Dinarzade, being as curious as the sultan to know what the arrival
of the caliph at the house of those three ladies might produce, did
not forget to awaken the sultaness very early next morning, and
prayed her earnestly to resume the story of the calenders, whilst
Scheherazade, with leave of the sultan, pursued in the following
manner:
The caliph, his grand vizier, and the chief of the eunuchs, being
introduced by the fair Safie, very courteously saluted the ladies
and the calenders. The ladies returned them the like civilities,
supposing them to be merchants. Zobeide, as the chief, said to them
with a grave and serious countenance, which was natural to her, You
are welcome. But before I proceed farther, I hope you will not take
it ill if we desire one favour of you. --Alas! said the vizier, what
favour? We can refuse nothing to such fair ladies. --Zobeide
replied, It is, that you would only have eyes, but no tongues; that
you put no question to us about the reason of any thing you may
happen to see, and speak not of any thing that does not concern you,
lest you come to hear of things that will by no means please you.
Madam, replied the vizier, you shall be obeyed. We are not
censorious, nor impertinently curious; it is enough for us to take
notice of that which concerns us, without meddling with that which
does not belong to us. Upon this they all sat down, and the company
being united, they drank to the health of the new comers.
While the vizier Giafar entertained the ladies in discourse, the
caliph could not forbear admiring their extraordinary beauty,
graceful behaviour, pleasant humour, and ready wit; on the other
hand, nothing was more surprising to him than the calenders being
all three blind of the right eye. He would gladly have been informed
of this singularity; but the conditions so lately imposed upon
himself and his companions would not allow him to speak. This, with
the richness of the furniture, the exact order of every thing, and
the neatness of the house, made him think it was some enchanted
place.
Their conversation happening to turn upon diversions and different
ways of making merry, the calenders arose, and danced after their
fashion, which augmented the good opinion the ladies had conceived
of them, and procured them the esteem of the caliph and his
companions.
When the three calenders had made an end of their dance, Zobeide
arose, and taking Amine by the hand, said, Pray, sister, rise up,
for the company will not take it ill if we use our freedom, and
their presence need not hinder our performance of what we are wont
to do. Amine, understanding her sister’s meaning, rose from her
seat, carried away the dishes, the table, the flasks and cups,
together with the instruments which the calenders had played upon.
Safie was not idle, but swept the room, put every thing again in its
place, snuffed the candles, and put fresh aloes and ambergris to
them, and then prayed the three calenders to sit down upon the sofa
on one side, and the caliph with his companions on the other. As to
the porter, she said to him, Get up and prepare yourself to serve in
what we are going about; a man like you, who is one of the family,
ought not to be idle. The porter, being somewhat recovered from his
wine, got up immediately, and having tied the sleeve of his gown to
his belt, answered, Here am I, ready to obey your commands in any
thing. Very well, replied Safie, stay till you are spoken to; you
shall not be idle very long. A little time after, Amine came in with
a chair, which she placed in the middle of the room; and then went
to a closet, which having opened, she beckoned to the porter, and
said to him, Come hither and help me; which he obeying, entered the
closet, and returned immediately, leading two black bitches, with
each of them a collar and chain; they looked as if they had been
severely whipped with rods, and he brought them into the middle of
the room.
Then Zobeide rising from her seat between the calenders and the
caliph, marched very gravely towards the porter:-- Come on, said
she, with a great sigh; let us perform our duty; then tucking up her
sleeves above her elbows, and receiving a rod from Safie, Porter,
said she, deliver one of the bitches to my sister Amine, and come to
me with the other.
The porter did as he was commanded; the bitch that he held in his
hand began to cry, and turning towards Zobeide, held her head up in
a begging posture; but Zobeide, having no regard to the sad
countenance of the bitch, which would have moved pity, nor her
cries, that resounded through the house, whipped her with the rod
till she was out of breath; and having spent her strength, that she
could strike no more, she threw down the rod, and taking the chain
from the porter, lifted up the bitch by her paws, and looking upon
her with a sad and pitiful countenance, they both wept; after which,
Zobeide, with her handkerchief, wiped the tears from the bitch’s
eye, kissed her, returned the chain to the porter, bade him carry
her to the place whence he took her, and bring her the other. The
porter led back the whipped bitch to the closet, and receiving the
other from Amine, presented her to Zobeide, who bade the porter hold
her as he did the first, took up the rod, and treated her after the
same manner; and when she had wept over her, dried her eyes, and
kissed her, and returned her to the porter: but lovely Amine spared
him the trouble of leading her back into the closet, and did it
herself. The three calenders and the caliph, with his companions,
were extremely surprised at this execution, and could not comprehend
why Zobeide, after having so furiously whipped those two bitches,
that by the mussulman religion are reckoned unclean animals, should
cry with them, wipe off their tears, and kiss them: they muttered
among themselves, and the caliph, who being more impatient than the
rest, longed exceedingly to be informed of the cause of so strange
an action, and could not forbear making signs to the vizier to ask
the question; the vizier turned his head another way; but being
pressed by repeated signs, he answered by others, that it was not
yet time for the caliph to satisfy his curiosity.
Zobeide sat still some time in the middle of the room, where she had
whipped the two bitches, to recover herself of the fatigue; and fair
Safie called to her, Dear sister, will you not be pleased to return
to your place, that I may also act my part? Yes, sister, replied
Zobeide; and then went, and sat down upon the sofa, having the
caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour on her right hand, and the three
calenders, with the porter, on her left.
Here, said Scheherazade to the sultan, Sir, what has been hitherto
told your majesty must, without doubt, appear very strange; but what
yet remains is more wonderful; and I am persuaded your majesty will
think so, if you will be pleased to give me leave to finish the
story next night: the sultan agreed to it, and got up because it was
day.