The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 08

A Message to Frederick Hankey, formerly of No. 2, Rue Laffitte, Paris.
My Dear Fred,
If there be such a thing as continuation, you will see these lines in the far Spirit-land and you will find that your old friend has not forgotten you and Annie.
Richard F. Burton.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-seventh Night,
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-eighth Night,
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventy-ninth Night,
When it was the Seven Hundred and Eightieth Night,
When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighty-first Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Hasan the goldsmith ate the bit of sweetmeat given to him by the Ajami and fell fainting to the ground, the Persian rejoiced exceedingly and cried, This many a year have I sought thee and now I have found thee! Then he girt himself and pinioned Hasan's arms and binding his feet to his hands laid him in a chest, which he emptied to that end and locked it upon him. Moreover, he cleared another chest and laying therein all Hasan's valuables, together with the piece of the first gold-lump and the second ingot which he had made locked it with a padlock. Then he ran to the market and fetching a porter, took up the two chests and made off with them to a place within sight of the city, where he set them down on the sea-shore, hard by a vessel at anchor there. Now this craft had been freighted and fitted out by the Persian and her master was awaiting him; so, when the crew saw him, they came to him and bore the two chests on board. Then the Persian called out to the Rais or Captain, saying, Up and let us be off, for I have done my desire and won my wish. So the skipper sang out to the sailors, saying, Weigh anchor and set sail! And the ship put out to sea with a fair wind. So far concerning the Persian; but as regards Hasan's mother, she awaited him till supper-time but heard neither sound nor news of him; so she went to the house and finding it thrown open, entered and saw none therein and missed the two chests and their valuables; wherefore she knew that her son was lost and that doom had overtaken him; and she buffeted her face and rent her raiment crying out and wailing and saying, Alas, my son, ah! Alas, the fruit of my vitals, ah! And she recited these couplets,