various provinces and viceroyalties, when he observed that the
contributions of all the countries and regions had come into the
treasury, except that of Bassorah which had not arrived that year. So he
held a Divan because of this and said, “Hither to me with the Wazir
Ja’afar;” and when they brought him into the presence he thus bespoke
him, “The tributes of all the provinces have come into the treasury,
save that of Bassorah, no part whereof hath arrived.” Ja’afar replied,
“O Commander of the Faithful, belike there hath befallen the governor of
Bassorah something that hath diverted him from sending the tribute.”
Quoth the Caliph, “The time of the coming of the tribute was twenty days
ago; what then, can be his excuse for that, in this time, he hath
neither sent it nor sent to show cause for not doing so?” And quoth the
Minister, “O Commander of the Faithful, if it please thee, we will send
him a messenger.” Rejoined the Caliph, “Send him Abu Ishak
al-Mausili,[477] the boon companion,” and Ja’afar, “Hearkening and
obedience to Allah and to thee, O Prince of True Believers!” Then he
returned to his house and summoning Abu Ishak, wrote him a royal writ
and said to him, “Go to Abdullah bin Fazil, Viceroy of Bassorah, and see
what hath diverted him from sending the tribute. If it be ready, do thou
receive it from him in full and bring it to me in haste, for the Caliph
hath examined the tributes of the provinces and findeth that they are
all come in, except that of Bassorah: but an thou see that it is not
ready and he make an excuse to thee, bring him back with thee, that he
may report his excuse to the Caliph with his own tongue.” Answered Abu
Ishak, “I hear and I obey;” and taking with him five thousand horse of
Ja’afar’s host set out for Bassorah. Now when Abdullah bin Fazil heard
of his approach, he went out to meet him with his troops, and led him
into the city and carried him to his palace, whilst the escort encamped
without the city walls, where he appointed to them all whereof they
stood in need. So Abu Ishak entered the audience-chamber and sitting
down on the throne, seated the governor beside himself, whilst the
notables sat round him, according to their several degrees. After
salutation with the salam Abdullah bin Fazil said to him, “O my lord, is
there for thy coming to us any cause?;” and said Abu Ishak, “Yes, I come
to seek the tribute; for the Caliph enquireth of it and the time of its
coming is gone by.” Rejoined Abdullah bin Fazil, “O my lord, would
Heaven thou hadst not wearied thyself nor taken upon thyself the
hardships of the journey! For the tribute is ready in full tale and
complete, and I purpose to despatch it to-morrow. But, since thou art
come, I will entrust it to thee, after I have entertained thee three
days; and on the fourth day I will set the tribute between thine hands.
But it behoveth us now to offer thee a present in part requital of thy
kindness and the goodness of the Commander of the Faithful.” There is no
harm in that,” said Abu Ishak. So Abdullah bin Fazil dismissed the Divan
and carrying him into a saloon that had not its match, bade set a tray
of food before him and his companions. They ate and drank and made merry
and enjoyed themselves; after which the tray was removed and there came
coffee and sherbets. They sat conversing till a third part of the night
was past, when they spread for Abu Ishak bedding on an ivory couch
inlaid with gold glittering sheeny. So he lay down and the viceroy lay
down beside him on another couch; but wakefulness possessed Abu Ishak
and he fell to meditating on the metres of prosody and poetical
composition, for that he was one of the primest of the Caliph’s
boon-companions and he had a mighty fine fore-arm[478] in producing
verses and pleasant stories; nor did he leave to lie awake improvising
poetry till half the night was past. Presently, behold, Abdullah bin
Fazil arose, and girding his middle, opened a locker,[479] whence he
brought out a whip; then, taking a lighted waxen taper, he went forth by
the door of the saloon.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Abdullah bin
Fazil went forth by the door of the saloon deeming Abu Ishak asleep, the
Caliph’s cup-companion, seeing this, marvelled and said in himself,
“Whither wendeth Abdullah bin Fazil with that whip? Perhaps he is minded
to punish some body. But needs must I follow him and see what he will do
this night.” So he arose and went out after him softly, very softly,
that he might not be seen and presently saw him open a closet and take
thence a tray containing four dishes of meat and bread and a gugglet of
water. Then he went on, carrying the tray and secretly followed by Abu
Ishak, till he came to another saloon and entered, whilst the
cup-companion stood behind the door and, looking through the chink, saw
a spacious saloon, furnished with the richest furniture and having in
its midst a couch of ivory plated with gold glittering sheeny, to which
two dogs were made fast with chains of gold. Then Abdullah set down the
tray in a corner and tucking up his sleeves, loosed the first dog, which
began to struggle in his hands and put its muzzle to the floor, as it
would kiss the ground before him, whining the while in a weak voice.
Abdullah tied its paws behind its back and throwing it on the ground,
drew forth the whip and beat it with a painful beating and a pitiless.
The dog struggled, but could not get free, and Abdullah ceased not to
beat it with the same whip till it left groaning and lay without
consciousness. Then he took it and tied it up in its place, and
unbinding the second dog, did with him as he had done with the first;
after which he pulled out a kerchief and fell to wiping away their tears
and comforting them, saying, “Bear me not malice; for by Allah, this is
not of my will, nor is it easy to me! But it may be Allah will grant you
relief from this strait and issue from your affliction.” And he prayed
for the twain what while Abu Ishak the cup-companion stood hearkening
with his ears and espying with his eyes, and indeed he marvelled at his
case. Then Abdullah brought the dogs the tray of food and fell to
morselling them with his own hand, till they had enough, when he wiped
their muzzles and lifting up the gugglet, gave them to drink; after
which he took up the tray, gugglet and candle and made for the door. But
Abu Ishak forewent him and making his way back to his couch, lay down;
so that he saw him not, neither knew that he had walked behind him and
watched him. Then the governor replaced the tray and the gugglet in the
closet and returning to the saloon, opened the locker and laid the whip
in its place; after which he doffed his clothes and lay down. But Abu
Ishak passed the rest of that night pondering this affair neither did
sleep visit him for excess of wonderment, and he ceased not to say in
himself, “I wonder what can be the meaning of this!” Nor did he leave
wondering till day break, when they arose and prayed the dawn-prayer.
Then they set the breakfast[480] before them and they ate and drank
coffee, after which they went out to the divan. Now Abu Ishak’s thought
was occupied with this mystery all day long but he concealed the matter
and questioned not Abdullah thereof. Next night, he again followed the
governor and saw him do with the two dogs as on the previous night,
first beating them and then making his peace with them and giving them
to eat and to drink; and so also he did the third night. On the fourth
day he brought the tribute to Abu Ishak who took it and departed,
without opening the matter to him. He fared on, without ceasing, till he
came to Baghdad, where he delivered the tribute to the Caliph, who
questioned him of the cause of its delay. Replied he, “O Commander of
the Faithful, I found that the governor of Bassorah had made ready the
tribute and was about to despatch it; and had I delayed a day, it would
have met me on the road. But, O Prince of True Believers, I had a
wondrous adventure with Abdullah bin Fazil; never in my life saw I its
like.” “And what was it, O Abu Ishak?” asked the Caliph. So he replied,
“I saw such and such;” and, brief, acquainted him with that which the
governor had done with the two dogs, adding, “After such fashion, I saw
him do three successive nights, first beating the dogs, then making his
peace with them and comforting them and giving them to eat and drink, I
watching him, and he seeing me not.” Asked the Caliph, “Didst thou
question him of the cause of this?”; and the other answered, “No, as thy
head liveth, O Commander of the Faithful.” Then said Al-Rashid, “O Abu
Ishak, I command thee to return to Bassorah and bring me Abdullah bin
Fazil and the two dogs.” Quoth he, “O Commander of the Faithful, excuse
me from this; for indeed Abdullah entertained me with exceedingly
hospitable entertainment and I became ware of this case with chance
undesigned and acquainted thee therewith. So how can I go back to him
and bring him to thee? Verily, if I return to him, I shall find me no
face for shame of him; wherefore ’twere meet that thou send him another
than myself, with a letter under thine own hand, and he shall bring him
to thee, him and the two dogs.” But quoth the Caliph, “If I send him
other than thyself, peradventure he will deny the whole affair and say,
I’ve no dogs. But if I send thee and thou say to him, I saw them with
mine own eyes, he will not be able to deny that. Wherefore nothing will
serve but that thou go and fetch him and the two dogs; otherwise I will
surely slay thee.”[481]——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Eightieth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Caliph
Harun al-Rashid said to Abu Ishak, “Nothing will serve but that thou go
and fetch him and the two dogs; otherwise I will surely slay thee.” Abu
Ishak replied, “Hearing and obeying, O Commander of the Faithful: Allah
is our aidance and good is the Agent. He spake sooth who said, “Man’s
wrong is from the tongue;[482] and ’tis I who sinned against myself in
telling thee. But write me a royal rescript[483] and I will go to him
and bring him back to thee.” So the Caliph gave him an autograph and he
took it and repaired to Bassorah. Seeing him come in the governor said,
“Allah forfend us from the mischief of thy return, O Abu Ishak! How
cometh it I see thee return in haste? Peradventure the tribute is
deficient and the Caliph will not accept it?” Answered Abu Ishak, “O
Emir Abdullah, my return is not on account of the deficiency of the
tribute, for ’tis full measure and the Caliph accepteth it; but I hope
that thou wilt excuse me, for that I have failed in my duty as thy guest
and indeed this lapse of mine was decreed of Allah Almighty.” Abdullah
enquired, “And what may be the lapse?” and he replied, “Know that when I
was with thee, I followed thee three following nights and saw thee rise
at midnight and beat the dogs and return; whereat I marvelled, but was
ashamed to question thee thereof. When I came back to Baghdad, I told
the Caliph of thine affair, casually and without design, whereupon he
charged me to return to thee, and here is a letter under his hand. Had I
known that the affair would lead to this, I had not told him, but
Destiny foreordained thus.” And he went on to excuse himself to him;
whereupon said Abdullah, “Since thou hast told him this, I will bear out
thy report with him, lest he deem thee a liar, for thou art my friend.
Were it other than thou, I had denied the affair and given him the lie.
But now I will go with thee and carry the two dogs with me, though this
be to me ruin-rife and the ending of my term of life.” Rejoined the
other, “Allah will veil[484] thee, even as thou hast veiled my face with
the Caliph!” Then Abdullah took a present beseeming the Commander of the
Faithful and mounting the dogs with him, each on a camel, bound with
chains[485] of gold, journeyed with Abu Ishak to Baghdad, where he went
in to the Caliph and kissed ground before him. He deigned bid him sit;
so he sat down and brought the two dogs before Al-Rashid, who said to
him, “What be these dogs, O Emir Abdullah?” Whereupon they fell to
kissing the floor between his hands and wagging their tails and weeping,
as if complaining to him. The Caliph marvelled at this and said to the
governor, “Tell me the history of these two dogs and the reason of thy
beating them and after entreating them with honour.” He replied, “O
Vicar of Allah, these be no dogs, but two young men, endowed with beauty
and seemliness, symmetry and shapeliness, and they are my brothers and
the sons of my father and mother.” Asked the Caliph, “How is it that
they were men and are become dogs?”; and he answered, “An thou give me
leave, O Prince of True Believers, I will acquaint thee with the truth
of the circumstance.” Said Al-Rashid, “Tell me and ’ware of leasing, for
’tis of the fashion of the hypocrites, and look thou tell truth, for
that is the Ark[486] of safety and the mark of virtuous men.” Rejoined
Abdullah, “Know then, O viceregent of Allah, when I tell thee the story
of these dogs, they will both bear witness against me: an I speak sooth
they will certify it and if I lie they will give me the lie.” Cried the
Caliph, “These are of the dogs; they cannot speak nor answer; so how can
they testify for thee or against thee?” But Abdullah said to them, “O my
brothers, if I speak a lying word, do ye lift your heads and stare with
your eyes; but, if I say sooth hang down your heads and lower your
eyes.” Then said he to the Caliph:—Know, O Commander of the Faithful,
that we are three brothers by one mother and the same father. Our sire’s
name was Fazil and he was so named because his mother bare two sons at
one birth, one of whom died forthright and the other twin remained
alive, wherefore his sire named him Fazil—the Remainder. His father
brought him up and reared him well, till he grew to manhood when he
married him to our mother and died. Our mother conceived a first time
and bare this my first brother, whom our sire named Mansúr; then she
conceived again and bare this my second brother, whom he named
Násir[487]; after which she conceived a third time and bare me, whom he
named Abdullah. My father reared us all three till we came to man’s
estate, when he died, leaving us a house and a shop full of coloured
stuffs of all kinds, Indian and Greek and Khorásáni and what not,
besides sixty thousand dinars. We washed him and buried him to the ruth
of his Lord, after which we built him a splendid monument and let pray
for him prayers for the deliverance of his soul from the fire and held
perlections of the Koran and gave alms on his behalf, till the forty
days[488] were past; when I called together the merchants and nobles of
the folk and made them a sumptuous entertainment. As soon as they had
eaten, I said to them, “O merchants, verily this world is ephemeral, but
the next world is eternal, and extolled be the perfection of Him who
endureth always after His creatures have passed away! Know ye why I have
called you together this blessed day?” And they answered, “Extolled be
Allah sole Scient of the hidden things.[489]” Quoth I, “My father died,
leaving much of money, and I fear lest any have a claim against him for
a debt or a pledge[490] or what not else, and I desire to discharge my
father’s obligations towards the folk. So whoso hath any demand on him,
let him say:—He oweth me so and so, and I will satisfy it to him, that I
may acquit the responsibility of my sire.[491]” The merchants replied,
“O Abdullah, verily the goods of this world stand not in stead of those
of the world to come, and we are no fraudful folk, but all of us know
the lawful from the unlawful and fear Almighty Allah and abstain from
devouring the substance of the orphan. We know that thy father (Allah
have mercy on him!) still let his money lie with the folk,[492] nor did
he suffer any man’s claim on him to go un-quitted, and we have ever
heard him declare:—I am fearful of the people’s substance. He used
always to say in his prayers, O my God, Thou art my stay and my hope!
Let me not die while in debt. And it was of his wont that, if he owed
any one aught, he would pay it to him, without being pressed, and if any
owed him aught he would not dun him, but would say to him, At thy
leisure. If his debtor were poor, he would release him from his
liability and acquit him of responsibility; and if he were not poor and
died in his debt, he would say, Allah forgive him what he owed me! And
we all testify that he owed no man aught.” Quoth I, “May Allah bless
you!” Then I turned to these my brothers and said, “Our father owed no
man aught and hath left us much money and stuffs, besides the house and
the shop. Now we are three and each of us is entitled to one third part.
So shall we agree to waive division and wone copartners in our wealth
and eat together and drink together, or shall we apportion the stuffs
and the money and take each his part?” Said they, “We will divide them
and take each his share.” (Then Abdullah turned to the two dogs and said
to them, “Did it happen thus, O my brothers?”; and they bowed their
heads and lowered their eyes, as to say, “Yes.”) Abdullah continued:—I
called in a departitor from the Kazi’s court, O Prince of True
Believers, and he distributed amongst us the money and the stuffs and
all our father had left, allotting the house and shop to me in exchange
for a part of the coin and clothes to which I was entitled. We were
content with this; so the house and shop fell to my share, whilst my
brothers took their portion in money and stuffs. I opened the shop and
stocking it with my stuffs bought others with the money apportioned to
me, over and above the house and shop, till the place was full, and I
sat selling and buying. As for my brothers, they purchased stuffs and
hiring a ship, set out on a voyage to the far abodes of folk. Quoth I,
“Allah aid them both! As for me, my livelihood is ready to my hand and
peace is priceless.” I abode thus a whole year, during which time Allah
opened the door of fortune to me and I gained great gains, till I became
possessed of the like of that which our father had left us. One day, as
I sat in my shop, with two fur pelisses on me, one of sable and the
other of meniver,[493] for it was the season of winter and the time of
the excessive cold, behold, there came up to me my two brothers, each
clad in a ragged shirt and nothing more, and their lips were white with
cold, and they were shivering. When I saw them in this plight, it was
grievous to me and I mourned for them——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Nine Hundred and Eighty-first Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Abdullah bin
Fazil continued to the Caliph:—When I saw them in this plight, it was
grievous to me and I mourned for them and my reason fled my head. So I
rose and embraced them and wept over their condition: then I put on one
of them the pelisse of sable and on the other the fur coat of meniver
and, carrying them to the Hammam, sent thither for each of them a suit
of apparel such as befitted a merchant worth a thousand.[494] When they
had washed and donned each his suit, I carried them to my house where,
seeing them well nigh famished, I set a tray of food before them and ate
with them, caressing them and comforting them. (Then he again turned to
the two dogs and said to them, “Was this so, O my brothers?”; and they
bent their heads and lowered their eyes.) So Abdullah continued:—When
they had eaten, O Vicar of Allah, quoth I to them, “What hath befallen
you and where are your goods?”; and quoth they, “We fared up the
river,[495] till we came to a city called Cufa, where we sold for ten
dinars the piece of stuff that had cost half a ducat and that which cost
us a ducat for twenty. So we profited greatly and bought Persian stuffs
at the rate of ten sequins per piece of silk worth forty in Bassorah.
Thence we removed to a city called Al-Karkh[496] where we sold and
bought and made gain galore and amassed of wealth great store.” And they
went on to set forth to me the places and the profits. So I said to
them, “Since ye had such good luck and lot, how cometh it that I see you
return naked?” They sighed and answered, “O our brother, some one must
have evileyed us, and in travel there is no trusting. When we had gotten
together these monies and goods, we freighted a ship therewith and set
sail, intending for Bassorah. We fared on three days and on the fourth
day we saw the sea rise and fall and roar and foam and swell and dash,
whilst the waves clashed together with a crash, striking out sparks like
fire[497] in the darks. The winds blew contrary for us and our craft
struck upon the point of a bill-projected rock, where it brake up and
plunged us into the river, and all we had with us was lost in the
waters. We abode struggling on the surface a day and a night, till Allah
sent us another ship, whose crew picked us up and we begged our way from
town to town, suffering mighty sore hardships and selling our
body-clothes piecemeal, to buy us food, till we drew near Bassorah; nor
did we make the city till we had drained the draught of a thousand
miseries. But, had we come safely off with that which was by us, we had
brought back riches that might be evened with those of the King: but
this was fore ordained to us of Allah.” I said, “O my brothers, let not
your hearts be grieved, for wealth is the ransom of bodies and safety is
property. Since Allah hath written you of the saved, this is the end of
desire, for want and wealth are but as it were illusions of dreams and
God-gifted is he who said:—
If a man from destruction can save his head ✿ Let him hold his wealth as
a slice of nail.