WARDAN[FN#430] THE BUTCHER; HIS ADVENTURE
WITH THE LADY AND THE BEAR.
There lived once in Cairo, in the days of the Caliph Al-Hákim bi'
Amri'llah, a butcher named Wardán, who dealt in sheep's flesh;
and there came to him every day a lady and gave him a dinar,
whose weight was nigh two and a half Egyptian dinars, saying,
"Give me a lamb." So he took the money and gave her the lamb,
which she delivered to a porter she had with her; and he put it
in his crate and she went away with him to her own place. Next
day she came in the forenoon and this went on for a long time,
the butcher gaining a dinar by her every day, till at last he
began to be curious about her case and said to himself, "This
woman buyeth of me a ducat-worth of meat every morning, paying
ready money, and never misseth a single day. Verily, this is a
strange thing!" So he took an occasion of questioning the porter,
in her absence, and asked him, "Whither goest thou every day with
yonder woman?"; and he answered, "I know not what to make of her
for surprise; inasmuch as every day, after she hath taken the
lamb of thee, she buyeth necessaries of the table, fresh and
dried fruits and wax-candles a dinar's worth, and taketh of a
certain person, which is a Nazarene, two flagons of wine, worth
another dinar; and then she leadeth me with the whole and I go
with her to the Wazir's Gardens, where she blindfoldeth me, so
that I cannot see on what part of earth I set my feet; and,
taking me by the hand, she leadeth me I know not whither.
Presently, she sayeth, 'Set down here;' and when I have done so,
she giveth me an empty crate she hath ready and, taking my hand,
leadeth me back to the Wazir's Gardens, the place where she bound
my eyes, and there removeth the bandage and giveth me ten silver
bits." "Allah be her helper!" quoth Wardan; but he redoubled in
curiosity about her case; disquietude increased upon him and he
passed the night in exceeding restlessness. And quoth the
butcher, "Next morning she came to me as of custom and taking the
lamb, for which she paid the dinar, delivered it to the porter
and went away. So I gave my shop in charge to a lad and followed
her without her seeing me;"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Wardan the
butcher continued: "So I gave my shop in charge to a lad and
followed her without her seeing me; nor did I cease to keep her
in sight, hiding behind her, till she left Cairo and came to the
Wazir's Gardens. Then I hid myself whilst she bandaged the
porter's eyes and followed her again from place to place till she
came to the mountain[FN#431] and stopped at a spot where there
was a great stone. Here she made the porter set down his crate,
and I waited whilst she conducted him back to the Wazir's
Gardens, after which she returned and, taking out the contents of
the basket, instantly disappeared. Then I went up to that stone
and wrenching it up entered the hole and found behind the stone
an open trap-door of brass and a flight of steps leading
downwards. So I descended, little by little, till I came to a
long corridor, brilliantly lighted and followed it, till I made a
closed door, as it were the door of a saloon. I looked about the
wall sides near the doorway till I discovered a recess, with
steps therein; then climbed up and found a little niche with a
bulls-eye giving upon a saloon. Thence I looked inside and saw
the lady cut off the choicest parts of the lamb and laying them
in a saucepan, throw the rest to a great big bear, who ate it all
to the last bite. Now when she had made an end of cooking, she
ate her fill, after which she set on the fruits and confections
and brought out the wine and fell to drinking a cup herself and
giving the bear to drink in a basin of gold. And as soon as she
was heated with wine, she put off her petticoat-trousers and lay
down on her back; whereupon the bear arose and came up to her and
stroked her, whilst she gave him the best of what belongeth to
the sons of Adam till he had made an end, when he sat down and
rested. Presently, he sprang upon her and rogered her again; and
when he ended he again sat down to rest, and he ceased not so
doing till he had futtered her ten times and they both fell to
the ground in a fainting-fit and lay without motion. Then quoth I
to myself, 'Now is my opportunity,' and taking a knife I had with
me, that would cut bones before flesh,[FN#432] went down to them
and found them motionless, not a muscle of them moving for their
hard swinking and swiving. So I put my knife to the bear's gullet
and pressed upon it, till I finished him by severing his head
from his body, and he gave a great snort like thunder, whereat
the lady started up in alarm; and, seeing the bear slain and me
standing whittle in hand, she shrieked so loud a shriek that I
thought the soul had left her body. Then she asked, 'O Wardan, is
this how thou requites me my favours?' And I answered, 'O enemy
of thine own soul, is there a famine of men[FN#433] that thou
must do this damnable thing?' She made no answer but bent down
over the bear, and looked fondly upon him; then finding his head
divided from his body, said to me, 'O Wardan, which of the two
courses wouldst thou take; either obey me in what I shall say and
be the means of thine own safety'"--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Fifty-fifth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth the
lady, " 'O Wardan, which of the two courses wouldst thou take;
either obey me in what I shall say and be the means of thine own
safety and competency to the end of thy days, or gainsay me and
so cause thine own destruction?'[FN#434] Answered I, 'I choose
rather to hearken unto thee: say what thou wilt.' Quoth she,
'Then slay me, as thou hast slain this bear, and take thy need of
this hoard and wend thy ways.' Quoth I, 'I am better than this
bear: so return thou to Allah Almighty and repent, and I will
marry thee, and we will live on this treasure the rest of our
lives.' She rejoined, 'O Wardan, far be it from me! How shall I
live after him? By Allah, an thou slay me not I will assuredly do
away thy life! So leave bandying words with me, or thou art a
lost man: this is all I have to say to thee and peace be with
thee!' Then said I, 'I will kill thee, and thou shalt go to the
curse of Allah.' So saying, I caught her by the hair and cut her
throat; and she went to the curse of Allah and of the angels and
of all mankind. And after so doing I examined the place and found
there gold and bezel-stones and pearls, such as no one king could
bring together. So I filled the porter's crate with as much as I
could carry and covered it with the clothes I had on me. Then I
shouldered it and, going up out of the underground treasure-
chamber, fared homewards and ceased not faring on, till I came to
the gate of Cairo, where behold, I fell in with ten of the
bodyguard of Al-Hakim bi' Amri'llah[FN#435] followed by the
Prince himself who said to me, 'Ho, Wardan!' 'At thy service, O
King,' replied I; when he asked, 'Hast thou killed the bear and
the lady?' and I answered, 'Yes.' Quoth he, 'Set down the basket
from thy head and fear naught, for all the treasure thou hast
with thee is thine, and none shall dispute it with thee.' So I
set down the crate before him, and he uncovered it and looked at
it; then said to me, 'Tell me their case, albe I know it, as if I
had been present with you.' So I told him all that had passed and
he said, 'Thou hast spoken the truth,' adding, 'O Wardan, come
now with me to the treasure.' So I returned with him to the
cavern, where he found the trap-door closed and said to me, 'O
Wardan, lift it; none but thou can open the treasure, for it is
enchanted in thy name and nature.'[FN#436] Said I, 'By Allah, I
cannot open it,' but he said, 'Go up to it, trusting in the
blessing of Allah.' So I called upon the name of Almighty Allah
and, advancing to the trap-door, put my hand to it; whereupon it
came up as it had been of the lightest. Then said the Caliph, 'Go
down and bring hither what is there; for none but one of thy name
and semblance and nature hath gone down thither since the place
was made, and the slaying of the bear and the woman was appointed
to be at thy hand. This was chronicled with me and I was awaiting
its fulfilment.'[FN#437] Accordingly (quoth Wardan) I went down
and brought up all the treasure, whereupon the Caliph sent for
beasts of burden and carried it away, after giving me my crate,
with what was therein. So I bore it home and opened me a shop in
the market." And (saith he who telleth the tale) "this market is
still extant and is known as Wardan's Market." And I have heard
recount another story of
