not know that herelives the noble Sindbad the Sailor, that famous traveller who sailedover every sea upon which the sun shines?"

The porter, who had often heard people speak of the immense wealth ofSindbad, could not help feeling envious of one whose lot seemed to beas happy as his own was miserable. Casting his eyes up to the sky heexclaimed aloud,

"Consider, Mighty Creator of all things, the differences betweenSindbad's life and mine. Every day I suffer a thousand hardships andmisfortunes, and have hard work to get even enough bad barley bread tokeep myself and my family alive, while the lucky Sindbad spends moneyright and left and lives upon the fat of the land! What has he donethat you should give him this pleasant life--what have I done todeserve so hard a fate?"

So saying he stamped upon the ground like one beside himself withmisery and despair. Just at this moment a servant came out of thepalace, and taking him by the arm said, "Come with me, the nobleSindbad, my master, wishes to speak to you."

Hindbad was not a little surprised at this summons, and feared that hisunguarded words might have drawn upon him the displeasure of Sindbad,so he tried to excuse himself upon the pretext that he could not leavethe burden which had been entrusted to him in the street. However thelackey promised him that it should be taken care of, and urged him toobey the call so pressingly that at last the porter was obliged toyield.

He followed the servant into a vast room, where a great company wasseated round a table covered with all sorts of delicacies. In theplace of honour sat a tall, grave man whose long white beard gave him avenerable air. Behind his chair stood a crowd of attendants eager tominister to his wants. This was the famous Sindbad himself. Theporter, more than ever alarmed at the sight of so much magnificence,tremblingly saluted the noble company. Sindbad, making a sign to himto approach, caused him to be seated at his right hand, and himselfheaped choice morsels upon his plate, and poured out for him a draughtof excellent wine, and presently, when the banquet drew to a close,spoke to him familiarly, asking his name and occupation.

"My lord," replied the porter, "I am called Hindbad."

"I am glad to see you here," continued Sindbad. "And I will answer forthe rest of the company that they are equally pleased, but I wish youto tell me what it was that you said just now in the street." ForSindbad, passing by the open window before the feast began, had heardhis complaint and therefore had sent for him.

At this question Hindbad was covered with confusion, and hanging downhis head, replied, "My lord, I confess that, overcome by weariness andill-humour, I uttered indiscreet words, which I pray you to pardon me."

"Oh!" replied Sindbad, "do not imagine that I am so unjust as to blameyou. On the contrary, I understand your situation and can pity you.Only you appear to be mistaken about me, and I wish to set you right.You doubtless imagine that I have acquired all the wealth and luxurythat you see me enjoy without difficulty or danger, but this is farindeed from being the case. I have only reached this happy state afterhaving for years suffered every possible kind of toil and danger.

"Yes, my noble friends," he continued, addressing the company, "Iassure you that my adventures have been strange enough to deter eventhe most avaricious men from seeking wealth by traversing the seas.Since you have, perhaps, heard but confused accounts of my sevenvoyages, and the dangers and wonders that I have met with by sea andland, I will now give you a full and true account of them, which Ithink you will be well pleased to hear."

As Sindbad was relating his adventures chiefly on account of theporter, he ordered, before beginning his tale, that the burden whichhad been left in the street should be carried by some of his ownservants to the place for which Hindbad had set out at first, while heremained to listen to the story.

First Voyage

I had inherited considerable wealth from my parents, and being youngand foolish I at first squandered it recklessly upon every kind ofpleasure, but presently, finding that riches speedily take tothemselves wings if managed as badly as I was managing mine, andremembering also that to be old and poor is misery indeed, I began tobethink me of how I could make the best of what still remained to me.I sold all my household goods by public auction, and joined a companyof merchants who traded by sea, embarking with them at Balsora in aship which we had fitted out between us.

We set sail and took our course towards the East Indies by the PersianGulf, having the coast of Persia upon our left hand and upon our rightthe shores of Arabia Felix. I was at first much troubled by the uneasymotion of the vessel, but speedily recovered my health, and since thathour have been no more plagued by sea-sickness.

From time to time we landed at various islands, where we sold orexchanged our merchandise, and one day, when the wind dropped suddenly,we found ourselves becalmed close to a small island like a greenmeadow, which only rose slightly above the surface of the water. Oursails were furled, and the captain gave permission to all who wished toland for a while and amuse themselves. I was among the number, butwhen after strolling about for some time we lighted a fire and sat downto enjoy the repast which we had brought with us, we were startled by asudden and violent trembling of the island, while at the same momentthose left upon the ship set up an outcry bidding us come on board forour lives, since what we had taken for an island was nothing but theback of a sleeping whale. Those who were nearest to the boat threwthemselves into it, others sprang into the sea, but before I could savemyself the whale plunged suddenly into the depths of the ocean, leavingme clinging to a piece of the wood which we had brought to make ourfire. Meanwhile a breeze had sprung up, and in the confusion thatensued on board our vessel in hoisting the sails and taking up thosewho were in the boat and clinging to its sides, no one missed me and Iwas left at the mercy of the waves. All that day I floated up anddown, now beaten this way, now that, and when night fell I despairedfor my life; but, weary and spent as I was, I clung to my frailsupport, and great was my joy when the morning light showed me that Ihad drifted against an island.

The cliffs were high and steep, but luckily for me some tree-rootsprotruded in places, and by their aid I climbed up at last, andstretched myself upon the turf at the top, where I lay, more dead thanalive, till the sun was high in the heavens. By that time I was veryhungry, but after some searching I came upon some eatable herbs, and aspring of clear water, and much refreshed I set out to explore theisland. Presently I reached a great plain where a grazing horse wastethered, and as I stood looking at it I heard voices talkingapparently underground, and in a moment a man appeared who asked me howI came upon the island. I told him my adventures, and heard in returnthat he was one of the grooms of Mihrage, the king of the island, andthat each year they came to feed their master's horses in this plain.He took me to a cave where his companions were assembled, and when Ihad eaten of the food they set before me, they bade me think myselffortunate to have come upon them when I did, since they were going backto their master on the morrow, and without their aid I could certainlynever have found my way to the inhabited part of the island.

Early the next morning we accordingly set out, and when we reached thecapital I was graciously received by the king, to whom I related myadventures, upon which he ordered that I should be well cared for andprovided with such things as I needed. Being a merchant I sought outmen of my own profession, and particularly those who came from foreigncountries, as I hoped in this way to hear news from Bagdad, and findout some means of returning thither, for the capital was situated uponthe sea-shore, and visited by vessels from all parts of the world. Inthe meantime I heard many curious things, and answered many questionsconcerning my own country, for I talked willingly with all who came tome. Also to while away the time of waiting I explored a little islandnamed Cassel, which belonged to King Mihrage, and which was supposed tobe inhabited by a spirit named Deggial. Indeed, the sailors assured methat often at night the playing of timbals could be heard upon it.However, I saw nothing strange upon my voyage, saving some fish thatwere full two hundred cubits long, but were fortunately more in dreadof us than even we were of them, and fled from us if we did but strikeupon a board to frighten them. Other fishes there were only a cubitlong which had heads like owls.

One day after my return, as I went down to the quay, I saw a ship whichhad just cast anchor, and was discharging her cargo, while themerchants to whom it belonged were busily directing the removal of itto their warehouses. Drawing nearer I presently noticed that my ownname was marked upon some of the packages, and after having carefullyexamined them, I felt sure that they were indeed those which I had puton board our ship at Balsora. I then recognised the captain of thevessel, but as I was certain that he believed me to be dead, I went upto him and asked who owned the packages that I was looking at.

"There was on board my ship," he replied, "a merchant of Bagdad namedSindbad. One day he and several of my other passengers landed uponwhat we supposed to be an island, but which was really an enormouswhale floating asleep upon the waves. No sooner did it feel upon itsback the heat of the fire which had been kindled, than it plunged intothe depths of the sea. Several of the people who were upon it perishedin the waters, and among others this unlucky Sindbad. This merchandiseis his, but I have resolved to dispose of it for the benefit of hisfamily if I should ever chance to meet with them."

"Captain," said I, "I am that Sindbad whom you believe to be dead, andthese are my possessions!"

When the captain heard these words he cried out in amazement,"Lackaday! and what is the world coming to? In these days there is notan honest man to be met with. Did I not with my own eyes see Sindbaddrown, and now you have the audacity to tell me that you are he! Ishould have taken you to be a just man, and yet for the sake ofobtaining that which does not belong to you, you are ready to inventthis horrible falsehood."

"Have patience, and do me the favour to hear my story," said I.

"Speak then," replied the captain, "I'm all attention."

So I told him of my escape and of my fortunate meeting with the king'sgrooms, and how kindly I had been received at the palace. Very soon Ibegan to see that I had made some impression upon him, and after thearrival of some of the other merchants, who showed great joy at oncemore seeing me alive, he declared that he also recognised me.

Throwing himself upon my neck he exclaimed, "Heaven be praised that youhave escaped from so great a danger. As to your goods, I pray you takethem, and dispose of them as you please." I thanked him, and praisedhis honesty, begging him to accept several bales of merchandise intoken of my gratitude, but he would take nothing. Of the choicest ofmy goods I prepared a present for King Mihrage, who was at firstamazed, having known that I had lost my all. However, when I hadexplained to him how my bales had been miraculously restored to me, hegraciously accepted my gifts, and in return gave me many valuablethings. I then took leave of him, and exchanging my merchandise forsandal and aloes wood, camphor, nutmegs, cloves, pepper, and ginger, Iembarked upon the same vessel and traded so successfully upon ourhomeward voyage that I arrived in Balsora with about one hundredthousand sequins. My family received me with as much joy as I feltupon seeing them once more. I bought land and slaves, and built agreat house in which I resolved to live happily, and in the enjoymentof all the pleasures of life to forget my past sufferings.

Here Sindbad paused, and commanded the musicians to play again, whilethe feasting continued until evening. When the time came for theporter to depart, Sindbad gave him a purse containing one hundredsequins, saying, "Take this, Hindbad, and go home, but to-morrow comeagain and you shall hear more of my adventures."

The porter retired quite overcome by so much generosity, and you mayimagine that he was well received at home, where his wife and childrenthanked their lucky stars that he had found such a benefactor.

The next day Hindbad, dressed in his best, returned to the voyager'shouse, and was received with open arms. As soon as all the guests hadarrived the banquet began as before, and when they had feasted long andmerrily, Sindbad addressed them thus:

"My friends, I beg that you will give me your attention while I relatethe adventures of my second voyage, which you will find even moreastonishing than the first."

Second Voyage

I had resolved, as you know, on my return from my first voyage, tospend the rest of my days quietly in Bagdad, but very soon I grew tiredof such an idle life and longed once more to find myself upon the sea.

I procured, therefore, such goods as were suitable for the places Iintended to visit, and embarked for the second time in a good ship withother merchants whom I knew to be honourable men. We went from islandto island, often making excellent bargains, until one day we landed ata spot which, though covered with fruit trees and abounding in springsof excellent water, appeared to possess neither houses nor people.While my companions wandered here and there gathering flowers and fruitI sat down in a shady place, and, having heartily enjoyed theprovisions and the wine I had brought with me, I fell asleep, lulled bythe murmur of a clear brook which flowed close by.

How long I slept I know not, but when I opened my eyes and started tomy feet I perceived with horror that I was alone and that the ship wasgone. I rushed to and fro like one distracted, uttering cries ofdespair, and when from the shore I saw the vessel under full sail justdisappearing upon the horizon, I wished bitterly enough that I had beencontent to stay at home in safety. But since wishes could do me nogood, I presently took courage and looked about me for a means ofescape. When I had climbed a tall tree I first of all directed myanxious glances towards the sea; but, finding nothing hopeful there, Iturned landward, and my curiosity was excited by a huge dazzling whiteobject, so far off that I could not make out what it might be.

Descending from the tree I hastily collected what remained of myprovisions and set off as fast as I could go towards it. As I drewnear it seemed to me to be a white ball of immense size and height, andwhen I could touch it, I found it marvellously smooth and soft. As itwas impossible to climb it--for it presented no foot-hold--I walkedround about it seeking some opening, but there was none. I counted,however, that it was at least fifty paces round. By this time the sunwas near setting, but quite suddenly it fell dark, something like ahuge black cloud came swiftly over me, and I saw with amazement that itwas a bird of extraordinary size which was hovering near. Then Iremembered that I had often heard the sailors speak of a wonderful birdcalled a roc, and it occurred to me that the white object which had sopuzzled me must be its egg.

Sure enough the bird settled slowly down upon it, covering it with itswings to keep it warm, and I cowered close beside the egg in such aposition that one of the bird's feet, which was as large as the trunkof a tree, was just in front of me. Taking off my turban I boundmyself securely to it with the linen in the hope that the roc, when ittook flight next morning, would bear me away with it from the desolateisland. And this was precisely what did happen. As soon as the dawnappeared the bird rose into the air carrying me up and up till I couldno longer see the earth, and then suddenly it descended so swiftly thatI almost lost consciousness. When I became aware that the roc hadsettled and that I was once again upon solid ground, I hastily unboundmy turban from its foot and freed myself, and that not a moment toosoon; for the bird, pouncing upon a huge snake, killed it with a fewblows from its powerful beak, and seizing it up rose into the air oncemore and soon disappeared from my view. When I had looked about me Ibegan to doubt if I had gained anything by quitting the desolate island.

The valley in which I found myself was deep and narrow, and surroundedby mountains which towered into the clouds, and were so steep and rockythat there was no way of climbing up their sides. As I wandered about,seeking anxiously for some means of escaping from this trap, I observedthat the ground was strewed with diamonds, some of them of anastonishing size. This sight gave me great pleasure, but my delightwas speedily damped when I saw also numbers of horrible snakes so longand so large that the smallest of them could have swallowed an elephantwith ease. Fortunately for me they seemed to hide in caverns of therocks by day, and only came out by night, probably because of theirenemy the roc.

All day long I wandered up and down the valley, and when it grew dusk Icrept into a little cave, and having blocked up the entrance to it witha stone, I ate part of my little store of food and lay down to sleep,but all through the night the serpents crawled to and fro, hissinghorribly, so that I could scarcely close my eyes for terror. I wasthankful when the morning light appeared, and when I judged by thesilence that the serpents had retreated to their dens I cametremblingly out of my cave and wandered up and down the valley oncemore, kicking the diamonds contemptuously out of my path, for I feltthat they were indeed vain things to a man in my situation. At last,overcome with weariness, I sat down upon a rock, but I had hardlyclosed my eyes when I was startled by something which fell to theground with a thud close beside me.

It was a huge piece of fresh meat, and as I stared at it several morepieces rolled over the cliffs in different places. I had alwaysthought that the stories the sailors told of the famous valley ofdiamonds, and of the cunning way which some merchants had devised forgetting at the precious stones, were mere travellers' tales invented togive pleasure to the hearers, but now I perceived that they were surelytrue. These merchants came to the valley at the time when the eagles,which keep their eyries in the rocks, had hatched their young. Themerchants then threw great lumps of meat into the valley. These,falling with so much force upon the diamonds, were sure to take up someof the precious stones with them, when the eagles pounced upon the meatand carried it off to their nests to feed their hungry broods. Thenthe merchants, scaring away the parent birds with shouts and outcries,would secure their treasures. Until this moment I had looked upon thevalley as my grave, for I had seen no possibility of getting out of italive, but now I took courage and began to devise a means of escape. Ibegan by picking up all the largest diamonds I could find and storingthem carefully in the leathern wallet which had held my provisions;this I tied securely to my belt. I then chose the piece of meat whichseemed most suited to my purpose, and with the aid of my turban boundit firmly to my back; this done I laid down upon my face and awaitedthe coming of the eagles. I soon heard the flapping of their mightywings above me, and had the satisfaction of feeling one of them seizeupon my piece of meat, and me with it, and rise slowly towards hisnest, into which he presently dropped me. Luckily for me the merchantswere on the watch, and setting up their usual outcries they rushed tothe nest scaring away the eagle. Their amazement was great when theydiscovered me, and also their disappointment, and with one accord theyfell to abusing me for having robbed them of their usual profit.Addressing myself to the one who seemed most aggrieved, I said: "I amsure, if you knew all that I have suffered, you would show morekindness towards me, and as for diamonds, I have enough here of thevery best for you and me and all your company." So saying I showedthem to him. The others all crowded round me, wondering at myadventures and admiring the device by which I had escaped from thevalley, and when they had led me to their camp and examined mydiamonds, they assured me that in all the years that they had carriedon their trade they had seen no stones to be compared with them forsize and beauty.

I found that each merchant chose a particular nest, and took his chanceof what he might find in it. So I begged the one who owned the nest towhich I had been carried to take as much as he would of my treasure,but he contented himself with one stone, and that by no means thelargest, assuring me that with such a gem his fortune was made, and heneed toil no more. I stayed with the merchants several days, and thenas they were journeying homewards I gladly accompanied them. Our waylay across high mountains infested with frightful serpents, but we hadthe good luck to escape them and came at last to the seashore. Thencewe sailed to the isle of Rohat where the camphor trees grow to such asize that a hundred men could shelter under one of them with ease. Thesap flows from an incision made high up in the tree into a vessel hungthere to receive it, and soon hardens into the substance calledcamphor, but the tree itself withers up and dies when it has been sotreated.

In this same island we saw the rhinoceros, an animal which is smallerthan the elephant and larger than the buffalo. It has one horn about acubit long which is solid, but has a furrow from the base to the tip.Upon it is traced in white lines the figure of a man. The rhinocerosfights with the elephant, and transfixing him with his horn carries himoff upon his head, but becoming blinded with the blood of his enemy, hefalls helpless to the ground, and then comes the roc, and clutches themboth up in his talons and takes them to feed his young. This doubtlessastonishes you, but if you do not believe my tale go to Rohat and seefor yourself. For fear of wearying you I pass over in silence manyother wonderful things which we saw in this island. Before we left Iexchanged one of my diamonds for much goodly merchandise by which Iprofited greatly on our homeward way. At last we reached Balsora,whence I hastened to Bagdad, where my first action was to bestow largesums of money upon the poor, after which I settled down to enjoytranquilly the riches I had gained with so much toil and pain.

Having thus related the adventures of his second voyage, Sindbad againbestowed a hundred sequins upon Hindbad, inviting him to come again onthe following day and hear how he fared upon his third voyage. Theother guests also departed to their homes, but all returned at the samehour next day, including the porter, whose former life of hard work andpoverty had already begun to seem to him like a bad dream. Again afterthe feast was over did Sindbad claim the attention of his guests andbegan the account of his third voyage.

Third Voyage

After a very short time the pleasant easy life I led made me quiteforget the perils of my two voyages. Moreover, as I was still in theprime of life, it pleased me better to be up and doing. So once moreproviding myself with the rarest and choicest merchandise of Bagdad, Iconveyed it to Balsora, and set sail with other merchants of myacquaintance for distant lands. We had touched at many ports and mademuch profit, when one day upon the open sea we were caught by aterrible wind which blew us completely out of our reckoning, andlasting for several days finally drove us into harbour on a strangeisland.

"I would rather have come to anchor anywhere than here," quoth ourcaptain. "This island and all adjoining it are inhabited by hairysavages, who are certain to attack us, and whatever these dwarfs may dowe dare not resist, since they swarm like locusts, and if one of themis killed the rest will fall upon us, and speedily make an end of us."

These words caused great consternation among all the ship's company,and only too soon we were to find out that the captain spoke truly.There appeared a vast multitude of hideous savages, not more than twofeet high and covered with reddish fur. Throwing themselves into thewaves they surrounded our vessel. Chattering meanwhile in a languagewe could not understand, and clutching at ropes and gangways, theyswarmed up the ship's side with such speed and agility that they almostseemed to fly.

You may imagine the rage and terror that seized us as we watched them,neither daring to hinder them nor able to speak a word to deter themfrom their purpose, whatever it might be. Of this we were not leftlong in doubt. Hoisting the sails, and cutting the cable of theanchor, they sailed our vessel to an island which lay a little furtheroff, where they drove us ashore; then taking possession of her, theymade off to the place from which they had come, leaving us helplessupon a shore avoided with horror by all mariners for a reason which youwill soon learn.

Turning away from the sea we wandered miserably inland, finding as wewent various herbs and fruits which we ate, feeling that we might aswell live as long as possible though we had no hope of escape.Presently we saw in the far distance what seemed to us to be a splendidpalace, towards which we turned our weary steps, but when we reached itwe saw that it was a castle, lofty, and strongly built. Pushing backthe heavy ebony doors we entered the courtyard, but upon the thresholdof the great hall beyond it we paused, frozen with horror, at the sightwhich greeted us. On one side lay a huge pile of bones--human bones,and on the other numberless spits for roasting! Overcome with despairwe sank trembling to the ground, and lay there without speech ormotion. The sun was setting when a loud noise aroused us, the door ofthe hall was violently burst open and a horrible giant entered. He wasas tall as a palm tree, and perfectly black, and had one eye, whichflamed like a burning coal in the middle of his forehead. His teethwere long and sharp and grinned horribly, while his lower lip hung downupon his chest, and he had ears like elephant's ears, which covered hisshoulders, and nails like the claws of some fierce bird.

At this terrible sight our senses left us and we lay like dead men.When at last we came to ourselves the giant sat examining usattentively with his fearful eye. Presently when he had looked at usenough he came towards us, and stretching out his hand took me by theback of the neck, turning me this way and that, but feeling that I wasmere skin and bone he set me down again and went on to the next, whomhe treated in the same fashion; at last he came to the captain, andfinding him the fattest of us all, he took him up in one hand and stuckhim upon a spit and proceeded to kindle a huge fire at which hepresently roasted him. After the giant had supped he lay down tosleep, snoring like the loudest thunder, while we lay shivering withhorror the whole night through, and when day broke he awoke and wentout, leaving us in the castle.

When we believed him to be really gone we started up bemoaning ourhorrible fate, until the hall echoed with our despairing cries. Thoughwe were many and our enemy was alone it did not occur to us to killhim, and indeed we should have found that a hard task, even if we hadthought of it, and no plan could we devise to deliver ourselves. So atlast, submitting to our sad fate, we spent the day in wandering up anddown the island eating such fruits as we could find, and when nightcame we returned to the castle, having sought in vain for any otherplace of shelter. At sunset the giant returned, supped upon one of ourunhappy comrades, slept and snored till dawn, and then left us asbefore. Our condition seemed to us so frightful that several of mycompanions thought it would be better to leap from the cliffs andperish in the waves at once, rather than await so miserable an end; butI had a plan of escape which I now unfolded to them, and which they atonce agreed to attempt.

"Listen, my brothers," I added. "You know that plenty of driftwoodlies along the shore. Let us make several rafts, and carry them to asuitable place. If our plot succeeds, we can wait patiently for thechance of some passing ship which would rescue us from this fatalisland. If it fails, we must quickly take to our rafts; frail as theyare, we have more chance of saving our lives with them than we have ifwe remain here."

All agreed with me, and we spent the day in building rafts, eachcapable of carrying three persons. At nightfall we returned to thecastle, and very soon in came the giant, and one more of our number wassacrificed. But the time of our vengeance was at hand! As soon as hehad finished his horrible repast he lay down to sleep as before, andwhen we heard him begin to snore I, and nine of the boldest of mycomrades, rose softly, and took each a spit, which we made red-hot inthe fire, and then at a given signal we plunged it with one accord intothe giant's eye, completely blinding him. Uttering a terrible cry, hesprang to his feet clutching in all directions to try to seize one ofus, but we had all fled different ways as soon as the deed was done,and thrown ourselves flat upon the ground in corners where he was notlikely to touch us with his feet.

After a vain search he fumbled about till he found the door, and fledout of it howling frightfully. As for us, when he was gone we madehaste to leave the fatal castle, and, stationing ourselves beside ourrafts, we waited to see what would happen. Our idea was that if, whenthe sun rose, we saw nothing of the giant, and no longer heard hishowls, which still came faintly through the darkness, growing more andmore distant, we should conclude that he was dead, and that we mightsafely stay upon the island and need not risk our lives upon the frailrafts. But alas! morning light showed us our enemy approaching us,supported on either hand by two giants nearly as large and fearful ashimself, while a crowd of others followed close upon their heels.Hesitating no longer we clambered upon our rafts and rowed with all ourmight out to sea. The giants, seeing their prey escaping them, seizedup huge pieces of rock, and wading into the water hurled them after uswith such good aim that all the rafts except the one I was upon wereswamped, and their luckless crews drowned, without our being able to doanything to help them. Indeed I and my two companions had all we coulddo to keep our own raft beyond the reach of the giants, but by dint ofhard rowing we at last gained the open sea. Here we were at the mercyof the winds and waves, which tossed us to and fro all that day andnight, but the next morning we found ourselves near an island, uponwhich we gladly landed.

There we found delicious fruits, and having satisfied our hunger wepresently lay down to rest upon the shore. Suddenly we were aroused bya loud rustling noise, and starting up, saw that it was caused by animmense snake which was gliding towards us over the sand. So swiftlyit came that it had seized one of my comrades before he had time tofly, and in spite of his cries and struggles speedily crushed the lifeout of him in its mighty coils and proceeded to swallow him. By thistime my other companion and I were running for our lives to some placewhere we might hope to be safe from this new horror, and seeing a talltree we climbed up into it, having first provided ourselves with astore of fruit off the surrounding bushes. When night came I fellasleep, but only to be awakened once more by the terrible snake, whichafter hissing horribly round the tree at last reared itself up againstit, and finding my sleeping comrade who was perched just below me, itswallowed him also, and crawled away leaving me half dead with terror.

When the sun rose I crept down from the tree with hardly a hope ofescaping the dreadful fate which had over-taken my comrades; but lifeis sweet, and I determined to do all I could to save myself. All daylong I toiled with frantic haste and collected quantities of drybrushwood, reeds and thorns, which I bound with faggots, and making acircle of them under my tree I piled them firmly one upon another untilI had a kind of tent in which I crouched like a mouse in a hole whenshe sees the cat coming. You may imagine what a fearful night Ipassed, for the snake returned eager to devour me, and glided round andround my frail shelter seeking an entrance. Every moment I feared thatit would succeed in pushing aside some of the faggots, but happily forme they held together, and when it grew light my enemy retired, baffledand hungry, to his den. As for me I was more dead than alive! Shakingwith fright and half suffocated by the poisonous breath of the monster,I came out of my tent and crawled down to the sea, feeling that itwould be better to plunge from the cliffs and end my life at once thanpass such another night of horror. But to my joy and relief I saw aship sailing by, and by shouting wildly and waving my turban I managedto attract the attention of her crew.

A boat was sent to rescue me, and very soon I found myself on boardsurrounded by a wondering crowd of sailors and merchants eager to knowby what chance I found myself in that desolate island. After I hadtold my story they regaled me with the choicest food the ship afforded,and the captain, seeing that I was in rags, generously bestowed upon meone of his own coats. After sailing about for some time and touchingat many ports we came at last to the island of Salahat, where sandalwood grows in great abundance. Here we anchored, and as I stoodwatching the merchants disembarking their goods and preparing to sellor exchange them, the captain came up to me and said,

"I have here, brother, some merchandise belonging to a passenger ofmine who is dead. Will you do me the favour to trade with it, and whenI meet with his heirs I shall be able to give them the money, though itwill be only just that you shall have a portion for your trouble."

I consented gladly, for I did not like standing by idle. Whereupon hepointed the bales out to me, and sent for the person whose duty it wasto keep a list of the goods that were upon the ship. When this mancame he asked in what name the merchandise was to be registered.

"In the name of Sindbad the Sailor," replied the captain.

At this I was greatly surprised, but looking carefully at him Irecognised him to be the captain of the ship upon which I had made mysecond voyage, though he had altered much since that time. As for him,believing me to be dead it was no wonder that he had not recognised me.

"So, captain," said I, "the merchant who owned those bales was calledSindbad?"

"Yes," he replied. "He was so named. He belonged to Bagdad, andjoined my ship at Balsora, but by mischance he was left behind upon adesert island where we had landed to fill up our water-casks, and itwas not until four hours later that he was missed. By that time thewind had freshened, and it was impossible to put back for him."

"You suppose him to have perished then?" said I.

"Alas! yes," he answered.

"Why, captain!" I cried, "look well at me. I am that Sindbad who fellasleep upon the island and awoke to find himself abandoned!"

The captain stared at me in amazement, but was presently convinced thatI was indeed speaking the truth, and rejoiced greatly at my escape.

"I am glad to have that piece of carelessness off my conscience at anyrate," said he. "Now take your goods, and the profit I have made foryou upon them, and may you prosper in future."

I took them gratefully, and as we went from one island to another Ilaid in stores of cloves, cinnamon, and other spices. In one place Isaw a tortoise which was twenty cubits long and as many broad, also afish that was like a cow and had skin so thick that it was used to makeshields. Another I saw that was like a camel in shape and colour. Soby degrees we came back to Balsora, and I returned to Bagdad with somuch money that I could not myself count it, besides treasures withoutend. I gave largely to the poor, and bought much land to add to what Ialready possessed, and thus ended my third voyage.

When Sindbad had finished his story he gave another hundred sequins toHindbad, who then departed with the other guests, but next day whenthey had all reassembled, and the banquet was ended, their hostcontinued his adventures.

Fourth Voyage

Rich and happy as I was after my third voyage, I could not make up mymind to stay at home altogether. My love of trading, and the pleasureI took in anything that was new and strange, made me set my affairs inorder, and begin my journey through some of the Persian provinces,having first sent off stores of goods to await my coming in thedifferent places I intended to visit. I took ship at a distantseaport, and for some time all went well, but at last, being caught ina violent hurricane, our vessel became a total wreck in spite of allour worthy captain could do to save her, and many of our companyperished in the waves. I, with a few others, had the good fortune tobe washed ashore clinging to pieces of the wreck, for the storm haddriven us near an island, and scrambling up beyond the reach of thewaves we threw ourselves down quite exhausted, to wait for morning.

At daylight we wandered inland, and soon saw some huts, to which wedirected our steps. As we drew near their black inhabitants swarmedout in great numbers and surrounded us, and we were led to theirhouses, and as it were divided among our captors. I with five otherswas taken into a hut, where we were made to sit upon the ground, andcertain herbs were given to us, which the blacks made signs to us toeat. Observing that they themselves did not touch them, I was carefulonly to pretend to taste my portion; but my companions, being veryhungry, rashly ate up all that was set before them, and very soon I hadthe horror of seeing them become perfectly mad. Though they chatteredincessantly I could not understand a word they said, nor did they heedwhen I spoke to them. The savages now produced large bowls full ofrice prepared with cocoanut oil, of which my crazy comrades ateeagerly, but I only tasted a few grains, understanding clearly that theobject of our captors was to fatten us speedily for their own eating,and this was exactly what happened. My unlucky companions having losttheir reason, felt neither anxiety nor fear, and ate greedily all thatwas offered them. So they were soon fat and there was an end of them,but I grew leaner day by day, for I ate but little, and even thatlittle did me no good by reason of my fear of what lay before me.However, as I was so far from being a tempting morsel, I was allowed towander about freely, and one day, when all the blacks had gone off uponsome expedition leaving only an old man to guard me, I managed toescape from him and plunged into the forest, running faster the more hecried to me to come back, until I had completely distanced him.

For seven days I hurried on, resting only when the darkness stopped me,and living chiefly upon cocoanuts, which afforded me both meat anddrink, and on the eighth day I reached the seashore and saw a party ofwhite men gathering pepper, which grew abundantly all about. Reassuredby the nature of their occupation, I advanced towards them and theygreeted me in Arabic, asking who I was and whence I came. My delightwas great on hearing this familiar speech, and I willingly satisfiedtheir curiosity, telling them how I had been shipwrecked, and capturedby the blacks. "But these savages devour men!" said they. "How didyou escape?" I repeated to them what I have just told you, at whichthey were mightily astonished. I stayed with them until they hadcollected as much pepper as they wished, and then they took me back totheir own country and presented me to their king, by whom I washospitably received. To him also I had to relate my adventures, whichsurprised him much, and when I had finished he ordered that I should besupplied with food and raiment and treated with consideration.

The island on which I found myself was full of people, and abounded inall sorts of desirable things, and a great deal of traffic went on inthe capital, where I soon began to feel at home and contented.Moreover, the king treated me with special favour, and in consequenceof this everyone, whether at the court or in the town, sought to makelife pleasant to me. One thing I remarked which I thought verystrange; this was that, from the greatest to the least, all men rodetheir horses without bridle or stirrups. I one day presumed to ask hismajesty why he did not use them, to which he replied, "You speak to meof things of which I have never before heard!" This gave me an idea.I found a clever workman, and made him cut out under my direction thefoundation of a saddle, which I wadded and covered with choice leather,adorning it with rich gold embroidery. I then got a lock-smith to makeme a bit and a pair of spurs after a pattern that I drew for him, andwhen all these things were completed I presented them to the king andshowed him how to use them. When I had saddled one of his horses hemounted it and rode about quite delighted with the novelty, and to showhis gratitude he rewarded me with large gifts. After this I had tomake saddles for all the principal officers of the king's household,and as they all gave me rich presents I soon became very wealthy andquite an important person in the city.

One day the king sent for me and said, "Sindbad, I am going to ask afavour of you. Both I and my subjects esteem you, and wish you to endyour days amongst us. Therefore I desire that you will marry a richand beautiful lady whom I will find for you, and think no more of yourown country."

As the king's will was law I accepted the charming bride he presentedto me, and lived happily with her. Nevertheless I had every intentionof escaping at the first opportunity, and going back to Bagdad. Thingswere thus going prosperously with me when it happened that the wife ofone of my neighbours, with whom I had struck up quite a friendship,fell ill, and presently died. I went to his house to offer myconsolations, and found him in the depths of woe.

"Heaven preserve you," said I, "and send you a long life!"

"Alas!" he replied, "what is the good of saying that when I have but anhour left to live!"

"Come, come!" said I, "surely it is not so bad as all that. I trustthat you may be spared to me for many years."

"I hope," answered he, "that your life may be long, but as for me, allis finished. I have set my house in order, and to-day I shall beburied with my wife. This has been the law upon our island from theearliest ages--the living husband goes to the grave with his dead wife,the living wife with her dead husband. So did our fathers, and so mustwe do. The law changes not, and all must submit to it!"

As he spoke the friends and relations of the unhappy pair began toassemble. The body, decked in rich robes and sparkling with jewels,was laid upon an open bier, and the procession started, taking its wayto a high mountain at some distance from the city, the wretchedhusband, clothed from head to foot in a black mantle, followingmournfully.

When the place of interment was reached the corpse was lowered, just asit was, into a deep pit. Then the husband, bidding farewell to all hisfriends, stretched himself upon another bier, upon which were laidseven little loaves of bread and a pitcher of water, and he also waslet down-down-down to the depths of the horrible cavern, and then astone was laid over the opening, and the melancholy company wended itsway back to the city.

You may imagine that I was no unmoved spectator of these proceedings;to all the others it was a thing to which they had been accustomed fromtheir youth up; but I was so horrified that I could not help tellingthe king how it struck me.

"Sire," I said, "I am more astonished than I can express to you at thestrange custom which exists in your dominions of burying the livingwith the dead. In all my travels I have never before met with so crueland horrible a law."

"What would you have, Sindbad?" he replied. "It is the law foreverybody. I myself should be buried with the Queen if she were thefirst to die."

"But, your Majesty," said I, "dare I ask if this law applies toforeigners also?"

"Why, yes," replied the king smiling, in what I could but consider avery heartless manner, "they are no exception to the rule if they havemarried in the country."

When I heard this I went home much cast down, and from that timeforward my mind was never easy. If only my wife's little finger achedI fancied she was going to die, and sure enough before very long shefell really ill and in a few days breathed her last. My dismay wasgreat, for it seemed to me that to be buried alive was even a worsefate than to be devoured by cannibals, nevertheless there was noescape. The body of my wife, arrayed in her richest robes and deckedwith all her jewels, was laid upon the bier. I followed it, and afterme came a great procession, headed by the king and all his nobles, andin this order we reached the fatal mountain, which was one of a loftychain bordering the sea.

Here I made one more frantic effort to excite the pity of the king andthose who stood by, hoping to save myself even at this last moment, butit was of no avail. No one spoke to me, they even appeared to hastenover their dreadful task, and I speedily found myself descending intothe gloomy pit, with my seven loaves and pitcher of water beside me.Almost before I reached the bottom the stone was rolled into its placeabove my head, and I was left to my fate. A feeble ray of light shoneinto the cavern through some chink, and when I had the courage to lookabout me I could see that I was in a vast vault, bestrewn with bonesand bodies of the dead. I even fancied that I heard the expiring sighsof those who, like myself, had come into this dismal place alive. Allin vain did I shriek aloud with rage and despair, reproaching myselffor the love of gain and adventure which had brought me to such a pass,but at length, growing calmer, I took up my bread and water, andwrapping my face in my mantle I groped my way towards the end of thecavern, where the air was fresher.

Here I lived in darkness and misery until my provisions were exhausted,but just as I was nearly dead from starvation the rock was rolled awayoverhead and I saw that a bier was being lowered into the cavern, andthat the corpse upon it was a man. In a moment my mind was made up,the woman who followed had nothing to expect but a lingering death; Ishould be doing her a service if I shortened her misery. Thereforewhen she descended, already insensible from terror, I was ready armedwith a huge bone, one blow from which left her dead, and I secured thebread and water which gave me a hope of life. Several times did I haverecourse to this desperate expedient, and I know not how long I hadbeen a prisoner when one day I fancied that I heard something near me,which breathed loudly. Turning to the place from which the sound cameI dimly saw a shadowy form which fled at my movement, squeezing itselfthrough a cranny in the wall. I pursued it as fast as I could, andfound myself in a narrow crack among the rocks, along which I was justable to force my way. I followed it for what seemed to me many miles,and at last saw before me a glimmer of light which grew clearer everymoment until I emerged upon the sea shore with a joy which I cannotdescribe. When I was sure that I was not dreaming, I realised that itwas doubtless some little animal which had found its way into thecavern from the sea, and when disturbed had fled, showing me a means ofescape which I could never have discovered for myself. I hastilysurveyed my surroundings, and saw that I was safe from all pursuit fromthe town.

The mountains sloped sheer down to the sea, and there was no roadacross them. Being assured of this I returned to the cavern, andamassed a rich treasure of diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and jewels ofall kinds which strewed the ground. These I made up into bales, andstored them into a safe place upon the beach, and then waited hopefullyfor the passing of a ship. I had looked out for two days, however,before a single sail appeared, so it was with much delight that I atlast saw a vessel not very far from the shore, and by waving my armsand uttering loud cries succeeded in attracting the attention of hercrew. A boat was sent off to me, and in answer to the questions of thesailors as to how I came to be in such a plight, I replied that I hadbeen shipwrecked two days before, but had managed to scramble ashorewith the bales which I pointed out to them. Luckily for me theybelieved my story, and without even looking at the place where theyfound me, took up my bundles, and rowed me back to the ship. Once onboard, I soon saw that the captain was too much occupied with thedifficulties of navigation to pay much heed to me, though he generouslymade me welcome, and would not even accept the jewels with which Ioffered to pay my passage. Our voyage was prosperous, and aftervisiting many lands, and collecting in each place great store of goodlymerchandise, I found myself at last in Bagdad once more with unheard ofriches of every description. Again I gave large sums of money to thepoor, and enriched all the mosques in the city, after which I gavemyself up to my friends and relations, with whom I passed my time infeasting and merriment.

Here Sindbad paused, and all his hearers declared that the adventuresof his fourth voyage had pleased them better than anything they hadheard before. They then took their leave, followed by Hindbad, who hadonce more received a hundred sequins, and with the rest had been biddento return next day for the story of the fifth voyage.

When the time came all were in their places, and when they had eatenand drunk of all that was set before them Sindbad began his tale.

Fifth Voyage

Not even all that I had gone through could make me contented with aquiet life. I soon wearied of its pleasures, and longed for change andadventure. Therefore I set out once more, but this time in a ship ofmy own, which I built and fitted out at the nearest seaport. I wishedto be able to call at whatever port I chose, taking my own time; but asI did not intend carrying enough goods for a full cargo, I invitedseveral merchants of different nations to join me. We set sail withthe first favourable wind, and after a long voyage upon the open seaswe landed upon an unknown island which proved to be uninhabited. Wedetermined, however, to explore it, but had not gone far when we founda roc's egg, as large as the one I had seen before and evidently verynearly hatched, for the beak of the young bird had already pierced theshell. In spite of all I could say to deter them, the merchants whowere with me fell upon it with their hatchets, breaking the shell, andkilling the young roc. Then lighting a fire upon the ground theyhacked morsels from the bird, and proceeded to roast them while I stoodby aghast.

Scarcely had they finished their ill-omened repast, when the air aboveus was darkened by two mighty shadows. The captain of my ship, knowingby experience what this meant, cried out to us that the parent birdswere coming, and urged us to get on board with all speed. This we did,and the sails were hoisted, but before we had made any way the rocsreached their despoiled nest and hovered about it, uttering frightfulcries when they discovered the mangled remains of their young one. Fora moment we lost sight of them, and were flattering ourselves that wehad escaped, when they reappeared and soared into the air directly overour vessel, and we saw that each held in its claws an immense rockready to crush us. There was a moment of breathless suspense, then onebird loosed its hold and the huge block of stone hurtled through theair, but thanks to the presence of mind of the helmsman, who turned ourship violently in another direction, it fell into the sea close besideus, cleaving it asunder till we could nearly see the bottom. We hadhardly time to draw a breath of relief before the other rock fell witha mighty crash right in the midst of our luckless vessel, smashing itinto a thousand fragments, and crushing, or hurling into the sea,passengers and crew. I myself went down with the rest, but had thegood fortune to rise unhurt, and by holding on to a piece of driftwoodwith one hand and swimming with the other I kept myself afloat and waspresently washed up by the tide on to an island. Its shores were steepand rocky, but I scrambled up safely and threw myself down to rest uponthe green turf.

When I had somewhat recovered I began to examine the spot in which Ifound myself, and truly it seemed to me that I had reached a garden ofdelights. There were trees everywhere, and they were laden withflowers and fruit, while a crystal stream wandered in and out undertheir shadow. When night came I slept sweetly in a cosy nook, thoughthe remembrance that I was alone in a strange land made me sometimesstart up and look around me in alarm, and then I wished heartily that Ihad stayed at home at ease. However, the morning sunlight restored mycourage, and I once more wandered among the trees, but always with someanxiety as to what I might see next. I had penetrated some distanceinto the island when I saw an old man bent and feeble sitting upon theriver bank, and at first I took him to be some ship-wrecked marinerlike myself. Going up to him I greeted him in a friendly way, but heonly nodded his head at me in reply. I then asked what he did there,and he made signs to me that he wished to get across the river togather some fruit, and seemed to beg me to carry him on my back.Pitying his age and feebleness, I took him up, and wading across thestream I bent down that he might more easily reach the bank, and badehim get down. But instead of allowing himself to be set upon his feet(even now it makes me laugh to think of it!), this creature who hadseemed to me so decrepit leaped nimbly upon my shoulders, and hookinghis legs round my neck gripped me so tightly that I was well-nighchoked, and so overcome with terror that I fell insensible to theground. When I recovered my enemy was still in his place, though hehad released his hold enough to allow me breathing space, and seeing merevive he prodded me adroitly first with one foot and then with theother, until I was forced to get up and stagger about with him underthe trees while he gathered and ate the choicest fruits. This went onall day, and even at night, when I threw myself down half dead withweariness, the terrible old man held on tight to my neck, nor did hefail to greet the first glimmer of morning light by drumming upon mewith his heels, until I perforce awoke and resumed my dreary march withrage and bitterness in my heart.

It happened one day that I passed a tree under which lay several drygourds, and catching one up I amused myself with scooping out itscontents and pressing into it the juice of several bunches of grapeswhich hung from every bush. When it was full I left it propped in thefork of a tree, and a few days later, carrying the hateful old man thatway, I snatched at my gourd as I passed it and had the satisfaction ofa draught of excellent wine so good and refreshing that I even forgotmy detestable burden, and began to sing and caper.

The old monster was not slow to perceive the effect which my draughthad produced and that I carried him more lightly than usual, so hestretched out his skinny hand and seizing the gourd first tasted itscontents cautiously, then drained them to the very last drop. The winewas strong and the gourd capacious, so he also began to sing after afashion, and soon I had the delight of feeling the iron grip of hisgoblin legs unclasp, and with one vigorous effort I threw him to theground, from which he never moved again. I was so rejoiced to have atlast got rid of this uncanny old man that I ran leaping and boundingdown to the sea shore, where, by the greatest good luck, I met withsome mariners who had anchored off the island to enjoy the deliciousfruits, and to renew their supply of water.

They heard the story of my escape with amazement, saying, "You fellinto the hands of the Old Man of the Sea, and it is a mercy that he didnot strangle you as he has everyone else upon whose shoulders he hasmanaged to perch himself. This island is well known as the scene ofhis evil deeds, and no merchant or sailor who lands upon it cares tostray far away from his comrades." After we had talked for a whilethey took me back with them on board their ship, where the captainreceived me kindly, and we soon set sail, and after several daysreached a large and prosperous-looking town where all the houses werebuilt of stone. Here we anchored, and one of the merchants, who hadbeen very friendly to me on the way, took me ashore with him and showedme a lodging set apart for strange merchants. He then provided me witha large sack, and pointed out to me a party of others equipped in likemanner.

"Go with them," said he, "and do as they do, but beware of losing sightof them, for if you strayed your life would be in danger."

With that he supplied me with provisions, and bade me farewell, and Iset out with my new companions. I soon learnt that the object of ourexpedition was to fill our sacks with cocoanuts, but when at length Isaw the trees and noted their immense height and the slipperysmoothness of their slender trunks, I did not at all understand how wewere to do it. The crowns of the cocoa-palms were all alive withmonkeys, big and little, which skipped from one to the other withsurprising agility, seeming to be curious about us and disturbed at ourappearance, and I was at first surprised when my companions aftercollecting stones began to throw them at the lively creatures, whichseemed to me quite harmless. But very soon I saw the reason of it andjoined them heartily, for the monkeys, annoyed and wishing to pay usback in our own coin, began to tear the nuts from the trees and castthem at us with angry and spiteful gestures, so that after very littlelabour our sacks were filled with the fruit which we could nototherwise have obtained.

As soon as we had as many as we could carry we went back to the town,where my friend bought my share and advised me to continue the sameoccupation until I had earned money enough to carry me to my owncountry. This I did, and before long had amassed a considerable sum.Just then I heard that there was a trading ship ready to sail, andtaking leave of my friend I went on board, carrying with me a goodlystore of cocoanuts; and we sailed first to the islands where peppergrows, then to Comari where the best aloes wood is found, and where mendrink no wine by an unalterable law. Here I exchanged my nuts forpepper and good aloes wood, and went a-fishing for pearls with some ofthe other merchants, and my divers were so lucky that very soon I hadan immense number, and those very large and perfect. With all thesetreasures I came joyfully back to Bagdad, where I disposed of them forlarge sums of money, of which I did not fail as before to give thetenth part to the poor, and after that I rested from my labours andcomforted myself with all the pleasures that my riches could give me.

Having thus ended his story, Sindbad ordered that one hundred sequinsshould be given to Hindbad, and the guests then withdrew; but after thenext day's feast he began the account of his sixth voyage as follows.

Sixth Voyage

It must be a marvel to you how, after having five times met withshipwreck and unheard of perils, I could again tempt fortune and riskfresh trouble. I am even surprised myself when I look back, butevidently it was my fate to rove, and after a year of repose I preparedto make a sixth voyage, regardless of the entreaties of my friends andrelations, who did all they could to keep me at home. Instead of goingby the Persian Gulf, I travelled a considerable way overland, andfinally embarked from a distant Indian port with a captain who meant tomake a long voyage. And truly he did so, for we fell in with stormyweather which drove us completely out of our course, so that for manydays neither captain nor pilot knew where we were, nor where we weregoing. When they did at last discover our position we had small groundfor rejoicing, for the captain, casting his turban upon the deck andtearing his beard, declared that we were in the most dangerous spotupon the whole wide sea, and had been caught by a current which was atthat minute sweeping us to destruction. It was too true! In spite ofall the sailors could do we were driven with frightful rapidity towardsthe foot of a mountain, which rose sheer out of the sea, and our vesselwas dashed to pieces upon the rocks at its base, not, however, until wehad managed to scramble on shore, carrying with us the most precious ofour possessions. When we had done this the captain said to us:

"Now we are here we may as well begin to dig our graves at once, sincefrom this fatal spot no shipwrecked mariner has ever returned."

This speech discouraged us much, and we began to lament over our sadfate.

The mountain formed the seaward boundary of a large island, and thenarrow strip of rocky shore upon which we stood was strewn with thewreckage of a thousand gallant ships, while the bones of the lucklessmariners shone white in the sunshine, and we shuddered to think howsoon our own would be added to the heap. All around, too, lay vastquantities of the costliest merchandise, and treasures were heaped inevery cranny of the rocks, but all these things only added to thedesolation of the scene. It struck me as a very strange thing that ariver of clear fresh water, which gushed out from the mountain not farfrom where we stood, instead of flowing into the sea as riversgenerally do, turned off sharply, and flowed out of sight under anatural archway of rock, and when I went to examine it more closely Ifound that inside the cave the walls were thick with diamonds, andrubies, and masses of crystal, and the floor was strewn with ambergris.Here, then, upon this desolate shore we abandoned ourselves to ourfate, for there was no possibility of scaling the mountain, and if aship had appeared it could only have shared our doom. The first thingour captain did was to divide equally amongst us all the food wepossessed, and then the length of each man's life depended on the timehe could make his portion last. I myself could live upon very little.

Nevertheless, by the time I had buried the last of my companions mystock of provisions was so small that I hardly thought I should livelong enough to dig my own grave, which I set about doing, while Iregretted bitterly the roving disposition which was always bringing meinto such straits, and thought longingly of all the comfort and luxurythat I had left. But luckily for me the fancy took me to stand oncemore beside the river where it plunged out of sight in the depths ofthe cavern, and as I did so an idea struck me. This river which hiditself underground doubtless emerged again at some distant spot. Whyshould I not build a raft and trust myself to its swiftly flowingwaters? If I perished before I could reach the light of day once moreI should be no worse off than I was now, for death stared me in theface, while there was always the possibility that, as I was born undera lucky star, I might find myself safe and sound in some desirableland. I decided at any rate to risk it, and speedily built myself astout raft of drift-wood with strong cords, of which enough and tospare lay strewn upon the beach. I then made up many packages ofrubies, emeralds, rock crystal, ambergris, and precious stuffs, andbound them upon my raft, being careful to preserve the balance, andthen I seated myself upon it, having two small oars that I hadfashioned laid ready to my hand, and loosed the cord which held it tothe bank. Once out in the current my raft flew swiftly under thegloomy archway, and I found myself in total darkness, carried smoothlyforward by the rapid river. On I went as it seemed to me for manynights and days. Once the channel became so small that I had a narrowescape of being crushed against the rocky roof, and after that I tookthe precaution of lying flat upon my precious bales. Though I only atewhat was absolutely necessary to keep myself alive, the inevitablemoment came when, after swallowing my last morsel of food, I began towonder if I must after all die of hunger. Then, worn out with anxietyand fatigue, I fell into a deep sleep, and when I again opened my eyesI was once more in the light of day; a beautiful country lay before me,and my raft, which was tied to the river bank, was surrounded byfriendly looking black men. I rose and saluted them, and they spoke tome in return, but I could not understand a word of their language.Feeling perfectly bewildered by my sudden return to life and light, Imurmured to myself in Arabic, "Close thine eyes, and while thousleepest Heaven will change thy fortune from evil to good."

One of the natives, who understood this tongue, then came forwardsaying:

"My brother, be not surprised to see us; this is our land, and as wecame to get water from the river we noticed your raft floating down it,and one of us swam out and brought you to the shore. We have waitedfor your awakening; tell us now whence you come and where you weregoing by that dangerous way?"

I replied that nothing would please me better than to tell them, butthat I was starving, and would fain eat something first. I was soonsupplied with all I needed, and having satisfied my hunger I told themfaithfully all that had befallen me. They were lost in wonder at mytale when it was interpreted to them, and said that adventures sosurprising must be related to their king only by the man to whom theyhad happened. So, procuring a horse, they mounted me upon it, and weset out, followed by several strong men carrying my raft just as it wasupon their shoulders. In this order we marched into the city ofSerendib, where the natives presented me to their king, whom I salutedin the Indian fashion, prostrating myself at his feet and kissing theground; but the monarch bade me rise and sit beside him, asking firstwhat was my name.

"I am Sindbad," I replied, "whom men call `the Sailor,' for I havevoyaged much upon many seas."

"And how come you here?" asked the king.

I told my story, concealing nothing, and his surprise and delight wereso great that he ordered my adventures to be written in letters of goldand laid up in the archives of his kingdom.

Presently my raft was brought in and the bales opened in his presence,and the king declared that in all his treasury there were no suchrubies and emeralds as those which lay in great heaps before him.Seeing that he looked at them with interest, I ventured to say that Imyself and all that I had were at his disposal, but he answered mesmiling:

"Nay, Sindbad. Heaven forbid that I should covet your riches; I willrather add to them, for I desire that you shall not leave my kingdomwithout some tokens of my good will." He then commanded his officersto provide me with a suitable lodging at his expense, and sent slavesto wait upon me and carry my raft and my bales to my new dwellingplace. You may imagine that I praised his generosity and gave himgrateful thanks, nor did I fail to present myself daily in his audiencechamber, and for the rest of my time I amused myself in seeing all thatwas most worthy of attention in the city. The island of Serendib beingsituated on the equinoctial line, the days and nights there are ofequal length. The chief city is placed at the end of a beautifulvalley, formed by the highest mountain in the world, which is in themiddle of the island. I had the curiosity to ascend to its verysummit, for this was the place to which Adam was banished out ofParadise. Here are found rubies and many precious things, and rareplants grow abundantly, with cedar trees and cocoa palms. On theseashore and at the mouths of the rivers the divers seek for pearls,and in some valleys diamonds are plentiful. After many days Ipetitioned the king that I might return to my own country, to which hegraciously consented. Moreover, he loaded me with rich gifts, and whenI went to take leave of him he entrusted me with a royal present and aletter to the Commander of the Faithful, our sovereign lord, saying, "Ipray you give these to the Caliph Haroun al Raschid, and assure him ofmy friendship."

I accepted the charge respectfully, and soon embarked upon the vesselwhich the king himself had chosen for me. The king's letter waswritten in blue characters upon a rare and precious skin of yellowishcolour, and these were the words of it: "The King of the Indies, beforewhom walk a thousand elephants, who lives in a palace, of which theroof blazes with a hundred thousand rubies, and whose treasure housecontains twenty thousand diamond crowns, to the Caliph Haroun alRaschid sends greeting. Though the offering we present to you isunworthy of your notice, we pray you to accept it as a mark of theesteem and friendship which we cherish for you, and of which we gladlysend you this token, and we ask of you a like regard if you deem usworthy of it. Adieu, brother."

The present consisted of a vase carved from a single ruby, six incheshigh and as thick as my finger; this was filled with the choicestpearls, large, and of perfect shape and lustre; secondly, a huge snakeskin, with scales as large as a sequin, which would preserve fromsickness those who slept upon it. Then quantities of aloes wood,camphor, and pistachio-nuts; and lastly, a beautiful slave girl, whoserobes glittered with precious stones.

After a long and prosperous voyage we landed at Balsora, and I madehaste to reach Bagdad, and taking the king's letter I presented myselfat the palace gate, followed by the beautiful slave, and variousmembers of my own family, bearing the treasure.

As soon as I had declared my errand I was conducted into the presenceof the Caliph, to whom, after I had made my obeisance, I gave theletter and the king's gift, and when he had examined them he demandedof me whether the Prince of Serendib was really as rich and powerful ashe claimed to be.

"Commander of the Faithful," I replied, again bowing humbly before him,"I can assure your Majesty that he has in no way exaggerated his wealthand grandeur. Nothing can equal the magnificence of his palace. Whenhe goes abroad his throne is prepared upon the back of an elephant, andon either side of him ride his ministers, his favourites, andcourtiers. On his elephant's neck sits an officer, his golden lance inhis hand, and behind him stands another bearing a pillar of gold, atthe top of which is an emerald as long as my hand. A thousand men incloth of gold, mounted upon richly caparisoned elephants, go beforehim, and as the procession moves onward the officer who guides hiselephant cries aloud, `Behold the mighty monarch, the powerful andvaliant Sultan of the Indies, whose palace is covered with a hundredthousand rubies, who possesses twenty thousand diamond crowns. Beholda monarch greater than Solomon and Mihrage in all their glory!'"

"Then the one who stands behind the throne answers: 'This king, sogreat and powerful, must die, must die, must die!'"

"And the first takes up the chant again, `All praise to Him who livesfor evermore.'"

"Further, my lord, in Serendib no judge is needed, for to the kinghimself his people come for justice."

The Caliph was well satisfied with my report.

"From the king's letter," said he, "I judged that he was a wise man.It seems that he is worthy of his people, and his people of him."

So saying he dismissed me with rich presents, and I returned in peaceto my own house.

When Sindbad had done speaking his guests withdrew, Hindbad havingfirst received a hundred sequins, but all returned next day to hear thestory of the seventh voyage, Sindbad thus began.

Seventh and Last Voyage

After my sixth voyage I was quite determined that I would go to sea nomore. I was now of an age to appreciate a quiet life, and I had runrisks enough. I only wished to end my days in peace. One day,however, when I was entertaining a number of my friends, I was toldthat an officer of the Caliph wished to speak to me, and when he wasadmitted he bade me follow him into the presence of Haroun al Raschid,which I accordingly did. After I had saluted him, the Caliph said:

"I have sent for you, Sindbad, because I need your services. I havechosen you to bear a letter and a gift to the King of Serendib inreturn for his message of friendship."

The Caliph's commandment fell upon me like a thunderbolt.

"Commander of the Faithful," I answered, "I am ready to do all thatyour Majesty commands, but I humbly pray you to remember that I amutterly disheartened by the unheard of sufferings I have undergone.Indeed, I have made a vow never again to leave Bagdad."

With this I gave him a long account of some of my strangest adventures,to which he listened patiently.

"I admit," said he, "that you have indeed had some extraordinaryexperiences, but I do not see why they should hinder you from doing asI wish. You have only to go straight to Serendib and give my message,then you are free to come back and do as you will. But go you must; myhonour and dignity demand it."

Seeing that there was no help for it, I declared myself willing toobey; and the Caliph, delighted at having got his own way, gave me athousand sequins for the expenses of the voyage. I was soon ready tostart, and taking the letter and the present I embarked at Balsora, andsailed quickly and safely to Serendib. Here, when I had disclosed myerrand, I was well received, and brought into the presence of the king,who greeted me with joy.

"Welcome, Sindbad," he cried. "I have thought of you often, andrejoice to see you once more."

After thanking him for the honour that he did me, I displayed theCaliph's gifts. First a bed with complete hangings all cloth of gold,which cost a thousand sequins, and another like to it of crimson stuff.Fifty robes of rich embroidery, a hundred of the finest white linenfrom Cairo, Suez, Cufa, and Alexandria. Then more beds of differentfashion, and an agate vase carved with the figure of a man aiming anarrow at a lion, and finally a costly table, which had once belonged toKing Solomon. The King of Serendib received with satisfaction theassurance of the Caliph's friendliness toward him, and now my taskbeing accomplished I was anxious to depart, but it was some time beforethe king would think of letting me go. At last, however, he dismissedme with many presents, and I lost no time in going on board a ship,which sailed at once, and for four days all went well. On the fifthday we had the misfortune to fall in with pirates, who seized ourvessel, killing all who resisted, and making prisoners of those whowere prudent enough to submit at once, of whom I was one. When theyhad despoiled us of all we possessed, they forced us to put on vileraiment, and sailing to a distant island there sold us for slaves. Ifell into the hands of a rich merchant, who took me home with him, andclothed and fed me well, and after some days sent for me and questionedme as to what I could do.

I answered that I was a rich merchant who had been captured by pirates,and therefore I knew no trade.

"Tell me," said he, "can you shoot with a bow?"

I replied that this had been one of the pastimes of my youth, and thatdoubtless with practice my skill would come back to me.

Upon this he provided me with a bow and arrows, and mounting me withhim upon his own elephant took the way to a vast forest which lay farfrom the town. When we had reached the wildest part of it we stopped,and my master said to me: "This forest swarms with elephants. Hideyourself in this great tree, and shoot at all that pass you. When youhave succeeded in killing one come and tell me."

So saying he gave me a supply of food, and returned to the town, and Iperched myself high up in the tree and kept watch. That night I sawnothing, but just after sunrise the next morning a large herd ofelephants came crashing and trampling by. I lost no time in lettingfly several arrows, and at last one of the great animals fell to theground dead, and the others retreated, leaving me free to come downfrom my hiding place and run back to tell my master of my success, forwhich I was praised and regaled with good things. Then we went back tothe forest together and dug a mighty trench in which we buried theelephant I had killed, in order that when it became a skeleton mymaster might return and secure its tusks.

For two months I hunted thus, and no day passed without my securing, anelephant. Of course I did not always station myself in the same tree,but sometimes in one place, sometimes in another. One morning as Iwatched the coming of the elephants I was surprised to see that,instead of passing the tree I was in, as they usually did, they paused,and completely surrounded it, trumpeting horribly, and shaking the veryground with their heavy tread, and when I saw that their eyes werefixed upon me I was terrified, and my arrows dropped from my tremblinghand. I had indeed good reason for my terror when, an instant later,the largest of the animals wound his trunk round the stem of my tree,and with one mighty effort tore it up by the roots, bringing me to theground entangled in its branches. I thought now that my last hour wassurely come; but the huge creature, picking me up gently enough, set meupon its back, where I clung more dead than alive, and followed by thewhole herd turned and crashed off into the dense forest. It seemed tome a long time before I was once more set upon my feet by the elephant,and I stood as if in a dream watching the herd, which turned andtrampled off in another direction, and were soon hidden in the denseunderwood. Then, recovering myself, I looked about me, and found thatI was standing upon the side of a great hill, strewn as far as I couldsee on either hand with bones and tusks of elephants. "This then mustbe the elephants' burying place," I said to myself, "and they must havebrought me here that I might cease to persecute them, seeing that Iwant nothing but their tusks, and here lie more than I could carry awayin a lifetime."

Whereupon I turned and made for the city as fast as I could go, notseeing a single elephant by the way, which convinced me that they hadretired deeper into the forest to leave the way open to the Ivory Hill,and I did not know how sufficiently to admire their sagacity. After aday and a night I reached my master's house, and was received by himwith joyful surprise.

"Ah! poor Sindbad," he cried, "I was wondering what could have becomeof you. When I went to the forest I found the tree newly uprooted, andthe arrows lying beside it, and I feared I should never see you again.Pray tell me how you escaped death."

I soon satisfied his curiosity, and the next day we went together tothe Ivory Hill, and he was overjoyed to find that I had told himnothing but the truth. When we had loaded our elephant with as manytusks as it could carry and were on our way back to the city, he said:

"My brother--since I can no longer treat as a slave one who hasenriched me thus--take your liberty and may Heaven prosper you. I willno longer conceal from you that these wild elephants have killednumbers of our slaves every year. No matter what good advice we gavethem, they were caught sooner or later. You alone have escaped thewiles of these animals, therefore you must be under the specialprotection of Heaven. Now through you the whole town will be enrichedwithout further loss of life, therefore you shall not only receive yourliberty, but I will also bestow a fortune upon you."

To which I replied, "Master, I thank you, and wish you all prosperity.For myself I only ask liberty to return to my own country."

"It is well," he answered, "the monsoon will soon bring the ivory shipshither, then I will send you on your way with somewhat to pay yourpassage."

So I stayed with him till the time of the monsoon, and every day weadded to our store of ivory till all his ware-houses were overflowingwith it. By this time the other merchants knew the secret, but therewas enough and to spare for all. When the ships at last arrived mymaster himself chose the one in which I was to sail, and put on boardfor me a great store of choice provisions, also ivory in abundance, andall the costliest curiosities of the country, for which I could notthank him enough, and so we parted. I left the ship at the first portwe came to, not feeling at ease upon the sea after all that hadhappened to me by reason of it, and having disposed of my ivory formuch gold, and bought many rare and costly presents, I loaded my packanimals, and joined a caravan of merchants. Our journey was long andtedious, but I bore it patiently, reflecting that at least I had not tofear tempests, nor pirates, nor serpents, nor any of the other perilsfrom which I had suffered before, and at length we reached Bagdad. Myfirst care was to present myself before the Caliph, and give him anaccount of my embassy. He assured me that my long absence haddisquieted him much, but he had nevertheless hoped for the best. As tomy adventure among the elephants he heard it with amazement, declaringthat he could not have believed it had not my truthfulness been wellknown to him.

By his orders this story and the others I had told him were written byhis scribes in letters of gold, and laid up among his treasures. Itook my leave of him, well satisfied with the honours and rewards hebestowed upon me; and since that time I have rested from my labours,and given myself up wholly to my family and my friends.

Thus Sindbad ended the story of his seventh and last voyage, andturning to Hindbad he added:

"Well, my friend, and what do you think now? Have you ever heard ofanyone who has suffered more, or had more narrow escapes than I have?Is it not just that I should now enjoy a life of ease and tranquillity?"

Hindbad drew near, and kissing his hand respectfully, replied, "Sir,you have indeed known fearful perils; my troubles have been nothingcompared to yours. Moreover, the generous use you make of your wealthproves that you deserve it. May you live long and happily in theenjoyment in it."

Sindbad then gave him a hundred sequins, and hence-forward counted himamong his friends; also he caused him to give up his profession as aporter, and to eat daily at his table that he might all his liferemember Sindbad the Sailor.

The Little Hunchback

In the kingdom of Kashgar, which is, as everybody knows, situated onthe frontiers of Great Tartary, there lived long ago a tailor and hiswife who loved each other very much. One day, when the tailor was hardat work, a little hunchback came and sat at the entrance of the shop,and began to sing and play his tambourine. The tailor was amused withthe antics of the fellow, and thought he would take him home to diverthis wife. The hunchback having agreed to his proposal, the tailorclosed his shop and they set off together.

When they reached the house they found the table ready laid for supper,and in a very few minutes all three were sitting before a beautifulfish which the tailor's wife had cooked with her own hands. Butunluckily, the hunchback happened to swallow a large bone, and, inspite of all the tailor and his wife could do to help him, died ofsuffocation in an instant. Besides being very sorry for the poor man,the tailor and his wife were very much frightened on their own account,for if the police came to hear of it the worthy couple ran the risk ofbeing thrown into prison for wilful murder. In order to prevent thisdreadful calamity they both set about inventing some plan which wouldthrow suspicion on some one else, and at last they made up their mindsthat they could do no better than select a Jewish doctor who livedclose by as the author of the crime. So the tailor picked up thehunchback by his head while his wife took his feet and carried him tothe doctor's house. Then they knocked at the door, which openedstraight on to a steep staircase. A servant soon appeared, feeling herway down the dark staircase and inquired what they wanted.

"Tell your master," said the tailor, "that we have brought a very sickman for him to cure; and," he added, holding out some money, "give himthis in advance, so that he may not feel he is wasting his time." Theservant remounted the stairs to give the message to the doctor, and themoment she was out of sight the tailor and his wife carried the bodyswiftly after her, propped it up at the top of the staircase, and ranhome as fast as their legs could carry them.

Now the doctor was so delighted at the news of a patient (for he wasyoung, and had not many of them), that he was transported with joy.

"Get a light," he called to the servant, "and follow me as fast as youcan!" and rushing out of his room he ran towards the staircase. Therehe nearly fell over the body of the hunchback, and without knowing whatit was gave it such a kick that it rolled right to the bottom, and verynearly dragged the doctor after it. "A light! a light!" he criedagain, and when it was brought and he saw what he had done he wasalmost beside himself with terror.

"Holy Moses!" he exclaimed, "why did I not wait for the light? I havekilled the sick man whom they brought me; and if the sacred Ass ofEsdras does not come to my aid I am lost! It will not be long before Iam led to jail as a murderer."

Agitated though he was, and with reason, the doctor did not forget toshut the house door, lest some passers-by might chance to see what hadhappened. He then took up the corpse and carried it into his wife'sroom, nearly driving her crazy with fright.

"It is all over with us!" she wailed, "if we cannot find some means ofgetting the body out of the house. Once let the sun rise and we canhide it no longer! How were you driven to commit such a terriblecrime?"

"Never mind that," returned the doctor, "the thing is to find a way outof it."

For a long while the doctor and his wife continued to turn over intheir minds a way of escape, but could not find any that seemed goodenough. At last the doctor gave it up altogether and resigned himselfto bear the penalty of his misfortune.

But his wife, who had twice his brains, suddenly exclaimed, "I havethought of something! Let us carry the body on the roof of the houseand lower it down the chimney of our neighbour the Mussulman." Now thisMussulman was employed by the Sultan, and furnished his table with oiland butter. Part of his house was occupied by a great storeroom, whererats and mice held high revel.

The doctor jumped at his wife's plan, and they took up the hunchback,and passing cords under his armpits they let him down into thepurveyor's bed-room so gently that he really seemed to be leaningagainst the wall. When they felt he was touching the ground they drewup the cords and left him.

Scarcely had they got back to their own house when the purveyor enteredhis room. He had spent the evening at a wedding feast, and had alantern in his hand. In the dim light it cast he was astonished to seea man standing in his chimney, but being naturally courageous he seizeda stick and made straight for the supposed thief. "Ah!" he cried, "soit is you, and not the rats and mice, who steal my butter. I'll takecare that you don't want to come back!"

So saying he struck him several hard blows. The corpse fell on thefloor, but the man only redoubled his blows, till at length it occurredto him it was odd that the thief should lie so still and make noresistance. Then, finding he was quite dead, a cold fear tookpossession of him. "Wretch that I am," said he, "I have murdered aman. Ah, my revenge has gone too far. Without the help of Allah I amundone! Cursed be the goods which have led me to my ruin." And alreadyhe felt the rope round his neck.

But when he had got over the first shock he began to think of some wayout of the difficulty, and seizing the hunchback in his arms he carriedhim out into the street, and leaning him against the wall of a shop hestole back to his own house, without once looking behind him.

A few minutes before the sun rose, a rich Christian merchant, whosupplied the palace with all sorts of necessaries, left his house,after a night of feasting, to go to the bath. Though he was verydrunk, he was yet sober enough to know that the dawn was at hand, andthat all good Mussulmen would shortly be going to prayer. So hehastened his steps lest he should meet some one on his way to themosque, who, seeing his condition, would send him to prison as adrunkard. In his haste he jostled against the hunchback, who fellheavily upon him, and the merchant, thinking he was being attacked by athief, knocked him down with one blow of his fist. He then calledloudly for help, beating the fallen man all the while.

The chief policeman of the quarter came running up, and found aChristian ill-treating a Mussulman. "What are you doing?" he askedindignantly.

"He tried to rob me," replied the merchant, "and very nearly choked me."

"Well, you have had your revenge," said the man, catching hold of hisarm. "Come, be off with you!"

As he spoke he held out his hand to the hunchback to help him up, butthe hunchback never moved. "Oho!" he went on, looking closer, "so thisis the way a Christian has the impudence to treat a Mussulman!" andseizing the merchant in a firm grasp he took him to the inspector ofpolice, who threw him into prison till the judge should be out of bedand ready to attend to his case. All this brought the merchant to hissenses, but the more he thought of it the less he could understand howthe hunchback could have died merely from the blows he had received.

The merchant was still pondering on this subject when he was summonedbefore the chief of police and questioned about his crime, which hecould not deny. As the hunchback was one of the Sultan's privatejesters, the chief of police resolved to defer sentence of death untilhe had consulted his master. He went to the palace to demand anaudience, and told his story to the Sultan, who only answered,

"There is no pardon for a Christian who kills a Mussulman. Do yourduty."

So the chief of police ordered a gallows to be erected, and sent criersto proclaim in every street in the city that a Christian was to behanged that day for having killed a Mussulman.

When all was ready the merchant was brought from prison and led to thefoot of the gallows. The executioner knotted the cord firmly round theunfortunate man's neck and was just about to swing him into the air,when the Sultan's purveyor dashed through the crowd, and cried,panting, to the hangman,

"Stop, stop, don't be in such a hurry. It was not he who did themurder, it was I."

The chief of police, who was present to see that everything was inorder, put several questions to the purveyor, who told him the wholestory of the death of the hunchback, and how he had carried the body tothe place where it had been found by the Christian merchant.

"You are going," he said to the chief of police, "to kill an innocentman, for it is impossible that he should have murdered a creature whowas dead already. It is bad enough for me to have slain a Mussulmanwithout having it on my conscience that a Christian who is guiltlessshould suffer through my fault."

Now the purveyor's speech had been made in a loud voice, and was heardby all the crowd, and even if he had wished it, the chief of policecould not have escaped setting the merchant free.

"Loose the cords from the Christian's neck," he commanded, turning tothe executioner, "and hang this man in his place, seeing that by hisown confession he is the murderer."

The hangman did as he was bid, and was tying the cord firmly, when hewas stopped by the voice of the Jewish doctor beseeching him to pause,for he had something very important to say. When he had fought his waythrough the crowd and reached the chief of police,

"Worshipful sir," he began, "this Mussulman whom you desire to hang isunworthy of death; I alone am guilty. Last night a man and a woman whowere strangers to me knocked at my door, bringing with them a patientfor me to cure. The servant opened it, but having no light was hardlyable to make out their faces, though she readily agreed to wake me andto hand me the fee for my services. While she was telling me her storythey seem to have carried the sick man to the top of the staircase andthen left him there. I jumped up in a hurry without waiting for alantern, and in the darkness I fell against something, which tumbledheadlong down the stairs and never stopped till it reached the bottom.When I examined the body I found it was quite dead, and the corpse wasthat of a hunchback Mussulman. Terrified at what we had done, my wifeand I took the body on the roof and let it down the chimney of ourneighbour the purveyor, whom you were just about to hang. Thepurveyor, finding him in his room, naturally thought he was a thief,and struck him such a blow that the man fell down and lay motionless onthe floor. Stooping to examine him, and finding him stone dead, thepurveyor supposed that the man had died from the blow he had received;but of course this was a mistake, as you will see from my account, andI only am the murderer; and although I am innocent of any wish tocommit a crime, I must suffer for it all the same, or else have theblood of two Musselmans on my conscience. Therefore send away thisman, I pray you, and let me take his place, as it is I who am guilty."

On hearing the declaration of the Jewish doctor, the chief of policecommanded that he should be led to the gallows, and the Sultan'spurveyor go free. The cord was placed round the Jew's neck, and hisfeet had already ceased to touch the ground when the voice of thetailor was heard beseeching the executioner to pause one moment and tolisten to what he had to say.

"Oh, my lord," he cried, turning to the chief of police, "how nearlyhave you caused the death of three innocent people! But if you willonly have the patience to listen to my tale, you shall know who is thereal culprit. If some one has to suffer, it must be me! Yesterday, atdusk, I was working in my shop with a light heart when the littlehunchback, who was more than half drunk, came and sat in the doorway.He sang me several songs, and then I invited him to finish the eveningat my house. He accepted my invitation, and we went away together. Atsupper I helped him to a slice of fish, but in eating it a bone stuckin his throat, and in spite of all we could do he died in a fewminutes. We felt deeply sorry for his death, but fearing lest weshould be held responsible, we carried the corpse to the house of theJewish doctor. I knocked, and desired the servant to beg her master tocome down as fast as possible and see a sick man whom we had broughtfor him to cure; and in order to hasten his movements I placed a pieceof money in her hand as the doctor's fee. Directly she had disappearedI dragged the body to the top of the stairs, and then hurried away withmy wife back to our house. In descending the stairs the doctoraccidentally knocked over the corpse, and finding him dead believedthat he himself was the murderer. But now you know the truth set himfree, and let me die in his stead."

The chief of police and the crowd of spectators were lost inastonishment at the strange events to which the death of the hunchbackhad given rise.

"Loosen the Jewish doctor," said he to the hangman, "and string up thetailor instead, since he has made confession of his crime. Really, onecannot deny that this is a very singular story, and it deserves to bewritten in letters of gold."

The executioner speedily untied the knots which confined the doctor,and was passing the cord round the neck of the tailor, when the Sultanof Kashgar, who had missed his jester, happened to make inquiry of hisofficers as to what had become of him.

"Sire," replied they, "the hunchback having drunk more than was goodfor him, escaped from the palace and was seen wandering about the town,where this morning he was found dead. A man was arrested for havingcaused his death, and held in custody till a gallows was erected. Atthe moment that he was about to suffer punishment, first one manarrived, and then another, each accusing themselves of the murder, andthis went on for a long time, and at the present instant the chief ofpolice is engaged in questioning a man who declares that he alone isthe true assassin."

The Sultan of Kashgar no sooner heard these words than he ordered anusher to go to the chief of police and to bring all the personsconcerned in the hunchback's death, together with the corpse, that hewished to see once again. The usher hastened on his errand, but wasonly just in time, for the tailor was positively swinging in the air,when his voice fell upon the silence of the crowd, commanding thehangman to cut down the body. The hangman, recognising the usher asone of the king's servants, cut down the tailor, and the usher, seeingthe man was safe, sought the chief of police and gave him the Sultan'smessage. Accordingly, the chief of police at once set out for thepalace, taking with him the tailor, the doctor, the purveyor, and themerchant, who bore the dead hunchback on their shoulders.

When the procession reached the palace the chief of police prostratedhimself at the feet of the Sultan, and related all that he knew of thematter. The Sultan was so much struck by the circumstances that heordered his private historian to write down an exact account of whathad passed, so that in the years to come the miraculous escape of thefour men who had thought themselves murderers might never be forgotten.

The Sultan asked everybody concerned in the hunchback's affair to tellhim their stories. Among others was a prating barber, whose tale ofone of his brothers follows.

The Story of the Barber's Fifth Brother

As long as our father lived Alnaschar was very idle. Instead ofworking for his bread he was not ashamed to ask for it every evening,and to support himself next day on what he had received the nightbefore. When our father died, worn out by age, he only left sevenhundred silver drachmas to be divided amongst us, which made onehundred for each son. Alnaschar, who had never possessed so much moneyin his life, was quite puzzled to know what to do with it. Afterreflecting upon the matter for some time he decided to lay it out onglasses, bottles, and things of that sort, which he would buy from awholesale merchant. Having bought his stock he next proceeded to lookout for a small shop in a good position, where he sat down at the opendoor, his wares being piled up in an uncovered basket in front of him,waiting for a customer among the passers-by.

In this attitude he remained seated, his eyes fixed on the basket, buthis thoughts far away. Unknown to himself he began to talk out loud,and a tailor, whose shop was next door to his, heard quite plainly whathe was saying.

"This basket," said Alnaschar to himself, "has cost me a hundreddrachmas--all that I possess in the world. Now in selling thecontents piece by piece I shall turn two hundred, and these hundreds Ishall again lay out in glass, which will produce four hundred. By thismeans I shall in course of time make four thousand drachmas, which willeasily double themselves. When I have got ten thousand I will give upthe glass trade and become a jeweller, and devote all my time totrading in pearls, diamonds, and other precious stones. At last,having all the wealth that heart can desire, I will buy a beautifulcountry house, with horses and slaves, and then I will lead a merrylife and entertain my friends. At my feasts I will send for musiciansand dancers from the neighbouring town to amuse my guests. In spite ofmy riches I shall not, however, give up trade till I have amassed acapital of a hundred thousand drachmas, when, having become a man ofmuch consideration, I shall request the hand of the grand-vizir'sdaughter, taking care to inform the worthy father that I have heardfavourable reports of her beauty and wit, and that I will pay down onour wedding day 3 thousand gold pieces. Should the vizir refuse myproposal, which after all is hardly to be expected, I will seize him bythe beard and drag him to my house."

When I shall have married his daughter I will give her ten of the besteunuchs that can be found for her service. Then I shall put on my mostgorgeous robes, and mounted on a horse with a saddle of fine gold, andits trappings blazing with diamonds, followed by a train of slaves, Ishall present myself at the house of the grand-vizir, the peoplecasting down their eyes and bowing low as I pass along. At the foot ofthe grand-vizir's staircase I shall dismount, and while my servantsstand in a row to right and left I shall ascend the stairs, at the headof which the grand-vizir will be waiting to receive me. He will thenembrace me as his son-in-law, and giving me his seat will place himselfbelow me. This being done (as I have every reason to expect), two ofmy servants will enter, each bearing a purse containing a thousandpieces of gold. One of these I shall present to him saying, "Here arethe thousand gold pieces that I offered for your daughter's hand, andhere," I shall continue, holding out the second purse, "are anotherthousand to show you that I am a man who is better than his word."After hearing of such generosity the world will talk of nothing else.

I shall return home with the same pomp as I set out, and my wife willsend an officer to compliment me on my visit to her father, and I shallconfer on the officer the honour of a rich dress and a handsome gift.Should she send one to me I shall refuse it and dismiss the bearer. Ishall never allow my wife to leave her rooms on any pretext whateverwithout my permission, and my visits to her will be marked by all theceremony calculated to inspire respect. No establishment will bebetter ordered than mine, and I shall take care always to be dressed ina manner suitable to my position. In the evening, when we retire toour apartments, I shall sit in the place of honour, where I shallassume a grand demeanour and speak little, gazing straight before me,and when my wife, lovely as the full moon, stands humbly in front of mychair I shall pretend not to see her. Then her women will say to me,"Respected lord and master, your wife and slave is before you waitingto be noticed. She is mortified that you never deign to look her way;she is tired of standing so long. Beg her, we pray you, to be seated."Of course I shall give no signs of even hearing this speech, which willvex them mightily. They will throw themselves at my feet withlamentations, and at length I will raise my head and throw a carelessglance at her, then I shall go back to my former attitude. The womenwill think that I am displeased at my wife's dress and will lead heraway to put on a finer one, and I on my side shall replace the one I amwearing with another yet more splendid. They will then return to thecharge, but this time it will take much longer before they persuade meeven to look at my wife. It is as well to begin on my wedding-day as Imean to go on for the rest of our lives.

The next day she will complain to her mother of the way she has beentreated, which will fill my heart with joy. Her mother will come toseek me, and, kissing my hands with respect, will say, "My lord" (forshe could not dare to risk my anger by using the familiar title of"son-in-law"), "My lord, do not, I implore you, refuse to look upon mydaughter or to approach her. She only lives to please you, and lovesyou with all her soul." But I shall pay no more heed to mymother-in-law's words than I did to those of the women. Again she willbeseech me to listen to her entreaties, throwing herself this time atmy feet, but all to no purpose. Then, putting a glass of wine into mywife's hand, she will say to her, "There, present that to him yourself,he cannot have the cruelty to reject anything offered by so beautiful ahand," and my wife will take it and offer it to me tremblingly withtears in her eyes, but I shall look in the other direction. This willcause her to weep still more, and she will hold out the glass crying,"Adorable husband, never shall I cease my prayers till you have done methe favour to drink." Sick of her importunities, these words will goadme to fury. I shall dart an angry look at her and give her a sharpblow on the cheek, at the same time giving her a kick so violent thatshe will stagger across the room and fall on to the sofa.

"My brother," pursued the barber, "was so much absorbed in his dreamsthat he actually did give a kick with his foot, which unluckily hit thebasket of glass. It fell into the street and was instantly broken intoa thousand pieces."

His neighbour the tailor, who had been listening to his visions, brokeinto a loud fit of laughter as he saw this sight.

"Wretched man!" he cried, "you ought to die of shame at behaving so toa young wife who has done nothing to you. You must be a brute for hertears and prayers not to touch your heart. If I were the grand-vizir Iwould order you a hundred blows from a bullock whip, and would have youled round the town accompanied by a herald who should proclaim yourcrimes."

The accident, so fatal to all his profits, had restored my brother tohis senses, and seeing that the mischief had been caused by his owninsufferable pride, he rent his clothes and tore his hair, and lamentedhimself so loudly that the passers-by stopped to listen. It was aFriday, so these were more numerous than usual. Some pitied Alnaschar,others only laughed at him, but the vanity which had gone to his headhad disappeared with his basket of glass, and he was loudly bewailinghis folly when a lady, evidently a person of consideration, rode by ona mule. She stopped and inquired what was the matter, and why the manwept. They told her that he was a poor man who had laid out all hismoney on this basket of glass, which was now broken. On hearing thecause of these loud wails the lady turned to her attendant and said tohim, "Give him whatever you have got with you." The man obeyed, andplaced in my brother's hands a purse containing five hundred pieces ofgold. Alnaschar almost died of joy on receiving it. He blessed thelady a thousand times, and, shutting up his shop where he had no longeranything to do, he returned home.

He was still absorbed in contemplating his good fortune, when a knockcame to his door, and on opening it he found an old woman standingoutside.

"My son," she said, "I have a favour to ask of you. It is the hour ofprayer and I have not yet washed myself. Let me, I beg you, enter yourhouse, and give me water."

My brother, although the old woman was a stranger to him, did nothesitate to do as she wished. He gave her a vessel of water and thenwent back to his place and his thoughts, and with his mind busy overhis last adventure, he put his gold into a long and narrow purse, whichhe could easily carry in his belt. During this time the old woman wasbusy over her prayers, and when she had finished she came andprostrated herself twice before my brother, and then rising called downendless blessings on his head. Observing her shabby clothes, mybrother thought that her gratitude was in reality a hint that he shouldgive her some money to buy some new ones, so he held out two pieces ofgold. The old woman started back in surprise as if she had received aninsult. "Good heavens!" she exclaimed, "what is the meaning of this?Is it possible that you take me, my lord, for one of those miserablecreatures who force their way into houses to beg for alms? Take backyour money. I am thankful to say I do not need it, for I belong to abeautiful lady who is very rich and gives me everything I want."

My brother was not clever enough to detect that the old woman hadmerely refused the two pieces of money he had offered her in order toget more, but he inquired if she could procure him the pleasure ofseeing this lady.

"Willingly," she replied; "and she will be charmed to marry you, and tomake you the master of all her wealth. So pick up your money andfollow me."

Delighted at the thought that he had found so easily both a fortune anda beautiful wife, my brother asked no more questions, but concealinghis purse, with the money the lady had given him, in the folds of hisdress, he set out joyfully with his guide.

They walked for some distance till the old woman stopped at a largehouse, where she knocked. The door was opened by a young Greek slave,and the old woman led my brother across a well-paved court into awell-furnished hall. Here she left him to inform her mistress of hispresence, and as the day was hot he flung himself on a pile of cushionsand took off his heavy turban. In a few minutes there entered a lady,and my brother perceived at the first glance that she was even morebeautiful and more richly dressed than he had expected. He rose fromhis seat, but the lady signed to him to sit down again and placedherself beside him. After the usual compliments had passed betweenthem she said, "We are not comfortable here, let us go into anotherroom," and passing into a smaller chamber, apparently communicatingwith no other, she continued to talk to him for some time. Then risinghastily she left him, saying, "Stay where you are, I will come back ina moment."

He waited as he was told, but instead of the lady there entered a hugeblack slave with a sword in his hand. Approaching my brother with anangry countenance he exclaimed, "What business have you here?" Hisvoice and manner were so terrific that Alnaschar had not strength toreply, and allowed his gold to be taken from him, and even sabre cutsto be inflicted on him without making any resistance. As soon as hewas let go, he sank on the ground powerless to move, though he stillhad possession of his senses. Thinking he was dead, the black orderedthe Greek slave to bring him some salt, and between them they rubbed itinto his wounds, thus giving him acute agony, though he had thepresence of mind to give no sign of life. They then left him, andtheir place was taken by the old woman, who dragged him to a trapdoorand threw him down into a vault filled with the bodies of murdered men.

At first the violence of his fall caused him to lose consciousness, butluckily the salt which had been rubbed into his wounds had by itssmarting preserved his life, and little by little he regained hisstrength. At the end of two days he lifted the trapdoor during thenight and hid himself in the courtyard till daybreak, when he saw theold woman leave the house in search of more prey. Luckily she did notobserve him, and when she was out of sight he stole from this nest ofassassins and took refuge in my house.

I dressed his wounds and tended him carefully, and when a month hadpassed he was as well as ever. His one thought was how to be revengedon that wicked old hag, and for this purpose he had a purse made largeenough to contain five hundred gold pieces, but filled it instead withbits of glass. This he tied round him with his sash, and, disguisinghimself as an old woman, he took a sabre, which he hid under his dress.

One morning as he was hobbling through the streets he met his old enemyprowling to see if she could find anyone to decoy. He went up to herand, imitating the voice of a woman, he said, "Do you happen to have apair of scales you could lend me? I have just come from Persia andhave brought with me five hundred gold pieces, and I am anxious to seeif they are the proper weight."

"Good woman," replied the old hag, "you could not have asked anyonebetter. My son is a money-changer, and if you will follow me he willweigh them for you himself. Only we must be quick or he will have goneto his shop." So saying she led the way to the same house as before,and the door was opened by the same Greek slave.

Again my brother was left in the hall, and the pretended son appearedunder the form of the black slave. "Miserable crone," he said to mybrother, "get up and come with me," and turned to lead the way to theplace of murder. Alnaschar rose too, and drawing the sabre from underhis dress dealt the black such a blow on his neck that his head wassevered from his body. My brother picked up the head with one hand,and seizing the body with the other dragged it to the vault, when hethrew it in and sent the head after it. The Greek slave, supposingthat all had passed as usual, shortly arrived with the basin of salt,but when she beheld Alnaschar with the sabre in his hand she let thebasin fall and turned to fly. My brother, however, was too quick forher, and in another instant her head was rolling from her shoulders.The noise brought the old woman running to see what was the matter, andhe seized her before she had time to escape. "Wretch!" he cried, "doyou know me?"

"Who are you, my lord?" she replied trembling all over. "I have neverseen you before."

"I am he whose house you entered to offer your hypocritical prayers.Don't you remember now?"

She flung herself on her knees to implore mercy, but he cut her in fourpieces.

There remained only the lady, who was quite ignorant of all that wastaking place around her. He sought her through the house, and when atlast he found her, she nearly fainted with terror at the sight of him.She begged hard for life, which he was generous enough to give her, buthe bade her to tell him how she had got into partnership with theabominable creatures he had just put to death.

"I was once," replied she, "the wife of an honest merchant, and thatold woman, whose wickedness I did not know, used occasionally to visitme. 'Madam,' she said to me one day, 'we have a grand wedding at ourhouse to-day. If you would do us the honour to be present, I am sureyou would enjoy yourself.' I allowed myself to be persuaded, put on myrichest dress, and took a purse with a hundred pieces of gold. Onceinside the doors I was kept by force by that dreadful black, and it isnow three years that I have been here, to my great grief."

"That horrible black must have amassed great wealth," remarked mybrother.

"Such wealth," returned she, "that if you succeed in carrying it allaway it will make you rich for ever. Come and let us see how muchthere is."

She led Alnaschar into a chamber filled with coffers packed with gold,which he gazed at with an admiration he was powerless to conceal."Go," she said, "and bring men to carry them away."

My brother did not wait to be told twice, and hurried out into thestreets, where he soon collected ten men. They all came back to thehouse, but what was his surprise to find the door open, and the roomwith the chests of gold quite empty. The lady had been cleverer thanhimself, and had made the best use of her time. However, he tried toconsole himself by removing all the beautiful furniture, which morethan made up for the five hundred gold pieces he had lost.

Unluckily, on leaving the house, he forgot to lock the door, and theneighbours, finding the place empty, informed the police, who nextmorning arrested Alnaschar as a thief. My brother tried to bribe themto let him off, but far from listening to him they tied his hands, andforced him to walk between them to the presence of the judge. Whenthey had explained to the official the cause of complaint, he askedAlnaschar where he had obtained all the furniture that he had taken tohis house the day before.

"Sir," replied Alnaschar, "I am ready to tell you the whole story, butgive, I pray you, your word, that I shall run no risk of punishment."

"That I promise," said the judge. So my brother began at the beginningand related all his adventures, and how he had avenged himself on thosewho had betrayed him. As to the furniture, he entreated the judge atleast to allow him to keep part to make up for the five hundred piecesof gold which had been stolen from him.

The judge, however, would say nothing about this, and lost no time insending men to fetch away all that Alnaschar had taken from the house.When everything had been moved and placed under his roof he ordered mybrother to leave the town and never more to enter it on peril of hislife, fearing that if he returned he might seek justice from theCaliph. Alnaschar obeyed, and was on his way to a neighbouring citywhen he fell in with a band of robbers, who stripped him of his clothesand left him naked by the roadside. Hearing of his plight, I hurriedafter him to console him for his misfortunes, and to dress him in mybest robe. I then brought him back disguised, under cover of night, tomy house, where I have since given him all the care I bestow on myother brothers.

The Story of the Barber's Sixth Brother

There now remains for me to relate to you the story of my sixthbrother, whose name was Schacabac. Like the rest of us, he inherited ahundred silver drachmas from our father, which he thought was a largefortune, but through ill-luck, he soon lost it all, and was driven tobeg. As he had a smooth tongue and good manners, he really did verywell in his new profession, and he devoted himself specially to makingfriends with the servants in big houses, so as to gain access to theirmasters.

One day he was passing a splendid mansion, with a crowd of servantslounging in the courtyard. He thought that from the appearance of thehouse it might yield him a rich harvest, so he entered and inquired towhom it belonged.

"My good man, where do you come from?" replied the servant. "Can't yousee for yourself that it can belong to nobody but a Barmecide?" for theBarmecides were famed for their liberality and generosity. My brother,hearing this, asked the porters, of whom there were several, if theywould give him alms. They did not refuse, but told him politely to goin, and speak to the master himself.

My brother thanked them for their courtesy and entered the building,which was so large that it took him some time to reach the apartmentsof the Barmecide. At last, in a room richly decorated with paintings,he saw an old man with a long white beard, sitting on a sofa, whoreceived him with such kindness that my brother was emboldened to makehis petition.

"My lord," he said, "you behold in me a poor man who only lives by thehelp of persons as rich and as generous as you."

Before he could proceed further, he was stopped by the astonishmentshown by the Barmecide. "Is it possible," he cried, "that while I amin Bagdad, a man like you should be starving? That is a state ofthings that must at once be put an end to! Never shall it be said thatI have abandoned you, and I am sure that you, on your part, will neverabandon me."

"My lord," answered my brother, "I swear that I have not broken my fastthis whole day."

"What, you are dying of hunger?" exclaimed the Barmecide. "Here,slave; bring water, that we may wash our hands before meat!" No slaveappeared, but my brother remarked that the Barmecide did not fail torub his hands as if the water had been poured over them.

Then he said to my brother, "Why don't you wash your hands too?" andSchacabac, supposing that it was a joke on the part of the Barmecide(though he could see none himself), drew near, and imitated his motion.

When the Barmecide had done rubbing his hands, he raised his voice, andcried, "Set food before us at once, we are very hungry." No food wasbrought, but the Barmecide pretended to help himself from a dish, andcarry a morsel to his mouth, saying as he did so, "Eat, my friend, eat,I entreat. Help yourself as freely as if you were at home! For astarving man, you seem to have a very small appetite."

"Excuse me, my lord," replied Schacabac, imitating his gestures asbefore, "I really am not losing time, and I do full justice to therepast."

"How do you like this bread?" asked the Barmecide. "I find itparticularly good myself."

"Oh, my lord," answered my brother, who beheld neither meat nor bread,"never have I tasted anything so delicious."

"Eat as much as you want," said the Barmecide. "I bought the woman whomakes it for five hundred pieces of gold, so that I might never bewithout it."

After ordering a variety of dishes (which never came) to be placed onthe table, and discussing the merits of each one, the Barmecidedeclared that having dined so well, they would now proceed to taketheir wine. To this my brother at first objected, declaring that itwas forbidden; but on the Barmecide insisting that it was out of thequestion that he should drink by himself, he consented to take alittle. The Barmecide, however, pretended to fill their glasses sooften, that my brother feigned that the wine had gone into his head,and struck the Barmecide such a blow on the head, that he fell to theground. Indeed, he raised his hand to strike him a second time, whenthe Barmecide cried out that he was mad, upon which my brothercontrolled himself, and apologised and protested that it was all thefault of the wine he had drunk. At this the Barmecide, instead ofbeing angry, began to laugh, and embraced him heartily. "I have longbeen seeking," he exclaimed, "a man of your description, and henceforthmy house shall be yours. You have had the good grace to fall in withmy humour, and to pretend to eat and to drink when nothing was there.Now you shall be rewarded by a really good supper."

Then he clapped his hands, and all the dishes were brought that theyhad tasted in imagination before and during the repast, slaves sang andplayed on various instruments. All the while Schacabac was treated bythe Barmecide as a familiar friend, and dressed in a garment out of hisown wardrobe.

Twenty years passed by, and my brother was still living with theBarmecide, looking after his house, and managing his affairs. At theend of that time his generous benefactor died without heirs, so all hispossessions went to the prince. They even despoiled my brother ofthose that rightly belonged to him, and he, now as poor as he had everbeen in his life, decided to cast in his lot with a caravan of pilgrimswho were on their way to Mecca. Unluckily, the caravan was attackedand pillaged by the Bedouins, and the pilgrims were taken prisoners.My brother became the slave of a man who beat him daily, hoping todrive him to offer a ransom, although, as Schacabac pointed out, it wasquite useless trouble, as his relations were as poor as himself. Atlength the Bedouin grew tired of tormenting, and sent him on a camel tothe top of a high barren mountain, where he left him to take hischance. A passing caravan, on its way to Bagdad, told me where he wasto be found, and I hurried to his rescue, and brought him in adeplorable condition back to the town.

"This,"--continued the barber,--"is the tale I related to the Caliph,who, when I had finished, burst into fits of laughter.

"Well were you called `the Silent,'" said he; "no name was ever betterdeserved. But for reasons of my own, which it is not necessary tomention, I desire you to leave the town, and never to come back."

"I had of course no choice but to obey, and travelled about for severalyears until I heard of the death of the Caliph, when I hastily returnedto Bagdad, only to find that all my brothers were dead. It was at thistime that I rendered to the young cripple the important service ofwhich you have heard, and for which, as you know, he showed suchprofound ingratitude, that he preferred rather to leave Bagdad than torun the risk of seeing me. I sought him long from place to place, butit was only to-day, when I expected it least, that I came across him,as much irritated with me as ever"-- So saying the tailor went on torelate the story of the lame man and the barber, which has already beentold.

"When the barber," he continued, "had finished his tale, we came to theconclusion that the young man had been right, when he had accused himof being a great chatter-box. However, we wished to keep him with us,and share our feast, and we remained at table till the hour ofafternoon prayer. Then the company broke up, and I went back to workin my shop.

"It was during this interval that the little hunchback, half drunkalready, presented himself before me, singing and playing on his drum.I took him home, to amuse my wife, and she invited him to supper.While eating some fish, a bone got into his throat, and in spite of allwe could do, he died shortly. It was all so sudden that we lost ourheads, and in order to divert suspicion from ourselves, we carried thebody to the house of a Jewish physician. He placed it in the chamberof the purveyor, and the purveyor propped it up in the street, where itwas thought to have been killed by the merchant.

"This, Sire, is the story which I was obliged to tell to satisfy yourhighness. It is now for you to say if we deserve mercy or punishment;life or death?"

The Sultan of Kashgar listened with an air of pleasure which filled thetailor and his friends with hope. "I must confess," he exclaimed,"that I am much more interested in the stories of the barber and hisbrothers, and of the lame man, than in that of my own jester. Butbefore I allow you all four to return to your own homes, and have thecorpse of the hunchback properly buried, I should like to see thisbarber who has earned your pardon. And as he is in this town, let anusher go with you at once in search of him."

The usher and the tailor soon returned, bringing with them an old manwho must have been at least ninety years of age. "O Silent One," saidthe Sultan, "I am told that you know many strange stories. Will youtell some of them to me?"

"Never mind my stories for the present," replied the barber, "but willyour Highness graciously be pleased to explain why this Jew, thisChristian, and this Mussulman, as well as this dead body, are all here?"

"What business is that of yours?" asked the Sultan with a smile; butseeing that the barber had some reasons for his question, he commandedthat the tale of the hunchback should be told him.

"It is certainly most surprising," cried he, when he had heard it all,"but I should like to examine the body." He then knelt down, and tookthe head on his knees, looking at it attentively. Suddenly he burstinto such loud laughter that he fell right backwards, and when he hadrecovered himself enough to speak, he turned to the Sultan. "The manis no more dead than I am," he said; "watch me." As he spoke he drew asmall case of medicines from his pocket and rubbed the neck of thehunchback with some ointment made of balsam. Next he opened the deadman's mouth, and by the help of a pair of pincers drew the bone fromhis throat. At this the hunchback sneezed, stretched himself andopened his eyes.

The Sultan and all those who saw this operation did not know which toadmire most, the constitution of the hunchback who had apparently beendead for a whole night and most of one day, or the skill of the barber,whom everyone now began to look upon as a great man. His Highnessdesired that the history of the hunchback should be written down, andplaced in the archives beside that of the barber, so that they might beassociated in people's minds to the end of time. And he did not stopthere; for in order to wipe out the memory of what they had undergone,he commanded that the tailor, the doctor, the purveyor and themerchant, should each be clothed in his presence with a robe from hisown wardrobe before they returned home. As for the barber, he bestowedon him a large pension, and kept him near his own person.

The Adventures of Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura

Some twenty days' sail from the coast of Persia lies the isle of thechildren of Khaledan. The island is divided into several provinces, ineach of which are large flourishing towns, and the whole forms animportant kingdom. It was governed in former days by a king namedSchahzaman, who, with good right, considered himself one of the mostpeaceful, prosperous, and fortunate monarchs on the earth. In fact, hehad but one grievance, which was that none of his four wives had givenhim an heir.

This distressed him so greatly that one day he confided his grief tothe grand-vizir, who, being a wise counsellor, said: "Such matters areindeed beyond human aid. Allah alone can grant your desire, and Ishould advise you, sire, to send large gifts to those holy men whospend their lives in prayer, and to beg for their intercessions. Whoknows whether their petitions may not be answered!"

The king took his vizir's advice, and the result of so many prayers foran heir to the throne was that a son was born to him the following year.

Schahzaman sent noble gifts as thank offerings to all the mosques andreligious houses, and great rejoicings were celebrated in honour of thebirth of the little prince, who was so beautiful that he was namedCamaralzaman, or "Moon of the Century."

Prince Camaralzaman was brought up with extreme care by an excellentgovernor and all the cleverest teachers, and he did such credit to themthat when he was grown up, a more charming and accomplished young manwas not to be found. Whilst he was still a youth the king, his father,who loved him dearly, had some thoughts of abdicating in his favour.As usual he talked over his plans with his grand-vizir, who, though hedid not approve the idea, would not state all his objections.

"Sire," he replied, "the prince is still very young for the cares ofstate. Your Majesty fears his growing idle and careless, and doubtlessyou are right. But how would it be if he were first to marry? Thiswould attach him to his home, and your Majesty might give him a sharein your counsels, so that he might gradually learn how to wear a crown,which you can give up to him whenever you find him capable of wearingit."

The vizir's advice once more struck the king as being good, and he sentfor his son, who lost no time in obeying the summons, and standingrespectfully with downcast eyes before the king asked for his commands.

"I have sent for you," said the king, "to say that I wish you to marry.What do you think about it?"

The prince was so much overcome by these words that he remained silentfor some time. At length he said: "Sire, I beg you to pardon me if Iam unable to reply as you might wish. I certainly did not expect sucha proposal as I am still so young, and I confess that the idea ofmarrying is very distasteful to me. Possibly I may not always be inthis mind, but I certainly feel that it will require some time toinduce me to take the step which your Majesty desires."

This answer greatly distressed the king, who was sincerely grieved byhis objection to marriage. However he would not have recourse toextreme measures, so he said: "I do not wish to force you; I will giveyou time to reflect, but remember that such a step is necessary, for aprince such as you who will some day be called to rule over a greatkingdom."

From this time Prince Camaralzaman was admitted to the royal council,and the king showed him every mark of favour.

At the end of a year the king took his son aside, and said: "Well, myson, have you changed your mind on the subject of marriage, or do youstill refuse to obey my wish?"

The prince was less surprised but no less firm than on the formeroccasion, and begged his father not to press the subject, adding thatit was quite useless to urge him any longer.

This answer much distressed the king, who again confided his trouble tohis vizir.

"I have followed your advice," he said; "but Camaralzaman declines tomarry, and is more obstinate than ever."

"Sire," replied the vizir, "much is gained by patience, and yourMajesty might regret any violence. Why not wait another year and theninform the Prince in the midst of the assembled council that the goodof the state demands his marriage? He cannot possibly refuse againbefore so distinguished an assemblage, and in our immediate presence."

The Sultan ardently desired to see his son married at once, but heyielded to the vizir's arguments and decided to wait. He then visitedthe prince's mother, and after telling her of his disappointment and ofthe further respite he had given his son, he added: "I know thatCamaralzaman confides more in you than he does in me. Pray speak veryseriously to him on this subject, and make him realize that he willmost seriously displease me if he remains obstinate, and that he willcertainly regret the measures I shall be obliged to take to enforce mywill."

So the first time the Sultana Fatima saw her son she told him she hadheard of his refusal to marry, adding how distressed she felt that heshould have vexed his father so much. She asked what reasons he couldhave for his objections to obey.

"Madam," replied the prince, "I make no doubt that there are as manygood, virtuous, sweet, and amiable women as there are others very muchthe reverse. Would that all were like you! But what revolts me is theidea of marrying a woman without knowing anything at all about her. Myfather will ask the hand of the daughter of some neighbouringsovereign, who will give his consent to our union. Be she fair orfrightful, clever or stupid, good or bad, I must marry her, and am leftno choice in the matter. How am I to know that she will not be proud,passionate, contemptuous, and recklessly extravagant, or that herdisposition will in any way suit mine?"

"But, my son," urged Fatima, "you surely do not wish to be the last ofa race which has reigned so long and so gloriously over this kingdom?"

"Madam," said the prince, "I have no wish to survive the king, myfather, but should I do so I will try to reign in such a manner as maybe considered worthy of my predecessors."

These and similar conversations proved to the Sultan how useless it wasto argue with his son, and the year elapsed without bringing any changein the prince's ideas.

At length a day came when the Sultan summoned him before the council,and there informed him that not only his own wishes but the good of theempire demanded his marriage, and desired him to give his answer beforethe assembled ministers.

At this Camaralzaman grew so angry and spoke with so much heat that theking, naturally irritated at being opposed by his son in full council,ordered the prince to be arrested and locked up in an old tower, wherehe had nothing but a very little furniture, a few books, and a singleslave to wait on him.

Camaralzaman, pleased to be free to enjoy his books, showed himselfvery indifferent to his sentence.

When night came he washed himself, performed his devotions, and, havingread some pages of the Koran, lay down on a couch, without putting outthe light near him, and was soon asleep.

Now there was a deep well in the tower in which Prince Camaralzaman wasimprisoned, and this well was a favourite resort of the fairy Maimoune,daughter of Damriat, chief of a legion of genii. Towards midnightMaimoune floated lightly up from the well, intending, according to herusual habit, to roam about the upper world as curiosity or accidentmight prompt.

The light in the prince's room surprised her, and without disturbingthe slave, who slept across the threshold, she entered the room, andapproaching the bed was still more astonished to find it occupied.

The prince lay with his face half hidden by the coverlet. Maimounelifted it a little and beheld the most beautiful youth she had everseen.

"What a marvel of beauty he must be when his eyes are open!" shethought. "What can he have done to deserve to be treated like this?"

She could not weary gazing at Camaralzaman, but at length, havingsoftly kissed his brow and each cheek, she replaced the coverlet andresumed her flight through the air.

As she entered the middle region she heard the sound of great wingscoming towards her, and shortly met one of the race of bad genii. Thisgenie, whose name was Danhasch, recognised Maimoune with terror, for heknew the supremacy which her goodness gave her over him. He wouldgladly have avoided her altogether, but they were so near that he musteither be prepared to fight or yield to her, so he at once addressedher in a conciliatory tone:

"Good Maimoune, swear to me by Allah to do me no harm, and on my side Iwill promise not to injure you."

"Accursed genie!" replied Maimoune, "what harm can you do me? But Iwill grant your power and give the promise you ask. And now tell mewhat you have seen and done to-night."

"Fair lady," said Danhasch, "you meet me at the right moment to hearsomething really interesting. I must tell you that I come from thefurthest end of China, which is one of the largest and most powerfulkingdoms in the world. The present king has one only daughter, who isso perfectly lovely that neither you, nor I, nor any other creaturecould find adequate terms in which to describe her marvellous charms.You must therefore picture to yourself the most perfect features,joined to a brilliant and delicate complexion, and an enchantingexpression, and even then imagination will fall short of the reality.

"The king, her father, has carefully shielded this treasure from thevulgar gaze, and has taken every precaution to keep her from the sightof everyone except the happy mortal he may choose to be her husband.But in order to give her variety in her confinement he has built herseven palaces such as have never been seen before. The first palace isentirely composed of rock crystal, the second of bronze, the third offine steel, the fourth of another and more precious species of bronze,the fifth of touchstone, the sixth of silver, and the seventh of solidgold. They are all most sumptuously furnished, whilst the gardenssurrounding them are laid out with exquisite taste. In fact, neithertrouble nor cost has been spared to make this retreat agreeable to theprincess. The report of her wonderful beauty has spread far and wide,and many powerful kings have sent embassies to ask her hand inmarriage. The king has always received these embassies graciously, butsays that he will never oblige the princess to marry against her will,and as she regularly declines each fresh proposal, the envoys have hadto leave as disappointed in the result of their missions as they weregratified by their magnificent receptions."

"Sire," said the princess to her father, "you wish me to marry, and Iknow you desire to please me, for which I am very grateful. But,indeed, I have no inclination to change my state, for where could Ifind so happy a life amidst so many beautiful and delightfulsurroundings? I feel that I could never be as happy with any husbandas I am here, and I beg you not to press one on me."

"At last an embassy came from a king so rich and powerful that the Kingof China felt constrained to urge this suit on his daughter. He toldher how important such an alliance would be, and pressed her toconsent. In fact, he pressed her so persistingly that the princess atlength lost her temper and quite forgot the respect due to her father."Sire," cried she angrily, "do not speak further of this or any othermarriage or I will plunge this dagger in my breast and so escape fromall these importunities."

"The king of China was extremely indignant with his daughter andreplied: "You have lost your senses and you must be treatedaccordingly." So he had her shut in one set of rooms in one of herpalaces, and only allowed her ten old women, of whom her nurse was thehead, to wait on her and keep her company. He next sent letters to allthe kings who had sued for the princess's hand, begging they wouldthink of her no longer, as she was quite insane, and he desired hisvarious envoys to make it known that anyone who could cure her shouldhave her to wife.

"Fair Maimoune," continued Danhasch, "this is the present state ofaffairs. I never pass a day without going to gaze on this incomparablebeauty, and I am sure that if you would only accompany me you wouldthink the sight well worth the trouble, and own that you never saw suchloveliness before."

The fairy only answered with a peal of laughter, and when at length shehad control of her voice she cried, "Oh, come, you are making game ofme! I thought you had something really interesting to tell me insteadof raving about some unknown damsel. What would you say if you couldsee the prince I have just been looking at and whose beauty is reallytranscendent? That is something worth talking about, you wouldcertainly quite lose your head."

"Charming Maimoune," asked Danhasch, "may I inquire who and what is theprince of whom you speak?"

"Know," replied Maimoune, "that he is in much the same case as yourprincess. The king, his father, wanted to force him to marry, and onthe prince's refusal to obey he has been imprisoned in an old towerwhere I have just seen him."

"I don't like to contradict a lady," said Danhasch, "but you mustreally permit me to doubt any mortal being as beautiful as my princess."

"Hold your tongue," cried Maimoune. "I repeat that is impossible."

"Well, I don't wish to seem obstinate," replied Danhasch, "the bestplan to test the truth of what I say will be for you to let me take youto see the princess for yourself."

"There is no need for that," retorted Maimoune; "we can satisfyourselves in another way. Bring your princess here and lay her downbeside my prince. We can then compare them at leisure, and decidewhich is in the right."

Danhasch readily consented, and after having the tower where the princewas confined pointed out to him, and making a wager with Maimoune as tothe result of the comparison, he flew off to China to fetch theprincess.

In an incredibly short time Danhasch returned, bearing the sleepingprincess. Maimoune led him to the prince's room, and the rival beautywas placed beside him.

When the prince and princess lay thus side by side, an animated disputeas to their respective charms arose between the fairy and the genius.Danhasch began by saying:

"Now you see that my princess is more beautiful than your prince. Canyou doubt any longer?"

"Doubt! Of course I do!" exclaimed Maimoune. "Why, you must be blindnot to see how much my prince excels your princess. I do not deny thatyour princess is very handsome, but only look and you must own that Iam in the right."

"There is no need for me to look longer," said Danhasch, "my firstimpression will remain the same; but of course, charming Maimoune, I amready to yield to you if you insist on it."

"By no means," replied Maimoune. "I have no idea of being under anyobligation to an accursed genius like you. I refer the matter to anumpire, and shall expect you to submit to his verdict."

Danhasch readily agreed, and on Maimoune striking the floor with herfoot it opened, and a hideous, hump-backed, lame, squinting genius,with six horns on his head, hands like claws, emerged. As soon as hebeheld Maimoune he threw himself at her feet and asked her commands.

"Rise, Caschcasch," said she. "I summoned you to judge between me andDanhasch. Glance at that couch, and say without any partiality whetheryou think the youth or the maiden lying there the more beautiful."

Caschcasch looked at the prince and princess with every token ofsurprise and admiration. At length, having gazed long without beingable to come to a decision, he said

"Madam, I must confess that I should deceive you were I to declare oneto be handsomer than the other. There seems to me only one way inwhich to decide the matter, and that is to wake one after the other andjudge which of them expresses the greater admiration for the other."

This advice pleased Maimoune and Danhasch, and the fairy at oncetransformed herself into the shape of a gnat and settling onCamaralzaman's throat stung him so sharply that he awoke. As he did sohis eyes fell on the Princess of China. Surprised at finding a lady sonear him, he raised himself on one arm to look at her. The youth andbeauty of the princess at once awoke a feeling to which his heart hadas yet been a stranger, and he could not restrain his delight.

"What loveliness! What charms! Oh, my heart, my soul!" he exclaimed,as he kissed her forehead, her eyes and mouth in a way which wouldcertainly have roused her had not the genie's enchantments kept herasleep.

"How, fair lady!" he cried, "you do not wake at the signs ofCamaralzaman's love? Be you who you may, he is not unworthy of you."

It then suddenly occurred to him, that perhaps this was the bride hisfather had destined for him, and that the King had probably had herplaced in this room in order to see how far Camaralzaman's aversion tomarriage would withstand her charms.

"At all events," he thought, "I will take this ring as a remembrance ofher."

So saying he drew off a fine ring which the princess wore on herfinger, and replaced it by one of his own. After which he lay downagain and was soon fast asleep.

Then Danhasch, in his turn, took the form of a gnat and bit theprincess on her lip.

She started up, and was not a little amazed at seeing a young manbeside her. From surprise she soon passed to admiration, and then todelight on perceiving how handsome and fascinating he was.

"Why," cried she, "was it you my father wished me to marry? Howunlucky that I did not know sooner! I should not have made him soangry. But wake up! wake up! for I know I shall love you with all myheart."

So saying she shook Camaralzaman so violently that nothing but thespells of Maimoune could have prevented his waking.

"Oh!" cried the princess. "Why are you so drowsy?" So saying she tookhis hand and noticed her own ring on his finger, which made her wonderstill more. But as he still remained in a profound slumber she presseda kiss on his cheek and soon fell fast asleep too.

Then Maimoune turning to the genie said: "Well, are you satisfied thatmy prince surpasses your princess? Another time pray believe me when Iassert anything."

Then turning to Caschcasch: "My thanks to you, and now do you andDanhasch bear the princess back to her own home."

The two genii hastened to obey, and Maimoune returned to her well.

On waking next morning the first thing Prince Camaralzaman did was tolook round for the lovely lady he had seen at night, and the next toquestion the slave who waited on him about her. But the slavepersisted so strongly that he knew nothing of any lady, and still lessof how she got into the tower, that the prince lost all patience, andafter giving him a good beating tied a rope round him and ducked him inthe well till the unfortunate man cried out that he would telleverything. Then the prince drew him up all dripping wet, but theslave begged leave to change his clothes first, and as soon as theprince consented hurried off just as he was to the palace. Here hefound the king talking to the grand-vizir of all the anxiety his sonhad caused him. The slave was admitted at once and cried:

"Alas, Sire! I bring sad news to your Majesty. There can be no doubtthat the prince has completely lost his senses. He declares that hesaw a lady sleeping on his couch last night, and the state you see mein proves how violent contradiction makes him." He then gave a minuteaccount of all the prince had said and done.

The king, much moved, begged the vizir to examine into this newmisfortune, and the latter at once went to the tower, where he foundthe prince quietly reading a book. After the first exchange ofgreetings the vizir said:

"I feel really very angry with your slave for alarming his Majesty bythe news he brought him."

"What news?" asked the prince.

"Ah!" replied the vizir, "something absurd, I feel sure, seeing how Ifind you."

"Most likely," said the prince; "but now that you are here I am glad ofthe opportunity to ask you where is the lady who slept in this roomlast night?"

The grand-vizir felt beside himself at this question.

"Prince!" he exclaimed, "how would it be possible for any man, muchless a woman, to enter this room at night without walking over yourslave on the threshold? Pray consider the matter, and you will realisethat you have been deeply impressed by some dream."

But the prince angrily insisted on knowing who and where the lady was,and was not to be persuaded by all the vizir's protestations to thecontrary that the plot had not been one of his making. At last, losingpatience, he seized the vizir by the beard and loaded him with blows.

"Stop, Prince," cried the unhappy vizir, "stay and hear what I have tosay."

The prince, whose arm was getting tired, paused.

"I confess, Prince," said the vizir, "that there is some foundation forwhat you say. But you know well that a minister has to carry out hismaster's orders. Allow me to go and to take to the king any messageyou may choose to send."

"Very well," said the prince; "then go and tell him that I consent tomarry the lady whom he sent or brought here last night. Be quick andbring me back his answer."

The vizir bowed to the ground and hastened to leave the room and tower.

"Well," asked the king as soon as he appeared, "and how did you find myson?"

"Alas, sire," was the reply, "the slave's report is only too true!"

He then gave an exact account of his interview with Camaralzaman and ofthe prince's fury when told that it was not possible for any lady tohave entered his room, and of the treatment he himself had received.The king, much distressed, determined to clear up the matter himself,and, ordering the vizir to follow him, set out to visit his son.

The prince received his father with profound respect, and the king,making him sit beside him, asked him several questions, to whichCamaralzaman replied with much good sense. At last the king said: "Myson, pray tell me about the lady who, it is said, was in your room lastnight."

"Sire," replied the prince, "pray do not increase my distress in thismatter, but rather make me happy by giving her to me in marriage.However much I may have objected to matrimony formerly, the sight ofthis lovely girl has overcome all my prejudices, and I will gratefullyreceive her from your hands."

The king was almost speechless on hearing his son, but after a timeassured him most solemnly that he knew nothing whatever about the ladyin question, and had not connived at her appearance. He then desiredthe prince to relate the whole story to him.

Camaralzaman did so at great length, showed the ring, and implored hisfather to help to find the bride he so ardently desired.

"After all you tell me," remarked the king, "I can no longer doubt yourword; but how and whence the lady came, or why she should have stayedso short a time I cannot imagine. The whole affair is indeedmysterious. Come, my dear son, let us wait together for happier days."

So saying the king took Camaralzaman by the hand and led him back tothe palace, where the prince took to his bed and gave himself up todespair, and the king shutting himself up with his son entirelyneglected the affairs of state.

The prime minister, who was the only person admitted, felt it his dutyat last to tell the king how much the court and all the peoplecomplained of his seclusion, and how bad it was for the nation. Heurged the sultan to remove with the prince to a lovely little islandclose by, whence he could easily attend public audiences, and where thecharming scenery and fine air would do the invalid so much good as toenable him to bear his father's occasional absence.

The king approved the plan, and as soon as the castle on the islandcould be prepared for their reception he and the prince arrived there,Schahzaman never leaving his son except for the prescribed publicaudiences twice a week.

Whilst all this was happening in the capital of Schahzaman the twogenii had carefully borne the Princess of China back to her own palaceand replaced her in bed. On waking next morning she first turned fromone side to another and then, finding herself alone, called loudly forher women.

"Tell me," she cried, "where is the young man I love so dearly, and whoslept near me last night?"

"Princess," exclaimed the nurse, "we cannot tell what you allude towithout more explanation."

"Why," continued the princess, "the most charming and beautiful youngman lay sleeping beside me last night. I did my utmost to wake him,but in vain."

"Your Royal Highness wishes to make game of us," said the nurse. "Isit your pleasure to rise?"

"I am quite in earnest," persisted the princess, "and I want to knowwhere he is."

"But, Princess," expostulated the nurse, "we left you quite alone lastnight, and we have seen no one enter your room since then."

At this the princess lost all patience, and taking the nurse by herhair she boxed her ears soundly, crying out: "You shall tell me, youold witch, or I'll kill you."

The nurse had no little trouble in escaping, and hurried off to thequeen, to whom she related the whole story with tears in her eyes.

"You see, madam," she concluded, "that the princess must be out of hermind. If only you will come and see her, you will be able to judge foryourself."

The queen hurried to her daughter's apartments, and after tenderlyembracing her, asked her why she had treated her nurse so badly.

"Madam," said the princess, "I perceive that your Majesty wishes tomake game of me, but I can assure you that I will never marry anyoneexcept the charming young man whom I saw last night. You must knowwhere he is, so pray send for him."

The queen was much surprised by these words, but when she declared thatshe knew nothing whatever of the matter the princess lost all respect,and answered that if she were not allowed to marry as she wished sheshould kill herself, and it was in vain that the queen tried to pacifyher and bring her to reason.

The king himself came to hear the rights of the matter, but theprincess only persisted in her story, and as a proof showed the ring onher finger. The king hardly knew what to make of it all, but ended bythinking that his daughter was more crazy than ever, and withoutfurther argument he had her placed in still closer confinement, withonly her nurse to wait on her and a powerful guard to keep the door.

Then he assembled his council, and having told them the sad state ofthings, added: "If any of you can succeed in curing the princess, Iwill give her to him in marriage, and he shall be my heir."

An elderly emir present, fired with the desire to possess a young andlovely wife and to rule over a great kingdom, offered to try the magicarts with which he was acquainted.

"You are welcome to try," said the king, "but I make one condition,which is, that should you fail you will lose your life."

The emir accepted the condition, and the king led him to the princess,who, veiling her face, remarked, "I am surprised, sire, that you shouldbring an unknown man into my presence."

"You need not be shocked," said the king; "this is one of my emirs whoasks your hand in marriage."

"Sire," replied the princess, "this is not the one you gave me beforeand whose ring I wear. Permit me to say that I can accept no other."

The emir, who had expected to hear the princess talk nonsense, findinghow calm and reasonable she was, assured the king that he could notventure to undertake a cure, but placed his head at his Majesty'sdisposal, on which the justly irritated monarch promptly had it cut off.

This was the first of many suitors for the princess whose inability tocure her cost them their lives.

Now it happened that after things had been going on in this way forsome time the nurse's son Marzavan returned from his travels. He hadbeen in many countries and learnt many things, including astrology.Needless to say that one of the first things his mother told him wasthe sad condition of the princess, his foster-sister. Marzavan asked ifshe could not manage to let him see the princess without the king'sknowledge.

After some consideration his mother consented, and even persuaded theeunuch on guard to make no objection to Marzavan's entering the royalapartment.

The princess was delighted to see her foster-brother again, and aftersome conversation she confided to him all her history and the cause ofher imprisonment.

Marzavan listened with downcast eyes and the utmost attention. Whenshe had finished speaking he said,

"If what you tell me, Princess, is indeed the case, I do not despair offinding comfort for you. Take patience yet a little longer. I willset out at once to explore other countries, and when you hear of myreturn be sure that he for whom you sigh is not far off." So saying, hetook his leave and started next morning on his travels.

Marzavan journeyed from city to city and from one island and provinceto another, and wherever he went he heard people talk of the strangestory of the Princess Badoura, as the Princess of China was named.

After four months he reached a large populous seaport town named Torf,and here he heard no more of the Princess Badoura but a great deal ofPrince Camaralzaman, who was reported ill, and whose story sounded verysimilar to that of the Princess Badoura.

Marzavan was rejoiced, and set out at once for Prince Camaralzaman'sresidence. The ship on which he embarked had a prosperous voyage tillshe got within sight of the capital of King Schahzaman, but when justabout to enter the harbour she suddenly struck on a rock, and founderedwithin sight of the palace where the prince was living with his fatherand the grand-vizir.

Marzavan, who swam well, threw himself into the sea and managed to landclose to the palace, where he was kindly received, and after having achange of clothing given him was brought before the grand-vizir. Thevizir was at once attracted by the young man's superior air andintelligent conversation, and perceiving that he had gained muchexperience in the course of his travels, he said, "Ah, how I wish youhad learnt some secret which might enable you to cure a malady whichhas plunged this court into affliction for some time past!"

Marzavan replied that if he knew what the illness was he might possiblybe able to suggest a remedy, on which the vizir related to him thewhole history of Prince Camaralzaman.

On hearing this Marzavan rejoiced inwardly, for he felt sure that hehad at last discovered the object of the Princess Badoura'sinfatuation. However, he said nothing, but begged to be allowed to seethe prince.

On entering the royal apartment the first thing which struck him wasthe prince himself, who lay stretched out on his bed with his eyesclosed. The king sat near him, but, without paying any regard to hispresence, Marzavan exclaimed, "Heavens! what a striking likeness!"And, indeed, there was a good deal of resemblance between the featuresof Camaralzaman and those of the Princess of China.

These words caused the prince to open his eyes with languid curiosity,and Marzavan seized this moment to pay him his compliments, contrivingat the same time to express the condition of the Princess of China interms unintelligible, indeed, to the Sultan and his vizir, but whichleft the prince in no doubt that his visitor could give him somewelcome information.

The prince begged his father to allow him the favour of a privateinterview with Marzavan, and the king was only too pleased to find hisson taking an interest in anyone or anything. As soon as they wereleft alone Marzavan told the prince the story of the Princess Badouraand her sufferings, adding, "I am convinced that you alone can cureher; but before starting on so long a journey you must be well andstrong, so do your best to recover as quickly as may be."

These words produced a great effect on the prince, who was so muchcheered by the hopes held out that he declared he felt able to get upand be dressed. The king was overjoyed at the result of Marzavan'sinterview, and ordered public rejoicings in honour of the prince'srecovery.

Before long the prince was quite restored to his original state ofhealth, and as soon as he felt himself really strong he took Marzavanaside and said:

"Now is the time to perform your promise. I am so impatient to see mybeloved princess once more that I am sure I shall fall ill again if wedo not start soon. The one obstacle is my father's tender care of me,for, as you may have noticed, he cannot bear me out of his sight."

"Prince," replied Marzavan, "I have already thought over the matter,and this is what seems to me the best plan. You have not been out ofdoors since my arrival. Ask the king's permission to go with me fortwo or three days' hunting, and when he has given leave order two goodhorses to be held ready for each of us. Leave all the rest to me."

Next day the prince seized a favourable opportunity for making hisrequest, and the king gladly granted it on condition that only onenight should be spent out for fear of too great fatigue after such along illness.

Next morning Prince Camaralzaman and Marzavan were off betimes,attended by two grooms leading the two extra horses. They hunted alittle by the way, but took care to get as far from the towns aspossible. At night-fall they reached an inn, where they supped andslept till midnight. Then Marzavan awoke and roused the prince withoutdisturbing anyone else. He begged the prince to give him the coat hehad been wearing and to put on another which they had brought withthem. They mounted their second horses, and Marzavan led one of thegrooms' horses by the bridle.

By daybreak our travellers found themselves where four cross roads metin the middle of the forest. Here Marzavan begged the prince to waitfor him, and leading the groom's horse into a dense part of the wood hecut its throat, dipped the prince's coat in its blood, and havingrejoined the prince threw the coat on the ground where the roads parted.

In answer to Camaralzaman's inquiries as to the reason for this,Marzavan replied that the only chance they had of continuing theirjourney was to divert attention by creating the idea of the prince'sdeath. "Your father will doubtless be plunged in the deepest grief,"he went on, "but his joy at your return will be all the greater."

The prince and his companion now continued their journey by land andsea, and as they had brought plenty of money to defray their expensesthey met with no needless delays. At length they reached the capitalof China, where they spent three days in a suitable lodging to recoverfrom their fatigues.

During this time Marzavan had an astrologer's dress prepared for theprince. They then went to the baths, after which the prince put on theastrologer's robe and was conducted within sight of the king's palaceby Marzavan, who left him there and went to consult his mother, theprincess's nurse.

Meantime the prince, according to Marzavan's instructions, advancedclose to the palace gates and there proclaimed aloud:

"I am an astrologer and I come to restore health to the PrincessBadoura, daughter of the high and mighty King of China, on theconditions laid down by His Majesty of marrying her should I succeed,or of losing my life if I fail."

It was some little time since anyone had presented himself to run theterrible risk involved in attempting to cure the princess, and a crowdsoon gathered round the prince. On perceiving his youth, good looks,and distinguished bearing, everyone felt pity for him.

"What are you thinking of, sir," exclaimed some; "why expose yourselfto certain death? Are not the heads you see exposed on the town wallsufficient warning? For mercy's sake give up this mad idea and retirewhilst you can."

But the prince remained firm, and only repeated his cry with greaterassurance, to the horror of the crowd.

"He is resolved to die!" they cried; "may heaven have pity on him!"

Camaralzaman now called out for the third time, and at last thegrand-vizir himself came out and fetched him in.

The prime minister led the prince to the king, who was much struck bythe noble air of this new adventurer, and felt such pity for the fateso evidently in store for him, that he tried to persuade the young manto renounce his project.

But Camaralzaman politely yet firmly persisted in his intentions, andat length the king desired the eunuch who had the guard of theprincess's apartments to conduct the astrologer to her presence.

The eunuch led the way through long passages, and Camaralzaman followedrapidly, in haste to reach the object of his desires. At last theycame to a large hall which was the ante-room to the princess's chamber,and here Camaralzaman said to the eunuch:

"Now you shall choose. Shall I cure the princess in her own presence,or shall I do it from here without seeing her?"

The eunuch, who had expressed many contemptuous doubts as they camealong of the newcomer's powers, was much surprised and said:

"If you really can cure, it is immaterial when you do it. Your famewill be equally great."

"Very well," replied the prince: "then, impatient though I am to seethe princess, I will effect the cure where I stand, the better toconvince you of my power." He accordingly drew out his writing caseand wrote as follows--"Adorable princess! The enamoured Camaralzamanhas never forgotten the moment when, contemplating your sleepingbeauty, he gave you his heart. As he was at that time deprived of thehappiness of conversing with you, he ventured to give you his ring as atoken of his love, and to take yours in exchange, which he now enclosesin this letter. Should you deign to return it to him he will be thehappiest of mortals, if not he will cheerfully resign himself to death,seeing he does so for love of you. He awaits your reply in yourante-room."

Having finished this note the prince carefully enclosed the ring in itwithout letting the eunuch see it, and gave him the letter, saying:

"Take this to your mistress, my friend, and if on reading it and seeingits contents she is not instantly cured, you may call me an impudentimpostor."

The eunuch at once passed into the princess's room, and handing her theletter said:

"Madam, a new astrologer has arrived, who declares that you will becured as soon as you have read this letter and seen what it contains."

The princess took the note and opened it with languid indifference.But no sooner did she see her ring than, barely glancing at thewriting, she rose hastily and with one bound reached the doorway andpushed back the hangings. Here she and the prince recognised eachother, and in a moment they were locked in each other's arms, wherethey tenderly embraced, wondering how they came to meet at last afterso long a separation. The nurse, who had hastened after her charge,drew them back to the inner room, where the princess restored her ringto Camaralzaman.

"Take it back," she said, "I could not keep it without returning yoursto you, and I am resolved to wear that as long as I live."

Meantime the eunuch had hastened back to the king. "Sire," he cried,"all the former doctors and astrologers were mere quacks. This man hascured the princess without even seeing her." He then told all to theking, who, overjoyed, hastened to his daughter's apartments, where,after embracing her, he placed her hand in that of the prince, saying:

"Happy stranger, I keep my promise, and give you my daughter to wife,be you who you may. But, if I am not much mistaken, your condition isabove what you appear to be."

The prince thanked the king in the warmest and most respectful terms,and added: "As regards my person, your Majesty has rightly guessedthat I am not an astrologer. It is but a disguise which I assumed inorder to merit your illustrious alliance. I am myself a prince, myname is Camaralzaman, and my father is Schahzaman, King of the Isles ofthe Children of Khaledan." He then told his whole history, includingthe extraordinary manner of his first seeing and loving the PrincessBadoura.

When he had finished the king exclaimed: "So remarkable a story mustnot be lost to posterity. It shall be inscribed in the archives of mykingdom and published everywhere abroad."

The wedding took place next day amidst great pomp and rejoicings.Marzavan was not forgotten, but was given a lucrative post at court,with a promise of further advancement.

The prince and princess were now entirely happy, and months slipped byunconsciously in the enjoyment of each other's society.

One night, however, Prince Camaralzaman dreamt that he saw his fatherlying at the point of death, and saying: "Alas! my son whom I loved sotenderly, has deserted me and is now causing my death."

The prince woke with such a groan as to startle the princess, who askedwhat was the matter.

"Ah!" cried the prince, "at this very moment my father is perhaps nomore!" and he told his dream.

The princess said but little at the time, but next morning she went tothe king, and kissing his hand said:

"I have a favour to ask of your Majesty, and I beg you to believe thatit is in no way prompted by my husband. It is that you will allow usboth to visit my father-in-law King Schahzaman."

Sorry though the king felt at the idea of parting with his daughter, hefelt her request to be so reasonable that he could not refuse it, andmade but one condition, which was that she should only spend one yearat the court of King Schahzaman, suggesting that in future the youngcouple should visit their respective parents alternately.

The princess brought this good news to her husband, who thanked hertenderly for this fresh proof of her affection.

All preparations for the journey were now pressed forwards, and whenall was ready the king accompanied the travellers for some days, afterwhich he took an affectionate leave of his daughter, and charging theprince to take every care of her, returned to his capital.

The prince and princess journeyed on, and at the end of a month reacheda huge meadow interspersed with clumps of big trees which cast a mostpleasant shade. As the heat was great, Camaralzaman thought it well toencamp in this cool spot. Accordingly the tents were pitched, and theprincess entering hers whilst the prince was giving his further orders,removed her girdle, which she placed beside her, and desiring her womento leave her, lay down and was soon asleep.

When the camp was all in order the prince entered the tent and, seeingthe princess asleep, he sat down near her without speaking. His eyesfell on the girdle which, he took up, and whilst inspecting theprecious stones set in it he noticed a little pouch sewn to the girdleand fastened by a loop. He touched it and felt something hard within.Curious as to what this might be, he opened the pouch and found acornelian engraved with various figures and strange characters.

"This cornelian must be something very precious," thought he, "or mywife would not wear it on her person with so much care."

In truth it was a talisman which the Queen of China had given herdaughter, telling her it would ensure her happiness as long as shecarried it about her.

The better to examine the stone the prince stepped to the open doorwayof the tent. As he stood there holding it in the open palm of hishand, a bird suddenly swooped down, picked the stone up in its beak andflew away with it.

Imagine the prince's dismay at losing a thing by which his wifeevidently set such store!

The bird having secured its prey flew off some yards and alighted onthe ground, holding the talisman it its beak. Prince Camaralzamanadvanced, hoping the bird would drop it, but as soon as he approachedthe thief fluttered on a little further still. He continued hispursuit till the bird suddenly swallowed the stone and took a longerflight than before. The prince then hoped to kill it with a stone, butthe more hotly he pursued the further flew the bird.

In this fashion he was led on by hill and dale through the entire day,and when night came the tiresome creature roosted on the top of a veryhigh tree where it could rest in safety.

The prince in despair at all his useless trouble began to think whetherhe had better return to the camp. "But," thought he, "how shall I findmy way back? Must I go up hill or down? I should certainly lose myway in the dark, even if my strength held out." Overwhelmed by hunger,thirst, fatigue and sleep, he ended by spending the night at the footof the tree.

Next morning Camaralzaman woke up before the bird left its perch, andno sooner did it take flight than he followed it again with as littlesuccess as the previous day, only stopping to eat some herbs and fruithe found by the way. In this fashion he spent ten days, following thebird all day and spending the night at the foot of a tree, whilst itroosted on the topmost bough. On the eleventh day the bird and theprince reached a large town, and as soon as they were close to itswalls the bird took a sudden and higher flight and was shortlycompletely out of sight, whilst Camaralzaman felt in despair at havingto give up all hopes of ever recovering the talisman of the PrincessBadoura.

Much cast down, he entered the town, which was built near the sea andhad a fine harbour. He walked about the streets for a long time, notknowing where to go, but at length as he walked near the seashore hefound a garden door open and walked in.

The gardener, a good old man, who was at work, happened to look up,and, seeing a stranger, whom he recognised by his dress as a Mussulman,he told him to come in at once and to shut the door.

Camaralzaman did as he was bid, and inquired why this precaution wastaken.

"Because," said the gardener, "I see that you are a stranger and aMussulman, and this town is almost entirely inhabited by idolaters, whohate and persecute all of our faith. It seems almost a miracle thathas led you to this house, and I am indeed glad that you have found aplace of safety."

Camaralzaman warmly thanked the kind old man for offering him shelter,and was about to say more, but the gardener interrupted him with:

"Leave compliments alone. You are weary and must be hungry. Come in,eat, and rest." So saying he led the prince into his cottage, andafter satisfying his hunger begged to learn the cause of his arrival.

Camaralzaman told him all without disguise, and ended by inquiring theshortest way to his father's capital. "For," added he, "if I tried torejoin the princess, how should I find her after eleven days'separation. Perhaps, indeed, she may be no longer alive!" At thisterrible thought he burst into tears.

The gardener informed Camaralzaman that they were quite a year's landjourney to any Mahomedan country, but that there was a much shorterroute by sea to the Ebony Island, from whence the Isles of the Childrenof Khaledan could be easily reached, and that a ship sailed once a yearfor the Ebony Island by which he might get so far as his very home.

"If only you had arrived a few days sooner," he said, "you might haveembarked at once. As it is you must now wait till next year, but ifyou care to stay with me I offer you my house, such as it is, with allmy heart."

Prince Camaralzaman thought himself lucky to find some place of refuge,and gladly accepted the gardener's offer. He spent his days working inthe garden, and his nights thinking of and sighing for his beloved wife.

Let us now see what had become during this time of the Princess Badoura.

On first waking she was much surprised not to find the prince near her.She called her women and asked if they knew where he was, and whilstthey were telling her that they had seen him enter the tent, but hadnot noticed his leaving it, she took up her belt and perceived that thelittle pouch was open and the talisman gone.

She at once concluded that her husband had taken it and would shortlybring it back. She waited for him till evening rather impatiently, andwondering what could have kept him from her so long. When night camewithout him she felt in despair and abused the talisman and its makerroundly. In spite of her grief and anxiety however, she did not loseher presence of mind, but decided on a courageous, though very unusualstep.

Only the princess and her women knew of Camaralzaman's disappearance,for the rest of the party were sleeping or resting in their tents.Fearing some treason should the truth be known, she ordered her womennot to say a word which would give rise to any suspicion, and proceededto change her dress for one of her husband's, to whom, as has beenalready said, she bore a strong likeness.

In this disguise she looked so like the prince that when she gaveorders next morning to break up the camp and continue the journey noone suspected the change. She made one of her women enter her litter,whilst she herself mounted on horseback and the march began.

After a protracted journey by land and sea the princess, still underthe name and disguise of Prince Camaralzaman, arrived at the capital ofthe Ebony Island whose king was named Armanos.

No sooner did the king hear that the ship which was just in port had onboard the son of his old friend and ally than he hurried to meet thesupposed prince, and had him and his retinue brought to the palace,where they were lodged and entertained sumptuously.

After three days, finding that his guest, to whom he had taken a greatfancy, talked of continuing his journey, King Armanos said to him:

"Prince, I am now an old man, and unfortunately I have no son to whomto leave my kingdom. It has pleased Heaven to give me only onedaughter, who possesses such great beauty and charm that I could onlygive her to a prince as highly born and as accomplished as yourself.Instead, therefore, of returning to your own country, take my daughterand my crown and stay with us. I shall feel that I have a worthysuccessor, and shall cheerfully retire from the fatigues of government."

The king's offer was naturally rather embarrassing to the PrincessBadoura. She felt that it was equally impossible to confess that shehad deceived him, or to refuse the marriage on which he had set hisheart; a refusal which might turn all his kindness to hatred andpersecution.

All things considered, she decided to accept, and after a few momentssilence said with a blush, which the king attributed to modesty:

"Sire, I feel so great an obligation for the good opinion your Majestyhas expressed for my person and of the honour you do me, that, though Iam quite unworthy of it, I dare not refuse. But, sire, I can onlyaccept such an alliance if you give me your promise to assist me withyour counsels."

The marriage being thus arranged, the ceremony was fixed for thefollowing day, and the princess employed the intervening time ininforming the officers of her suite of what had happened, assuring themthat the Princess Badoura had given her full consent to the marriage.She also told her women, and bade them keep her secret well.

King Armanos, delighted with the success of his plans, lost no time inassembling his court and council, to whom he presented his successor,and placing his future son-in-law on the throne made everyone do homageand take oaths of allegiance to the new king.

At night the whole town was filled with rejoicings, and with much pompthe Princess Haiatelnefous (this was the name of the king's daughter)was conducted to the palace of the Princess Badoura.

Now Badoura had thought much of the difficulties of her first interviewwith King Armanos' daughter, and she felt the only thing to do was atonce to take her into her confidence.

Accordingly, as soon as they were alone she took Haiatelnefous by thehand and said:

"Princess, I have a secret to tell you, and must throw myself on yourmercy. I am not Prince Camaralzaman, but a princess like yourself andhis wife, and I beg you to listen to my story, then I am sure you willforgive my imposture, in consideration of my sufferings."

She then related her whole history, and at its close Haiatelnefousembraced her warmly, and assured her of her entire sympathy andaffection.

The two princesses now planned out their future action, and agreed tocombine to keep up the deception and to let Badoura continue to play aman's part until such time as there might be news of the realCamaralzaman.

Whilst these things were passing in the Ebony Island PrinceCamaralzaman continued to find shelter in the gardeners cottage in thetown of the idolaters.

Early one morning the gardener said to the prince:

"To-day is a public holiday, and the people of the town not only do notwork themselves but forbid others to do so. You had better thereforetake a good rest whilst I go to see some friends, and as the time isnear for the arrival of the ship of which I told you I will makeinquiries about it, and try to bespeak a passage for you." He then puton his best clothes and went out, leaving the prince, who strolled intothe garden and was soon lost in thoughts of his dear wife and their sadseparation.

As he walked up and down he was suddenly disturbed in his reverie bythe noise two large birds were making in a tree.

Camaralzaman stood still and looked up, and saw that the birds werefighting so savagely with beaks and claws that before long one felldead to the ground, whilst the conqueror spread his wings and flewaway. Almost immediately two other larger birds, who had been watchingthe duel, flew up and alighted, one at the head and the other at thefeet of the dead bird. They stood there some time sadly shaking theirheads, and then dug up a grave with their claws in which they buriedhim.

As soon as they had filled in the grave the two flew off, and ere longreturned, bringing with them the murderer, whom they held, one by awing and the other by a leg, with their beaks, screaming and strugglingwith rage and terror. But they held tight, and having brought him tohis victim's grave, they proceeded to kill him, after which they toreopen his body, scattered the inside and once more flew away.

The prince, who had watched the whole scene with much interest, nowdrew near the spot where it happened, and glancing at the dead bird henoticed something red lying near which had evidently fallen out of itsinside. He picked it up, and what was his surprise when he recognisedthe Princess Badoura's talisman which had been the cause of manymisfortunes. It would be impossible to describe his joy; he kissed thetalisman repeatedly, wrapped it up, and carefully tied it round hisarm. For the first time since his separation from the princess he hada good night, and next morning he was up at day-break and wentcheerfully to ask what work he should do.

The gardener told him to cut down an old fruit tree which had quitedied away, and Camaralzaman took an axe and fell to vigorously. As hewas hacking at one of the roots the axe struck on something hard. Onpushing away the earth he discovered a large slab of bronze, underwhich was disclosed a staircase with ten steps. He went down them andfound himself in a roomy kind of cave in which stood fifty large bronzejars, each with a cover on it. The prince uncovered one after another,and found them all filled with gold dust. Delighted with his discoveryhe left the cave, replaced the slab, and having finished cutting downthe tree waited for the gardener's return.

The gardener had heard the night before that the ship about which hewas inquiring would start ere long, but the exact date not being yetknown he had been told to return next day for further information. Hehad gone therefore to inquire, and came back with good news beaming inhis face.

"My son," said he, "rejoice and hold yourself ready to start in threedays' time. The ship is to set sail, and I have arranged all aboutyour passage with the captain.

"You could not bring me better news," replied Camaralzaman, "and inreturn I have something pleasant to tell you. Follow me and see thegood fortune which has befallen you."

He then led the gardener to the cave, and having shown him the treasurestored up there, said how happy it made him that Heaven should in thisway reward his kind host's many virtues and compensate him for theprivations of many years.

"What do you mean?" asked the gardener. "Do you imagine that I shouldappropriate this treasure? It is yours, and I have no right whateverto it. For the last eighty years I have dug up the ground here withoutdiscovering anything. It is clear that these riches are intended foryou, and they are much more needed by a prince like yourself than by anold man like me, who am near my end and require nothing. This treasurecomes just at the right time, when you are about to return to your owncountry, where you will make good use of it."

But the prince would not hear of this suggestion, and finally aftermuch discussion they agreed to divide the gold. When this was done thegardener said:

"My son, the great thing now is to arrange how you can best carry offthis treasure as secretly as possible for fear of losing it. There areno olives in the Ebony Island, and those imported from here fetch ahigh price. As you know, I have a good stock of the olives which grewin this garden. Now you must take fifty jars, fill each half full ofgold dust and fill them up with the olives. We will then have themtaken on board ship when you embark."

The prince took this advice, and spent the rest of the day filling thefifty jars, and fearing lest the precious talisman might slip from hisarm and be lost again, he took the precaution of putting it in one ofthe jars, on which he made a mark so as to be able to recognise it.When night came the jars were all ready, and the prince and his hostwent to bed.

Whether in consequence of his great age, or of the fatigues andexcitement of the previous day, I do not know, but the gardener passeda very bad night. He was worse next day, and by the morning of thethird day was dangerously ill. At daybreak the ship's captain and someof his sailors knocked at the garden door and asked for the passengerwho was to embark.

"I am he," said Camaralzaman, who had opened the door. "The gardenerwho took my passage is ill and cannot see you, but please come in andtake these jars of olives and my bag, and I will follow as soon as Ihave taken leave of him."

The sailors did as he asked, and the captain before leaving chargedCamaralzaman to lose no time, as the wind was fair, and he wished toset sail at once.

As soon as they were gone the prince returned to the cottage to bidfarewell to his old friend, and to thank him once more for all hiskindness. But the old man was at his last gasp, and had barelymurmured his confession of faith when he expired.

Camaralzaman was obliged to stay and pay him the last offices, sohaving dug a grave in the garden he wrapped the kind old man up andburied him. He then locked the door, gave up the key to the owner ofthe garden, and hurried to the quay only to hear that the ship hadsailed long ago, after waiting three hours for him.

It may well be believed that the prince felt in despair at this freshmisfortune, which obliged him to spend another year in a strange anddistasteful country. Moreover, he had once more lost the PrincessBadoura's talisman, which he feared he might never see again. Therewas nothing left for him but to hire the garden as the old man haddone, and to live on in the cottage. As he could not well cultivatethe garden by himself, he engaged a lad to help him, and to secure therest of the treasure he put the remaining gold dust into fifty morejars, filling them up with olives so as to have them ready fortransport.

Whilst the prince was settling down to this second year of toil andprivation, the ship made a rapid voyage and arrived safely at the EbonyIsland.

As the palace of the new king, or rather of the Princess Badoura,overlooked the harbour, she saw the ship entering it and asked whatvessel it was coming in so gaily decked with flags, and was told thatit was a ship from the Island of the Idolaters which yearly broughtrich merchandise.

The princess, ever on the look out for any chance of news of herbeloved husband, went down to the harbour attended by some officers ofthe court, and arrived just as the captain was landing. She sent forhim and asked many questions as to his country, voyage, what passengershe had, and what his vessel was laden with. The captain answered allher questions, and said that his passengers consisted entirely oftraders who brought rich stuffs from various countries, fine muslins,precious stones, musk, amber, spices, drugs, olives, and many otherthings.

As soon as he mentioned olives, the princess, who was very partial tothem, exclaimed:

"I will take all you have on board. Have them unloaded and we willmake our bargain at once, and tell the other merchants to let me seeall their best wares before showing them to other people."

"Sire," replied the captain, "I have on board fifty very large pots ofolives. They belong to a merchant who was left behind, as in spite ofwaiting for him he delayed so long that I was obliged to set sailwithout him."

"Never mind," said the princess, "unload them all the same, and we willarrange the price."

The captain accordingly sent his boat off to the ship and it soonreturned laden with the fifty pots of olives. The princess asked whatthey might be worth.

"Sire," replied the captain, "the merchant is very poor. Your Majestywill not overpay him if you give him a thousand pieces of silver."

"In order to satisfy him and as he is so poor," said the princess, "Iwill order a thousand pieces of gold to be given you, which you will besure to remit to him."

So saying she gave orders for the payment and returned to the palace,having the jars carried before her. When evening came the PrincessBadoura retired to the inner part of the palace, and going to theapartments of the Princess Haiatelnefous she had the fifty jars ofolives brought to her. She opened one to let her friend taste theolives and to taste them herself, but great was her surprise when, onpouring some into a dish, she found them all powdered with gold dust."What an adventure! how extraordinary!" she cried. Then she had theother jars opened, and was more and more surprised to find the olivesin each jar mixed with gold dust.

But when at length her talisman was discovered in one of the jars heremotion was so great that she fainted away. The Princess Haiatelnefousand her women hastened to restore her, and as soon as she recoveredconsciousness she covered the precious talisman with kisses.

Then, dismissing the attendants, she said to her friend:

"You will have guessed, my dear, that it was the sight of this talismanwhich has moved me so deeply. This was the cause of my separation frommy dear husband, and now, I am convinced, it will be the means of ourreunion."

As soon as it was light next day the Princess Badoura sent for thecaptain, and made further inquiries about the merchant who owned theolive jars she had bought.

In reply the captain told her all he knew of the place where the youngman lived, and how, after engaging his passage, he came to be leftbehind.

"If that is the case," said the princess, "you must set sail at onceand go back for him. He is a debtor of mine and must be brought hereat once, or I will confiscate all your merchandise. I shall now giveorders to have all the warehouses where your cargo is placed under theroyal seal, and they will only be opened when you have brought me theman I ask for. Go at once and obey my orders."

The captain had no choice but to do as he was bid, so hastilyprovisioning his ship he started that same evening on his return voyage.

When, after a rapid passage, he gained sight of the Island ofIdolaters, he judged it better not to enter the harbour, but castinganchor at some distance he embarked at night in a small boat with sixactive sailors and landed near Camaralzaman's cottage.

The prince was not asleep, and as he lay awake moaning over all the sadevents which had separated him from his wife, he thought he heard aknock at the garden door. He went to open it, and was immediatelyseized by the captain and sailors, who without a word of explanationforcibly bore him off to the boat, which took them back to the shipwithout loss of time. No sooner were they on board than they weighedanchor and set sail.

Camaralzaman, who had kept silence till then, now asked the captain(whom he had recognised) the reason for this abduction.

"Are you not a debtor of the King of the Ebony Island?" asked thecaptain.

"I? Why, I never even heard of him before, and never set foot in hiskingdom!" was the answer.

"Well, you must know better than I," said the captain. "You will soonsee him now, and meantime be content where you are and have patience."

The return voyage was as prosperous as the former one, and though itwas night when the ship entered the harbour, the captain lost no timein landing with his passenger, whom he conducted to the palace, wherehe begged an audience with the king.

Directly the Princess Badoura saw the prince she recognised him inspite of his shabby clothes. She longed to throw herself on his neck,but restrained herself, feeling it was better for them both that sheshould play her part a little longer. She therefore desired one of herofficers to take care of him and to treat him well. Next she orderedanother officer to remove the seals from the warehouse, whilst shepresented the captain with a costly diamond, and told him to keep thethousand pieces of gold paid for the olives, as she would arrangematters with the merchant himself.

She then returned to her private apartments, where she told thePrincess Haiatelnefous all that had happened, as well as her plans forthe future, and begged her assistance, which her friend readilypromised.

Next morning she ordered the prince to be taken to the bath and clothedin a manner suitable to an emir or governor of a province. He was thenintroduced to the council, where his good looks and grand air drew theattention of all on him.

Princess Badoura, delighted to see him looking himself once more,turned to the other emirs, saying:

"My lords, I introduce to you a new colleague, Camaralzaman, whom Ihave known on my travels and who, I can assure you, you will find welldeserves your regard and admiration."

Camaralzaman was much surprised at hearing the king--whom he neversuspected of being a woman in disguise--asserting their acquaintance,for he felt sure he had never seen her before. However he received allthe praises bestowed on him with becoming modesty, and prostratinghimself, said:

"Sire, I cannot find words in which to thank your Majesty for the greathonour conferred on me. I can but assure you that I will do all in mypower to prove myself worthy of it."

On leaving the council the prince was conducted to a splendid housewhich had been prepared for him, where he found a full establishmentand well-filled stables at his orders. On entering his study hissteward presented him with a coffer filled with gold pieces for hiscurrent expenses. He felt more and more puzzled by such good fortune,and little guessed that the Princess of China was the cause of it.

After a few days the Princess Badoura promoted Camaralzaman to the postof grand treasurer, an office which he filled with so much integrityand benevolence as to win universal esteem.

He would now have thought himself the happiest of men had it not beenfor that separation which he never ceased to bewail. He had no clue tothe mystery of his present position, for the princess, out ofcompliment to the old king, had taken his name, and was generally knownas King Armanos the younger, few people remembering that on her firstarrival she went by another name.

At length the princess felt that the time had come to put an end to herown and the prince's suspense, and having arranged all her plans withthe Princess Haiatelnefous, she informed Camaralzaman that she wishedhis advice on some important business, and, to avoid being disturbed,desired him to come to the palace that evening.

The prince was punctual, and was received in the private apartment,when, having ordered her attendants to withdraw, the princess took froma small box the talisman, and, handing it to Camaralzaman, said: "Notlong ago an astrologer gave me this talisman. As you are universallywell informed, you can perhaps tell me what is its use."

Camaralzaman took the talisman and, holding it to the light, cried withsurprise, "Sire, you ask me the use of this talisman. Alas! hithertoit has been only a source of misfortune to me, being the cause of myseparation from the one I love best on earth. The story is so sad andstrange that I am sure your Majesty will be touched by it if you willpermit me to tell it you."

"I will hear it some other time," replied the princess. "Meanwhile Ifancy it is not quite unknown to me. Wait here for me. I will returnshortly."

So saying she retired to another room, where she hastily changed hermasculine attire for that of a woman, and, after putting on the girdleshe wore the day they parted, returned to Camaralzaman.

The prince recognised her at once, and, embracing her with the utmosttenderness, cried, "Ah, how can I thank the king for this delightfulsurprise?"

"Do not expect ever to see the king again," said the princess, as shewiped the tears of joy from her eyes, "in me you see the king. Let ussit down, and I will tell you all about it."

She then gave a full account of all her adventures since their parting,and dwelt much on the charms and noble disposition of the PrincessHaiatelnefous, to whose friendly assistance she owed so much. When shehad done she asked to hear the prince's story, and in this manner theyspent most of the night.

Next morning the princess resumed her woman's clothes, and as soon asshe was ready she desired the chief eunuch to beg King Armanos to cometo her apartments.

When the king arrived great was his surprise at finding a strange ladyin company of the grand treasurer who had no actual right to enter theprivate apartment. Seating himself he asked for the king.

"Sire," said the princess, "yesterday I was the king, to-day I am onlythe Princess of China and wife to the real Prince Camaralzaman, son ofKing Schahzaman, and I trust that when your Majesty shall have heardour story you will not condemn the innocent deception I have beenobliged to practise."

The king consented to listen, and did so with marked surprise.

At the close of her narrative the princess said, "Sire, as our religionallows a man to have more than one wife, I would beg your Majesty togive your daughter, the Princess Haiatelnefous, in marriage to PrinceCamaralzaman. I gladly yield to her the precedence and title of Queenin recognition of the debt of gratitude which I owe her."

King Armanos heard the princess with surprise and admiration, then,turning to Camaralzaman, he said, "My son, as your wife, the PrincessBadoura (whom I have hitherto looked on as my son-in-law), consents toshare your hand and affections with my daughter, I have only to ask ifthis marriage is agreeable to you, and if you will consent to acceptthe crown which the Princess Badoura deserves to wear all her life, butwhich she prefers to resign for love of you."

"Sire," replied Camaralzaman, "I can refuse your Majesty nothing."

Accordingly Camaralzaman was duly proclaimed king, and as duly marriedwith all pomp to the Princess Haiatelnefous, with whose beauty,talents, and affections he had every reason to be pleased.

The two queens lived in true sisterly harmony together, and after atime each presented King Camaralzaman with a son, whose births werecelebrated throughout the kingdom with the utmost rejoicing.

Noureddin and the Fair Persian

Balsora was the capital of a kingdom long tributary to the caliph.During the time of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid the king of Balsora,who was his cousin, was called Zinebi. Not thinking one vizir enoughfor the administration of his estates he had two, named Khacan andSaouy.

Khacan was kind, generous, and liberal, and took pleasure in obliging,as far as in him lay, those who had business with him. Throughout theentire kingdom there was no one who did not esteem and praise him as hedeserved.

Saouy was quite a different character, and repelled everyone with whomhe came in contact; he was always gloomy, and, in spite of his greatriches, so miserly that he denied himself even the necessaries of life.What made him particularly detested was the great aversion he had toKhacan, of whom he never ceased to speak evil to the king.

One day, while the king amused himself talking with his two vizirs andother members of the council, the conversation turned on female slaves.While some declared that it sufficed for a slave to be beautiful,others, and Khacan was among the number, maintained that beauty alonewas not enough, but that it must be accompanied by wit, wisdom,modesty, and, if possible, knowledge.

The king not only declared himself to be of this opinion, but chargedKhacan to procure him a slave who should fulfil all these conditions.Saouy, who had been of the opposite side, and was jealous of the honourdone to Khacan, said, "Sire, it will be very difficult to find a slaveas accomplished as your Majesty desires, and, if she is to be found,she will be cheap if she cost less than 10,000 gold pieces."

"Saouy," answered the king, "you seem to find that a very great sum.For you it may be so, but not for me."

And forthwith he ordered his grand treasurer, who was present, to send10,000 gold pieces to Khacan for the purchase of the slave.

As soon, then, as Khacan returned home he sent for the dealers infemale slaves, and charged them directly they had found such a one ashe described to inform him. They promised to do their utmost, and noday passed that they did not bring a slave for his inspection but nonewas found without some defect.

At length, early one morning, while Khacan was on his way to the king'spalace, a dealer, throwing himself in his way, announced eagerly that aPersian merchant, arrived late the previous evening, had a slave tosell whose wit and wisdom were equal to her incomparable beauty.

Khacan, overjoyed at this news, gave orders that the slave should bebrought for his inspection on his return from the palace. The dealerappearing at the appointed hour, Khacan found the slave beautifulbeyond his expectations, and immediately gave her the name of "The FairPersian."

Being a man of great wisdom and learning, he perceived in the shortconversation he had with her that he would seek in vain another slaveto surpass her in any of the qualities required by the king, andtherefore asked the dealer what price the merchant put upon her.

"Sir," was the answer, "for less than 10,000 gold pieces he will notlet her go; he declares that, what with masters for her instruction,and for bodily exercises, not to speak of clothing and nourishment, hehas already spent that sum upon her. She is in every way fit to be theslave of a king; she plays every musical instrument, she sings, shedances, she makes verses, in fact there is no accomplishment in whichshe does not excel."

Khacan, who was better able to judge of her merits than the dealer,wishing to bring the matter to a conclusion, sent for the merchant, andsaid to him, "It is not for myself that I wish to buy your slave, butfor the king. Her price, however, is too high."

"Sir," replied the merchant, "I should esteem it an honour to presenther to his Majesty, did it become a merchant to do such a thing. I askno more than the sum it has cost me to make her such as she is."

Khacan, not wishing to bargain, immediately had the sum counted out,and given to the merchant, who before withdrawing said:

"Sir, as she is destined for the king, I would have you observe thatshe is extremely tired with the long journey, and before presenting herto his Majesty you would do well to keep her a fortnight in your ownhouse, and to see that a little care is bestowed upon her. The sun hastanned her complexion, but when she has been two or three times to thebath, and is fittingly dressed, you will see how much her beauty willbe increased."

Khacan thanked the merchant for his advice, and determined to followit. He gave the beautiful Persian an apartment near to that of hiswife, whom he charged to treat her as befitting a lady destined for theking, and to order for her the most magnificent garments.

Before bidding adieu to the fair Persian, he said to her: "No happinesscan be greater than what I have procured for you; judge for yourself,you now belong to the king. I have, however, to warn you of one thing.I have a son, who, though not wanting in sense, is young, foolish, andheadstrong, and I charge you to keep him at a distance."

The Persian thanked him for his advice, and promised to profit by it.

Noureddin--for so the vizir's son was named--went freely in and out ofhis mother's apartments. He was young, well-made and agreeable, andhad the gift of charming all with whom he came in contact. As soon ashe saw the beautiful Persian, though aware that she was destined forthe king, he let himself be carried away by her charms, and determinedat once to use every means in his power to retain her for himself. ThePersian was equally captivated by Noureddin, and said to herself: "Thevizir does me too great honour in buying me for the king. I shouldesteem myself very happy if he would give me to his son."

Noureddin availed himself of every opportunity to gaze upon her beauty,to talk and laugh with her, and never would have left her side if hismother had not forced him.

Some time having elapsed, on account of the long journey, since thebeautiful Persian had been to the bath, five or six days after herpurchase the vizir's wife gave orders that the bath should be heatedfor her, and that her own female slaves should attend her there, andafter-wards should array her in a magnificent dress that had beenprepared for her.

Her toilet completed, the beautiful Persian came to present herself tothe vizir's wife, who hardly recognised her, so greatly was her beautyincreased. Kissing her hand, the beautiful slave said: "Madam, I donot know how you find me in this dress that you have had prepared forme; your women assure me that it suits me so well that they hardly knewme. If it is the truth they tell me, and not flattery, it is to you Iowe the transformation."

"My daughter," answered the vizir's wife, "they do not flatter you. Imyself hardly recognised you. The improvement is not due to the dressalone, but largely to the beautifying effects of the bath. I am sostruck by its results, that I would try it on myself."

Acting forthwith on this decision she ordered two little slaves duringher absence to watch over the beautiful Persian, and not to allowNoureddin to enter should he come.

She had no sooner gone than he arrived, and not finding his mother inher apartment, would have sought her in that of the Persian. The twolittle slaves barred the entrance, saying that his mother had givenorders that he was not to be admitted. Taking each by an arm, he putthem out of the anteroom, and shut the door. Then they rushed to thebath, informing their mistress with shrieks and tears that Noureddinhad driven them away by force and gone in.

This news caused great consternation to the lady, who, dressing herselfas quickly as possible, hastened to the apartment of the fair Persian,to find that Noureddin had already gone out. Much astonished to seethe vizir's wife enter in tears, the Persian asked what misfortune hadhappened.

"What!" exclaimed the lady, "you ask me that, knowing that my sonNoureddin has been alone with you?"

"But, madam," inquired the Persian, "what harm is there in that?"

"How! Has my husband not told you that you are destined for the king?"

"Certainly, but Noureddin has just been to tell me that his father haschanged his mind and has bestowed me upon him. I believed him, and sogreat is my affection for Noureddin that I would willingly pass my lifewith him."

"Would to heaven," exclaimed the wife of the vizir, "that what you saywere true; but Noureddin has deceived you, and his father willsacrifice him in vengeance for the wrong he has done."

So saying, she wept bitterly, and all her slaves wept with her.

Khacan, entering shortly after this, was much astonished to find hiswife and her slaves in tears, and the beautiful Persian greatlyperturbed. He inquired the cause, but for some time no answer wasforthcoming. When his wife was at length sufficiently calm to informhim of what had happened, his rage and mortification knew no bounds.Wringing his hands and rending his beard, he exclaimed:

"Wretched son! thou destroyest not only thyself but thy father. Theking will shed not only thy blood but mine." His wife tried to consolehim, saying: "Do not torment thyself. With the sale of my jewels Iwill obtain 10,000 gold pieces, and with this sum you will buy anotherslave."

"Do not suppose," replied her husband, "that it is the loss of themoney that affects me. My honour is at stake, and that is moreprecious to me than all my wealth. You know that Saouy is my mortalenemy. He will relate all this to the king, and you will see theconsequences that will ensue."

"My lord," said his wife, "I am quite aware of Saouy's baseness, andthat he is capable of playing you this malicious trick. But how can heor any one else know what takes place in this house? Even if you aresuspected and the king accuses you, you have only to say that, afterexamining the slave, you did not find her worthy of his Majesty.Reassure yourself, and send to the dealers, saying that you are notsatisfied, and wish them to find you another slave."

This advice appearing reasonable, Khacan decided to follow it, but hiswrath against his son did not abate. Noureddin dared not appear allthat day, and fearing to take refuge with his usual associates in casehis father should seek him there, he spent the day in a secluded gardenwhere he was not known. He did not return home till after his fatherhad gone to bed, and went out early next morning before the vizirawoke, and these precautions he kept up during an entire month.

His mother, though knowing very well that he returned to the houseevery evening, dare not ask her husband to pardon him. At length shetook courage and said:

"My lord, I know that a son could not act more basely towards hisfather than Noureddin has done towards you, but after all will you nowpardon him? Do you not consider the harm you may be doing yourself,and fear that malicious people, seeking the cause of your estrangement,may guess the real one?"

"Madam," replied the vizir, "what you say is very just, but I cannotpardon Noureddin before I have mortified him as he deserves."

"He will be sufficiently punished," answered the lady, "if you do as Isuggest. In the evening, when he returns home, lie in wait for him andpretend that you will slay him. I will come to his aid, and whilepointing out that you only yield his life at my supplications, you canforce him to take the beautiful Persian on any conditions you please."Khacan agreed to follow this plan, and everything took place asarranged. On Noureddin's return Khacan pretended to be about to slayhim, but yielding to his wife's intercession, said to his son:

"You owe your life to your mother. I pardon you on her intercession,and on the conditions that you take the beautiful Persian for yourwife, and not your slave, that you never sell her, nor put her away."

Noureddin, not hoping for so great indulgence, thanked his father, andvowed to do as he desired. Khacan was at great pains frequently tospeak to the king of the difficulties attending the commission he hadgiven him, but some whispers of what had actually taken place did reachSaouy's ears.

More than a year after these events the minister took a chill, leavingthe bath while still heated to go out on important business. Thisresulted in inflammation of the lungs, which rapidly increased. Thevizir, feeling that his end was at hand, sent for Noureddin, andcharged him with his dying breath never to part with the beautifulPersian.

Shortly afterwards he expired, leaving universal regret throughout thekingdom; rich and poor alike followed him to the grave. Noureddinshowed every mark of the deepest grief at his father's death, and forlong refused to see any one. At length a day came when, one of hisfriends being admitted, urged him strongly to be consoled, and toresume his former place in society. This advice Noureddin was not slowto follow, and soon he formed little society of ten young men all abouthis own age, with whom he spent all his time in continual feasting andmerry-making.

Sometimes the fair Persian consented to appear at these festivities,but she disapproved of this lavish expenditure, and did not scruple towarn Noureddin of the probable consequences. He, however, only laughedat her advice, saying, that his father had always kept him in too greatconstraint, and that now he rejoiced at his new-found liberty.

What added to the confusion in his affairs was that he refused to lookinto his accounts with his steward, sending him away every time heappeared with his book.

"See only that I live well," he said, "and do not disturb me aboutanything else."

Not only did Noureddin's friends constantly partake of his hospitality,but in every way they took advantage of his generosity; everything ofhis that they admired, whether land, houses, baths, or any other sourceof his revenue, he immediately bestowed on them. In vain the Persianprotested against the wrong he did himself; he continued to scatterwith the same lavish hand.

Throughout one entire year Noureddin did nothing but amuse himself, anddissipate the wealth his father had taken such pains to acquire. Theyear had barely elapsed, when one day, as they sat at table, there camea knock at the door. The slaves having been sent away, Noureddin wentto open it himself. One of his friends had risen at the same time, butNoureddin was before him, and finding the intruder to be the steward,he went out and closed the door. The friend, curious to hear whatpassed between them, hid himself behind the hangings, and heard thefollowing words:

"My lord," said the steward, "I beg a thousand pardons for interruptingyou, but what I have long foreseen has taken place. Nothing remains ofthe sums you gave me for your expenses, and all other sources of incomeare also at end, having been transferred by you to others. If you wishme to remain in your service, furnish me with the necessary funds, elseI must withdraw."

So great was Noureddin's consternation that he had not a word to say inreply.

The friend, who had been listening behind the curtain, immediatelyhastened to communicate the news to the rest of the company.

"If this is so," they said, "we must cease to come here."

Noureddin re-entering at that moment, they plainly saw, in spite of hisefforts to dissemble, that what they had heard was the truth. One byone they rose, and each with a different excuse left the room, tillpresently he found himself alone, though little suspecting theresolution his friends had taken. Then, seeing the beautiful Persian,he confided to her the statement of the steward, with many expressionsof regret for his own carelessness.

"Had I but followed your advice, beautiful Persian," he said, "all thiswould not have happened, but at least I have this consolation, that Ihave spent my fortune in the company of friends who will not desert mein an hour of need. To-morrow I will go to them, and amongst them theywill lend me a sum sufficient to start in some business."

Accordingly next morning early Noureddin went to seek his ten friends,who all lived in the same street. Knocking at the door of the firstand chief, the slave who opened it left him to wait in a hall while heannounced his visit to his master. "Noureddin!" he heard him exclaimquite audibly. "Tell him, every time he calls, that I am not at home."The same thing happened at the second door, and also at the third, andso on with all the ten. Noureddin, much mortified, recognised too latethat he had confided in false friends, who abandoned him in his hour ofneed. Overwhelmed with grief, he sought consolation from the beautifulPersian.

"Alas, my lord," she said, "at last you are convinced of the truth ofwhat I foretold. There is now no other resource left but to sell yourslaves and your furniture."

First then he sold the slaves, and subsisted for a time on theproceeds, after that the furniture was sold, and as much of it wasvaluable it sufficed for some time. Finally this resource also came toan end, and again he sought counsel from the beautiful Persian.

"My lord," she said, "I know that the late vizir, your father, boughtme for 10,000 gold pieces, and though I have diminished in value since,I should still fetch a large sum. Do not therefore hesitate to sellme, and with the money you obtain go and establish yourself in businessin some distant town."

"Charming Persian," answered Noureddin, "how could I be guilty of suchbaseness? I would die rather than part from you whom I love betterthan my life."

"My lord," she replied, "I am well aware of your love for me, which isonly equalled by mine for you, but a cruel necessity obliges us to seekthe only remedy."

Noureddin, convinced at length of the truth of her words, yielded, andreluctantly led her to the slave market, where, showing her to a dealernamed Hagi Hassan, he inquired her value.

Taking them into a room apart, Hagi Hassan exclaimed as soon as she hadunveiled, "My lord, is not this the slave your father bought for 10,000pieces?"

On learning that it was so, he promised to obtain the highest possibleprice for her. Leaving the beautiful Persian shut up in the roomalone, he went out to seek the slave merchants, announcing to them thathe had found the pearl among slaves, and asking them to come and put avalue upon her. As soon as they saw her they agreed that less than4,000 gold pieces could not be asked. Hagi Hassan, then closing thedoor upon her, began to offer her for sale--calling out: "Who will bid4,000 gold pieces for the Persian slave?"

Before any of the merchants had bid, Saouy happened to pass that way,and judging that it must be a slave of extraordinary beauty, rode up toHagi Hassan and desired to see her. Now it was not the custom to showa slave to a private bidder, but as no one dared to disobey the vizirhis request was granted.

As soon as Saouy saw the Persian he was so struck by her beauty, thathe immediately wished to possess her, and not knowing that she belongedto Noureddin, he desired Hagi Hassan to send for the owner and toconclude the bargain at once.

Hagi Hassan then sought Noureddin, and told him that his slave wasgoing far below her value, and that if Saouy bought her he was capableof not paying the money. "What you must do," he said, "is to pretendthat you had no real intention of selling your slave, and only sworeyou would in a fit of anger against her. When I present her to Saouyas if with your consent you must step in, and with blows begin to leadher away."

Noureddin did as Hagi Hassan advised, to the great wrath of Saouy, whoriding straight at him endeavoured to take the beautiful Persian fromhim by force. Noureddin letting her go, seized Saouy's horse by thebridle, and, encouraged by the applause of the bystanders, dragged himto the ground, beat him severely, and left him in the gutter streamingwith blood. Then, taking the beautiful Persian, he returned homeamidst the acclamations of the people, who detested Saouy so much thatthey would neither interfere in his behalf nor allow his slaves toprotect him.

Covered from head to foot with mire and streaming with blood he rose,and leaning on two of his slaves went straight to the palace, where hedemanded an audience of the king, to whom he related what had takenplace in these words:

"May it please your Majesty, I had gone to the slave market to buymyself a cook. While there I heard a slave being offered for 4,000pieces. Asking to see her, I found she was of incomparable beauty, andwas being sold by Noureddin, the son of your late vizir, to whom yourMajesty will remember giving a sum of 10,000 gold pieces for thepurchase of a slave. This is the identical slave, whom instead ofbringing to your Majesty he gave to his own son. Since the death ofhis father this Noureddin has run through his entire fortune, has soldall his possessions, and is now reduced to selling the slave. Callinghim to me, I said: "Noureddin, I will give you 10,000 gold pieces foryour slave, whom I will present to the king. I will interest him atthe same time in your behalf, and this will be worth much more to youthan what extra money you might obtain from the merchants." "Bad oldman," he exclaimed, "rather than sell my slave to you I would give herto a Jew." "But, Noureddin," I remonstrated, "you do not consider thatin speaking thus you wrong the king, to whom your father owedeverything." This remonstrance only irritated him the more. Throwinghimself on me like a madman, he tore me from my horse, beat me to hisheart's content, and left me in the state your Majesty sees."

So saying Saouy turned aside his head and wept bitterly.

The king's wrath was kindled against Noureddin. He ordered the captainof the guard to take with him forty men, to pillage Noureddin's house,to rase it to the ground, and to bring Noureddin and the slave to him.A doorkeeper, named Sangiar, who had been a slave of Khacan's, hearingthis order given, slipped out of the king's apartment, and hastened towarn Noureddin to take flight instantly with the beautiful Persian.Then, presenting him with forty gold pieces, he disappeared beforeNoureddin had time to thank him.

As soon, then, as the fair Persian had put on her veil they fledtogether, and had the good fortune to get out of the town without beingobserved. At the mouth of the Euphrates they found a ship just aboutto start for Bagdad. They embarked, and immediately the anchor wasraised and they set sail.

When the captain of the guard reached Noureddin's house he caused hissoldiers to burst open the door and to enter by force, but no trace wasto be found of Noureddin and his slave, nor could the neighbours giveany information about them. When the king heard that they had escaped,he issued a proclamation that a reward of 1,000 gold pieces would begiven to whoever would bring him Noureddin and the slave, but that, onthe contrary, whoever hid them would be severely punished. MeanwhileNoureddin and the fair Persian had safely reached Bagdad. When thevessel had come to an anchor they paid five gold pieces for theirpassage and went ashore. Never having been in Bagdad before, they didnot know where to seek a lodging. Wandering along the banks of theTigris, they skirted a garden enclosed by a high wall. The gate wasshut, but in front of it was an open vestibule with a sofa on eitherside. "Here," said Noureddin, "let us pass the night," and recliningon the sofas they soon fell asleep.

Now this garden belonged to the Caliph. In the middle of it was a vastpavilion, whose superb saloon had eighty windows, each window having alustre, lit solely when the Caliph spent the evening there. Only thedoor-keeper lived there, an old soldier named Scheih Ibrahim, who hadstrict orders to be very careful whom he admitted, and never to allowany one to sit on the sofas by the door. It happened that evening thathe had gone out on an errand. When he came back and saw two personsasleep on the sofas he was about to drive them out with blows, butdrawing nearer he perceived that they were a handsome young man andbeautiful young woman, and decided to awake them by gentler means.Noureddin, on being awoke, told the old man that they were strangers,and merely wished to pass the night there. "Come with me," said ScheihIbrahim, "I will lodge you better, and will show you a magnificentgarden belonging to me." So saying the doorkeeper led the way into theCaliph's garden, the beauties of which filled them with wonder andamazement. Noureddin took out two gold pieces, and giving them toScheih Ibrahim said,

"I beg you to get us something to eat that we may make merry together."Being very avaricious, Scheih Ibrahim determined to spend only thetenth part of the money and to keep the rest to himself. While he wasgone Noureddin and the Persian wandered through the gardens and went upthe white marble staircase of the pavilion as far as the locked door ofthe saloon. On the return of Scheih Ibrahim they begged him to openit, and to allow them to enter and admire the magnificence within.Consenting, he brought not only the key, but a light, and immediatelyunlocked the door. Noureddin and the Persian entering, were dazzledwith the magnificence they beheld. The paintings and furniture were ofastonishing beauty, and between each window was a silver arm holding acandle.

Scheih Ibrahim spread the table in front of a sofa, and all three atetogether. When they had finished eating Noureddin asked the old man tobring them a bottle of wine.

"Heaven forbid," said Scheih Ibrahim, "that I should come in contactwith wine! I who have four times made the pilgrimage to Mecca, andhave renounced wine for ever."

"You would, however, do us a great service in procuring us some," saidNoureddin. "You need not touch it yourself. Take the ass which istied to the gate, lead it to the nearest wine-shop, and ask somepasser-by to order two jars of wine; have them put in the ass'spanniers, and drive him before you. Here are two pieces of gold forthe expenses."

At sight of the gold, Scheih Ibrahim set off at once to execute thecommission. On his return, Noureddin said: "We have still need ofcups to drink from, and of fruit, if you can procure us some." ScheihIbrahim disappeared again, and soon returned with a table spread withcups of gold and silver, and every sort of beautiful fruit. Then hewithdrew, in spite of repeated invitations to remain.

Noureddin and the beautiful Persian, finding the wine excellent, drankof it freely, and while drinking they sang. Both had fine voices, andScheih Ibrahim listened to them with great pleasure--first from adistance, then he drew nearer, and finally put his head in at the door.Noureddin, seeing him, called to him to come in and keep them company.At first the old man declined, but was persuaded to enter the room, tosit down on the edge of the sofa nearest the door, and at last to drawcloser and to seat himself by the beautiful Persian, who urged him sopersistently to drink her health that at length he yielded, and tookthe cup she offered.

Now the old man only made a pretence of renouncing wine; he frequentedwine-shops like other people, and had taken none of the precautionsNoureddin had proposed. Having once yielded, he was easily persuadedto take a second cup, and a third, and so on till he no longer knewwhat he was doing. Till near midnight they continued drinking,laughing, and singing together.

About that time the Persian, perceiving that the room was lit by onlyone miserable tallow candle, asked Scheih Ibrahim to light some of thebeautiful candles in the silver arms.

"Light them yourself," answered the old man; "you are younger than I,but let five or six be enough."

She did not stop, however, till she had lit all the eighty, but ScheihIbrahim was not conscious of this, and when, soon after that, Noureddinproposed to have some of the lustres lit, he answered:

"You are more capable of lighting them than I, but not more than three."

Noureddin, far from contenting himself with three, lit all, and openedall the eighty windows.

The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, chancing at that moment to open a windowin the saloon of his palace looking on the garden, was surprised to seethe pavilion brilliantly illuminated. Calling the grand-vizir, Giafar,he said to him:

"Negligent vizir, look at the pavilion, and tell me why it is lit upwhen I am not there."

When the vizir saw that it was as the Caliph said, he trembled withfear, and immediately invented an excuse.

"Commander of the Faithful," he said, "I must tell you that four orfive days ago Scheih Ibrahim told me that he wished to have an assemblyof the ministers of his mosque, and asked permission to hold it in thepavilion. I granted his request, but forgot since to mention it toyour Majesty."

"Giafar," replied the Caliph, "you have committed three faults--first,in giving the permission; second, in not mentioning it to me; andthird, in not investigating the matter more closely. For punishment Icondemn you to spend the rest of the night with me in company of theseworthy people. While I dress myself as a citizen, go and disguiseyourself, and then come with me."

When they reached the garden gate they found it open, to the greatindignation of the Caliph. The door of the pavilion being also open,he went softly upstairs, and looked in at the half-closed door of thesaloon. Great was his surprise to see Scheih Ibrahim, whose sobrietyhe had never doubted, drinking and singing with a young man and abeautiful lady. The Caliph, before giving way to his anger, determinedto watch and see who the people were and what they did.

Presently Scheih Ibrahim asked the beautiful Persian if anything werewanting to complete her enjoyment of the evening.

"If only," she said, "I had an instrument upon which I might play."

Scheih Ibrahim immediately took a lute from a cup-board and gave it tothe Persian, who began to play on it, singing the while with such skilland taste that the Caliph was enchanted. When she ceased he wentsoftly downstairs and said to the vizir:

"Never have I heard a finer voice, nor the lute better played. I amdetermined to go in and make her play to me."

"Commander of the Faithful," said the vizir, "if Scheih Ibrahimrecognises you he will die of fright."

"I should be sorry for that," answered the Caliph, "and I am going totake steps to prevent it. Wait here till I return."

Now the Caliph had caused a bend in the river to form a lake in hisgarden. There the finest fish in the Tigris were to be found, butfishing was strictly forbidden. It happened that night, however, thata fisherman had taken advantage of the gate being open to go in andcast his nets. He was just about to draw them when he saw the Caliphapproaching. Recognising him at once in spite of his disguise, hethrew himself at his feet imploring forgiveness.

"Fear nothing," said the Caliph, "only rise up and draw thy nets."

The fisherman did as he was told, and produced five or six fine fish,of which the Caliph took the two largest. Then he desired thefisherman to change clothes with him, and in a few minutes the Caliphwas transformed into a fisherman, even to the shoes and the turban.Taking the two fish in his hand, he returned to the vizir, who, notrecognising him, would have sent him about his business. Leaving thevizir at the foot of the stairs, the Caliph went up and knocked at thedoor of the saloon. Noureddin opened it, and the Caliph, standing onthe threshold, said:

"Scheih Ibrahim, I am the fisher Kerim. Seeing that you are feastingwith your friends, I bring you these fish."

Noureddin and the Persian said that when the fishes were properlycooked and dressed they would gladly eat of them. The Caliph thenreturned to the vizir, and they set to work in Scheih Ibrahim's houseto cook the fish, of which they made so tempting a dish that Noureddinand the fair Persian ate of it with great relish. When they hadfinished Noureddin took thirty gold pieces (all that remained of whatSangiar had given him) and presented them to the Caliph, who, thankinghim, asked as a further favour if the lady would play him one piece onthe lute. The Persian gladly consented, and sang and played so as todelight the Caliph.

Noureddin, in the habit of giving to others whatever they admired,said, "Fisherman, as she pleases you so much, take her; she is yours."

The fair Persian, astounded that he should wish to part from her, tookher lute, and with tears in her eyes sang her reproaches to its music.

The Caliph (still in the character of fisherman) said to him, "Sir, Iperceive that this fair lady is your slave. Oblige me, I beg you, byrelating your history."

Noureddin willingly granted this request, and recounted everything fromthe purchase of the slave down to the present moment.

"And where do you go now?" asked the Caliph.

"Wherever the hand of Allah leads me," said Noureddin.

"Then, if you will listen to me," said the Caliph, "you willimmediately return to Balsora. I will give you a letter to the king,which will ensure you a good reception from him."

"It is an unheard-of thing," said Noureddin, "that a fisherman shouldbe in correspondence with a king."

"Let not that astonish you," answered the Caliph; "we studied together,and have always remained the best of friends, though fortune, whilemaking him a king, left me a humble fisherman."

The Caliph then took a sheet of paper, and wrote the following letter,at the top of which he put in very small characters this formula toshow that he must be implicitly obeyed:--"In the name of the MostMerciful God.

"Letter of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to the King of Balsora.

"Haroun-al-Raschid, son of Mahdi, sends this letter to Mohammed Zinebi,his cousin. As soon as Noureddin, son of the Vizir Khacan, bearer ofthis letter, has given it to thee, and thou hast read it, take off thyroyal mantle, put it on his shoulders, and seat him in thy placewithout fail. Farewell."

The Caliph then gave this letter to Noureddin, who immediately set off,with only what little money he possessed when Sangiar came to hisassistance. The beautiful Persian, inconsolable at his departure, sankon a sofa bathed in tears.

When Noureddin had left the room, Scheih Ibrahim, who had hitherto keptsilence, said: "Kerim, for two miserable fish thou hast received apurse and a slave. I tell thee I will take the slave, and as to thepurse, if it contains silver thou mayst keep one piece, if gold then Iwill take all and give thee what copper pieces I have in my purse."

Now here it must be related that when the Caliph went upstairs with theplate of fish he ordered the vizir to hasten to the palace and bringback four slaves bearing a change of raiment, who should wait outsidethe pavilion till the Caliph should clap his hands.

Still personating the fisherman, the Caliph answered: "Scheih Ibrahim,whatever is in the purse I will share equally with you, but as to theslave I will keep her for myself. If you do not agree to theseconditions you shall have nothing."

The old man, furious at this insolence as he considered it, took a cupand threw it at the Caliph, who easily avoided a missile from the handof a drunken man. It hit against the wall, and broke into a thousandpieces. Scheih Ibrahim, still more enraged, then went out to fetch astick. The Caliph at that moment clapped his hands, and the vizir andthe four slaves entering took off the fisherman's dress and put on himthat which they had brought.

When Scheih Ibrahim returned, a thick stick in his hand, the Caliph wasseated on his throne, and nothing remained of the fisherman but hisclothes in the middle of the room. Throwing himself on the ground atthe Caliph's feet, he said: "Commander of the Faithful, your miserableslave has offended you, and craves forgiveness."

The Caliph came down from his throne, and said: "Rise, I forgivethee." Then turning to the Persian he said: "Fair lady, now you knowwho I am; learn also that I have sent Noureddin to Balsora to be king,and as soon as all necessary preparations are made I will send youthere to be queen. Meanwhile I will give you an apartment in mypalace, where you will be treated with all honour."

At this the beautiful Persian took courage, and the Caliph was as goodas his word, recommending her to the care of his wife Zobeida.

Noureddin made all haste on his journey to Balsora, and on his arrivalthere went straight to the palace of the king, of whom he demanded anaudience. It was immediately granted, and holding the letter highabove his head he forced his way through the crowd. While the kingread the letter he changed colour. He would instantly have executedthe Caliph's order, but first he showed the letter to Saouy, whoseinterests were equally at stake with his own. Pretending that hewished to read it a second time, Saouy turned aside as if to seek abetter light; unperceived by anyone he tore off the formula from thetop of the letter, put it to his mouth, and swallowed it. Then,turning to the king, he said:

"Your majesty has no need to obey this letter. The writing is indeedthat of the Caliph, but the formula is absent. Besides, he has notsent an express with the patent, without which the letter is useless.Leave all to me, and I will take the consequences."

The king not only listened to the persuasions of Saouy, but gaveNoureddin into his hands. Such a severe bastinado was firstadministered to him, that he was left more dead than alive; then Saouythrew him into the darkest and deepest dungeon, and fed him only onbread and water. After ten days Saouy determined to put an end toNoureddin's life, but dared not without the king's authority. To gainthis end, he loaded several of his own slaves with rich gifts, andpresented himself at their head to the king, saying that they were fromthe new king on his coronation.

"What!" said the king; "is that wretch still alive? Go and behead himat once. I authorise you."

"Sire," said Saouy, "I thank your Majesty for the justice you do me. Iwould further beg, as Noureddin publicly affronted me, that theexecution might be in front of the palace, and that it might beproclaimed throughout the city, so that no one may be ignorant of it."

The king granted these requests, and the announcement caused universalgrief, for the memory of Noureddin's father was still fresh in thehearts of his people. Saouy, accompanied by twenty of his own slaves,went to the prison to fetch Noureddin, whom he mounted on a wretchedhorse without a saddle. Arrived at the palace, Saouy went in to theking, leaving Noureddin in the square, hemmed in not only by Saouy'sslaves but by the royal guard, who had great difficulty in preventingthe people from rushing in and rescuing Noureddin. So great was theindignation against Saouy that if anyone had set the example he wouldhave been stoned on his way through the streets. Saouy, who witnessedthe agitation of the people from the windows of the king's privychambers, called to the executioner to strike at once. The king,however, ordered him to delay; not only was he jealous of Saouy'sinterference, but he had another reason. A troop of horsemen was seenat that moment riding at full gallop towards the square. Saouysuspected who they might be, and urged the king to give the signal forthe execution without delay, but this the king refused to do till heknew who the horsemen were.

Now, they were the vizir Giafar and his suite arriving at full speedfrom Bagdad. For several days after Noureddin's departure with theletter the Caliph had forgotten to send the express with the patent,without which the letter was useless. Hearing a beautiful voice oneday in the women's part of the palace uttering lamentations, he wasinformed that it was the voice of the fair Persian, and suddenlycalling to mind the patent, he sent for Giafar, and ordered him to makefor Balsora with the utmost speed--if Noureddin were dead, to hangSaouy; if he were still alive, to bring him at once to Bagdad alongwith the king and Saouy.

Giafar rode at full speed through the square, and alighted at the stepsof the palace, where the king came to greet him. The vizir's firstquestion was whether Noureddin were still alive. The king replied thathe was, and he was immediately led forth, though bound hand and foot.By the vizir's orders his bonds were immediately undone, and Saouy wastied with the same cords. Next day Giafar returned to Bagdad, bearingwith him the king, Saouy, and Noureddin.

When the Caliph heard what treatment Noureddin had received, heauthorised him to behead Saouy with his own hands, but he declined toshed the blood of his enemy, who was forthwith handed over to theexecutioner. The Caliph also desired Noureddin to reign over Balsora,but this, too, he declined, saying that after what had passed there hepreferred never to return, but to enter the service of the Caliph. Hebecame one of his most intimate courtiers, and lived long in greathappiness with the fair Persian. As to the king, the Caliph contentedhimself with sending him back to Balsora, with the recommendation to bemore careful in future in the choice of his vizir.

Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp

There once lived a poor tailor, who had a son called Aladdin, acareless, idle boy who would do nothing but play all day long in thestreets with little idle boys like himself. This so grieved the fatherthat he died; yet, in spite of his mother's tears and prayers, Aladdindid not mend his ways. One day, when he was playing in the streets asusual, a stranger asked him his age, and if he were not the son ofMustapha the tailor.

"I am, sir," replied Aladdin; "but he died a long while ago."

On this the stranger, who was a famous African magician, fell on hisneck and kissed him, saying: "I am your uncle, and knew you from yourlikeness to my brother. Go to your mother and tell her I am coming."

Aladdin ran home, and told his mother of his newly found uncle.

"Indeed, child," she said, "your father had a brother, but I alwaysthought he was dead."

However, she prepared supper, and bade Aladdin seek his uncle, who cameladen with wine and fruit. He presently fell down and kissed the placewhere Mustapha used to sit, bidding Aladdin's mother not to besurprised at not having seen him before, as he had been forty years outof the country. He then turned to Aladdin, and asked him his trade, atwhich the boy hung his head, while his mother burst into tears. Onlearning that Aladdin was idle and would learn no trade, he offered totake a shop for him and stock it with merchandise. Next day he boughtAladdin a fine suit of clothes, and took him all over the city, showinghim the sights, and brought him home at nightfall to his mother, whowas overjoyed to see her son so fine.

Next day the magician led Aladdin into some beautiful gardens a longway outside the city gates. They sat down by a fountain, and themagician pulled a cake from his girdle, which he divided between them.They then journeyed onwards till they almost reached the mountains.Aladdin was so tired that he begged to go back, but the magicianbeguiled him with pleasant stories, and led him on in spite of himself.

At last they came to two mountains divided by a narrow valley.

"We will go no farther," said the false uncle. "I will show yousomething wonderful; only do you gather up sticks while I kindle afire."

When it was lit the magician threw on it a powder he had about him, atthe same time saying some magical words. The earth trembled a littleand opened in front of them, disclosing a square flat stone with abrass ring in the middle to raise it by. Aladdin tried to run away,but the magician caught him and gave him a blow that knocked him down.

"What have I done, uncle?" he said piteously; whereupon the magiciansaid more kindly: "Fear nothing, but obey me. Beneath this stone liesa treasure which is to be yours, and no one else may touch it, so youmust do exactly as I tell you."

At the word treasure, Aladdin forgot his fears, and grasped the ring ashe was told, saying the names of his father and grandfather. The stonecame up quite easily and some steps appeared.

"Go down," said the magician; "at the foot of those steps you will findan open door leading into three large halls. Tuck up your gown and gothrough them without touching anything, or you will die instantly.These halls lead into a garden of fine fruit trees. Walk on till youcome to a niche in a terrace where stands a lighted lamp. Pour out theoil it contains and bring it to me."

He drew a ring from his finger and gave it to Aladdin, bidding himprosper.

Aladdin found everything as the magician had said, gathered some fruitoff the trees, and, having got the lamp, arrived at the mouth of thecave. The magician cried out in a great hurry:

"Make haste and give me the lamp." This Aladdin refused to do until hewas out of the cave. The magician flew into a terrible passion, andthrowing some more powder on the fire, he said something, and the stonerolled back into its place.

The magician left Persia for ever, which plainly showed that he was nouncle of Aladdin's, but a cunning magician who had read in his magicbooks of a wonderful lamp, which would make him the most powerful manin the world. Though he alone knew where to find it, he could onlyreceive it from the hand of another. He had picked out the foolishAladdin for this purpose, intending to get the lamp and kill himafterwards.

For two days Aladdin remained in the dark, crying and lamenting. Atlast he clasped his hands in prayer, and in so doing rubbed the ring,which the magician had forgotten to take from him. Immediately anenormous and frightful genie rose out of the earth, saying:

"What wouldst thou with me? I am the Slave of the Ring, and will obeythee in all things."

Aladdin fearlessly replied: "Deliver me from this place!" whereuponthe earth opened, and he found himself outside. As soon as his eyescould bear the light he went home, but fainted on the threshold. Whenhe came to himself he told his mother what had passed, and showed herthe lamp and the fruits he had gathered in the garden, which were inreality precious stones. He then asked for some food.

"Alas! child," she said, "I have nothing in the house, but I have spuna little cotton and will go and sell it."

Aladdin bade her keep her cotton, for he would sell the lamp instead.As it was very dirty she began to rub it, that it might fetch a higherprice. Instantly a hideous genie appeared, and asked what she wouldhave. She fainted away, but Aladdin, snatching the lamp, said boldly:

"Fetch me something to eat!"

The genie returned with a silver bowl, twelve silver plates containingrich meats, two silver cups, and two bottles of wine. Aladdin'smother, when she came to herself, said:

"Whence comes this splendid feast?"

"Ask not, but eat," replied Aladdin.

So they sat at breakfast till it was dinner-time, and Aladdin told hismother about the lamp. She begged him to sell it, and have nothing todo with devils.

"No," said Aladdin, "since chance has made us aware of its virtues, wewill use it and the ring likewise, which I shall always wear on myfinger." When they had eaten all the genie had brought, Aladdin soldone of the silver plates, and so on till none were left. He then hadrecourse to the genie, who gave him another set of plates, and thusthey lived for many years.

One day Aladdin heard an order from the Sultan proclaimed that everyonewas to stay at home and close his shutters while the princess, hisdaughter, went to and from the bath. Aladdin was seized by a desire tosee her face, which was very difficult, as she always went veiled. Hehid himself behind the door of the bath, and peeped through a chink.The princess lifted her veil as she went in, and looked so beautifulthat Aladdin fell in love with her at first sight. He went home sochanged that his mother was frightened. He told her he loved theprincess so deeply that he could not live without her, and meant to askher in marriage of her father. His mother, on hearing this, burst outlaughing, but Aladdin at last prevailed upon her to go before theSultan and carry his request. She fetched a napkin and laid in it themagic fruits from the enchanted garden, which sparkled and shone likethe most beautiful jewels. She took these with her to please theSultan, and set out, trusting in the lamp. The grand-vizir and thelords of council had just gone in as she entered the hall and placedherself in front of the Sultan. He, however, took no notice of her.She went every day for a week, and stood in the same place.

When the council broke up on the sixth day the Sultan said to hisvizir: "I see a certain woman in the audience-chamber every daycarrying something in a napkin. Call her next time, that I may findout what she wants."

Next day, at a sign from the vizir, she went up to the foot of thethrone, and remained kneeling till the Sultan said to her: "Rise, goodwoman, and tell me what you want."

She hesitated, so the Sultan sent away all but the vizir, and bade herspeak freely, promising to forgive her beforehand for anything shemight say. She then told him of her son's violent love for theprincess.

"I prayed him to forget her," she said, "but in vain; he threatened todo some desperate deed if I refused to go and ask your Majesty for thehand of the princess. Now I pray you to forgive not me alone, but myson Aladdin."

The Sultan asked her kindly what she had in the napkin, whereupon sheunfolded the jewels and presented them.

He was thunderstruck, and turning to the vizir said: "What sayestthou? Ought I not to bestow the princess on one who values her at sucha price?"

The vizir, who wanted her for his own son, begged the Sultan towithhold her for three months, in the course of which he hoped his sonwould contrive to make him a richer present. The Sultan granted this,and told Aladdin's mother that, though he consented to the marriage,she must not appear before him again for three months.

Aladdin waited patiently for nearly three months, but after two hadelapsed his mother, going into the city to buy oil, found everyonerejoicing, and asked what was going on.

"Do you not know," was the answer, "that the son of the grand-vizir isto marry the Sultan's daughter to-night?"

Breathless, she ran and told Aladdin, who was overwhelmed at first, butpresently bethought him of the lamp. He rubbed it, and the genieappeared, saying: "What is thy will?"

Aladdin replied: "The Sultan, as thou knowest, has broken his promiseto me, and the vizir's son is to have the princess. My command is thatto-night you bring hither the bride and bridegroom."

"Master, I obey," said the genie.

Aladdin then went to his chamber, where, sure enough at midnight thegenie transported the bed containing the vizir's son and the princess.

"Take this new-married man," he said, "and put him outside in the cold,and return at daybreak."

Whereupon the genie took the vizir's son out of bed, leaving Aladdinwith the princess.

"Fear nothing," Aladdin said to her; "you are my wife, promised to meby your unjust father, and no harm shall come to you."

The princess was too frightened to speak, and passed the most miserablenight of her life, while Aladdin lay down beside her and slept soundly.At the appointed hour the genie fetched in the shivering bridegroom,laid him in his place, and transported the bed back to the palace.

Presently the Sultan came to wish his daughter good-morning. Theunhappy vizir's son jumped up and hid himself, while the princess wouldnot say a word, and was very sorrowful.

The Sultan sent her mother to her, who said: "How comes it, child,that you will not speak to your father? What has happened?"

The princess sighed deeply, and at last told her mother how, during thenight, the bed had been carried into some strange house, and what hadpassed there. Her mother did not believe her in the least, but badeher rise and consider it an idle dream.

The following night exactly the same thing happened, and next morning,on the princess's refusing to speak, the Sultan threatened to cut offher head. She then confessed all, bidding him ask the vizir's son ifit were not so. The Sultan told the vizir to ask his son, who ownedthe truth, adding that, dearly as he loved the princess, he had ratherdie than go through another such fearful night, and wished to beseparated from her. His wish was granted, and there was an end offeasting and rejoicing.

When the three months were over, Aladdin sent his mother to remind theSultan of his promise. She stood in the same place as before, and theSultan, who had forgotten Aladdin, at once remembered him, and sent forher. On seeing her poverty the Sultan felt less inclined than ever tokeep his word, and asked the vizir's advice, who counselled him to setso high a value on the princess that no man living could come up to it.

The Sultan then turned to Aladdin's mother, saying: "Good woman, aSultan must remember his promises, and I will remember mine, but yourson must first send me forty basins of gold brimful of jewels, carriedby forty black slaves, led by as many white ones, splendidly dressed.Tell him that I await his answer." The mother of Aladdin bowed low andwent home, thinking all was lost.

She gave Aladdin the message, adding: "He may wait long enough foryour answer!"

"Not so long, mother, as you think," her son replied "I would do agreat deal more than that for the princess."

He summoned the genie, and in a few moments the eighty slaves arrived,and filled up the small house and garden.

Aladdin made them set out to the palace, two and two, followed by hismother. They were so richly dressed, with such splendid jewels intheir girdles, that everyone crowded to see them and the basins of goldthey carried on their heads.

They entered the palace, and, after kneeling before the Sultan, stoodin a half-circle round the throne with their arms crossed, whileAladdin's mother presented them to the Sultan.

He hesitated no longer, but said: "Good woman, return and tell yourson that I wait for him with open arms."

She lost no time in telling Aladdin, bidding him make haste. ButAladdin first called the genie.

"I want a scented bath," he said, "a richly embroidered habit, a horsesurpassing the Sultan's, and twenty slaves to attend me. Besides this,six slaves, beautifully dressed, to wait on my mother; and lastly, tenthousand pieces of gold in ten purses."

No sooner said than done. Aladdin mounted his horse and passed throughthe streets, the slaves strewing gold as they went. Those who hadplayed with him in his childhood knew him not, he had grown so handsome.

When the Sultan saw him he came down from his throne, embraced him, andled him into a hall where a feast was spread, intending to marry him tothe princess that very day.

But Aladdin refused, saying, "I must build a palace fit for her," andtook his leave.

Once home he said to the genie: "Build me a palace of the finestmarble, set with jasper, agate, and other precious stones. In themiddle you shall build me a large hall with a dome, its four walls ofmassy gold and silver, each side having six windows, whose lattices,all except one, which is to be left unfinished, must be set withdiamonds and rubies. There must be stables and horses and grooms andslaves; go and see about it!"

The palace was finished by next day, and the genie carried him thereand showed him all his orders faithfully carried out, even to thelaying of a velvet carpet from Aladdin's palace to the Sultan's.Aladdin's mother then dressed herself carefully, and walked to thepalace with her slaves, while he followed her on horseback. The Sultansent musicians with trumpets and cymbals to meet them, so that the airresounded with music and cheers. She was taken to the princess, whosaluted her and treated her with great honour. At night the princesssaid good-bye to her father, and set out on the carpet for Aladdin'spalace, with his mother at her side, and followed by the hundredslaves. She was charmed at the sight of Aladdin, who ran to receiveher.

"Princess," he said, "blame your beauty for my boldness if I havedispleased you."

She told him that, having seen him, she willingly obeyed her father inthis matter. After the wedding had taken place Aladdin led her intothe hall, where a feast was spread, and she supped with him, afterwhich they danced till midnight.

Next day Aladdin invited the Sultan to see the palace. On entering thehall with the four-and-twenty windows, with their rubies, diamonds, andemeralds, he cried:

"It is a world's wonder! There is only one thing that surprises me.Was it by accident that one window was left unfinished?"

"No, sir, by design," returned Aladdin. "I wished your Majesty to havethe glory of finishing this palace."

The Sultan was pleased, and sent for the best jewelers in the city. Heshowed them the unfinished window, and bade them fit it up like theothers.

"Sir," replied their spokesman, "we cannot find jewels enough."

The Sultan had his own fetched, which they soon used, but to nopurpose, for in a month's time the work was not half done. Aladdin,knowing that their task was vain, bade them undo their work and carrythe jewels back, and the genie finished the window at his command. TheSultan was surprised to receive his jewels again and visited Aladdin,who showed him the window finished. The Sultan embraced him, theenvious vizir meanwhile hinting that it was the work of enchantment.

Aladdin had won the hearts of the people by his gentle bearing. He wasmade captain of the Sultan's armies, and won several battles for him,but remained modest and courteous as before, and lived thus in peaceand content for several years.

But far away in Africa the magician remembered Aladdin, and by hismagic arts discovered that Aladdin, instead of perishing miserably inthe cave, had escaped, and had married a princess, with whom he wasliving in great honour and wealth. He knew that the poor tailor's soncould only have accomplished this by means of the lamp, and travellednight and day till he reached the capital of China, bent on Aladdin'sruin. As he passed through the town he heard people talking everywhereabout a marvellous palace.

"Forgive my ignorance," he asked, "what is this palace you speak of?"

"Have you not heard of Prince Aladdin's palace," was the reply, "thegreatest wonder of the world? I will direct you if you have a mind tosee it."

The magician thanked him who spoke, and having seen the palace knewthat it had been raised by the genie of the lamp, and became half madwith rage. He determined to get hold of the lamp, and again plungeAladdin into the deepest poverty.

Unluckily, Aladdin had gone a-hunting for eight days, which gave themagician plenty of time. He bought a dozen copper lamps, put them intoa basket, and went to the palace, crying: "New lamps for old!"followed by a jeering crowd.

The princess, sitting in the hall of four-and-twenty windows, sent aslave to find out what the noise was about, who came back laughing, sothat the princess scolded her.

"Madam," replied the slave, "who can help laughing to see an old fooloffering to exchange fine new lamps for old ones?"

Another slave, hearing this, said: "There is an old one on the cornicethere which he can have."

Now this was the magic lamp, which Aladdin had left there, as he couldnot take it out hunting with him. The princess, not knowing its value,laughingly bade the slave take it and make the exchange.

She went and said to the magician: "Give me a new lamp for this."

He snatched it and bade the slave take her choice, amid the jeers ofthe crowd. Little he cared, but left off crying his lamps, and wentout of the city gates to a lonely place, where he remained tillnightfall, when he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it. The genieappeared, and at the magician's command carried him, together with thepalace and the princess in it, to a lonely place in Africa.

Next morning the Sultan looked out of the window towards Aladdin'spalace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for the vizir,and asked what had become of the palace. The vizir looked out too, andwas lost in astonishment. He again put it down to enchantment, andthis time the Sultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback tofetch Aladdin in chains. They met him riding home, bound him, andforced him to go with them on foot. The people, however, who lovedhim, followed, armed, to see that he came to no harm. He was carriedbefore the Sultan, who ordered the executioner to cut off his head.The executioner made Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raisedhis scimitar to strike.

At that instant the vizir, who saw that the crowd had forced their wayinto the courtyard and were scaling the walls to rescue Aladdin, calledto the executioner to stay his hand. The people, indeed, looked sothreatening that the Sultan gave way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound,and pardoned him in the sight of the crowd.

Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.

"False wretch!" said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from thewindow the place where his palace had stood.

Aladdin was so amazed that he could not say a word.

"Where is my palace and my daughter?" demanded the Sultan. "For thefirst I am not so deeply concerned, but my daughter I must have, andyou must find her or lose your head."

Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find her, promising if hefailed to return and suffer death at the Sultan's pleasure. His prayerwas granted, and he went forth sadly from the Sultan's presence. Forthree days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone what hadbecome of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him. He came tothe banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers before throwinghimself in. In so doing he rubbed the magic ring he still wore.

The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his will.

"Save my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring my palace back."

"That is not in my power," said the genie; "I am only the slave of thering; you must ask the slave of the lamp."

"Even so," said Aladdin "but thou canst take me to the palace, and setme down under my dear wife's window." He at once found himself inAfrica, under the window of the princess, and fell asleep out of sheerweariness.

He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owing to the loss of thelamp, and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.

That morning the princess rose earlier than she had done since she hadbeen carried into Africa by the magician, whose company she was forcedto endure once a day. She, however, treated him so harshly that hedared not live there altogether. As she was dressing, one of her womenlooked out and saw Aladdin. The princess ran and opened the window,and at the noise she made Aladdin looked up. She called to him to cometo her, and great was the joy of these lovers at seeing each otheragain.

After he had kissed her Aladdin said: "I beg of you, Princess, inGod's name, before we speak of anything else, for your own sake andmine, tell me what has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice inthe hall of four-and-twenty windows, when I went a-hunting."

"Alas!" she said "I am the innocent cause of our sorrows," and told himof the exchange of the lamp.

"Now I know," cried Aladdin, "that we have to thank the Africanmagician for this! Where is the lamp?"

"He carries it about with him," said the princess, "I know, for hepulled it out of his breast to show me. He wishes me to break my faithwith you and marry him, saying that you were beheaded by my father'scommand. He is forever speaking ill of you, but I only reply by mytears. If I persist, I doubt not that he will use violence."

Aladdin comforted her, and left her for a while. He changed clotheswith the first person he met in the town, and having bought a certainpowder returned to the princess, who let him in by a little side door.

"Put on your most beautiful dress," he said to her, "and receive themagician with smiles, leading him to believe that you have forgottenme. Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste the wine ofhis country. He will go for some, and while he is gone I will tell youwhat to do."

She listened carefully to Aladdin, and when he left her arrayed herselfgaily for the first time since she left China. She put on a girdle andhead-dress of diamonds, and seeing in a glass that she looked morebeautiful than ever, received the magician, saying to his greatamazement: "I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and that allmy tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved to mourn nomore, and have therefore invited you to sup with me; but I am tired ofthe wines of China, and would fain taste those of Africa."

The magician flew to his cellar, and the princess put the powderAladdin had given her in her cup. When he returned she asked him todrink her health in the wine of Africa, handing him her cup in exchangefor his as a sign she was reconciled to him.

Before drinking the magician made her a speech in praise of her beauty,but the princess cut him short saying:

"Let me drink first, and you shall say what you will afterwards." Sheset her cup to her lips and kept it there, while the magician drainedhis to the dregs and fell back lifeless.

The princess then opened the door to Aladdin, and flung her arms roundhis neck, but Aladdin put her away, bidding her to leave him, as he hadmore to do. He then went to the dead magician, took the lamp out ofhis vest, and bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back toChina. This was done, and the princess in her chamber only felt twolittle shocks, and little thought she was at home again.

The Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lostdaughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood thepalace as before! He hastened thither, and Aladdin received him in thehall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the princess at his side.Aladdin told him what had happened, and showed him the dead body of themagician, that he might believe. A ten days' feast was proclaimed, andit seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace;but it was not to be.

The African magician had a younger brother, who was, if possible, morewicked and more cunning than himself. He travelled to China to avengehis brother's death, and went to visit a pious woman called Fatima,thinking she might be of use to him. He entered her cell and clapped adagger to her breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain ofdeath. He changed clothes with her, coloured his face like hers, puton her veil and murdered her, that she might tell no tales. Then hewent towards the palace of Aladdin, and all the people thinking he wasthe holy woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging hisblessing. When he got to the palace there was such a noise going onround him that the princess bade her slave look out of the window andask what was the matter. The slave said it was the holy woman, curingpeople by her touch of their ailments, whereupon the princess, who hadlong desired to see Fatima, sent for her. On coming to the princessthe magician offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity. Whenhe had done the princess made him sit by her, and begged him to staywith her always. The false Fatima, who wished for nothing better,consented, but kept his veil down for fear of discovery. The princessshowed him the hall, and asked him what he thought of it.

"It is truly beautiful," said the false Fatima. "In my mind it wantsbut one thing."

"And what is that?" said the princess.

"If only a roc's egg," replied he, "were hung up from the middle ofthis dome, it would be the wonder of the world."

After this the princess could think of nothing but a roc's egg, andwhen Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very ill humour.He begged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all herpleasure in the hall was spoilt for the want of a roc's egg hangingfrom the dome.

"It that is all," replied Aladdin, "you shall soon be happy."

He left her and rubbed the lamp, and when the genie appeared commandedhim to bring a roc's egg. The genie gave such a loud and terribleshriek that the hall shook.

"Wretch!" he cried, "is it not enough that I have done everything foryou, but you must command me to bring my master and hang him up in themidst of this dome? You and your wife and your palace deserve to beburnt to ashes; but this request does not come from you, but from thebrother of the African magician whom you destroyed. He is now in yourpalace disguised as the holy woman--whom he murdered. He it was whoput that wish into your wife's head. Take care of yourself, for hemeans to kill you." So saying the genie disappeared.

Aladdin went back to the princess, saying his head ached, andrequesting that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands onit. But when the magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his dagger,pierced him to the heart.

"What have you done?" cried the princess. "You have killed the holywoman!"

"Not so," replied Aladdin, "but a wicked magician," and told her of howshe had been deceived.

After this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace. He succeeded theSultan when he died, and reigned for many years, leaving behind him along line of kings.

The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad

The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sat in his palace, wondering if there wasanything left in the world that could possibly give him a few hours'amusement, when Giafar the grand-vizir, his old and tried friend,suddenly appeared before him. Bowing low, he waited, as was his duty,till his master spoke, but Haroun-al-Raschid merely turned his head andlooked at him, and sank back into his former weary posture.

Now Giafar had something of importance to say to the Caliph, and had nointention of being put off by mere silence, so with another low bow infront of the throne, he began to speak.

"Commander of the Faithful," said he, "I have taken on myself to remindyour Highness that you have undertaken secretly to observe for yourselfthe manner in which justice is done and order is kept throughout thecity. This is the day you have set apart to devote to this object, andperhaps in fulfilling this duty you may find some distraction from themelancholy to which, as I see to my sorrow, you are a prey."

"You are right," returned the Caliph, "I had forgotten all about it.Go and change your coat, and I will change mine."

A few moments later they both re-entered the hall, disguised as foreignmerchants, and passed through a secret door, out into the open country.Here they turned towards the Euphrates, and crossing the river in asmall boat, walked through that part of the town which lay along thefurther bank, without seeing anything to call for their interference.Much pleased with the peace and good order of the city, the Caliph andhis vizir made their way to a bridge, which led straight back to thepalace, and had already crossed it, when they were stopped by an oldand blind man, who begged for alms.

The Caliph gave him a piece of money, and was passing on, but the blindman seized his hand, and held him fast.

"Charitable person," he said, "whoever you may be grant me yet anotherprayer. Strike me, I beg of you, one blow. I have deserved it richly,and even a more severe penalty."

The Caliph, much surprised at this request, replied gently: "My goodman, that which you ask is impossible. Of what use would my alms be ifI treated you so ill?" And as he spoke he tried to loosen the grasp ofthe blind beggar.

"My lord," answered the man, "pardon my boldness and my persistence.Take back your money, or give me the blow which I crave. I have sworna solemn oath that I will receive nothing without receivingchastisement, and if you knew all, you would feel that the punishmentis not a tenth part of what I deserve."

Moved by these words, and perhaps still more by the fact that he hadother business to attend to, the Caliph yielded, and struck him lightlyon the shoulder. Then he continued his road, followed by the blessingof the blind man. When they were out of earshot, he said to the vizir,"There must be something very odd to make that man act so--I shouldlike to find out what is the reason. Go back to him; tell him who Iam, and order him to come without fail to the palace to-morrow, afterthe hour of evening prayer."

So the grand-vizir went back to the bridge; gave the blind beggar firsta piece of money and then a blow, delivered the Caliph's message, andrejoined his master.

They passed on towards the palace, but walking through a square, theycame upon a crowd watching a young and well-dressed man who was urginga horse at full speed round the open space, using at the same time hisspurs and whip so unmercifully that the animal was all covered withfoam and blood. The Caliph, astonished at this proceeding, inquired ofa passer-by what it all meant, but no one could tell him anything,except that every day at the same hour the same thing took place.

Still wondering, he passed on, and for the moment had to contenthimself with telling the vizir to command the horseman also to appearbefore him at the same time as the blind man.

The next day, after evening prayer, the Caliph entered the hall, andwas followed by the vizir bringing with him the two men of whom we havespoken, and a third, with whom we have nothing to do. They all bowedthemselves low before the throne and then the Caliph bade them rise,and ask the blind man his name.

"Baba-Abdalla, your Highness," said he.

"Baba-Abdalla," returned the Caliph, "your way of asking alms yesterdayseemed to me so strange, that I almost commanded you then and there tocease from causing such a public scandal. But I have sent for you toinquire what was your motive in making such a curious vow. When I knowthe reason I shall be able to judge whether you can be permitted tocontinue to practise it, for I cannot help thinking that it sets a verybad example to others. Tell me therefore the whole truth, and concealnothing."

These words troubled the heart of Baba-Abdalla, who prostrated himselfat the feet of the Caliph. Then rising, he answered: "Commander of theFaithful, I crave your pardon humbly, for my persistence in beseechingyour Highness to do an action which appears on the face of it to bewithout any meaning. No doubt, in the eyes of men, it has none; but Ilook on it as a slight expiation for a fearful sin of which I have beenguilty, and if your Highness will deign to listen to my tale, you willsee that no punishment could atone for the crime."

The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla

I was born, Commander of the Faithful, in Bagdad, and was left anorphan while I was yet a very young man, for my parents died within afew days of each other. I had inherited from them a small fortune,which I worked hard night and day to increase, till at last I foundmyself the owner of eighty camels. These I hired out to travellingmerchants, whom I frequently accompanied on their various journeys, andalways returned with large profits.

One day I was coming back from Balsora, whither I had taken a supply ofgoods, intended for India, and halted at noon in a lonely place, whichpromised rich pasture for my camels. I was resting in the shade undera tree, when a dervish, going on foot towards Balsora, sat down by myside, and I inquired whence he had come and to what place he was going.We soon made friends, and after we had asked each other the usualquestions, we produced the food we had with us, and satisfied ourhunger.

While we were eating, the dervish happened to mention that in a spotonly a little way off from where we were sitting, there was hidden atreasure so great that if my eighty camels were loaded till they couldcarry no more, the hiding place would seem as full as if it had neverbeen touched.

At this news I became almost beside myself with joy and greed, and Iflung my arms round the neck of the dervish, exclaiming: "Gooddervish, I see plainly that the riches of this world are nothing toyou, therefore of what use is the knowledge of this treasure to you?Alone and on foot, you could carry away a mere handful. But tell mewhere it is, and I will load my eighty camels with it, and give you oneof them as a token of my gratitude."

Certainly my offer does not sound very magnificent, but it was great tome, for at his words a wave of covetousness had swept over my heart,and I almost felt as if the seventy-nine camels that were left werenothing in comparison.

The dervish saw quite well what was passing in my mind, but he did notshow what he thought of my proposal.

"My brother," he answered quietly, "you know as well as I do, that youare behaving unjustly. It was open to me to keep my secret, and toreserve the treasure for myself. But the fact that I have told you ofits existence shows that I had confidence in you, and that I hoped toearn your gratitude for ever, by making your fortune as well as mine.But before I reveal to you the secret of the treasure, you must swearthat, after we have loaded the camels with as much as they can carry,you will give half to me, and let us go our own ways. I think you willsee that this is fair, for if you present me with forty camels, I on myside will give you the means of buying a thousand more."

I could not of course deny that what the dervish said was perfectlyreasonable, but, in spite of that, the thought that the dervish wouldbe as rich as I was unbearable to me. Still there was no use indiscussing the matter, and I had to accept his conditions or bewail tothe end of my life the loss of immense wealth. So I collected mycamels and we set out together under the guidance of the dervish.After walking some time, we reached what looked like a valley, but withsuch a narrow entrance that my camels could only pass one by one. Thelittle valley, or open space, was shut up by two mountains, whose sideswere formed of straight cliffs, which no human being could climb.

When we were exactly between these mountains the dervish stopped.

"Make your camels lie down in this open space," he said, "so that wecan easily load them; then we will go to the treasure."

I did what I was bid, and rejoined the dervish, whom I found trying tokindle a fire out of some dry wood. As soon as it was alight, he threwon it a handful of perfumes, and pronounced a few words that I did notunderstand, and immediately a thick column of smoke rose high into theair. He separated the smoke into two columns, and then I saw a rock,which stood like a pillar between the two mountains, slowly open, and asplendid palace appear within.

But, Commander of the Faithful, the love of gold had taken suchpossession of my heart, that I could not even stop to examine theriches, but fell upon the first pile of gold within my reach and beganto heap it into a sack that I had brought with me.

The dervish likewise set to work, but I soon noticed that he confinedhimself to collecting precious stones, and I felt I should be wise tofollow his example. At length the camels were loaded with as much asthey could carry, and nothing remained but to seal up the treasure, andgo our ways.

Before, however, this was done, the dervish went up to a great goldenvase, beautifully chased, and took from it a small wooden box, which hehid in the bosom of his dress, merely saying that it contained aspecial kind of ointment. Then he once more kindled the fire, threw onthe perfume, and murmured the unknown spell, and the rock closed, andstood whole as before.

The next thing was to divide the camels, and to charge them with thetreasure, after which we each took command of our own and marched outof the valley, till we reached the place in the high road where theroutes diverge, and then we parted, the dervish going towards Balsora,and I to Bagdad. We embraced each other tenderly, and I poured out mygratitude for the honour he had done me, in singling me out for thisgreat wealth, and having said a hearty farewell we turned our backs,and hastened after our camels.

I had hardly come up with mine when the demon of envy filled my soul."What does a dervish want with riches like that?" I said to myself."He alone has the secret of the treasure, and can always get as much ashe wants," and I halted my camels by the roadside, and ran back afterhim.

I was a quick runner, and it did not take me very long to come up withhim. "My brother," I exclaimed, as soon as I could speak, "almost atthe moment of our leave-taking, a reflection occurred to me, which isperhaps new to you. You are a dervish by profession, and live a veryquiet life, only caring to do good, and careless of the things of thisworld. You do not realise the burden that you lay upon yourself, whenyou gather into your hands such great wealth, besides the fact that noone, who is not accustomed to camels from his birth, can ever managethe stubborn beasts. If you are wise, you will not encumber yourselfwith more than thirty, and you will find those trouble enough."

"You are right," replied the dervish, who understood me quite well, butdid not wish to fight the matter. "I confess I had not thought aboutit. Choose any ten you like, and drive them before you."

I selected ten of the best camels, and we proceeded along the road, torejoin those I had left behind. I had got what I wanted, but I hadfound the dervish so easy to deal with, that I rather regretted I hadnot asked for ten more. I looked back. He had only gone a few paces,and I called after him.

"My brother," I said, "I am unwilling to part from you without pointingout what I think you scarcely grasp, that large experience ofcamel-driving is necessary to anybody who intends to keep together atroop of thirty. In your own interest, I feel sure you would be muchhappier if you entrusted ten more of them to me, for with my practiceit is all one to me if I take two or a hundred."

As before, the dervish made no difficulties, and I drove off my tencamels in triumph, only leaving him with twenty for his share. I hadnow sixty, and anyone might have imagined that I should be content.

But, Commander of the Faithful, there is a proverb that says, "the moreone has, the more one wants." So it was with me. I could not rest aslong as one solitary camel remained to the dervish; and returning tohim I redoubled my prayers and embraces, and promises of eternalgratitude, till the last twenty were in my hands.

"Make a good use of them, my brother," said the holy man. "Rememberriches sometimes have wings if we keep them for ourselves, and the poorare at our gates expressly that we may help them."

My eyes were so blinded by gold, that I paid no heed to his wisecounsel, and only looked about for something else to grasp. Suddenly Iremembered the little box of ointment that the dervish had hidden, andwhich most likely contained a treasure more precious than all the rest.Giving him one last embrace, I observed accidentally, "What are yougoing to do with that little box of ointment? It seems hardly worthtaking with you; you might as well let me have it. And really, adervish who has given up the world has no need of ointment!"

Oh, if he had only refused my request! But then, supposing he had, Ishould have got possession of it by force, so great was the madnessthat had laid hold upon me. However, far from refusing it, the dervishat once held it out, saying gracefully, "Take it, my friend, and ifthere is anything else I can do to make you happy you must let me know."

Directly the box was in my hands I wrenched off the cover. "As you areso kind," I said, "tell me, I pray you, what are the virtues of thisointment?"

"They are most curious and interesting," replied the dervish. "If youapply a little of it to your left eye you will behold in an instant allthe treasures hidden in the bowels of the earth. But beware lest youtouch your right eye with it, or your sight will be destroyed for ever."

His words excited my curiosity to the highest pitch. "Make trial onme, I implore you," I cried, holding out the box to the dervish. "Youwill know how to do it better than I! I am burning with impatience totest its charms."

The dervish took the box I had extended to him, and, bidding me shut myleft eye, touched it gently with the ointment. When I opened it againI saw spread out, as it were before me, treasures of every kind andwithout number. But as all this time I had been obliged to keep myright eye closed, which was very fatiguing, I begged the dervish toapply the ointment to that eye also.

"If you insist upon it I will do it," answered the dervish, "but youmust remember what I told you just now--that if it touches your righteye you will become blind on the spot."

Unluckily, in spite of my having proved the truth of the dervish'swords in so many instances, I was firmly convinced that he was nowkeeping concealed from me some hidden and precious virtue of theointment. So I turned a deaf ear to all he said.

"My brother," I replied smiling, "I see you are joking. It is notnatural that the same ointment should have two such exactly oppositeeffects."

"It is true all the same," answered the dervish, "and it would be wellfor you if you believed my word."

But I would not believe, and, dazzled by the greed of avarice, Ithought that if one eye could show me riches, the other might teach mehow to get possession of them. And I continued to press the dervish toanoint my right eye, but this he resolutely declined to do.

"After having conferred such benefits on you," said he, "I am lothindeed to work you such evil. Think what it is to be blind, and do notforce me to do what you will repent as long as you live."

It was of no use. "My brother," I said firmly, "pray say no more, butdo what I ask. You have most generously responded to my wishes up tothis time, do not spoil my recollection of you for a thing of suchlittle consequence. Let what will happen I take it on my own head, andwill never reproach you."

"Since you are determined upon it," he answered with a sigh, "there isno use talking," and taking the ointment he laid some on my right eye,which was tight shut. When I tried to open it heavy clouds of darknessfloated before me. I was as blind as you see me now!

"Miserable dervish!" I shrieked, "so it is true after all! Into whata bottomless pit has my lust after gold plunged me. Ah, now that myeyes are closed they are really opened. I know that all my sufferingsare caused by myself alone! But, good brother, you, who are so kindand charitable, and know the secrets of such vast learning, have younothing that will give me back my sight?"

"Unhappy man," replied the dervish, "it is not my fault that this hasbefallen you, but it is a just chastisement. The blindness of yourheart has wrought the blindness of your body. Yes, I have secrets;that you have seen in the short time that we have known each other.But I have none that will give you back your sight. You have provedyourself unworthy of the riches that were given you. Now they havepassed into my hands, whence they will flow into the hands of othersless greedy and ungrateful than you."

The dervish said no more and left me, speechless with shame andconfusion, and so wretched that I stood rooted to the spot, while hecollected the eighty camels and proceeded on his way to Balsora. Itwas in vain that I entreated him not to leave me, but at least to takeme within reach of the first passing caravan. He was deaf to myprayers and cries, and I should soon have been dead of hunger andmisery if some merchants had not come along the track the following dayand kindly brought me back to Bagdad.

From a rich man I had in one moment become a beggar; and up to thistime I have lived solely on the alms that have been bestowed on me.But, in order to expiate the sin of avarice, which was my undoing, Ioblige each passer-by to give me a blow.

This, Commander of the Faithful, is my story.

When the blind man had ended the Caliph addressed him: "Baba-Abdalla,truly your sin is great, but you have suffered enough. Henceforthrepent in private, for I will see that enough money is given you day byday for all your wants."

At these words Baba-Abdalla flung himself at the Caliph's feet, andprayed that honour and happiness might be his portion for ever.

The Story of Sidi-Nouman

The Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, was much pleased with the tale of theblind man and the dervish, and when it was finished he turned to theyoung man who had ill-treated his horse, and inquired his name also.The young man replied that he was called Sidi-Nouman.

"Sidi-Nouman," observed the Caliph, "I have seen horses broken all mylife long, and have even broken them myself, but I have never seen anyhorse broken in such a barbarous manner as by you yesterday. Every onewho looked on was indignant, and blamed you loudly. As for myself, Iwas so angry that I was very nearly disclosing who I was, and putting astop to it at once. Still, you have not the air of a cruel man, and Iwould gladly believe that you did not act in this way without somereason. As I am told that it was not the first time, and indeed thatevery day you are to be seen flogging and spurring your horse, I wishto come to the bottom of the matter. But tell me the whole truth, andconceal nothing."

Sidi-Nouman changed colour as he heard these words, and his manner grewconfused; but he saw plainly that there was no help for it. So heprostrated himself before the throne of the Caliph and tried to obey,but the words stuck in his throat, and he remained silent.

The Caliph, accustomed though he was to instant obedience, guessedsomething of what was passing in the young man's mind, and sought toput him at his ease. "Sidi-Nouman," he said, "do not think of me asthe Caliph, but merely as a friend who would like to hear your story.If there is anything in it that you are afraid may offend me, takecourage, for I pardon you beforehand. Speak then openly and withoutfear, as to one who knows and loves you."

Reassured by the kindness of the Caliph, Sidi-Nouman at length beganhis tale.

"Commander of the Faithful," said he, "dazzled though I am by thelustre of your Highness' presence, I will do my best to satisfy yourwishes. I am by no means perfect, but I am not naturally cruel,neither do I take pleasure in breaking the law. I admit that thetreatment of my horse is calculated to give your Highness a bad opinionof me, and to set an evil example to others; yet I have not chastisedit without reason, and I have hopes that I shall be judged more worthyof pity than punishment."

Commander of the Faithful, I will not trouble to describe my birth; itis not of sufficient distinction to deserve your Highness' attention.My ancestors were careful people, and I inherited enough money toenable me to live comfortably, though without show.

Having therefore a modest fortune, the only thing wanting to myhappiness was a wife who could return my affection, but this blessing Iwas not destined to get; for on the very day after my marriage, mybride began to try my patience in every way that was most hard to bear.

Now, seeing that the customs of our land oblige us to marry withoutever beholding the person with whom we are to pass our lives, a man hasof course no right to complain as long as his wife is not absolutelyrepulsive, or is not positively deformed. And whatever defects herbody may have, pleasant ways and good behaviour will go far to remedythem.

The first time I saw my wife unveiled, when she had been brought to myhouse with the usual ceremonies, I was enchanted to find that I had notbeen deceived in regard to the account that had been given me of herbeauty. I began my married life in high spirits, and the best hopes ofhappiness.

The following day a grand dinner was served to us but as my wife didnot appear, I ordered a servant to call her. Still she did not come,and I waited impatiently for some time. At last she entered the room,and she took our places at the table, and plates of rice were setbefore us.

I ate mine, as was natural, with a spoon, but great was my surprise tonotice that my wife, instead of doing the same, drew from her pocket alittle case, from which she selected a long pin, and by the help ofthis pin conveyed her rice grain by grain to her mouth.

"Amina," I exclaimed in astonishment, "is that the way you eat rice athome? And did you do it because your appetite was so small, or did youwish to count the grains so that you might never eat more than acertain number? If it was from economy, and you are anxious to teachme not to be wasteful, you have no cause for alarm. We shall neverruin ourselves in that way! Our fortune is large enough for all ourneeds, therefore, dear Amina, do not seek to check yourself, but eat asmuch as you desire, as I do!"

In reply to my affectionate words, I expected a cheerful answer; yetAmina said nothing at all, but continued to pick her rice as before,only at longer and longer intervals. And, instead of trying the otherdishes, all she did was to put every now and then a crumb, of breadinto her mouth, that would not have made a meal for a sparrow.

I felt provoked by her obstinacy, but to excuse her to myself as far asI could, I suggested that perhaps she had never been used to eat in thecompany of men, and that her family might have taught her that sheought to behave prudently and discreetly in the presence of herhusband. Likewise that she might either have dined already or intendto do so in her own apartments. So I took no further notice, and whenI had finished left the room, secretly much vexed at her strangeconduct.

The same thing occurred at supper, and all through the next day,whenever we ate together. It was quite clear that no woman could liveupon two or three bread-crumbs and a few grains of rice, and Idetermined to find out how and when she got food. I pretended not topay attention to anything she did, in the hope that little by littleshe would get accustomed to me, and become more friendly; but I soonsaw that my expectations were quite vain.

One night I was lying with my eyes closed, and to, all appearance soundasleep, when Amina arose softly, and dressed herself without making theslightest sound. I could not imagine what she was going to do, and asmy curiosity was great I made up my mind to follow her. When she wasfully dressed, she stole quietly from the room.

The instant she had let the curtain fall behind her, I flung a garmenton my shoulders and a pair of slippers on my feet. Looking from alattice which opened into the court, I saw her in the act of passingthrough the street door, which she carefully left open.

It was bright moonlight, so I easily managed to keep her in sight, tillshe entered a cemetery not far from the house. There I hid myselfunder the shadow of the wall, and crouched down cautiously; and hardlywas I concealed, when I saw my wife approaching in company with aghoul--one of those demons which, as your Highness is aware, wanderabout the country making their lairs in deserted buildings andspringing out upon unwary travellers whose flesh they eat. If no livebeing goes their way, they then betake themselves to the cemeteries,and feed upon the dead bodies.

I was nearly struck dumb with horror on seeing my wife with thishideous female ghoul. They passed by me without noticing me, began todig up a corpse which had been buried that day, and then sat down onthe edge of the grave, to enjoy their frightful repast, talking quietlyand cheerfully all the while, though I was too far off to hear whatthey said. When they had finished, they threw back the body into thegrave, and heaped back the earth upon it. I made no effort to disturbthem, and returned quickly to the house, when I took care to leave thedoor open, as I had previously found it. Then I got back into bed, andpretended to sleep soundly.

A short time after Amina entered as quietly as she had gone out. Sheundressed and stole into bed, congratulating herself apparently on thecleverness with which she had managed her expedition.

As may be guessed, after such a scene it was long before I could closemy eyes, and at the first sound which called the faithful to prayer, Iput on my clothes and went to the mosque. But even prayer did notrestore peace to my troubled spirit, and I could not face my wife untilI had made up my mind what future course I should pursue in regard toher. I therefore spent the morning roaming about from one garden toanother, turning over various plans for compelling my wife to give upher horrible ways; I thought of using violence to make her submit, butfelt reluctant to be unkind to her. Besides, I had an instinct thatgentle means had the best chance of success; so, a little soothed, Iturned towards home, which I reached about the hour of dinner.

As soon as I appeared, Amina ordered dinner to be served, and we satdown together. As usual, she persisted in only picking a few grains ofrice, and I resolved to speak to her at once of what lay so heavily onmy heart.

"Amina," I said, as quietly as possible, "you must have guessed thesurprise I felt, when the day after our marriage you declined to eatanything but a few morsels of rice, and altogether behaved in such amanner that most husbands would have been deeply wounded. However Ihad patience with you, and only tried to tempt your appetite by thechoicest dishes I could invent, but all to no purpose. Still, Amina,it seems to me that there be some among them as sweet to the taste asthe flesh of a corpse?"

I had no sooner uttered these words than Amina, who instantlyunderstood that I had followed her to the grave-yard, was seized with apassion beyond any that I have ever witnessed. Her face became purple,her eyes looked as if they would start from her head, and shepositively foamed with rage.

I watched her with terror, wondering what would happen next, but littlethinking what would be the end of her fury. She seized a vessel ofwater that stood at hand, and plunging her hand in it, murmured somewords I failed to catch. Then, sprinkling it on my face, she criedmadly:

"Wretch, receive the reward of your prying, and become a dog."

The words were not out of her mouth when, without feeling consciousthat any change was passing over me, I suddenly knew that I had ceasedto be a man. In the greatness of the shock and surprise--for I had noidea that Amina was a magician--I never dreamed of running away, andstood rooted to the spot, while Amina grasped a stick and began to beatme. Indeed her blows were so heavy, that I only wonder they did notkill me at once. However they succeeded in rousing me from my stupor,and I dashed into the court-yard, followed closely by Amina, who madefrantic dives at me, which I was not quick enough to dodge. At lastshe got tired of pursuing me, or else a new trick entered into herhead, which would give me speedy and painful death; she opened the gateleading into the street, intending to crush me as I passed through.Dog though I was, I saw through her design, and stung into presence ofmind by the greatness of the danger, I timed my movements so well thatI contrived to rush through, and only the tip of my tail received asqueeze as she banged the gate.

I was safe, but my tail hurt me horribly, and I yelped and howled soloud all along the streets, that the other dogs came and attacked me,which made matters no better. In order to avoid them, I took refuge ina cookshop, where tongues and sheep's heads were sold.

At first the owner showed me great kindness, and drove away the otherdogs that were still at my heels, while I crept into the darkestcorner. But though I was safe for the moment, I was not destined toremain long under his protection, for he was one of those who hold alldogs to be unclean, and that all the washing in the world will hardlypurify you from their contact. So after my enemies had gone to seekother prey, he tried to lure me from my corner in order to force meinto the street. But I refused to come out of my hole, and spent thenight in sleep, which I sorely needed, after the pain inflicted on meby Amina.

I have no wish to weary your Highness by dwelling on the sad thoughtswhich accompanied my change of shape, but it may interest you to hearthat the next morning my host went out early to do his marketing, andreturned laden with the sheep's heads, and tongues and trotters thatformed his stock in trade for the day. The smell of meat attractedvarious hungry dogs in the neighbourhood, and they gathered round thedoor begging for some bits. I stole out of my corner, and stood withthem.

In spite of his objection to dogs, as unclean animals, my protector wasa kind-hearted man, and knowing I had eaten nothing since yesterday, hethrew me bigger and better bits than those which fell to the share ofthe other dogs. When I had finished, I tried to go back into the shop,but this he would not allow, and stood so firmly at the entrance with astout stick, that I was forced to give it up, and seek some other home.

A few paces further on was a baker's shop, which seemed to have a gayand merry man for a master. At that moment he was having hisbreakfast, and though I gave no signs of hunger, he at once threw me apiece of bread. Before gobbling it up, as most dogs are in the habitof doing, I bowed my head and wagged my tail, in token of thanks, andhe understood, and smiled pleasantly. I really did not want the breadat all, but felt it would be ungracious to refuse, so I ate it slowly,in order that he might see that I only did it out of politeness. Heunderstood this also, and seemed quite willing to let me stay in hisshop, so I sat down, with my face to the door, to show that I onlyasked his protection. This he gave me, and indeed encouraged me tocome into the house itself, giving me a corner where I might sleep,without being in anybody's way.

The kindness heaped on me by this excellent man was far greater than Icould ever have expected. He was always affectionate in his manner oftreating me, and I shared his breakfast, dinner and supper, while, onmy side, I gave him all the gratitude and attachment to which he had aright.

I sat with my eyes fixed on him, and he never left the house withouthaving me at his heels; and if it ever happened that when he waspreparing to go out I was asleep, and did not notice, he would call"Rufus, Rufus," for that was the name he gave me.

Some weeks passed in this way, when one day a woman came in to buybread. In paying for it, she laid down several pieces of money, one ofwhich was bad. The baker perceived this, and declined to take it,demanding another in its place. The woman, for her part, refused totake it back, declaring it was perfectly good, but the baker would havenothing to do with it. "It is really such a bad imitation," heexclaimed at last, "that even my dog would not be taken in. HereRufus! Rufus!" and hearing his voice, I jumped on to the counter. Thebaker threw down the money before me, and said, "Find out if there is abad coin." I looked at each in turn, and then laid my paw on the falseone, glancing at the same time at my master, so as to point it out.

The baker, who had of course been only in joke, was exceedinglysurprised at my cleverness, and the woman, who was at last convincedthat the man spoke the truth, produced another piece of money in itsplace. When she had gone, my master was so pleased that he told allthe neighbours what I had done, and made a great deal more of it thanthere really was.

The neighbours, very naturally, declined to believe his story, andtried me several times with all the bad money they could collecttogether, but I never failed to stand the test triumphantly.

Soon, the shop was filled from morning till night, with people who onthe pretence of buying bread came to see if I was as clever as I wasreported to be. The baker drove a roaring trade, and admitted that Iwas worth my weight in gold to him.

Of course there were plenty who envied him his large custom, and manywas the pitfall set for me, so that he never dared to let me out of hissight. One day a woman, who had not been in the shop before, came toask for bread, like the rest. As usual, I was lying on the counter,and she threw down six coins before me, one of which was false. Idetected it at once, and put my paw on it, looking as I did so at thewoman. "Yes," she said, nodding her head. "You are quite right, thatis the one." She stood gazing at me attentively for some time, thenpaid for the bread, and left the shop, making a sign for me to followher secretly.

Now my thoughts were always running on some means of shaking off thespell laid on me, and noticing the way in which this woman had lookedat me, the idea entered my head that perhaps she might have guessedwhat had happened, and in this I was not deceived. However I let hergo on a little way, and merely stood at the door watching her. Sheturned, and seeing that I was quite still, she again beckoned to me.

The baker all this while was busy with his oven, and had forgotten allabout me, so I stole out softly, and ran after the woman.

When we came to her house, which was some distance off, she opened thedoor and then said to me, "Come in, come in; you will never be sorrythat you followed me." When I had entered she fastened the door, andtook me into a large room, where a beautiful girl was working at apiece of embroidery. "My daughter," exclaimed my guide, "I havebrought you the famous dog belonging to the baker which can tell goodmoney from bad. You know that when I first heard of him, I told you Iwas sure he must be really a man, changed into a dog by magic. To-dayI went to the baker's, to prove for myself the truth of the story, andpersuaded the dog to follow me here. Now what do you say?"

"You are right, mother," replied the girl, and rising she dipped herhand into a vessel of water. Then sprinkling it over me she said, "Ifyou were born dog, remain dog; but if you were born man, by virtue ofthis water resume your proper form." In one moment the spell wasbroken. The dog's shape vanished as if it had never been, and it was aman who stood before her.

Overcome with gratitude at my deliverance, I flung myself at her feet,and kissed the hem of her garment. "How can I thank you for yourgoodness towards a stranger, and for what you have done? Henceforth Iam your slave. Deal with me as you will!"

Then, in order to explain how I came to be changed into a dog, I toldher my whole story, and finished with rendering the mother the thanksdue to her for the happiness she had brought me.

"Sidi-Nouman," returned the daughter, "say no more about the obligationyou are under to us. The knowledge that we have been of service to youis ample payment. Let us speak of Amina, your wife, with whom I wasacquainted before her marriage. I was aware that she was a magician,and she knew too that I had studied the same art, under the samemistress. We met often going to the same baths, but we did not likeeach other, and never sought to become friends. As to what concernsyou, it is not enough to have broken your spell, she must be punishedfor her wickedness. Remain for a moment with my mother, I beg," sheadded hastily, "I will return shortly."

Left alone with the mother, I again expressed the gratitude I felt, toher as well as to her daughter.

"My daughter," she answered, "is, as you see, as accomplished amagician as Amina herself, but you would be astonished at the amount ofgood she does by her knowledge. That is why I have never interfered,otherwise I should have put a stop to it long ago." As she spoke, herdaughter entered with a small bottle in her hand.

"Sidi-Nouman," she said, "the books I have just consulted tell me thatAmina is not home at present, but she should return at any moment. Ihave likewise found out by their means, that she pretends before theservants great uneasiness as to your absence. She has circulated astory that, while at dinner with her, you remembered some importantbusiness that had to be done at once, and left the house withoutshutting the door. By this means a dog had strayed in, which she wasforced to get rid of by a stick. Go home then without delay, and awaitAmina's return in your room. When she comes in, go down to meet her,and in her surprise, she will try to run away. Then have this bottleready, and dash the water it contains over her, saying boldly, "Receivethe reward of your crimes." That is all I have to tell you."

Everything happened exactly as the young magician had foretold. I hadnot been in my house many minutes before Amina returned, and as sheapproached I stepped in front of her, with the water in my hand. Shegave one loud cry, and turned to the door, but she was too late. I hadalready dashed the water in her face and spoken the magic words. Aminadisappeared, and in her place stood the horse you saw me beatingyesterday.

This, Commander of the Faithful, is my story, and may I venture to hopethat, now you have heard the reason of my conduct, your Highness willnot think this wicked woman too harshly treated?

"Sidi-Nouman," replied the Caliph, "your story is indeed a strange one,and there is no excuse to be offered for your wife. But, withoutcondemning your treatment of her, I wish you to reflect how much shemust suffer from being changed into an animal, and I hope you will letthat punishment be enough. I do not order you to insist upon the youngmagician finding the means to restore your wife to her human shape,because I know that when once women such as she begin to work evil theynever leave off, and I should only bring down on your head a vengeancefar worse than the one you have undergone already."

The Story of Ali Colia, Merchant of Bagdad

In the reign of Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived in Bagdad a merchantnamed Ali Cogia, who, having neither wife nor child, contented himselfwith the modest profits produced by his trade. He had spent some yearsquite happily in the house his father had left him, when three nightsrunning he dreamed that an old man had appeared to him, and reproachedhim for having neglected the duty of a good Mussulman, in delaying solong his pilgrimage to Mecca.

Ali Cogia was much troubled by this dream, as he was unwilling to giveup his shop, and lose all his customers. He had shut his eyes for sometime to the necessity of performing this pilgrimage, and tried to atoneto his conscience by an extra number of good works, but the dreamseemed to him a direct warning, and he resolved to put the journey offno longer.

The first thing he did was to sell his furniture and the wares he hadin his shop, only reserving to himself such goods as he might tradewith on the road. The shop itself he sold also, and easily found atenant for his private house. The only matter he could not settlesatisfactorily was the safe custody of a thousand pieces of gold whichhe wished to leave behind him.

After some thought, Ali Cogia hit upon a plan which seemed a safe one.He took a large vase, and placing the money in the bottom of it, filledup the rest with olives. After corking the vase tightly down, hecarried it to one of his friends, a merchant like himself, and said tohim:

"My brother, you have probably heard that I am staffing with a caravanin a few days for Mecca. I have come to ask whether you would do methe favour to keep this vase of olives for me till I come back?"

The merchant replied readily, "Look, this is the key of my shop: takeit, and put the vase wherever you like. I promise that you shall findit in the same place on your return."

A few days later, Ali Cogia mounted the camel that he had laden withmerchandise, joined the caravan, and arrived in due time at Mecca.Like the other pilgrims he visited the sacred Mosque, and after all hisreligious duties were performed, he set out his goods to the bestadvantage, hoping to gain some customers among the passers-by.

Very soon two merchants stopped before the pile, and when they hadturned it over, one said to the other:

"If this man was wise he would take these things to Cairo, where hewould get a much better price than he is likely to do here."

Ali Cogia heard the words, and lost no time in following the advice.He packed up his wares, and instead of returning to Bagdad, joined acaravan that was going to Cairo. The results of the journey gladdenedhis heart. He sold off everything almost directly, and bought a stockof Egyptian curiosities, which he intended selling at Damascus; but asthe caravan with which he would have to travel would not be startingfor another six weeks, he took advantage of the delay to visit thePyramids, and some of the cities along the banks of the Nile.

Now the attractions of Damascus so fascinated the worthy Ali, that hecould hardly tear himself away, but at length he remembered that he hada home in Bagdad, meaning to return by way of Aleppo, and after he hadcrossed the Euphrates, to follow the course of the Tigris.

But when he reached Mossoul, Ali had made such friends with somePersian merchants, that they persuaded him to accompany them to theirnative land, and even as far as India, and so it came to pass thatseven years had slipped by since he had left Bagdad, and during allthat time the friend with whom he had left the vase of olives had neveronce thought of him or of it. In fact, it was only a month before AliCogia's actual return that the affair came into his head at all, owingto his wife's remarking one day, that it was a long time since she hadeaten any olives, and would like some.

"That reminds me," said the husband, "that before Ali Cogia went toMecca seven years ago, he left a vase of olives in my care. But reallyby this time he must be dead, and there is no reason we should not eatthe olives if we like. Give me a light, and I will fetch them and seehow they taste."

"My husband," answered the wife, "beware, I pray, of your doinganything so base! Supposing seven years have passed without news ofAli Cogia, he need not be dead for all that, and may come back any day.How shameful it would be to have to confess that you had betrayed yourtrust and broken the seal of the vase! Pay no attention to my idlewords, I really have no desire for olives now. And probably after allthis while they are no longer good. I have a presentiment that AliCogia will return, and what will he think of you? Give it up, Ientreat."

The merchant, however, refused to listen to her advice, sensible thoughit was. He took a light and a dish and went into his shop.

"If you will be so obstinate," said his wife, "I cannot help it; but donot blame me if it turns out ill."

When the merchant opened the vase he found the topmost olives wererotten, and in order to see if the under ones were in better conditionhe shook some out into the dish. As they fell out a few of the goldpieces fell out too.

The sight of the money roused all the merchant's greed. He looked intothe vase, and saw that all the bottom was filled with gold. He thenreplaced the olives and returned to his wife.

"My wife," he said, as he entered the room, "you were quite right; theolives are rotten, and I have recorked the vase so well that Ali Cogiawill never know it has been touched."

"You would have done better to believe me," replied the wife. "I trustthat no harm will come of it."

These words made no more impression on the merchant than the others haddone; and he spent the whole night in wondering how he could manage tokeep the gold if Ali Cogia should come back and claim his vase. Veryearly next morning he went out and bought fresh new olives; he thenthrew away the old ones, took out the gold and hid it, and filled upthe vase with the olives he had bought. This done he recorked the vaseand put it in the same place where it had been left by Ali Cogia.

A month later Ali Cogia re-entered Bagdad, and as his house was stilllet he went to an inn; and the following day set out to see his friendthe merchant, who received him with open arms and many expressions ofsurprise. After a few moments given to inquiries Ali Cogia begged themerchant to hand him over the vase that he had taken care of for solong.

"Oh certainly," said he, "I am only glad I could be of use to you inthe matter. Here is the key of my shop; you will find the vase in theplace where you put it."

Ali Cogia fetched his vase and carried it to his room at the inn, wherehe opened it. He thrust down his hand but could feel no money, butstill was persuaded it must be there. So he got some plates andvessels from his travelling kit and emptied out the olives. To nopurpose. The gold was not there. The poor man was dumb with horror,then, lifting up his hands, he exclaimed, "Can my old friend reallyhave committed such a crime?"

In great haste he went back to the house of the merchant. "My friend,"he cried, "you will be astonished to see me again, but I can findnowhere in this vase a thousand pieces of gold that I placed in thebottom under the olives. Perhaps you may have taken a loan of them foryour business purposes; if that is so you are most welcome. I willonly ask you to give me a receipt, and you can pay the money at yourleisure."

The merchant, who had expected something of the sort, had his reply allready. "Ali Cogia," he said, "when you brought me the vase of olivesdid I ever touch it?"

"I gave you the key of my shop and you put it yourself where you liked,and did you not find it in exactly the same spot and in the same state?If you placed any gold in it, it must be there still. I know nothingabout that; you only told me there were olives. You can believe me ornot, but I have not laid a finger on the vase."

Ali Cogia still tried every means to persuade the merchant to admit thetruth. "I love peace," he said, "and shall deeply regret having toresort to harsh measures. Once more, think of your reputation. Ishall be in despair if you oblige me to call in the aid of the law."

"Ali Cogia," answered the merchant, "you allow that it was a vase ofolives you placed in my charge. You fetched it and removed ityourself, and now you tell me it contained a thousand pieces of gold,and that I must restore them to you! Did you ever say anything aboutthem before? Why, I did not even know that the vase had olives in it!You never showed them to me. I wonder you have not demanded pearls ordiamonds. Retire, I pray you, lest a crowd should gather in front ofmy shop."

By this time not only the casual passers-by, but also the neighbouringmerchants, were standing round, listening to the dispute, and tryingevery now and then to smooth matters between them. But at themerchant's last words Ali Cogia resolved to lay the cause of thequarrel before them, and told them the whole story. They heard him tothe end, and inquired of the merchant what he had to say.

The accused man admitted that he had kept Ali Cogia's vase in his shop;but he denied having touched it, and swore that as to what it containedhe only knew what Ali Cogia had told him, and called them all towitness the insult that had been put upon him.

"You have brought it on yourself," said Ali Cogia, taking him by thearm, "and as you appeal to the law, the law you shall have! Let us seeif you will dare to repeat your story before the Cadi."

Now as a good Mussulman the merchant was forbidden to refuse thischoice of a judge, so he accepted the test, and said to Ali Cogia,"Very well; I should like nothing better. We shall soon see which ofus is in the right."

So the two men presented themselves before the Cadi, and Ali Cogiaagain repeated his tale. The Cadi asked what witnesses he had. AliCogia replied that he had not taken this precaution, as he hadconsidered the man his friend, and up to that time had always found himhonest.

The merchant, on his side, stuck to his story, and offered to swearsolemnly that not only had he never stolen the thousand gold pieces,but that he did not even know they were there. The Cadi allowed him totake the oath, and pronounced him innocent.

Ali Cogia, furious at having to suffer such a loss, protested againstthe verdict, declaring that he would appeal to the Caliph,Haroun-al-Raschid, himself. But the Cadi paid no attention to histhreats, and was quite satisfied that he had done what was right.

Judgment being given the merchant returned home triumphant, and AliCogia went back to his inn to draw up a petition to the Caliph. Thenext morning he placed himself on the road along which the Caliph mustpass after mid-day prayer, and stretched out his petition to theofficer who walked before the Caliph, whose duty it was to collect suchthings, and on entering the palace to hand them to his master. ThereHaroun-al-Raschid studied them carefully.

Knowing this custom, Ali Cogia followed the Caliph into the public hallof the palace, and waited the result. After some time the officerappeared, and told him that the Caliph had read his petition, and hadappointed an hour the next morning to give him audience. He theninquired the merchant's address, so that he might be summoned to attendalso.

That very evening, the Caliph, with his grand-vizir Giafar, andMesrour, chief of the eunuchs, all three disguised, as was their habit,went out to take a stroll through the town.

Going down one street, the Caliph's attention was attracted by a noise,and looking through a door which opened into a court he perceived tenor twelve children playing in the moonlight. He hid himself in a darkcorner, and watched them.

"Let us play at being the Cadi," said the brightest and quickest ofthem all; "I will be the Cadi. Bring before me Ali Cogia, and themerchant who robbed him of the thousand pieces of gold."

The boy's words recalled to the Caliph the petition he had read thatmorning, and he waited with interest to see what the children would do.

The proposal was hailed with joy by the other children, who had heard agreat deal of talk about the matter, and they quickly settled the parteach one was to play. The Cadi took his seat gravely, and an officerintroduced first Ali Cogia, the plaintiff, and then the merchant whowas the defendant.

Ali Cogia made a low bow, and pleaded his cause point by point;concluding by imploring the Cadi not to inflict on him such a heavyloss.

The Cadi having heard his case, turned to the merchant, and inquiredwhy he had not repaid Ali Cogia the sum in question.

The false merchant repeated the reasons that the real merchant hadgiven to the Cadi of Bagdad, and also offered to swear that he had toldthe truth.

"Stop a moment!" said the little Cadi, "before we come to oaths, Ishould like to examine the vase with the olives. Ali Cogia," he added,"have you got the vase with you?" and finding he had not, the Cadicontinued, "Go and get it, and bring it to me."

So Ali Cogia disappeared for an instant, and then pretended to lay avase at the feet of the Cadi, declaring it was his vase, which he hadgiven to the accused for safe custody; and in order to be quitecorrect, the Cadi asked the merchant if he recognised it as the samevase. By his silence the merchant admitted the fact, and the Cadi thencommanded to have the vase opened. Ali Cogia made a movement as if hewas taking off the lid, and the little Cadi on his part made a pretenceof peering into a vase.

"What beautiful olives!" he said, "I should like to taste one," andpretending to put one in his mouth, he added, "they are reallyexcellent!

"But," he went on, "it seems to me odd that olives seven years oldshould be as good as that! Send for some dealers in olives, and let ushear what they say!"

Two children were presented to him as olive merchants, and the Cadiaddressed them. "Tell me," he said, "how long can olives be kept so asto be pleasant eating?"

"My lord," replied the merchants, "however much care is taken topreserve them, they never last beyond the third year. They lose bothtaste and colour, and are only fit to be thrown away."

"If that is so," answered the little Cadi, "examine this vase, and tellme how long the olives have been in it."

The olive merchants pretended to examine the olives and taste them;then reported to the Cadi that they were fresh and good.

"You are mistaken," said he, "Ali Cogia declares he put them in thatvase seven years ago."

"My lord," returned the olive merchants, "we can assure you that theolives are those of the present year. And if you consult all themerchants in Bagdad you will not find one to give a contrary opinion."

The accused merchant opened his mouth as if to protest, but the Cadigave him no time. "Be silent," he said, "you are a thief. Take himaway and hang him." So the game ended, the children clapping theirhands in applause, and leading the criminal away to be hanged.

Haroun-al-Raschid was lost in astonishment at the wisdom of the child,who had given so wise a verdict on the case which he himself was tohear on the morrow. "Is there any other verdict possible?" he askedthe grand-vizir, who was as much impressed as himself. "I can imagineno better judgment."

"If the circumstances are really such as we have heard," replied thegrand-vizir, "it seems to me your Highness could only follow theexample of this boy, in the method of reasoning, and also in yourconclusions."

"Then take careful note of this house," said the Caliph, "and bring methe boy to-morrow, so that the affair may be tried by him in mypresence. Summon also the Cadi, to learn his duty from the mouth of achild. Bid Ali Cogia bring his vase of olives, and see that twodealers in olives are present." So saying the Caliph returned to thepalace.

The next morning early, the grand-vizir went back to the house wherethey had seen the children playing, and asked for the mistress and herchildren. Three boys appeared, and the grand-vizir inquired which hadrepresented the Cadi in their game of the previous evening. The eldestand tallest, changing colour, confessed that it was he, and to hismother's great alarm, the grand-vizir said that he had strict orders tobring him into the presence of the Caliph.

"Does he want to take my son from me?" cried the poor woman; but thegrand-vizir hastened to calm her, by assuring her that she should havethe boy again in an hour, and she would be quite satisfied when sheknew the reason of the summons. So she dressed the boy in his bestclothes, and the two left the house.

When the grand-vizir presented the child to the Caliph, he was a littleawed and confused, and the Caliph proceeded to explain why he had sentfor him. "Approach, my son," he said kindly. "I think it was you whojudged the case of Ali Cogia and the merchant last night? I overheardyou by chance, and was very pleased with the way you conducted it.To-day you will see the real Ali Cogia and the real merchant. Seatyourself at once next to me."

The Caliph being seated on his throne with the boy next him, theparties to the suit were ushered in. One by one they prostratedthemselves, and touched the carpet at the foot of the throne with theirforeheads. When they rose up, the Caliph said: "Now speak. Thischild will give you justice, and if more should be wanted I will see toit myself."

Ali Cogia and the merchant pleaded one after the other, but when themerchant offered to swear the same oath that he had taken before theCadi, he was stopped by the child, who said that before this was donehe must first see the vase of olives.

At these words, Ali Cogia presented the vase to the Caliph, anduncovered it. The Caliph took one of the olives, tasted it, andordered the expert merchants to do the same. They pronounced theolives good, and fresh that year. The boy informed them that Ali Cogiadeclared it was seven years since he had placed them in the vase; towhich they returned the same answer as the children had done.

The accused merchant saw by this time that his condemnation wascertain, and tried to allege something in his defence. The boy had toomuch sense to order him to be hanged, and looked at the Caliph, saying,"Commander of the Faithful, this is not a game now; it is for yourHighness to condemn him to death and not for me."

Then the Caliph, convinced that the man was a thief, bade them take himaway and hang him, which was done, but not before he had confessed hisguilt and the place in which he had hidden Ali Cogia's money. TheCaliph ordered the Cadi to learn how to deal out justice from the mouthof a child, and sent the boy home, with a purse containing a hundredpieces of gold as a mark of his favour.

The Enchanted Horse

It was the Feast of the New Year, the oldest and most splendid of allthe feasts in the Kingdom of Persia, and the day had been spent by theking in the city of Schiraz, taking part in the magnificent spectaclesprepared by his subjects to do honour to the festival. The sun wassetting, and the monarch was about to give his court the signal toretire, when suddenly an Indian appeared before his throne, leading ahorse richly harnessed, and looking in every respect exactly like areal one.

"Sire," said he, prostrating himself as he spoke, "although I make myappearance so late before your Highness, I can confidently assure youthat none of the wonders you have seen during the day can be comparedto this horse, if you will deign to cast your eyes upon him."

"I see nothing in it," replied the king, "except a clever imitation ofa real one; and any skilled workman might do as much."

"Sire," returned the Indian, "it is not of his outward form that Iwould speak, but of the use that I can make of him. I have only tomount him, and to wish myself in some special place, and no matter howdistant it may be, in a very few moments I shall find myself there. Itis this, Sire, that makes the horse so marvellous, and if your Highnesswill allow me, you can prove it for yourself."

The King of Persia, who was interested in every thing out of thecommon, and had never before come across a horse with such qualities,bade the Indian mount the animal, and show what he could do. In aninstant the man had vaulted on his back, and inquired where the monarchwished to send him.

"Do you see that mountain?" asked the king, pointing to a huge massthat towered into the sky about three leagues from Schiraz; "go andbring me the leaf of a palm that grows at the foot."

The words were hardly out of the king's mouth when the Indian turned ascrew placed in the horse's neck, close to the saddle, and the animalbounded like lightning up into the air, and was soon beyond the sighteven of the sharpest eyes. In a quarter of an hour the Indian was seenreturning, bearing in his hand the palm, and, guiding his horse to thefoot of the throne, he dismounted, and laid the leaf before the king.

Now the monarch had no sooner proved the astonishing speed of which thehorse was capable than he longed to possess it himself, and indeed, sosure was he that the Indian would be quite ready to sell it, that helooked upon it as his own already.

"I never guessed from his mere outside how valuable an animal he was,"he remarked to the Indian, "and I am grateful to you for having shownme my error," said he. "If you will sell it, name your own price."

"Sire," replied the Indian, "I never doubted that a sovereign so wiseand accomplished as your Highness would do justice to my horse, when heonce knew its power; and I even went so far as to think it probablethat you might wish to possess it. Greatly as I prize it, I will yieldit up to your Highness on one condition. The horse was not constructedby me, but it was given me by the inventor, in exchange for my onlydaughter, who made me take a solemn oath that I would never part withit, except for some object of equal value."

"Name anything you like," cried the monarch, interrupting him. "Mykingdom is large, and filled with fair cities. You have only to choosewhich you would prefer, to become its ruler to the end of your life."

"Sire," answered the Indian, to whom the proposal did not seem nearlyso generous as it appeared to the king, "I am most grateful to yourHighness for your princely offer, and beseech you not to be offendedwith me if I say that I can only deliver up my horse in exchange forthe hand of the princess your daughter."

A shout of laughter burst from the courtiers as they heard these words,and Prince Firouz Schah, the heir apparent, was filled with anger atthe Indian's presumption. The king, however, thought that it would notcost him much to part from the princess in order to gain such adelightful toy, and while he was hesitating as to his answer the princebroke in.

"Sire," he said, "it is not possible that you can doubt for an instantwhat reply you should give to such an insolent bargain. Consider whatyou owe to yourself, and to the blood of your ancestors."

"My son," replied the king, "you speak nobly, but you do not realiseeither the value of the horse, or the fact that if I reject theproposal of the Indian, he will only make the same to some othermonarch, and I should be filled with despair at the thought that anyonebut myself should own this Seventh Wonder of the World. Of course I donot say that I shall accept his conditions, and perhaps he may bebrought to reason, but meanwhile I should like you to examine thehorse, and, with the owner's permission, to make trial of its powers."

The Indian, who had overheard the king's speech, thought that he saw init signs of yielding to his proposal, so he joyfully agreed to themonarch's wishes, and came forward to help the prince to mount thehorse, and show him how to guide it: but, before he had finished, theyoung man turned the screw, and was soon out of sight.

They waited some time, expecting that every moment he might be seenreturning in the distance, but at length the Indian grew frightened,and prostrating himself before the throne, he said to the king, "Sire,your Highness must have noticed that the prince, in his impatience, didnot allow me to tell him what it was necessary to do in order to returnto the place from which he started. I implore you not to punish me forwhat was not my fault, and not to visit on me any misfortune that mayoccur."

"But why," cried the king in a burst of fear and anger, "why did younot call him back when you saw him disappearing?"

"Sire," replied the Indian, "the rapidity of his movements took me soby surprise that he was out of hearing before I recovered my speech.But we must hope that he will perceive and turn a second screw, whichwill have the effect of bringing the horse back to earth."

"But supposing he does!" answered the king, "what is to hinder thehorse from descending straight into the sea, or dashing him to pieceson the rocks?"

"Have no fears, your Highness," said the Indian; "the horse has thegift of passing over seas, and of carrying his rider wherever he wishesto go."

"Well, your head shall answer for it," returned the monarch, "and if inthree months he is not safe back with me, or at any rate does not sendme news of his safety, your life shall pay the penalty." So saying, heordered his guards to seize the Indian and throw him into prison.

Meanwhile, Prince Firouz Schah had gone gaily up into the air, and forthe space of an hour continued to ascend higher and higher, till thevery mountains were not distinguishable from the plains. Then he beganto think it was time to come down, and took for granted that, in orderto do this, it was only needful to turn the screw the reverse way; but,to his surprise and horror, he found that, turn as he might, he did notmake the smallest impression. He then remembered that he had neverwaited to ask how he was to get back to earth again, and understood thedanger in which he stood. Luckily, he did not lose his head, and setabout examining the horse's neck with great care, till at last, to hisintense joy, he discovered a tiny little peg, much smaller than theother, close to the right ear. This he turned, and found him-selfdropping to the earth, though more slowly than he had left it.

It was now dark, and as the prince could see nothing, he was obliged,not without some feeling of disquiet, to allow the horse to direct hisown course, and midnight was already passed before Prince Firouz Schahagain touched the ground, faint and weary from his long ride, and fromthe fact that he had eaten nothing since early morning.

The first thing he did on dismounting was to try to find out where hewas, and, as far as he could discover in the thick darkness, he foundhimself on the terraced roof of a huge palace, with a balustrade ofmarble running round. In one corner of the terrace stood a small door,opening on to a staircase which led down into the palace.

Some people might have hesitated before exploring further, but not sothe prince. "I am doing no harm," he said, "and whoever the owner maybe, he will not touch me when he sees I am unarmed," and in dread ofmaking a false step, he went cautiously down the staircase. On alanding, he noticed an open door, beyond which was a faintly lightedhall.

Before entering, the prince paused and listened, but he heard nothingexcept the sound of men snoring. By the light of a lantern suspendedfrom the roof, he perceived a row of black guards sleeping, each with anaked sword lying by him, and he understood that the hall must form theante-room to the chamber of some queen or princess.

Standing quite still, Prince Firouz Schah looked about him, till hiseyes grew accustomed to the gloom, and he noticed a bright lightshining through a curtain in one corner. He then made his way softlytowards it, and, drawing aside its folds, passed into a magnificentchamber full of sleeping women, all lying on low couches, except one,who was on a sofa; and this one, he knew, must be the princess.

Gently stealing up to the side of her bed he looked at her, and sawthat she was more beautiful than any woman he had ever beheld. But,fascinated though he was, he was well aware of the danger of hisposition, as one cry of surprise would awake the guards, and cause hiscertain death.

So sinking quietly on his knees, he took hold of the sleeve of theprincess and drew her arm lightly towards him. The princess opened hereyes, and seeing before her a handsome well-dressed man, she remainedspeechless with astonishment.

This favourable moment was seized by the prince, who bowing low whilehe knelt, thus addressed her:

"You behold, madame, a prince in distress, son to the King of Persia,who, owing to an adventure so strange that you will scarcely believeit, finds himself here, a suppliant for your protection. Butyesterday, I was in my father's court, engaged in the celebration ofour most solemn festival; to-day, I am in an unknown land, in danger ofmy life."

Now the princess whose mercy Prince Firouz Schah implored was theeldest daughter of the King of Bengal, who was enjoying rest and changein the palace her father had built her, at a little distance from thecapital. She listened kindly to what he had to say, and then answered:

"Prince, be not uneasy; hospitality and humanity are practised aswidely in Bengal as they are in Persia. The protection you ask will begiven you by all. You have my word for it." And as the prince wasabout to thank her for her goodness, she added quickly, "However greatmay be my curiosity to learn by what means you have travelled here sospeedily, I know that you must be faint for want of food, so I shallgive orders to my women to take you to one of my chambers, where youwill be provided with supper, and left to repose."

By this time the princess's attendants were all awake, and listening tothe conversation. At a sign from their mistress they rose, dressedthemselves hastily, and snatching up some of the tapers which lightedthe room, conducted the prince to a large and lofty room, where two ofthe number prepared his bed, and the rest went down to the kitchen,from which they soon returned with all sorts of dishes. Then, showinghim cupboards filled with dresses and linen, they quitted the room.

During their absence the Princess of Bengal, who had been greatlystruck by the beauty of the prince, tried in vain to go to sleep again.It was of no use: she felt broad awake, and when her women entered theroom, she inquired eagerly if the prince had all he wanted, and whatthey thought of him.

"Madame," they replied, "it is of course impossible for us to tell whatimpression this young man has made on you. For ourselves, we think youwould be fortunate if the king your father should allow you to marryanyone so amiable. Certainly there is no one in the Court of Bengalwho can be compared with him."

These flattering observations were by no means displeasing to theprincess, but as she did not wish to betray her own feelings she merelysaid, "You are all a set of chatterboxes; go back to bed, and let mesleep."

When she dressed the following morning, her maids noticed that,contrary to her usual habit, the princess was very particular about hertoilette, and insisted on her hair being dressed two or three timesover. "For," she said to herself, "if my appearance was notdispleasing to the prince when he saw me in the condition I was, howmuch more will he be struck with me when he beholds me with all mycharms."

Then she placed in her hair the largest and most brilliant diamonds shecould find, with a necklace, bracelets and girdle, all of preciousstones. And over her shoulders her ladies put a robe of the richeststuff in all the Indies, that no one was allowed to wear except membersof the royal family. When she was fully dressed according to herwishes, she sent to know if the Prince of Persia was awake and ready toreceive her, as she desired to present herself before him.

When the princess's messenger entered his room, Prince Firouz Schah wasin the act of leaving it, to inquire if he might be allowed to pay hishomage to her mistress: but on hearing the princess's wishes, he atonce gave way. "Her will is my law," he said, "I am only here to obeyher orders."

In a few moments the princess herself appeared, and after the usualcompliments had passed between them, the princess sat down on a sofa,and began to explain to the prince her reasons for not giving him anaudience in her own apartments. "Had I done so," she said, "we mighthave been interrupted at any hour by the chief of the eunuchs, who hasthe right to enter whenever it pleases him, whereas this is forbiddenground. I am all impatience to learn the wonderful accident which hasprocured the pleasure of your arrival, and that is why I have come toyou here, where no one can intrude upon us. Begin then, I entreat you,without delay."

So the prince began at the beginning, and told all the story of thefestival of Nedrouz held yearly in Persia, and of the splendidspectacles celebrated in its honour. But when he came to the enchantedhorse, the princess declared that she could never have imaginedanything half so surprising. "Well then," continued the prince, "youcan easily understand how the King my father, who has a passion for allcurious things, was seized with a violent desire to possess this horse,and asked the Indian what sum he would take for it.

"The man's answer was absolutely absurd, as you will agree, when I tellyou that it was nothing less than the hand of the princess my sister;but though all the bystanders laughed and mocked, and I was besidemyself with rage, I saw to my despair that my father could not make uphis mind to treat the insolent proposal as it deserved. I tried toargue with him, but in vain. He only begged me to examine the horsewith a view (as I quite understood) of making me more sensible of itsvalue."

"To please my father, I mounted the horse, and, without waiting for anyinstructions from the Indian, turned the peg as I had seen him do. Inan instant I was soaring upwards, much quicker than an arrow could fly,and I felt as if I must be getting so near the sky that I should soonhit my head against it! I could see nothing beneath me, and for sometime was so confused that I did not even know in what direction I wastravelling. At last, when it was growing dark, I found another screw,and on turning it, the horse began slowly to sink towards the earth. Iwas forced to trust to chance, and to see what fate had in store, andit was already past midnight when I found myself on the roof of thispalace. I crept down the little staircase, and made directly for alight which I perceived through an open door--I peeped cautiously in,and saw, as you will guess, the eunuchs lying asleep on the floor. Iknew the risks I ran, but my need was so great that I paid no attentionto them, and stole safely past your guards, to the curtain whichconcealed your doorway.

"The rest, Princess, you know; and it only remains for me to thank youfor the kindness you have shown me, and to assure you of my gratitude.By the law of nations, I am already your slave, and I have only myheart, that is my own, to offer you. But what am I saying? My own?Alas, madame, it was yours from the first moment I beheld you!"

The air with which he said these words could have left no doubt on themind of the princess as to the effect of her charms, and the blushwhich mounted to her face only increased her beauty.

"Prince," returned she as soon as her confusion permitted her to speak,"you have given me the greatest pleasure, and I have followed youclosely in all your adventures, and though you are positively sittingbefore me, I even trembled at your danger in the upper regions of theair! Let me say what a debt I owe to the chance that has led you to myhouse; you could have entered none which would have given you a warmerwelcome. As to your being a slave, of course that is merely a joke,and my reception must itself have assured you that you are as free hereas at your father's court. As to your heart," continued she in tonesof encouragement, "I am quite sure that must have been disposed of longago, to some princess who is well worthy of it, and I could not thinkof being the cause of your unfaithfulness to her."

Prince Firouz Schah was about to protest that there was no lady withany prior claims, but he was stopped by the entrance of one of theprincess's attendants, who announced that dinner was served, and, afterall, neither was sorry for the interruption.

Dinner was laid in a magnificent apartment, and the table was coveredwith delicious fruits; while during the repast richly dressed girlssang softly and sweetly to stringed instruments. After the prince andprincess had finished, they passed into a small room hung with blue andgold, looking out into a garden stocked with flowers and arbutus trees,quite different from any that were to be found in Persia.

"Princess," observed the young man, "till now I had always believedthat Persia could boast finer palaces and more lovely gardens than anykingdom upon earth. But my eyes have been opened, and I begin toperceive that, wherever there is a great king he will surround himselfwith buildings worthy of him."

"Prince," replied the Princess of Bengal, "I have no idea what aPersian palace is like, so I am unable to make comparisons. I do notwish to depreciate my own palace, but I can assure you that it is verypoor beside that of the King my father, as you will agree when you havebeen there to greet him, as I hope you will shortly do."

Now the princess hoped that, by bringing about a meeting between theprince and her father, the King would be so struck with the young man'sdistinguished air and fine manners, that he would offer him hisdaughter to wife. But the reply of the Prince of Persia to hersuggestion was not quite what she wished.

"Madame," he said, "by taking advantage of your proposal to visit thepalace of the King of Bengal, I should satisfy not merely my curiosity,but also the sentiments of respect with which I regard him. But,Princess, I am persuaded that you will feel with me, that I cannotpossibly present myself before so great a sovereign without theattendants suitable to my rank. He would think me an adventurer."

"If that is all," she answered, "you can get as many attendants here asyou please. There are plenty of Persian merchants, and as for money,my treasury is always open to you. Take what you please."

Prince Firouz Schah guessed what prompted so much kindness on the partof the princess, and was much touched by it. Still his passion, whichincreased every moment, did not make him forget his duty. So hereplied without hesitation:

"I do not know, Princess, how to express my gratitude for your obligingoffer, which I would accept at once if it were not for the recollectionof all the uneasiness the King my father must be suffering on myaccount. I should be unworthy indeed of all the love he showers uponme, if I did not return to him at the first possible moment. For,while I am enjoying the society of the most amiable of all princesses,he is, I am quite convinced, plunged in the deepest grief, having lostall hope of seeing me again. I am sure you will understand myposition, and will feel that to remain away one instant longer than isnecessary would not only be ungrateful on my part, but perhaps even acrime, for how do I know if my absence may not break his heart?

"But," continued the prince, "having obeyed the voice of my conscience,I shall count the moments when, with your gracious permission, I maypresent myself before the King of Bengal, not as a wanderer, but as aprince, to implore the favour of your hand. My father has alwaysinformed me that in my marriage I shall be left quite free, but I ampersuaded that I have only to describe your generosity, for my wishesto become his own."

The Princess of Bengal was too reasonable not to accept the explanationoffered by Prince Firouz Schah, but she was much disturbed at hisintention of departing at once, for she feared that, no sooner had heleft her, than the impression she had made on him would fade away. Soshe made one more effort to keep him, and after assuring him that sheentirely approved of his anxiety to see his father, begged him to giveher a day or two more of his company.

In common politeness the prince could hardly refuse this request, andthe princess set about inventing every kind of amusement for him, andsucceeded so well that two months slipped by almost unnoticed, inballs, spectacles and in hunting, of which, when unattended by danger,the princess was passionately fond. But at last, one day, he declaredseriously that he could neglect his duty no longer, and entreated herto put no further obstacles in his way, promising at the same time toreturn, as soon as he could, with all the magnificence due both to herand to himself.

"Princess," he added, "it may be that in your heart you class me withthose false lovers whose devotion cannot stand the test of absence. Ifyou do, you wrong me; and were it not for fear of offending you, Iwould beseech you to come with me, for my life can only be happy whenpassed with you. As for your reception at the Persian Court, it willbe as warm as your merits deserve; and as for what concerns the King ofBengal, he must be much more indifferent to your welfare than you haveled me to believe if he does not give his consent to our marriage."

The princess could not find words in which to reply to the arguments ofthe Prince of Persia, but her silence and her downcast eyes spoke forher, and declared that she had no objection to accompanying him on histravels.

The only difficulty that occurred to her was that Prince Firouz Schahdid not know how to manage the horse, and she dreaded lest they mightfind themselves in the same plight as before. But the prince soothedher fears so successfully, that she soon had no other thought than toarrange for their flight so secretly, that no one in the palace shouldsuspect it.

This was done, and early the following morning, when the whole palacewas wrapped in sleep, she stole up on to the roof, where the prince wasalready awaiting her, with his horse's head towards Persia. He mountedfirst and helped the princess up behind; then, when she was firmlyseated, with her hands holding tightly to his belt, he touched thescrew, and the horse began to leave the earth quickly behind him.

He travelled with his accustomed speed, and Prince Firouz Schah guidedhim so well that in two hours and a half from the time of starting, hesaw the capital of Persia lying beneath him. He determined to alightneither in the great square from which he had started, nor in theSultan's palace, but in a country house at a little distance from thetown. Here he showed the princess a beautiful suite of rooms, andbegged her to rest, while he informed his father of their arrival, andprepared a public reception worthy of her rank. Then he ordered ahorse to be saddled, and set out.

All the way through the streets he was welcomed with shouts of joy bythe people, who had long lost all hope of seeing him again. Onreaching the palace, he found the Sultan surrounded by his ministers,all clad in the deepest mourning, and his father almost went out of hismind with surprise and delight at the mere sound of his son's voice.When he had calmed down a little, he begged the prince to relate hisadventures.

The prince at once seized the opening thus given him, and told thewhole story of his treatment by the Princess of Bengal, not evenconcealing the fact that she had fallen in love with him. "And, Sire,"ended the prince, "having given my royal word that you would not refuseyour consent to our marriage, I persuaded her to return with me on theIndian's horse. I have left her in one of your Highness's countryhouses, where she is waiting anxiously to be assured that I have notpromised in vain."

As he said this the prince was about to throw himself at the feet ofthe Sultan, but his father prevented him, and embracing him again, saideagerly:

"My son, not only do I gladly consent to your marriage with thePrincess of Bengal, but I will hasten to pay my respects to her, and tothank her in my own person for the benefits she has conferred on you.I will then bring her back with me, and make all arrangements for thewedding to be celebrated to-day."

So the Sultan gave orders that the habits of mourning worn by thepeople should be thrown off and that there should be a concert ofdrums, trumpets and cymbals. Also that the Indian should be taken fromprison, and brought before him.

His commands were obeyed, and the Indian was led into his presence,surrounded by guards. "I have kept you locked up," said the Sultan,"so that in case my son was lost, your life should pay the penalty. Hehas now returned; so take your horse, and begone for ever."

The Indian hastily quitted the presence of the Sultan, and when he wasoutside, he inquired of the man who had taken him out of prison wherethe prince had really been all this time, and what he had been doing.They told him the whole story, and how the Princess of Bengal was eventhen awaiting in the country palace the consent of the Sultan, which atonce put into the Indian's head a plan of revenge for the treatment hehad experienced. Going straight to the country house, he informed thedoorkeeper who was left in charge that he had been sent by the Sultanand by the Prince of Persia to fetch the princess on the enchantedhorse, and to bring her to the palace.

The doorkeeper knew the Indian by sight, and was of course aware thatnearly three months before he had been thrown into prison by theSultan; and seeing him at liberty, the man took for granted that he wasspeaking the truth, and made no difficulty about leading him before thePrincess of Bengal; while on her side, hearing that he had come fromthe prince, the lady gladly consented to do what he wished.

The Indian, delighted with the success of his scheme, mounted thehorse, assisted the princess to mount behind him, and turned the peg atthe very moment that the prince was leaving the palace in Schiraz forthe country house, followed closely by the Sultan and all the court.Knowing this, the Indian deliberately steered the horse right above thecity, in order that his revenge for his unjust imprisonment might beall the quicker and sweeter.

When the Sultan of Persia saw the horse and its riders, he stoppedshort with astonishment and horror, and broke out into oaths andcurses, which the Indian heard quite unmoved, knowing that he wasperfectly safe from pursuit. But mortified and furious as the Sultanwas, his feelings were nothing to those of Prince Firouz Schah, when hesaw the object of his passionate devotion being borne rapidly away.And while he was struck speechless with grief and remorse at not havingguarded her better, she vanished swiftly out of his sight. What was heto do? Should he follow his father into the palace, and there givereins to his despair? Both his love and his courage alike forbade it;and he continued his way to the palace.

The sight of the prince showed the doorkeeper of what folly he had beenguilty, and flinging himself at his master's feet, implored his pardon."Rise," said the prince, "I am the cause of this misfortune, and notyou. Go and find me the dress of a dervish, but beware of saying it isfor me."

At a short distance from the country house, a convent of dervishes wassituated, and the superior, or scheih, was the doorkeeper's friend. Soby means of a false story made up on the spur of the moment, it waseasy enough to get hold of a dervish's dress, which the prince at onceput on, instead of his own. Disguised like this and concealing abouthim a box of pearls and diamonds he had intended as a present to theprincess, he left the house at nightfall, uncertain where he should go,but firmly resolved not to return without her.

Meanwhile the Indian had turned the horse in such a direction that,before many hours had passed, it had entered a wood close to thecapital of the kingdom of Cashmere. Feeling very hungry, and supposingthat the princess also might be in want of food, he brought his steeddown to the earth, and left the princess in a shady place, on the banksof a clear stream.

At first, when the princess had found herself alone, the idea hadoccurred to her of trying to escape and hide herself. But as she hadeaten scarcely anything since she had left Bengal, she felt she was tooweak to venture far, and was obliged to abandon her design. On thereturn of the Indian with meats of various kinds, she began to eatvoraciously, and soon had regained sufficient courage to reply withspirit to his insolent remarks. Goaded by his threats she sprang toher feet, calling loudly for help, and luckily her cries were heard bya troop of horsemen, who rode up to inquire what was the matter.

Now the leader of these horsemen was the Sultan of Cashmere, returningfrom the chase, and he instantly turned to the Indian to inquire who hewas, and whom he had with him. The Indian rudely answered that it washis wife, and there was no occasion for anyone else to interferebetween them.

The princess, who, of course, was ignorant of the rank of herdeliverer, denied altogether the Indian's story. "My lord," she cried,"whoever you may be, put no faith in this impostor. He is anabominable magician, who has this day torn me from the Prince ofPersia, my destined husband, and has brought me here on this enchantedhorse." She would have continued, but her tears choked her, and theSultan of Cashmere, convinced by her beauty and her distinguished airof the truth of her tale, ordered his followers to cut off the Indian'shead, which was done immediately.

But rescued though she was from one peril, it seemed as if she had onlyfallen into another. The Sultan commanded a horse to be given her, andconducted her to his own palace, where he led her to a beautifulapartment, and selected female slaves to wait on her, and eunuchs to beher guard. Then, without allowing her time to thank him for all he haddone, he bade her repose, saying she should tell him her adventures onthe following day.

The princess fell asleep, flattering herself that she had only torelate her story for the Sultan to be touched by compassion, and torestore her to the prince without delay. But a few hours were toundeceive her.

When the King of Cashmere had quitted her presence the evening before,he had resolved that the sun should not set again without the princessbecoming his wife, and at daybreak proclamation of his intention wasmade throughout the town, by the sound of drums, trumpets, cymbals, andother instruments calculated to fill the heart with joy. The Princessof Bengal was early awakened by the noise, but she did not for onemoment imagine that it had anything to do with her, till the Sultan,arriving as soon as she was dressed to inquire after her health,informed her that the trumpet blasts she heard were part of the solemnmarriage ceremonies, for which he begged her to prepare. Thisunexpected announcement caused the princess such terror that she sankdown in a dead faint.

The slaves that were in waiting ran to her aid, and the Sultan himselfdid his best to bring her back to consciousness, but for a long whileit was all to no purpose. At length her senses began slowly to comeback to her, and then, rather than break faith with the Prince ofPersia by consenting to such a marriage, she determined to feignmadness. So she began by saying all sorts of absurdities, and usingall kinds of strange gestures, while the Sultan stood watching her withsorrow and surprise. But as this sudden seizure showed no sign ofabating, he left her to her women, ordering them to take the greatestcare of her. Still, as the day went on, the malady seemed to becomeworse, and by night it was almost violent.

Days passed in this manner, till at last the Sultan of Cashmere decidedto summon all the doctors of his court to consult together over her sadstate. Their answer was that madness is of so many different kindsthat it was impossible to give an opinion on the case without seeingthe princess, so the Sultan gave orders that they were to be introducedinto her chamber, one by one, every man according to his rank.

This decision had been foreseen by the princess, who knew quite wellthat if once she allowed the physicians to feel her pulse, the mostignorant of them would discover that she was in perfectly good health,and that her madness was feigned, so as each man approached, she brokeout into such violent paroxysms, that not one dared to lay a finger onher. A few, who pretended to be cleverer than the rest, declared thatthey could diagnose sick people only from sight, ordered her certainpotions, which she made no difficulty about taking, as she waspersuaded they were all harmless.

When the Sultan of Cashmere saw that the court doctors could do nothingtowards curing the princess, he called in those of the city, who faredno better. Then he had recourse to the most celebrated physicians inthe other large towns, but finding that the task was beyond theirscience, he finally sent messengers into the other neighbouring states,with a memorandum containing full particulars of the princess'smadness, offering at the same time to pay the expenses of any physicianwho would come and see for himself, and a handsome reward to the onewho should cure her. In answer to this proclamation many foreignprofessors flocked into Cashmere, but they naturally were not moresuccessful than the rest had been, as the cure depended neither on themnor their skill, but only on the princess herself.

It was during this time that Prince Firouz Schah, wandering sadly andhopelessly from place to place, arrived in a large city of India, wherehe heard a great deal of talk about the Princess of Bengal who had goneout of her senses, on the very day that she was to have been married tothe Sultan of Cashmere. This was quite enough to induce him to takethe road to Cashmere, and to inquire at the first inn at which helodged in the capital the full particulars of the story. When he knewthat he had at last found the princess whom he had so long lost, he setabout devising a plan for her rescue.

The first thing he did was to procure a doctor's robe, so that hisdress, added to the long beard he had allowed to grow on his travels,might unmistakably proclaim his profession. He then lost no time ingoing to the palace, where he obtained an audience of the chief usher,and while apologising for his boldness in presuming to think that hecould cure the princess, where so many others had failed, declared thathe had the secret of certain remedies, which had hitherto never failedof their effect.

The chief usher assured him that he was heartily welcome, and that theSultan would receive him with pleasure; and in case of success, hewould gain a magnificent reward.

When the Prince of Persia, in the disguise of a physician, was broughtbefore him, the Sultan wasted no time in talking, beyond remarking thatthe mere sight of a doctor threw the princess into transports of rage.He then led the prince up to a room under the roof, which had anopening through which he might observe the princess, without himselfbeing seen.

The prince looked, and beheld the princess reclining on a sofa withtears in her eyes, singing softly to herself a song bewailing her saddestiny, which had deprived her, perhaps for ever, of a being she sotenderly loved. The young man's heart beat fast as he listened, for heneeded no further proof that her madness was feigned, and that it waslove of him which had caused her to resort to this species of trick.He softly left his hiding-place, and returned to the Sultan, to whom hereported that he was sure from certain signs that the princess's maladywas not incurable, but that he must see her and speak with her alone.

The Sultan made no difficulty in consenting to this, and commanded thathe should be ushered in to the princess's apartment. The moment shecaught sight of his physician's robe, she sprang from her seat in afury, and heaped insults upon him. The prince took no notice of herbehaviour, and approaching quite close, so that his words might beheard by her alone, he said in a low whisper, "Look at me, princess,and you will see that I am no doctor, but the Prince of Persia, who hascome to set you free."

At the sound of his voice, the Princess of Bengal suddenly grew calm,and an expression of joy overspread her face, such as only comes whenwhat we wish for most and expect the least suddenly happens to us. Forsome time she was too enchanted to speak, and Prince Firouz Schah tookadvantage of her silence to explain to her all that had occurred, hisdespair at watching her disappear before his very eyes, the oath he hadsworn to follow her over the world, and his rapture at finallydiscovering her in the palace at Cashmere. When he had finished, hebegged in his turn that the princess would tell him how she had comethere, so that he might the better devise some means of rescuing herfrom the tyranny of the Sultan.

It needed but a few words from the princess to make him acquainted withthe whole situation, and how she had been forced to play the part of amad woman in order to escape from a marriage with the Sultan, who hadnot had sufficient politeness even to ask her consent. If necessary,she added, she had resolved to die sooner than permit herself to beforced into such a union, and break faith with a prince whom she loved.

The prince then inquired if she knew what had become of the enchantedhorse since the Indian's death, but the princess could only reply thatshe had heard nothing about it. Still she did not suppose that thehorse could have been forgotten by the Sultan, after all she had toldhim of its value.

To this the prince agreed, and they consulted together over a plan bywhich she might be able to make her escape and return with him intoPersia. And as the first step, she was to dress herself with care, andreceive the Sultan with civility when he visited her next morning.

The Sultan was transported with delight on learning the result of theinterview, and his opinion of the doctor's skill was raised stillhigher when, on the following day, the princess behaved towards him insuch a way as to persuade him that her complete cure would not be longdelayed. However he contented himself with assuring her how happy hewas to see her health so much improved, and exhorted her to make everyuse of so clever a physician, and to repose entire confidence in him.Then he retired, without awaiting any reply from the princess.

The Prince of Persia left the room at the same time, and asked if hemight be allowed humbly to inquire by what means the Princess of Bengalhad reached Cashmere, which was so far distant from her father'skingdom, and how she came to be there alone. The Sultan thought thequestion very natural, and told him the same story that the Princess ofBengal had done, adding that he had ordered the enchanted horse to betaken to his treasury as a curiosity, though he was quite ignorant howit could be used.

"Sire," replied the physician, "your Highness's tale has supplied mewith the clue I needed to complete the recovery of the princess.During her voyage hither on an enchanted horse, a portion of itsenchantment has by some means been communicated to her person, and itcan only be dissipated by certain perfumes of which I possess thesecret. If your Highness will deign to consent, and to give the courtand the people one of the most astonishing spectacles they have everwitnessed, command the horse to be brought into the big square outsidethe palace, and leave the rest to me. I promise that in a very fewmoments, in presence of all the assembled multitude, you shall see theprincess as healthy both in mind and body as ever she was in her life.And in order to make the spectacle as impressive as possible, I wouldsuggest that she should be richly dressed and covered with the noblestjewels of the crown."

The Sultan readily agreed to all that the prince proposed, and thefollowing morning he desired that the enchanted horse should be takenfrom the treasury, and brought into the great square of the palace.Soon the rumour began to spread through the town, that somethingextraordinary was about to happen, and such a crowd began to collectthat the guards had to be called out to keep order, and to make a wayfor the enchanted horse.

When all was ready, the Sultan appeared, and took his place on aplatform, surrounded by the chief nobles and officers of his court.When they were seated, the Princess of Bengal was seen leaving thepalace, accompanied by the ladies who had been assigned to her by theSultan. She slowly approached the enchanted horse, and with the helpof her ladies, she mounted on its back. Directly she was in thesaddle, with her feet in the stirrups and the bridle in her hand, thephysician placed around the horse some large braziers full of burningcoals, into each of which he threw a perfume composed of all sorts ofdelicious scents. Then he crossed his hands over his breast, and withlowered eyes walked three times round the horse, muttering the whilecertain words. Soon there arose from the burning braziers a thicksmoke which almost concealed both the horse and princess, and this wasthe moment for which he had been waiting. Springing lightly up behindthe lady, he leaned forward and turned the peg, and as the horse dartedup into the air, he cried aloud so that his words were heard by allpresent, "Sultan of Cashmere, when you wish to marry princesses whohave sought your protection, learn first to gain their consent."

It was in this way that the Prince of Persia rescued the Princess ofBengal, and returned with her to Persia, where they descended this timebefore the palace of the King himself. The marriage was only delayedjust long enough to make the ceremony as brilliant as possible, and, assoon as the rejoicings were over, an ambassador was sent to the King ofBengal, to inform him of what had passed, and to ask his approbation ofthe alliance between the two countries, which he heartily gave.

The Story of Two Sisters Who Were Jealous of Their Younger Sister

Once upon a time there reigned over Persia a Sultan named Kosrouschah,who from his boyhood had been fond of putting on a disguise and seekingadventures in all parts of the city, accompanied by one of hisofficers, disguised like himself. And no sooner was his father buriedand the ceremonies over that marked his accession to the throne, thanthe young man hastened to throw off his robes of state, and calling tohis vizir to make ready likewise, stole out in the simple dress of aprivate citizen into the less known streets of the capital.

Passing down a lonely street, the Sultan heard women's voices in louddiscussion; and peeping through a crack in the door, he saw threesisters, sitting on a sofa in a large hall, talking in a very livelyand earnest manner. Judging from the few words that reached his ear,they were each explaining what sort of men they wished to marry.

"I ask nothing better," cried the eldest, "than to have the Sultan'sbaker for a husband. Think of being able to eat as much as one wanted,of that delicious bread that is baked for his Highness alone! Let ussee if your wish is as good as mine."

"I," replied the second sister, "should be quite content with theSultan's head cook. What delicate stews I should feast upon! And, asI am persuaded that the Sultan's bread is used all through the palace,I should have that into the bargain. You see, my dear sister, my tasteis as good as yours."

It was now the turn of the youngest sister, who was by far the mostbeautiful of the three, and had, besides, more sense than the othertwo. "As for me," she said, "I should take a higher flight; and if weare to wish for husbands, nothing less than the Sultan himself will dofor me."

The Sultan was so much amused by the conversation he had overheard,that he made up his mind to gratify their wishes, and turning to thegrand-vizir, he bade him note the house, and on the following morningto bring the ladies into his presence.

The grand-vizir fulfilled his commission, and hardly giving them timeto change their dresses, desired the three sisters to follow him to thepalace. Here they were presented one by one, and when they had bowedbefore the Sultan, the sovereign abruptly put the question to them:

"Tell me, do you remember what you wished for last night, when you weremaking merry? Fear nothing, but answer me the truth."

These words, which were so unexpected, threw the sisters into greatconfusion, their eyes fell, and the blushes of the youngest did notfail to make an impression on the heart of the Sultan. All threeremained silent, and he hastened to continue: "Do not be afraid, Ihave not the slightest intention of giving you pain, and let me tellyou at once, that I know the wishes formed by each one. You," he said,turning to the youngest, "who desired to have me for an husband, shallbe satisfied this very day. And you," he added, addressing himself tothe other two, "shall be married at the same moment to my baker and tomy chief cook."

When the Sultan had finished speaking the three sisters flungthemselves at his feet, and the youngest faltered out, "Oh, sire, sinceyou know my foolish words, believe, I pray you, that they were onlysaid in joke. I am unworthy of the honour you propose to do me, and Ican only ask pardon for my boldness."

The other sisters also tried to excuse themselves, but the Sultan wouldhear nothing.

"No, no," he said, "my mind is made up. Your wishes shall beaccomplished."

So the three weddings were celebrated that same day, but with a greatdifference. That of the youngest was marked by all the magnificencethat was customary at the marriage of the Shah of Persia, while thefestivities attending the nuptials of the Sultan's baker and his chiefcook were only such as were suitable to their conditions.

This, though quite natural, was highly displeasing to the eldersisters, who fell into a passion of jealousy, which in the end caused agreat deal of trouble and pain to several people. And the first timethat they had the opportunity of speaking to each other, which was nottill several days later at a public bath, they did not attempt todisguise their feelings.

"Can you possibly understand what the Sultan saw in that little cat,"said one to the other, "for him to be so fascinated by her?"

"He must be quite blind," returned the wife of the chief cook. "As forher looking a little younger than we do, what does that matter? Youwould have made a far better Sultana than she."

"Oh, I say nothing of myself," replied the elder, "and if the Sultanhad chosen you it would have been all very well; but it really grievesme that he should have selected a wretched little creature like that.However, I will be revenged on her somehow, and I beg you will give meyour help in the matter, and to tell me anything that you can think ofthat is likely to mortify her."

In order to carry out their wicked scheme the two sisters metconstantly to talk over their ideas, though all the while theypretended to be as friendly as ever towards the Sultana, who, on herpart, invariably treated them with kindness. For a long time no planoccurred to the two plotters that seemed in the least likely to meetwith success, but at length the expected birth of an heir gave them thechance for which they had been hoping.

They obtained permission of the Sultan to take up their abode in thepalace for some weeks, and never left their sister night or day. Whenat last a little boy, beautiful as the sun, was born, they laid him inhis cradle and carried it down to a canal which passed through thegrounds of the palace. Then, leaving it to its fate, they informed theSultan that instead of the son he had so fondly desired the Sultana hadgiven birth to a puppy. At this dreadful news the Sultan was soovercome with rage and grief that it was with great difficulty that thegrand-vizir managed to save the Sultana from his wrath.

Meanwhile the cradle continued to float peacefully along the canaltill, on the outskirts of the royal gardens, it was suddenly perceivedby the intendant, one of the highest and most respected officials inthe kingdom.

"Go," he said to a gardener who was working near, "and get that cradleout for me."

The gardener did as he was bid, and soon placed the cradle in the handsof the intendant.

The official was much astonished to see that the cradle, which he hadsupposed to be empty, contained a baby, which, young though it was,already gave promise of great beauty. Having no children himself,although he had been married some years, it at once occurred to himthat here was a child which he could take and bring up as his own.And, bidding the man pick up the cradle and follow him, he turnedtowards home.

"My wife," he exclaimed as he entered the room, "heaven has denied usany children, but here is one that has been sent in their place. Sendfor a nurse, and I will do what is needful publicly to recognise it asmy son."

The wife accepted the baby with joy, and though the intendant saw quitewell that it must have come from the royal palace, he did not think itwas his business to inquire further into the mystery.

The following year another prince was born and sent adrift, but happilyfor the baby, the intendant of the gardens again was walking by thecanal, and carried it home as before.

The Sultan, naturally enough, was still more furious the second timethan the first, but when the same curious accident was repeated in thethird year he could control himself no longer, and, to the great joy ofthe jealous sisters, commanded that the Sultana should be executed.But the poor lady was so much beloved at Court that not even the dreadof sharing her fate could prevent the grand-vizir and the courtiersfrom throwing themselves at the Sultan's feet and imploring him not toinflict so cruel a punishment for what, after all, was not her fault.

"Let her live," entreated the grand-vizir, "and banish her from yourpresence for the rest of her days. That in itself will be punishmentenough."

His first passion spent, the Sultan had regained his self-command."Let her live then," he said, "since you have it so much at heart. Butif I grant her life it shall only be on one condition, which shall makeher daily pray for death. Let a box be built for her at the door ofthe principal mosque, and let the window of the box be always open.There she shall sit, in the coarsest clothes, and every Mussulman whoenters the mosque shall spit in her face in passing. Anyone thatrefuses to obey shall be exposed to the same punishment himself. You,vizir, will see that my orders are carried out."

The grand-vizir saw that it was useless to say more, and, full oftriumph, the sisters watched the building of the box, and then listenedto the jeers of the people at the helpless Sultana sitting inside. Butthe poor lady bore herself with so much dignity and meekness that itwas not long before she had won the sympathy of those that were bestamong the crowd.

But it is now time to return to the fate of the third baby, this time aprincess. Like its brothers, it was found by the intendant of thegardens, and adopted by him and his wife, and all three were brought upwith the greatest care and tenderness.

As the children grew older their beauty and air of distinction becamemore and more marked, and their manners had all the grace and ease thatis proper to people of high birth. The princes had been named by theirfoster-father Bahman and Perviz, after two of the ancient kings ofPersia, while the princess was called Parizade, or the child of thegenii.

The intendant was careful to bring them up as befitted their real rank,and soon appointed a tutor to teach the young princes how to read andwrite. And the princess, determined not to be left behind, showedherself so anxious to learn with her brothers, that the intendantconsented to her joining in their lessons, and it was not long beforeshe knew as much as they did.

From that time all their studies were done in common. They had thebest masters for the fine arts, geography, poetry, history and science,and even for sciences which are learned by few, and every branch seemedso easy to them, that their teachers were astonished at the progressthey made. The princess had a passion for music, and could sing andplay upon all sorts of instruments she could also ride and drive aswell as her brothers, shoot with a bow and arrow, and throw a javelinwith the same skill as they, and sometimes even better.

In order to set off these accomplishments, the intendant resolved thathis foster children should not be pent up any longer in the narrowborders of the palace gardens, where he had always lived, so he boughta splendid country house a few miles from the capital, surrounded by animmense park. This park he filled with wild beasts of various sorts,so that the princes and princess might hunt as much as they pleased.

When everything was ready, the intendant threw himself at the Sultan'sfeet, and after referring to his age and his long services, begged hisHighness's permission to resign his post. This was granted by theSultan in a few gracious words, and he then inquired what reward hecould give to his faithful servant. But the intendant declared that hewished for nothing except the continuance of his Highness's favour, andprostrating himself once more, he retired from the Sultan's presence.

Five or six months passed away in the pleasures of the country, whendeath attacked the intendant so suddenly that he had no time to revealthe secret of their birth to his adopted children, and as his wife hadlong been dead also, it seemed as if the princes and the princess wouldnever know that they had been born to a higher station than the onethey filled. Their sorrow for their father was very deep, and theylived quietly on in their new home, without feeling any desire to leaveit for court gaieties or intrigues.

One day the princes as usual went out to hunt, but their sisterremained alone in her apartments. While they were gone an oldMussulman devotee appeared at the door, and asked leave to enter, as itwas the hour of prayer. The princess sent orders at once that the oldwoman was to be taken to the private oratory in the grounds, and whenshe had finished her prayers was to be shown the house and gardens, andthen to be brought before her.

Although the old woman was very pious, she was not at all indifferentto the magnificence of all around her, which she seemed to understandas well as to admire, and when she had seen it all she was led by theservants before the princess, who was seated in a room which surpassedin splendour all the rest.

"My good woman," said the princess pointing to a sofa, "come and sitbeside me. I am delighted at the opportunity of speaking for a fewmoments with so holy a person." The old woman made some objections toso much honour being done her, but the princess refused to listen, andinsisted that her guest should take the best seat, and as she thoughtshe must be tired ordered refreshments.

While the old woman was eating, the princess put several questions toher as to her mode of life, and the pious exercises she practiced, andthen inquired what she thought of the house now that she had seen it.

"Madam," replied the pilgrim, "one must be hard indeed to please tofind any fault. It is beautiful, comfortable and well ordered, and itis impossible to imagine anything more lovely than the garden. Butsince you ask me, I must confess that it lacks three things to make itabsolutely perfect."

"And what can they be?" cried the princess. "Only tell me, and I willlose no time in getting them."

"The three things, madam," replied the old woman, "are, first, theTalking Bird, whose voice draws all other singing birds to it, to joinin chorus. And second, the Singing Tree, where every leaf is a songthat is never silent. And lastly the Golden Water, of which it is onlyneedful to pour a single drop into a basin for it to shoot up into afountain, which will never be exhausted, nor will the basin everoverflow."

"Oh, how can I thank you," cried the princess, "for telling me of suchtreasures! But add, I pray you, to your goodness by further informingme where I can find them."

"Madam," replied the pilgrim, "I should ill repay the hospitality youhave shown me if I refused to answer your question. The three thingsof which I have spoken are all to be found in one place, on the bordersof this kingdom, towards India. Your messenger has only to follow theroad that passes by your house, for twenty days, and at the end of thattime, he is to ask the first person he meets for the Talking Bird, theSinging Tree, and the Golden Water." She then rose, and biddingfarewell to the princess, went her way.

The old woman had taken her departure so abruptly that the PrincessParizade did not perceive till she was really gone that the directionswere hardly clear enough to enable the search to be successful. Andshe was still thinking of the subject, and how delightful it would beto possess such rarities, when the princes, her brothers, returned fromthe chase.

"What is the matter, my sister?" asked Prince Bahman; "why are you sograve? Are you ill? Or has anything happened?"

Princess Parizade did not answer directly, but at length she raised hereyes, and replied that there was nothing wrong.

"But there must be something," persisted Prince Bahman, "for you tohave changed so much during the short time we have been absent. Hidenothing from us, I beseech you, unless you wish us to believe that theconfidence we have always had in one another is now to cease."

"When I said that it was nothing," said the princess, moved by hiswords, "I meant that it was nothing that affected you, although I admitthat it is certainly of some importance to me. Like myself, you havealways thought this house that our father built for us was perfect inevery respect, but only to-day I have learned that three things arestill lacking to complete it. These are the Talking Bird, the SingingTree, and the Golden Water." After explaining the peculiar qualitiesof each, the princess continued: "It was a Mussulman devotee who toldme all this, and where they might all be found. Perhaps you will thinkthat the house is beautiful enough as it is, and that we can do quitewell without them; but in this I cannot agree with you, and I shallnever be content until I have got them. So counsel me, I pray, whom tosend on the undertaking."

"My dear sister," replied Prince Bahman, "that you should care aboutthe matter is quite enough, even if we took no interest in itourselves. But we both feel with you, and I claim, as the elder, theright to make the first attempt, if you will tell me where I am to go,and what steps I am to take."

Prince Perviz at first objected that, being the head of the family, hisbrother ought not to be allowed to expose himself to danger; but PrinceBahman would hear nothing, and retired to make the needful preparationsfor his journey.

The next morning Prince Bahman got up very early, and after biddingfarewell to his brother and sister, mounted his horse. But just as hewas about to touch it with his whip, he was stopped by a cry from theprincess.

"Oh, perhaps after all you may never come back; one never can tell whataccidents may happen. Give it up, I implore you, for I would athousand times rather lose the Talking Bird, and the Singing Tree andthe Golden Water, than that you should run into danger."

"My dear sister," answered the prince, "accidents only happen tounlucky people, and I hope that I am not one of them. But aseverything is uncertain, I promise you to be very careful. Take thisknife," he continued, handing her one that hung sheathed from his belt,"and every now and then draw it out and look at it. As long as itkeeps bright and clean as it is to-day, you will know that I am living;but if the blade is spotted with blood, it will be a sign that I amdead, and you shall weep for me."

So saying, Prince Bahman bade them farewell once more, and started onthe high road, well mounted and fully armed. For twenty days he rodestraight on, turning neither to the right hand nor to the left, till hefound himself drawing near the frontiers of Persia. Seated under atree by the wayside he noticed a hideous old man, with a long whitemoustache, and beard that almost fell to his feet. His nails had grownto an enormous length, and on his head he wore a huge hat, which servedhim for an umbrella.

Prince Bahman, who, remembering the directions of the old woman, hadbeen since sunrise on the look-out for some one, recognised the old manat once to be a dervish. He dismounted from his horse, and bowed lowbefore the holy man, saying by way of greeting, "My father, may yourdays be long in the land, and may all your wishes be fulfilled!"

The dervish did his best to reply, but his moustache was so thick thathis words were hardly intelligible, and the prince, perceiving what wasthe matter, took a pair of scissors from his saddle pockets, andrequested permission to cut off some of the moustache, as he had aquestion of great importance to ask the dervish. The dervish made asign that he might do as he liked, and when a few inches of his hairand beard had been pruned all round the prince assured the holy manthat he would hardly believe how much younger he looked. The dervishsmiled at his compliments, and thanked him for what he had done.

"Let me," he said, "show you my gratitude for making me morecomfortable by telling me what I can do for you."

"Gentle dervish," replied Prince Bahman, "I come from far, and I seekthe Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the Golden Water. I know thatthey are to be found somewhere in these parts, but I am ignorant of theexact spot. Tell me, I pray you, if you can, so that I may not havetravelled on a useless quest." While he was speaking, the princeobserved a change in the countenance of the dervish, who waited forsome time before he made reply.

"My lord," he said at last, "I do know the road for which you ask, butyour kindness and the friendship I have conceived for you make me lothto point it out."

"But why not?" inquired the prince. "What danger can there be?"

"The very greatest danger," answered the dervish. "Other men, as braveas you, have ridden down this road, and have put me that question. Idid my best to turn them also from their purpose, but it was of no use.Not one of them would listen to my words, and not one of them cameback. Be warned in time, and seek to go no further."

"I am grateful to you for your interest in me," said Prince Bahman,"and for the advice you have given, though I cannot follow it. Butwhat dangers can there be in the adventure which courage and a goodsword cannot meet?"

"And suppose," answered the dervish, "that your enemies are invisible,how then?"

"Nothing will make me give it up," replied the prince, "and for thelast time I ask you to tell me where I am to go."

When the dervish saw that the prince's mind was made up, he drew a ballfrom a bag that lay near him, and held it out. "If it must be so," hesaid, with a sigh, "take this, and when you have mounted your horsethrow the ball in front of you. It will roll on till it reaches thefoot of a mountain, and when it stops you will stop also. You willthen throw the bridle on your horse's neck without any fear of hisstraying, and will dismount. On each side you will see vast heaps ofbig black stones, and will hear a multitude of insulting voices, butpay no heed to them, and, above all, beware of ever turning your head.If you do, you will instantly become a black stone like the rest. Forthose stones are in reality men like yourself, who have been on thesame quest, and have failed, as I fear that you may fail also. If youmanage to avoid this pitfall, and to reach the top of the mountain, youwill find there the Talking Bird in a splendid cage, and you can ask ofhim where you are to seek the Singing Tree and the Golden Water. Thatis all I have to say. You know what you have to do, and what to avoid,but if you are wise you will think of it no more, but return whence youhave come."

The prince smilingly shook his head, and thanking the dervish oncemore, he sprang on his horse and threw the ball before him.

The ball rolled along the road so fast that Prince Bahman had muchdifficulty in keeping up with it, and it never relaxed its speed tillthe foot of the mountain was reached. Then it came to a sudden halt,and the prince at once got down and flung the bridle on his horse'sneck. He paused for a moment and looked round him at the masses ofblack stones with which the sides of the mountain were covered, andthen began resolutely to ascend. He had hardly gone four steps when heheard the sound of voices around him, although not another creature wasin sight.

"Who is this imbecile?" cried some, "stop him at once." "Kill him,"shrieked others, "Help! robbers! murderers! help! help!" "Oh, let himalone," sneered another, and this was the most trying of all, "he issuch a beautiful young man; I am sure the bird and the cage must havebeen kept for him."

At first the prince took no heed to all this clamour, but continued topress forward on his way. Unfortunately this conduct, instead ofsilencing the voices, only seemed to irritate them the more, and theyarose with redoubled fury, in front as well as behind. After some timehe grew bewildered, his knees began to tremble, and finding himself inthe act of falling, he forgot altogether the advice of the dervish. Heturned to fly down the mountain, and in one moment became a black stone.

As may be imagined, Prince Perviz and his sister were all this time inthe greatest anxiety, and consulted the magic knife, not once but manytimes a day. Hitherto the blade had remained bright and spotless, buton the fatal hour on which Prince Bahman and his horse were changedinto black stones, large drops of blood appeared on the surface. "Ah!my beloved brother," cried the princess in horror, throwing the knifefrom her, "I shall never see you again, and it is I who have killedyou. Fool that I was to listen to the voice of that temptress, whoprobably was not speaking the truth. What are the Talking Bird and theSinging Tree to me in comparison with you, passionately though I longfor them!"

Prince Perviz's grief at his brother's loss was not less than that ofPrincess Parizade, but he did not waste his time on uselesslamentations.

"My sister," he said, "why should you think the old woman was deceivingyou about these treasures, and what would have been her object in doingso! No, no, our brother must have met his death by some accident, orwant of precaution, and to-morrow I will start on the same quest."

Terrified at the thought that she might lose her only remainingbrother, the princess entreated him to give up his project, but heremained firm. Before setting out, however, he gave her a chaplet of ahundred pearls, and said, "When I am absent, tell this over daily forme. But if you should find that the beads stick, so that they will notslip one after the other, you will know that my brother's fate hasbefallen me. Still, we must hope for better luck."

Then he departed, and on the twentieth day of his journey fell in withthe dervish on the same spot as Prince Bahman had met him, and began toquestion him as to the place where the Talking Bird, the Singing Treeand the Golden Water were to be found. As in the case of his brother,the dervish tried to make him give up his project, and even told himthat only a few weeks since a young man, bearing a strong resemblanceto himself, had passed that way, but had never come back again.

"That, holy dervish," replied Prince Perviz, "was my elder brother, whois now dead, though how he died I cannot say."

"He is changed into a black stone," answered the dervish, "like all therest who have gone on the same errand, and you will become one likewiseif you are not more careful in following my directions." Then hecharged the prince, as he valued his life, to take no heed of theclamour of voices that would pursue him up the mountain, and handinghim a ball from the bag, which still seemed to be half full, he senthim on his way.

When Prince Perviz reached the foot of the mountain he jumped from hishorse, and paused for a moment to recall the instructions the dervishhad given him. Then he strode boldly on, but had scarcely gone five orsix paces when he was startled by a man's voice that seemed close tohis ear, exclaiming: "Stop, rash fellow, and let me punish youraudacity." This outrage entirely put the dervish's advice out of theprince's head. He drew his sword, and turned to avenge himself, butalmost before he had realised that there was nobody there, he and hishorse were two black stones.

Not a morning had passed since Prince Perviz had ridden away withoutPrincess Parizade telling her beads, and at night she even hung themround her neck, so that if she woke she could assure herself at once ofher brother's safety. She was in the very act of moving them throughher fingers at the moment that the prince fell a victim to hisimpatience, and her heart sank when the first pearl remained fixed inits place. However she had long made up her mind what she would do insuch a case, and the following morning the princess, disguised as aman, set out for the mountain.

As she had been accustomed to riding from her childhood, she managed totravel as many miles daily as her brothers had done, and it was, asbefore, on the twentieth day that she arrived at the place where thedervish was sitting. "Good dervish," she said politely, "will youallow me to rest by you for a few moments, and perhaps you will be sokind as to tell me if you have ever heard of a Talking Bird, a SingingTree, and some Golden Water that are to be found somewhere near this?"

"Madam," replied the dervish, "for in spite of your manly dress yourvoice betrays you, I shall be proud to serve you in any way I can. Butmay I ask the purpose of your question?"

"Good dervish," answered the princess, "I have heard such glowingdescriptions of these three things, that I cannot rest till I possessthem."

"Madam," said the dervish, "they are far more beautiful than anydescription, but you seem ignorant of all the difficulties that standin your way, or you would hardly have undertaken such an adventure.Give it up, I pray you, and return home, and do not ask me to help youto a cruel death."

"Holy father," answered the princess, "I come from far, and I should bein despair if I turned back without having attained my object. Youhave spoken of difficulties; tell me, I entreat you, what they are, sothat I may know if I can overcome them, or see if they are beyond mystrength."

So the dervish repeated his tale, and dwelt more firmly than before onthe clamour of the voices, the horrors of the black stones, which wereonce living men, and the difficulties of climbing the mountain; andpointed out that the chief means of success was never to look behindtill you had the cage in your grasp.

"As far as I can see," said the princess, "the first thing is not tomind the tumult of the voices that follow you till you reach the cage,and then never to look behind. As to this, I think I have enoughself-control to look straight before me; but as it is quite possiblethat I might be frightened by the voices, as even the boldest men havebeen, I will stop up my ears with cotton, so that, let them make asmuch noise as they like, I shall hear nothing."

"Madam," cried the dervish, "out of all the number who have asked methe way to the mountain, you are the first who has ever suggested sucha means of escaping the danger! It is possible that you may succeed,but all the same, the risk is great."

"Good dervish," answered the princess, "I feel in my heart that I shallsucceed, and it only remains for me to ask you the way I am to go."

Then the dervish said that it was useless to say more, and he gave herthe ball, which she flung before her.

The first thing the princess did on arriving at the mountain was tostop her ears with cotton, and then, making up her mind which was thebest way to go, she began her ascent. In spite of the cotton, someechoes of the voices reached her ears, but not so as to trouble her.Indeed, though they grew louder and more insulting the higher sheclimbed, the princess only laughed, and said to herself that shecertainly would not let a few rough words stand between her and thegoal. At last she perceived in the distance the cage and the bird,whose voice joined itself in tones of thunder to those of the rest:"Return, return! never dare to come near me."

At the sight of the bird, the princess hastened her steps, and withoutvexing herself at the noise which by this time had grown deafening, shewalked straight up to the cage, and seizing it, she said: "Now, mybird, I have got you, and I shall take good care that you do notescape." As she spoke she took the cotton from her ears, for it wasneeded no longer.

"Brave lady," answered the bird, "do not blame me for having joined myvoice to those who did their best to preserve my freedom. Althoughconfined in a cage, I was content with my lot, but if I must become aslave, I could not wish for a nobler mistress than one who has shown somuch constancy, and from this moment I swear to serve you faithfully.Some day you will put me to the proof, for I know who you are betterthan you do yourself. Meanwhile, tell me what I can do, and I willobey you."

"Bird," replied the princess, who was filled with a joy that seemedstrange to herself when she thought that the bird had cost her thelives of both her brothers, "bird, let me first thank you for your goodwill, and then let me ask you where the Golden Water is to be found."

The bird described the place, which was not far distant, and theprincess filled a small silver flask that she had brought with her forthe purpose. She then returned to the cage, and said: "Bird, there isstill something else, where shall I find the Singing Tree?"

"Behind you, in that wood," replied the bird, and the princess wanderedthrough the wood, till a sound of the sweetest voices told her she hadfound what she sought. But the tree was tall and strong, and it washopeless to think of uprooting it.

"You need not do that," said the bird, when she had returned to askcounsel. "Break off a twig, and plant it in your garden, and it willtake root, and grow into a magnificent tree."

When the Princess Parizade held in her hands the three wonders promisedher by the old woman, she said to the bird: "All that is not enough.It was owing to you that my brothers became black stones. I cannottell them from the mass of others, but you must know, and point themout to me, I beg you, for I wish to carry them away."

For some reason that the princess could not guess these words seemed todisplease the bird, and he did not answer. The princess waited amoment, and then continued in severe tones, "Have you forgotten thatyou yourself said that you are my slave to do my bidding, and also thatyour life is in my power?"

"No, I have not forgotten," replied the bird, "but what you ask is verydifficult. However, I will do my best. If you look round," he wenton, "you will see a pitcher standing near. Take it, and, as you godown the mountain, scatter a little of the water it contains over everyblack stone and you will soon find your two brothers."

Princess Parizade took the pitcher, and, carrying with her besides thecage the twig and the flask, returned down the mountain side. At everyblack stone she stopped and sprinkled it with water, and as the watertouched it the stone instantly became a man. When she suddenly saw herbrothers before her her delight was mixed with astonishment.

"Why, what are you doing here?" she cried.

"We have been asleep," they said.

"Yes," returned the princess, "but without me your sleep would probablyhave lasted till the day of judgment. Have you forgotten that you camehere in search of the Talking Bird, the Singing Tree, and the GoldenWater, and the black stones that were heaped up along the road? Lookround and see if there is one left. These gentlemen, and yourselves,and all your horses were changed into these stones, and I havedelivered you by sprinkling you with the water from this pitcher. As Icould not return home without you, even though I had gained the prizeson which I had set my heart, I forced the Talking Bird to tell me howto break the spell."

On hearing these words Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz understood allthey owed their sister, and the knights who stood by declaredthemselves her slaves and ready to carry out her wishes. But theprincess, while thanking them for their politeness, explained that shewished for no company but that of her brothers, and that the rest werefree to go where they would.

So saying the princess mounted her horse, and, declining to allow evenPrince Bahman to carry the cage with the Talking Bird, she entrustedhim with the branch of the Singing Tree, while Prince Perviz took careof the flask containing the Golden Water.

Then they rode away, followed by the knights and gentlemen, who beggedto be permitted to escort them.

It had been the intention of the party to stop and tell theiradventures to the dervish, but they found to their sorrow that he wasdead, whether from old age, or whether from the feeling that his taskwas done, they never knew.

As they continued their road their numbers grew daily smaller, for theknights turned off one by one to their own homes, and only the brothersand sister finally drew up at the gate of the palace.

The princess carried the cage straight into the garden, and, as soon asthe bird began to sing, nightingales, larks, thrushes, finches, and allsorts of other birds mingled their voices in chorus. The branch sheplanted in a corner near the house, and in a few days it had grown intoa great tree. As for the Golden Water it was poured into a greatmarble basin specially prepared for it, and it swelled and bubbled andthen shot up into the air in a fountain twenty feet high.

The fame of these wonders soon spread abroad, and people came from farand near to see and admire.

After a few days Prince Bahman and Prince Perviz fell back into theirordinary way of life, and passed most of their time hunting. One dayit happened that the Sultan of Persia was also hunting in the samedirection, and, not wishing to interfere with his sport, the young men,on hearing the noise of the hunt approaching, prepared to retire, but,as luck would have it, they turned into the very path down which theSultan was coming. They threw themselves from their horses andprostrated themselves to the earth, but the Sultan was curious to seetheir faces, and commanded them to rise.

The princes stood up respectfully, but quite at their ease, and theSultan looked at them for a few moments without speaking, then he askedwho they were and where they lived.

"Sire," replied Prince Bahman, "we are sons of your Highness's lateintendant of the gardens, and we live in a house that he built a shorttime before his death, waiting till an occasion should offer itself toserve your Highness."

"You seem fond of hunting," answered the Sultan.

"Sire," replied Prince Bahman, "it is our usual exercise, and one thatshould be neglected by no man who expects to comply with the ancientcustoms of the kingdom and bear arms."

The Sultan was delighted with this remark, and said at once, "In thatcase I shall take great pleasure in watching you. Come, choose whatsort of beasts you would like to hunt."

The princes jumped on their horses and followed the Sultan at a littledistance. They had not gone very far before they saw a number of wildanimals appear at once, and Prince Bahman started to give chase to alion and Prince Perviz to a bear. Both used their javelins with suchskill that, directly they arrived within striking range, the lion andthe bear fell, pierced through and through. Then Prince Perviz pursueda lion and Prince Bahman a bear, and in a very few minutes they, too,lay dead. As they were making ready for a third assault the Sultaninterfered, and, sending one of his officials to summon them, he saidsmiling, "If I let you go on, there will soon be no beasts left tohunt. Besides, your courage and manners have so won my heart that Iwill not have you expose yourselves to further danger. I am convincedthat some day or other I shall find you useful as well as agreeable."

He then gave them a warm invitation to stay with him altogether, butwith many thanks for the honour done them, they begged to be excused,and to be suffered to remain at home.

The Sultan who was not accustomed to see his offers rejected inquiredtheir reasons, and Prince Bahman explained that they did not wish toleave their sister, and were accustomed to do nothing withoutconsulting all three together.

"Ask her advice, then," replied the Sultan, "and to-morrow come andhunt with me, and give me your answer."

The two princes returned home, but their adventure made so littleimpression on them that they quite forgot to speak to their sister onthe subject. The next morning when they went to hunt they met theSultan in the same place, and he inquired what advice their sister hadgiven. The young men looked at each other and blushed. At last PrinceBahman said, "Sire, we must throw ourselves on your Highness's mercy.Neither my brother nor myself remembered anything about it."

"Then be sure you do not forget to-day," answered the Sultan, "andbring me back your reply to-morrow."

When, however, the same thing happened a second time, they feared thatthe Sultan might be angry with them for their carelessness. But hetook it in good part, and, drawing three little golden balls from hispurse, he held them out to Prince Bahman, saying, "Put these in yourbosom and you will not forget a third time, for when you remove yourgirdle to-night the noise they will make in falling will remind you ofmy wishes."

It all happened as the Sultan had foreseen, and the two brothersappeared in their sister's apartments just as she was in the act ofstepping into bed, and told their tale.

The Princess Parizade was much disturbed at the news, and did notconceal her feelings. "Your meeting with the Sultan is very honourableto you," she said, "and will, I dare say, be of service to you, but itplaces me in a very awkward position. It is on my account, I know,that you have resisted the Sultan's wishes, and I am very grateful toyou for it. But kings do not like to have their offers refused, and intime he would bear a grudge against you, which would render me veryunhappy. Consult the Talking Bird, who is wise and far-seeing, and letme hear what he says."

So the bird was sent for and the case laid before him.

"The princes must on no account refuse the Sultan's proposal," said he,"and they must even invite him to come and see your house."

"But, bird," objected the princess, "you know how dearly we love eachother; will not all this spoil our friendship?"

"Not at all," replied the bird, "it will make it all the closer."

"Then the Sultan will have to see me," said the princess.

The bird answered that it was necessary that he should see her, andeverything would turn out for the best.

The following morning, when the Sultan inquired if they had spoken totheir sister and what advice she had given them, Prince Bahman repliedthat they were ready to agree to his Highness's wishes, and that theirsister had reproved them for their hesitation about the matter. TheSultan received their excuses with great kindness, and told them thathe was sure they would be equally faithful to him, and kept them by hisside for the rest of the day, to the vexation of the grand-vizir andthe rest of the court.

When the procession entered in this order the gates of the capital, theeyes of the people who crowded the streets were fixed on the two youngmen, strangers to every one.

"Oh, if only the Sultan had had sons like that!" they murmured, "theylook so distinguished and are about the same age that his sons wouldhave been!"

The Sultan commanded that splendid apartments should be prepared forthe two brothers, and even insisted that they should sit at table withhim. During dinner he led the conversation to various scientificsubjects, and also to history, of which he was especially fond, butwhatever topic they might be discussing he found that the views of theyoung men were always worth listening to. "If they were my own sons,"he said to himself, "they could not be better educated!" and aloud hecomplimented them on their learning and taste for knowledge.

At the end of the evening the princes once more prostrated themselvesbefore the throne and asked leave to return home; and then, encouragedby the gracious words of farewell uttered by the Sultan, Prince Bahmansaid: "Sire, may we dare to take the liberty of asking whether youwould do us and our sister the honour of resting for a few minutes atour house the first time the hunt passes that way?"

"With the utmost pleasure," replied the Sultan; "and as I am allimpatience to see the sister of such accomplished young men you mayexpect me the day after to-morrow."

The princess was of course most anxious to entertain the Sultan in afitting way, but as she had no experience in court customs she ran tothe Talking Bird, and begged he would advise her as to what dishesshould be served.

"My dear mistress," replied the bird, "your cooks are very good and youcan safely leave all to them, except that you must be careful to have adish of cucumbers, stuffed with pearl sauce, served with the firstcourse."

"Cucumbers stuffed with pearls!" exclaimed the princess. "Why, bird,who ever heard of such a dish? The Sultan will expect a dinner he caneat, and not one he can only admire! Besides, if I were to use all thepearls I possess, they would not be half enough."

"Mistress," replied the bird, "do what I tell you and nothing but goodwill come of it. And as to the pearls, if you go at dawn to-morrow anddig at the foot of the first tree in the park, on the right hand, youwill find as many as you want."

The princess had faith in the bird, who generally proved to be right,and taking the gardener with her early next morning followed out hisdirections carefully. After digging for some time they came upon agolden box fastened with little clasps.

These were easily undone, and the box was found to be full of pearls,not very large ones, but well-shaped and of a good colour. So leavingthe gardener to fill up the hole he had made under the tree, theprincess took up the box and returned to the house.

The two princes had seen her go out, and had wondered what could havemade her rise so early. Full of curiosity they got up and dressed, andmet their sister as she was returning with the box under her arm.

"What have you been doing?" they asked, "and did the gardener come totell you he had found a treasure?"

"On the contrary," replied the princess, "it is I who have found one,"and opening the box she showed her astonished brothers the pearlsinside. Then, on the way back to the palace, she told them of herconsultation with the bird, and the advice it had given her. All threetried to guess the meaning of the singular counsel, but they wereforced at last to admit the explanation was beyond them, and they mustbe content blindly to obey.

The first thing the princess did on entering the palace was to send forthe head cook and to order the repast for the Sultan When she hadfinished she suddenly added, "Besides the dishes I have mentioned thereis one that you must prepare expressly for the Sultan, and that no onemust touch but yourself. It consists of a stuffed cucumber, and thestuffing is to be made of these pearls."

The head cook, who had never in all his experience heard of such adish, stepped back in amazement.

"You think I am mad," answered the princess, who perceived what was inhis mind. "But I know quite well what I am doing. Go, and do yourbest, and take the pearls with you."

The next morning the princes started for the forest, and were soonjoined by the Sultan. The hunt began and continued till mid-day, whenthe heat became so great that they were obliged to leave off. Then, asarranged, they turned their horses' heads towards the palace, and whilePrince Bahman remained by the side of the Sultan, Prince Perviz rode onto warn his sister of their approach.

The moment his Highness entered the courtyard, the princess flungherself at his feet, but he bent and raised her, and gazed at her forsome time, struck with her grace and beauty, and also with theindefinable air of courts that seemed to hang round this country girl."They are all worthy one of the other," he said to himself, "and I amnot surprised that they think so much of her opinions. I must knowmore of them."

By this time the princess had recovered from the first embarrassment ofmeeting, and proceeded to make her speech of welcome.

"This is only a simple country house, sire," she said, "suitable topeople like ourselves, who live a quiet life. It cannot compare withthe great city mansions, much less, of course, with the smallest of theSultan's palaces."

"I cannot quite agree with you," he replied; "even the little that Ihave seen I admire greatly, and I will reserve my judgment until youhave shown me the whole."

The princess then led the way from room to room, and the Sultanexamined everything carefully. "Do you call this a simple countryhouse?" he said at last. "Why, if every country house was like this,the towns would soon be deserted. I am no longer astonished that youdo not wish to leave it. Let us go into the gardens, which I am sureare no less beautiful than the rooms."

A small door opened straight into the garden, and the first object thatmet the Sultan's eyes was the Golden Water.

"What lovely coloured water!" he exclaimed; "where is the spring, andhow do you make the fountain rise so high? I do not believe there isanything like it in the world." He went forward to examine it, andwhen he had satisfied his curiosity, the princess conducted him towardsthe Singing Tree.

As they drew near, the Sultan was startled by the sound of strangevoices, but could see nothing. "Where have you hidden your musicians?"he asked the princess; "are they up in the air, or under the earth?Surely the owners of such charming voices ought not to concealthemselves!"

"Sire," answered the princess, "the voices all come from the tree whichis straight in front of us; and if you will deign to advance a fewsteps, you will see that they become clearer."

The Sultan did as he was told, and was so wrapt in delight at what heheard that he stood some time in silence.

"Tell me, madam, I pray you," he said at last, "how this marvelloustree came into your garden? It must have been brought from a greatdistance, or else, fond as I am of all curiosities, I could not havemissed hearing of it! What is its name?"

"The only name it has, sire," replied she, "is the Singing Tree, and itis not a native of this country. Its history is mixed up with those ofthe Golden Water and the Talking Bird, which you have not yet seen. Ifyour Highness wishes I will tell you the whole story, when you haverecovered from your fatigue."

"Indeed, madam," returned he, "you show me so many wonders that it isimpossible to feel any fatigue. Let us go once more and look at theGolden Water; and I am dying to see the Talking Bird."

The Sultan could hardly tear himself away from the Golden Water, whichpuzzled him more and more. "You say," he observed to the princess,"that this water does not come from any spring, neither is brought bypipes. All I understand is, that neither it nor the Singing Tree is anative of this country."

"It is as you say, sire," answered the princess, "and if you examinethe basin, you will see that it is all in one piece, and therefore thewater could not have been brought through it. What is more astonishingis, that I only emptied a small flaskful into the basin, and itincreased to the quantity you now see."

"Well, I will look at it no more to-day," said the Sultan. "Take me tothe Talking Bird."

On approaching the house, the Sultan noticed a vast quantity of birds,whose voices filled the air, and he inquired why they were so much morenumerous here than in any other part of the garden.

"Sire," answered the princess, "do you see that cage hanging in one ofthe windows of the saloon? that is the Talking Bird, whose voice youcan hear above them all, even above that of the nightingale. And thebirds crowd to this spot, to add their songs to his."

The Sultan stepped through the window, but the bird took no notice,continuing his song as before.

"My slave," said the princess, "this is the Sultan; make him a prettyspeech."

The bird stopped singing at once, and all the other birds stopped too.

"The Sultan is welcome," he said. "I wish him long life and allprosperity."

"I thank you, good bird," answered the Sultan, seating himself beforethe repast, which was spread at a table near the window, "and I amenchanted to see in you the Sultan and King of the Birds."

The Sultan, noticing that his favourite dish of cucumber was placedbefore him, proceeded to help himself to it, and was amazed to and thatthe stuffing was of pearls. "A novelty, indeed!" cried he, "but I donot understand the reason of it; one cannot eat pearls!"

"Sire," replied the bird, before either the princes or the princesscould speak, "surely your Highness cannot be so surprised at beholdinga cucumber stuffed with pearls, when you believed without anydifficulty that the Sultana had presented you, instead of children,with a dog, a cat, and a log of wood."

"I believed it," answered the Sultan, "because the women attending onher told me so."

"The women, sire," said the bird, "were the sisters of the Sultana, whowere devoured with jealousy at the honour you had done her, and inorder to revenge themselves invented this story. Have them examined,and they will confess their crime. These are your children, who weresaved from death by the intendant of your gardens, and brought up byhim as if they were his own."

Like a flash the truth came to the mind of the Sultan. "Bird," hecried, "my heart tells me that what you say is true. My children," headded, "let me embrace you, and embrace each other, not only asbrothers and sister, but as having in you the blood royal of Persiawhich could flow in no nobler veins."

When the first moments of emotion were over, the Sultan hastened tofinish his repast, and then turning to his children he exclaimed:"To-day you have made acquaintance with your father. To-morrow I willbring you the Sultana your mother. Be ready to receive her."

The Sultan then mounted his horse and rode quickly back to the capital.Without an instant's delay he sent for the grand-vizir, and ordered himto seize and question the Sultana's sisters that very day. This wasdone. They were confronted with each other and proved guilty, and wereexecuted in less than an hour.

But the Sultan did not wait to hear that his orders had been carriedout before going on foot, followed by his whole court to the door ofthe great mosque, and drawing the Sultana with his own hand out of thenarrow prison where she had spent so many years, "Madam," he cried,embracing her with tears in his eyes, "I have come to ask your pardonfor the injustice I have done you, and to repair it as far as I may. Ihave already begun by punishing the authors of this abominable crime,and I hope you will forgive me when I introduce you to our children,who are the most charming and accomplished creatures in the wholeworld. Come with me, and take back your position and all the honourthat is due to you."

This speech was delivered in the presence of a vast multitude ofpeople, who had gathered from all parts on the first hint of what washappening, and the news was passed from mouth to mouth in a few seconds.

Early next day the Sultan and Sultana, dressed in robes of state andfollowed by all the court, set out for the country house of theirchildren. Here the Sultan presented them to the Sultana one by one,and for some time there was nothing but embraces and tears and tenderwords. Then they ate of the magnificent dinner which had been preparedfor them, and after they were all refreshed they went into the garden,where the Sultan pointed out to his wife the Golden Water and theSinging Tree. As to the Talking Bird, she had already madeacquaintance with him.

In the evening they rode together back to the capital, the princes oneach side of their father, and the princess with her mother. Longbefore they reached the gates the way was lined with people, and theair filled with shouts of welcome, with which were mingled the songs ofthe Talking Bird, sitting in its cage on the lap of the princess, andof the birds who followed it.

And in this manner they came back to their father's palace.

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