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Jllustrated by
W & F. BRUNDAGE,
and
oJ. WiLus OREY.
RAPHAKL TUCK & SONS
London, Paris, and New York.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION,
THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN—Tue History oF THE GREEK KING AND
Dovupan THE PHYSICIAN.
SECOND PART OF THE FISHERMAN’S STORY.
THE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLES.
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER.
‘THE THREE APPLES.:
ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP.
SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
THE VOYAGES OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
THE HISTORY OF THE BARBER’S FIFTH BROTHER.
THE HISTORY OF BEDER AND GIANHARE.
THE HISTORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY ROBBERS.
THE ENCHANTED HORSE.
THE TALKING BIRD.
THE STORY OF HABIB, OR THE ARABIAN KNIGHT.
ay nhroduckrer
A CERTAIN queen, the wife of a Sultan of Persia, had displeased
her busband, 80 that he ordered her to be executed on a stated
sa morning. Being very clever and accom-
pliahed and possessing a gift for
relating charming stories, the queen
devised the following expedient for
saving her life.
She had a very dear sister,
named Dinazardé, with whom she
arranged secretly to come and call
her an hour before day-break on the
fated morning, and request as a
favour to hear a story from her lips
‘for the last time.
Dinazardé did so, and the queen
begged the Sultan to permit her to
indulge her sister by complying with
her request. The Sultan agreed—and
the queen commenced a long and charm-
ing story, taking care that just at day-
break it should reach a very interesting
point. The Sultan listened to the story
with great pleasure ; and when the
queen entreated that he would
spare her life for one day more,
in order that she might finish
it, he willingly granted her
request.
INTRODUCTION.
an SP agi.
Day-break on the succeeding morning found the queen again in the
midst of a fascinating history—and again the Sultan granted her a reprieve,
and so it went on till a thousand and one nights had passed, and a thousand
and one stories had been told; by which time her husband had forgotten
his displeasure and become so much attached to his beautiful and accom-
plished wife,
that he de-
termined al-
together to forego his
intention of putting her
to death; and the stories
she related are those, so dear
to the hearts of children,
entitled “The Arabian
Nights.â€
Pe >) os .
Shera
-] ‘HERE was formerly, Sire, an aged fisherman, who was so poor that
he could barely obtain food for himself and his family. He went
out early to his employment every morning, having imposed a rule upon
himself never to cast his nets above four times a day.
One morning he set out for the sea-shore before the moon had disap-
3
peared, and threw his nets. In drawing them to land he found them so
heavy that he was much pleased, anticipating a prize—but, instead of
fish, he found nothing but the carcase of an ass in the nets. When he
~had mended the places broken by the weight, he threw them a second
time, and only hauled up a great basket, filled with sand and mud. In
great affliction he threw them a third time, and behold, he only brought
up stones, shells, and filth. Despair almost deprived him of his senses,
and having prayed to God to make the sea favourable towards him, he
threw his nets again for the fourth and last time. Again he supposed,
from the weight, that he had caught a large quantity of fish, but he never-
theless found nothing but a vase of yellow copper, which seemed to be
filled with something. It was shut up and fastened with lead, on which
8 THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN.
was a seal. In order to find out if anything valuable was in it, he took
out his knife and got the top off easily, and turned the vase upside down ;
to his surprise, nothing came out, but when he set it down a thick smoke
came out of its mouth, which spread itself about like a fog. When the
smoke had all come out, it collected itself again, and to the great terror of
the fisherman took the form of a genie twice as large asa giant. Re-
gaining courage, the fisherman entreated the genie to tell him for what
reason he had been shut up in the vase.
“Tam a spirit who rebelled against the great Solomon,†answered he.
“T would not take the oath of submission required of me, and to punish
me, he enclosed me in this vase and put the impression of his seal on the
cover. He then ordered a genie to cast it into the sea, where it has
remained for three hundred years. Enraged at my
long captivity, I swore that I would kill without mercy
any one who released me, only allowing him to
choose in what manner he would die. Since thou
hast delivered me this day, fix upon what death thou
wilt die.â€
The fisherman was much afflicted on hear-
ing this, and endeavoured to move the genie
to mercy.
“No,†answered the genie; “thy death
is certain. Determine quickly how I shall kill
thee.â€
Necessity is a spur to invention, and a
“ Before I die,†he eried, ‘‘ answer me trul
2
a question I am going to put to you.â€
q ee
“Ask what thou wilt, and make haste,â€
2 im
replied the genie.
“7 wish to know whether you
Aut - were really in that vase,†said the
—-~--’ fisherman, “dare you swear that
you were ?â€
“Yes,†replied the genie, “I
swear that I most certainly was.â€
THE STORY OF THE FISHERMAN. 9
“T cannot believe you,†returned the -fisherman, “that vase would
not even contain one of your feet ; I shall not believe yee unless I see
you return into it.â€
Immediately the form of the genie began to change into smoke, and
then collecting itself again, began to enter the vase in a slow and equal
manner, until nothing pemainied: then a voice issued forth, saying, “ Dost
thou believe me now I am in the vase?†But instead of answering, the
fisherman took the leaden cover and replaced it on the vase. “Genie,â€
he cried, “it is now your turn to choose what death you will die. But,
no—I will throw you again into the sea, and I will live close beside the
spot to warn all fishermen not to throw their nets here, and fish up again
so wicked a genie.â€
The genie used every argument to move the fisherman’s pity, but, no.
‘You are too treacherous for me to put myself in your power a second
time,†said he, “you would most likely treat me as the Greek King
treated Douban the physician. Listen, and I will tell you the story.â€
| jaherma ns
ec) tory
The History of the Greek King and Douban the
Physician.
KX: CERTAIN Greek king was afflicted with a terrible malady, from
which none of his physicians could relieve him. A stranger, named
Douban, who arrived at his court, undertook to do so if the king would
submit to his directions. The king did so, and being cured, heaped
all manners of favours and rewards on the fortunate physician in order
to prove his gratitude; so much so that his councillors became jealous,
and succeeded in filling the mind of the king with suspicions against
his benefactor, and at last persuaded him that Douban was a traitor
who would assassinate him. The king, therefore, determined on his
death, and disregarding all the entreaties of the physician for his life,
ordered his immediate execution. ‘At least, Sire,†cried Douban at
last, “ permit me to return home and obtain a rare and curious book from
amongst my treasures, and if your majesty will take the trouble to open
this book at the sixth leaf, and read the third line on the left-hand page
when my head shall be struck off, it will answer every question you wish
to ask.†The king was so desirous of seeing this wonder that he sent
Douban home under a strong guard to fetch the book. When Douban
returned he brought with him a large book, which he presented to the
king. “ As soon as my head is struck off, Sire,†said he, “ order one of your
officers to place it on a vase on the cover of this book. His head was so
adroitly cut off that it fell into the vase ; then it opened its eyes, and said,
“ Will your majesty now open the book?†The king did so, and moistened
his finger in his mouth to turn over the leaves more easily. “Turn over
more leaves,†said the head. The king did so, frequently putting his finger
THE FISHERMAN’S STORY. 11
to his mouth, till the poison in which the leaves had been dipped took
effect, and he fell to the ground in convulsions.
whey Doubans head saw that the king had only a few minutes to
live, “Tyrant,†it exclaimed, “behold how
those are treated who sacrifice the innocent.â€
It had no sooner said these words than
the king expired, and the life in the
head itself wasted and went out.
“Such, Sire,†continued Schehera-
zadé, “was the end of the Greek
King and his physician. I will now
return to the fisher-
Â¥man and the genie.â€
=~ But at the same
», instant she per-
ceived it was day.
“The conclusion
of the story,†she ad-
ded, “is still more
surprising. If the
Sultan will permit me
to live another
day, I will con-
tinue its relation.â€
Schahrian, who
had listened with
much pleasure, agreed to this, arose, and having prayed, went to-
the council.
a
2
Seconel part
of the J lonyerna ie
8 soon as the fisherman had finished the history of the Greek king
‘and the physician, he applied it to the genie. “If†he said,
“the king had permitted Douban .to“live, he himself would have lived
also. This, O genie, is our case. If you had relented and granted
me my life, 1 would have left you at liberty, but this you would not
do, in spite of the obligation you were under to me. You yourself have
taught me revenge, and, therefore, [ leave you in this vase, and cast you
into the sea.†|
“T entreat you not to be so cruel,†replied the genie. “It is praise-
worthy to return good for evil; pray, then, let me out.â€
“No, no,†said the fisherman, “I will not release you.â€
“Tf you will but do so,†cried the genie, “ I will teach you how to
become rich.â€
The hope of riches overcame the determination of the fisherman.
“ Will you swear that you will faithfully observe what you have promised
if I open the vase?†said he ; “Ido not think even you would dare to
violate an oath.†.
“T swear,†replied the genie, and the fisherman immediately took
off the seal. ‘The smoke issued from it as before. ‘I intend to keep
my oath,†said the genie, when he had taken form ; “take your nets and
follow me.†He led the fisherman a great distance, till they arrived at a
pond between four small hills, and said, “Throw your nets and catch
fish†The fisherman did so, and caught four fish—one red, one white,
one blue, and one yellow. He was much surprised, and admired them
greatly. ‘‘ Carry them to the palace,†said the genie ; “the Sultan will
give you more money for them than you ever had in your life before.
But never cast your nets more than once a day. If you follow-my advice
eae
Ra-
‘the ISDERMpN AND THE (— ENIE.
SECOND PART OF THE FISHERMAN’S STORY. 13
exactly you will do well.†He then struck his foot against the earth,
which opened to receive him, and closed over him again.
The fisherman followed the advice of the genie, and went straight
with his fish to the Sultan’s palace.
The Sultan was much surprised, and admired their colour. “Take
these fish,†he said to his first vizier, ‘‘and deliver them to my cook. And
give the fisherman four hundred pieces of gold.â€
“We must now, Sire,†continued Scheherazadé, “give an account
of what passed in the Sultan’s ~ :
kitchen.â€
As soon as the cook thought
the fish were sufficiently fried on
one side, she turned them, and
wonderful to relate, the wall of
the kitchen separated, and a
beautiful young lady came out ~
of the opening, magnificently
attired after the Egyptian
manner, and holding a rod
of myrtle in her hand. |
Approaching the fire, she’.
struck one of the fish
with her rod, and said,
“Wish, fish, art
thou doing thy
duty?†The fish
answering not,
she repeated her
question, when all
four fish raised
themselves up,
and said distinct-
ly, “ Yes, yes; if
you reckon, we ~
reckon; if you &
pay your debts,
14 SECOND PART OF THE FISHERMAN’S STORY.
we pay ours; if you fly, we conquer
and are content.†As soon as they had
spoken the lady overturned the frying-
pan, and went back through the wall,
which immediately closed up again.
The cook, much alarmed, en-
deavoured to recover the fish, but find-
ing them too much burned, she began
to cry. ‘How enraged the Sultan
will be with me,†she said to herself;
“for he would not believe me if I
related what I have seen.†.
At this moment the grand vizier
entered to see if the fish were ready,
and she told him all that had taken
place. He was much astonished, and,
inventing some excuse to the Sultan,
sent directly for the fisherman,
“Bring me four more fish like
those you brought before,†he said ;
“an accident has happened to the
others.†The fisherman did not say
he could only cast his nets once a day, but pleaded the distance, and
promised to bring some more next morning.
When they arrived the vizier shut himself up with the cook alone,
and desired her to dress them before him. ‘This she did, and immediately
she turned the fish, everything happened as it had done on the preceding
day. ‘This is very surprising,†exclaimed the vizier; “we must no
longer keep it a secret from the Sultan. I will myself go and inform him
of this prodigy.†The Sultan was much ‘amazed, and being anxious
to behold the wonders for himself, sent for the fisherman, ‘“ Friend,â€
said he to him, “ Canst thou bring me four more fish of four different
colours ?â€
The fisherman promised to do so, and on their arrival the Sultan
gave him four hundred pieces of gold, as before, and had the fish taken to
his own cabinet with all things necessary to dress them. Here he shut
SECOND PART OF THE FISHERMAN’S STORY. , 15
himself up with his grand vizier, who prepared to cook them. As soon as
they were done on one side, he turned them. Instantly the cabinet wall
opened, but instead of the lady, a gigantic black appeared, otherwise, all
was the same ag on previous occasions, and having overturned the cooking
vessel, the black haughtily retired.
“It is certain these fish signify something very extraordinary,â€
said the Sultan to his vizier. “I cannot rest till I discover what it
means.â€
The fisherman was again sent for.
‘Where did’st thou catch these fish?†asked the Sultan.
“In a pond between four small hills behind yonder mountain,â€
answered the fisherman.
“Do you know it?†asked the Sultan of the vizier.
The vizier replied that he had never even heard of it, and finding
from the fisherman that it was about three hours’ journey, the Sultan and
his court immediately proceeded thither, with the
fisherman as guide.
They found it exactly as he had said, and
greatly admired the fish of four different
colours, which they could see through
the transparent waters; but every one
agreed that they had never heard of,
or seen the pond before, though many
of them had been near it.
“T am resolved to discover what
it means,†said the Sultan, and when
he had retired to his pavilion for the
night, he spoke further to his vizier.
“TI am absolutely determined to
solve the mystery of all that has
occurred. TI shall go quite alone,
do you remain here during
“my absence, and let no one
enter my pavilion. Say I am
slightly indisposed, and wish to
remain alone.â€
16 SECOND PART OF THE FISHERMAN’S STORY.
Despite all the entreaties of the vizier that he would not expose him-
self to so great a danger, the Sultan would not alter his resolution, and
as soon as all was quiet in the camp, he departed.
The Sultan ascended one of the small hills, and crossed a
plain on the further side. As day broke he saw before him a
magnificent palace of black marble, covered with steel as bright
asa mirror. Filled with joy, he went on and paused opposite
| the front, to examine it. He then advanced and knocked gently,
but no one came. He knocked louder, but with the same result.
_ The Sultan was astonished, but as the folding doors stvod
open, he entered, and called out several times, but there.
was no duswer; so he went on and found himself in a.
spacious court furnished in the richest and most splendid
style, but all was silent and deserted. After walking
= through several apartments equally grand, the Sultan
became tired, and sat. down in an open cabinet which
looked into the garden, and began to meditate on
all he had seen, lio suddenly a plaintive voice,
sh followed by heartrending cries, struck on his ear. He
hastily rose and proceeded to the spot whence they issued. This was a
great hall, in which a richly dressed young man, with a most sorrowful
countenance, was seated Gr upona throne. The Sultan saluted
him, and explained his 2 l ie ae telling him all that
had happened. The youth \ ows ce bent his head,
but did not rise. eS
“ Alas, Sir,†said he, “I musts a ae a beg you to
forgive me that Ido not rise to. ‘S receive you;â€
and casting aside his robe, showed the Sultan that
he was a man only to the waist; from thence to |
his feet he was changed into black marble. Filled
with horror, the Sultan entreated the young
man to relate to him how such an affliction
had befallen him, and he complied in the
following words.
a4
Y father, Mahmoud, was kine of this State, which is the kingdom of
the Black Isles. His capital was on the spot now occupied by
that pond of which you speak. I no sooner succeeded to his throne than I
married my cousin, and for five years we were very happy together. Then
one day I overheard a conversation between two of the queen’s women, who
supposed me to be asleep, and from what they said, I resolved to watch and
follow my wife wherever she went. Accordingly, when onc night, believ-
ing me to be asleep, she got up and left the chamber, I arose quietly, and
taking my scimitar, followed in her steps, which I could hear just before
me. She passed through the garden, into a little wood surrounded by a
thick hedge; here she was joined by a man, and from the conversation
which ensued between the two, I discovered that the queen was a malicious
enchantress. So infuriated was I by what I heard, that, as they passed me,
I drew my scimitar and struck the man on the neck; and believing I had
killed him, I retired in the darkness. The queen being my cousin, |
wished to spare her, and said nothing to her of what had taken place.
“ At the end of a year she asked my permission to build a mausoleum
for herself. I allowed her to do so, and perceiving that she often visited
this place, which she called the Palace of Tears, I one day followed her,
and discovered that she concealed within it the man whom I supposed
, B
18 THE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLE.
myself to have killed, and whom she kept alive by administering to him
mystic potions.
“Enraged that she should show so much consideration for this man,
who was a black Indian, I remonstrated with her on her return, and she,
in revenge, enchanted me, and changed me into what you gee. Not
satisfied with this, by means of her magic arts she destroyed my capital,
turning it into a pond. The four variously coloured fish in it were the
inhabitants who professed four different religions, and the four hills were
four islands. Even this is not all, for every day she comes and gives me
a hundred blows on my shoulders with a thong, drawing blood at every
stroke.†:
“Where is this infamous enchantress 2†interrupted the Sultan, eager
to avenge such injuries.
“She is probably in the Palace of Tears,†returned the king.
The Sultan then informed the young prince who he was, and quickly
formed his plan of revenge.
At daybreak next morning the Sultan made his way to the Palace of
Tears, and whilst the wicked enchantress wag
inflicting her daily cruel punishment on the
young king, he drew his sabre, and destroyed
the small remains of life in the gigantic black,
whose body he threw into a well, and then
lay-down in its place upon the bed, conceal-
ing his sabre under the covering. Presently
the queen returned, and as she bent over the
bed he pretended to wake from sleep, and
imitating the language of the black, com-
manded her to go and disenchant the king,
her husband, and replace the capital with
everything in it as it had been before.
Amazed at hearing the supposed black, whose
influence over her was unbounded, speak,
after years of silence, the queen did as he
commanded, and again returned. “I
have done all that you required of me,â€
she said, bending over him. Then the
THE HISTORY OF THE YOUNG KING OF THE BLACK ISLE. 19
Sultan rose, and seizing her suddenly by the arms, with one stroke of his
sabre smote her into two pieces. Having done this he went to seek
for the King of the Black Isles, and told him what had
occurred ; and having listened to his expressions of deep
- gratitude, took leave of him, and returned to where
he had left his camp, which was now,
to the great surprise of his court and
attendants, a large and populous
city.
The Sultan and his train
then returned to his own
dominions, laden with
presents from the grateful
young king. The fisher-
man was overwhelmed
with rewards, and he and
his family made happy
and comfortable for the
rest of their lives.
The Sultan was so
well satisfied with every-
thing Scheherazadé had
related, that he resolved
not to forego the pleasure
P of hearing other histories,
and the next night she
recounted the following
story.
—
in AA Us
J Gc
A 2) FF
\\7 HEN I was mh ea N
very young, I 2N
», perce ai
my father, perceiv- Ne 5) \4
ing that I had a >) Sean
. : 4,
very quick intel- ly Ze f*
lect, determined
to spare no pains
in my education. Z 2
. BZ eo
I studied the works yw ge a
of the best authors —==,
on religion, his- ~ ——
tory, politics, litera-
ture, languages, &c., be- Pye ‘ie fe
\
sides all exercises suitable ~~ fie
for a prince, and my _ ie ly. v9
hand-writing surpassed that of ‘~™ Ze
the first masters in the king- ~ Ge = a
dom. The Sultan of the Indies
became curious to see me, and sent an am- ;
bassador to my father to invite me to visit him. This delighted my
father, and he determined that I should return with the ambassador, and
had my baggage and attendants prepared accordingly.
LS
ail ets
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER. 21
o
When we had been a month on our journey, we met a party of fifty
robbers coming at full speed towards us. Our own force was very small,
and the robbers attacked us. I defended myself as long as I could, but
was wounded, and the ambassador and our attendants were overthrown
and slain, seeing which, I remounted my horse, which was also wounded,
and escaped. But my poor horse could not carry me far; he soon felt
dead, and I walked the rest of that day, and for some days following,
till, at the end of a month, barefooted, and in rags, with my face and
hands burnt to a tawny brown by the sun, I arrived before the walls of a
great city.
Entering the town I addressed myself to a tailor who was at work in
a shop, telling him my story without concealment. He listened to me
very attentively. “Take care,†said he, “not to tell any one else what
you have confided to me, for the Prince of this kmedom is a great enemy
of your father’s, and would be sure, if you were known, to inflict evil upon
you.†I thanked the tailor for his advice, and he, after having supplied
me with food, offered me an apartment in his house.
As soon as I had recovered from the fatigue of my journey, the tailor
questioned me as to my attainments, with a view to discover whether I
knew anything by which I could obtain a livelihood. “ With all your
learning,†he exclaimed, when he had concluded his examination, ‘you
will not be able to earn even a morsel of bread ; your attainments are use-
less in this country. If you follow my advice, you will go into the
forest and cut wood for fuel; this you can sell in
the market, and thus earn sufficient for an inde-
pendence. J will furnish you with a cord and
hatchet.†The fear of being known, and the
necessity of supporting myself, determined me, in
spite of its degradation, to adopt this plan.
Next day the tailor brought me a
hatchet and cord, and a short jacket, and
commended me to some poor people who
obtained their living in this
manner. We worked together
“in the forest, and I soon ob-
* tained as much money as |
bo
Lo
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER.
wanted. Having spent more than a year in this work, I one day,
in cutting up the root of a tree, came to an iron ring fastened to a
trap-door, which, on being lifted up, disclosed a staircase. This I
descended, and came to a magnificent and brilliantly illuminated hall, in
which was a lady of the most extraordinary beauty. I made a most
respectful reverence to her. “Are you a man or a genie?†enquired
she. ‘‘I have been here for twenty-five years, and have scen no other
man but yourself.â€
I lost no time in telling her my story, and she in return informed me
that she was the daughter of the King of the Ebony Isles, who had been
stolen and shut up in this place by a genie on the very eve of her
marriage. “Hvery ten days,†continued she, “the genie comes here. In
the meantime, if I need him, I' have but to touch a talisman in my apart-
ment, and he appears. It will be six days before he comes again; you
may, therefore, remain with:,me for five days, which I will endeavour to
make pleasant to you; but if he finds you here he will kill us both.â€
The Princess devised everything she could think of to entertain me, and
the next day, at dinner, produced a flask of the finest and most delicious
wine I had ever tasted, excited by which, in a fit of bravado, I kicked
down the talisman of the genie and broke it in pieces. A noise like
thunder was the immediate result, and the palace shook as if it would fall
to atoms. “Alas!†cried the Princess, “it is all over with you unless
you save yourself by flight.†I fled towards
the staircase, but in my fear forgot my
hatchet and cord. As I ascended I heard
the arrival of the genie, who, in a voice of
the utmost rage, enquired how the
hatchet and cord came there. “I
have never seen them,’ replied
a she, ‘till this instant.†The
Hi . genie answered her with
peo blows and reproaches, as I
2 could hear, and was distressed
beyond measure at the sound
of her cries as I proceeded
up the stairs. I then shut
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER. 23
down the trap-door, and returned to the
city with a load of wood.
My host, the tailor, expressed much joy
at my return, which, he said, he had looked
for with the greatest anxiety. I thanked
him, but did not inform him of
what had happened. I retired
to my chamber, reproaching my-
self for my imprudence. “ No-
thing,†I said to myself,
“eould have equalled our
happiness had I been satis-
fied, and not broken the
talisman.â€
While thus bemoan-
ing myself, the tailor
entered. “Astrange
old man,†he said,
“has brought in
your hatchet and
cord, which he
wishes to give into
your hands. Your woods-
man companions told him you
lived here.â€
I changed colour and
trembled, and lo, the floor sud- *
denly opened, and the old man
appeared. He was, in fact, the genie who had thus ‘
come in disguise.
“JT am a genie,†he said, “son of the daughter
of Eblis, Prince of the Genii. Is not this hatchet and this cord yours ¢â€
Without waiting for an answer, he took me up by the middle of the body,
and after carrying me upwards with terrible velocity, descended to earth
again, and caused it to open by striking it with his foot. We sank into
the ground, and I again found myself in the presence of the Princess of
24 THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER.
. ° the Ebony Isles, but, alas, she was
lying alone the ground dead, and
covered with blood.
i I fainted at the sight.
‘“ Strike,†I eried to the
genie, when I recovered
my. senses, “T am ready to
die.†But instead of kill-
_ ing me, he said—“ Observe how we
as genii treat women who have offended
us. If I thought she had done me
any further wrong, I would instantly kill you, but I shall content myself
by changing you into a dog, a lion, an ape, ora bird.†I tried my utmost
to make him change his resolution, but in vain. He seized, and carried
me to the top of a mountain, where, taking up a handful of earth and
throwing it over me, “ Quit,†he cried, “the figure of a man and assume
that of an ape.†Then he disappeared, and left me quite alone, changed
into an ape, and ignorant of where I savas.
After going through a number of adventures in this form, |
arrived at length in the dominions of a Sultan who had a very lovely
daughter, called the Queen of Beauty, who was skilled in magic, and
who as soon as she saw me, exclaimed, “This is not an ape, but the
son of a king who was enchanted by a wicked genie, son of the
daughter of Eblis, who cruelly killed the Princess of the Ebony
Isles.†:
The Sultan asked her whether she could disenchant, and restore me
to my own form, and she answered that she could do so.
The Queen of Beauty then described a large circle, in the midst of
which she placed herself, repeating some words of the Koran, and suddenly
the genie appeared in the form of an enormous lion. She cut the lion in
two, but the head took the form of a scorpion. The Princess then took
the form of a serpent, and a fierce fight began between them, during
which both changed their shapes several times. During the fight a large
pomegranate fell into the court and was broken, so that its seeds fell out.
These seeds were immediately devoured by a cock, all but one, which lay
lwo
Ot
THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER.
on the brink of the canal. As soon as the cock perceived it, he flew
towards it; but before he could swallow it, it fell into the water and
changed into a small fish. The cock followed, and became a pike, and we
lost sight of both for some time. At length horrible cries were heard in
the air, and we saw the genie and the Princess, all on fire, still fighting
with each other, come towards the land. A spark of fire flew into my
right eye, and T heard a cry of “ Victory, victory,†and then the Princess
appeared in her true form, whilst that of the genie was reduced to a heap
of ashes.
The Princess approached me, and asked for a cup of water, which she
threw over me, and I instantly regained my own fioure, and became a
man, but with the loss of an eye. Tt however goon became apparent that
the victory had been dearly bought. The Queen of Beauty had received
a mortal hurt in the struggle, which she thus explained: “ Had I, when .
in the form of a cock, not overlooked,
till too late, the pomegranate seed, in
which the genie was concealed, |
should easily have con-
quered, but I then was
obliged to have re- °
course to fire, and,
though I have killed the genie, |
must myself die.†As she said this
she died, and became also a heap of
ashes.
In his grief for his daughter,
the Queen of Beauty, the afHicted
Sultan sent for me, and told me
that he consiglered me the cause
of his misfortune, and that
I must immediately leave
his kingdom, or forfeit my
life. Miserable and dejected,
again set out on my travels,
and arrived here this evening.
26 THE HISTORY OF THE SECOND CALENDER.
At the conclusion of this story the Sultan arose, and after having
said his prayers, proceeded to the council as before, and thus the Sultana
was again reprieved.
© Re’ Ghree Apples
hep ; IRE (said Scheherazade), the story I am now about to
re relate to you is that of a ramble taken one night
by the great Caliph Haroun Alraschid, his grand vizier,
BO and hig chief eunuch Mesrour, in order that he might
see for himself how his officers of justice
, performed their duties.
S Having diseuised themselves, they set
D forth, and “presently came up with an old
Me VA fisherman carrying nets on his shoulders, and a
: basket in his hand, coming up from the Tigris.
“Will you return with us to the river,†said the
caliph, “and cast your nets again? We will
give you a hundred sequins for what you may
ag > bring out.â€
cm The fisherman agreed to this, and on arriv-
ing at the banks of the river, threw in his net and brought out a case, very
heavy and carefully closed ; whereupon the caliph immediately gave him
his hundred sequins, and discharged him, and ordering Mesrour to follow
with the case, returned to his palace. Here the case was opened, disclosing
a basket sewn up with red worsted, and inside the basket, to their horror,
was found the body of a beautiful young lady, who had been murdered.
The caliph was very angry with his vizier for not looking after the
safety of his subjects better, and threatened that if he did not discover
28 THE THREE APPLES.
the murderer within three
days he should himself be
<= hanged, with forty of his
relations.
The unfortunate vizier
was unable to discover traces of
the murderer, so on the third day
all was prepared. for his execution,
and the cord was actually round
his neck, when a young man of
handsome appearance pressed
through the crowd to the side of
the grand vizier, and demanded
to be hanged in his stead, as
he was himself the murderer of
‘the young lady. Before the vizier
could reply, a tall, old man came
forward, ‘This young man must not
suffer for me,†he said, “I alone am
guilty of this crime.â€
Both old and young men were
taken before the caliph, who, when
ue mo he had heard the story, commanded
—— j them both to be hanged. “ But,
ee _ sire,†replied the vizier, “if only one
is guilty, it would be unjust to
execute both.†At these words the
youth swore most solemnly that it was he, and he alone, who had killed
the lady, and thrown her into the Tigris. The caliph was inclined to
believe him, and commanded him to relate his reasons for having com-
mitted so detestable a crime. The young man obeyed, and began in
these words—‘‘I must first inform your Majesty that the young lady
who is murdered was my wife, and daughter to this old man, who is my
uncle. She was very young when we were married, but we were very
happy together. She was prudent and good, and we have three sons.
THE THREE APPLES. 29
About two months since she was taken ill. I treated her with great care,
and spared no pains for her cure. At the end of a month she grew better,
and wished to go to the bath. Before leaving the house, she said to me,
“Cousin (she always addressed me thus), [long to eat some apples; will
you try and get me some? I[ have had this desire for a long time, and it
has now increased so much that I shall not get well unless it be
oratified.’
“* Most willingly will I try, said 1, and instantly set off in search of
some apples, but I could not obtain one, though I offered to pay a sequin
for it. Much vexed at my ill-success, I returned home, and my wife was
so chagrined that she could not sleep.
“Next morning I tried again, and a gardener whom I met told me
that there were none in Bagdad, nor anywhere nearer than your majesty’s
gardens at Balsora. Wishing to gratify my wife, whom I loved passion-
ately, I set out for Balsora, and in a fortnight returned with three apples,
for which I had given a sequin apiece. These I presented to my wife, but
her longing for them was over; she received them indifferently, and
only placed them by her side; she still continued ill, and I knew not
what to do for her.
§ “A few days afterwards, being -in a shop, I
saw a tall black slave enter with an apple
.. in hig hand, which I knew to be one of
“those which I had brought from Balsora,
because there were none to be had
nearer. ‘My good slave,’ said IJ,
‘pray tell me where you got that
apple.†‘A lady whom I visited
gave it to me,’ answered he.
‘She is unwell, and there were
three apples by her side.
She told me her husband had
been a fifteen days’ journey
to get them for her. We
breakfasted together, and when
I came away, she gave me this.’
30 THE THREE APPLES.
“Enraged at this intelligence, I ran
home to my wife. Looking for the
apples, I saw but two, and asked her
what. had become of the third. She an-
swered coldly, ‘I don’t know, cousin, what
has become of it. This answer convinced
me that the slave had spoken the truth,
4» and transported by rage, I drew a knife
and killed her. I then concealed her body
in a basket, which I afterwards enclosed
in a chest, aud at night carried it to
the Tigris and threw it in. :
“When I returned, my two youngest children were in bed and
asleep, but the third was sitting on the door step crying bitterly.
On my enquiring the reason, he said, ‘ Father, this morning I took
away from my mother one of the apples that you gave her, and
carried it out to play with in the street; while I was playing, a
great black slave snatched it from me and ran away with it. I ran
after, and told him it was my mother’s, who was ill, and that you had
been a long journey to get it; but all was of no use, he would not give
it me back, and he beat me, and since then I have been waiting here for
your return.’
“Tmagine my affliction when I knew thus, what a crime I had
committed in having so hastily given credit to the story of the
slave. My uncle arrived at that moment to see his daughter, and
had to learn from my lips that she was no more. I told him the
whole truth, and instead of reproaching me, he wept with me, recognis-
ing my grief for having deprived myself of one who was so dear
to us both.â€
The caliph was greatly astonished at this story, but being a just
king, saw that the young man was more to be pitied than blamed, and
took his part. ‘‘The wicked slave,†he said, “is the sole cause of the
murder, and he it is who ought to suffer. Therefore,’ continued he,
addressing the vizier, “I give you three days to find him, and if you
do not, your own life shall be the forfeit.â€
THE THREE APPLES. 31
The unhappy vizier was overwhelmed with despair, “It is impos-
sible,’ he said, “amongst the infinite number of slaves in Bagdad to
discover one.†He there- : afi. fore spent the three days
in affliction with his Ui family. On the third an
officer came to fetch him, and his youngest
daughter, of whom he Hat was very fond, was brought to
take leave of him. yiq. When he kissed her he per-
ceived that she had & Ne something large in her
bosom which had a | VL! strong smell. “ What
have you there, my | child?†he said. “An
apple, father,†she re- plied, ‘on which
is written the caliph’s name. Rihan,
our slave, sold it to me for two sequins.â€
In surprise and joy the vizier ordered
the slave to be called. “Rascal,†ex-
claimed he, “ where didst thou get
this apple?†“The other day,†replied
the slave, “I saw some children playing
in the street. One had an apple in his
hand, and I snatched it » from him; he ran
after me and entreated , me to give it back,
telling me how his father had been a long
journey togeb = «~~ it for his
mother who _ . ithe vir ta sco aee. 11s
but I would >*xw eA not listen
to him, and EEA brought — the
apple home |. = ae and sold it to
your little ~~ daughter for
two sequins.â€
The vizier immediately took the slave with him and went to the
palace of the caliph, and relating to him the extraordinary story of the
apple, begged for the remission of the punishment of the slave.
‘After much discussion, the caliph graciously granted this, and to
console the young man for the loss of his wife, married him to one of his
own slaves, and continued to bestow gifts and favours on him as long as
he lived.
32 THE THREE APPLES.
“Of all the stories which you have heard, Sire,†said Scheherazade,
“none is so extraordinary as that which I will now, with your permission,
relate. It is entitled, ‘ Aladdin, or the Wonderful Lamp.’â€
co
t kinedoms of China lived a
i i the capital of one of the
| poor tailor, named Mustafa, who
4 | + had a wife and one son.
\ This son, whose name was
_ Aladdin, had been so neglected
—. that he became idle, mis-
chievous, and disobedient. He
was always from home, and
would not mind a word his
father and mother said to him. When he was old enough his father
wished to teach him his own trade, but Aladdin refused to learn, and in
spite of all the chastisement Mustafa bestowed upon him, persisted in
living the life of an idle vagabond, which conduct go afflicted his father as
to bring on a fatal illness, and thereby quickly put an end to his existence.
Seeing that her son would be of no use to her, Aladdin’s mother sold her
shop, and all it contained, and upon the procecds of these, and the little she
earned by spinning, she and her son subsisted. Aladdin pursued his idle
©
34 ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP.
course of life, and was one day playing with his companions in the street,
when a stranger stopped to Jook at him.
This stranger was a learned African magician, who, believing from the
countenance of Aladdin that he would suit a purpose he had in view, made
himself acquainted with his family, and introducing himself to Aladdin as
his uncle, hinted a desire to put him in the way of a better mode of life,
promising to give him a handsome suit, and introduce him to some
merchants, if his nephew would accompany him. Aladdin gladly agreed,
and his mother joyfully consented to his departure with his uncle, who
behaved most affectionately to him.
As they journeyed along, they came to a beautiful garden unknown
to Aladdin, and his uncle proposed that they should sit down and rest,and
refresh themselves with the food he had brought with him. When they
had finished their repast, they pursued their way till they came to a
valley. .
“We shall now,†said the magician, “go no further. I am about to
unfold to you the most extraordinary wonders.†He then spoke some
mysterious words, and a dense smoke arose, the ground shook, and disclosed
a square stone with a brass ring fixed into it. The magician ordered Aladdin
to lift up the stone, which easily yielded to his strength, and revealed a
hole, at the bottom of which appeared a door.
“You must now,†said his uncle, “do exactly as_ tell you. Go into
this cavern, through an open door which you will find at the bottom, then —
through other doors (taking the greatest care to touch nothing as you go),
till, in a niche in the wall, you see a lighted lamp. Extinguish this lamp
and bring it tome. On your way back you may, if you please, gather
some fruit from the garden you will pass through.†As he spoke he placed
a ring on Aladdin’s finger, who immediately descended
and found all as his uncle had said, he then put the
oe lamp into his robe, and piled as much
‘<= | fruit as he could carry over it. As soon
—~e~ as he arrived at the entrance to the cave,
— the magician commanded Aladdin to give
ae" him the lamp, but as it was covered over
oe with fruit the boy steadily refused to do
7 ae - * ‘3 3
so, till his pretended uncle, in a violent
, a
\ lerut†Lame
\\S Wonders 28
SD
a
a
— >
2
Oo
eas
=)
RP
ss
ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP. : 35
rage, spoke some magic words over the =
stone, which instantly returned to its
place, and enclosed. Aladdin in the i
cavern.
When the magician found his hopes |
of possessing the lamp foiled in this |
manner (for, in truth, the quest for this |
same lamp had been the object of his
journey), he set out on his return to
Africa, leaving his supposed nephew in
the cavern, from which, he knew, all his andl
arts were powerless to release him. The
garden and halls, which had been raised
by enchantment, now disappeared, and for two
days Aladdin regarded himself as buried alive, =
without hope of relief. But on the third day, throwing up his r
hands in despair, he accidentally rubbed the ring which was still on
his finger. Instantly a gigantic genie appeared before him, and
said,
“What do you wish? I am ready to obey him who is the wearer of
that ring.â€
But for the peril of his situation Aladdin would have been alarmed,
as 1b was, he answered,
“Whoever you are, take me out of this place,†and he had scarcely
spoken the words before he found himself alone, and outside the cavern, on
the spot to which his uncle had brought him; and in fear of the magician,
set out, without loss of time, on his journey home. His mother, who had
given him up for dead, was overjoyed tu see him, though her disappoint-
ment was great when she found he had come back as poor as he went
away. When he had recounted to her all that had taken place, she
assured him that she was quite satisfied the wicked magician was no uncle
of his, but that he had deceived them for his own purposes. She then
bewailed herself that she had no food in the house, and Aladdin bethought
him of the lamp, which, he said, if rubbed up they might be able to sell.
His mother took it from him, and began to rub it. Instantly a hideous
genie appeared before her.
36 ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP.
“What do you wish?†he said, “I am
ready to obey you, who have the lamp in
your hands.â€
The poor woman, greatly alarmed, fell down fainting,
but Aladdin, seizing the lamp, cried,
BH FEY “Tam hungry, bring me food.â€
~ Sere A silver basin, filled with the choicest food, immediately
A bofres appeared on the table, and the youth insisted on his
mother seating herself, and eating with him. She was
extremely } astonished, and her son explained to her that this was not
the same genie who had appeared to him in the cavern, but one
evidently belonging to the lamp. She wished him to get rid of so
dangerous a possession, but Aladdin refused to do so, and made use of
it in order to obtain not only their daily food, but all kinds of riches—
gold, and silver, and precious stones. He had only to ask, and the slave
of the lamp procured him his desire.
Thus things went on till Aladdin happened to see the Princess
Badroulboudour, the daughter of the Sultan, with whom he fell desperately
in love, and resolved to make his wife. This was, however, a matter in
which the genius of the lamp was powerless to help him ; but by means of
it, the youth became the possessor of so much wealth, that he was enabled
to offer magnificent presents to the Sultan. He built the most splendid
palace ever seen, and wore dresses more costly than those of the Sultan
himself; so that, seeing how rich and powerful he became, the Sultan was
in course of time induced to listen, and give his consent to the marriage.
Some years passed away, and nothing could exceed the happiness and
prosperity of Aladdin, and his beautiful wife. Aladdin became as unre-
proachable in his life and conduct, as he had in his youthful days been the
reverse, and was so just, liberal, and courteous, that he won the affection
of every one who knew him.
Tt then happened that the African magician returned again, and had
no sooner set foot in China than the fame of Aladdin, en he believed
to be dead, reached him. ‘Miserable son of a tailor,†he exclaimed in a
furious rage, “he has then escaped and discovered the secret of the lamp
which I failed to obtain for myself. But I will destroy him, or perish in
the attempt.†Summoning his diabolical arts to his aid, he soon formed
38 ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP.
his plans. The first thing
was to discover the place in
which the lamp was kept, or
~ whether Aladdin, who was at
that time absent from home,
carried it about with him.
Accordingly, he diseuised
‘himself as a lamp-seller and
carrying a basket of beautiful
new lamps on his arm, walked
Yee, vound and round the palace,
calling out, “Who will change
old lamps for new?†The
Princess and her slaves hearing
him, could not help laughing at
his.folly.
( “There is an old lamp lying
iS wpon the cornice,†said one of the
. slaves, “If the Prinsess will permit
I will see if this fellow is as great
a fool as he pretends.†Now this was the
very lamp which had caused Aladdin’s
success and happiness. He had himself placed it there before he went
hunting, when not engaged in the chase he always kept it about him.
The magician at once recognised it, and eagerly exchanged the old
lamp for a new one, heedless of the laughter of the slaves, and instantly
disappeared with it down an unfrequented street. The first use he made
of it was to command that Aladdin’s palace, with everything in it, should
be transported to the wilds of Africa, which was at once effected,
Meanwhile the Sultan, looking from his window, missed the palace
of Aladdin. In his rage he conceived the idea that his son-in-law was an
impostor, who had stolen away the Princess, and sent out his officers to
arrest him, and on his arrival, knowing nothing of what had happened,
ordered his immediate execution. The populace, however, being much
attached to Aladdin, made such a commotion that the Sultan was obliged
to reconsider his determination; but he declared that if Aladdin did
ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP. 39
not discover and restore his daughter, his life would eventually be the
forfeit. The unhappy Aladdin did not know in what direction to com-
mence his search. He therefore wandered towards the country, and heed-
less with despair, slipped, and would have fallen. In recovering himself
he accidentally rubbed the ring on his finger, and the genie he had seen
once before, stood before him, enquiring his wishes.
“Place me,†he cried, “under the windows of the Princess Badroul-
boudour.†He had barely said this before he found himself on the spot, and
was recognised by the Princess on her coming to the window at sunrise.
They embraced with tears of joy, but Aladdin’s first words were to
entreat his wife to tell him what had become of the lamp which he had
placed on the cornice. She then related to him a
all that had happened, and informed him that ae;
the country they were now in was Africa. — ge
“Ah! you have unmasked to me the | oer
traitor,†exclaimed Aladdin. “The African a
magician !—he is the most infamous of men. +,¢6*°
But tell me, I beseech you, what he has done
with the lamp.†ve
“He carries it carefully wrapped up, in
his bosom,†rejoined the Princess. ‘“‘ He comes
here frequently, and persecutes me with his
attentions.†oe
“With your help, my dear wife,†said
Aladdin, “I will endeavour to rid us both ot
wretch.â€
And hearing that the magician had signified his intention of visiting
the Princess that very day, he hastened to a chemist’s in the town, and
purchased a certain powder, which he instructed his wife to mix in the wine
she was to present to their enemy on his arrival. She did as Aladdin
bade her, and the next moment the African magician fell lifeless on the
sofa. Aladdin quickly repossessed himself of the lamp, and commanded the
genius to transport the palace and all in it back to the same spot in China,
whence it was brought.
This was done in a minute’s time, and the Sultan could scarcely
believe his eyes when, on looking from his window at sunrise, he beheld
the palace in its accustomed place, and all about it as usual. In his joy
40 : ALADDIN AND HIS WONDERFUL LAMP.
at the recovery of his daughter, the Sultan forgot all about his anger
against Aladdin ; and when she had recounted to him all that had taken
place, freely reinstated him in the favour he had formerly enjoyed, and
when some years afterwards the old king died, at an advanced age
(as he had no son), the Princess succeeded to the throne,
and transferred the supreme power to her © husband.
They reigned together for many years, and left a a numerous
and illustrious family to succeed
them.
‘The Sultan, having expressed his satisfaction with this story, was
informed by Scheherazadé that she had another quite as surprising to
relate to him, and commenced as follows,
es the reign of the same Caliph mentioned in the last story, there dwelt
in Bagdad a poor porter named Hindbad. One hot summer day he
was carrying a heavy load through the city, and, being much fatigued,
when he came into a wide, cool street, sprinkled with rose-water, he set
down his load, and lingered awhile to rest. The sweet scents, and sounds.
of music, which issued from the windows of the house against which he
leant, refreshed him, and when a magnificently dressed servant came to
the door, Hindbad enquired who was the master of the house.
“What!†replied the servant, “are you an inhabitant of Bagdad, and
do not know the residence of Sindbad the Sailor?†The porter, who
had heard of the immense riches of this same Sindbad, could not help com-
paring the enviable lot of the prosperous man with his own deplorable
one,
“ What is the difference,†he exclaimed in a loud voice, “ between
Sindbad and myself, that I and my family must daily suffer a thousand ills,
whilst he enjoys every pleasure?â€
Now it happened that the master of the house, passing a window, on
_the way to the banqueting room with his ouests, heard what Hindbad
42 SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
said, and sent a servant
to bring him in. The
-. porter followed the ser-
vant in fear and tremb-
ling, and was led into a
large hall where a num-
ber of people were seated
round a table covered
with all manner of dain-
ties, Sindbad himself de-
sired him to approach,
and, seating him at his
right hand, helped him
to the choicest dishes,
and gave him some wine
2 to drink.
Pees When the guests had
finished eating, Sindbad, addressing the porter by the title of Brother, as
if in familiar converse, enquired his name and profession.
“Sir,†he replied, “I am called Hindbad, the porter.â€
_ “Tam happy to see you,†said Sindbad. “I must confess I heard what
you said just now in the street, and I am sorry for your situation. Do
not suppose, however, that the riches and comforts I enjoy have been ob-
tained without trouble or hardships. I have endured the greatest mental
and bodily suffering you can conceive. Yes, gentlemen,†he continued,
addressing himself to the whole company, “I assure you it is so. Perhaps
you have heard only confused accounts of the several voyages I have
made ; and as an opportunity now offers, I will relate to you some of my
extraordinary adventures.â€
As it was chiefly on the porter’s account that Sindbad was about to tell
his story, he ordered the burden which Hindbad had left in the street to
be brought in, and placed in safety, and then commenced in these
words—
The Voyages of Sindbad the Sailor. | i
“ Having dissipated my inheritance when quite a young man, and find-
ing myself in danger of poverty, I gathered together the small remains of
my patrimony, joined some merchants, and embarked with them im a
vessel bound for the East Indies, which had’ been equipped at our united
expense, and set off to engage in trading. Landing one day on a beautiful
island with some companions, after a plentiful meal, I fell asleep under
some trees. When I awoke, to my surprise and alarm, I found myself
alone, and the vessel almost out of sight on the horizon.
“T threw myself down and groaned and cried aloud, reproaching
myself for my folly in coming to sea. Presently, having somewhat
recovered my serenity, I noticed a great white ball on the sands, which,
when I got near enough to touch it, I found to be soft; it was quite fifty
paces in circumference, and I judged from what I had heard sailors say
on the subject, that it must be the egg of a roc. I was not mistaken, for
shortly afterwards the huge bird itself appeared, and alighted on the egg
as if to sit upon it. Without hesitation [ took of my turban and tied
myself to one of the feet of the roc, hoping that it would bear me away
from this desert island to some other place, and my project succeeded, for
at daybreak the bird arose, and bore me so rapidly through the air that 1
nearly lost my senses. The instant it alighted, | disengaged myself from
its foot, when it darted on an immense serpent and flew away with it. I
44 THE VOYAGES OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
now found myself in a valley surrounded by mountains of stupendous
height. This valley, I remarked, was strewn with diamonds of great size.
I secured a large number of the finest, and then set myself to consider
how I could escape from the valley. Presently I observed large pieces
of fresh meat fallmg down the mountain side close to me, and a number
of eagles hovering above; then I knew I was in the far famed Valley
of. Diamonds. Being inaccessible to human feet, the merchants obtain
the precious stones by throwing down lumps of fresh meat; the diamonds
adhere to these, and they are invariably seized by eagles and carried to
the rocks above. The merchants then by various noises frighten the
eagles away from their prey, until they have secured the diamonds which
stick to it. I therefore took a large piece of meat and
secured it tightly to my waist by my girdle, and was
speedily seized by one of the strongest eagles, and car-
ried to the mountain top. Here the
merchants released me, and were
amazed at the recital of my his-
tory. Bestowing on them a
portion of my treasure, I agreed
to travel with them towards
Roha, the nearest port, from
whence I returned to Bagdad,
when the first thing I did was
to distribute a great part of my
wealth amongst the poor.â€
(Here Sindbad ceased and
presented Hindbad with a
hundred sequins, and
invited him, as_ be-
: =-.. fore, to come and
eee ~ hear the history of
Hay another voyage.)
Wee
Anh
gy
eee 5
ere ST (hy
THE VOYAGES OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR. 45
“The pleasures I enjoyed ashore,†com-
menced Sindbad, “soon made me forget
the pains and perils of the sea, and
_ I could not long resist my inclination
to travel. This time, however, I
bought a ship for my-
self, and received on
board several foreign
merchants and their
goods. At the very
first island we touched
we again came across
the egg of a roc, which
we roasted and _ eat,
and the parent birds in
revenge dropped huge
stones down on our ship and sunk it. By means of great exertion,
the wind being in my favour, I alone was able to swim to land, and
after I had a little recovered, I found myself on a beautiful island.
Huge trees covered with ripe fruit hung over clear streams of water,
and having satisfied my hunger and thirst, I lay down to sleep till
morning. » °!
“When I awoke and had walked a little way, I perceived an
old man seated by a rivulet. He appeared feeble and broken down,
and supposing him to be also. shipwrecked, I approached and spoke
to him. Instead of replying, he made signs for me to carry him
across the brook on my shoulders. This I willingly did, taking
him on my back; and when we reached the other side, stooped,
and desired him to alight. Instead of doing this he twisted his
lees, which were hairy like a cow’s, tightly round my neck, and
squeezed my throat so violently that I fainted; but notwithstanding,
the old man kept his place, and for days and nights compelled me,
with kicks and blows, to bear him about at his will, and pluck fruit
for him. At length I conceived the idea of squeezing the juice of
grapes into a gourd and making him intoxicated with it. This
scheme succeeded ; as the fumes of the wine mounted to his head, his
46 THE VOYAGES OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR.
legs loosened their hold, and I was WY
able to shake him off. I then killed aa
him with a large stone.
“T goon afterwards met A
some people, who told me I had . ' ee
fallen in with the ‘Old Man of SsSSgss Ze
the Sea,’ and that I was the first i
person he had not strangled. :
They directed me to the FT
port of a large city. As a
we proceeded “thither, we came gh
to a forest of cocoa-nut trees ; Zi
they were full of monkeys, a EE
whom we threw stones and Gg gG
sticks, till they were suffi-
ciently irritated to throw down
nuts at us in return. By this
means we obtained several
sacks full of nuts. On
reaching the port I em-
barked in a vessel pro-
ceeding to the pearl fisheries, in which I \ ‘
successfully engaged. And after having collected a \,
large number of pearls, again set sail for Balsora, and
returned to Bagdad.â€
Having thus concluded his recitals, Sindbad ad- \ al
dressed himself to the porter. . se
‘“You perceive, my friend, that I have suffered as much as you have.
Is it not just that after all these perils I should enjoy a tranquil and
pleasant life ?â€
Hindbad confessed that it was so, and not only that, but that so
good and generous a man was worthy of all the riches he possessed.
Sindbad gave him another hundred sequins, and begged him to quit
the profession “of a porter, and to continue to eat at his table, for that he
should all his life have reason to remember Sindbad the Sailor.
The next story I will relate to you, Sire, added the Sultana, is that
of “ The Barber’s Fifth Brother.â€
5 Lage
Z, j Huma ee
Framed ?
[he fjarbers Fifth rather.
TRE BARBE —
Bes, PROT
HAVE the honour to inform you,†said the Barber, “that the name
of my fifth brother was Alnaschar. He spent an idle and impro-
vident youth. Our father died at an advanced age, leaving each of us
seven brothers a hundred drachms of silver, and, after much considera-
tion, my brother Alnaschar expended his in setting up a small shop,
which he furnished with a basket full of bottles, glasses, and other objects
of a similar nature. He then seated himself in his shop, and waited for
customers to buy. Whilst he sat he began to meditate, speaking to him-
self sufficiently loud for a neighbouring tailor to overhear. ‘This basket
of glass,’ said he, ‘cost one hundred drachms, which was all I had; by
selling its contents I shall make two hundred, which, reinvested, will
bring in four hundred, so that by continuing this traffic I shall in time
possess four thousand drachms. As soon as I have amassed ten thou-
sand, I can leave off selling glass ware and turn jeweller, and when, by
this means, I possess as much wealth as I require, I will buy a beautiful
house, slaves, and horses; nor will I be satisfied till I have realised one
hundred thousand drachms ; then I shall consider myself equal to a prince,
and demand the daughter of the grand vizier in marriage, and if he
refuse I will go and bring her home in spite of him. When we are
matried, I shall dress like a prince, and ride a magnificent horse, capari-
soned with gold stuffs, and I will treat my wife with the utmost disdain ;
she shall not leave the apartment without my permission ; I will sit in the
seat of honour, and will not speak to her, and, however splendidly she
may array her beauty, in the hope of pleasing me, I will take no notice,
and shall pretend not to see her. She will throw herself at my feet, and
conjure me to accept a glass of wine from her hand; I shall persist in my
conduct, then she will press the wine close to my mouth, and assure me
she will not cease from entreating till she obtains the favour of my drink-
48 THE BARBER’S FIFTH BROTHER.
ing it. At last I will give her a good blow on her cheek, and push her
from me so violently with my foot that she shall fall to the ground.’
“ Absorbed in these visions, my brother unfortunately at this moment
kicked his basket of earthenware, so that it flew across the shop into the
street and was broken to pieces. His neighbour, the tailor, burst into a
fit of laughter, but Alnaschar beat his breast and sobbed so violently at
the destruction of all his hopes, that a lady of consequence, who was
passing by, mounted on a richly caparisoned mule, paused to enquire the
reason of his distress, and when she heard it, she put a purse, containing
five hundred pieces of gold, into his hand. Alnaschar was overjoyed at
the sight of it, and, bestowing a thousand blessings on the lady, shut up
his shop and went home.
“While he sat reflecting on his good
fortune, an old woman knocked at the door.
‘My son,’ she said, when
he opened it, ‘ suffer me,
I entreat you, to enter,
and give me a basin of
water.’
««Willinely,’ replied
Alnaschar; and whilst
the old woman washed
and said her prayers,
heplaced his moneyin
a long purse attached
to his girdle. When
she had finished, see-
ing she was poorly
dressed, he offered her
two gold pieces, but
she refused it, saying
_ she belonged to
a rich and beau-
ve: tifal young lady
wholet her want
for nothing.
THE BARBERS FIFTH BROTHER, 49
.
“‘Alnaschar asked her if she could procure him the
honour of seeing this lady. ‘Certainly, replied the old
woman; ‘you might even marry her,
and possess her fortune. Will you follow
me 2’
“He followed her through the city
to the door of a great house, where she
knocked. It was opened by a female
Greek slave, and the old woman ushered
him into a large and handsomely furnished
hall, whilst she went to inform her
mistress of his arrival. In a few -
minutes a beautiful and richly dressed i
young lady appeared. He arose, but. |
she requestedhimtoresume his place,
and seated herself at his side, and ex-
pressed much pleasure at his visit. -
“Give me your hand,’ said ~:
she, ‘and I will lead you to my
own. apartments.’ .
“ «Soon after they had gained the lady’s rooms she left him, saying
she would return in a few moments; but she was no sooner gone than
a tall black slave entered with a scimitar in his hand.
““* What business have you here ¢’ he cried, and immediately stripped
him, took away his gold, and wounded him in several places. He fell
down for dead, and the young Greek slave and the black proceeded to
rub salt into his wounds, but in spite of the pain, he still pretended to be
dead. The old woman then dragged him by the legs to a trap door,
which she opened, and threw him into a subterraneous place. Believing
him to be dead, she did not bolt the trap-door, and Alnaschar managed to
open it, and get out as soon as it was night. He then hid himself till the
old woman opened the street door in the morning and went out, when he
followed her into the street and fled to my house.
“ At the end of a month he was cured of his wounds, and resolved to
avenge himself on the old woman. He accordingly disguised himself as
a woman, and tied a large purse to his girdle, filled with bits of glass.
D
50 THE BARBER’S FIFTH BROTHER.
Before long he met: the old hag, and in a feigned
voice addressed her.
“Can you do me the favour to introduce
me to a money changer, my good woman? I
am a Persian but just arrived in this city,
and wish to have five hundred pieces of gold
weighed.’
be «You could not have addressed a fitter
Wy person for your purpose, answered the old
woman, ‘my son is a money changer; follow
me, and I will take you to him.’ She led him
to the hall as before, and begged him to wait,
Pie and she would send her son to him. The black
= slave then appearing, said, ‘My good woman,
i if you will follow me, I will do what you desire.’
Alnaschar got up, and as he walked behind the @&@
black, gave him such a blow with the scimitar i
which he had concealed in his robe, that he cut
his head off. The Greek slave then appeared,
and was served in the same manner, and the old
woman, who ran in to see what was the matter,
was also beheaded. The lady alone remained, .2*
and my brother went in search of her. When =
she saw him she nearly fainted, and begged of
him to spare her life) When he reproached
her for leading such an infamous life, she
informed him that she had been stolen away
from her husband, a rich merchant, by the
old woman, and had been forcibly __-— -
detained in this house by the
black for three years.
“He must have amassed great
riches in this wicked manner,’
said Alnaschar. ,
“* He has,’ replied the lady. &é
‘[ will show it you.’ She then
Q
THE BARBER’S FIFTH BROTHER. 51
took him to a room in which were many coffers full of gold, and begged
him to go and bring people to carry it away.
“ My brother went, and when he returned with ten men, behold! the
lady and the coffers had all vanished. That he might not return with
empty hands, he took with him, when he left the house, enough furniture
to repay him the value of his five hundred pieces of gold; but the neigh-
bours, it seemed, observed him do this, and went and informed the judge,
who sent and had Alnaschar brought before him.
This was, it turned out, an unjust and merciless magistrate, who
would not listen to, or believe my brother’s story, but sent to his house
and took away all that he had, and commanded him instantly to leave the
city, on forfeiture of his life. My brother obeyed, and on the road met
some robbers, who stripped him bare, in which unhappy condition I found
him, and brought him home with me, and took every care of him, as [ do
of my other brothers.â€
Scheherazadé, always contriving to interest the Sultan by the relation
of her different stories, immediately commenced a new one, and addressed
Schahrian as follows.
Nistory of BEDER
fr nee of TEISIO
pg KDER, Prince of Persia, was the son of one of
the most mighty of the kings of that kingdom,
and of a most beautiful lady who had been sold
to the king as a slave by some merchants who
visited his court. The king fell in love with
this slave and married her, and she then told
him that she was the Princess Gulnaré of the
ay ocean. Her father, now dead, had been one
Za of the most powerful of the kings of the sea,
and her brother, Selah, now reigned in his
stead. This brother, she continued, had desired to marry her to a
powerful prince, whom she detested. She therefore ran away to the
Island of the Moon, where she was discovered, and
taken away by the merchants, who had brought her to
the Persian court. The King of Persia was overjoyed
when he heard this, and promised that he would present
his wife to his subjects next day as the Queen of Persia.
She then told him that she was desirous of seeing her
-mother and brother and other relatives again, and begged ‘jj,
to be allowed to summon them. ‘To this he agreed
instantly, and the queen begged him to retire to a
closet, the window of which, like her own, looked on
the sea. Being alone she took some aloe wood from a
box and put it in the perfuming pot. As soon as the
smoke arose she pronounced some words, and imme-
diately the sea opened, and a majestic lady, a young
man, and three beautiful young ladies arose from it, and
hounded through the window into the room.
Will 4 frames PS AML YE.
/ / a
oo -
{ re O 5 : 2 CE) Bul : ie
x oe u inal e on Ne her ~f\elahi VES:
HISTORY OF BEDER PRINCE OF PERSIA. 53
After having tenderly embraced this party, Queen Gulnaré intro-
duced them to her husband as her mother, her brother, King Selah, and her
sisters. The king expressed great pleasure at seeing them. And shortly
afterwards, during their visit to his court, a lovely little son was born to
Queen Gulnaré, whom they called Beder (the full moon), who grew up to
be the most beautiful, amiable, and accomplished prince ever seen. His
parents adored him ; and when he was about fifteen years old, the king,
feeline himself becoming aged and infirm, desired to resign the kingdom
to his son. His council and subjects agreeing to his wishes, a day was
fixed for the ceremony. The old king descended —
from his throne, and taking the crown from his own
head. placed it on that of the prince, whom he
assisted to mount the throne, and then kissed
his hand. The chief officers followed his example,
and took the oath of allegi-
ance towards the new
king, after which he
proceeded to the
apartment of his
mother, who wished
him every happi-
ness.
In about two
years the old
king died, and
Queen Gulnaré,
wishing again to
see her brother,
King Selah, and
introduce her son
to him, sum-
moned him to
pay her a visit.
The king ex-
pressed himself
highly _ satisfied
with his nephew,
54 HISTORY OF BEDER PRINCE OF PERSIA.
and was never tired of praising his beauty and amiability to his
mother.
“ Sister,†he one day exclaimed, “I am only astonished that so perfect
a prince should be unmarried. Permit me to mention to you Princess
Giavharé, daughter of the King of Samandal, as worthy of him.â€
He then proceeded to draw such a picture of the charms of this
princess, that King Beder, who had overheard the conversation, became
violently in love with her, and eagerly besought his uncle to lose no time
in introducing him to her.
King Selah yielded to the King of Persia’s vehemence, and placing a
ring on his nephew’s finger, proceeded to the sea, into which they imme-
diately plunged. They soon arrived at the palace of King Selah, who only
stayed long enough to choose a rich casket, full of pearls, emeralds, and
rubies, and then proceeded to the kingdom of the King of Samandal.
King Selah hastened to prostrate himself before his brother king, and pre-
senting the casket, laid before him his
proposals; and entreated of him to
bestow the hand of the Princess
Giauharé on his nephew, Beder, King
of Persia. At this proposal the
Kine of Samandal. burst into
ves a violent fit of laughter, and
rejected the idea with the ut-
most contempt. .
King Selah was highly offended
at this insolence, and
quickly returned to
~—-—his own palace; and
~ young King Beder was
excessively afflicted
when the ill success of his uncle’s
mission was made known to him.
He determined to return
_ home, and darted to the
_ surface of the sea, but not
HISTORY OF BEDER PRINCE OF PERSIA. 55
to an island, where, in a dejected Segeeee
frame of mind, he seated himself ai
at the foot of a tree. Whilst he thus sat he
suddenly beheld, looking through the foliage, a
lady of most exquisite beauty, and, arising, made
her a profound
bow.
“Madam,â€
gaid he, “I be-
seech you to
accept my ser-
vices, if you are |
in need of as-
sistance.â€
fe T° “ahome. e
answered she, “‘ the
Princess Giauhare, daughter of ==“97p
the King of Samandal; this morning |
I heard that King Selah had arrived,
and demanded my hand of my, father,
for his nephew, the King of Persia, and I Hed thither to hide myself.â€
« Adorable Princess,†answered Beder, “I am myself that unworthy
Prince. I have long loved you, and I entreat you to make me happy,
and accept my love.â€
The Princess extended her hand to him in token of friendship, but
when he bent forward in order to kiss it respectfully, she snatched it
away,— Wretch!†she exclaimed, spitting in his face, “quit the human
form, and take the shape of a white bird with red beak and feet.â€
When the transformation was effected, she took the bird and con-
veyed it to a distant island.. A day or two afterwards it was caught by
a peasant, who, pleased at possessing so beautiful a bird, decided to take
it as a present to the King of the island. The King expressed great
admiration for the bird, and ordered his officers to give it any kind of food
it liked best. Dinner was at this moment served, and the Queen, entering,
instantly drew her veil over her face,—* Sire,†she exclaimed, “this is
not, as you suppose, a bird, but a man; it is, in fact, Beder, King of
iy Yip i)
ASS
en
\\
‘
y
HISTORY OF BEDER PRINCE OF PERSIA.
Sr
oO
Persia, whom you see in this form, which he was compelled to taketby
the daughter of the King of Samandal; but as I am myself skilled in
magic, I will, with your permission, restore him to his royal self.†She
then took some water in her hand, and, throwing it upon the bird, pro-
nounced some mysterious words, and King Beder instantly stood before
them in all his manly beauty.
Having expressed his gratitude to the Queen, King Beder hastened
to request of the King the use of a ship to take him back to Persia.
This was readily granted, but, to add to
the misfortunes of the young King, the
vessel was wrecked in a tempest, and he
and a remnant of the crew were cast ashore
on an island, called the City of Enchant-
ment, where, shortly afterwards, the Queen ®
of the island saw, and fell in love with
him. Being already in love with the
Princess Giauharé, King Beder could not
return the affection of the Queen, who
was a noted sorceress, and, enraged at
his repulse, she changed him into an
owl.
Meanwhile King Selah had, with
his army, conquered Samandal, and taken
the King prisoner, and hearing, by some
means, of the misfortunes of his nephew,
begged her to join him, that they might set
out together to deliver him. Accordingly
they set out with such a powerful army for
the City of Enchantment, that all its in-
hahitants were destroyed in the twinkling
of an eye. The Queen herself rushed to
the cage in which the owl was confined,
and, tenderly caressing it, once again trans-
formed her beloved son into his natural
figure.
HISTORY OF BEDER PRINCE OF PERSIA. 57
King Beder professed himself still so deeply
in love with the Princess Giauharé that he could
not exist without her. Officers were, therefore,
sent in search of her, and she was found on
the island where the young king had first met
her.
Overcome by his constancy, and. re-
penting of her ill-treatment
of him, she now consented
to be his wife; and the
—- SS © XE marriage having been cele-
———— “eSET ~~ ated with great splendour,
the King and Queen of
Persia departed for their own capital, whilst King Selah retumed to his
dominions under the sea.
The Sultana Scheherazadé would here have commenced another
story, but the Sultan, perceiving that day was breaking, deferred hearing
it till the next morning, when she began the following history.
LBB)
OR, THE
for Fiyevos
N the confines of a certain town of Persia lived two brothers, named
Cassim, and Ali Baba. On the death of their father they divided
the small fortune he left between them. Cassim, however, greatly
improved his circumstances by marrying an heiress, whilst Ali Baba’s
wife was as poor as himself, so that he was obliged to support his family
by cutting wood, and carrying it about to sell on three asses, which were
his only capital.
One day, being in the forest, Ali Baba saw a large number of men
riding towards him, and fearful of their being robbers, he
hastened to climb a large tree, the leaves of which grew so
close and thick that they quite concealed
him ; this tree grew at the foot of a rock,
. Which .was higher -than itself, but so steep
that it could not easily be climbed. As it
happened, these men were really
a party of robbers—forty in all,
and the rock seemed to be their
rendezvous, for they dismounted
and fed their horses—relieving
them at the same time of bags,
which appeared to be very.
heavy.
The Captain then ap-
' proaching the rock, struck it
slightly, and pronouncing the
a
Frameed B rund age
?
mt
oH Yorviana entertaining the ( Hal).
2)
ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES. 59
opened. The
opening be-
Sesamé,†the
Wi ¢
words, “Open Sesamé,†immediately a small door
Captain then made his men file through the
fore him, each carrying his bag, and saying, “Shut
door shut behind them. Presently they came
forth again—opening and shutting the door with
the same words—and mount-
ing their horses, rode away
in the direction
whence they
had come.
When he was
quite sure they
were all gone,
Ali Baba de-
scended from
the tree, con-
eratulating £&
himself that
the robbers -
had not noticed his asses, which he
had left in the wood close by; and, —
curious to examine the cave, he approached the door and repeated
the words he had heard the robbers speak, when it immediately opened
to him. To his astonishment he found himself in a spacious cave, and
piled up all round it were quantities of valuables, and large leather bags
full of gold and silver. Hastily securing as much gold as he could lift,
he loaded his asses with it, underneath the bundles of wood, and closing
the cave carefully, returned home and poured out his riches before the
dazzled eyes of his wife, whilst e related to her his adventure, desiring
her at the same time. not to betray his secret. In her joy she heedlessly
discovered the possession of gold to the wife of Cassim, who informed
her husband. This excited Cassim’s envy, and proceeding to Ali Baba’s
house, he, by threats and commands, extracted from him the secret of the
cavern. '
Cassim then lost no time in setting off in search of the spot, which
he easily found, and caused the door to open by repeating the words
We
ZLELLS
ov evant abl nb mrecrne nent
60 ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES.
Ali Baba had disclosed to him. When inside the cave, however, in his joy
and amazement at beholding so much gold, he. forgot the magic words,
and found his retreat cut off; so that when the robbers returned they
instantly discovered him, and drawing their sabres, killed him on the
spot. As a warning to any one else who might approach, they then cut
his body into four quarters, and fastened them on either side of the door.
Finding her husband did not: return home, the wife of Cassim went
to Ali Baba, and enquired for him, and guessing what had happened to
his brother, he mounted one of his asses and rode to the cave. Here he
found with horror the body of Cassim, which he took down, and conveyed
home on the ass ; but rightly concluding that it would be missed by the
robbers, as well as the gold he had himself taken, and that they would
endeavour to discover the latter, he desired his sister-in-law to make
believe that her husband had died a natural death in his own house.
They therefore concealed the body, and when it became dark, sent Mor-
giana, a crafty and cunning slave of Cassim’s, to bring a cobbler blindfold
to the house, in order that he might sew together the four quarters before
announcing his death. A piece of gold was given to the cobbler, who was
commanded on no account to reveal what had passed,
but he unwittingly did so, and one of the robbers, who
was in the city, in disguise, making enquiries,
heard of it, and bribed the cobbler with two ¢
pieces of gold to allow himself to be again blind-
folded, and act as guide to Cassim’s house, for only
by this means, he declared, could he again find
it. The robber marked the house with a piece of
chalk, and lost no time in setting out to inform
the captain of his discovery; the captain then
assembled his gang, and disclosed to them a
plan for the recovery of the missing treasure,
and revenge on those who had carried it
away. To begin with, he commanded his —aet!
comrades to buy nineteen mules, and thirty-
eight. large leather jars, to carry oil, one of
which should be full and all the others empty.
In the course of a few days this was done.
ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES. 61
Two of the robbers had, in the meantime died, and
the captain ordered the remaining thirty-seven, each
to get into an empty jar, which he smeared with oil
from the full one, and placed upon the mules.
These he led to the house of Cassim,
where Ali Baba (having buried his brother,
as if he had died a natural death)
now resided, and, representing himself
as an oil merchant, requested, as a
great favour, shelter for himself for
the night.
“You are welcome,†said Ali
Baba; and he ordered the jars of oil
to be put in the shelter of the stable,
whilst he himself entertained the sup-
posed merchant at supper.
Before retiring for the night the
robber-captain made an excuse to
visit the stable. He then went softly
from one jar to another, whispering to his men that when he dropped
some pebbles from the window of his room they were to come out, and
he would join them and lead them to the attack.
As it happened, before retiring to rest, Morgiana required some oil
for her lamp, and found there was none in the house.
“You can easily go and take some from one of the jars in the stable,â€
said Abdalla, her fellow slave.
Thanking him for the hint, she took her oil can and went into the
court. As she approached the first jar, the thief who was within, said, in
a low voice, “Is it time?†Morgiana was at first filled with alarm, but,
quickly recovering her courage, desired to know more of the mystery,
and whispered, “Not yet, but presently!†and, approaching each jar
successively, gave the same answer to the question which proceeded from
each one, till she came to the last, which was full of oil.
Feeling now assured of the truth, and that the whole gang, merchant
and all, were robbers, with some evil purpose in view, she instantly pro-
ceeded to the kitchen, and, procuring a large kettle, softly returned to
62 ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES.
the last jar, and filled it with oil. She then made a great fire, and, as
soon as the oil was boiling hot, carried it to the stable and poured suffi-
cient into each jar to deprive the robber of life.
She had scarcely concealed herself before the captain gave his signal
and appeared. Surprised at the silence of his men, he advanced and
struck each jar, supposing them to be asleep, but the smell of boiling oil
soon led him to discover the truth; when, distracted and mortified at
having not only missed his aim of destroying Ali Baba and recovering his
money, but lost all his comrades, he jumped over the wall and made his
escape.
When Morgiana found that the captain did not return, and that all
' was silent, she retired to bed, and at daybreak, went to Ali Baba and
informed him of all that had taken piace, concluding with the escape of
the supposed merchant. .
Ali Baba was penetrated with profound gratitude towards Morgiana,
to whom he gave her liberty and ample reward. “I and all my family
owe our lives to you,†he said; “for [ am convinced it was the intention
of the robbers to destroy us all. You shall therefore marry my son, who
will be proud to unite him-
self with the preserver of his
family.â€
Morgiana would not,
however, be content whilst
the captain of the robber
band was alive, and de-
termined that sooner or
later he should share the
fate of his comrades; and
as it happened he himself
assisted her in compassing
this end. Finding himself
sole possessor of the heaped
up wealth of the cavern, he de-
termined to marry, in order that
he might have an heir to his
riches, but first he resolved on
ay
the
ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES. 63
death of Ali Baba who alone was in possession of his secret.
He therefore, in an entirely new disguise, set up
merchant, exactly opposite that of the son of Ali
agreeable and sociable young
man, whose acquaintance he
lost no time in making, and
often invited to his own table.
The son of Ali Baba
wished to pay the supposed
merchant (who had
adopted the name of
Cogia Houssain), some
attention in return,
and, therefore, as he
still lived at home,
requested his father to
invite his friend to an
entertainment. Ali
Baba readily agreed to
do so, and the merchant
as readily consented to go,
for this was exactly what he
desired ; he, however, begged
to inform his hosts that he could not eat of any dish containing salt.
Morgiana cooked a supper in her best style to do honour to the friend of
her master’s son, but when she served itupshe was horrified to recognise under
the disguise of the merchant Cogia Houssain, the well-remembered features
of the robber captain ; at the same time she caught the gleam of a dagger
concealed under his robe, and guessing his purpose, she resolved to frustrate
ita second time, and at the same time destroy the enemy of her master’s house.
She accordingly dressed herself as a dancing girl, and fastening
a sharp dagger to a silver girdle at her waist, summoned her fellow
slave, Abdalla, to play the tabor, and presenting herself requested permis-
sion to amuse her master’s guest by dancing.
Ali Baba consenting, Morgiana danced with the most extraordinary
grace and agility, waving the dagger about in her hands meanwhile,
till she had thoroughly gained the attention of Cogia Houssain, and then
a shop as a
Babi, a most
64 ALI BABA, OR THE FORTY THIEVES.
contriving to bring herself very close to him in dancing, she suddenly
leaned forward and plunged the dagger into his heart.
Ali Baba and his-son uttered loud cries of horror. “ Wretch,â€
exclaimed Ali Baba, “thou hast ruined me for ever!â€
“Nay,†replied Morgiana. “Behold the cruel enemy of your house !â€
and opening the robe of the dead merchant she displayed the dagger.
“Do you not,†she continued, “ recognise beneath his disguise the features
of the robber captain, and do you not remember his refusal to cat salt
with you; this alone aroused my suspicions, which you are now convinced
were not unfounded.â€
Ali Baba and his son at once understood that Morgiana had again
preserved their lives by her sagacity and readiness, and she then, satisfied
that their enemy was dead, consented to their wishes, and allowed her
marriage to be celebrated without further objection.
For a long time Ali Baba refrained from visiting the cave; but, at
the end of a year, he ventured to journey towards it, and, finding no
trace of anyone having been near it, he went up to the door and repeated
the words, “Open; Sesamé!†It opened to him as before, and, from the
condition of the cave, he was convinced that no one had entered it for a
long period of time. He concluded that the robbers were really exter-
minated, and that he himself was the only person who knew the secret,
and that therefore the immense treasure it contained was his own.
From that time, Ali Baba and his son, whom he took to the cave and
taught the secret of entry, and their posterity after them, enjoyed their
riches with wisdom and moderation, and were honoured with dignified
positions in the city.
When she had concluded this history the Sultana informed Schahrian
that she had one for the morrow which would amuse him just as much as
Ali Baba had done.
Pages
65 - End
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