The Seven Hundred and Sixty-seventh 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 when Musa had thrust Mohsin into the well with intent to drown him, the blinded man cried, "O Lord thou hast doomed me to blinding, and at last Thou hast condemned me to drowning." Then he struck out with hands and feet till he felt the walls of the well wherein he found two niches; so he set toes into one of them and there stood awaiting the salvation of Allah which was nearhand; and his heart was satisfied and he drank of the water. When the first night fell behold, two of the Jinns came to the pit and sat down in converse each with other, when quoth the first to the second, "Walláhi! O certain person, there is now to be found nor sage nor leach, and all of them are preposterous pretenders and balkers of man's intent." Quoth the other, "What may be these words?" and the former resumed, "By Allah, I have possessed the daughter of the Sultan and she is the dearling of my heart whom I love with dearest love; yet can none avail to unsorcel her of me." Quoth his companion, "And what would expel thee?" And quoth he, "Naught will oust me save a black cock or a sable chicken; and whenas one shall bring such and cut his throat under her feet of a Saturday,[443] I shall not have power to approach the city wherein she dwelleth." "By Allah, O my brother," said the other, "thou hast spoken sooth: there is in this land nor wizard nor mediciner who knoweth aught, and all of them are liars and contradictors who lay claim to science without aught of intelligence; indeed there is not one of them who knoweth of this tree (which adjoineth our well) that whoso shall take the leaves thereof and plaster them upon his eyes, even though he be born blind he will be gifted with sight and wax sound after two or three days by the kind permission of Allah Almighty. Yet are the folk all heedless of such virtue in the tree." Now Mohsin remained listening to these words and pondering them as he stood supported by the side-wall of the well, and when it was the last third of the night, the Jinns which were conversing at the mouth took leave each of other. And as soon as the day brake and the time waxed bright behold there came a Kafilah which passed by the pit seeking drink for themselves and water for their cattle. Presently they let down a bucket by a cord and when Mohsin felt the rope he caught hold thereof, whereat the caravan people cried, "We take refuge with Allah from Satan the Stoned," and said one to other, "Verily in this well is a Satan!" Mohsin heard their words and answered them and said, "Yá'llah[444] Ho you, draw me out hence, for verily I am of mankind and not of Jinn-kind and being blind I fell yesterday into this hole." Cried they, "Catch tight hold of the cord," and when he did so they drew him out and finding him weak from famine they gave him a somewhat of food and he ate and drank. The caravan-folk on like guise drank from the well and watered their beasts; after which they would have led Mohsin away with them but he said, "O my brethren (whose weal Allah increase[445] and whose grace may He reward!), I have a single want wherewith I fain ye would favour me!" Asked they, "And what may that be?" and he answered, "That ye direct me to the tree which adjoineth this well and lead me close thereto and God shall gar your good to grow!" Hereupon one hent him by the hand and after doing as he desired and setting him beside the tree returned to his own folk and the caravan loaded and left the place. Presently Mohsin swarmed up the trunk; and, taking seat upon a branch of its branches, fell to cropping the leaves and patching them upon either eye as he had heard the Jinni prescribe; and hardly had two days gone by when he felt healed of his hurt and opened his eyelids and saw what was around him. Then, after taking somewhat of its foliage, he came down from the tree and went on his wayfare until he entered a city and found him a lodging. When this was done he fell to threading the streets and ways crying aloud the while, "I am the Leach, the Healer![446] I am the Mediciner who can cure the blind!" whereat all the one-eyed and the sightless would summon him with outcries and he would apply to them somewhat of his leaves; and after two or three days (he superintending the while) they would open their eyes and see. On this wise went by a term of time until at last the King of that city heard rumour of a new leach; so he sent to him and summoned him and said to him, "Art thou a clever Medicine-man even as they have informed me concerning thee? I have a daughter ridden[447] by a Jinni of the Jann and we desire of thee that thou unsorcel her." "And if I avail not to free her?" asked Mohsin, and the King answered, "Then will I kill thee even as I have slain a many before thee who have looked upon the face of the Princess." "And if I prove able to deliver her and fend her from further offence?" "I will give thee what thou askest of coin and hoards." "No, O King of the Age; this condition I will not accept: if I free her I must take her to wife, for an I fail therein thou wilt slay me; and unless thou agree with me after I shall have saved her that thou e'en wed her to me"—[448] "'Tis well, O Shaykh; and for releasing her I give thee a delay of three months for visiting and healing her."—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, "How sweet and tasteful is thy tale, 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 Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was