When I entered the service of this Amir,[FN#88] I had a great
repute and every lewd fellow feared me of all mankind, and whenas
I rode through the city, all the folk would point at me with
their fingers and eyes. It befell one day, as I sat in the house
of the prefecture, with my back against a wall, considering in
myself, there fell somewhat in my lap, and behold, it was a purse
sealed and tied. So I took it in my hand and behold, it had in it
a hundred dirhems,[FN#89] but I found not who threw it and I
said, "Extolled be the perfection of God, the King of the
Kingdoms!"[FN#90] Another day, [as I sat on like wise,] somewhat
fell on me and startled me, and behold, it was a purse like the
first. So I took it and concealing its affair, made as if I
slept, albeit sleep was not with me.
One day, as I was thus feigning sleep, I felt a hand in my lap,
and in it a magnificent purse. So I seized the hand and behold,
it was that of a fair woman. Quoth I to her, "O my lady, who art
thou?" And she said, "Rise [and come away] from here, that I may
make myself known to thee." So I arose and following her, fared
on, without tarrying, till she stopped at the door of a lofty
house, whereupon quoth I to her,"O my lady, who art thou? Indeed,
thou hast done me kindness, and what is the reason of this?" "By
Allah," answered she, "O Captain Mum, I am a woman on whom desire
and longing are sore for the love of the daughter of the Cadi
Amin el Hukm. Now there was between us what was and the love of
her fell upon my heart and I agreed with her upon meeting,
according to possibility and convenience. But her father Amin el
Hukm took her and went away, and my heart cleaveth to her and
love-longing and distraction are sore upon me on her account."
I marvelled at her words and said to her, "What wouldst thou have
me do?" And she answered, "O Captain Muin, I would have thee give
me a helping hand." Quoth I, "What have I to do with the daughter
of the Cadi Amin el Hukm?" And she said, "Know that I would not
have thee intrude upon the Cadi's daughter, but I would fain
contrive for the attainment of my wishes.' This is my intent and
my desire, and my design will not be accomplished but by thine
aid." Then said she, "I mean this night to go with a stout heart
and hire me trinkets of price; then will I go and sit in the
street wherein is the house of Amin el Hukm; and when it is the
season of the round and the folk are asleep, do thou pass, thou
and those who are with thee of the police, and thou wilt see me
sitting and on me fine raiment and ornaments and wilt smell on me
the odour of perfumes; whereupon do thou question me of my case
and I will say, 'I come from the Citadel and am of the daughters
of the deputies[FN#91] and I came down [into the town,] to do an
occasion; but the night overtook me at unawares and the Zuweyleh
gate was shut against me and all the gates and I knew not whither
I should go this night Presently I saw this street and noting the
goodliness of its ordinance and its cleanness, took shelter
therein against break of day.' When I say this to thee with all
assurance[FN#92] the chief of the watch will have no suspicion of
me, but will say, 'Needs must we leave her with one who will take
care of her till morning.' And do thou rejoin, 'It were most
fitting that she pass the night with Amin el Hukm and lie with
his family and children till the morning.' Then do thou
straightway knock at the Cadi's door, and thus shall I have
gained admission into his house, without inconvenience, and
gotten my desire; and peace be on thee!" And I said to her, "By
Allah, this is an easy matter."
So, when the night darkened, we sallied forth to make our round,
attended by men with sharp swords, and went round about the
streets and compassed the city, till we came to the by-street
where was the woman, and it was the middle of the night Here we
smelt rich scents and heard the clink of earrings; so I said to
my comrades, "Methinks I spy an apparition," And the captain of
the watch said, "See what it is." So I came forward and entering
the lane, came presently out again and said, "I have found a fair
woman and she tells me that she is from the Citadel and that the
night surprised her and she espied this street and seeing its
cleanness and the goodliness of its ordinance, knew that it
appertained to a man of rank and that needs must there be in it a
guardian to keep watch over it, wherefore she took shelter
therein." Quoth the captain of the watch to me, "Take her and
carry her to thy house." But I answered, "I seek refuge with
Allah![FN#93] My house is no place of deposit[FN#94] and on this
woman are trinkets and apparel [of price]. By Allah, we will not
deposit her save with Amin el Hukrn, in whose street she hath
been since the first of the darkness; wherefore do thou leave her
with him till the break of day." And he said, "As thou wilt."
Accordingly, I knocked at the Cadi's door and out came a black
slave of his slaves, to whom said I, "O my lord, take this woman
and let her be with you till break of day, for that the
lieutenant of the Amir Ilmeddin hath found her standing at the
door of your house, with trinkets and apparel [of price] on her,
and we feared lest her responsibility be upon you;[FN#95]
wherefore it is most fit that she pass the night with you." So
the slave opened and took her in with him.
When the morning morrowed, the first who presented himself before
the Amir was the Cadi Amin el Hukm, leaning on two of his black
slaves; and he was crying out and calling [on God] for aid and
saying, "O crafty and perfidious Amir, thou depositedst with me a
woman [yesternight] and broughtest her into my house and my
dwelling-place, and she arose [in the night] and took from me the
good of the little orphans,[FN#96] six great bags, [containing
each a thousand dinars,[FN#97] and made off;] but as for me, I
will say no more to thee except in the Sultan's presence."[FN#98]
When the Master of the Police heard these words, he was troubled
and rose and sat down; then he took the Cadi and seating him by
his side, soothed him and exhorted him to patience, till he had
made an end of talk, when he turned to the officers and
questioned them. They fixed the affair on me and said, "We know
nothing of this affair but from Captain Muineddin." So the Cadi
turned to me and said, "Thou wast of accord with this woman, for
she said she came from the Citadel."
As for me, I stood, with my head bowed to the earth, forgetting
both Institutes and Canons,[FN#99] and abode sunk in thought,
saying, "How came I to be the dupe of yonder worthless baggage?"
Then said the Amir to me, "What aileth thee that thou answerest
not?" And I answered, saying, "O my lord, it is a custom among
the folk that he who hath a payment to make at a certain date is
allowed three days' grace; [so do thou have patience with me so
long,] and if, [by the end of that time,] the culprit be not
found, I will be answerable for that which is lost." When the
folk heard my speech, they all deemed it reasonable and the
Master of Police turned to the Cadi and swore to him that he
would do his utmost endeavour to recover the stolen money and
that it should be restored to him. So he went away, whilst I
mounted forthright and fell to going round about the world
without purpose, and indeed I was become under the dominion of a
woman without worth or honour; and I went round about on this
wise all that my day and night, but happened not upon tidings of
her; and thus I did on the morrow.
On the third day I said to myself, "Thou art mad or witless!" For
I was going about in quest of a woman who knew me and I knew her
not, seeing that indeed she was veiled, [whenas I saw her]. Then
I went round about the third day till the hour of afternoon
prayer, and sore was my concern and my chagrin, for I knew that
there abode to me of my life but [till] the morrow, when the
chief of the police would seek me. When it was the time of
sundown, I passed through one of the streets, and beheld a woman
at a window. Her door was ajar and she was clapping her hands and
casting furtive glances at me, as who should say, "Come up by the
door." So I went up, without suspicion, and when I entered, she
rose and clasped me to her breast 1 marvelled at her affair and
she said to me, "I am she whom thou depositedst with Amin el
Hukm." Quoth I to her, "O my sister, I have been going round and
round in quest of thee, for indeed thou hast done a deed that
will be chronicled in history and hast cast me into
slaughter[FN#100] on thine account." "Sayst thou this to me,"
asked she, "and thou captain of men?" And I answered, "How should
I not be troubled, seeing that I am in concern [for an affair]
that I turn over and over [in my mind], more by token that I
abide my day long going about [searching for thee] and in the
night I watch its stars [for wakefulness]?" Quoth she, "Nought
shall betide but good, and thou shalt get the better of him."
So saying, she rose [and going] to a chest, took out therefrom
six bags full of gold and said to me, "This is what I took from
Amin el Hukm's house. So, if thou wilt, restore it; else the
whole is lawfully thine; and if thou desire other than this,
[thou shalt have it;] for I have wealth in plenty and I had no
design in this but to marry thee." Then she arose and opening
[other] chests, brought out therefrom wealth galore and I said to
her, "O my sister, I have no desire for all this, nor do I covet
aught but to be quit of that wherein I am." Quoth she, "I came
not forth of the [Cadi's] house without [making provision for]
thine acquittance."
Then said she to me, "To-morrow morning, when Amin el Hukm
cometh, have patience with him till he have made an end of his
speech, and when he is silent, return him no answer; and if the
prefect say to thee, 'What ailest thee that thou answereth him
not?' do thou reply, 'O lord, know that the two words are not
alike, but there is no [helper] for him who is undermost[FN#101],
save God the Most High.'[FN#102] The Cadi will say, 'What is the
meaning of thy saying," The two words are not alike"?' And do
thou make answer, saying, 'I deposited with thee a damsel from
the palace of the Sultan, and most like some losel of thy
household hath transgressed against her or she hath been privily
murdered. Indeed, there were on her jewels and raiment worth a
thousand dinars, and hadst thou put those who are with thee of
slaves and slave-girls to the question, thou hadst assuredly lit
on some traces [of the crime].' When he heareth this from thee,
his agitation will redouble and he will be confounded and will
swear that needs must thou go with him to his house; but do thou
say, 'That will I not do, for that I am the party aggrieved, more
by token that I am under suspicion with thee.' If he redouble in
calling [on God for aid] and conjure thee by the oath of divorce,
saying, 'Needs must thou come,' do thou say, 'By Allah, I will
not go, except the prefect come also.'
When thou comest to the house, begin by searching the roofs; then
search the closets and cabinets; and if thou find nought, humble
thyself unto the Cadi and make a show of abjection and feign
thyself defeated, and after stand at the door and look as if thou
soughtest a place wherein to make water, for that there is a dark
corner there. Then come forward, with a heart stouter than
granite, and lay hold upon a jar of the jars and raise it from
its place. Thou wilt find under it the skirt of a veil; bring it
out publicly and call the prefect in a loud voice, before those
who are present. Then open it and thou wilt find it full of
blood, exceeding of redness,[FN#103] and in it [thou wilt find
also] a woman's shoes and a pair of trousers and somewhat of
linen." When I heard this from her, I rose to go out and she said
to me, "Take these hundred dinars, so they may advantage thee;
and this is my guest-gift to thee." So I took them and bidding
her farewell, returned to my lodging.
Next morning, up came the Cadi, with his face like the
ox-eye,[FN#104] and said, "In the name of God, where is my debtor
and where is my money?" Then he wept and cried out and said to
the prefect, "Where is that ill-omened fellow, who aboundeth in
thievery and villainy?" Therewith the prefect turned to me and
said, "Why dost thou not answer the Cadi?" And I replied, "O
Amir, the two heads[FN#105] are not equal, and I, I have no
helper but God; but, if the right be on my side, it will appear."
At this the Cadi cried out and said, "Out on thee, O ill-omened
fellow! How wilt thou make out that the right is on thy side?" "O
our lord the Cadi," answered I, "I deposited with thee a trust,
to wit, a woman whom we found at thy door, and on her raiment and
trinkets of price. Now she is gone, even as yesterday is gone;
and after this thou turnest upon us and makest claim upon me for
six thousand dinars. By Allah, this is none other than gross
unright, and assuredly some losel of thy household hath
transgressed against her!"
With this the Cadi's wrath redoubled and he swore by the most
solemn of oaths that I should go with him and search his house.
"By Allah," replied I, "I will not go, except the prefect be with
us; for, if he be present, he and the officers, thou wilt not
dare to presume upon me." And the Cadi rose and swore an oath,
saying, "By Him who created mankind, we will not go but with the
Amir!" So we repaired to the Cadi's house, accompanied by the
prefect, and going up, searched high and low, but found nothing;
whereupon fear gat hold upon me and the prefect turned to me and
said, "Out on thee, O ill-omened fellow! Thou puttest us to shame
before the men." And I wept and went round about right and left,
with the tears running down my face, till we were about to go
forth and drew near the door of the house. I looked at the place
[behind the door] and said, "What is yonder dark place that I
see?" And I said to the sergeants, "Lift up this jar with me."
They did as I bade them and I saw somewhat appearing under the
jar and said, "Rummage and see what is under it." So they
searched and found a woman's veil and trousers full of blood,
which when I beheld, I fell down in a swoon.
When the prefect saw this, he said, "By Allah, the captain is
excused!" Then my comrades came round about me and sprinkled
water on my face, [till I came to myself,] when I arose and
accosting the Cadi, who was covered with confusion, said to him,
"Thou seest that suspicion is fallen on thee, and indeed this
affair is no light matter, for that this woman's family will
assuredly not sit down under her loss." Therewith the Cadi's
heart quaked and he knew that the suspicion had reverted upon
him, wherefore his colour paled and his limbs smote together; and
he paid of his own money, after the measure of that which he had
lost, so we would hush up the matter for him.[FN#106] Then we
departed from him in peace, whilst I said in myself, "Indeed, the
woman deceived me not."
After that I tarried till three days had elapsed, when 1 went to
the bath and changing my clothes, betook myself to her house, but
found the door locked and covered with dust. So I questioned the
neighbours of her and they said, "This house hath been empty
these many days; but three days agone there came a woman with an
ass, and yesternight, at eventide, she took her gear and went
away." So I turned back, confounded in my wit, and every day
[after this, for many a day,] I inquired of the inhabitants [of
the street] concerning her, but could light on no tidings of her.
And indeed I marvelled at the eloquence of her tongue and [the
readiness of] her speech; and this is the most extraordinary of
that which hath betided me.'
When El Melik ez Zahir heard Muineddin's story, he marvelled
thereat Then rose another officer and said, 'O lord, bear what
befell me in bygone days.