The Seven Hundred and Sixty-fifth Night,
Dunyazad said to her, "Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Wali rode to the Palace, he and the chief Watchman, seeking the Sultan, and they ceased not riding until they entered the presence and saluted the Sovran, praying for the endurance of his glory and the continuance of his life-tide. He returned their salute and asked concerning the affair of his Judge and they answered him, "O King of the Age, verily we have wandered about Misr and the entirety thereof, without finding any and now there remaineth for our search naught save the quarters occupied by the Kazi al-'Askar. So we design to examine it that if aught be found therein we may be set free, and if not that thou work upon us thine own intent." Hereupon the Sultan sent to summon the Judge; and, when he made act of presence, commanded him suffer the Wali and the Mukaddam to search his quarters and he replied, "Hearing and obeying." The whole forty then fared from the Palace and reaching the Judge's mansion rummaged it until they came upon the ruined stead described by the damsel; so thither they went and seeing a slab newly laid, pulled it up and found beneath it a white girl full-dressed and ornamented.[431] The Watchman fared forth and summoned all the ward-folk who considered narrowly the corpse of the murthered damsel, and they all cried with a single voice, "Indeed this be the girl which was drunken with wine and which was carried into the Kazi's quarters." And they bore official testimony to such effect what while the Judge, who was standing in that stead looking and listening, said to himself, "How can such case have occurred to us without cause?" And when this business was finished, the Wali turned to the Kazi and said "O Shaykh of Islam,[432] we left this damsel in thy charge and to thine honour until morning-tide, deeming that haply she might be the daughter of a grandee house and yet hast thou cut her throat and hidden her within thy premises." But the Judge could return to him no reply nor attempt any address, for he feared lest the King should hear thereof; so he inclined to the Master of Police and got ready for him an hundred purses and twenty for the Mukaddam that they might keep silence and not report such matter of scandal to the Sultan. Accordingly they accepted that amount of money from him and the Kazi went forth from him and took horse and informed the Sultan that he had found his debtor and had recovered his due; but he spoke not these words save for fear of the Chief of Police and the Head of the Watchmen lest they inform the King that they had found the murthered damsel within his demesne. Then the Mukaddam repaired to the house where the She-thief had bespoken him and standing at the door knocked thereat when those inside asked, "Who mayest thou be?" and he answered, "I am seeking Fatimah!" "Who is Fatimah?" cried they, "we have here nor Fatimah nor Halímah."[433] Thereupon quoth the Mukaddam, "Indeed this Fornicatress, this Adulteress hath wrought upon us and hath escaped us; but, seeing that we also have won free by virtue of the wile she pointed out to us, we will leave her to time and doubtless during the length of days we twain shall forgather again." On this wise endeth the story (quoth Shahrazad); but I will now relate a very different adventure and 'tis the
TALE OF MOHSIN AND MUSA.[434]
It fortuned once upon a time that two men went forth from the same place, one foregoing the other, and they forgathered by the way. Now each had a bag full of flour and a flask[435] containing somewhat of water; and when they made acquaintance on the road the first of them said to his companion, "O my brother, what may be thy name?" and said the Second, "I am hight Mohsin, the Beneficent,[436] and thou what art thou called?" Quoth the other, "Músà the Malignant."[437] So the two fared on in converse and whenever mealtime came round, each would bring out a portion of meal and knead it and make of it a scone,[438] and light a fire and bake it thereon: after which they would satisfy their hunger. But Mohsin knew not that had been doomed for him by his companion Musa the Misdoer, so the twain would fare together and feed together. On the following day quoth Musa to Mohsin, "O my brother, I have with me a bag of flour and a flask of water and thou hast the same, and whenever eating-time cometh round each one bringeth out somewhat of his vivers. Now this is not right; 'twere the better way that we first eat that is with thee and when 'tis ended we use my provaunt." "'Tis well, O my brother," quoth Mohsin. They agreed upon this condition and whenever moved by appetite they ate of Mohsin's viaticum until his bag of flour and his flask of water were clean emptied. But when the meal-hour came, Musa arose and made for him a single scone and no more, and baked it and ate it by himself, while Mohsin sat by looking on. This befel time after time for the first day and the second day until Mohsin waxed anhungered and famine wrung his vitals, so quoth he to Musa, "O my brother, give me somewhat of thy food that I may nourish myself therewith, for indeed I am empty exceedingly." But Musa made reply, "By Allah, I will not give it to thee; no, not a single mouthful." Rejoined Mohsin, "O my brother, we two made covenant that we should become brethren, and first eat of my provaunt and then of thine; now, however, thou art not pleased to grant me or bite or sup. This is not the act of an honest man." He answered, "Be brief! an thou be hungry I will give thee half of my scone on condition that I pluck out thine eye." "How so, O my brother?" rejoined Mohsin, "Wilt thou blind me of one eye for the sake of half a scone? better leave me to die with my sight as it is." Said Musa, "At thy pleasure!"[439] But on the third day Mohsin was like to sink for extreme hunger, and he cried, "There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great. Do thou, O Musa, give the half-scone and pluck out one of mine eyes." Musa did as he was bidden, and thrusting forth his finger gouged[440] out the right eye, whereby Mohsin remained purblind, withal was he not filled by the half-scone. Now on the fourth day Mohsin waxed yet more ravenous and famine was right sore upon him, and he cried, "There is no Majesty! by Allah, O Musa, my brother, I am a-famished, so pity me and the Lord shall pity thee." Replied the other, "I will give thee nothing until I shall have gouged out thine other eye." Quoth Mohsin, "Verily we are Allah's and unto him we shall return! but, by the Almighty, famishing is bitter; so do thou with me, O Musa, what the Omniscient hath predestined as to the plucking out of my two eyes." Accordingly the man gave him the half scone and plucked out his other eye; and on such wise made him stone blind. Hereupon Musa left his companion darkly tramping[441] about the roads. Now in the neighbourhood of that place was a well full of water;[442] so when Mohsin drew near knowing nothing thereof, Musa came up and pushed him thereinto; and while falling into the pit Mohsin said to himself, "O Lord, thou hast doomed me to blinding and at last Thou hast condemned me to drowning."—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" Quoth she, "And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night an the King suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was