Dinarzade awaked her sister as formerly, saying, Dear sister, I pray
you to continue the story of the ladies and the calenders. Upon
which she resumed her discourse in the manner following:--
When Zobeide and Safie ran to help their sister, one of the
calenders could not forbear to say, We had better have slept in the
streets than have come hither, had we thought to have seen such
spectacles. The caliph, who heard this, came to him and the other
calenders, and asked them what might be the meaning of all this.
They answered, Sir, we know no more than you do. What! says the
caliph, are you not of the family? nor can you resolve us concerning
the two black bitches, and the lady that fainted away, and has been
so basely abused? Sir, said the calenders, this is the first time
that ever we were in the house, and we came in but a few minutes
before you.
This increased the caliph’s astonishment. It may be, says, he,
this other man that is with you may know something of it. One of the
calenders made a sign for the porter to come near, and asked him
whether he knew why those two black bitches had been whipped, and
why Amine’s bosom was so scarred? Sir, said the porter, I can
swear by heaven, that if you know nothing of all this, I know as
little as you do. It is true, I live in this city, but I never was
in the house until now; and if you are surprised to see me here, I
am as much to find myself in your company; --and that which
increases my wonder is, that I have not seen one man with these
ladies.
The caliph and his company, as well as the calenders, supposed the
porter had been one of the family, and hoped he could inform them of
what they desired to know; but finding he could not, and resolving
to satisfy his curiosity, cost what it would, he said to the rest,
Look ye, we are here seven men, and have but three women to deal
with; let us try if we can oblige them to satisfy us, and if they
refuse it by fair means, we are in a condition to force them to it.
The grand vizier Giafar was against this method, and shewed the
caliph what might be the consequence of it; but, without discovering
the prince to the calenders, addressed him as if he had been a
merchant, thus: Sir, consider, I pray you, that our reputation lies
at stake. You know very well upon what conditions these ladies were
ready to receive us, and we also agreed to them; what will they say
of us if we break them? We shall be still more to blame, if any
mischief befall us, for it is not likely that they would demand such
a promise of us, if they did not know themselves to be in a
condition to make us repent the breaking of it.
Here the vizier took the caliph aside, and whispered to him thus:
Sir, the night will soon be at an end; and if your majesty will only
be pleased to have so much patience, I will take these ladies
to-morrow morning, and bring them before your throne, where you may
be informed of all that you desire to know. Though this advice was
very judicious, the caliph rejected it, bade the vizier hold his
tongue, and said he would not stay till then, but would have
satisfaction in the matter presently.
The next business was to know who should carry the message. The
caliph endeavoured to prevail with the calenders to speak first, but
they excused themselves; and at last they agreed that the porter
should be the man: and as they were consulting how to word this
fatal question, Zobeide returned from her sister Amine, who was
recovered of her fit, drew near them, and, having overheard them
speaking pretty loud, and with some passion, said, Gentlemen, what
is the subject of your discourse? what are you disputing about?
The porter answered immediately, Madam, these gentlemen pray you to
let them understand wherefore you wept over your two bitches after
you whipped them so severely, and how that lady’s bosom, who
lately fainted away, comes to be so full of scars? This is what I am
ordered to ask in their name.
At these words, Zobeide looked with a stern countenance; and,
turning towards the caliph and the rest of the company, Is this
true, gentlemen, said she, that you have given him order to ask me
this question? All of them, except the vizier Giafar, who spoke not
a word, answered, Yes. On which she told them, in a tone that
sufficiently expressed her resentment, Before we granted you the
favour of being received into our house, and to prevent all occasion
of trouble from you, because we are alone, we did it upon condition
that you should not speak of anything that did not concern you, lest
you might come to hear that which would not please you; and yet,
after having received and entertained you as well as we possibly
could, you make no scruple to break your promise. It is true that
our easy temper has occasioned this, but that shall not excuse you,
for your proceedings are very unhandsome. As she spoke these words,
she gave three hard knocks with her foot, and clapping her hands as
often together, cried, Come quick. Upon this, a door flew open, and
seven strong, sturdy black slaves, with scimetars in their hands,
rushed in; every one seized a man, threw him on the ground, and
dragged him into the middle of the room, in order to cut off his
head.
We may easily conceive what a fright the caliph was in: he then
repented, but too late, that he had not taken his vizier’s advice.
In the mean time, this unhappy prince, Giafar, Mesrour, the porter,
and the calenders, were upon the point of losing their lives by
their indiscreet curiosity. --But before they would strike the fatal
blow, one of the slaves said to Zobeide and her sisters, High,
mighty, and adorable mistresses, do you command us to cut their
throats? Stay, says Zobeide, I must examine them first. The
frightened porter interrupted her thus: In the name of heaven, do
not make me die for another man’s crime! I am innocent --they are
to blame. Alas! said he, crying, how pleasantly did we pass our
time! Those blind calenders are the cause of this misfortune; there
is no town in the world but suffers wherever these inauspicious
fellows come. Madam, I beg you not to destroy the innocent with the
guilty, and consider, that it is more glorious to pardon such a
wretch as I am, who have no way to help myself, than to sacrifice me
to your resentment.
Zobeide, notwithstanding her anger, could not but laugh within
herself at the porter’s lamentation; but, without answering him,
she spoke a second time to the rest: Answer me, said she, and tell
me who you are, otherwise you shall not live one moment longer. I
cannot believe you to be honest men, nor persons of authority or
distinction in your own countries; for if you were, you would have
been modest and more respectful to us.
The caliph, who was naturally impatient, was infinitely more
impatient than the rest, to find his life depend upon the command of
a lady justly incensed; but he began to conceive some hopes, when he
saw she would know who they were; for he imagined she would not take
away his life, when once she came to be informed who he was;
--therefore he spoke with a low voice to the vizier, who was near
him, to declare speedily who he was; but the vizier, being more
prudent, resolved to save his master’s honour, and not let the
world know the affront he had brought upon himself by his own
weakness; and therefore answered, We have what we deserve.
But if he would have spoke in obedience to the caliph, Zobeide did
not give him time, for, having turned to the calenders, and seeing
them all three blind with one eye, she asked if they were brothers.
One of them answered, No, madam, no otherwise than as we are
calenders; that is to say, as we observe the same rules. --Were you
born blind of the right eye? replied she. No, madam, answered he; I
lost my eye in such a surprising adventure, that it would be
instructive to every body were it in writing. After that misfortune,
I shaved my beard and eyebrows, and took the habit or a calender,
which I now wear.
Zobeide asked the other two calenders the same question, and had the
same answer; but he who spoke last added, Madam, to show you that we
are no common fellows, and that you may have some consideration for
us, be pleased to know, that we are all three sons of kings; and
though we never met together till this evening, yet we have had tune
enough to make that known to one another; and I assure you, that the
kings from whom we derive our being made some noise in the world.
At this discourse, Zobeide assuaged her anger, and said to the
slaves, Give them their liberty awhile, but stay here. Those who
tell us their history, and the occasion of their coming, do them no
hurt, let them go where they please: but do not spare those who
refuse to give us that satisfaction. --Here Scheherazade stopped;
and her silence, as well as day-light, giving the sultan to know
that it was time for him to rise, he got up, and resolved to hear
the rest of the story next night; for he was impatient to know who
these three one-eyed calenders were.