"For a whole year we lived very happily together, when, on the death of
my dear father, my husband, no longer having any inducement to remain
in Persia, determined to return to his native country.
"After a journey marked by no noteworthy incident, we arrived at length
in Bagdad. Hiring a house next to that occupied by my husband's uncle,
the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin, we have resided there now nearly a year,
in the greatest contentment and happiness, and constantly visited by
the Emir, who has always professed to be extremely pleased with our
society.
"Yesterday evening, however, he sent one of his female slaves to bid me
come at once to his house, as Suliman was suddenly taken ill.
"I was just dressed to receive my dear husband, whose return I every
moment expected. I hurried down therefore from my chamber just as I
was, forgetting even in my excitement to throw my yashmak over me, and
crossing the narrow yard between our houses, I entered the Emir's
garden.
"He met me in the midst of the garden, and in answer to my eager
inquiry for my husband, he said: 'You cannot see him, it is too late;
he is dead.'
"'Impossible!' I cried; 'it cannot be, take me to him at once. Let me
at least try what can be done for him.'
"Then this Emir--this wicked, this infamous man--took me in his arms,
in spite of my struggles, and kissed me and said: 'Think no more of
Suliman, who is gone, and whom you will not see again. Now you belong
to me--I love you, I have loved you for months, and never more shall we
part.'
"As he said these things, and I perceived his villainy, which I had
never even suspected until that moment, and thought how he had possibly
murdered his nephew, of whom he had pretended to be so fond, I fainted
off in the arms of the perfidious wretch, who, finding that I continued
so long insensible, no doubt concluded that I was dead. Indeed, I
remember nothing more until I found myself here in the palace, and most
kindly tended and watched. What has become of my dear husband I know
not; but oh, sir!" said she, falling down before the Caliph, "find him,
find him for me again if it be possible, and punish the Emir as he
deserves!"
"Rise," said the Caliph, "rise, beautiful lady, and be comforted. If
Suliman be alive he shall be restored to you. And whether he be alive
or dead the doom of the Emir is certain."
So saying, he at once went out of the harem, and summoning Giafer, he
said: "Send at once and fetch the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin. And let
some officers go also and bring hither, if they can find him, Suliman,
the nephew of the Emir, who lived in the next house to him."
An hour afterwards the officers returned, and reported that they could
find neither the Emir nor, his nephew. The former, taking some of his
slaves with him, had left his home about an hour before the arrival of
the officers sent to arrest him, and no one knew whither he had gone.
While as for his nephew, Suliman, he had left home on the previous day,
and had not since been heard of.
When this account was brought to the Caliph, he was furious.
"Go," said he, to the Grand Vizier, "destroy the house of that vile
scoundrel, the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin; leave of it not one stick or
stone upon another. And bring me both the Emir and his nephew--dead or
alive I will have them. Two days I give you to seek them, and if you
fail to find them, by Allah, your head shall not remain above your
shoulders."
Giafer trembled at the rage of his master, and went forth out of the
palace knowing no more where to look for the Emir and his nephew than
did the Caliph himself.
At first he said to himself, "I may as well go home to my own house and
set my affairs in order, for in two days I must die, for how can I find
in this great kingdom the two men I am in search of? I might as well
seek in a sand-heap two particular grains of sand."
However, as he rode along very slowly and moodily, it suddenly occurred
to him--"It is at least my duty to do at once that part of the Caliph's
order which is feasible." Therefore, sending for the proper workmen,
he proceeded immediately to the Emir's house, and superintended its
entire demolition.
After some hours' work the house was pulled down, and there remained
only some small portion of a very thick wall, which separated the house
from some out-buildings. While proceeding with the destruction of
this, the workmen came upon a doorway or opening, which had but
recently been bricked up, the cement being still damp; and when they
had removed this, they discovered a small cell or chamber situated in
the thickness of the wall, in which was seated a living man.
He, being brought to the Grand Vizier, declared that he was Suliman,
the nephew of the Emir, and said that his uncle--for what cause he knew
not--had barbarously caused him to be seized and buried alive where
they had found him. He begged that he might be allowed at once to
return to his own house, where his wife would be anxiously expecting
him.
The Grand Vizier, overjoyed to have thus secured one at least of those
whom he had been commanded to apprehend, would not lose sight of him
for one moment, but carried him forthwith to the palace.
The Caliph was considerably mollified by the production of Suliman, in
whose fate the narrative of Abadeh had so much interested him. He
listened with rising indignation to the account Suliman gave of the
behaviour of his uncle towards him, and once more ordering the Grand
Vizier to find and arrest the Emir, he commanded the Grand Chamberlain
to conduct Suliman to the apartment occupied by Abadeh.
That faithful wife was sitting disconsolate, scarcely daring to hope
again to behold her husband, when the Grand Chamberlain, coming softly
to the door, ushered in Suliman himself.
We will not attempt to intrude upon the transports of this happy pair
in again rejoining each other. At length Suliman learnt from the lips
of his wife the motive and object of his inhuman and treacherous uncle,
in causing him to be immured in that fatal cell, from which he had been
so marvellously released.
But while Suliman and Abadeh were thus discussing the conduct and
perfidy of the Emir, the unhappy Grand Vizier had to resume the
difficult and hazardous task of discovering his hiding-place. Two
circumstances served to encourage him, and to make the execution of the
Caliph's order seem somewhat less difficult than it had at first sight
appeared. The first circumstance was the wonderful way in which
Suliman had been delivered, as it were, into his hands, in the most
strange and altogether unexpected manner; and the second circumstance
was the fact of the Emir having taken certain slaves away with him. He
had no doubt taken away those slaves who had been employed to immure
his unfortunate nephew, and with the object of leaving no one who could
throw any light on the fate of his victim. Why he had fled was not so
clear, but probably some whisper of the resuscitation of his niece at
the palace had come to his ears.
Cogitating these things the Grand Vizier returned to his palace, and
immediately gave orders that the public criers should make proclamation
in every part of the city, that a reward would be given to any one
giving information leading to the capture of the Emir Bargash ibn
Beynin, namely, two thousand pieces of gold if he were taken alive, and
one thousand pieces on the recovery of his body if he were dead.
The next morning, soon after the Grand Vizier had risen, one of his
officers came to him and said, "There is a man whom we found very early
this morning at the Gate, who desires to speak with your Highness."
The Grand Vizier, divining at once that it might be one of the slaves
of the Emir, said, "Bring him in."
When the man was brought in, he prostrated himself before the Grand
Vizier, and said--
"I can tell your Highness where the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin has gone,
but promise me first that no harm shall be done me."
"Cursed slave!" cried the Grand Vizier, in the utmost excitement,
"inform me instantly where that villain your master is to be found, or
by the life of the Caliph I will have you impaled upon the spot."
"My lord," answered the slave, terrified by the impetuosity and threats
of the Grand Vizier, "have patience and hear me. Yesterday morning my
master took me and three other slaves of his, and going to a khan in a
remote part of the city he ordered us to lie down and sleep, or at any
rate keep quiet till he called us. During the day he assumed the garb
of a merchant, and we heard him arrange with some other merchants, whom
he met at the khan, to leave with them very early this morning in a
caravan, which sets out with the intention of proceeding towards
Persia. Yesterday evening I heard the crier proclaim the reward that
you offer for the capture of my master, and therefore during the night
I made my escape, and came here. But again I implore you----"
"No more," said the Grand Vizier, interrupting him; "if the Emir
escapes your life shall answer it, but if he is captured you shall have
the reward, and free pardon for your crimes, be they what they may."
Then calling an officer he ordered him to take a score of horsemen,
mounted on the swiftest steeds to be found in his stables, and bring
back the master of this slave, and the other slaves that were with him.
The officer bowed and immediately departed, taking with him the slave,
in order to be able more certainly to identify the man wanted by the
Grand Vizier.
It was not long before the small and well-mounted body of cavalry
overtook the caravan, which necessarily travelled very slowly. As soon
as the Emir observed them approaching he guessed that they had been
sent to apprehend him, and putting spurs to his horse, he attempted to
seek safety in flight. The cavalry came on like the wind, the few
foremost horsemen passed the caravan safely, but the others getting
mixed up with the camels and asses, composing the train of the caravan,
who straggled in all directions, being frightened by the noise of the
pursuers, a scene of inextricable confusion for some time ensued.
Meanwhile the Emir, who was mounted on a powerful horse, which was
fresh, while those of the soldiers were already considerably blown,
kept the lead easily, and appeared to have every chance of distancing
his pursuers altogether, and effecting his escape, when the Vizier's
officer, reining in his horse, discharged an arrow, aimed so accurately
that the Emir's horse was wounded. This changed the relative
conditions, and before long the Emir, finding that his horse was
disabled and could do no more, dismounted, and putting his back against
a tree, drew his sword, and prepared to offer stubborn resistance. All
his efforts were however in vain; being overpowered by numbers, he was
seized and disarmed, but not before he had managed to inflict severe
wounds upon two of his assailants.
Having bound him, they returned slowly to the spot where they had left
the caravan. This was being gradually restored to order, and the
officer collecting his men and securing the slaves and goods belonging
to the Emir, left the caravan to proceed again on its way, and hastened
back with his prisoner to Bagdad.
Directly the Grand Vizier was informed by a soldier, who was sent on in
advance of the party, of the capture of the Emir, he went out at once
to meet him, and conducted him straightway to the palace of the Caliph.
At the moment of the Grand Vizier's arrival, Haroun Alraschid was
seated on his throne in the splendid chamber of audience, holding a
public reception of the Imaums, Viziers, Emirs, Governors of Provinces,
and other great functionaries of his kingdom.
When the Grand Vizier announced to the Caliph that the Emir Bargash ibn
Beynin was a prisoner, and awaited under guard the commands of his
Majesty, Haroun Alraschid, looking round the audience-chamber with a
stern expression of countenance, said, "Let the Emir be conducted into
our presence."
And when the Emir, preceded by the Marshal of the Palace and guarded by
ten soldiers, entered the magnificent apartment, and stood before his
sovereign in the midst of that illustrious assemblage, the Caliph thus
addressed him:
"Emir! three times over you have forfeited the life whose opportunities
you have abused and the station whose fair name and dignity you have
disgraced. You have coveted and attempted to take the wife of your
neighbour, and that neighbour a near relative of your own, whom you
were bound in honour to cherish and protect. You have attempted to
take the life of your nephew, and that in the most atrocious and
cold-blooded way. And, finally, you have lied to me, and attempted to
deceive your sovereign and the Head of your Faith. Now, therefore, in
the face of this assembly I pronounce upon you my sentence. Your
honours and your goods are forfeited, and I bestow them upon Suliman,
your nephew, against whom you have acted so basely. For yourself,
three times shall you ride through Bagdad with your face to the tail of
the camel, while the criers make this announcement, 'Behold the reward
of an assassin,' and after the third journey they shall smite off your
head."
The Caliph then gave Mesrúr the usual sign to remove the prisoner.
After being paraded three times through the streets of Bagdad in the
manner the Caliph had ordained, the executioner struck off his head,
and thus perished that vile and infamous miscreant, the Emir Bargash
ibn Beynin.