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GIFT OF 
 HORACE W, CARFENTIER 
 

 CALIPHS AND SULTANS. 
 
Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive 
 , in 2008 witii funding from 
 IVIicrosoft Corporation 
 
 littp://www.arcliive.org/details/caliplissultansbeOOIianlricli 
 
CALIPHS AND JSTJLTMS, 
 
 TALES OMITTED IN THE USUAL EDITIONS 
 
 ARABIAN NIGHTS ENTERTAINMENTS; 
 
 RE-WRITTEN AND RE-ARKANGED BY 
 
 SYLVANUS HANLEY, F.L.S., etc., 
 
 HONORARY MEMBER OF THE ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF VIENNA, OF 
 
 THE ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES OF PHILADELPHIA, 
 
 OF THE LYCEUM OF NEW YORK, ETC. 
 
 SECOND EDITION, 
 
 LONDON : 
 
 L. REEVE AND CO., 5, HENRIETTA STREET, COVENT GARDEN. 
 
 1870. 
 
CARPENTIER 
 
PREFACE 
 
 A S Galland, from whose charmingly free translation of 
 the ' Thousand and One Nights ' the common En- 
 ghsh version of the ' Arabian Nights Entertainments ' has 
 been derived, did not himself possess a perfect copy of that 
 Eastern compilation, the pith of what he has omitted is 
 here presented to the public as an Appendix to that popular 
 work. The tales are chiefly gleaned from Scott (1811, 
 1 81 2), Lambe (1826), Chavis and Cazotte (1793), Von 
 Hammer (through Trebutien, 1828), and from last, not 
 least, that faithful but too literal translator, the Anglo- 
 Egyptian Lane (1841). 
 
 Not as a rival to these worthies, but simply from an 
 artistic appreciation of poetical fictions, which he believes 
 to be inadequately known and estimated, does the writer 
 venture to address the public. 
 
 He frankly acknowledges he has taken many liberties 
 with the stories, yet almost all the incidents are to be 
 found in one or other of the various manuscripts ; only 
 he has so grouped them that their sources cannot always 
 be traced with facility. He has not hesitated to abridge 
 the duller parts, or occasionally to modify customs and sen- 
 
 588(i(;7 
 
vi PREFACE. 
 
 timents, which rendered his heroes less estimable and more 
 tedious. For it is the imagination displayed in these fine 
 old fictions which is the real and permanent cause of their 
 attractiveness J not the peculiar phraseology and Moslem 
 tone of thought with which they have been imbued by 
 the Arab story-tellers, from whose lips they have been 
 more immediately handed down to us. The habits and 
 feelings depicted by the latter are more frequently those of 
 their own age and class than of the people of the period 
 alluded to. It is actually possible, then, that our tales, 
 denuded of these unessential accessaries, may more nearly 
 resemble the original legends (Indian, Coptic, Persian, 
 Saracenic, and Levantine) than if they had been more 
 literally and fully translated from the Arabic. 
 
 Should these pages evoke for his readers even faint 
 images of those bright pictures which have haunted his 
 own mental vision while composing them, the Author 
 will have done well ; for he will have increased the sum 
 total of human happiness. To him, at least, 
 
 " A thing of beauty is a joy for ever.'' 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 THE TWO BRIDES ; OR, THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER I 
 
 ZUMURRUDj OR, THE LOVING SLAV% 45 
 
 THE SHAM CALIPH 79 
 
 ALI OF CAIRO, THE LUCKY PRODIGAL ... 82 
 
 NEAMEH AND NOAM 90 
 
 MESROOR's BARGAIN 9^ 
 
 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS lOI 
 
 REMORSE j OR, THE STORY OF HAZIZ . . . IO4 
 
 THE RIVAL BEAUTIES . . 1X2 
 
 ABUSHAMAT AND ASLAN 1 19 
 
 THE MAID OF NINEVEH I43 
 
 HASSAN OF BASSORAH 182 
 
 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN 206 
 
 THE STORY OF JOODAR 227 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 \BOO SEER AND ABOO KEER 3 OR, THE TWO CRAFTS- 
 MEN 250 
 
 XAILOUN THE SILLY 273 
 
 JAMASP AND THE ftUEEN OF THE SERPENTS . . . 289 
 
 THE TOMB OF SOLOMON 30/ 
 
 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER 324 
 
 THE KING OF THE BEGGARS 34O 
 
THE TWO BRIDES; 
 
 OE, 
 
 THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 
 
 TT was the feast of Haraphat. The grand mosque re- 
 sounded with sonorous chanting} its altar was stained 
 with tlie blood of the consecrated heifer j incense per- 
 fumed the air -, a solemn array of holy priests proclaimed 
 the reverence due by man to the Source of all good. 
 
 To duly honour the festival, and to display to the as- 
 sembled multitude, as a meet example for imitation, the 
 piety of the Commander of the Faithful, the devout zeal 
 of the Prince of True-believers, the Caliph himself was 
 present, encircled by a brilliant escort, not alone of his 
 ministers and Emirs, but of those tributary princes who 
 almost vied with their lord in the costliness of their attire 
 and the magnificence of their retinue. All Bagdad had 
 flocked to view the gorgeous spectacle, and at the close of 
 the long and tedious ceremonies, departed, impressed alike 
 with admiration for their sovereign, and envy for his richly 
 clad nobles, whose happiness must, indeed, be great, in 
 
2 , . , . ,.^JHE^TU(0^\EmDES; OR, 
 
 forming part of the royal procession. Yet the envied 
 actors were right weary of the pomp ; the fervour of the 
 priests had exhausted them 3 the pious Haroun Alraschid 
 himself was drowsy and tired. Slightly yawning, he thus 
 addressed Giafar, the chief of the Barmecides, at once his 
 iriend and his^ prime minister : — 
 
 " The feast of our great Prophet should inspire joy, yet 
 sadness overwhelms my spirit. A strange melancholy, a 
 restlessness, which nought but action can dissipate, urges 
 me to wander unknown among my people, in tlie hope 
 that I may thus not merely be quit of my own disquietude, 
 but may perchance redress the wrongs which the rapa- 
 city or the incompetence of my officers may have occa- 
 sioned. Let us disguise ourselves, traverse the streets of 
 Bagdad, and by our alms, at least, alleviate the sufferings 
 of the unfortunate. I will see, likewise, whether the 
 police of my city discharges its duty 5 this sacred day shall 
 be devoted to the interests of my people." 
 
 Although conscious that ennui and love of adventure, 
 rather than excessive anxiety to protect the interests of his 
 subjects, prompted the Caliph, the minister, whose real 
 goodness of heart, moreover, was at times gratified by the 
 occasional results of his sovereign's peregrinations, was too 
 much a courtier to indicate his surmises by more than a 
 smile. Retiring to a private apartment they dofi^ed their 
 robes of state, and assumed a costume suitable to a more 
 humble station. Sallying from the palace, with well-filled 
 purses, and passing through the more frequented streets, 
 they dispensed their alms promiscuously to all who soli- 
 cited them. The majority of those relieved exhibited 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 3 
 
 nothing remarkable in either attire or language, and Ha- 
 roun, scarcely satisfied with his ramble, prepared to retrace 
 his steps. 
 
 At this moment he descried an arm, exquisite in shape, 
 well rounded, and of that fairness which indicated a rare 
 exposure to the ardour of the sun, extended to him for 
 charity. More than ordinarily intent upon the excitement 
 of adventure, the Caliph paused to observe that no trace 
 of toil was visible upon the delicate hand ; he passed a 
 golden coin to Giafar, who obeyed the tacit injunctions of 
 the giver by dropping it into the outstretched palm. 
 
 "Are you aware," said the veiled figure, noticing that 
 the value of the coin strangely exceeded that which was 
 usually bestowed upon her, " that you have given me 
 gold ? Do you design this as an alms ; or seek you for 
 any recompense from me?" 
 
 '' It is not to me you are indebted," replied the minister, 
 " but to my companion." 
 
 "Ascertain, then, from him, I pray you," rejoined the 
 female, " the motive of his liberality." 
 
 " Be not uneasy on that score j" interrupted the Caliph ; 
 " charity and the love of God alone influenced me." 
 
 " May Heaven then grant thee a long and happy life ! 
 if my fervent prayers will avail, such shall be thy lot ; 
 most gratefully I accept thy bounteous generosity." 
 
 There was a something in the tone, and even in the 
 language of the woman, that impressed him with the 
 conviction that indigence had not always been her portion 
 in hfe, and that she had succumbed to misfortunes, for 
 which she had been little prepared by previous training in 
 
4 THE TJVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 adversity. Though so closely muffled that her features 
 could not be discerned, her full and lustrous eyes, her 
 graceful postures and demeanour, showed that she had 
 not passed the season of youth; her modest bearing and 
 manifest integrity alike interested both the amative mo- 
 narch and his benevolent comrade. 
 
 " Ask her," said the former to the latter, " whether she 
 is wedded or single ; tell her, should her heart and hand 
 be still free, I would fain espouse her." 
 
 Giafar, not a whit surprised at this new freak of his ec- 
 centric master, put the inquiry to the damsel, who replied, 
 " I am as yet a maid, and honoured by the compliment 
 your friend has offered me in proffering his hand, I am 
 willing to be his, if he can only settle upon me an ade- 
 quate dowry," 
 
 '^ Who can she be," said Giafar, as he repeated her 
 answer, *'to doubt whether your highness can make a 
 settlement upon her commensurate with her merits ?" 
 
 " My disguise pleads her excuse ; follow her," for she 
 had departed on her homeward route after having re- 
 ceived the money, " and inquire what sum will satisfy her 
 expectations." 
 
 Not waiting for the reply, the Caliph turned homewards, 
 and Giafar, having overtaken the fair mendicant, who 
 evinced an impatience to withdraw, little to be expected 
 undei" her adverse circumstances, delivered his message. 
 
 '' My dowry should be equal to a year's tribute from 
 Ispahan and Karassin," she sternly replied, as she passed 
 beneath the doorway of her dwelling. 
 
 Giafar^ repelled by her audacity, shook his head, and 
 
THE CJLIPH TURNED ROBBER. 5 
 
 followed his master to tlie palace. He forthwith informed 
 the Caliph of the conversation, but even he, accustomed 
 as he was to the impulsive fitfulness of the Caliph's mood, 
 was a Httle startled when, with a hearty laugh at the ap- 
 parent absurdity of the demand, the latter replied, 
 
 " We will astonish her a little ; tell her I accept her 
 conditions, and embrace her offer." 
 
 The Grand Vizier, wearied as he was with his long 
 ramble, and not overpleased at this sudden alliance, re- 
 turned, nevertheless, to the spot where he had left the 
 presumptuous mendicant, and abruptly entering her poor 
 apartment, both succeeded in again obtaining an interview 
 with her and viewing for a moment her unveiled coun- 
 tenance. Having acquitted himself of his conmiission, the 
 haughty beauty — for beautiful, in truth, she was — scorn- 
 fully asked, 
 
 *' Who is he that can give such a dowry ? Whence is 
 his wealth derived ? What is his rank ?" 
 
 " He of whom we are speaking is called Haroun Al- 
 raschid," answered Giafar ; " he is our sovereign lord, the 
 Commander of the Faithful." 
 
 At the name of the Caliph, her aspect and the sound of 
 her voice altered : the damsel bent, and thanking Heaven 
 for the happy change in her fortunes, modestly and gently 
 continued, " 1 am the handmaiden of my sovereign ; if he 
 deigns to be my husband, I am well content ; declare to 
 him that I humbly accept him as my bridegroom." 
 
 Giafar withdrew, and rejoining the Caliph, reported to 
 him the acceptance of his gracious offer, and the counte- 
 nance, attitude, and language of the recipient of it. 
 
6 THE TIVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 With characteristic impatience, the Caliph dispatched 
 one of the matrons of the palace, with a large retinue of 
 attendants and a royal litter, to conduct the incognita to 
 the baths of his seraglio, from whence she emerged beauti- 
 ful as a Houri. Clad in the most sumptuous of garments, 
 which glittered with sparkling diamonds, she was then 
 conveyed to a gorgeously-furnished suite of apartments, 
 and reposed for a while upon its silken cushions. Scarcely 
 had the chief of the eunuchs apprised his master of the 
 prompt and thorough fulfilment of his orders, when the 
 Cadi, summoned with hke precipitation, presented himself 
 with the hurriedly-written contract of marriage. 
 
 The same evening, Haroun entered the apartment of his 
 bride, who, prostrating herself before him, expressed her 
 gratitude with fluent eloquence. Seating her beside him 
 upon a couch, and gazing upon her noble-looking face 
 with repressed ardour, 
 
 " Surely you are of noble family," said he, " or your 
 visage misleads me ; else, moreover, you would scarcely 
 have ventured to ask for so princely a dowry ?" 
 
 Glancing her eyes at his smiling countenance, and then 
 rapidly bending them to the ground, " Prince of the 
 Faithful," rejoined she, " in me you behold a lineal 
 descendant of Kassera Abocheroan : cruel fortune and 
 inexorable destiny reduced me to die pitiable condition 
 from which your goodness has raised me." 
 
 " Princess," continued the Caliph, " you are, then, the 
 granddaughter of that despot who, valiant as he was, has 
 left a name tarnished by a thousand acts of tyranny." 
 
 '' And this same tyranny," quickly rejoined the lady. 
 
THE CALIPH TJJeNED ROBBER. 7 
 
 '^has reduced his family to the degrading necessity of 
 begging for their bread. Surely the retribution has 
 sufficed," 
 
 *' Still, I have been told," continued the enamoured 
 Caliph, " that ere the close of his long reign, repenting 
 his former harshness, he governed his people with mode- 
 ration, dispensed justice with impartiality, and displayed 
 kindly feehngs to both man and beast." 
 
 '' And for that, O Caliph," returned the Princess, *^God 
 has this day requited his descendants : He has taken one 
 of his daughters from the street, to become the proud wife 
 of the Commander of the Faithful." 
 
 The cleverness of this reply fascinated still more the 
 royal lover ; he clasped his willing bride to his breast, and 
 evinced, by the warmth of his embrace, how precious he 
 held the prize which Fortune or Providence had cast in 
 his way. An abrupt coldness, however, soon succeeded to 
 his raptures. Almost flinging her from him, he cried, 
 with a gloomy countenance and an angry tone of voice, 
 
 *' Unlucky fool that I have been, to be compelled to 
 tear myself from your charms ! Pardon, dear woman, 
 this seeming madness, and commiserate my ill-fortune. 
 Little dreaming this morning of the happiness which now 
 awaits me, I vowed, in the frenzy of my religious feelings, 
 an act of bitter self-denial : to absent myself, for a whole 
 year, from the next bride I might espouse." 
 
 And then with a sigh, he added, " Oh, that I had fore- 
 seen, imprudent that I was, the joys now forbidden me ! 
 Your purer nature, however, will aid me in resisting the 
 warmer impulses of my breast ; for imbued, as you have 
 
8 THE TIVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 shown yourself to be, with deep religious feeling, the 
 sanctity of my oath will be equally appreciated by your- 
 self" 
 
 The modest bride bent her eyes to the ground in token 
 of acquiescence, and the bridegroom sadly withdrew him- 
 self from her presence. Conscious of her merits, and en- 
 raptured with her loveliness, he promised himself much 
 happiness, hereafter, from his union with her ; but, dread- 
 ing his own weakness under temptation, most scrupulously 
 avoided every chance meeting with her. But the sedulous 
 attentions which were lavished upon her by his orders, — 
 the anticipation of her every wish, the earliest of fruits, 
 the latest of flowers, — all convinced her that she was nei- 
 ther an object of indifference to him, nor forgotten ; in fine, 
 that he had not repented of his choice. 
 
 The tedious year at length slowly passed away, and 
 again the solemn festival of Haraphat was proclaimed. 
 Again, too, did the disguised Caliph, with his constant 
 companions, Giafar and Mesroor (who officiated both as 
 chief of his eunuchs and the stern executioner of the con- 
 demned), explore the main streets of Bagdad, where 
 everything appeared agreeable to his royal notions. Re- 
 tracing their footsteps, the noble party casually noticed the 
 tastefully displayed delicacies which profusely graced the 
 shop-board of a pastry-cook ; the senses of sight and smell 
 were equally gratified as the trio loitered past them. A 
 closer inspection, and eventually the test of the palate, 
 confirmed their opinions of the excellence of the tempting 
 wares. 
 
 Arrived at home, the Caliph, having indicated to one of 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 9 
 
 his attendants the locahty of the shop, bade him purchase 
 from its master a hundred tartlets ; upon receiving which, 
 Haroun, with his own royal hand, inserted a golden coin 
 in each, covering it with a pistachio nut and finely 
 pounded sugar. Designing to remind his Persian bride 
 that his wearisome year of enforced absence had at length 
 expired, and that she might expect his fond visit on that 
 very evening, he sent the tray of rich pastry to his charm- 
 ing Sultana. 
 
 The eunuch who delivered the gift was enjoined to in- 
 quire whetlier the Commander of the Faithful could 
 gratify any unsuspected fancy of her brain. " I want for 
 nothing 3" said the amiable descendant of Kassera, "when 
 the inexpressible happiness of again beholding my sove- 
 reign lord shall be granted me, my every wish will be ac- 
 complished." 
 
 Haroun, delighted with her charming message, and 
 more desirous than ever to exhibit the earnestness of his 
 passion, bade Mesroor to insist upon knowing by what 
 possible means he could impart some of his own happiness 
 to her. 
 
 " Since my lord is so pressing in his endeavours to please 
 me, tell him I would have a thousand pieces of gold, and 
 the escort of some confidential servant, that I, too, tlie 
 quondam daughter of distress, may relieve, incognito, the 
 sufferings of the afflicted." 
 
 Pleased with a request which evinced the goodness of 
 her heart, the Caliph immediately complied with it. The 
 Princess, with a female domestic in attendance, walked 
 through the streets and alleys of Bagdad distributing alms 
 
10 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 with lavish hand, until, at length, even the thousand pieces 
 were exhausted. 
 
 The heat was intense, and the lips of the charitable lady 
 were parched with thirst. Her attendant would have 
 summoned a passing water-carrier, but there was a some- 
 thing repulsive to the senses in the uncleanly raiment of 
 the man, and the blood of kings revolted against the 
 draught. 
 
 " I choose not to drink from the same vessel which has 
 been kissed by the canaille of Bagdad,'' .said the not too- 
 fastidious fair one. So they wended onwards, until they 
 arrived at the fragrant sandal-wood porch of a magnificent 
 mansion, within which two white marble seats, or couches, 
 were visible between the richly-embroidered curtains of 
 pale blue that flanked the doorway. A golden chande- 
 lier, suspended by chains of the like precious metal, from 
 a ceiling of white-and-gold, completed the picture. There 
 was an inexpressible air of coolness and of purity ; and 
 the Princess cast a longing glance at the sparkling foun- 
 tain which was playing in the background. Intuitively 
 divining her wishes, the confidential domestic rapped at 
 the door, when, instead of the anticipated slave, a comely 
 youth, of light complexion, and apparelled as a gentle- 
 man, presented himself. In reply to his courteous inqui- 
 ries as to what service he could render them, the female 
 replied, — 
 
 " My daughter is parched with thirst, yet refuses, with 
 loathing, to quaff from the vessels of a common water- 
 carrier. A single glass of fresh water is all we ask, and 
 for it we proffer our hearty thanks in anticipation." 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. ii 
 
 ** Your thirst shall be satisfied without delay," said the 
 young nobleman, for such in truth he was ; and quickly 
 filling a golden cup from the plashing fountain, he passed 
 the cooling beverage to the servant, who transferred it to 
 her royal mistress. 
 
 The latter, with befitting modesty, turned her face to 
 the wall, that her unveiled features might not be discerned, 
 and drinking the water, passed the golden goblet to her 
 slave, who, humbly bending, returned it to the youthful 
 host. The Princess sedately thanking him for his courtesy, 
 pensively returned to the palace. 
 
 Now, when the royal lover had bestowed so much at- 
 tention upon enriching the dish of tartlets, and sent them 
 to his long-neglected bride, as a pledge of his passionate 
 affection for her, he had omitted, in his message, any spe- 
 cial reference to its contents ; and the attendant, who, un- 
 conscious of the peculiar seasoning (if we may so term it) 
 of the patties, merely regarded the affair as one of com- 
 mon gallantry, scarcely delivered his words with that im- 
 pressive emphasis in which they had been uttered ; the 
 Princess, too, on her part, conceiving the dainties to form 
 part of the Caliph's ordinary attentions, paid little heed 
 to the monotonous repetition of the garbled message. 
 
 It happened, on her return from her charitable task, 
 that her eyes lighted upon the tray of tartlets -, and the 
 idea was suggested by the sight of them, that her sense of 
 gratitude would be exhibited by giving them to the young 
 noble who had ministered so graciously to her thirst. 
 
 *'Take the pastry," said she, to the slave who had 
 accompanied her, " and give it, as from yourself, to the 
 
12 THE TIFO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 gentleman to whom I was indebted for the cup of 
 water." 
 
 The slave thus acquitted herself of her message : — 
 
 " My daughter and I," said she to the noble, who was 
 then reclining upon his couch in the portico, " pray your 
 acceptance of this pastry, as a slight proof of our estimation 
 of your kindness and gallantry." 
 
 Gracefully, yet negligently, thanking her for the 
 dainties, he was still lounging upon his couch, when the 
 watchman of the district in which he lived presented him- 
 self with the customary compliments of the season (it was 
 the feast of Haraphat), and concluded, as usual, with a 
 request '' to be remembered." 
 
 " Take that tray of tartlets, friend, and be off," said the 
 reclining youth j and the watchman, well pleased with his 
 vails, kissed the hand of the giver, and departed with his 
 spoils. 
 
 His wife, on seeing him return with so large, rich, and 
 appetizing a dish, loudly cKclaimed (she was somewhat of 
 a shrew, as most of her class in all Islam are known to be), 
 " Whence have you stolen this, my man ?' ' 
 
 "From none," answered the watchman j "it is the 
 feast-gift of the Grand Chamberlain (long life to him for 
 his freeness !). 'Tis a rare dish. Let us fall to." 
 
 " Glutton," cried the enraged wife, " would you gorge 
 yourself with such costly viands ? Such extravagancies are 
 not for us -, poor folks, like we, must till our bellies with 
 coarser food. Go, sell them, tray and all, and buy with 
 the proceeds what befits our necessities." 
 
 "Wife! Wife!" said the watchman, "Heaven, for 
 once, has sent us tartlets, and tartlets will I eat." 
 
THE CJLIPH TURNED ROBBER. 13 
 
 " Not one single morsel, or you shall taste ray slipper," 
 shrieked the virago ; " your child has neither cap nor 
 shoes, I am in rags, and you in tatters. Go, sell the dish 
 at once, and, mind you, bring back the money." 
 
 The watchman yielded to Fate, or rather to Fate's repre- 
 sentative, the slipper-wielder, proceeded to the market- 
 place, and resigned the coveted delicacies to the public 
 crier. A merchant purchased them, and carried off his 
 -.prize. To his dismay he descried certain engraved charac- 
 ters upon the tray, which indicated, too manifestly, that it 
 was the property of his sovereign. Returning hurriedly 
 to the market-place, he forcibly thrust the dish into the 
 reluctant hands of the amazed crier, with a *' Do you seek 
 my ruin ? Take your tray again, or I shall be charged with 
 robbing the kitchen of our lord the Caliph." 
 
 When the crier had read the letters that were engraved 
 on the edge of the tray, he, too, was similarly affected 
 with terror and amazement. 
 
 With rapid steps he bore the mischief-bringing dish to 
 the palace, demanded and obtained an immediate inter- 
 view with the monarch (ever easy of access to his subjects), 
 and exhibited to him the supposed stolen property. 
 
 At the first glance, Haroun recognized in the now dis- 
 arranged and crumbling tartlets, the once tempting dish 
 upon which he had spent so much pains, and which he had 
 mentally intended to have formed part of his evening's 
 collation with the Princess. We are none of us perfect ; 
 and he whose fame has descended to us as the greatest 
 monarch of the East, vexed at his pet project of prettily 
 surprising his fascinating bride being thus vexatiously 
 
14 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 baffled, yielded to a torrent of -anger, which distorted cir- 
 cumstances and obscured his judgment. One of his few 
 faihngs was the attaching an extrinsic importance to any 
 action in which he had been personally concerned ; the 
 merest trifle would then become invested, in his eyes, 
 with absorbing interest. 
 
 On his whirhng brain was stamped the galling conviction 
 that his fond gift to his Sultana was neglected and de- 
 spised, and that he had degraded himself by an unrequited 
 attention. His wrath was kindled against her whom but 
 a few minutes past he had adored. 
 
 "Tell me, at once," said the enraged Caliph to the 
 crier, '^from whom you obtained this tray of tartlets ?" 
 
 The crier, out of breath with his rapid journey, was 
 spared the long and flowery speech he had been painfully 
 concocting. Like a sensible man, he briefly replied, " The 
 watchman of our district brought it me to sell for him." 
 In a trice, that unfortunate individual, whom the rumoured 
 theft had attracted to the palace gates (for he took interest 
 in his vocation), was seized, pinioned, and prostrate before 
 his dread sovereign. Less wise than the crier, he com- 
 forted himself by audibly execrating his jade of a wife. 
 
 " It was that vile creature who brought this upon me. 
 She forced her silly counsel upon me — turned economist, 
 forsooth, and like her predecessor, Eve, and every one else 
 of her accursed sex, has proved the perdition of her hus- 
 band. Oh ! that I had eaten the tartlets, and thrown away 
 the tray." 
 
 *' Cease, wretch," cried the Caliph, irritated by his sense- 
 less clamour, " and briefly declare, as you would avoid the 
 bastinado, from whom you obtained this dish of tartlets." 
 
THE CJLIPH TURNED ROBBER. 15 
 
 ** Commander of the Faithful, be .not wrathful with the 
 innocent," murmured the trembling official : *'your Grand 
 Chamberlain, Yemaleddin, bestowed both tray and tartlets 
 upon me" as a feast-gift." 
 
 At that name (that of the handsomest man in the city), 
 the anger of the Caliph, whose passion was now tinctured 
 with jealousy, fairly boiled over. He commanded the im- 
 mediate arrest of that nobleman, the confiscation of his 
 estates, the destruction of his furniture, the razing of his 
 dwelling-place, his instant appearance, as a criminal, before 
 his judgment-seat. 
 
 Those who bore the harsh mandates of Haroun, sur- 
 rounded the doomed house, and rapped furiously at the 
 door. Admitted to his saloon, one of them, without utter- 
 ing a word, pinioned the master, and untwisting the folds 
 of his turban, coiled it round his neck." 
 
 "Is it by the order of my sovereign that I am thus 
 ignominiously treated?" cried the astonished noble. "In 
 what have I offended?" 
 
 " My orders are most stringent," replied the principal 
 officer } " the confiscation of your property, the levelling 
 of your home, the leading you bareheaded and barefooted 
 before the royal tribunal, are all included in my instruc- 
 tions." 
 
 " The will of Heaven, and of Heaven's vice-regent upon 
 earth, be done," said the loyal subject j "yet, if it be 
 possible, when you destroy the home where I was born, 
 leave, at least, some little nook, as an asylum for my aged 
 mother, for my fatherless and unprotected sister." 
 
 Grateful for past benefits, for the hospitality which had 
 
1 6 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 been warmly and frequently offered to them, the officers 
 assured him that their orders should be carried out with 
 the least possible rigour, and conducted him reverently, 
 yet bound hand and foot, to the frowning CaHph. 
 
 Prostrating himself before him, Yemaleddin thus ad- 
 dressed the now silent and scowling Prince : — 
 
 *' O wise and just monarch, whom may Heaven crown 
 with its choicest blessings, wherein have I, the humblest 
 of your slaves, offended you ? By what crime merited so 
 severe a dispensation ?" 
 
 " Know you yon fellow ?" growled the Caliph, pointing 
 to an individual who, chained, and now speechless from 
 awe, looked furtively at him. 
 
 " He is the watchman of our district, O King !" 
 
 "Know you this tray?" again demanded the sullen 
 judge. " Who gave it you ? Wherefore insult it and its 
 owner by throwing it away on this coarse clod ?" 
 
 The answer of Yemaleddin was such as might be ex- 
 pected from an innocent and guileless gentleman. He 
 simply related his interview with the veiled lady and her 
 attendant, and completely exonerated the miserable gift- 
 seeker. 
 
 A thousand mortifying reflections flitted through the 
 soul of the monarch whilst he listened to the artless tale. 
 His vanity was wounded to the quick. ''The woman," 
 thought he, " whom I have raised from the dunghill re- 
 pays, in her extravagance, a cup of water with a hundred 
 tartlets, sugared, adorned, and enriched by my own royal 
 hand ! Well might she require the revenue of two cities 
 for her dowry ! I send her a pledge of my love, a token 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 17 
 
 of my passion, and she would have giv^en it, doubtlessly, to 
 some filthy water-carrier, had not his drinking-vessel dis- 
 gusted her ! So are the gifts of Haroun Alraschid appre- 
 ciated by the grandchild of Kassera !" 
 
 Again directing his discourse to the prisoner — and now 
 jealous imaginations were surging in his darkened brain — 
 the Caliph sharply demanded, whether he had seen the 
 face of the woman who had drunk the water. In the con- 
 fusion of the moment, bewildered by the misfortunes which 
 had so unexpectedly overtaken him, almost stupefied by 
 the terrible voice and aspect of the half-frenzied despot, 
 tlie unlucky youth, scarcely comprehending the dread im- 
 port of the question, replied in the affirmative. But the 
 livid look of concentrated rage and jealousy which dark- 
 ened the face of Haroun, and a silence more awful than 
 speech, which followed this fatal admission, recalled the 
 truth to his recollection. In vain he sought to retract his 
 words : the past was irrevocable. A messenger was dis- 
 patched for her so recently and rightly a favourite, and the 
 grandchild of Kassera stood before her royal spouse. 
 
 *^ And so," was the greeting which awaited her, "under 
 the pretext of alms-giving, you frequent the mansions of 
 my nobles, to display your charms to the young men. All 
 is known. He has confessed the truth." 
 
 The Princess looked fixedly at Yemaleddin. Despite 
 the gloomy surroundings, there was calmness in the tones 
 of her voice (for previous adversity had fortified her soul), 
 when she inquired who was the slanderer that had so 
 falsely asserted her features had been exposed before him. 
 
 "Alas ! madam," cried the youth — and so distinguished- 
 
 c 
 
1 8 THE TJFO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 looking was he in form and bearing (for the coldness of 
 despair had restored to hira his wonted dignity of deport- 
 ment), tliat a neglected wife might almost have been par- 
 doned for loving him — " I myself am the false accuser. 
 My bewildered lips, and not my heart or mind, have ut- 
 tered "words which may not be recalled. Solemnly do I 
 disavow them. I am ready to expiate my guilt as a false 
 accuser -, for you, I swear, are innocent." 
 
 The words and looks which induced forgiveness and 
 pitying tenderness in the breast of the Princess did not 
 alter the preconceived resolution of the unjust judge. 
 Both the noble and the Princess were condemned to 
 death. 
 
 And now the executioner had bound the eyes of the 
 guiltless culprits, and commenced the customary formula 
 of his bloody office. 
 
 ''Commander of the Faithful, shall I strike the blow? " 
 " Strike," said the Cahph. 
 
 A second time, after taking two or three turns around 
 the doomed victims, did he repeat the dread inquiry. 
 " Strike," said the Caliph. 
 
 A third time did the executioner, after taking his usual 
 rounds, pause, and with uplifted sword, before Yema- 
 leddin. 
 
 " Before you die, have you aught to reveal or request of 
 your sov^ereign ? Remember that every chance of life has 
 departed. Avail yourselves, briefly, of the few moments 
 of grace which the leniency of justice awards you." 
 
 " Remove the bandage from my eyes, that I may take 
 my last look at my friends and relations." 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 19 
 
 No sympathizing look from the silent circle around him 
 met his unbound eyes. Dread of the now ruthless tyrant 
 chained both tongues and glances. All were motionless, 
 and, with downcast eyes, seemed changed to stone. 
 
 A sudden thought, a latent conviction of the Credulity 
 of the Caliph, a certainty that, save under the excitement 
 of passion, his sovereign was habitually just, inspired the 
 words of Yemaleddin. 
 
 ** Lord of life and death," cried he, " responsible dis- 
 penser of rewards and chastisements, delay our punish- 
 ment for one month only, and marvellous shall be the oc- 
 currences of the last three days of my reprieve 5 marvellous 
 and mark worthy, for on them shall depend the future of 
 thine empire.*' 
 
 There was a prophetic tone, a lofty confidence in his 
 own inspiration, which aroused universal belief in his 
 daring assertions. A gentle murmur of admiration arose 
 from the assembled courtiers (for curiosity and kinsmanship 
 had attracted many to this sudden trial), and the Caliph, 
 cahned now that his vengeance was assured, and conscious 
 of the security of his revenge, however protracted it might 
 be, forbore from uttering the word which would have 
 blotted Yemaleddin from the book of the living. 
 
 Years roll away, months fly, days evaporate. Such 
 strange things had occurred to Haroun himself in his wan- 
 derings, so many wild tales had he listened to as truths, 
 that when three days alone remained of the fatal month, 
 he still confidently expected the realization of the pro- 
 phecy. Yet, hatred for the man who had deprived him 
 of the company of his now polluted bride still burned 
 
 c 2 
 
20 THE TIFO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 within him ; and a retribution worse than death would 
 have awaited the arch-deceiver should he have falsely an- 
 nounced the coming marvels. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Caliph waxed impatient, and reflecting 
 that strange incidents were less likely to occur to one se- 
 cluded in his royal abode than when roaming at large in 
 the suburbs of his capital, had again recourse to his usual 
 scheme of solacing his dulness. Now he had conceived 
 the idea, and he ever followed his impulses (a licence per- 
 mitted to kings alone, and not always safe even for them), 
 that the association of Mesroor and Giafar in his rambles 
 somewhat marred his incognito. This time he would 
 prosecute his adventure-hunting untrammelled and alone. 
 
 He disguised himself in the most whimsical manner. 
 A coarse turban encircled his brow ; a girdle of dark, un- 
 tanned leather fastened a tunic, composed of camel's skin, 
 with the hair still unscraped from it ; a pale, loose robe, 
 not remarkable for its whiteness, flowed around him ; 
 rudely-formed boots, clearly not the trim work of a city 
 mechanic, which reached to his naked knees, completed a 
 costume more correct than prepossessing. The bow and 
 arrows strapped to his back, the long, wooden-hilted 
 sabre of Damascus steel carried in his hand, his face ren- 
 dered ferocious by artificial shaggy eyebrows of raven 
 black, and stained by walnut-juice to a brownish -yellow 
 hue, his wiry untrimmed beard, — formed an ensemble 
 which the cautious traveller would seek to avoid, even by 
 a long detour. In fine, he stalked gloomily from the 
 palace, an Arab of the desert, of the predaceous tribes ; 
 but a goodly purse of gold (a thousand pieces) dangled 
 from his belt. 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 21 
 
 He had not gone far, when the exclamation " Wonder- 
 ful ! " attracted his attention. There was a crowd collected 
 round an old woman, who, in a high and clear voice, with 
 correct emphasis and refined pronunciation, was reading 
 aloud the Koran to her intent listeners. " Wonderful ! " 
 repeated the artisan, who condescended to impart his 
 gossip to the uncouth new comer ; " the woman has been 
 reading all the morning, and not a soul has bestowed a 
 copper upon her. So much for religion !" 
 
 Haroun forced his way towards the dame ; she was evi- 
 dently in extreme poverty, though her faded garments 
 showed, by their cut and material, that the wearer had not 
 always endured her present lot. She was reading the 
 final chapter of the book, having completed which, and 
 made a last and fruitless appeal to tlie benevolence of her 
 auditors, she arose from the stone bench on which she had 
 been seated, closed the volume, and slowly departed. Be- 
 fore the Caliph, wishful to bestow his alms, could over- 
 take her (he was jostled by a crowd which neither enter- 
 tained much respect for his dress and appearance nor 
 feared him in so well guarded a city), she had confidently 
 entered the handsome shop of a rich merchant. Curious 
 to discover her business in so luxuriously fitted-up a shop 
 (for the poor wretch could scarcely hope to purchase its 
 costly wares), the inquisitive ruler followed her closely, 
 and perceived her in close conversation with the owner. 
 *' You are not married," whispered she to him (the 
 whisper was an audible one) 5 *' would you not like a 
 beautiful girl?" "I would, indeed," was the reply. 
 *' Then follow 7ne, and you shall behold the loveliest of 
 her sex." 
 
22 THE TIVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 When Haroun heard this colloquy, he interpreted it 
 according to the dictates of his own suspicious tempera- 
 ment. 
 
 ** Accursed hag," thought he, " I took you for a saint, 
 and you are a vile procuress. I'll follow you, now, not to 
 give you the alms I had intended, but to see your mode of 
 trafficking in the virtue of my female subjects." And 
 hastening after the couple, not a little impelled, likewise 
 (for the Caliph was an amorous man), by the desire of 
 gazing upon the asserted miracle of beauty, he just arrived 
 in time to hear the slamming of a solid door, which had 
 been unlatched by the old woman, for the purpose of ad- 
 mitting them. 
 
 Haroun Alraschid would have lost his labour had not 
 the oaken planks shrunk from exposure to the ardent sun. 
 As it was, he was enabled to both see and hear. The 
 merchant was standing alone ; in a minute the dame led 
 from an adjacent closet a young girl of the most striking 
 beauty. Tall, yet flexible as the palm-tree waving over 
 the waters of Damascus, her bow-like eyebrows discharged 
 the fatal arrows of love from eyes like polished steel ; yet 
 at times, though dark as midnight when in repose, they 
 beamed with a soft splendour like the star of the morning. 
 Her moulh was small and round as the mystic ring of 
 Solomon ; the lips which enshrined the pearly enamel of 
 her white and even teeth vied with the coral in their ver- 
 milion tint ; her breath was perfume j her soft voice (few 
 and sparing were her words) sounded like a purling brook. 
 Her bust was that of a maiden in the first dawn of wo- 
 manhood, her breasts firm and rounded as pomegranates. 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 23 
 
 yet whiter than lilies. Half-clad as she was (and her rai- 
 ment was poor and ragged), there was an air of virgin 
 modesty about her which enhanced her perfections. The 
 Caliph was in raptures. 
 
 When the girl perceived that her mother had exposed 
 her to the eye of the merchant she blushed with shame, 
 and looked, if possible, still more lovely. Shrouding her 
 face with the palms of her hands, she withdrew in haste 
 to the closet-like room from which she had emerged, 
 crying, 
 
 *' Alas ! my mother, what have you done ? Shown me 
 to a man ! it is forbidden by our Prophet." 
 
 " Comfort yourself, my child," rejoined the dame : 
 " where no evil is intended, none can be done. There is 
 no sin in a man looking, for once, upon the damsel he 
 would wed ; if fate should unite them, all is well ; if not, 
 tliey meet no more, and where's the harm ?" 
 
 Haroun began to entertain a better opinion of the old 
 woman. *' She has a lovely daughter to marry," thought 
 he, " and this display of her charms is the sole method of 
 obtaining her a husband which her poverty permits." 
 When the girl had retired, the haggard-looking crone 
 thus continued, 
 
 '' Well ! have I deceived you ? Is she not incom- 
 parable? And as good, too, as she is beautiful." 
 
 " I am satisfied — more than satisfied," replied the 
 shrewd merchant. " How much, however, for the dowry, 
 contract included ?" 
 
 " Four thousand sequins for each," said the mother. 
 
 " Would you reduce me to beggary ?" cried the man. 
 
24 THE TIVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 *' Eight thousand sequins ! I do not possess so much ; 
 in offering you two, I leave myself but a like sum, for 
 both trade and domestic expenses." 
 
 " By the name written on the forehead of the Prophet, 
 not one sequin less will I take. Not a hair of my daughter's 
 head shall you caress, until twice four thousand sequins 
 have been counted out before me." 
 
 '^ You ask impossibilities. Would I had never seen 
 her, then !" were the last words of the baffled suitor, as, 
 with vexation in his countenance, he angrily quitted the 
 apartment. Scarcely had he crossed the road, when the 
 Caliph, temporarily dislodged from his post of espial, 
 opened the door and roughly saluted the old woman. 
 
 '^What do you want?" said she. Now Haroun had 
 already scanned and counted the perfections of the lovely 
 damsel, and mentally compared them with those of his 
 virgin bride, of her who now languished in prison through 
 the hasty answer of Yemaleddin. He decidedly preferred 
 the fresher beauty. 
 
 " I've met the merchant, and know all about it," said 
 the Caliph, affecting a rough voice and a brusque de- 
 meanour. '' All I've got to say is, give me the girl, and 
 I'll give you the money, — the whole eight thousand, and a 
 bonus for yourself." 
 
 The old woman stared at the Caliph from head to foot j 
 he looked like a robber, and a not over-lucky one. 
 
 '' I suppose you mean to plunder the Mecca caravan," 
 sneered she, '' to pay the eight thousand sequins and pro- 
 vide the bride's trousseau and the furniture of the house ! 
 You ! with hardly a rag to cover you ! Out rascal, out 
 thief, or I'll call the pohce." 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. i^ 
 
 " And what matters it to you, old lady, if I should be a 
 robber ? I'll down with the cash, and do the liberal to 
 you besides." 
 
 ** Do you mock me, fellow ? Because I am poor and 
 helpless, you fancy, perhaps, you can make a fool and 
 laughing-stock of me with impunity. I take you at your 
 word. There's justice still in Bagdad, and woe to you if 
 you should prove a defaulter." 
 
 " Well, I'll take the consequences if the money's not 
 paid. I mean to marry your daughter, and you'll find me 
 a man of my word." 
 
 He then coolly seated himself, and continued, '' Now ! 
 I'm ready for the contract-deed, so off to the Cadi j 'tis 
 not a stone' s-throw to his residence. You needn't look 
 round so j there's nothing to steal here j there's nothing 
 worth having but your daughter, and you can lock her 
 up if you like." 
 
 ** So you think the Cadi will come at the bidding of a 
 scarecrow like you !" said the dame 3 " if you have really 
 money, 'tis ill-got, I'm sure ; take care he don't recognize 
 you for a cut-throat 3 he has a sharp eye and a good 
 memory." 
 
 " Don't concern yourself about me, my good woman," 
 said the pretended robber 5 " only tell him to come, and 
 bring his writing-materials with him. Say // Bondocani 
 wants him." 
 
 Somewhat hesitatingly, the shabby dame left her dwell- 
 ing J in truth, she had nothing much to lose there, but 
 she liked not her errand. '* Yet I'll go," she reasoned, 
 " if only to get rid of him 3 I may thus learn who my 
 
26 THE TIVO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 would-be son-in-law really is, — some famous brigand, I 
 dare say. More's the pity, if he can really pay me the 
 money." 
 
 The sounds of revelry (for the Cadi was feasting with 
 his friends) assailed her ears as she timidly approached the 
 mansion of that official. Shame, the common attendant 
 of poverty, withheld her from knocking. She knew she 
 was ill-dressed, and self-respect, in her sex, is even more 
 dependent upon clothing than in man. Yet there was 
 sufficient of combative self-will in the aged dame to 
 urge her forward, and the alternation of feeling produced 
 a like alternation in her movements. She peeped in at 
 the windows, and then, as if snake-bitten, hurriedly jumped 
 back : again she thrust in half her head, and as instantly 
 withdrew it, in the agony of conscious intrusion. 
 
 The guests smiled at tlie comical bobbing of the queer- 
 looking head, and the good-natured Cadi sent out one of 
 his subordinates to ask her business. 
 
 " There is a young man at my house," said the re- 
 assured dame, on entering the saloon, " who desires you to 
 come to him." 
 
 " Insolent !" cried the irritated official : " a young man 
 desires me to come to him ! What next ? and at this hour 
 of the day, too. Turn the old fool out," he continued, 
 " or send her to the madhouse." 
 
 " Ah ! mercy, my lord," exclaimed she, on hearing the 
 wrathful orders ; " I am but a poor old woman, and I 
 dared not refuse him. There is a brute, a robber, a villain 
 at my house, who compelled me to come hither. He 
 wants to marry my daughter, says you know him, and 
 calls himself // Bondocani'^ 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 27 
 
 At this name, well known to the higher dignitaries of 
 the city as one usually assumed by the Caliph when dis- 
 guised, the Cadi started up, donned his official robes, and, 
 with proud humility, apologized for his roughness to the 
 old woman. 
 
 *' Ten thousand pardons, madam, for my involuntary 
 error," said he. " Do me the favour of guiding me to 
 j'our house, since it is tht;re 1 am awaited. Ascribe to my 
 ignorance my hasty language and brief delay." 
 
 The spectators, as well as the old woman, were amazed 
 at the sudden effect of that mysterious name. '^ He is 
 some terrible brigand, I suppose," she whispered to the 
 bystanders, " at least, the chief of some formidable band 
 of Bedouins." 
 
 She began to change her preconceived opinion of the 
 ineligibility of her proposed son-in-law. *' He must, in- 
 deed, be the Emir of some mighty robber-tribe," thought 
 she, " since his mere name strikes terror into the Cadi. 
 Fancy our chief magistrate tumbhng on his robes with 
 haste, and running off without his slippers, at the bare 
 mention of his name. He's not such a bad match, after 
 all," and slightly tossing her poor old head, as she observed 
 the respect now shown to her, as she walked by the side 
 of the Cadi. " I'm somebody once more," was the agree- 
 able reflection. 
 
 When the Cadi had entered the mean-looking abode of 
 the two females, he immediately recognized in the uncouth 
 and stalwart figure before him, the disguised features of 
 his sovereign. He would at once have prostrated himself, 
 but a sign from the fictitious robber, who was placidly 
 
28 THE Tiro BRIDES; OR, 
 
 amused at his own clever impersonation of a criminal, de- 
 terred him. With a respectful salutation, Haroun thus 
 addressed the magistrate, " I wish, my lord, to have the 
 daughter of this woman for my wife." 
 
 Meanwhile, the bustling dame, who in a brief con- 
 ference had communicated to the caged damsel her own 
 matrimonial notions, led her, pale and trembling, from the 
 closet, and both answered the inquiries of the functionary, 
 as to their assent or dissent from the proposals of // Bon- 
 docani, in the affirmative. Then the Cadi demanded what 
 sum should be stated as the amount of the contract and of 
 the dowry. 
 
 " Four thousand sequins for one, and four thousand 
 sequins for the other," sharply responded the eager dame. 
 
 "And do you, O Bondocani, agree to this ?" 
 
 **Yes, my lord," replied Haroun, ''you can draw up 
 the contract to tliat effect." 
 
 The Cadi was embarrassed. In his hurry he had for- 
 gotten to bring the needful paper with him -, the white 
 lining of his own rich robe was the ready substitute. 
 Having written the first few hues of the document, he in- 
 quired of the elder female the names and rank of the 
 father and grandsire of the girl. 
 
 *' Were they alive," she whiningly answered, '' I need 
 not have resigned her to a man whose antecedents I dread 
 to surmise." 
 
 " Yet, living or dead. Madam, it is needful to insert 
 their names in the register." 
 
 " Her name is Zutulbe, and mine Lelamain," was the 
 snappish reply ; " not a syllable more do you get out 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 29 
 
 of mfe. There's no need of ancestors for a robber's 
 wife." 
 
 The Caliph could hardly refrain from laughing out- 
 right. 
 
 At length the contract was completed, and the Cadi, 
 having cut off the white lining on which it was written, 
 handed the deed, with a profound obeisance, to the fair 
 young bride. Ashamed to walk forth with a robe thus 
 disfigured, he took it off, with a request that it might be 
 disposed of, and its price given to the poor. Again he 
 bowed respectfully and quitted the apartment. 
 
 *' Poor Cadi !" maundered the old woman. ** You are 
 very hard with him. He came shpperless and left robe- 
 less. What an awful gang you must lead, that he should 
 be so cowed ! Poor fellow, you might have given him 
 something for his services. What a stingy robber you 
 must be !" 
 
 " My good mother," answered the Caliph, '' all this is 
 no affair of yours. Matters of far more consequence are 
 now to be arranged between us. I am going to fetch the 
 dowry, and when you see my wife's trousseau you shall 
 say whether I am stingy or not." 
 
 " Ah ! I understand : somebody will find his shop 
 empty in the morning, without having seen his customer. 
 'Tis a cheap way of playing the generous afterwards. Of 
 course you do it on the quiet in a town hke this ?" 
 
 Without vouchsafing a reply, the Caliph quitted the 
 house, returned to his palace, and was himself again. He 
 issued orders to his tradesmen to furnish and decorate the 
 residence of Lelamain, regardless of the cost, to provide 
 
30 THE riVO BRIDES: OR, 
 
 * 
 
 every imaginable requisite for the toilet and the table, to 
 finish all by sunset, and, above all, to conceal the real 
 name and station of the donor. " Should the inquisitive 
 lady," he observed, "question you too pertinaciously, say 
 her son-in-law, // Bondocani, gave you his orders." 
 
 Before an hour had elapsed, the bare walls of the de- 
 serted-looking house of Lelamain (it was part of a large 
 block, which seemed to have been hastily demolished), re- 
 sounded with the din of workmen. Exquisite A-rabesques 
 were beginning to blossom forth j intricate designs in 
 gilded aloe-wood, rich stuffs, and costly tapestry, were 
 mingled, for the moment, in splendid disarray, soon to lie 
 grouped afresh by the magic spirit of order. In vain did 
 the old woman question each new comer. " By orders of 
 // Bondocaniy" was the invariable formula of the reply. 
 
 By sunset the perspiring artisans had completed their 
 hurried task, and transformed the forlorn fragment of a 
 mansion into a palace. Then several porters came, panting 
 beneath the weight of heavy trunks, packed with superb 
 vestments for the bride and her mother. "Who sent 
 them ?"' said the enchanted old woman, as she opened 
 them, and gazed rapturously upon the finery. " II Bon- 
 docani,'' was the constant reply. 
 
 Lastly there arrived a steel coffer, damascened with gold, 
 and guarded by a man of noble presence. " What bring 
 you here ?" said the old woman. " Ten thousand sequins : 
 the dowry for the bride, and the surplus for your private 
 purse." And handing her the key, he would have retired. 
 
 " Stop, my good Sir," called out Lelamain, " do just tell 
 me who Bondocani is." 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 31 
 
 " I dare not," was the answer ; '' but he purposes visit- 
 ing you an hour before midnight, and you can ask him 
 yourself." 
 
 *' Ah !'.' thought Lelamain, " when others sleep, he is 
 wide awake. Night is day for him." 
 
 '* It is no use having a fine house and splendid dresses 
 without displaying them for the envy of one's neighbours." 
 At least, so thought Lelamain, who soon assembled around 
 her every woman in the neighbourhood with whom she 
 could claim the slightest acquaintance. Poverty has few 
 friends, yet ladies of unquestionable rank flocked there, 
 possibly attracted by mere curiosity, possibly to renew an 
 intimacy which had been but lately dropped : Lelamain, 
 though not well born, had for years been wealthy. They 
 busied themselves with admiring the new fashion of the 
 furniture and knick-knacks (there were some European 
 novelties among them, which ambassadors from the West 
 had presented to Haroun from their royal masters), and 
 putting finishing touches to the toilet of Zutulbe, whose 
 dazzHng beauty was rather deteriorated than enhanced by 
 her stitf bridal garments. A loud rapping at the door in- 
 terrupted their pleasant task. All were agreed that the 
 furniture was exquisite, and Zutulbe perfection. 
 
 The same remarks were now applied, with like justice, 
 to the banquet, which was ushered in with state ceremony, 
 on dishes of gold and porcelain. The most delicate of 
 meats, the rarest triumphs of the culinary art, were suc- 
 ceeded by a dessert of the choicest fruits, and the most 
 luscious of preserves. Nor was ruby wine forgotten, 
 although unhallowed to the lips of the true believer. It 
 
32 THE TJFO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 was, of course, designed for the unknown Jewish or 
 Christian friends of the Lady Lelamain : it was thought 
 fitting to provide for every contingency 3 and, judging 
 from the empty flasks, the orthodoxy of her intimates was 
 somewhat lax. Alas ! for the scripture-reader. 
 
 Gossiping among themselves, all the while, however, 
 critically discussing the viands, upon whose excellence they 
 experimented (they had the good taste to reserve some of 
 the delicacies for the supper of the feast-giver), the party, 
 before it broke up (and it was a little hurried by the fears 
 of Lelamain), elicited from the latter the vi^hole account 
 of the wooing. A little reticence would have saved her 
 much after-disquietude j but oh ! the pleasure and dignity 
 of imparting news ! Within ten minutes from the de- 
 parture of the last lingering guest, the whole city knew 
 for a fact that the beautiful daughter of the once noble 
 Lelamain had been sold, in broad daylight, to an Arab of 
 the desert for the plunder of ten caravans. 
 
 The young merchant to whom Lelamain, in the crisis of 
 her fortune, had offered her daughter, had become ena- 
 moured of her. Her graceful form, her radiant aspect, 
 would not fade from his memory, however much he might 
 desire it. Hearing the wide-spread rumour, and piqued 
 that a Bedouin should out-bid him, he puzzled his poor 
 wits in devising how he might destroy his rival, regain the 
 object of his passion, and obtain a share of the confiscated 
 wealth of the brigand chief. By a bribe, he obtained 
 access to the head of the police, whom he at once in- 
 terested by a report of the countless riches which the 
 robber had stored in the abode of Lelamain. 
 
.THE CJLIPH TURNED ROBBER. 2>3 
 
 A very covetous man was the head of the police, but he 
 affected to hear the story with indifference, since he had 
 resolved to keep the whole pecuniary fruits of the adven- 
 ture to hiniself. With a grave dignity, befitting a station 
 so exalted, so responsible, he bade the young merchant to 
 return at ten o'clock. " It will be his hour for supper and 
 repose," continued he, " and hence the most suitable time 
 for his apprehension. He shall be strangled, you shall 
 have the girl, and / the money. As for the harridan, she 
 shall be bastinadoed, for her preference of a robber. Not 
 a word to any one." And raising a precautionary finger, 
 the immaculate functionary dismissed the scarcely satisfied 
 accuser. 
 
 Two hours to midnight ! Since midday, events which 
 might have occupied months had crowded into that narrow 
 interval. Half the history of a life had been recorded in 
 the book of fate : one month ago, and the career of Lela- 
 main (at first a noble's slave, and then his favourite) pro- 
 mised a hke continuance of tranquil prosperity. What 
 further remained for her ? A quiet uneventful life of calm 
 animal existence. 
 
 But a truce to reflections. It was ten o'clock, when the 
 head of the police, his deputy Hazim (a just and kind- 
 hearted man), the accusing merchant, and the rough-and- 
 ready sergeant Chamama (we all need such agents, how- 
 ever much we may loathe them), who, without heart and 
 without conscience, was a fitting tool for one so grasping 
 and corrupt as his principal, with blazing torches bran- 
 dished by fifty hands, halted before the so lately poor abode 
 of the triumphant widow. It was now brilliantly lit up by 
 
 D 
 
34 THE Tiro BRIDES; OR, 
 
 clusters of wax candles socketed in candelabra of seeming 
 gold. 
 
 A thundering racket on the panels of the door startled 
 the sole inhabitants : the Caliph had neglected, or pur- 
 posely omitted, to provide them with attendants. Dark 
 as was the night, they plainly recognized, in the glare of 
 the torchlight, the burly form of the truculent Chamama, 
 and the gross, yet fox-like, features of his superior officer. 
 So calm it was when the knocking temporarily ceased, that 
 the remonstrances of Hazim were clearly, though faintly, 
 audible. " This house is of good repute -, it has never 
 harboured robbers ; the merchant, fatuous with jealousy, 
 may have laid false informations ; the asylum of women is 
 held sacred by the law ; we may incur the displeasure of 
 the Commander of the Faithful." 
 
 Lelamain embraced her daughter in despair. " All is 
 over with us, my child," said she ; " the judge has come to 
 arrest our dear brigand, and we shall be poor as ever." 
 
 " Keep the door closed, mother," said Zutulbe ; '' 'tis a 
 strong one, and well barred : Providence, perchance, will 
 rescue us, ere long, from our difficulty." 
 
 A new actor had appeared upon the scene. The Caliph 
 had resumed his dress of a wild Arab, and came to visit his 
 fair young bride. He was astonished at the flaring torches, 
 and the multitude which surrounded the house. He no- 
 ticed, especially, the mild arguments of Hazim, and the 
 coarse invectives of the scurrilous Chamama, who, baffled 
 by the want of implements to force open the solid door of 
 oak, threatened fire and sword to the unprotected females, 
 should they refuse to instantaneously unbolt it. 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 35 
 
 ** You scoundrel !" said the Caliph to himself (his equa- 
 nimity disturbed by this outrage on his wedding-night) ; 
 **you shall pay dearly for your amusement. I'll make an 
 example " of you, you noisy rascal." For Chamama was 
 hlling up the intervals of his threatening eloquence by an 
 unmusical solo upon the rapper. 
 
 Contiguous to the fragment which formed the house of 
 the widow stood the palatial residence of the Emir Youmis, 
 a nobleman of princely rank, but violent and overbearing ; 
 the two gardens were merely separated by a low wall. By 
 this route Haroun proposed to enter, unperceived, the 
 house of Lelamain. 
 
 In the porch of the palace lolled a black eunuch, who, 
 on seeing a rough-looking fellow endeavouring to pass, 
 started up, drew his sabre, and without parley, at once as- 
 sailed him. 
 
 " Back, savage !" cried the Cahph, as he in turn became 
 the assailant ; " would you murder a visitor without asking 
 his business?" The slave fled to his master, who, seizing 
 a mace of solid brass, sallied from his chamber. 
 
 "Is this your palace, Youmis ?" quietly said the dis- 
 guised Caliph, in his natural voice. It was recognized, and 
 instant submission redeemed the furious gestures of the 
 irate prince. 
 
 " Your slave is at your feet, and awaits your commands." 
 
 " Your neighbour, a poor widow, is harassed by the 
 police. I would fain investigate the case in person. Fetch 
 me two ladders, directly ; the gardens are adjacent. And 
 be on the alert to execute my further orders." 
 
 Aided by the ladders, Haroun clambered to the terrace 
 
 D 2 
 
0,6 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 which gave access, by an open window, to the bridal 
 chamber of Zutulbe. It was a pretty sight, which the 
 contrast of Hght streaming from many lustres and giran- 
 doles to the darkness of the exterior set off to advantage. 
 By the skill of his workmen, the scantily furnished room 
 had been transferred into a chamber worthy of a houri -, 
 cerulean blue was the prevailing tint of its decoration, and 
 his expectant bride attired in amber satin looked, in the 
 radiance of her beauty, like the golden sun in an unclouded 
 sky of azure. Haroun, as he gazed upon her, was lost in 
 silent ecstasy. 
 
 He was roused from this soft dream of delight by the 
 exclamation of Lelamain — " Oh ! my darling, they will 
 break the outer door in. Hark ! how they are hammer- 
 ing at it. We shall again be stripped of our little all, and 
 devoured by these monsters. Oh ! that we had never had 
 doings with that graceless robber." 
 
 Witli streaming eyes (the pearls so long repressed now 
 flowed in an uninterrupted current) the fair young bride 
 repUed in gentle tones to her loud-voiced parent : 
 
 "You only distress me more, my mother, by terming 
 him, to whom you have united me before Heaven as my 
 lord, a robber ! I know not what he is, but to us, at 
 least, he has evinced a thoughtful kindness, a boundless 
 generosity. Every reproach cast upon him wounds 7ne 
 likewise." 
 
 It may easily be conceived how pleasing this speech was 
 to the Caliph ; it was softest music to his enraptured ear : 
 from that moment real love was substituted in his soul 
 for the coarser passion, which the personal charms of 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 37 
 
 Ziitulbe, and his whimsically romantic wooing, had pre- 
 viously excited. 
 
 " Heaven be praised, my child, that you are contented 
 with your lot. There are some points, I own, in your 
 husband which I do not dislike. Would I were a bird, 
 that I might fly and tell him not to come this evening 5 
 for if he should venture, his death is certain." 
 
 A pebble cleverly aimed at one of the candles by the 
 subject of their theme stopped the conversation. Lela- 
 main would have relighted it, but a second pebble ex- 
 tinguished the taper she was carrying. A little gravel 
 touched her hand, and attracted her attention to the 
 quarter from which it had been propelled. Looking to- 
 wards the window she perceived the seeming Arab. 
 
 ** Daughter," said she, *'here is your husband: like the 
 rest of his fraternity, he prefers every other mode of entry 
 to the door: and you, my good fellow," continued she, 
 " had better return from whence you came, or the insati- 
 able gang outside will show you no quarter : no good can 
 betide you here." 
 
 Meanwhile the Caliph had pulled off his rough boots, 
 his coarse mantle, and uncouth girdle ; his bow, quiver, 
 and other disfiguring paraphernalia, had been left behind. 
 The closely-fitting tunic of rich cloth in which he was 
 attired was handsomely adorned with gold, his eyebrows 
 seemed less shaggy, his complexion was changed ; his fea- 
 tures, naturally handsome, were alone unaltered : he had 
 become another, yet the same. Disregarding the remon- 
 strances of Leiamain, he darted like an arrow into the 
 chamber, saluted the mother with respectful attention, and 
 
38 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 tenderly kissed his now smiling bride, who rejoiced at the 
 apparent metamorphosis. Then quietly motioning to the 
 tempting repast, he insisted upon the disturbed ladies sit- 
 ting down to table along with him. 
 
 " He is a very devil," whispered the garrulous mother- 
 in-law ; " he fears the police no more than I do a flea. 
 And he's not bad-looking, either, now he's dressed. After 
 all, we women might fancy a robber ; he is active as a goat, 
 and strong as a lion." 
 
 Supper was over, and the Caliph amused himself by 
 placidly gazing on the loveliness of Zutulbe, and quietly 
 laughing at the whimsical oddness of his mistaken mother- 
 in-law. The noise from the outsiders, however, had be- 
 come outrageous : the crashing of one of the thick oaken 
 planks of the doorway was succeeded by a temporary lull, 
 and the harsh voice of Chamama could be heard vocifera- 
 ting, " For the last time, open in the name of the law, or 
 we break in." 
 
 ** Well, I believe," said Haroun, " it is bed-time, and 
 since this concert is not soothing, we will discharge the 
 performers. Take this ring, Lelamain, and shout through 
 the keyhole that // Bondocani is here, and has forwarded 
 this emblem to the head of the police, who will recognize 
 and obey its master, and his.'' 
 
 *' I go," responded the old woman ; " I have already 
 witnessed the magic effect of the mystic name: it subdues 
 all men." Striding to the window, he then bade Youmis, 
 who submissively, but impatiently, had been awaiting the 
 role he might be expected to perform, to take his sabre, 
 descend to the street, and should any one, however exalted 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 39. 
 
 his station, dare to resist his mandates, to strike off his 
 head upon the spot. For ruthless determination, Haroun 
 could not have selected a fitter agent through his wide 
 dominions. 
 
 It is easier to conceive than express the terror which 
 seized the head of the police when he recognized the seal- 
 ring of his sovereign : as to Chamama, he would have 
 slunk away, had not the fear of his superior officer re- 
 strained him, when the name of // Bondocani (so well 
 known to all the officials) sounded in his ears. The crowd 
 rapidly melted away, in the train of the retiring function- 
 aries, and Youmis had no opportunity for exhibiting his 
 stern loyalty until the next morning, when the over-zealous 
 Chamama howling beneath the bastinado, and Hazim sub- 
 stituted for his displ.iced superior, attested how rightly he 
 had divined the unspoken wishes of his king. 
 
 It was with mingled joy and astonishment that Lelamain 
 beheld the effect produced by the name and ring of her 
 son-in-law, and graphically did she describe the scene, in 
 her own fantastic manner, to the laughing Arab. 
 
 Haroun now wished to be left alone with his charming 
 Zutulbe. The old woman drew the curtains around tliem, 
 put out the lights, and left them free to communicate to 
 each other the hitherto unuttered expression of their mu- 
 tual love. 
 
 Day had far advanced when Haroun left the arms of 
 Zutulbe. An appetizing breakfast was prepared by Lela- 
 main, who, as usual, commenced talking : 
 
 ''Well! I hope our troubles are at last ended. You 
 must know that we were not always so poverty-stricken. 
 
40 THE TWO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 and only a month ago had all the luxuries of life at our 
 command. But the injustice of Haroun, who spares not 
 even unoffending females in his inconsiderate wrath, 
 plunged us into ruin. My poor son, Yemaleddin, was 
 actually sentenced to death for giving a glass of water to 
 a fainting woman. Oh ! that the Caliph, who punishes 
 so severely the faults of others, would as sternly examine 
 his own conscience." And the old woman, at the re- 
 quest (or rather, I should say, by the passive permission) 
 of the accused, gave a truthful version of those incidents 
 which I have detailed in the earlier part of this narrative. 
 
 Even before this the Caliph had at times doubted whe- 
 ther he was justified in his vengeance 3 but the delusions 
 of anger had then prevailed over the calmer dictates of 
 reason. The new colouring given to the whole transaction 
 by the simple tale of the old woman, and the utter anni- 
 hilation of jealousy in him who was now in the full tide of 
 ardour for another woman, united to convince him that 
 he had nearly committed an irreparable wrong. In vain 
 he sought to exculpate himself to his mother-in-law : his 
 efforts were futile : his feebly-urged arguments tended 
 rather to confirm his own conviction of the harshness and 
 injustice of his proceedings. He thus concluded the dis- 
 cussion : 
 
 " Well ! after all, no irremediable harm has been done : 
 your son is still alive, and this very night you shall again 
 embrace him. I shall hasten to his prison, and will effect 
 his release, I promise you, before sunrise." 
 
 Lei amain, doubting the ability of the Arab to perform 
 such a feat, yet assured of his determination to achieve it, 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER, 41 
 
 besought him not to imperil his life by so dangerous a 
 task. Zutulbe would have detained him by her fond 
 arms ; but Haroun, forced by the flattering interest shown 
 in his safety to be more candid than he intended, assured 
 them he should not personally encounter the least risk, 
 but had an all-potent influence with the Caliph. And so 
 he departed on his errand of mercy and of justice. 
 
 It is the privilege of kings to repair the evils they have 
 done without either the losses or the shame which betide 
 humbler individuals in their repentance. It is very plea- 
 sant, too, when we know we have acted badly, to be 
 restored to our own good opinion by redressing the wrong, 
 especially when it costs us nothing to make amends. So 
 the Caliph having inaudibly and mildly censured himself 
 for conduct which would not bear too close a scrutiny, and 
 quite reconciled to himself by the honours and emoluments 
 he had resolved to lavish upon his victim, proceeded, in 
 the best of all possible humours, to his palace. 
 
 Clothed in his royal robes, and seated upon his throne, 
 he thus spoke before the viziers and nobles, who were 
 prostrate in meek reverence : 
 
 " Let my grand chamberlain be brought hither, ap- 
 parelled as becomes his station. I have, with much pains, 
 acquired the fullest proofs of his innocence : he has 
 merited honour, and not chastisement." 
 
 Mesroor, having apprised the Persian Princess of her 
 restoration to liberty, and reconducted her to her former 
 apartment, announced to her, on the part of his sovereign, 
 who had too grievously offended to venture in her presence, 
 that she was permitted to choose whether she would 
 
42 THE TJFO BRIDES; OR, 
 
 henceforth reside in the palace as the wife, or as the 
 daughter of its lord 3 in either case she would enjoy for 
 life the honours and privileges annexed to such exalted 
 rank. 
 
 The Princess was much pleased with this offers for, 
 although she had consented, from her poverty, to become 
 the bride of the Caliph, her affection for him had not been 
 fostered by this cold union. With her usual tact, she 
 sedately replied : 
 
 ** You behold in me an obedient daughter, full of re- 
 spect and gratitude for the Commander of the Faithful." 
 
 Haroun was gratified by the manner in which his pro- 
 posal had been received, and immediately conceived the 
 idea of marrying his virgin bride to the wronged Yema- 
 leddin. Upon the appearance of the latter before his 
 throne, the Caliph, in full court, threw around him a rich 
 mantle lined throughout with the richest of furs, appointed 
 him Chief of the Emirs of his empire, and bestowed upon 
 him the hand of his adopted daughter, who, charmed 
 with his former courtesy, his noble bearing at the crisis of 
 his life, and last, not least (in a woman's estimation), by 
 his good looks and handsome shape, gladly received him, 
 but with proud and staid humility, as her husband. 
 
 I need scarcely tell you that both affection and duty 
 impelled Yemaleddin to instantly seek his mother and sis- 
 ter, whom he found still installed in the unle veiled nook 
 of his former mansion, how they received him with open 
 arms, scanned his wasted features, condoled with him 
 upon his past sufferings (they thought not of their own 
 now), and gleefully spoke of their prospects in the future. 
 
THE CALIPH TURNED ROBBER. 43 
 
 Afler the first effusions of joy and sympathy had sub- 
 sided, his mother related to him the extraordinary adven- 
 tures which had betided herself and daughter during his 
 month's • incarceration. At this recital his indignation 
 blazed forth. " My sister married to a robber, to a wild 
 Arab of the desert ! Let him come here, and by the holy 
 stone of Mecca, I will treat him as he deserves !" His 
 eyes sparkled with rage, his hand involuntarily sought the 
 hilt of his sabre ; he was deaf even to the pleading of the 
 tender Zutulbe. 
 
 " Hurt him not, my brother j you know how good and 
 kind he has been to us -, you know not how much I love 
 him." 
 
 *' What a pity," whimperingly remarked Lelamain, 
 " that justice was not done you a day earlier ; then I 
 should not have been compelled to wed my child to // 
 Bondocani." 
 
 Yemaleddin started at the name. "Did my ears de- 
 ceive me ? What name did you say, mother ?" 
 
 '" II Bondocani. Read for yourself. Here is the head- 
 ing of the contract, * Marriage articles between Zutulbe, 
 daughter of the widow Lelamain, and II Bondocani.' " 
 
 At the sight of the document her son prostrated himself, 
 and the old woman laughed long and heartily. 
 
 '* So you, too, my hero, are afraid of him, like everybody 
 else. Where is your unsparing sabre now ? where your 
 avenging wrath ? Oh ! the glorious name ! the name of 
 my son-in-law ! Now I know it, if I fancy the rich 
 treasures of the Mecca caravan, I have no need of weapons 
 to attack it. I have only to shout. Surrender in the name 
 
44 THE TWO BRIDES. 
 
 of II Bondocani ! and every camel is my own. All the 
 riches of the East are henceforth mine ! II Bondocani ! 
 ■II Bondocani !" and she clapped her hands with dehght. 
 
 " I am not ashamed to quail before a name which all 
 on earth must pay reverence to, the name of the lord of 
 princes, the secret name of our renowned and magnani- 
 mous sovereign, the Caliph Haroun Alraschid ! For be 
 assured it is he who has deigned to recompense me for my 
 unmerited punishment by honouring my sister with his 
 hand." 
 
 It was now the old woman's turn to feel awe-stricken, 
 when she recollected how soundly she had rated the 
 Caliph to his face, and what irreverent opinions she had 
 unwittingly expressed of the conduct of the Commander 
 of the Faithful. The advent of Mesroor, who came to 
 announce a visit in state of the monarch, so added to the 
 confusion of the old woman, that she began looking about 
 for a place to conceal herself, and had she not been pre- 
 vented by friendly force, she would have hidden herself 
 under her own bedding. 
 
 Haroun now appeared in all the pomp of royalty, and 
 the vivacious widow and her fair children prostrated them- 
 selves before him ; he raised them from the ground, and 
 his friendly affability soon dispelled the alarm of Lelamain. 
 His glance rested fondly on Zutulbe, with whom he passed 
 the remainder of his life in tranquil happiness. And 
 many years did the old woman chatter about her Koran- 
 reading, and her adventure with the Arab, to the amused 
 denizens of the royal seraglio. 
 
ZUMURRUD; 
 
 OK, 
 
 THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 T ONG, long ago, a wealthy merchant of Khorassan, 
 who had attained to nearly sixty years of age without 
 the satisfaction of his ardent longing for oiFspring, was at 
 length blessed with a son, who promised, as he grew up, to 
 become all that the fondest of parents could wish or pray 
 for. Scarcely had the youth reached manhood when old 
 age began to tell upon his father, and the enfeebled sire 
 took to that bed from which he never again rose. Ere 
 hfe had departed, he called his son to him and imparted 
 to him those counsels, through a steadfast persistence in 
 which prosperity and the goodwill and respect of all the 
 worthy (and why should we heed the comments of tlie 
 base ?) had ever betided him. 
 
 *' Mark well my dying words, Ali, and slight not the 
 loving advice of a father who is about to quit thee for ever. 
 Be not impatient to gratify thy longings. Shun wine, 
 wantonness, and mere gossip j speech was designed for 
 
46 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOFING SLAVE. 
 
 prayer, for information, or for business only. Waste not 
 thy substance, for by it art thou valued ; once gone, thou 
 must ask favours even of the meanest. Trust no man ; 
 for man's affection is but deceit ; his religion hypocrisy. 
 Shun those of ill-repute, even as men avoid a forge, the 
 smoke from which taints the garments, even if the sparks 
 should spare them. Consult the experienced ; our own 
 intellect is a mirror to show us the front j advice a second 
 mirror to reflect the back. Deal not hardly with the 
 lowly, and neglect no chance of benefiting a fellow-crea- 
 ture 5 it is not always in our power to do a kindness." 
 As he feebly uttered this last apophthegm, death gently 
 kissed him, and he fainted. For a while there was pro- 
 found silence J then speech being granted for a prayer 
 to heaven and the last profession of his faith, the shrewd 
 but kind-hearted merchant expired without a pang. 
 
 All Scher, for so had his son been named, wept for, and 
 sincerely lamented him ; both high and low walked in his 
 funeral procession, and every token of respect which might 
 evince the estimation he was held in by his fellow-citizens 
 was paid to his ashes. Ere long his wife — the mother of 
 his child — departed likewise. 
 
 For one whole year did Ali devote himself to business 
 and to solitude. So sedulously did he observe the precepts 
 of his father, that life became insupportably wearisome to 
 him ; associating with none, and from his great wealth 
 having no stimuhis for exertion, he had no aim in life, no 
 pleasure in mere existence. And then reaction com- 
 menced. ** My father's counsels were doubtlessly well- 
 suited to his quiet tastes and phlegmatic disposition, but 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 47 
 
 suit not my more ardent temperament. I have tried his 
 scheme of happiness, and this hfe is kiUing me with its 
 dull monotony. The less wise seem the happiest^ I will 
 seek their society for a while, and, if I should find it evil, I 
 can but quit it at my pleasure. 
 
 The hfe he now led was fascinating to him from its 
 freshness ; his long abstinence from pleasure, his wearisome 
 loneliness, rendered the wild and reckless cheerfulness of 
 his boon-companions inexpressibly exhilarating ; and proud 
 did he feel when they, and the licentious beauties to whom 
 he was introduced by them, praised his open-handed libe- 
 rality j indeed, it is very delightful to give, especially when 
 one's purse seems inexhaustible. Moreover, there was 
 sound sense in their ridicule of those ever-acquiring, never- 
 enjoying automatons whom he used to sit beside in the 
 public bazaar. So he gave himself up to the full tide of 
 revelry, squandering the fair wealth his father had slowly 
 and patiently toiled for, in as many months as it had taken 
 him years to amass it. At last every sequin was expended, 
 — his shop, his land, his every possession followed the 
 same road ; in the end he sold even his very clothes, all 
 but the suit upon his back. 
 
 And then, at length, he began to estimate duly the folly 
 of his past conduct ; for vainly did he seek, from his asso- 
 ciates, that hberality which had ever been the theme of 
 their praise. " It was an excellent virtue in the opulent j" 
 they remarked to him — they, alas ! were too poor to prac- 
 tise it themselves. So not a single meal did he obtain 
 from any one of them ; how, indeed, could he expect it, 
 since their entire energies were bent upon wheedling 
 
48 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 repasts from such weak youths as he had proved himself? 
 Grief now possessed him, — grief mingled with indignation j 
 hunger, too, threatened to gnaw his very vitals. Yet his 
 raiment was still goodly, his features still comely, and his 
 credit (had he chosen he might have abused it) among 
 the dull merchants, whom he had once foolishly scorned, 
 still unshattered. 
 
 One day he had sat from dawn until afternoon prayers 
 without breaking his fast, when the urgency of his neces- 
 sities made him resolve to reveal his utter destitution to a 
 tradesman who had often shown him little kindnesses 
 when he was a child. Proceeding to the market-place, 
 reluctant, yet determined to avow all his past follies, he 
 noticed a ring of well-dressed people, evidently intent upon 
 something of interest that was going on in the midst of 
 them. Curiosity is inherent in all of us, and though not 
 always manifested, is ever latent ; hence, Ali, who had, I 
 own, no right to neglect so all-important a matter as filling 
 his long-neglected stomach, was attracted by sympathy to 
 the middle of the agitated throng. He there beheld, ex- 
 posed for sale, a tall and graceful female, whose surpassing 
 loveliness had attracted a multitude of would-be purchasers. 
 The youth, not overwise it must be confessed, took his 
 stand beside her, determined to see at what price she 
 would be estimated. 
 
 The broker having stationed himself beside the damsel, 
 commenced his duties. " Which of you rich merchants 
 will open the bidding for this exquisite damsel, Zumurrud, 
 the well-known embroidress ? Be not ashamed to bid ; 
 the lowness of the first offer is no criterio;i of the spirit of 
 the bidder or the value of the slave." 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 49 
 
 One of the merchants offered five hundred pieces of 
 gold for her j a second bid ten more ; an Arab sheikh, 
 Rasheed by name, ugly, hoary, and blear-eyed, advanced 
 a hundred ; the second merchant again said, "And ten," 
 and so on, until one thousand pieces of gold had been 
 proffered for the maiden. The last bidder was the sheikh, 
 for the merchants begrudged the high sum at which they 
 must have purchased her. The broker now asked the girl's 
 owner whether he would accept tliis handsome offer ; in a 
 loud tone he replied, " I would willingly, but I have 
 solemnly promised never to dispose of her to any man, 
 save by her own assent. Consult her, therefore, as to her 
 determination." 
 
 The broker consequently thus addressed her, " Are you 
 content, maiden, with this purchaser?" 
 
 The slave, shrinking from his leering looks and puckered 
 visage, saucily replied, *' The kisses of tlie toothless disgust 
 the lips of youth." The sheikh scowled savagely, and 
 shuffled from the laughing circle. Then a merchant 
 would have taken her at the same high valuation, but she 
 objected to his dyed hair, and refused a third for his 
 squintings and rejected a fourth, a tall swarthy old man, 
 merrily comparing him to the nights of winter, " long, 
 dark, and cold." At last, her owner, wearied with her 
 frequent refusals, bade her select a purchaser at her own 
 sweet pleasure ; and she, having cast her roving, yet not 
 immodest, glances around the circle, at length fixed her 
 gUttering eyes upon Ali. He was very comely, and the 
 incorruptible goodness of his heart seemed stamped in- 
 delibly upon his noble-looking features. The grossness of 
 
^o ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLJVE. 
 
 debauchery had never possessed his soul ; he had dallied 
 with it ; he had essayed the only two roads to happiness 
 he knew of, — dulness and profligacy 3 he was alike dis- 
 gusted with each ; youth was still his heritage, and vice 
 had not yet disfigured (and oh ! how clear a stamp she im- 
 presses upon her votaries, repelling the pure by an intuition 
 against which their reason strives in vain) his ingenuous 
 countenance. 
 
 Her glance was prolonged, and seemed to read his soul. 
 " He, and he alone, shall be my purchaser," said the girl, 
 in decided yet not wholly ungentle tones. 
 
 Ali could not refrain from laughing. He, who was 
 faint from involuntary fasting, to purchase a high-priced 
 slave-girl ! the idea was amusing. Yet it pleased him not 
 to confess his utter poverty before his former equals ; so he 
 hung down his head from shame and embarrassment. 
 
 The broker, who little surmised the financial position 
 of the heir to so ample an inheritance as that devised 
 to him by his opulent father, vehemently pressed the 
 damsel upon him by enumerating her merits. 
 
 " Not only is she beautiful, as you can see for yourself, 
 but her wit is keen, her mind cultivated, and her hand so 
 expert with the needle, that she gains for her owner, by 
 her embroidery, more than six pieces of gold a day. I 
 may term her, without exaggeration, a living treasure, a 
 fountain of delight and wealth. What say you, my master, 
 will you not bay her ?" 
 
 And the girl, turning her full orbs upon him, faintly 
 whispered, " Buy me, thou shalt not lose." 
 
 " A thousand pieces is too much ; lovely as you are. 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE, ^i 
 
 you are still too dear/' was his answer j but his admiring 
 eyes rested tenderly upon her. 
 
 " Purchase me, then, for nine hundred." 
 
 ** Not So, my fair one ; you are too costly for me." 
 
 " For eight hundred, then," she continued, and so abated 
 her price, until it was lowered to five hundred pieces. 
 
 '' Hearken to me, sweet girl," he whispered ; " I am a 
 ruined man, and have not a single piece of gold in my 
 purse, else, had I thousands, I would freely expend my all 
 for the joy of possessing you." 
 
 ** Withdraw me for a while from this crowd, as though 
 you would examine me more privately." Acquiescing in 
 which suggestion, Ali was rewarded by a heavy purse of 
 gold being quietly slipt into his hand, with the injunc- 
 tion, " Pay one-half of its contents as my purchase-money, 
 and keep the rest for our subsistence." 
 
 He acted as she desired j and having paid the five hun- 
 dred pieces of gold to the broker, repaired with the damsel 
 to his desolate abode. It was clean, but bare ; so that 
 nearly one-half of the remaining contents of the girl's 
 purse was expended in plainly, yet neatly, furnishing the 
 lofty and spacious rooms of that once almost luxurious 
 habitation. And wax-lights blazed once more, and the 
 supper-table was again spread with savoury meats ; and the 
 night passed in a plenitude of happiness. Past sorrows 
 were all forgotten in present bliss. 
 
 When morning came, Zumurrud bade her master pro- 
 vide her with a piece of woven silk, gold and silver threads, 
 and floss silk of various hues. And from these materials she 
 fabricated a richly embroidered curtain, working sedulously 
 
^2 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 tor the space of eight days ; at the end of which period 
 he sold it, by her directions, for no less a sum than fifty 
 pieces of gold. And from time to time, as their need or 
 their fancy prompted them, did the same transaction again 
 and again occur. 
 
 Now a whole twelvemontli had elapsed, and the love 
 which in its commencement was but sensual, had acquired 
 strength and depth from increased knowledge of each 
 other's goodness. But evil was impending ; there is no 
 escape from destiny, and Ali had not fulfilled that por- 
 tion of suffering which is allotted to us all. The happier 
 we feel, the more should we expect forthcoming sorrow j 
 and tliat oftentimes from the most trivial of circumstances. 
 
 Ali had generally disposed of the precious product of 
 her tasteful industry to the merchants of the city ; but one 
 unlucky day, when he had carried it to market as usual, 
 his broker apprised him that a higher sum than ever had 
 been offered for the curtains by a strange Jew, Barsoom 
 by name, who was desirous of treating personally with 
 him as to future purchases. After long bargaining, our 
 hero obtained the great sum of one hundred pieces for the 
 stuff, and departed homewards in a high state of exhilara- 
 tion. His heart expanded towards the Jew, though he 
 liked not the race ; and when, after parting with him in 
 the market-place, he again perceived him near his own 
 door, weary-looking, and limping, as from great fatigue, 
 he invited him to enter his abode, and put refreshments 
 before him. This was the very thing Barsoom was aim- 
 ing at when he paid so exorbitant a price for the em- 
 broidery. Certain of success — for he knew tlie beneficence 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE, S3 
 
 of the young man — he had prepared everything before- 
 hand for this contingency. 
 
 Having partaken of his hospitahty, and established the 
 bond of bread and salt (which should have been inviolate) 
 between them, he took off the lid of a basket, and dis- 
 played some magnificent bananas to his friendly host. 
 ** I pray my lord's acceptance," said he, " of this fruit, the 
 produce of my own garden, as some slight requital for his 
 goodness to a poor Jew." 
 
 Ali would have refused, but when his guest forced the 
 fruit upon him, by saying, " I fear you despise the gift ; it is, 
 indeed, unworthy of your acceptance," he took a banana, 
 and as the look was very tempting, placed a morsel of it 
 in his mouth. Scarcely had he swallowed it, when his 
 head swam round j the giddiness increased to stupor -, he 
 fell senseless and prostrate on the floor. 
 
 It was not for robbery that this wicked act, this sin 
 against hospitality, was perpetrated. Neither did Barsoom 
 feel any malice either towards the young merchant or his 
 slave-girl. But vanity urges many of us to commit actions 
 which conscience disapproves, actions which entail no 
 possible profit, and are, notwithstanding, attended by con- 
 siderable risk. 
 
 You remember that an Arab sheikh had made the 
 highest offer for Zumurrud, when her late master disposed 
 of her by public sale. She had forgotten, but not he, her 
 saucy rebuke of his aged amativeness ; and chance now 
 favoured him. His brother, Barsoom, was one of the 
 most astute of mankind, and well skilled in the proper- 
 ties of every herb and poison. To him, on his return 
 
54 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 from a distant country, he had imparted the insult he had 
 received (for the jeers of the bystanders had been bitter as 
 wormwood to his cankered spirit), and lamented the im- 
 possibility of appeasing his vengeance. 
 
 " Impossible ! nothing is impossible to the resolute. 
 Had / been so treated, I would have had the girl against 
 her will, and without the outlay of a single sequin." 
 
 Bold talkers are often taunted into achieving profitless 
 feats, which they had designed for others -, and Barsoom 
 proved no exception to the rule. In an unlucky day for 
 him, he cleverly carried out his own part in the nefa- 
 rious plot ; then taking the key of the saloon, he delivered 
 it to his brother, Rasheed. 
 
 Had there been servants in tlie humble home of the 
 senseless Ali, his labour would have been in vain, but 
 what resistance could poor Zumurrud make, when the 
 sheikh, followed by some trustworthy members of his 
 tribe, seized her, stifled her cries by cloths, enveloped her 
 in muffling robes, and bore her away to his own harem in 
 the city. As to Ali, he was left unmolested, to sleep off 
 the effects of the narcotic. 
 
 Immediately that he had secured his victim beneath his 
 roof, the sheikh hastened to give vent to his long-repressed 
 wrath. 
 
 " Impudent wench !" exclaimed he in savagely trium- 
 phant tones, " the toothless one, whom you sneered at for 
 his age, is now your master ; and that, too, without dis- 
 bursing one of the thousand pieces he foolishly valued you 
 at. You are now wholly in his power, for no man knows 
 whither he has taken you. Expect the worst, then, for 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE, ^5 
 
 the insult you cast upon hira j for Rasheed never forgets, 
 nor forgives a wrong, however tardy may be his ven- 
 geance." 
 
 With weeping eyes she simply answered, '' Heaven will 
 requite thee, cruel Arab, for stealing me from my kind 
 master. Is it worthy of thee to remember and revenge 
 the foolish words of a petulant slave-girl ?" 
 
 A little softened by her tears and humility, and inflamed 
 by her beauty, which the tranquil happiness in which she 
 had passed the last twelve months had cherished and im- 
 proved, Rasheed, with ogling looks and in a would-be 
 tender voice, continued : — " Yet you are so handsome, that 
 I will not punish your offence, if you will only renounce 
 your religion," — for he, too, was a Jew at heart, and only 
 pretended to be a true believer to gain the privileges 
 reserved to the followers of our Prophet, — " and yield 
 yourself to my passion." 
 
 " Never ! wicked old wretch," was her indignant answer. 
 " Never will I become your mistress, or abjure my re- 
 ligion." 
 
 ** Then you shall feel the pains I had intended for you," 
 was the angry rejoinder 5 and in a trice, the poor girl was 
 thrown to the ground by his eunuchs, and was ineffectually 
 screaming for help, that came not, beneath the quick blows 
 of a merciless stick. 
 
 After the spiteful old man had beaten her until his arm 
 was weary and her shrieks had subsided into groans, he 
 bade his slaves to thrust her for the night into an unfur- 
 nished room, and leave her without food. The next 
 morning, when the muscles of his arm had been refreshed 
 
S6 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 by sleep, the poor girl was again led before him, again 
 firmly rejected his wicked propositions, and again writhed 
 beneath his unsparing blows. 
 
 When AU had recovered from the effect of the benj (for 
 it was the essence of that potent herb, which would stupefy 
 even an elephant, with which he had been drugged), he 
 arose — faint, tottering, and scarcely conscious of the past 
 — from his recumbent position. His first thought was for 
 the safety of his beloved ; and oh ! the depth of his despair 
 when he found her absent, and perceived traces of her 
 forcible abduction in the torn fragments of her dress and 
 the disarranged furniture of the room ; she had struggled 
 violently indeed, to escape from the kidnappers. 
 
 For the moment he abandoned himself to the wildest 
 grief, and was crushed in spirit by the vastness of his loss. 
 For she was all the world to him ; from the hour she had 
 become his, he had relapsed into that state of isolation from 
 society in which he had passed the first year of his former 
 bereavement. He had learnt, by sad experience, the value 
 of his father's precepts, and thenceforth had observed 
 them. 
 
 Yet his was not a nature to succumb for long to ill- 
 fortune : calm reason reassumed her wonted sway ; time, 
 he knew, was all-precious, if he would recover his lost one j 
 for else she might be removed for ever from his city and 
 his country. So, by a mighty effort of self-control, he 
 collected his thoughts and resolved what he would do. 
 Women are ever apter in stratagems than men ; it is their 
 sole way of proving their claims to that equality from 
 which the physical strength of man debars them. He 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 57 
 
 betook himself, then, to an aged woman, one of Zumur- 
 rud's few acquaintances, whom she had often praised to 
 him for her goodness, her experience, and her shrewdness. 
 Having narrated to her, in few words, the tale of his grief, 
 he ended by asking her friendly advice. 
 
 With ready promptness the old woman bade him to 
 immediately purchase a shallow basket, well stuffed, and 
 carefully hned with cloth and silk 5 to fill it with the most 
 tempting baubles, such as bracelets, earrings, hand-mirrors, 
 and other ornaments or knick-knacks affected by the sex, 
 and to bring it to her house without delay. Meanwhile she 
 attired herself as an itinerant vender of jewellery, such as 
 frequent the harems of the opulent, and made a pad for 
 her head, so as to be prepared for the basket when it 
 should arrive. Ali made such haste, purchasing the wares 
 without bargaining as to price, that he returned with them 
 almost before the old woman was dressed for the task she 
 had undertaken. 
 
 " With these I can find admission wherever there are 
 women. I will obtain tidings of our dear one if I have to 
 enter every dwelling in the city," were her parting words. 
 
 Wandering from street to street, and guided in her 
 search by gossiping inquiries from the servants as to 
 whether any new slave-girls had been just added to the 
 harems of the neighbourhood, she at length arrived at the 
 pavilion of Rasheed. It was built in a large garden, in a 
 distant and unfrequented suburb, where the sparseness of 
 the residents permitted him to indulge his sinful practices 
 without detection. Groans were faintly audible as the 
 weary old woman tapped upon the door. It was opened 
 
58 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 to her at once, for the distance to the bazaar was great, 
 and the servants were glad to make their purchases without 
 a long and heating walk. Besides, who likes not gossip? 
 and the female hawkers are ever provided with the freshest 
 of news. So she entered the pavilion, displayed her 
 tempting wares before the women, and permitted them to 
 purchase at such easy prices that she soon became a fa- 
 vourite. 
 
 " And now tell me," said she, after the first bustle from 
 her arrival had subsided, *^ which of you has the tootli- 
 ache ? (I have an unfailing specific for it, and very cheap) 
 for I heard one of you moaning, I am sure." 
 
 In a minute every tongue was wagging. The master, 
 who was feared, not loved, had just left his house for two 
 days on a compulsory journey, and each servant dilated in 
 her turn (or rather all at once) upon his brutality to the 
 poor slave-girl. Each deprecated criticism as to her own 
 share in carrying out the merciless orders of the skeikli 
 (who, before leaving, had bade them fetter Zumurrud, 
 and refuse her either food or drink until his return), on 
 the plea of necessity. The gentleness of the victim had 
 won upon their scarcely yet hardened hearts, although 
 many a wicked action had they witnessed, and even aided, 
 in that house of crime. When the hawker, therefore, had 
 shown her own sympathy by weeping at their recital of 
 the terrible scourgings the poor girl had undergone, they 
 promised, at her request,. to loose the luckless damsel from 
 her bonds ("which you can easily replace," suggested the 
 old woman, " before your master returns ") and supply her 
 with the food and drink necessary to sustain life. More- 
 
2UMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 59 
 
 over, while the old dame, adding example to precept, was 
 fussily occupied in assisting them to unravel the knots 
 which bound Zumurrud, she not only openly uttered such 
 commonplace condolements as " Be of good courage, my 
 child J pain lasts not for ever; Providence is good," and 
 so on, but whispered, likewise, to the observant sufferer 
 (who had recognized her features), " When you hear a 
 whistle to-morrow night, whistle in return, and let yourself 
 down to Ah by the ropes which are being taken off you." 
 
 Our hero was both grieved and rejoiced at the report of 
 the old woman, — grieved, when he heard her tell of the 
 tortures inflicted upon his loved one ; rejoiced, by the cer- 
 tainty (?) of his recovering her. We should never exult 
 in anticipation, for Fortune delights in baffling the best- 
 laid schemes of the sanguine. Say only, " To-morrow I 
 will eat, drink, and be merry," and you are inviting death 
 to your banquet. For thus was Ali Scher, who had dared 
 to assert that ere midnight to-morrow he would lead her 
 sately to his home, punished for his vaunting. 
 
 From excessive excitement, and from cogitating how 
 best, and most easily, he might accomplish his object, sleep, 
 that night, refused herself to his wooing. Next evening, 
 he became so drowsy that he lay down upon his couch 
 to refresh himself by a short nap before night shrouded the 
 earth with her dusky mantle. Sleep, however, like a 
 faithless woman, often ruins those who trust her, and Ali, 
 once locked in her embrace, could not withdraw himself 
 from her fascination. 
 
 Two hours before midnight the impatient Zumurrud, 
 having long and vainly waited for the expected whistle. 
 
6o ZUMURRUD: OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 saw an obscure form, with a large white turban faintly per- 
 ceptible, continually shifting its position around the pavi- 
 lion. So dark was it, that neither face nor figure, in the 
 absence of the moon, were clearly revealed to her, but co- 
 incidence so strongly indicated that it must be her dear 
 master that she whistled to him. The stranger, looking 
 up, whistled in return to her signal, and she with bold 
 hands grasped the rope, previously attached to a beam in 
 her chamber, and courageously effected her descent. More- 
 over, she had tied to her side two saddle-bags of gold, 
 which she took from the stores of the sheikh as an equit- 
 able compensation for the violence she had sustained. 
 Scarcely had she reached the ground when she was dis- 
 burdened quickly, but not roughly, from the weight of the 
 saddle-bags, and hurried with gentle violence from the 
 garden. Not a word was spoken, and the night was as 
 dark as ever. The road appeared long to her 3 she 
 stumbled from weakness and fatigue. Her companion 
 seemed to comprehend her condition, and mounting her 
 upon his shoulders, bore her carefully, yet rapidly, on- 
 wards, beneath arching boughs which drooped over a most 
 rugged pathway. At times he, too, would stumble, and, 
 at last,- in dread of falling, she threw her arms around his 
 head and closely clasped him. Horror ! her smooth-faced 
 Ali had a beard like a bath-broom ; his neck was as hairy 
 as a goat! *' Holy Prophet! who are you?" almost 
 shrieked the poor girl at this new catastrophe. ** I 
 thought you were my Ali." 
 
 " No, girl, I am Jawan the Kurd ; I am Achmet's lieu- 
 tenant." 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE, 6i 
 
 *' Let me loose, I pray you," said she, '' and you may 
 keep the two bags of gold I brought away with me." 
 
 Jawan laughed. " I suppose so, wench ; I am taking 
 both them and you to our cavern." 
 
 Jawan had been in luck that night. Whilst prowling 
 about to discover a mode of entry into the pavihon (for 
 he knew that its owner was away), he had heard a 
 wdiistle J and kind Fortune (as he then thought her, yet it 
 was ill-luck for him in the end) put both gold and a 
 pretty girl into his power. He was one of that famous 
 band of forty thieves long afterwards destroyed by Ali 
 Babaj and had preceded his comrades to Khorassan in 
 order to settle in their cave his aged mother, who, for 
 many years their cook and general attendant, had now 
 grown too feeble to any longer accompany her many 
 masters in their roving forays. 
 
 " Cheer up, girl," continued the robber, observing her 
 despondency ; " there are only two score of us to wait on, 
 and you shall be my favourite if you only reward me 
 properly." 
 
 The increased weight of his burthen, who had fainted 
 away, was his sole reply. At length the cave was reached. 
 It was a natural excavation in some sandstone cliffs, rudely 
 enlarged, and rendered habitable by the unskilful hands of 
 the robber-horde. Buried in a wood which had so evil a 
 repute that few but woodcutters (who had nothing to lose) 
 ventured within it, its inner entrance was so concealed 
 by a doorway of moveable rockwork, that the soldiers, 
 who occasionally scoured the forest in search for the ban- 
 ditti, had failed to discover it. At present it was unoc- 
 
62 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 cupied, except by the infirm and peevish mother of Jawan 
 the Kurd. 
 
 That very afternoon, before the robber, having with 
 fihal piety settled the old dame in her gloomy habitadon 
 started on his marauding expedition, he had chanced, 
 on the outskirts of the wood, to light upon a richly-dressed 
 officer, who, oppressed by the heat, had thrown himself 
 beneath the shade of the trees for a temporary repose. 
 He had fallen asleep, and he slept for ever 5 for Jawan 
 cut his throat, stripped the body of its regimentals, and 
 appropriated the horse, which had been browsing beside 
 its master, to his own use. The Kurd had picketed the 
 beast within tlie cavern, and there deposited, likewise, 
 the clothes and arms of the murdered trooper. Having 
 promised his captain to rejoin the band before daybreak, 
 he now contented himself with telling his mother how he 
 had brought her a slave ; and having snatched a hasty meal, 
 and left the bags of gold with the rest of his booty, he 
 hurried off to meet his comrades. 
 
 When day broke, Zumurrud, who perceived how foolish 
 it would be to wait for the arrival of her forty masters, be- 
 thought herself of a little stratagem by which she might 
 possibly escape from her captor. Had she known the 
 secret mode of sliding away the door, there was nothing to 
 stop her egress j for the Kurdish woman was too feeble to 
 oppose her 5 but she knew not its mystery. So she cajoled 
 the old woman with honeyed words, and listened to her 
 garrulous praises of her son, one of whose many achieve- 
 ments was recited with much unction. 
 
 ** When we were in Egypt, my boy and Mustapha had 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 63 
 
 a dispute as to which was the more clever, and each 
 agreed to exhibit a proof of his prowess. One of our 
 band had proudly brought to our common stock a purse 
 of silver which he had purloined from the abode of a 
 money-changer, whose door had been carelessly left open 
 by his thoughtless slave-girl. ' I cannot much commend 
 your feat,' said Mustapha, who is a humane man, and 
 never cuts a woman's throat if he can avoid the necessity 3 
 ' any sneak could have done as much j the poor girl 
 will be beaten. This should have been avoided ; you 
 should have done the trick more neatly.' * Do better 
 yourself, if you can,' sneered the fellow. * I will,' said 
 Mustapha. So proceeding to the house of the money- 
 changer, and rapping at the door just as the owner was 
 about to chastise his slave for her negligence, he said, ' Is 
 not this purse yours ? My master picked it up in front of 
 your shop, and bids me return it, and say, that had a 
 stranger found it, he might have taken it away, and kept 
 the contents for himself.' The money-changer was de- 
 lighted, and clutched at the purse, which he immediately 
 recognized. ' Not so fast. Sir, if you please,' said the pre- 
 tended messenger. *I am bidden to require a voucher 
 that I^ have safely handed it to you.' So the money- 
 changer withdrew to his saloon to write a receipt for it. 
 On his return to the door, neither purse nor messenger 
 was visible. But tlie slave-girl was not beaten ; for her 
 master believed it was his own carelessness. The night 
 before this happened, my boy had met with great success 
 in his vocation : he had cut open some saddle-bags in a 
 khan, and abstracted from them a purse of gold. So 
 
64 ZUMURRUD ; OR, THE LOFING SLAVE. 
 
 cleverly had he crept out, that the judge of the city or- 
 dered the arrest of every denizen of the caravanserai, 
 being certain that one or other of them had been the 
 thief. At midday he had them all brought before him 
 (his court was by the bank of the great river), with the 
 intention of scourging them until the guilty one should 
 confess his crime. But my boy approached the magis- 
 trate, holding the purse conspicuously aloft. ' Restrain 
 your hand, my lord,' said he ; * these people are guilt- 
 less ; I alone am the criminal, and I now restore the purse 
 to its owner.' So he placed it in the hand of the mer- 
 chant from whom it had been stolen, and laughing, con- 
 tinued, * It was easy enough to steal j to regain it now 
 would require far more wit.' ' How did you manage to 
 steal it ? said the magistrate. * I saw this merchant re- 
 ceive the gold,' said Jawan, * and followed him from town 
 to town, until he entered the khan ; then I lodged my- 
 self in the next bed to him, and watched until he snored ; 
 then I crept, thus, near him, cut open his saddle-bag, and 
 snatched his purse, thus!' So saying, he again seized 
 the purse from the astounded merchant, plunged into the 
 river, and swam up the mouth of an adjacent sewer ; and 
 as all the drains of Alexandria communicate with each 
 other, got clear away. Then Mustapha owned my boy 
 was his superior, for he had saved at least twenty from a 
 beating, and the Captain made him his lieutenant. Ah ! 
 that was many years ago ; my hair was jet-black then." 
 
 The old Kurd was pleased at the reverential silence 
 with which her tale was listened to -, and when the em- 
 broidress submissively inquired whether it would not be 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 65 
 
 preferable to leave the gloomy cave and have her hair 
 dressed in the cool fresh air without, before the heat 
 became overpowering, all her little caution yielded to her 
 womanish vanity. 
 
 "That is a good idea, my child," she answered j 
 '' these hogs (I don't mean my Jawan) are always drag- 
 ging me about with them from place to place, and always 
 keep me in some dismal spot where there is no amuse- 
 ment. I have not entered the public baths for more 
 years than I can remember." 
 
 Sleep overtook the old woman under the soothing in- 
 fluence of the comb 3 Zumurrud was spared the painful 
 necessity of pinioning her by force. The horse of the 
 murdered trooper was hastily led forth from its hidden 
 stable, his dress and weapons assumed by the tall and 
 rather large-made woman, and the bags of gold flrmly 
 lashed to the saddle. 
 
 In her haste, for life and liberty were both at stake, she 
 had galloped off without observing the direction of the 
 road, and, after an hour's ride, — when she discovered that 
 it led not to her home, — she dared not then return, lest 
 she should meet the expected band. So she hurried on 
 at the utmost speed of her charger, and the further she 
 proceeded the wilder and more barren did the land become. 
 Not an inhabitant was to be seen. A few uncultivated 
 roots, and some over-ripe dates, fallen from palm-trees 
 scattered here and there in the oases of the desert, were 
 the sole sources of her sustenance. At length, after pri- 
 vations which would have proved fatal to one more deli- 
 cately nurtured, she beheld afar off the glittering domes 
 
66 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 of a distant city. The land all around it was well culti- 
 vated, the climate agreeable, and the water — for the w^nt 
 of which she had pined in the sterile desert — flowing in a 
 thousand rills. 
 
 Her heart had gladdened when first she gazed upon 
 this smiling plain, but quaked a little when, as she drew 
 near, she descried a large body of armed men advancing 
 to meet her. Nevertheless, assuming a bold look (she 
 looked hke a handsome youth with a refined cast of coun- 
 tenance), she continued her approach, and was equally 
 surprised and gratified by their salutation. 
 
 " Hail ! O Sultan !" was the loud greeting of the nobles 
 and officers who headed the array j the troops, brand- 
 ishing their long spears, took up the cry likewise, — '* Hail ! 
 O Sultan ! long mayest thou reign over us !" 
 
 ''What mean you, my masters?" she humbly inquired. 
 " Are you mocking me ? I am no sovereign prince, but 
 only a traveller." 
 
 Then was the custom of that land explained to her, and 
 she marvelled greatly at it. When the King died without di- 
 rect issue, to prevent the contingency of civil war from the 
 ambition of any subject, the whole army was stationed out- 
 side the gates, and the first stranger of noble blood who ap- 
 proached from the east, became the duly-elected monarch. 
 
 Nobility of soul was stamped upon the features of Zu- 
 murrud, and the saddle-bags of gold further attested the 
 opulence of her family ; so they hailed her their sovereign 
 with universal acclamations, which became shouts of joy 
 when she began to scatter handfuls of gold among the 
 troops, until her bags were clean exhausted. 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 67 
 
 *' He is a noble Turk," was the universal report, '^who 
 has quarrelled with his family, and journeyed forth to see 
 the world." 
 
 She was too wise to contradict the rumour, and advanced 
 with them to the city, at the gates of which she was met 
 by a deputation of the magistrates and the principal citi- 
 zens, who offered her refreshments and the homage due 
 to her exalted rank. She courteously listened (though 
 weary and faint with fatigue) to a list of their grievances 
 under the sway of their last ruler, and in few but apposite 
 phrases promised to redress them. She was then conducted 
 to the baths of the palace, clad in royal robes, and led in 
 regal state to the throne, before which all the nobles and 
 spectators prostrated themselves. 
 
 Her kingdom was but a little state, which owed its secu- 
 rity to its peculiar position. In the midst of a far-extend- 
 ing desert, and leading to no city of importance, no noisy 
 caravan ever approached its verdant plain 5 strangers, ex- 
 cept occasionally from Khorassan, to which land it was 
 nearest, seldom ventured to traverse the wild paths by 
 which alone it could be reached. The population was 
 simple, hardy, primitive, and well-disposed. So Zumurrud 
 had little difficulty in winning their hearts. Pure-minded 
 and unselfish, as thrifty in the management of the public 
 money as of her own private purse, she was enabled to 
 lessen the already slight taxation without detriment to the 
 State. Her people loved her, too, for her domestic vir- 
 tues and example. Benevolent to the poor, just and affa- 
 ble to the rich, thoughtful not only of the interests but of 
 the feelings and prejudices of others, firm though gentle in 
 
 F 2 
 
68 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 her rule, she became so popular, that any eccentricity on her 
 part was regarded as emanating from an intellect too lofty 
 for them to fathom. 
 
 Happy people ! happy sovereign ! Yet Zumurrud was 
 not wholly so. Her love for Ali was too profound to 
 suffer her to enjoy a comparative luxury, and the pleasure 
 of command (and, oh, to a woman power is very sweet !), 
 without sharing all with him. So she sent .messengers to 
 Khorassan to invite her beloved to her new and princely 
 home. After a while they returned with the tidings that 
 Ali Scher was no longer in that land j he had sold all that 
 he possessed, and set forth to wander over the whole 
 world, until he should regain the object of his affections. 
 For thus it had happened. 
 
 When our hero had arrived, a little after midnight, at 
 the pavilion of the sheikh, he scaled the walls of the gar- 
 den and whistled, at first softly, and then more loudly, 
 beneath that turret which had been indicated to him as 
 the prison of his beloved. Not a sound broke the stillness 
 of the night in reply to his repeated whistlings 3 not a 
 light was visible 3 all the household slept in careless confi- 
 dence 3 for since the forty had quitted the cavern, more 
 than a twelvemonth ago, not a single burglary had occurred 
 in the city. 
 
 At length, hopeless of rousing her from a slumber still 
 more profound than his own had been, and convinced that 
 every chance of success, for that night at least, had 
 vanished, he returned in sorrow, yet still hoping, to his 
 forlorn home. Early next morning he betook himself to 
 his adviser, and she, with friendly alertness, to the slaves 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 69 
 
 of Rasheed. From them, quaking with terror as they 
 pictured to themselves the wrathful sheikh, she learnt the 
 simultaneous disappearance of the slave-girl and their 
 master's gold. Back she sped to Ali with her tidings, gnd 
 vainly, at his request, did she visit every h^reni in the 
 neighbourhood. Worn out at last with the excess of his 
 grief and the futility of his search, the despairing lover 
 yielded to a devouring fever which almost brought him 
 face to face with Azraal. From this attack he happily re- 
 covered, through the soundness of his constitution and the 
 untiring attendance of the old woman, who, as soon as he 
 regained some portion of his former vigour, bade him 
 search through the wide earth for his lost one ; less in the 
 belief that he might thus regain her, than from the con- 
 viction that energetic action could alone dissipate his wear- 
 ing melancholy. For he was one of those few who 
 having once loved must love for ever. Death does not 
 long separate such fervent lovers. 
 
 So he started on his difficult quest. 
 
 When the sheikh had returned from his journey, and 
 was told of the escape of Zumurrud, and the spohation of 
 his treasures, he was mad with passion, and at first disbe- 
 heved the tale which his slaves, to avoid punishment, had 
 fabricated. They asserted tliat a band of robbers, too nu- 
 merous to resist, had burst upon them and carried off his 
 gold and his victim, and had it not been for tlieir cries, 
 would have stripped the house of every valuable. When, 
 however, he had ascertained that Ali Scher was hunting 
 everywhere for his charming mistress, and the return of 
 the forty thieves to that neighbourhood was proved by 
 
70 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 numerous outrages, he changed his opinion, and sent for 
 his clever brother to hold counsel with him. By his advice, 
 he engaged all the warriors of his tribe to accompany him ; 
 and Barsoom, likewise, armed his own male slaves and 
 those of his brother with swords and slings, and they de- 
 termined to search for the wandering horde, each in a dif- 
 ferent direction. So they, too, set out on their difficult 
 quest. 
 
 When Jawan, who had boasted that he was the most 
 cunning of all thieves, had related to the band how in 
 one day he had acquired a horse, fine clothes, a lovely 
 slave-girl, and two saddle-bags of gold, and had received 
 the envious congratulation of his comrades, could not dis- 
 play the proofs of his prowess, he was so jeered at, so dis- 
 credited, that he left the cave, vowing he would never re- 
 turn without the spoils he had been bereft of. He studied 
 for a while the track of the departed fugitive ; then he, 
 too, left in his difficult quest. 
 
 Having again dispatched messengers in all directions to 
 search for traces of her adored AH, Zumurrud now de- 
 vised a means by which every stranger who should visit 
 her own city should be brought before her eyes. She 
 issued an edict that no provisions should be sold there to 
 any foreigner ; neither should any one practise hospitality 
 towards him, but that every day, at certain hours, a table 
 should be spread before her palace, in front of her window, 
 for all who might enter her dominions. All hospitality, 
 she proclaimed, should henceforth be at her own royal 
 cost, and not at the expense of her toiling subjects. 
 
 Now the fame of her liberality became spread abroad. 
 
ZUMURRUD ; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 71 
 
 and many, whose sordid spirits preferred feasting from the 
 purse of others to purchasing the necessaries of hfe for 
 themselves, flocked thither. But Zumurrud endured them 
 only for a whiles the city was not made pleasant to them. 
 The first month of this new decree, there appeared before 
 her window a crafty-looking Jew, whom she recognized 
 as the wretch who, having kidnapped her, had carried her 
 forcibly to the pavilion of the sheikh. 
 
 Barsoom advanced and took his seat at the table 5 he 
 greedily thrust forward his hand towards a dish of rice 
 sweetened as in Khorassan ) yet, before the food reached 
 his lips, it was dashed from his hand by the attendants, 
 who had received orders from the monarch not to permit 
 the Jew to partake of her hospitality. Bewildered by this 
 unexpected violence, he was led before the ruler, who 
 sternly demanded his name, his business, and the purport 
 of his visit to her country. 
 
 *' I am a weaver, Ali by name, and seek employment." 
 
 " Bring me a geomantic tablet and a style of brass," 
 said Zumurrud. 
 
 She then inscribed upon the tablet some mysterious- 
 looking characters, strange curves, which impressed the 
 spectators with admiring awe j then, fixing her eyes long 
 and solemnly upon the shrinking features of the agitated 
 captive : " Liar !" said she, " your name is Barsoom ; you 
 are a Jew and a kidnapper ; you have come here seeking 
 a woman who has escaped you. Deny the truth and I 
 will flay you alive, and burn your reeking carcase." 
 
 The detected criminal, smitten with terror at her awful 
 power of soul-searching, owned to the truth and implored 
 her mercy. 
 
72 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 But Zumurrud replied, '^Justice is the attribute of 
 kings. Mercy to the kidnapper is cruelty to his victims," 
 and left him to the sword of the executioner. 
 
 ** What nation has so wise a king ?" was the comment 
 of the mystified spectators. ** He can read the souls of 
 men 5 he can call before his eyes the mirror of the past." 
 
 Before another moon had waned. Providence directed 
 another of her enemies to her httle territory. Jawan the 
 Kurd, with a skill fatal to himself, had traced her to this 
 remote district. He, too, beheld the tempting dish of rice 
 sweetened as in Khorassan (fit for a prince or emir), and 
 clutched at it with a paw like the foot of a raven. But 
 the food reached not his mouth ; his presence had been 
 detected, and the guards led him to the divining monarch. 
 
 ** Who art thou, man ? What is thy trade, and wherefore 
 art thou come to this our country ?" 
 
 " I am a gardener," quoth he ; " Osman by name. I 
 am seeking some property which has been stolen from 
 me." 
 
 Then she ordered her geomantic tablet and brazen style 
 to be brought to her, and made mysterious figures, and 
 pondered over them for a while ; after which, raising her 
 head : " Liar !" said she, '* how dare you utter these false- 
 hoods to a sovereign judge ? Your true name is Jawan 
 the Kurd ; what you seek is not your own property ; you 
 are no gardener, but a murderous bandit. Own it, or 
 tortures shall wring it from you." 
 
 The robber, fancying that his daring frankness might 
 win him his life, and thinking, from her boyish appearance, 
 he could terrify the King, boldly answered, " It is true. 
 
ZUMURRUD ; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE, 73 
 
 I am the famous Jawan, one of the forty ; and woe to 
 you if you touch a hair of my head ! We are sworn to 
 avenge each other j and in tlie darkness of night the 
 wakeful assassin is more than a match for the sleeping 
 monarch." 
 
 " Vipers must not crawl unmolested through fear of 
 our being, bitten in slaying them, else many a traveller 
 would perish from our cowardice. Take him, and 
 flay him ahve 3 stuff his skin with straw, suspend it over 
 the principal gate of the city to show our contempt for 
 his threats, burn his carcase, and defile the ashes of it. So 
 shall the guilty learn that my habitual leniency proceeds 
 not from the fear of man, but of God." 
 
 At this terrible sentence, the heart of Jawan shrank 
 within him ; his complexion became sallow, his teeth 
 chattered, and, in the extremity of his terror, he cried out, 
 " Oh, brave King ! I said it but to try thee 5 none of our 
 band save myself is within thy territory j I have aban- 
 doned my comrades j I have hurt none of thy subjects. 
 Spare me, spare me, and I swear henceforth to lead an 
 honest life." 
 
 " The leopard cannot change his spots. Thou art too 
 old in crime to repent, not too young in years to die. I 
 remit the tortures ; but the sword of the executioner awaits 
 thee." 
 
 Thus retribution overtook the murderer ; and the people 
 exclaimed, " What nation has such a ruler as we have ! 
 He is as brave as he is wise !" 
 
 Not many weeks afterwards the amative sheikh made 
 his appearance in the city. Of ^11 his train of followers 
 
74 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 not one accompanied him ; some had been bitten by veno- 
 mous snakes, some perished from want of water, and the 
 rest had deserted him, wearied of the length of the 
 journey and their many privations. He came hmping and 
 footsore 3 for his last camel had been slain to supply him 
 with water from its stomach. Verily, he had suffered 
 much ; but his heart bounded with joy when he beheld 
 the plenty that reigned around. He stopped before the 
 shops of the provision merchants, for he had a store of 
 gold and rich jewels upon his person 3 yet no man would 
 sell him aught, for it was forbidden to sell food to strangers. 
 The dealers told him there was a public table prepared for 
 all foreigners ; and the sheikh, unwillingly, for he was rich, 
 dainty, and ashamed of his soiled and tattered garments, 
 proceeded thither 3 for hunger compelled him. 
 
 When Znmurrud beheld him, she could scarcely recog- 
 nize the haughty and richly-dressed Rasheed in the abject 
 and miserable-looking wretch before her 3 bat the memory 
 of deep wrongs is eternal, and the voice and features of 
 her oppressor were fixed for ever in her senses. So before 
 he could ravenously swallow the peculiarly-sweetened rice 
 for which he was yearning, his hand was seized by the 
 guards, and not a grain of it reached his mouth. Conducted 
 before the Queen, he fearlessly addressed her : — 
 
 '' Wherefore am I thus treated ? Was not the food de- 
 signed for strangers ? I sought not to steal it, for I am no 
 thief, but a rich man." And he pulled forth his gold, and 
 exhibited likewise his hidden jewels. 
 
 " Ere the bond of hospitality be established between us, 
 I must learn from thee who thou art, and what is thy 
 business in this our city. These may be stolen goods." 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAFE. 75 
 
 Rasheed, reassured, held up his head, for he knew he 
 was neither thief nor murderer, and repHed with dignified 
 composure, '' Although, through the perils of the wilder- 
 ness, I am mean-looking and ragged, I am a rich sheikh, 
 Rasheed by name ; I was driven hither by destiny, whilst 
 seeking for a treasure I had lost." 
 
 The geomantic tablet was again consulted, and after a 
 little pause, Zumurrud, with slow and solemn utterance, 
 thus continued, " Thou hast spoken truth j thou art the 
 rich, but hard-hearted Jew, who forcest thy women to ab- 
 jure their religion through dread of beating and starvation. 
 Own all, for there is a witness of thy brutality in this city ; 
 else shall the agony of torture wring the secret from 
 thee." 
 
 The recreant sheikh threw himself upon the ground be- 
 fore her. " Spare me. I will embrace the religion of the 
 Prophet ; thou knowest all things, — thou knowest I repent 
 of my misdeeds." 
 
 " Repentance comes too late ; deal with him as with a 
 lapsed renegade." And the last of her enemies departed 
 from the earth. 
 
 Yet another month passed, and sadness still possessed 
 the soul of Zumurrud ; for what availed it to her to be 
 King, when her beloved shared not her dignity ? But joy 
 once more illuminated her countenance, when she beheld 
 a comely and well-dressed traveller (for her lover had 
 trafficked with success in his wanderings), whose profound 
 melancholy of aspect impressed the beholders with com- 
 miseration. 
 
 Not greedily, but sedately, did he seat himself at the 
 
"^fy ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLAVE. 
 
 table 3 and he, too, preferred to all other dishes the rice 
 sweetened as in Khorassan. '* Touch not that unlucky 
 dish," was the advice of a pitying spectator, looking fur- 
 tively at the watchful soldiers ; *' three, who have eaten of 
 it, have resigned their souls to Azraal." 
 
 " Permit me," he rejoined. " Let them do unto me 
 even as they will. Perchance I maybe thus relieved from 
 my miserable existence." Then he ate the first morsel, 
 and Zuniurrud longed to address him, but she reflected 
 that he might be hungry, and let him appease his appetite. 
 He ate not much, for his soul was very sad ; he had heard 
 no tidings of his lost one, and there was no enjoyment to 
 him without her company. 
 
 The people marvelled to see him finish his repast, eating 
 slowly and daintily, as was his wont ; but when he had 
 finished, one of the eunuchs bearing rose-water, wherewith 
 he sprinkled him, courteously addressed him, " The King 
 desires your presence. Let not your heart be troubled 3 
 he seeks but to make a few inquiries." 
 
 The bystanders looked askance at each other ; one said, 
 " I thought it would be so 3" another, more acute, *' No 
 evil will betide him, for were harm meant for him, he 
 would not have been permitted to swallow a single 
 morsel." 
 
 The melancholy traveller respectfully saluted the ruler 
 of the land, and kissed the ground in his humility. His 
 salutation was returned 3 his reception honourable. To 
 her usual questions he replied with dignified calmness. 
 
 " My name is Ali Scher 3 I am a merchant of Kho- 
 rassan 3 I travel to regain a woman who is dearer to me 
 
ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOFING SLAVE. 77 
 
 than sight or hearing ^ to whose memory I have been 
 faithful, though long bereaved of her." 
 
 Zumurrud seemed to consult her geomantic tablet. 
 " Thou hast spoken truly," said she j " be not uneasy, for 
 Heaven has decreed that you two shall soon be reunited." 
 
 Her chamberlain, by her orders, conducted him to the 
 bath, attired him in princely robes, and mounted him upon 
 the finest steed in the royal stable. 
 
 When evening came, he was again conducted to the 
 palace, to the sleeping-chamber of the monarch. The 
 excitement of the day had been almost too much for Zu- 
 murrud ; she almost distrusted the actuality of her hap- 
 piness, that she should pass that night alone with her long- 
 lost lover ; that, oh joy ! — she could reflect no further. 
 But woman's coyness, her delight at a surprise, prevailed 
 over her more impassioned feelings, and she resolved to 
 dissemble for a while longer. So she bade him rise from 
 the humble attitude in which he had thrown himself (and 
 the memories of the past blazed forth within her soul, as 
 the sun, which rising above the horizon illumines and 
 enlivens all things), and refresh himself with meat and 
 poultry, with sherbet and with wine. " For after so long 
 a journey it is needful to be invigorated." 
 
 When he had finished his repast, he obeyed her signal 
 to draw near her. " I, too, am weary," said she j *' come, 
 therefore, and chafe my limbs." 
 
 And when, submissively, he began to chafe her feet and 
 her legs, he found them softer and more lustrous than 
 shining silk. 
 
 Her attendants had all retired. So, after jesting with 
 
78 ZUMURRUD; OR, THE LOVING SLJVE. 
 
 him for a little longer, she fondly smiled, and said, '' Has 
 all this happened without your recognizing me, Ali?" 
 
 " Who art thou, O King ?" 
 
 " Thy long-lost slave, Zumurrud j" and the words had 
 scarcely passed her lips ere they were stopped by his 
 burning kisses 3 for, with the bound of a leopard, he had 
 leapt upon his willing prey, and strained her to his breast 
 with passionate ardour. 
 
 The following morning Zumurrud summoned all the 
 lords and all the troops to a solemn audience. " Are ye 
 satisfied with me as your sovereign?" she demanded. 
 With one accord they all exclaimed, " There is none like 
 unto thee, O King !" Then she continued, " Know, then, 
 that / am a woman, and this stranger is my long-lost hus- 
 band. Will ye that I should still reign over you ?" And 
 again the cry pealed forth, ''There is none like unto thee, 
 OKing!" 
 
 Long did she rule, and happy were her subjects. There 
 was no need for her people, when she sank into the arms 
 of Azraal, to go forth from the city and look unto the 
 East, for many and noble were her descendants. 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH, 
 
 A LL the world knows that Haroun Alraschid was so 
 fond of excitement, that when adventures did not 
 occur of their own accord, he went forth to seek them. 
 Giafar and Mesroor were his ordinary companions, and 
 the former, more especially, not always his willing com- 
 rade. Of late the sovereign had been so seriously occupied 
 with affairs of state, that he had not obtained leisure to 
 divert himself with his wonted amusement} but a strange 
 report had reached him, so incomprehensibly absurd, that 
 for the sake of his own reputation he determined to trace 
 it to its source. It was not merely rumoured among the 
 people, but positively asserted by the police, that the Com- 
 mander of the Faithful had forbidden his subjects to take 
 their pleasure upon the water after dark, in order that his 
 own royal diversions might not be interfered with. As no 
 such edict had been issued from the palace, the Caliph 
 determined to solve the mystery in person, although, of 
 course, his officers might easily have saved him the trouble. 
 I need scarcely observe that he anticipated some little 
 sport from investigating the affair. 
 
8o THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 The well-known trio, clad as opulent merchants, strolled 
 one evening to the banks of the Tigris, and hailing an aged 
 waterman, bade him row them down the river. 
 
 " It is plain, my masters, that you are strangers here, or 
 you would not have demanded an impossibility from me. 
 At about this hour, or a little later, every night," — and 
 darkness was now erasing every object from their view, — 
 *' the barge of the Caliph floats down the river, in full 
 state, the sovereign in his royal robes, his court in princely 
 apparel ; his benevolent vizier and his ugly executioner 
 seated by his side." 
 
 Mesroor looked savage ; he was conscious he was not 
 jrood-lookinor, but not aware that others had detected it. 
 
 "In front of the boat," continued the sailor, "stands 
 one who, in a loud voice, proclaims immediate death to 
 whoever may be caught traversing the water from that 
 hour until past midnight. Look ! the lights of the vessel 
 are faintly perceptible in the distance ; before long it will 
 glide past us." 
 
 It was a pretty sight to behold tlie pageantry. The 
 barge was brilliantly illuminated by flaring cressets, which 
 cast a rubeate light upon the principal personages of the 
 group upon its deck. On a gilded throne sat a handsome 
 youth, whose black garments were richly embroidered 
 with gold ; on either side of him stood figures, whose 
 dresses had evidently been copied from the state robes of 
 Giafar and Mesroor. A numerous body of armed slaves 
 served as a body-guard, and flanked either side of the boat. 
 Some well-dressed gentlemen, apparently boon-companions, 
 were likewise visible, and the awe-striking proclamation 
 was clearly audible. 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 8i 
 
 " We must see into this affair," said Haroun to Giafar. 
 " The imitation of ourselves is very passable ; but if it prove 
 not a freak of one of my sons, the pretentious offender shall 
 pay dearly for his effrontery." Turning to the boatman, 
 he continued, " Here are five pieces of gold for you, 
 my good fellow, if you will venture to follow yonder 
 barque : there is no real risk, if you only keep in the 
 gloom ; the lights of the vessel will serve to direct your 
 course." 
 
 Even this tempting offer did not avail, until Giafar as- 
 sured him that the seeming Caliph was a mere pretender, 
 whom it was his charge to unmask, and who would sorely 
 rue his insolence, should he molest any of their party. The 
 waterman rowed quietly in the wake of the vessel, saw it 
 anchored at a httle islet, some way down the river, and, 
 having safely landed his dangerous passengers not far off 
 from the larger boat, received his promised reward. The 
 islet was beautifully cultivated as a pleasure-ground ; in 
 the midst of it rose a graceful pavihon, embowered and 
 partially concealed in the luxuriant foliage. As the pseudo- 
 Caliph was passing beneath its sculptured portico, the en- 
 terprising trio pushed forward among the attendants, in 
 order to obtain a better view of his mock majesty. They 
 were rudely seized by the slaves, and led forthwith to a 
 sumptuously-furnished saloon, at the door of which they 
 were purposely delayed, until the sham prince and his boon 
 companions had seated themselves at their ease. The 
 pseudo-Caliph was sitting upon his throne, and was being 
 waited on with all the ceremonial observances usually ac- 
 corded to royalty, when the three intruders were conducted 
 
 G 
 
82 THE SHJM CALIPH. 
 
 before him. Haroun did not wait to be spoken to, but 
 impetuously addressed himself to the mock sovereign : 
 
 '* What means this violence which has been displayed 
 towards us ? We are three foreign merchants, who, natu- 
 rally wishing to behold all that is beautiful in Bagdad, 
 have landed upon this lovely islet. What harm can we 
 have done?" 
 
 ^' As you are foreigners, and have evidently not heard 
 my proclamation, I spare you ; but woe to the citizen of 
 Bagdad who may thrust himself upon my privacy. Excuse 
 the roughness of my zealous servants, and pass this evening 
 with me as my guests." 
 
 The banquet was served in regal fashion ; the dishes 
 were delicate and savoury, the drinking- vessels precious in 
 form and material, the party a merry one ; and as they 
 gaily quaffed the sparkling wine, the hearts of all were ex- 
 panded. 
 
 *' Let each of you, my stranger friends," said the ruler of 
 the feast, " tell us the most remarkable circumstance of 
 his life ; or, should his own career have proved wholly un- 
 eventful, relate the most interesting tale his own experience 
 can furnish." 
 
 There was no denying a request almost vociferously 
 echoed by all the company, so Giafar thus began : — 
 
 ALI OF CAIRO, THE LUCKY PRODIGAL. 
 
 I cannot narrate any personal adventures, but my neigh- 
 bour at Cairo obtained his great wealth in so singular a way 
 that I would not have believed the story had I not heard the 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 83 
 
 words from his own mouth. He had inherited a fair pro- 
 perty from his father, which he had spent in dissipation, 
 and, when almost destitute, quitted his family and native 
 town for foreign parts, wandering from place to place, and 
 obtaining the hospitality of the old friends and correspond- 
 ents of his respected parent. He was passed on, as it 
 were, from one to another, until at length he arrived at the 
 gates of Cairo. He had but a few pieces in his purse 
 when he halted there at sunset, just as the gate-keepers 
 were closing the massive doors. He chatted with them 
 as they admitted him, and, in answer to their inquiries as 
 to who he was (for they perceived by his language and 
 bearing that his station was superior to what his shabby 
 garments would have indicated), he cleverly insinuated 
 that, having ridden in advance of his own caravan to pro- 
 cure a warehouse sufficiently large for the vast bulk of 
 merchandise he had brought with him, he had been inter- 
 cepted by robbers, who had stripped him to the skin, but 
 had mercifully thrown him the worthless clothes he now 
 wore. " By good luck, I found stuck in the grimy pocket 
 of this robe a single piece of gold, which will suffice to 
 yield us all a tolerable supper." By this manoeuvre, and 
 by his atfability and plausible frankness, he won both their 
 hearts and their credence, so that next morning he was 
 confidently introduced by them to the syndic of the mer- 
 chants as a plundered but wealthy trader, who was seek- 
 ing to hire a dwelling-place and stores in that commercial 
 city. His winning tongue and specious manners corrobo- 
 rated the story of the gate-keepers, and secured hfm the 
 hospitality of the worthy trader. After the bath and din- 
 
 6 2 
 
84 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 ner, the host bade his slave to show his guest the two 
 houses that were to let, and to deliver up to Ali the key of 
 whichever he might prefer. 
 
 There were three ancient but well-preserved structures 
 in a row, all of which were then unoccupied. My friend 
 looked over two of them with a fastidious air, and then 
 questioned the attendant respecting the ownership of the 
 third. '' That, likewise, belongs to my master," replied 
 the slave, ** but we no longer show it, for it is an unlucky 
 house. Each tenant has perished the very first night he 
 has slept within its walls." 
 
 Ali, however, persisted, and found the house more com- 
 modious, and far more magnificent in its decoration, 
 than the two adjacent premises. *' I will take this and 
 none other," he persisted, for he hoped that he might 
 thus be rid of his miserable existence, and the shuffiing, 
 scampish mode of living to which his necessities had driven 
 him. '* I may not let it you without the consent of my 
 master," the slave remarked j " but of course it would be 
 for his interest to have it occupied." They returned, 
 then, to the owner's house, who, after osme little con- 
 scientious demur, agreed to accept him as a tenant, upon 
 his signing a paper by which he acknowledged his own 
 cognizance of the danger, and exonerated his landlord 
 from all responsibility. The latter, in the extremity of his 
 good nature, even lent the reduced prodigal the necessary 
 furniture for that night, and sent him lights and a com- 
 fortable supper. 
 
 WhA Ali had performed the fitting ablution, had 
 supped, and then (for the thoughts of impending death 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 8^ 
 
 had roused him to repentance for his past profligacy and 
 present knavishness) prayed fervently for a happier and a 
 better life, should he be destined to survive the antici- 
 pated peril he calmly laid himself down upon his pallet, in 
 a superbly-htted saloon, where he purposed to pass thr 
 night. Scarcely had he extinguished his candle, when a 
 lurid light seemed to roll like a cloud towards him, and a 
 mighty voice roared in his ears, 
 
 "All, son of Hassan, shall I send down the gold ?" 
 
 Not a w^hit dismayed, fpr his fortunes were desperate, 
 his answer was bold and prompt. 
 
 "Ay, down with it, and the sooner the better." 
 
 Hardly had he ceased to speak, when, hurled as it were 
 from a catapult, the gold descended from the fretted ceil- 
 ing in one continuously-pelting shower, until the quantity 
 was so vast as to endanger the stability of the flooring. 
 Not any of it, however, fell upon himself; but the coins 
 were piled up in a vast glittering circle all around him. 
 
 " Now that my task is accompHshed, dismiss me to my 
 pristine freedom," again roared the bell-mouthed voice, 
 which shook the very walls by its reverberation. 
 
 " I adjure thee, in the most holy name of Allah, that 
 thou explain to me the meaning of this marvel." 
 
 " From distant ages this gold was stored away for Ali, 
 the son of Hassan, and delivered to my charge by one of 
 his ancestors, a potent magician, that I might render it up 
 to him at his demand. Whosoever, then, has ventured 
 here, and been terrified at my voice, him have I slain ; 
 thou, on the contrary, hast fearlessly claimed thine own, 
 and to thee have I now delivered it. There is yet another 
 
86 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 treasure reserved for thee in the land of Yemen, and 
 when thou shalt have journeyed thither, it will be found 
 by thee. And now free me, mortal, from my long servi- 
 tude." 
 
 " Bring me that treasure likewise, and do me yet an- 
 other service, and I will hberate thee for ever." 
 
 " Swear it !" solemnly tolled the awful voice. 
 
 " By him who framed the talisman which enthralled 
 thee, I swear it. Gently bring hither my wife and 
 children, so as neither to hurt nor terrify them, along with 
 the other treasure thou hast spoken of, and henceforth thou 
 art free for ever." 
 
 " Thanks, mortal ; I go to fetch them. In three days 
 expect thy family from Cairo. They shall enter this city 
 with a stately procession, so as not to shame thee (for all 
 things are known to me), and thy Arabian wealth shall be 
 brought with them." And darkness reassumed possession 
 of the apartment, for the spirit had departed. 
 
 The prodigal slept tranquilly until the mornings he 
 arose early, and searched about the roomy mansion for a 
 hiding-place for his golden heaps. Chance again favoured 
 him ; there was a discoloured slab, in the flooring of the 
 saloon, which was connected with a turning-pin, and which, 
 by a peculiar downward and then lateral pressure, could be 
 made to slip away beneath the rest of the pavement. He 
 had seen one of these in his old home, so fancying that the 
 discoloured slab might be moveable, he tried the peculiar 
 knack, and, to his intense gratification, saw the marble 
 slide away, revealing to his eyes a capacious treasure-vault, 
 to which access was obtained by a narrow-winding flight 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 87 
 
 of stairs. Driving on the great circle of coin towards the 
 aperture, and then shoveUing down the countless gold 
 with both hands, he barely contrived to stow away one- 
 third of it before a loud rapping at the front door com- 
 pelled him to withdraw from his energetic labour. Run- 
 ning to the street-door, determined to bar all ingress to 
 the saloon, he found it was only the slave with whom he 
 had conversed the previous day j who, seeing him alive, 
 gave him a friendly nod, and hastened away to tell the glad 
 tidings to his master. Harder than ever did Ali work to 
 conceal his golden heaps from the expected visit of his 
 host. The last coin was rattling down the vault, clinking 
 as it fell, when the violent rapping at the house-door an- 
 nounced the advent of the owner. With a vigorous haul 
 the slab was again replaced, and the perspiring prodigal 
 flew down the grand staircase, apologizing as he ushered 
 in his visitor, for his discourteous yet necessary delay. 
 
 Unwonted toil and a dirty floor had not improved the 
 general appearance of Ali ; so that his landlord, after 
 having congratulated him upon his safety, and inquired 
 whether anything disagreeable had disturbed his slumbers 
 (to which question the tenant smilingly replied in the ne- 
 gative), drily asked, how long it would be before his goods 
 arrived. 
 
 " In three days, without fail ; my caravan is too well 
 guarded to be despoiled ; meanwhile, if I cannot get trust, 
 I shall patiently submit to these filthy clothes and these 
 unfurnished walls." 
 
 Assurance begets confidence. The trusting merchant 
 introduced him to his own tradesmen, and having related 
 
88 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 his story in the pubhc bazaar, presents of all sorts and from 
 all quarters flowed steadily upon him. His kind landlord 
 even lent him slaves to prepare a home for the reception 
 of his family. 
 
 When the appointed time had come, the guardian spirit 
 again appeared to the lucky one, saying, " Arise and meet 
 thy treasure and thy harem, which are within a few hours' 
 journey from the city. Part of thy wealth consists of 
 costly merchandise ; the rich clothing of thy family was 
 taken from it ; but the mules, horses, camels, slaves, and 
 escort, are all genii." 
 
 Then Ali invited his friends and acquaintances to accom- 
 pany him to his caravan, and requested them to bring their 
 harems with them, that the females might be mutually in- 
 troduced. So they all went forth together, and sat down 
 to rest in one of the suburban gardens which looked upon 
 the desert. They chatted and they joked, but from time 
 to time gazed on the wide-spread sands. At last a dust 
 rose like a moving column j then obscurely-defined groups 
 seemed to emerge from it, and lastly these compound 
 masses seemed to resolve themselves into clear and distinct 
 individuals. The sounds of revelry, too, floated louder 
 and louder towards them as the van of the cavalcade, with 
 shout and song and dance, marched joyously onward. The 
 leader of the escort rode forward to our hero, and respect- 
 fully saluting him, apologized for his delay; and then 
 the merchants on their richly caparisoned mules and 
 the ladies in their gilded litters joining the caravan, the 
 whole formed one stately procession, which, traversing the 
 streets, slowly wound its way to the courtyard of the 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 89 
 
 haunted mansion. Its new master received them all with 
 the most profuse hospitality, and whilst the gentlemen 
 were wondering at the vast array of chests which had been 
 unladen" from the mules, the ladies were admiring the 
 superb dresses of Ali's harem, suitable rather to Sultanas 
 than to private individuals. Thus, in one short day, the 
 fame of Ali's wealth and importance was spread through- 
 out the city, and the traders who had given him credit 
 when in rags prided themselves on their discernment. 
 
 As the prodigal wished to quietly dismiss the incarnate 
 genii, he openly bade the leader of the caravan (the guar- 
 dian of the treasure) to drive the mules and other animals, 
 that very evening, a little space from the city, that they 
 might be ready to start at daybreak on another journey. 
 When night had buried all things in darkness, the genii, 
 reassuming their spiritual essence, were wafted through 
 the sky to the realms of ether. 
 
 I have little more to relate. Prosperity seemed to 
 improve the morality of my friend, who, with every fa- 
 cility for indulgence from his almost illimitable wealth, 
 has never relapsed into his early wastefulness ; and of 
 late, indeed, has become positively thrifty. I liked him 
 better, I own, when he was more of a scapegrace. 
 
 Giafar paused, and one of the boon-companions scofF- 
 ingly remarked : — 
 
 " Not a bad way that to obtain credit. I suspect the 
 chests were empty, the beasts and escort hired for the 
 day, and tlie treasure and its spirit-guardian the after- 
 thought of a successful scamp. Now he really has pro- 
 
90 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 perty, he takes care of it. Well, so much the worse for 
 his friends. Long life to the spendthrifts, say I." 
 
 The guests laughed at the conceit, and the pseudo- 
 Caliph indicated to Mesroor they were waiting for his 
 tale : — 
 
 NEAMEH AND NOAM. 
 
 Some years ago I guarded the purity of a king's seraglio. 
 I am a eunuch, and have witnessed strange doings, which 
 I might reveal for your amusement, but prudence forbids. 
 The incident I am about to relate redounds to the honour 
 of my lord, and I need not tremble to narrate it. It was 
 not often there was a disturbance among our ladies, and 
 never have I been compelled, in that palace at least, to 
 execute the dread sentence of a mortally offended husband 
 upon either wife or concubine. Once, and once only, did 
 I find a man concealed in the women's apartment, and 
 I will tell you what occurred. I was serving the Caliph 
 at supper, when his sister, who had remarked his atten- 
 tive observation of two of the slave-girls, thus addressed 
 him : — 
 
 '' Shall I tell you a tale, to-night, my brother ? it is a 
 simple, but a true one, which may interest you from your 
 love of justice." 
 
 The Caliph nodded his assent, and the royal lady thus 
 continued : — 
 
 ** In the city of El Koofeh, there dwelt a youth, named 
 Neameh, and a maiden, called Noamj they had been 
 brought up in the same cradle, and loved each other from 
 their earliest years. The girl was, strictly speaking, the 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 91 
 
 slave of Neameh's father, who intended — such precocious 
 beauty did she manifest in her childhood — to give her in 
 marriage to his son. When they were both adult, they 
 lived together as man and wife 3 yet both were very youth- 
 ful, and he so fair and delicate, that but for his garb, he 
 might have been taken for one of my sex. They were 
 happy in their tranquil existence, but the beauty of Noam 
 was so renowned, that it brought misery to their home. 
 
 " The governor of the district was seeking to propitiate 
 the favour of his ruler, which had been gradually waning 
 through the many complaints against his tyranny that had 
 reached the throne from the oppressed people. As the 
 sovereign was known to be amative, no gift could be more 
 acceptable to him than a pretty and accomplished slave- 
 girl. And as Noam was not merely beautiful but an ex- 
 quisite musician, this despot, knowing her to be incom- 
 parable yet unpurchaseable, resolved to inveigle her from 
 the house of her master, and transport her as a slave to 
 the palace of his lord. 
 
 '* It was needful to entice the girl from the home of 
 Neameh, for open violence would not have been tolerated, 
 even in a district which had been so long misgoverned. 
 A handy tool was readily found by him, a saintly harridan 
 who, under the guise of religion, would stickle at nothing 
 which could gratify an open-handed employer. Women 
 are so very easily deluded by pretensions to religion, that 
 this seeming saint could penetrate any harem ; so she had 
 little difficulty in forcing her acquaintance upon the pious 
 Noam, who willingly accompanied her to pray in one of 
 the holy places. She was conducted, however, in her in- 
 
92 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 nocence, to the viceregal palace ; and, thus entrapped, was 
 forwarded at once on a swift dromedary to Damascus, 
 there to abide the pleasure of the King. 
 
 *' A letter, insinuating that her price had been ten thou- 
 sand pieces of gold, was sent by the same channel, and 
 the gratified Caliph hastened to view this costly damsel. 
 But grief and fatigue had overpowered her, and though 
 her features were exquisitely chiselled, yet the plumpness 
 of health had deserted them, for she had sickened of a slow 
 fever. 
 
 *' Neameh was smitten with disease likewise ; he pined 
 for the loss of his beloved, and was helpless as a child 
 under his affliction. His Persian doctor, a man of pene- 
 tration, foresaw the dissolution of his patient should no 
 remedy be found for a complaint which was rather mental 
 than physical. 
 
 "Knowing the opulence of the father, he thus admonished 
 him : — * If you do not value your riches more than your 
 boy, you can save him j but the cure will be costly. He 
 must accompany me to the capital -, for although I cannot 
 prove it (so cunningly has the abduction been contrived), 
 I feel assured that Noam has been taken thither, and she 
 is the heart and the life of your son. Give me four thou- 
 sand pieces, and I will abandon my practice here, and take 
 him with me to Damascus. Trust to my skill for success ; 
 I will not only save the life of Neameh, but restore him, 
 also, his beloved.' 
 
 " What will not a father do for his only child ? The 
 parent not only acceded to the suggestion, but gave the 
 physician more than he asked for. 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 93 
 
 " The youth journeyed to Damascus, where the Persian 
 soon estabhshed himself as a mystic and cabalistic curer of 
 incomprehensible diseases, with Neameh clad in garments 
 of silk richly embroidered with gold, as his assistant. The 
 costume of the sage was rich but sober, his deportment 
 grave and dignified. His decoctions and ointments were 
 stored in vases of gold and porcelain ; his bottles and cups 
 were of crystal, and a massive astrolabe of silver occupied 
 a conspicuous place on his ebony shelves. Need I say that 
 shop, proprietor, and assistant (for Neameh was very 
 handsome), attracted universal attention ? 
 
 " One day an old woman ahghted from an ass, whose rich 
 saddle and equipments betokened it was owned by a per- 
 son of consideration. She described the symptoms of a 
 maiden, whom she termed her daughter ; and when told it 
 was needful to mention her age and name, that the fortu- 
 nate hours for the administration of her potions might be 
 calculated, and to state her fatherland, that the remedies 
 might be suitable to her native air, she rather unwillingly 
 announced that her name was Noam, and that she was a 
 native of El Koofeh. The agitated assistant trembled 
 with emotion as he made up the medicine (an innocent 
 one, that could neither cure nor kill), and wrote in Cufic 
 characters on the outside of the parcel, ' From Neameh.' 
 
 '* The girl, on seeing the writing, felt that she was saved ; 
 and marvellous benefit accrued to her health from the 
 lover's remedy. The bloom revisited her cheeks, and the 
 King, who longed for her recovery, sent a purse of gold 
 to the physician that he might expedite her cure. 
 
 " * Keep it for yourself,' said the doctor to the old lady 
 
94 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 who brought it 3 'only help us, and more shall be forth- 
 coming.' Then, under a promise of secrecy, he told her 
 the entire truth, and the dame promised to procure an in- 
 terview between the lovers. As the girl was not permitted 
 egress from her chamber, the dame disguised Neameh 
 (whose smooth visage needed not the razor) as a slave-girl, 
 dyed the tips of his fingers with henna, and decorated his 
 hair with ornamented strings of silk ; then satisfied with 
 his toilet, she exclaimed, ' You make a more charming 
 woman than your mistress. Now mind your gait, move 
 your hips from side to side, and sidle as you walk. Above 
 all, avoid speaking 3' and she drilled him, as it were, until 
 he was perfect. 
 
 " He followed her in this guise to the palace, where the 
 dame passed him through the sentries as a newly-purchased 
 slave 5 but, from the exigencies of service, was forced to 
 leave him for a while, after careful directions as to which 
 chamber had been allotted to his beloved. Alas for the 
 lover ! he erroneously entered the saloon of the King's 
 sister, who discovered his sex. She, however, pitied him 
 when she heard his story, and sending for Noam, com- 
 plaisantly looked upon their mutual transports, and assured 
 them of her protection. But when the King knew all 
 that had passed, he ruthlessly slew the youth, because he 
 himself longed for the beautiful slave. Tell me, then, O 
 fountain of justice ! whether he acted well ?" 
 
 " Most unroyally did he act. The lover deserv^ed death 
 for his violation of the laws of the harem ; yet he only 
 sought his own. A King should have pardoned him." 
 
 ** My brother, you have delivered a verdict on yourself. 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH 95 
 
 These two," and she pointed to Noam and Neameh, " are 
 the innocent criminals, and to your sense of justice I 
 abandon them." 
 
 We of the estabhshment prepared to seize them j but 
 the Cahph, who noticed our approach, waved us back. 
 
 *' I revoke not my sentence," he exclaimed ; " leave 
 them to each other." 
 
 And they departed unscathed. 
 
 A somewhat suspicious look was cast by many of the 
 feasters upon the narrator ; for few, besides Mesroor, could 
 have known the secrets of a royal harem from his personal 
 experience. The host, however, thanked his guest, and 
 courteously intimared to Haroun that his turn was come. 
 
 MESROOR'S BARGAIN. 
 
 I know a Httle of the Court, and can vouch for the 
 truth of the following anecdote. Indeed, I happened to 
 be present when the denouement took place. 
 
 There is a certain favourite eunuch of Haroun Alraschid, 
 Mesroor by name, whose chief merit is his unswerving 
 fidelity to his sovereign, but who has of late become in- 
 fected with that spirit of rapacity which is the source of 
 half the evils mankind is troubled with. 
 
 A few months ago he made a hard bargain with a pro- 
 fessional joker, that for an introduction to the Caliph he 
 should himself receive two-thirds of whatever the latter 
 might bestow upon him ; so, seizing the opportunity when 
 his royal master could not sleep, from nervous irritabihty. 
 
96 THE bHAM CALIPH. 
 
 he neatly suggested that El Karibee (for so was the wit 
 named) should be sent for to amuse him. The idea 
 seemed good, and the joker soon made his appearance. 
 
 " I warn you, beforehand," said Haroun, who was not 
 in the best of tempers, " that, although a purse of gold 
 shall reward you if you can make me laugh, should you 
 fail, I will award you three blows with a stick for your 
 sole recompense. Are you content with these condi- 
 tions?" 
 
 El Karibee, confident in his skill, bowed his assent, and 
 by comic gestures, funny tales, and quaint drolleries, such 
 as might make a dying man to smile, vainly sought to 
 cheer the Caliph, not a muscle of whose stern face unbent 
 in sympathy. At last the patient grimly said, 
 
 "Mesroor, give the dull-witted fellow a blow with your 
 batons 
 
 The blow was well delivered, and tlie victim writhed 
 beneath it. It seemed, however, to enliven his wit. 
 
 " Stop, your Majesty," he exclaimed, "I have had my 
 share; the other two belong to Mesroorj" and he detailed 
 his bargain about the two-thirds of the anticipated gift. 
 
 "Take his hdton, then, and pay your debt," said Ha- 
 roun with a ringing laugh, and Mesroor's shoulder ached 
 with the hearty return which was made from anger at the 
 previous blow. 
 
 El Karibee carried off the well-earned purse, but whe- 
 ther Mesroor got his thirds of it I know not. 
 
 *' The rascal never paid me," cried the excited eunuch, 
 who had forgotten all but his own feelings. 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH, 97 
 
 At these words, the whole company, penetrating the 
 disguise, fell into confusion. The sham Caliph threw 
 himself before the real one, exclaiming, 
 
 " My aim is at length accomplished. I have met my 
 sovereign, face to face, without the intervention of my 
 too-powerful adversaries. Pardon, Sire, and justice : par- 
 don for my personation of yourself j justice for the wrongs 
 inflicted upon me by the sister of your friend." 
 
 *' Your hospitality has atoned for your offence against 
 myself," said the ruler j "your history will throw light 
 upon your alleged wrongs 3" and he sat in an attitude of 
 attention, whilst his entertainer related as follows : — 
 
 I am the son of a very wealthy jeweller, at whose de- 
 cease I inherited not only an abundance of precious stones, 
 but a considerable estate in land and houses. Sitting one 
 day in my shop, a lady, who, from the number of her at- 
 tendants, was evidently of high rank, alighted from her 
 mule, and requested to see my entire stock of necklaces. 
 She was hard to please, for nothing but the finest of jewels 
 and the most exquisite of workmanship would suit the re- 
 fined fastidiousness of her taste ; so she tossed aside, with a 
 pretty disdain, nearly a hundred patterns, and seemed, in- 
 deed, to bestow more attention upon myself than on my 
 wares. At last, with a languid air, she inquired whether 
 I had nothing better to show her. " My father," I 
 answered, '* purchased an incomparable necklace for a 
 hundred thousand pieces of gold ; but, as its price is suit- 
 able to royalty alone, I seldom exhibit it." — '' Price to me 
 is no object," she rejoined, and the moment she had seen 
 
 H 
 
98 THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 it she cried out witii ecstasy, " This is precisely what I 
 have longed for 5 take five thousand profit for yourself, 
 and let me possess it." — " It is yours at cost price :" her 
 full and lustrous eyes had enchanted me : " from you I 
 care not for gain 3" and I accompanied her to her splendid 
 mansion,, to receive payment for the superb trinket. I 
 was detained some httle time at the vestibule, and was 
 then invited to enter the saloon. A drooping curtain of 
 thick silk parted off the further end of the room, and shut 
 out all objects from my view. In a minute it was with- 
 drawn, and, seated on a gilded throne, I beheld a young 
 but majestic woman, in whose handsome features, now 
 openly displayed to me, I recognized my rich customer, 
 and bent with deep respect. Rising from her seat, she 
 approached me, saying, *^ Are all comely men bashful as 
 yourself? Know that I love you," and, as she bent to- 
 wards me, our lips met in a rapturous kiss. " Are you 
 aware who I am ?" she continued ; " if not, I will tell 
 you. I am Dunya, a maiden of repute, the sister of the 
 Prime Minister ; my hand is at my own disposal, and, if 
 you can love me, it is yours." I joyfully accepted her 
 proposal ; we were duly, but secretly wedded, and I 
 passed a whole month in her apartments, a month of in- 
 effable felicity. At the end of that period she started for 
 the bath, having solemnly charged me not to quit the 
 suite of rooms until her return ; indeed, with fond tyranny 
 she forced me to swear so. Alas ! for my resolution. 
 Scarcely had she quitted me when I was summoned by 
 the lady Zobeide to sing before her. In vain I pleaded 
 my promise as an excuse. " Would I dare offend roy- 
 
THE SHAM CALIPH. 99 
 
 alty ?" replied the messenger ; and, as I hoped to be back 
 before the appearance of my wife, I accepted the imperious 
 invitation. 
 
 Dunya had returned before I had obtained leave to 
 withdrav^^ from the lady Zobeide, and was furious with 
 rage and jealousy. *' Strike his head ofFj I want him no 
 longer," she cried to her black slave, who advanced with 
 his scimetar ; but her female domestics crowded in his 
 way, and implored their mistress to revoke so uncalled-for 
 a sentence, saying, '' He has done nothing worthy of 
 death J he knew not your temper." — *' Give him a sound 
 beating, then, and turn him out," she cried j and so strictly 
 were her orders complied with, that I could hardly crawl 
 from the spot where the male slaves had cast my bruised 
 body (it was some distance from her mansion) to my long- 
 neglected shop. 
 
 Conscious that Giafar had too much influence with his 
 sovereign to permit the exposure of his sister's shameless- 
 ness, I devised this stratagem of mock royalty to obtain a 
 private interview with the Caliph. I have squandered 
 much wealth in the scheme, but I have felt what it is to 
 be a king (in all but power), and the enjoyment I have 
 reaHzed from my assumed state and dignity has almost re- 
 paid me for its costliness. 
 
 "* Your wrongs shall be redressed," said Haroun ; "but 
 tell me frankly which you prefer — vengeance or love ? 
 Shall I restore to you your wife, or shall I punish her for 
 her cruelty ?" 
 
 "Despite of all, I love her." 
 
 H 2 
 
loo THE SHAM CALIPH. 
 
 " I will take care, then," rejoined Haroiin, " that you 
 shall possess in future the rights of an avowed husband, 
 and be no longer subject to her violent temper. And 
 now let us return, for midnight is approaching." 
 
 The stately barque was honoured that night with the 
 presence of the real Caliph ; but never afterwards did it 
 float in its gorgeous beauty down the flowing river, for the 
 pseudo-Caliph had abdicated for ever. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 IN olden times there lived an aged sovereign, Suleiman 
 by name, whose power was paramount throughout 
 tlie vast regions of Northern India. All the lesser kings — 
 and they were many — were either his vassals, his tribu- 
 taries, or, if independent, virtually obedient to his legiti- 
 mate influence 3 for all the rulers of the East revered 
 him, so good and wise was he, so numerous and warlike 
 were his armies. He had but one son, Taj el Mulook, 
 whom, seeking to train up as a warrior (for the sword 
 ruled all things in those days), he early instructed in tlie 
 art of hunting, that his muscles might be developed, and 
 his body inured to fatigue. As the youth grew up, such 
 pleasure did he take in the chase, that for weeks together 
 he would be absent from his home j and his parents, 
 who doted upon him (for they were proud of his great 
 comeliness), had less and less of his company as he ad- 
 vanced in years, until at last he remained away whole 
 montlis in the jungle, slaying the lordly lion, the ferocious 
 tiger, and the stately elephant. 
 
 Suleiman was growing old, and longed for grand- 
 
i6^\\:t:Ly,mmOOK.'4ND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 children, that he might feel assured that his dynasty would 
 sway the sceptre of the Indies after he and his son should 
 liave been gathered to their fathers. So, at one of the few 
 opportunities which the almost continual roving of his 
 son permitted, the sire thus addressed him : 
 
 '* It is time to change this mode of life, which I de-' 
 signed as only a preparatory step in your training for a 
 warrior, not as the sole pursuit of your existence. It is 
 needful, I acknowledge, if the ruler of a great empire 
 would be feared by other countries for the skill and 
 strength of his armies, that his own soldiers should re- 
 spect the individual vigour of his arm ; but the arts of 
 peace must not be neglected, else trade and agriculture, 
 the true sources of revenue, will decay ; and either his 
 unpaid troops will perforce become banditti, or he will be 
 driven to unjustly assail his neighbours. Think of this, my 
 •son, and stay at home with your aged father." 
 
 " And how shall I occupy myself in the city ? In the 
 wild solitudes of the interior of your dominions, where 
 usurping man has not yet displaced by his tillage the wild 
 beasts who are the natural owners of the soil, I pass my 
 days in the glorious excitement of hunting ; warring, not 
 with the gentle gazelle and timid antelope, but with the 
 tyrants of the hill and plain, their ruthless destroyers." 
 
 *' I can sympathize with you, my son, for I, too, liked 
 the chase when young j but oh ! the weary days, when 
 stormy nature rendered the chase impossible ! Oh, the 
 long and dreary evenings !" 
 
 " Thanks to Haziz and Hassan, who are far better 
 story-tellers than hunters, my evenings pass as happily as 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 103 
 
 my mornings ; if you only heard some of their tales, you 
 would almost envy me their companionship." 
 
 At these words the wise old King conceived a project, 
 one both agreeable to his own feelings (for he dearly 
 loved an amusing tale), and likely to further his great aim 
 in life — the retaining of his son in the capital of his em- 
 pire. He knew the influence of fiction upon the soul, how 
 that feelings, and even principles, might be instilled by it, 
 and fostered until they became motive influences. By its 
 purchased aid he would so work upon the imagination of 
 the Prince, so change the current of his thoughts, that the 
 hateful chase should be abandoned for some new source 
 of exciting enjoyment. So, having obtained the promise 
 of his son to remain with him " one little week," he 
 affectionately embraced, and dismissed him. 
 
 Immediately that El Mulook had departed, Suleiman 
 sent a messenger to both Haziz and Hassan, commanding 
 their instant appearance. They both promptly obeyed the 
 urgent summons, and prostrated themselves before the 
 King, who received them graciously in his private apart- 
 ment. Both were good-looking and well-dressed ; there 
 was nothing remarkable about tliem, except the settled 
 melancholy which almost produced a similarity in their 
 countenances. 
 
 '' For the last three years you have been the constant 
 companions of my son, from whom, I fear, you have 
 estranged me, by your tales. Interrupt me not," con- 
 tinued the monarch, who noticed their anxiety to excul- 
 pate themselves. ** I seek not to punish, but reward. 
 For the future narrate to him, not the baflEled perils of 
 
104 E.L MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 the chase, not the glorious triumphs of victory over the 
 enemies of our fatlierland, but the fascinating intrigues of 
 love J enervate his soul with wanton tales, and thus pre- 
 pare him for the influence of woman." 
 
 For the sage monarch knew by experience (he too, had 
 been a lover in his youth), how a beloved one could wile 
 us from our dearest pursuits, could so absorb our whole 
 thoughts and feelings, that everything unconnected with 
 herself should prove unpalatable. 
 
 *' This is beyond my power, O King," said Hassan ; 
 " for the joys of love have been long denied me ; a cruel 
 misfortune has incapacitated me for that passion which has 
 been the source of my sorrows." 
 
 " I, too," said Haziz, " am equally unfitted to record 
 the joys of love. I am unworthy of them, for I have 
 caused the death of her who fondly loved me." 
 
 " Relate to me your histories," rejoined Suleiman ; 
 " that I myself may judge as to your capacity. And, per- 
 chance — for men call me wise — I may remove that sad- 
 ness which is marked upon both your countenances." 
 
 At a sign from the monarch, Haziz thus commenced : — 
 
 REMORSE 5 OR, THE STORY OF HAZIZ.* 
 
 My life, O King, contains no incident worthy of 
 being recited, but I will obey your command. My sad- 
 ness arises from an incompetence to appreciate the depth 
 of the passion when its intensity is concealed through the 
 modesty of a betrothed. From a child I had dwelt in the 
 
 * From ' Haziz and Haziza,' part i. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 105 
 
 same house with my orphan cousin, a sweet girl, of a 
 gentle and retiring disposition ; and as it was intended, 
 when we had attained to our full stature and development, 
 that we should be united to each other, none of the or- 
 dinary restrictions as to our intercourse were exacted. I 
 felt towards her as a brother ; I dreamt not that a warmer 
 sentiment for my unworthy self lurked beneath the calm 
 exterior of her loving nature. 
 
 When I became a man, my parents resolved that the 
 marriage-contract between us should be performed ; and, 
 without in the least apprising me of their intentions (for 
 I knew nothing of that prospective engagement which had 
 been long ago settled by my deceased uncle and my 
 father), began active preparation for the festivities. All 
 this took place whilst my cousin and I were living to- 
 gether in pure and unrestrained familiarity 3 she, however, 
 was conscious of the engagement, and attributed my bro- 
 therly fondness for her to a like knowledge of our destined 
 union. 
 
 When, a few days before the Friday on which my 
 father had determined that the ceremony should take 
 place, he communicated his plans to me, I yielded tacitly 
 to his will. Although new and warm impulses were be- 
 ginning to stir within me, I had as yet beheld no woman 
 on whom to lavish the fervour of my passion. My cousin 
 was dear to me, so I felt neither reluctance nor ardour at 
 the prospect of this union. 
 
 When all the preparations were complete (my father 
 had proved no niggard in his expenditure), and our friends 
 and relations had accepted the invitation to join us after 
 
io6 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 morning prayers, I was sent to the bath, where I found, 
 carefully laid out for me, a new suit of clothes of the richest 
 description, a garment of white satin, interwoven with 
 gold, and so perfumed with attar of rose, that I diffused a 
 delicious odour as I sauntered quietly towards the mosque. 
 It was too early for the ceremony, and I sat myself down 
 upon a stone seat in front of a magnificent mansion, to 
 repose there for a while. That I might not sully the 
 freshness of my garment, I had thrown my handkerchief 
 upon the bench ; but the heat was so excessive that I ex- 
 haled a cloud of perfume from my raiment, and my face 
 became moist from perspiration. I wished to dry it with 
 my handkerchief, but I was in a dilemma, for I was using 
 it as a cushion. At this moment an exquisitely embroi- 
 dered and delicate white handkerchief fell softly upon me -, 
 and looking up to see from whence it had fallen, I de- 
 scried, looking out from the brazen lattice-work of a pro- 
 jecting window, a woman, whose transcendent beauty 
 kindled an instantaneous flame of passion. When she be- 
 held my ardent gaze, she put her finger in her mouth, 
 and then placed two lingers on her bosom (as one does in 
 sighing) ; after which she closed the lattice, and withdrew 
 wholly from my sight. 
 
 Vainly did I seek to comprehend her signals ; vainly 
 did I wait until evening (all things else, the contract, the 
 mosque, my betrothed, forgotten or unheeded), in longing 
 expectation of the reappearance of the enchanting vision. 
 At length, long after sunset, I departed, carrying with me 
 the gossamer-like kerchief to my father's house. My 
 cousin was sitting up for me, and was weeping. As soon 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 107 
 
 as she saw me she wiped away her tears, threw her arms 
 around me, removed my damp outer garment, and gently 
 inquired the cause of my unexpected absence. She told 
 me how .the guests, the cadi, and the witnesses had assem- 
 bled in our house, had long waited for my presence, had 
 eaten the wedding-feast, and eventually dispersed in de- 
 spair of my coming. " Your father," she continued, " is 
 positively furious with rage 5 he has vowed not to permit 
 our union for a twelvemonth, so large a sum has he fruit- 
 lessly expended on these festivities." 
 
 I told her all, for I had none else in whom I could con- 
 fide, and the tears ran down her cheeks from her emotion. 
 Even then, had I known how she loved me, all might 
 have been well ; but I" thought her feelings no more 
 ardent for me than mine for her ; that her tears were the 
 sympathy of a sister, not the tacit complaint of a neglected 
 bride. 
 
 '' At least, then, we are reprieved for a twelvemontli. 
 Aid me, dear girl, with your advice, and explain to me the 
 meaning of those signals." 
 
 She looked piteously in my face, and exclaimed, " O 
 son of my uncle, if you required mine eye, I would pluck 
 it forth from its socket for you 3 so, then, however painful 
 to me, I will' aid you in the accomplishment of your de- 
 sires." 
 
 She then explained to me that the first signal was the 
 symbol of union ; the second of her sorrow for the neces- 
 sary delay of two days before that could be accomplished. 
 
 After two days I betook myself to the same spot where 
 I had beheld the woman who so strangely fascinated me, 
 
ic8 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 and again by her signals did she defer an interview with 
 me. For five days more did I wait, according to her will, 
 and when at last her bewitching face appeared, not a word 
 did she utter, but again made signals, which my kind 
 cousin, who was continually weeping, and seemed wasting 
 away from the excess of her sympathy for me, skilfully 
 interpreted. And after more and more procrastination, at 
 last I became sick with the deferment of my hopes, and 
 loathed my food, and turned peevish and unkind to that 
 dear girl who was ever solicitous for my comfort, and who 
 bore even my ill-humour with smiling patience. She 
 would perfume my garments when I sought an interview 
 with my charmer, she would tempt my appetite with the 
 most dainty of viands, she would cheer me by her conver- 
 sation while I reclined my head upon her lap j and when, 
 after nights of restlessness, I at length fell asleep in that 
 position, she would not move from it, despite of her own 
 inconvenience, and her own want of sleep. 
 
 At last, when worn out with want of food and restless- 
 ness, I had taken my stand beneath the alluring lattice, 
 my charmer deigned to smile at my long devotion, and 
 attracting my attention, hid a small flashing mirror in a 
 sombre-coloured bag, pointed to some green shrubs, and 
 then placed a lamp upon the top of them. These sym- 
 bols, as interpreted by my poor cousin, indicated that when 
 the light of day was obscured, I should enter her garden, 
 and seat myself where I should perceive a lamp. And 
 during that entire day she lulled my impatience with tales 
 of devoted lovers ; but they were mostly sad, sad as her 
 own sweet face, sad as her hapless fate. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 109 
 
 At the hour of nightfall I left my father's house, and 
 proceeded to the entrance of the garden I had been invited 
 to. The gate was left open. I entered, and walked 
 stealthily towards a bright light, which was burning in a 
 pavilion-like summer-house, opening upon the garden. 
 The gilded lamp suspended from the middle of the dome, 
 which was constructed of ebony inlaid with ivory, dis- 
 played to advantage the gold and silver embroidery of tlie 
 thick silken carpets, the tempting viands reposing in costly 
 dishes on a table of alabaster, the most perfect and lus- 
 cious of fruits, the most fragrant and exquisite of flowers, 
 A cup of crystal, too, had been placed near a silver beaker 
 of yellow wine. Everything was indicative of opulence 
 and luxury. 
 
 For hours I impatiently waited for my speechless 
 charmer. All was quiet ; not even a distant footfall dis- 
 turbed the lone silence. The stillness overcame me ; I 
 had not slept for many nights ; and at length consciousness 
 left me. When I awoke (I had laid my head upon a 
 cushion) I found myself upon the bare cold tablets of the 
 marble floor. Day was near at hand, and I slunk back to 
 my home, with anger and despondency in my heart ; for 
 I knew by the removal of the cushion that I had been 
 visited and scorned. My sweet cousin, who had passed 
 the night in jealous weeping, smiled sadly at my return, 
 and congratulated me upon the accomplishment of my 
 wishes. I struck her in my passion ! That blow will 
 never be eradicated from my memory. I struck her, 
 whose every pulse beat in unison with mine, who was 
 sacrificing her own fair prospects to forward mine. Thank- 
 
jio EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 less and blind that I was, I can never more look for hap- 
 piness. Half fainting, and with dilated eyes, she mur- 
 mured, "■ I forgive you ; the delirium of a baffled lover is 
 pardonable by one who loves him." And she kissed my 
 forehead, and soothed me, and inquired of the past. 
 
 By her advice I wended my way that very night to the 
 same spot, and the same tempting preparations for my 
 coming greeted my sight. After waiting until past mid- 
 night, hunger possessed me, and I fed freely from the 
 dishes, and quaffed the potent wine. In my enfeebled con- 
 dition it was too strong for me ; I slept, and on awaking 
 found myself cast forth from the garden, and lying upon 
 my back, with a sharp-pointed knife upon my stomach. 
 
 I learnt from my cousin that by this my charmer meant 
 she would slay me if I dared again approach her. But 
 when my despair became so intense as to threaten my 
 reason, my wasted and weeping betrothed bade me, if the 
 violence of my passion would kill if left unappeased, to 
 dare all, and revisit the garden. " Yet remember," she 
 warned me, ''that sleep in that pavilion means death !" 
 
 That day I obeyed her injunctions ; I laid myself down 
 upon the couch, whilst she fanned me so gently that I 
 slumbered until the evening. I then, by her directions, 
 took a moderate meal of food and sherbet, and thus forti- 
 fied against sleep and appetite, remained sober and awake, 
 despite the loneliness and the seducing silence. After 
 more than half the night had passed, I was rewarded for 
 my abstinence. My charmer appeared, gorgeously attired 
 in satin and gold, attended by ten female slaves, whose dress 
 betokened the wealth of their owner. Radiant with delight. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. iii 
 
 I heard the first words she had ever uttered to me, " Now 
 that you have preferred me to both sleep and food, I ac- 
 knowledge and will requite the ardour of your passion." 
 Then she signalled to her attendants to quit us ; and when 
 we were alone she kissed me, and pressed me to her 
 bosom. The night passed in soft converse, in feasting, 
 and in dalliance. 
 
 At dawn I left her, and returning to my cousin, found 
 her prostrate with feebleness, and with long-continued 
 weeping. 
 
 *^ I have triumphed, dear girl," I abruptly exclaimed ; 
 *' she is mine for ever !" 
 
 The tidings were her death-blow j the feeble flame of 
 life went out in the mute conflict of jealousy with un- 
 selfish love. 
 
 It was not until after her decease that my mother re- 
 vealed to me the calm intensity of her love for me ; her 
 self-immolation was then manifest to me in all its quiet 
 grandeur. Even my passion for my mistress was checked 
 by the profundity of my remorse ; I could not revel in 
 the arms of another, while she who loved me to her own 
 destruction lay in that grave 1o which my coldness and 
 neglect had doomed her. 
 
 When, after long absence, I once more sought the lat- 
 tice and the garden -gate, botli were for ever closed against 
 me ; I lost, at one stroke, the woman whom I loved, and 
 the woman who loved me. From that hour I have never 
 smiled. 
 
 *' Did you never learn the name of your warmly-dis- 
 
J 12 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 posed acquaintance ?" inquired Suleiman with a slight 
 yawn. 
 
 " Not from herself. But I ascertained that a Siamese 
 princess, Indamora by name, occupied the mansion I 
 had first seen her at." 
 
 " The very wanton who was the cause of my own in- 
 curable sorrow," cried Hassan, who thus took up the 
 thread of the story : — 
 
 THE RIVAL BEAUTIES.* 
 
 It must have been shortly after the obsequies of Haziza 
 (my friend's cousin, whom he is ever lamenting) that I 
 lirst saw the seductive princess ; from that brazen lattice- 
 work, after having signalled to me her will, by symbols I 
 had not the wit to comprehend, she let fall verses, which 
 very plainly told me the ardour of her feelings and the 
 length I might proceed to. I was, at that time, a very 
 handsome fellow, of a warm temperament, and not un- 
 accustomed to intrigue. 
 
 Admitted to the pavilion, no forbidden food or slumber 
 delayed my transports. The princess yielded me at once 
 all that the most favoured lover could ask for, and, for a 
 time, I revelled in the alternating delights of feasting and 
 of passion. My own good-nature proved my ruin. One 
 night, whilst proceeding to my rendezvous, I was ad- 
 dressed by a respectable-looking aged female, who begged 
 me to read for her a letter which she carried in her out- 
 stretched hand. It had come from her son, she said, a 
 * From * Haziz and Haziza,' part ii. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 113 
 
 wealthy merchant, who had been absent from home for 
 ten years. From his long-continued silence, she had 
 thought him deadj yet the letter was assuredly in his 
 handwriting. Both she and her daughter were most 
 anxious to decipher its contents, but, alas ! they were not 
 scholars ; they must appeal to my benevolence. 
 
 A bright light emanated from the open doorway of a 
 stately mansion ; thither the old woman conducted me 
 that I might see to read the open note. The house was 
 so evidently the residence of a wealthy family that I en- 
 tertained no suspicion of its occupants, and not being in 
 a hurry, and ever glad to oblige my fellow-creatures, I 
 passed beneath its portals. I was met by a damsel who 
 was elegantly yet peculiarly clad in the same foreign fa- 
 shion as that worn by the Princess Indamora, to whom, 
 indeed, she bore a remarkable likeness. She was younger, 
 however, and I thought her still handsomer ; there was in 
 her attitude and demeanour the same commanding for- 
 wardness, the same scorn for conventionalities : her gait 
 and features were voluptuous, yet did not betray that utter 
 abandonment of self-respect to passion which deteriorated 
 the beauty of my mistress. I could not but admire her, 
 and when she asked in dulcet tones such as neither before 
 nor after have I heard equalled, that I would enter and 
 kindly read the letter aloud, I respectfully advanced 
 towards her. At that moment the door, which was lined 
 throughout with sheets of copper, as though for protec- 
 tion against thieves, was violently slammed-to, the key 
 hurriedly abstracted by the old woman, and tlie light ex- 
 tinguished. 
 
114 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 " Fear not," cried the silvery voice ; " no harm is in- 
 tended ; it is a little surprise, that is all. Take my hand, 
 and I w^ill conduct you to where there are lights in plenty." 
 
 The speaker approached me, and, in the darkness, pas- 
 sionately kissed my lips and pressed me to her bosom. I 
 took her hand, reassured as- to my safety, yet not quite 
 pleased with my adventure. We passed through seven 
 vestibules, and at length entered a spacious and brilliantly- 
 lighted saloon, built of pure white alabaster, and furnished 
 with cushions and sofas of the richest brocade. 
 
 " Which prefer you, handsome stranger," said the fo- 
 reign damsel, " life with me in this luxurious home, or 
 death and an unknown grave?" 
 
 *' Life !" I briefly answered. 
 
 " Then marry jne, for I love you 3" and the witchery of 
 her eyes, the music of her voice, the perfume of her 
 breath, the soft pressure of her winding arms, all intoxi- 
 cated me with desire, and I assented. 
 
 "Think not," she continued — and I beneath the spell 
 of her voice fondly believed her, — '^ that / would have 
 hurt you ; but Indamora would not long have spared you. 
 She is my cousin, and I know her well. She soon wearies 
 of her lovers who sup and are seen no more. Her feasts 
 are fatal. But I had seen you, my beloved, and resolved 
 to save you. You will be mine, willingly, will you not ?" 
 And the look she gave me of love ! of pity ! of triumph ! 
 oh ! it was indescribable. Suffice it, I was conquered, if 
 not convinced, and, without either fear or regret, accepted 
 the alliance. 
 
 The damsel clapped her hands, and the old woman, ac- 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 115 
 
 companied by four witnesses, the regulated number in that 
 city, entered, saluted me respectfully, and took their seats. 
 
 The foreign lady formally acknowledged, in their pre- 
 sence,, she had received an adequate dowry, declared me 
 her consort (a declaration I reciprocated), obtained their 
 signatures, as legal witnesses, to the marriage-contract, 
 liberally remunerated them for their attendance, and cour- 
 teously dismissed them. We were alone together, and I 
 had no reason to complain of the coldness of my bride. 
 
 The next morning I proposed to withdraw myself for 
 a while to my lodgings, and betake myself to my ordinary 
 avocations. To my surprise, the street-door would not 
 open. My wife was by my side in a minute. 
 
 " It is easier to enter here than depart, my husband. 
 This door is nailed up from the outside, and once a year 
 only are the fastenings remov^ed. My cousin lets her pet 
 birds go free, for she can lure them back; but I cage 
 mine, that I may save them from her poisoned rice." 
 
 I was too well contented with my position to resist ; in- 
 deed, I never wished to. Unlimited stocks of provision 
 had been stored up for a twelvemonth's consumption -, 
 every imaginable luxury seemed daily provided for our 
 wants, our appetites, or our whimseys. There was con- 
 finement, certainly, but the gardens were extensive, and 
 not a wish or fancy left ungratified. Without relatives in 
 the city, and without acquaintances worthy the name of 
 friends, I was neither missed by them, nor missed them. 
 My existence was passed in an earthly Paradise. The soul, 
 perchance, was unsatisfied, but every requirement every 
 desire of the body was gratified. 
 
 1 2 
 
ii6 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 A twelvemonth sped away. I had become a parent, 
 and scarcely cared to regain my liberty and revisit my 
 former haunts. 
 
 "■ You are free this day," said my wife, as we heard the 
 workmen outside removing the heavy nails from the for- 
 tified doors, and saw a host of tradesmen, with household 
 requisites for the ensuing year, watching their progress ; 
 '''but you must wait until evening, for the sake of de- 
 corum, before you depart ; moreover, you must take a 
 solemn oath to return before midnight, failing in which, 
 to hold me exonerated, by the triple oath of divorcement, 
 from the marriage vow." 
 
 I accepted the terms of release, yet sought not to free 
 myself from my silken fetters. I scarcely cared to quit 
 my Paradise, yet having left it curiosity impelled me to re- 
 visit the pavilion where I had been received so kindly by 
 Indamora. It was not that I loved her, or preferred her 
 to her cousin j although I appreciated too truly, as the 
 event proved, the innate selfishness of my voluptuous 
 wife, who kept me, as it were, for the gratification of her 
 passions, I entertained no wish to change my vassalage. 
 Neither of the women, indeed, was capable of love in its 
 purer sense ; but I, who could comprehend that the anni- 
 hilation of self was the essence of that sacred feeling, 
 knew I was unworthy, from the sensuality of my na- 
 ture, of a more spiritual passion. I was supinely content 
 because I dared not aspire to a nobler grade of sen- 
 timent. 
 
 I pushed the garden gate ; it was unfastened. Indig- 
 nant that my memory had so soon been forgotten, — for 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 117 
 
 I believed it was purposely left open for a subsequent 
 lover, — I trod the well-remembdred path to the domed 
 summer-house, and there beheld a sight which melted my 
 soul within me, dispersing all ideas of vexation and dis- 
 trust. Indamora, the shadow of her former self, was 
 sitting with her head buried in her lap : at the sound of 
 my approach, she raised it ; continual weeping had blighted 
 the beauty of her once incomparable features. 
 
 " Praise be to Heaven for thy safety !" was her first sa- 
 lutation j '' I thought I had lost thee for ever." 
 
 I hung down my head in shame (yet I was not to blame), 
 and, in reply to her eager questions, detailed to her all 
 the incidents of my capture and my marriage. I told 
 her, too, that, in compliance with my solemn oath, I must 
 leave her ere midnight. Then her tenderness vanished, 
 her face became livid with rage, her eyes flamed with jea- 
 lous fury. 
 
 " Traitor !" cried she, "' dost think to turn me off like a 
 discarded wanton ! Shall my perfidious cousin enjoy thee, 
 after having stolen thee from my arms ? Never ! never !" 
 and thrice she violently clapped her palms, and her slaves 
 flocked to her, and at a sign flung me upon the grass, and 
 so clung to my limbs that I could not move an inch. 
 Pausing, she exclaimed, " I will not slay thee, for it is 
 her, whom I hate ; yet no woman shall covet thee in 
 future." Then whispering to her too zealous attendants, 
 she turned upon her heel, and quitted me for ever. I may 
 not narrate what followed ; suffice it that henceforth un- 
 fitted to be husband or father, I fainted from anguish, 
 and when at length restored to my senses, through some 
 
ii8 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 cordial administered by a slave more compassionate than 
 the rest, I had slowly crawled, feeble from loss of blood, 
 to the mansion of my wife, midnight had passed. In 
 that luxurious home I was permitted to rest until my 
 wound had healed, and was then cast as worthless from 
 the portals. 
 
 '* And these vile wantons, did you never see them 
 more ?" said the monarch, whose love of justice made him 
 feel such interest in the narrative, that he longed to sum- 
 mon them before his tribunal. 
 
 " I was a stranger in the city, and powerless to avenge 
 myself 5 I feared to expose my incurable calamity, and I 
 left the land for ever." 
 
 " I thank you both for your narratives," continued Su- 
 leiman, " and commiserate your sufferings. I can neither 
 bring the dead to life for you, Haziz, nor restore you, 
 Hassan, to your normal condition ; yet I can palliate the 
 calamity which has befallen each of you. Power is the 
 best substitute for love. You, O Hassan ! shall lord it, as 
 the chief of my eunuchs, over that sex which has so 
 cruelly wronged you. Another passion, Haziz, with peri- 
 lous adventure to give it zest (and / have a project full of 
 romance), will banish from your memory the image of 
 your lost Haziza." 
 
 " Thanks, gracious Sovereign, for your sympathy," they 
 both exclaimed. 
 
 "' Sympathize, too, with me, my friends," said Suleiman j 
 " with an aged father, who seeks to retain his son by his 
 side, and influence him by your tales to prefer the chase 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 119 
 
 of woman to that of beasts. She is more difficult to sub- 
 due, but better worth subduing." 
 
 " My son," said Suleiman to El Mulook, " you told me 
 you had some capital story-tellers in your company j so, as 
 you are more fortunate than myself, for I have trained my 
 own people to be wholly utilitarian, and have discoun- 
 tenanced the ideal as enervating and pernicious, I have 
 enjoined their presence, that we may both of us be amused 
 by their tales." 
 
 Hassan, duly cautioned to graduate his tales of love, 
 commenced as follows : — 
 
 ABUSHAMAT AND ASLAN. 
 
 A merchant of Cairo had an only son, who, from his 
 childhood, promised to be one whom any parent might 
 feel proud of. The father, however, was superstitious, and 
 fearing the magic of the evil-eye, brought up his offspring 
 in a subterranean apartment, where there was no possibi- 
 lity that the envious eye of a fellow-mortal should blight 
 the child by its pernicious influence. Whilst the pretty 
 boy was changing to a handsome youth, many a time did 
 his father visit him in the gloomy abode to which his 
 timorous affection had consigned him ; and incessantly did 
 he strive, both by unusual indulgences and by the warm 
 tenderness of his language, to prevent him from resenting 
 so unusual a restraint. Moreover, as his wealth was great, 
 he induced learned men, by liberal payment for their ser- 
 vices, to visit and instruct him in all accomplishments 
 
120 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 necessary to sustain his social superiority. For the father 
 was Syndic of the merchants of Cairo. 
 
 At the commencement of our history, the youth, 
 despite of his confinement, had become plump and hand- 
 some, and his beard was already sprouting from his square- 
 cut chin. Few women could have resisted his wooing, 
 had he been warmly inclined ; but his eyes had never 
 lighted upon one of that sex, his mother in his infancy al- 
 most alone excepted. He had grown up with strange and 
 unworldly ideas, for the Christian slave who had waited 
 upon him had imbued him with some of those chivalrous 
 notions of the sex which are peculiar to the barbarians 
 of the West. This Christian had been sold to the mer- 
 chant by some pirates who had captured him at sea. 
 
 One morning the trap-door of the airy and spacious 
 vault in which Abushamat, the Syndic's son, had been so 
 long immured was left open, as many surmised, from 
 sympathy with the captive ; for the Christian had disap- 
 peared, and was never heard of afterwards. Our hero 
 availed himself of the chance, clambered up, sped along 
 sundry corridors, and being pursued by the domestics, 
 accidentally took refuge in the apartments of the women. 
 The vision of a tall and vigorous youth, who, with pant- 
 ing chest and dilated eyes, burst suddenly upon the party, 
 scattered the females in all directions ; but his own evi- 
 dent amazement and hesitating timidity soon reassured 
 them. There was a kind of farewell visit going on, the 
 leavetaking of a very lovely maiden, who was to return 
 on that day to Bagdad, in order to be wedded to a not 
 too agreeable cousin. Her surprise was so intense that 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 121 
 
 she omitted (perchance purposely) to adjust her veil, and 
 her countenance, revealed to the admiring eyes of the 
 youth, exercised an influence upon his fortunes that was 
 reciprocated by the effect produced upon her by his own 
 good looks. The apologetic explanation of Abushamat's 
 mother soon removed all disquietude, and with one accord 
 the whole party (the blushing damsel excepted) congratu- 
 lated the parent upon the strength, grace, and beauty of 
 her offspring. When the father returned from the busi- 
 ness of the day, and gazed upon the ingenuous face of his 
 son, who bore a striking but spiritualized likeness to him- 
 self, he could not resist the vehemently-urged request of 
 the mother, that he would present the lad to his fellow- 
 merchants as his acknowledged son and heir. The father 
 felt proud of his boy, yet, naturally, made some merit of 
 complying with the wishes of his consort. 
 
 The young man, half bewildered by the noisy bustle of 
 the streets, which contrasted so strongly with the perpetual 
 stillness of his solitary chamber, was at first abashed, but 
 soon gained confidence from observing the respect paid to 
 his worthy sire. Of course he attracted attention, for it 
 was his first introduction to the mercantile world ; and the 
 younger members of it both smiled at his simplicity and 
 triumphed in their superior knowledge of trade and its 
 enormous profits. They boasted of their travels, and in so 
 doing contrived to insinuate their immeasurable superiority 
 over one so ignorant of the world as their Syndic's son con- 
 fessed himself to be. He parted from them with the con- 
 viction that they looked down upon him as an incapable, 
 one utterly unable to rival them in their undertakings. 
 
122 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 It is galling to be despised ; and Abushamat, who had 
 his ideal of the capabilities that were in him, although his 
 aspirations (fanned by a captive soldier, who despised the 
 grasping acquisitiveness of trade) tended not to the sordid 
 thought of mere gain, but sympathized with that spirit of 
 enterprise which alone renders money-making not wholly 
 degrading, returned to his home, galled to the quick by 
 his suggested inferiority to those who were heirs to a lesser 
 fortune ; for he had learned, in that one day, to appreciate 
 the position which wealth, even contingent, may confer. 
 
 Next morning, full of energy and will combined, he 
 begged his father to start him in life. " My companions 
 •slight me," said he, " because they have realized their cent, 
 per cent, by their ventures, and sneer at me as though I 
 could not achieve what thei/ can accomplish. I have been 
 too long immured ; you have wronged me by my com- 
 pulsory inaction. Make amends, then, by providing me 
 with the necessary outfit, and permit me to prove that not 
 even your superstition has unfitted me to conquer in the 
 battle for hfe." 
 
 " I am very wealthy, my son. I am the syndic of the 
 merchants, and my savings will render you opulent beyond 
 the risks of fortune. Remain, then, with me, my boy ; you 
 know not as yet the perils of the desert." 
 
 " It is those very perils wdiich prove so captivating to me ; 
 it is the destiny of the noble-hearted to overcome danger, and 
 in that solitude to which your credulity doomed me I have 
 formed resolutions alien, I fear, to your own ideas of hap- 
 piness, from which, however, no obstacles shall deter me." 
 
 It is diflftcult to oppose the headstrong plans of those we 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 123 
 
 feel affection for, and the resolute will of the emancipated 
 youth was too much for the passive resistance of the tender 
 father. The unprisoned energies of the son threatened to 
 revolutionize the household ; so the Syndic, in self-defence, 
 not only yielded to, but forwarded the undigested schemes 
 of his wilful son. Abushamat, who felt aggrieved at his 
 long and fooHsh confinement, plainly told his sire that, 
 should he refuse his request, he would assume the garb of 
 a dervish, and thus live at free quarters with the devout, 
 whilst wandering through the East. 
 
 " Be it so, then," at length said the Syndic j "you shall 
 visit Bagdad, and not as a peddling trader, but as a rich 
 merchant 5 for out of my vast stores I will provide you 
 with fifty camel-loads of merchandise, each worth a thou- 
 sand pieces of gold. Nevertheless, the perils of the road 
 are not to be despised, for the Bedouins, the natural foes 
 of the merchant, are numerous and daring." 
 
 Abushamat journeyed without any noteworthy occur- 
 rence until he had arrived within a few hours' distance from 
 his destination. D^espite of the objections of the leader of 
 the caravan, who regarded this spot as peculiarly objection- 
 able, and who urged that they should push on their beasts 
 so as to arrive at the city before the closing of the gates 
 at sunset, the stubborn youth insisted upon halting for the 
 night, in order to attract more attention by entering within 
 the walls at midday. 
 
 The night was very lovely ; and our hero, who well re- 
 membered that the first and only woman who had ever 
 charmed him resided in that city whose lights were faintly 
 tinging the distant horizon, could not sleep. To get rid of 
 
124 E,L MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 his excitement, he strolled on foot a mile or two from the 
 camp. Afar off he beheld some rapidly-advancing flashes 5 
 he knew they proceeded from the spear-heads of a ma- 
 rauding tribe of Arabs, and laid himself flat upon the 
 sand. The glittering of steel in the moonlight, the rush 
 of galloping steeds as they passed his hiding-place, were 
 succeeded in a few minutes by the shrieks of the attacked. 
 Resistance was hopeless, yet the assailed fought valiantly, 
 and perished to a man. Abushamat was too far off to aid 
 his little band, but he scorned himself for an inaction 
 which alone preserved him. He saw the Bedouins lead 
 away his reloaded camels, and, when they had gone out of 
 sight, ventured back to the scene of butchery, in hopes of 
 bringing succour to the wounded. He found himself the 
 sole survivor of the little body of men who formed his 
 caravan ; and he who had designed to dazzle the inhabit- 
 ants of Bagdad by the splendour of his cavalcade, was 
 glad to trudge afoot to that city, almost without a coin. 
 
 So poor was he that he took shelter at night in the 
 vestibule of a mosque. The conversation of two mer- 
 chants, as they passed along the street, preceded by their 
 slaves with lighted lanterns, attracted his attention. The 
 younger, a harshly-expressioned man, was begging the 
 elder to restore to him his cousin. His uncle (and father- 
 in-law), for such was the relationship he bore to him, re- 
 plied with sadness, '^ Did I not remonstrate with you when 
 you were continually threatening her with divorce ? yet, 
 now that all is over, you regret your hastiness. Still, if 
 she assent, it may not be too late to redeem the past." 
 The speaker was aged, but comely 3 he looked so kind- 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 125 
 
 hearted that Abushamat resolved to implore his temporary 
 assistance. He stepped forward from his concealment, 
 and confronted the friendly disputants. The abruptness of 
 his appearance startled them. 
 
 "Who are you, and what is your business ?" said the 
 younger and more collected of the pair. 
 
 " I am the only son of a rich merchant of Cairo, and 
 have been pillaged by the Arabs of a costly venture. At 
 this moment I have not wherewithal lo purchase food." 
 
 *^What say you to receiving two thousand pieces of 
 gold ?" said the elder of the two merchants. 
 
 "As a charitable loan, or for what services ?" 
 
 " My daughter Zobeide has been married to this young 
 man ; he loves her, but she is averse to him, although he 
 is her cousin. In a passionate dispute with her, he uttered 
 the irrevocable oath of divorcement, and they cannot be 
 reunited without the intervention of a mustahall, or tem- 
 porary husband. Now, in such a dilemma it is better to 
 employ a foreigner than a native, who might boast here- 
 after of the favours of the bride j hence, F offer you this 
 handsome sura if you will wed her to-night, and divorce 
 her to-morrow." 
 
 Abushamat was sore distressed. A night's shelter and 
 a liberal payment for a mere ceremony was far better 
 than lying in the streets ^ so, despite certain qualms of 
 delicacy, he accepted the offer, and, although the hour 
 was very late for business, they at once proceeded to the 
 residence of the Cadi, a good-natured magistrate, , who 
 would grant favours for a consideration. The elder mer- 
 chant stated his wish to employ the stranger as a musta- 
 
126 EL MULOOK JND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 hall, and suggested a bond, by which ten thousand pieces 
 of gold should be paid by the latter as a dowry, in the 
 event of his refusing to repudiate his wife the next morn- 
 ing ; if he did so, the old merchant covenanted to pay 
 him two thousand pieces of gold, on condition of his im- 
 mediate departure from the city. The bond was duly 
 signed by both parties, and the damsel's father introduced 
 him into the house of Zobeide as her temporary husband, 
 the precaution having been taken of employing one of 
 those convenient liars, a female friend of the family, to 
 persuade both bride and bridegroom that the other was 
 afflicted with contagious leprosy. 
 
 Curiosity baffled the well-laid scheme : the voice of 
 Abushamat, as he chanted a chapter of the Koran after 
 supper, was so sweet that it attracted the attention of the 
 divorced. She eyed him from behind a curtain, recog- 
 nized her youthful admirer at Cairo, detected the artifice 
 of the friend of the family, and spurning the coyness of 
 decorum, fearlessly entered his room, and reminded him of 
 their former meeting. He needed not this : her features 
 had been indelibly impressed upon his memory. He 
 laughed at the accusation of leprosy, bared his own pure 
 arm, gazed, not from suspicion but from ardour at the 
 snowy lustre of her exposed skin, and forgot both past 
 sorrows and future anxieties in the rapturous emotions of 
 the present. It seemed to them that Providence had des- 
 tined them for each other, and their mutual caresses 
 evinced the passionate fervour of their feehngs. 
 
 Next morning, ere they arose, Abushamat narrated all 
 the incidents of his life to Zobeide, explaining how he 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 127 
 
 had only one brief hour to linger with her. She inquired 
 in whose hands was the matrimonial tie -, and when he 
 replied that the law, indeed, was in his favour as to re- 
 taining her, but that he neither possessed the gold for her 
 dowry, nor even wherewithal to maintain her, she bade 
 him be of good courage. " Take these hundred pieces of 
 gold," she continued ; " had I more I would give them to 
 you ; but such affection does my father entertain for his 
 nephew, that he has removed all my property, even to 
 my very trinkets, from this house to his own. Do not 
 yield me, dear oncj else, not being of age, I should a 
 second time, against my inclination, be doomed to marry 
 my hateful cousin." 
 
 " But how can I resist so moneyed an opponent as my 
 father-in-law ?" inquired the young man. 
 
 ** By following my directions you can, at least, retard 
 proceedings, and who knows what may occur hereafter ? 
 Be Hberal with this money to the Cadi, and to any of the 
 officials who can favour you ; refuse to give me up ; speak 
 boldly of your resources, but plead for delay." 
 
 Scarcely was Abushamat dressed, when he was cited by 
 a law-officer to attend the court of the Cadi. Putting five 
 pieces in the hand of the summoner, he requested his ad- 
 vice, he himself, as he owned, being both inexperienced 
 and a stranger to the laws of that city. 
 
 " Inquire of the Cadi, respectfully, by what code of 
 laws it is ordained that he who marries at night should be 
 forcibly unmarried in the morning." 
 
 The counsel seemed judicious, and was followed. Our 
 hero, on entering- the court, found his father-in-law await- 
 
128 EL MULOOK JND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 ing him, advanced to the Cadi, and whilst kissing his hand, 
 adroitly slipped fifty pieces into it. He then humbly in- 
 quired whether the law of that particular city compelled 
 him to abandon the woman he had been legally united to j 
 and when reminded of the alternative, the payment of the 
 gold, pleading the difficulty of realizing, at once, so large 
 a sum without sacrificing his goods, he obtained ten days' 
 grace from the well-bribed justice. 
 
 Overjoyed with this reprieve, the young couple spent 
 the evening in feasting, joking, and singing ; for both of 
 them had sweet yet powerful voices, and the lute-playing 
 of the bride might have made the very stones to move in 
 vibrating sympathy. The bridegroom was delighted with 
 her performance ; and not he alone, for scarcely had she 
 ceased when four dervishes rapped at the door requesting 
 admission on the score of their passionate love for music, 
 Mdiich, to use their own expression, was spiritual meat and 
 drink to them. Moreover, they asserted, they themselves 
 were no mean proficients in poetry and singing. 
 
 There are times when our good-humour is such, that 
 we would like all the world to share in our happiness. In 
 such a mood were the two revellers, and, unusual as was 
 the request, they welcomed the self-invited guests, oftering 
 them refreshments and chatting unreservedly with them. 
 The time passed merrily with song and joke and mutual 
 tale-telling. Abushamat, for the young are rarely reticent, 
 — beware of the reserved, for such are ever on the watch 
 to overreach the frank — related to them, before they left, 
 his past history and his present dilemma. 
 
 " Be not uneasy as to the stipulated dowry," said one of 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 129 
 
 the dervishes as they quitted for the night j "for I am 
 sheikh of a large community, and from our joint funds we 
 will lend you the money, and wait for remittances from 
 your father at Cairo." 
 
 Next morning, as the damsel lifted up the prayer-carpet, 
 she perceived some gold that had been purposely left for 
 her by their late guests, and being quick-witted, she pre- 
 pared all things requisite for their entertainment that 
 evening. They came and made a merry night of it ; left a 
 liberal recompense for their hospitality, and so continued 
 as constant visitors for the hrst nine nights ; yet no reference 
 was again made to the promised loan. On the tenth, the 
 last night of immunity from compulsory separation, no 
 money had arrived, and the hearts of the lovers were too 
 sad for singing. The dervishes, too, absented themselves 
 from the house. 
 
 The dreaded morning came, and a loud rapping seemed 
 to the fond pair to portend that their happiness had passed 
 away for ever. 
 
 " It is your father," exclaimed Abushamat. '' He has 
 come to drag me to tlie Cadi : but what means the long 
 train of loaded mules which block up the street ?" 
 
 " We shall see," said Zobeide, who always looked to 
 the bright side of things, and had some indistinct notion of 
 its connection with the promise made by the chief dervish : 
 so the old man was admitted j he came in smiling, accom- 
 panied by a hne-looking but dark-complexioned slave, an 
 Abyssinian, who having respectfully kissed the hand of 
 Abushamat, delivered him a letter. It purported to come 
 from Cairo, and was to the following effect : — 
 
 K 
 
130 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 " Having heard the tidings of your mishap, which has 
 involved the loss of your entire venture, I have replaced it 
 by another of equal value ; and, as news of your marriage has 
 likewise reached me, I forward you also by my trusty Se- 
 lim, fifty thousand pieces of gold to defray your dowry and 
 other necessary expenses. Accept, as marriage-gifts, a robe 
 of sable from your mother (who congratulates you upon 
 your union with her young friend Zobeide), and a gold 
 ewer and basin from your loving father, Shemseddin." 
 
 Our hero was delighted, and embraced the old mer- 
 chant ; saying, " Now I can pay you your daughter's 
 dowry, and whatever profit you can make above the cost 
 price of my goods, I beg you to retain for yourself." 
 
 " Nay, by Allah !" was his answer, " I am not so 
 mean ; you shall have all they fetch in the market ; and as 
 for the dowry, give it to my girl yourself For the 
 father-in-law was now well pleased with the apparent 
 opulence of the husband of his daughter. His nephew, 
 however, from deep conviction that his own violent tem- 
 per had lost him a woman of whom he was passionately 
 fond, pined away and soon succumbed to a shght disease. 
 
 Who so happy as Abushamat, who could not compre- 
 hend the mystery of this opportune arrival of treasure, but 
 accepted it carelessly as the bounty of Providence. That 
 evening, when the tapers had been lighted and the music 
 and singing of the loving couple sounded sweetly in the 
 streets, the lute of Zobeide seemed a spell which evoked 
 the presence of the dervishes. 
 
 " I have half a mind to exclude those fellows for break- 
 ing their word," exclaimed the husband as he heard their 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 131 
 
 loud rapping ; " they came not to console me when I 
 wanted them last night." 
 
 " They were less wealthy than they supposed, poor 
 fellows. 5 they were ashamed to show themselves without 
 the gold 5 recollect what we owe to them," pleaded his 
 more indulgent wife. 
 
 " Come in, you jolly promise-breakers," said the joyous 
 Abushamat, who received them heartily ; " no thanks to 
 you that I am not in prison, for I would never have 
 divorced my Zobeide^" and he ushered them into his 
 saloon, and made them welcome as of old. Before they 
 left, he accounted, at their request, for his escape from the 
 clutches of tJie law, by narrating to them his reconciliation 
 with his wife's father, consequent upon his receipt of the 
 letter and merchandise from Cairo. 
 
 "But," said one of the guests, not the sheikh of the 
 convent, " I cannot comprehend your statement. How 
 many days' journey is it to your father's home?" 
 
 ** Five-and-forty, or thereabouts." 
 
 " And what time has elapsed since your caravan was 
 attacked ?" 
 
 " Not a fortnight." 
 
 '' So the work of ninety days — half needful for the 
 tidings and half for the arrival of the goods — is magically 
 performed in fourteen !" 
 
 " It is that which puzzles my brains. I would give half 
 my fortune to solve the mystery !" 
 
 ** It shall not cost you a dirrhem, my host," responded 
 the questioner. " I am permitted by the Commander 
 of the Faithful, who sits opposite us," and he pointed 
 
 K 2 
 
132 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 to the sheikh, '' to reveal the whole secret to you. 
 I am Giafar, and my two companions are Mesroor and 
 Hassan, confederates of the Caliph in many a merry ad- 
 venture. Chance led us to your street ; your music at- 
 tracted our attention ; your frankness and liberality won 
 the heart of your Sovereign, and to his munificence you 
 are indebted for your rescue from ruin." 
 
 Abushamat prostrated himself reverently before Haroun 
 Alraschid, and poured forth his gratitude with an unpre- 
 meditated eloquence which astonished even himself. The 
 Caliph, who was as much gratified now by the evident 
 warmth of his heart and the fluent choiceness of his lan- 
 guage, as he had been amused by his previous simplicity 
 and good-fellowship, raised him kindly, and briefly con- 
 tinued the explanation. " I concocted the letter from 
 what I had gleaned from your conversation, and purchased 
 the usual stuffs from Cairo and a slave from Abyssinia 
 (for you mentioned your father had several from that 
 barbarous land), the better to deceive you. And now the 
 m.ystery has been solved come to my Court to-morrow, 
 and you shall find that Haroun is no less your friend in his 
 royal palace, than he has proved himself to be in your 
 humbler residence." 
 
 The Caliph was as good as his word. He received 
 Abushamat with gracious condescension, often invited him 
 to the royal banquets, and, as years rolled on and his 
 natural ability displayed itself, promoted him to high offices 
 as they became vacant. 
 
 Haziz paused, and the hunter-prince, who evidently 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 133 
 
 felt no especial regard for a hero who, after the chi- 
 valrous aspirations of his youth, succeeded in love and 
 fortune, through sheer good luck, thus commented upon 
 him : — 
 
 ** He w^as favoured by destiny, and did not merit her 
 kindness. Somehow, in every story, the careless and the 
 reckless find both friends and fortune." 
 
 " Is it not so in life ?" responded Haziz. " All women, 
 and most men, love to patronize : those who seek not to 
 raise themselves are pitied for their helplessness, and hence 
 regarded as the most suitable objects for compassion. 
 However, when Abushamat had grown older and better, 
 he too had his share of that suffering which is allotted 
 to all of us." 
 
 " Relate, then, my friend, the rest of his career." 
 
 Haziz turned his eyes towards the face of Suleiman, 
 who nodded his assent. He then continued : — 
 
 So long as Zobeide lived, all was well with Abu- 
 shamat 5 wealth, power, the respect and regard of all he 
 had dealings with, flowed upon him ; he became the in- 
 timate of the Caliph, the friend of Giafar, and the 
 benefactor of the poor. But Haroun was choleric and 
 suspicious, easy of belief, and mercilessly just. He thought 
 himself slighted, too, because, when the Sovereign, in a 
 fit of good-nature, had sent Abushamat one of his dis- 
 carded favourites to replace the loss of his bride, the now 
 thrifty widower, unwilling to incur the expense of main- 
 taining a mistress whose attendants alone numbered more 
 than forty, had contrived to evade the ruinous gift by re- 
 
134 E.L MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 peating the old adage, ' What is suitable for the master is 
 not fitting for the servant/ 
 
 After a while the sense of loneliness prevailed, and 
 Abushamat, having been presented by the good-humoured 
 despot with ten thousand pieces of gold for the express 
 purpose of buying a beautiful slave-girl, to erase, by her 
 charms, the image of his lost wife, and thus restore him to 
 his pristine cheerfulness (for the Caliph sadly missed the 
 merry jokes and other convivial qualities of his depressed 
 boon-companion), successfully competed with the Emir 
 Khalid, the Wali of Bagdad, for the lovely Yasemeen. 
 
 That official, whose own experience of the sex would 
 not have led him to purchase a concubine for himself, had 
 attended the market under the following circumstances : 
 — He had, by his wife Khatoon, an only son, who had been 
 named Habazlam Bazazah. This child was the one great 
 sorrow of his life ; for the father, a fine-looking, noble- 
 hearted warrior, could not hide from himself the painful 
 knowledge that his son was hideous as a baboon, pusillani- 
 mous, half-idiotic, foul in person and in odour. He had 
 now become a man, and the doting mother, aware that no 
 woman would voluntarily accept her poor monster as a 
 husband, enjoined her consort to purchase a slave-girl for 
 his gratification. 
 
 Bazazah and his parent sought everywhere for a beau- 
 tiful female, but none would hit the fancy of the former, 
 save the exquisite Yasemeen, whose price, however, was 
 so enormous, that prudence forbade her purchase by his 
 father. 
 
 The disappointed youth had the sulks, took to his bed. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 135 
 
 and easily persuaded his foolish and unprincipled mother 
 that he would die if. he could not possess the woman he 
 was longing for. Khatoon knew that the noble Emir 
 would never lend himself to any intrigue that should be 
 unworthy of a man of honour ; hence she consulted an 
 old hag, who had often proved serviceable to her in matters 
 of questionable propriety. 
 
 *' In helping me out of my trouble, you will help your- 
 self," said the adviser. " My boy, Ahmad Kamakim, is 
 the cleverest rogue in the world, and once at large will 
 accomplish your wishes, however difficult their attainment 
 may prove. He is so bold a burglar that no house is safe 
 from him 3 so still and cunning that he could steal the 
 kohl from your eyelid without waking you ! Only induce 
 the Wali to let him loose, and Yasemeen is your son's."' 
 
 It was not an easy task to prevail with the Wali, against 
 the dictates of his reason ; but there was no rest for him 
 at home, until he had assented to her repeatedly urged re- 
 quest. Young wives seek to conquer by coquetting, old 
 by worrying. Contrary to his better judgment, and will- 
 ingly deluded by the assumed repentance of the imprisoned 
 scoundrel (and this new piety, though distrusted, was the 
 conscience-salve of Khalid, who knew he was wronging 
 society by releasing an enemy to it), he besought the 
 grace of the Caliph " for a poor wretch (the only son and 
 support of a widowed mother), who had long pined in 
 solitary confinement, and whose fervent regret for his past 
 misdeeds was the best assurance that he would hence- 
 forth lead the life of an honest man." 
 
 Of this repentance, so repulsive was tlie gross expres- 
 
136 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 sion of the rriminal's countenance (for the robber had been 
 led before him in chains and in his prison garb to stimu- 
 late his sense of mercy), the Caliph was not so sure 5 yet 
 so rarely was he importuned by the Wali, that he not only 
 forgave the canting scoundrel, but bestowed a small ap- 
 pointment upon him, that he might not be tempted to 
 crime from inability to support his feeble mother. 
 
 Bad as the thief was there was nothing he would not 
 do for his aged parent, who merited not his regard, since 
 her own wicked example, and the evil principles she had 
 unwittingly instilled, had vitiated his better nature. She 
 told him the bargain she had made with the wife of 
 the Wali, whose intercession had saved him from that 
 perpetual imprisonment to which he had been condemned, 
 and bade him devise some scheme by which both Abusha- 
 mat should perish and Yasemeen become the property 
 of Bazazah. The ruffian, a man of few words, nodded 
 his assent, and that very night commenced proceedings. 
 
 His aim was to throw suspicion upon Abushamat, and 
 thus did he accomplish it. He was aware that the Caliph 
 passed the first night of the month in the apartments of 
 Zobeide, and was in the habit of leaving his royal signet 
 and a jewelled dagger upon the chair in the sitting-room, 
 under charge of certain of his eunuchs. Ahmad Kamakim, 
 although he dearly loved the juice of the vine, kept himself 
 sober that evening, and waited with sullen patience until 
 half the night was over. Taking a crowbar, some cement, 
 a grappling-iron and cord, and a few other implements 
 which might possibly be found requisite, he slunk, in the 
 darkness, along the bye-lanes until he reached the garden- 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 1.37 
 
 wall of the palace, which he easily crossed by the hooked 
 end of the cord, and arrived before the private saloon of 
 Zobeide. It was an outlying building that projected into 
 the garden, and was easily accessible from above by a kind 
 of trap-door in the roof, which had been constructed for 
 the purpose of ventilating the apartment. To reach this 
 elevation by his cord and grappling-iron was but the work 
 of a minute for so expert a climber ; to opep the trap 
 without waking the sleepers (he had rightly divined the 
 eunuchs would not keep awake) required more care ; but 
 practice makes perfect, and, by the aid of his cord, he 
 safely descended, secured the valuables, and retraversing 
 the same route, left no trace behind him by which he 
 might be tracked. Thence he hied to the mansion of 
 Abushamat, who was tranquilly reposing in the arms of 
 Yasemeen, broke in with equal facility, prised up a slab of 
 marble with his crowbar, quickly secreted the royal signet 
 beneath it, carefully cemented the edges of the stone, re- 
 placed it, and crept out again without disturbing any of the 
 household. Retaining the dagger as a compensation for his 
 disinterested services, he sneaked back to his foul lair, 
 silently chuckling at his rapid success. 
 
 The signet was vainly sought for next morning, and the 
 head of the police was summoned to the palace. Haroun 
 was very wroth (as the eunuchs felt to their cost), yet knew 
 not whom to suspect. The officer suggested, from so 
 many other valuables being left behind, that the robbery 
 was not the deed of an ordinary thief, but the work of 
 some traitor of elevated rank, who purposed availing him- 
 self of the royal seal for forgery or some other nefarious 
 
138 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 project. He requested a search-warrant, which should 
 enable him to enter the abodes of all persons whatsoever, 
 however high might be their station, and, armed with this 
 authority, departed upon his quest. 
 
 Upon the principle that a clever thief proves the best 
 thief-taker, Ahmad Kamakim's small appointment had 
 been in the police department. He had already exhibited 
 such zeal and dexterity in his new calling, that his volun- 
 tary offer to trace the offender involved him in no sus- 
 picion. Bearing with him a weird-looking staff, the upper 
 third of copper, the middle of bronze, the base of iron, 
 which he used as a divining-rod, and followed by the Cadi 
 and an adequate guard, he touched with it the doorstep of 
 one of the ministers, listened to its sound, shook his head, 
 and passed on to the residence of a second, then he came to 
 the abode of his doomed victim. A sonorous clang, no- 
 ticed by all the officers, issued from the rod as it struck 
 the step 3 he entered, vibrating it gently to and fro, and 
 seemingly following its guidance. Eventually he stopped 
 before the marble flag beneath which he had hidden the 
 signet, caused it to be raised, and lo ! the lost treasure was 
 descried by all the spectators. The immediate arrest and 
 condemnation of Abushamat succeeded j his effects were 
 registered as confiscated to the state ; Yasemeen was sur- 
 reptitiously removed to the harem of Khalid, and carefully 
 kept by Khatoon beyond the ken of the Emir. 
 
 Among the many friends of Abushamat was the super- 
 intendent of the prisons, who felt perfectly conscious of 
 the innocence of the former, and resolved to save him. 
 The gaoler happened to have under his custody an avowed 
 
EL MULOOR AND HIS FRIENDS. 139 
 
 murderer, who in features, but not in stature or com- 
 plexion, bore some passing resemblance to the late fa- 
 vourite of Haroun, and by the connivance of the execu- 
 tioner, who was bribed equally with himself, substituted 
 that delinquent for the guiltless prisoner. When, the 
 day after the execution, which was by hanging, the body 
 was examined for the purpose of identification, the 
 marked differences were too palpable to be lightly passed 
 over. 
 
 " How is this ? Abushamat was a shorter man than 
 this corpse." 
 
 "The limbs become lengthened by suspension," was 
 the reply. 
 
 " His skin, also, was much lighter." 
 ' *' A body becomes livid from strangulation," was the 
 answer. 
 
 " Let his heels be inspected." 
 
 Upon them was inscribed the name of Omar, a practice 
 of the sect of the Rafidees, by which they evinced their 
 contempt for that Caliph by continually trampling, as it 
 were, upon his memory. 
 
 " Abushamat was a Sunnee ; this man must have been 
 of the rival creed." 
 
 " He who deceived the Caliph in one thing may have 
 deceived us all in another," was the artful rejoinder. 
 
 It was rumoured, indeed, by many, that Abushamat, 
 who fled to Cairo, and for very many years lived in secret 
 with his father, was still alive ; but no man cared to pry 
 further into the matter. 
 
 Poor Yasemeen, when led to the bedside of the love- 
 
I40 EL MULOOK JND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 sick Bazazah, so strenuously refused to become his mis- 
 tress or even his bride, that the indignant mother stripped 
 her of her fine apparel, clad her in the garments ot a 
 menial slave, and degraded her to the service of the kitchen. 
 The sweetness of her disposition, however, and her mani- 
 fest delicacy, so affected the sympathies of her fellow-ser- 
 vants that they relieved her from the more degrading 
 offices (such as fire-lighting, wood-cutting, and such-like 
 coarse work) which had been allotted to her by the malice 
 of Khatoon. 
 
 Not many months after these occurrences, Habazlam 
 Bazazah died, and Yasemeen was delivered of a male child, 
 whom she named Asian, as beautiful as herself. When 
 two years old the infant strayed, accidentally, to the spot 
 where the Emir Khalid was reclining, and the childless 
 parent, who was of a loving disposition, caressed him for 
 his beauty and for his likeness to his old acquaintance, 
 Abushamat. His mother ventured before her master to 
 remove her stray darling, and, when questioned as to the 
 parentage of the child, proudly acknowledged that he 
 sprang from Abushamat. 
 
 " Henceforth, then," said Khalid, " I adopt him for my 
 son j and when he shall be old enough to ask you the 
 name of his father, remember to indicate me as his sire. 
 It would be prejudicial to his future, that he should be 
 deemed the offspring of a felon." She obeyed his wishes, 
 and, under the kind tutelage of the Emir, the pretty boy 
 ripened into the handsome youth, trained alike in the 
 literary studies and warlike sports of the higher classes of 
 that Moslem city. 
 
EL MULOOK ^ND HIS FRIENDS. 141 
 
 It chanced, when he was nearly a man, that he acciden- 
 tally encountered, in a public place of refreshment, the ex- 
 thief, Ahmad Kamakim. The fellow was much intoxi- 
 cated, and in a boastful way displayed a dagger, the hilt of 
 which was adorned with precious stones of no ordinary 
 value J an ornament which, for many years after its acqui- 
 sition, he had not dared to exhibit, but which now, think- 
 ing it must have been forgotten after so long a lapse of 
 time, he openly carried and tacitly bragged of. 
 
 "Whence did you procure so exquisite a dagger?" in- 
 quired Asian, who could scarcely avoid coveting so splen- 
 did a weapon. 
 
 '' Son of Khalid, to you alone may I reveal the truth. 5 
 I earned this through the hot passion of your dead brother, 
 Bazazah, for a pretty slave-girl j" and he fearlessly nar- 
 rated the whole of his villainy, not doubting the secrecy 
 of the supposed child of his employer, Khatoon. 
 
 Much disgusted with his associate, Asian left the room, 
 and having casually lighted upon the superintendent of 
 prisons, related the whole story to him. His strong like- 
 ness to Abushamat immediately struck the official, who 
 having elicited from him the name of his mother, told the 
 young man truly, that Yasemeen, if pressed, would ac- 
 knowledge he was the son of his beloved friend, Abusha- 
 mat, who was still in the land of the living. Shortly after 
 this rencontre, Asian accompanied the Emir Khalid to the 
 court of the Caliph, and was permitted to join his Sove- 
 reign in playing at goff. A heavy ball, apparently aimed 
 at the Commander of the Faithful, and which, had it struck 
 him in the forehead, might have proved fatal to him, was 
 
J42 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 warded off by the young man, with such adroitness, in- 
 deed, that returning from whence it had been propelled, 
 it struck the player between his shoulders and dashed him 
 from his horse. 
 
 **Thou hast saved me, young man," exclaimed the 
 monarch, " and whatever may be thy request, I will grant 
 it in requital." 
 
 "Vengeance upon him who ruined my father." 
 
 "Is not he thy father who stands yonder?" said the 
 Caliph, as he pointed to the Emir Khalid. 
 
 " He, indeed, is my second father ; but he from whom 
 I sprang was thy faithful Abushamat!" 
 
 *' What, the felon who stole my signet and my dagger ?" 
 
 " He was innocent. Ahmad Kamakim was the thief, 
 and upon him will be found the dagger." 
 
 Then Asian related the confession of the thief, who, 
 when subsequently arrested and searched, at first protested 
 that he had honestly bought the dagger ; but when cross- 
 examined as to his means of purchasing so costly a weapon, 
 involved himself in such a tissue of contradictions, that he 
 was judged worthy of death, and handed over to the exe- 
 cutioner. He obtained his life, however, by a voluntary 
 confession, which fully exculpated the falsely-accused 
 parent of the Caliph's preserver. The remainder of his 
 wretched existence was passed in solitary confinement. 
 
 Need I say that Abushamat was recalled from exile, re- 
 united to his Yasemeen, had his confiscated property re- 
 stored to him, was reinstated in his official posts, and lived 
 long and happily in peace and affluence r As to Asian, he 
 passed his time alternately with each of his two fatliers. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 143 
 
 whom he loved so equally, that he could never determine 
 which he preferred. 
 
 Next evening Haziz in his turn essayed to amuse his 
 royal patrons : — 
 
 THE "maid of NINEVEH.* 
 
 In the early ages of the world, as our traditions inform 
 us, three mighty empires were co-existent, — Egypt, Persia, 
 and Assyria, — which were sometimes at peace, sometimes 
 at war, yet always linked together by the golden ties of 
 commerce. Of these, Persia was the youngest, the least 
 in magnitude, and the least civilized ; but her population, 
 not yet enervated by luxury, the most hardy and warlike. 
 
 Sanharibf at this time swayed the sceptre of Assyria, and 
 now passed his life in peaceful indolence ; yet, when 
 younger, few monarchs had exhibited a more martial 
 prowess, a more vigorous intellect. His Prime Minister, 
 Hicah, however, who was prudent, just, and able, was so 
 attentive to the affairs of state, that the people missed not 
 the active superintendence of their Sovereign ; not having 
 a son, he was not tempted, like many of his predecessors 
 in office, to aspire to the crown. His whole affections were 
 concentrated upon his only daughter, and it was the 
 height of his ambition to wed her to some prince or 
 nobleman, who might maintain her in the style to which 
 she was accustomed. Unfortunately for his plans, she was 
 of so ardent a temperament that her heart had yielded to 
 
 * From 'Uns el Wujood, Aboo the Lazy, and the Two Viziers.' 
 t Sennacherib. 
 
144 E.L MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 love, almost before she had reached womanhood ; and the 
 object of her affection, however much he might have per- 
 sonally merited her hand, was neither in rank nor fortunes 
 entitled to demand it. He was a naturalized Arab, an 
 officer of that foreign cavalry legion which had so greatly 
 assisted the King in his earlier campaigns. 
 
 It was a custom in those times, one which has survived 
 even to our own days, to assemble together the royal 
 armies for a grand review, and, after the whole of the 
 troops had been counted and inspected, to proclaim gym- 
 nastic sports and exercises, with prizes for those who might 
 distinguish themselves by their agility and dexterity. Pre- 
 eminent among all was a very handsome youth. El Wujood 
 by name, who not only carried off the highest honours by 
 his skilful horsemanship, but bore away with him the heart 
 of the impressible daughter of the Prime Minister, who, 
 with others of her sex, had accompanied her parents to 
 view the games and evolutions. From the lattice-work of 
 her gilded litter she had beheld his smile of triumph, had 
 eagerly questioned her former nurse as to his name, and 
 despite of her seeming repugnance, forced her by mingled 
 bribes and caresses, to convey to him a note, in which she 
 displayed the warmth of her passionate admiration and her 
 determination to be his despite of every obstacle which 
 might impede their union. 
 
 Charmed with this epistle, and aided by the old in- 
 triguer, first a correspondence and then an assignation fol- 
 lowed, a meeting which for ever affected the destinies of 
 the young soldier ; for so lovely was the girl, so fresh and 
 unreserved in her impulsive artlessness, that no man could 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 145 
 
 have quitted her without longing to possess her as his 
 bride. Success makes us reckless of precaution. When 
 their hearts had been inextricably knit together, the old 
 nurse having carelessly dropped one of the many love- 
 letters of "Rosebud"* (for such was the pet name her 
 lover liad given her), it was picked up by one of the at- 
 tendants and delivered to the master of the house. The 
 perusal of it painfully aifected Hicah, for although its con- 
 tents were such that no anxiety as to the purity of his 
 child harassed his feelings, yet it breathed such ardent love, 
 it evinced such an intensity of passion, that he felt assured 
 that absence alone, and that not temporary, but perma- 
 nent, could eradicate such deeply-rooted tenderness from 
 the bosom of his daughter. 
 
 With a healthy mind, to resolve is to execute. Within 
 four-and-twenty hours the damsel had been removed from 
 her home, hurriedly transported to the seaside by the ordi- 
 nary and somewhat rough arrangements for the govern- 
 ment couriers, and, from thence, been more leisurely 
 ferried across to a pretty islet, upon which the Prime 
 Minister had erected a palace as an occasional residence. 
 It was the sole abode, except a few fishermen's huts, per- 
 mitted by him on that lonely spot ; so desolate was it, that, 
 although furnished with the extreme of luxury, and well 
 stored with all that might tempt the palate, his dependants 
 regarded their enforced retirement to it as a veritable exile. 
 
 Although El Wujood was both grieved and surprised by 
 ihe girl's mysterious silence (so sudden was her departure 
 that no intimation of it could be conveyed to him), he, 
 * El Ward fi 1. Akmam. 
 
146 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 nevertheless, was not the man to relinquish his mistress 
 without an effort to recover her. He readily guessed the 
 reason of her absence, but it was less easy to detect the pre- 
 cise spot to which she had been conveyed. Being in high 
 favour with his Sovereign, he obtained leave of absence 
 for six months, and devoted them to exploring every route 
 by which she might possibly have been borne from him. 
 After many a failure and much privation (for the country 
 in parts was barren and deserted), he eventually, by dili- 
 gent inquiries from stage to stage, traced the concealed 
 journey of his beloved almost to the sea, and then by a 
 not illogical deduction, conjectured that she had been 
 taken to the summer retreat of her noble father. When 
 at length, worn out by continual exertion and frequent 
 want of food, he arrived at the beach from whence his 
 mistress had embarked, he found the shore wholly de- 
 serted, not even the barque of a solitary fisherman being 
 visible. Then desperation came to his aid ; he felt as- 
 sured, from the evidence he had previously obtained, that 
 the maiden had been transported to that green islet on 
 which the sun was now casting his rays in dying splendour. 
 Alone (for he had no attendants) he could not hope to 
 construct a boat sufficiently seaworthy to bear him across 
 to the prison of his beloved j but he watched the ebb and 
 flow of the tide, and perceived there was a current which 
 would, in all probability, waft any light object to a pier- 
 like ridge which jutted from the opposite rocks. So 
 having collected some hollow gourds, he tied them to- 
 gether by a kind of network made from woody creepers, 
 and, having watched the direction of the wind, he threw 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 147 
 
 himself upon this fragile raft,#and, though partially and 
 sometimes wholly immersed, was safely, though slowly 
 drifted onwards to the much-desired land. Poor wretch ! 
 fortune was still adverse to him ; that very morning his 
 * Rosebud ' had disappeared from her prison-home. 
 
 From afar off the young Arab had descried the white 
 turrets of the castellated mansion in which his mistress 
 had been immured ; his eyes gazed intently upon them as 
 passively he floated to and fro upon the calm ocean. 
 Faint, wet, hungry, and weary, he scrambled up the rocks 
 which led to the main entrance of the building, and 
 staggered whilst he asked admission as a shipwrecked 
 mariner. It was granted him by a kind-hearted eunuch, 
 who, having ascertained that he was a fellow-countryman, 
 took much interest in his sufferings. From him he learnt, 
 what indeed he was already well assured of, the name of 
 the proprietor of the solitary islet, and asked if the man- 
 sion was at present occupied. " It belongs to Hicah, the 
 Prime Minister of the King of Assyria," was the reply ; 
 " and, until yesterday, his daughter, whom for some fault 
 or other he had banished, dwelt in this dreary castle, and 
 cheered us all by her sympathetic kindness. Yet, poor 
 girl, she was very sad herself, and pined for the loss of a 
 warrior she was attached to. We missed her last night 
 and have vainly sought for her 3 we fear she has thrown 
 herself in despair from the battlements." 
 
 At this annihilation of his hopes. El Wujood, man 
 and soldier though he was, fainted 3 he had endured so 
 much in his pursuit of her 3 he had tracked her so pain- 
 fully to the place of her concealment that the utter failure 
 
 L % 
 
148 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 of his plans at the apparent moment of success, was a 
 shock too overwhelming for his enfeebled frame. When he 
 woke up from his trance the foohsh grin of a simpering 
 idiot was fixed upon his countenance ; utter oblivion of the 
 past alone prevented a fit of raving madness. In those 
 days, even among the Gentiles, he who was deprived of 
 reason was befriended by his fellow-creatures (for Heaven 
 has used the lips of these -innocents as vehicles for pro- 
 phetic revelations) ; so all the domestics treated him with 
 kindness, attended to his wants, and watched over his safety. 
 The lost damsel, however, had not perished ; her nature 
 was too daring, her frame too -healthy, to yield to the dic- 
 tates of despair. She had, indeed, as was surmised, as- 
 cended to the roof of her luxurious prison-house, but so far 
 from casting herself into the ocean, she had used every 
 precaution to avoid injury in descending. Having knotted 
 her garments and linked them securely to each other (and 
 her ample store of raiment herein proved most service- 
 able), she had managed to reach the ground in perfect 
 safety, and had stealthily directed her course, beneath the 
 jutting cliffs, to a little inlet, towards which she had per- 
 ceived the solitary boat of a fisherman was steering. Clad 
 in her richest clothes and decked with her most precious 
 jewels, her loveliness, her persuasiveness, and her liberal 
 offers, proved irresistible to the boatman, who abstained 
 from his intended fishing and bore her off immediately to 
 the mainland. She had no definite project in thus escaping, 
 but there was an all-pervading feeling, that thus and thus 
 only could she again rejoin the man to whom she had 
 given her virgin love. Poor soul ! she was unwittingly 
 
KL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 149 
 
 flying from the very being to embrace whom she would 
 have given half her existence. His improvised raft must 
 have been crossing from the mainland at the very time 
 her boat. was rocking upon the water j for the wind had 
 at first been contrary, and nearly two days elapsed be- 
 fore she reached the opposite shore. The storm which 
 then raged had driven her barque far to the east, and even- 
 tually cast it a shattered wreck upon the coast of Persia. 
 The ruler of that empire, a noble and generous-hearted 
 man, chanced to be sojourning for a while at a palace near 
 the sea, and to be present when the inanimate form of a 
 richly-apparelled and lovely girl was dashed upon the 
 beach. He caused her to be tended with every care, and, 
 when she had recovered, listened attentively to a relation 
 of her sorrows. Her beauty and her rank (for the superb 
 balass rubies which adorned her tiny ears corroborated her 
 claims to princely station) interested him in her behalf, and 
 commiserating the distress of the love-sick maiden, he 
 promised his active interference to promote her happiness. 
 Accordingly he sent a letter to his then ally, the King of 
 Assyria, and begged him to intercede with his Prime 
 Minister for the pardon (if not the union) of his daughter. 
 
 The lord of Nineveh, who regarded El Wujood as the 
 most promising of his warriors, and who was likewise de- 
 sirous of gratifying his royal ally, sent messengers to seek 
 for the former, and dispatched Hicah to the Court of Persia, 
 to bring back his willingly-pardoned daughter. Neverthe- 
 less, that high official would not consent to yield his child 
 in marriage to a portionless adventurer. 
 
 Luck, however, at length befriended the Arab. In 
 
ijo EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 his semi-idiotic state he would stretch himself at full 
 length upon the sand, and from morn to night stare list- 
 lessly upon the rolling waves. He would not abandon his 
 position even to eat, and merely moaned when the cra- 
 vings of nature urged him to appease his appetite. So the 
 kind-hearted eunuch and his fellow-slaves would feed him 
 as a child, and carry him to and from that shore which he 
 ever unwillingly quitted. He had never told his name ; 
 and now he no longer spoke, but grinned in answer when 
 addressed by the nickname some boys had given him — 
 " Aboo the Lazy." 
 
 One day a ship of some magnitude approached the islet, 
 as near as was consistent with safety -, and then the sailors 
 lowered a boat and rowed towards the mansion. The 
 captain landed and threw his arms around the eunuch, 
 saluting him as his long-lost brother. After a brief stay he 
 took his departure, but offered before he went to receive 
 any commissions for the far West which the household 
 might intrust to him. Each slave risked some little 
 sum as a venture, and at last it was suggested that the 
 money found in the pocket of the idiot should be used in 
 his behalf. Only a few pieces of gold were found in his 
 purse, which he allowed them to abstract without troubling 
 himself to move ; yet from these few pieces sprang such 
 a harvest of wealth that he was rendered independent for 
 the rest of his existence. 
 
 It happened thus wise. The ship had been hired by 
 certain traders who, having but a limited capital, roamed 
 from port to port bartering away what they had procured 
 from one country for a different cargo, which they knew 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 151 
 
 would be saleable in some adjoining one. By this mode, 
 their returns being very quick, they often realized large 
 sums by a single voyage ; yet as their chief gains were 
 made by trafficking with savage or semi-civilized races, 
 who paid very heavily in raw produce for manufactured 
 articles, their risks were commensurate with their gains. 
 
 The captain had invested the little sum he had received 
 as the venture of the idiot in the purchase of a large ape, 
 which had become a general favourite with the sailors, and 
 which evinced a most remarkable sagacity. The rough 
 mariners had taught it many tricks, and the captain hoped 
 to sell it when trained at a considerable profit. Circum- 
 stances rendered it so precious to all of them, that it was 
 retained out of gratitude. A violent gale had blown the 
 vessel, far away from its intended course, towards an island 
 wholly unknown to all on board. The harbour was fine, 
 and as vegetables and fresh water were urgently required 
 by the crew, the ship was anchored, and the whole of the 
 merchant-adventurers, wearied of their long confinement, 
 landed to refresh themselves. 
 
 The foliage was luxuriant, the air balmy, and the general 
 aspect so delightful, that none remained on board except- 
 ing those whose services were absolutely required for the 
 management of the ship. As no vestige of a hut or cabin 
 met their eyes, and neither man nor beast was visible near 
 their landing-place, but all was still and alluring to their 
 senses, they dispersed themselves in scattered groups, 
 gathering the wild fruits from the tangled woodland. On 
 a sudden the}^ were simultaneously set upon by an almost 
 pigmy race of naked blacks, who swarmed down the trees 
 
1^2 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 (by the foliage of which their nest-like huts had been con- 
 cealed) and clung in crowded clusters upon the venturous 
 individuals who had trespassed upon their domain. Re- 
 sistance was hopeless : all yielded to the legion of little 
 blacks, who had taken them by surprise, and were now 
 menacing with shining daggers those who refused to be 
 pinioned. One seaman alone dared to oppose them, and 
 him the curly-haired cannibals not only slew upon the spot, 
 but ere his body was cold grilled slices of it upon a lire, 
 and ravenously devoured them before his shuddering com- 
 rades. Aboo's ape (for so it was designated) had been 
 landed with the voyagers ; he was an amusing companion, 
 and had grown so tame and been so petted that no one 
 feared he would wish to escape. Swinging himself from 
 bough to bough, he merely grinned and chattered at the 
 negroes, while they were assaulting his friends, and kept 
 himself at a safe distance from their clutches ; but when 
 night came, and the savages having tightly-bound their 
 collected captives to the trunks of some lofty trees, had 
 climbed to their elevated huts, the faithful beast crawled in 
 the darkness to his master, the captain, unloosed the ropes 
 of fibre by which he was bound, and then aided him 
 likewise in setting free his shipmates. Their release was 
 effected without noise, and the whole party retreated, 
 without interruption from their captors, to their boats, thrust 
 them from the shore and silently rejoined the vessel. 
 
 Whilst fervent gratitude for their escape was the pre- 
 valent feeling, and money was of no account compared 
 with their safety, the captain proposed a general subscrip- 
 tion for the benefit of the poor idiot, whose money had 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 153 
 
 purchased the animal which had preserved them. All 
 gave so hberally that the capital of the absent Aboo be- 
 came the largest of the whole company of adventurers. 
 The entirety of this sum was risked by his proxy, the cap- 
 tain, in the pearl fishery, and so remarkable was the luck 
 of the divers when exerted on his behalf, that Aboo's 
 stock of pearls was such as princes might have envied him. 
 
 All these events occupied many months, during which 
 El Wujood had been removed to the Persian coast by the 
 thoughtful Hicah, who anticipated that the sight of his 
 imbecility would prove an effectual cure for the unde- 
 sirable passion of his daughter for so poor a match. 
 
 Strange to relate, in place of disgust for his mental 
 feebleness being the effect produced by an interview be- 
 tween the blooming girl and her fatuous lover, she was all 
 commiseration for the noble mind wrecked from love of 
 her J whilst both memory and intellect partially revived in 
 him, as he wistfully gazed upon her well-remembered face. 
 And day by day his brain strengthened, and in a very brief 
 space Aboo the Lazy became again the active El Wujood. 
 
 Between this happy crisis, and the previous banishment 
 of ' Rosebud,' events had occurred at Nineveh which seri- 
 ously affected the life and fortunes of Hicah. Considering 
 that his daughter had for ever disgraced herself by her im- 
 prudent advances to the Arab officer, that great statesman 
 resolved to replace her in his affections by adopting an- 
 other heir. In vain did his wife implore him to desist 
 from a project which to her seemed not only fraught with 
 wrong to their own child, but pregnant with danger from 
 the known duplicity of that nephew whom he intended 
 
154 E.L MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 to adopt. Men of the world invariably prefer unscrupu- 
 lous ability to conscientious mediocrity ; hence Hicah 
 trained Nadan for his future successor and occasional sub- 
 stitute, in the confident belief that his recommendation of 
 so astute a politician to his Sovereign w^ould redound to his 
 own credit and convenience. 
 
 For a while Nadan conducted himself with the most 
 prudent decorum. By a chilling reserve he concealed the 
 profligacy, the rapacity, and the intense selfishness which 
 were his natural characteristics, until circumstances per- 
 mitted him to openly practise them with impunity. He 
 had improved his intellect, which was far from contemp- 
 tible, by studious application, and had acquired those 
 business habits (a combination of punctuality, memory, 
 slirewdness, and alertness) which are needed alike by the 
 statesman and the merchant. So long as Hicah was pre- 
 sent Nadan was useful and subordinate 5 but when his 
 patron had left the capital to bring home his daughter, 
 then the natural malignity of his disposition broke forth, 
 and he manoeuvred to immediately eject his uncle from 
 his post, and be substituted in his place. 
 
 To effect this, he first ingratiated himself with his royal 
 master by cordially sympathizing with his pleasures, and 
 enabling him to indulge his indolence by his own assidu- 
 ous application to business. Then, when his services had 
 become indispensable, he gradually insinuated doubts as 
 to the fidelity of Hicah, and revived the old jealousy of 
 Persia (the natural enemy of Assyria, as he termed her) 
 in the bosom of his Sovereign. At last he crowned his 
 treachery by so crafty a trick, that the monarch, despite 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 155 
 
 of twenty years' fidelity on the part of his minister, may 
 readily be pardoned for having mistrusted him. He coun- 
 terfeited the writing of the Prime Minister, whose seal had 
 been left in his charge, and attached an impression of the 
 latter to forged documents addressed nominally by Hicah 
 to all his traitor friends, but in reality to all those nobles 
 who, having penetrated the fawning duplicity of Nadan, 
 had become his political opponents. This paper, which 
 purported to emanate from the head of a vast conspiracy, 
 comprehending among its members all the most honour- 
 able of the aristocracy of Nineveh (so that Nadan might 
 sweep away all his adversaries by a single blow), apprised 
 the supposititious correspondents of the early approach of a 
 host of Persian troops, bade certain tributary princes to 
 raise their vassals against their sluggish Suzerain, and other 
 parties to open the city gates upon the assault of the in- 
 vading army. The cleverest part of this iniquitous scheme 
 was the mode in which the trustworthy and incorruptible 
 courier of Hicah was forced to become an unwilling wit- 
 ness against his master. A facsimile of his dispatch-bag 
 was fabricated, and by a dexterous exchange effected by a 
 hired confederate (a thief who was liberated expressly for 
 the job), the forged documents were substituted for the 
 real letters of friendly gossip which the old minister had 
 forwarded to his friends. When the courier had been 
 arrested, at the suggestion of the adopted son, he acknow- 
 ledged his having received the contents of the bag from 
 the hands of his lord. 
 
 The enraged monarch, who could not withstand such 
 incontrovertible evidence of the treachery of his minister. 
 
1^6 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 would have confiscated his property and put him to death 
 had he been then in his dominions j but at the request of 
 Nadan, his near relative, who did not wish to lose a rich 
 inheritance, and who urged that poverty and exile com- 
 bined would be a full equivalent for capital punishment, 
 contented himself by pronouncing a sentence of perpetual 
 banishment upon Hicah, and by conferring his wealth and 
 office upon the nephew, with a strict charge (only too 
 readily obeyed) that no portion of the riches of his pre- 
 decessor should be forwarded to him. 
 
 The arrival of messengers from Assyria, who announced 
 to Hicah his banishment and utter ruin, and the return of 
 the eunuch's brother, who brought home such unexpected 
 wealth for El Wujood, occurred almost simultaneously. 
 Then the Arab showed the sterling nobility of his soul by 
 proffering all his newly-acquired riches to the impoverished 
 minister, who refused to accept them as a gift, but wedded 
 him to his daughter, and ever after lived with them as their 
 cherished guest. 
 
 Once free from the moral control of their aged adviser, 
 the ruler and his new minister wholly abandoned them- 
 selves to festive enjoyments, regarding the people com- 
 mitted to their charge by Heaven as mere machines for 
 providing means of gratification to their lord. The sinews 
 of government were relaxed- oppression and corruption 
 became the rule, not the exception ; the troops were un- 
 paid and became demoralized ; the cultivators refused to 
 grow crops which were taken from them by the tax- 
 gatherers j there was no employment for the peasantry, 
 and universal disaffection prevailed throughout the country. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 157 
 
 Pharaoh of Egypt resolved to snatch so favourable an 
 opportunity for annexing the whole, or at least a portion, 
 of Assyria to his fertile realm. Such was the prevailing 
 discontent, that he believed, and with reason, that he 
 might seize Nineveh itself without serious opposition. Yet 
 wishing for a pretext to cover his violation of the existing 
 treaty, he wrote as follows to the potentate whose domi- 
 nions he had resolved to appropriate : — 
 
 *' Pharaoh of Egypt to Sanharih of Assyria, greeting. 
 
 " The gods of Egypt have intrusted me with irresistible 
 power solely that I may benefit my fellow-creatures. 
 
 " No people can be happy who are ruled over by the 
 ignorant. It is my duty, then, to depose all incompetent 
 sovereigns. It is asserted by your subjects that you are 
 both silly yourself, and have none but the foolish around 
 you. Either disprove this statement by sending me one 
 talented enough to accomplish what I have written at the 
 end of this letter (and he who fosters talent I own to be 
 worthy of rule,) or descend from a throne of which you 
 must be unworthy. I, reverentially, will provide a suc- 
 cessor who shall carry out my designs for ameliorating the 
 condition of mankind." 
 
 The postscript was equally terse and decided. 
 
 " Send me an architect who can build me a palace the 
 foundations whereof shall not rest on earth. I will pro- 
 vide the materials." 
 
 Sanharib was terror-stricken upon the receipt of this de- 
 mand. He abandoned at once and for ever his luxurious 
 supineness : his old energies seemed to gush forth afresh. 
 But it was impossible to reorganize his army, and to arm 
 
158 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 and discipline raw levies in time to resist such well-trained 
 hosts as the King of Egypt would hurl upon him. He re- 
 solved, then, to attempt the aerial structure, and issued 
 peremptory orders for the attendance of all his ministers 
 and chief priests at a general council. In those days all 
 learning was confined to the priestly order, and to the very 
 few nobles who had been instructed by them. 
 
 Without an exception, all acknowledged their inability 
 to accomplish the required task, although the boastful 
 envoy, who had brought the letter, positively asserted 
 that his royal master was too just to demand an impossi- 
 bility, and that the builder of the royal pyramid would 
 himself indicate how the feat might be achieved, to prove 
 to all nations the national inferiority, and hence justifiable 
 subjection, of the Assyrians. 
 
 A woman saved the nation from despair. The daughter 
 of Hicah had returned to console her mother ; her father, 
 as I have narrated elsewhere, was well and prosperous. 
 She demanded a strictly private audience with the King, 
 and thus addressed him : — 
 
 "Leave, Sire, the conduct of this affair to myself 3 I 
 will answer with my head for the successful solution of 
 this enigmatical problem. The wit of woman is keener 
 than that of man. Boldly reply that the builder is ready 
 to commence operations, but that the workmen who are 
 to lay the foundations being employed in the most dis- 
 tant region of your widely-spread empire, cannot possibly 
 reach his capital for the next six months. Offer him any 
 number of noble hostages he may demand for your peace- 
 able abdication of the throne, if your architect should fail 
 
EL MULOOK JND HIS FRIENDS. 159 
 
 in so easy a task. At all events, the interval gained by this 
 reply "will enable you to offer a more protracted resistance 
 to his invasion than the state of your army now permits, and 
 who knows what good fortune (perchance the aid of Persia) 
 may be hereafter in store for you ?" 
 
 The advice was good, for delay was all-important. The 
 King would have showered rewards upon her who had 
 relieved him from his terrible embarrassment ; she refused, 
 however, every recompense but one, the pardon of her 
 father, whose return she urged as absolutely essential to 
 the success of her plans. His thoughtful wisdom, she de- 
 clared, would carry out her crude project ; the idea was her 
 own, but the details, upon which everything depended 
 must be devised by him. 
 
 Before she quitted the royal apartment, the magnani- 
 mous though misguided Sanharib assured her that he 
 would in no event hold her responsible for her necessary 
 failure, but felt deeply indebted to her for a subterfuge, so 
 plausible that the lord of Egypt could not, without loss of 
 prestige, refuse his acquiescence witli the needful delay. 
 It was settled, moreover, that Hicah should return in dis- 
 guise, and that Nadan, whose neglect and incapacity were 
 now apparent to the roused monarch, should be kept igno- 
 rant of all their schemes. 
 
 The Egyptian envoy was staggered by the easy non- 
 chalance which marked the demeanour of the Assyrian 
 ruler J he acknowledged the reasonableness of the required 
 delay, and returned to his country bearing with him a 
 hundred hostages, all carefully selected by ' Rosebud ' from 
 the adherents of Nadan 5 for she doubted not that the 
 
i6o EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 man who had betrayed his benefactor would betray his 
 Sovereign hkewise. She was not wrong in her mistrust, 
 for Nadan had written to Pharaoh (though neither the 
 damsel nor her royal confidant surmised it) that Sanharib 
 only procrastinated to victual his fortresses upon the fron- 
 tier, and to complete his preparations for a determined re- 
 sistance. He had proffered the aid of himself and par- 
 tisans to assist in overthrowing his present master, provided 
 that he should be permitted to occupy the vacant throne 
 as a tributary prince. He was actually base enough to offer 
 to assassinate Sanharib, by means of his confederates, the 
 timely removal of whom baffled a scheme which the Egyp- 
 tian monarch would scarcely have countenanced, although 
 he would not have hesitated to profit by the crime. 
 
 * Rosebud ' now applied herself with diligence to the pro- 
 cution of her design, and was zealously aided by her hus- 
 band upon whom devolved the difficult and perilous enter- 
 pri<5e of procuring her the fitting instruments. She had 
 heard that certain islands in the Southern Ocean were fre- 
 quented by the colossal Rok, a bird whose strength and mag- 
 nitude were such, that when adult it could carry off the calf 
 of an elephant in its talons. These stupendous creatures 
 seem to have been extirpated^ for nowadays few if any 
 travellers assert that they have seen them. Our heroine 
 indulged the daring idea that it might be possible to train 
 the unfledged young, if they could be successfully taken 
 from their nests and subjected to a loving control. The 
 risk was terrible ; the destruction of the bold adventurer 
 who should plunder the nest inevitable, should the parent 
 birds surprise him 3 but £1 Wujood had tlie courage 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. i6i 
 
 of a lion, the perseverance of an ant, and the craft of a 
 fox ', he was aided, too, by his ape, who proved an efficient 
 coadjutor, and success crowned his efforts. He returned 
 • to Assyria with two immature birds, and both he and 
 ' Rosebud ' tended them with such affectionate care, that 
 they became obedient to her signals. As soon as they 
 could fly, a little boy (who was wont to feed them) was 
 strapped upon the back of each, and directed his course 
 by reins attached to the talons of the monster. After 
 some little practice, as the ride was made preparatory 
 to a meal, the birds readily permitted the children to 
 mount them, and rose or descended in obedience to their 
 voices. 
 
 Hicah had now returned from his exile, and under the 
 name of Abicam the Sage, took upon himself the conduct 
 of the embassy. Empowered by his Sovereign to order all 
 things suitable to his dignity as an ambassador, or needful 
 for his design, he started for Egypt with a retinue com- 
 posed of the most stalwart men of the Assyrian nation, in 
 order to convey the impression upon Pharaoh that he 
 would meet no ignoble adversaries, should he persist in 
 his scheme of enslaving the land of Nimrod. His escort 
 was composed of many races, that he might demonstrate 
 the vast extent of territory ruled over by Sanharib, and a 
 cloud of wiry Arabs, under the command of El Wujood, 
 surrounded the elephants which bore the trained birds 
 within their towers, and guarded them from the prying 
 eyes of curiosity. 
 
 The caravan reached Memphis without any unusual 
 difficulty^ and having announced the long-expected arrival 
 
 M 
 
i62 EL MULOOR AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 of the Assyrian architect, received orders to await the pre- 
 sence of Pharaoh in that ancient city. 
 
 The priests of Osiris, the favourite god of the Egyptians, 
 assured the monarch that, altliough the solution of the 
 difficulty might possibly be guessed, the laying of an aerial 
 foundation was practically impossible. Their statements 
 encouraged the despot, who, after an interview with 
 Abicam, had conceived so exalted an opinion of his abi- 
 lity, that he believed nothing was too arduous for the 
 sage to accomplish : moreover, from his conversations with 
 that clever politician, who represented the alleged dis- 
 affection and distress in Assyria to have been partial only 
 and grossly exaggerated, the supposed facility of subjecting 
 that realm to his sway appeared somewhat doubtful. And, 
 in truth, six months of incessant vigilance and exertion 
 had so altered the face of affairs, that the march of the 
 Egyptians to Nineveh would no longer have been blood- 
 less and triumphal. 
 
 But the time had i)ow come for the commencement of 
 the aerial palace. On a wide plain, within view of Mem- 
 phis, near the site of the eternal Pyramids, there was col- 
 lected so vast a throng that, even in that populous land, 
 the like had rarely been recorded. From the mouths of 
 the Nile to the frontiers of Ethiopia troops had been ga- 
 thered together in readiness to start for the projected 
 expedition (for none believed in the promised abdication) -, 
 and besides this martial array, there were wains filled with 
 building materials, a compact body of artisans, and a crowd 
 of credulous spectators, who had flocked thither to behold 
 a marvel. They were not disappointed, for long was that 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 163 
 
 day remembered in the annals of Egypt. The King ap- 
 peared m full state, accompanied by the principal mem- 
 bers of the hierarchy and nobility, whose vast retinues 
 formed an army of themselves. 
 
 On a little eminence stood Abicam and his small group 
 of Assyrians, in the midst of which, conspicuously ar- 
 ranged in a triangle, were disposed three enormous ele- 
 phants, whose gilded tusks and housings of purple and 
 gold increased the admiration of the multitude. They 
 looked like giants to men, when compared with the puny 
 race of Africa ; for not only were they of the bulky breed 
 of Asia, but had been carefully selected for their strength 
 and magnitude, to impress the Egyptians with a sense of 
 awe for their possible adversaries. 
 
 When the trumpets proclaimed the coming of Pharaoh, 
 the Arab horsemen who had kept the populace at a dis- 
 tance from the elephants, wheeled right and left, and left 
 the beasts fully exposed to the sight of the Egyptians. 
 Abicam rode forward towards the King, and having saluted 
 him respectfully, but with dignity, thus spoke — 
 
 " My workmen are ready, and await the orders of your 
 Majesty." 
 
 " Let them begin," answered Pharaoh j and there was 
 the silence of death throusrhout the masses. 
 
 o 
 
 Abicam waved his hand, and at this signal the cupola of 
 gauze which surmounted the central and further elephant 
 was suddenly torn away, and displayed an enchantress 
 standing aloft upon a silvery platform. She bore in her 
 hand a jewelled wand, which sparkled in the glaring sun ; 
 a tiara of diamonds upon her calm and lofty brow re- 
 al 2 
 
1 64 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 fleeted the light with painful brilliancy 3 her cloud-like 
 drapery was azure, starred with gold. In her countenance 
 were mingled the softness of woman and the dignity of 
 man J her eyes flashed with excitement 5 there was con- 
 sciousness of power in her every gesture ; her port was 
 majestic. 
 
 The daughter of Hicah (for it was she who enacted this 
 part) thrice waved her glittering wand j and then in clear, 
 distinct, and solemn tones were heard these words, — 
 *' Slaves of Sanharib, lay the foundations of an aerial 
 palace for the friend of your master." 
 
 In an instant the towers upon the backs of the other 
 elephants fell to pieces, and a loud rusthng smote the air, 
 as the roks, flapping their spreading wings, rose with their 
 youthful riders. The children, beautiful as the star of the 
 morning, were almost nude ; garlands of flowers decked 
 their hair 3 their scanty garments were of floating gauze, 
 and of rainbow hue. Thrice circling round the area to 
 display their terrific steeds, they soared aloft, and in a 
 minute were lost to sight. 
 
 ^'What magic is this?" exclaimed Pharaoh. '* What 
 unknown gods are these ? I recognize them not among 
 our known divinities." 
 
 " These are mortals, not spirits," replied Abicam ; " but 
 thus potent are the subjects of Sanharib. See ! they re- 
 turn." 
 
 And, as if responsive to the renewed waving of ' Rose- 
 bud's ' wand, the dark spots, which were barely perceptible 
 beneath the clouds, rapidly enlarged, and the two birds, far 
 apart, descended with stately motion. A broad floating 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 165 
 
 ribbon was suspended between them, and the children, 
 displaying their golden trowels, directed the flight of the 
 roks towards the King of Egypt. 
 
 " Our foundation is laid," they cned-, "send up your 
 promised materials.'' 
 
 "You have conquered, O sage," said Pharaoh. "It is 
 I, now, who cannot fulfil the conditions. I am content : 
 for he who is master of such beings as I have beheld this 
 day, is designed by Providence to rule over a nation. 
 Henceforth I become the faithful ally of Sanharib, the 
 unswerving friend of Assyria." 
 
 To prove the sincerity of his words he placed the trea- 
 sonable letters of Nadan in the hands of the disguised 
 Hicah, and loaded him with presents both for himself and 
 his lord. 
 
 Proudly did the successful politician meet his grateful 
 Sovereign. He was reinstated in his office of prime minister, 
 and passed the remainder of his happy life in the society 
 of his bold son-in-law and his spirited daughter. As to 
 Nadan, he died in prison. 
 
 " Such a girl would be worth wooing," exclaimed El 
 Mulook at the end of the tale ; " she is worth fifty of 
 your Zobeides. If I must marry, and I suppose it will be 
 my duty some time or other to provide a successor to my 
 throne, I would I had the luck to meet her like." 
 
 Haziz seized the opportunity to oblige Suleiman. 
 
 " Character is stamped indelibly upon the countenance. 
 Nature writes legibly, but few there are who can decipher 
 her meaning. Nevertheless, as this tale is a truth and not 
 
i66 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 a fiction, the portrait of the heroine has been handed down 
 to us. Seek her likeness among women of every rank, 
 and when you have found it, wed the maiden, whether 
 she be princess or peasant." 
 
 The crafty old monarch chuckled with delight as Haziz 
 graphically described the features, aspect, mien, and voice 
 of the Princess Dunya, the very lady whom he had se- 
 lected as a fitting bride for his son, and whose portrait he 
 had exhibited that very morning to the obedient tale-teller. 
 
 "I must be off to-morrow," were the parting words of 
 the princely hunter, " and should I bring back a plebeian 
 wife, her soul at least will be noble." 
 
 " Figs spring not from brambles," said Suleiman ; " such 
 faces are not bestowed upon the vulgar herd. Good night, 
 and pleasant dreams." 
 
 THE RAJAH'S DAUGHTER.* 
 
 At break of day El Mulook departed. Under the ap- 
 parently artless guidance of Haziz, he wandered on from 
 land to land, vainly seeking the image portrayed upon his 
 memory, until he arrived opposite the Islands of Camphor, 
 the Princess Royal of which bore the reputation of being 
 the most beautiful woman in the world. She was noted, 
 moreover, for an unaccountable repugnance to marringe, 
 insomuch that she had vowed to slay the man who should 
 wed her against her will, (a custom too prevalent with us 
 Orientals), and to perish afterwards by her own hand. 
 
 To tame such a Tartar, to master so lovely a tigress, was 
 * From ' Taj El Mulook, and the Lady Dunya.' 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 167 
 
 the most attractive lure that could have been held out to 
 the huRter-prince. Upon hearing this report he immedi- 
 ately crossed the strait that led to the Camphor Isles, and 
 sought an opportunity of beholding the man-hater. Being 
 well aware, as she had already refused many an eligible 
 offer, how fruitless it would be to ask her hand (a mea- 
 sure he was by no means prepared for, without personal 
 comparison of her with his ideal portraiture of a heroine), 
 he determined to have recourse to stratagem to obtain an 
 interview with her. Accordingly, having hired one of the 
 handsomest shops in the city, and deposited therein the 
 costly merchandise he had brought with him, he attired 
 himself and his companions in rich and elegant apparel, 
 and sat down in the midst of his many servants, all con- 
 spicuously clad in their native costumes, on the skins of 
 the rarest beasts, bordered around with a deep fringe of 
 bullion. 
 
 The distinguished look of El Mulook, the luxurious ap- 
 pointments of his shop, the novelty and rarity of his goods, 
 naturally induced a run of business ; and all the women 
 whose fortune and whose leisure permitted them to in- 
 dulge their fancy and their curiosity, made a point of ran- 
 sacking the stores of the handsome foreigner. One day 
 an aged crone, well dressed, and evidently of respectability, 
 though not of rank, requested to be shown the most pre- 
 cious stuff he might possess, as her mistress, the Lady 
 Danya, whom she had reared from a child, had commis- 
 sioned her to purchase the materials of a sumptuous dress. 
 He smiled, as he bade his slaves take the wrappings off a 
 roll of embroidered stuff, so valuable that he had never yet 
 
i68 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 displayed it to any customer -, and when asked the price, 
 declined mentioning it, indicating his wish that she should 
 accept it as the medium of introducing him to the Court. 
 ** For," he remarked, "amusement, and not profit, was 
 his sole motive for visiting the islands." The bait caught, 
 and his unparalleled beauty, his gentlemanly deportment, 
 his unmercenary feeling, were the constant themes of 
 panegyric from the nurse to her royal mistress. " You 
 admire the beauty of his wares," she would say 3 ''ah! 
 you would not think of them, if you could only see the 
 man ; your whole senses would be absorbed in gazing 
 upon him ; so graceful a form, such exquisitely chiselled 
 features has Nature lavished upon him. No woman could 
 resist him ; it is lucky for me I am old, for my virtue could 
 not withstand his wooing, if he fancied me." And by thus 
 continually harping upon his perfections, she excited the 
 curiosity of the princess. 
 
 Soon, by his liberality, the Prince induced the supple 
 messenger to convey some love-letters from himself to the 
 Princess, who although indignant at him for his presump- 
 tion, yet naturally felt some interest for a nobleman (for 
 such she had learnt he was) whose daring evinced the 
 ardour of his passion. Her replies, however, were so 
 chilling, her rebukes so unmistakable, that bolder measures 
 became necessary if he still cared to obtain an interview. 
 The difficulties he had experienced had piqued his vanity, 
 and the chase he 'had originally commenced as a mere 
 amusement, had gradually become invested with an extrinsic 
 importance. He had ascertained from the nurse that the 
 Lady Dunya was wont occasionally, but at uncertain inter- 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 169 
 
 vals, to divert herself by strolling in the gardens attached to 
 an old and dilapidated palace that formed part of the royal 
 appanage. Acting upon this hint, he cultivated the ac- 
 quaintance of the head-gardener,- and soon became (thanks 
 to his urbanity, and still more to his purse) such a favourite 
 with him that he obtained permission to enter the grounds 
 whenever the usual notice of the intended visit of the 
 Princess should not have been received. 
 
 " Permit me likewise," he said to the gardener one day, 
 " to indulge my taste by redecorating the entrance-hall of 
 this fine old palace at my own cost. An acquaintance 
 of mine, a fresco-painter, seeks to display his abilities in re- 
 storing the building to its original beauty. His attempt, 
 if successful, will prove an excellent introduction to remu- 
 nerative employment." The favour was most willingly 
 granted, and an artist instructed by the Prince depicted two 
 tableaux upon its walls j one showed a female dove aban- 
 doned by her mate, fluttering and struggling vainly to ex- 
 tricate herself from the net of a fowler, who was just about 
 to twist her neck ; the other exhibited the male dove wing- 
 ing his way to assist her, but nearly overtaken by a hawk, 
 and about to perish from its merciless assault. 
 
 These pictures were designed to counteract the influ- 
 ence of a peculiarly vivid dream upon the imagination of 
 the handsome cold-hearted Princess. Dunya, when young 
 and impressionable (as the garrulous old nurse related), 
 had dreamed that a female pigeon had, at the risk of her 
 own life, rescued her entangled mate from the snare of a 
 fowler, but had subsequently been caught herself, and 
 abandoned to her fate by her craven helpmate. "All 
 
170 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 males are thus base-hearted," had been the comment of 
 the girl, and the moral had been so graven in her memory, 
 that thenceforth she conceived a settled aversion for that 
 unknown sex. 
 
 After these paintings had been completed, and the nurse 
 had sent word to the Prince that, on the morrow, her mis- 
 tress proposed to stroll through the pleasure-grounds of 
 the deserted palace, the next morning. El Mulook, having 
 arrayed himself in his richest clothes and most splendid 
 jewels, repaired to the garden, and as, thanks to his 
 colleague, the customary intimation of the visit of the 
 Princess had been omitted, was admitted as usual. He 
 had not sauntered about long, when there walked in from 
 a private gate that lay between himself and the more 
 public entrance, the Princess Dunya, escorted by a large 
 retinue of merry females and sedate eunuchs. The bustle 
 they made attracted the attention of the gardener, who, 
 running to the Prince, urged him to conceal himself, as egress 
 was now impossible. In a spot which was fast relapsing 
 to its natural wildness, where the unpruned creepers oifered 
 many a nook for concealment, to hide was far from diffi- 
 cult, and his wary and efficient coadjutrix, the nurse, faith- 
 fully earned the frequent largesses he had bestowed upon 
 her, by suggesting to the Princess that she would feel less 
 trammelled by courtly etiquette, and could yield herself 
 more freely to the impulse of her own sweet will by dis- 
 missing her train. The idea was approved of, and El 
 Mulook, even if discovered, ran no risk from the scimetars 
 of the eunuchs. 
 
 The unveiled Princess passed and repassed the hiding- 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 171 
 
 place of El Mulook, and the latter, when he beheld in her 
 features the reflex of his dead heroine, almost betrayed his 
 presence by the excess of his emotions. Oh, joy ! the ob- 
 ject of his ideal passion, and she whose coyness had stimu- 
 lated his habit of seeking to subdue all who might oppose 
 him, were one and the same being ! 
 
 At length the lady entered the newly-decorated hall, and 
 beheld the frescoes. 
 
 "Marvellous!" she exclaimed j "this is the unrevealed 
 finale of my dream. The male bird, then, did design to 
 save his mate, and death alone forestalled him. Ah ! I 
 have wronged the sex by my obstinate assertion of its 
 heartlessness and ingratitude." And from that moment all 
 her prejudices against man were dissipated, and the softer 
 ideas natural to youth and womanhood assumed their place. 
 
 When Dunya, after this revolution in her sentiments, 
 had quitted the building, she sauntered by herself, wrapped 
 in sweet reverie, musing on the passionate letters she had 
 so coldly replied to, and wondering whether he who had 
 indited them was the paragon so graphically depicted by 
 her nurse. The latter, whose peering eyes were turned in 
 every direction to detect the lurking-place of the liberal 
 foreigner, who she felt convinced would take advantage of 
 her communications, loitered behind, and soon descried 
 the Prince, although safely hidden by the shrubs from cur- 
 sory examination. She bade him walk boldly forth, as 
 though unconscious of the presence of the royal lady, and 
 then hurrying on, rejoined her mistress. With a start of 
 surprise, Dunya, as she retraced her footsteps, confronted 
 the noble-looking Prince, and blushing at his rapturous 
 gaze, shrouded her sweet features with the cruel veil. 
 
172 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 " Begone, bold youth !" said the crafty nurse, with simu- 
 lated anger, " or the eunuchs will return and slay you. I 
 neglected to apprise the gardener of our coming, so your 
 fault is less heinous in thus trespassing on a royal domain, 
 but withdraw quickly ere the wrath of the Princess be 
 aroused." The apology of El Mulook for his intrusion 
 was so gracefully worded, that the charms of his tongue, 
 added to the beauty of his person, so fascinated the woman, 
 whose heart was predisposed to love from her recent re- 
 verie, that the warmth of her feelings was revealed for the 
 moment in her eyes, which shot forth tenderness and 
 passion as they rested on his comely features. 
 
 " He was the writer of those letters you so scolded me 
 for conveying," was the whisper of the cunning dame, who 
 thus linked together the past and the present, and those 
 ardent aspirations which, when written, she had rebuked, 
 seemed now to flow unuttered from his lips in pleasing 
 symphony. Their tongues were silent, but their looks be- 
 trayed the secret of their hearts, as El Mulook, obedient to 
 the renewed injunction of the nurse, sadly withdrew from 
 a garden which had become converted into Paradise by 
 the presence of his Dunya. As to the greedy old woman, 
 who easily read the expression of the artless lady, she 
 chuckled as she thought of the future, and counted before- 
 hand the wealth which would accrue to her from avow- 
 ing so perilous an intrigue. For in love as in commerce, 
 the greater the risk the greater the gain. So skilfully did 
 she foster the incipient warmth in the bosom of her charge, 
 that, the very next evening, she was dispatched with a 
 message to the Prince, that Danya would receive him in 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. lys 
 
 her mansion if his courage should not fail him. He was 
 to be dressed as a female slave, and passed through the 
 guards by the aged crone, who was an adept in such in- 
 trigues, and had the pride of an artist in their successful 
 achievement. I need scarcely remark that, despite the dis- 
 suasion of Haziz, the heart of El Mulook did not quail, but 
 bounded with rapture at the thought of peril. 
 
 The guards were not suspicious, or his manly gait would 
 have betrayed him ; he was stopped, however, and eyed 
 suspiciously by the head eunuch, who indeed, at first, re- 
 fused to admit him ; yet, when menaced with the anger 
 of his royal mistress, who, as the nurse alleged, proposed 
 to purchase thh foreign musician, he became blind to the 
 peculiarities he had noticed in the stalwart slave, and was 
 willing to attribute them to her distant origin. Never- 
 theless he retained his suspicions that all was not right in 
 the matter. 
 
 The old woman having conducted El Mulook through 
 the crowded saloon of the harem, to the private boudoir 
 of her mistress, considerately left the enamoured pair to 
 themselves (for various tasks had been allotted to the do- 
 mestics to prevent intrusion upon the privacy of the Prin- 
 cess), and carefully, yet with seeming negligence, mounted 
 guard outside the apartment. Apart from all mankind, 
 and with daylight fast closing upon them, the lovers aban- 
 doned themselves to expressions of mutual tenderness, and 
 embraced each other with mingled purity and passion. 
 All the long cool summer night they toyed and, prattled 
 with innocent dalliance ; and the Prince, to her great de- 
 light (for his rank would prevent opposition to their legiti- 
 
174 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 mate union) narrated his past history, spoke of her mar- 
 vellous resemblance to the " Maid of Nineveh," and re- 
 vealed his true position as heir to the Suzerain of the 
 Indies. 
 
 Yet, although there could be no obstacle to their ulti- 
 mate marriage, a long interval would elapse before a mes- 
 senger could reach his father, and an ambassador return to 
 publicly demand her hand, in accordance with state 
 etiquette. The thought of being severed from each other 
 for six long months was unendurably bitter 3 so they 
 schemed how they might pass their lives in each other's 
 society during the interim. Each morning, ere break of 
 day, Dunya was to withdraw to another chamber, where 
 she would resume her ordinary occupations, see company, 
 transact business, and chat as usual with her attendants, 
 for she was a kind and affable mistress. In the evening, 
 as early as might be, she was to return to her boudoir, 
 which was thenceforth to be the acknowledged abode of her 
 favourite musician. Well did El Mulook keep up his pro- 
 fessed character, for he was a skilful player, and at night 
 the sounds of minstrelsy echoed sweetly from his closed 
 door ; the nurse was their sole attendant, and her hoard of 
 gold and jewels increased so rapidly as to more than com- 
 pensate her for incessant vigilance. So a whole month 
 glided away unnoticed, amidst song and music, chaste ca- 
 resses, and protestations of undying love. Absorbed with 
 the novelty of a passion hitherto unknown to him, the 
 intended message to his father, and the natural anxiety of 
 Haziz for his absence, were wholly forgotten by the thought- 
 less Prince. Haziz, poor fellow! whose heart had foreboded 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 175 
 
 evil from the hour when his impatient friend had preferred 
 the romance of passion to the quiet course of a diplomatic 
 marriage, and who dreaded that a sudden blow might lay 
 the heir of Suleiman low before his rank could be surmised, 
 had long before this period abandoned all hopes of the ex- 
 istence of El Mulook. The cessation of the previous 
 almost daily visits of the aged nurse (who was at present 
 too busy with her dangerous charge to attend to shopping) 
 augmented his dismay; so, not daring to inquire at the 
 palace as to the fate of his friend, he no longer doubted, 
 from his protracted silence, that (together with the veteran 
 intriguer) he had fallen an unknown victim to the rash 
 and unnecessary course he had adopted. Near the close 
 of the month he departed, with his merchandise and all 
 his companions, from the hateful islands 3 for, since his 
 longer sojourn could not (as he erroneously supposed) 
 benefit his lost lord, he held it advisable to return imme- 
 diately to the Court of the Indies, lest perchance, by his own 
 unexpected death, all traces of Suleiman's heir should be- 
 come obliterated. So he journeyed without delay or hin- 
 drance to the bereaved father 3 and feeling how vain it 
 was to condole with him upon so irremediable a calamity, 
 partially succeeded in diverting his thoughts from a grief 
 which would have borne him speedily to the grave, by 
 urging him to avenge his child. War was proclaimed 
 throughout the vast empire ; and so adored was the wise 
 monarch for his benevolence and his equity, that not only 
 did the p2ople of his own realm flock in thousands to his 
 standard, but the sovereigns of adjacent countries lent him 
 their armies to aid his righteous quarrel. Stimulated by 
 
176 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 the thirst of vengeance, which temporarily restored him 
 to the vigour of youth, he started with half his troops (a 
 countless host), leaving orders for the rest to push on 
 after him, as soon as the necessary preparations for their 
 transport and provisionment could be completed. 
 
 Meanwhile the loving pair, wrapped up in their own 
 felicity, and forgetful of the world without, were heed- 
 less of the passage of time. For six months had El 
 Mulook remained in the harem, a prisoner to love, and 
 during that period the ardour of his passion had so in- 
 creased, the warmth of their mutual affection had grown 
 so intense, as to carry them beyond the bounds of pru- 
 dence and of caution. A combination of two most tri- 
 vial circumstances put an end to their bliss. It chanced 
 that one night the old nurse, who guarded the boudoir by 
 reposing on her mattress outside the door, slept so pro- 
 foundly that she neglected to apprise the lovers of the 
 approach of day 5 and the chief eunuch having been 
 charged by the King, who had risen unusually early, to 
 deliver to his daughter a precious casket of jewels he had 
 just received, passed the chamber before which the old 
 woman was loudly snoring. He roughly shook her, and 
 the horror of detection overwhelmed her palsied senses as 
 she cowered before his piercing eyes. 
 
 " What mean you, sluggard, by lying here until this late 
 hour of the morning?" said the stern official, with lower- 
 ing countenance ; for his suspicions were aroused by find- 
 ing her posted, like a sentinel, before the chamber of the 
 musician. " I must enter here," he continued, " and 
 judge for myself the reason of yuur conduct." 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 177 
 
 " I have not the key with me," she shrewdly replied, 
 "but I know where it lies, and will go and fetch it 5" 
 and she shuffled away from the searching looks of the 
 tyrant of the harem, and, snatching up her hoarded trea- 
 sures, quitted the palace. Kind fortune al6ne saved her 
 from pursuit, and from the condign punishment awarded 
 to the betrayer of her trust. 
 
 Impatient of her tardiness, the suspicious potentate so 
 quietly displaced the door from its sockets, that he beheld 
 the half-conscious Princess and her sleeping lover reposing 
 in each other's arms. One glance at the exposed face of 
 the latter told him allj despite of the proffered bribes, the 
 agonized supplications of the distracted Dunya, who, waking 
 at his entrance, implored him to conceal what he had 
 noticed, the stern but incorruptible guardian having again 
 secured the door, returned to his Sovereign, and declared 
 that he had found a handsome youth in the same chamber 
 with his sleeping daughter. Full of wrath, the indignant 
 parent hastened thither, and at the sight of El Mulook 
 such was the violence of his rage, that he would have 
 slain him with his own hand, but Dunya, caressing her 
 sire, threw herself before the Prince, exclaiming, " Kill 
 me first, O my father, for he is my husband, and I 
 dare to avow itj" for she was resolved not to survive 
 him. 
 
 The fond father, however, would not hurt his child, 
 but having chidden her, sent her to another room, where 
 she was closely watched, lest, in her distraction and de- 
 spair she should lay violent hands upon herself. 
 
 When the lady had been removed. El Mulook, drawing 
 
 N 
 
178 EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 nimself up proudly^ confronted the Rajah with calm 
 dignity. 
 
 "I am in thy power, O King," he exclaimed; "slay 
 me if thou wilt, but my sire, who is far mightier than 
 thou art, will amply avenge my death. Indulge thy rage, 
 and the curses upon thee of thy slaughtered subjects, their 
 ravaged fields, their desolated homes, will result from thy 
 gratified malice." 
 
 "Who art thou, then, who crowest thus boldly?" said 
 the perplexed monarch. 
 
 *' Thine equal, at the least j the heir of Suleiman, the 
 suzerain of the Indies," was the confident answer. 
 
 At these words the petty ruler of the Camphor Islands 
 paused in his design of forthwith crucifying the daring 
 violator of the sacred harem ; and having inquired of the 
 Prince as to who in that city could confirm his assertion of 
 kingly rank, remanded him for a while, that he might 
 ascertain the truth of his pretensions. He at first felt dis- 
 posed to believe the arrogant claim of El Mulook to a sta- 
 tion so exalted that policy demanded oblivion for an offence 
 he was willing to repair 5 for the habit of command had 
 so stamped its indehble impress upon his visage that he 
 looked every inch a prince. Yet the departure of Haziz 
 and his retinue, to whom the captive had confidently 
 referred as testimonies to his royal extraction, so militated 
 against the truth of his claims, that the Rajah resolved 
 that he should expiate the past by a comparatively painless 
 death, one which even a prince might endure without 
 degradation. 
 
 And now the prisoner was firmly bound, and upon his 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 179 
 
 knees awaited the descending sword -, the executioner had 
 already raised his sinewy arm until the armpit was ex- 
 posed, and fixed his calm cold eyes upon the Rajah, ex- 
 pecting his customary nod, when loud cries of alarm and 
 the violent slamming of doors and shutters, and the tramp 
 of many feet, as it were of fugitives, induced the despot to 
 arrest the stroke. 
 
 " What means this unusual disturbance ?" he demanded ; 
 and the voices of the throng without responded, — 
 
 " An army numerous as the sands of the ocean has 
 crossed the strait, and your troops have fled before it." 
 
 Then, while all quaked with fear, and the executioner 
 with uplifted scimetar still hovered over his victim, a 
 compact body of horsemen, strangely but richly clad, at- 
 tended by an honourable escort of the King's cavalry, 
 galloped their foaming steeds to the porch of the palace, 
 dismounted with unceremonious haste, and pushing aside 
 all who would have impeded them, thrust themselves into 
 the presence of royalty. 
 
 " We have hurried hither," said the envoy of Suleiman, 
 after most brief salutation, " as messengers of peace or 
 war, according to your past doings : of peace if the son 
 of the great suzerain of the Indies, who, disguised as 
 a merchant, has sojourned in your city, be still alive; 
 of war even to annihilation, should he have been slain by 
 your order, or his fate be still shrouded in mystery." 
 
 At this confirmation of the royal lineage of his captive 
 the Rajah trembled, and would have removed him from 
 the sight of his people, that they might not witness the 
 indignity he had put upon him. But Haziz, who had ac- 
 
 N 2 
 
i8o EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. 
 
 companied the embassy, sprang towards the doomed one, 
 and, clasping him in his arms, hastily unbound him, and 
 wept with joy at their opportune arrival. Then the Rajah 
 humbled himself before him whom he had condemned to 
 die, crying, — 
 
 '^ Pardon, O youth, the harsh treatment which pro- 
 ceeded from the wrath of a justly-offended father. Suffer 
 not the warriors of thy sire to desolate my poor domi- 
 nions." 
 
 *' If thou hast not harmed my bride," replied the mag- 
 nanimous Prince, " I forgive thee all our misery, for I 
 regard thee as my father-in-law j but if thou hast hurt 
 her — " 
 
 " I have dealt with her," interrupted the Rajah, " with 
 the forbearance of a fond yet aggrieved parent 3 no evil 
 has betided her, as thou mayest see for thyself." 
 
 And having led him to the bath, and arrayed him in 
 the garb of royalty, he conducted him to the chamber of 
 his Dunya, who in a tumult of joy and sorrow, of tears 
 mingled with smiles, stretched her arms towards him, 
 crying,— 
 
 "I thought they could not slay thee, my own, my 
 beautiful — thee, the son of a king ; but, oh, my heart has 
 been very sad from the loss of thee." And she kissed, and 
 clung to him, and embraced him openly. 
 
 Then the Rajah closed the door upon them, and left 
 them to each other. But he himself hastened to dispatch 
 rich presents to his dread invaders, and with all his court 
 repaired to Suleiman, and prostrating himself before him 
 was reconciled to him. 
 
EL MULOOK AND HIS FRIENDS. i8i 
 
 And after the ceremonials of marriage between the 
 hunter-prince and his perilously-won bride had been com- 
 pleted, the noble pair and their terrible escort returned to 
 his native land. 
 
 The cherished wish of the renowned Suleiman was ful- 
 filled, for his issue still sways the sceptre of the Indies. 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH, 
 
 (( OO then you have no father, and I no son ; you have 
 a motherland I no witej you are in straitened circum- 
 stances, though skilful in your calling ; I, though wealthy, 
 and acquainted with an art which princes have implored 
 me to impart to them, have no home, no relatives ; my 
 very isolation inclines me to you." Thus spoke Bairam, 
 a well-clad, somewhat aged, but sinewy-looking Persian, 
 who, having eyed our hero, a comely youth, as he deftly 
 plied his tiade, and by the commendation of his workman- 
 ship contrived a pretext for addressing him, entered into, 
 friendly converse and elicited his family history. The 
 father of Hassan had been wealthy, but had died. Mis- 
 management on the part of his mother or his brother (the 
 lad knew not which) had reduced him to the necessity of 
 earning his livelihood as a working goldsmith. '* His 
 spirit," he said, *' was above his condition. He felt he was 
 destined to nobler deeds ; but he must toil to live ; there 
 was no one who cared for him 3" and so on. 
 
 Such were the facts and feelings the astute Magian 
 gleaned, by his sympathizing looks and honeyed words, 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 183 
 
 from the guileless youth. The young, the aspiring, the 
 discontented, the adventurous, were the tools he sought. 
 He thus continued : — *' I am aged and childless ; my soul 
 "seems to cleave to you, for you are spirited, clever, and 
 very comely ; such an one as I would adopt, if your do- 
 cility should prove filial. Some day I will teach you the 
 rudiments of the inestimable art of transmuting copper 
 into gold ; but this must be done in secret." 
 
 '' At once I pray you," cried Hassan eagerly ; and the 
 Magian yielding, after some little pressure, to the urgency 
 of his request, bade him close his shop, prepare his cru- 
 cible, fill it with any clean scraps of pure copper he might 
 possess, and urge his bellows until a green fume should 
 ascend from the fused mass. Then, when the fitful tint 
 flashed radiantly from the liquid metal, the alchemist let 
 fall some intensely yellow dust into the bubbling fluid, and 
 having stirred it incessantly with an implement of steel, let 
 the fire gradually cool beneath it. 
 
 " Leave it undisturbed for this evening, my son, and to- 
 morrow, having assayed it, sell it through a broker. And 
 now farewell; I will revisit you in the morning." 
 
 There was no sleep for Hassan that night ; he rose early, 
 tried the rich-looking mass with file and touchstone, found 
 it virgin gold, impatiently started for the market, sold it 
 quickly for a large sum, and smiled as he showed the pro- 
 ceeds to his bland patron. " Let us make more," he said, 
 " there can never be a glut of gold." 
 
 *' It would look suspicious to sell that precious ore too 
 frequently," answered the alchemist ; " be guided by me. 
 Live frugally, and practise this art but once or twice a year. 
 The transmuting powder is hard to be obtained." 
 
1 84 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 '^What is it composed of?" inquired Hassan. 
 
 '* Not too fast, friend j I must first try your obedience 
 before I communicate the grand secret." 
 
 Yielding, however, to his importunity, the sage pro- 
 mised to consume the last small portion of his precious 
 powder in transmuting some more copper, at nightfall. 
 
 " Each drachm of this dust, the sole ingredient by which 
 copper differs from gold, will transform twenty pounds of the 
 commoner metal into the rarer. I have only three ounces 
 left ; this time you shall do the work yourself : it is the 
 second lesson." 
 
 Then he proposed to the youth to effect the great ope- 
 ration at his own house, which was in the country j but 
 when his pupil demurred (for there was a something 
 sinister in the expression of his teacher's countenance 
 which filled him with forebodings of evil) he smiled con- 
 temptuously at his manifest timidity, and having recom- 
 mended him to secure the heavy bag of silver he had 
 realized by the sale of his ingot in his private chamber at 
 home, offered to instruct him there that very evening. 
 *' But, remember," he continued, '* none living, not even 
 your mother, must be within earshot of my words. If 
 this art should become common, how would it profit us to 
 make gold ?" 
 
 There was reason in his words ; so when, after sunset, 
 Bairam knocked at the private residence of the young 
 goldsmith, all was prepared ; the metallurgic apparatus in 
 due order ; a simple yet appetizing repast spread before 
 them, and the widow far away in a remote apartment. 
 
 '' You have been thoughtful, my son," said the visitor j 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 185 
 
 '^ have you been wary, likewise, and hidden the proceeds 
 of our secret operation ?" 
 
 " It is here, my father," answered Hassan, pointing to 
 a flagstone, " safely deposited with the small residue of 
 my father's savings. And now partake with me of this 
 supper, that there may be the bond of bread and salt be- 
 tween us." 
 
 The Magian smiled dubiously, but ate. "Ix. is not 
 every one," said he, ** who duly estimates the sanctity of 
 the tie." 
 
 The supper removed, they set to work j that is to say, the 
 pupil operated, the sage noting time and quantities. A 
 huge lump of gold resulted from the correct nicety of the 
 admixture : one grain too little of the powder would have 
 spoilt the entire mass ; all beyond needful of that fearfully- 
 gained drug would have been wasted. They both exulted 
 at their success ; and the Persian, in high glee, offered some 
 sweetmeats to his pupil, saying, " I have eaten oi your food, 
 now eat of mine ; such is the custom of my country." 
 Then Hassan ate, and became stupefied, for the sweetmeat 
 had been drugged. Whilst he was unconscious, the Ma- 
 gian packed all the gold, silver, and other valuables of his 
 victim into one chest, and thrust Hassan, bound neck and 
 knees together, into another. Porters, ordered beforehand, 
 conveyed these burdens to a vessel, which had been char- 
 tered by the Persian, and the wind being favourable, and 
 all prepared, she sailed that night from Bassorah. 
 
 When all danger of pursuit was over, Bairam loosed his 
 victim. 
 
 " Why have you thus treated me ?" said the latter. 
 
1 86 HASSAN OF BASS ORAM. 
 
 " What harm have I done you, that you bear me a captive 
 from my home ?" 
 
 " 'Tis for your own good," answered the former. *' I 
 have a lovely daughter, and design you for her ; bat he 
 who weds her must worship the same pure element which 
 I do. See it blazing brightly before us ;" and he pointed 
 to a fire kindled from the sun, and prostrated himself re- 
 verently before it. " I hate the Moslems, those fanatical 
 followers of a false prophet," he continued, " and use 
 them for my tools that they may sell my gold for me 
 and I myself avoid suspicion ; yet forswear your religion, 
 and I will fulfil each promise I have made you." 
 
 " Never," replied Hassan 3 " you have been false to the 
 sacred tie of bread and salt, and 1 scorn both you and your 
 Pagan rites." 
 
 Then the Magian was very wroth, and his slaves beat 
 the poor youth with plaited thongs until he fainted. 
 
 But the mariners permitted not a continuance of this 
 cruel treatment ; for, although they had been hired by 
 this Persian, they were not of his creed. Moreover, 
 their superstition was enlisted on behalf of the captive ; for 
 when, shortly after this brutality, a hurricane burst on 
 them, they heard in the howling of the wind the wrathful 
 reproof of Heaven for their having supinely permitted an 
 Infidel to attempt by violence to pervert from the truth 
 his Moslem slave. They were a graceless set of fellows, 
 yet still respected the religion of Islam. 
 
 Consequently the Magian changed his tactics, and 
 sought to bend Hassan to his will by friendliness and ca- 
 jolery. He treated him kindly, arrayed him in fair gar- 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 187 
 
 ments, and thus apologized for his roughness towards 
 him : — 
 
 " Loving alike my own religion and yourself, it was 
 natural, and surely pardonable, that I urged you, even with 
 violence, to embrace it j yet since you are so firm in your 
 convictions, I will respect your scruples, and even show 
 you the ingredients of my powder, if you will boldly aid 
 me in obtaining them." 
 
 He spoke persuasively. In his heart Bairam cared no 
 longer what tenets might be professed by his victim ; only 
 just at first, he would have spared the youth had he yielded 
 to his will 5 and procured a substitute for him. Now far 
 advanced on his voyage, he was glad that the being whom 
 he had devoted to destruction should be a worshipper of 
 the Prophet who had denounced his creed. Since, how- 
 ever, it was essential to the success of his project that his 
 pupil should be docile, and he felt he could no longer en- 
 force obedience by brute force, he did his utmost to cajole 
 him, and so far succeeded, that Hassan, left alone without 
 friends or money, clang of necessity to the man who pre- 
 tended a regard for him and kept him from want. 
 
 After a voyage of three months' duration, they both 
 landed on a desert spot, with very little luggage, and slowly 
 proceeded from the coast inland, until the ship was out of 
 sight. The Magian now produced a small kettle-drum, 
 which he commenced striking with a plectrum of silk 
 worked in gold with talismanic insignia 5 small as it was, 
 the air was sensibly agitated by its vibration, and the far- 
 apart palm-trees seemed to shake violently as the waves 
 of sound reached them. Far, very far in the distance, a 
 
1 88 HASSAN OF BASSO RAH. 
 
 dust arose, and thai dust rapidly advanced, and as it neared 
 them three she-camels might be descried, two of which 
 permitted themselves to be mounted, and the third bore 
 their slender stock of food upon her back. For one whole 
 week they swiftly and incessantly travelled over a sterile 
 region, which bore nothing that might sustain life in man 
 or beast ; then they came to a fertile plain, where both 
 they and their steeds refreshed themselves for a while, and 
 then again they mounted their beasts, and as the ground 
 continually rose, slowly and painfully ascended hill after 
 hill, until they seemed in the region of eternal clouds. 
 Afar off might be dimly discerned a palatial residence, and 
 as their provisions were almost exhausted, and the incessant 
 fatigue began to tell upon both of them, Hassan proposed 
 that they should crave hospitality. 
 
 "Not so: it is the abode of evil spirits," rephed the 
 Magian j " we must hurry past it, and in a few hours your 
 journey will have ended." 
 
 Before long they arrived at the foot of an abrupt moun- 
 tain, to the top of which there was no visible footpath. As 
 far as the eye could reach, the sides rose precipitously an 
 upright wall of more than a hundred feet high. No prac- 
 ticable access to the summit could be descried, and yet to 
 that peak the Magian pointed his skinny finger, joyously 
 exclaiming, 
 
 " At length, my son, we have arrived at the goal of all 
 our labours ; upon that height grows a shrub the burnt 
 ashes of which are alone needed to convert the baser 
 metals into virgin gold. All the mysteries of alchemy are 
 now revealed to you : you have become joint inheritor 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 189 
 
 with myself of that inestimable secret which thousands of 
 sages have vainly pined for. To gain this shrub, one thing 
 alone (disagreeable, I own, and apparently, yet not really, 
 dangerous) is necessary. No mortal foot can surmount 
 the rocky barrier which Nature has interposed between our 
 wishes and their fruition. Stratagem, therefore, must be 
 resorted to. Those monstrous creatures, the rok-vultures, 
 build their nests on the crags above these impregnable cliiFs, 
 and if you have courage enough to conceal your form 
 within the skin of a camel, you will be borne aloft by the 
 parent birds, who will be scared by your shouts when you 
 cut yourself free from the fur which hides you. For man, 
 the lord of fire, can terrify by his voice every living being 
 with whom he may come in contact." 
 
 The youth submitted himself, trembling all the while, 
 to the will of the alchemist, without whose co-operation 
 he could not hope to regain the port where he supposed 
 the vessel was still at anchor. So one of the camels was 
 slaughtered, and Hassan encircled by its skin, and borne 
 aloft by the stooping rok, gave utterance to such shrieks 
 as the bird alighted near its nest, that, startled from its prey, 
 it soared away into the boundless sky. 
 
 Then the voice of the Magian was heard from below, 
 shouting out, ** Throw down six bundles," which order 
 the lad obeyed, picking up the wood which he had cut 
 from amidst a rotting pile of human bones that nourished 
 the shrub as a rich manure. 
 
 '^Thanks, fool," was the parting salutation of Bairam 
 to his victim ; " I brought you here to gather this precious 
 harvest. Now get down if you can. Pray to your Prophet 
 
I90 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 to help you ; even my God could not save nie, were I 
 where you are perched." Then smiling grimly, he 
 mounted one camel, packed his treasure upon the second, 
 and with a scornful nod rode off into the desert on his 
 homeward route. 
 
 Hassan had always distrusted the wily Persian, yet this 
 utter abandonment of him seemed a horrible dream : he 
 could not at first realize his awful peril : when he compre- 
 hended it, he ran at full speed along the mountain plateau, 
 until it suddenly terminated where it overhung the surging 
 waves of the heaving ocean. A speedy death was better 
 than a lingering one ; there was the chance, too, that he 
 might survive the fall, and make his way back to some 
 inhabited portion of the globe. So, with a fervent prayer 
 for aid, he cast himself down from the cliffs, and after 
 much buffeting with the waters, was cast ashore in a state 
 of unconsciousness, far away from the spot from whence 
 he had precipitated himself. When he recovered his 
 senses, he found himself close to the palace he had pre- 
 viously noticed, and which the Magian had asserted was 
 the abode of evil spirits. In his present mood he would 
 have faced Eblis himself 3 for, without food and shelter, 
 his life could no longer be sustained. With the courage 
 of despair he entered the unguarded portal, expecting each 
 moment to be pounced upon by some hideous ogre or 
 malevolent genius. The only beings he encountered were 
 two beautiful girls, who were playing at chess, and who 
 evidently regarded his arrival as a pleasant interruption to 
 their loneliness. 
 
 The younger, starting up, clasped him by the hand, ex- 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 191 
 
 claiming, " At last I behold a human being : bear witness, 
 O mj sister, that I adopt him for my brother j" and she 
 provided him with food, and fresh garments ; and after he 
 was refreshed, inquired of him how he had discovered 
 their solitary home. He told them the simple truth j and 
 they continued : — " You are the first man who has es- 
 <!;aped this cold-hearted monster, who, to gratify his quench- 
 less thirst for gold, has, year after year, for longer than we 
 can recollect, sacrificed some trusting youth to the horrible 
 death of gnawing starvation." 
 
 " Pardon my curiosity," said Hassan, now thoroughly 
 refreshed, " but how does it happen that you dwell in so 
 solitary a spot, separated, as it were, from all mankind ?" 
 
 " You may well marvel at this," answered his sister, 
 " for no woman would dwell alone willingly. Our father, 
 however, who is a Prince of the Genii, is so jealous of our 
 affection for him, that, he isolates us by almost impassable 
 deserts from all mankind, lest we should love any but him- 
 self. At long intervals he sends for us to his court ; but 
 usually we dwell alone, surrounded with every pleasure, 
 except society. The grounds are charming, and prolific j 
 most ample stores of all that may conduce to our conve- 
 nience await our wishes ; but our life is very dull, and we 
 are really delighted at your coming." 
 
 Thus kindly and frankly was he received by the two 
 girls, who were the sole occupiers of the spacious palace ; 
 and when their five sisters, who had been out hunting, 
 returned from their sport, they vied with the other two 
 in their gracious hospitality. Time passed quickly in their 
 company. Hassan, as soon as he was restored to health 
 
192 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 and vigour, accompanied them to the chase, and a year 
 sped onwards so rapidly that our hero, whose manners 
 and tone of feehng had become refined from intimacy 
 with these noble females, was only made conscious of its 
 passage by the sight of his old enemy. He was chasing 
 the antelope with his fair companions when he beheld 
 him, almost on the very spot where he had abandoned 
 himself, torturing a young Moslem, to force him to enter 
 within the skin of a slaughtered camel : the young man 
 was tightly bound, and submitted to his cruel usage with 
 sullen patience. " My sisters," said Hassan, " aid me in 
 avenging humanity by ridding the world of this execrable 
 monster. Allah will hold it a good deed, and recompense 
 us for it hereafter." They were all armed, and well 
 mounted, so that their sudden onslaught struck the Ma- 
 gian with dismay ; ere he could recover from it, the sword 
 of the avenger had cloven him asunder, and his soul was 
 hurried to that fire which on earth he had loved so well. 
 His intended victim was mounted on his betrayer's camel ; 
 and being well provided with provisions, and all things 
 needful, returned in safety to his friends and country. 
 
 Not long after this occurrence the sky above the desert 
 became darkened, at which sight the damsels hastened to 
 conceal their cherished guest. Soon there arrived a guard 
 of honour, sent by their father to escort his daughters 
 to a marriage festival. " We shall be absent, dear friend, 
 for two or three months," said his sister by adoption, as 
 soon as an opportunity for visiting Hassan permitted her to 
 bid him farewell. '' Here are our keys -, use all things 
 freely, only do not open the door you see yonder. This 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 197^ 
 
 little favour — and we request it as much for your own sake 
 as for ours — I beg you to grant me by that sacred tie of 
 brotherhood that is established between us." Then they 
 departed, and Hassan was left alone in the deserted palace. 
 
 The solitude was unbearable. No human voice now 
 greeted him ; the rooms which had so lately echoed with 
 the lively prattle of the laughing girls, were now silent 
 and gloomy. He had not a neighbour within hundreds 
 of miles. He had no occupation, he felt no interest in any- 
 thing. In the bustle of hfe we act 3 in the dead calm of 
 compulsory indolence and solitude we think, we theorize. 
 The thought, however rebuked, would again and again 
 recur, '* Why am I forbidden to enter that apartment ? 
 does it contain some terrible secret which they wish to 
 hide from me ? Even though death should follow my in- 
 trusion, I must venture within it to unravel the mystery." 
 He had uttered his thought aloud, and the sound of his 
 own voice seemed to inspire him with daring. The key 
 was turned, the door flung widely open. Scimetar in hand, 
 he paused at the threshold, half expecting to witness some 
 ogre, or foul spirit that would oppose his entrance. All 
 was calm within. The apartment was empty ; it was a mere 
 anteroom, with a flight of stairs leading to the roof of the 
 palace. 
 
 He bounded up the steps ; he had never yet looked 
 from tlie roof upon the splendid landscape of wood, water, 
 hill and plain, the commingled aspect of which he felt 
 would be magnificent ; for the strange life he had led of 
 late had called all the latent poetry of his soul into ex- 
 istence. He gazed with tranquil- admiration on the pro- 
 
 o 
 
194 HASSJN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 spect around, and noticed more especially a small private 
 garden exquisitely laid out, and filled with every sort of 
 odoriferous shrub and sweetly smelling or brightly-coloured 
 flower. Surrounded, except in front, by dense masses 
 of foliage, rose a graceful pavilion of lattice-work, built of 
 the most precious materials, and enclosing a spacious marble 
 basin of limpid water. Whilst he was still admiring it he 
 perceived some large snow-white birds winging their way 
 towards it, as if thirsting for its waters. He watched them, 
 himself unseen, as they alighted before it, and witnessed, 
 to his intense amazement, that they ripped open their 
 breasts with their talons, and emerged from their dress of 
 feathers as lovely maidens ; plunging into the bath, they 
 disported themselves merrily, and frolicked with all the 
 innocent gaiety of unobserved privacy. For who in such 
 a solitude could witness their gambols save the seven dam- 
 sels who dwelt there, daughters of a vassal of tlieir own 
 father, the sovereign of his tribe of the genii ? So they 
 romped like children, and splashed each other with water, 
 and in their unadorned and statuesque beauty assumed such 
 graceful and alluring attitudes, that passionate longings 
 throbbed in the breast of the youth ; and he, to whom 
 love in its more earthly sense had been hitherto an un- 
 known feeling, became so inflamed by the loveliness of 
 one of these sprightly girls, that when they had flown 
 back to their distant home after their delicious bath, his 
 previous gloom became a settled melancholy ; he loathed 
 his food, and pined away before the voluptuous images 
 in which his fancy dared to revel. 
 
 Time passed on. Again a dust arose in the desert, and 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 19^ 
 
 the prattle of many voices reanimated the echoing cham- 
 bers. He knew his fair protectors had returned, yet could 
 not rise to meet them j he was so prostrated by his love- 
 fever, that he had grown helpless as a child. His adopted 
 sister, who felt an earnest tenderness for him, and affec- 
 tion enables us to divine the thoughts of the being whose 
 heart beats in unison with our own, quickly penetrated his 
 secret, whispering softly, " You have used that key ; you 
 have viewed what is forbidden to your sex to look upon, 
 and perchance we shall all perish through your indiscre- 
 tion." A faint deprecating smile was the sole reply he 
 could make : his voice was gone from utter feebleness. 
 So she excused his illness to the six as the natural result of 
 his- long solitude 3 and while they hunted and amused 
 themselves as usual, she bore him from his couch in her 
 soft yet vigorous arms, as a mother would a sick child, 
 and consoling him with hope, nursed him so tenderly that 
 health speedily revisited him. 
 
 When he had nearly recovered, yet was still sad at heart, 
 she reverted to the scene he had beheld, and explained 
 that on the first day of every month the daughters of their 
 king, the ruler of a certain tribe of the genii, were wont to 
 bathe in that secret pool 3 " and since you assure me," she 
 continued, and your illness confirms your words, that 
 your life depends upon your union with one of them, I 
 will aid you, heart and soul, to gain her. It might, in- 
 deed, be the ruin of us all were my complicity detected 
 (for my father is the vassal of their sire), yet come what 
 will, I must not let my brother pine to death, even 
 should I imperil all our lives to save him. Be cautious, 
 
 o 2 
 
196 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 active, vigilant, and your success is certain. When next 
 they come hither contrive to abstract the feathered robe 
 of the girl you most long for, and leave all else to me. 
 Conceal it carefully — for who knows the future ? yet never 
 acknowledge you have preserved it; let her fancy rather 
 that in the madness of passion you irretrievably destroyed 
 it that she might become yours for ever." Thus she 
 cheered him ; and the prospect of such happiness so re- 
 vived his spirits, that every trace of sickness soon left him. 
 He was again the merry-hearted creature whose society 
 so enlivened the exiled seven. 
 
 On the anxiously awaited day having found a hiding- 
 place beneath a spreading bush which bloomed in close 
 proximity to the haunted pool, he had furtively removed 
 and secreted the robe of feathers, which had enabled the 
 wearer to speed through the air with the swiftness of an 
 arrow J and now all but the youngest and loveliest of the 
 late merry group had flown away ; her sisters had left her 
 vainly seeking the stolen garment. Weeping at her in- 
 explicable loss, and crouching through maiden shame as 
 she beheld a figure approaching her, she was charmed to 
 hear the sympathizing voice of the sister of Hassan. 
 " Dear girl, I have observed all that has occurred from 
 the roof of our palace. I know your dilemma, and have 
 brought some clothes with me to guard your charms 
 from the profane eyes of the bold youth who has disrobed 
 you. He did so from mad passion ; a month ago he acci- 
 dentally beheld you, and almost pined to death from 
 despair of gaining you. I say not he is worthy to possess 
 one so exalted as yourself j but he is handsome, gentle. 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 197 
 
 chivalrous, and refined. He honourably seeks your hand j 
 permit him then to approach you, since thus only can 
 you discover whether he has destroyed your plumage. 
 Should he fail to win your affection, you may perhaps in- 
 fluence" him by your entreaties to restore you the sole 
 means of returning to your father." 
 
 The sweet damsel did not make this long speech all at 
 once, but communicated her ideas little by little, in the 
 lulls of tlie storm of sobs which ever and anon burst irre- 
 pressibly from the captive maiden. Her words were not 
 wholly inefifectual ; hope revived ; she had found a friend 5 
 she would cajole the wretch who had dared to deprive her 
 of her liberty. So, after a day or two, she permitted 
 Hassan to plead his cause 5 and he was so handsome, so 
 eloquent, so respectful, that she almost pardoned him. 
 But, of course, she pursued her plan of wheedling from 
 him what had been done with her feathery encasement, 
 and, being quite a tyro in guile, actually deluded herself 
 (by simple reticence on the part of our hero) into the be- 
 lief that he had wilfully destroyed it. Such zealous con- 
 federates had Hassan in the seven sisters (who I fear were 
 less scrupulous in deceiving the lorn maiden than he was), 
 that when all hope of returning to her home had left her, 
 she made up her mind to accept her daring suitor. So, 
 after a brief but ardent courtship, she yielded her heart to 
 him, and in the absence of a legal official to celebrate the 
 marriage contract, was wedded to him through the inter- 
 vention of one of the sisters. For forty days joy and 
 festivities pervaded the palace ; all the seven sympathized 
 with the transports of Hassan and his bride, who, however, 
 were destined soon to leave them. 
 
ipS HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 A vivid dream excited his remorse. His mother, wasted 
 witli sorrow at his long absence, seemed to reproach him 
 for his careless happiness. Tears were in his eyes as he 
 related the vision to his amiable hostesses ; and they, di- 
 vining his wishes, not only bade him return home with- 
 out delay, but presented him with such abundance of 
 gold and jewels, that the means of living in opulence were 
 ensured to him for life. Then, when obedient to the 
 mystic tones of the Magian's drum, whose piercing notes 
 reverberated far and wide over a vast expanse of country, 
 camels mad with sympathetic excitement flocked thither 
 from all quarters ; they loaded the submissive beasts, some 
 with treasures, others with all sorts of provisions, and 
 courteously escorted their late guests far upon their jour- 
 ney. When, at length, they parted from him (not without 
 many an invitation to return), the youngest, who had 
 adopted him as her brother, lingered behind, and clasping 
 him to her breast, fainted with the excess of her emotion. 
 I am not sure the gentle girl did not love him more 
 ardently than she would have owned ^ if so, what mag- 
 nanimity she had evinced in aiding him to wed another ! 
 
 There is no need to tell how Hassan and his bride tra- 
 versed the deserts and crossed the sea ; suffice it, they 
 arrived safely at Bassorah, and rejoiced his mother by their 
 coming. At her suggestion (for she was a prudent wo- 
 man) they quitted their native town, where, the previous 
 poverty of the family being well known, the enjoyment of 
 their recently acquired fortune would have been attended 
 with disagreeables, if not with peril ; for the wealth would 
 have been attributed to alchemy, or to some other nefa- 
 rious or illegal practice. . 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 199 
 
 They journeyed, therefore, to Bagdad, and there resided 
 in ease and luxury. 
 
 After three years had elapsed, Hassan determined to 
 keep his promise of again visiting the seven sisters j so, 
 seeking" to manifest his gratitude to them, he purchased 
 every object of interest or novelty which the market of 
 that emporium could provide. 
 
 Before he left home, he strictly enjoined his mother to 
 show all due respect to his high-born wife (the history of 
 whose capture he had already narrated), but not to permit 
 her to quit the house during his absence. He then pro- 
 ceeded to relate that he had never destroyed her dress of 
 feathers, but had concealed it in a chest in a certain closet, 
 fearing that the sight of it would tempt her to abandon 
 him. Alas ! for this confidential communication ; it was 
 fortuitously overheard by Menar es Sena, his lovely wife, 
 who had passively yielded herself to him, because she had 
 hitherto imagined that flight from her plebeian bridegroom 
 was impossible. Hence, no sooner had her husband ut- 
 tered his last farewell, and started on his route, when she 
 importuned her guardian for permission to visit the public 
 baths, and so vehemently insisted upon her rights, that she 
 gained her point and proceeded thither. When she was 
 undressed, the exquisite symmetry of her proportions and 
 the refined loveliness of her features excited universal ad- 
 miration, insomuch that a favourite attendant of Zobeide, 
 the wife of the Caliph, who had chanced to behold her, 
 reported to her mistress the surpassing beauty of the stran- 
 ger, declaring that in all Islam none could be found to vie 
 with her. Thereupon Zobeide resolved to inspect this 
 
200 HASSJN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 marvel of perfection, and invited the wife and mother of 
 Hassan to visit her in her palace. The unsought-for ho- 
 nour could not be refused^ the beauty was admired, 
 petted, and eventually asked, being a foreigner, whether 
 she had any rarities at home which were worthy of being 
 viewed. "With feigned simplicity she answered promptly, 
 *' Oh, such a wonderful dress of feathers ! you would take 
 me for a bird if you could see me in it, but my mother-in- 
 law, who never leaves me, has locked it up in her private 
 closet ; so I can't show it you.'* Then Zobeide became 
 imperious, and, despite of the asseverations of the old 
 woman, who denied all knowledge of its presence, sent 
 Mesroor in her company to fetch it ; and he, guided by 
 the directions of the lovely bride, soon found it, and re- 
 turned without delay to his mistress. 
 
 Menar es Sena carefully examined the skin. It was per- 
 fect as on the day when she had left it before the pool in 
 the desert. Donning it quickly, and imitating a bird, she 
 strutted about naturally, and plumed herself gracefully, 
 like a snow-white swan -, then she tried her wings, and now 
 feehng confident in her powers, she soared aloft, bidding 
 her mother-in-law tell Hassan that the loss of herself was 
 but a mild penalty for his former subtlety and his present 
 neglect. " Should he so fondly love me," she continued, 
 " that he cannot exist without me, he must seek me in 
 the far off Isle of Women, near Borneo, and then, per- 
 chance, I may pardon him." Having uttered this farewell 
 message, she spread her wings, and flew with the rapidity 
 of the wind to the home she had so long quitted. 
 
 What tongue could adequately describe the despair of 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 201 
 
 Hassan, when, on his return, he heard of the flight of his 
 loved one ! His close custody of her had been based upon 
 his humble conviction of his own demerits ; his apparently 
 neglectful absence had resulted from the gratitude he enter- 
 tained for the dear sister whose unselfish affection had pro- 
 cured so peerless a bride. What was life to him now, with- 
 out her ? He loved her ; would follow her to the world's 
 end. So he started in haste for the Indian Archipelago. 
 
 I have no time to relate the perils encountered in his 
 long and painful enterprise j how that, at length, through 
 the favour and connivance of a neighbouring potentate, 
 he contrived to land in an island where women ruling 
 as masters, forbade the approach of air foreigners of the 
 male sex (their own mates being too submissive to be 
 dreaded) ; how that his deep humility and the sad inten- 
 sity of his love for his lost bride won him the commisera- 
 tion of the general of these Amazons, who had offered 
 him any maiden in her army whom he might select as a 
 substitute ; how that having refused the kindly solace, 
 he proceeded to the Court presided over by his wife's 
 sister, who, at the urgent request of his protectress, had 
 spared his own life, but incarcerated his bride for the 
 shame she had brought upon her family by this degrading 
 misalhance. Scarcely yet assured of his own safety, he 
 had departed from the palace, and now, devoid of fixed 
 plan, was walking disconsolately towards the most soHtary 
 spot he could descry. It was a narrow dell, shut in 
 between mountains and a foaming torrent ; not a living 
 tree was visible, no human being could be discerned who 
 might indicate what route he should pursue. Gloom and 
 
202 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 silence reigned supreme ; the melancholy roar of strug- 
 gling waters could alone be heard. *' No wonder that 
 such a spot is avoided by all mankind," he was thinking, 
 when the shrill and angry tones of boyish voices in loud 
 quarrel disturbed and disproved his reflections. Two lads 
 were tussling with each other, and the blood upon their 
 faces and their stained garments showed that blows had been 
 freely exchanged between them. On the ground, at their 
 side, lay the objects of their dispute, a metal wand, in- 
 scribed with strangely-fashioned letters, and a leathern 
 skull-cap studded with triangular plates of iron engraved 
 with similar characters. The value of neither seemed 
 worthy of so savage an altercation, for hatred even to the 
 death flashed defiantly from the eyes of each, as, like 
 Cain and Abel, they fiercely contended with each other. 
 The weaker, with a cry of relief, exclaimed on seeing the 
 stranger, *' Let him decide between us," and as his pant- 
 ing opponent likewise assented, our hero agreed to act as 
 umpire. 
 
 '*Each of us wants tlie wand, and neither cares for the 
 cap," said the former speaker 3 " and our father, a mighty 
 magician, who dwelt in this desert and is but just dead, 
 and as yet unburied, has neglected to will them to either 
 of us." 
 
 "What, then, are the hidden virtues of each?" asked 
 Hassan J "intrinsically, they seem worthless." 
 
 The other lad explained that the wearing of the cap 
 merely produced invisibility, but that he who should wave 
 the wand had seven tribes of genii for his vassals. 
 
 Judging that those who neglecting the corpse of their 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 203 
 
 parent, would have slain each other for the acquisition of 
 power, were wholly unworthy of possessing it, and be- 
 lieving that Providence had cast this chance in his way to 
 enable him to succour and regain his imprisoned wife, 
 Hassan bethought himself of a stratagem to acquire both 
 treasures for himself. '* Lads," said he, "it is impossible 
 to fairly divide your inheritance 3 the value of the objects 
 is too different. Suppose, then, you race for the choice 3 
 let him who first reaches this coloured stone," and he cast 
 a large and conspicuous one as far as he could hurl it, 
 having shown it previously to them that they might re- 
 cognize it from the peculiarity of its shape and colour, 
 *' and brings it back to me, take the wand, leaving the cap 
 to his brother. Now — off!" 
 
 Intent solely upon victory, the rivals forgot the inesti- 
 mable objects they were leaving behind them 3 scarcely 
 had he finished when they started at full speed, the hinder- 
 most clinging to him who had got the start to retard his 
 progress. A fight ensued when they reached the stone 3 
 but when the elder, who had stunned his brother and 
 taken the prize from him, triumphantly turned his face 
 towards the umpire, the cap was on the head of Hassan 
 and the wand within his hand. He had become invisi- 
 ble 3 so the young savages lost their treasures, and brotherly 
 affection once more returned to their hearts, for the sense 
 of mutual wrong engendered a mutual sympathy : their 
 loss eventually proved their gain. 
 
 Our hero thus armed and shielded returned to the city, 
 and having entered the dungeon where his wife was im- 
 mured, heard her (himself unseen) deploring her folly in 
 
204 HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 
 
 having left the man she really loved, from a baseless 
 jealousy of his avowed affection for his sister and a natural 
 indignation for the trick which had been played her. She 
 was weeping violently, for her wrathful sister had caused 
 her to be beaten, and had now issued orders for the re- 
 capture of her husband. 
 
 *' 1 both can and will save you, dearest!" said Hassan 
 showing himself 3 '^forgive me for my wrongful capture 
 of you, for passion urged me to that violence : I should 
 have died had I not possessed you. To make amends I 
 will restore you, should you bid me, to your father, or else 
 take you to my own dear sister j for I have power more 
 than equal to the rulers of this land." 
 
 *' Where thou goest I will go, and never more will I 
 leave tliee !" was the fond reply. 
 
 I shall not relate how they quitted the prison, were 
 pursued and overtaken by the winged troops of his invo- 
 luntary father-in-law ; how his own tributary genii valor- 
 ously defended him j how that the contending spirits 
 scorched each other with breaths of flame ; how that, after 
 a long conflict, his own dread warriors were victorious, 
 and the conquered father and the cruel sister, as much 
 vanquished by his generosity as by his arms, became re- 
 conciled to the plebeian mortal who had dared to mingle 
 his human blood with that of their kingly race. 
 
 When all strife was over and solemn oaths of eternal 
 amity had been exchanged, our hero dismissed his terrible 
 army and returned to his native land. On his road he 
 visited his adopted sister, and, in token of his gratitude, 
 left in her hands the source and emblems of his magic 
 power. 
 
HASSAN OF BASSORAH. 205 
 
 Neither he nor his wife craved for exalted station, ac- 
 companied as it ever must be by peril and responsibility -, 
 so being very wealthy, thanks to the liberality of Menar es 
 Sena's family and the rich gifts of the seven sisters, they 
 purchased houses and lands at Bagdad, and lived at their 
 ease in that fair and luxurious city. Their descendants 
 dwell there in opulence to this very day. 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 44."VTlNE times have I let down this accursed net, and 
 nine times have I dragged it in empty. There's 
 a spell upon it, and no luck has ever betided me since I 
 refused to sell my fish to that sorcerer Jew. Well, here 
 it goes for the last timej" and that hulking, needy varlet, 
 Khaleefeh the fisherman, cast his net again into the 
 muddy Tigris, hurling it this time with such angry vigour, 
 that it fell further out into tlie stream than previously. 
 He waited for a while, and then slowly hauled it towards 
 him. The net did not feel heavy, yet as it neared the 
 bank there was something alive and struggling percep- 
 tible, which proved that the tenth venture would not be 
 wholly without issue. When at length it had been 
 landed and carefully uncoiled, nothing was found therein 
 but a scabby, one-eyed, limping, undersized ape. In the 
 anger of his disappointment the peasant seized a stick, and 
 was about to strike the animal ; but when the beast spoke 
 — ay, actually spoke — he dropped his baton and stared 
 stupidly at it. *' Don't strike yourself, Khaleefeh," said the 
 * Including * Abdallah of the Sea.' 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 207 
 
 little monster. " I am your luck, your own luck, master ; 
 so leave me alone, and cast the net again into the river." 
 
 In went the net, hurled, if possible, still further from 
 the bank than last time. A little pause, and it was hauled 
 towards the bank. This time it was heavier than the last -, 
 so weighty, indeed, that it needed the exertion of every 
 muscle of his stalwart frame to land the contents securely. 
 '' Another ape ! " he exclaimed as he discovered a great 
 red beast, with a handsome blue tunic around its loins, 
 and its eyelids stained with kohl, like a woman's, cradled 
 serenely within the net. " Why, Heaven seems to have 
 changed all the fish to monkeys, just to spite me. I am 
 always unlucky 3 but take that, you brute, for walking into 
 my property j" and he whirled the baton around his head, 
 intending to belabour the ugly intruder. '' Don't agitate 
 yourself, man," said the beast, in the nonchalant tones of 
 a supercilious dandy, *' I'm luck, not your luck though, 
 but Abu Saadat's. Take the matter quietly, and your 
 fortune's made." — "Eh! What ? my fortune's made ! Tell 
 me how, and I won't thrash you." — "I flatter myself," 
 said the complaisant beast, as he eyed his fine blue tunic 
 with an air of pride, and smoothed his abundant yet some- 
 what ruffled fur, ** that I'm rather a diff'erent sort of crea- 
 ture from your ape j I am a luck-bringer, and whoever 
 owns me is sure to gain ten sequins a day at the least. 
 Of late I have permitted myself to be appropriated by Abu 
 Saadat, the Jew money-changer, but I think I'll patro- 
 nize you. Now, under my protection, cast in your net 
 again." 
 
 The fisherman was confounded at the cool assurance of 
 
2o8 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 this uglv beast, yet obeyed its order. He was rewarded by 
 catching one of the finest and most dehcious fish that the 
 river had ever yielded. Pleased with his success, he in- 
 quired of his shaggy adviser, " What next ?" — " Of course 
 you would like the honour of owning me, and I don't 
 mind humouring you," said his strange patron ; " only it is 
 needful that Abu Saadat should voluntarily transfer me to 
 you. So lay this tempting fish daintily on fresh green grass 5 
 carry it quickly in your basket to the market-place, and 
 show it, in all its freshness, to the money-changer. Re- 
 fuse to sell the dainty to him for any less equivalent than 
 me and his luck ; I know the greedy epicure would resign 
 his very soul to gratify his stomach." Both apes then, 
 swinging their bodies to and fro on a young elastic bough, 
 to give themselves impetus, suddenly loosed their hold 
 of it, and flew, as it were, far into the centre of the sullen 
 stream. When they had disappeared beneath the bub- 
 bling waters; the past rencontre seemed to the bewildered 
 fisherman so like the incidents of a dream, that he began 
 to fancy that he had not wholly slept off the hashish he 
 had indulged in the previous evening. At all events, how- 
 ever, he would proffer his fish to Abu Saadat, the reputed 
 sorcerer. 
 
 The market-place was crowded when the fisherman, 
 having unpacked his prize, displayed it to the money- 
 changer, who, greedily coveting it, tossed a piece of gold 
 to the vendor, and bade his servant carry the delicacy 
 home, and order it to be dressed in such-and-such a 
 fashion (and he openly specified the mode, for he had set 
 his heart upon the dish). Now the price was a fair one. 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 209 
 
 and Khaleefeh longed to accept itj yet the ape's ad- 
 vice (and surely that rencontre was a reahty ?) was 
 buzzing in his ears. So he fumbled the coin about, and 
 scarcely had the servant carried off the basket, when he 
 banged the coin down on the changer's table, crying, 
 " Halloo ! what do you mean by walking off" with poor 
 folk's fish?" The Jew, suspecting it was an attempt 
 to screw more money out of him, threw him two more 
 pieces and, without disturbing himself, went on with his 
 business. " Three pieces of gold for one fish. Well, that 
 is a price. But the ape said I was not to take money. 
 What shall I do ?" and in the excitement produced by his 
 unwillingness to abandon a larger sum than he had gained 
 by a whole month's toil, and the growing conviction that 
 the mysterious ape was the arbiter of his fate, he advanced 
 and receded at least half-a-dozen times in front of the 
 table of the money-changer. At last, throwing down the 
 coins with a clash, he again roared out, " Halloo ! what 
 do you mean by walking off with poor folk's fish ?" The 
 Jew was very angry, but thinking this a trick to pick a 
 quarrel with him, and being very adverse to a brawl with 
 a true believer, pushed two ["more pieces of gold towards 
 the rough fellow, meekly inquiring whetlier he was still 
 dissatisfied. " I don't want your money at all. Just say 
 out loud, ' I give you my ape for your ape, and my luck 
 for your luck,' and the fish is yours without purchase." 
 Wearied with his blustering and laughing at his whim, 
 the Jew uttered the suggested formula. From that hour 
 he waxed poorer and poorer. But Khaleefeh went on his 
 way rejoicing, though he had not a single coin in his pos- 
 
 p 
 
2 icy KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 session ; for he had firm confidence in the promise of the 
 luck-bringer. Full of hope, he resumed his fishing, and 
 ere nightfall his gains amounted to no less a sum than ten 
 pieces of gold. It seemed as though he had only to cast 
 his net, and the fish were doomed to enter it. He had 
 an unseen co-operator, who scared them to its meshes ; it 
 was the invisible agency of the mysterious being who had 
 been unwittingly transferred to him by its unconscious pos- 
 sessor. Philosophers smile at luck, but to what else can 
 we attribute the prosperity of the reckless, the penury of 
 the provident ? 
 
 Day after day did the same occur ; but unwonted riches 
 made sad work with tlie brain of the once poor pea- 
 sant. "A hundred pieces of gold! yes, I have them se- 
 cure, but I shall be robbed of them to a certainty. Where 
 can I hide them ? If I bury them in the ground I shall 
 not dare to leave my home, lest rogues discover them ; if 
 I place them in a purse, armed thieves will lay wait for 
 me, and take it by force. I have it ! I will stitch my 
 money in a fold of my garment over my chest, and 
 none will think of that." He started as usual with his 
 nets J but his luck seemed to fail him. His late good for- 
 tune made him impatient, for his wrath began to rise 
 when again and again he had drawn his empty meshes to 
 the bank. At last, with an imprecation, he dashed his 
 nets so violently into the stream, that he jerked out his 
 hoard of gold from the fold he had coarsely stitched up in 
 his garment, and the shining pieces flew in all directions 
 into the water. To strip was but the work of a moment ; 
 he was diving in all directions, disinterring his much-loved 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 211 
 
 gold from the muddy bottom of the river. Very httle did he 
 recover. His whole thoughts were absorbed in his anxious 
 occupation 3 he saw nothing that took place on the bank, 
 where a .prowling scamp was carrying off, half in fun, half 
 in earnest, the squaHd raiment of the diver. When, worn 
 out with his exertions, he raised his dripping body from 
 the ooze, he found nothing but his nets to cover his 
 nakedness. Bat from the bank there was watching him a 
 well-dressed gentleman (no less a personage than the 
 Caliph Haroun Alraschid), whom he naturally ima- 
 gined must have removed his dress. " Come, none of 
 your nonsense, give me back my clothes," said Kha- 
 leefeh, who had wrapped his coarse nets around his huge 
 frame, and was brandishing a stake. " Don't fancy you 
 are going to make a fool of me, you little fellow, for 
 I won't stand it ; be quick now, or you shall taste my 
 cudgel." And he whirled his heavy stick around in so 
 menacing a way, that the wayfarer felt convinced that a 
 single blow would annihilate him. " Don't strike me, 
 friend," he quickly answered ; '^ I know nothing of your 
 own garments, but you are welcome to my cloak." 
 
 Now the Caliph would not have objected to a pleasant 
 adventure 3 but a personal struggle wjth a rough and 
 powerfully-built peasant, too ignorant to believe his rank 
 should he assert it, was by no means to his liking. So he 
 yielded his cloak with a good grace, for the weather was 
 very hot. He had ridden out that day, to distract his 
 thoughts from an amour he was half ashamed of. Having 
 lately purchased a beautiful and accomplished slave-girl, 
 Koot El Kuloob by name, he had become so enamoured 
 
 p 2 
 
212 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 of her that for an entire month he had never quitted her 
 apartments, save for the Friday's prayers j hence pubhc 
 business had been wholly neglected. But his minister, 
 Giafar, being a privileged person, had ventured that morn- 
 ing to respectfully remonstrate with his Sovereign, and by 
 his representation of the injury that was accruing to the 
 State from his continual absence, had induced Haroun to 
 withdraw himself for a while, on the plea of hunting, from 
 her too fascinating society. The Caliph was to be weaned 
 by degrees from his amorous indolence. 
 
 Immediately after the Friday's prayers, the two com- 
 panions had mounted their mules, and started on their ex- 
 pedition into the waste country, where the game was most 
 likely to be plentiful. The Sovereign cared little for the 
 sport, and dallied behind with his favourite minister, until 
 the more enthusiastic hunters were far ahead, and even- 
 tually out of sight. The weather was very sultry, and 
 Haroun became thirsty. In the distance he perceived 
 an almost stationary figure, which he supposed to be 
 some gardener or peasant, from whom he might ob- 
 tain water -, so bidding his vizier remain where he was, in 
 order to collect together the scattered hunters, he cantered 
 on in search for hquid. Having reached the Tigris, and 
 quenched his thirst from the running stream, his attention 
 was attracted, whilst watering his mule, by the uncouth 
 figure of the savage-looking fisherman, who with long 
 dishevelled locks floating wildly over his strange covering 
 of network, was rolling his fierce and bloodshot orbs in 
 every direction, angrily seeking the practical joker who had 
 secreted his garments. Their eyes met, and the presumed 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 213 
 
 offender was roughly accosted by the enraged peasant, 
 who, new appeased by the gift, dropped his stick, and 
 contented himself with grumbling at the exchange. 
 
 "It's a flimsy affair this 3 cost twice as much as mine, 
 I dare say, yet not half so strong and useful. It's all silk, 
 and finery J no substance in itj still it's better than no- 
 thing." 
 
 Observing that his ill-humour was allayed, Haroun ven- 
 tured to remark that he should not be too ready with his 
 cudgel, since, judging from his sinews, his blows would fall 
 hard. 
 
 " As to that," replied the fisherman, " I think / ought 
 to know better than youj for I have been thumping my- 
 self half the night, just to ascertain how I could stand the 
 bastinado, should the Caliph, wanting my gold, order me 
 to be beaten that I might say where I had hidden it. It's 
 all gone now, though : it's down in the bed of the river j so 
 he can't get it. And I have had all my pain — and I hit 
 pretty hard, I can tell you — for nothing." 
 
 Whilst thus narrating the assay of his powers of en- 
 durance, he was altering the robe to his liking, by cutting 
 it with his knife wherever it slightly pinched him. To- 
 lerably pleased with his performance after looking at his 
 reflection in the water, he now eyed the stranger with a 
 familiar stare. 
 
 " You seem a good sort of fellow, and have a soft and 
 pretty voice j tell me frankly, don't you belong to the 
 Court r" 
 
 The Cahph nodded. 
 
 " I could see that with half an eye," continued Khaleefeh^ 
 
214 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 "■ I knew you at once to be one of the singers, or pipers, 
 from your little mouth and your puffy cheeks. Now, how 
 much a month do you get ? ten pieces, eh ?" 
 
 And our ' rough,' who had grown consequential from his 
 easily-won gold, looked with a patronizing air on the Com- 
 mander of the Faithful, who again nodded his assent to 
 his conjecture. 
 
 " Now /," continued he, " earn that sum every day by 
 my trade, and if you hke to be my man, I'll teach it you. 
 It's better than piping. What say you?" 
 
 The Caliph resolved to carry on the joke. 
 
 " Don't be a hard master, and I'll do my best," said he 
 laughing. Then, obeying tlie orders of his instructor, he 
 tucked up his skirts within his girdle, and having arranged 
 the net according to the mode prescribed him, hurled it 
 with all his force into the bed of the river. When it was 
 time to withdraw it, he tugged and tugged with all his 
 mighty yet, even when Khaleefeh condescended to assist 
 him, their united force scarcely moved it. 
 
 '' You ill-omened piper ! If my net should be spoilt 
 through your clumsiness, I'll not only take your mule as 
 a compensation, but beat you to a mummy, just to teach 
 you not to hurl your net further than you can draw it 
 back." 
 
 The Caliph, with this prospect before him, would gladly 
 have put an end to the adventure by announcing his dig- 
 nity 5 but so ignorant and brutal did the fellow seem, that 
 he felt convinced he should merely be disbelieved, and 
 roughly treated as a pretentious braggart. 
 
 So, having vainly scanned the horizon in the hope of 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 215 
 
 beholding the approach of his retinue, he buckled to the 
 task, and by such strenuous exertion that the sweat streamed 
 down his face in rivulets, contrived, by the aid of his her- 
 culean master, to safely land both net and cargo. 
 
 The multitude of fishes was so great, that Khaleefeh 
 was in excellent humour. 
 
 " You're an ugly chap," said he, " but when I've trained 
 you, you'll make a decent fisherman ! Now ride off to 
 market and bring back a couple of big baskets. Then, 
 when we have strapped them on your mule, and stowed 
 the fish in them, we will trudge back to town, and you 
 shall hold the scales and sell them, and I'll take the moneys 
 nothing can be easier." 
 
 I need not say that the Caliph rode away with gladness 
 in his heart at escaping from such an ogre. He succeeded 
 in finding his escort, and merrily narrated to his courtiers 
 his initiation and progress in tlie art of fishing. At his 
 suggestion they rode on to the Tigris, and emulously bought 
 up the produce of tlieir lord's instruction. So liberal were 
 their payments, that when Khaleefeh returned home at 
 night he reckoned his earnings that day had even exceeded 
 the high average he had lately received. 
 
 Meanwhile Zobeide, the legal wife of the Caliph, had 
 taken advantage of his absence to gratify the jealousy she 
 entertained towards the new favourite of her husband. 
 She had prepared a pretty collation, and infused an opiate 
 into one of the most dainty of the dishes. Koot el Kuloob 
 had been invited to amuse her Highness by her minstrelsy, 
 had been offered refreshments, had partaken of the drugged 
 sweetmeats, became insensible, and in that state been 
 
2i6 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 incarcerated in a large chesty which was then locked and 
 removed from the harem. 
 
 " Let the closed chest and its unseen contents," said 
 Zobeide to one of the eunuchs, " be sold for any price they 
 may fetch in the public market. Whatever sum may be 
 realized retain for your services." She commanded, more- 
 over, that a report should be spread abroad that the ruling 
 favourite, having been accidentally suffocated while eating, 
 had been deposited by her orders in a tomb, which she 
 had caused to be erected to favour the deception. 
 
 Haroun was moved even to tears by this sudden cata- 
 strophe. He expressed not what he suspected. He was 
 aware that poison was too often resorted to by jealous 
 wives; yet could not believe that one so good and gentle 
 as his cousin Zobeide could have sullied herself by so cri- 
 minal a deed 3 he doubted not, however, that the tomb 
 contained the fair charmer who had so enthralled his 
 senses, and abandoned himself, consequently, to unrestrained 
 grief. 
 
 The morning after these occurrences, Khaleefeh, for the 
 first time in his life, entered the palace of the Commander 
 of the Faithful. He had given credit on the day before 
 to one of the eunuchs, who, in the scramble to obtain the 
 produce of the royal fishing, being without money at the 
 moment, had requested him to call at the palace, where 
 he would be liberally remunerated. 
 
 Giafar observed and recognized his uncouth form in the 
 gateway, and fancying that the Caliph might be amused 
 by an interview with him, and his sadness be dispelled by 
 the quaint oddity of his notions, he bade the attendants 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 217 
 
 detain the fellow for a while, that he might ascertain the 
 pleasure of his Sovereign. 
 
 " Your master has come to scold you for not having 
 brought his fish-baskets," said the vizier 3 ''shall I conduct 
 him here, or shall I turn the rascal out of doors ?" 
 
 "The brute shall raffle for his fate," said the Cahph, 
 whose limbs ached from his forced labour on the previous 
 day. " Write on twenty slips of paper the various grades 
 of punishment, from death to the most trivial of penalties ; 
 on another twenty, the various government offices, from 
 the meanest to the highest ; on a third set, sums of money, 
 from one to a thousand pieces of gold. He has tempted his 
 fate by his bullying conduct 5 verily, I will carry out to the 
 uttermost the sentence which Providence shall allot him." 
 
 This was not the answer the kind-hearted vizier had 
 expected ; but he consoled himself by reflecting, that the 
 chances were two to one in favour of the fisherman. So 
 he led Khaleefeh through room after room until he arrived 
 before the great curtain which veiled the Sovereign and 
 his Court from the outer world. Giafar watched the pea- 
 sant with curiosity, expecting to see him awe-stricken 
 when he beheld the Caliph in full state, surrounded as he 
 was by his brilliant retinue j but he erred in his judgment. 
 
 As the massive curtain was raised to admit them, the 
 eyes of the fisherman lighted upon his late pupil, and he 
 loudly exclaimed, " So you've returned to your old trade : 
 a nice fellow you are, surely, to make a bargain to help 
 me, and to leave me in the lurch, after I had taught you 
 to fish." But his vituperation was checked by the dread 
 silence that prevailed, and the unsympathizing aspect of 
 
2i8 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 all around him. There was so cold an impassibility in the 
 features of the Caliph, as he simply pointed to the folded 
 papers, and bade him select his fate, that even the stolid 
 impudence of the bully quailed before the calm dignity 
 of the ruler, and he obeyed his orders with a shaking 
 hand. 
 
 " Read it for him," said the Caliph to Giafar. 
 
 '' One hundred blows with a stick." 
 
 A nod, and the doomed one was writhing beneath such 
 stripes as, proud of his brute strength, he was wont to 
 threaten to those less vigorous than himself 
 
 " Maledictions on you all ! I'm none the worse for it j 
 I can stand a deal of beating. Let me try my luck again." 
 So cried the enraged fisherman, as, smarting from his 
 punishment, he snatched another paper from the bowl. 
 
 "Refrain," said the dark-browed Sovereign, " for should 
 your death be decreed, the full penalty will be exacted." 
 
 " I care not : read it, master," replied the flushed pea- 
 sant, handing the slip to Giafar. 
 . " Nothing." 
 
 '^ Nothing ! I'll try my luck once more." 
 
 " For the last time then," said Haroun, whose anger 
 was appeased by the repeated ill-fortune of his harsh in- 
 structor. 
 
 " One piece of gold," was the wording of the paper. 
 
 '' A hundred blows for a piece of gold : I don't like 
 your terms of business -, it's the last time I come here, or 
 my name's not Khaleefeh." And the burly rascal left the 
 presence-chamber without the least show of respect to any 
 oncj and hastened to the vestibule, muttering to himself. 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 219 
 
 " This is the first day of ill-luck since I caught that ugly 
 ape." — But the morning alone had passed. 
 
 Just as he was quitting, the eunuch who had bidden 
 him call at the palace to receive the price of his iish, 
 laughingly called out, " Well, friend, how much has your 
 pupil paid you for teaching him your trade ?" 
 
 " One piece of gold, and a hundred blows of a stick ; 
 would to Heaven I had never trusted you for fish ! I had 
 better have given it you, than have come hither." And the 
 humbled bully fairly gave way to his feelings, and blub- 
 bered outright. 
 
 Now the eunuch was a kind-hearted man, and had been 
 so liberally requited by the Sultana Zobeide for some peril- 
 ous work he had surreptitiously performed for her, that on 
 the spur of the moment he threw his well-lined purse to 
 the fisherman, saying, *' Take this to console you." It 
 contained a hundred pieces of gold : the spell of good-luck 
 still beamed upon Khaleefeh. 
 
 Roughly yet fervently expressing his gratitude, he pro- 
 ceeded homewards, but not being in a hurry, for he was 
 not going to work with so much money in his pocket, he 
 loitered in the slave-market, where he perceived a little 
 knot of men assembled round the broker, who was offering 
 for sale a large chest and its unknown contents, the latter 
 supposed to be valuable, as they came from the palace of 
 the Sultana. " Bid, noble merchants j it is a fair specu- 
 lation, and will be sold a bargain : that which comes from 
 the home of royalty must surely be precious. Did you 
 say twenty ? Thank you." And the biddings soon rose to 
 one hundred pieces. 
 
220 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 Then Khaleefeh, trusting to the influence of the mys- 
 terious ape, roared out "And one." The merchants burst 
 out laughing at his impudence, for, to judge from his ap- 
 pearance, he had not even the single unit, and the joke went 
 round, " Let him have it, and see how he will get out of 
 the scrape." No one, therefore, competed with him, and 
 when with a burlesque dignity he had thrown his purse 
 into the hands of the broker, and bidden him count the 
 pieces, he shouldered the huge chest, and, amidst the quiz- 
 zing of the jeering crowd, trudged homewards, staggering 
 beneath its weight. His back ached ; he was very weary, 
 and having vainly essayed to break open the lock without 
 tools, he put off the task until the morrow ; and having 
 stretched his mattress upon the top of the chest, for his 
 quarters were very scanty, was soon in the land of dreams. 
 
 It was dusk when he awoke. There was something 
 moving beneath him. Was it a wild beast within tlie 
 chest, or was it an imprisoned ghoul which would devour 
 him if it could escape ? Nonsense ! it was mere imagina- 
 tion. So he settled himself once more upon his bed. 
 Again there was a violent struggle, and this time a more 
 desperate one, to raise the lid. All was dark ; Khaleefeh 
 was so neglectful of household matters, that he had no 
 means of striking a light. His hair stood erect; a cold 
 perspiration poured in large beads from his forehead 3 his 
 limbs shook with terror as he started from his couch ; his 
 knees were so relaxed with vague dread, that they refused 
 to bear his body from the scene of horror. The noise 
 within the chest soon ceased 3 and then, on hands and 
 knees, he crawled from his narrow chamber. " Help ! 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 221 
 
 neighbours, help ! the devil is in my room, and I have no 
 light to see him ; lend me a lamp." It was not late, and 
 though they laughed at his absurd mode of expressing 
 himself, they readily provided him with a lamp, and the 
 means of breaking open the chest. 
 
 Courage returned with light. The unseen is always 
 terrible. Khaleefeh worked with furious energy, and 
 though the lock was too strong to break, the lid was soon 
 forced from the sundered hinges. It was no savage 
 animal, no hideous ogre, that lay crouched at the bottom 
 of the coffer, but a lovely woman, who having, under the 
 agony of suffocation, struggled violently yet vainly to re- 
 lease herself, had again relapsed into insensibility. The 
 air revived her 5 a minute later, and Earth would have 
 lost one of the fairest of her daughters. 
 
 1 will neither dilate upon the astonishment of Koot El 
 Kuloob (for she it was) upon finding herself in a wretched 
 hut in place of a royal palace, nor upon the reluctance of the 
 fisherman to abandon a prize for which he had ventured 
 nearly all his gold. Woman's tact, however, prevailed j 
 tlie hope of reward proved more potent than the fire of 
 passion, and at her request he absented himself from the 
 house until morning. The accomplished beauty penned 
 a note to the merchant who had introduced her to the 
 royal harem, and Khaleefeh, the bearer of it, was re- 
 warded with a thousand pieces of gold for returning the 
 damsel to her friends. 
 
 Nor was this all 3 for, in her gratitude, she insisted 
 upon an interview between the Caliph and Khaleefeh ; and 
 the former, being in high spirits at the recovery of his 
 
222 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN, 
 
 lovely mistress, listened graciously to the quaint recital 
 of the fisherman's adventures, and bestowed such favours 
 upon him, that the rest of his life was passed in ease and 
 plenty. 
 
 He had no need any longer to work for his livelihood j 
 but occupation is needful to all men, and when the irk- 
 someness of idleness oppressed him, he would go down to 
 the great ocean, and cast his nets where none could recog- 
 nize him as the well-to-do protege of the Commander of 
 the Faithful. 
 
 His last adventure was a strange one, and displayed a 
 virtue in him which is daily growing rarer, — I mean gra- 
 titude. 
 
 There were times when he liked to be alone, and ponder 
 on the past : the comfort of the present was enhanced by 
 a recollection of former hardships. He had selected a 
 very lonely spot for his fishing-ground, one where pro- 
 bably no man for centuries, if ever, had cast his net from. 
 It was the narrow extremity of a ridge of rocks which 
 jutted far into the ocean from a barren district, where the 
 inhabitants were few and unenterprising. Its solitude, 
 the great depth of water, and the quality and size of the 
 finny tribes which disported in the dark-blue element, 
 were most attractive to his mood. One day he fancied his 
 usual seat was already occupied ; but the figure, whatever 
 it might be, had vanished long before he reached the 
 extreme rock. There was a dusky mass, perhaps a 
 large fish, perchance a small shoal of them, perceptible 
 within cast of his net, and he so directed the latter that, 
 spreading as it fell, it encircled the object in its meshes. 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN, 223 
 
 The creature did not struggle, but was very heavy. When 
 landed and partially unwrapped, it addressed him in a 
 human voice, saying, — 
 
 *' I arn Abdallah of the Sea, and have let myself be 
 caught in order to confer with you. Return, friend," — for 
 Khaleefeh was springing from rock to rock to escape from 
 the supposed Afreet, who, he thought, was bent upon de- 
 vouring him, — '' for I, like you, am a child of Allah, and 
 seek only our mutual benefit." 
 
 The fisherman looked back ; his late captive was in 
 the water to his waist, and undistinguishable from the 
 children of the earth. .Khaleefeh was no coward, though 
 he dreaded evil spirits more than his fellows did 3 so he 
 resolved to brave the encounter, " for was he not as mus- 
 cular and active as the unknown ?" He took, then, his 
 former station upon the rock, and listened to the words 
 of the man of the sea. 
 
 " I am tired of eating raw fish ; and the fruits of the 
 sea, though pretty, are salt and unpalatable. When, 
 from afar off, I have beheld the clustering grapes 
 and the swollen melons, I have longed for them. Bring 
 me some, child of Adam, and I will requite you with 
 the loveliest products of the sea, such as our women 
 like to deck themselves with, but which we males smile 
 at." 
 
 Khaleefeh gladly consented to this exchange, and pro- 
 mised to bring his new acquaintance the fruits of the sea- 
 son, but not until the next day, for it was not easy to obtain 
 them by purchase in that uncultivated land. On the 
 morrow they again met, and the fisherman handed to the 
 
224 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 merman a basketful of grapes and melons, and the man 
 of the sea, on his part, pointed to a little pile of scarlet 
 coral, lumps of gold, large pearls, and other treasures of 
 the deep, which he had amassed in anticipation of the 
 return of his friend. Both were pleased at the barter, 
 for the fruits of the land were as rare to AbdaJlah as those 
 of the sea to Khaleefeh. So, after each had expressed his 
 mutual satisfaction, and the latter had concealed the valu- 
 ables in his net, they conversed together on the peculiarities 
 of their respective elements. 
 
 " Would it be possible," inquired the fisherman, who 
 longed to behold the habits and customs of the denizens 
 of Ocean, " to visit your abode ?" 
 
 " Yes," was the answer, if he should permit his body 
 to be smeared with oil from the liver of the Dendan, a 
 predaceous monster of the deep, he would temporarily 
 assume their own nature, and be enabled to breathe the 
 air that was mingled with the water, even as they did. 
 So he undressed himself, was anointed, and walked and 
 respired on the bed of the sea as freely as on dry land, 
 and very shortly all things were as clearly visible to him as 
 in the light of the sun. 
 
 The water seemed as densely peopled as the earth, 
 and its human inhabitants were similar in front to the 
 children of Adam, but were furnished behind with a 
 broad flexible caudal appendage, like the hinder extre- 
 mity of a fish. They dwelt in vast caverns, had no traffic 
 with each other, wore no clothes, did not sell their labour, 
 as the children of earth do, but every one, whether male 
 or female, caught with facility as many fish as were need- 
 
KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN, 225 
 
 ful to sustain life, and munched them raw as a child 
 would a cucumber. They had neither amusement, in- 
 terest, nor occupation, but lounged about sadly, neither 
 hoping nor craving anything. The females were beau- 
 tiful, but very pert, laughing and pointing at Khaleefeh 
 as they passed him, and crying aloud, ** See ! he has lost 
 his tail !" 
 
 It is not pleasant to be jeered at, especially by the sex, 
 and our hero was glad to return to land, for existence 
 seemed monotonous and insupportable in that cheerless 
 element, where equality displayed itself in the universal 
 absence of all that was pleasurable. And so did the inha- 
 bitants seem to regard life ; for the only sounds of revelry 
 which he heard, were the loud shouts of triumph which 
 greeted the death of one of the natives. The fisherman 
 looked so astonished at this apparent want of feeling, that 
 his guide inquired whether the children of Adam did not 
 act similarly on so joyful an occasion. 
 
 " Assuredly not," he answered ; "we mourn and grieve ; 
 our women shriek aloud, slap their faces, and rend their 
 garments." 
 
 Abdallah seemed shocked : he uttered not a word until 
 they had regained the rock. " Farewell, for ever," he 
 then cried, " I will have nought to do with a race which 
 either believes not in a more blissful existence h^eafter 
 than we experience in this wretched life, or, if believ- 
 ing it, enviously laments the future happiness of the de- 
 parted." 
 
 They never met again. But as to Khaleefeh, he 
 presented all his ocean treasures to the Caliph, begging 
 
2 26 KHALEEFEH THE FISHERMAN. 
 
 him to give some of them to Koot El Kuloob, through 
 whose kindness he had obtained the patronage of his 
 lord. 
 
 Rough, superstitious, and irascible, he was not ungrate- 
 ful, and so far merited the good fortune which ever after 
 attended him. 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 Ci 1 T7ELCOME, my brothers ; I am glad to see you," 
 was the kindly salutation of Joodar, the fisherman, 
 to his unkind bretliren, when they visited him in his 
 poverty. They, too, were poor, even poorer than he was -, 
 for, although his patrimony had been swallowed up equally 
 with their own in mutual litigation, he, at least, being 
 thrifty and industrious, earned, by his daily toil, a com- 
 fortable living for himself and his mother. They, on the 
 contrary, self-indulgent, lazy, and rapacious, had been the 
 cause of their joint ruin by their grasping cupidity. At 
 the decease of tlieir father, a wealthy merchant, his pro- 
 perty, by his direction, had been divided into four portions, 
 one for each child, and one for their mother ; but Salim 
 and Selim, the two elder sons, who were profligate spend- 
 thrifts, had sought to appropriate the entire heritage, and 
 to leave their mother and younger brother to shift for 
 themselves. 
 
 Law is a hiltless sword-blade, which cuts the hand of 
 him who wields it, even as it cleaves his opponent : its 
 ruinous cost involved the whole family alike in penury. 
 
 a 2 
 
228 THE STORY OF JOODJR. 
 
 Joodar, the youngest, whose great social error (not an un- 
 common one with the weak-minded and the benevolent) 
 was a too high respect for the ties of blood had already, in 
 his heart, pardoned those whose active selfishness had re- 
 duced him from comparative opulence to manual labour, 
 and now affectionately greeted the sponging sneaks whom 
 his foolish mother had been slily regaling at his expense. 
 Alas for mothers ! they rarely cling to the best, but seek, 
 by an unreasoning tenderness, to compensate tlie more 
 worthless of their offspring for the scorn and loathing with 
 which the righteous regard them. I doubt whether the 
 silly parent, although Joodar alone had burdened him- 
 self with her maintenance, did not temporarily prefer the 
 caitiffs whose misconduct had brought her to her present 
 straits. 
 
 And now the fisherman — for the merchant's son had be- 
 taken himself to that calling as the easiest and the quickest 
 to be acquired — had two new dependants upon his scanty 
 earnings, men wdio, on the plea of inability, tacitly refused 
 to aid him in his daily toil. So long as he had luck, he 
 almost gloried in the thought, that those who had been 
 the curse of his existence were now indebted to him for 
 their bread ; but when luck had turned, and subsistence 
 for four could only be procured upon a precarious credit, 
 anxiety overwhelmed him. He changed his fishing-ground 
 from spot to spot, until at last he betook himself to the 
 deep and unfrequented lake of Karoon. Just as he arrived 
 there, a richly-dressed traveller, a Moor to all appearance, 
 rode up quickly on his mule, and to his surprise, addressed 
 him by name. " Do my bidding, Joodar, son of Omar, 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 229 
 
 and whatever may betide myself, nought but good can 
 accrue to you." 
 
 '* I am your servant," he answered 5 "tell me what I 
 must do to please you." 
 
 '' Bind my hands tightly with this silken cord ; throw 
 me into the water ; watch patiently until either my hands 
 or feet appear 3 if the former, cast your net quickly, and 
 drag me out ; save me, and I will provide for you for life ; 
 if the latter, be assured that I have perished. Trouble not 
 yourself with my carcase, but take this mule and its accou- 
 trements to Shumeyah the Jew, who will give you a hun- 
 dred pieces of gold in requital." 
 
 These instructions were obeyed : in a minute the feet 
 floated foremost to the surface, and though, contrary to 
 his orders, the benevolent fisherman strove to recover the 
 body, the corpse sank for ever in the dark waters. Joodar 
 sadly drove the mule to the abode of Shumeyah : that 
 night he had paid his debts, yet was still possessed of more 
 than ninety pieces of gold ; he intrusted them to his 
 mother. 
 
 The next day he betook himself to the same lucky 
 * fishing-ground. Did his eyes deceive him ? No : there 
 was the same Moor, clad in the same vestments, seated on 
 the same mule, with the same peculiar saddle-bags strapped 
 to its sides. " Joodar, son of Omar, nought but profit 
 can accrue to you : treat me as you did my brother yester- 
 day ; the risk is mine. Save me, and I will enrich you. 
 Should I even perish in my glorious enterprise, a hundred 
 pieces of gold will be paid for my mule and its furniture." 
 
 "The folly is his, not mine," thought Joodar, as he 
 
230 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 complied with the suicidal directions of the traveller. 
 The feet came up foremost ; this time he did not even 
 trouble himself to recover the corpse. Another purse of 
 gold awaited him that night. The Jew sighed as he 
 counted out the money, saying, " I knew the result before- 
 hand ; he had better have been content." Again did the 
 fisherman intrust his gold to his weak-minded mother. 
 
 On the third day he betook himself once more to the 
 selfsame spot. There was another Moor, whom he saw 
 from afar oiF, already waiting for him. " It is a thriving 
 business I am doing," said he to himself, " helping these 
 heretics to drown themselves in this deep water ; I doubt 
 not the fish are fattening under their savoury diet. I sup- 
 pose there will be another purse for me to-night.' 
 
 '' Joodar, son of Omar," cried the traveller, " do with 
 me as thou hast done with my two brethren." 
 
 *^ With pleasure," said the fisherman. "I know my 
 trade now, and will bind your hands, toss you into the 
 lake, and carry off your mule." 
 
 " Not so fast, friend. It may, indeed, be my fate, yet it 
 is not my wish to die ; save me, then, and thy reward 
 shall be tenfold what thou wouldst gain by my decease ; ' 
 therefore should my hands appear, cast quickly thy net, 
 and rescue me from the drowning water." 
 
 " I'll do my best," answered Joodar ; and before he 
 thrust him from the bank, he carefully inspected his net, 
 to see that all was in readiness to cast it after him. This 
 time the hands appeared foremost, and almost before the 
 rising head could shout for aid, the traveller, immeshed in 
 the rapidly thrown net, was dragged to land. 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 23 r 
 
 " Quick ; bring me the two boxes you will find in my 
 saddle-bags," cried the Moor, and in them he deposited 
 two fishes, scarlet as coral, which he had brought with 
 him from the bottom of the lake. Having secured his 
 perilously won spoils he embraced Joodar, saying, " I owe 
 my life to you, and will not be ungrateful. The supposed 
 Jew is really a Moslem, and my brother. I must hurry 
 to his house, to change my clothes ; proceed thither at 
 your leisure, and I will there not only explain all past 
 mysteries, but recompense you also to your own satisfac- 
 tion." 
 
 That afternoon the fisherman walked to the house ot 
 Shumeyah, and there found his daring acquaintance of the 
 morning seated in quiet comfort. 
 
 " I will now reveal to you," said the Moor, " all the 
 sad history of my family, and, if you are willing, will adopt 
 you as my brother. Those who perished before your eyes 
 were the sons of my father, a mighty magician, the pupil 
 of the renowned El Abtan. He died before his master ; 
 partly, I think, from disappointment in having failed in 
 that enterprise, the initiatory step of which I have this day 
 accomplished. At his death, his vast wealth was equitably 
 and amicably divided between his four sons. His inestim a- 
 ble book of magic alone excited the cupidity of each of us. 
 
 " ' Dispute not, children of my beloved pupil,' said the 
 aged instructor of our dear father in that art of arts. * Ye 
 cannot each possess the book. Let me, therefore, hold it in 
 trust for all, and deliver it to him alone who shall acquire 
 the treasures of Shamardal. Now these magic treasures 
 are four : — a sword, a kohl-pot, a planisphere, and a seal- 
 
232 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 ring. Whoso shall brandish the first in anger, his adver- 
 saries will be withered as by lightning ; all hidden treasures 
 will be revealed to him whose eyelids shall be touched by 
 the contents of the second ; the whole world, and all that 
 is passing therein, can be viewed at ease by him who shall 
 gaze upon the third : whilst omnipotence upon earth will 
 be the lot of him who shall acquire the fourth. The 
 owner of that ring could take the magic scroll from any 
 of you ; therefore freely resign it to the successful com- 
 petitor.' 
 
 *' We felt the wisdom of his words, agreed to abide by 
 the trial of skill (all but the ease-loving Shumeyah, who 
 abandoned his claim), and inquired of the sage how the 
 treasure-vault might be opened. * Without the assent of 
 the sons of the Red King, who have changed themselves 
 to coral-fish, and taken refuge in the lonely lake of Kha- 
 roon, ye cannot even descry it ; ye must force them to 
 show it. But destiny has decreed that this can only occur 
 through the latent power of Joodar, the son of Omar. 
 None can capture them with unfettered hands 3 their 
 captor must be bound by the predestined one, who must 
 thrust him into the lake. He who fails to seize them will 
 assuredly perish ; he who captures them will perish like- 
 wise, if not saved by the net of Joodar.' Two of us have 
 been drowned in this noble emulation ; I have succeeded 
 thus far, but the charm can only be completed by your 
 presence/ What say you ? will you travel, as my friend 
 and adopted brother, to Fez and Mequinez ? The road 
 seems long, but, mounted as we shall be, the journey will 
 be brief." 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 233 
 
 " I have a mother and two brethren to provide for," 
 rephed the warm-hearted son of Omar. 
 
 " A thousand pieces of gold are yours if you consent 5 
 leave that sum with them for their maintenance, and come 
 with me : I will not prove ungrateful for your aid." 
 
 A short interview with his parent ensued, and our hero 
 started on his travels. His patron and himself bestrode 
 the same mule. At eventide they alighted, and the Moorish 
 traveller, unstrapping his saddle-bags, inquired of his com- 
 panion what he would like for supper. '' Whatever you 
 have provided." — " You have but to name the dish you 
 fancy, and it will be found prepared. What say you to hot 
 roast chickens, kabobs, rice, and honey, etc., etc. ?" naming 
 a score of dishes. To none of these did Joodar object 5 and 
 after having supped heartily, his patron explained to him 
 that this peripatetic kitchen was an enchanted one, and 
 that no imaginable dish would be refused by its minister- 
 ing spirit. '* Perhaps," continued he, " you suppose, as 
 we only started at noon, that we have not journeyed far. 
 This is a mistake -, our enchanted steed has already borne 
 us a month's journey from the lake. Bear in mind that I 
 have mastered the initiatory steps of magic ; its grand re- 
 sults are yet to be achieved." 
 
 In five days, during which all their wants had been 
 lavishly supplied from those apparently simple saddle-bags, 
 they arrived at Fez. There they reposed for three weeks, 
 dwelling in luxury at the superb mansion of the African 
 magician. ** It is now time," said the latter, " that we 
 should essay the feat of opening the treasures of Sha- 
 mardal." 
 
234 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 They journeyed for some distance into the wilderness, 
 until they arrived at the banks of a deep river. Then the 
 magician drew forth from his saddle bags the little boxes 
 in which he carried the coral-fish, and muttered charms 
 over them, at which the earth beneath quaked, and the 
 heavens above thundered. The boxes split asunder, and 
 two noble-looking genii, whose hands were bound behind 
 them, like the Moorish brethren who had been precipi- 
 tated into the lake of Karoon, bursting like vapour from 
 them, floated in the air aloft. " What will you, O 
 mortal ?" they cried ; " we are now your slaves, bound to 
 you by the death you risked in mastering us." — " Open 
 the pathway to the treasures of Shamardal j I have brought 
 hither the predestined one who alone may venture beneath 
 the running water. Obey, or I will scathe you with flames, 
 as spiritual as is your essence." They bowed their willing 
 assent, and the magician cast incense upon the fire which 
 Joodar had been preparing. The aspect of the Moor had 
 changed 3 he was no longer the man of the world, genial, 
 persuasive, courteous, but a lordly ruler, one who could 
 compete with intelligences as far above man as he to 
 the soulless beasts. There was dignity and command in 
 his every gesture 3 there was nobility of spirit and lofty in- 
 tellect stamped upon every feature. His face, his form 
 was transfigured j as though the glorious beings whose very 
 opposition to his wishes had resulted from no volition of 
 their own, but from inflexible obedience to talismans 
 which had enthralled them for centuries, had elevated his 
 rank in creation by their forced association with his grosser 
 nature. 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 235 
 
 The duties of Joodar had been explained to him pre- 
 viously ; no words of earthly import were permitted to 
 mar the solemn chant that now issued from the lips of the 
 magician. The words, if they might be so called, were 
 uttered in no tongue that was known to man j they seemed 
 to whistle, as it were, from half-closed lips ; the rustling of 
 the winds amidst foliage, the howling of gales, the plash of 
 waves upon the shore, seemed the nearest approach to the 
 strange medley of sounds which agitated the moaning air. 
 As the incense floated in clouds, which assumed unearthly 
 shapes, the water of the river was sucked up by it in a 
 broad column, and the dry bed of the stream disclosed the 
 gilded door of a subterranean cavern. Thrice did Joodar, 
 who had boldly leapt into the chasm, knock loudly for 
 admission, and then the gate flew open, and an armed 
 spectre, rushing from it, furiously struck at him with its 
 scimetar. He smiled as he received the painless blow, 
 and advanced from gate to gate, assaulted in turn by 
 arrow, spear, and mace, all equally terrifying, all equally 
 innocuous. Yet impotent as they were, had his heart 
 quailed he would have perished ; for the fear of death, 
 with spiritual natures (and none but such would have ven- 
 tured thus far in the domain of magic), is death itself. A 
 lion bounded upon him, two huge serpents coiled around 
 him ; he vanquished them all by his passive yet unretiring 
 submission. The last trial was a strange one. His earlier 
 temptations were based upon the natural terrors of an un- 
 armed man when suddenly confronted by weapons he 
 could not hope to withstand ; he who had framed the 
 talisman had resolved that no craven spirit should inherit 
 
236 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 his treasures. He had determined hkewise that none who 
 would yield to the delusions of prejudice should succeed to 
 powers too exalted for the dwarfed intellect of the existing 
 race. All the tenderness of Joodar's nature was concen- 
 trated in his filial regard for his mother. Her image rose 
 before him as he approached the last door which inter- 
 vened between himself and the mummy of the embalmed 
 Shamardal. " Welcome, my son ! " she cried. *' Strip 
 thyself!" he exclaimed, — for he had been cautioned 
 against this phantom, — and the spectre, ever expostulating 
 against this immodest exposure, still obeyed, until nought 
 but the final garment concealed her nakedness from him. 
 " Spare me this last shame, my child !" she cried j " the 
 gate is open." And Joodar, yielding to her beseeching 
 looks, passed onwards ; but wild yells of laughter saluted 
 him 5 blows were showered on him from unseen hands ; 
 and amidst the clash of doors, the thundering roar of tlie 
 bursting waterspout as the river fell again into its wonted 
 bed, he was cast, senseless and sorely bruised, before the feet 
 of the magician. When he woke to consciousness all was 
 still; no words of reproach met him from the Moor, 
 although one more year of life (brief at the best) must 
 elapse before the charm could again be broken. 
 
 During this whole twelvemonth our hero was most 
 kindly maintained by his ambitious patron, who convinced 
 him so effectually that the image of his mother, which 
 had vanquished him, was a mere spectre, her embodied re- 
 flection without her consciousness, that when that vision, 
 at the expiration of his year of expectancy, had again im- 
 plored him to refrain from compelling her to expose her 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 237 
 
 nudity before her son, he sternly reminded her of his beating, 
 and forced her to disrobe. As, pleading piteously all the 
 while, she was reluctantly loosing her innermost garment, 
 her frame dissolved itself before his eyes 3 nought, now, 
 opposed his entrance to the sepulchral chamber. From 
 thence he removed the four enchanted treasures, taking 
 them reverently from the embalmed corpse of the great 
 Shamardalj and as he did so, a mighty volume of sound, 
 like the triumphant shouts of liberated spirits, burst upon 
 his ears. Amidst the crash of converging walls that fol- 
 lowed the dissolution of the spell which had so long held 
 captive the reluctant genii, a powerful current of air urged 
 on the half-senseless adventurer to the portal of the cavern, 
 and from thence he seemed to be wafted, without volition, 
 to the spot where the sorcerer was still uttering his sonor- 
 ous incantation. Air had been invoked to aid him -, and 
 that element, submissive to the voice of the charmer, had 
 borne him safely to the feet of the magician. 
 
 Freely and willingly did Joodar resign the coveted spoils 
 to his friend and patron. The only reward he solicited 
 (when pressed to ask a recompense) was the hunger-staving 
 saddle-bags ; but a pile of gold and jewels was added by the 
 Moor, who, moreover, lent him his wondrous mule, which, 
 though heavily burdened, carried him to his distant home 
 without guidance in but five days. 
 
 As he re-entered the gates of his native city, the first 
 sight which met his eyes was that dear mother whom, 
 despite of her tender weakness, he had always venerated. 
 She was begging her bread. Yes, she whom he had left 
 with nearly twelve hundred pieces of gold was now de- 
 
238 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 pendent on the charity of the faithful. She recognized 
 him with a cry of dehght, and the good and dutiful son, 
 having alighted from his mule, set her beloved form upon 
 it, and humbly escorted her on foot, to his desolate home. 
 
 " x\sk me not of the money you left with me," she 
 cried, in reply to his inquiries. " My children borrowed 
 it from me, under the pretext of trading ; we were alike 
 weak, — I in yielding our all, they by wasting it in de- 
 bauchery; now we are ahke destitute." So spoke the 
 loving mother, whose forgiving tenderness prevailed over 
 her conviction of the baseness of her first-born. 
 
 The warm-hearted Joodar forgave them likewise, and 
 when they presented themselves in rags before him re- 
 ceived them with cordiality. To the astonishment of his 
 parent he provided a sumptuous meal from his saddle- 
 bags, and then taught her the mysterious formula by 
 which the attendant genius was invoked. 
 
 Plenty revisited the dwelling which had become cheer- 
 less and dilapidated through long-continued poverty : re- 
 pasts, such as the richest citizen might have envied, were 
 thrice a day provided for the reunited family. The viands 
 were served hot, yet no smoke emerged from the chim- 
 neys; enough was left each day to maintain a score of 
 mendicants, yet neither meat, vegetables, nor farina was 
 purchased by the occupants. 
 
 Of course the elder sons soon wheedled the secret from 
 the silly old woman, and then felt indignant that they 
 should be dependent upon their younger brother. *^ If we 
 could only manage," said Selim, *' to get hold of his en- 
 chanted saddle-bags, and his store of gold and jewels, we 
 
THE STORY OF JOODJR. 239 
 
 could take our pleasure, and revel in joys which his 
 woman-like prudery now forbids us. Yet how can we 
 abstract them without detection while he remains at 
 home?" So, not content with fair apparel, the pleasures 
 of the table, unrebuked idleness, and a comfortable house, 
 they consulted together how they might get rid of their 
 brother, and then fearlessly divide his property between 
 them. 
 
 It chanced that a certain captain, a sort of kidnapping 
 fellow, who voyaged between Cairo and the less known 
 ports, and who, in times of old, had been a fellow-roysterer 
 with them, was at that time sojourning in the city. 
 
 " Our brother," said they, " is a ne'er-do-well j he has 
 almost ruined us, too, by his love of htigation. We will 
 deliver him into your hands as a slave, provided you will 
 engage to transport him to some distant land, from whence 
 he can never return to disgrace us." 
 
 Whatever the rover thought, he assented to the un- 
 natural proposition, for he was not over-particular, and 
 slaves were worth money in the countries he traded with. 
 He was requested to bring two of his most trustworthy 
 followers with him, and to sup at the house of Joodar. 
 
 The brothers, on their part, apologetically narrated to 
 their entertainer that they had ventured, from a conviction 
 of the unfaihng nature of his supplies, to invite three 
 foreigners, who had generously befriended them in their 
 adversity, to partake of his hospitality. 
 
 " Welcome to you, and all your friends," was the 
 generous reply of our hero, who received his treacherous 
 guests with confiding friendliness. That very night he 
 
240 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 was overpowered by the mariners, gagged, and carried on 
 board the piratical craft : his mother was assured that he 
 had voluntarily departed at the urgent summons of his 
 Moorish friend. For he had imparted the whole story 
 of his adventures to his weak-minded parent, who could 
 keep no secrets from any of her children. 
 
 For more than a twelvemonth did Joodar endure the 
 painful lot of a galley-slave ; hard work and privation were 
 his daily experience. At last the vessel, whose oars he 
 helped to tug, was wrecked on the coast of Barbary, and 
 he alone, of the entire crew, survived the storm. The 
 natives were rough and churlish ; it would have fared hardly 
 with him, had not a merchant who had been trading with 
 them, and now required a servant to accompany him to 
 Mecca, proffered him the situation. The offer was of 
 course accepted, and, after the ordinary incidents of travel, 
 the weary pilgrimage was duly completed. 
 
 In that sacred city, equally to his joy and his astonish- 
 ment, he encountered the Moorish magician, who, though 
 gifted with powers which genii might have envied, reve- 
 renced the doctrines and observances which our holy 
 Prophet has inculcated. There were none there who 
 worshipped Allah with more fervent devotion and with 
 more profound humility, than the exalted yet unpreten- 
 tious being who could sway monarchs to his will. Lofty 
 souls comprehend the infinite distance between the highest 
 grade of power and intellect that can be reached by man 
 or angels, and the illimitable omnipotence of the Supreme 
 Divinity. 
 
 He was welcomed by the Moor with an affectionate 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 241 
 
 heartiness which was merited by the man who had honour- 
 ably yielded up treasures which no mortal could have 
 forced him to relinquish. In the privacy of his lodgings, 
 the magician, at the request of his friend, recalled the 
 fleeting images of all the chief events which had occurred 
 to Joodar's family during his protracted absence. These 
 pictures — and there is not a sound or a sight in nature 
 which leaves not its palpable trace in tlie universe — told 
 the past as clearly as a biographer could have related it. In 
 the first vision his mother was perceived inquiring from 
 her two elder-born as to whither her protector had de- 
 parted, and the voices of the reprobates were heard assert- 
 ing that their brother was of a roving disposition, and 
 had gone away with his Moorish friend in quest of hidden 
 treasures. The mother was next seen weeping, and the 
 jealous brethren were heard scoffing at her tears, in- 
 dignantly reproaching her " that she had never thus be- 
 wailed their own absence." 
 
 Her angry rejoinder sounded clearly, as when uttered, 
 " You are my sons, I own j yet what but evil have I ever 
 experienced at your hands ? Joodar, on the contrary, has 
 cherished and befriended me; I rightly, then, weep for 
 one who is not only my child, but my benefactor." The 
 brutal ingrates were seen beating and reviling her. In a 
 moment this picture also became dim, and Salim and 
 Selim were beheld quarrelling as they divided the valuables 
 brought by their brother from Fez and Mequinez. The 
 saddle-bags were a bone of contention ; if divided they 
 would be useless : hence, despite the suggestion of their 
 parent, that she should retain them and use them for their 
 
242 THE STORY OF JOODJR. 
 
 mutual benefit, each of them coveted the sole possession 
 of this inexhaustible kitchen, and tenaciously grasped it 
 with both hands. So loudly were they disputing, that a sub- 
 ordinate officer of justice, who chanced to be loitering in 
 the adjacent house, heard their angry recriminations, and 
 apprised his superiors of the villainy that had been per- 
 petrated. 
 
 The scene changed quickly j the brothers were now in 
 prison, the jewels and saddle-bags in the royal treasury, 
 and the mother living in competence from the allowance 
 made her by government from the gold of her stolen son. 
 
 In the last few minutes tliese resuscitated images of the 
 past had revealed to our hero all that was of interest to him 
 during the eighteen months of his servitude. He took 
 leave of the merchant who had so kindly treated him, and 
 having duly performed all the rites. that were enjoined by 
 his religion, resolved to return to the land of his fathers. 
 When he paid his farewell visit to the Moor, that noble- 
 hearted man presented him with the most precious of his 
 talismans, the mystic seal-ring of Shamardal, which con- 
 trolled one of the mightiest of the genii. It was a gift 
 worthy of the giver, one which an earthly sovereign might 
 have begrudged the most faithful of his friends. 
 
 With a wish, he was in Cairo : so ethereal was the 
 genius of the ring, so penetrating his essence, that words 
 were not required to communicate the ideas of his masters. 
 There needed but to rub the talisman, and the unexpressed 
 desire was carried into execution. The wanderer again 
 rejoined his mother, who, equally with himself, forgave 
 the base ingratitude of Salim and of Selim ; pity for their 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 243 
 
 sufferings — since not only had they been immured in a 
 lilthy dungeon, but tortured that they might disclose the 
 charm which swayed the saddle-bags — obliterated the 
 memory of their offences. This harshness of the sovereign, 
 who had, moreover, appropriated to his own use the 
 jewels which rightly belonged to our hero, diverted his 
 anger from the evil-doers to their rapacious judge. Hence, 
 full of compassion, and fondly believing that solitude and 
 misery must have changed their hearts, he bade the genius 
 set free his imprisoned brethren and transport them to his 
 abode. In an instant they were by his side. Squalid, half- 
 starved, foul with vermin, they had become so wretched 
 that they almost longed for death to relieve them from 
 such continuous suffering. Yet this meeting with the 
 brother whom they had sold into slavery, and he evidently 
 so potent that the very genii obeyed him, overwhelmed 
 them with abject terror ; they would have welcomed their 
 prison-house in preference. "What tortures we shall 
 undergo! how horribly he will avenge himself! for who 
 can forgive such wrongs as we have done him ?" was the 
 anguishing reflection that pierced the soul of each. Yet 
 only for a moment : as they timidly raised their eyes, they 
 discerned the pity that beamed from his, and heard once 
 more his friendly salutation, " Welcome, my brothers ; 
 you shall soon forget your past sorrows in the happiness 
 that awaits you." He raised them from the suppliant atti- 
 tude into which they had instinctively cast themselves 5 he 
 led them to the bath, clothed them in rich raiment, sump- 
 tuously feasted them, and treated them with considera- 
 tion. But when they tried to partially excuse themselves 
 
 R 2 
 
244 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 (for they sought to recover his good opinion) by laying the 
 blame of his abduction upon the sea-captain and their own 
 intoxication, he interrupted them with promptness, saying, 
 " Speak not of tlie matter -, I know the truth ; the devil 
 tempted you, and I was treated as was Joseph : all is now 
 forgiven. But what did the Sultan do unto you ?" 
 
 " He stripped us of all, and beat us that we might re- 
 veal the invocation to the spirit of the saddle-bags, without 
 which charm they were useless to him. We have baffled 
 him, for we declared it was known to yourself alone." 
 
 Then Joodar rubbed his ring and willed that the entire 
 contents of the royal treasury should be conveyed to his 
 abode. He commanded, likewise, that a magnificent 
 palace should be erected, right royally furnished, fitted 
 with all appliances that might conduce to ease and com- 
 fort, and provided with an adequate number of both male 
 and female domestics. 
 
 When the sun arose next morning, the inhabitants of 
 Cairo were astounded at beholding the superb structure 
 that had sprung up during the night. Thither did Joodar 
 and his mother betake themselves to reside. His own 
 house he abandoned to his brethren, whom he amply en- 
 dowed with funds for their maintenance. 
 
 As the Sultan's treasurer, pallid with dismay, was report- 
 ing to his sovereign that all the royal wealth had disap- 
 peared, though the walls, roof, and flooring of the vault 
 were still solid, and the massive bolts and chains had been 
 found fastened, information was brought that Joodar had 
 returned and taken possession of a noble-looking palace, 
 which had been mysteriously erected during the preceding 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 24^ 
 
 night. The jailor had been previously in attendance to 
 excuse himself for the inexplicable escape of Salim and of 
 Selim. 
 
 " It is plain," said the Sultan, "that Joodar is at the 
 bottom of all this j it is he who has robbed me j arrest 
 him without delay." 
 
 So an officer with fifty men proceeded to the abode of 
 the presumed delinquent, and found a huge black slave 
 reposing at his ease before the portal, who stirred not 
 from his seat when the pompous official roughly inquired 
 where his master could be found, but simply answered, 
 '* In the palace." Indignant at this want of respect for 
 his authority, the irritated functionary struck at him with 
 his mace ; but, in a moment, it was wrested from his hand, , 
 and the armed attendants and their arbitrary leader driven 
 from the spot by the incredible vigour and rapid blows of 
 the irresistible black. In vain, obedient to the royal 
 mandate, did the repulsed official return, with twice and 
 then with quadruple as many men, who assailed the guar- 
 dian of the palace witli their swords -, they were routed as 
 before, for their weapons passed through the seeming 
 slave even as through air 3 whilst the crushing blows from 
 the earthly mace which had been torn from the hand of^ 
 their leader, fell upon them quick and numerous as the 
 Winding hailstones. What mortal could resist the minister- 
 ing spirit of the ring ? for he it was, who in human guise 
 watched over the safety of his lord. Then the Sultan 
 was wroth, and would have sent more troops against him j 
 but his vizier, a prudent man, suggested that it was better 
 to treat one so mighty as a friend than as an enemy. 
 
246 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 *'By your permission, sire, I will invite him to the 
 Palace, where, far away from that terrible black, he will 
 be more in your power." The sovereign nodded assent ; 
 and the vizier, unarmed and without an escort, calmly 
 approached the dreaded sentinel. 
 
 '' I am come from the ruler of our land," said he, bend- 
 ing courteously to the reposing figure, '* to invite the 
 attendance o£ the master of this palace at the royal 
 banquet." 
 
 "■ Mortal !" replied the guardian, and tliis single word 
 revealed to the vizier the nature of the invulnerable being 
 who addressed him, '' I will announce your message to 
 my lord." Permitted, after a short delay, to enter the 
 presence of Joodar, the minister was treated with due 
 courtesy 5 but an intimation was conveyed that tlie sove- 
 reign must first pay his respects, as an inferior to a superior, 
 ere the lord of spirits would deign to accept his invitation. 
 
 This arrogance was not without effect : the Sultan, ac- 
 companied by a large body of picked soldiers to display his 
 power, rode to the palace of his haughty subject, which 
 he found guarded by what seemed to him the most stal- 
 wart warriors of the East, but which were in reality un- 
 substantial creations of the genius of the ring, and, at the 
 sight of them, felt convinced that their master must be 
 conciliated, not coerced. The state which surrounded 
 Joodar (a mere optical delusion) completely vanquished 
 him ; the glamour was so perfect, that he submitted with 
 patience to the stern questioning looks of his taciturn 
 entertainer. 
 
 ^' I confess," at length said the abashed monarch, after 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 247 
 
 a painful silence, " that, urged by covetousness, I have de- 
 prived your mother of some property which was intrusted 
 to her by yourself 5 yet, nevertheless, my interference has 
 saved her from utter ruin, by guarding her from those who 
 would have stripped her of everything." 
 
 "Let there be peace between us!" answered Joodarj 
 " I arraign not your intentions ; nothing which belonged 
 to yourself will be found missing from your treasury when 
 next you enter it." 
 
 The monarch departed enriched by presents not un- 
 worthy of a sovereign to receive or to bestow, yet fearful 
 for his crown, since he was conscious that henceforth he 
 was only second in power in his own dominions. His 
 prudent vizier perceiving his anxiety, assured him that 
 one gifted as was Joodar would never aspire to the throne, 
 since he already enjoyed its pleasures without its pains ; 
 finally, he advised his master, should he still dread the am- 
 bition of one who was above its temptations, to ally himself 
 to him by the ties of blood. So the ruler of Egypt, who 
 appreciated the ability of his minister, Hved on friendly 
 terms with his dangerous subject, and both received and 
 returned his hospitality. 
 
 The Sultan had a charming daughter, of nubile years, 
 who, by his orders, when Joodar, now a frequent guest 
 at the royal abode, was feasting in private with him, and 
 was warm with wine, passed demurely through the ban- 
 quet-room. 
 
 " Is she not lovely ?" said the scheming father. 
 
 *' A houri !" answered Joodar. 
 
 " Who may be yours for asking," was the rejoinder : 
 
248 THE STORY OF JOODAR. 
 
 and ere four-and- twenty hours had elapsed, our hero had 
 become the son-in-law of his Sultan. 
 
 Time rolled on unheeded : those are the happiest, the 
 current of whose fortunes is least ruffled by the successive 
 tides of adversity and prosperity. The vizier virtually 
 ruled the country, and it prospered under his skilful 
 guidance. 
 
 After many years, a period of tranquil happiness to our 
 hero, his doting mother and his royal father-in-law de- 
 parted from life at nearly the same period. The vacated 
 throne was offered Joodar by the people, and, little as he 
 cared for sway, he accepted it to gratify his princely part- 
 ner. He made his brothers dignitaries of the highest rank. 
 But benefits conferred upon the innately evil only stimulate 
 them to increased rapacity. 
 
 " How long shall our younger brother lord it over us ?" 
 said Salim to Selim. " He has no natural heirs, and we 
 shall inherit the crown at his decease." 
 
 The same thought had entered the heart of Selim, but 
 he had not the daring to avow it. 
 
 " He prefers you to me," continued the former 3 ^' there- 
 fore invite him to your house, and introduce this tasteless 
 poison in his food j it slays so quickly, that death outruns 
 suspicion." 
 
 " Agreed," said Selim, " provided you consent that I 
 be Sultan. You shall be next in rank." 
 
 Such was the evil compact ; and as Joodar, despite of 
 past experience, would not mistrust those of his own blood, 
 the scheme succeeded. The good King ate, and was 
 gathered to his fathers : even while he was yet expiring. 
 
THE STORY OF JOODAR. 249 
 
 both brothers simultaneously snatched at the talisman, but 
 Salim, who had advisedly sat next the hand which wore it, 
 grasped it first, and bade the genius slay his fellow-criminal. 
 So the elder brother, by this double crime, became the 
 monarch of Egypt j and the people murmured, yet obeyed 
 him. 
 
 Then he determined to consolidate his power by wedding 
 the widow of his murdered predecessor, and she perforce 
 consented j but he survived not his wedding night, for the 
 same virulent poison which had carried off his brother was 
 administered to himself by the avenger of her lord. That 
 none hereafter might abuse the god-like power of the 
 talisman, the Princess crushed the stone to atoms with a 
 hammer, and scattered to the winds its pounded dust. As 
 to the saddle-bags, she immediately destroyed them. Ma- 
 gic pleased her not j an enchanter could smile at the frowns 
 of royalty J and though she cared no longer for rule, her 
 feelings and her blood were alike regal. After this she 
 retired into private hfe, leaving the succession to the throne 
 to be settled by the priests and nobles. 
 
 And this is all that history has told us of the uneventful 
 reign of Joodar. 
 
ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER; 
 
 OR, 
 
 THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. 
 
 TN the whole city of Alexandria you would scarcely 
 have found two men less likely to become friends 
 than Aboo Seer the barber and Aboo Keer the dyer. 
 The former was truthful, just, and benevolent j the latter 
 false, roguish, and intensely selfish. Yet propinquity does 
 wonders ; and so dull was the district, and so slack their 
 trade, that, being next-door neighbours, they would while 
 away their idle hours in friendly gossip. They were both 
 masters of their respective callings j and so skilful was the 
 dyer, that want of principle alone prevented him from 
 succeeding in business. He would always ask an advance 
 from the party who might bring him goods, and forthwith 
 expend it in dainty food and luscious drink; then he 
 would sell the articles intrusted to him, and hve on the 
 proceeds, excusing himself day by day for not having 
 finished his job, by some specious lie, as, " Unexpected 
 guests arrived, and the duties of hospitality compelled 
 
THE TIVO CRAFTSMEN. 251 
 
 me to refrain from work j" and again, '' My wife was con- 
 fined, and of course it became impossible to devote pro- 
 per attention to your order j" until at last, when the indig- 
 nant customer demanded back his goods, done or undone, 
 the liar, with unabashed effrontery, would cajole his victim 
 in this fashion : " I must own the truth, then, though I 
 am ashamed to relate what has occurred 3 I had succeeded 
 admirably with your cloth (the tint was clear and brilliant), 
 and when I hung it out to dry I anticipated your praise. 
 From that moment I have never seen it ; some sneaking 
 tliief — and we live in a bad quarter for rogues — must have 
 purloined it. I am too poor to replace it ; I throw myself 
 upon your mercy." The majority of those he thus fleeced 
 put up with his rascality, either from indolence, good- 
 nature, or consciousness of the impossibility of making 
 him refund what he no longer possessed ; occasionally he 
 was roughly abused, but he cared little for words. His 
 character eventually, however, became so notorious that 
 none would employ him except perfect strangers j his 
 poverty became so extreme that he was almost destitute. 
 At this juncture a customer (a rough one as he turned 
 out) presented himself, and was served as usual j but 
 he would not be put off with words, for when he found 
 himself cheated he applied for redress to the magistrate, 
 by whose order, when nothing was found in the dyer's 
 shop to compensate the complainant, the door of the 
 rogue's dwelUng was nailed up and sealed in the presence 
 of witnesses. Then Aboo Keer betook himself for com- 
 fort to his gossip's house, and bewailed the hardness of the 
 times in general, and his recent misadventure in particular. 
 
2^2 ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 " Men of our ability," he continued, *' might gain a 
 little fortune in other lands, where competition is less 
 excessive ; besides, wandering is pleasant work : it en- 
 larges the mind to view the habits and customs of other 
 nations. I've made up my mind to leave this accursed 
 city. Why not journey along with me ? you can scarcely 
 fare worse than at present; you will possibly prosper be- 
 yond your expectations." 
 
 With such words he persuaded his easy neighbour to 
 accompany him, seeking his companionship not from any 
 peculiar regard for him, for he was utterly incapable of 
 affection for man or beast, but because he felt assured that 
 the few pieces of money his friend still possessed would thus 
 be expended in providing food for both alike. When the 
 shrewd dyer had so far succeeded, he suggested that, as 
 they were like brothers, they should make a solemn agree- 
 ment, a covenant which, fair and equitable between the 
 truthful and honest, would inevitably profit the perfidious, 
 should one like Aboo Keer prove a party to its terms. 
 It was to this effect : that whichever of them should ob- 
 tain remunerative employment, that individual should 
 maintain the other whilst out of work. It was stipulated 
 further by these adventurers that whatsoever surplus should 
 accrue beyond their joint expenses should be put aside, 
 and equally divided on their return to their native land. 
 For thither, despite their recent depreciation of it, they 
 wished to return, since our natural home is where our 
 thoughts can most truly be expounded by our tongues, and 
 our ineradicable tastes and habits can most easily be sa- 
 tisfied. 
 
THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. iS3 
 
 Now the thought of emigration had long lain dormant in 
 their minds j so when they poured forth to each other the 
 well-digested result of many crude cogitations, their words 
 were few, but deductive. Their skill, they argued, would 
 be best appreciated where civilization had not taught 
 others to compete with them j the further from Alexandria 
 the less likely was it that the people should be civilized ; 
 ergo, it was desirable that they should journey to a far-oif 
 country. A large ship was to sail next morning -, so they 
 resolved to pack up their poor clothing, and make their 
 needful preparations for departure that very evening. 
 Aboo Seer sold his furniture for what it would fetch, and 
 paid the passage-money for both himself and his com- 
 panion, as the dyer had long ago parted with everything 
 saleable 5 even the mattress he slept on was a borrowed 
 one. 
 
 Their stock of sea-provisions was very limited, for little re- 
 mained of the proceeds of the sale after their fares had 
 been paid ; but Aboo Seer trusted to the unfailing good- 
 ness of Providence, and Aboo Keer to his own tried sharp- 
 ness, should hunger compel him to exert himself for 
 food. 
 
 Good luck befriended them. It chanced that amidst 
 the throng of passengers not a single individual was com- 
 petent to act as barber J perceiving which, Aboo Seer, 
 having thrown a towel over his shoulder, took his station 
 upon deck, holding his razor, basin, and other tonsorial 
 apparatus conspicuously before him. It was not long be- 
 fore some one addressed him, and having desired him to 
 perform his functions on his behalf, gave him in requital 
 
254 ^BOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 (as he preferred food to money) a small cake of bread and 
 some cheese. These he freely bestowed upon his worth- 
 less comrade, who greedily devoured them, lounging upon 
 his bed ; then, returning to his occupation, he reaped so 
 plentiful a harvest of customers, that ere night his sea-stock 
 was enlarged by no less than thirty little loaves, besides 
 cheese, olives, and fish-relish. The captain, moreover, 
 engaged his services, and in place of salary promised to 
 provide supper each evening for himself and companion. 
 At dusk he went to the cabin in high spirits to communi- 
 cate his good tidings, to stow away his provisions, and to 
 summon his associate to partake of the good things that 
 were smoking upon the captain's table. Aboo Keer was 
 fast asleep, for eating and sleeping were the chief delights 
 of his animal existence. 
 
 "Wake up, friend," cried the joyous barber, *'and see 
 and hear of the bounty of Heaven." 
 
 The lazy glutton's eyes had scarcely opened, when he 
 clutched at the food, and would have conveyed it to his 
 mouth, had not his hand been arrested by his more 
 thoughtful visitor. 
 
 " Not to-night, man, not to-night ; we are going to sup 
 at the captain's expense j let us leave these viands for 
 another occasion." 
 
 " I have been sea-sick, and feel too weak to rise 3 suffer 
 me to take a little food, for emptiness is exhausting 5 and 
 go you, who are strong and hearty, and feast with the 
 captain." 
 
 So the tender-hearted barber acquiescing, sat down, and 
 recounted all thedetailspf his good-luck, and merrily watched 
 
THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. 255 
 
 the self-designated invalid, as he cut oiF vast hunches of 
 bread, and covering them thriftlessly with the relishes, and 
 scarcely masticating them, bolted them hastily with staring 
 eyes, as though fearful that the food over which he was 
 snorting would be snatched from him ere he gulped it 
 down. Yet the worthy barber was amused, for he was a 
 humorist, not a philosopher, and discerned not the greedy 
 selfishness of the action, but only its comicality. Smiling 
 goodnaturedly at the voracity of the dyer, Aboo Seer de- 
 parted on his visit to the captain, to whom he excused the 
 absence of his companion on the score of sea-sickness. 
 
 '' It won't harm him ; he will be the better for it after- 
 wards ; but he sha'n't go without his supper," was the 
 friendly rejoinder of the mariner, who set apart a large 
 dish of meat, enough for half-a-dozen, and bade his guest 
 to carry it off when their meaLwas over to his sick partner. 
 
 Despite of his hurry, and his earlier commencement of 
 supper, the glutton was still gormandizing, though more 
 slowly and half drowsily, when the barber returned 5 the 
 moment, however, he descried the savoury food piled 
 generously upon the well-filled dish, he clutched at it, re- 
 commencing his meal with renewed energy, and ceased 
 not while a morsel was left remaining. 
 
 The temperate Aboo Seer was astounded at such a feat ; 
 but as day by day the same doings again and again re- 
 curred, his wonder fell off', and he implicitly confided in 
 the assertion of his helpless associate, "that the necessities 
 of his constitution required a sustenance that would be 
 productive of evil to others less exigently organized." For 
 Aboo Keer was a grandiloquent philosopher, who preferred 
 
^j6 JBOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 thought to action, words to deeds -, whilst Aboo Seer was 
 a working-man, and, hke most of his class, bowed down 
 to specious reasoning and loftiness of expression. 
 
 The voyage at length came to an end, and the con- 
 federates were landed on a shore adjacent to a populous 
 city. By this time the dyer, bloated from inaction, and 
 more indolent than ever, had become so accustomed to 
 rely on the exertions of his thrifty and industrious partner, 
 that he gave himself up to absolute inertness. In the 
 caravanserai where they lodged (their little room was 
 scantily furnished from the savings of the barber) he would 
 pass his whole time in feeding and in sleeping x the hardly- 
 earned gains of the working partner being almost wholly 
 expended in maintaining in idleness this helpless invalid, 
 who assured his fatigued benefactor " that he was tempo- 
 rarily incapacitated for work, from the persistent dizziness 
 that the motion of the vessel had originally communicated." 
 His apology sufficed for this benevolent man, who, against 
 his better judgment, both pitied and believed him. 
 
 After a month or so, sickness overtook the barber, who 
 no longer brought home either money or provisions j for 
 fever had seized upon him, and sucked up his vitals until 
 he was prostrate and insensible. Then first did Aboo Keer 
 arouse himself 5 for though labour was odious, fasting was 
 still more detestable. His first action was to rifle the 
 clothes of his inanimate friend ; his next to quit the dwell- 
 ing with the miserable proceeds of his ungrateful theft. 
 His comrade would probably starve : well, " It was his 
 fate." 
 
 After this reflection Aboo Keer betook himself to the 
 
THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. 2^7 
 
 market-place, and then wandered •about the prhicipal 
 streets of the city. It abounded in magnificent struc- 
 tures 'j the inhabitants were happy-looking and well-clad, 
 the shops were elegant and well-plenished ; but the uni- 
 formity of tints, the incessant white and blue that pervaded 
 the garments of all but the extremely opulent, produced 
 an unpleasant monotony of aspect. He divined, as it 
 were, the gain that was about to accrue to him, and re- 
 solved to ascertain the cause of this distasteful uniformity. 
 So when he arrived at the shop of a dyer, where every 
 garment exhibited was of an unvarying blue he drew, forth 
 a kerchief, and inquired the cost of its being re-dipped. 
 
 ** Twenty pieces of silver," was the answer. 
 
 "Why, in my native land we think it enough to pay 
 two for such a trifle." 
 
 "Keep it until you go back, then," was the curt re- 
 joinder. 
 
 " Well, if these are the usual charges of the country, I 
 must submit, but dye it red for me." 
 
 " I can't," replied the craftsman. " I know not how." 
 
 "Green, then," continued the Alexandrian, with a 
 gathering consciousness that in this land, at least, his own 
 superior skill would find a ready market. 
 
 " I can't ; I know not how." 
 
 " Yellow, then, or hlac, or purple, or brown," he said, 
 enumerating the various colours. 
 
 But the invariable response was " I can't 5 I know not 
 how." 
 
 Then Aboo Keer revealed himself. " Know that I, too, 
 am a dyer, and can stain clothes with all the tints I have 
 
258 JBOO SEER AND ABOO KEER; OR, 
 
 mentioned. Being without capital, I will gladly sell my 
 services to you, and you will profit largely by my pro- 
 ficiency." 
 
 "Friend," was the reply, "you know not our rules. 
 Ours is a strict guild, and I dare not hire you. Our aim 
 is to avoid competition, and retain the monopoly of dyeing 
 in a few families. We are ever forty in number ; the first- 
 born son succeeds to his father ; and where there is no 
 family, then the second-born of our oldest members suc- 
 cessively fills up the vacant place. As to colours, we con- 
 fine ourselves to blue, for indigo is abundant with usj and 
 as to strangers, we allow none of them to \<^ork with us, 
 either as journeymen or masters." 
 
 This trade-illiberality was so unexpected that it was not 
 until the Alexandrian had gone the round of forty masters, 
 and heard from all of them the same unchanging tale, 
 that he could believe in the possibility of so unwise an 
 enactment. When once aroused, — and it took much to 
 urge him to shake off his besetting indolence, — he was a 
 man of action ; hence he ventured upon the happy audacity 
 of complaining to the ruler of the city of the conduct of 
 the guild towards him. 
 
 " O King," he said, "your subjects are only garbed in 
 white and blue, because of the ignorance of the dyers in 
 this city. Now I, who know the art of staining cloth with 
 red, green, yellow, brown, and purple, in every shade and 
 diversity of tint, have, because of my poverty, offered my 
 services as a mere journeyman to your unskilled craftsmen. 
 Yet these incompetents reject me, because, forsooth, I am 
 a strangerj hence, your people must either eschew all other 
 
THE TIFO CRAFTSMEN. 259 
 
 colours, or else pay a heavy price to the foreign merchant 
 for the imported goods. My freely offered knowledge, then, 
 is for the benefit of your realm." So spoke the dyer, who 
 was ever persuasive, and tlie ruler assented to the justice 
 of his logic. 
 
 " You shall be the royal dyer," he graciously responded, 
 " and woe to him of your craft who shall dare to gainsay 
 you. My builder shall accompany you through the city, 
 and whatever site you may select as fitting for your busi- 
 ness, there he shall erect premises suitable to your require- 
 ments. As to capital, whatever shall be needful for your 
 success, I take upon myself to supply. My subjects shall 
 not remain in ignorance, through the narrow-minded 
 rapacity of a few sluggish traders." The King presented 
 him, likewise, with money for his immediate necessities, 
 and, when the building had been erected in accordance 
 with the plans of Aboo Keer, furnished him with further 
 sums for the purchase of drugs and utensils. 
 
 There was not a handsomer shop in the whole of that 
 beautiful city, and when cloths of every known hue were 
 tastily suspended in flowing folds from its walls, none at- 
 tracted a greater concourse of admiring spectators. They 
 gazed with delight upon his handiwork, and all who could 
 afford it cheerfully paid high prices to the proprietor for 
 executing their orders. To dress in blue and white, as of 
 old, was regarded as a mark of poverty, or senility j hence 
 the rage for the new colours (especially with the women) 
 became so excessive, that gold flowed into his coffers in 
 an incessant stream. The master dyers, who had rejected 
 him as a servant, seeing their trade leaving them, now re- 
 
 s 2 
 
26o JBOO SEER AND JBOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 spectfully applied to him, offering to be his assistants j but 
 he harshly reminded them of the past, reproached them 
 for their exclusive monopoly, and triumphantly alluded to 
 their approaching destitution. 
 
 Let us return now to the pallet of Aboo Seer, the door 
 of whose chamber had been left closed by his rascally as- 
 sociate. For three days he had lingered, untended and 
 unfed, upon his squalid couch, for none knew that he was 
 sick. On the fourth, the superintendent of the khan, who 
 had missed the two foreign lodgers, suspecting that they 
 might possibly have levanted to avoid payment of their 
 rent, listened at the door, and heard the groans of the 
 helpless sufferer, who had only returned to consciousness 
 to find himself robbed and deserted. The key was still in 
 the lock outside, ^ so the prying official, having turned it, 
 entered, and there lay the prostrate, yet no longer speech- 
 less, barber, who, surmising all that had occurred whilst 
 he himself had been unconscious, eagerly inquired after 
 his partner. 
 
 *' I have not seen him for three days ; I thought both 
 he and you had departed," was the answer. 
 
 " It is he, then, who has robbed me ; but search again, 
 I pray you, my garments (for I am very feeble), lest per- 
 adventure he may have left me some little coin, that I 
 might not die from starvation." 
 
 The superintendent complied with his request, but found 
 nothing left. *' Pity for others is want of pity for oneself," 
 had been the unexpressed dogma of the philosophical 
 thief Then the sick man wept, and bewailed his evil 
 fortune. 
 
THE TIFO CRAFTSMEN. 261 
 
 The charitable intruder, indignant at the cruel baseness 
 of the pampered runaway, consoled the barber, saying, 
 " Cheer up, you shall not starve. I will myself provide for 
 you until your strength returns. As for the villain who 
 has wronged you. Heaven will sooner or later avenge you." 
 He at once fetched him some nourishing broth, and ceased 
 not to nurse him until he was thoroughly recovered ; but, 
 so violent had been the fever, that weeks elapsed before 
 his strength permitted him to leave the chamber. As he 
 quitted it to seek work, he fervently expressed his gratitude 
 to his benefactor, promising to requite him for his good- 
 ness should it ever be in his power to do so ; " but Allah 
 alone," he continued, **will, I fear, requite you, for I am 
 a luckless being." 
 
 " And to Him only do I look for my reward j it was to 
 please Him that I have shown compassion," was the pious 
 rejoinder. 
 
 A handsome shop, richly adorned by broad strips of 
 vividly coloured cloth, before which an admiring throng 
 of idlers was congregated, soon attracted the attention of 
 the itinerant barber. In its furthest interior, ensconced 
 between downy cushions, stirring not, but with a lordly 
 air giving orders to his bustling assistants, reposed the 
 proprietor, richly clad and swollen with pride at his un- 
 hoped-for consideration. As he turned his face towards 
 the entrance he was recognized by the poor barber, whose 
 heart was elated by the sight of his partner's prosperity, as 
 his long-lost associate. 
 
 ** Doubtlessly," he reflected, ''from the sudden stress 
 and worry of too much business he has forgotten my very 
 
262 ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 existence ; perchance he thought me dead when he stripped 
 me 3 at least he will now welcome and relieve me, since 
 I always treated him with frank hberality." So he ad- 
 vanced confidently ; but when the eye of Aboo Keer at first 
 sighted him, it blinked with dismay -, his visage became 
 sallow, and his lips quivered, for he feared his late com- 
 panion had come to denounce him, or at the least, to de- 
 mand a maintenance at his hands. Then his impudence re- 
 turned, and a seeming wrath lighted up his bloated counte- 
 nance, as, pointing with his finger to the humble-looking 
 stranger, he roared forth to his many slaves, ** Beat him well 
 and cast him forth from my shop j" and then, addressing his 
 scared partner, continued, "You scoundrel ! how often have 
 I warned you never to darken the entrance of my dwelling. 
 Will you never leave off^ your pilfering ? Dare to come 
 again, and I will give you up to justice." The blows of 
 the attendants as they ejected him prevented the possibi- 
 lity of a reply to this false accusation. Whilst Aboo Seer 
 was being ignominiously expelled, Aboo Keer was con- 
 descendingly explaining to the lookers-on that the ragged 
 wretch, whom he had so leniently punished, was the im- 
 pudent knave who had often before robbed his shop, and 
 whom, when detected, he had so often spared through re- 
 gard for his abject poverty. So the crowd without, which 
 had heard what the master had related, only jeered and 
 reviled the poor sufferer, as, writhing from the blows and 
 protesting his innocence, he meekly threaded his way 
 through it and sneaked back, humiliated, to his old quarters. 
 This beating proved a fortunate event to the hitherto 
 unlucky fellow. After the first smart had subsided, he 
 
THE TIVO CRAFTSMEN. 263 
 
 determined to remove the dull pains that remained by re- 
 course to the soothing influence of the bath. So he in- 
 quired everywhere for the public baths. 
 
 " Baths ? what are baths ?" was the general answer. 
 He explained their comfort, sanitary value, and social use. 
 But his auditors replied, " When we wish to bathe, and it 
 is good to feel clean and invigorated, we go down to the 
 seashore, and there strip ourselves publicly. Even the King 
 himself has no better resource." 
 
 Then the thoughtful barber asked the character of the 
 sovereign, and found that all praised him for his enlight- 
 ened patronage of art and science. " Whosoever discovers 
 or introduces a good thing among us, him he delights to 
 honour. Skilled industry and valour, he is wont to say, 
 are the wealth and vigour of a nation." At these tidings, 
 Aboo Seer, when likewise assured that the monarch was 
 gracious and affable, mustered up courage to approach the 
 throne, and despite of his manifest poverty, was courte- 
 ously permitted an audience that he might explain the na- 
 ture of the novelty he would introduce. And when clearly, 
 though not eloquently, he had described the advantage 
 of public baths, and declared his competence to undertake 
 the superintendence of their erection and future manage- 
 ment, he was honourably entertained, provided with money 
 for -his immediate maintenance, and furnished with all the 
 means and appliances for their construction. And soon 
 there arose in the midst of this fine city one of the most 
 magnificent baths in the world, — an edifice so beautiful 
 to behold that crowds would assemble to view it during 
 its progress. When its interior had to be decorated, so 
 
264 J BOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 pleased was the King's architect with the novel structure 
 he had raised under the suggestive guidance of the barber, 
 that he lavished upon it all the treasures of his art, finish- 
 ing it in a style pre-eminently rich and attractive. A 
 magnificent fountain plashed soothingly in the centre of 
 the vast circular-shaped area where the bath was formed, 
 and stately columns of the rarest marbles, with richly- 
 gilded bases and capitals, supported the lofty dome which 
 lighted and ventilated the building. The fame of its 
 beauty was spread throughout the country, and the long- 
 ing of the inhabitants for its opening to the public became 
 universal. Then, when all was completed and the fittings 
 and furniture were in due order, Aboo Seer announced the 
 intelligence to the King ; and having obtained from him 
 ten handsome young men as attendants upon tlie bathers, 
 taught them the art of rubbing with the bag and other 
 necessary oflfices. The voice of the crier next invited the 
 citizens to a public inspection of the interior, and the water 
 was heated and the fountain played ; and the stream of 
 hot and cold fluids were set in motion, whilst Aboo Seer 
 clearly explained to the shoals which flocked thither, the 
 purifying nature of a bath, its salubrity and its luxury. 
 
 On the fourth day his royal patron honoured the build- 
 ing by his presence j he and the higher members of his 
 Court. The King, having undressed, entered ; and Aboo 
 Seer rubbed him with the bag, and removed long strips of 
 impure skin from his person, and displayed them to him ; 
 then, after the tank had been perfumed by mingling rose- 
 water with its contents, the noble visitor descended into it, 
 and was delighted when he emerged to feel the exquisite 
 
THE TIVO CRAFTSMEN. 265 
 
 smoothness and softness of his flesh, and, after a gentle 
 shampooing, to experience the supple elasticity of his 
 limbs. 
 
 *'The sensation," cried the gratified monarch, ^'^ is worth 
 a thousand pieces of gold j henceforth let that be your 
 charge for admission." 
 
 " Not so, O gracious monarch 3 for how could the poor 
 afford it ? Its use is needful for health and cleanliness j 
 therefore, by your permission, let every one pay in propor- 
 tion to his means, that your whole people may be bene- 
 fited by your goodness to strangers." 
 
 The escort of nobles all followed the example of their 
 lord, and all were alike enthusiastic in their encomiums ; 
 each — for none would acknowledge that his means were 
 inferior — presented the bath-keeper with a hundred pieces 
 of gold, and the King bestowed upon him a thousand. 
 Next day all the city tried to enter ; and soon bathing 
 became a necessity for all who had once essayed it. Gold 
 and silver flowed to Aboo Seer from every hand, and his 
 wealth and importance became superior to even the condi- 
 tion of the dyer. He forgot not in his prosperity the 
 goodness of the superintendent of the khan, who, through 
 his favour at Court, was promoted to an office of higher 
 emolument. 
 
 Among the many who frequented his establishment was 
 the commander of that convict ship which was employed 
 when the execution of heinous offenders was designed to 
 be impressive from its severity. The mode of death was 
 singular, and peculiar to that country. The criminal 
 was stripped, thrust into a large sack, which was subse- 
 
266 JBOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 quently filled up with freshly-calcined lime, and then 
 lowered gradually from the deck of the vessel to the 
 depths below, so that he experienced simultaneously the 
 double torture of burning and of drowning. As the cap- 
 tain had the superintendence of this cruel mode of death, 
 lie was accustomed to be slighted and shunned by the 
 community ; but when he sought to bathe, Aboo Seer 
 treated him with courtesy, considering that no man was 
 degraded by carrying out the legitimate sentences of the 
 judicature. The official, however, felt grateful to the 
 bath-keeper for his conduct, and remembered it in his 
 heart. 
 
 Aboo Keer longed, like others, to recreate himself with 
 the delights of the bath, but his mind misgave him as to 
 the manner of his reception, for he was conscious that the 
 man whom he had wronged and insulted was the owner of 
 it. But as his desire for it could not be repressed, he 
 arrayed himself in his best attire, armed himself with the 
 sword of impudence, and cordially saluted his old acquaint- 
 ance, saying, — 
 
 " I have at last found my friend. Why did he not visit 
 me before this? I have long been opulent, and would 
 not have forgotten the terms of our bargain." 
 
 " What ! did you not strike and revild me," cried the 
 aggrieved barber, '' when I did appear before you in my 
 sore distress ?" 
 
 Then the dyer looked very sad, and exclaimed, " Surely 
 it was not you whom I turned out from my shop. If so 
 I swear by the holy Prophet, and by all that is sacred in 
 our religion, that I did not recognize you (my eyes, you 
 
THE TIVO CRAFTSMEN. 267 
 
 know, were always weak), but fancied you the thief who 
 had daily purloined my goods. Oh surely, surely it was 
 not my benefactor, my friend, whom I so evilly entreated. 
 You can never forgive mej no, rather, I can never for- 
 give myself." 
 
 And so deplorable became his aspect, so pitiable we^-e 
 his sobs, that the anger of Aboo Seer melted away before 
 the vehemence of that remorse ; and he tenderly sought 
 to alleviate the deep distress of his quondam companion. 
 
 *' Attribute not my wrongs," he cried, "to your own 
 cruel hands, for my sufferings were pre-ordained, and you 
 but the blameless and unconscious instrument of the will 
 of Heaven. Besides, I ascribe all my good fortune to the 
 bruises of your stick j so let all be forgotten and forgiven." 
 
 Then the cumiing actor suffered himself to be calmed, 
 and entered the bath, and was waited upon personally by 
 the master of the establishment, and enjoyed greatly the 
 unwonted refreshment ; and after he was dressed sherbet 
 and delicate viands were served up before him. For all 
 this no payment was permitted by the hospitable bath- 
 keeper, who refused his money, saying, " All things are 
 in common between friends." 
 
 Nevertheless Aboo Keer, who judged of others by his 
 own revengeful disposition, meditated how he might ruin 
 his host ; for he thought, *' If I cause not speedily his own 
 destruction, he will avail himself of his high favour with 
 the King to punish me 3 for he cannot really forgive the 
 injuries I have done him." 
 
 So before he quitted the building he threw out a sugges- 
 tion to Aboo Seer, which met with his approval. " Your 
 
268 ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER ; OR, 
 
 bath would be perfect," he observed, " had you not for- 
 gotten the depilatory. From respect to your patron you 
 should offer it to him before all others." 
 
 Now the depilatory is a mixture of lime and orpiment, 
 which removes the stray and superfluous hairs from the 
 body. 
 
 After bidding farewell with much unction, the suspicious 
 ingrate hastened to the palace, and obtained an immediate 
 interview on the plea of urgency. 
 
 " Great King," he said as he approached him, " your 
 goodness to me shall be requited. I now sacrifice my 
 friend to my benefactor. A traitorous plot has been de- 
 vised against you, and, alas ! my own fellow-countryman 
 has engaged to be your assassin. We had both been slaves 
 to the King of the Christians, and I was emancipated be- 
 cause of my skill as a dyer : I taught his people the art as 
 my ransom-money. But I left Aboo Seer and his family 
 in captivity, and greatly was I surprised when I this day 
 recognized him in the proprietor of the pubhc baths. 
 ' How have you escaped ?' I inquired. * I escaped not at 
 all,' he replied -, ' but I have sworn to slay the great enemy 
 of the Christian monarch (mentioning your name, O King) 
 as the price of my ransom, and my wife and family have 
 been left as hostages.' Then I asked, how was it possible 
 for one so powerless to put so mighty a sovereign to death, 
 and yet avoid the vengeance of his bereaved people ? ' No- 
 thing easier — he will slay himself. I shall offer him a 
 poisonous substance, pretending it is beneficial to remove 
 the stray hairs from his body ; and when he has applied it, 
 the arsenic it contains will be absorbed into his system. He 
 
THE TWO CRAFTSMEN. 269 
 
 will become bald, his throat will become sore, and his 
 stomach be burnt into holes. But all this will be gradual 3 
 he trusts to me, and I shall advise his continually rubbing 
 himself with the depilatory as the sole remedy for his 
 orgaflic disorder.' When I reminded him of your Ma- 
 jesty's goodness to him, and the baseness of this premedi- 
 tated crime, he had but one answer : — ' I must think of 
 my wife and my children, who will be freed on my re- 
 turn.' . . . There has been a momentary struggle between 
 fidelity to my friend and gratitude to my adopted Sove- 
 reign : the latter feeling has prevailed, and I come here to 
 denounce my countryman, but to save my King." 
 
 The anger of the monarch was kindled against Aboo 
 Seer ; the traitor and the assassin are ever hateful, and the 
 recollection of past favours intensified the indignation of 
 the royal patron. Yet, before any proceedings were taken 
 against him — for such baseness seemed almost inconceiv- 
 able — the King visited the bath, and was offered the depi- 
 latory, the smell of which was so fetid that he doubted not 
 the poisonous nature of its composition 3 moreover, his 
 physician detected the arsenic, which was the base of the 
 orpiment. Then orders were issued for the arrest and exe- 
 cution of the detected criminal, who being condemned to 
 suffer the death by torture, was handed over to the cus- 
 tody of the dreaded individual who commanded the fatal 
 ship. 
 
 At midday, on the morrow, the King stood at his bal- 
 cony, over the rippling waters of the harbour, to see his 
 sentence carried into effect. The fatal boat was moored 
 in front of the palace, and a heavy sack, big enough to 
 
270 ABOO SEER AND ABOO KEER; OR, 
 
 hold a man without compressing his limbs, was slung by a 
 rope from the sides of it. 
 
 " Shall I lower it, O King?" said the sea-captain j and 
 the ruler raised his hand to give the signal of death, and in 
 doing so jerked from his finger the royal signet. ^The 
 sack and the signet were buried in the ocean at the same 
 instant, and the terror of the doomed criminal could 
 scarcely have surpassed the agony of his judge, as the 
 jewelled ring flashed for a moment in the sunshine ere 
 it sank beneath the waves. For this ring was the ensign 
 of his power J royalty and the possession of the mystic 
 emblem of it were synonymous 3 should its loss be di- 
 vulged, the fidelity of the troops could no longer be de- 
 pended on. 
 
 The King quitted the balcony with a slow step and 
 saddened countenance ; his courtiers, who knew not what 
 had happened, loudly whispered — " See how he grieves to 
 inflict pain even upon the traitor who would have poi- 
 soned him." 
 
 Aboo Seer was not dead. The fatal sack had been filled, 
 but only with lime ; for the sea-captain had remembered 
 the courtesy of the bath-keeper ; and when the latter was 
 in his custody, and had solemnly protested his innocence, 
 saying, *' Rub me with the depilatory, and see whether 
 it will destroy ray life," he resolved to conceal him until 
 the experiment should prove or disprove the accusation. 
 So when the ship, in the early part of the day, skirted a 
 little islet which lay not far off from the royal balcony, he 
 connived at the temporary escape of his prisoner by swim- 
 ming, bidding him fish in his absence to provide himself 
 
THE TIVO CRAFTSMEN. 271 
 
 with food ; for the uninhabited islet belonged to the cap- 
 tain, aiid there were nets hung out to dry upon its shore. 
 
 Now the red stone of the royal signet had in its rapid 
 descent been taken for hving food by a stupid fish, who 
 directly he had swallowed the ring swam towards the islet 
 where Aboo Seer was at work, and, as destiny willed it, 
 was captured by his net. Being hungry, he cut it open to 
 broil it, and was surprised at beholding that sacred emblem 
 of royalty, upon which the life and fortunes of the King 
 were popularly supposed to depend. Even though con- 
 demned without a hearing, he had not forgotten the pre- 
 vious kindness of his patron, and he longed for, and on 
 the return of the captain he obtained, an opportunity of 
 restoring it to its owner. 
 
 In the disguise of a sailor he presented himself before 
 the monarch, and holding aloft the mystic ring, displayed 
 it before his eyes. 
 
 " How can I reward you for the recovery of my talis- 
 man ?" cried the overjoyed monarch, as he replaced it on 
 his finger. 
 
 " By pardoning him who has befriended me, and grant- 
 ing to myself an impartial trial 3 for I am the bath-keeper 
 who was falsely accused of treason." 
 
 " No traitor would have returned this gem 3 you are 
 acquitted. The captain who has saved me from blood- 
 guiltiness shall be promoted ; and your accuser, the dyer, 
 shall be questioned." 
 
 Then Aboo Seer related his whole history, and brought 
 forward the late superintendent of the khan, and the slaves 
 who had beaten him, as testimonies of the baseness of the 
 dyer. 
 
272 JBOO SEER AND ABOO KEER. 
 
 " Yet I pray you to forgive him," said the good man, 
 "for I harbour no resentment against him." 
 
 '' You, as a citizen, may pardon him 5 I, as a judge, 
 cannot," was the stern reply j and on the morrow the 
 waves of the ocean rolled above the corpse of the tortured 
 dyer. 
 
 From that day no evil fortune ever betided Aboo Seer. 
 He himself was happy, and ever sought to impart a like 
 happiness to all around him. 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 A STURDY, credulous, good-natured fool was young 
 ■'^^ Xailoun, nicknamed by his friends, and known by 
 his neighbours, as Xailoun the Silly. Left with a small 
 patrimony, which was gradually dwindling from his utter 
 incompetence to manage it, his relatives persuaded him 
 to marry, and induced a sensible woman, who could ap- 
 preciate his goodness of heart, although she could not help 
 despising his feebleness of mind, to accept him as her hus- 
 band. His features were plain, yet not repulsive j he was 
 gentle in his manners j his countenance was devoid of ex- 
 pression, his conversation trivial, but his disposition was ex- 
 cellent. So far from hurting anything, his weakness seemed 
 to proceed from an excess of goodness : he could be per- 
 suaded to any act of folly, for he was a simpleton ; yet not 
 even coercion would have led him to crime, for he had an 
 instinctive rectitude of principle. He was so hopelessly im- 
 becile, that his wife, Oitba, after many a vain attempt, by 
 caresses, remonstrances, and even by scolding, to induce 
 him to work, for he was strong and healthy, as a final re- 
 source took to beating him, a penalty which he endured 
 
 T 
 
274 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 with equanimity, as the natural consequence of so fooHsh 
 a dekision as marriage. Labour, in his estimation, was a 
 needless exhaustion of strength : eating, sleeping, and day- 
 dreaming, the chief, if not tlie sole, ends of existence. 
 " Heaven wishes us to be happy," he argued ; ''that which 
 is pleasurable to one man is not so to another : ergo, as 
 labour is your happiness, it is your duty to work j as re- 
 pose is my happiness, it is my duty to abstain from toil." 
 He could reason plausibly enough, only his quaint conclu- 
 sions were invariably deceptive. Perhaps his especial weak- 
 ness was a sympathetic attachment to a species of lizard, 
 which he called his cousin, a bright-eyed little creature, 
 who, hke himself, loved basking in the sun in stohd re- 
 verie. This harmless reptile has a peculiar jerk of the 
 head, which the simpleton construed into a gesture of as- 
 sent when he addressed it in his argumentative soliloquies. 
 As the animal never contradicted him, he naturally pre- 
 ferred his respectful style of conversation to the contemp- 
 tuous scoffing of his human associates. 
 
 When his fortunes sank to a low ebb, it became ne- 
 cessary to part with one of his asses. So Xailoun led 
 it by a halter, stalking on before, and theorizing on mat- 
 ters wholly irrelevant to the sale. A rogue, who knew 
 his softness both of heart and head, slily displaced the 
 halter from the brute, put it on his own neck, and left 
 his comrade to dispose of the stolen animal. He himself 
 trudged on steadily for a while, until his companion was 
 out of sight. Then fervently ejaculating, "Thanks to 
 thee, O Prophet ! for my restoration to the shape of man," 
 he disturbed the reverie of the simple peasant by an ab- 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 27^ 
 
 rupt halt. '' Halloo ! what has become of my ass, and 
 who are you ?" was the not insensible address of the sim- 
 pleton. " Your own ass, your faithful, hard-working 
 donkey :• thanks to the Prophet, I have had a kind master, 
 too good for my deservings. I was a bad son, and in my 
 wickedness beat my poor old mother j for this impiety I 
 was changed into a quadruped. But I have repented my 
 evil doings ; my sin has been expiated, and I have become 
 a man again." " Go in peace, friend," said Xailoun ; 
 " it is rather hard I should lose by your conversion, but of 
 course 1 can't sell you." So the sharper departed, and 
 not having any better occupation, our hero journeyed on 
 to the fair at which he had proposed to have sold his 
 donkey : to his surprise, he there beheld his own ass ex- 
 posed for sale by the rogue's companion. '' Oh ! you in- 
 corrigible wretch," said the worthy simpleton, apostro- 
 phizing his old servant j " you had barely an hour to run 
 home and beat your mother, yet you must needs go and 
 do it." On his returning home without money, Oitba's 
 cudgel read him a lecture on credulity, though he vainly 
 assured her that if the Prophet could transform a man into 
 an ass for beating a woman, he might transform a woman 
 into an ass for beating a man. 
 
 Upon the whole, however, he improved under the dis- 
 cipline of the stick, which he had not the energy to resist 3 
 and as " Change, or I will beat you to a mummy," was 
 the habitual exordium of his wife as she drove him to 
 labour, he connected the idea of change with labour. He 
 resolved to be changed. 
 
 He had grown meagre from want of food. So when he 
 
 T 2 
 
276 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 noticed how plump and jolly-looking were the attendants 
 at a baker's shop, he thought, if he could only look like 
 them, his wife would not recognize him, and he should 
 avoid being beaten. He proffered his services, and for 
 some time worked steadily, and carried home his earnings 
 to his family. Still he could not help perceiving that he 
 was recognized as Xailoun ; and as the idea of change (con- 
 nected with beating) had been indelibly impressed upon 
 him, and a chance blow occasionally followed an act of 
 silliness, he determined for the future to be a different man. 
 "I am to be beaten," he argued, ''if I be not changed; 
 and if I would be changed I must be no longer Xailoun." 
 
 He now quitted the baker in despair, and asked em- 
 ployment at an eating-house, where the servants looked so 
 red and bloated, that he thought, if he could only resem- 
 ble them, his identity would be lost. Day by day he 
 would stare at his limbs to see how he was progressing, 
 and this at length attracted the attention of the keeper of 
 the rooms. " Are you admiring yourself ? " said he. " No, 
 I am only watching how my transformation is going on." 
 " Oh ! you want to be changed," quoth he. ** Changed ? 
 yes, that's what I have come for." " You shall be my 
 scullion then : you will be turned from white to black." 
 
 So the simpleton scoured the dirty pots, and not being 
 expert returned home sooty from head to foot. His re- 
 ception there was not cordial : his filthy condition was not 
 a source of commiseration for him, but of thwacking. 
 "What have I done to deserve this?" said the poor idiot. 
 " You must change your mode of life -, you must become 
 a different creature," was the reply. 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 277 
 
 A pastrycook's shop was the next resource, and the 
 docility and willingness of the young man obtained him 
 constant employment. But the ass which ground the 
 flour having died, the master, who comprehended the 
 weak nature of Xailoun, gravely proposed to him to 
 take its place. *' If I do, I ought to have its dress," was 
 his answer. So his whim was indulged, and he was har- 
 nessed with the blinkers, and other paraphernalia of a 
 donkey. 
 
 The fatigue was so excessive, the giddiness from con- 
 tinually trotting round and round so maddening, that no 
 sooner was he liberated from the yoke, than he started 
 off, harness and all, and fled homewards at the top of his 
 speed, to tlie boisterous delight of the urchins of the 
 neighbourhood. So utterly pitiable did he look, that his 
 stern monitress went supperless to bed, without adminis- 
 tering an exhortatory castigation. 
 
 A new phase of the same idea now possessed him. 
 ** Heaven alone can change me j and how can my prayers 
 be heard in this noisy city ? I'll pray in the country, and 
 as loud as I can." Accordingly he walked out into the 
 suburbs until he arrived at a garden, where, being inor- 
 dinately fond of fruit, and having a dim conception that 
 he should be as much changed by feeding upon it as his 
 lean ass, which he had not recognized after a few weeks' 
 good pasture, had been, he asked employment from the 
 owner. Being a strong, honest-looking fellow, he was 
 hired at small wages, but with full permission to indulge his 
 appetite. His mental weakness, however, was so percep- 
 tible, that his master, when in a dilemma, took advantage 
 
278 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 of it. One of the oxen having become temporarily inca- 
 pacitated for work, he was persuaded to take its place, 
 and was vastly delighted when the harness was put on him 
 over his clothes. This was a change indeed ! The toil, 
 however, being severe, and the driver not too sparing of 
 the lash, the poor wretch, the moment he was unyoked, 
 fled for his life, harness and all, towards the city. It was 
 dusk ere he reached it, and the gates b'eing closed, he was 
 compelled to take refuge for the night in a cemetery out- 
 side the walls. Some early grave-diggers espied him next 
 morning, and beholding this uncouth figure reposing on 
 the ground, shrank away in terror, exclaiming, '' It is a 
 ghoul, which feeds on the carcases of the dead." 
 
 Xailoun started up and fled, pursued at a distance by 
 the grave-diggers, who, waxing bolder as they were joined 
 by the rabble, flung their shovels at him, vociferating, 
 '' Down with the ghoul !" The village curs yelping at his 
 heels followed closely upon his tracks ; but so uncouth was 
 his figure, so incomprehensible to them in its grotesque 
 habiliments, that their courage failed them 5 they kept at a 
 safe distance. 
 
 The poor idiot naturally sought the shelter of his own 
 house. He was beaten back from it by his violent spouse, 
 who could not recognize her good-looking helpmate in so 
 strange a guise. He was changed indeed ! 
 
 Captured, unharnessed, found to be human, and identi- 
 fied as the fool of the village, he was delivered to his wife, 
 who at length regretted the sternness of her tutelary dis- 
 cipline ; she endeavoured, though vainly, to impress upon 
 his obtuse intellect that the change she had urged upon him 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 279 
 
 was a moral, and not a physical metamorphosis. Poor 
 Xailoun could only comprehend that he had not succeeded, 
 and attributed^his failure to the difficulty the Deity must 
 have experienced in hearing his prayers in such close 
 vicinity to a crowded and vociferous city. So he resolved 
 this time to pray further off, and have the field clear for his 
 own individual eloquence. 
 
 There are waste lands, desolate sites of former civiliza- 
 tion, around most Eastern cities. To one of these spots, 
 teeming with the ruins of ancient edifices, and shunned 
 alike by the well-to-do, from some rumour of its being 
 frequented by robbers, and by the poor from its being the 
 supposed haunt of evil spirits, Xailoun betook himself, for 
 he argued that no obstreperous rival in piety would out- 
 pray him in that haunted city of the dead. 
 
 On a pile of stones there darted to and fro a bright-eyed 
 lizard, one of that jerking species whose responsive nod- 
 dings were regarded by the simpleton as affirmative re- 
 plies to his confidential communications. He sought, as 
 usual, for a quiet gossip with " his cousin," but tlie lizard 
 sheltered himself beneath the stones, and declined the 
 colloquy. Indignant at this discourtesy, Xailoun resolved 
 to unearth him, and vigorously tumbled aside the heavy 
 carved blocks in his efforts to force an interview upon his 
 contemptuous cousin. 
 
 After a quarter of an hour's violent exertion, a square of 
 black marble, with a ring attached to it, attracted his atten- 
 tion. 
 
 " Ha ! ha ! I have found your house at last !" he ex- 
 claimed, as he wrenched up the slab and perceived a flight 
 
28o XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 of stairs 3 "I'm not to be baffled, I'll pay you a visit and 
 inspect your prenaises." At the bottom of the vault, for 
 such it was, he noticed several urns, the contents of which 
 he dimly descried by the glimmer of light that streamed 
 from the opening he had made. Having dipped his hand 
 into one of these and brought out a handful of gold (a 
 metal which in his poor way of living he had never come 
 across), he imagined that it was a peculiar kind of dry 
 food which the provident lizard had stored away for 
 future consumption -, so holding it out in his hand, he 
 cried, in a petulant tone, *' Hark you, my cousin ! if you 
 won't come and speak to me, I'll walk off with your winter 
 provender and give it to my ass." No reply being vouch- 
 safed, Xailoun carried his threat into execution. 
 
 When he showed Oitba the lizard's food, he was wel- 
 comed and caressed ; at her bidding he carried off two 
 panniers-full of gold, and then stopped up the orifice he had 
 made. Being a prudent woman, she made no display of 
 her newly-acquired wealth : necessary comforts, and a new 
 suit of clothes for her husband were her chief expenditure. 
 
 She no longer cared for his labouring for hire, but dis- 
 patched him upon sundry errands. He could recollect 
 one or two commissions at a time, but all beyond these 
 were either wholly blotted from his memory, or so trans- 
 muted that he would bring back articles whose names 
 were indeed somewhat similar, but whose natures were 
 wholly opposite. 
 
 He had been desired one day to purchase meat, rice, and 
 peas ; the two former commissions were duly performed ; 
 the third was, of course, forgotten. "Go back," said his 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 281 
 
 wife, " and keep on repeating the word aloud lest you 
 should forget it." So Xailoun mumbled to himself, as 
 he walked along, " Only peas, only peas." An itinerant 
 dealer in jewellery was exhibiting his wares in the market- 
 place, crying " Pearls ! precious pearls !" The simpleton 
 who, like most of his station, was very inquisitive, dipped 
 his hand into the jewel-box, and, holding up the string of 
 pearls, gazed with lack-lustre eyes upon them 3 then, fear- 
 ful of forgetting his errand, he repeated aloud his formula, 
 " Peas, only peas." 
 
 At this stigma upon his wares (which were not of the 
 first quality), the wrath of the pedlar was kindled j snatch- 
 ing the string from the vt^itless talker, he gave him a sound 
 buffet for an unintentional witticism which had provoked 
 a peal of laughter from the bystanders. 
 
 " Why did you strike me ? What ought I to have 
 said ?" cried the poor innocent, rubbing his bruised face, 
 and connecting the incident with the only party who was 
 accustomed to strike him ; the dealer, however, regardless 
 of his question, stalked onwards, still vociferating, " Pearls ! 
 precious pearls !" 
 
 *' I suppose, then, pearls are what my wife meant me to 
 purchase," thought Xailoun ; so he wended on his way 
 imitating his late antagonist, as he cried, " Pearls ! precious 
 pearls !" Another cuff betided him as he was thrust 
 aside by a busy trader, who thought he was mocking his 
 own calling. 
 
 ''What ought I to have said, then?" cried the humble 
 penitent. 
 
 " Nonsense !" replied the trader, as he passed on his way. 
 
 So Xailoun walked on repeating, " Nonsense !" 
 
282 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 Now it chanced that the corpse of a popular magistrate 
 was being carried to the grave, amidst the loud encomiums 
 of a throng of admiring acquaintances. The simpleton's 
 '^Nonsense" was too apt a response to their exaggerated 
 praises of the deceased not to provoke their indignation. 
 Confused by the storm of abuse which greeted his involun- 
 tary sarcasm, he humbly inquired what he ought to have 
 said ? As the procession swept onwards, a faitliful slave, 
 who loved the dead one well, quietly murmured, *' May 
 Paradise receive him !" So he took this ejaculation as a 
 reply to his question ; for by this time tiie idiot had become 
 utterly oblivious of the original message, and contented to 
 adopt any suggested substitute. Hence he walked on, sighing 
 like the mourner, and lugubriously repeating, " May Para- 
 dise receive him !" until he met a cart which contained the 
 carcase of an ass. He stared stupidly at it, but did not 
 allow its presence to disturb the repetition he had been en- 
 joined. *' May Paradise receive him !" he cried ; at which 
 words the bystanders, who attributed his speech to a de- 
 hberate mockery of religion, so mercilessly assailed him 
 with stones, that he took to his heels, and found a tempo- 
 rary refuge in the house of his mother-in-law. 
 
 After this adventure, Oitba hardly liked to trust him on 
 an errand. Compelled one day to quit home for an hour 
 or two, Oitba ordered her silly spouse to rock the baby, 
 and feed the sitting hen, tasks so easy, that even his poor 
 wit could scarcely fail to accomplish them. The fowl 
 soon began to scratch itself, a feat which excited the bene- 
 volent attention of our hero. " When my head itches,. my 
 wife combs it," he reflected 3 so he resolved to save it 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 283 
 
 trouble, and as the comb was not at hand, he scratched its 
 poll with a nail. Not being expert, and the bird far 
 from patient, he unluckily thrust the nail into its brain, 
 and felt astonished at its passive endurance of his rough 
 handling. Just as he began to comprehend the loss of his 
 hen, and was distracted when he thought of the cudgelling 
 he was likely to endure, the baby commenced squalling, 
 and the eggs began to chill. " Oh, dear ! what shall I 
 do now ?" was his querulous complaint 5 " I must nurse 
 the child like his mother to stop its squalling, and I must 
 keep the eggs warm, or there will be no chickens." 
 With a puzzled expression he exposed his breast, and 
 tried to give the babe suck, while he carefully balanced 
 himself, as he squatted over the nest. At this juncture 
 his wife returned. 
 
 " Let me in," was her brief demand. 
 
 *' 1 can't, I am brooding and suckling," was his curt re- 
 joinder. 
 
 Xailoun's position was not an easy one, and the baby 
 evinced by the loudness of its cries that it disapproved of 
 a male substitute for the maternal breast. 
 
 Its cries excited the irritability of the mother, who, 
 dashing the door open, immediately noticed the unfor- 
 tunate hen, the victim of Xailoun's experimental bene- 
 ficence. 
 
 "Who killed my hen?" she screamed. 
 
 " She died in combing," was the apologetic response. 
 
 " And her eggs, you fool ! " 
 
 " I am hatching them myself." 
 
 At these words her wrath boiled over 3 the blow she 
 
284 XJILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 gave him disturbed his balance, and he fell squash upon 
 the eggs, daubing his nether garments all over with the 
 yellow yolks. He bolted from the house to avoid the 
 anticipated beating, and bore philosophically the ironical 
 cheers and pointing digits of the mocking lads, who in- 
 sinuated an even worse catastrophe than had befallen him. 
 
 " I know I am a fool, and must be changed," was his 
 sad comment upon this and many a like incident 3 "I 
 must force Heaven by the urgency of my prayers to alter 
 me." So he cogitated for a while, and his prayers not 
 having been answered either in the bustling city or the 
 quiet suburbs, he arrived at a remarkable yet not illogical 
 conclusion. " Heaven don't hear me, because I am so 
 far off: the believer is told to turn in a certain direction 
 when he prays, of course to face Heaven ; now, if I al- 
 ways walk in that direction I must get to Heaven at last." 
 
 Congratulating himself upon a power of reasoning he 
 had scarcely thought inherent in him (for he was a modest 
 man), he duly placed himself in the prescribed position, 
 and turning neither to the right nor to the left, marched 
 straight onwards, regaining his track when compelled by 
 insurmountable obstacles to deviate from his devout course, 
 by a most elaborate compensatory system of lateral pro- 
 gression. His path at length led him into a forest, the 
 trees of which induced a painful amount of calculation, 
 since to one without a compass it was by no means easy 
 to preserve to a nicety a prescribed route. So rigidly, 
 however, did he abide by his rule, that even when he be- 
 held a suspicious group of men, who were in fact robbers 
 dividing their spoil, directly in front of him, he unhesi- 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 285 
 
 tatingly, and to their astonishment (so solemn did he look), 
 advanced towards them ; and being in ill-luck, just ar- 
 rived among them as a military force sent to pursue 
 the thieves overtook the band, and captured the captain 
 and sundry of his companions. Of course Xailoun, who 
 only stared at what was going on, was pounced upon by a 
 soldier, who would probably have run away had any re- 
 sistance been attempted. Once more then he failed in his 
 efforts to become transformed by dint of prayer. 
 
 Fellow-sufferers are usually communicative j so when 
 the captain of the gang cursed his ill-luck, in both losing 
 his perilously-won booty and his wild liberty at the same 
 moment, Xailoun in his turn lamented his lost chance of 
 reaching heaven, and being there transmuted into some- 
 thing so utterly different that his wife would not recognize 
 him. 
 
 '' As to heaven," said the ruffian, " I can't indeed help 
 you to find it : for, as I never hoped to steal anything from 
 there, I never troubled myself to find its position ; but 
 as to transforming you, I can so change you that the Pro- 
 phet himself would not recognize you. I should be a 
 mere numskull if I knew not how to disguise myself!" 
 
 Of course the witless one availed himself of such enviable 
 skill, and the upshot was, that the dark-looking robber 
 (who was naturally pale) became the fair-complexioned 
 Xailoun, and the simpleton (who, Hke most fools, was 
 gifted with imitative powers) stalked about with savage 
 dignity as the swarthy brigand. This was effected by some 
 walnut-juice, and a complete change of clothes. 
 
 The next morning all were adjudged to die 3 but as the 
 
286 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 condemned unanimously deposed that the idiot had acci- 
 dentally thrust himself among them, and had never shared 
 in their misdeeds, the supposed innocent (that is to say, 
 the cunning captain,) was set at large. As to our hero, he 
 at first aped to perfection the swaggering bravado of a 
 reckless villain 3 but when, to his bewilderment, led forth 
 to execution, reassumed his wonted silliness of manner. 
 Oitba saved him from a change that would have been 
 final. She had heard of a simpleton having been cap- 
 tured with the thieves, and rightly divined that it was her 
 husband ; had scrutinized the luckless villains as they were 
 led forth to die, and despite the swarthy hue, blackened 
 eyebrows and beard of her deluded spouse, felt half con- 
 vinced of his identity. His farewell address to his cousin, 
 the lizard, whom he reproached for his blitheness when 
 he was about to lose so near a relative, caused her imme- 
 diate interference on his behalf j and once pointed out by 
 her, there wej-e hosts of witnesses who could testify to his 
 well-known attributes. He was temporarily reprieved, 
 and led before the Commander of the Faithful. 
 
 His prospect of death, the after-judgment, his previous 
 heavenward journey, produced such a bewildering medley 
 of ideas in the brain of the poor wretch, that, fancying he 
 recognized in the gorgeously-apparelled Caliph the ruler 
 of Heaven, he flung himself on his knees before him, cry- 
 ing at the pitch of his voice, " Change me, O Lord ! change 
 me so that my very wife may not know me." The oddity 
 of the salutation convulsed the whole court with laughter, 
 and the good-humoured sovereign carried on the joke by 
 promising to accede to his request. 
 
XAILOUN THE SILLY. 287 
 
 Conducted to an apartment he was refreshed with food 
 in which an opiate had been mingled, and, during the 
 stupefaction which ensued, his rustic dress was removed 
 and replaced by flowing garments of spotless white j wings 
 of snowy plumage were affixed to his shoulders, and, being 
 naturally good-looking, he made a passable angel or minis- 
 tering spirit. Large looking-glasses, objects he had never 
 yet beheld, reflected his person, and, being of a loving 
 nature, and fancying himself in a world of spirits, he turned 
 in all directions striving to embrace the images of himself. 
 After vainly endeavouring to kiss his reflection, and chill- 
 ing his nose in the attempt, he thus philosophized : " I 
 know why their noses are so cold ; they live above, and the 
 higher one climbs the colder it is." 
 
 This deduction delighted the Caliph, who had amused 
 himself by watching his proceedings : he was soon tired of 
 him, however, and left him to his domestics, who, in their 
 turn, diverted themselves by converting the angel into a 
 frightful Afrit. While he was asleep they stripped him, 
 covered him with raw goat-skins, put horns on his head, 
 and a horrible mask with eyeholes of flame-coloured glass 
 on his face, so that every object appeared enveloped in an 
 atmosphere of Are ; then waking him roughly, they roared 
 with laughter when they beheld his horrified antics as he 
 again gazed upon his reflection. Screaming with terror, 
 he burst like a maniac through the circle around him, 
 rushed to where he had last seen the Cahph, and, lighting 
 upon him, prostrated himself before him, crying, " O Lord, 
 change me back to Xailoun." 
 
 *' Calm thyself, poor wretch, and sleep," was the reply 3 
 
288 XAILOUN THE SILLY. 
 
 " waking, thenceforth and for ever thou wilt be Xailoun 
 the Silly." 
 
 Oitba presented herself at the public audience of the 
 next morning ; she bore two purses of gold in her hand. 
 *' My husband, O Caliph, is a born fool, but good at heart. 
 I have brought with me our little fortune to compensate 
 any injury he may cause the State 5 release him, I pray 
 you, and let it be understood henceforth, that he is not 
 responsible for actions which want of intellect, not want 
 of principle, may lead him to perpetrate." 
 
 The Caliph, who preferred to increase rather than di- 
 minish the little store that was offered him, made some 
 trifling present, which, being magnified by rumour, became 
 so large a sum that Oitba ventured on the strength of it to 
 enlarge her expenses in accordance with the treasure her 
 husband had discovered. The stick was for ever laid aside, 
 and the united pair passed their hves amidst every com- 
 fort, for the next few visits of Xailoun to his contemptuous 
 cousin's secret hoard, so increased their resources, that all 
 necessity for self-denial ceased to be required. A slave 
 was purchased by Oitba for the special purpose of control- 
 ling her husband's folly, and his " Oitba forbids it," served 
 as a salutary check to the absurd vagaries in which he 
 would otherwise have indulged. So he enjoyed his strangely 
 acquired wealth in peace, and as age advanced proved less 
 demonstrative in his peculiarities. He became too well 
 satisfied with the lot of Xailoun to seek another change. 
 
JAMASP, AND THE QUEEN 
 OF THE SERPENTS. 
 
 ^^ tJE IS a stupid lout, and will never come to good. 
 Handsome fools think themselves above work, but 
 young Jamasp must either toil or starve. His stuck-up 
 mother has, to my knowledge, now parted with every coin 
 and nearly every trinket, from her absurd notion of cram- 
 ming knowledge into that dolt's head. So much the better 
 for me. Times are hard, and we must all look out for 
 ourselves." 
 
 So spake the hard-working, hard-dealing, mother of cer- 
 tain wood-cutters, whose circumstances were more flourish- 
 ing thaQ their reputation. Without the least unfriendly feel- 
 ing towards her neighbour (the feeble-minded relict of one 
 of the most famous sages of the East), the wood-dealer had 
 watched her once envied play-fellow's gradual decline in 
 fortune with placid complacency. In childhood there had 
 been little difference in social position between the two 
 females ; but a Hindoo philosopher, in his scornful dis- 
 regard of all worldly notions, had deliberately preferred the 
 prettier but weaker-minded of the two, to a more nobly- 
 
 u 
 
290 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 born wife, believing in his simplicity that an ignorant and 
 dowerless maiden would cherish and venerate him, whereas, 
 sliould he wed her superiors, they would neglect him in 
 their love of display and luxurious indolence. Whether 
 right or wrong in his estimate of the higher class, the sage 
 erred greatly as to the anticipated humility of his peasant- 
 bride : however much he might be reverenced abroad, in 
 his own house he was slighted and sneered at, because his 
 gains and income were not commensurate with the baseless 
 expectations of her who had pardoned his pedantry for the 
 sake of his property. 
 
 Not long after his marriage he had died, not worn out 
 by his studies, — for he had been so abstemious that the in- 
 action of his body had not proved injurious to his health, — 
 but in the prime of his life, a victim to that Indian scourge, 
 the cholera. Either nature or his skill in medicine had 
 enabled him at the time to battle successfully against the 
 attack, so that he recovered, to all appearance, and again 
 resumed his wonted pursuits 5 but he felt that the pesti- 
 lence, though forcibly ejected, had, during its brief mastery, 
 withered his vital organs, and that his shattered constitution 
 did not retain sufficient vitality to resist the ordinary wear 
 and tear of life. Had it not been for his expected pater- 
 nity, he would not have been reluctant to die, for after 
 his marriage he had become melancholy and misanthro- 
 pical, declaimed against the possibility and even the right- 
 fulness of being happy, and often repeated the world-old 
 adage, that *' all is vanity and vexation of spirit." 
 
 His last act, like most of his usual doings, was more 
 philosophical than wise. Instead of selling to some younger 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 291 
 
 enthusiast or ardent tyro in science those precious manu- 
 scripts, for the acquisition of which he had devoted all 
 which the frugality of his father had bequeathed him, he 
 cast them with his own hands far into the ocean, and 
 smiled sadly as he saw them sink into its abysses. It 
 might be he was unwilling that other sages should profit 
 by their perusal and rival his far-spread fame ; yet, possibly, 
 he had noticed that the ignorant and thoughtless practically 
 enjoy life more than the learned, and splenetically immo- 
 lated the seductive causes of his wasted existence. Pre- 
 vious to their destruction, however, he sedulously con- 
 densed the concentrated essence of all his knowledge, and 
 inscribed it upon five slips of papyrus, which latter having 
 inclosed in a simple casket of cedar, he intrusted to his wife 
 as the sole yet all-sufficient heritage of their unborn babQ. 
 Then, having conscientiously discharged what he deemed 
 his duty, he betook himself to his bed, and, with scarcely 
 a sigh, tranquilly resigned his harmless if useless existence. 
 So quickly after his decease did Jamasp, for so was tlie 
 posthumous child of the sage designated, come into the 
 world, that the soul of the gentle father might almost be 
 supposed to have passed into the body of the tender babe. 
 In its features were shadowed forth all the pure-minded 
 simphcity and noble benevolence of the self-denying 
 parent ; as it grew up there was an exalted spirituality in 
 the aspect of the child which forcibly reminded one of the 
 unspoken yearning of its sire (who, remember, was a Hin- 
 doo and a heathen) to be absorbed in the Divinity -, but 
 there the resemblance ceased : the boy showed no trace of 
 ancestral intellect 3 the lad, as he grew in stature, became 
 
 u 2 
 
292 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 strong, active, and handsome. The vigour of his body, the 
 weakness of his mind seemed ahke to have been inherited 
 from his peasant mother. 
 
 About a score of years had elapsed from the decease of 
 the Indian sage to tiie opening of our tale, during which 
 period his impoverished widow had parted with every sale- 
 able article that the frugality of her husband had accumu- 
 lated. Of course she now lamented him, and reproached 
 herself with her neglectful depreciation of his merits. But 
 this is too common an occurrence to deserve mention. 
 What is more to the purpose, she resolved to impart her 
 worldly troubles to her quondam playmate and present 
 neighbour, the now thriving woodseller, a shrewd, notable 
 woman, whom, at her sudden rise in life, she had at first 
 contemptuously looked down upon, and subsequently treated 
 witli condescending familiarity, proffering her unasked 
 advice with the authority of one who had achieved distinc • 
 tion by her own unaided merits. Times had changed 3 the 
 gently dictatorial adviser had now recourse for counsel to the 
 humble trader, not from any great confidence in its efficacy, 
 but from that craving for sympathy which so strongly 
 influences the female mind. Moreover, like most weak- 
 minded persons, she had a tolerable idea as to what her con- 
 duct ought to be, yet had not the moral courage to carry out 
 her notions without the sanctioning approval of her gossips. 
 
 It is pleasant to the ignoble and little-minded to utter 
 bitter truths with impunity, to those who were once their 
 superiors in station or in fortunes ; it is likewise agreeable 
 to the same widely-diffused class to actually profit by the 
 misfortunes of their friends. This the trader managed to 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 293 
 
 effect ; for having first brusquely pointed out the utter in- 
 capacity of Jamasp to earn his living as a trader without 
 capital, and indicated his brawny frame as a special evi- 
 dence. that Providence had designed him for.severe manual 
 toil, she finally offered that her sons should instruct him in 
 the not very difficult art of wood-cutting, and should teach 
 him to thread the intricacies of the forest, selecting the 
 likeliest spots, provided that the widow could manage to 
 buy him an axe, an ass, and suitable panniers, and that the 
 young man would agree to sell her the product of his 
 labours at one-half of the price she vended the wood at. 
 The bargain was accepted; the last trinket was parted with 
 to purchase the required articles ; and the greedy trader, 
 having at last succeeded in persuading her uncouth sons to 
 permit the young man to work in their company, com- 
 mented upon the transaction as in our first paragraph. 
 
 Their compliance with her wishes was far from a ready 
 one ; for the gain would be their mother's, not their own ; 
 and there is a trade jealousy of interlopers even among the 
 rudest mechanics. They had secrets of their own, too, to 
 hide 3 assuredly their clothing, habits, and style of living 
 were far more expensive than could have been honestly 
 derived from their scanty earnings ; for the now thriving 
 woodseller was not too liberal a paymaster, even to her 
 own children. 
 
 However, they sullenly assented, and Jamasp, now per- 
 mitted to accompany them to the hill-country, proved so 
 active, vigorous, and industrious, that in a short time his 
 earnings, ill-remunerated as he was, actually exceeded their 
 own, and he and his mother were enabled to live in comr 
 
294 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 parative comfort. His comrades soon found that his in- 
 aptness for book-learning was not the result of mental 
 incapacity, but merely the revolt of his intellect against 
 the forcing process, by which the widow had essayed to 
 drive wisdom into his hard-worked brain. She had posi- 
 tively benumbed his mental faculties, which were at least 
 of the average capacity, by the very intensity of her en- 
 deavours to fill him with wisdom. She doted upon her 
 child, her only one, the youthful image of his lost father, 
 (whom, now that his idiosyncrasies could no longer clash 
 with her own whims and prejudices, she profoundly loved, 
 firmly believing, moreover, that she had always done so,) 
 and stubbornly resolved to make her boy as wise, and con- 
 sequently as good (for so she argued), as his lamented sire. 
 
 Of course she had his horoscope drawn by the best 
 astrologer in the neighbourhood, who prognosticated all 
 happiness to him, if he could only get over the terrible 
 crisis which an awful conjunction of planets threatened 
 him with on his attaining to manhood. 
 
 *' His would be no common career," said the oracle; 
 " his success or failure in life no long and arduous struggle 
 for mere competence, but a desperate contest with fortune, 
 to be quickly terminated, whether its result should be good 
 or evil." 
 
 " But how will it end ?" inquired the impatient widow, 
 interrupting the sapient soothsayer. 
 
 *^' All things are not revealed to us," he replied ; " Pro- 
 vidence, in its mercy, hides much future sorrow from us, lest 
 we should grieve too much beforehand at the inevitable." 
 
 " Yet tell me, I implore you," she continued, " whether, 
 and by what means, his deadly peril may be averted?" 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 295 
 
 "Wisdom alone can avert a threatened evil/' was the 
 sententious reply of the retreating professional, who having 
 received his fee, was by no means anxious to prolong the 
 interview. 
 
 So the widow, who interpreted this apophthegm literally, 
 and conceived that her offspring might by intense and con- 
 tinual study arrive at such a pitch of wisdom as to baffle 
 adverse fate in the terrible ordeal he was destined to en- 
 counter, resolved that no pains or cost should be spared, 
 on her part, to arm her darling against this fearful pro- 
 gnostication. Poor boy! he was so incessantly afflicted 
 with endless lessons (more particularly in theology, a very 
 common yet not very fascinating study for children), that 
 nothing but the vigour of his maternal constitution, and 
 the dwindling means of his surviving parent, saved his 
 body from premature decay. As it was, the cramming 
 system exhibited its usual effect upon the precocious ; his 
 expression eventually assumed such a fixed aspect of puz- 
 zled stolidity, that the more skilled artisans refused to in- 
 struct him in their trades, asserting that he had not wit 
 enough to master the difficulties of their craft. 
 
 So the poor widow lamented, and would have despaired 
 of the future of her boy, had not the astrologer whom she 
 had consulted and believed, so egregiously erred in one or 
 two of his predictions — " the effect of a slight miscalcula- 
 tion," he apologetically asserted, "where his remunera- 
 tion had not been sufficient to ensure his adequate atten- 
 tion," that the fond mother took courage, and wisely re- 
 solved to leave all to Providence. Had she arrived at this 
 conclusion earlier, it would have been better for Jamasp : 
 
296 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 late as it was, his brain had time for repose, and he was 
 now rather a fool by past reputation than in sober reality. 
 
 His new occupation forced him to employ his latent 
 powers of observation and of judgment ; for fitting trees 
 grew not in every spot, and he was conscious, that if once 
 lost amidst the ravines of the stupendous mountains, from 
 whose soaring peaks he reaped his perilous profits (felling 
 many a pine that slanted over a fathomless abyss), he must 
 indubitably perish from hunger or wild beasts. Hence he 
 busied himself in learning all that nature and the practical 
 experience of his rough companions could teach him j so 
 that ere long he had become an expert wood-ranger, with a 
 hardy and healthy body, and a mind which having lain 
 fallow for an adequate period, and then become invigorated 
 by moderate and judicious exercise, had now finally as- 
 serted its natural energies. 
 
 His rude mates, who daily witnessed his feats of skill 
 and daring, no longer despised him ; and as sooner or later 
 he must perforce detect their illegal proceedings, resolved 
 to make him a participator in them. So one day, when 
 all had been driven by a violent storm to take shelter in 
 the same cavern, they offered him a share in their secret 
 enterprises, which they assured him were far more pro- 
 fitable than their ostensible drudgery. 
 
 ** We are not," they said, '* banditti. We never plunder 
 our neighbours -, but if knavish merchants will cross our 
 wild frontiers, to take the bread from hard-working crafts- 
 men by selling their foreign goods cheaper than they can 
 be made in our native land, why, they deserve to lose 
 both lives and merchandise. Not that we ever kill any- 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 297 
 
 body ; only we so manage that a stray mule or camel should 
 occasionally drop its burden, or fall over a precipice.' ' 
 
 Jamasp was one of those simple-minded men who can 
 neither perceive the difference (so far as regards the moral 
 principle) between robbing a fellow-countryman, and plun- 
 dering a stranger, nor comprehend the essential distinction 
 between depriving a man of his own by fraud, or taking 
 it from him by force. So not being experienced in the 
 world, he did not content himself with declining their well- 
 meant offer, but roundly rebuked them for their roguery. 
 
 This indignant and, according to their notions, un- 
 grateful reception of a proposal which had been offered 
 with rough good-humour as a boon and a compliment, 
 irritated the three brothers, who felt themselves aggrieved 
 and insulted by the blunt plainness of the epithets he had 
 applied to their marauding. But they nursed their wrath 
 in silence, and only evidenced it by refraining from further 
 converse with their squeamish monitor. 
 
 The mouldering ashes of a fire (which had been lighted 
 when first they took shelter), by whose friendly blaze they 
 had dried their saturated garments and cooked their homely 
 food, now diffused a grateful warmth. The three unwit- 
 ting robbers crouched over it, for the air was chilly in 
 those elevated regions ; but our hero repelled by their 
 gloomy taciturnity, and discerning that in their present 
 mood his company was no longer agreeable to them, re- 
 tired further into the recesses of the cave, and throwing 
 himself upon the dry sand, in one of the innermost nooks, 
 listlessly scooped up the soil that lay beneath his hand, as 
 he moodily pondered upon the revelations of that morn- 
 
298 JJMJSP, AND THE 
 
 ing. He was scarcely conscious of his occupation, until 
 his thoughts were aroused from their dreamy reverie by a 
 slight blow experienced by his fingers, as they struck 
 against an upright ring of brass firmly soldered to 
 a convex plate of metal. He started to his feet, and 
 tugged vainly at the ring : then in the spirit of good fel- 
 lowship, hoping, moreover, that his unselfish frankness 
 would dispel any angry feeling which might rankle in the 
 hearts of his companions, he briefly communicated his dis- 
 covery to them 3 and they, elated by his tidings, eagerly 
 assisted him in clearing away the mass of sand which had 
 buried the shield-like lid of a capacious cistern. Was it only 
 a well — or was it a treasure-chamber? Neither : the pon- 
 derous cover being hurriedly torn up, its removal disclosed 
 to their expectant eyes a vast reservoir of virgin honey. 
 
 Even when roughly estimated at one-half its market 
 price, such being the probable reduction at which alone 
 the pious dealers would have purchased it in bulk, the 
 value of the enormous store of honey, and of its huge 
 copper covering, would be a little fortune to the four 
 peasants. So, exulting in the anticipated profits of their 
 short day's work, they returned without delay (for the 
 storm had now subsided) to their several homes ; and 
 having provided themselves with jars, buckets, and other 
 appliances for removing and storing up the savoury liquid, 
 they started next morning for the scene of their labours, 
 with every ass, mule, or horse they could hire or borrow. 
 So vast was the hoard of luscious food, so distant was the 
 cave from the town they dwelt in, that, although they 
 worked strenuously and unremittingly, they could not 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 299 
 
 quite empty the pit in one day. As from the first they 
 had agreed to keep the discovery secret, even from their 
 nearest relatives, until, at least, the honey had been sold 
 and the proceeds shared, the widow had no inkling of the 
 good fortune which had betided her son. 
 
 Next morning, almost before the sun had risen, the 
 party again visited the nearly exhausted reservoir j but 
 the hearts of the three brethren were evilly disposed to- 
 wards their more scrupulous mate. Suspicion had already 
 been engendered by the unqualified refusal of Jamasp to 
 join in their depredations ; now fear and covetousness su- 
 pervening, urged them still further in the path of crime. 
 
 ** I suppose," whispered the youngest, who had con- 
 trived that the widow's son should head the little caravan, 
 whilst he and his kinsmen brought up the rear, '^ that our 
 gentleman comrade will claim one-half of our honey be- 
 cause he chanced to find it, and tlireaten to expose our 
 patriotic amusements " — and he smiled grimly as he termed 
 them so, — " to the authorities, if we don't submit to his 
 extortion." 
 
 " Nobody would miss him. He has no friends but his 
 mother and ourselves,'' replied the second, glancing fur- 
 tively at the louring faces of his brothers, and encou- 
 raged by their relentless physiognomy 3 *' tigers are nu- 
 merous in these parts." 
 
 " No violence ! " said the eldest approvingly. "Never 
 shed blood unnecessarily. The pit is very deep, and quite 
 perpendicular." 
 
 So they managed that Jamasp should be last in the 
 emptied cistern, and then sneaking away without even in- 
 
300 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 dulging in a farewell taunt, conscientiously quitted the 
 cavern without slaying him, and returned to their distant 
 home, where they sold their acquisitions to such advantage 
 that straightway they became small capitalists and thriving 
 traders. Success made them moral men (at least in seem- 
 ing), for they soon found that the daily gains of cheating 
 and extortion tacitly submitted to by society, and regarded 
 as incidental to their calling, were not only safer, but far 
 more profitable than occasional brigandage. As for the 
 bereaved widow, she wept for the loss of her foredoomed 
 son, who dying by the fangs of a savage beast (for so had 
 it been. reported) in his early manhood, had thus fulfilled 
 the prophecy of the astrologer. 
 
 Let us now return to the deserted victim. 
 
 What shouts he raised for rescue, what mingled prayers 
 and reproaches he uttered, what almost superhuman yet 
 futile efforts he made to scale the smooth and upright 
 walls of his prison-house, may rather be imagined than de- 
 picted. He had been let down by a rope, which still 
 dangled from the brink. In vain he seized it ; it was loose, 
 and fell inwards as he pulled it ; he formed a loop at its 
 extremity, and violently cast it in all directions, hoping 
 that it might possibly catch some jutting projection of the 
 rock which would support his weight : the cord was too 
 short, however, to reach the rugged sides of the cavern. 
 Convinced, after many efforts at climbing, of the hopeless- 
 ness of struggling further against fate, for the polished sides 
 of the stone reservoir afforded him no foothold, he finally 
 prostrated himself in prayer, resigning himself to the will 
 of the Almighty. From this posture he was aroused by the 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 301 
 
 sensation of something crawling upon his hand ; he shud- 
 dered as he beheld a large black venomous scorpion, and 
 instinctively jerked it from his person, and trampled it to 
 death. This incident saved his life 3 it caused him to re- 
 flect. How could the insect have crawled upon him ? 
 Had it fallen from above, the sound of its descent (so still 
 was all around him) would have attracted his attention. 
 There must be some other mode of entrance, or the crea- 
 ture could not so noiselessly have crept upon him un- 
 awares. 
 
 Then, once more having gazed anxiously above, be- 
 neath, and around him, he perceived, on a level with his 
 shoulder, a narrow orifice, from which the scorpion had 
 evidently emerged. There might be more within. Well, 
 what mattered it ? There was a possibility of escape. 
 Death in any shape was preferable to the otherwise in- 
 evitable agony of slow starvation. He thrust, then, his 
 knife into the dark chink, and to his joy found that the 
 seemingly solid rock crumbled beneath its blade; then he 
 introduced his hand, and tore out a large piece of cement, 
 and soon light poured in freely from the rapidly enlarged 
 cavity. By strenuous exertions he made the opening 
 sufficiently large to enter, and then having stood upon the 
 little mound of rubbish which he had scooped out, and 
 thus raised himself to a fitting level, he leaped as it were 
 into the hole, and after a brief yet painful contest with the 
 falling earth, found himself in safety on the other side. 
 
 The prospect now before him was scarcely reassuring : 
 it seemed to threaten the same doom which he had so 
 lately exulted in having avoided 3 only his prison was more 
 
302 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 capacious. It was midday, and the light which streamed 
 down perpendicularly from above showed him that he was 
 standing in a narrow gully, between two abruptly preci- 
 pitous walls of rock. The mountain, by some volcanic 
 agency, had been rift asunder ; and the almost touching 
 cliffs seemed to heighten in the distance. Still there was 
 hope, for some devious torrent might have forced a rude 
 yet practicable passage to the summit. 
 
 The youth then advanced rapidly along the smooth and 
 sandy pathway, which, sloping downwards for many a 
 mile, still presented the same monotonous aspect. Far up 
 he could faintly descry gleaming veins of virgin gold 
 meandering in profusion along the white crystalline rock, 
 which, though stained here and there with rusty deposits 
 from minute rills, was everywhere solid as adamant. As 
 he gazed for an instant upon the intense azure of the sky 
 above, and the boundless sheet of snowy quartz which 
 stretched as far as his eye could reach, the latent poetry of 
 his soul was roused 5 he became conscious of the mingled 
 awfulness and beauty of the scene before him ; he compre- 
 hended the stern mercilessness of smiling Nature. 
 
 Then, as he still advanced, the character of the strata 
 changed. The path became soft and pasty, the walls more 
 grey and opaque j no longer shining, they only gleamed 
 faintly as the now slanting sun-light was reflected from 
 them. Here and there cropped out rich green masses, 
 which sparkled more brightly than the mica-slate in which 
 they were imbedded. One of these, washed from its 
 matrix by the storms of centuries, lay on the hitherto un- 
 trodden path. Instinctively attracted by its glitter and 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 303 
 
 bright hue, Jamasp almost unconsciously stooped down and 
 picked up the fallen mineral : it was a group of emeralds, 
 whose clustered cubes, though perceptibly flawed by 
 their fall, would have adorned a prince's diadem. The 
 acquisition of this prize quickened his love of Hfe, and 
 acted as a stimulus to his flagging strength. Life seems 
 much more precious, because more enjoyable, in the rich 
 than in the poor -, and now Jamasp had that in his posses- 
 sion which would ensure him competence, if not wealth. 
 So, though weary and somewhat hungry, he manfully 
 trudged on with reanimated spirit. 
 
 Would the mountain range go on for ever, or would he 
 at length behold the walls diminishing in altitude, until a 
 plain appeared ? Eventually it must be so, he argued, but 
 when ? Would his strength hold out until food and free- 
 dom could be obtained, or were his bones destined to rot 
 upon the now oozy soil ? For although no sound of fall- 
 ing waters disturbed the solemn silence, and no mould or 
 clay was visible overhead (daylight was fast fading) -, the 
 pathway grew more and more muddy, and his feet occa- 
 sionally plashed in slimy pools as he wearily staggered 
 onwards. The water grew deeper at every step. It was 
 already up to his knees ; should he advance ? There was 
 little choice. Behind was certain destruction, in front the 
 possibility of tracing from whence the waters had de- 
 scended, and perchance of ascending in their channel. 
 Again the stream grew wider and deeper, the bottom 
 more and more slippery. His progress became slower. 
 The liquid had nearly reached his lips ; he quaffed it, felt 
 refreshed, and betook himself to swimming. No longer 
 
304 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 did he gaze upon the menacing walls of his prison 3 he 
 stubbornly breasted the opposing stream. Soon, however, 
 he became faint with weariness, and his ineffective strokes 
 became more and more feeble. 
 
 What warm and spicy breath is that which fans his 
 cheek? Has he unconsciously passed the icy gates of 
 death, and entered Paradise ? His aching limbs told him 
 how vain was that imagination, but his awakened eyes 
 told him likewise that he was rescued from immediate 
 peril. In the lethargy of despair he had arrived, without 
 seeing it beforehand, at a sudden gap in the hill from 
 which a low-based, crater-shaped mountain lake, when 
 surcharged with rain, poured its surplus water into the rift 
 he had been traversing. A ledge, not a foot from the 
 level of the stream, ran continuously round the lake, and 
 to this haven of shelter from a watery death did Jamasp 
 cling, and with a last effort threw his exhausted frame 
 upon its hard surface. What blissful ease was the volun- 
 tary torpidity which followed! But darkness was ap- 
 proaching ; so, after a brief rest, he again roused himself 
 to fresh struggles for his existence. 
 
 Not more than a mile from where he had entered the 
 hollow circuit, he perceived, at an oblique angle from tlie 
 ledge, a clean smooth road, that gradually wound up- 
 wards ; following which he found himself upon a broad 
 platform, which, jutting forth high above the lake, ex- 
 hibited at one glance its entire dimensions. The pano- 
 rama around was very beautiful, and unexpected as it was 
 lovely. Rich masses of vegetation, contrary to the usual 
 habits of nature, surrounded the waveless surface, clinging 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 305 
 
 vines — at least, they seemed so in the gloomy obscurity of 
 the evening — trailed on every rock. 
 
 The wearied adventurer, leaving the smooth plateau, 
 clambered towards the grapes ; he had nearly plucked a 
 large and tempting bunch, when he recoiled in horror 
 from the slough of a gigantic boa, and a loud and angry 
 hissing from an adjacent brake drove him shuddering from 
 the spot. He knew all now. The jewels, the snake, 
 even the dark spots, which had seemed to flit like far-off 
 birds across the narrow strip of sky above the mountain-rift, 
 were now comprehensible to him. He was in, or near, 
 the celebrated valley of jewels, which no man had dared 
 to enter from terror of its serpent guardians ! 
 
 Quickly retracing his steps, he retreated to the central 
 platform, and having noticed a ring of seat-like elevations, 
 with a raised rocky couch pre-eminently conspicuous in 
 the middle, flung himself recklessly upon it, and, worn out 
 with incessant fatigue, soon became oblivious of all things. 
 Fear itself had yielded to overpowering weariness. 
 
 It was broad daylight when he awoke, and the warm 
 sun was pouring its bright beams upon the landscape, dis- 
 closing a sight so startling, that his appalled senses almost 
 relapsed into the lethargy from which they had just been 
 freed. Far as his eye could reach, the ground in the dis- 
 tance undulated with moving snakes ; yet none molested 
 him, none menaced him, none approached him. Reposing 
 in vast coils upon the circle of seats of which his own rocky 
 couch was the centre, lay extended in calm majesty a score 
 or so of mighty Pythons, serpents of such magnitude, that 
 the boas which he had encountered in his forest rambles 
 
3o6 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 seemed but earthworms in comparison. No hissing sound 
 was audible, but the rusding of the gliding reptiles, as they 
 marshalled themselves between the raised seats, was like 
 the wind whispering to the autumn leaves. The dense 
 mass of deadly creatures hemmed him in on every side, 
 but none ventured to intrude within the apparently charmed 
 circle. 
 
 There is a calmness of despair that enables us to notice 
 objects which, were our terror less intense, were our 
 hope of life more assured, would probably escape our 
 cognizance. The knolls, which in the gloom of the even- 
 ing he had regarded as mere turf-covered rocks, now 
 flashed briUiantly in the sunshine from the uncut crystals 
 of a thousand gems ; their very groundwork was composed 
 of tree-like masses of native gold. His own couch was a 
 solid pile of diamonds and of emeralds. 
 
 For a while (to him it seemed an age, yet it was only a 
 few minutes) the hideous array glared at him with lurid 
 eyes, yet refrained from assaulting him. Then a colossal 
 boa, with slow and stately march, glided through their 
 yielding ranks, bearing upon his broad back a monstrous 
 pearl shell (the gift of some tributary sea-snake) on which 
 reposed, in calm dignity, the lovehest of painted serpents. 
 Its scales of pure and silvery white reflected prismatic 
 colours, as the sunbeams danced upon them -, its long and 
 gracefully tapering body was crowned by the diminutive 
 head of a lovely maiden, whose lofty brow was surmounted 
 by a coronet of priceless rubies, the symbol of her rank. 
 In dulcet tones she thus addressed the unconscious invader 
 of her territory, the unwitting usurper of her throne : — 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 307 
 
 ** None shall hurt thee here, bold intruder though thou 
 art 5 for I am Queen of the Serpents. Thou hast sought 
 sanctuary in the very temple of our power, and I will not 
 violate the sacred law of hospitality. Bear witness, all my 
 people, that I receive this wanderer as my guest, and harm 
 him not if you value your existence." 
 
 At this kind speech, evidently comprehensible to her 
 mute subjects, Jamasp vacated the royal seat, and pro- 
 strated himself in humble gratitude. The Queen bade 
 her attendants to provide him with a repast of freshly- 
 plucked fruits, and even condescended to partake along 
 with him of the grapes, pomegranates, bananas, pistachios, 
 etc., which were brought them. After which, having dis- 
 missed her martial retinue, she courteously inquired of the 
 wanderer his past history, and being gratified by its recital, 
 vouchsafed in her turn to amuse him with an adventure of 
 her own. 
 
 THE TOMB OF SOLOMON. 
 
 "Potent though I am," said she, "and surrounded by 
 warriors whose weapons are more fatal than any forged 
 by man • ruler though I am, not alone of the reptiles, but 
 of the beasts of the earth and the fishes of the sea, — for 
 should they oppose me, my subjects would slay them with 
 their poison-fangs, — I have felt the bitterness of cap- 
 tivity : I have been at the mercy of a child of Adam. It 
 happened thuswise : — 
 
 " A young Indian prince, Belukia by name, having de- 
 scried in the treasure-chamber of his deceased father a 
 small cabinet supported on a column of Egyptian marble, 
 
 X 2 
 
3o8 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 opened it from curiosity, and found its sole contents to be 
 a casket of carved ebony, which enclosed a roll of papyrus. 
 Being of a studious temperament, he carefully perused the 
 manuscript, and soon felt strangely interested in its con- 
 tents. It was a theological treatise in direct opposition 
 to that creed in which he had been educated, and had 
 been written for the sole use of priests and rulers : to all 
 others it was forbidden. It demonstrated the unity of the 
 Deity worshipped under a hundred names by the unspi- 
 ritual masses, who, indeed, adored his several attributes 
 as distinct individualities. It prophesied, too, the early 
 coming of a heavenly Being, who should subdue all men 
 by his goodness, and purge their souls from earthly pas- 
 sions. 
 
 " Had not his heart been pure and noble, these heretical 
 doctrines (for they were such to his nation) would have 
 been scornfully rejected and despised. To him, however, 
 they proved so acceptable, so enthralling, that he made a 
 solemn vow to seek for the godlike being who was to 
 purify mankind, even should he wander to the most dis- 
 tant regions of the earth. 
 
 " Full of zeal, enamoured with doctrines which alone 
 fulfilled his inner consciousness of what was right, he re- 
 signed the administration of his kingdom to the sage and 
 trusty vizier of his late father, and having bidden fare- 
 well to his surviving parent, started for Jerusalem j for it 
 was there, so far as he could gather from the hazy pro- 
 phecy, that the pre-ordained One would be heard of, or 
 beheld. 
 
 " The journey was long and perilous j many moons 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 309 
 
 waned ere he reached the land he sought ; and there, all 
 being contented with their own superstitions, none either 
 knew of or cared for (though all expected) the long- 
 prophesied emanation of Divinity. Chance, however, threw 
 him in the way of Oifan, a sage who had vainly devoted 
 his life to the pursuit of the more abstruse sciences. The 
 daring spirit of that student would have rendered him 
 worthy to contest the mastery of the universe with those 
 mysterious beings who are the pre-ordained guardians of 
 the course of nature ; but his soul, though courageous, 
 was grovelling ; he craved supernatural power, not for the 
 glorious privilege it confers of redressing the wrongs of 
 fortune towards others, but solely for the acquisition of 
 sensual enjoyment for himself. He hstened with a smile 
 to the artless narrative of the simple prince, who, for a 
 visionary project, from which no gain could accrue to 
 himself individually, had abandoned the delights of ease, 
 pleasure, and almost absolute power, for the many pri- 
 vations of lengthened travel ; and gleaned from his con- 
 versation the one all-important fact, that I, the Queen of 
 the Serpents, who alone knew the hidden virtues of all 
 plants, held empire in the regions that bordered upon his 
 own, and often, indeed, approached the very frontiers. 
 
 " ' I will for once be frank,' said Offan : ' our interests 
 do not clash, and companionship will prove agreeable to 
 both of us. My objects once attained, and I own they are 
 illimitable knowledge and power, I promise to devote all 
 my then boundless resources to trace out the mysterious 
 being you yearn for 3 and rest assured, that if he be now upon 
 the earth, I shall enforce his presence. For my books have 
 
-3X0 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 taught me the precise spot where Solomon, lord of man 
 and spirits, the ring upon whose finger confers universal 
 dominion upon its wearer, still reposes in unburied ma- 
 jesty, lifelike yet inanimate. So remote from the ordi- 
 nary route of commerce is the islet to which he was 
 borne, that no ship has ever visited it, even accidentally j 
 such sunken rocks and coral reefs surround it, that no 
 vessel could approach its shores without destruction. There 
 is but one way to succeed ; our feet must be anointed with 
 the juice of a marvellous plant known only to the Queen 
 of the Serpents, which will enable us to tread upon the 
 waters as upon dry ground. This secret, and even the 
 exact situation of the fatal islet, I have long known, but 
 until this day I knew not the abode of the Snake Queen. 
 Let us, then, hasten to capture her, and permit her to 
 ransom herself cheaply by finding us the herb we are 
 seeking.' 
 
 ** The Belocch Prince readily assented, and in due time 
 both adventurers arrived in my dominions. They were 
 bold, yet wary ; and the more noble of the two knew 
 well the weaknesses of my race, and my own familiar 
 haunts. 
 
 " Milk, being usually unattainable, proves an irresistible 
 attraction to us, and a very small bowl of it tempted me 
 to the mouth of the cave within which the daring couple 
 had secreted themselves. I lapped it eagerly, and then 
 tried, and almost equally liked, the contents of a larger 
 bowl which lay beside it, full to the brim with a sweet 
 and very potent wine. This beverage so intoxicated me, 
 that I lay benumbed and innocuous before my captors. 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 311 
 
 who having watched my proceedings from their asylum, 
 took advantage of my helplessness, placed me in a cage, 
 and waited anxiously for my recovery. 
 
 " ' Fear not,' said the Prince courteously, when I had at 
 length shaken off the poisonous lethargy j 'we will not 
 harm you : all we require is that you will point out 
 to us the water-repelling plant which will enable our feet 
 to tread the ocean waves without sinking beneath them. 
 Merely indicate that to us, and immediate freedom shall 
 reward your compliance. Forgive my unavoidable rough- 
 ness, and let there be peace between us.' 
 
 "Although naturally indignant at my capture, I assented 
 to these terms, and was soon liberated 3 for the herb, how- 
 ever uncommon it may be elsewhere, is indigenous to this 
 country, and by no means scarce. 
 
 " My subjects, and the fish and fowl, who submissively 
 act as my spies and emissaries, have furnished me with the 
 sequel to my own misadventure. OfFan, and the Prince, 
 having expressed the juice of a few plants, and enshrined 
 the liquid in a golden phial, proceeded to the sea-coast, 
 and there, having anointed their feet, traversed the waste 
 of waters until they arrived at the islet of Solomon. 
 
 " The land, if it might be so called, was a mere gigantic 
 rock, lashed by perpetual waves and utterly destitute of 
 vegetation. It yielded nodiing that would induce the ad- 
 venturous mariner, who should by any possible contingency 
 have safely crossed the foaming line of breakers which 
 girded it, to linger for a moment ; it produced nothing 
 that could sustain life in the unhappy wretch whose tem- 
 pest-tossed vessel might have been shattered upon the 
 
312 J AM ASP, AND THE 
 
 guardian reef. The wisest of mankind had evidently se- 
 lected it as the most inaccessible spot upon earth, the 
 safest repository for his treasures, the most impregnable ot 
 mausoleums, a sepulchre more secure than the solid pyra- 
 mids of Egypt. 
 
 *' After aiding each other in a painful ascent of the rugged 
 cliffs, the resolute travellers at length scrambled to the 
 summit, which they found perforated in all directions by 
 precisely similar caverns, whose sinuous windings would 
 have wearied the patience of any casual explorer. The 
 long studies of the sage here enabled him to overcome the 
 extreme difficulty of resolving which to enter ; had chance 
 decided his footsteps, weeks might have elapsed ere the 
 sepulchre of the King could have been discovered, and 
 death by famine would have been the inevitable lot of the 
 searchers for his tomb. Offan, however, did not hesitate for 
 a moment. Observing in the far interior of one of them a 
 faint ghmmer of light succeeding to the darkness in which 
 all the hollows alike were enveloped, he impetuously led 
 the way, and, blindly rushing through the murky portion 
 of the cavern, after a brief space of time beheld a sight 
 that fully recompensed him for all the previous hardships 
 he had endured. Royally apparelled and seated upon a 
 throne of flashing diamonds, from whose collective light- 
 secreting powers proceeded the pale lamp-like illumination 
 that rendered the whole scene dimly visible, a majestic 
 form of more than ordinary stature, whose stern fea- 
 tures bore the impress of command, seemed, from afar, 
 instinct with life and power. But the orbits were devoid 
 of eyes ; there only had the flesh-preserving skill of the 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 313 
 
 mummy-artist failed to preserve the semblance of vitality. 
 The wondrous ring, blazing, with innate light, upon the bent 
 emaciated finger, which seemed retentive of authority even 
 after death, Oifan would have torn, without reverence, from 
 the stiffened hand ; but ere he could touch the corpse, there 
 glided suddenly from beneath the throne a spectral snake, 
 the guardian genius of the deceased monarch, which, in- 
 terposing its threatening form between the living and the 
 dead, by the suddenness of its contiguity caused the sacri- 
 legious adventurer to instinctively recoil. 
 
 '' ' Back, daring mortals !' for by this time the Prince had 
 overtaken his companion ; * fate has not destined either of 
 you to wield the sceptre of Solomon. The allotted time 
 has not yet come when I shall be free ; and, until then, I 
 must needs immolate all who shall resist my warning. Retire 
 at once. I have no pleasure in slaying, no love for the 
 dead ; but I am doomed to watch over the carcase of him 
 whom in hfe I feared and hated.' 
 
 " Thus spoke the once rebellious genius, who had strug- 
 gled of old for that liberty which was still withheld from 
 him as an enduring punishment for his stubborn opposition. 
 
 " The Belooch Prince submissively retired j for the scorch- 
 ing fire now issuing from the jaws of the monster, which 
 swelled each moment into vaster proportions, and the 
 angry glitter of its baleful eyes convinced him of the in- 
 utility of a contest with a superhuman adversary. Not so 
 did Orfan ; muttering an impotent charm, he leaped boldly 
 forward, in the vain hope of clutching the ring before he 
 should be overpowered by its vigilant guardian : once in 
 his own hand, dissevered from the corpse, and he would 
 
314 J AM ASP, AND THE 
 
 become lord of spirits and master of life. What cared he 
 for a momentary scorching ? it could be cured in a like 
 moment by the virtues of the ring. But so instantaneously 
 searching was the lightning-like flame which gushed from 
 the throat of his snake-shaped foe, that all power of move- 
 ment ceased within him -, the flesh fumed as it were from 
 his calcined bones, and he withered in a moment to a 
 shapeless mass. 
 
 " Alas ! for the ambitious voluptuary. But Belukia, after 
 much suffering, returned to the kingdom of his fathers, 
 baffled, indeed, in his immediate project (a wild yet noble 
 one), but improved by an experience of life's troubles. 
 Henceforth he could sympathize with the unfortunate and 
 the adventurous ; too frequently they are identical." 
 
 The Snake Queen paused, and having indicated a neigh- 
 bouring grotto as the residence of her guest, and appointed 
 for him a guard of honour which should attend to his re- 
 quirements, retired to her subterranean palace. There 
 was no lack of refreshing fruits and luscious honey : the 
 lake furnished him with beverage, his attendants were as- 
 siduous, and his dwelling-place (the climate being perfec- 
 tion) far from disagreeable. The Queen, moreover, was a 
 pleasant gossip, and the days of Jamasp sped happily and 
 quickly. 
 
 But trouble was at hand. She loved him, and ere long 
 boldly avowed she had spared him for his beauty, that he 
 might be the partner of her throne. " Else had he, the 
 unwitting intruder upon her dominions, shared the fate of 
 all other mortals who had ventured into her fastnesses. 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 315 
 
 Belukia and his comrade had alone escaped with im- 
 punity." 
 
 There is some occult horror of the reptile world im- 
 planted in the breast of man ; and though the human head 
 of the Snake Queen was exquisitely beautiful, and her voice 
 loving, soft, and gentle, the idea of passing his existence 
 with so unnatural a bride was inexpressibly repulsive to 
 our hero. However, lest he should be thought ungrateful, 
 he concealed his disgust, and, as he could not escape from 
 his dangerous hostess, urgently pressed the Queen for per- 
 mission to revisit his native town previous to their nuptials, 
 that he might relieve the anxiety of his widowed mother, 
 and provide for her necessities by the sale of his emeralds. 
 Yielding a reluctant assent to his importunities, for 
 thoroughly enamoured she could refuse him nothing, he 
 was furnished with a guide, and after a few days' journey 
 found himself once more near the scenes of his boyhood. 
 
 Before he left he was taught by his fond gaoler a low 
 whistling sound like the whispering of a wanton zephyr, 
 which, when uttered in the honey-cave, would summon 
 her to his side, to guard him from any of her irritable sub- 
 jects whom he might inadvertently tread on when return- 
 ing to the borders of the mountain-lake. During his 
 sojourn in tlie land of the serpents, he had daily immersed 
 himself in the limpid waters of that stream -, and the ardent 
 Queen having noticed how much he delighted in this 
 health-giving purification, to expedite his coming back to 
 her, made him swear never to bathe again until his return 
 to her dominions. He took the oath willingly and promptly, 
 for he preferred an eternal abstinence from the pleasures 
 
3i6 J AM ASP, AND THE 
 
 of the bath to sharing the couch of the woman-headed 
 snake. 
 
 *' Keep your plighted word, dear one," she had cried on 
 parting, when, having coiled herself gently around him, 
 she had kissed him with her lovely but icy lips ; *' I feel a 
 presentiment that my very life will depend upon your 
 truthfulness." 
 
 And so they parted 3 she gliding back to her now deso- 
 late palace (for what was sovereignty to her without his 
 gladdening presence ?), soon to keep an unremitting watch 
 around the honey-cave j he stepping briskly and blithely 
 on his homeward route, rejoicing to quit for ever one for 
 whom he felt simultaneously a conflicting gratitude and 
 aversion, 
 
 Jamasp was received by his mother as one risen from 
 the dead. She fainted in his arms, and when recovered 
 from her trance wept and laughed alternately, with uncon- 
 trollable emotion. When she had become more com- 
 posed he narrated his strange adventures 5 and she, woman- 
 like, after hearing of the base treachery of the woodcutters, 
 hastened to upbraid them for their villainy, and threatened 
 to publicly accuse them of their past misdeeds. They 
 were now flourishing traders, with reputations that could 
 not bear aspersion ; so propitiating her immediate wrath 
 by a timely gift of money, they dismissed her for the night, 
 and took counsel together as to how best they might avoid 
 exposure. Next morning they sought the poor abode of 
 their late comrade, and having freely bestowed upon him 
 one half of their wealth (which successful commerce 
 would soon replace), asked and obtained his silence and his 
 pardon. 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 317 
 
 Then Jamasp, having sold his emeralds for a large sum 
 of money, became a rich merchant, and was no longer 
 esteemed a fool, but a clever fellow. His sense and 
 prosperity were universally attributed to his having per- 
 used the brief compendium of all philosophy, which had 
 been bequeathed him as his sole inheritance 5 but in truth, 
 when the casket had been opened, the precious papyri 
 contained only moral apophthegms, enouncing the vanity 
 of all corporeal pleasures, and suggesting an eternal con- 
 templation of the perfection of the Divinity, with the hope 
 of being eventually absorbed in His essence, as the height 
 of human felicity. Jamasp was too young, too capable 
 of earthly enjoyment, to accept with docility this supreme 
 philosophy. 
 
 His friends, for he had now many, questioned him as 
 to the cause of his long absence, and his strange repug- 
 nance to bathe along with them. He frankly told them 
 all, except, of course, his abandonment in the pit, and the 
 treasures he had perceived in the valley of jewels. They, 
 on their part, joked him about his serpent bride, and 
 laughed at his scrupulous observance of an oath which 
 had been unfairly exacted as the price of his freedom. 
 But they could not induce him to violate it, despite of 
 his own great longing for a salutary gratification. One 
 day, however, the proprietor of a bath, who was his per- 
 sonal acquaintance, having asked him to enter the building 
 for a friendly chat, invited him to accept of a bath as a 
 token of his regard, but was answered as usual by the 
 story of his enforced vow. The customers, not a few of 
 whom were his daily associates, were in a merry mood ; 
 
3i8 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 so flocking round him, and laughing all the while, they 
 stripped off his clothing with friendly violence, and mirth- 
 fully plunged him into the warm fluid. ** Henceforth," 
 they exclaimed, " your oath is valueless ; having once en- 
 tered the bath, you may without fresh perjury again and 
 again refresh yourself with its healthful pleasures." 
 
 Now the chief vizier of the King chanced to be bathing, 
 and felt much interested in the narrative he had heard. 
 When Jamasp then, purified in his person, despite of his 
 own conscientious resistance, had dressed himself, he was 
 straightway conducted by the orders of that minister into 
 the presence of his Sovereign, that he might amuse him 
 likewise by a repetition of his adventures. 
 
 The royal palace lay at some considerable distance from 
 the little town, and on his arrival there a delicious repast 
 was prepared for him, and a dress of honour bestowed 
 upon him, ere he was ushered into the presence of the 
 ruler of his land. The subjects of Gusardan (for so was 
 the monarch named) never beheld their Sovereign, who 
 secluded himself from all the world ; for he was a leper. 
 
 Reclined upon a sofa, and muffled from head to foot 
 with a long flesh-coloured veil, the King listened, at first 
 with an amused air, and then with excited agitation, to 
 the marvellous story of the quondam woodcutter. At its 
 close, tossing from him the light covering which had con- 
 cealed his features, he suddenly revealed to our hero the 
 snow-white scurfy flesh, here and there eaten into can- 
 cerous holes, which he had so long sedulously guarded 
 from the gaze of his courtiers. 
 
 "See the horrible state to which I am reduced," he 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 319 
 
 cried with overwhelming emotion, '^ and save your Sove- 
 reign ; bring hither the Queen of the Serpents — she alone 
 can cure me." 
 
 For his physician had assured him that the sole remedy 
 for his otherwise incurable complaint was the stewed flesh 
 of the Snake Queen, a panacea which until that moment he 
 saw no possibility of procuring. He concealed, however, 
 from Jamasp his designs upon the life of the half-human 
 reptile, for the friendly feeling of our hero towards the being 
 who had spared him (whatever might have been her motive) 
 was too apparent to escape his anxious observation. 
 
 Yet the widow's son mistrusted even whilst he pitied 
 the poor King, and vainly sought to excuse himself from 
 the task assigned him. He did not even like to play the 
 part of Belukia, and force from his captured patroness the 
 secret of that remedy which would restore the suffering 
 monarch to the enjoyment of health. Sooth to say, he 
 was ashamed to meet the loving snake, and resisting all 
 offers of wealth and station as the price of his compliance, 
 urged his violated vow, and the possibility of her vengeance 
 as an adequate reason for his reluctance to encounter her. 
 
 Then the enfeebled King silently desponded, and again 
 veiled himself j but the vizier, who alone besides was pre- 
 sent, thus in angry tones addressed the unwilling offender : 
 " Refuse to obey, and you quit not this palace alive : never 
 shall you reveal the pitiable plight of our sovereign to your 
 fellow-citizens ; else will they despise and revolt against 
 their lord. Take now your choice. I pledge my word 
 that no evil shall happen to your benefactress (as you fool- 
 ishly term her) should she accede to our wishes ; I vow. 
 
320 JAMASP, AND THE 
 
 on the other hand, that unimaginable tortures, to escape 
 which death itself would seem a boon, shall otherwise 
 wrest from you your secret mode (for all else is known to 
 us) of invoking her presence." 
 
 Who could resist such menaces r Yet it was not until the 
 torturers had essayed their foul skill upon his anguished 
 frame that he yielded a sullen compliance to the will of 
 the pitiless vizier, who had been calmly watching his 
 writhings with an assured and triumphant smile of irony. 
 
 Heavily ironed, and guarded with stern vigilance by 
 ruthless soldiers, he was taken to the remote cave, and 
 there forced to utter the far-sounding sibilation which 
 would entice the hapless Queen to her captivity. Poor 
 loving wretch ! she was close at hand, longingly waiting 
 for the expected sound. Scarcely had it passed his lips, 
 when she glided through the crevice in the old reservoir, 
 and found herself, not in the embrace of her beloved 
 youth, but in the muscular arms of a brawny forester, who, 
 clasping her suddenly by the neck, forced her into tlie cage 
 that had been prepared for her reception. The manacles 
 upon the hands of Jamasp, his woe-begone aspect, the 
 tears which gushed from his eyes when he beheld her so 
 roughly handled, told her, without words, how unwiUing 
 had been his participation in her capture. 
 
 '* I forgive you my early death, Jamasp," she cried. 
 *' I know the reason of my capture, and the disease of the 
 King. It is my life they are seeking j but perhaps you 
 knew it not, else you could scarcely have betrayed one 
 whose sole error was in loving too well a child of Adam." 
 
 Then did Jamasp solemnly protest his ignorance of their 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 321 
 
 intended cruelty, and declared what tortures he had en- 
 dured ere he had consented to be a party to her capture. 
 
 " Carry me, then, dear Jamasp, yourself, and I will 
 whisper in your ears whilst you bear me on your head, 
 what you must do in this sad contingency." 
 
 He was permitted to carry the encaged snake, and re- 
 turned, still encircled by menacing guards, to the palace 
 of his sovereign. There, by the orders of the overjoyed 
 monarch, he was at once liberated, richly appareled, and 
 promised his choice of all the dignities in the kingdom. 
 Now the vizier heard the promise, and quaked for his 
 own office ; for all men, he thought, must envy him his 
 power. 
 
 On the road, the Snake Queen had sadly, yet with calm 
 resignation, told the man she loved the doom which was 
 awaiting her. 
 
 " They will bid you sever my body into three pieces, 
 and stew it upon the fire, as a savoury dish for the sick 
 monarch. I must perish, for surrounded as we are escape 
 is hopeless ; but let not my blood be shed by you : refuse 
 boldly ', the King will side with you." 
 
 " I will die rather," replied the penitent Jamasp. 
 
 "You. shall not die," rejoined the captive, "but live 
 and prosper, if you will carefully follow my advice. The 
 vizier will order you to watch beside my seething flesh 
 until tlie scum shall float upon the surface of the broth, 
 then to pour forth a cupful of the liquor and reserve it for 
 yourself J again to wait until the boiling recommences, and 
 pour forth a second cup for him. Act not thus ; but let 
 our common enemy swallow the first cup, and then drink 
 
 Y 
 
322 JJMJSP, AND THE 
 
 the second yourself. The first juice is deadly j the second 
 brain-clearing, and the bestower of all wisdom." 
 
 So our hero followed her advice, boldly refusing to per- 
 form the oflfice of an executioner ; and as the cook refused 
 to slay a semi-human being, the impatient vizier himself 
 smote off the lovely head, and hewed asunder the crystal- 
 line body with his remorseless scimetar. At that moment 
 an imperative summons for his immediate appearance ar- 
 rived from the King j so, leaving strict orders as to the broth, 
 precisely as had been foretold by the victim, he abruptly 
 quitted the spacious kitchen. 
 
 When, at length, he returned, the first cup was presented 
 to him by the obsequious Jamasp, who assured him that 
 he had not ventured to sip his own from deference to his 
 superior rank. With a baleful smile, for he had resolved 
 that a possible rival, and assuredly a contumacious adversary, 
 should perish, he fixed his cruel eyes upon the youth, who 
 loathingly gulped down the not unpalatable liquid ; then 
 triumphantly he swallowed his own portion, and fell 
 shrieking with inconceivable agony upon the ground. 
 His flesh swelled, blackened, and rotted from his bones ; 
 his carcase stank with so horrible a fcetor, that it was 
 dragged away with a hook and rope, and cast unburied 
 upon slackened lime, for no man ventured to touch it for 
 fear of contagion. 
 
 But Jamasp, who, mistrusting his own fate, fled swiftly 
 from the scene of horror, only at first felt increased powers 
 of observation and quickened judgment from his undesired 
 draught ; from that time, however, all knowledge became 
 easy of acquirement by him. 
 
QUEEN OF THE SERPENTS. 323 
 
 The leper-king ate of the stewed flesh of her who had 
 been slain to cure him ; and he, too, was punished ; for 
 the flesh became burning fire within him, and the fever 
 that consumed him raged to wild delirium, and a thousand 
 times in his three days of torture did he experience the 
 anguish of that violent death which had been inflicted, by 
 his orders, upon his unoffending victim. Then, at last, 
 thanks to the cooling drinks they gave him, he burst into 
 a profuse sweat, the hideous chasms which the leprosy had 
 hollowed in his body gradually filled with healthy flesh ; his 
 outer skin peeled off", and the inner showed itself soft and 
 rosy as in a new-born babe. 
 
 Months elapsed ere vigour was restored to his debilitated 
 frame, and as by that time the fame of the wisdom of the 
 sage's son was spread abroad, the grateful monarch pro- 
 moted him to the post of his derunct minister. But sel- 
 dom thenceforth did a smile irradiate the sad countenance 
 of Jamasp, for remorse preyed upon him for betraying her, 
 who, even in death, had cared for his happiness. 
 
 Y 2 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE- 
 SEEKER.* 
 
 T DOUBT whether in all Cairo there was a more miser- 
 able being than Maaroof. It was not merely that he 
 was a poor man, so poor, indeed, that he knew not in the 
 morning whether he should gain wherewithal to purchase 
 food for the evening, but that he was cursed with an afflic- 
 tion, the poignancy of which none but those who have 
 themselves experienced it can duly estimate. He had 
 wedded a shrew, — one, moreover, who was self-willed, 
 violent, and full of fancies. 
 
 He had not always occupied the humble position in 
 which he now moved, for his father had been a wealthy 
 merchant, and the blood of kings flowed in the veins of 
 his mother. But in his youth he had beheld a sight, the 
 remembrance of which haunted him for ever after, and 
 dispelled all purposes of steady industry. He had seen 
 the City of Brass ; he had gazed upon the countless trea- 
 
 * Including the * City of Brass,' part of the * Seven Viziers,' part of 
 * Ibrahim and Jemeeleh,' etc. 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 325 
 
 sures that were stored in its mansions, yet had not been 
 permitted to remove a single jewel. 
 
 It happened thuswise. On his first journey with mer- 
 chandise-, he had encountered the cavalcade of a certain 
 Emir, Moosa by name, who had been dispatched by his 
 lord. El Melik, who ruled at Damascus, to procure him 
 some of those brazen urns which fame has handed down 
 to us as the prisons of rebellious genii. The tradition ran 
 that, when they were unsealed, a spiral column of smoke 
 would eddy forth, which assumed for an instant only the 
 image of a towering giant, whilst, " Pardon, O Prophet!" 
 thundered forth from the rapidly dissolving form. To be - 
 hold so wonderful a sight was longed for by El Melik, and as 
 some travellers had assured the monarch that these urns 
 were frequently fished up by a negro race, worthy and 
 hospitable islanders, who dwelt in the Southern Main, he 
 had resolved to procure and inspect them. Accordingly, he 
 had sent the Emir with a large retinue in that direction ; 
 and as Maaroof was journeying by a like route, he joined, 
 by permission, the princely traveller. 
 
 After some days' riding they lost their road, and wander- 
 ing further and further from the track of caravans, found 
 themselves at the base of a mighty range of mountains, — 
 precipice upon precipice soaring upwards until the summit 
 of the highest was lost in the clouds of heaven. All around 
 looked barren and cheerless ; for the earth seemed scorched 
 up, and was spht into vast clefts by the action of subterra- 
 nean fires, and not a blade of glass or a pool of water was 
 visible as far as the eye could reach. Suddenly a blast of 
 wind, howling from the adjacent gulf, scattered the dense 
 
326 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 mist that had obscured the sun, and the rays of that lumi- 
 nary, reflected from thirty towers of gilded brass which 
 were perched upon the loftiest of the mountains, almost 
 blinded the eyes by their painful brilhance. Once in a 
 century only had such a sight been permitted to mortals, 
 for in that elevated region of constant mist, the clouds 
 rarely displayed the far-famed City of Brass -, and so peri- 
 lous was the road to it, so far removed from the ordinary 
 routes, that no man living could boast that he had entered 
 it. Yet the whole company knew of its existence, had 
 heard tell how hundreds of years ago this mighty city, 
 whose broad-based walls were eighty cubits high, had been 
 ruled over by a queen, during whose reign the surrounding 
 land had been so desolated by ceaseless famine, that every- 
 thing that had hfe within its nostrils had perished. 
 
 The Emir Moosa, who, like his sovereign, was greedy of 
 strange sights, determined not to lose so rare a chance of 
 inspecting this renowned city ; and as tlie weather con- 
 tinued bright, and the labour of his many attendants en- 
 abled him to bridge over the awful chasms that intervened 
 between the adjacent heights, he at length, after long and 
 painful climbing, reached the ridge round which the brazen 
 towers were symmetrically disposed. Not a keyhole was 
 visible in the metallic gates : the walls were too lofty to 
 scale, and the disappointed Emir with his weary escort hav- 
 ing ridden round the vast circuit of the fortifications in the 
 fruitless hope of espying some other mode of entry, pre- 
 pared to depart. But Maaroof, who noticed on the principal 
 gate the bas-relief of a horseman pointing with his finger 
 to some antique and half-obliterated letters graven on the 
 walls, lingered to decipher the following inscription : — 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 327 
 
 *' Let him who would enter, 
 Turn the pin in my centre." 
 
 He read, shouted, grasped a boss which he perceived jut- 
 ting out from the sculptured belt of the warlike effigy, 
 and violently wrenched it round : then with a terrific din 
 the metallic gates dashed open, as it were, of their own 
 accord, and all the company entered the city of the dead. 
 The buildings seemed perfect as on the day of their erec- 
 tion ; gold and jewels were found mixed with carious 
 bones ; but the merchandise had rotted and the furniture 
 had decayed. The handsomest of the buildings had evi- 
 dently been a palace or temple, and from its grandeur and 
 superb architecture attracted their special curiosity. They 
 strayed through its courts and chambers until they arrived 
 before a door of cedar-wood, inlaid with ebony and ivory ; 
 having passed through which, they were startled by the 
 sight of three individuals, life-like but motionless. Upon a 
 couch, a perfect mine of carbuncles and emeralds, at the 
 summit of a high dais, reposed a lovely woman, guarded 
 on either side by a huge black slave, one armed with a 
 sword, the other with a bar of steel. A tablet of gold lay 
 on the ground before them 3 on this was written, '' If 
 you value life, touch not the queen : let her be an eternal 
 testimony to the skill and opulence of this lost nation. 
 All that is without this chamber she gives to her visitors." 
 So exquisitely preserved were the handsome features of 
 the principal figure of this natural group, that it was diffi- 
 cult to believe that she no longer breathed : her two guar- 
 dians, though cleverly sculptured, were mere images of 
 wood. The dress of the female was entirely composed of 
 
328 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 pearls ; a golden crown with a border of large rubies spanned 
 her brow ; a necklace of diamonds, as large as pigeons' eggs, 
 hung loosely round her neck. 
 
 The Emir gazed with awe upon the sight, and bade his 
 people respect the last wishes of departed royalty, close 
 again the palace, shut the brazen gate, and as their provi- 
 sions threatened to fail them, to instantly depart from the 
 city on the quest for the mystic urns. To refrain from 
 treasures such as their eyes now gazed on was more than 
 they could bear : a daring mutineer ran up the steps of the 
 dais, and tried to snatch the crown from the inanimate 
 figure of the starved queen j scarcely had he touched her 
 body than he became lifeless as herself. The sword and 
 bar had descended simultaneously upon him, moved by 
 some hidden machinery that connected the automatons 
 widi the lifelike corpse. When the weapons had achieved 
 their destined work, they returned with a jerk to their 
 threatening position. None dared move the body, and 
 the mutiny was quelled : the Emir and his escort retrod 
 the perilous pathway they had formed, and after much 
 privation reached again the main road from which they had 
 diverged, and, it is said, succeeded without furtlier difficulty 
 in the object of their mission. 
 
 But as to Maaroof, from that hour he never rested ; the 
 unguarded treasures he had feasted his eyes on so surpassed 
 the slower profits of trade, that he relinquished thenceforth 
 all idea of merchandise. His ideas became too princely 
 for his station -, he looked down upon the thousand com- 
 forts which were at his beck : unlimited wealth, the repre- 
 sentative of every enjoyment, the assuager even of sorrow 
 
MJJROOF THE TRE J SURE-SEEKER. 339 
 
 and suffering might be acquired in a week by daring and 
 good fortune. Was he to be blamed, if with the buoyant 
 hopes of youtli and its too sanguine spirit of enterprise, 
 he risked his all upon efforts which proved his ruin ? 
 
 He had left the Emir Moosa at the nearest town (yet 
 it was far away, for the curse of sterility still lingered upon 
 the adjacent lands) to the city of the dead, and from 
 thence he headed expedition after expedition to recover 
 the treasures he had perforce abandoned. He would have 
 gone alone, for he felt conscious how irresistible was the 
 temptation of despoiling the capitalist who had defrayed 
 the cost 5 but it was imperatively requisite to carry large 
 stores of provisions -, and the awful precipices which had 
 been surmounted, the frightful chasms which had been 
 passed by him, when escorted under the most favourable 
 circumstances by experienced and disciplined warriors, con- 
 vinced him of the necessity of being accompanied by a large 
 body of daring mechanics. Labour, low as the individual 
 cost may seem (especially to him who receives the wage 
 of it), is the most costly of expenditure ; and as explora- 
 tion after exploration failed, from the black brooding clouds 
 which concealed the site of the lost city, the hopes and 
 the resources of our hero diminished in like proportion. 
 Fortune seemed his enemy j for when he had become so 
 reduced that he could only form a partnership with one or 
 two adventurers who still trusted to his glowing accounts 
 of the treasure-city, the clouds would burst asunder and 
 disclose the pathway he had traversed in happier days. 
 Yet he could never trace it to the brazen towers j either 
 the abysses had grown more profound than ever, or the 
 
330 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 needful wood to cross them had been miscalculated. It 
 was hard enough for the famishing explorers to transport 
 their fodder and provisions, without any superfluous bur- 
 den being carried on their mules. At last, after many a 
 baffled enterprise, he became penniless. 
 
 In love he had been equally unlucky. Before he had 
 started upon his mercantile journey he had become a mar- 
 ried man. Who would not have envied him, had they 
 beheld his wife ? It was a love-match, the fruits of a ro- 
 mantic incident in his young career j and the risks he had 
 encountered in gaining his bride should have rendered her 
 ever loving, and obedient to his gentle sway. But the 
 same passions which had favoured his suit proved adverse 
 to him in his fallen estate. He had beheld the portrait of 
 a lovely woman in a book that he had purchased, and so 
 life-like did it seem, so fascinating in its weird beauty, that 
 he could not obhterate the image from his thoughts. 
 
 **Tell me, I beg you," said he to the dealer, *• from 
 whence you obtained this miniature ; is it the work of 
 fancy, or was it copied from a living female r" 
 
 " Sandalanee can inform you, for from him I purchased 
 it," was the answer ; *' he lives in the quarter El Karkh." 
 
 Thither hurried the impetuous youth, for desire is fanned 
 in youth by the mere breath of imagination, and destiny 
 so far favoured him that he became intimate with the 
 painter. In a friendly gossip the purchased sketch was 
 exhibited, and the name of the original demanded. 
 
 " She is a distant connection of my own," said Sanda- 
 lanee ; " one whom I would gladly wed, did my rank 
 permit it : she is the daughter of the Governor of Suez, 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 331 
 
 and so averse to marriage that I, with more than compe- 
 tence, and in art second to none, have failed to win her. 
 Her name is Jemeeleh." 
 
 Our hero did not inquire whether the years of the ama- 
 tive painter were or were not twice as numerous as those 
 of the beauty ; he obtained her address, and saUied forth 
 in quest of her, despite of her rumoured reputation as an 
 incorrigible vixen. She dwelt on a little islet in the bend 
 of the great river, a spot which belonged to her father, and 
 from which all males were rigorously excluded. There 
 was one exception — a deformed gardener, who from an 
 elevated seat watched all who might approach 3 and by 
 good luck, as Maaroof in his ignorance then esteemed it, 
 his own humpbacked tailor chanced to be the brother of 
 the guardian. By the introduction of the former and the 
 connivance of the latter, he was enabled to gaze upon the 
 charms of the lovely maiden in her solitary retreat, to 
 profit by the passionate longings of her wanton tempera- 
 ment, and to bear her off as his willing prize from her 
 wealthy parent. He had carried off his mistress- in a ves- 
 sel manned and equipped by the treacherous Sandalanee, 
 been drugged and thrown ashore by his" crew, who had 
 borne the helpless girl to their unscrupulous employer; 
 had, after a narrow escape from death, rescued his bride 
 from the clutches of her would-be ravisher, and eventually 
 conducted her in all honour to his own home, where he 
 legally espoused her. Surely mutual peril, mutual en- 
 durance should have endeared them to each other. 
 
 To provide her with all those elegances to which she 
 had been accustomed, was tlie stimulus which urged 
 
0,0^1 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 Maaroof to his chimerical pursuit of the hidden treasure. 
 He was not luxurious in personal expenditure, and never 
 repined at the painful privations which he suffered in the 
 wild mountainous region that encircled the City of Brass. 
 Perhaps Jemeeleh might have pardoned his frequent ab- 
 sences (though I doubt it, so warm were her passions), 
 because they were inspired, or at least influenced, by his 
 tenderness for herself j but penury, and its attendant 
 slights and denials, proved unbearable to a woman whose 
 every wish had hitherto been gratified. Among her in- 
 timates was an old woman, one of tlie thousand pious 
 hypocrites who enter the harem under the pretext of sanc- 
 tity. She was neither more nor less than a procuress, 
 who, for a bribe from some wealthy roue, would further 
 his intrigues with willing wantons. After the third or 
 fourth visit of Maaroof to the scene of his fascination, he 
 descried, on his return home, a costly veil, one which he 
 had neither given himself, nor had his wife previously 
 possessed, hidden, as it were, beneath the seat she had 
 been occupying. It was the gift of a rich young mer- 
 chant, who had been fully repaid (at least he so con- 
 sidered) for his liberality. Jemeeleh, at that time inexpe- 
 rienced in deceit, could not account for its possession, and 
 blushed and equivocated when interrogated respecting it. 
 Distrust and coldness ensued ; and as Maaroof was assur- 
 edly the handsomest man she knew, and one whom she 
 would have preferred to any other admirer, could he 
 have always gratified her caprices and her passions, the 
 mischievous crone was consulted as to the mode by which 
 the suspicions of the husband could be effectually removed, 
 and his ardour resuscitated. 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 333 
 
 " Had the veil any peculiar mark by which it could be 
 identified?" inquired the crafty adviser, 
 
 " My husband noticed it was burnt at the edge," said 
 the abandoned wife. 
 
 " Leave all to me, then," was the response ; *' he shall 
 soon apologize for his shrewd suspicions." 
 
 When Maaroof, the next morning, was passing the shop 
 of the amorous merchant, a previously rehearsed scene was 
 played to deceive him. The young profligate was reviling, 
 and roughly handling an aged female, who bore this treat- 
 ment with humble equanimity, owning she had merited it 
 by her delinquency. 
 
 " Why are you ill-treating the poor old creature ?" in- 
 quired the tender-hearted Maaroof. 
 
 " I trusted her with a costly veil to repair for me," was 
 the answer ; " it had a slight hole burnt in it, and she en- 
 gaged to restore it to my slave-girl, perfect as ever, in two 
 days. Now she pretends to have left it in some harem, 
 but knows not where j I suspect the loss was intentional." 
 
 *' Indeed, I lost it,*' said the cunning crone. " I am very 
 poor, and obtain alms from the charitable inmates of so 
 many harems, that I know not at this moment where pre- 
 cisely I did leave it j but to-morrow I make my rounds, and 
 shall easily recognize it by its scorched edge." 
 
 " Permit her to depart," said the deluded treasure- 
 seeker. " I will be responsible 5 it was accidentally left in 
 my own dwelling." 
 
 So Maaroof asked pardon of Jemeeleh for his suspi- 
 cions, and after a little scolding it was graciously accorded. 
 
 Success gives confidence 3 so the next time she was 
 
334 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 caught transgressing, she extricated herself by her own 
 unaided cunning. Being very greedy for presents, she 
 had encouraged the addresses of two lovers at the same 
 time. One was a dependant of the higher in rank, and 
 as the latter had made his appearance while the former 
 was closeted with her, she had hidden the inferior in a 
 secret chamber. Scarcely had she coyly received the ad- 
 vances of the wealthier visitor, than intimation was brought 
 of the return of Maaroof. Her husband became wit 
 ness to a scene improvised by herself, and skilfully se- 
 conded by the surprised admirer. As Maaroof entered the 
 house he beheld a man in a towering passion reviling his 
 wife, and menacing her with a drawn sword. At his ap- 
 proach Jemeeleh cast herself into his arms for protection, 
 and the actor took advantage of his embarrassing entangle- 
 ment to escape from the house. 
 
 "What caused this scene?" cried the deluded hus- 
 band, after she had recovered from a well-simulated fit of 
 hysterics. 
 
 "I was sitting on the terrace-roof of our house," she 
 answered, "when a young man, flying in terror from an 
 armed opponent, rushed across the barrier wall, and fling- 
 ing himself at my feet, implored me to save him from an 
 unmerited death by concealing him in my dwelling. I 
 had barely time to hide him beneath the trap-door of our 
 chamber, when the ruffian who fled at your presence fol- 
 lowed his victim, and demanded him at my hands. I 
 denied his presence, for I could not abandon a suppliant 
 to slaughter before my eyes ; hence your opportune re- 
 turn has perhaps saved even myself from the unreasoning 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 0^3^ 
 
 violence of his rage. I have sacrificed the proprieties, but 
 I have saved the hfe of a fellow-creature." 
 
 " You have done well," said Maaroof, "we will assuage 
 the terror of the imprisoned one." 
 
 So witli his own kind hands he set free the younger of 
 the two profligates, and saw that the coast was clear be- 
 fore he dismissed him from his abode. That man never 
 again polluted the sanctity of his home 5 but Jemeeleh 
 gloried in her cunning, and no longer repressed her lusts 
 or her rapacity. 
 
 Maaroof soon learnt enough from his neighbours to be 
 mentally convinced of the wrong that was done him by 
 his wife ; yet could never convict her in the fact. His fre- 
 quent absence had given her every opportunity for intrigue j 
 but he had now become so impoverished, that he could 
 barely maintain himself and Jemeeleh by the pittance he 
 received, from day to day, for his own manual labour. 
 Yes, he who had ridden at the head of fifty horsemen, 
 glorying in the prospect of unlimited wealth, and re- 
 joicing in the beauty of his newly won bride, now dis- 
 heartened, and without a single piece of gold in his pos- 
 session, longed above all things to be rid of a wife who at 
 once betrayed and insulted him. For her temper, natu- 
 rally sharp and overbearing, had not improved under ad- 
 versity, and she hated and despised the man whose love 
 had reduced her to poverty. As he no longer quitted the 
 city, she had no opportunity for indulging herself in gay 
 garments and delicate living at the expense of her lovers, 
 and indignant reminiscences of past enjoyments made her 
 eloquently vituperative. She was a tall and masculine 
 
33^ MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER, 
 
 woman ; her husband slender, and enfeebled by self- 
 denial — for the best of all the food was devoured by Je- 
 meeleh — scraps only appeased the appetite of the earner of 
 the viands. That which was at first proffered from affec- 
 tion was soon taken as a right, and the quondam treasure- 
 hunter was scolded, ay, and sometimes smitten as a re- 
 bellious slave, when his purse could not fulfil the demands 
 made upon it by the beautiful virago. 
 
 When his last coin had disappeared, and he had not the 
 wherewithal to purchase even bread, a fancy for some 
 honey sprang up in the mind of the long-indulged Je- 
 meeleh. After inveighing against her spouse for having 
 reduced her to a position in which even honey was a rare 
 luxury (he bore all this patiently, for there was some 
 truth in the accusation), she imperiously demanded that 
 he should procure her some that very day. He humbly 
 assured her that he was utterly without the means of buy- 
 ing it 5 for the scanty surplus of each day's earnings had 
 been invariably expended in propitiating the temper of 
 the shrew by gratifying her appetite. 
 
 *' Steal it if you can't buy it !" she exclaimed, shaking 
 her slipper at him ; '' only bring home the honey, or you 
 shall rue it." 
 
 In this emergency, for he dreaded above all things an 
 angry altercation with the woman who had once been dear 
 to him, he betook himself to a small provision-store, where 
 occasionally he obtained credit. 
 
 " I don't keep bees' honey," said the plausible trades- 
 man, ** but you can have cane-honey, which is cheaper^ 
 and goes further." 
 
MJJROOF THE TREJ SURE-SEEKER. o,?>1 
 
 Though Maaroof was aware that caiie-honey was only a 
 specious trade name for common treacle, he accepted the 
 proposed substitute ; he dared not, indeed, dispute the 
 matter with the only shopkeeper who would supply him 
 upon trust. He apologetically handed the coarse relish to 
 his exigent spouse, saying, *' It is only cane-honey, but I 
 could procure nothing better upon credit." 
 
 *' Wretch !" cried the disappointed gourmand, " would 
 you put me off with trash like this ? Do you call this 
 honey ?" And she flung the treacle in his face j and not 
 content with that insult, for it had plastered but one side 
 of it, she struck him so violently on the unsoiled cheek 
 that she knocked out one of his teeth. Then passion over- 
 came the long submissive husband, and he returned the 
 blow, yet rather to deter her from farther violence than 
 to punish her as she deserved. Screaming for help like 
 one aggrieved, she seized her husband's beard, and tore at 
 it with all her might. Verily Maaroof had not the better 
 in this domestic conflict. 
 
 When her neighbours entered the room, they saw how 
 matters stood, and reprimanded the virago for her out- 
 rageous conduct. She, however, not satisfied with her 
 revenge, for it was the first time her partner had ventured 
 to resist her temper, summoned him before the Cadi of 
 the district for beating her, and pretended that he had 
 broken her arm and injured her chest. The witnesses, 
 however, proved the contrary j so the case was dismissed. 
 Again she applied to another magistrate, with like success, 
 and eventually appealed to the supreme tribunal. 
 
 As the acquitted defendant had, each time, been forced 
 
 z 
 
338 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 to disburse the customary fees of office, the prospect of 
 further Htigation involved the necessity of either parting 
 with his tools, so that he could no longer obtain a living, 
 or of an immediate flight from Cairo. He preferred the 
 latter expedient, and led a wandering life of constant hard- 
 ship, rambling further and further from Egypt, until he 
 arrived at the most distant region of the earth. As travel- 
 stained and footsore, he passed at dusk through a hand- 
 some suburb of the capital of Sind, he was accosted by an 
 angry group of four individuals, whose previously loud 
 voices had been hushed at his approach. 
 
 "We have just agreed," said the. deputed speaker, "to 
 avoid litigation, and abide by the decision of the first 
 stranger who will consent to act as umpire. The judge's 
 fee shall not be wanting." 
 
 "What, then, is the subject of your dispute?" inquired 
 the willing arbitrator. 
 
 " Four foreigners, partners in some mercantile transac- 
 tion, left their joint stock of loose cash in my charge. 
 Within a week, one of them reclaimed it, gave me a dis- 
 charge, and, being a rogue, bolted with the money, thus 
 swindling his three partners of their respective shares. 
 They now claim three-fourths of the deposit at my hands." 
 
 "Yes," interrupted one of the merchants, " for we sti- 
 pulated that it should only be returned upon the joint ap- 
 plication of all of us," 
 
 "The case, then, is simple," said the traveller j "the 
 money cannot be refunded , until the absconded partner 
 shall join in demanding it." 
 
 The three foreigners bowed to his decision, and as their 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 339 
 
 departure from the country had been solely delayed from 
 this unsettled dispute, at once quitted the city. Their 
 departure proved advantageous to Maaroof in the sequel. 
 
 Our hero was invited by the man who had gained by 
 his verdict to enter his stately mansion, and after having 
 washed himself, found his shabby clothes replaced by robes 
 as handsome as those which adorned his host. 
 
 " Surely we have met before," said Maaroof, when, after 
 a savoury repast, they were left alone by the attendants. 
 " I have gazed upon you, and the memory of past frolics 
 shared together comes vividly before me. Are you not 
 Ali, the son of our druggist, Ahmad ?" 
 
 His entertainer, whose antecedents were not wholly 
 favourable, winced at the question, and at first equivo- 
 cated ; but, as the conviction of the guest as to his iden- 
 tity could not be shaken, he changed his tactics, and, 
 assuming an air of jovial frankness, laughingly observed : — 
 " So you recognize me. I would not acknowledge my 
 name until I had tested your acquaintance with our native 
 town. I am, indeed, Ali, the scamp of our district, who 
 so often led you into mischief, and whom all the wiseacres 
 prophesied would come to ruin. Don't you remember 
 what fun we had together as boys : how we worried the 
 Christians by running off with the books from their 
 churches ?" 
 
 And they roared with laughter as they pictured to 
 themselves the enraged priests, who, panting, perspiring, 
 and loudly threatening the vengeance of Heaven upon 
 their sacrilege, had, after a long and fruitless chase, picked 
 up the muddy volumes from a foul kennel. 
 
 z 2 
 
,340 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 " Nevertheless, when I see the style in which you are 
 living, I can hardly realize the fact of your being my old 
 playfellow," said the guest, after their merry reminiscences. 
 " What capital did you possess when you arrived in these 
 parts ?" 
 
 . " A very small one, I can assure you ; but luck and 
 talent soon enabled me to enlarge my operations. I will 
 tell you my history, and then give you some good advice, 
 to guide your conduct with the arrogant natives." 
 
 THE KING OF THE BEGGARS. 
 
 " It's all fair in business, I know, to outwit each other ; 
 but it's very annoying to get the worst of a bargain. I 
 had heard before I started for this country that sandal- 
 wood was so highly valued here, that the profits of the 
 dealers who imported it were almost incredible. Hence, 
 I invested my little all in that profitable commodity, and 
 having indicated my cargo to the officer of the port, was 
 permitted to disembark. I had been warned that the in- 
 habitants were knavish and overreaching, yet as I had 
 never yet been worsted by sharpers, who, thinking all but 
 themselves fools, are easily gulled by fair words (and I can 
 romance with any man in this lying city), I paid little heed 
 to the caution which had been suggested. I had scarcely 
 stepped on shore, when a respectable-looking citizen, who 
 had ascertained what I had imported at the custom- 
 house, and prepared accordingly, inquired what merchan- 
 dise I had brought with me j and upon my replying truly, 
 and statins: I had been told that sweet-scented wood was 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 341 
 
 much used in this country, smihngly assented, but added, 
 * Yet for what vile purposes ! See for yourself, and duly 
 estimate the value of the information you have received.' 
 He entered a caravanserai, and there I beheld a mule- 
 driver cooking his food over a fire of the wood I had held 
 so precious. I was so disconcerted that I almost wept 
 from vexation, and felt cheered when the sharper, for such 
 he was, offered me in exchange for my cargo a big mea- 
 sure full of any commodity (jewels alone excepted) I 
 might prefer 5 for I calculated that if I asked for gold I 
 should not lose much, if at all, by my venture. Conse- 
 quently, I accepted the offer, but would not name my 
 preference on that day 3 for there are some drugs more 
 precious than gold itself. He had scarcely left me, when 
 I was pounced upon by another sharper, a one-eyed man, 
 who, accusing me of having put out his eye, demanded 
 the right of plucking out one of mine, if I would not pay 
 him the value of that he had lost. The decision of this 
 affair I hkewise put off until the morrow ; and as my shoe 
 had burst, left it to be mended at the stall of a cobbler. 
 I merely promised him, in lieu of a stipulated sum, to 
 gratify him when I returned for it. 
 
 '' ' Done !' he cried, with a sardonic chuckle that roused 
 my suspicions, ' You heard the agreement, my friends.' 
 And some sinister-looking fellows, who had gradually 
 surrounded the stall, grinning at each other, cordially 
 assented. 
 
 " In the course of the same day I strolled into a refresh- 
 ment-room, where I joined a merry party who were play- 
 ing at a game of forfeits, expecting that the penalty, if I 
 
342 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 lost (and I was bound to perform the behest of the winner), 
 would be one of those absurdities which are usual con- 
 comitants of that childish game. When I proved unsuc- 
 cessful, they bade me drink up the sea, unless I would 
 forfeit all that I had about me. 
 
 " * By this time to-morrow,' I said, ' I shall have received 
 the price of my cargo, and will then settle the affair with 
 you.' So I was permitted by the hopeful sharpers (for 
 they too belonged to that fraternity) to leave the room with- 
 out being hustled. 
 
 " Before night I had found, to my vexation, that I had 
 not only been swindled about the wood, but had likewise 
 got into three awkward dilemmas. I had thought myself 
 a clever fellow : I need scarcely dilate upon my humilia- 
 tion. My despondency was noticed by a mendicant whom 
 I had relieved on my first landing. He observed the 
 gloom upon my visage, and rightly conjectured what had 
 happened. 
 
 '' ' Ah ! master,' said he, ' our knaves have proved too 
 keen for you ; but take my advice, and you may perhaps 
 turn the tables upon them. Go to our kingj I don't 
 mean the king of the rich, but the sheikh of us beggars ; 
 he is blind as a bat, but the eyes of his intellect are so 
 piercing that no man has ever yet outwitted him. If any 
 one can save you, it is he ; he gets us out of all our scrapes, 
 and his fee is but trifling.' I adopted his suggestion, re- 
 warded him as my guide for leading me to the palace (it 
 was a dirty vault) of the lauded potentate, and, after a 
 preliminary offering, revealed my difficulties for his solu- 
 tion. Having pondered for a while, he thus answered me : 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 343 
 
 " ' As to the purchaser of your cargo, you would lose, 
 should he fill the measure with gold, for every pound of 
 sandal-wood is here worth ten pieces of that metal. Bid 
 him, then, fill it with living fleas, half of which precisely 
 must be females. 
 
 '' ' As to the false accuser, assert that your own eye is 
 larger and hence better than his, and demand that both 
 should pluck out an eye to weigh against each other ; the 
 one-eyed will refuse, for else he would become perfectly 
 blind. 
 
 " ' As to the cobbler, who would refuse to be gratified by 
 any gift less than all your property, address him thus : 
 *' The king has just defeated his adversaries ; are you not 
 gratified?" He must say yes, or he would be punished as 
 a traitor. 
 
 *' * As to the forfeit, say boldly, " I am ready to drink up 
 the sea, but you must bring it me in bulk, for I am neither 
 bound to walk to the shore nor to gulp its brine in drib- 
 lets." You will thus circumvent all these rogues and save 
 your money.' 
 
 *'I acted by his counsel, and was not only extricated from 
 my predicament, but received a considerable sum from 
 the purchaser of the sandal-wood to let him off his bargain. 
 Eventually I gained so large a profit by my investment, 
 that I obtained credit everywhere j and now, thanks to 
 that and my own natural swagger, I am considered the 
 first merchant in the country. 
 
 "So much for my experience. Now for my advice. 
 This is a commercial country, and wealth is esteemed above 
 
344 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER, 
 
 all things. He who is poor is despised ; he whose friends 
 are poor shares in the obloquy. None will recognise the 
 vagrant of this morning in the well-clad merchant of to- 
 morrow. The great secret of success here is to obtain 
 credit -, seem rich, and you soon become so, for fast and 
 marvellous are the profits of trade. I will provide you in 
 the morning with a purse of gold, which you must treat as 
 dross, and introduce you to my set, as a friend and foreign 
 correspondent, the chief merchant of Cairo. Your mer- 
 chandise, you understand, is in transit : at the worst, your 
 ship can be wrecked without loss to yourself, and our inte- 
 grity will be unimpeached." 
 
 "I like not such crooked ways," said Maaroof. "I 
 had better own at once I have lost my all, and crave em- 
 ployment." 
 
 " Yes, and shame we," replied his host. " If you were as 
 well versed in fables as I am, you would think differently. 
 Perhaps you never heard the saying of the young lion ?" 
 
 " I know not what you mean." 
 
 " I'll tell you, then j the fable is but brief. A young 
 lion, who had never seen a man, astonished at beholding 
 the beasts of the forest in commotion, inquired the cause 
 of their consternation, ' We are flying from the son of 
 Adam,' they cried, without pausing in their flight. ' What 
 terrific monster can that be ? thought the royal beast. I 
 will at least take a look at him ere I follow the example 
 of the forest-dwellers.' A meagre and aged carpenter, 
 who stooped beneath the weight of the planks he bore upon 
 his shoulders, emerged from the trees. The lion scornfully 
 advanced towards him : ' Son of Adam, what do you 
 purpose here ?' 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 345 
 
 " ' To build myself a house, by your permission, O King 
 of the plains,' was the humble answer. 
 
 *' ' Build on/ said the flattered beast, 'but if I like it, I 
 shall take it for myself.* 
 
 " A big box, with a very strong lock and hinges, was soon 
 constructed, and the lid left open. His majesty stept in 
 to see whether it was large enough for him, and the man 
 slamming down the lid, locked in the lion. * Cunning is 
 better than strength,' cried the caged beast -, ' and so have 
 I, too, found it." 
 
 Long adversity weakens good principles j so Maaroof 
 yielded to the counsel of Ali, and, on the morrow, in ac- 
 cordance with it, answered each inquiry of the merchants 
 as to whether such and such an article was included in his 
 cargo, by the preconcerted reply, "I have plenty of it." 
 And as this was affirmed of every commodity, and as the 
 contents of the purse were lavished with careless profusion, 
 and chiefly in alms, his reputation for incalculable wealth 
 became established. When, therefore, on the day after, 
 he shook his empty purse at an importunate mendicant, 
 saying, '' I would give you alms were I as well known 
 here as elsewhere, for I could then borrow the purse of 
 my neighbour," one of the merchants, anxious to oblige 
 so wealthy an individual, proffered the loan of his, which he 
 at first refused, saying, " I cannot pay until my ship comes 
 over," but when pressed, accepted with courteous thanks. 
 And from time to time, as his lavish expenditure required 
 it, he obtained, unasked, a like favour from other mer- 
 chants. At length, as no merchandise made its appear- 
 ance, suspicion was aroused, and loans were no longer 
 
346 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER, 
 
 proffered. Then addressing Ali when in the company of 
 the very individuals to whom he had been introduced by 
 him as a vast capitahst, he said, with a grand air, " Ah, 
 lend me your purse 3" and the cunning man was compelled 
 to do so, for how could he refuse to trust the great mer- 
 chant of whose acquaintance he had boasted ? When they 
 were alone, however, he demanded it back, but the ad- 
 venturer had profited by the teaching of his playmate, who 
 had originally suggested the answer, and replied, " Wait 
 until my ship comes over." 
 
 '^Nonsense!" growled Ali. "You know you have 
 nothing." 
 
 "Yes J I have plenty of it," said his apt pupil. 
 
 In the heyday of his reputation for opulence, the King 
 of that country, who, like his subjects, worshipped wealth, 
 conceived the idea of wedding his daughter to him ; for 
 thus, he thought, he should induce the millionaire to settle 
 in his city, and in the event of his decease keep all his 
 riches in his own family. But, as he had no son, his chief 
 minister had determined to marry her himself, and succeed 
 to the throne when it should be vacated by his decease. 
 Hence he insinuated that Maaroof was no merchant, but 
 a mere pretender ; upon which the monarch, who prided 
 himself upon his acuteness, hit upon an expedient to de- 
 tect his ignorance. He exhibited before him a pearl, for 
 which he had paid a thousand pieces (a large price in the 
 estimation of the monarch), and asked his opinion of its 
 value. 
 
 " Rubbish ! unworthy of your majesty j worth merely a 
 thousand pieces," was the contemptuous verdict of the ad- 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. .347 
 
 veniurer, as he broke the pearl and threw away the frag- 
 ments. 
 
 " Have you better in your stock ?" asked the astounded 
 despot. 
 
 " A sackful ! Wait until my ship comes over and select 
 for yourself." 
 
 Then the King, thinking to profit by the generosity of 
 so wealthy a son-in-law, offered him his daughter, and was 
 surprised when Maaroof declined the honour until the 
 arrival of his merchandise. 
 
 " For how shall I otherwise defray the expenses of the 
 festival in a style worthy of your daughter and my own 
 established name ?" 
 
 This opposition increased the longing of the monarch 
 to effect the aUiance. He intrusted the Egyptian with 
 the keys of his treasury, bidding him expend from it with- 
 out stint until the arrival of his long-expected vessel. 
 
 So Maaroof wedded the Princess, and spared not the 
 riches of the King upon the joyful occasion. And after 
 the ceremony, a lucrative office of trust and dignity was 
 bestowed upon him, and he lived upon his own resources. 
 He proved a tender and loving husband to the King's 
 daughter, and won her heart entirely. Yet, as time went 
 on and no merchandise arrived, the monarch began to 
 doubt his veracity, and at the suggestion of his ambitious 
 minister (who would have hated any son-in-law of his 
 master, however virtuous) bade his daughter cajole her 
 husband into telHng her the truth. " I will torture him 
 to death," said the indignant parent, " if he has imposed 
 upon our credulity." 
 
348 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 " My beloved," said the Princess at nightfall, as she 
 fondly caressed her husband, " I fear for thee. All men 
 say thou hast deceived my father 3 and as the truth must 
 be revealed at last, it is better to be prepared for the event. 
 Let us take counsel together, that I may save thee, for 
 thou knowest thou art an impostor, and didst become so 
 for love of me. Was it not so, darling ?" And she wound 
 her arms around him and kissed him. By this affectionate 
 guile he was brought to confess, and he unfolded his past 
 history to her, neither concealing the straits he had been 
 reduced to, nor the degrading cause of his flight from 
 Cairo. 
 
 ** Listen, my own," said the Princess at the conclusion of 
 his adventures. '* I love thee more than ever for thy frank- 
 ness, and this rehance upon me. Know that I w^as bidden by 
 my father and his minister to coax thee into confession, that 
 they might slay thee for thy deceit ; but here all men are de- 
 ceitfulj and thou art notworse,but only more successful, than 
 the rest. The depth of my affection for thee was not sounded : 
 they thought I should loathe and despise thee as a swindler." 
 Now arise at once ; take with thee my gold and jewels, 
 which are worth, if I err not, fifty thousand pieces ; mount 
 our swiftest courser, and fly to some spot where my father 
 has no sway ; there trade as a merchant, send me thy ad- 
 dress, and I will forward thee all I can amass, to increase 
 thy capital. I will ever be faithful to thee, and should I 
 survive my father, thou shalt share my throne." 
 
 He passionately embraced her, crying, " If separated in 
 this life, we shall be united in the day of resurrection ;" 
 and reluctant to leave so noble-hearted a woman, would 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER, 349 
 
 have dallied had she not forced him to depart. Clad as 
 a royal messenger, he passed unobstructed through the 
 city gates, and urging his swift courser to its utmost speed, 
 galloped ere daylight beyond pursuit. 
 
 The next morning the king sent for his daughter, to 
 question her. Indignation flashed from her blazing eyes 
 as she forestalled his inquiries. 
 
 " That wretch of a vizier had nearly diverted the affec- 
 tion of my husband from me. Just as I was about proving 
 him, an eunuch brought him a letter, which I sportively 
 snatched from his hands, and read aloud. It ran as fol- 
 lows : — ' Pirates attacked us with fireballs, and burnt goods 
 to the value of some thousand pieces of gold ; but we 
 mastered them, and now await their trial and condem- 
 nation. This retards our arrival.' * Let the rascals keep 
 their heads,' cried my husband, ' they deserve, indeed, to 
 lose them, but my credit must not be imperilled by so 
 paltry an affair; had I not been the son-in-law of the 
 king, it would have been ruined for ever by this ridi- 
 culous delay.' And he mounted his horse, and rode off 
 to bring on his merchandise by land." 
 
 Thus she delayed for a time — I say not that she acted 
 rightly, but was it not pardonable in a loving wife ? — the 
 pursuit of her husband. 
 
 Maaroof rode onwards until his wearied steed could no 
 longer bear him. Then he dismounted, and asked hos- 
 pitality from a husbandman. 
 
 '* I have not the means of entertaining you at hand," 
 said the peasant 3 " but I will start at once for the nearest 
 village, and purchase the best I can." 
 
350 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 In his absence the sudden guest busied himself in 
 ploughing the ground, a work his host had desisted from 
 in order to fulfil the duties of hospitality. His plough- 
 share soon stopped, its progress being arrested by some 
 unyielding obstacle. The ground was new, or rather 
 it was the site of an ancient city, and had not been 
 tilled for centuries. Maaroof urged on the oxen ; they 
 strained, but could not proceed ; he then examined the 
 cause of the stoppage of his team, and beheld a strong 
 ring of metal, which was firmly attached to a large slab of 
 marble. He raised the stone with difficulty, and was re- 
 warded by the discovery of a deep vault, wherein tall 
 vases promised him all the delights of a treasure-chamber. 
 He descended the flight of steps which led to it, and as- 
 certained to a certainty that each vase was filled to the 
 brim with gold and precious stones. His first intention 
 was to remove all these, his next to investigate still further 
 the contents of the vault. At the further end, enshrined 
 in a casket of crystal, he descried a seal-ring, the stone of 
 which was engraved with sprawling characters which re- 
 sembled the tracks of flies upon a wall. He could not 
 read the ciphers, although he was not unlearned ; so in 
 the vague hope of some mysterious power to be en- 
 gendered by their touch, he placed it on his left hand, 
 and rubbed the hieroglyphic characters with the inner part 
 of his right-hand fingers. Darkness enveloped all things, 
 and from the brooding mist there issued a voice, saying, — 
 
 " Now and ever at thy service, O lord of die talisman. 
 Wilt thou that I destroy a town, or re-build a deserted 
 city ? All things are ahke to the impassible slave of the 
 enchanted ring." 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 351 
 
 "Who art thou, then," said the fugitive, "and where- 
 fore art thou servant to this ring ?" 
 
 " Even as gold to the children of earth is the symbol of 
 past labour, so is the talisman to the children of air the 
 symbol of expended intellect. He whose exalted soul 
 mastered the spirits of the elements, left us thralls to his 
 ring, even as you mortals are thralls to the legacy of gold. 
 I am your slave. What further information can you 
 seek ?" 
 
 Courage reanimated the heart of Maaroof. He had 
 experienced many vicissitudes. He had risen from a me- 
 chanic to be son-in-law to a mighty monarch. He had 
 ruled men ; to rule genii was perchance easier. So his plans 
 were matured at their very conception, and he issued his 
 orders to the impalpable presence as though addressing 
 one of the servants of his palace. 
 
 " Raise all these treasures to the surface of the ground, 
 and bring hither a goodly company of attendants and of 
 mules, that I may transport these riches to the spot I have 
 fled from." 
 
 " To hear is to obey," was the humble rejoinder of 
 the potent spirit, and in scarcely the interval of the light- 
 ning flash and the loud bellowing thunder, the plain was 
 filled with a vast train of beasts of burden, and a still 
 larger concourse of lusty drivers and armed Memlooks. 
 The dress of all betokened the opulence of their owner, 
 and such a cortege as that of Maaroof, the merchant prince, 
 had never yet entered the gates of Sind. 
 
 The genius of the ring preceded the caravan in the guise 
 of a messenger, and his letter invited the monarch to send 
 
352 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 an escort for the protection of riches whose amount had 
 never been reckoned. This courier arrived so opportunely 
 that the vizier, who had just been asserting that the depar- 
 ture of the Egyptian was a mere evasion of justice, was 
 confounded j the Princess, who half fancied that the ac- 
 knowledged poverty of her bridegroom was but to test her 
 love, felt puzzled 3 and the cunning Ali, who believed all 
 men were alike deceivers, felt convinced that a scheme had 
 been concocted to hide the folly of deluded royalty. 
 
 When Maaroof became possessed of this vast wealth, he 
 liberally recompensed the hospitable peasant, and repaid 
 twofold all to whom he was indebted. His charming 
 bride saluted his return with rapture, exclaiming, — 
 
 " I suspect thou wert testing my affection for thee when 
 thou didst pretend to be poor." 
 
 But he replied evasively, " I have assayed thy soul, and 
 found it virgin gold ; I am rich, I own, beyond the dreams 
 of avarice." 
 
 His jewels and other valuables were deposited in the 
 King's treasury, and despite of excessive prodigality seemed 
 never to diminish ; for they were continually renewed by 
 the genius of the ring. 
 
 Now the old king would not leave well alone, but con- 
 sulted with his vizier how he might discover the source of 
 the mysterious wealth of his liberal son-in-law. 
 
 " Wineopeneth the heart of man," was the apophthegm 
 by which the minister suggested to his lord the course of 
 action he would have advised. 
 
 The people of that land were accustomed to the use of 
 wine 3 but our hero, the follower of the true Prophet, knew 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 3^3 
 
 not its very smell. So when invited to drink it by the 
 crafty colleagues who palmed it off upon him as grape- 
 sherbet, he innocently quaffed the intoxicating juice. In 
 the confiding trustfulness engendered by that subtle fluid 
 he acknowledged he was indebted to his ring for the ac- 
 quisition of his illimitable wealth, and at the request of his 
 boon-companions gratified them by a sight of the hiero- 
 glyphical characters engraved thereon. 
 
 " Permit us," said the King, ** to study these ciphers at 
 our ease, by withdrawing it from your finger." 
 
 So the confiding son-in-law would have passed it to the 
 father of his beloved ; but the vizier clutched it from him. 
 
 "Will the genius," said he, "equally obey the com- 
 mands of any who may rub this talisman ? I would fain 
 see this marvel." 
 
 "I suppose so," said Maaroof j "you can try." 
 
 The vizier rubbed the ring, and its servant obeyed the 
 summons. 
 
 " What would you ?" said he ; " shall I devastate this 
 land, or shall I quadruple its produce ? All things are alike 
 to me the impassible." 
 
 "Away with this impostor," said the unforgiving mi- 
 nister, who had never forgotten that the stranger had 
 baffled his matrimonial project, " to the most desolate spot 
 upon earth ; there let him perish from exposure and starva- 
 tion." 
 
 The words had scarcely passed his venomous lips when 
 the Egyptian found himself within sight of the City of 
 Brass. He was stretched on the barren plateau of an 
 isolated ridge, which no mortal being could descend from 
 
 2 A 
 
3^4 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 without mechanical appliances. The lofty walls of the 
 long-lost race rose grandly before him ; the well-remem- 
 bered towers gleamed brightly in the rays of the setting 
 sun. How often had he longed, ay prayed, to view again 
 the spot he had quitted so reluctantly ; his aspirations were 
 accomplished — he was there, to die of hunger within bow- 
 shot of the city. There were none to soothe his dying 
 moments J he was alone in the midst of a vast solitude. 
 
 Yet not for long. The great belt of low black clouds 
 which shut in the doomed city from the outer world, was 
 suddenly riven asunder as by lightning. A living form 
 crouched by his sidej another flash as the spirit departed, 
 and all was darkness. No sounds of insect life disturbed 
 the silence of the night ; there was not food enough in 
 that vast wilderness to sustain the life of a solitary fly. 
 
 The deep sobs of the invisible object at his feet evinced 
 that it belonged to humanity, so Maaroof inquired of his 
 fellow-victim his name and country. 
 
 " Within an hour I was lord of Sind ; now, like you, I 
 am a living corpse. My son, — for I know from my own 
 cruel sentence you are the husband of my child, — I never 
 meant to hurt you : my fatal curiosity has involved us 
 both in ruin. You had scarcely vanished, and the voice of 
 the awful being still deafened my hearing when I bethought 
 me of the ring, meaning to recall youj for you had ever 
 treated me as king and father. My vizier was playing 
 with it, eyeing me as a cat would a helpless mouse ; he 
 was timing, as it were, the speed of his winged messenger, 
 and I quailed beneath his look of sneering triumph. * Per- 
 haps you imagine,' at length he said, ' 1 shall deposit the 
 
"MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 355 
 
 talisman in your own royal hands.' 'It was intended 
 for my inspection/ I meekly remarked, for I felt I 
 was in his power, but dreamed not he could harbour 
 malice .towards me. ' I was not good enough to be son- 
 in-law to the king,' he continued ; ' henceforth / am the 
 King. You preferred that beggarly upstart to him who 
 saved you from the cares of rule. Dotard ! go and console 
 him.' And again was I conscious of the ineffable pre- 
 sence of the pitiless spirit j again did his chilling formula 
 thunder in my ears : and scarcely had my minister pro- 
 nounced upon me the doom of exile and starvation than 
 my legs seemed to fail me, and I found myself prostrate on 
 this hard and rugged soil. Accursed be the ingrate ! I raised 
 him from a slave to a noble, because of his cleverness." 
 
 " This is no time for unforgiving wrath ; unless, my 
 father, a miracle should intervene, we must die within three 
 days. Pardon me for my past deception, even as I have 
 pardoned you for my early death." 
 
 They wept together, and prayed fervently. 
 
 Next morning the active minister summoned all the 
 troops, and convened a council of the head officials. He 
 scattered gold in handfuls among the soldiers, he promised 
 promotion to the officers, he presented rich dresses and 
 costly jewels to the nobles and civic dignitaries. 
 
 " Our lord has departed from us," said he, " and I have 
 punished with death that impostor, his son-in-law. The 
 throne is vacant : I purpose to wed the Princess, and to 
 ascend it. Is there any one here present who has a better 
 claim ? If so, let him step forward and gainsay me." 
 
 Again was largesse showered among the troops, who 
 
3^6 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER* 
 
 shouted with enthusiastic joy. None ventured, therefore, 
 to oppose the usurper, who was consequently hailed as 
 Sovereign, and assumed despotic authority. His first act 
 was to apprise the daughter of the late king of his inex- 
 orable resolve to wed her that very day, or, failing her 
 assent, to pass the night with her, however repugnant to 
 her wishes. In vain did the holy priests (who at her pri- 
 vate intercession ventured to address the tyrant) repre- 
 sent that it was contrary to religion to espouse a widow 
 ere the days of her retirement had expired : the tyrant 
 only mocked them, saying, " What is religion to me ? I 
 have the power of a god j" and he showed his magic 
 ring, and warned them of its pitiless servant. So they left 
 his court in sadness, saying to one another, " We have a 
 devil to rule over us 5 our influence has departed." And 
 the report of his supernatural might was spread abroad ; 
 no man thenceforth dared to oppose him, but all loathed, 
 even the very army which was carousing at his expense, 
 the avowed sorcerer. 
 
 Now the Princess, like most women, was full of guile ; 
 she felt conscious that no escape was possible from the 
 possessor of the terrible talisman ; so she resolved to throw 
 the murderer of her father off his guard by the cordiality 
 of her compliance with his wishes. She knew not whether 
 her husband was still alive, but had resolved to perish rather 
 than be faithless to him -, her own weak hand should re- 
 quite that forced union, should avenge the wrongs of father 
 and of husband. She arrayed herself, then, in her most 
 becoming garments, and when, at night, the amorous 
 usurper entered her chamber with a shamefaced look, yet 
 
MJJROOF THE TRE J SURE-SEEKER. 3^7 
 
 with bullying words, announcing his determination to em- 
 brace her as his wife without the tedious delay of a cere- 
 mony, she relieved him from the embarrassment which he 
 really felt, by softly replying, " Wherefore not ? I have 
 waited very long for you. Shall I not love my own wise 
 countryman more than the low impostor for whose wealth 
 I was sacrificed ?" 
 
 She thus cajoled him, and he was enraptured with de- 
 light at the prospect of a willing bride 5 so after they were 
 alone, she sported and toyed with him, but when he threw 
 his arm around her, she cried with blushing cheeks, " What 
 horrible head is that I see glaring upon me from your 
 signet-ring ?" 
 
 " Probably my spirit-slave : what matters it ?" 
 
 " Nay, dearest, modesty forbids that any being should 
 witness our caresses : remove your ring for a while 3 all is 
 safe ; we are quite alone." 
 
 So he, desiring in that hour of bliss to gratify the woman 
 who had charmed him by her cheerful acquiescence to 
 his wishes, removed the ring from his finger, and put it 
 far away from either of them. Sportively wrestling with 
 him, as though she sought to inflame his passions by coyly 
 repelling his too ardent advances, she contrived to sud- 
 denly, and as it were accidentally, throw him to the 
 ground on the side furthest away from the talisman ; 
 then snatching it from the shelf on which he had laid it, 
 she summoned its ministering spirit to her aid. In vain 
 did the deluded lover seek to wrest it from her hand, 
 " Petrify him !" she had cried, ere the rolling mist had 
 assumed the outHnes of humanity or the awful formula of 
 
358 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 the impassible had been pronounced ; and the hands which 
 were tearing both signet and flesh from her fingers, were 
 arrested in their violence ; and the rage, horror, and sur- 
 prise which distorted his features were immutably fixed in 
 the living statue. She would not take his life : it would 
 have been a sorry vengeance for the contamination she had 
 endured from his wanton touch. At her bidding: both 
 
 o 
 
 father and husband were transported, in a minute, from 
 the land of desolation, and again clasped in her loving 
 arms. 
 
 On the morrow, the old King, though sadly shattered 
 by the terrible ordeal he had sustained, held his court in 
 solemn grandeur. The statue was brought from the cellar 
 into which it had been cast, and was tried as a living 
 being. It could feel, but could not move. As a con- 
 victed traitor, the sword or the bowstring would have 
 awaited the vizier ; as an avowed Infidel, he was sentenced 
 to be calcined ! His master did not long survive him : 
 that night of horrors, that day of anticipated starvation, 
 had crushed for ever his vital powers. Maaroof, as the 
 husband of his daughter, was the virtual lord of Sind. 
 
 Years rolled on -, our hero was happy both as husband 
 and as father. The cares of government proved light to 
 him ; the people were content ; the nation was at peace. 
 He had no occasion for his magic ring, and as it was cum- 
 brous and ugly, he hid it in a secret repository in his bed- 
 chamber, in a spot known only to his wife and his eldest 
 son, a precocious boy, nearly ten years old. Events were 
 few and far between ; he passed an easy life of unvarying 
 tranquillity, a perfect contrast to the chequered career of 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 359 
 
 his earlier days. An incident, at last, took place, which 
 painfully recalled to his memory the degrading history of the 
 past. He was wont to mingle familiarly with his subjects, 
 and preferred sauntering alone, to the attendance of that 
 retinue which his predecessors had judged essential to their 
 dignity. He fancied at times that a tall, foreign-looking, 
 ragged female, whose features were decorously concealed, 
 was dogging his footsteps -, perchance she might have some 
 petition to present, or alms to solicit, yet had not courage 
 to advance in the presence of others. So, after noticing 
 her behaviour for about a week, from thoughtful good- 
 nature, he gave her an opportunity of addressing him, by 
 walking a little way from the busier haunts of the city. He 
 had rightly divined her wishes. She followed him rapidly, 
 and when alone threw back her veil, and exhibited the 
 once beautiful face of that wanton shrew, whose vile tem- 
 per and loose habits had driven him from Egypt. Years, 
 misery, and debauchery had sadly altered her for the 
 worse, yet it needed not her words to convince him of her 
 identity. 
 
 " I am come," said she, in humble accents, " not to 
 demand the rank and privileges of a wife, for I have for- 
 feited all claim to them by my own misconduct ; but to 
 implore a mere existence from your bounty. Could you 
 have witnessed the degradations I have sustained, the con- 
 tumely I have borne in silence, and comprehend the an- 
 guish of my repentance for the ingratitude I had shown, 
 you would pity and forgive the erring woman who was 
 once so dear to you." She wept bitterly 3 and Maaroof, 
 who had long ceased to think of her with anger, and re- 
 
36o MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 garded his old troubles with the same complacency as the 
 traveller looks back upon the rough road by which he has 
 climbed to some desired elevation, raised her from the 
 ground upon which, in the bitterness of humiliation, she 
 had cast herself. 
 
 He saw mentally before him, not the squalid vagrant 
 with eager eyes and hollow cheeks, but the handsome 
 woman whom he, himself scorched and bleeding, had 
 borne from the burning mansion which the desperate 
 Sandalanee had set -fire to that the lovers might not sur- 
 vive him 5 he saw the fond maiden, who had nursed him 
 night and day through the raging fever caused by the 
 injuries sustained in her rescue ; he saw the weeping girl 
 who, for her elopement with him from the luxurious 
 palace of her lordly father, had been cast off for ever by 
 her indignant sire. Then the memory of the home he 
 had been forced to abandon through the insults, the vio- 
 lence, the malice, the mercenary looseness of Jemeeleh 
 flashed through his brain with equal rapidity. The con- 
 test of feelings evoked by these vivid pictures of the past 
 was but momentary: tenderness prevailed. 
 
 " You shall not starve," he said. *' I feel no anger to- 
 wards you, since Heaven has avenged me. We can never 
 more be husband and wife, but I will again provide you 
 with all those comforts you relinquished to unite your fate 
 to mine. But, tell me how you have traced me to this 
 remote region ?" 
 
 " Rumour had spread throughout the earth the mar- 
 vellous tale of the enchanted ring, and some of the rest- 
 less beings whom you guided to the treasure-city, wan- 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 361 
 
 dering hither, had recognized their former chief in the 
 wealthy lord of Sind. Relying on their veracity, I have 
 begged my way from Cairo, and, thanks to the nobility of 
 your soul, rejoice that I have so humbled myself." 
 
 A small pavilion in the grounds of the palace was given 
 up to Jemeeleh, and an income fully adequate to main- 
 tain her as a lady was allotted to her. At first she was 
 grateful and content, but evil was too engrained in her 
 nature to permit her to rest in tranquillity. Forgetful 
 that the royalty of Maaroof was deriv-ed from the Princess 
 he had espoused, she at first hated the latter for having 
 alienated (as she chose to consider it) her husband's affec- 
 tion from her, and at last began to hate her very benefactor 
 for not making her his queen. '' Had it not been for me, 
 he would have stopped in Cairo, and drudged as a poor 
 mechanic," she would murmur to herself j "yet he never 
 addresses me but with cold courtesy. Ah ! if I could 
 only discover where he has hidden the source of his 
 power, the mystic talisman, he should bitterly regret his 
 want of gratitude." 
 
 It was probable that its hidden receptacle would be re- 
 vealed to the heir of the throne j so the crafty woman 
 sought to ingratiate herself with the lad in order to wheedle 
 the secret from him. He did not like her. The innocent 
 experience an innate yet undefinable repugnance to the 
 evil-minded, whilst yet unconscious of their guilt. Never- 
 theless she succeeded, by slow degrees, in worming the 
 secret from the lad ; for what youth can resist the guile of 
 a cunning woman ? On his twelfth birthday he had re- 
 ceived a small diamond-hilted scimetar, a toy, but an 
 
 2 B 
 
362 MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 
 
 efficient weapon, from his father, and in thanking his 
 parent, said, as he glanced proudly at the slender blade, 
 " I feel some day I shall use it against your enemy." 
 
 " I have no enemies, my boy," replied the simple 
 Maaroof j *' I never yet wronged man or woman." 
 
 It was not long after that birthday, when Jemeeleh re- 
 solved to make a desperate attempt to acquire the talis- 
 man. She knew she was risking her fortunes should she 
 be detected in her crime, but felt assured that her life at 
 least would be spared by her gentle husband. So in the 
 dead of night she traversed the passages that led to the 
 King's apartment, and perceived the secret repository, 
 just as it had been described to her by the boy. Her hand 
 was in the drawer ; she felt a large and heavy ring : it 
 surely must be the right one ; yet all was dark. She would 
 make sure by the moonlight that was streaming in from 
 the casement of the room she had just passed through. 
 Yes; those were the strange ciphers which none of the 
 possessors of the ring could ever read. 
 
 "Now /am the Queen, and Maaroof's master!" she 
 cried in her triumph. It was short-lived, for ere she could 
 rub the ring with the other hand, her head was smitten 
 off by the trenchant blade of a tiny scimetar, and falling 
 to the ground roused the sleeping King from his profound 
 slumber. Sword in hand, he started from his couch, 
 shouting: for his attendants. The antechamber was filled 
 in a minute by scores of swarthy slaves, each brand isliing 
 a weapon in one hand, and holding aloft a burning taper 
 in the other. The instant blaze of light disclosed a start- 
 ling sight to the agitated monarch. In his night-clothes, 
 
MAAROOF THE TREASURE-SEEKER. 36^ 
 
 with bloody feet and scimetar, stood proudly erect his 
 youthful heir ; on the floor beside him lay the decapitated 
 trunk of the former tyrant of his home. For the moment 
 it was inexplicable. But the lad, pointing to the talisman 
 still clutched tightly in the hand of the corpse, cried ex- 
 ultingly, — 
 
 " Take it again, my father. I felt I should slay your 
 enemy, and I have slain your only one." 
 
 He had known Jemeeleh's envy of his mother ; he had 
 mistrusted her frequent inquiries about the ring, and when 
 by chance he had beheld her provvding that night on some 
 mysterious errand, he had quietly followed her, and by 
 his well-timed blow had preserved his parents from a 
 terrible future. 
 
 Thenceforth Maaroof lived in peace. 
 
 FINIS. 
 
PRINTED BY J. E. TAYLOR AND CO., 
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