The sixth night being come, the sultan and his lady went to bed.
Dinarzade awaked at the usual hour, and, calling to the sultaness,
says, Dear sister, if you be not asleep, I pray you, until it be
day, to satisfy my curiosity: I am impatient to hear the story of
the old man and the two black dogs. The sultan consented to it with
pleasure, being no less desirous to know the story than Dinarzade;
and Scheherazade continued it as follows:
The Story of the second Old Man and the two Black Dogs.
Great prince of genii, says the old man, you must know that we are
three brothers, I and the two black dogs you see. Our father, when
he died, left each of us one thousand sequins. With that sum we all
entered into the same way of living, and became merchants. A little
time after we had opened shop, my eldest brother, one of these two
dogs, resolved to travel, and trade in foreign countries. With this
view, he sold his estate, and bought goods proper for the trade he
intended.
He went away, and was absent a whole year; at the end of which, a
poor man, who I thought had come to ask alms, presented himself
before me in my shop. I said to him, God help you. God help you
also, answered he: is it possible you do not know me? Upon this I
looked at him narrowly, and knew him. Ah, brother, cried I,
embracing him, how could I know you in this condition? I made him
come into my house, and asked him concerning his health and the
success of his travels. Do not ask me that question, says he: when
you see me, you see all: it would only renew my grief to tell you
all the particulars of the misfortunes that have befallen me, and
reduced me to this condition, since I left you.
I immediately shut up my shop, and carrying him to a bath, gave him
the best clothes I had by me; and, examining my books, and finding
that I had doubled my stock, that is to say, that I was worth two
thousand sequins, I gave him one half: With that, says I, brother,
you may make up your loss. He joyfully accepted the proffer,
recovered himself, and we lived together as before.
Some time after, my second brother, who is the other of these two
dogs, would also sell his estate. I, and his other brother, did all
we could to divert him from it, but without effect. He sold it, and
with the money bought such goods as were suitable to the trade he
designed. He joined a caravan, and took a journey. He returned, at
the end of the year, in the same condition as my other brother; and
I, having gained another thousand sequins, gave him them, with which
he furnished his shop, and continued to follow his trade.
Some time after, one of my brothers came to me to propose a trading
voyage with them. I immediately rejected their proposal. You have
travelled, says I, and what have you gained by it? Who can assure me
that I shall be more successful than you have been. They represented
to me, in vain, all that they thought fit, to prevail upon me to
engage in that design with them, for I constantly refused: but they
importuned me so much, that after having resisted their
solicitations five whole years, they overcame me at last. But, when
we were to make preparations for our voyage, and to buy goods
necessary to the undertaking, I found they had spent all, and that
they had not one farthing left of the thousand sequins I had given
each of them. I did not, however, upbraid them in the least. On the
contrary, my stock being six thousand sequins, I shared the half of
it with them, telling them, My brothers, we must venture these three
thousand sequins, and hide the rest in some sure place; that, in
case our voyage be no more successful than your’s was formerly, we
may have wherewith to assist us, and to follow our ancient way of
living. I gave each of them a thousand sequins, and, keeping as much
for myself, I buried the other three thousand in a corner of my
house. We bought our goods, and, after having embarked them on board
of a vessel, which we freighted betwixt us three, we put to sea,
with a favourable wind. After a month’s sail --But I see day, says
Scheherazade; I must stop here.
Sister, says Dinarzade, this story promises a great deal; I fancy
the rest of it must be very extraordinary. You are not mistaken,
says the sultaness; and, if the sultan will allow me to tell it you,
I am persuaded, it will very much divert you. Schahriar got up, as
he did the day before, without explaining his mind, but gave no
order to the grand vizier to kill his daughter.