KNOW, O Prince of the Faithful, that I am a King, the son of a King,
and one robbed of his heritage. My father's brother was also a King,
and his son, my cousin, was born on the same day as myself. We two
Princes were friends, and paid long visits to each other. On one
occasion, when I was staying with him, he made much of me, honouring
me with a rich banquet. When this was over, and we were alone, and the
wine had made us genial, he drew near to me, and said: "O my cousin, I
desire thine assistance in a matter that concerneth me greatly."
"I will serve thee without question, O son of my uncle," said I. But
he made me swear by the holiest oath that I would assist him in his
undertaking. Then, when he was satisfied, he left me for a little,
and returned with a beautiful young woman, dressed in the manner
of a queen. "Lead this woman before me," he said, "to the place of
sepulture, which thou knowest. Enter that place, and await my coming."
Wondering greatly, but questioning nothing, I led the woman forth, and
we waited for him among the tombs. Soon he came, bearing a bowl of
water, some plaster, and a pointed bar of iron. Approaching a certain
tomb, he dislodged the stones with the iron bar, and disclosed a vault
with a stairway descending into it. Then, addressing the woman, he
said: "Hast thou chosen?" And she replied, with a steady gaze, "Yea,
I have chosen." And she descended the stairway into the vault. Then
he said to me: "Cousin, farewell! for I too descend. Place the stones
together above us, and cement them with the plaster moistened with
the water, so that none can say, 'This vault is not as it should be.'
Farewell! And may thy head long survive mine!" With this, he descended
into the vault.
Bound by my oath, and like one compelled against his will, I did his
bidding, ceasing not until I had closed up the tomb in such a way that
none could tell it had been opened. But that night I was visited by
terrible dreams, which magnified the enormity of what I had done.
Repentance pricked me, and I arose, and went to the place of sepulture.
There I searched for the tomb, but alas! so cleverly had I done my work
that I could not trace it. All day long I sought it, but in vain; and,
when evening fell, I returned to the Palace burdened with grief and
remorse. Again my sleep was disturbed with dreams of horror, so that at
daybreak, repenting of my action still more keenly, I repaired a second
time to the burial place. But again my search was unsuccessful. And so
I continued for seven days, searching and calling out among the tombs,
but never could I find the place of my quest, nor from any tomb came
back an answer to my cry. At last, nearly mad with grief and remorse, I
left my uncle's palace to return to my father. But there fresh trouble
awaited me, for, no sooner had I entered the gates of the city, than
a party of guards sprang upon me, and bound me, and cast me into a
dungeon.
O Prince of the Faithful, imagine my despair. I was the son of the
King, and his servants had treated me in this manner. With anger I
enquired the cause of this, but none answered me. At last I saw one who
had been my own servant, and had received many benefits at my hands. I
put the question to him, and he replied: "O my master, thy father is
no more, for the Grand Vizier hath killed him, and now sitteth in his
place." At this I bowed my head in grief for my father, and despair for
my own life. And they led me before the Grand Vizier who had slain my
father.
Now this Vizier had never been my friend, especially after an accident
in which I was made instrumental by fate in depriving him of one of his
eyes. It happened in this way: One day I was using the cross-bow when
I saw a rare bird alight on the parapet of one of the windows in the
Vizier's palace. I shot at it, but the missile struck not the bird,
which was protected by Providence. Passing it narrowly it sped in at
the window, and, guided by destiny, struck out the eye of the Vizier.
My father being King the Vizier could do nothing against me, but the
malice and hatred with which he had always regarded me from two eyes
lost naught through being concentrated into one. No wonder then that
now, my father being dead, and I standing before this regicide, bound
and helpless, he fiercely commanded the executioner to strike off my
head.
[Illustration: The Prince meets a noble lady in the underground Palace.
Page 169]
"What is my offence?" I asked. "Offence!" he cried. "Is not this
offence enough?" and he pointed to the socket where his eye had been.
"That was done by accident," I said. "And this by design," he answered,
advancing swiftly and thrusting out my left eye. He then commanded me
to be bound, and placed in a chest, and when this was done, he said to
the Executioner: "Take this carrion, and convey it beyond the confines
of the city. There draw thy sword, and cut it in pieces, so that the
wild beasts may the more readily devour it."
Accordingly, the Executioner carried me forth upon a mule into the
desert, where he took me out of the chest, and was about to kill me,
when I implored him to spare my life, reminding him of the many kind
deeds my father and I had done to him and to others. He was moved by
my supplications, but shook his head, saying: "O my master, if I slay
not thee, the Vizier will slay me." "The Vizier is not here to see," I
said. "There is none here but thee and me."
He was silent for a little. Then he said: "Depart with thy life, and
return not to this country, lest both our lives be forfeit." When
he had said this, I thanked him, and kissed his hands; then, lest he
might change his mind, I fled from him, and ceased not to journey night
and day until I reached my uncle's palace. There I related to my uncle
all that had taken place, and he wept with excess of grief. "Woe cometh
on woe," he said, "for know that thy cousin, my son, hath gone from me,
and hath not returned for many days. None knoweth where he is, nor what
fate hath overtaken him. Nephew, thou hast lost a father, and one of
thine eyes; and now, woe is me! I have lost a brother, and an only son."
On witnessing his terrible grief I could no longer remain silent
regarding the disappearance of my cousin. I told him all. "By Allah!"
he cried, joyfully. "Where is this tomb of which thou speakest?" "Alas!
O my uncle," I replied; "I know not. I searched for it for many days,
but could not find it." On this my uncle commanded a company of workmen
to proceed to the burial place, and there, in our presence, they opened
tomb after tomb.
In this manner, on the evening of the second day, when a great number
of tombs had been opened and closed again, we came upon what we soon
discovered to be the right one. When the stones had been dislodged, my
uncle descended the stairway, and I followed. On reaching the bottom,
we were met by a blinding smoke. Enduring this, we found our way into
an apartment wherein was a table bearing food of many kinds. At the far
end of this apartment we found a curtain. My uncle drew this aside, and
we looked within upon a sight of horror. There, side by side upon a
couch, were the forms of my cousin and the lady, charred by fire, as if
they had been thrown into a furnace.
On seeing this terrible thing, my uncle uttered a loud cry, and spat
upon his dead son's face. "Wretch!" he exclaimed. "Thou art come into
thine own, and hast gone where worse awaits thee for this deed. May
thou never find forgiveness!" And he spat again upon the charred face.
"Wherefore, O my uncle?" I said. "Is not his state already grievous
enough that thou must invoke a worse fate upon him?"
"O son of my brother," he replied, "thou knowest not the sin of this
accursed. From his youth he was inflamed with love for his foster
sister, who now lies there upon the couch, and, in defiance of my will,
he persisted in and encouraged this passion. While they were children I
let it pass, saying, 'They are young: they will grow out of it.' But,
alas! when they came of age I discovered that they were both deeply
enamoured of each other. Then I took my son, and counselled him, and
bade him beware lest any act of his should bring us to dishonour, and
I told him that if such occurred, I would slay him with my own hand. I
then took steps to separate them, but who can lock love out? For when
he knew my will, he called the Devil to his purpose, and he entered and
took possession of them both. And so it was that he made this secret
place among the tombs wherein they met. But fire from Heaven consumed
them, as thou hast seen, and now they are further punished in the fires
of Iblis." Then he wept bitterly, and I covered my head, and wept with
him. And when at last he could speak, he said: "But his place shall be
filled by thee. Thou art now my son in his stead."
Long time we wept together there in the tomb by the side of the charred
bodies of the dead, for we had no lack of trouble upon our heads.
Then we arose, and ascended the stairway, and my uncle ordered the
workmen to replace the stones upon the tomb. Sadly we turned away, and
retraced our steps to my uncle's palace. There we were about to dispose
ourselves to rest when we heard unwonted sounds without--the tramp of
an advancing host; the clank of armour, and loud cries of dismay from
the populace. Drums beat and trumpets sounded; shrieks came out of
riot, and groans issued from the wake of galloping hoofs. Then came
a eunuch running, his face distorted, and his garb dishevelled. "The
City is lost!" he cried. "On a sudden, being taken unawares, it is
surrendered to the enemy. O King, thy brother's Vizier hath slain him,
and he hath now come hither with his army, and none can stand against
him."
At this, my uncle arose, and hastened forth; but I, knowing full well
what would happen to me if I fell into the Vizier's hands, remained,
and took thought on how I might escape unobserved by any of my father's
city. I could think of naught but to shave off my beard, and change my
clothes, thus disguising myself. This I did in all haste, and so made
my way through the turbulent crowds of people, and escaped.
Far, far to the North I knew was the City of Baghdad, the Abode of
Peace; and I bent my steps hither, for I said within myself, "There
abideth the Khalifeh, the Prince of the Faithful, and the King of
the Age. I will go and kneel at his feet, and humbly entreat him to
strike mine enemy, and restore to me my father's throne." And when I
arrived in this City some few hours since, it was night. I stood at
the cross roads, not knowing which way to turn, when one like myself,
a mendicant, drew nigh, and I saluted him. "I am a stranger," I said.
"Canst thou direct me to a khan for shelter?" And he replied, "I too
am a stranger, and would put the same question to thee." But lo, as I
looked at him, I saw that he was in like case with me, having lost his
left eye. I was about to question him on this, when a third mendicant
came out of the night, and accosted us. "By Allah!" cried the two of us
in a breath, "and thou too hast lost an eye!" "Verily," said he, "we
are all strangers one to another, but the stars have enmeshed us in
their network, and so have drawn us together with one purpose." "And
that is?" we asked. "To seek audience of the Khalifeh," he answered;
"for the tables of the stars have told me that I, a King, and the son
of a King, should meet in this City two others who, royal like myself,
have planned to seek the Khalifeh of the Lord of all creatures, craving
redress for wrongs."
And the three of us marvelled at this thing, and at the exact
computation of time and space in the mind of Destiny. And thus, from
strangers we speedily came to be friends, having a common object. Then,
proceeding forth together, we came at length to this house, where, by
the grace of these hospitable ladies, we relate our true stories as if
to the----
"As if?" cried Mesrur, grasping his sword, and clanking it on the table
before him.
"As if!" echoed Ja'far, springing from his seat with well-feigned
indignation.
"Silence!" cried Er-Rashid, rising in stately wrath. "O Calender, thy
story is good, but if thou wert about to say 'as if to the Khalifeh'
thou wert out of order. When I play a part, I play a part. I _am_ the
Khalifeh! The Prince of the Faithful! The King of the Age!"
The ladies laughed, with beaming eyes. The three Royal Calenders
yielded to the jest with winks and nods to one another; then, as the
porter grovelled the floor in mock obeisance to the Lord of the Earth,
the others followed in like spirit, and prostrated themselves in all
humility.
"Peace be on you!" said Er-Rashid. "Rise, and be seated! As for thee, O
Calender, thy case is extraordinary, and I will see to it that thou art
restored to thy throne. Now it is our royal will that ye proceed with
this entertainment."
At this, the second Calender advanced, and, having kissed the ground,
rose, and spoke as follows:--