The Arabian Nights Entertainments
thinking she might be of use to him. He entered her cell and clapped a
dagger to her breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of
death. He changed clothes with her, coloured his face like hers, put
on her veil and murdered her, that she might tell no tales. Then he
went towards the palace of Aladdin, and all the people thinking he was
the holy woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his
blessing. When he got to the palace there was such a noise going on
round him that the princess bade her slave look out of the window and
ask what was the matter. The slave said it was the holy woman, curing
people by her touch of their ailments, whereupon the princess, who had
long desired to see Fatima, sent for her. On coming to the princess
the magician offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity. When
he had done the princess made him sit by her, and begged him to stay
with her always. The false Fatima, who wished for nothing better,
consented, but kept his veil down for fear of discovery. The princess
showed him the hall, and asked him what he thought of it.
"It is truly beautiful," said the false Fatima. "In my mind it wants
but one thing."
"And what is that?" said the princess.
"If only a roc's egg," replied he, "were hung up from the middle of
this dome, it would be the wonder of the world."
After this the princess could think of nothing but a roc's egg, and
when Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very ill humour.
He begged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all her
pleasure in the hall was spoilt for the want of a roc's egg hanging
from the dome.
"It that is all," replied Aladdin, "you shall soon be happy."
He left her and rubbed the lamp, and when the genie appeared commanded
him to bring a roc's egg. The genie gave such a loud and terrible
shriek that the hall shook.
"Wretch!" he cried, "is it not enough that I have done everything for
you, but you must command me to bring my master and hang him up in the
midst of this dome? You and your wife and your palace deserve to be
burnt to ashes; but this request does not come from you, but from the
brother of the African magician whom you destroyed. He is now in your
palace disguised as the holy woman--whom he murdered. He it was who
put that wish into your wife's head. Take care of yourself, for he
means to kill you." So saying the genie disappeared.
Aladdin went back to the princess, saying his head ached, and
requesting that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands on
it. But when the magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his dagger,
pierced him to the heart.
"What have you done?" cried the princess. "You have killed the holy
woman!"
"Not so," replied Aladdin, "but a wicked magician," and told her of how
she had been deceived.
After this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace. He succeeded the
Sultan when he died, and reigned for many years, leaving behind him a
long line of kings.
The Adventures of Haroun-al-Raschid, Caliph of Bagdad
The Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid sat in his palace, wondering if there was
anything left in the world that could possibly give him a few hours'
amusement, when Giafar the grand-vizir, his old and tried friend,
suddenly appeared before him. Bowing low, he waited, as was his duty,
till his master spoke, but Haroun-al-Raschid merely turned his head and
looked at him, and sank back into his former weary posture.
Now Giafar had something of importance to say to the Caliph, and had no
intention of being put off by mere silence, so with another low bow in
front of the throne, he began to speak.
"Commander of the Faithful," said he, "I have taken on myself to remind
your Highness that you have undertaken secretly to observe for yourself
the manner in which justice is done and order is kept throughout the
city. This is the day you have set apart to devote to this object, and
perhaps in fulfilling this duty you may find some distraction from the
melancholy to which, as I see to my sorrow, you are a prey."
"You are right," returned the Caliph, "I had forgotten all about it.
Go and change your coat, and I will change mine."
A few moments later they both re-entered the hall, disguised as foreign
merchants, and passed through a secret door, out into the open country.
Here they turned towards the Euphrates, and crossing the river in a
small boat, walked through that part of the town which lay along the
further bank, without seeing anything to call for their interference.
Much pleased with the peace and good order of the city, the Caliph and
his vizir made their way to a bridge, which led straight back to the
palace, and had already crossed it, when they were stopped by an old
and blind man, who begged for alms.
The Caliph gave him a piece of money, and was passing on, but the blind
man seized his hand, and held him fast.
"Charitable person," he said, "whoever you may be grant me yet another
prayer. Strike me, I beg of you, one blow. I have deserved it richly,
and even a more severe penalty."
The Caliph, much surprised at this request, replied gently: "My good
man, that which you ask is impossible. Of what use would my alms be if
I treated you so ill?" And as he spoke he tried to loosen the grasp of
the blind beggar.
"My lord," answered the man, "pardon my boldness and my persistence.
Take back your money, or give me the blow which I crave. I have sworn
a solemn oath that I will receive nothing without receiving
chastisement, and if you knew all, you would feel that the punishment
is not a tenth part of what I deserve."
Moved by these words, and perhaps still more by the fact that he had
other business to attend to, the Caliph yielded, and struck him lightly
on the shoulder. Then he continued his road, followed by the blessing
of the blind man. When they were out of earshot, he said to the vizir,
"There must be something very odd to make that man act so--I should
like to find out what is the reason. Go back to him; tell him who I
am, and order him to come without fail to the palace to-morrow, after
the hour of evening prayer."
So the grand-vizir went back to the bridge; gave the blind beggar first
a piece of money and then a blow, delivered the Caliph's message, and
rejoined his master.
They passed on towards the palace, but walking through a square, they
came upon a crowd watching a young and well-dressed man who was urging
a horse at full speed round the open space, using at the same time his
spurs and whip so unmercifully that the animal was all covered with
foam and blood. The Caliph, astonished at this proceeding, inquired of
a passer-by what it all meant, but no one could tell him anything,
except that every day at the same hour the same thing took place.
Still wondering, he passed on, and for the moment had to content
himself with telling the vizir to command the horseman also to appear
before him at the same time as the blind man.
The next day, after evening prayer, the Caliph entered the hall, and
was followed by the vizir bringing with him the two men of whom we have
spoken, and a third, with whom we have nothing to do. They all bowed
themselves low before the throne and then the Caliph bade them rise,
and ask the blind man his name.
"Baba-Abdalla, your Highness," said he.
"Baba-Abdalla," returned the Caliph, "your way of asking alms yesterday
seemed to me so strange, that I almost commanded you then and there to
cease from causing such a public scandal. But I have sent for you to
inquire what was your motive in making such a curious vow. When I know
the reason I shall be able to judge whether you can be permitted to
continue to practise it, for I cannot help thinking that it sets a very
bad example to others. Tell me therefore the whole truth, and conceal
nothing."
These words troubled the heart of Baba-Abdalla, who prostrated himself
at the feet of the Caliph. Then rising, he answered: "Commander of the
Faithful, I crave your pardon humbly, for my persistence in beseeching
your Highness to do an action which appears on the face of it to be
without any meaning. No doubt, in the eyes of men, it has none; but I
look on it as a slight expiation for a fearful sin of which I have been
guilty, and if your Highness will deign to listen to my tale, you will
see that no punishment could atone for the crime."
The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla
I was born, Commander of the Faithful, in Bagdad, and was left an
orphan while I was yet a very young man, for my parents died within a
few days of each other. I had inherited from them a small fortune,
which I worked hard night and day to increase, till at last I found
myself the owner of eighty camels. These I hired out to travelling
merchants, whom I frequently accompanied on their various journeys, and
always returned with large profits.
One day I was coming back from Balsora, whither I had taken a supply of
goods, intended for India, and halted at noon in a lonely place, which
promised rich pasture for my camels. I was resting in the shade under
a tree, when a dervish, going on foot towards Balsora, sat down by my
side, and I inquired whence he had come and to what place he was going.
We soon made friends, and after we had asked each other the usual
questions, we produced the food we had with us, and satisfied our
hunger.
While we were eating, the dervish happened to mention that in a spot
only a little way off from where we were sitting, there was hidden a
treasure so great that if my eighty camels were loaded till they could
carry no more, the hiding place would seem as full as if it had never
been touched.
At this news I became almost beside myself with joy and greed, and I
flung my arms round the neck of the dervish, exclaiming: "Good
dervish, I see plainly that the riches of this world are nothing to
you, therefore of what use is the knowledge of this treasure to you?
Alone and on foot, you could carry away a mere handful. But tell me
where it is, and I will load my eighty camels with it, and give you one
of them as a token of my gratitude."
Certainly my offer does not sound very magnificent, but it was great to
me, for at his words a wave of covetousness had swept over my heart,
and I almost felt as if the seventy-nine camels that were left were
nothing in comparison.
The dervish saw quite well what was passing in my mind, but he did not
show what he thought of my proposal.
"My brother," he answered quietly, "you know as well as I do, that you
are behaving unjustly. It was open to me to keep my secret, and to
reserve the treasure for myself. But the fact that I have told you of
its existence shows that I had confidence in you, and that I hoped to
earn your gratitude for ever, by making your fortune as well as mine.
But before I reveal to you the secret of the treasure, you must swear
that, after we have loaded the camels with as much as they can carry,
you will give half to me, and let us go our own ways. I think you will
see that this is fair, for if you present me with forty camels, I on my
side will give you the means of buying a thousand more."
I could not of course deny that what the dervish said was perfectly
reasonable, but, in spite of that, the thought that the dervish would
be as rich as I was unbearable to me. Still there was no use in
discussing the matter, and I had to accept his conditions or bewail to
the end of my life the loss of immense wealth. So I collected my
camels and we set out together under the guidance of the dervish.
After walking some time, we reached what looked like a valley, but with
such a narrow entrance that my camels could only pass one by one. The
little valley, or open space, was shut up by two mountains, whose sides