from his mother and, betaking himself to Calamity Ahmad, kissed his
hand. Quoth the captain, "What aileth thee, O Aslan?" and quoth he, "I
know now for certain that my father was Ali al-Din Abu al-Shamat and I
would have thee take my blood-revenge on his murderer." He asked, "And
who was thy father's murderer?" whereto Aslan answered, "Ahmad Kamakim
the arch-thief." "Who told thee this?" enquired he, and Aslan rejoined,
"I saw in his hand the jewelled lanthorn which was lost with the rest
of the Caliph's gear, and I said to him, 'Give me this lanthorn!' but
he refused, saying, 'Lives have been lost on account of this'; and told
me it was he who had broken into the palace and stolen the articles and
deposited them in my father's house." Then said Ahmad al-Danaf, "When
thou seest the Emir Khбlid don his harness of war, say to him, 'Equip
me like thyself and take me with thee.' Then do thou go forth and
perform some feat of prowess before the Commander of the Faithful, and
he will say to thee, 'Ask a boon of me, O Aslan!' And do thou make
answer, 'I ask of thee this boon, that thou take my blood-revenge on my
father's murderer.' If he say, 'Thy father is yet alive and is the Emir
Khбlid, the Chief of the Police'; answer thou, 'My father was Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat, and the Emir Khбlid hath a claim upon me only as
the foster-father who adopted me.' Then tell him all that passed
between thee and Ahmad Kamakim and say, 'O Prince of True Believers,
order him to be searched and I will bring the lanthorn forth from his
bosom.'" Thereupon said Aslan to him, "I hear and obey;" and, returning
to the Emir Khбlid, found him making ready to repair to the Caliph's
court and said to him, "I would fain have thee arm and harness me like
thyself and take me with thee to the Divan." So he equipped him and
carried him thither. Then the Caliph sallied forth of Baghdad with his
troops and they pitched tents and pavilions without the city; whereupon
the host divided into two parties and forming ranks fell to playing
Polo, one striking the ball with the mall, and another striking it back
to him. Now there was among the troops a spy, who had been hired to
slay the Caliph; so he took the ball and smiting it with the bat drove
it straight at the Caliph's face, when behold, Aslan fended it off and
catching it drove it back at him who smote it, so that it struck him
between the shoulders and he fell to the ground. The Caliph exclaimed,
"Allah bless thee, O Aslan!" and they all dismounted and sat on chairs.
Then the Caliph bade them bring the smiter of the ball before him and
said, "Who tempted thee to do this thing and art thou friend or foe?"
Quoth he, "I am thy foe and it was my purpose to kill thee." Asked the
Caliph "And wherefore? Art not a Moslem?" Replied the spy; "No' I am a
Rejecter.''[FN#113] So the Caliph bade them put him to death and said
to Aslan, "Ask a boon of me." Quoth he, "I ask of thee this boon, that
thou take my blood-revenge on my father's murderer." He said, "Thy
father is alive and there he stands on his two feet." "And who is he?"
asked Aslan, and the Caliph answered, "He is the Emir Khбlid, Chief of
Police." Rejoined Aslan, "O Commander of the Faithful, he is no father
of mine, save by right of fosterage; my father was none other than Ala
al-Din Abu al Shamat." "Then thy father was a traitor," cried the
Caliph. "Allah forbid, O Commander of the Faithful," rejoined Aslan,
"that the 'Trusty' should be a traitor! But how did he betray thee?"
Quoth the Caliph, "He stole my habit and what was therewith." Aslan
retorted, "O Commander of the Faithful, Allah forfend that my father
should be a traitor! But, O my lord, when thy habit was lost and found
didst thou likewise recover the lanthorn which was stolen from thee?"
Answered the Caliph, "We never got it back," and Aslan said, "I saw it
in the hands of Ahmad Kamakim and begged it of him; but he refused to
give it me, saying, 'Lives have been lost on account of this.' Then he
told me of the sickness of Habzalam Bazazah, son of the Emir Khбlid, by
reason of his passion for the damsel Jessamine, and how he himself was
released from bonds and that it was he who stole the habit and the
lamp: so do thou, O Commander of the Faithful, take my blood-revenge
for my father on him who murdered him." At once the Caliph cried,
"Seize ye Ahmad Kamakim!" and they seized him, whereupon he asked,
"Where be the Captain, Ahmad al-Danaf?" And when he was summoned the
Caliph bade him search Kamakim; so he put his hand into the thief's
bosom and pulled out the lanthorn. Said the Caliph, "Come hither, thou
traitor: whence hadst thou this lanthorn?" and Kamakim replied, "I
bought it, O Commander of the Faithful!" The Caliph rejoined, "Where
didst thou buy it?" Then they beat him till he owned that he had stolen
the lanthorn, the habit and the rest, and the Caliph said "What moved
thee to do this thing O traitor, and ruin Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty and Faithful?" Then he bade them lay hands on him and on the
Chief of Police, but the Chief said, "O Commander of the Faithful,
indeed I am unjustly treated thou badest me hang him, and I had no
knowledge of this trick, for the plot was contrived between the old
woman and Ahmad Kamakim and my wife. I crave thine
intercession,[FN#114] O Aslan." So Aslan interceded for him with the
Caliph, who said, "What hath Allah done with this youngster's mother?"
Answered Khбlid, "She is with me," and the Caliph continued, "I command
that thou order thy wife to dress her in her own clothes and ornaments
and restore her to her former degree, a lady of rank; and do thou
remove the seals from Ala al-Din's house and give his son possession of
his estate." "I hear and obey," answered Khбlid; and, going forth, gave
the order to his wife who clad Jessamine in her own apparel; whilst he
himself removed the seals from Ala al-Din's house and gave Aslan the
keys. Then said the Caliph, "Ask a boon of me, O Aslan;" and he
replied, "I beg of thee the boon to unite me with my father." Whereat
the Caliph wept and said, "Most like thy sire was he that was hanged
and is dead; but by the life of my forefathers, whoso bringeth me the
glad news that he is yet in the bondage of this life, I will give him
all he seeketh!" Then came forward Ahmad al-Danaf and, kissing the
ground between his hands, said, "Grant me indemnity, O Commander of the
Faithful!" "Thou hast it," answered the Caliph; and Calamity Ahmad
said, "I give thee the good news that Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty, the Faithful, is alive and well." Quoth the Caliph "What is
this thou sayest?" Quoth Al-Danaf, "As thy head liveth I say sooth; for
I ransomed him with another, of those who deserved death; and carried
him to Alexandria, where I opened for him a shop and set him up as a
dealer in second hand goods." Then said the Prince of True
Believers,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
ordered Calamity Ahmad, saying, "I charge thee fetch him to me;" and
the other replied, "To hear is to obey;" whereupon the Caliph bade them
give him ten thousand gold pieces and he fared forth for Alexandria. On
this wise it happed with Aslan; but as regards his father, Ala al-Din
Abu al-Shamat, he sold in course of time all that was in his shop
excepting a few things and amongst them a long bag of leather. And
happening to shake the bag there fell out a jewel which filled the palm
of the hand, hanging to a chain of gold and having many facets but
especially five, whereon were names and talismanic characters, as they
were ant-tracks. So he rubbed each face; but none answered him[FN#115]
and he said to himself, "Doubtless it is a piece of variegated onyx;"
and then hung it up in the shop. And behold, a Consul[FN#116] passed
along the street; and, raising his eyes, saw the jewel hanging up; so
he seated himself over against the shop and said to Ala al-Din, "O my
lord, is the jewel for sale?" He answered, "All I have is for sale."
Thereupon the Frank said, "Wilt thou sell me that same for eighty
thousand dinars?" "Allah open!" replied Ala al-Din. The Frank asked,
"Wilt thou sell it for an hundred thousand dinars?", and he answered,
"I sell it to thee for a hundred thousand dinars; pay me down the
monies." Quoth the Consul, "I cannot carry about such sum as its price,
for there be robbers and sharpers in Alexandria; but come with me to my
ship and I will pay thee the price and give thee to boot a bale of
Angora wool, a bale of satin, a bale of velvet and a bale of
broadcloth." So Ala al-Din rose and locked up his shop, after giving
the jewel to the Frank, and committed the keys to his neighbour,
saying, "Keep these keys in trust for me, whilst I go with this Consul
to his ship and return with the price of my jewel. If I be long absent
and there come to thee Ahmad al-Danaf, the Captain who stablished me in
this shop, give him the keys and tell him where I am." Then he went
with the Consul to his ship and no sooner had he boarded it than the
Prank set him a stool and, making him sit down, said to his men, "Bring
the money." So they brought it and he paid him the price of the jewel
and gave him the four bales he had promised him and one over; after
which he said to him, "O my lord, honour me by accepting a bite or a
sup." And Ala al-Din answered, "If thou have any water, give me to
drink." So the Frank called for sherbets and they brought drink drugged
with Bhang, of which no sooner had Ala al-Din drunk, than he fell over
on his back; whereupon they stowed away the chairs and shipped the
shoving-poles and made sail. Now the wind blew fair for them till it
drove them into blue water, and when they were beyond sight of land the
Kaptбn[FN#117] bade bring Ala al-Din up out of the hold and made him
smell the counter-drug of Bhang; whereupon he opened his eyes and said,
"Where am I?" He replied, "Thou art bound and in my power and if thou
hadst said, Allah open! to an hundred thousand dinars for the jewel, I
would have bidden thee more." "What art thou?" asked Ala al-Din, and
the other answered, "I am a sea-captain and mean to carry thee to my
sweetheart." Now as they were talking, behold, a strip hove in sight
carrying forty Moslem merchants; so the Frank captain attacked the
vessel and made fast to it with grappling-irons; then he boarded it
with his men and took it and plundered it; after which he sailed on
with his prize, till he reached the city of Genoa. There the Kaptan,
who was carrying off Ala al-Din, landed and repaired to a palace whose
pastern gave upon the sea, and behold, there came down to him a damsel
in a chin-veil who said, "Hast thou brought the jewel and the owner?"
"I have brought them both," answered he; and she said, "Then give me
the jewel." So he gave it to her; and, returning to the port, fired his
cannon to announce his safe return; whereupon the King of the city,
being notified of that Kaptan's arrival, came down to receive him and
asked him, "How hath been this voyage?" He answered, "A right
prosperous one, and while voyaging I have made prize of a ship with
one-and-forty Moslem merchants." Said the King, "Land them at the
port:" so he landed the merchants in irons and Ala al-Din among the
rest; and the King and the Kaptan mounted and made the captives walk
before them till they reached the audience-chamber, when the Franks
seated themselves and caused the prisoners to pass in parade order, one
by one before the King who said to the first, "O Moslem, whence comest
thou?" He answered, "From Alexandria;" whereupon the King said, "O
headsman, put him to death." So the sworder smote him with the sword
and cut off his head: and thus it fared with the second and the third,
till forty were dead and there remained but Ala al-Din, who drank the
cup of his comrades' sighs and agony and said to himself, "Allah have
mercy on thee, O Ala al-Din Thou art a dead man." Then said the King to
him, "And thou, what countryman art thou?" He answered, "I am of
Alexandria," and the King said, "O headsman, strike off his head." So
the sworder raised arm and sword, and was about to strike when behold,
an old woman of venerable aspect presented herself before the King, who
rose to do her honour, and said to him, "O King, did I not bid thee
remember, when the Captain came back with captives, to keep one or two
for the convent, to serve in the church?" The King replied, "O my
mother, would thou hadst come a while earlier! But take this one that
is left." So she turned to Ala al-Din and said to him, "Say, wilt thou
serve in the church, or shall I let the King slay thee?" Quoth he, "I
will serve in the church." So she took him and carried him forth of the
court and went to the church, where he said to her, "What service must
I do?" She replied, "Thou must rise with the dawn and take five mules
and go with them to the forest and there cut dry fire-wood and saw it
short and bring it to the convent-kitchen. Then must thou take up the
carpets and sweep and wipe the stone and marble pavements and lay the
carpets down again, as they were; after which thou must take two
bushels and a half of wheat and bolt it and grind it and knead it and
make it into cracknels[FN#118] for the convent; and thou must take also
a bushel of lentils[FN#119] and sift and crush and cook them. Then must
thou fetch water in barrels and fill the four fountains; after which
thou must take three hundred and threescore and six wooden bowls and
crumble the cracknels therein and pour of the lentil-pottage over each
and carry every monk and patriarch his bowl." Said Ala al-Din,[FN#120]
"Take me back to the King and let him kill me, it were easier to me
than this service." Replied the old woman, "If thou do truly and
rightly the service that is due from thee thou shalt escape death; but,
if thou do it not, I will let the King kill thee." And with these words
Ala al-Din was left sitting heavy at heart. Now there were in the
church ten blind cripples, and one of them said to him, "Bring me a
pot." So he brought it him and he cacked and eased himself therein and
said, "Throw away the ordure." He did so, and the blind man said, "The
Messiah's blessing be upon thee, O servant of the church!" Presently
behold, the old woman came in and said to him, "Why hast thou not done
thy service in the church?" Answered he, "How many hands have I, that I
should suffice for all this work?" She rejoined, 'Thou fool, I brought
thee not hither except to work;" and she added, "Take, O my son, this
rod (which was of copper capped with a cross) and go forth into the
highway and, when thou meetest the governor of the city, say to him, 'I
summon thee to the service of the church, in the name of our Lord the
Messiah.' And he will not disobey thee. Then make him take the wheat,
sift, grind, bolt, knead, and bake it into cracknels; and if any
gainsay thee, beat him and fear none." "To hear is to obey," answered
he and did as she said, and never ceased pressing great and small into
his service; nor did he leave to do thus for the space of seventeen
years. Now one day as he sat in church, lo! the old woman came to him
and said, "Go forth of the convent." He asked, "Whither shall I go?"
and she answered, "Thou canst pass the night in a tavern or with one of
thy comrades." Quoth he, "Why dost thou send me forth of the church?"
and quote she, "The Princess Husn Maryam, daughter of Yohannб,[FN#121]
King of this city, purposeth to visit the church and it befitteth not
that any abide in her way." So he made a show of obeying her orders and
rose up and pretended that he was leaving the church; but he said in
his mind, "I wonder whether the Princess is like our women or fairer
than they! At any rate I will not go till I have had a look at her." So
he hid himself in a closet with a window looking into the church and,
as he watched, behold, in came the King's daughter. He cast at her one
glance of eyes that cost him a thousand sighs, for he found her like
the full moon when it cometh swimming out of the clouds; and he saw
with her a young lady,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Ala al-Din
looked at the King's daughter, he saw with her a young lady to whom he
heard her say, "Thy company hath cheered me, O Zubaydah." So he looked
straitly at the damsel and found her to be none other than his dead
wife, Zubaydah the Lutist. Then the Princess said to Zubaydah, "Come,
play us an air on the lute." But she answered, "I will make no music
for thee, till thou grant my wish and keep thy word to me." Asked the
Princess, "And what did I promise thee?"; and Zubaydah answered, "That
thou wouldst reunite me with my husband Ala al-Din Abu al-Shamat, the
Trusty, the Faithful." Rejoined the Princess, "O Zubaydah, be of good
cheer and keep thine eyes cool and clear; play us a piece as a
thank-offering and an ear-feast for reunion with thy husband Ala
al-Din." "Where is he?" asked Zubaydah, and Maryam answered, "He is in
yonder closet listening to our words." So Zubaydah played on the lute a
melody which had made a rock dance for glee; and when Ala al-Din heard
it, his bowels yearned towards her and he came forth from the closet
and, throwing himself upon his wife Zubaydah, strained her to his
bosom. She also knew him and the twain embraced and fell to the ground
in a swoon. Then came forward the Princess Husn Maryam and sprinkled
rose water on them, till they revived when she said to them, "Allah
hath reunited you." Replied Ala al-Din, "By thy kind of offices, O
lady." Then, turning to his wife, he said to her, "O Zubaydah, thou
didst surely die and we tombed thee in the tomb: how then returnedst
thou to life and camest thou to this place?" She answered, "O my lord,
I did not die; but an Aun[FN#122] of the Jinn snatched me up and dew
with me hither. She whom thou buriedst was a Jinniyah, who shaped
herself to my shape and feigned herself dead; but when you entombed her
she broke open the tomb and came forth from it and returned to the
service of this her mistress, the Princess Husn Maryam. As for me I was
possessed[FN#123] and, when I opened my eyes, I found myself with this
Princess thou seest; so I said to her, 'Why hast thou brought me
hither?' Replied she, 'I am predestined to marry thy husband, Ala
al-Din Abu al-Shamat: wilt thou then, O Zubaydah, accept me to
co-consort, a night for me and a night for thee?' Rejoined I, 'To hear
is to obey, O my lady, but where is my husband?' Quoth she, 'Upon his
forehead is written what Allah hath decreed to him; as soon as the
writing which is there writ is fulfilled to him, there is no help for
it but he come hither, and we will beguile the time of our separation
from him with songs and playing upon instruments of music, till it
please Allah to unite us with him.' So I abode all these days with her
till Allah brought us together in this church." Then Husn Maryam turned
to him and said, "O my lord, Ala al-Din, wilt thou be to me baron and I
be to thee femme?" Quoth he, "O my lady, I am a Moslem and thou art a
Nazarene; so how can I intermarry with thee?" Quoth she, "Allah forbid
that I should be an infidel! Nay, I am a Moslemah; for these eighteen
years I have held fast the Faith of Al-Islam and I am pure of any creed
other than that of the Islamite." Then said he, "O my lady, I desire a
return to my native land;" and she replied, "Know that I see written on
thy forehead things which thou must needs accomplish, and then thou
shalt win to thy will. Moreover, be fief and fain, O Ala al-Din, that
there hath been born to thee a son named Aslan; who now being arrived
at age of discretion, sitteth in thy place with the Caliph. Know also
that Truth hath prevailed and that Falsehood naught availed; and that
the Lord hath withdrawn the curtain of secrecy from him who stole the
Caliph's goods, that is, Ahmad Kamakim the arch-thief and traitor; and
he now lieth bound and in jail. And know further 'twas I who sent thee
the jewel and had it put in the bag where thou foundest it, and 'twas I
who sent the captain that brought thee and the jewel; for thou must
know that the man is enamoured of me and seeketh my favours and would
possess me; but I refused to yield to his wishes or let him have his
will of me; and I said him, 'Thou shalt never have me till thou bring
me the jewel and its owner.' So I gave him an hundred purses and
despatched him to thee, in the habit of a merchant, whereas he is a
captain and a war-man; and when they led thee to thy death after
slaying the forty captives, I also sent thee this old woman to save
thee from slaughter." Said he, "Allah requite thee for us with all
good! Indeed thou hast done well." Then Husn Maryam renewed at his
hands her profession of Al-Islam; and, when he was assured of the truth
of her speech, he said to her, O my lady, tell me what are the virtues
of this jewel and whence cometh it?" She answered, "This jewel came
from an enchanted hoard, and it hath five virtues which will profit us
in time of need. Now my lady grandmother, the mother of my father, was
an enchantress and skilled in solving secrets and finding hidden
treasures from one of which came the jewel into her hands. And as I
grew up and reached the age of fourteen, I read the Evangel and other
books and I found the name of Mohammed (whom Allah bless and preserve!)
in the four books, namely the Evangel, the Pentateuch, the Psalms and
the Koran;[FN#124] so I believed in Mohammed and became a Moslemah,
being certain and assured that none is worship worth save Allah
Almighty, and that to the Lord of all mankind no faith is acceptable
save that of Al-Islam. Now when my lady-grandmother fell sick, she gave
me this jewel and taught me its five virtues. Moreover, before she
died, my father said to her, 'Take thy tablets of geomancy and throw a
figure, and tell us the issue of my affair and what will befal-me.' And
she foretold him that the far off one[FN#125] should die, slain by the
hand of a captive from Alexandria. So he swore to kill every prisoner
from that place and told the Kaptan of this, saying, 'There is no help
for it but thou fall on the ships of the Moslems and seize them and
whomsoever thou findest of Alexandria, kill him or bring him to me.'
The Captain did his bidding until he had slain as many in number as the
hairs of his head. Then my grandmother died and I took a geomantic
tablet, being minded and determined to know the future, and I said to
myself, 'Let me see who will wed me!' Whereupon I threw a figure and
found that none should be my husband save one called Ala al-Din Abu
al-Shamat, the Trusty, the Faithful. At this I marvelled and waited
till the times were accomplished and I foregathered with thee." So Ala
al-Din took her to wife and said to her, "I desire to return to my own
country." Quoth she, "If it be so, rise up and come with me." Then she
took him and, hiding him in a closet of her palace, went in to her
father, who said to her, "O my daughter, my heart is exceeding heavy
this day; sit down and let us make merry with wine, I and thou." So she
sat down with him and he called for a table of wine; and she plied him
till he lost his wits, when she drugged a cup with Bhang and he drank
it off and fell upon his back. Then she brought Ala al-Din out of the
closet and said to him, "Come; verily thine enemy lieth prostrate, for
I made him drunk and drugged him; so do thou with him as thou wilt."
Accordingly Ala al-Din went to the King and, finding him lying drugged
and helpless, pinioned him fast and manacled and fettered him with
chains. Then he gave him the counter-drug and he came to himself,—And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Two Hundred and Sixty-ninth Night,