Arabian Nights

by abc

  he disappeared before Noureddin had time to thank him.

  As soon, then, as the fair Persian had put on her veil they

  fled together, and had the good fortune to get out of the town

  without being observed. At the mouth of the Euphrates they

  found a ship just about to start for Bagdad. They embarked,

  and immediately the anchor was raised and they set sail.

  When the captain of the guard reached Noureddin's house he caused his

  soldiers to burst open the door and to enter by force, but no trace was

  to be found of Noureddin and his slave, nor could the neighbours give

  any information about them. When the king heard that they had escaped,

  he issued a proclamation that a reward of 1,000 gold pieces would be

  given to whoever would bring him Noureddin and the slave, but that,

  on the contrary, whoever hid them would be severely punished.

  Meanwhile Noureddin and the fair Persian had safely reached Bagdad.

  When the vessel had come to an anchor they paid five gold pieces for

  their passage and went ashore. Never having been in Bagdad before,

  they did not know where to seek a lodging. Wandering along the banks

  of the Tigris, they skirted a garden enclosed by a high wall.

  The gate was shut, but in front of it was an open vestibule with a sofa

  on either side. "Here," said Noureddin, "let us pass the night,"

  and reclining on the sofas they soon fell asleep.

  Now this garden belonged to the Caliph. In the middle of it was

  a vast pavilion, whose superb saloon had eighty windows, each window

  having a lustre, lit solely when the Caliph spent the evening there.

  Only the door-keeper lived there, an old soldier named Scheih Ibrahim,

  who had strict orders to be very careful whom he admitted,

  and never to allow any one to sit on the sofas by the door.

  It happened that evening that he had gone out on an errand.

  When he came back and saw two persons asleep on the sofas he was

  about to drive them out with blows, but drawing nearer he perceived

  that they were a handsome young man and beautiful young woman,

  and decided to awake them by gentler means. Noureddin, on being awoke,

  told the old man that they were strangers, and merely wished to pass

  the night there. "Come with me," said Scheih Ibrahim, "I will lodge

  you better, and will show you a magnificent garden belonging to me."

  So saying the doorkeeper led the way into the Caliph's garden,

  the beauties of which filled them with wonder and amazement.

  Noureddin took out two gold pieces, and giving them to Scheih Ibrahim

  said

  "I beg you to get us something to eat that we may make merry together."

  Being very avaricious, Scheih Ibrahim determined to spend only

  the tenth part of the money and to keep the rest to himself.

  While he was gone Noureddin and the Persian wandered through the

  gardens and went up the white marble staircase of the pavilion as far

  as the locked door of the saloon. On the return of Scheih Ibrahim

  they begged him to open it, and to allow them to enter and admire

  the magnificence within. Consenting, he brought not only the key,

  but a light, and immediately unlocked the door. Noureddin and the

  Persian entering, were dazzled with the magnificence they beheld.

  The paintings and furniture were of astonishing beauty, and between

  each window was a silver arm holding a candle.

  Scheih Ibrahim spread the table in front of a sofa, and all

  three ate together. When they had finished eating Noureddin

  asked the old man to bring them a bottle of wine.

  "Heaven forbid," said Scheih Ibrahim, "that I should come in contact

  with wine! I who have four times made the pilgrimage to Mecca,

  and have renounced wine for ever."

  "You would, however, do us a great service in procuring

  us some," said Noureddin. "You need not touch it yourself.

  Take the ass which is tied to the gate, lead it to the nearest

  wine-shop, and ask some passer-by to order two jars of wine;

  have them put in the ass's panniers, and drive him before you.

  Here are two pieces of gold for the expenses."

  At sight of the gold, Scheih Ibrahim set off at once to execute

  the commission. On his return, Noureddin said: "We have still need

  of cups to drink from, and of fruit, if you can procure us some."

  Scheih Ibrahim disappeared again, and soon returned with a table spread

  with cups of gold and silver, and every sort of beautiful fruit.

  Then he withdrew, in spite of repeated invitations to remain.

  Noureddin and the beautiful Persian, finding the wine excellent,

  drank of it freely, and while drinking they sang. Both had fine

  voices, and Scheih Ibrahim listened to them with great pleasure--

  first from a distance, then he drew nearer, and finally put his

  head in at the door. Noureddin, seeing him, called to him to come

  in and keep them company. At first the old man declined, but was

  persuaded to enter the room, to sit down on the edge of the sofa

  nearest the door, and at last to draw closer and to seat himself

  by the beautiful Persian, who urged him so persistently to drink

  her health that at length he yielded, and took the cup she offered.

  Now the old man only made a pretence of renouncing wine;

  he frequented wine-shops like other people, and had taken none

  of the precautions Noureddin had proposed. Having once yielded,

  he was easily persuaded to take a second cup, and a third,

  and so on till he no longer knew what he was doing. Till near

  midnight they continued drinking, laughing, and singing together.

  About that time the Persian, perceiving that the room was lit

  by only one miserable tallow candle, asked Scheih Ibrahim to light

  some of the beautiful candles in the silver arms.

  "Light them yourself," answered the old man; "you are younger than I,

  but let five or six be enough."

  She did not stop, however, till she had lit all the eighty, but Scheih

  Ibrahim was not conscious of this, and when, soon after that,

  Noureddin proposed to have some of the lustres lit, he answered:

  "You are more capable of lighting them than I, but not more than three."

  Noureddin, far from contenting himself with three, lit all,

  and opened all the eighty windows.

  The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, chancing at that moment to open

  a window in the saloon of his palace looking on the garden,

  was surprised to see the pavilion brilliantly illuminated.

  Calling the grand-vizir, Giafar, he said to him:

  "Negligent vizir, look at the pavilion, and tell me why it is lit

  up when I am not there."

  When the vizir saw that it was as the Caliph said, he trembled

  with fear, and immediately invented an excuse.

  "Commander of the Faithful," he said, "I must tell you that four

  or five days ago Scheih Ibrahim told me that he wished to have

  an assembly of the ministers of his mosque, and asked permission

  to hold it in the pavilion. I granted his request, but forgot

  since to mention it to your Majesty."

  "Giafar," replied the Caliph, "you have committed three faults--

  first, in giving the permission; second, in not mentioning it

  to me; an
d third, in not investigating the matter more closely.

  For punishment I condemn you to spend the rest of the night with me

  in company of these worthy people. While I dress myself as a citizen,

  go and disguise yourself, and then come with me."

  When they reached the garden gate they found it open, to the great

  indignation of the Caliph. The door of the pavilion being also open,

  he went softly upstairs, and looked in at the half-closed door

  of the saloon. Great was his surprise to see Scheih Ibrahim,

  whose sobriety he had never doubted, drinking and singing with a young

  man and a beautiful lady. The Caliph, before giving way to his anger,

  determined to watch and see who the people were and what they did.

  Presently Scheih Ibrahim asked the beautiful Persian if anything

  were wanting to complete her enjoyment of the evening.

  "If only," she said, "I had an instrument upon which I might play."

  Scheih Ibrahim immediately took a lute from a cup-board and gave

  it to the Persian, who began to play on it, singing the while

  with such skill and taste that the Caliph was enchanted.

  When she ceased he went softly downstairs and said to the vizir:

  "Never have I heard a finer voice, nor the lute better played.

  I am determined to go in and make her play to me."

  "Commander of the Faithful," said the vizir, "if Scheih Ibrahim

  recognises you he will die of fright."

  "I should be sorry for that," answered the Caliph, "and I am going

  to take steps to prevent it. Wait here till I return."

  Now the Caliph had caused a bend in the river to form a lake in

  his garden. There the finest fish in the Tigris were to be found,

  but fishing was strictly forbidden. It happened that night,

  however, that a fisherman had taken advantage of the gate being

  open to go in and cast his nets. He was just about to draw them

  when he saw the Caliph approaching. Recognising him at once in spite

  of his disguise, he threw himself at his feet imploring forgiveness.

  "Fear nothing," said the Caliph, "only rise up and draw thy nets."

  The fisherman did as he was told, and produced five or six fine fish,

  of which the Caliph took the two largest. Then he desired the

  fisherman to change clothes with him, and in a few minutes the Caliph

  was transformed into a fisherman, even to the shoes and the turban.

  Taking the two fish in his hand, he returned to the vizir, who,

  not recognising him, would have sent him about his business.

  Leaving the vizir at the foot of the stairs, the Caliph went up

  and knocked at the door of the saloon. Noureddin opened it,

  and the Caliph, standing on the threshold, said:

  "Scheih Ibrahim, I am the fisher Kerim. Seeing that you are feasting

  with your friends, I bring you these fish."

  Noureddin and the Persian said that when the fishes were properly

  cooked and dressed they would gladly eat of them. The Caliph then

  returned to the vizir, and they set to work in Scheih Ibrahim's

  house to cook the fish, of which they made so tempting a dish

  that Noureddin and the fair Persian ate of it with great relish.

  When they had finished Noureddin took thirty gold pieces (all

  that remained of what Sangiar had given him) and presented them to

  the Caliph, who, thanking him, asked as a further favour if the lady

  would play him one piece on the lute. The Persian gladly consented,

  and sang and played so as to delight the Caliph.

  Noureddin, in the habit of giving to others whatever they admired,

  said, "Fisherman, as she pleases you so much, take her; she is yours."

  The fair Persian, astounded that he should wish to part from her,

  took her lute, and with tears in her eyes sang her reproaches to

  its music.

  The Caliph (still in the character of fisherman) said to him,

  "Sir, I perceive that this fair lady is your slave. Oblige me,

  I beg you, by relating your history."

  Noureddin willingly granted this request, and recounted everything

  from the purchase of the slave down to the present moment.

  "And where do you go now?" asked the Caliph.

  "Wherever the hand of Allah leads me," said Noureddin.

  "Then, if you will listen to me," said the Caliph, "you will

  immediately return to Balsora. I will give you a letter to the king,

  which will ensure you a good reception from him."

  "It is an unheard-of thing," said Noureddin, "that a fisherman

  should be in correspondence with a king."

  "Let not that astonish you," answered the Caliph; "we studied together,

  and have always remained the best of friends, though fortune,

  while making him a king, left me a humble fisherman."

  The Caliph then took a sheet of paper, and wrote the following letter,

  at the top of which he put in very small characters this formula

  to show that he must be implicitly obeyed:--"In the name of the Most

  Merciful God.

  "Letter of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid to the King of Balsora.

  "Haroun-al-Raschid, son of Mahdi, sends this letter to Mohammed Zinebi,

  his cousin. As soon as Noureddin, son of the Vizir Khacan,

  bearer of this letter, has given it to thee, and thou hast read it,

  take off thy royal mantle, put it on his shoulders, and seat him

  in thy place without fail. Farewell."

  The Caliph then gave this letter to Noureddin, who immediately

  set off, with only what little money he possessed when Sangiar

  came to his assistance. The beautiful Persian, inconsolable at

  his departure, sank on a sofa bathed in tears.

  When Noureddin had left the room, Scheih Ibrahim, who had hitherto

  kept silence, said: "Kerim, for two miserable fish thou hast

  received a purse and a slave. I tell thee I will take the slave,

  and as to the purse, if it contains silver thou mayst keep one piece,

  if gold then I will take all and give thee what copper pieces I

  have in my purse."

  Now here it must be related that when the Caliph went upstairs

  with the plate of fish he ordered the vizir to hasten to the palace

  and bring back four slaves bearing a change of raiment, who should

  wait outside the pavilion till the Caliph should clap his hands.

  Still personating the fisherman, the Caliph answered:

  "Scheih Ibrahim, whatever is in the purse I will share equally

  with you, but as to the slave I will keep her for myself.

  If you do not agree to these conditions you shall have nothing."

  The old man, furious at this insolence as he considered it,

  took a cup and threw it at the Caliph, who easily avoided a missile

  from the hand of a drunken man. It hit against the wall, and broke

  into a thousand pieces. Scheih Ibrahim, still more enraged,

  then went ont to fetch a stick. The Caliph at that moment clapped

  his hands, and the vizir and the four slaves entering took off

  the fisherman's dress and put on him that which they had brought.

  When Scheih Ibrahim returned, a thick stick in his hand, the Caliph

  was seated on his throne, and nothing remained of the fisherman

  but his clothes in the middle of the room. Throwing himself on the

  ground at the Caliph's feet, he said: "Commander of the Faithful,

  your miserable s
lave has offended you, and craves forgiveness."

  The Caliph came down from his throne, and said: "Rise, I forgive thee."

  Then turning to the Persian he said: "Fair lady, now you know who

  I am; learn also that I have sent Noureddin to Balsora to be king,

  and as soon as all necessary preparations are made I will send

  you there to be queen. Meanwhile I will give you an apartment

  in my palace, where you will be treated with all honour."

  At this the beautiful Persian took courage, and the Caliph was as

  good as his word, recommending her to the care of his wife Zobeida.

  Noureddin made all haste on his journey to Balsora, and on his

  arrival there went straight to the palace of the king, of whom he

  demanded an audience. It was immediately granted, and holding

  the letter high above his head he forced his way through the crowd.

  While the king read the letter he changed colour. He would instantly

  have executed the Caliph's order, but first he showed the letter

  to Saouy, whose interests were equally at stake with his own.

  Pretending that he wished to read it a second time, Saouy turned

  aside as if to seek a better light; unperceived by anyone he tore

  off the formula from the top of the letter, put it to his mouth,

  and swallowed it. Then, turning to the king, he said:

  "Your majesty has no need to obey this letter. The writing is indeed

  that of the Caliph, but the formula is absent. Besides, he has not

  sent an express with the patent, without which the letter is useless.

  Leave all to me, and I will take the consequences."

  The king not only listened to the persuasions of Saouy, but gave

  Noureddin into his hands. Such a severe bastinado was first