_Item Sixth_
MY grandfather, who was a Caliph of Bagdad, was an illustrious
story-teller, and I should be doing him an injustice to omit from this
narrative one or two of the most wonderful of the tales he told.
He was in the habit of indulging in practical jokes and whenever a new
idea he could use for that purpose came to him he was prone to put it
into operation without delay.
And so it happened a thought of this character came to him one day in
midsummer and he invited all his retinue to a month of banqueting. Well
knowing the lavish supply he always provided, his palace was filled to
overflowing. To aid him in his joke he had employed a chemist of great
learning to assist in compounding the viands, always taking care that
while his portions resembled the others closely they did not contain
certain ingredients present in the others.
He also arranged for games on the lawns of great expanse around about
his palace, and it so occurred that while viewing these his guests were
compelled to sit in the sunlight unprovided with shelter from its rays.
And it also turned out all looking-glasses were secreted, which caused
much dismay in the minds of the feminine guests. And each guest, owing
to the brilliancy of the beams, was given colored glasses to wear.
The last half of the month contained a great novelty, so the guests
thought, for during that time every window was sealed and every door
closed so tightly not a ray of light penetrated anywhere, and all
functions were observed in the darkness.
At the end of that time the light was one day admitted throughout the
entire building and great was the consternation thereat. Husbands knew
not their wives and wives disowned their husbands. Lovers were
horror-stricken on the discovery by each the other was as black as the
ace of spades.
Oh, there was a tumult, for each was hastening to leave the place, but
he prevailed upon them to remain another week and all would be well.
Thereupon he explained to them he was but illustrating the way in which
the Africans became black. That he had added to the portions each day a
certain amount of silver which had at last mixed with their blood, and
that when they came into the sunlight the silver in them had oxidized
and made them black. He assured them the portions they would now receive
would quickly remove the silver and they would again become white.
And it so happened.
At another time, when he was about to start on a long journey, he called
his servants together and instructed them he would be gone some time and
they must under no circumstances admit into the palace any stranger
unless ordered to do so by his chief butler, whom he had told to put all
strangers in certain rooms and to lock them in there.
It turned out he was going away in search of a certain robber who had
been troublesome; indeed, so much so he had carried away such a quantity
of wealth he was fast becoming as powerful as he.
And so it was he had been gone but a day or two when a handsome cavalier
announced himself and was admitted by the butler, and placed in one of
the rooms, he having arrived at night-fall, craving a lodging from an
impending storm.
As it was afterward learned, this was the very robber my grandfather was
in search of, and well knowing he would not make an attempt on his house
while he was at home he had had it thus given out that he was away. So
the man got himself into bed, as he thought it as well to do, inasmuch
as he did not intend to commence his depredations until late at night,
and having some distance to travel thereafter he might thus refresh
himself.
About this time the room was suddenly filled with a deep yellow light,
and grinning skeletons rattled their bones in every corner.
Now this robber was a brave man, and looked upon these things for a
moment with anger at being disturbed of his sleep.
Then as suddenly the light was changed and the skeletons became so red
they had all the appearance of being covered with fresh blood. And now
great red hands appeared flying about the room apparently in search of
the man. This seemed slightly to disconcert the thief and he covered
himself up with the exception of one eye.
[Illustration]
Then the skeletons vanished and large balls of fire raced about the
room, and when he saw one of them making for his eye he really became
frightened and covered that eye up also.
Now came clanging chains and hideous groans and weeping and wailing most
horrible to hear. This so filled him with terror he shivered and his
teeth chattered.
In his frenzy, for he was becoming very much excited, he tore off the
covering and upon each corner of the bed hung a devilish green monster
licking his jaws and eyeing him hungrily with glittering eyes.
He now became desperate and would have fled, but when he made the
slightest movement to rise those monsters started toward him, and he
hurried beneath the covers.
Then came terrible sounds, the like of which he had never heard, which
were caused by the grating together of the teeth of the four monsters
and the snapping of their eyes and the smacking of their lips, and he
thought the building was on fire.
At last he was so overcome he sank into a stupor and was so found in the
morning by the butler, who discovered that what was a man young and
vigorous the night before was now an old man with white hair and sunken
cheeks and wrinkled forehead, who prayed to be removed from the room
that he might die in peace.
My forefather thereupon returning told him he could be removed only on
the condition that he return all the gold and goods he had stolen and be
a good citizen ever after.
This the man readily promised, and did as he promised he would.
Thus my ancestor not only ridded his kingdom of a pest but recovered his
people their lost wealth, and he was much reverenced therefor.
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