Know ye that when I entered the service of this Emir,[9] I had a great
repute and every low fellow and lewd feared me most of all mankind, and
when I rode through the city, each and every of the folk would point at
me with their fingers and sign at me with their eyes. It happened one
day, as I sat in the palace of the Prefecture, back-propped against a
wall, considering in myself, suddenly there fell somewhat in my lap, and
behold, it was a purse sealed and tied. So I hent it in hand and lo! it
had in it an hundred dirhams[10], but I found not who threw it and I
said, “Lauded be the Lord, the King of the Kingdoms!”[11] Another day,
as I sat in the same way, somewhat fell on me and startled me, and
lookye, ’twas a purse like the first: I took it and hiding the matter,
made as though I slept, albeit sleep was not with me. One day as I thus
shammed sleep, I suddenly sensed in my lap a hand, and in it a purse of
the finest; so I seized the hand and behold, ’twas that of a fair woman.
Quoth I to her, “O my lady, who art thou?” and quoth she, “Rise and come
away from here, that I may make myself known to thee.” Presently I rose
up and following her, walked on, without tarrying, till we stopped at
the door of a high-builded house, whereupon I asked her, “O my lady, who
art thou? Indeed, thou hast done me kindness, and what is the reason of
this?” She answered, “By Allah, O Captain[12] Mu’in, I am a woman on
whom love and longing are sore for desire of the daughter of the Kazi
Amín al-Hukm.[13] Now there was between me and her what was and fondness
for her fell upon my heart and I agreed upon an assignation with her,
according to possibility and convenience; but her father Amin al-Hukm
took her and went away, and my heart cleaveth to her and yearning and
distraction waxed sore upon me for her sake.” I said to her, marvelling
the while at her words, “What wouldst thou have me do?” and said she, “O
Captain Mu’in, I would have thee lend me a helping hand.” Quoth I,
“Where am I and where is the daughter of the Kazi Amin al-Hukm?”[14] and
quoth she “Be assured that I would not have thee intrude upon the Kazi’s
daughter, but I would fain work for the winning of my wishes. This is my
will and my want which may not be wroughten save by thine aid.” Then she
added, “I mean this night to go with heart enheartened and hire me
bracelets and armlets and anklets of price; then will I hie me and sit
in the street wherein is the house of Amin al-Hukm; and when ’tis the
season of the round and folk are asleep, do thou pass, thou and those
who are with thee of the men, and thou wilt see me sitting and on me
fine raiment and ornaments and wilt smell on me the odour of Ottars;
whereupon do thou question me of my case and I will say:—I hail from the
Citadel and am of the daughters of the deputies[15] and I came down into
the town for a purpose; but night overtook me all unawares and the
Zuwaylah Gate[16] was shut against me and all the other portals and I
knew not whither I should wend this night. Presently I saw this street
and noting the goodly fashion of its ordinance and its cleanliness, I
sheltered me therein against break of day. When I speak these words to
thee with complete self-possession,[17] the Chief of the watch will have
no ill suspicion of me, but will say:—There’s no help but that we leave
her with one who will take care of her till morning. Thereto do thou
rejoin:—’Twere best that she night with Amin al-Hukm and lie with his
wives[18] and children until dawn of day. Then straightway knock at the
Kazi’s door, and thus shall I have secured admission into his house,
without inconvenience, and won my wish; and—the Peace!” I said to her,
“By Allah, this is an easy matter.” So, when the night was blackest, we
rose to make our round, followed by men with girded swords, and went
about the ways and compassed the city, till we came to the street[19]
where was the woman, and it was the middle of the night. Here we smelt
mighty rich scents and heard the clink of rings: so I said to my
comrades, “Methinks I espy a spectre;” and the Captain of the watch
cried, “See what it is.” Accordingly, I undertook the work and entering
the thoroughfare presently came out again and said, “I have found a fair
woman and she telleth me that she is from the Citadel and that dark
night surprised her and she saw this street and noting its cleanness and
goodly fashion of ordinance, knew that it belonged to a great man[20]
and that needs must there be in it a guardian to keep watch over it, so
she sheltered her therein.” Quoth the Captain of the watch to me, “Take
her and carry her to thy house;” but quoth I, “I seek refuge with
Allah![21] My house is no strong box[22] and on this woman are trinkets
and fine clothing. By Allah, we will not deposit the lady save with Amin
al-Hukm, in whose street she hath been since the first starkening of the
darkness; therefore do thou leave her with him till the break of day.”
He rejoined, “Do whatso thou willest.” So I rapped at the Kazi’s gate
and out came a black slave of his slaves, to whom said I, “O my lord,
take this woman and let her be with you till day shall dawn, for that
the lieutenant of the Emir Alam al-Din hath found her with trinkets and
fine apparel on her, sitting at the door of your house, and we feared
lest her responsibility be upon you;[23] wherefore I suggested ’twere
meetest she night with you.” So the chattel opened and took her in with
him. Now when the morning morrowed, the first who presented himself
before the Emir was the Kazi Amin al-Hukm, leaning on two of his negro
slaves; and he was crying out and calling for aid and saying, “O Emir,
crafty and perfidious, yesternight thou depositedst with me a woman and
broughtest her into my house and home, and she arose in the dark and
took from me the monies of the little orphans my wards,[24] six great
bags, each containing a thousand dinars,[25] and made off; but as for
me, I will say no syllable to thee except in the Soldan’s presence.”[26]
When the Wali heard these words, he was troubled and rose and sat down
in his agitation; then he took the Judge and placing him by his side,
soothed him and exhorted him to patience, till he had made an end of
talk, when he turned to the officers and questioned them of that. They
fixed the affair on me and said, “We know nothing of this matter but
from Captain Mu’in al-Din.” So the Kazi turned to me and said, “Thou
wast of accord to practice upon me with this woman, for she said she
came from the Citadel.” As for me, I stood, with my head bowed
ground-wards, forgetting both Sunnah and Farz,[27] and remained sunk in
thought, saying, “How came I to be the dupe of that randy wench?” Then
cried the Emir to me, “What aileth thee that thou answerest not?”
Thereupon I replied, “O my lord, ’tis a custom among the folk that he
who hath a payment to make at a certain date is allowed three days’
grace: do thou have patience with me so long, and if, at the end of that
time, the culprit be not found, I will be responsible for that which is
lost.” When the folk heard my speech they all approved it as reasonable
and the Wali turned to the Kazi and sware to him that he would do his
utmost to recover the stolen monies adding, “And they shall be restored
to thee.” Then he went away, whilst I mounted without stay or delay and
began to-ing and fro-ing about the world without purpose, and indeed I
was become the underling of a woman without honesty or honour; and I
went my rounds in this way all that my day and that my night, but
happened not upon tidings of her; and thus I did on the morrow. On the
third day I said to myself, “Thou art mad or silly;” for I was wandering
in quest of a woman who knew me[28] and I knew her not, she being veiled
when I met her. Then I went round about the third day till the hour of
mid-afternoon prayer, and sore waxed my cark and my care for I kenned
that there remained to me of my life but the morrow, when the Chief of
Police would send for me. However, as sundown-time came, I passed
through one of the main streets, and saw a woman at a window; her door
was ajar and she was clapping her hands and casting sidelong glances at
me, as who should say, “Come up by the door.” So I went up, without fear
or suspicion, and when I entered, she rose and clasped me to her breast.
I marvelled at the matter and quoth she to me, “I am she whom thou
depositedst with Amin al-Hukm.” Quoth I to her, “O my sister, I have
been going round and round in request of thee, for indeed thou hast done
a deed which will be chronicled and hast cast me into red death[29] on
thine account.” She asked me, “Dost thou speak thus to me and thou a
captain of men?” and I answered, “How should I not be troubled, seeing
that I be in concern for an affair I turn over and over in mind, more by
token that I continue my day long going about searching for thee and in
the night I watch its stars and planets?”[30] Cried she, “Naught shall
betide save weal, and thou shalt get the better of him.”[31] So saying,
she rose and going to a chest, drew out therefrom six bags full of gold
and said to me, “This is what I took from Amin al-Hukm’s house. So an
thou wilt, restore it; else the whole is lawfully[32] thine; and if thou
desire other than this, thou shalt obtain it; for I have monies in
plenty and I had no design herein save to marry thee.” Then she arose
and opening other chests, brought out therefrom wealth galore and I said
to her, “O my sister, I have no wish for all this, nor do I want aught
except to be quit of that wherein I am.” Quoth she, “I came not forth of
the Kazi’s house without preparing for thine acquittance.” Then said she
to me, “When the morrow shall morn and Amin al-Hukm shall come to thee
bear with him till he have made an end of his speech, and when he is
silent, return him no reply; and if the Wali ask:—What aileth thee that
thou answerest me not? do thou rejoin:—O lord and master[33] know that
the two words are not alike, but there is no helper for the conquered
one[34] save Allah Almighty. The Kazi will cry, What is the meaning of
thy saying, The two words are not alike? And do thou retort:—I deposited
with thee a damsel from the palace of the Sultan, and most likely some
enemy of hers in thy household hath transgressed against her or she hath
been secretly murdered. Verily, there were on her raiment and ornaments
worth a thousand ducats, and hadst thou put to the question those who
are with thee of slaves and slave-girls, needs must thou have litten on
some traces of the crime. When he heareth this from thee, his trouble
will redouble and he will be amated and will make oath that thou hast no
help for it but to go with him to his house: however, do thou say, That
will I not do, for I am the party aggrieved, more especially because I
am under suspicion with thee. If he redouble in calling on Allah’s aid
and conjure thee by the oath of divorce saying, Thou must assuredly
come, do thou reply, By Allah, I will not go, unless the Chief also go
with me. Then, as soon as thou comest to the house, begin by searching
the terrace-roofs; then rummage the closets and cabinets; and if thou
find naught, humble thyself before the Kazi and be abject and feign
thyself subjected, and after stand at the door and look as if thou
soughtest a place wherein to make water,[35] because there is a dark
corner there. Then come forward, with heart harder than syenite-stone,
and lay hold upon a jar of the jars and raise it from its place. Thou
wilt find there under it a mantilla-skirt; bring it out publicly and
call the Wali in a loud voice, before those who are present. Then open
it and thou wilt find it full of blood, exceeding for freshness, and
therein a woman’s walking boots and a pair of petticoat-trousers and
somewhat of linen.” When I heard from her these words, I rose to go out
and she said to me, “Take these hundred sequins, so they may succour
thee; and such is my guest-gift to thee.” Accordingly I took them and
leaving her door ajar returned to my lodging. Next morning, up came the
Judge, with his face like the ox-eye,[36] and asked, “In the name of
Allah, where is my debtor and where is my property?” Then he wept and
cried out and said to the Wali, “Where is that ill-omened fellow, who
aboundeth in robbery and villainy?” Thereupon the Chief turned to me and
said, “Why dost thou not answer the Kazi;” and I replied, “O Emir, the
two heads[37] are not equal, and I, I have no helper;[38] but, an the
right be on my side ’twill appear.” At this the Judge grew hotter of
temper and cried out, “Woe to thee, O ill-omened wight! How wilt thou
make manifest that the right is on thy side?” I replied “O our lord the
Kazi, I deposited with thee and in thy charge a woman whom we found at
thy door, and on her raiment and ornaments of price. Now she is gone,
even as yesterday is gone;[39] and after this thou turnest upon us and
suest me for six thousand gold pieces. By Allah, this is none other than
a mighty great wrong, and assuredly some foe[40] of hers in thy
household hath transgressed against her!” With this the Judge’s wrath
redoubled and he swore by the most solemn of oaths that I should go with
him and search his house. I replied, “By Allah I will not go, unless the
Wali go with us; for, an he be present, he and the officers, thou wilt
not dare to work thy wicked will upon me.” So the Kazi rose and swore an
oath, saying, “By the truth of Him who created mankind, we will not go
but with the Emir!” Accordingly we repaired to the Judge’s house,
accompanied by the Chief, and going up, searched it through, but found
naught; whereat fear fell upon me and the Wali turned to me and said,
“Fie upon thee, O ill-omened fellow! thou hast put us to shame before
the men.” All this, and I wept and went round about right and left, with
the tears running down my face, till we were about to go forth and drew
near the door of the house. I looked at the place which the woman had
mentioned and asked, “What is yonder dark place I see?” Then said I to
the men, “Pull up[41] this jar with me.” They did my bidding and I saw
somewhat appearing under the jar and said, “Rummage and look at what is
under it.” So they searched, and behold, they came upon a woman’s
mantilla and petticoat-trousers full of blood, which when I espied, I
fell down in a fainting-fit. Now when the Wali saw this, he said, “By
Allah, the Captain is excused!” Then my comrades came round about me and
sprinkled water on my face till I recovered, when I arose and accosting
the Kazi (who was covered with confusion), said to him, “Thou seest that
suspicion is fallen on thee, and indeed this affair is no light matter,
because this woman’s family will assuredly not sit down quietly under
her loss.” Therewith the Kazi’s heart quaked and fluttered for that he
knew the suspicion had reverted upon him, wherefore his colour yellowed
and his limbs smote together; and he paid of his own money, after the
measure of that he had lost, so we would quench that fire for him.[42]
Then we departed from him in peace, whilst I said within myself,
“Indeed, the woman falsed me not.” After that I tarried till three days
had passed, when I went to the Hammam and changing my clothes, betook
myself to her home, but found the door shut and covered with dust. So I
asked the neighbours of her and they answered, “This house hath been
empty of habitants these many days; but three days agone there came a
woman with an ass, and at supper-time last night she took her gear and
went away.” Hereat I turned back, bewildered in my wit, and for many a
day after I inquired of the dwellers in that street concerning her, but
could happen on no tidings of her. And indeed I wondered at the
eloquence of her tongue and the readiness of her talk; and this is the
most admirable of all I have seen and of whatso hath betided me. When
Al-Malik al-Zahir heard the tale of Mu’in al-Din, he marvelled thereat.
Then rose another constable and said, “O lord, hear what befel me in
bygone days.”