ended the battle and the two hosts drew apart and each had returned to
his own tents, he sat down on the throne of his realm and the place of
his reign, whilst his chief officers ranged themselves about him, and he
said, “I am sore concerned for the flight of the cur Ajib and I know not
whither he has gone. Except I overtake him and take my wreak of him, I
shall die of despite.” Whereupon Sahim came forward and kissing the
earth before him, said, “O King, I will go to the army of the Kafirs and
find out what is come of the perfidious dog Ajib.” Quoth Gharib, “Go,
and learn the truth anent the dog.” So Sahim disguised himself in the
habit of the Infidels and became as he were of them; then, making for
the enemy’s camp, he found them all asleep, drunken with war and battle,
and none were on wake save only the guards. He passed on and presently
came to the King’s pavilion where he found King Jaland asleep
unattended; so he crept up and made him smell and sniff up levigated
Bhang and he became as one dead. Then Sahim went out and took a male
mule, and wrapping the King in the coverlet of his bed, laid him on its
back; after which he threw a mat over him and led the beast to the
Moslem camp. Now when he came to Gharib’s pavilion and would have
entered, the guards knew him not and prevented him, saying, “Who art
thou?” He laughed and uncovered his face, and they knew him and admitted
him. When Gharib saw him he said, “What bearest thou there, O Sahim?”;
and he replied, “O King, this is Jaland bin Karkar.” Then he uncovered
him, and Gharib knew him and said, “Arouse him, O Sahim,” So he made him
smell vinegar[22] and frankincense; and he cast the Bhang from his
nostrils and, opening his eyes, found himself among the Moslems;
whereupon quoth he, “What is this foul dream?” and closing his eyelids
again, would have slept; but Sahim dealt him a kick, saying, “Open thine
eyes, O accursed!” So he opened them and asked, “Where am I?”; and Sahim
answered, “Thou art in the presence of King Gharib bin Kundamir, King of
Irak.” When Jaland heard this, he said, “O King, I am under thy
protection! Know that I am not at fault, but that who led us forth to
fight thee was thy brother, and the same cast enmity between us and then
fled.” Quoth Gharib, “Knowest thou whither he is gone?”; and quoth
Jaland, “No, by the light-giving sun, I know not whither.” Then Gharib
bade lay him in bonds and set guards over him, whilst each captain
returned to his own tent, and Jamrkan while wending said to his men, “O
sons of my uncle, I purpose this night to do a deed wherewith I may
whiten my face with King Gharib.” Quoth they, “Do as thou wilt, we
hearken to thy commandment and obey it.” Quoth he, “Arm yourselves and,
muffling your steps while I go with you, let us fare softly and disperse
about the Infidels’ camp, so that the very ants shall not be ware of
you; and, when you hear me cry Allaho Akbar, do ye the like and cry out,
saying, God is Most Great! and hold back and make for the city gate; and
we seek aid from the Most High.” So the folk armed themselves cap-à-pie
and waited till the noon of night, when they dispersed about the enemy’s
camp and tarried awhile when, lo and behold! Jamrkan smote shield with
sword and shouted, “Allaho Akbar!” Thereupon they all cried out the
like, till rang again valley and mountain, hills, sands and ruins. The
Miscreants awoke in dismay and fell one upon other, and the sword went
round amongst them; the Moslems drew back and made for the city gates,
where they slew the warders and entering, made themselves masters of the
town, with all that was therein of treasure and women. Thus it befel
with Jamrkan; but as regards King Gharib, hearing the noise and clamour
of “God is Most Great,” he mounted with his troops to the last man and
sent on in advance Sahim who, when he came near the field of fight, saw
that Jamrkan had fallen upon the Kafirs with the Banu Amir by night and
made them drink the cup of death. So he returned and told all to his
brother, who called down blessings on Jamrkan. And the Infidels ceased
not to smite one another with the biting sword and expending their
strength till the day rose and lighted up the land, when Gharib cried
out to his men, “Charge, O ye noble, and do a deed to please the
All-knowing King!” So the True Believers fell upon the idolaters and
plied upon every false hypocritical breast the keen sword and the
quivering spear. They sought to take refuge in the city; but Jamrkan
came forth upon them with his kinsmen, who hemmed them in between two
mountain-ranges, and slew an innumerable host of them, and the rest fled
into the wastes and wolds.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fiftieth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Moslem host charged upon the Miscreants they hewed them in pieces with
the biting scymitar and the rest fled to the wastes and wolds; nor did
the Moslems cease pursuing them with the sword, till they had scattered
them abroad in the plains and stony places. Then they returned to Oman
city, and King Gharib entered the palace of the King and, sitting down
on the throne of his kingship, with his Grandees and Officers ranged
right and left, sent for Jaland. They brought him in haste and Gharib
expounded to him Al-Islam; but he rejected it; wherefore Gharib bade
crucify him on the gate of the city, and they shot at him with shafts
till he was like unto a porcupine. Then Gharib honourably robed Jamrkan
and said to him, “Thou shalt be lord of this city and ruler thereof with
power to loose and to bind therein, for it was thou didst open it with
thy sword and thy folk.” And Jamrkan kissed the King’s feet, thanked him
and wished him abiding victory and glory and every blessing. Moreover
Gharib opened Jaland’s treasuries and saw what was therein of coin,
whereof he gave largesse to his captains and standard-bearers and
fighting-men, yea, even to the girls and children; and thus he lavished
his gifts ten days long. After this, one night he dreamt a terrible
dream and awoke, troubled and trembling. So he aroused his brother Sahim
and said to him, “I saw in my vision that we were in a wide valley, when
there pounced down on us two ravening birds of prey, never in my life
saw I greater than they; their legs were like lances, and as they
swooped we were in sore fear of them.” Replied Sahim, “O King, this be
some great enemy; so stand on thy guard against him.” Gharib slept not
the rest of the night and, when the day broke, he called for his courser
and mounted. Quoth Sahim, “Whither goest thou, my brother?” and quoth
Gharib, “I awoke heavy at heart; so I mean to ride abroad ten days and
broaden my breast.” Said Sahim, “Take with thee a thousand braves;” but
Gharib replied, “I will not go forth but with thee and only thee.” So
the two brothers mounted and, seeking the dales and leasows, fared on
from Wady to Wady and from meadow to meadow, till they came to a valley
abounding in streams and sweet-smelling flowers and trees laden with all
manner eatable fruits, two of each kind. Birds warbled on the branches
their various strains; the mocking-bird trilled out her sweet notes fain
and the turtle filled with her voice the plain. There sang the
nightingale, whose chant arouses the sleeper, and the merle with his
note like the voice of man and the cushat and the ring-dove, whilst the
parrot with its eloquent tongue answered the twain. The valley pleased
them and they ate of its fruits and drank of its waters, after which
they sat under the shadow of its trees till drowsiness overcame them and
they slept,—glory be to Him who sleepeth not! As they lay asleep, lo!
two fierce Marids swooped down on them and, taking each one on his
shoulders, towered with them high in air, till they were above the
clouds. So Gharib and Sahim awoke and found themselves betwixt heaven
and earth; whereupon they looked at those who bore them and saw that
they were two Marids, the head of the one being as that of a dog and the
head of the other as that of an ape[23] with hair like horses’ tails and
claws like lions’ claws, and both were big as great palm-trees. When
they espied this case, they exclaimed, “There is no Majesty and there is
no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!” Now the cause of this
was that a certain King of the Kings of the Jinn, hight Mura’ash, had a
son called Sá’ik, who loved a damsel of the Jinn, named Najmah;[24] and
the twain used to foregather in that Wady under the semblance of two
birds. Gharib and Sahim saw them thus and deeming them birds, shot at
them with shafts but wounding only Sa’ik whose blood flowed. Najmah
mourned over him; then, fearing lest the like calamity befal herself,
snatched up her lover and flew with him to his father’s palace, where
she cast him down at the gate. The warders bore him in and laid him
before his sire who, seeing the pile sticking in his rib exclaimed,
“Alas, my son! Who hath done with thee this thing, that I may lay waste
his abiding-place and hurry on his destruction, though he were the
greatest of the Kings of the Jann?” Thereupon Sa’ik opened his eyes and
said, “O my father, none slew me save a mortal in the Valley of
Springs.” Hardly had he made an end of these words, when his soul
departed; whereupon his father buffeted his face, till the blood
streamed from his mouth, and cried out to two Marids, saying, “Hie ye to
the Valley of Springs and bring me all who are therein.” So they betook
themselves to the Wady in question, where they found Gharib and Sahim
asleep, and, snatching them up, carried them to King Mura’ash.[25]——And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
[Illustration]
Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-first Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the two
Marids, after snatching up Gharib and Sahim in their sleep, carried them
to Mura’ash, king of the Jann, whom they saw seated on the throne of his
kingship, as he were a huge mountain, with four heads on his body,[26]
the first that of a lion, the second that of an elephant, the third that
of a panther, and the fourth that of a lynx. The Marids set them down
before Mura’ash and said to him, “O King, these twain be they we found
in the Valley of Springs.” Thereupon he looked at them with wrathful
eyes and snarked and snorted and shot sparks from his nostrils, so that
all who stood by feared him. Then said he, “O dogs of mankind, ye have
slain my son and lighted fire in my liver.” Quoth Gharib, “Who is thy
son, and who hath seen him?” Quoth Mura’ash, “Were ye not in the Valley
of Springs and did ye not see my son there, in the guise of a bird, and
did ye not shoot at him with wooden bolts that he died?” Replied Gharib,
“I know not who slew him; and, by the virtue of the Great God, the One,
the Immemorial who knoweth things all, and of Abraham the Friend, we saw
no bird, neither slew we bird or beast!” Now when Mura’ash heard Gharib
swear by Allah and His greatness and by Abraham the Friend, he knew him
for a Moslem (he himself being a worshipper of Fire, not of the
All-powerful Sire), so he cried out to his folk, “Bring me my
Goddess.[27]” Accordingly they brought a brazier of gold and, setting it
before him, kindled therein fire and cast on drugs, whereupon there
arose therefrom green and blue and yellow flames and the King and all
who were present prostrated themselves before the brazier, whilst Gharib
and Sahim ceased not to attest the Unity of Allah Almighty, to cry out
“God is Most Great” and to bear witness to His Omnipotence. Presently,
Mura’ash raised his head and, seeing the two Princes standing in lieu of
falling down to worship, said to them, “O dogs, why do ye not prostrate
yourselves?” Replied Gharib, “Out on you, O ye accursed! Prostration
befitteth not man save to the Worshipful King, who bringeth forth all
creatures into beingness from nothingness and maketh water to well from
the barren rock-well, Him who inclineth heart of sire unto new-born
scion and who may not be described as sitting or standing; the God of
Noah and Salih and Hud and Abraham the Friend, Who created Heaven and
Hell and trees and fruit as well,[28] for He is Allah, the One, the
All-powerful.” When Mura’ash heard this, his eyes sank into his head[29]
and he cried out to his guards, saying, “Pinion me these two dogs and
sacrifice them to my Goddess.” So they bound them and were about to cast
them into the fire when, behold, one of the crenelles of the
palace-parapet fell down upon the brazier and brake it and put out the
fire, which became ashes flying in air. Then quoth Gharib, “God is Most
Great! He giveth aid and victory and He forsaketh those who deny Him,
Fire worshipping and not the Almighty King!” Presently quoth Mura’ash,
“Thou art a sorcerer and hast bewitched my Goddess, so that this thing
hath befallen her.” Gharib replied, “O madman, an the fire had soul or
sense it would have warded off from self all that hurteth it.” When
Mura’ash heard these words, he roared and bellowed and reviled the Fire,
saying, “By my faith, I will not kill you save by the fire!” Then he
bade cast them into gaol; and, calling an hundred Marids, made them
bring much fuel and set fire thereto. So they brought great plenty of
wood and made a huge blaze, which flamed up mightily till the morning,
when Mura’ash mounted an elephant, bearing on its back a throne of gold
dubbed with jewels, and the tribes of the Jinn gathered about him in
their various kinds. Presently they brought in Gharib and Sahim who,
seeing the flaming of the fire, sought help of the One, the
All-conquering Creator of night and day, Him of All-might, whom no sight
comprehendeth, but who comprehendeth all sights, for He is the Subtle,
the All-knowing. And they ceased not humbly beseeching Him till, behold,
a cloud arose from West to East and, pouring down showers of rain, like
the swollen sea, quenched the fire. When the King saw this, he was
affrighted, he and his troops, and entered the palace, where he turned
to the Wazirs and Grandees and said to them, “How say ye of these two
men?” They replied, “O King, had they not been in the right, this thing
had not befallen the fire; wherefore we say that they be true men which
speak sooth.” Rejoined Mura’ash, “Verily the Truth hath been displayed
to me, ay, and the manifest way, and I am certified that the worship of
the fire is false; for, were it goddess, it had warded off from itself
the rain which quenched it and the stone which broke its brasier and
beat it into ashes. Wherefore I believe in Him Who created the fire and
the light and the shade and the heat. And ye, what say ye?” They
answered, “O King, we also hear and follow and obey.” So the King called
for Gharib and embraced him and kissed him between the eyes and then
summoned Sahim; whereupon the bystanders all crowded to kiss their hands
and heads.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say
her permitted say.
Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-second Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Mura’ash
and his men found salvation in the Saving Faith, Al-Islam, he called for
Gharib and Sahim and kissed them between the eyes and so did all the
Grandees who crowded to buss their hands and heads. Then Mura’ash sat
down on the throne of his kingship and, seating Gharib on his right and
Sahim on his left hand, said to them, “O mortals, what shall we say,
that we may become Moslems?” Replied Gharib, “Say:—There is no god but
_the_ God, and Abraham is the Friend of God!” So the King and his folk
professed Al-Islam with heart and tongue, and Gharib abode with them
awhile, teaching them the ritual of prayer. But presently he called to
mind his people and sighed, whereupon quoth Mura’ash, “Verily, trouble
is gone and joy and gladness are come.” Quoth Gharib, “O King, I have
many foes and I fear for my folk from them.” Then he related to him his
history with his brother Ajib from first to last, and the King of the
Jinns said, “O King of men, I will send one who shall bring thee news of
thy people, for I will not let thee go till I have had my fill of thy
face.” Then he called two doughty Marids, by name Kaylaján and Kúraján,
and after they had done him homage, he bade them repair to Al-Yaman and
bring him news of Gharib’s army. They replied, “To hear is to obey,” and
departed. Thus far concerning the brothers; but as regards the Moslems,
they arose in the morning and led by their captains rode to King
Gharib’s palace, to do their service to him; but the eunuchs told them
that the King had mounted with his brother and had ridden forth at peep
o’ day. So they made for the valleys and mountains and followed the
track of the Princes, till they came to the Valley of Springs, where
they found their arms cast down and their two gallant steeds grazing and
said, “The King is missing from this place, by the glory of Abraham the
Friend!” Then they mounted and sought in the valley and the mountains
three days, but found no trace of them; whereupon they began the
mourning ceremonies and, sending for couriers, said to them, “Do ye
disperse yourselves about the cities and sconces and castles, and seek
ye news of our King.” “Hearkening and obedience!” cried the couriers,
who dispersed hither and thither each over one of the Seven Climes and
sought everywhere for Gharib, but found no trace of him. Now when the
tidings came to Ajib by his spies that his brother was lost and there
was no news of the missing, he rejoiced and going in to King Ya’arub bin
Kahtan, sought of him aid which he granted and gave him two hundred
thousand Amalekites, wherewith he set out for Al-Yaman and sat down
before the city of Oman. Jamrkan and Sa’adan sallied forth and offered
him battle, and there were slain of the Moslems much folk, so the True
Believers retired into the city and shut the gates and manned the walls.
At this moment came up the two Marids Kaylajan and Kurajan and, seeing
the Moslem beleaguered waited till nightfall, when they fell upon the
miscreants and plied them with sharp swords of the swords of the Jinn,
each twelve cubits long, if a man smote therewith a rock, verily he
would cleave it in sunder. They charged the Idolators, shouting, “Allaho
Akbar! God is Most Great! He giveth aid and victory and forsaketh those
who deny the Faith of Abraham the Friend!” and whilst they raged amongst
the foes, fire issued from their mouths and nostrils, and they made
great slaughter amongst them. Thereupon the Infidels ran out of their
tents offering battle but, seeing these strange things, were confounded
and their hair stood on end and their reason fled. So they snatched up
their arms and fell one upon other, whilst the Marids shore off their
heads, as a reaper eareth grain, crying, “God is Most Great! We are the
lads of King Gharib, the friend of Mura’ash, King of the Jinn!” The
sword ceased not to go round amongst them till the night was half spent,
when the Misbelievers, imagining that the mountains were all Ifrits,
loaded their tents and treasure and baggage upon camels and made off;
and the first to fly was Ajib.——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day
and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-third Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Misbelievers made off and the first to fly was Ajib. Thereupon the
Moslems gathered together, marvelling at this that had betided the
Infidels and fearing the tribesmen of the Jinn. But the Marids ceased
not from pursuit, till they had driven them far away into the hills and
wolds; and but fifty thousand Rebels[30] of two hundred thousand escaped
with their lives and made for their own land, wounded and sore
discomfited. Then the two Jinns returned and said to them, “O host of
the Moslems, your lord King Gharib and his brother Sahim salute you;
they are the guests of Mura’ash, King of the Jann, and will be with you
anon.” When Gharib’s men heard that he was safe and well, they joyed
with exceeding joy and said to the Marids, “Allah gladden you twain with
good news, O noble spirits!” So Kurajan and Kaylajan returned to
Mura’ash and Gharib; and acquainted them with that which had happened,
whereat Gharib finding the two sitting together felt heart at ease and
said, “Allah abundantly requite you!” Then quoth King Mura’ash, “O my
brother, I am minded to show thee our country and the city of Japhet[31]
son of Noah (on whom be peace!)” Quoth Gharib, “O King, do what seemeth
good to thee.” So he called for three noble steeds and mounting, he and
Gharib and Sahim, set out with a thousand Marids, as they were a piece
of a mountain cloven lengthwise. They fared on, solacing themselves with
the sight of valleys and mountains, till they came to Jabarsá,[32] the
city of Japhet son of Noah (on whom be peace!) where the townsfolk all,
great and small, came forth to meet King Mura’ash and brought them into
the city in great state. Then Mura’ash went up to the palace of Japhet
son of Noah and sat down on the throne of his kingship, which was of
alabaster, ten stages high and latticed with wands of gold wherefrom
hung all manner coloured silks. The people of the city stood before him
and he said to them, “O seed of Yafis bin Nuh, what did your fathers and
grandfathers worship?” They replied, “We found them worshipping Fire and
followed their example, as thou well knowest.” “O folk,” rejoined
Mura’ash, “we have been shown that the fire is but one of the creatures
of Almighty Allah, Creator of all things; and when we knew this, we
submitted ourselves to God, the One, the All-powerful, Maker of night
and day and the sphere revolving alway, Whom comprehendeth no sight, but
Who comprehendeth all sights, for He is the Subtle, the All-wise. So
seek ye Salvation and ye shall be saved from the wrath of the Almighty
One and from the fiery doom in the world to come.” And they embraced
Al-Islam with heart and tongue. Then Mura’ash took Gharib by the hand
and showed him the palace and its ordinance and all the marvels it
contained, till they came to the armoury, wherein were the arms of
Japhet son of Noah. Here Gharib saw a sword hanging to a pin of gold and
asked, “O King, whose is that?” Mura’ash answered, “’Tis the sword of
Yafis bin Nuh, wherewith he was wont to do battle against men and Jinn.
The sage Jardúm forged it and graved on its back names of might.[33] It
is named Al-Máhik—the Annihilator—for that it never descendeth upon a
man, but it annihilateth him, nor upon a Jinni, but it crusheth him; and
if one smote therewith a mountain ’twould overthrow it.” When Gharib
heard tell of the virtues of the sword, he said, “I desire to look on
this blade;” and Mura’ash said, “Do as thou wilt.” So Gharib put out his
hand, and, hending the sword, drew it from its sheath; whereupon it
flashed and Death crept on its edge and glittered; and it was twelve
spans long and three broad. Now Gharib wished to become owner of it, and
King Mura’ash said, “An thou canst smite with it, take it.” “’Tis well,”
Gharib replied, and took it up, and it was in his hand as a staff;
wherefore all who were present, men and Jinn, marvelled and said, “Well
done, O Prince of Knights!” Then said Mura’ash, “Lay thy hand on this
hoard for which the Kings of the earth sigh in vain, and mount, that I
may show thee the city.” Then they took horse and rode forth the palace,
with men and Jinns attending them on foot,——And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Six Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,