It hath been related that in Tarábulus-town[FN#205] of Syria was
a Kází appointed under orders of the Caliph Hárún al-Rashíd to
adjudge law-suits and dissolve contracts and cross-examine
witnesses; and after taking seat in his Mahkamah[FN#206] his
rigour and severity became well known to all men. Now this judge
kept a black hand-maiden likest unto a buffalo-bull and she
cohabited with him for a lengthened while; for his nature was
ever niggardly nor could anyone wrest from him half a Faddah or
any alms-gift or aught else; and his diet was of biscuit[FN#207]
and onions. Moreover, he was ostentatious as he was miserly: he
had an eating-cloth bordered with a fine bell fringe,[FN#208] and
when any person entered about dinner-time or supper-tide he would
cry out, "O handmaid, fetch the fringed table-cloth;" and all who
heard his words would say to themselves, "By Allah, this must
needs be a costly thing." Presently one day of the days his
assessors and officers said to him, "O our lord the Kazi, take to
thyself a wife, for yon negress becometh not a dignitary of thy
degree." Said he, "An this need be, let any who hath a daughter
give her to me in wedlock and I will espouse her." Herewith quoth
one present, "I have a fair daughter and a marriageable," whereto
quoth the Kazi, "An thou wouldst do me a favour this is the
time." So the bride was fitted out and the espousals took place
forthright and that same night the Kazi's father-in-law came to
him and led him in to his bride saying in his heart, "I am now
connected with the Kazi." And he took pleasure in the thought for
he knew naught of the judge's stinginess and he could not suppose
but that his daughter would be comfortable with her mate and
well-to-do in the matter of diet and dress and furniture. Such
were the fancies which occurred to him; but as for the Kazi, he
lay with the maid and abated her maidenhead; and she in the
morning awaited somewhat wherewith to break her fast and waited
in vain. Presently the Kazi left her and repaired to his court-
house whither the city folk came and gave him joy of his marriage
and wished him good morning, saying in themselves, "Needs must he
make a mighty fine bride feast." But they sat there to no purpose
until past noon when each went his own way privily damning the
judge's penuriousness. As soon as they were gone he returned to
his Harem and cried out to his black wench, "O handmaiden, fetch
the fringed table-cloth;" and his bride hearing this rejoiced,
saying to herself, "By Allah, his calling for this cloth
requireth a banquet which befitteth it, food suitable for the
Kings." The negress arose and faring forth for a short time
returned with the cloth richly fringed and set upon it a Kursi-
stool,[FN#209] and a tray of brass whereon were served three
biscuits and three onions. When the bride saw this, she prayed in
her heart saying, "Now may my Lord wreak my revenge upon my
father!" but her husband cried to her, "Come hither, my girl,"
and the three sat down to the tray wherefrom each took a biscuit
and an onion. The Kazi and the negress ate all their portions,
but the bride could not swallow even a third of the hard bread
apportioned to her; so she rose up, heartily cursing her father's
ambition in her heart. At supper-tide it was the same till the
state of things became longsome to her and this endured
continuously for three days, when she was ready to sink with
hunger. So she sent for her sire and cried aloud in his face. The
Kazi hearing the outcries of his bride asked, "What is to do?"
whereupon they informed him that the young woman was not in love
with this style of living.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister
mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the bride
was not in love with the Kazi's mode of living; so he took her
and cut off her nose and divorced her, falsely declaring that she
had behaved frowardly. On the next day he proposed for another
wife and married her and entreated her in like fashion as the
first; and when she demanded a divorce, he shredded off her
nostrils and put her away; and whatever woman he espoused he
starved by his stinginess and tortured with hunger, and when any
demanded a divorce he would chop off her nose on false presences
and put her away without paying aught either of her marriage
settlement or of the contingent dowry. At last the report of that
Kazi's avarice came to the ears of a damsel of Mosul-city, a
model of beauty and loveliness who had insight into things hidden
and just judgment and skilful contrivance. Thereupon, resolved
to avenge her sex, she left her native place and journeyed till
she made Tarabulus; and by the decree of the Decreer at that very
time the judge, after a day spent in his garden, purposed to
return home so he mounted his mule and met her half-way between
the pleasance and the town. He chanced to glance at her and saw
that she was wondrous beautiful and lovely, symmetrical and
graceful and the spittle ran from his mouth wetting his
mustachios; and he advanced and accosting her said, "O thou noble
one, whence comest thou hither?" "From behind me!" "Connu. I knew
that; but from what city?" "From Mosul." "Art thou single and
secluded or femme couverte with a husband alive?" "Single I am
still!" "Can it be that thou wilt take me and thou become to me
mate and I become to thee man?" "If such be our fate 'twill take
place and I will give thee an answer to-morrow;" and so saying
the damsel went on to Tarabulus. Now the Kazi after hearing her
speech felt his love for her increase; so next morning he sent to
ask after her, and when they told him that she had alighted at a
Khan, he despatched to her the negress his concubine with a party
of friends to ask her in marriage, notifying that he was Kazi of
the city. Thereupon she demanded a dower of fifty dinars and
naming a deputy caused the knot be knotted and she came to him
about evening time and he went in to her. But when it was the
supper-hour he called as was his wont to his black handmaiden
saying "Fetch the fringed table-cloth," and she fared forth and
fetched it bringing also three biscuits and three onions, and as
soon as the meal was served up all three sat down to it, the
Kazi, the slave-girl, and the new bride. Each took a biscuit and
an onion and ate them up and the bride exclaimed "Allah requite
thee with wealth. By Allah, this be a wholesome supper." When the
judge heard this he was delighted with her and cried out,
"Extolled be the Almighty for that at last He hath vouchsafed to
me a wife who thanketh the Lord for muchel or for little!" But he
knew not what the Almighty had decreed to him through the wile
and guile, the malice and mischief of women. Next morning the
Kazi repaired to the Mahkamah and the bride arose and solaced
herself with looking at the apartments, of which some lay open
whilst others were closed. Presently she came to one which was
made fast by a door with a wooden bolt and a padlock of iron: she
considered it and found it strong but at the threshold was a
fissure about the breadth of a finger; so she peeped through and
espied gold and silver coins heaped up in trays of brass which
stood upon Kursi-stools and the nearest about ten cubits from the
door. She then arose and fetched a long wand, the mid-rib of a
date-palm,[FN#210] and arming the end with a lump of leaven she
pushed it through the chink under the door and turned it round
and round upon the money-trays as if sewing or writing. At last
two dinars stuck to the dough and she drew them through the
fissure and returned to her own chamber; then, calling the
negress, she gave her the ducats saying, "Go thou to the Bazar
and buy us some mutton and rice and clarified butter; and do thou
also bring us some fresh bread and spices and return with them
without delay." The negress took the gold and went to the market,
where she bought all that her lady bade her buy and speedily came
back, when the Kazi's wife arose and cooked a notable meal, after
which she and the black chattel ate whatso they wanted. Presently
the slave brought basin and ewer to her lady and washed her hands
and then fell to kissing her feet, saying, "Allah feed thee, O my
lady, even as thou hast fed me, for ever since I belonged to this
Kazi I have lacked the necessaries of life." Replied the other,
"Rejoice, O handmaiden, for henceforth thou shalt have every day
naught but the bestest food of manifold kinds;" and the negress
prayed Allah to preserve her and thanked her. At noon the Kazi
entered and cried, "O handmaid fetch the fringed cloth," and when
she brought it he sat down and his wife arose and served up
somewhat of the food she had cooked and he ate and rejoiced and
was filled and at last he asked, "Whence this provision?" She
answered, "I have in this city many kinsfolk who hearing of my
coming sent me these meats and quoth I to myself, When my lord
the Kazi shall return home he shall make his dinner thereof." On
the next day she did as before and drawing out three ducats
called the slave-girl and gave her two of them bidding her go to
the Bazar and buy a lamb ready skinned and a quantity of rice and
clarified butter and greens and spices and whatso was required
for dressing the dishes. So the handmaid went forth rejoicing,
and bought all her lady had ordered and forthwith returned when
her mistress fell to cooking meats of various kinds and lastly
sent to invite all her neighbours, women and maidens. When they
came she had got ready the trays garnished with dainty
food[FN#211] and served up to them all that was suitable and they
ate and enjoyed themselves and made merry. Now this was about
mid-forenoon, but as mid-day drew near they went home carrying
with them dishes full of dainties which they cleared and washed
and sent back till everything was returned to its place.?And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased
saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How
sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and
delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I
would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me
to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the guests
of the Kazi's wife fared from her before turn of sun; and, when
it was noon, behold, the Kazi entered his Harem and said, "O
hand-maiden, fetch the fringed tablecloth," when the wife arose
and set before him viands of various sorts. He asked whence they
came and she answered saying, "This is from my maternal aunt who
sent it as a present to me." The judge ate and was delighted and
abode in the Harem till set of sun. But his wife ceased not daily
to draw money from his hoard and to expend it upon entertaining
her friends and gossips, and this endured for a whole year. Now
beside her mansion dwelt a poor woman in a mean dwelling and
every day the wife would feed her and her husband and babes;
moreover she would give them all that sufficed them. The woman
was far gone with child and the other charged her saying, "As
soon as 'tis thy time to be delivered, do thou come to me for I
have a mind to play a prank upon this Kazi who feareth not Allah
and who, whenever he taketh to himself a wife, first depriveth
her of food till she is well nigh famished, then shreddeth off
her nose under false pretences and putteth her away taking all
her belongings and giving naught of dower either the precedent or
the contingent." And the poor woman replied, "To hear is to
obey." Then the wife persisted in her lavish expenditure till her
neighbour came to her already overtaken by birth-pains, and these
lasted but a little while when she was brought to bed of a boy.
Hereupon the Kazi's wife arose and prepared a savoury dish called
a Baysárah,[FN#212] the base of which is composed of beans and
gravied mallows[FN#213] seasoned with onions and garlic. It was
noon when her husband came in and she served up the dish; and he
being anhungered ate of it and ate greedily and at supper time he did likewise. But he was not accustomed to a Baysarah, so as soon as night came on his paunch began to swell; the wind bellowed in his bowels; his stress was such that he could not be more distressed and he roared out in his agony. Herewith his wife ran in and cried to him, "No harm shall befal thee, O my lord!" and so saying she passed her hand over his stomach and presently exclaimed "Extolled be He, O my lord; verily thou art pregnant and a babe is in thy belly."?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Eighty-ninth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Kazi's
wife came up to him and passing her palm over his paunch
presently cried, "Extolled be He, O my lord: verily thou art
pregnant and a babe is in thy belly." Quoth the Kazi, "How shall
a man bear a child?" and quoth she, "Allah createth whatso He
willeth." And as they two sat at talk the flatulence and belly-
ache increased and violent colic[FN#214] set in and the torments
waxed still more torturing. Then the wife rose up and disappeared
but presently she returned with her pauper neighbour's newly-born
babe in her sleeve, its mother accompanying it: she also brought
a large basin of copper and she found her husband rolling from
right to left and crying aloud in his agony. At last the
qualms[FN#215] in his stomach were ready to burst forth and the
rich food to issue from his body, and when this delivery was near
hand the wife privily set the basin under him like a close stool
and fell to calling upon the Holy Names and to shampooing and
rubbing down his skin while she ejaculated, "The name of Allah be
upon thee!"[FN#216] But all this was of her malice. At last the
prima via opened and the Kazi let fly, whereat his wife came
quickly behind and setting the babe upon its back gently pinched
it so that it began to wail, and said, "O man, Alhamdolillah,?
laud to the Lord, who hath so utterly relieved thee of thy
burthen," and she fell to muttering Names over the newborn. Then
quoth he, "Have a care of the little one and keep it from cold
draughts;" for the trick had taken completely with the Kazi and
he said in his mind, "Allah createth whatso He willeth: even men
if so predestined can bring forth." And presently he added, "O
woman, look out for a wet nurse to suckle him;" and she replied,
"O my lord, the nurse is with me in the women's apartments." Then
having sent away the babe and its mother she came up to the Kazi
and washed him and removed the basin from under him and made him
lie at full length. Presently after taking thought he said, "O
woman, be careful to keep this matter private for fear of the
folk who otherwise might say, 'Our Kazi hath borne a babe.' " She
replied, "O my lord, as the affair is known to other than our two
selves how can we manage to conceal it?" and after she resumed,
"O my husband, this business can on no wise be hidden from the
people for more than a week or at most till next month." Herewith
he cried out, "O my calamity; if it reach the ears of folk and
they say, 'Our Kazi hath borne a babe,' then what shall we do?"
He pondered the matter until morning when he rose before daylight
and, taking some provaunt secretly, made ready to depart the
city, saying, "O Allah, suffer none to see me!" Then, after
giving his wife charge of the house and bidding her take care of
his effects and farewelling her, he went forth secretly from her
and journeyed that day and a second and a third until the
seventh, when he entered Damascus of Syria where none knew him.
But he had no spending money for he could not persuade himself to
take even a single dinar from his hoard and he had provided
himself with naught save the meagrest provision. So his condition
was straitened and he was compelled to sell somewhat of his
clothes and lay out the price upon his urgent needs; and when the
coin was finished he was forced to part with other portions of
his dress till little or nothing of it remained to him. Then, in
his sorest strait, he went to the Shaykh of the Masons and said
to him, "O master, my wish is to serve in this
industry;''[FN#217] and said he, "Welcome to thee." So the Kazi
worked through every day for a wage of five Faddahs. Such was his
case; but as regards his wife,?And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is
thy tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on this coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now
when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninetieth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Kazi went forth from his wife she threw a sherd[FN#218] behind
him and muttered, "Allah never bring thee back from thy journey."
Then she arose and threw open the rooms and noted all that was in
them of moneys and moveables and vaiselle and rarities, and she
fell to feeding the hungry and clothing the naked and doling alms
to Fakirs saying, "This be the reward of him who mortifieth the
daughters of folk and devoureth their substance and shreddeth off
their nostrils." She also sent to the women he had married and
divorced, and gave them of his good the equivalent of their
dowers and a solatium for losing their noses. And every day she
assembled the goodwives of the quarter and cooked for them
manifold kinds of food because her spouse the Kazi was possessed
of property approaching two Khaznahs[FN#219] of money, he being
ever loath to expend what his hand could hend and unprepared to
part with aught on any wise, for the excess of his niggardness
and his greed of gain. Nor did she cease from so doing for a
length of time until suddenly she overheard folk saying, "Our
Kazi hath borne a babe." And such bruit spread abroad and was
reported in sundry cities, nor ceased the rumour ere it reached
the ears of the Caliph Harun al-Rashid in Baghdad city. Now
hearing it he marvelled and cried, "Extolled be Allah! this hap,
by the Lord, never can have happened save at the hand of some
woman, a wise and a clever at contrivance; nor would she have
wrought after such fashion save to make public somewhat erst
proceeding from the Kazi, either his covetous intent or his high-handedness in commandment. But needs must this goodwife be
summoned before me and recount the cunning practice she hath
practiced;?Allah grant her success in the prank she hath played
upon the Judge." Such was her case; but as concerns the Kazi, he
abode working at builders' craft till his bodily force was
enfeebled and his frame became frail; so presently quoth he to
himself, "Do thou return to thy native land, for a long time hath
now passed and this affair is clean forgotten." Thereupon he
returned to Tarabulus, but as he drew near thereto he was met
outside the city by a bevy of small boys who were playing at
forfeits, and lo and behold! cried one to his comrades, "O lads,
do ye remember such and such a year when our Kazi was brought to
bed?"[FN#220] But the Judge hearing these words returned
forthright to Damascus by the way he came, saying to himself,
"Hie thee not save to Baghdad city for 'tis further away than
Damascus!" and set out at once for the House of Peace. However he
entered it privily, because he was still in the employ of the
Prince of True Believers, Harun al-Rashid; and, changing
semblance and superficials, he donned the dress of a Persian
Darwaysh and fell to walking about the streets of the capital.
Here met he sundry men of high degree who showed him favour, but
he could not venture himself before the Caliph albe sundry of the
subjects said to him, "O Darwaysh, why dost thou not appear in
the presence of the Commander of the Faithful? Assuredly he would
bestow upon thee many a boon, for he is a true Sultan; and,
specially, an thou panegyrise him in poetry, he will largely add
to his largesse." Now by the decree of Destiny the viceregent of
Allah upon His Earth had commanded the Kazi's wife be brought
from Tarabulus: so they led her into the presence and when she
had kissed ground before him and salam'd to him and prayed for
the perpetuity of his glory and his existence, he asked her anent
her husband and how he had borne a child and what was the prank
she had played him and in what manner she had gotten the better
of him. She hung her head groundwards awhile for shame nor could
she return aught of reply for a time, when the Commander of the
Faithful said to her, "Thou hast my promise of safety and again
safety, the safety of one who betrayeth not his word." So she
raised her head and cried, "By Allah, O King of the Age, the
story of this Kazi is a strange"?And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-first Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
Kazi's wife, "By Allah, O King of the Age, the story of this Kazi
is a strange and of the wonders of the world and 'tis as follows.
My spouse is so niggardly of nature and greedy of gain that
whatso wife he weddeth he starveth her with hunger and, whenas
she loseth patience, he shreddeth her nostrils and putteth her
away, taking all her good and what not. Now this case continued
for a while of time. Also he had a black slave-wench and a fine
eating-cloth and when dinner-time came he would cry, O handmaid,
fetch the fringed table-cloth! whereupon she would bring it and
garnish it with three biscuits and three onions, one to each
mouth. Presently accounts of this conduct came to me at Mosul,
whereupon I removed me to Tarábulus, and there played him many a
prank amongst which was the dish of Baysar by me seasoned with an
over quantity of onions and garlic and such spices as gather wind
in the maw and distend it like a tom-tom and breed
borborygms.[FN#221] This I gave him to eat and then befel that
which befel. So I said to him, Thou art in the family way and
tricked him, privily bringing into the house a new-born babe.
When his belly began to drain off I set under him a large metal
basin and after pinching the little one I placed it in the
utensil and recited Names over it. Presently quoth he, Guard my
little stranger from the draught and bring hither a wet-nurse;
and I did accordingly. But he waxed ashamed of the birth and in
the morning he fared forth the city nor knew we what Allah had
done with him. But as he went I bespake him with the words which
the poet sang when the Ass of Umm Amr[FN#222] went off:?
Ass and Umm Amr bewent their way; * Nor Ass nor Umm Amr returned
for aye,
and then I cited the saying of another:?
When I forced him to fare I bade him hie, * Where Umm
Kash'am[FN#223] caused her selle to fly."
Now as the Caliph Harun al-Rashid heard these words he laughed so
hearty a laugh that he fell backwards and bade the goodwife
repeat her history till he waxed distraught for excess of
merriment, when lo and behold! a Darwaysh suddenly entered the
presence. The wife looked at her husband and recognised him; but
the Caliph knew not his Kazi, so much had time and trouble
changed the Judge's cheer. However, she signalled to the
Commander of the Faithful that the beggar was her mate and he
taking the hint cried out, "Welcome to thee, O Darwaysh, and
where be the babe thou barest at Tarabulus?" The unfortunate
replied, "O King of the Age, do men go with child?" and the
Prince of True Believers rejoined, "We heard that the Kazi bare a
babe and thou art that same Kazi now habited in Fakir's habit.
But who may be this woman thou seest?" He made answer "I wot
not;" but the dame exclaimed, "Why this denial, O thou who
fearest Allah so little? I conjure thee by the life of the King
to recount in his presence all that betided thee." He could deny
it no longer so he told his tale before the Caliph, who laughed
at him aloud; and at each adventure the King cried out, "Allah
spare thee and thy child, O Kazi!" Thereupon the Judge explained
saying, "Pardon, O King of the Age, I merit even more than what
hath betided me."?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day
and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth
her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-second Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that quoth the
Kazi to the King, "I deserve even more than what hath betided me
for my deeds were unrighteous, O Ruler of the Time. But now the
twain of us be present between thy hands; so do thou, of thy
generous grace and the perfection of thy beneficence, deign
reconcile me unto my wife and from this moment forwards I repent
before the face of Allah nor will I ever return to the condition
I was in of niggardise and greed of gain. But 'tis for her to
decide and on whatever wise she direct me to act, therein will I
not gainsay her; and do thou vouchsafe to me the further favour
of restoring me to the office I whilome held." When the Prince of
True Believers, Harun al-Rashid, heard the Kazi's words he turned
to the Judge's wife and said, "Thou also hast heard what thy mate
hath averred: so do thou become to him what thou wast before and
thou hast command over all which thy husband requireth." She
replied, "O King of the Age, even as thou hast the advantage of
knowing, verily the Heavens and the son of Adam change not; for
that man's nature is never altered except with his existence nor
doth it depart from him save when his life departeth. However, an
he speak the truth let him bind himself by a deed documented
under thy personal inspection and thine own seal; so that if he
break his covenant the case may be committed to thee." The Caliph
rejoined, "Sooth thou sayest that the nature of Adam's son is
allied to his existence;" but the Kazi exclaimed, "O our lord the
Sultan, bid write for me the writ even as thou hast heard from
her mouth and do thou deign witness it between us twain."
Thereupon the King reconciled their differences and allotted to
them a livelihood which would suffice and sent them both back to
Tarabulus-town. This is all that hath come down to us concerning
the Kazi who bare a babe: yet 'tis as naught compared with the
tale of the Bhang-eaters, for their story is wondrous and their
adventures delectable and marvellous. "What may it be?" asked
Shahryar; so Shahrazad began to recount
THE TALE OF THE KAZI AND THE
BHANG-EATER.[FN#224]
There was a certain eater of Bhang?And Shahrazad was surprised
by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her
permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy
story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth
she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you
on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when
it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-third Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that there was
a certain eater of Bhang whose wont it was every day to buy three
Faddahs' worth of hemp and he would eat one third thereof in the
morning and a second at noon and the rest about sundown. He was
by calling a fisherman; and regularly as dawn appeared he would
take hook and line and go down to the river a-fishing; then he
would sell of his catch a portion, expending half a Faddah on
bread and eat this with the remaining part of the fish broiled.
He would also provide himself day by day with a waxen taper and
light it in his cell and sit before it, taking his pleasure and
talking to himself after his large dose of Bhang. In such
condition he abode a while of time until one fine spring-night,
about the middle of the month when the moon was shining
sheeniest, he sat down to bespeak himself and said, "Ho,
Such-an-one! hie thee forth and solace thy soul with looking at
the world, for this be a time when none will espy thee and the
winds are still." Herewith he went forth intending for the river;
but as soon as he issued from his cell-door and trod upon the
square, he beheld the moonbeams bestrown upon the surface and,
for the excess of his Bhang, his Fancy said to him, "By Allah,
soothly the stream floweth strong and therein needs must be much
store of fish. Return, O Such-an-one, to thy cell, bring hook and
line and cast them into these waters; haply Allah our Lord shall
vouchsafe thee somewhat of fish, for men say that by night the
fisherwight on mighty fine work shall alight." He presently
brought out his gear and, having baited the hook, made a cast
into the moonlit square, taking station in the shadow of the
walls where he believed the river bank to be. Then he
bobbed[FN#225] with his hook and line and kept gazing at the
waters, when behold! a big dog sniffed the bait and coming up to
it swallowed the hook till it stuck in his gullet.[FN#226] The
beast feeling it prick his throttle yelped with pain and made
more noise every minute, rushing about to the right and the left:
so the line was shaken in the man's hand and he drew it in, but
by so doing the hook pierced deeper and the brute howled all the
louder; and it was pull Bhang-eater and pull cur. But the man
dared not draw near the moonlight, holding it to be the river, so
he tucked up his gown to his hip-bones, and as the dog pulled
more lustily he said in his mind, "By Allah this must be a mighty
big fish and I believe it to be a ravenous."[FN#227] Then he
gripped the line firmly and haled it in but the dog had the
better of him and dragged him to the very marge of the moonlight;
so the fisherman waxed afraid and began to cry, "Alack! Alack!
Alack![FN#228] To my rescue ye braves![FN#229] Help me for a
monster of the deep would drown me! Yállah, hurry ye, my fine
fellows, hasten to my aid!" Now at that hour people were enjoying
the sweets of sleep and when they heard these unseasonable
outcries they flocked about him from every side and accosting him
asked, "What is it? What maketh thee cry aloud at such an hour?
What hath befallen thee?" He answered, "Save me, otherwise a
river-monster will cause me fall into the stream and be drowned."
Then, finding him tucked up to the hips, the folk approached him
and enquired, "Where is the stream of which thou speakest?" and
he replied, "Yonder's the river; be ye all blind?" Thereat they
understood that he spoke of the moonbeams, whose sheen was
dispread upon earth, deeming it a river-surface, and they told
him this; but he would not credit them and cried, "So ye also
desire to drown me; be off from me! our Lord will send me other
than you to lend me good aid at this hour of need." They replied,
"O well-born one, this be moonshine;" but he rejoined, "Away from
me, ye low fellows,[FN#230] ye dogs!" They derided him and the
angrier he grew the more they laughed, till at last they said one
to other, "Let us leave him and wend our ways," and they quitted
him in such condition?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of
day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then
quoth her Sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O
sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where
is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming
night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the
next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-fourth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the folk
who flocked to the assistance of the Bhang-eater left him in such
condition, he crying aloud in affright, the dog being now before
him in a phrenzy of pain for the hook sticking in his gullet and
being unable to rid himself of it, while the man dreaded to draw
near the moonshine, still deeming (albeit he stood upon terra
firma) that he was about to step into the stream. So he hugged
the wall shadow which to him represented the river-bank. In this
case he continued until day brake and light shone and the to-ing
and fro-ing of the folk increased; withal he remained as he was,
crying out for affright lest he be drowned. Suddenly a Kazi rode
by him and seeing him with gown kilted up and the hound hanging
on to the hook, asked, "What may be the matter with thee, O man?"
He answered saying, "O my lord, I dread lest I be drowned in this
stream, whither a monster of the deep is a-dragging me." The
judge looked at him and knew him for a Bhang-eater, so he
dismounted from his monture and cried to one of his attendants,
"Catch hold of yon dog and unhook him!" Now this Kazi was also
one who was wont to use Hashísh; so quoth he to himself, "By
Allah, take this fellow with thee and feed him in thy house and
make a mocking-stock of him; and, as each night cometh on do thou
and he eat together a portion of the drug and enjoy each other's
company." Accordingly he took him and carrying him to his
quarters seated him in a private stead until nightfall when the
twain met and supped together; then they swallowed a large dose
of Bhang and they lit candles and sat in their light to enjoy
themselves.[FN#231] Presently from excess of the drug they became
as men Jinn-mad, uttering words which befit not to intend or to
indite,[FN#232] amongst which were a saying of the Bhang-eater to
the Kazi, "By Allah, at this season I'm as great as the King;"
and the Judge's reply, "And I also at such time am as great as
the Basha, the Governor." Thereupon quoth to him the Bhang-eater,
"I'm high above thee and if the King would cut off the Governor's
head what would happen to hinder him?" And quoth the Kazi, "Yea,
verily; naught would hinder him; but 'tis the customs of Kings to
appoint unto Governors a place wherein they may deal
commandment." Then they fell to debating the affairs of the
Government and the Sultanate, when by decree of the Decreer the
Sultan of the city went forth his palace that very night,
accompanied by the Wazir (and the twain in disguise); and they
ceased not traversing the town till they reached the house
wherein sat the Bhang-eater and the Kazi. So they stood at the
door and hear their talk from first to last when the King turned
to the Minister and asked, "What shall we do with these two
fellows?" "Be patient, O King of the Age," answered the Wazir,
"until they make an end of their talk, after which whatso thou
wilt do with them that will they deserve." "True indeed,"[FN#233]
quoth the ruler, "nevertheless, instead of standing here let us
go in to them." Now that night the boon-companions had left the
door open forgetting to padlock it; so the visitors entered and
salam'd to them and they returned the greeting and rose to them
and bade them be seated. Accordingly they sat down and the Sultan
said to the Bhang-eater, "O man, fearest thou not aught from the
Sovran, thou and thy friend; and are ye sitting up until this
hour?" He replied, "The Sultan himself often fareth forth at such
untimely time, and as he is a King even so am I, and yonder man
is my Basha: moreover, if the ruler think to make japery of us,
we are his equals and more." Thereupon the Sultan turned to his
Wazir and said by signals, "I purpose to strike off the heads of
these fellows;" and said the Minister in the same way, "O King,
needs must they have a story, for no man with his wits in his
head would have uttered such utterance. But patience were our
bestest plan." Then cried the Bhang-eater to the Sultan, "O man,
whenever we say a syllable, thou signallest to thine associate.
What is it thou wouldst notify to him and we not understanding
it? By Allah, unless thou sit respectfully in our presence we
will bid our Basha strike off thy pate!"?And Shahrazad was
surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say
her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is
thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!"
Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate
to you on the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?"
Now when it was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that when the
Sultan heard the Bhang-eater's words he waxed the more furious
and would have arisen and struck off his head; but the Wazir
winked at him and whispered, "O King of the Age, I and thou are
in disguise and these men imagine that we are of the commons: so
be thou pitiful even as Almighty Allah is pitiful and willeth not
the punishment of the sinner. Furthermore, I conceive that the
twain are eaters of Hashísh, which drug when swallowed by man,
garreth him prattle of whatso he pleaseth and chooseth, making
him now a Sultan then a Wazir and then a merchant, the while it
seemeth to him that the world is in the hollow of his hand."
Quoth the Sultan, "And what may be thy description of Hashísh?"
and quoth the Wazir, "'Tis composed of hemp leaflets, whereto
they add aromatic roots and somewhat of sugar: then they cook it
and prepare a kind of confection which they eat;[FN#234] but
whoso eateth it (especially an he eat more than enough), talketh
of matters which reason may on no wise represent. If thou wouldst
know its secret properties, on the coming night (Inshallah!) we
will bring some with us and administer it to these two men; and
when they eat it the dose will be in addition to their ordinary."
After this the Sultan left them and went forth, when the
Bhang-eater said to the Kazi, "By Allah, this night we have
enjoyed ourselves and next night (if Allah please!) we will enjoy
ourselves yet more." The other replied, "Yes, but I fear from the
Sultan, lest he learn our practice and cut off our heads." "Who
shall bring the Sovran to us?" asked the other: "he is in his
palace and we are in our own place; and, granting he come, I will
divert him by recounting an adventure which befel me." The Kazi
answered, "Have no dread of the Sultan; for he may not fare forth
a-nights single-handed; nay, what while he issueth forth he must
be escorted by his high officials." Now when the next night fell,
the Kazi brought the Hashish which he divided into two halves,
eating one himself and giving the other to his companion; and
both swallowed their portions after supper and then lit the waxen
tapers and sat down to take their pleasure.[FN#235] Suddenly the
Sultan and his Wazir came in upon them during the height of their
enjoyment, and the visitors were habited in dress other than
before, and they brought with them a quantity of Bhang-confection
and also some conserve of roses: so they handed a portion of the
first to the revellers, which these accepted and ate, while they
themselves swallowed the conserve, the others supposing it to be
Hashish like what they had eaten. Now when they had taken an
overdose, they got into a hurly-burly of words and fell to saying
things which can neither be intended nor indited, and amongst
these they exclaimed, "By Allah, the Sultan is desposed and we
will rule in his stead and deal commandment to his reign." The
other enquired, "And if the Sultan summon us what wilt thou say
to him?" "By Allah, I will tell him a tale which befel myself and
crave of him ten Faddahs wherewithal to buy Bhang!" "And hast
thou any skill in tale-telling?" "In good sooth I have!" "But how
wilt thou despose the Sultan and reign in his stead?" "I will say
to him 'Be off!' and he will go." "He will strike thy neck."
"Nay, the Sultan is pitiful and will not punish me for my words."
So saying the Bhang-eater arose and loosed the inkle of his
bag-trowsers, then approaching the Sultan he drew forth his
prickle and proceeded to bepiss him:[FN#236] but the King took
flight as the other faced him, and fled before him, he
pursuing.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and
fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her
sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, O sister
mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is
this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night
an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next
night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-sixth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater holding up his bag-trowsers ran after the Sultan
purposing to bepiss him and caught up the fugitive at the doorway
when he fell over the threshold and began a-piddling upon his own
clothes. In like manner the Kazi attempted to bepiss the Wazir
and ran after him to the entrance, where he also fell upon the
Bhang-eater and took to making water over him. So the Bhang-eater
and the Kazi lay each bewraying other, and the Sultan and the
Wazir stood laughing at then and saying, "By Allah, too much
Hashish injureth man's wits;" and presently they left and went
their ways returning to their palaces. But the two drunkards
ceased not lying in their own water till day broke; and when the
fumes of the drug had left heir brains, they arose and found
themselves dripping and befouled with their own filth. Thereupon
each said to other, "What be this cross hath betided us?"
Presently they arose and washed themselves and their clothes;
then sitting down together they said, "None did this deed by us
save and except the two fellows who were with us; and who knoweth
what they were, or citizens of this city or strangers; for 'twas
they brought the intoxicant which we ate and it bred a madness in
our brains. Verily 'twas they did the mischief; but, an they come
to us a third time, needs must we be instant with them and learn
from them an they be foreigners or folk of this city: we will
force them to confess, but if they hide them from us we will turn
them out." On the next night they met again and the two sat down
and ate a quantity of Hashish after they had supped: and they lit
the waxen tapers and each of them drank a cup of coffee.[FN#237]
Presently their heads whirled round under the drug and they sat
down to talk and enjoy themselves when their drunkenness said to
them, "Up with you and dance." Accordingly they arose and danced,
when behold, the Sultan and his Wazir suddenly came in upon them
and salam'd to them: so they returned the salutation but
continued the saltation. The new comers considered them in this
condition and forthwith the King turned to the Minister and said,
"What shall we do with them?" Said the other, "Patience until
their case come to end in somewhat whereof we can lay hold." Then
they chose seats for themselves and solaced them with the
spectacle, and the dancers kept on dancing until they were tired
and were compelled to sit down and take their rest. Presently the
Bhang-eater looked at the Sultan and exclaimed, "You, whence are
you?" and he replied, "We be foreigner folk and never visited
this city before that night when we met you; and as we heard you
making merry we entered to partake of your merriment." On this
wise the device recoiled upon the Bhang-eater and presently the
King asked them, saying, "Fear ye not lest the Sultan hear of
you, and ye in this condition which would cause your disgrace at
his hands?" The Bhang-eater answered, "The Sultan! What tidings
of us can he have? He is in the royal Palace and we in our place
of Bhang-eating." The Sovran rejoined, "Why not go to him! Belike
he will gift you and largesse you;" but the Bhang-eater retorted,
"We fear his people lest they drive us away." Whereto quoth the
King, "They will not do on such wise and if thou require it we
will write thee a note to his address, for we know him of old
inasmuch as both of us learned to read in the same school."
"Write thy writ," quoth the other to the Sultan who after
inditing it and sealing it placed it in their hands and presently
the two visitors departed. Then the Bhang-eater and the Kazi sat
together through the night until daylight did appear when the
fumes of the Hashish had fled their brains and the weather waxed
fine and clear. So they said, each to other, "Let us go to the
Sultan," and the twain set out together and walked till they
reached the square facing the Palace. Here, finding a crowd of
folk, they went up to the door and the Bhang-eater drew forth his
letter and handed it to one of the Sultan's suite, who on reading
it fell to the ground and presently rising placed it upon his
head.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell
silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister
Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how
enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared
with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the Sovran
suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that
was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-seventh Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
officer who took the letter caused the Bhang-eater and his
comrade enter the presence, and the Sultan catching sight of them
commanded them to be seated in a private stead where none other
man was. His bidding was obeyed; and at noon-tide he sent them a
tray of food for dinner and also coffee; and the same was done at
sundown. But as soon as supper-tide came the Sultan prayed and
recited sections of Holy Writ, as was his wont, until two hours
had passed when he ordered the twain be summoned; and when they
stood in the presence and salam'd to him and blessed him the King
returned their salute and directed them to be seated. Accordingly
they sat down and quoth the Sultan to the Bhang-eater, "Where be
the man who gave you the writ?" Quoth the other, "O King of the
Age, there were two men who came to use and said, 'Why go ye not
to the King? Belike he will gift you and largesse you.' Our reply
was, 'We know him not and we fear lest his folk drive us away.'
So one of them said to us, 'I will write thee a note to his
address for we know him of old, inasmuch as both of us learned to
read in the same school.' Accordingly he indited it and sealed it
and gave it to us; and coming hither we found his words true and
now we are between his hands." The Sultan enquired, "Was there
any lack of civility to the strangers on your part?" and they
replied, "None, save our questioning them and saying, 'Whence
come ye?' whereto they rejoined, 'We be strangers.' Beyond this
there was nothing unpleasant; nothing at all." "Whither went
they?" asked the King and the other answered, "I wot not." The
Sultan continued, "Needs must thou bring them to me for 'tis long
since I saw them;" and the other remarked, "O King of the Age, if
again they come to our place we will seize them and carry them
before thee even perforce, but in case they come not, we have no
means to hand." Quoth the King, "An thou know them well, when
thou catchest sight of them they cannot escape thee," and quoth
the other, "Yea, verily." Then the Sultan pursued, "What did ye
with the twain who came before them and ye wanted to bepiss
them?" Now when the Bhang-eater heard these words his colour
paled and his case changed, his limbs trembled and he suspected
that the person which he had insulted was the Sultan; whereupon
the King turned towards him and seeing in him signs of
discomfiture asked, "What is in thy mind, O Bhang-eater? What
hath befallen thee?" The other arose forthright and kissing
ground cried, "Pardon, O King of the Age, before whom I have
sinned." The Sovran asked, "How didst thou know this?" and he
answered, "Because none other was with us and news of us goeth
not out of doors; so needs must thou have been one of the twain
and he who wrote the writ was thyself; for well we know that the
kings read not in schools. Thou and thy friend did come in
disguise to make merry at our expense; therefore pardon us, O
King of the Age, for mercy is a quality of the noble, and
Almighty Allah said, 'Whoso pardoneth and benefitteth his reward
is with Allah,' and eke He said, 'And the stiflers of wrath and
the pardoners of mankind and Allah loveth the doers of
good'."[FN#238] Herewith the Sultan smiled and said, "No harm
shall befal thee, O Bhang-eater! Thine excuse is accepted and thy
default pardoned, but, O thou clever fellow, hast thou no tale to
tell us?" He replied, "O King of the Age, I have a story touching
myself and my wife which, were it graven with needle-gravers upon
the eye-corners were a warning to whoso would be warned. But I
strave against her on my own behalf, withal she overcame me and
tyrannised over me by her contrivance." "What is it?" asked the
King; so the man began to relate the
History of the Bhang-Eater and his Wife.
In the beginning of my career I owned only a single bull and
poverty confused my wits.?And Shahrazad was surprised by the
dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say.
Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy
tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she,
"And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on
the coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it
was the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-eighth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be
other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short
the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love
and good-will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the
director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting
and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the
Bhang-eater said to the Sultan:?I had no property save a single
bull and poverty confused my wits. So I resolved to sell
Roger[FN#239] and going to the Bazar stood therein expecting
someone to buy it, but none came to me until the last of the day.
At that time I drove it forth and dragged it off till we reached
half-way to my home, where I came upon a tree and sat down to
rest in the cool shade. Now I had somewhat of Bhang with me, also
a trifle of bread which I brought out and ate, and after I drank
a draught of water from the spring. Presently the Bhang began to
wobble in my brains and behold a bird in the tree-top which men
call a Magpie[FN#240] fell a-cawing, so I said to her, "Thou, O
Mother of Solomon, hast thou a mind to buy the bull?" and she
cawed again. I continued, "Whatso price ever thou settest upon
the bull, at that will I cede it to thee." Again a croak and I,
"Haply thou hast brought no money?" Another croak and cried I,
"Say the word and I will leave the bull with thee till next
Friday when thou wilt come and pay me its price." But she still
cawed and I, whenever she opened beak, O King of the Age, fancied
that she bespake me and wanted the bull. But all this was of the
excess of my Bhang which kept working in my brains and I mistook
the croaking for her conversing. Accordingly I left with her the
bull bound to the tree and turned towards my village; and, when I
went in to my wife, she asked me anent the bull and I told her of
my selling it to the Mother of Solomon. "Who may she be?" asked
my rib, and I replied, "She dwelleth in yonder tree;" whereat my
spouse rejoined "Allah compensate thee with welfare." So I
awaited patiently the appointed term; then, after swallowing
somewhat of Bhang, I repaired to the tree and sat beneath it
when, lo and behold! the pie cawed and I cried to her, "Hast thou
brought the coin?" A second caw! Then said I, "Come hither and
bring me the money." A third caw! Hereat I waxed wroth and arose
and taking up a bittock of brick I threw it at her as she sat
perched upon the tree, whereupon she flew off and alit upon an
'old man'[FN#241] of clay hard by. So it occurred to my mind, "By
Allah, the Mother of Solomon biddeth me follow her and recover
the value of the bull from yonder 'old man.'" Presently I went up
to it and digging therein suddenly came upon a crock[FN#242] full
of gold wherefrom I took ten ashrafis, the value of the bull, and
returned it to its place, saying, "Allah ensure thy weal, O
Mother of Solomon." Then I walked back to my village and went in
to my wife and said, "By Allah, verily the Mother of Solomon is
of the righteous! Lookye, she gave me these ten golden ducats to
the price of our Roger." Said my wife, "And who may be the Mother
of Solomon?" and I told her all that had befallen me especially
in the matter of the crock of gold buried in the 'old man.' But
after she heard my words she tarried until sundown; then, going
to the land-mark she dug into it and carrying off the crock
brought it home privily. But I suspected her of so doing and said
to her, "O woman, hast thou taken the good of the Mother of
Solomon (and she of the righteous) after we have received from
her the price of our Roger out of her own moneys? And hast thou
gone and appropriated her property? By Allah, an thou restore it
not to its stead even as it was, I will report to the Wali that
my wife hath happened upon treasure-trove." And so saying I went
forth from her. Then she arose and got ready somewhat of dough
for cooking with flesh-meat and, sending for a fisherman, bade
him bring her a few fishes fresh-caught and all alive, and taking
these inside the house she drew sweet water and sprinkled them
therewith, and lastly she placed the dough and meat outside the
house ready for nightfall. Presently I returned and we supped, I
and she; but 'twas my firm resolve to report my wife's find to
the Chief of Police. We slept together till midnight when she
awoke me saying, "O man, I have dreamed a dream, and this it is,
that the sky hath rained down drink and meat and that the fishes
have entered our house." I replied to her of my folly and the
overmuch Bhang which disported in my head, "Let us get up and
look." So we searched the inside of the house and we found the
fishes, and the outside where we came upon the doughboy and
flesh-meat; so we fell to picking it up, I and she, and broiling
it and eating thereof till morning. Then said I, "Do thou go and
return the moneys of Solomon's Mother to their own place." But
she would not and flatly refused.?And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted
say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O
sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And
where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the
coming night an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was
the next night and that was
The Three Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,