days after our arrival, for the purpose of recovering ourselves from
the fatigue of our long journey. I then went into the city and visited
my friends, who were astonished to see me, as they had been told by my
associates on their return, that I was dead. As soon as I knew that
they were at Bagdad, I hastened to the grand vizir, threw myself at
his feet, and related their perfidious conduct towards me. He gave
orders for their immediate arrest, and commanded them to be
interrogated in my presence. "Is it not true," I asked them, "that I
awoke when you took me up in your arms, that I asked what you intended
doing with me, and that without replying you threw me out through the
porthole of the ship into the sea?"
They replied that I must have been dreaming, and that I must certainly
have thrown myself into the sea when asleep.
"Why then," said the vizir, "did you pretend not to know him at
Ormus?"
They replied that they had not seen me at Ormus.
"Traitors!" he replied, eyeing them with a threatening aspect, "what
will you say, when I show you a certificate from the cadi of Ormus,
proving the contrary?"
At these words, which the vizir only made use of to put them to the
proof, my associates turned pale and became confused. The vizir
noticed their altered looks, and bade them confess their crime, that
they might not be compelled to do so, by being put to the torture.
They then confessed every thing and were conveyed to prison, until the
caliph should be informed of the matter, and give his orders
respecting the kind of death which they were to undergo. In the mean
time, however, they contrived to make their escape, either by bribing
their guards, or deceiving their vigilance, and concealed themselves
so carefully in Bagdad, that all search after them proved ineffectual.
Their property, however, was confiscated to the caliph, excepting a
small part which was bestowed upon me, by way of some compensation for
the robbery.
After this all my ambition consisted in living a quiet life with the
princess, with whom I was perfectly united in love and affection. My
constant prayer to Heaven was, that such a state of felicity might be
continued to us; but alas! how vain are the wishes and hopes of man,
who is never destined to enjoy unruffled repose for a long time, but
whose existence is continually disturbed by contending cares and
sorrows! Returning home one evening from partaking of an entertainment
with some friends, I knocked at the door of my house, but could get no
one to admit me, although I knocked loudly and repeatedly. I was
surprised at this, and began to form the gloomiest conjectures. I
redoubled my knocks at the door, but no slave came to admit me. What
can have happened? I thought; can this be some new misfortune that has
befallen me? Such were my surmises. At the noise I made several
neighbours came out of their houses, and being as astonished as myself
at none of the domestics appearing, we broke open the door, and on
entering found my slaves lying on the floor, with their throats cut,
and weltering in their blood. We passed from them to Zelica's
apartment, and here another frightful spectacle presented itself, for
we found both Schapour and Cale-Cairi stretched lifeless on the
ground, bathed in their blood. I called on Zelica, but received no
reply. I searched every room and corner in the house, but without
finding her. Such a blow was too much for me, and I sank back in a
swoon in the arms of my neighbours. Happy would it have been for me
had the angel of death at that moment borne me away; but no! it was
the will of Heaven that I should live to see the full horror of my
fate.
When my neighbours by their attentions had succeeded in recalling me
to life, I asked how it was possible that so terrible a slaughter
could have taken place in my house, and not the slightest sound of it
have been heard by them. They replied that they were as astonished as
I was at the circumstance. I then ran to the cadi, who despatched his
nayb[13] into all the surrounding country with all his asas[14], but
their inquiries were fruitless, and every one formed his own
conjecture respecting this horrible tragedy. As for myself, I
believed, as well as many others, that my former partners were the
perpetrators of the crime. My grief was so intense that I fell ill,
and continued in a languishing state at Bagdad for a long time. When I
recovered I sold my house, and went to reside at Mossoul, carrying
with me the wreck of my fortune. I adopted this course because I had a
relation there of whom I was extremely fond, and who belonged to the
household of the grand vizir of the king of Mossoul. My relation
received me very cordially, and in a short time I became known to the
minister, who, thinking that he saw in me good business talents, gave
me some employment. I endeavoured to discharge effectively the duties
entrusted to me, and I had the good fortune to succeed. His
satisfaction with me daily increased, and I became insensibly
initiated into the most secret state affairs, the weight of which I
even assisted him to bear. In a few years this minister died, and the
king, who was perhaps too partial to me, appointed me to his place,
which I filled for two years, to the satisfaction of the king, and the
contentment of the people. To mark, also, how much he was pleased with
my conduct as minister, he first gave me the name of Atalmulc. And now
envy soon began to be excited against me. Some of the chief nobles
became my secret enemies, and plotted my ruin. The better to secure
their ends, they instilled suspicions respecting me into the mind of
the prince of Mossoul, who, being influenced by their unfavourable
insinuations, asked the king, his father, to deprive me of power. The
king at first refused, but yielded at last to the urgent requests of
his son. I thereupon left Mossoul, and came to Damascus, where I had
soon the honour of being presented to your majesty.
I have now related to you, sire, the history of my life, and the cause
of the deep grief in which I seem to be buried. The abduction of
Zelica is ever present to my mind, and renders me insensible to every
kind of pleasure. If I could learn that she was no more in life, I
might, perhaps, lose the recollection of her, as I did before; but the
uncertainty of her fate brings her ever back to my memory, and
constantly feeds my grief.
CONTINUATION OF THE STORY OF KING BEDREDDIN-LOLO AND HIS VIZIR.
When the vizir Atalmulc had concluded the recital of his adventures,
the king said to him:
"I am no longer surprised at your melancholy, for you have, indeed,
good reason for it; but every one has not, like you, lost a princess,
and you are wrong in thinking that there is not one man in the world
who is perfectly satisfied with his condition."
For the purpose of proving to his grand vizir that there are men in
this state, the king of Damascus said, one day, to his favourite
Seyf-Elmulouk, "Go into the city, walk before the shop of the
artisans, and bring me here immediately the man who seems the gayest
of the gay." The favourite obeyed, and returned to Bedreddin in a few
hours. "Well," said the monarch, "have you done what I commanded you?"
"Yes, sire," replied the favourite, "I passed in front of several
shops, and saw all descriptions of workmen who sung while at their
various occupations, and seemed quite contented with their lot. I
noticed one among them, a young weaver, named Malek, who laughed with
his neighbours till I thought he would have split his sides, and I
stopped to have some chat with him. 'Friend,' I said, 'you appear to
be very merry.' 'Yes,' he replied, 'it is my way: I don't encourage
melancholy.' I asked his neighbours if it was true that he was of such
a happy turn of mind, and they all assured me that he did nothing but
laugh from morning till night. I then told him to follow me, and I
have brought him to the palace. He is now at hand: does your majesty
wish him to be introduced to your presence?"
"By all means," replied the king, "bring him here, for I wish to speak
with him."
Seyf-Elmulouk immediately left the king's cabinet and returned in an
instant, followed by a good-looking young man, whom the favourite
presented to the king. The weaver threw himself down at the monarch's
feet, who said to him, "Rise, Malek, and tell me truly if you are as
happy as you seem to be: I am told you do nothing but laugh and sing
the live-long day while at your work: you are thought to be the
happiest man in my dominions, and there is reason to believe that such
is really the case. Tell me whether or not this is a correct judgment,
and if you are contented with your condition. This is a matter that I
am concerned to know; and I desire that you will speak without
disguise."
"Great king," replied the weaver, standing up, "may your majesty's
days last to the end of the world, and be interwoven with a thousand
delights, unmixed with the slightest misfortune. Excuse your slave
from satisfying your curiosity. If it is forbidden to lie to kings, it
must also be owned that there are truths that we dare not reveal. I
can only say that a false idea is entertained respecting me: in spite
of my laughter and songs, I am perhaps the most unfortunate of men. Be
contented with this avowal, sire, and do not compel me to relate my
misfortunes to you."
"I am resolved to have them," replied the king. "Why should you be
afraid to tell them? Are they not creditable to you?"
"Of this your majesty must judge," replied the weaver. "I had resolved
to keep them to myself, but since it is necessary I will proceed with
my story."
The weaver then began as follows:--
THE STORY OF MALEK AND THE PRINCESS SCHIRINE.
I am the only son of a merchant of Surat, who left me at his death
considerable wealth, most of which I squandered away in a very short
time. I was nearly at the end of my property, when one day a stranger,
who was going to the island of Serendib, happened to be dining with
me. The conversation turned on voyages and travels: some who were
present praised the advantages and the pleasure attending them, and
others expatiated on their dangers. Among the guests there were a few
persons who had travelled extensively, and who gave us detailed
accounts of their experience in this adventurous kind of life. Between
their accounts of the strange and curious scenes which they had
witnessed and of the dangers which they had encountered, my mind was
kept in suspense, as I conceived a strong desire to travel, and yet
felt afraid of the accompanying risks. After listening to all that was
related, I remarked:
"It is impossible to hear your striking account of the pleasure
experienced by you in travelling over the world without feeling a
strong wish to travel also; but the dangers to which a traveller is
exposed deprive me of all inclination for visiting foreign countries.
If it were possible," I added, smiling, "to go from one end of the
earth to the other, without meeting with any bad accident by the way,
I would leave Surat to-day."
These words excited universal laughter, but the stranger before
alluded to remarked:
"O Malek! if you have a desire to travel, and if nothing prevents you
but the fear of encountering robbers and other dangers, I will teach
you whenever you have a mind, a method of travelling at your pleasure,
and without peril, from one kingdom to another."
I thought he was joking, but after dinner he took me aside, and told
me that he would pay me a visit the following morning and show me
something extraordinary. He was true to his word, for the next day he
came to see me, and said, "I mean to keep my promise, but some days
must elapse before you can see the effect, for what I have to show you
is a piece of workmanship which cannot be constructed in a day. Send
therefore for a carpenter; let one of your slaves go for him, and let
them both return with planks and other materials according to this
list." I immediately complied with his request. When the slave and the
carpenter returned, the stranger directed the latter to construct a
box in the form of a bird, six feet in length and four in breadth, the
upper part open, so as to admit a man to sit in it. The artisan
immediately set to work, and the stranger on his part was not idle,
for he made or brought from his lodging several parts of the machine,
such as wings, wheels, and springs. For several days the carpenter and
he worked together, and afterwards the former was dismissed, while the
stranger spent one day in putting together the machinery and finishing
the work.
At length on the sixth day the box was finished, and covered with a
Persian carpet. I observed that in this box there were several
apertures, as well to admit air as to serve for look-outs. At the
stranger's desire I then ordered some of my slaves to carry it into
the country, whither I followed with the stranger. When we arrived at
the spot he said to me, "Send away your slaves and let no one be here
but ourselves. I do not wish to have other persons present beside
yourself to see what I am about to do."
I ordered my slaves to return home, while I remained alone with the
stranger. I was very anxious to know what he intended to do with this
machine, and eagerly watched his movements. He removed the carpet, and
stepped inside. In a moment the box began to ascend above the earth
and soared into the sky with incredible swiftness, carrying him
rapidly to a great distance in the clouds; before I had recovered from
my astonishment he was down again on the ground. I cannot express to
you my amazement at witnessing this miracle of art.
"You behold," said the stranger to me, as he stepped out of the
machine, "a very quiet carriage, and you must admit that in travelling
in it there is no fear of being robbed on the journey. This is the
method I spoke of, and I now make you a present of the machine to be
employed by you if ever you should take a fancy to visit foreign
countries. Do not suppose that there is any magic or black art in what
you have seen: it is neither by cabalistic words nor by virtue of a
talisman that the box rises above the earth: its motion is produced
merely by an ingenious adaptation of machinery. I am perfectly
conversant with the mechanical arts, and know how to construct other
machines quite as surprising as this one."
I thanked the stranger for such a rare gift, and as a mark of my
gratitude presented him with a purse of sequins. I then requested him
to instruct me how to set the machine in motion. "It is very easily
done," he said, and requested me to step into the box along with him:
he then touched a spring and we immediately mounted up into the air;
when there, he next showed me how to steer the machine. "By turning
this screw," he said, "you will go to the right, and that other screw
will take you to the left; by touching this spring you will ascend,
and the same operation applied to another spring will cause you to
descend." I wanted to make the experiment myself: I turned the screws
and touched the springs, and the machine, obedient to my hand, went
whither I pleased; I quickened its movements, or slackened them, just
as I wished. After having taken several turns in the air, we directed
our flight towards my house and alighted in the garden.
We reached home before my slaves, who were astonished beyond measure
when they found we had returned. I shut up the box in my room, where I
watched it more carefully than any heap of gold; and the stranger
departed as well satisfied with me as I was with him. I continued to
amuse myself in the society of my friends until I had eaten and drunk
all my fortune--was compelled to borrow money, and eventually got over
head and ears in debt. As soon as it was known in Surat that I was a
ruined man, I lost all credit; no one would trust me, and my creditors
being impatient to get their money, sent me summonses to pay them.
Finding myself almost penniless, and consequently exposed to all kinds
of insults and mortifications, I had recourse to my machine, and
dragging it out one night from my room into the open air, I stepped
into it, taking with me some provisions and the little money I had
left. I touched the spring which caused the machine to ascend; and
then moving one of the screws, I turned my back upon Surat and my
creditors, without any fear of their sending the officers after me. I
put on as much propelling power as possible all night, and it seemed
to me that my flight was swifter than the winds. At daybreak I looked
out of one of the apertures in the carpet to see whereabouts I was. I
could see nothing but mountains, precipices, a barren country, and a
frightful desert. Wherever I looked I could discover no signs of human
habitations. During all that day and the following night I continued
my aerial tour, and next day I found myself above a very thick wood,
near which was a fine city situated in an extensive plain. I stopped
here in order to take a view of the city, as well as of a magnificent
palace which I saw at some distance from it at the extremity of the
plain. I was extremely anxious to know where I was, and began to
ponder in what way I could satisfy my curiosity, when I observed a
peasant at work in a field. I descended in the wood, left my box
there, and going up to the labourer, asked the name of the city.
"Young man," he replied, "it is easy to see that you are a stranger,
since you do not know that this is the renowned city of Gazna, where
the just and valiant king Bahaman resides."
"And who lives," I asked, "in the palace at the end of the plain?"
"The king of Gazna," he replied, "has built it in order to keep his
daughter, the princess Schirine, shut up there; for the princess's
horoscope declares that she is threatened with being deceived by a
man. Bahaman, for the purpose of evading this predicted danger, has
erected this palace, which is built of marble, and surrounded by a
deep ditch. The gate is formed of Indian steel, and while the king
himself keeps the key, a numerous body of troops keep watch round it
day and night to prevent any man from gaining entrance. The king goes
once a week to see his daughter, and then returns to Gazna. Schirine's
only companions in the palace are a governess and a few female
slaves."
I thanked the peasant for his information, and directed my steps
towards the city. When I was near to it, I heard the noise of an
approaching multitude, and soon espied a vast crowd of horsemen
magnificently attired, and mounted on very fine horses richly
caparisoned. I perceived in the midst of this splendid cavalcade a
tall individual, with a crown of gold on his head, and whose dress was
covered with diamonds. I concluded that this person was the king of
Gazna, going to visit the princess his daughter; and, in fact, I
learned in the city that my conjecture was correct.
After having made the circuit of the city, and somewhat satisfied my
curiosity, I bethought me of my machine; and although I had left it in
a spot which seemed to promise security, I became uneasy on its
account. I left Gazna and had no peace of mind until I reached the
place where I had left the box, which I found quite safe. I then
became tranquil, and partook with a good appetite of the food which I
had brought with me, and as night was coming on, I resolved to pass it
in the wood. I had reason to hope that a profound sleep would soon
overpower me, for latterly my debts, as well as the general
complication of my affairs, had naturally caused me much uneasiness
and many sleepless nights: but my wishes were in vain, I could not
sleep; for what the peasant had told me respecting the princess
Schirine was constantly present to my mind. The more I thought of her
and her peculiar situation, the more did I become possessed with the
desire of effecting an interview; at length my inclinations became
ungovernable, and I resolved to convey myself to the roof of the
princess's palace and endeavour to obtain an entrance into her
chamber. "Perhaps," thought I, "I may have the happiness to please
her, perhaps to dispel the _ennui_ she must suffer under: perhaps even
I may be the mortal whose fortunate audacity was foretold by the
astrologers." I was young and consequently thoughtless, and I was not
deficient in courage, or such a scheme would not have occurred to me.
However, having formed the rash resolution, I instantly proceeded to
execute it. I raised myself up in the air and steered my machine in
the direction of the palace: the night was as dark as I could wish. I
passed without being seen over the heads of the soldiers, who were
dispersed around the palace fosse, keeping watch, and descended on the
roof near a spot where I saw a light; quitting my box I then slipped
in at a window which had been left open to admit the cool night
breeze. The room was furnished with the utmost magnificence; and I
saw, reposing in slumber on a sofa, a young lady who, from the
splendour and luxury with which she was surrounded, I could not doubt
was the princess Schirine herself. I gazed for some time on her and
found her to be of such dazzling beauty as exceeded the highest idea I
had formed of her. I drew nearer in order to gaze upon her more
intently: I could not, without an overwhelming emotion of rapture,
contemplate such charms. I was quite overcome; and hardly knowing what
I was about, knelt down beside her to kiss one of her beautiful hands.
She awoke at that instant, and seeing a man near her, though in an
attitude of respect which need have excited no alarm, uttered a cry
which soon brought her governess, who slept in an adjoining room.
"Help, Mahpeiker!" exclaimed the princess: "here is a man! how was it
possible for him to get into my room? You must surely have admitted
him, and are an accomplice in his crime."
"I his accomplice!" exclaimed the governess: "the bare idea is an
insult to me! I am as astonished as you can be, to see here this rash
young man. Besides, if I had even been inclined to favour him in his
bold attempt, how was it possible for me to deceive the vigilance of
the guards who keep watch around the palace? You know also that there
are twenty gates of burnished steel to be opened before any person can
get in here; the seal royal is on every lock, and the king, your
father, keeps the keys. I cannot imagine how this young man has been
able to overcome all these obstacles."
All this time I remained kneeling, overwhelmed with confusion: the
governess's long speech, however, gave me time to collect my thoughts,
and it occurred to me that I would endeavour to persuade them that I
was a being of a superior order.
"Beautiful princess," I said to Schirine, rising from my knee and
making her a profound obeisance, "do not be surprised at seeing me
here. I am not a lover who lavishes gold, and resorts to nefarious
tricks to accomplish his wishes; far be from me any unworthy
intention: I have not a wish at which your virtuous mind need be
ashamed. Know then that I am the king of the genii: for a long time I
have been aware of your singular position, and could not without
pitying you see you condemned to pass your best days in a prison. I am
come here to throw myself at your feet, and to ask you in marriage
from Bahaman: as my bride it will be in my power to shield you from
the danger alluded to by the prediction which has terrified your
father. Deign, therefore, beautiful princess, to look kindly on my
suit, and then let both your father and yourself be at rest respecting
your future fate, which cannot fail to be both glorious and happy; for
as soon as the news of your marriage is spread abroad in the world,
all the kings of the earth will stand in awe of the father-in-law of
so powerful a monarch, and every princess will envy your fate."
Schirine and her governess looked at each other during this speech as
if desirous of consulting together whether they should give credit to
it. I confess I had reason to believe that they would give no heed to
such a fable, but women are fond of the wonderful, and both Mahpeiker
and her mistress believed me.