There was once a merchant, who had abundant wealth, and a wife to
boot. He set out one day on a business journey, leaving his wife
big with child, and said to her, "Albeit, I now leave thee, yet I
will return before the birth of the babe, Inshallah!" Then he
farewelled her and setting out, ceased not faring from country to
country till he came to the court of one of the kings and
foregathered with him. Now this king needed one who should order
his affairs and those of his kingdom and seeing the merchant
wellbred and intelligent, he required him to abide at court and
entreated him honourably. After some years, he sought his
Sovran's leave to go to his own house, but the king would not
consent to this; whereupon he said to him, "O king, suffer me go
and see my children and come again." So he granted him permission
for this and, taking surety of him for his return, gave him a
purse, wherein were a thousand gold dinars. Accordingly, the
merchant embarked in a ship and set sail, intending for his
mother-land. On such wise fared it with the trader; but as
regards his wife, news had reached her that her husband had
accepted service with King Such-an-one; so she arose and taking
her two sons (for she had borne twins in his absence), set out
seeking those parts. As Fate would have it, they happened upon an
island, and her husband came thither that very night in the ship.
So the woman said to her children, "The ship cometh from the
country where your father is: hie ye to the sea-shore, that ye
may enquire of him." Accordingly, they repaired to the sea-shore
and going up into the ship, fell to playing about it and busied
themselves with their play till evening evened. Now the merchant
their sire lay asleep in the ship, and the noisy disport of the
boys troubled him; whereupon he rose to call out to them
"Silence" and let the purse with the thousand dinars fall among
the bales of merchandise. He sought for it and finding it not,
buffeted his head and seized upon the boys, saying, "None took
the purse but you: ye were playing all about the bales, so ye
might steal somewhat, and there was none here but you twain."
Then he took his staff, and laying hold of the children, fell to
beating them and flogging them, whilst they wept, and the crew
came round about them saying, "The boys of this island are all
rogues and robbers." Then, of the greatness of the merchant's
anger, he swore an oath that, except they brought out the purse,
he would drown them in the sea; so when by reason of their denial
his oath demanded the deed, he took the two boys and binding them
each to a bundle of reeds, cast them into the water. Presently,
finding that they tarried from her, the mother of the two boys
went searching for them, till she came to the ship and fell to
saying,"Who hath seen two boys of mine? Their fashion is so and
so and their age thus and thus." When the crew heard her words,
they said, "This is the description of the two boys who were
drowned in the sea but now." Their mother hearing this began
calling on them and crying, "Alas, my anguish for your loss, O my
sons! Where was the eye of your father this day, that it might
have seen you?" Then one of the sailors asked her, "Whose wife
art thou?" and she answered, "I am the wife of Such-an-one the
trader. I was on my way to him, and there hath befallen me this
calamity." When the merchant heard her words, he knew her and
rising to his feet, rent his raiment and beat his head and said
to his wife, "By Allah, I have destroyed my children with mine
own hand! This is the end of whoso looketh not to the endings of
affairs. This is his reward who taketh not time to reflect." Then
he took to wailing and weeping over them, he and his wife, and he
said to his shipmates, "By Allah, I shall never enjoy my life,
till I light upon news of them!" And he began to go round about
the sea, in quest of his sons, but found them not. Meanwhile, the
wind carried the two children from the ship towards the land, and
cast them up on the sea-shore. As for one of them, a company of
the guards of the king of those parts found him and carried him
to their lord, who marvelled at him with exceeding marvel and
adopted him, giving out to the folk that he was his own son, whom
he had hidden,[FN#158] of his love for him. So the folk rejoiced
in him with joy exceeding, for their lord's sake, and the king
appointed him his heir-apparent and the inheritor of his kingdom.
On this wise a number of years passed, till the king died and
they enthroned the youth sovran in his stead, when he sat down on
the seat of his kingship and his estate flourished and his
affairs prospered with all regularity. Meanwhile, his father and
mother had gone round about, in quest of him and his brother, all
the islands of the sea, hoping that the tide might have cast them
up, but found no trace of them; so they despaired of them and
took up their abode in a certain of the islands. One day, the
merchant, being in the market, saw a broker, and in his hand a
boy he was crying for sale, and said in himself, "I will buy
yonder boy, so I may solace myself with him for my sons."[FN#159]
So he bought him and bore him to his house; and, when his wife
saw him, she cried out and said, "By Allah, this is my son!"
Accordingly his father and mother rejoiced in him with exceeding
joy and asked him of his brother; but he answered, "The waves
parted us and I knew not how it went with him." Therewith his
father and mother consoled themselves with him and on this wise a
number of years passed by. Now the merchant and his wife had
homed them in a city of the land where their other son was king,
and when the boy they had recovered grew up, his father assigned
unto him merchandise, to the end that he might travel therewith.
Upon this he fared forth and entered the city wherein his brother
ruled and anon news reached the king that a merchant had come
thither with merchandise befitting royalties; so he sent for him
and the young trader obeyed the summons and going in to him, sat
down before him. Neither of them knew the other; but blood moved
between them[FN#160] and the king said to the merchant youth, "I
desire of thee that thou tarry with me and I will exalt thy
station and give thee all that thou requirest and cravest."
Accordingly, he abode with him awhile, never quitting him; and
when he saw that he would not suffer him to depart from him, he
sent to his father and mother and bade them remove thither to
him. Hereat they resolved upon moving to that island, and their
son still increased in honour with the king, albeit he knew not
that he was his brother. Now it chanced one night that the king
sallied forth without the city and drank and the wine got the
mastery of him and he became drunken. So, of the youth's fear for
his safety, he said, "I will keep watch myself over the king this
night, seeing that he deserveth this from me, for that which he
hath done with me of kindly deeds;" and he arose forthright and
baring his brand, stationed himself at the door of the king's
pavilion. But one of the royal pages saw him standing there, with
the drawn sword in his hand, and he was of those who envied him
his favour with the king; therefore, he said to him. "Why dost
thou on this wise at this time and in the like of this place?"
Said the youth, "I am keeping watch and ward over the king
myself, in requital of his bounties to me." The page said no more
to him; however, when it was morning, he acquainted a number of
the king's servants with the matter, and they said, "This is an
opportunity for us. Come, let us assemble together and acquaint
the king therewith, so the young merchant may lose regard with
him[FN#161] and he rid us of him and we be at rest from him." So
they assembled together and going in to the king, said to him,
"We have a warning wherewith we would warn thee." Quoth he, "And
what is your warning?" and quoth they, "This youth, the trader,
whom thou hast taken into favour and whose rank thou hast exalted
above the chiefest of thy lords, we saw yesterday bare his brand
and design to fall upon thee, to the end that he might slay
thee." Now when the king heard this, his colour changed and he
said to them, "Have ye proof of this?" They rejoined, "What proof
wouldst thou have? An thou desirest this, feign thyself drunken
again this night and lie down as if asleep, and privily watch him
and thou wilt see with thine eyes all that we have mentioned to
thee." Then they went to the youth and said to him, "Know that
the king thanketh thee for thy dealing yesternight and exceedeth
in commendation of thy good deed;" and they prompted him again to
do the like. Accordingly, when the next night came, the king
abode on wake, watching the youth; and as for the latter, he went
to the door of the pavilion and unsheathing his scymitar, stood
in the doorway. When the king saw him do thus, he was sore
disquieted and bade seize him and said to him, "Is this my reward
from thee? I showed thee favour more than any else and thou
wouldst do with me this abominable deed." Then arose two of the
king's pages and said to him, "O our lord, an thou order it, we
will smite his neck." But the king said, "Haste in killing is a
vile thing, for 'tis a grave[FN#162] matter; the quick we can
kill, but the killed we cannot quicken, and needs must we look to
the end of affairs. The slaying of this youth will not escape
us."[FN#163] Therewith he bade imprison him, whilst he himself
went back to the city and, his duties done, fared forth to the
chase. Then he returned to town and forgot the youth; so the
pages went in to him and said to him, "O king, an thou keep
silence concerning yonder youth, who designed to slaughter thee,
all thy servants will presume upon the king's majesty, and indeed
the folk talk of this matter." Hereat the king waxed wroth and
cried, "Fetch him hither;" and bade the headsman strike off his
head. So they brought the youth and bound his eyes; and the
sworder stood at his head and said to the king, "By thy leave, O
my lord, I will smite his neck." But the king cried, "Stay, till
I look into his affair. Needs must I put him to death and the
dispatching of him will not escape me." Then he restored him to
the prison and there he abode till it should be the king's will
to do him die. Presently, his parents heard of the matter;
whereupon his father arose and going up to the palace, wrote a
letter and presented it to the king, who read it, and behold,
therein was written, saying, "Have ruth on me, so may Allah have
ruth on thee, and hasten not in the slaughter of my son; for
indeed I acted hastily in a certain affair and drowned his
brother in the sea, and to this day I bemourn him. An thou must
needs kill him, kill me in his stead." Therewith the old
merchant, weeping bitterly, prostrated himself before the king,
who said to him, "Tell me thy tale." Said the merchant, "O my
lord, this youth had a brother and I in my haste cast the twain
into the sea." And he related to him his story, first and last,
whereupon the king cried with a mighty loud cry and casting
himself down from the throne, embraced his father and brother and
said to the merchant, "By Allah, thou art my very father and this
is my brother and thy wife is our mother." And they abode
weeping, all three of them. Then the king acquainted his people
with the matter and said to them, "O folk, how deem ye of my
looking to the consequences of action?" and they all marvelled at
his wisdom and foresight. Then he turned to his sire and said to
him, "Hadst thou looked to the issue of thine affair and made due
delay in whatso thou didst, there had not betided thee this
repentance and chagrin all this time." Thereupon he sent for his
mother and they rejoiced one in other and lived all their days in
joy and gladness. "What then" (continued the young treasurer),
"is more grievous than the lack of looking to the ends of things?
Wherefore hasten thou not in the slaying of me, lest penitence
betide thee and sore chagrin." When the king heard this, he said,
"Return him to the prison till the morrow, so we may look into
his affair; for that deliberation in such is advisable and the
slaughter of this youth shall not escape us."
The Third Day.