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
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