JUDAR[FN#257] AND HIS BRETHREN.

There was once a man and a merchant named Omar and he had for issue

three sons, the eldest called Sálim, the youngest Júdar and the cadet

Salím. He reared them all till they came to man’s estate, but the

youngest he loved more than his brothers, who seeing this, waxed

jealous of Judar and hated him. Now when their father, who was a man

shotten in years, saw that his two eldest sons hated their brother, he

feared lest after his death trouble should befall him from them. So he

assembled a company of his kinsfolk, together with divers men of

learning and property distributors of the Kazi’s court, and bidding

bring all his monies and cloth, said to them, “O folk, divide ye this

money and stuff into four portions according to the law.” They did so,

and he gave one part to each of his sons and kept the fourth himself,

saying, “This was my good and I have divided it among them in my

lifetime; and this that I have kept shall be for my wife, their mother,

wherewithal to provide for her subsistence whenas she shall be a

widow.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her

permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Seventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the merchant

had divided his money and stuff into four portions he said, “This share

shall be for my wife, their mother, wherewithal to provide for her

subsistence whenas she shall be a widow.” A little while after this he

died, and neither of the two elder brothers was content with his

share,[FN#258] but sought more of Judar, saying, “Our father’s wealth

is in thy hands.” So he appealed to the judges; and the Moslems who had

been present at the partition came and bore witness of that which they

knew, wherefore the judge forbade them from one another; but Judar and

his brothers wasted much money in bribes to him. After this, the twain

left him awhile; presently, however, they began again to plot against

him and he appealed a second time to the magistrate, who once more

decided in his favour; but all three lost much money which went to the

judges. Nevertheless Sálim and Salím forbore not to seek his hurt and

to carry the case from court to court,[FN#259] he and they losing till

they had given all their good for food to the oppressors and they

became poor, all three. Then the two elder brothers went to their

mother and flouted her and beat her, and seizing her money crave her

away. So she betook herself to her son Judar and told him how his

brothers had dealt with her and fell to cursing the twain. Said he, “O

my mother, do not curse them, for Allah will requite each of them

according to his deed. But, O mother mine, see, I am become poor, and

so are my brethren, for strife occasioneth loss ruin rife, and we have

striven amain, and fought, I and they, before the judges, and it hath

profited us naught: nay, we have wasted all our father left us and are

disgraced among the folk by reason of our testimony one against other.

Shall I then con tend with them anew on thine account and shall we

appeal to the judges? This may not be! Rather do thou take up thine

abode with me, and the scone I eat I will share with thee. Do thou pray

for me and Allah will give me the means of thine alimony. Leave them to

receive of the Almighty the recompense of their deed, and console

thyself with the saying of the poet who said,

‘If a fool oppress thee bear patiently; * And from Time expect

thy revenge to see:

Shun tyranny; for if mount oppressed * A mount, ’twould be

shattered by tyranny.’”

And he soothed and comforted her till she consented and took up her

dwelling with him. Then he get him a net and went a fishing every day

in the river or the banks about Bulák and old Cairo or some other place

in which there was water; and one day he would earn ten

coppers,[FN#260] another twenty and another thirty, which he spent upon

his mother and himself, and they ate well and drank well. But, as for

his brothers, they plied no craft and neither sold nor bought; misery

and ruin and overwhelming calamity entered their houses and they wasted

that which they had taken from their mother and became of the wretched

naked beggars. So at times they would come to their mother, humbling

themselves before her exceedingly and complaining to her of hunger; and

she (a mother’s heart being pitiful) would give them some mouldy, sour

smelling bread or, if there were any meat cooked the day before, she

would say to them, “Eat it quick and go ere your brother come; for

’twould be grievous to him and he would harden his heart against me,

and ye would disgrace me with him.” So they would eat in haste and go.

One day among days they came in to their mother, and she set cooked

meat and bread before them. As they were eating, behold, in came their

brother Judar, at whose sight the parent was put to shame and

confusion, fearing lest he should be wroth with her; and she bowed her

face earthwards abashed before her son. But he smiled in their faces,

saying, “Welcome, O my brothers! A blessed day![FN#261] How comes it

that ye visit me this blessed day?” Then he embraced them both and

entreated them lovingly, saying to them, “I thought not that ye would

have left me desolate by your absence nor that ye would have forborne

to come and visit me and your mother.” Said they, “By Allah, O our

brother, we longed sore for thee and naught withheld us but abashment

because of what befell between us and thee; but indeed we have repented

much. ’Twas Satan’s doing, the curse of Allah the Most High be upon

him! And now we have no blessing but thyself and our mother.”—And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted

say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Eighth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar

entered his place and saw his brothers, he welcomed them both, saying,

“And I have no blessing but you twain.” And his mother exclaimed,

“Allah whiten thy face, and increase thy prosperity, for thou art the

most generous of us all, O my son!” Then he said “Welcome to you both!

Abide with me; for the Lord is bountiful and good aboundeth with me.”

So he made peace with them, and they supped and righted with him; and

next morning, after they had broken their fast, Judar shouldered his

net and went out, trusting in The Opener[FN#262] whilst the two others

also went forth and were absent till midday, when they returned and

their mother set the noon meal before them. At nightfall Judar came

home, bearing meat and greens, and they abode on this wise a month’s

space, Judar catching fish and selling it and spending their price on

his mother and his brothers, and these eating and frolicking till, one

day, it chanced he went down to the river bank and throwing his net,

brought it up empty. He cast it a second time, but again it came up

empty and he said in himself, “No fish in this place!” So he removed to

another and threw the net there, but without avail. And he ceased not

to remove from place to place till night fall, but caught not a single

sprat[FN#263] and said to himself, “Wonderful! Hath the fish fled the

river or what?” Then he shouldered the net and made for home,

chagrined, concerned, feeling for his mother and brothers and knowing

not how he should feed them that night. Presently, he came to a baker’s

oven and saw the folk crowding for bread, with silver in their hands,

whilst the baker took no note of them. So he stood there sighing, and

the baker said to him, “Welcome to thee, O Judar! Dost thou want

bread?” But he was silent and the baker continued, “An thou have no

dirhams, take thy sufficiency and thou shalt get credit.” So Judar

said, “Give me ten coppers’ worth of bread and take this net in

pledge.” Rejoined the baker, “Nay, my poor fellow, the net is thy gate

of earning thy livelihood, and if I take it from thee, I shall close up

against thee the door of thy subsistence. Take thee ten Nusfs’ worth of

bread and take these other ten, and to morrow bring me fish for the

twenty.” “On my head and eyes be it!” quoth Judar and took the bread

and money saying, “To morrow the Lord will dispel the trouble of my

case and will provide me the means of acquittance.” Then he bought meat

and vegetables and carried them home to his mother, who cooked them and

they supped and went to bed. Next morning he arose at daybreak and took

the net, and his mother said to him, “Sit down and break thy fast.” But

he said, “Do thou and my brothers break fast,” and went down to the

river about Bulak where he ceased not to cast once, twice, thrice; and

to shift about all day, without aught falling to him, till the hour of

mid afternoon prayer, when he shouldered his net and went away sore

dejected. His way led him perforce by the booth of the baker who, when

he saw him counted out to him the loaves and the money, saying, “Come,

take it and go; an it be not to-day, ’twill be to-morrow.” Judar would

have excused himself, but the baker said to him, “Go! There needeth no

excuse; an thou had netted aught, it would be with thee; so seeing thee

empty handed, I knew thou hadst gotten naught; and if to-morrow thou

have no better luck, come and take bread and be not abashed, for I will

give thee credit.” So Judar took the bread and money and went home. On

the third day also he sallied forth and fished from tank to tank until

the time of afternoon prayer, but caught nothing; so he went to the

baker and took the bread and silver as usual. On this wise he did seven

days running, till he became disheartened and said in himself, “To day

I go to the Lake Kárún.”[FN#264] So he went thither and was about to

cast his net, when there came up to him unawares a Maghrabí, a Moor,

clad in splendid attire and riding a she mule with a pair of gold

embroidered saddle bags on her back and all her trappings also

orfrayed. The Moor alighted and said to him, “Peace be upon thee, O

Judar, O son of Omar!” “And on thee likewise be peace, O my lord the

pilgrim!” replied the fisherman. Quoth the Maghrabi, “O Judar, I have

need of thee and, given thou obey me, thou shalt get great good and

shalt be my companion and manage my affairs for me.” Quoth Judar, “O my

lord, tell me what is in thy mind and I will obey thee, without demur.”

Said the Moor, “Repeat the Fatihah, the Opening Chapter of the

Koran.”[FN#265] So he recited it with him and the Moor bringing out a

silken cord, said to Judar, “Pinion my elbows behind me with this cord,

as fast as fast can be, and cast me into the lake; then wait a little

while; and, if thou see me put forth my hands above the water, raising

them high ere my body show, cast thy net over me and drag me out in

haste; but if thou see me come up feet foremost, then know that I am

dead; in which case do thou leave me and take the mule and saddle bags

and carry them to the merchants’ bazaar, where thou wilt find a Jew by

name Shamáyah. Give him the mule and he will give thee an hundred

dinars, which do thou take and go thy ways and keep the matter secret

with all secrecy.” So Judar tied his arms tightly behind his back and

he kept saying, “Tie tighter.” Then said he “Push me till I fall into

the lake:” so he pushed him in and he sank. Judar stood waiting some

time till, behold, the Moor’s feet appeared above the water, whereupon

he knew that he was dead. So he left him and drove the mule to the

bazaar, where seated on a stool at the door of his storehouse he saw

the Jew who spying the mule, cried, “In very sooth the man hath

perished,” adding, “and naught undid him but covetise.” Then he took

the mule from Judar and gave him an hundred dinars, charging him to

keep the matter secret. So Judar went and bought what bread he needed,

saying to the baker, “Take this gold piece!”; and the man summed up

what was due to him and said, “I still owe thee two days’ bread”—And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted

say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Ninth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, when

the baker after summing up what was due to him said, “I still owe thee

two days’ bread,” replied, “Good,” and went on to the butcher, to whom

he gave a gold piece and took meat, saying, “Keep the rest of the dinar

on account.” Then he bought vegetables and going home, found his

brothers importuning their mother for victual, whilst she cried, “Have

patience till your brother come home, for I have naught.” So he went in

to them and said, “Take and eat;” and they fell on the food like

cannibals. Then he gave his mother the rest of his gold saying, “If my

brothers come to thee, give them wherewithal to buy food and eat in my

absence.” He slept well that night and next morning he took his net and

going down to Lake Karun stood there and was about to cast his net,

when behold, there came up to him a second Maghribi, riding on a she

mule more handsomely accoutred than he of the day before and having

with him a pair of saddle bags of which each pocket contained a casket.

“Peace be with thee, O Judar!” said the Moor: “And with thee be peace,

O my lord, the pilgrim!” replied Judar. Asked the Moor, “Did there come

to thee yesterday a Moor riding on a mule like this of mine?” Hereat

Judar was alarmed and answered, “I saw none,” fearing lest the other

say, “Whither went he?” and if he replied, “He was drowned in the

lake,” that haply he should charge him with having drowned him;

wherefore he could not but deny. Rejoined the Moor, “Hark ye, O

unhappy![FN#266] this was my brother, who is gone before me.” Judar

persisted, “I know naught of him.” Then the Moor enquired, “Didst thou

not bind his arms behind him and throw him into the lake, and did he

not say to thee, ‘If my hands appear above the water first, cast thy

net over me and drag me out in haste; but, if my feet show first, know

that I am dead and carry the mule to the Jew Shamayah, who shall give

thee an hundred dinars?’” Quoth Judar, “Since thou knowest all this why

and wherefore dost thou question me?”; and quoth the Moor, “I would

have thee do with me as thou didst with my brother.” Then he gave him a

silken cord, saying, “Bind my hands behind me and throw me in, and if I

fare as did my brother, take the mule to the Jew and he will give thee

other hundred dinars.” Said Judar, “Come on;” so he came and he bound

him and pushed him into the lake, where he sank. Then Judar sat

watching and after awhile, his feet appeared above the water and the

fisher said, “He is dead and damned! Inshallah, may Maghribis come to

me every day, and I will pinion them and push them in and they shall

die; and I will content me with an hundred dinars for each dead man.”

Then he took the mule to the Jew, who seeing him asked, “The other is

dead?” Answered Judar, “May thy head live!”; and the Jew said, “This is

the reward of the covetous!” Then he took the mule and gave Judar an

hundred dinars, with which he returned to his mother. “O my son,” said

she, “whence hast thou this?” So he told her, and she said, “Go not

again to Lake Karun, indeed I fear for thee from the Moors.” Said he,

“O my mother, I do but cast them in by their own wish, and what am I to

do? This craft bringeth me an hundred dinars a day and I return

speedily; wherefore, by Allah, I will not leave going to Lake Karun,

till the race of the Magháribah[FN#267] is cut off and not one of them

is left.” So, on the morrow which was the third day, he went down to

the lake and stood there, till there came up a third Moor, riding on a

mule with saddle bags and still more richly accoutred than the first

two, who said to him, “Peace be with thee, O Judar, O son of Omar!” And

the fisherman saying in himself, “How comes it that they all know me?”

returned his salute. Asked the Maghribi, “Have any Moors passed by

here?” “Two,” answered Judar. “Whither went they?” enquired the Moor,

and Judar replied, “I pinioned their hands behind them and cast them

into the lake, where they were drowned, and the same fate is in store

for thee.” The Moor laughed and rejoined, saying, “O unhappy! Every

life hath its term appointed.” Then he alighted and gave the fisherman

the silken cord, saying, “Do with me, O Judar, as thou didst with

them.” Said Judar, “Put thy hands behind thy back, that I may pinion

thee, for I am in haste, and time flies.” So he put his hands behind

him and Judar tied him up and cast him in. Then he waited awhile;

presently the Moor thrust both hands forth of the water and called out

to him, saying, “Ho, good fellow, cast out thy net!” So Judar threw the

net over him and drew him ashore, and lo! in each hand he held a fish

as red as coral. Quoth the Moor, “Bring me the two caskets that are in

the saddle bags.” So Judar brought them and opened them to him, and he

laid in each casket a fish and shut them up. Then he pressed Judar to

his bosom and kissed him on the right cheek and the left, saying,

“Allah save thee from all stress! By the Almighty, hadst thou not cast

the net over me and pulled me out, I should have kept hold of these two

fishes till I sank and was drowned, for I could not get ashore of

myself.” Quoth Judar, “O my lord the pilgrim, Allah upon thee, tell me

the true history of the two drowned men and the truth anent these two

fishes and the Jew.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Tenth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar

asked the Maghribi, saying, “Prithee tell me first of the drowned

men,” the Maghribi answered, “Know, O Judar, that these drowned men

were my two brothers, by name Abd al-Salám and Abd al-Ahad. My own

name is Abd al-Samad, and the Jew also is our brother; his name is Abd

al-Rahim and he is no Jew but a true believer of the Maliki school. Our

father, whose name was Abd al-Wadúd,[FN#268] taught us magic and the

art of solving mysteries and bringing hoards to light, and we applied

ourselves thereto, till we compelled the Ifrits and Marids of the Jinn

to do us service. By and by, our sire died and left us much wealth,

and we divided amongst us his treasures and talismans, till we came to

the books, when we fell out over a volume called ‘The Fables of the

Ancients,’ whose like is not in the world, nor can its price be paid of

any, nor is its value to be evened with gold and jewels; for in it are

particulars of all the hidden hoards of the earth and the solution of

every secret. Our father was wont to make use of this book, of which we

had some small matter by heart, and each of us desired to possess it,

that he might acquaint himself with what was therein. Now when we fell

out there was in our company an old man by name Cohen Al-Abtan,[FN#269]

who had reared our sire and taught him divination and gramarye, and he

said to us, ‘Bring me the book.’ So we gave it him and he continued,—Ye

are my son’s sons, and it may not be that I should wrong any of you.

So whoso is minded to have the volume, let him address himself to

achieve the treasure of Al-Shamardal[FN#270] and bring me the celestial

planisphere and the Kohl phial and the seal ring and the sword. For the

ring hath a Marid that serveth it called Al-Ra’ad al-Kásif;[FN#271]

and whoso hath possession thereof, neither King nor Sultan may prevail

against him; and if he will, he may therewith make himself master of

the earth, in all the length and breadth thereof. As for the brand, if

its bearer draw it and brandish it against an army, the army will be

put to the rout; and if he say the while, ‘Slay yonder host,’ there

will come forth of that sword lightning and fire, that will kill the

whole many. As for the planisphere, its possessor hath only to turn

its face toward any country, east or west, with whose sight he hath a

mind to solace himself, and therein he will see that country and its

people, as they were between his hands and he sitting in his place;

and if he be wroth with a city and have a mind to burn it, he hath but

to face the planisphere towards the sun’s disc, saying, ‘Let such a

city be burnt,’ and that city will be consumed with fire. As for the

Kohl phial, whoso pencilleth his eyes therefrom, he shall espy all

the treasures of the earth. And I make this condition with you which

is that whoso faileth to hit upon the hoards shall forfeit his right;

and that none save he who shall achieve the treasure and bring me the

four precious things which be therein shall have any claim to take this

book.’ So we all agreed to this condition, and he continued, ‘O my

sons, know that the treasure of Al-Shamardal is under the commandment

of the sons of the Red King, and your father told me that he had

himself essayed to open the treasure, but could not; for the sons of

the Red King fled from him into the land of Egypt and took refuge in a

lake there, called Lake Karun, whither he pursued them, but could not

prevail over them, by reason of their stealing into that lake, which

was guarded by a spell.’ ”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and

ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Eleventh Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Cohen

al-Abtan had told the youths this much, he continued his tale as

follows, “So your father returned empty handed and unable to win to his

wish; and after failing he complained to me of his ill-success,

whereupon I drew him an astrological figure and found that the treasure

could be achieved only by means of a young fisherman of Cairo, highs

Judar bin Omar, the place of foregathering with whom was at Lake Karun,

for that he should be the means of capturing the sons of the Red King

and that the charm would not be dissolved, save if he should bind the

hands of the treasure seeker behind him and cast him into the lake,

there to do battle with the sons of the Red King. And he whose lot it

was to succeed would lay hands upon them; but, if it were not destined

to him he should perish and his feet appear above water. As for him who

was successful, his hands would show first, whereupon it behoved that

Judar should cast the net over him and draw him ashore.” Now quoth my

brothers Abd al-Salam and Abd al-Ahad, “We will wend and make trial,

although we perish;” and quoth I, “And I also will go;” but my brother

Abd al-Rahim (he whom thou sawest in the habit of a Jew) said, “I have

no mind to this.” Thereupon we agreed with him that he should repair to

Cairo in the disguise of a Jewish merchant, so that, if one of us

perished in the lake, he might take his mule and saddle bags and give

the bearer an hundred dinars. The first that came to thee the sons of

the Red King slew, and so did they with my second brother; but against

me they could not prevail and I laid hands on them. Cried Judar, “And

where is thy catch?” Asked the Moor, “Didst thou not see me shut them

in the caskets?” “Those were fishes,” said Judar. “Nay,” answered the

Maghribi, “they are Ifrits in the guise of fish. But, O Judar,”

continued he, “thou must know that the treasure can be opened only by

thy means: so say, wilt thou do my bidding and go with me to the city

Fez and Mequinez[FN#272] where we will open the treasure?; and after I

will give thee what thou wilt and thou shalt ever be my brother in the

bond of Allah and return to thy family with a joyful heart.” Said

Judar, “O my lord the pilgrim, I have on my neck a mother and two

brothers,”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say

her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twelfth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar said

to the Maghribi, “I have on my neck a mother and two brothers, whose

provider I am; and if I go with thee, who shall give them bread to

eat?” Replied the Moor, “This is an idle excuse! if it be but a matter

of expenditure, I will give thee a thousand ducats for thy mother,

wherewith she may provide her self till thou come back: and indeed thou

shalt return before the end of four months.” So when Judar heard

mention of the thousand diners, he said, “Here with them, O Pilgrim,

and I am thy man;” and the Moor, pulling out the money, gave it to him,

whereupon he carried it to his mother and told her what had passed

between them, saying, “Take these thousand diners and expend of them

upon thyself and my brothers, whilst I journey to Marocco with the

Moor, for I shall be absent four months, and great good will betide me;

so bless me, O my mother!” Answered she, “O my son, thou desolatest me

and I fear for thee.” “O my mother,” rejoined he, “no harm can befall

him who is in Allah’s keeping, and the Maghribi is a man of worth;” and

he went on to praise his condition to her. Quoth she, “Allah incline

his heart to thee! Go with him, O my son; peradventure, he will give

thee somewhat.” So he took leave of his mother and rejoined the Moor

Abd al-Samad, who asked him, “Hast thou consulted thy mother?” “Yes,”

answered Judar; “and she blessed me.” “Then mount behind me,” said the

Maghribi. So Judar mounted the mule’s crupper and they rode on from

noon till the time of mid afternoon prayer, when the fisherman was an

hungered; but seeing no victual with the Moor, said to him, “O my lord

the pilgrim, belike thou hast forgotten to bring us aught to eat by the

way?” Asked the Moor, “Art thou hungry?” and Judar answered, “Yes.” So

Abd al-Samad alighted and made Judar alight and take down the saddle

bage[FN#273]; then he said to him, “What wilt thou have, O my brother?”

“Anything.” “Allah upon thee, tell me what thou hast a mind to.” “Bread

and cheese.” “O my poor fellow! bread and cheese besit thee not; wish

for some thing good.” “Just now everything is good to me.” “Dost thou

like nice browned chicken?” “Yes!” “Dost thou like rice and honey?”

“Yes!” And the Moor went on to ask him if he liked this dish and that

dish till he had named four and twenty kinds of meats; and Judar

thought to himself, “He must be daft! Where are all these dainties to

come from, seeing he hath neither cook nor kitchen? But I’ll say to

him, ‘’Tis enough!’” So he cried, “That will do: thou makest me long

for all these meats, and I see nothing.” Quoth the Moor, “Thou art

welcome, O Judar!” and, putting his hand into the saddle bags, pulled

out a golden dish containing two hot browned chickens. Then he thrust

his hand a second time and drew out a golden dish, full of

kabobs[FN#274]; nor did he stint taking out dishes from saddle bags,

till he had brought forth the whole of the four and twenty kinds he had

named, whilst Judar looked on. Then said the Moor, “Fall to poor

fellow!”, and Judar said to him, “O my lord, thou carriest in yonder

saddle bags kitchen and kitcheners!” The Moor laughed and replied,

“These are magical saddle bags and have a servant, who would bring us a

thousand dishes an hour, if we called for them.” Quoth Judar, “By

Allah, a meat thing in saddle bags’” Then they ate their fill and threw

away what was left; after which the Moor replaced the empty dishes in

the saddle bags and putting in his hand, drew out an ewer. They drank

and making the Wuzu ablution, prayed the mid afternoon prayer; after

which Abd al-Samad replaced the ewer and the two caskets in the saddle

bags and throwing them over the mule’s back, mounted and cried “Up with

thee and let us be off,” presently adding, “O Judar, knowest thou how

far we have come since we left Cairo?” “Not I, by Allah,” replied he,

and Abd al-Samad, “We have come a whole month’s journey.” Asked Judar,

“And how is that?”; and the Moor answered, “Know, O Judar, that this

mule under us is a Marid of the Jinn who every day performeth a year’s

journey; but, for thy sake, she hath gone an easier pace.” Then they

set out again and fared on westwards till nightfall, when they halted

and the Maghribi brought out supper from the saddle bags, and in like

manner, in the morning, he took forth wherewithal to break their fast.

So they rode on four days, journeying till midnight and then alighting

and sleeping until morning, when they fared on again; and all that

Judar had a mind to, he sought of the Moor, who brought it out of the

saddle bags. On the fifth day, they arrived at Fez and Mequinez and

entered the city, where all who met the Maghribi saluted him and kissed

his hands; and he continued riding through the streets, till he came to

a certain door, at which he knocked, whereupon it opened and out came a

girl like the moon, to whom said he, “O my daughter, O Rahmah,[FN#275]

open us the upper chamber.” “On my head and eyes, O my papa!” replied

she and went in, swaying her hips to and fro with a graceful and

swimming gait like a thirsting gazelle, movements that ravished Judar’s

reason, and he said, “This is none other than a King’s daughter.” So

she opened the upper chamber, and the Moor, taking the saddle bags from

the mule’s back, said, “Go, and God bless thee!” when lo! the earth

clove asunder and swallowing the mule, closed up again as before. And

Judar said, “O Protector! praised be Allah, who hath kept us in safety

on her back!” Quoth the Maghribi, “Marvel not, O Judar. I told thee

that the mule was an Ifrit; but come with us into the upper chamber.”

So they went up into it, and Judar was amazed at the profusion of rich

furniture and pendants of gold and silver and jewels and other rare and

precious things which he saw there. As soon as they were seated, the

Moor bade Rahmah bring him a certain bundle[FN#276] and opening it,

drew out a dress worth a thousand diners, which he gave to Judar,

saying, “Don this dress, O Judar, and welcome to thee!” So Judar put it

on and became a fair en sample of the Kings of the West. Then the

Maghribi laid the saddle bags before him, and, putting in his hand,

pulled out dish after dish, till they had before them a tray of forty

kinds of meat, when he said to Judar, “Come near, O my master! eat and

excuse us”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying

her permitted say,

When it was the Six Hundred and Thirteenth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Maghribi

having served up in the pavilion a tray of forty kinds of meat, said to

Judar, “Come near, O my master, and excuse us for that we know not what

meats thou desirest; but tell us what thou hast a mind to, and we will

set it before thee without delay.” Replied Judar, “By Allah, O my lord

the pilgrim, I love all kinds of meat and unlove none; so ask me not of

aught, but bring all that cometh to thy thought, for save eating to do

I have nought.” After this he tarried twenty days with the Moor, who

clad him in new clothes every day, and all this time they ate from the

saddle bags; for the Maghribi bought neither meat nor bread nor aught

else, nor cooked, but brought everything out of the bags, even to

various sorts of fruit. On the twenty first day, he said, “O Judar up

with thee; this is the day appointed for opening the hoard of

Al-Shamardal.” So he rose and they went afoot[FN#277] without the city,

where they found two slaves, each holding a she mule. The Moor mounted

one beast and Judar the other, and they ceased not riding till noon,

when they came to a stream of running water, on whose banks Abd

al-Samad alighted saying, “Dismount, O Judar!” Then he signed with his

hand to the slaves and said, “To it!” So they took the mules and going

each his own way, were absent awhile, after which they returned, one

bearing a tent, which he pitched, and the other carpets, which he

spread in the tent and laid mattresses, pillows and cushions there

around. Then one of them brought the caskets containing the two fishes;

and another fetched the saddle bags; whereupon the Maghribi arose and

said, “Come, O Judar!” So Judar followed him into the tent and sat down

beside him; and he brought out dishes of meat from the saddle bags and

they ate the undurn meal. Then the Moor took the two caskets and

conjured over them both, whereupon there came from within voices that

said’ “Adsumus, at thy service, O diviner of the world! Have mercy upon

us!” and called aloud for aid. But he ceased not to repeat conjurations

and they to call for help, till the two caskets flew in sunder, the

fragments flying about, and there came forth two men, with pinioned

hands saying, “Quarter, O diviner of the world! What wilt thou with

us?” Quoth he, “My will is to burn you both with fire, except ye make a

covenant with me, to open to me the treasure of Al-Shamardal.” Quoth

they, “We promise this to thee, and we will open the tree sure to thee,

so thou produce to us Judar bin Omar, the fisherman, for the hoard may

not be opened but by his means, nor can any enter therein save Judar.”

Cried the Maghribi “Him of whom ye speak, I have brought, and he is

here, listening to you and looking at you.” Thereupon they covenanted

with him to open the treasure to him, and he released them. Then he

brought out a hollow wand and tablets of red carnelian which he laid on

the rod; and after this he took a chafing dish and setting charcoal

thereon, blew one breath into it and it kindled forthwith. Presently he

brought incense and said, “O Judar, I am now about to begin the

necessary conjurations and fumigations, and when I have once begun, I

may not speak, or the charm will be naught; so I will teach thee first

what thou must do to win thy wish.” “Teach me,” quoth Judar. “Know,”

quoth the Moor, “that when I have recited the spell and thrown on the

incense, the water will dry up from the river’s bed and discover to

thee, a golden door, the bigness of the city gate, with two rings of

metal thereon; whereupon do thou go down to the door and knock a light

knock and wait awhile; then knock a second time a knock louder than the

first and wait another while; after which give three knocks in rapid

succession, and thou wilt hear a voice ask, ‘Who knocketh at the door

of the treasure, unknowing how to solve the secrets?’ Do thou answer,

‘I am Judar the fisherman son of Omar’: and the door will open and

there will come forth a figure with a brand in hand who will say to

thee: ‘If thou be that man, stretch forth thy neck, that I may strike

off thy head.’ Then do thou stretch forth thy neck and fear not; for,

when he lifts his hand and smites thee with the sword, he will fall

down before thee, and in a little thou wilt see him a body sans soul;

and the stroke shall not hurt thee nor shall any harm befall thee; but,

if thou gainsay him, he will slay thee. When thou hast undone his

enchantment by obedience, enter and go on till thou see another door,

at which do thou knock, and there will come forth to thee a horseman

riding a mare with a lance on his shoulder and say to thee, ‘What

bringeth thee hither, where none may enter ne man ne Jinni?’ And he

will shake his lance at thee. Bare thy breast to him and he will smite

thee and fall down forthright and thou shalt see him a body without a

soul; but if thou cross him he will kill thee. Then go on to the third

door, whence there will come forth to thee a man with a bow and arrows

in his hand and take aim at thee. Bare thy breast to him and he will

shoot at thee and fall down before thee, a body without a soul; but if

thou oppose him, he will kill thee. Then go on to the fourth door”—And

Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her per misted

say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Fourteenth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Maghribi

said to Judar, “Go on to the fourth door and knock and it shall be

opened to thee, when there will come forth to thee a lion huge of bulk

which will rush upon thee, opening his mouth and showing he hath a mind

to devour thee. Have no fear of him, neither flee from him: but when he

cometh to thee, give him thy hand and he will bite at it and fall down

straightway, nor shall aught of hurt betide thee. Then enter the fifth

door, where thou shalt find a black slave, who will say to thee, ‘Who

art thou?’ Say, ‘I am Judar!’ and he will answer, ‘If thou be that man,

open the sixth door.’ Then do thou go up to the door and say, ‘O Isa,

tell Musa to open the door’; whereupon the door will fly open and thou

wilt see two dragons, one on the left hand and another on the right,

which will open their mouths and fly at thee, both at once. Do thou put

forth to them both hands and they will bite each a hand and fall down

dead; but an thou resist them, they will slay thee. Then go on to the

seventh door and knock, whereupon there will come forth to thee thy

mother and say, ‘Welcome, O my son! Come, that I may greet thee!’ But

do thou reply, ‘Hold off from me and doff thy dress.’ And she will make

answer, ‘O my son, I am thy mother and I have a claim upon thee for

suckling thee and for rearing thee: how then wouldst thou strip me

naked?’ Then do thou say, ‘Except thou put off thy clothes, I will kill

thee!’ and look to thy right where thou wilt see a sword hanging up.

Take it and draw it upon her, saying, ‘Strip!’ where upon she will

wheedle thee and humble herself to thee; but have thou no ruth on her

nor be beguiled, and as often as she putteth off aught, say to her,

‘Off with the rave’; nor do thou cease to threaten her with death, till

she doff all that is upon her and fall down, whereupon the enchantment

will be dissolved and the charms undone, and thou wilt be safe as to

thy life. Then enter the hall of the treasure, where thou wilt see the

gold lying in heaps; but pay no heed to aught thereof, but look to a

closet at the upper end of the hall, where thou wilt see a curtain

drawn. Draw back the curtain and thou wilt descry the enchanter,

Al-Shamardal, lying upon a couch of gold, with something at his head

round and shining like the moon, which is the celestial planisphere. He

is baldrick’d with the sword[FN#278]; his finger is the ring and about

his neck hangs a chain, to which hangs the Kohl phial. Bring me the

four talismans, and beware lest thou forget aught of that which I have

told thee, or thou wilt repent and there will be fear for thee.” And he

repeated his directions a second and a third and a fourth time, till

Judar said, “I have them by heart: but who may face all these

enchantments that thou namest and endure against these mighty terrors?”

Replied the Moor, “O Judar, fear not, for they are semblances without

life;” and he went on to hearten him, till he said, “I put my trust in

Allah.” Then Abd al-Samad threw perfumes on the chafing dish, and

addressed himself to reciting conjurations for a time when, behold, the

water disappeared and uncovered the river bed and discovered the door

of the treasure, whereupon Judar went down to the door and knocked.

Therewith he heard a voice saying, “Who knocketh at the door of the

treasure, unknowing how to solve the secrets?” Quoth he, “I am Judar

son of Omar;” whereupon the door opened and there came forth a figure

with a drawn sword, who said to him, “Stretch forth thy neck.” So he

stretched forth his neck and the species smote him and fell down,

lifeless. Then he went on to the second door and did the like, nor did

he cease to do thus, till he had undone the enchantments of the first

six doors and came to the seventh door, whence there issued forth to

him his mother, saying, “I salute thee, O my son!” He asked, “What art

thou?”, and she answered, “O my son, I am thy mother who bare thee nine

months and suckled thee and reared thee.” Quoth he, “Put off thy

clothes.” Quoth she, “Thou art my son, how wouldst thou strip me

naked?” But he said “Strip, or I will strike off thy head with this

sword;” and he stretched out his hand to the brand and drew it upon her

saying, “Except thou strip, I will slay thee.” Then the strife became

long between them and as often as he redoubled on her his threats, she

put off somewhat of her clothes and he said to her, “Doff the rest,”

with many menaces; while she removed each article slowly and kept

saying, “O my son, thou hast disappointed my fosterage of thee,” till

she had nothing left but her petticoat trousers Then said she, “O my

son, is thy heart stone? Wilt thou dishonour me by discovering my

shame? Indeed, this is unlawful, O my son!” And he answered, “Thou

sayest sooth; put not off thy trousers.” At once, as he uttered these

words, she cried out, “He hath made default; beat him!” Whereupon there

fell upon him blows like rain drops and the servants of the treasure

flocked to him and dealt him a funding which he forgot not in all his

days; after which they thrust him forth and threw him down without the

treasure and the hoard doors closed of themselves, whilst the waters of

the river returned to their bed.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Fifteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the servants

of the treasure beat Judar and cast him out and the hoard doors closed

of themselves, whilst the river waters returned to their bed, Abd

al-Samad the Maghribi took Judar up in haste and repeated conjurations

over him, till he came to his senses but still dazed as with drink,

when he asked him, “What hast thou done, O wretch?” Answered Judar, “O

my brother, I undid all the opposing enchantments, till I came to my

mother and there befell between her and myself a long contention. But I

made her doff her clothes, O my brother, till but her trousers remained

upon her and she said to me, ‘Do not dishonour me; for to discover

one’s shame is forbidden.’ So I left her her trousers out of pity, and

behold, she cried out and said, ‘He hath made default; beat him!’

Whereupon there came out upon me folk, whence I know not, and funding

me with a belabouring which was a Sister of Death, thrust me forth; nor

do I know what befell me after this.” Quoth the Moor, “Did I not warn

thee not to swerve from my directions? Verily, thou hast injured me and

hast injured thyself: for if thou hadst made her take off her petticoat

trousers, we had won to our wish; but now thou must abide with me till

this day next year.” Then he cried out to the two slaves, who struck

the tent forthright and loaded it on the beasts; then they were absent

awhile and presently returned with the two mules; and the twain mounted

and rode back to the city of Fez, where Judar tarried with the

Maghribi, eating well and drinking well and donning a grand dress every

day, till the year was ended and the anniversary day dawned. Then the

Moor said to him, “Come with me, for this is the appointed day.” And

Judar said, “’Tis well.” So the Maghribi carried him without the city,

where they found the two slaves with the mules, and rode on till they

reached the river. Here the slaves pitched the tent and furnished it;

and the Moor brought forth the tray of food and they ate the morning

meal; after which Abd al-Samad brought out the wand and the tablets as

before and, kindling the fire in the chafing dish, made ready the

incense. Then said he, “O Judar, I wish to renew my charge to thee.” “O

my lord the pilgrim,” replied he, “if I have forgotten the bastinado, I

have forgotten the injunctions.”[FN#279] Asked the Moor, “Dost thou

indeed remember them?” and he answered, “Yes.” Quoth the Moor, “Keep

thy wits, and think not that the woman is thy very mother; nay, she is

but an enchantment in her semblance, whose purpose is to find thee

defaulting. Thou camest off alive the first time; but, an thou trip

this time, they will slay thee.” Quoth Judar, “If I slip this time, I

deserve to be burnt of them.” Then Abd al-Samad cast the perfumes into

the fire and recited the conjurations, till the river dried up;

whereupon Judar descended and knocked. The door opened and he entered

and undid the several enchantments, till he came to the seventh door

and the semblance of his mother appeared before him, saying,

“Welcome,[FN#280] O my son!” But he said to her, “How am I thy son, O

accursed? Strip!” And she began to wheedle him and put off garment

after garment, till only her trousers remained; and he said to her,

“Strip, O accursed!” So she put off her trousers and became a body

without a soul. Then he entered the hall of the treasures, where he saw

gold lying in heaps, but paid no heed to it and passed on to the closet

at the upper end, where he saw the enchanter Al-Shamardal lying on a

couch of gold, baldrick’d with the sword, with the ring on his finger,

the Kohl phial on his breast and the celestial planisphere hanging over

his head. So he loosed the sword and taking the ring, the Kohl phial

and the planisphere, went forth, when behold, a band of music sounded

for him and the servants of the treasure cried out, saying, “Mayest

thou be assained with that thou hast gained, O Judar!” Nor did the

music leave sounding, till he came forth of the treasure to the

Maghribi, who gave up his conjurations and fumigations and rose up and

embraced him and saluted him. Then Judar made over to him the four

hoarded talismans, and he took them and cried out to the slaves, who

carried away the tent and brought the mules. So they mounted and

returned to Fez-city, where the Moor fetched the saddle bags and

brought forth dish after dish of meat, till the tray was full, and

said, “O my brother, O Judar, eat!” So he ate till he was satisfied,

when the Moor emptied what remained of the meats and other dishes and

returned the empty platters to the saddle bags. Then quoth he, “O

Judar, thou hast left home and native land on our account and thou hast

accomplished our dearest desire; wherefore thou hast a right to require

a reward of us. Ask, therefore, what thou wilt, it is Almighty Allah

who giveth unto thee by our means.[FN#281] Ask thy will and be not

ashamed, for thou art deserving.” “O my lord,” quoth Judar, “I ask

first of Allah the Most High and then of thee, that thou give me yonder

saddle bags.” So the Maghribi called for them and gave them to him,

saying, “Take them, for they are thy due; and, if thou hadst asked of

me aught else instead, I had given it to thee. Eat from them, thou and

thy family; but, my poor fellow, these will not profit thee, save by

way of provaunt, and thou hast wearied thyself with us and we promised

to send thee home rejoicing. So we will join to these other saddle

bags, full of gold and gems, and forward thee back to thy native land,

where thou shalt become a gentleman and a merchant and clothe thyself

and thy family; nor shalt thou want ready money for thine expenditure.

And know that the manner of using our gift is on this wise. Put thy

hand therein and say, ‘O servant of these saddle bags, I conjure thee

by the virtue of the Mighty Names which have power over thee, bring me

such a dish!’ And he will bring thee whatsoever thou askest, though

thou shouldst call for a thousand different dishes a day.” So saying,

he filled him a second pair of saddle bags half with gold and half with

gems and precious stones; and, sending for a slave and a mule, said to

him, “Mount this mule, and the slave shall go before thee and show thee

the way, till thou come to the door of thy house, where do thou take

the two pair of saddle bags and give him the mule, that he may bring it

back. But admit none into thy secret; and so we commend thee to Allah!”

“May the Almighty increase thy good!” replied Judar and, laying the two

pairs of saddle bags on the mule’s back, mounted and set forth. The

slave went on before him and the mule followed him all that day and

night, and on the morrow he entered Cairo by the Gate of

Victory,[FN#282] where he saw his mother seated, saying, “Alms, for the

love of Allah!” At this sight he well nigh lost his wits and alighting,

threw himself upon her: and when she saw him she wept. Then he mounted

her on the mule and walked by her stirrup,[FN#283] till they came to

the house, where he set her down and, taking the saddle bags, left the

she mule to the slave, who led her away and returned with her to his

master, for that both slave and mule were devils. As for Judar, it was

grievous to him that his mother should beg; so, when they were in the

house, he asked her, “O my mother, are my brothers well?”; and she

answered, “They are both well.” Quoth he, “Why dost thou beg by the

wayside?” Quoth she, “Because I am hungry, O my son,” and he, “Before I

went away, I gave thee an hundred dinars one day, the like the next and

a thousand on the day of my departure.” “O my son, they cheated me and

took the money from me, saying, ‘We will buy goods with it.’ Then they

drove me away, and I fell to begging by the wayside, for stress of

hunger.” “O my mother, no harm shall befall thee, now I am come; so

have no concern, for these saddle bags are full of gold and gems, and

good aboundeth with me.” “Verily, thou art blessed, O my son! Allah

accept of thee and increase thee of His bounties! Go, O my son, fetch

us some victual, for I slept not last night for excess of hunger,

having gone to bed supperless.” “Welcome to thee, O my mother! Call for

what thou wilt to eat, and I will set it before thee this moment; for I

have no occasion to buy from the market, nor need I any to cook. “O my

son, I see naught with thee.” “I have with me in these saddle bags all

manner of meats.” “O my son, whatever is ready will serve to stay

hunger.” “True, when there is no choice, men are content with the

smallest thing; but where there is plenty, they like to eat what is

good: and I have abundance; so call for what thou hast a mind to.” “O

my son, give me some hot bread and a slice of cheese.” “O my mother,

this befitteth not thy condition.” “Then give me to eat of that which

besitteth my case, for thou knowest it.” “O my mother,” rejoined he,

“what suit thine estate are browned meat and roast chicken and peppered

rice and it becometh thy rank to eat of sausages and stuffed cucumbers

and stuffed lamb and stuffed ribs of mutton and vermicelli with broken

almonds and nuts and honey and sugar and fritters and almond cakes.”

But she thought he was laughing at her and making mock of her; so she

said to him, “Yauh! Yauh![FN#284] what is come to thee? Dost thou dream

or art thou daft?” Asked he, “Why deemest thou that I am mad?” and she

answered, “Because thou namest to me all manner rich dishes. Who can

avail unto their price, and who knoweth how to dress them?” Quoth he,

“By my life! thou shalt eat of all that I have named to thee, and that

at once;” and quoth she, “I see nothing;” and he, “Bring me the saddle

bags.” So she fetched them and feeling them, found them empty. However,

she laid them before him and he thrust in his hand and pulled out dish

after dish, till he had set before her all he had named. Whereupon

asked she, “O my son, the saddle bags are small and moreover they were

empty; yet hast thou taken thereout all these dishes. Where then were

they all?”; and he answered, “O my mother, know that these saddle bags,

which the Moor gave me, are enchanted and they have a servant whom, if

one desire aught, he hath but to adjure by the Names which command him,

saying, ‘O servant of these saddle bags, bring me such a dish!’ and he

will bring it.” Quoth his mother, “And may I put out my hand and ask of

him?” Quoth he, “Do so.” So she stretched out her hand and said, “O

servant of the saddle bags, by the virtue of the Names which command

thee, bring me stuffed ribs.” Then she thrust in her hand and found a

dish containing delicate stuffed ribs of lamb. So she took it out, and

called for bread and what else she had a mind to: after which Judar

said to her, “O my mother, when thou hast made an end of eating, empty

what is left of the food into dishes other than these, and restore the

empty platters to the saddle bags carefully.” So she arose and laid

them up in a safe place. “And look, O mother mine, that thou keep this

secret,” added he; “and whenever thou hast a mind to aught, take it

forth of the saddle bags and give alms and feed my brothers, whether I

be present or absent.” Then he fell to eating with her and behold,

while they were thus occupied, in came his two brothers, whom a son of

the quarter[FN#285] had apprised of his return, saying, “Your brother

is come back, riding on a she mule, with a slave before him, and

wearing a dress that hath not its like.” So they said to each other,

“Would to Heaven we had not evilly entreated our mother! There is no

hope but that she will surely tell him how we did by her, and then, oh

our disgrace with him!” But one of the twain said, “Our mother is soft

hearted, and if she tell him, our brother is yet tenderer over us than

she; and, given we excuse ourselves to him, he will accept our excuse.”

So they went in to him and he rose to them and saluting them with the

friendliest salutation, bade them sit down and eat. So they ate till

they were satisfied, for they were weak with hunger; after which Judar

said to them, “O my brothers, take what is left and distribute it to

the poor and needy.” “O brother,” replied they, “let us keep it to sup

withal.” But he answered, “When supper time cometh, ye shall have more

than this.” So they took the rest of the victual and going out, gave it

to every poor man who passed by them, saying, “Take and eat,” till

nothing was left. Then they brought back the dishes and Judar said to

his mother, “Put them in the saddle bags.”—And Shahrazad perceived the

dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Sixteenth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, when

his brethren had finished their under meal, said to his mother, “Put

back the platters in the saddle bags.” And when it was eventide, he

entered the saloon and took forth of the saddle bags a table of forty

dishes; after which he went up to the upper room and, sitting down

between his brothers, said to his mother, “Bring the supper.”[FN#286]

So she went down to the saloon and, finding there the dishes ready,

laid the tray and brought up the forty dishes, one after other. Then

they ate the evening meal, and when they had done, Judar said to his

brothers, “Take and feed the poor and needy.” So they took what was

left and gave alms thereof, and presently he brought forth to them

sweetmeats, whereof they ate, and what was left he bade them give to

the neighbours. On the morrow, they brake their fast after the same

fashion, and thus they fared ten days, at the end of which time quoth

Sálim to Salím, “How cometh it that our brother setteth before us a

banquet in the morning, a banquet at noon, and a banquet at sundown,

besides sweetmeats late at night, and all that is left he giveth to the

poor? Verily, this is the fashion of Sultans. Yet we never see him buy

aught, and he hath neither kitchener nor kitchen, nor doth he light a

fire. Whence hath he this great plenty? Hast thou not a mind to

discover the cause of all this?” Quoth Salím, “By Allah, I know not:

but knowest thou any who will tell us the truth of the case?” Quoth

Sálim, “None will tell us save our mother.” So they laid a plot and

repairing to their mother one day, in their brother’s absence, said to

her, “O our mother, we are hungry.” Replied she, “Rejoice, for ye shall

presently be satisfied;” and going into the saloon, sought of the

servant of the saddle bags hot meats, which she took out and set before

her sons. “O our mother,” cried they, “this meat is hot; yet hast thou

not cooked, neither kindled a fire.” Quoth she, “It cometh from the

saddle bags;” and quoth they, “What manner of thing be these saddle

bags?” She answered, “They are enchanted; and the required is produced

by the charm:” she then told her sons their virtue, enjoining them to

secrecy. Said they, “The secret shall be kept, O our mother, but teach

us the manner of this.” So she taught them the fashion thereof and they

fell to putting their hands into the saddle bags and taking forth

whatever they had a mind to. But Judar knew naught of this. Then quoth

Sálim privily to Salím, “O my brother, how long shall we abide with

Judar servant wise and eat of his alms? Shall we not contrive to get

the saddle bags from him and make off with them?” “And how shall we

make shift to do this?” “We will sell him to the galleys.” “How shall

we do that?” “We two will go to the Raís, the Chief Captain of the Sea

of Suez and bid him to an entertainment, with two of his company. What

I say to Judar do thou confirm, and at the end of the night I will show

thee what I will do.” So they agreed upon the sale of their brother and

going to the Captain’s quarters said to him, “O Rais, we have come to

thee on an errand that will please thee.” “Good,” answered he; and they

continued, “We two are brethren, and we have a third brother, a lewd

fellow and good for nothing. When our father died, he left us some

money, which we shared amongst us, and he took his part of the

inheritance and wasted it in frowardness and debauchery, till he was

reduced to poverty, when he came upon us and cited us before the

magistrates, avouching that we had taken his good and that of his

father, and we disputed the matter before the judges and lost the

money. Then he waited awhile and attacked us a second time, until he

brought us to beggary; nor will he desist from us, and we are utterly

weary of him; wherefore we would have thee buy him of us.” Quoth the

Captain, “Can ye cast about with him and bring him to me here? If so, I

will pack him off to sea forthright.” Quoth they “We cannot manage to

bring him here; but be thou our guest this night and bring with thee

two of thy men, not one more; and when he is asleep, we will aid one

another to fall upon him, we five, and seize and gag him. Then shalt

thou carry him forth the house, under cover of the night, and after do

thou with him as thou wilt.” Rejoined the Captain, “With all my heart!

Will ye sell him for forty dinars?” and they, “Yes, come after

nightfall to such a street, by such a mosque, and thou shalt find one

of us awaiting thee.” And he replied, “Now be off.” Then they repaired

to Judar and waited awhile, after which Sálim went up to him and kissed

his hand. Quoth Judar, “What ails thee, O my brother?” And he made

answer, saying, “Know that I have a friend, who hath many a time bidden

me to his house in thine absence and hath ever hospitably entreated me,

and I owe him a thousand kindnesses, as my brother here wotteth. I met

him to day and he invited me to his house, but I said to him, ‘I cannot

leave my brother Judar.’ Quoth he, ‘Bring him with thee’; and quoth I,

‘He will not consent to that; but if ye will be my guests, thou and thy

brothers’[FN#287] * * * * * (for his brothers were sitting with him);

and I invited them thinking that they would refuse. But he accepted my

invitation for all of them, saying, ‘Look for me at the gate of the

little mosque,[FN#288] and I will come to thee, I and my brothers.’ And

now I fear they will come and am ashamed before thee. So wilt thou

hearten my heart and entertain them this night, for thy good is

abundant, O my brother? Or if thou consent not, give me leave to take

them into the neighbours’ houses.” Replied Judar, “Why shouldst thou

carry them into the neighbours’ houses? Is our house then so strait or

have we not wherewith to give them supper? Shame on thee to consult me!

Thou hast but to call for what thou needest and have rich viands and

sweetmeats and to spare. Whenever thou bringest home folk in my

absence, ask thy mother, and she will set before thee victual more than

enough. Go and fetch them; blessings have descended upon us through

such guests.” So Sálim kissed his hand and going forth, sat at the gate

of the little mosque till after sundown, when the Captain and his men

came up to him, and he carried them to the house. When Judar saw them

he bade them welcome and seated them and made friends of them, knowing

not what the future had in store for him at their hands. Then he called

to his mother for supper, and she fell to taking dishes out of the

saddlebags, whilst he said, “Bring such and such meats,” till she had

set forty different dishes before them. They ate their sufficiency and

the tray was taken away, the sailors thinking the while that this

liberal entertainment came from Sálim. When a third part of the night

was past, Judar set sweetmeats before them and Sálim served them,

whilst his two brothers sat with the guests, till they sought to sleep.

Accordingly Judar lay down and the others with him, who waited till he

was asleep, when they fell upon him together and gagging and pinioning

him, before he was awake, carried him forth of the house,[FN#289] under

cover of the night,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Seventeenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they seized Judar

and carrying him forth of the house under cover of the night, at once

packed him off to Suez, where they shackled him and set him to work as

a galley slave; and he ceased not to serve thus in silence a whole

year.[FN#290] So far concerning Judar; but as for his brothers, they

went in next morning to his mother and said to her, “O our mother, our

brother Judar is not awake.” Said she, “Do ye wake him.” Asked they,

“Where lieth he?” and she answered, “With the guests.” They rejoined,

“Haply he went away with them whilst we slept, O mother. It would seem

that he had tasted of strangerhood and yearned to get at hidden hoards;

for we heard him at talk with the Moors, and they said to him, ‘We will

take thee with us and open the treasure to thee.’” She enquired, “Hath

he then been in company with Moors?;” and they replied, saying, “Were

they not our guests yester night?” And she, “Most like he hath gone

with them, but Allah will direct him on the right way; for there is a

blessing upon him and he will surely come back with great good.” But

she wept, for it was grievous to her to be parted from her son. Then

said they to her, “O accursed woman, dost thou love Judar with all this

love, whilst as for us, whether we be absent or present, thou neither

joyest in us nor sorrowest for us? Are we not thy sons, even as Judar

is thy son?” She said, “Ye are indeed my sons: but ye are reprobates

who deserve no favour of me, for since your father’s death I have never

seen any good in you; whilst as for Judar, I have had abundant good of

him and he hath heartened my heart and entreated me with honour;

wherefore it behoveth me to weep for him, because of his kindness to me

and to you.” When they heard this, they abused her and beat her; after

which they sought for the saddle bags, till they found the two pairs

and took the enchanted one and all the gold from one pouch and jewels

from the other of the unenchanted, saying, “This was our father’s

good.” Said their mother, “Not so, by Allah!, it belongeth to your

brother Judar, who brought it from the land of the Magharibah.” Said

they, “Thou liest, it was our father’s property; and we will dispose of

it, as we please.” Then they divided the gold and jewels between them;

but a brabble arose between them concerning the enchanted saddle bags,

Sálim saying, “I will have them;” and Salím, saying, “I will take

them;” and they came to high words. Then said she, “O my sons, ye have

divided the gold and the jewels, but this may not be divided, nor can

its value be made up in money; and if it be cut in twain, its spell

will be voided; so leave it with me and I will give you to eat from it

at all times and be content to take a morsel with you. If ye allow me

aught to clothe me, ’twill be of your bounty, and each of you shall

traffic with the folk for himself. Ye are my sons and I am your mother;

wherefore let us abide as we are, lest your brother come back and we be

disgraced.” But they accepted not her words and passed the night,

wrangling with each other. Now it chanced that a Janissary[FN#291] of

the King’s guards was a guest in the house adjoining Judar’s and heard

them through the open window. So he looked out and listening, heard all

the angry words that passed between them and saw the division of the

spoil. Next morning he presented himself before the King of Egypt,

whose name was Shams al-Daulah,[FN#292] and told him all he had heard,

whereupon he sent for Judar’s brothers and put them to the question,

till they confessed; and he took the two pairs of Saddle bags from them

and clapped them in prison, appointing a sufficient daily allowance to

their mother. Now as regards Judar, he abode a whole year in service at

Suez, till one day, being in a ship bound on a voyage over the sea, a

wind arose against them and cast the vessel upon a rock projecting from

a mountain, where she broke up and all on board were drowned and none

get ashore save Judar. As soon as he landed he fared on inland, till he

reached an encampment of Badawi, who questioned him of his case, and he

told them he had been a sailor.[FN#293] Now there was in camp a

merchant, a native of Jiddah, who took pity on him and said to him,

“Wilt thou take service with me, O Egyptian, and I will clothe thee and

carry thee with me to Jiddah?” So Judar took service with him and

accompanied him to Jiddah, where he showed him much favour. After

awhile, his master the merchant set out on a pilgrimage to Meccah,

taking Judar with him, and when they reached the city, the Cairene

repaired to the Haram temple, to circumambulate the Ka’abah. As he was

making the prescribed circuits,[FN#294] he suddenly saw his friend Abd

al-Samad the Moor doing the like;— And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Eighteenth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, as he was

making the circuits, suddenly saw his friend Abd al-Samad also

circumambulating; and when the Maghribi caught sight of him, he saluted

him and asked him of his state; whereupon Judar wept and told him all

that had befallen him. So the Moor carried him to his lodging and

entreated him with honour, clothing him in a dress of which the like

was not, and saying to him, “Thou hast seen the end of thine ills, O

Judar.” Then he drew out for him a geomantic figure, which showed what

had befallen Sálim and Salím and said to Judar, “Such and such things

have befallen thy brothers and they are now in the King of Egypt’s

prison; but thou art right welcome to abide with me and accomplish

thine ordinances of pilgrimage and all shall be well.” Replied Judar,

“O my lord, let me go and take leave of the merchant with whom I am and

after I will come back to thee.” “Dost thou owe money?” asked the Moor,

and he answered, “No.” Said Abd al-Samad, “Go thou and take leave of

him and come back forth right, for bread hath claims of its own from

the ingenuous.” So Judar returned to the merchant and farewelled him,

saying, “I have fallen in with my brother.”[FN#295] “Go bring him

here,” said the merchant, “and we will make him an entertainment.” But

Judar answered, saying, “He hath no need of that; for he is a man of

wealth and hath many servants.” Then the merchant gave Judar twenty

dinars, saying, “Acquit me of responsibility”;[FN#296] and he bade him

adieu and went forth from him. Presently, he saw a poor man, so he gave

him the twenty ducats and returned to the Moor, with whom he abode till

they had accomplished the pilgrimage rites when Abd al-Samad gave him

the seal ring, that he had taken from the treasure of Al-Shamardal,

saying, “This ring will win thee thy wish, for it enchanteth and hath a

servant, by name Al-Ra’ad al-Kásif; so whatever thou hast a mind to of

the wants of this world, rub this ring and its servant will appear and

do all thou biddest him.” Then he rubbed the ring before him, whereupon

the Jinni appeared, saying, “Adsum, O my lord! Ask what thou wilt and

it shall be given thee. Hast thou a mind to people a ruined city or

ruin a populous one? to slay a king or to rout a host?” “O Ra’ad,” said

Abd al-Samad, “this is become thy lord; do thou serve him faithfully.”

Then he dismissed him and said to Judar, “Rub the ring and the servant

will appear and do thou command him to do whatever thou desirest, for

he will not gainsay thee. Now go to thine own country and take care of

the ring, for by means of it thou wilt baffle thine enemies; and be not

ignorant of its puissance.” “O my lord,” quoth Judar, “with thy leave,

I will set out homewards.” Quoth the Maghribi, “Summon the Jinni and

mount upon his back; and if thou say to him, ‘Bring me to my native

city this very day,’ he will not disobey thy commandment.” So he took

leave of Moor Abd al-Samad and rubbed the ring, whereupon Al-Ra’ad

presented himself, saying, “Adsum; ask and it shall be given to thee.”

Said Judar, “Carry me to Cairo this day;” and he replied, “Thy will be

done;” and, taking him on his back, flew with him from noon till

midnight, when he set him down in the courtyard of his mother’s house

and disappeared. Judar went in to his mother, who rose weeping, and

greeted him fondly, and told him how the King had beaten his brothers

and cast them into gaol and taken the two pairs of saddle bags; which

when he heard, it was no light matter to him and he said to her,

“Grieve not for the past; I will show thee what I can do and bring my

brothers hither forth right.” So he rubbed the ring, whereupon its

servant appeared, saying, “Here am I! Ask and thou shalt have.” Quoth

Judar, “I bid thee bring me my two brothers from the prison of the

King.” So the Jinni sank into the earth and came not up but in the

midst of the gaol where Sálim and Salím lay in piteous plight and sore

sorrow for the plagues of prison,[FN#297] so that they wished for

death, and one of them said to the other, “By Allah, O my brother,

affliction is longsome upon us! How long shall we abide in this prison?

Death would be relief.” As he spoke, behold, the earth clove in sunder

and out came Al-Ra’ad, who took both up and plunged with them into the

earth. They swooned away for excess of fear, and when they recovered,

they found themselves in their mother’s house and saw Judar seated by

her side. Quoth he, “I salute you, O my brothers! you have cheered me

by your presence.” And they bowed their heads and burst into tears.

Then said he, “Weep not, for it was Satan and covetise that led you to

do thus. How could you sell me? But I comfort myself with the thought

of Joseph, whose brothers did with him even more than ye did with me,

because they cast him into the pit.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn

of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Nineteenth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar said

to his brothers, “How could you do with me thus? But repent unto Allah

and crave pardon of Him, and He will forgive you both, for He is the

Most Forgiving, the Merciful. As for me, I pardon you and welcome you:

no harm shall befall you.” Then he comforted them and set their hearts

at ease and related to them all he had suffered, till he fell in with

Shaykh Abd al-Samad, and told them also of the seal ring. They replied,

“O our brother, forgive us this time; and, if we return to our old

ways, do with us as thou wilt.” Quoth he, “No harm shall befall you;

but tell me what the King did with you.” Quoth they, “He beat us and

threatened us with death and took the two pairs of saddle bags from

us.” “Will he not care?”[FN#298] said Judar, and rubbed the ring,

whereupon Al-Ra’ad appeared. When his brothers saw him, they were

frighted and thought Judar would bid him slay them; so they fled to

their mother, crying, “O our mother, we throw our selves on thy

generosity; do thou intercede for us, O our mother!” And she said to

them, “O my sons, fear nothing!” Then said Judar to the servant, “I

command thee to bring me all that is in the King’s treasury of goods

and such; let nothing remain and fetch the two pairs of saddle bags he

took from my brothers.” “I hear and I obey,” replied Al-Ra’ad; and,

disappearing straight way gathered together all he found in the

treasury and returned with the two pairs of saddle bags and the

deposits therein and laid them before Judar, saying, “O my lord, I have

left nothing in the treasury.” Judar gave the treasure to his mother

bidding her keep it and laying the enchanted saddle bags before him,

said to the Jinni, “I command thee to build me this night a lofty

palace and overlay it with liquid gold and furnish it with magnificent

furniture: and let not the day dawn, ere thou be quit of the whole

work.” Replied he, “Thy bidding shall be obeyed;” and sank into the

earth. Then Judar brought forth food and they ate and took their ease

and lay down to sleep. Meanwhile, Al-Ra’ad summoned his attendant Jinn

and bade them build the palace. So some of them fell to hewing stones

and some to building, whilst others plastered and painted and

furnished; nor did the day dawn ere the ordinance of the palace was

complete; whereupon Al-Ra’ad came to Judar and said to him, “O my lord,

the palace is finished and in best order, an it please thee to come and

look on it.” So Judar went forth with his mother and brothers and saw a

palace, whose like there was not in the whole world; and it confounded

all minds with the goodliness of its ordinance. Judar was delighted

with it while he was passing along the highway and withal it had cost

him nothing. Then he asked his mother, “Say me, wilt thou take up thine

abode in this palace?” and she answered, “I will, O my son,” and called

down blessings upon him. Then he rubbed the ring and bade the Jinni

fetch him forty handsome white hand maids and forty black damsels and

as many Mamelukes and negro slaves. “Thy will be done,” answered

Al-Ra’ad and betaking himself, with forty of his attendant Genii to

Hind and Sind and Persia, snatched up every beautiful girl and boy they

saw, till they had made up the required number. Moreover, he sent other

four score, who fetched comely black girls, and forty others brought

male chattels and carried them all to Judar’s house, which they filled.

Then he showed them to Judar, who was pleased with them and said,

“Bring for each a dress of the finest.” “Ready!” replied the servant.

Then quoth he, “Bring a dress for my mother and another for myself, and

also for my brothers.” So the Jinni fetched all that was needed and

clad the female slaves, saying to them, “This is your mistress: kiss

her hands and cross her not, but serve her, white and black.” The

Mamelukes also dressed them selves and kissed Judar’s hands; and he and

his brothers arrayed themselves in the robes the Jinni had brought them

and Judar became like unto a King and his brothers as Wazirs. Now his

house was spacious; so he lodged Sálim and his slave girls in one part

thereof and Salím and his slave girls in another, whilst he and his

mother took up their abode in the new palace; and each in his own place

was like a Sultan. So far concerning them; but as regards the King’s

Treasurer, thinking to take something from the treasury, he went in and

found it altogether empty, even as saith the poet,

“’Twas as a hive of bees that greatly thrived; * But, when the bee

swarm fled, ’twas clean unhived.”[FN#299]

So he gave a great cry and fell down in a fit. When he came to himself,

he left the door open and going in to King Shams al-Daulah, said to

him, “O Commander of the Faithful,[FN#300] I have to inform thee that

the treasury hath become empty during the night.” Quoth the King, “What

hast thou done with my monies which were therein?” Quoth he, “By Allah,

I have not done aught with them nor know I what is come of them! I

visited the place yesterday and saw it full; but to day when I went in,

I found it clean empty, albeit the doors were locked, the walls were

unpierced[FN#301] and the bolts[FN#302] are unbroken; nor hath a thief

entered it.” Asked the King, “Are the two pairs of saddle bags gone?”

“Yes,” replied the Treasurer; whereupon the King’s reason flew from his

head,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her

permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twentieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the

Treasurer informed the King that all in the treasury had been

plundered, including the two pairs of saddlebags, the King’s reason

flew from his head and he rose to his feet, saying, “Go thou before

me.” Then he followed the Treasurer to the treasury and he found

nothing there, whereat he was wroth with him; and he said to them, “O

soldiers! know that my treasury hath been plundered during the night,

and I know not who did this deed and dared thus to outrage me, without

fear of me.” Said they, “How so?”; and he replied, “Ask the Treasurer.”

So they questioned him, and he answered, saying, “Yesterday I visited

the treasury and it was full, but this morning when I entered it I

found it empty, though the walls were unpierced and the doors

unbroken.” They all marvelled at this and could make the King no

answer, when in came the Janissary, who had denounced Sálim and Salím,

and said to Shams al-Daulah, “O King of the age, all this night I have

not slept for that which I saw.” And the King asked, “And what didst

thou see?” “Know, O King of the age,” answered the Kawwás, “that all

night long I have been amusing myself with watching builders at work;

and, when it was day, I saw a palace ready edified, whose like is not

in the world. So I asked about it and was told that Judar had come back

with great wealth and Mamelukes and slaves and that he had freed his

two brothers from prison, and built this palace, wherein he is as a

Sultan.” Quoth the King, “Go, look in the prison.” So they went thither

and not finding Sálim and Salím, returned and told the King, who said,

“It is plain now who be the thief; he who took Sálim and Salím out of

prison it is who hath stolen my monies.” Quoth the Wazir, “O my lord,

and who is he?”; and quoth the King, “Their brother Judar, and he hath

taken the two pairs of saddle bags; but, O Wazir do thou send him an

Emir with fifty men to seal up his goods and lay hands on him and his

brothers and bring them to me, that I may hang them.” And he was sore

enraged and said, “Ho, off with the Emir at once, and fetch them, that

I may put them to death.” But the Wazir said to him, “Be thou merciful,

for Allah is merciful and hasteth not to punish His servants, whenas

they sin against Him. More over, he who can build a palace in a single

night, as these say, none in the world can vie with him; and verily I

fear lest the Emir fall into difficulty for Judar. Have patience,

therefore, whilst I devise for thee some device of getting at the truth

of the case, and so shalt thou win thy wish, O King of the age.” Quoth

the King, “Counsel me how I shall do, O Wazir.” And the Minister said,

“Send him an Emir with an invitation; and I will make much of him for

thee and make a show of love for him and ask him of his estate; after

which we will see. If we find him stout of heart, we will use sleight

with him, and if weak of will, then do thou seize him and do with him

thy desire.” The King agreed to this and despatched one of his Emirs,

Othman highs, to go and invite Judar and say to him, “The King biddeth

thee to a banquet;” and the King said to him, “Return not, except with

him.” Now this Othman was a fool, proud and conceited; so he went forth

upon his errand, and when he came to the gate of Judar’s palace, he saw

before the door an eunuch seated upon a chair of gold, who at his

approach rose not, but sat as if none came near, though there were with

the Emir fifty footmen. Now this eunuch was none other than Al-Ra’ad

al-Kasif, the servant of the ring, whom Judar had commanded to put on

the guise of an eunuch and sit at the palace gate. So the Emir rode up

to him and asked him, “O slave, where is thy lord?”; whereto he

answered, “In the palace;” but he stirred not from his leaning posture;

whereupon the Emir Othman waxed wroth and said to him, “O pestilent

slave, art thou not ashamed, when I speak to thee, to answer me,

sprawling at thy length, like a gallows bird?” Replied the eunuch “Off

and multiply not words.” Hardly had Othman heard this, when he was

filled with rage and drawing his mace[FN#303] would have smitten the

eunuch, knowing not that he was a devil; but Al-Ra’ad leapt upon him

and taking the mace from him, dealt him four blows with it. Now when

the fifty men saw their lord beaten, it was grievous to them; so they

drew their swords and ran to slay the slave; but he said, “Do ye draw

on us, O dogs?” and rose at them with the mace, and every one whom he

smote, he broke his bones and drowned him in his blood. So they fell

back before him and fled, whilst he followed them, beating them, till

he had driven them far from the palace gate; after which he returned

and sat down on his chair at the door, caring for none.—And Shahrazad

perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-first Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the eunuch having

put to flight the Emir Othman, the King’s officer, and his men, till

they were driven far from Judar’s gate, returned and sat down on his

chair at the door, caring for none. But as for the Emir and his

company, they returned, discomfited and funded, to King Shams

al-Daulah, and Othman said, “O King of the age, when I came to the

palace gate, I espied an eunuch seated there in a chair of gold and he

was passing proud for, when he saw me approach, he stretched himself at

full length albeit he had been sitting in his chair and entreated me

contumeliously, neither offered to rise to me. So I began to speak to

him and he answered without stirring, whereat wrath get hold of me and

I drew the mace upon him, thinking to smite him. But he snatched it

from me and beat me and my men therewith and overthrew us. So we fled

from before him and could not prevail against him.” At this, the King

was wroth and said, “Let an hundred men go down to him.” Accordingly,

the hundred men went down to attack him; but he arose and fell upon

them with the mace and ceased not smiting them till he had put them to

the rout; when he regained his chair; upon which they returned to the

King and told him what had passed, saying, “O King of the age, he beat

us and we fled for fear of him.” Then the King sent two hundred men

against him, but these also he put to the rout, and Shams Al-Daulah

said to his Minister, “I charge thee, O Wazir, take five hundred men

and bring this eunuch in haste, and with him his master Judar and his

brothers.” Replied the Wazir, “O King of the age, I need no soldiers,

but will go down to him alone and unarmed.” “Go,” quoth the King, “and

do as thou seest suitable.” So the Wazir laid down his arms and donning

a white habit,[FN#304] took a rosary in his hand and set out afoot

alone and unattended. When he came to Judar’s gate, he saw the slave

sitting there; so he went up to him and seating himself by his side

courteously, said to him, “Peace be with thee!”; whereto he replied,

“And on thee be peace, O mortal! What wilt thou?” When the Wazir heard

him say “O mortal,” he knew him to be of the Jinn and quaked for fear;

then he asked him, “O my lord, tell me, is thy master Judar here?”

Answered the eunuch, “Yes, he is in the palace.” Quoth the Minister, “O

my lord, go thou to him and say to him, ‘King Shams Al-Daulah saluteth

thee and biddeth thee honour his dwelling with thy presence and eat of

a banquet he hath made for thee;’” Quoth the eunuch, “Tarry thou here,

whilst I consult him.” So the Wazir stood in a respectful attitude,

whilst the Marid went up to the palace and said to Judar, “Know, O my

lord, that the King sent to thee an Emir and fifty men, and I beat them

and drove them away. Then he sent an hundred men and I beat them also;

then two hundred, and these also I put to the rout. And now he hath

sent thee his Wazir unarmed, bidding thee visit him and eat of his

banquet. What sayst thou?” Said Judar, “Go, bring the Wazir hither.” So

the Marid went down and said to him, “O Wazir, come speak with my

lord.” “On my head be it.”, replied he and going in to Judar, found him

seated, in greater state than the King, upon a carpet, whose like the

King could not spread, and was dazed and amazed at the goodliness of

the palace and its decoration and appointments, which made him seem as

he were a beggar in comparison. So he kissed the ground before Judar

and called down blessings on him; and Judar said to him, “What is thy

business, O Wazir?” Replied he, “O my lord, thy friend King Shams

Al-Daulah saluteth thee with the salaam and longeth to look upon thy

face; wherefore he hath made thee an entertainment. So say, wilt thou

heal his heart and eat of his banquet?” Quoth Judar, “If he be indeed

my friend, salute him and bid him come to me.” “On my head be it,”

quoth the Minister. Then Judar bringing out the ring rubbed it and bade

the Jinni fetch him a dress of the best, which he gave to the Wazir

saying, “Don this dress and go tell the King what I say.” So the Wazir

donned the dress, the like whereof he had never donned, and returning

to the King told him what had passed and praised the palace and that

which was therein, saying, “Judar biddeth thee to him.” So the King

called out, “Up, ye men; mount your horses and bring me my steed, that

we may go to Judar!” Then he and his suite rode off for the Cairene

palace. Meanwhile Judar summoned the Marid and said to him, “It is my

will that thou bring me some of the Ifrits at thy command in the guise

of guards and station them in the open square before the palace, that

the King may see them and be awed by them; so shall his heart tremble

and he shall know that my power and majesty be greater than his.”

Thereupon Al-Ra’ad brought him two hundred Ifrits of great stature and

strength, in the guise of guards, magnificently armed and equipped, and

when the King came and saw these tall burly fellows his heart feared

them. Then he entered the palace, and found Judar sitting in such state

as nor King nor Sultan could even. So he saluted him and made his

obeisance to him, yet Judar rose not to him nor did him honour nor said

“Be seated,” but left him standing,—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of

day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-second Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the King

entered, Judar rose not to him, nor did him honour nor even said “Be

seated!”; but left him standing,[FN#305] so that fear entered into him

and he could neither sit nor go away and said to himself, “If he feared

me, he would not leave me thus unheeded peradventure he will do me a

mischief, because of that which I did with his brothers.” Then said

Judar, “O King of the age, it beseemeth not the like of thee to wrong

the folk and take away their good.” Replied the King, “O my lord, deign

excuse me, for greed impelled me to this and fate was thereby

fulfilled; and, were there no offending, there would be no forgiving.”

And he went on to excuse himself for the past and pray to him for

pardon and indulgence till he recited amongst other things this poetry,

“O thou of generous seed and true nobility, * Reproach me not for

that which came from me to thee

We pardon thee if thou have wrought us any wrong * And if I

wrought the wrong I pray thee pardon me!”

And he ceased not to humble himself before him, till he said, “Allah

pardon thee!” and bade him be seated. So he sat down and Judar invested

him with garments of pardon and immunity and ordered his brothers

spread the table. When they had eaten, he clad the whole of the King’s

company in robes of honour and gave them largesse; after which he bade

the King depart. So he went forth and thereafter came every day to

visit Judar and held not his Divan save in his house: wherefore

friendship and familiarity waxed great between them, and they abode

thus awhile, till one day the King, being alone with his Minister, said

to him, “O Wazir, I fear lest Judar slay me and take the kingdom away

from me.” Replied the Wazir, “O King of the age, as for his taking the

kingdom from thee, have no fear of that, for Judar’s present estate is

greater than that of the King, and to take the kingdom would be a

lowering of his dignity; but, if thou fear that he kill thee, thou hast

a daughter: give her to him to wife and thou and he will be of one

condition.” Quoth the King, “O Wazir, be thou intermediary between us

and him”; and quoth the Minister, “Do thou invite him to an

entertainment and pass the night with him in one of thy saloons. Then

bid thy daughter don her richest dress and ornaments and pass by the

door of the saloon. When he seeth her, he will assuredly fall in love

with her, and when we know this, I will turn to him and tell him that

she is thy daughter and engage him in converse and lead him on, so that

thou shalt seem to know nothing of the matter, till he ask her to thee

to wife. When thou hast married him to the Princess, thou and he will

be as one thing and thou wilt be safe from him; and if he die, thou

wilt inherit all he hath, both great and small.” Replied the King,

“Thou sayst sooth, O my Wazir,” and made a banquet and invited thereto

Judar who came to the Sultan’s palace and they sat in the saloon in

great good cheer till the end of the day. Now the King had commanded

his wife to array the maiden in her richest raiment and ornaments and

carry her by the door of the saloon. She did as he told her, and when

Judar saw the Princess, who had not her match for beauty and grace, he

looked fixedly at her and said, “Ah!”; and his limbs were loosened; for

love and longing and passion and pine were sore upon him; desire and

transport get hold upon him and he turned pale. Quoth the Wazir, “May

no harm befall thee, O my lord! Why do I see thee change colour and in

suffering?” Asked Judar, “O Wazir, whose daughter is this damsel?

Verily she hath enthralled me and ravished my reason.” Replied the

Wazir, “She is the daughter of thy friend the King; and if she please

thee, I will speak to him that he marry thee to her.” Quoth Judar, “Do

so, O Wazir, and as I live, I will bestow on thee what thou wilt and

will give the King whatsoever he shall ask to her dowry; and we will

become friends and kinsfolk.” Quoth the Minister, “It shall go hard but

thy desire be accomplished.” Then he turned to the King and said in his

ear, “O King of the age, thy friend Judar seeketh alliance with thee

and will have me ask of thee for him the hand of thy daughter, the

Princess Asiyah; so disappoint me not, but accept my intercession, and

what dowry soever thou askest he will give thee.” Said the King, “The

dowry I have already received, and as for the girl, she is his

handmaid; I give her to him to wife and he will do me honour by

accepting her.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased

saying her permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-third Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the Wazir

whispered the King, “Judar seeketh alliance with thee by taking thy

daughter to wife,” the other replied, “The dowry I have already

received, and the girl is his handmaid: he will do me honour by

accepting her.” So they spent the rest of that night together and on

the morrow the King held a court, to which he summoned great and small,

together with the Shaykh al-Islam.[FN#306] Then Judar demanded the

Princess in marriage and the King said, “The dowry I have received.”

Thereupon they drew up the marriage contract and Judar sent for the

saddle bags containing the jewels and gave them to the King as

settlement upon his daughter. The drums beat and the pipes sounded and

they held high festival, whilst Judar went in unto the girl.

Thenceforward he and the King were as one flesh and they abode thus for

many days, till Shams al-Daulah died; whereupon the troops proclaimed

Judar Sultan, and he refused; but they importuned him, till he

consented and they made him King in his father in law’s stead. Then he

bade build a cathedral mosque over the late King’s tomb in the

Bundukániyah[FN#307] quarter and endowed it. Now the quarter of Judar’s

house was called Yamániyah; but, when he became Sultan he built therein

a congregational mosque and other buildings, wherefore the quarter was

named after him and was called the Judariyah[FN#308] quarter. Moreover,

he made his brother Sálim his Wazir of the right and his brother Salím

his Wazir of the left hand; and thus they abode a year and no more;

for, at the end of that time, Sálim said to Salím, “O my brother, how

long is this state to last? Shall we pass our whole lives in slavery to

our brother Judar? We shall never enjoy luck or lordship whilst he

lives,” adding, “so how shall we do to kill him and take the ring and

the saddle bags?” Replied Salím, “Thou art craftier than I; do thou

devise, whereby we may kill him.” “If I effect this,” asked Sálim,

“wilt thou agree that I be Sultan and keep the ring and that thou be my

right hand Wazir and have the saddle bags?” Salím answered, “I consent

to this;” and they agreed to slay Judar their brother for love of the

world and of dominion. So they laid a snare for Judar and said to him,

“O our brother, verily we have a mind to glory in thee and would fain

have thee enter our houses and eat of our entertainment and solace our

hearts.” Replied Judar, “So be it, in whose house shall the banquet

be?” “In mine,” said Sálim “and after thou hast eaten of my victual,

thou shalt be the guest of my brother.” Said Judar, “’Tis well,” and

went with him to his house, where he set before him poisoned food, of

which when he had eaten, his flesh rotted from his bones and he

died.[FN#309] Then Sálim came up to him and would have drawn the ring

from his finger, but it resisted him; so he cut off the finger with a

knife. Then he rubbed the ring and the Marid presented himself, saying,

“Adsum! Ask what thou wilt.” Quoth Sálim, “Take my brother Salím and

put him to death and carry forth the two bodies, the poisoned and the

slaughtered, and cast them down before the troops.” So the Marid took

Salím and slew him; then, carrying the two corpses forth, he cast them

down before the chief officers of the army, who were sitting at table

in the parlour of the house. When they saw Judar and Salím slain, they

raised their hands from the food and fear get hold of them and they

said to the Marid, “Who hath dealt thus with the Sultan and the Wazir?”

Replied the Jinni, “Their brother Sálim.” And behold, Sálim came up to

them and said, “O soldiers, eat and make merry, for Judar is dead and I

have taken to me the seal ring, whereof the Marid before you is the

servant; and I bade him slay my brother Salím lest he dispute the

kingdom with me, for he was a traitor and I feared lest he should

betray me. So now I am become Sultan over you; will ye accept of me? If

not, I will rub the ring and bid the Marid slay you all, great and

small.”—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her

permitted say.

When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,

She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Sálim

said to the officers, “Will ye accept me as your Sultan, otherwise I

will rub the ring and the Marid shall slay you all, great and small?”;

they replied, “We accept thee to King and Sultan.” Then he bade bury

his brothers and summoned the Divan; and some of the folk followed the

funeral, whilst others forewent him in state procession to the audience

hall of the palace, where he sat down on the throne and they did homage

to him as King; after which he said, “It is my will to marry my brother

Judar’s wife.” Quoth they, “Wait till the days of widowhood are

accomplished.”[FN#310] Quoth he, “I know not days of widowhood nor aught

else. As my head liveth, I needs must go in unto her this very night.”

So they drew up the marriage contract and sent to tell the Princess

Asiyah, who replied, “Bid him enter.” Accordingly, he went in to her

and she received him with a show of joy and welcome; but by and by she

gave him poison in water and made an end of him. Then she took the ring

and broke it, that none might possess it thenceforward, and tore up the

saddle bags; after which she sent to the Shaykh al-Islam and other

great officers of state, telling them what had passed and saying to

them, “Choose you out a King to rule over you.” And this is all that

hath come down to us of the Story of Judar and his Brethren.[FN#311]

But I have also heard, O King, a tale called the