The Four Hundred and Eighth 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 the Bhang-eater joined the masons he saw the Sultan and Wazir overseeing them; and, as soon as the King sighted him, he opened his breast to him and said, "O man, wilt thou also do work?" and said the other, "Yes." So he bade him labour with the builders and he continued toiling till hard upon noon-tide, at which time he remembered his slave-girl and forthright he bowed his head upon his bosom-pocket and he sniffed thereat. The Wazir saw him so doing and asked him, "What is the meaning of thy sniffing at what is in thy poke?" and he answered him, "No matter." However the Minister espied him a second time occupied in like guise and quoth he to the Sultan, "Look, O King of the Age, at yon labourer who is hiding something in his pocket and smelling thereat." "Haply," responded the Sovran, "there is in his pouch something he would look at." However when the Sultan's glance happened to fall that way he beheld the Bhang-eater sniffing and smelling at his poke, so he said to the Wazir, "Walláhi! Verily this workman's case is a strange." Hereupon both fixed their eyes upon him and they saw him again hiding somewhat in his pouch and smelling at it. The Wazir cried, "Verily this fellow is a-fizzling and he boweth his head toward his breast in order that he may savour his own farts."[271] The Sultan laughed and said, "By Allah, if he do on this wise 'tis a somewhat curious matter, or perhaps, O Wazir, he have some cause to account for it; at any rate do thou call out to him and ask him." So the Wazir arose and drawing near to him asked him saying, "Ho, this one![272] every time thou fizzlest thou smellest and sniffest at thy fizzlings;" whereto answered the workman, "Wag not thy tongue with these words seeing thou art in the presence of a King glorious of degree." Quoth the Minister, "What is the matter with thee in this case that thou art sniffing at thy pocket?" and quoth the labourer, "Verily my beloved is in my pouch." The Wazir wondered hereat and reported the same to the Sultan who cried, "Return to him and say, 'Is it possible that thou display to us thy beloved who is in thy breast-pocket?'" So he returned to him and said, "Show us what there is in thy pouch." Now the origin of this necklace was that the King had bought it for Kut al-Kulub at the price of a thousand dinars and the damsel had given it to the Bhang-eater with the sole object that the Sultan might look upon it and thereby be directed unto her and might learn the reason of her disappearance and her severance from him. Hereupon the man brought out to them the necklace from his breastpocket and the Sultan on seeing it at once recognised it and wondered how it had fallen into the hands of that workman; accordingly he asked who was its owner and the other answered, "It belongeth to the handmaid whom I bought with an hundred dinars." Quoth the Sultan to him, "Is it possible[273] thou invite us to thy quarters that we may look upon this damsel;" and quoth the other, "Would you look upon my slave-girl and not be ashamed of yourselves? However I will consult her, and if she be satisfied therewith we will invite you." They said to him, "This be a rede that is right and an affair which no blame can excite." When the day had reached its term the masons and workmen were dismissed after they had taken their wage; but as for the Bhang-eater the Sultan gave him two gold pieces and set him free about sunset tide; so he fared to his handmaid and informed her of what had befallen him from the King, adding, "He hath indeed looked upon the necklace and hath asked me to invite him hither as well as the Wazir." Quoth she, "No harm in that; but to-morrow (Inshallah!) do thou bring all we require for a state occasion of meats and drinks, and let me have them here by noon-tide, so they may eat the early meal. But when he shall ask to buy me of thee compose thy mind and say thou, 'No,' when he will reply to thee, 'Give me this damsel in free gift.' Hereat do thou say, 'She is a present from me to thee'; because indeed I am his slave and bought with his money for one thousand and five hundred dinars; and thou hadst never become my lord save through my foes who devised a device against me and who sold me when thou boughtest me. However the hour of thy prosperity hath now come." And when morning morrowed she gave him five gold pieces and said to him, "Bring for me things that be such and such," and said he, "Hearing and obedience." So he went to the market-street where he purchased all the supplies wherewith she had charged him and returned to her forthright. Hereupon she arose and tucking up her sleeves prepared meats that befitted the King and likewise she got ready comfits and the daintiest of dainties and sherbets and she tempered the pastilles and she besprinkled the room with rosewater and looked to the furniture of the place. About midday she sent to the Sultan and the Wazir with notice that she was ready; so the Bhang-eater repaired to the Palace and having gone in to the presence said, "Have the kindness!"[274] The twain arose without more ado and hied with him privily till they reached his house and entered therein.?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 should relate to you on the coming night, an the Sovran suffer me to survive?" Now when it was the next night and that was
The Four Hundred and Ninth 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 Sultan and the Wazir entered the place wherein were the Bhang-eater and the damsel, and took their seats. Now the meats were ready and they served up to them the trays and the dishes, when they fell to and were cheered by the sumptuous viands until they had eaten after the measure of their sufficiency. And when their hands were washed, the confections and sherbet and coffee were set before them, so they ate and were satisfied and gladdened and made merry. After this quoth the Sultan to the Bhang-eater, "Where is the damsel?" and quoth the man, "She is here," whereat he was commanded to bring her. Accordingly he went off and led her in and as soon as the King sighted her he recognised her and ordered her owner to make her over to him and said when he did so, "O man, wilt thou sell to me this damsel?" But the other kissed ground before him and replied, "O King of the Age, she is from me a free gift to thee;" and quoth the Sultan, "She is accepted from thee, O Shaykh, and do thou come and bring her thyself to the Palace about sundown-time." He replied, "To hear is to obey." And at the hour named he took the damsel and ceased not faring with her till he brought her to the Serai,[275] where the Eunuchry met her and took her and carried her in to the Sultan. But as soon as she entered she nestled in his bosom and he threw his arms round her neck and kissed her of his excessive desire to her. Then he asked her saying, "This man who purchased thee, hath he any time approached thee?" whereto she answered, "By Allah, O King, from the time he bought me in the box which he opened and found me alive therein until this present never hath he looked upon my face, and as often as I addressed him he would bow his brow earthwards." Quoth the Sultan, "By Allah, this wight deserveth an aidance for that he paid down for thee an hundred dinars and he hath presented thee in free gift to me." Now when morrowed the morning the King sent after the Bhang-eater and summoned him between his hands and bestowed upon him one thousand five hundred dinars with a suit of royal raiment, after which he presented to him, by way of honourable robe,[276] a white slave-girl. He also set apart for him an apartment and made him one of his boon companions. So look thou, O hearer,[277] how it happened to this Bhang-eater from the Khwajah's daughter and his love herwards; how he failed to win her and how he gained of blows whatso he gained; and after what prosperity befel him from the part of Kut al-Kulub. And ever afterwards when the Sultan would ride out for disport or for the hunt and chase he would take the man with him. Presently of the perfection of his prosperity this Bhang-eater fully mastered the affairs of the kingdom, both its income and its outgo, and his knowledge embraced all the regions and cities which were under the rule of his lord. Furthermore, whenever he would counsel the King, his advice was found to be in place and he was consulted upon all State affairs, and whenever he heard of any business he understood its inner as well as its outer meaning until the Sultan and the Wazir both sought rede of him, and he would point out to them the right and unright, and that which entaileth trouble and no trouble, when they could fend it off and overthrow it or by word or by deed of hand. Now one day of the many days the King was in a certain of his gardens a-solacing himself with the sights when his heart and stomach became full of pain and he fell ill and his illness grew upon him, nor did he last four days ere he departed to the mercy of Allah Almighty. As he had no issue, either son or daughter, the country remained without a King for three days, when the Lords of the land forgathered and agreed upon a decision, all and some, that they would have no King or Sultan save the Wazir and that the man the Bhang-eater should be made Chief Councillor. So they agreed upon this matter and their words went forth to the Minister who at once took office. After this he gave general satisfaction and lavished alms on the mean and miserable, also on satisfaction and lavished alms on the mean and miserable, also on the widows and orphans, when his fame was bruited abroad and it dispread far and wide till men entitled him the "Just Wazir" and in such case he governed for a while of time.?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 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