Scheherazade, perceiving it was not yet day, continued her discourse, and began another story.
THE THREE APPLES.
Sir, said she, I have already had the honour to entertain your majesty with a ramble which the Caliph Haroun Alraschid made one night from his palace; I will give you an account of one more. This prince one day commanded the grand vizier Giafar to come to his palace the night following. Vizier, says he, I will take a walk round the town, to inform myself what people say, and particularly how they are pleased with my officers of justice. If there be any against whom they have reason of just complaint, we will turn them out, and put others in their stead, who may officiate better: If, on the contrary, there be any that have gained their applause, we will have that esteem for them which they deserve. The grand vizier being come to the palace at the hour appointed, the caliph, he, and Mesrour the chief of the eunuchs, disguised themselves so as they could not be known, and went out ail together. They passed through several places, and by several markets; and as they entered a small street, they perceived, by the light of the moon, a tall man, with a white beard, who carried nets on his head; he had a folding basket of palm leaves on his arm, and a club in his hand. This old man, says the caliph, does not seem to be rich; let us go to him, and inquire into his circumstances. Honest man, said the vizier, who art thou? The old man replied, Sir, I am a fisher, but one of the poorest and most miserable of the trade; I went from my house about noon to go a-fishing, and from that time to this I have not been able to catch one fish; at the same time I have a wife and small children, and nothing to maintain them. The caliph, moved with compassion, says to the fisherman, Hast thou the courage to go back and cast thy nets once more? We will give thee a hundred sequins for what thou shall bring up. At this proposal, the fisherman, forgetting all his day's toil, took the caliph at his word, and with him, Giafar, and Mesrour, returned to the Tigris; he saying to himself, These gentlemen seem to be too honest and reasonable not to reward my pains; and if they give me the hundredth part of what they promise me, it will be a great deal. They came to the bank of the river; and the fisherman throwing in his net, when he drew it again, brought up a trunk close shut, and very heavy. The caliph made the grand vizier pay him a hundred sequins immediately, and sent him away. Mesrour, by his master's order, carried the trunk on his shoulder; and the caliph was so very eager to know what was in it, that he returned to the palace with all speed. When the trunk was opened, they found in it a large basket made of palm leaves, shut up, and the covering of it sewed with red thread. To satisfy the caliph's impatience, they would not take time to unrip it, but cut the thread with a knife, and they took out of the basket a bundle wrapt up in a sorry piece of hanging, and bound round with a rope, which being untied, and the bundle opened, they found, to their great amazement, the corpse of a young lady, whiter than snow, all cut in pieces.
Your majesty may imagine, a great deal better than I am able to express the astonishment of the caliph at this dreadful spectacle. His surprise was instantly changed into passion, and darting an angry look at the vizier, Ah! thou wretch, said he, is this your inspection into the actions of my people? Do they commit such impious murders under thy ministry in my capital city, and throw my subjects into the Tigris, that they may cry for vengeance against me at the day of judgment? If thou dost not speedily revenge the murder of this woman, by the death of her murderer, I swear by Heaven, that I will cause thee to be hanged, and forty more of thy kindred. Commander of the faithful, replied the grand vizier, I beg your majesty to grant me time to make inquiry. I will allow thee no more, said the caliph, than three days; therefore thou must look to it. The vizier Giafar went home in great confusion of mind. Alas, said he, how is it possible that, in such a vast and populous city as Bagdad, I should be able to detect a murderer, who undoubtedly committed the crime without witness, and perhaps may be already gone from hence? Any other person but me would take some wretched person out of prison, and cause him to die, to satisfy the caliph; but I will not burden my conscience with such a barbarous action; I will rather die than save my life at this rate. He ordered the officers of police and justice to make strict search for the criminal: they sent their servants about, and they themselves were not idle, for they were no less concerned in this matter than the vizier. But all their endeavours turned to nothing; what pains soever they took, they could not find out the murderer; so that the vizier concluded his life to be gone, unless some remarkable providence hindered it. The third day being come, an officer came to this unfortunate minister with a summons to follow him, which the vizier obeyed. The caliph asked him for the murderer. He answered, with tears in his eyes, Commander of the faithful, I have not found any person that could give me the least account of him. The caliph, full of fury and rage, gave him many reproachful words, and ordered that he and forty Bermecides[Footnote: The Bermecides were a family come out of Persia, and of them the grand Vizier was descended.] more should be hanged up at the gate of the palace.
In the mean while the gibbets were preparing, and orders were sent to seize forty Bermecides more in their houses; a public crier was sent about the city to cry thus, by the caliph's order, Those who have a desire to see the grand vizier Giafar hanged, and forty more Bermecides of his kindred, let them come to the square before the palace. When all things were ready, the judge criminal, and a great many officers belonging to the palace, brought out the grand vizier with forty Bermecides, and set each of them at the foot of the gibbet designed for them, and a rope was put about each of their necks. The multitude of people that filled the square could not, without grief and tears, behold this tragical sight; for the grand vizier and the Bermecides were loved and honoured on account of their probity, bounty, and impartiality, not only in Bagdad, but through all the dominions of the caliph.
Nothing could prevent the execution of this prince's too severe and irrevocable sentence; and the lives of the most honest people in the city were just going to be taken away, when a young man, of handsome mien and good apparel, pressed through the crowd till he came to the place where the grand vizier was; and after he had kissed his hand, said, Most excellent vizier, chief of the emirs of this court, and comforter of the poor, you are not guilty of the crime for which you stand here. Withdraw, and let me expiate the death of the lady who was thrown into the Tigris. It was I who murdered her, and deserve to be punished for it. Though these words occasioned great joy to the vizier, yet he could not but pity the young man, in whose look he saw something that, instead of being ominous, was engaging; but as he was about to answer him, a tall man, pretty well in years, who had likewise forced his way through the crowd, came up to him, saying, Sir, do not believe what this young man tells you; I killed that lady who was found in the trunk; and this punishment ought only to fall upon me. I conjure you, in the name of God, not to punish the innocent for the guilty. Sir, says the young man to the vizier, I do protest that I am he who committed this vile act, and nobody else had any hand it. My son, said the old man, it is despair that brought you hither, and you would anticipate your destiny. I have lived a long time in the world, and it is time for me to be gone; let me therefore sacrifice my life for yours. Sir, said he again to the vizier, I tell you once more I am the murderer; let me die without any more ado. The controversy between the old man and the young one obliged the grand vizier Giafar to carry them both before the caliph, to which the criminal judge consented, being very glad to serve the vizier. When he came before the prince, he kissed the ground seven times, and spoke after this manner: Commander of the faithful, I have brought here before your majesty this old man, and this young one, who both confess themselves to be the sole murderers of the lady. Then the caliph asked the criminals which of them it was that so cruelly murdered the lady, and threw her into the Tigris? The young man assured him it was he, but the old man maintained the contrary. Go, says the caliph to the grand vizier, and cause them both to be hanged. But, sir, says the vizier, if only one of them be guilty, it would be unjust to take the lives of both. At these words the young man spoke again: I swear by the great God, who has raised the heavens so high as they are, that I am the man who killed the lady, cut her in quarters, and threw her into the Tigris about four days ago. I renounce my part of happiness among the just at the day of judgment, if what I say be not truth; therefore I am he that ought to suffer. The caliph, being surprised at this oath, believed him, especially as the old man made no answer to this. Whereupon, turning to the young man, Thou wretch, said he, what was it that made thee to commit that detestable crime, and what is it that moves thee to offer thyself voluntarily to die? Commander of the faithful, said he, if all that has passed between that lady and me were set down in writing, it would be a history that would be very useful to other men. I command you then to relate it, said the caliph. The young man obeyed, and began.
THE STORY OF THE LADY THAT WAS MURDERED, AND OF THE YOUNG MAN HER HUSBAND.
Commander of the faithful, your majesty may be pleased to know, that this murdered lady was my wife, the daughter of this old man you see here, who is my uncle by the father's side. She was not above twelve years old when he gave her to me, and it is now eleven years ago. I have three children by her, all boys, yet alive; and I must do her the justice to say, that she never gave me the least occasion of offence; she was chaste, of good behaviour, and made it her whole business to please me. For my part, I loved her entirely, and rather prevented her, in granting any thing she desired, than opposed it. About two months ago she fell sick; I took all imaginable care of her, and spared nothing that could procure a speedy recovery. After a month, she began to grow better, and had a mind to go to the bagnio. Before she went out of the house, Cousin, said she, (for so she used to call me from familiarity), I long for some apples; if you could get me any, you would please me extremely; I have longed for them a great while, and I must own it is come to that height, that if I be not satisfied very soon, I fear some misfortune will befal me. With all my heart, said I, I will do all that is in my power to make you easy, and went immediately round all the markets and shops in the town to seek for apples, but could not get one, though I offered a sequin for each. I returned home very much dissatisfied at my disappointment. As for my wife, when she returned from the bagnio, and saw no apples, she became so very uneasy, that she could not sleep all night: I rose betimes in the morning, and went through all the gardens, but had no better success than the day before; only I happened to meet an old gardener, who told me that all my pains would signify nothing, for I could not expect to find apples any where but in your majesty's garden at Balsora. As I loved my wife passionately, and would not have any thing of neglect to satisfy her chargeable upon me, I put myself in a traveller's habit, and after I had told her my design, I went to Balsora, and made my journey with so great diligence, that I returned at the end of fifteen days with three apples, which cost me a sequin each; there were no more left in the garden, so that the gardener would let me have them no cheaper. As soon as I came home, I presented them to my wife, but her longing was over; so she satisfied herself with receiving them, and laid them down by her. In the mean time she continued sickly, and I knew not what remedy to get for her.
A few days after I returned from my journey, as I was sitting in my shop, in the public place where all sorts of fine stuffs are sold, I saw an ugly tall black slave come in with an apple in his hand, which I knew to be one of those I had brought from Balsora. I had no reason to doubt it, because I was certain there was not one to be had in all Bagdad, nor in any garden about it. I called to him, and said, Good slave, pray thee tell me where thou hadst this apple? It is a present (said he, smiling) from my mistress. I was to see her to-day, but found her indisposed. I saw three apples lying by her, and asked where she had them? She told me, the good man her husband had made a fortnight's journey on purpose for them, and brought them to her. We had a collation together; and, when I took my leave of her, I brought away this apple that you see. This discourse put me out of my senses; I rose, shut up my shop, ran home with all speed, and going to my wife's chamber, looked immediately for apples, and seeing only a couple, asked what was become of the third? Then my wife turning her head to the place where the apples lay, and perceiving there were but two, answered me coldly, Cousin, I know not what is become of it. At this answer I did verily believe what the slave told me to be true; and at the same time giving myself up to madness and jealousy, I drew my knife from my girdle, and thrust it into the unfortunate creature's throat; I afterwards cut off her head, and divided her body into four quarters, which I packed up in a bundle, and hiding it in a basket, sewed it up with a thread of red yarn, put all together in a trunk, and, when night came, carried it on my shoulder down to the Tigris, where I sunk it.
The two youngest of my children were already put to bed, and asleep, the third being gone abroad; but, at my return, I found him sitting by my gate, weeping very much. I asked him the reason: Father, said he, I took this morning from my mother, without her knowledge, one of those three apples you brought her, and I kept it a long while; but, as I was playing some time ago with my little brother in the street, a tall slave that went by snatched it out of my hands, and carried it with him: I ran after him, demanding it back; and besides, told him that it belonged to my mother, who was sick; and that you had made a fortnight's journey to fetch it; but all to no purpose, he would not restore it. And whereas I still followed him, crying out, he turned and beat me, and then ran away as fast as ever he could from one lane to another, till at length I lost sight of him. I have since been walking without the town, expecting your return, to pray you, dear father, not to tell my mother of it, lest it should make her worse. When he had said these words, he fell a weeping again more bitterly than before.