his hands; "do not let my haggard appearance disturb thee. I would
rather have nothing but skin upon my bones, and keep my secret to
myself. I shall soon regain my flesh and my complexion. No, my health
causes me no uneasiness. I merely suffer from anxiety, which arises
from not having money sufficient for the prosecution of my studies."
"Dost thou require much?" demanded Selim.
"Ah! yes, much," replied Hussein with a sigh; "and if I fail in
procuring it, instead of living fifty years longer than the usual
course of things, I will either starve myself to death, or drown
myself in the well of my house."
"Beware of acting thus," said Selim. "I can still give thee something;
make use of that, and afterwards follow my advice, and sell to some
rich man thy powder, in order to meet the expenses of thy lengthened
researches."
Hussein Muley appeared to meditate profoundly with his forehead buried
in his hands, and seemed not to listen to Selim, but it is not
improbable that he heard him very well.
"Thou dost not listen to me," continued Selim. "Hussein! Hussein! I
will give thee another little casket of gold; but after this casket I
have nothing more to give thee. There will only remain just
sufficient for me, during the time that I hope to live, thanks to thy
powder. If thou discoverest another still more marvellous, thou wilt
give it me, at least for my own use, wilt thou not?"
Hussein Muley seemed suddenly to come to himself, and exclaimed:
"Oh! I have at length found that of which I was in search! Yes, one
herb alone is now wanting; I will go in quest of it, were it at the
other end of the earth, and I will resolve the great problem which has
occupied me for more than thirty years. Selim! Selim! entrust to my
keeping what thou canst still consecrate to the happiness of mankind,
and rest assured that thou wilt merit the admiration and the gratitude
of ages to come."
"I desire neither the one nor the other," replied Selim; "I only wish
to do a little good, that is all. Shall I succeed in my purpose? I
will confess to thee, Hussein Muley, that I have more than once
regretted devoting my fortune to a discovery which may prove more
fatal than useful to the world; for the world is already peopled
enough, and what would it be, if men lived for several centuries?
Would they not kill each other for want of room?"
"Do they not already kill each other by sea and by land?" said Hussein
Muley with a strange smile. "Come," continued he, "do not disquiet
thyself about what will some day happen upon the earth; profit by what
fate offers thee, and prolong thy days in peace."
Having thus spoken, he took the second casket proffered him by Selim,
put it under his arm, and said in a grave tone:
"I am about to undertake a journey into Asia. There, near the Indies,
is a high mountain, Mount Himalaya--dost thou not know it?"
"No," answered Selim.
"Well, nor I either; but I go to cull from its summit, covered with
perpetual snows, a plant, which will complete the discoveries I have
already made."
"I thought that no plant was ever to be found on those mountain tops
covered with perpetual snow and frost?"
"There grows none, but that of which I have immediate need; I am going
in quest of it, and will show it thee on my return."
"It is well," said Selim, and they separated.
Hussein Muley retreated with rapid strides.
Selim carefully placed in a small box the powder which he was to take
fasting, during one year, three months, a week, and a day, and he
began from the very next day to administer to himself this drug, which
happily he did not find to be very nauseous to the taste.
Meanwhile the Tunisian set out from Aldgezaire with his wife, his
children, and several chests, containing no doubt his books, and the
papers necessary for his studies; but Selim never saw him more. He
awaited his return, three, five, ten years, and, as he judged that ten
years should suffice to go to Asia, and scale the highest mountain
there, he began to think that the yellow, thin, and learned Tunisian
was either dead, or else had taken advantage of his credulity and
ignorance.
Whilst these thoughts occupied his mind, an epidemic broke out in
Aldgezaire; Selim was attacked by it.
He therefore begged the wise mufti, who was still alive, to come and
visit him; and then with that burst of confidence which seizes men in
the hour of danger, he opened his heart to him, and related how he had
given two caskets full of gold to Hussein Muley, in the hope of
prolonging the existence of mankind for many centuries.
The wise mufti stroked his venerable beard and exclaimed:
"Selim, Selim, thou hast been played upon by a swindler, to whom thou
hast imprudently confided thy generous thoughts. This proves the truth
of what I one day said to thee, 'With the best intentions we may
commit the most foolish actions.'"
"Ah!" said Selim sorrowfully, "my misfortune has been in not
spontaneously following the first impulse of my heart, for I had
really the wish to do good, but in taking counsel of one and another I
have followed the worst I received."
"Yes," replied the mufti, "thou mightest perhaps have acted wisely in
following thy first idea; at the same time, if thou hadst, in
accordance with my advice, reflected longer upon thy projects of
benevolence, it is certain that thou wouldst not have given thy gold
to a cheat who has done nothing but laugh at thy credulity."
Selim willingly consented to acknowledge his fault. He confessed that
it is useless to take the opinion of the wise and learned, if we do
not mean to profit by it; then he prostrated himself devoutly before
Allah, recovered his health by degrees, and caused a large sum of
money to be distributed among the poor of the mosques, for he relied
no longer on the hundreds of years of existence which were to come to
him from Mount Himalaya, any more than on the powder of longevity.
VI.
THE NOSE FOR GOLD.
Mohammed and Yousouf, young Moors, born in Aldgezaire, had loved each
other from infancy, and increasing years only served to strengthen the
bonds of their attachment. Besides the happiness they enjoyed in their
mutual affection, their friendship tended also to elevate their
characters, and make them remarkable, for every body knows that
constant friendships are never the lot of vulgar minds. These two
young men, therefore, raised themselves above the level of the vulgar
herd by the fidelity of their affection; they were cited as models in
their native city; people smiled with pleasure on seeing them pass,
always together, ever in good humour; and although they were far from
being rich, yet their fate was envied by every one.
Mohammed and Yousouf generally dressed alike, and they had recourse to
the same trade to gain their living. Their only trouble,--there must
always be some in this world,--arose from the shops in which they were
engaged during the day being separated from each other; evening, it is
true, reunited them in the same dwelling, but that was not enough for
them. When they married even, they contrived that it should be to each
other's relatives. One family established itself on the first floor of
the house, the other immediately above, and the two friends continued
to love as heretofore, and to rejoice in their common felicity.
Over and over again, during their long conversations, they would
repeat with the reiteration usual to those to whom a subject is dear,
some such sentiments as these:
"The restless periods of youth, marriage, and commercial affairs have
tried our friendship without altering it; it is henceforth secure from
all changes; old age will only serve to render us dearer to each
other, and we shall leave to our families the record and example of an
affection which a future day will doubtless see renewed in our sons."
"It is probable," they would often say, "that Allah, touched by our
friendship upon earth, will reunite us eternally in the paradise of
true believers, beneath fresh shades, and by the side of bubbling
fountains, surrounded by flowers of sweet perfume."
At this prospect of an eternal union, an eternal happiness, both would
smile in anticipation, and such expressions as these they were never
weary of repeating to each other.
These two friends were about thirty years of age, when a lucky chance
gave them the opportunity of accomplishing the dearest wish of their
hearts, that of occupying together two small shops adjoining each
other.
An old Israelite, without family and without children, had inhabited
them for twenty years. In one he slept and ate, not having any other
house; in the other he displayed his merchandise; essences, amber,
pastilles, necklaces and bracelets for the rich Moors, small
looking-glasses, and beads of coral for the slaves; all of which he
sold at the dearest possible price, as if he had a dozen children to
support, and as many of his co-religionists.
Mohammed and Yousouf established themselves with lively satisfaction
in these shops, the possession of which they had so long coveted,
without at the same time desiring the death of the old Jew. They were
incapable of a wicked action; but the Jew being dead, as they could
not restore him to life, they saw no harm in lawfully taking
possession of his domicile. This event seemed to complete their
happiness.
But who can say or know what is really a good or an evil? who can
foresee the consequences of things?
Mohammed one day, while knocking a nail into the partition wall
between his shop and that of Yousouf, discovered that this wall was
hollow, and that it contained some pieces of metal. His first impulse
was to call, "Yousouf! Yousouf! there is gold or silver in our wall;"
but the next moment he thought, "I will first assure myself of what
this part of the wall contains, and if I really make a fortunate
discovery, I shall give Yousouf such an agreeable surprise by calling
him to partake of it."
Accordingly he waited until Yousouf should be out of the way for an
hour or two to give him the opportunity of exploring further into his
wall, but it so happened that Yousouf was never absent at all for
several days following.
Mohammed then said to his friend:
"I fancy that something has been stolen from my shop during the night.
I shall sleep there to-night, in order to surprise the thief, if he
should reappear."
"I shall not leave thee alone here all night," replied Yousouf, "but
shall sleep also in my shop by the side of thee."
Mohammed in vain strove to oppose the resolution of his friend; he
could not revisit his shop alone in the evening, and for several days
following, Yousouf seeing that he appeared pensive and uneasy, quitted
him less than ever, and said to him with the solicitude of true
friendship:
"Thou seemest sad! Thy wife and thy sons, are they ill? Regrettest
thou what has been taken from thy shop? Compensate thyself for thy
loss by selecting whatever thou wilt from that which I possess."
Mohammed thanked Yousouf, and replied with a smile:
"Rest satisfied, I have no grief." He dared not add, "I have no
secret," for he had one.
In order however to put an end to the feeling of intense anxiety that
filled his mind, he came to his shop one night unknown to Yousouf, and
hastily detaching from the partition wall first one stone, then two or
three more, he discovered a hundred Spanish doubloons, and eight
four-dollar pieces. This was a perfect treasure to Mohammed, who had
never in his life possessed more than the half of a small house, and
the few goods exposed for sale in his shop.
"We are rich," said he. "Yousouf and I can now purchase a country
house by the sea-side, as we have so often wished. Our wives and our
children will disport themselves in our sight. My son Ali, that
beautiful child whom I so tenderly love, will be delighted to run
among the trees and climb up into their topmost branches. Ah! how
rejoiced I am, if only for his sake."
Thus thinking, Mohammed took his gold and his silver, replaced, as
well as he was able, the stones in his wall, and returned to his home,
his mind occupied with delightful visions, and already beholding
himself in imagination enjoying the pleasures of a delightful
habitation by the sea-shore, with his beautiful Ali, that dear child
whom he so tenderly loved. During two days he put off from hour to
hour the disclosure which he had to make to Yousouf; and during those
two days he revolved all sorts of ideas in his mind.
"If I made the fortune of my son, instead of that of my friend," said
he at length to himself, "should I be guilty? Is not a son nearer and
dearer than all the friends in the world? Yes; but then the gold and
silver which I have discovered belong by rights as much to Yousouf as
to myself, for the wall whence I have taken them belongs as much to
his shop as to mine."
Unable to resolve either to share his treasure with his friend or to
keep it for himself alone, he took the resolution of carefully
concealing it in the chamber in which he slept, and of waiting until
the agitation caused in his mind by so important an event should have
somewhat subsided, to which end he hastened to secure his newly
acquired possession.
"Reflection is no crime," said he. Consequently he gave himself time
to reflect, instead of following the first impulse of his heart and
remaining faithful to that devotion of friendship which had hitherto
constituted his pride and glory, and which still bore the promise of
so rich a harvest in the future.
He passed all his time then, extended during the heat of the day upon
a mat by the side of his merchandise, and with closed eyes feigning to
sleep, while in reality he was thinking of nothing but his treasure,
and of what he ought to do with it.
Yousouf meanwhile, impressed with the idea that his friend was
sleeping, took every care to guard his slumbers from interruption,
thinking as he gently fanned his fevered brow of nothing but Mohammed,
and what he could possibly invent to divert him and render him happy.
One day as Yousouf and Mohammed were reposing after their labours, an
old hump-backed Jew with a sallow complexion and an enormous nose
accosted Yousouf, saying:
"Was it not here that Nathan Cohen, the son of David, lived about two
years since?"
"Speak low," replied Yousouf to the Jew. "My friend is asleep, and I
would not that his slumbers should be disturbed."
The Jew seated himself on the edge of Yousouf's little counter, and
repeated his inquiry, at the same time lowering the harsh and hollow
tones of his voice.
"Yes, it was here that Nathan Cohen, the son of David, dwelt," replied
the young Moor.
"Ah!" said the old Jew, working his large and flexible nostrils, "I
was sure of it--that is why I scent gold hidden here."
"Indeed!" said Yousouf, regarding somewhat incredulously the
extraordinary nose of his interlocutor. "Thou dost well to talk of
smelling gold or silver either. Thy olfactory nerves are of the
strongest no doubt, nevertheless I fear me they are at fault in this
dwelling, where gold and silver but seldom make their appearance."
"They are not often to be seen here," replied the Jew; "I know that
full well; they are not heard here either, for the earth conceals them
both from sight and sound. But remove them from the envious ground
that covers them, and they will dazzle thine eyes and charm thine
ears."
"Indeed!" said Yousouf, laughing. "Thou art the bearer of good news.
How much dost thou demand for thy reward?"
"I would have thee share with me all that I shall cause to be
discovered in thy house by means of the marvellous sense of smelling
with which I am endowed, and at which thou now jestest."
"Share with thee!" exclaimed Yousouf. "Oh no, indeed! If I were
fortunate enough to discover a treasure, it is with my friend Mohammed
that I should hasten to share it."
"But thou wilt have nothing to share with him if I do not disclose to
thee the spot where thy treasure lies concealed."
"Perhaps so. But if I put any confidence in thy nose, what prevents me
from turning my whole shop topsy-turvy, digging up the floor, and
pulling down the walls and the shelves?"
The Jew slowly regarded the ground, the walls, and the shelves, as
they were severally named by Yousouf; then he said in an ironical
manner:
"Thou wouldst not do much harm if thou wert to demolish all around
thee; but to save thyself so much trouble and labour, thou hadst far
better give me at least one-third of what I shall discover in thy
dwelling. The other two-thirds can be for thyself and thy friend, if
thou art fool enough not to wish to keep all for thyself."
"Ah, it may suit such a man as thou to call him who prefers friendship
to money a fool! But in spite of all thy arguments I shall never
change, and I shall love Mohammed better than all the money in the
world."
"As you please. It remains to be seen if Mohammed would do the same
for you."
"I have not the slightest doubt of it," replied Yousouf.
The Jew uttered a suppressed laugh.
"And I have every doubt of it," said he. "I doubt even _thy_ future
disinterestedness, notwithstanding the warmth of thy discourse.
Yousouf! Yousouf! thou hast not yet beheld the dazzling brilliancy of
gold! It is the lustre of this metal which charms the eyes and wins
the heart of man. Once let him see gold before him, and know that he
has the power to possess himself of it, and adieu to every other
thought. Gold! why it is the thing to be most desired in the world.
Possessed of gold, what can we not enjoy? a fine house, smiling
pasturage, blooming gardens, rich stuffs, divans, perfumes, all, in
short, that renders life desirable!"
"That is very true," replied Yousouf. "We can procure many things with
gold; but still gold cannot purchase youth, gaiety, friendship, or
even a good appetite or sound sleep. Leave me then in peace with thy
discoveries, and if thou art so skilled in the art of scenting gold,
learn also to scan the disposition of him to whom thou addressest
thyself."
"Then thou wilt not consent to give me the third of what I know to be
here, hidden though it may be?"
"Decidedly not," replied Yousouf. "I have no faith in thy ridiculous
pretensions; moreover, I do not know thee, and have never seen thee
either in the public walks, the streets, or elsewhere."
"I have just returned from a long journey," replied the old man; "my
name is Ephraim. When I quitted this city, thou wert but sixteen
years of age; my friend Nathan Cohen, son of David, was then very old:
he has been dead, they say, these two years."
"And so thou comest to exercise thy sense of smelling in thy
accustomed haunt," said Yousouf gaily; "and seest thou not then that
there is some power in friendship, since it is the memory of a friend
that brings thee hither?"
"Ah! it is not the memory of the past, but hope for the future,"
replied the old Jew. "So long as our friends are alive they may be
useful, though that is a thing that very rarely happens; but when they
are dead, what is the use of thinking any more of them?"
Yousouf, wearied out with so much discussion, said at length to
Ephraim:
"Come, come, enough of this! Leave this place; thy voice will, I am
sure, awaken my friend, and prevent him from sleeping, as he delights
to do during the heat of the day."
"Do not let us awaken him," replied the Jew, "but let us remove the
ground there beneath thy feet. I will hope that a feeling of gratitude
may induce thee to bestow upon me a portion of what I shall discover
for thee."
So saying, the Jew drew a long iron pickaxe from beneath his dirty
brown tunic, and began to break up the ground around the feet of
Yousouf. The latter regarded the old man--his prodigious nose inflated
by the hope of gain--with a smile of derision. But in a short space of
time their eyes were dazzled by a sight of the precious metal. The Jew
had, indeed, succeeded in disinterring a veritable treasure.
"Let us now count this gold and silver," said he.
They took it, and counted it, and found that Yousouf had suddenly
become the possessor of five hundred Spanish doubloons, and sixty
four-dollar pieces. He could scarcely believe his eyes.
"Well," said the Jew, "what sayest thou? have I lied to thee, or
deceived myself? Come, let us see now what thou art going to give me
in reward for my pains."
"I will awaken Mohammed," said Yousouf, "and he and I will certainly
give thee something as a recompense."
"Yousouf!" said the Jew, arresting the young Moor by the arm, "reflect
a moment before awakening thy friend. Would it not be better to keep
this treasure for thyself and for thy sons? Hast thou not children,
and are not children much dearer than a friend?"
"If I have children," replied Yousouf, "Mohammed has them also. We
loved each other before they were born, and we know how to be good
fathers without being faithless friends."
At this moment Mohammed, who had not awaked, for the very sufficient
reason that he had not been asleep, started as if he had been stung by
a thousand mosquitoes at once, and rose with a sudden bound. The
concluding words of Yousouf had awakened a feeling of remorse within
his breast.
"Yousouf! Yousouf!" said he to his friend, "I have heard all. Yes,
every thing, and thy sincere friendship, tried by time and tried by
gold, is now the sole treasure I desire."
"I know for how long a time thou hast thought thus," replied Yousouf.
"But since Allah has chosen to make us rich, let us not disdain the
blessing which he sends. He it was who first inspired us with the wish
for these two little shops, and who has bestowed them upon us. It is
he who has conducted hither this Jew who has been the instrument of
our discovering this treasure. Let us offer our thanks to Allah, and
let us give to Ephraim that which is meet and right."
"Be that as thou only wilt," said Mohammed with a preoccupied air.
"Thou art just and righteous, and thy thoughts are pure in the sight
of Allah."
Yousouf paid no great heed to this friendly eulogium, but continued
gaily:
"Since thou permittest me to be the sole arbiter in the affair, this
is my decision."
Then, turning towards Ephraim: "Thou shalt be more or less
recompensed," said he, "according to the candour with which thou
repliest to my question. Come, then, answer me truly, hast thou
really, thanks to the singular form of thy nose, so fine a sense of
smell as to be able to trace any metal whatever, either under ground
or elsewhere?"
"Yes," said the Jew, "I possess this rare faculty, thanks to my nose;
and to give thee a farther proof of it, I declare that I can again
scent in this spot in the wall a sum of gold and silver, the exact
amount of which I cannot enumerate."
Mohammed turned pale at these words. "In this wall?" said he.
"Yes. Suffer me to make a little hole with this gimlet here, and you
will see if I speak falsely."
"Dig where thou wilt," replied Yousouf; "we have no right to prevent
thee after the discovery thou hast just made here."
The Jew instantly set to work at the wall, but it was now his turn to
be astonished, for the wall, hollow it is true, was guiltless of gold
or silver either.
Yousouf burst out laughing at the disconcerted and stupified look of
the old Jew.
"Never mind," said he, "thy nose has deceived thee for once; but thou
must not let that discourage thee. Still, hadst thou frankly told me
that as a friend of old Nathan Cohen thou knewest where he had hidden
his treasure, in return for thy confidence I should have given thee a
quarter of what thou hast found; but since thou hast persisted in
assuring me that thy nose is gifted with supernatural powers, I shall
give thee much less. Besides, with such a nose as thine no one can
doubt but thy fortune is made."
"Ah!" cried the Jew, clasping his withered and wrinkled hands,
"Yousouf! Yousouf! since thou art good and just, as Mohammed says,
take pity on my poverty; it impelled me to deal falsely with thee; I
confess it now; and spite of its singular form, my nose has nothing
but what is common to other noses. Accord then to my tardy sincerity
that which thou wouldst at first have given me."
Yousouf consulted Mohammed again, who replied thus:
"Thou art just and pious; act according to thy own desire."
Yousouf then counted out to the old Jew the fourth part of what he had
just found, thus rendering him happy for the remainder of his days.
Then, finding himself alone with his friend, he began to divide into
two equal parts the gold and silver which remained.
"Give me none! give me none, Yousouf!" exclaimed Mohammed, "I am no
longer deserving of thy friendship."