flowers blooming and its birds warbling, he called to his brother
Sharrkan and said, "O my brother, verily in Damascus is naught the like
of this place. We will not march from it save after three days, that we
may take rest ourselves and that the army of Al-Islam may regain
strength and their souls be fortified to encounter the blamed Infidels."
So they halted therein and while camping behold, they heard a noise of
voices from afar, and Zau al-Makan asked the cause thereof, and was
answered that a caravan of merchants from the Land of Syria had halted
there to rest and that the Moslem troops had come on them and had haply
seized something of the goods which they had brought from the country of
the Infidels. After a while up came the merchants, crying out and
appealing to the King for aidance. When Zau al-Makan saw this, he bade
them be brought before him and, when in presence, they said to him, "O
King, we have been in the country of the Infidels and they plundered us
of nothing: why then do our brothers the Moslems despoil our goods, and
we in their own land? Of a truth when we saw your troops, we went up to
them, and they robbed us of what we had with us and we have now reported
to thee all that hath befallen us." Thereupon they brought out to him
the letter of the King of Constantinople, and Sharrkan read it and said,
"We will presently restore to you what hath been taken from you; but yet
it behoveth you not to carry merchandise to the country of the
Infidels." Replied they, "O our Lord, in very sooth Allah despatched us
thither that we might win what Gházi[419] never won the like of, not
even thou in all thy razzias." Asked Sharrkan, "What was it ye won?" "O
King," answered they, "we will not tell thee save in private; for if
this matter be noised among the folk, haply it may come to the ears of
some,[420] and this will be the cause of our ruin and of the ruin of all
Moslems who resort to the land of the Greeks." Now they had hidden the
chest wherein was the damned Zat al-Dawahi. So Zau al-Makan and his
brother brought them to a private place, where they laid bare to both of
them the story of the devotee, and wept till they made the two Kings
weep——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Nazarenes who
wore merchants' weed, when brought to a private place by Zau al-Makan
and his brother Sharrkan, laid bare to both of them the story of the
devotee and wept till they made the two Kings weep and repeated to them
all which had been taught by the old witch Zat al-Dawahi. Thereupon
Sharrkan's heart yearned to the devotee and he was moved to ruth for him
and was fired with zeal for the service of Almighty Allah. So quoth he
to them, "Did ye rescue this holy man or is he still in the hermitage?"
Quoth they, "We delivered him and slew the hermit, fearing for our
lives; after which we made haste to fly for dread of death; but a trusty
man told us that in this hermitage are quintals of gold and silver and
stones of price." Then they fetched the chest and brought out the
accursed old woman, as she were a cassia-pod[421] for excess of
blackness and leanness, and she was laden with the same fetters and
shackles. When Zau al-Makan and the bystanders saw her, they took her
for a man of the best of Allah's devotees and surpassing in pious
qualities, more especially because of the shining of her forehead for
the ointment wherewith she had anointed her face. So Zau al-Makan and
Sharrkan wept sore; then they rose up in honour and kissed her hands and
feet, sobbing aloud: but she signed to them and said, "Cease this
weeping and hear my words." Hereat they dried their tears in obedience
to her bidding, and she said, "Know ye both that I was content to accept
what my Lord did unto me, for I kenned that the affliction which befel
me was a trial from Him (be He exalted and extolled!); and whoso hath
not patience under calamity and tribulation, for him there is no coming
to the delights of Paradise. I had indeed supplicated Him that I might
return to my native land, not as a compensation for the sufferings
decreed to me, but that I might die under the horse-hoofs of warriors
fighting for the Faith who, being slain in fray, live again without
suffering death."[422] Then she repeated the following couplets:—
Our Fort is Tor,[423] and flames the fire of fight: ✿ Moses art
thou and this is time for aid:
Cast down thy rod, 'twill swallow all they wrought, ✿ Nor dread for
men their ropes be vipers made:[424]
For Chapters read on fight-day lines of foes, ✿ And on their
necks 'grave versets[425] wi' thy blade!
When the old woman had ended her verse, her eyes overflowed with tears
and her forehead under the unguent shone like gleaming light, and
Sharrkan rose and kissed her hand and caused food be brought before her:
but she refused it, saying, "I have not broken my fast by day for
fifteen years; and how should I break it at such a time when my Lord
hath been bountiful to me in delivering me from the captivity of the
Infidels and removing from me that which was more grievous to me than
torment of fire? I will wait till sundown." So when it was nightfall,
Sharrkan and Zau al-Makan came and served her with food and said, "Eat O
ascetic!" But she said, "This is no time for eating; it is the time for
worshipping the Requiting King." Then she stood up in the prayer-niche
and remained praying till the night was spent; and she ceased not to do
after this fashion for three days and nights, sitting not but at the
time of the Salám or salutation[426] ending the several prayers. When
Zau al-Makan saw her on this wise, firm belief in her gat hold of his
heart and he said to Sharrkan, "Cause a tent of perfumed leather to be
pitched for this Religious, and appoint a body servant to wait upon
him." On the fourth day she called for food; so they brought her all
kinds of meats that could seduce the sense or delight the sight; but of
all this she would eat only a scone with salt. Then she again turned to
her fast and, as the night came, she rose anew to pray; when Sharrkan
said to Zau al-Makan, "Verily, this man carrieth renunciation of the
world to the extreme of renouncing, and, were it not for this Holy War,
I would join myself to him and worship Allah in his service, till I came
before His presence. And now I desire to enter his tent and talk with
him for an hour." Quoth Zau al-Makan, "And I also: to-morrow we sally
forth to fight against Constantinople, and we shall find no time like
the present." Said the Wazir Dandan, "And I no less desire to see this
ascetic; haply he will pray for me that I find death in this Holy War
and come to the presence of my Lord, for I am aweary of the world." So
as soon as night had darkened, they repaired to the tent of that witch,
Zat al-Dawahi; and, seeing her standing to pray, they drew near her and
fell a-weeping for pity of her; but she paid no heed to them till
midnight was past, when she ended her orisons by pronouncing the
salutation. Then she turned to them and after wishing them long life,
asked them "Wherefore come ye?"; whereto they answered, "O thou holy
man! diddest thou not hear us weep around thee?" She rejoined, "To him
who standeth in the presence of Allah, remaineth no existence in time,
either for hearing any or for seeing aught about him." Quoth they, "We
would have thee recount to us the cause of thy captivity and pray for us
this night, for that will profit us more than the possession of
Constantinople." Now when she heard their words she said, "By Allah,
were ye not the Emirs of the Moslems, I would not relate to you aught of
this at any time; for I complain not but to Allah alone. However, to you
I will relate the circumstances of my captivity. Know, then, that I was
in the saintly City of Jerusalem with certain ecstatics and inspired
men, and did not magnify myself among them, for that Allah (be He
exalted and extolled!) had endowed me with humility and abnegation, till
I chanced to go down to the sea one night and walked upon the water.
Then entered into me pride; whence I know not, and I said to myself:—Who
like me can walk the water? And my heart from that time hardened and
Allah afflicted me with the love of travel. So I journeyed to Roum-land
and visited every part for a whole year, and left no place but therein I
worshiped Allah. When I came to this spot,[427] I clomb the mountain and
saw there an hermitage, inhabited by a monk called Matruhina, who, when
he sighted me, came out and kissed my hands and feet and said:—Verily, I
have seen thee since thou enteredst the land of the Greeks, and thou
hast filled me with longing for the land of Al-Islam. Then he took my
hand and carried me into that hermitage, and brought me to a dark room;
and, when I entered it unawares, he locked the door on me and left me
there forty days, without meat or drink; for it was his intent to kill
me by delay. It chanced one day, that a Knight called Dakianús[428] came
to the hermitage, accompanied by ten squires and his daughter Tamasil, a
girl whose beauty was incomparable. When they entered that hermitage,
the monk Matruhina told them of me, and the Knight said:—Bring him out,
for surely there is not on him a bird's meal of meat. So they opened the
door of the dark room and found me standing in the niche, praying and
reciting the Koran and glorifying Allah and humbling myself before the
Almighty. When they saw me in this state Matruhina exclaimed:—This man
is indeed a sorcerer of the sorcerers!; and hearing his words, they all
came in on me, Dakianus and his company withal, and they beat me with a
grievous beating, till I desired death and reproached myself, saying,
This is his reward who exalteth himself and who prideth himself on that
which Allah hath vouchsafed to him, beyond his own competence! And thou,
O my soul, verily self-esteem and arrogance have crept into thee. Dost
thou not know that pride angereth the Lord and hardeneth the heart and
bringeth men to the Fire? Then they laid me in fetters and returned me
to my place which was the dungeon under ground. Every three days, they
threw me down a scone of barley bread and a draught of water; and every
month or two the Knight came to the hermitage. Now his daughter Tamasil
had grown up, for she was nine years old when I first saw her, and
fifteen years passed over me in captivity, so that she had reached her
four-and-twentieth year. There is not in our land nor in the land of the
Greeks a fairer than she, and her father feared lest the King take her
from him; for she had vowed herself to the Messiah and rode with
Dakianus in the habit of a cavalier, so that albeit none might compare
with her in loveliness, no one who saw her knew her for a woman. And her
father had laid up his monies in this hermitage, every one who had aught
of price or treasured hoard being wont to deposit it therein; and I saw
there all manner of gold and silver and jewels and precious vessels and
rarities, none may keep count of them save Almighty Allah. Now ye are
worthier of these riches than those Infidels; so lay hands on that which
is in the hermitage and divide it among the Moslems and especially on
fighters in the Holy War. When these merchants came to Constantinople
and sold their merchandise, that image which is on the wall spoke to
them, by grace of a marvel which Allah granted to me; so they made for
that hermitage and slew Matruhina, after torturing him with most
grievous torments, and dragging him by the beard, till he showed them
the place where I was; when they took me and found no path but flight
for dread of death. Now to-morrow night Tamasil will visit that
hermitage as is her habit, and her father and his squires will come
after her, as he feareth for her so, if ye would witness these things,
take me with you and I will deliver to you the monies and the riches of
the Knight Dakianus which be in that mountain; for I saw them bring out
vessels of gold and silver to drink therefrom, and I heard a damsel of
their company sing to them in Arabic and well-away! that so sweet a
voice should not be busied in chaunting the Koran. If, then, ye will;
enter into that hermitage and hide there against the coming of Dakianus
and his daughter; and take her, for she is fit only for the King of the
Age, Sharrkan, or King Zau al-Makan." Thereat they all rejoiced with the
exception of the Wazir Dandan, who put scant faith in her story, for her
words took no hold on his reason, and signs of doubt in her and
disbelief showed in his face.[429] Yet he was confounded at her
discourse, but he feared to speak with her for awe of the King. Then
quoth the ancient dame, Zat al-Dawahi, "Verily, I fear lest the Knight
come and, seeing these troops encamped in the meadow, be afraid to enter
the hermitage." So Zau al-Makan ordered the army to march upon
Constantinople and said, "I have resolved to take with me an hundred
horse and many mules and make for that mountain, where we will load the
beasts with the monies which be in the hermitage." Then he sent at once
for the Chief Chamberlain whom they brought into the presence; and he
summoned likewise the leaders of the Turks and Daylamites and said, "As
soon as it is dawn, do ye set forth for Constantinople; and thou, O
Chamberlain, shalt take my place in council and contrivance, while thou,
O Rustam, shalt be my brother's deputy in battle. But let none know that
we are not with you and after three days we will rejoin you." Then he
chose out an hundred of the doughtiest riders, and he and Sharrkan and
the Minister Dandan set out for the hermitage, and the hundred horsemen
led the mules with chests for transporting the treasure.——And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-sixth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Sharrkan and his
brother, Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan set off with an hundred horse
for the hermitage described to them by that accursed Zat al-Dawahi; and
they took with them mules and chests for transporting the treasure. Now
as soon as dawned the morn, the Chamberlain signalled to the host an
order for departure, and they set out thinking that the two Kings and
the Wazir were with them; knowing not that the three had made for the
monastery. Such was the case with the host; but as regards the two Kings
and the Minister, they tarried in their place till the end of that day.
Now the Infidels who were with Zat al-Dawahi took their departure
privily, after they had gone in to her and kissed her hands and feet and
obtained her leave to march. So she not only gave them permission but
also taught them all she minded of wile and guile. And when it was dark
night, she arose and went in to Zau al-Makan and his companions and said
to them, "Come, let us set out for the mountain, and take with you a few
men-at-arms." They obeyed her and left five horsemen at the foot of the
mountain, whilst the rest rode on before Zat al-Dawahi, who gained new
strength for excess of joy, so that Zau al-Makan said, "Glory be to Him
who sustaineth this holy man, whose like we never saw!" Now the witch
had written a letter to the King of Constantinople and despatched it on
the wings of a bird,[430] acquainting him with what had passed and
ending, "I wish thee to send me ten thousand horsemen of the bravest of
the Greeks and let them steal along the foot of the mountains with
caution, lest the host of Al-Islam get sight of them; and, when they
reach the hermitage, let them ambush themselves there, till I come to
them with the Moslem King and his brother, for I shall inveigle them and
will bring them thither, together with the Wazir and an hundred horse
and no more, that I may presently deliver to them the crosses which be
in the hermitage. I am resolved to slay the Monk Matruhina, since my
scheme cannot be carried out but by taking his life. If my plot work
well, not one of the Moslems shall return to his own country; no, not a
living wight nor one who blows the fire alight; and Matruhina shall be a
sacrifice for the followers of the Nazarene faith and the servants of
the Cross, and praise be to the Messiah, first and last." When this
letter reached Constantinople, the keeper of the carrier-pigeons carried
it to King Afridun, who read it and forthwith inspected his host and
equipped ten thousand cavaliers with horses and dromedaries and mules
and provaunt and bade them repair to that hermitage and, after reaching
the tower, to hide therein. Thus far concerning them; but as regards
King Zau al-Makan and his brother Sharrkan and the Wazir Dandan and the
escort, when they reached the hermitage they entered and met the Monk
Matruhina, who came out to see who and what they were; whereupon quoth
that pious man Zat al-Dawahi, "Slay this damned fellow."[431] So they
smote him with their swords and made him drink the cup of death. Then
the accursed old woman carried them to the place of offerings and ex
votos, and brought out to them treasures and precious things more than
she had described to them; and after gathering the whole together, they
set the booty in chests and loaded the mules therewith. As for Tamasil,
she came not, she or her father, for fear of the Moslems; so Zau
al-Makan tarried there, awaiting her all that day and the next and a
third, till Sharrkan said to him, "By Allah, I am troubled anent the
army of Al-Islam, for I know not what is become of them." His brother
replied, "And I also am concerned for them: we have come by this great
treasure and I do not believe that Tamasil or any one else will approach
the hermitage, after that befel which hath befallen the host of the
Christians. It behoveth us, then, to content ourselves with what Allah
hath given us and depart; so haply He will help us conquer
Constantinople." Accordingly they came down from the mountain, while Zat
al-Dawahi was impotent to oppose their march for fear of betraying her
deceit; and they fared forwards till they reached the head of a defile,
where the old woman had laid an ambush for them with the ten thousand
horse. As soon as these saw the Moslems they encircled them from all
sides, couching lance and baring the white sabre blade; and the Infidels
shouted the watchword of their faithless Faith and set the shafts of
their mischief astring. When Zau al-Makan and his brother Sharrkan and
the Minister Dandan looked upon this host, they saw that it was a
numerous army and said, "Who can have given these troops information of
us?" Replied Sharrkan, "O my brother, this be no time for talk; this is
the time for smiting with swords and shooting with shafts; so gird up
your courage and hearten your hearts, for this strait is like a street
with two gates; though, by the virtue of the Lord of Arabs and Ajams,
were not the place so narrow I would bring them to naught, even though
they were an hundred thousand men!" Said Zau al-Makan, "Had we wotted
this we would have brought with us five thousand horse;" and the Wazir
Dandan continued, "If we had ten thousand horse they had availed us
naught in these narrows; but Allah will succour us against them. I know
this defile and its straitness, and I know there be many places of
refuge in it; for I have been here on razzia with King Omar bin
al-Nu'uman, what while we besieged Constantinople. We abode in this
place, and here is water colder than snow. So come, let us push out of
this defile ere the Infidel host increase on us and get the start of us
to the mountain-top, whence they will hurl down rocks upon us, and we
powerless to come at them." So they began hurrying on to get out of
those narrows; but the pious man, Zat al-Dawahi, looked at them and
said, "What is it ye fear, ye who have vowed yourselves to the Lord, and
to working His will? By Allah, I abode imprisoned underground for
fifteen years, yet never gainsaid the Almighty in aught he did with me!
Fight ye in Allah's way; so whoever of you is slain Paradise shall be
his abode, and whoso slayeth, his striving shall be to his honour." When
they heard from the ascetic these words, their care and anxiety ceased
from them and they stood firm till the Infidels charged down from all
sides, whilst the swords played upon their necks and the cup of death
went round amongst them. The Moslems fought for the service of Allah a
right good fight, and wrought upon His foes with sway of sword and lunge
of lance; whilst Zau al-Makan smote upon the men and garred the knights
bite the dust and their heads from their bodies take flight, five by
five and ten by ten, till he had done to death a number of them past
numbering and an accompt beyond counting. Now while so doing, he looked
at the accursed old woman who was waving her sword and heartening them,
and all who feared fled to her for shelter; but she was also signing the
Infidels to slay Sharrkan. So troop after troop rushed on him with
design to do him die; but each troop that charged, he charged and drove
back; and when another troop attacked him he repelled the assault with
the sword in their backs; for he thought it was the devotee's blessing
that gave him the victory, and he said in himself, "Verily on this holy
man Allah looketh with eyes of His favour and strengtheneth my prowess
against the Infidels with the purity of his pious intent: for I see that
they fear me and cannot prevail against me, but every one who assaileth
me turneth tail and taketh flight." So they battled the rest of the day
and, when night fell, the Moslems took refuge in a cave of that defile
being weary with stress of war and cast of stone: and that day were
slain of them five-and-forty. And when they were gathered together, they
sought the devotee, but could find no trace of him; and this was
grievous to them and they said, "Belike, he hath died a martyr." Quoth
Sharrkan, "I saw him heartening the horsemen with divine instances and
using as talisman verses of Holy Writ." Now while they were talking,
behold, the accursed old woman, Zat al-Dawahi, stood before them,
hending in hand the head of the Chief Captain of the ten thousand horse,
a noble knight, a champion fierce in fight and a Satan for blight. One
of the Turks had slain him with an arrow, and Allah hurried his soul to
the fire; and when the Infidels saw what that Moslem had done with their
leader, they all fell on him and wrought his bane and hewed him in
pieces with their swords, and Allah hurried his soul to Heaven. Then the
accursed old woman cut off that Knight's head and brought it and threw
it at the feet of Sharrkan and Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan. Now
when Sharrkan saw her, he sprang up hastily before her and exclaimed,
"Praised be Allah for thy safety and for our sighting thee, O holy man
and devout champion of the Religion!" Replied she, "O my son, I have
sought martyrdom this day, and have thrown my life away amid the Infidel
array, but they feared me with dismay. When ye dispersed, I waxed
jealous for your honour; so I rushed on the Chief Knight their leader,
albeit he was a match for a thousand horse, and I smote him till I
severed head from trunk. Not one of the Infidels could near me; so I
brought his head to you,"——And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased to say her permitted say.
Now when it was the Ninety-seventh Night,