JUDAR[FN#257] AND HIS BRETHREN.
There was once a man and a merchant named Omar and he had for
issue three sons, the eldest called Sálim, the youngest Júdar and
the cadet Salím. He reared them all till they came to man's
estate, but the youngest he loved more than his brothers, who
seeing this, waxed jealous of Judar and hated him. Now when their
father, who was a man shotten in years, saw that his two eldest
sons hated their brother, he feared lest after his death trouble
should befall him from them. So he assembled a company of his
kinsfolk, together with divers men of learning and property
distributors of the Kazi's court, and bidding bring all his
monies and cloth, said to them, "O folk, divide ye this money and
stuff into four portions according to the law." They did so, and
he gave one part to each of his sons and kept the fourth himself,
saying, "This was my good and I have divided it among them in my
lifetime; and this that I have kept shall be for my wife, their
mother, wherewithal to provide for her subsistence whenas she
shall be a widow."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Seventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
merchant had divided his money and stuff into four portions he
said, "This share shall be for my wife, their mother, wherewithal
to provide for her subsistence whenas she shall be a widow." A
little while after this he died, and neither of the two elder
brothers was content with his share,[FN#258] but sought more of
Judar, saying, "Our father's wealth is in thy hands." So he
appealed to the judges; and the Moslems who had been present at
the partition came and bore witness of that which they knew,
wherefore the judge forbade them from one another; but Judar and
his brothers wasted much money in bribes to him. After this, the
twain left him awhile; presently, however, they began again to
plot against him and he appealed a second time to the magistrate,
who once more decided in his favour; but all three lost much
money which went to the judges. Nevertheless Sálim and Salím
forbore not to seek his hurt and to carry the case from court to
court,[FN#259] he and they losing till they had given all their
good for food to the oppressors and they became poor, all three.
Then the two elder brothers went to their mother and flouted her
and beat her, and seizing her money crave her away. So she betook
herself to her son Judar and told him how his brothers had dealt
with her and fell to cursing the twain. Said he, "O my mother, do
not curse them, for Allah will requite each of them according to
his deed. But, O mother mine, see, I am become poor, and so are
my brethren, for strife occasioneth loss ruin rife, and we have
striven amain, and fought, I and they, before the judges, and it
hath profited us naught: nay, we have wasted all our father left
us and are disgraced among the folk by reason of our testimony
one against other. Shall I then con tend with them anew on thine
account and shall we appeal to the judges? This may not be!
Rather do thou take up thine abode with me, and the scone I eat I
will share with thee. Do thou pray for me and Allah will give me
the means of thine alimony. Leave them to receive of the Almighty
the recompense of their deed, and console thyself with the saying
of the poet who said,
'If a fool oppress thee bear patiently; * And from Time expect
thy revenge to see:
Shun tyranny; for if mount oppressed * A mount, 'twould be
shattered by tyranny.' "
And he soothed and comforted her till she consented and took up
her dwelling with him. Then he get him a net and went a fishing
every day in the river or the banks about Bulák and old Cairo or
some other place in which there was water; and one day he would
earn ten coppers,[FN#260] another twenty and another thirty,
which he spent upon his mother and himself, and they ate well and
drank well. But, as for his brothers, they plied no craft and
neither sold nor bought; misery and ruin and overwhelming
calamity entered their houses and they wasted that which they had
taken from their mother and became of the wretched naked beggars.
So at times they would come to their mother, humbling themselves
before her exceedingly and complaining to her of hunger; and she
(a mother's heart being pitiful) would give them some mouldy,
sour smelling bread or, if there were any meat cooked the day
before, she would say to them, "Eat it quick and go ere your
brother come; for 'twould be grievous to him and he would harden
his heart against me, and ye would disgrace me with him." So they
would eat in haste and go. One day among days they came in to
their mother, and she set cooked meat and bread before them. As
they were eating, behold, in came their brother Judar, at whose
sight the parent was put to shame and confusion, fearing lest he
should be wroth with her; and she bowed her face earthwards
abashed before her son. But he smiled in their faces, saying,
"Welcome, O my brothers! A blessed day![FN#261] How comes it that
ye visit me this blessed day?" Then he embraced them both and
entreated them lovingly, saying to them, "I thought not that ye
would have left me desolate by your absence nor that ye would
have forborne to come and visit me and your mother." Said they,
"By Allah, O our brother, we longed sore for thee and naught
withheld us but abashment because of what befell between us and
thee; but indeed we have repented much. 'Twas Satan's doing, the
curse of Allah the Most High be upon him! And now we have no
blessing but thyself and our mother."--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when Judar
entered his place and saw his brothers, he welcomed them both,
saying, "And I have no blessing but you twain." And his mother
exclaimed, "Allah whiten thy face, and increase thy prosperity,
for thou art the most generous of us all, O my son!" Then he said
"Welcome to you both! Abide with me; for the Lord is bountiful
and good aboundeth with me." So he made peace with them, and they
supped and righted with him; and next morning, after they had
broken their fast, Judar shouldered his net and went out,
trusting in The Opener[FN#262] whilst the two others also went
forth and were absent till midday, when they returned and their
mother set the noon meal before them. At nightfall Judar came
home, bearing meat and greens, and they abode on this wise a
month's space, Judar catching fish and selling it and spending
their price on his mother and his brothers, and these eating and
frolicking till, one day, it chanced he went down to the river
bank and throwing his net, brought it up empty. He cast it a
second time, but again it came up empty and he said in himself,
"No fish in this place!" So he removed to another and threw the
net there, but without avail. And he ceased not to remove from
place to place till night fall, but caught not a single
sprat[FN#263] and said to himself, "Wonderful! Hath the fish fled
the river or what?" Then he shouldered the net and made for home,
chagrined, concerned, feeling for his mother and brothers and
knowing not how he should feed them that night. Presently, he
came to a baker's oven and saw the folk crowding for bread, with
silver in their hands, whilst the baker took no note of them. So
he stood there sighing, and the baker said to him, "Welcome to
thee, O Judar! Dost thou want bread?" But he was silent and the
baker continued, "An thou have no dirhams, take thy sufficiency
and thou shalt get credit." So Judar said, "Give me ten coppers'
worth of bread and take this net in pledge." Rejoined the baker,
"Nay, my poor fellow, the net is thy gate of earning thy
livelihood, and if I take it from thee, I shall close up against
thee the door of thy subsistence. Take thee ten Nusfs' worth of
bread and take these other ten, and to morrow bring me fish for
the twenty." "On my head and eyes be it!" quoth Judar and took
the bread and money saying, "To morrow the Lord will dispel the
trouble of my case and will provide me the means of acquittance."
Then he bought meat and vegetables and carried them home to his
mother, who cooked them and they supped and went to bed. Next
morning he arose at daybreak and took the net, and his mother
said to him, "Sit down and break thy fast." But he said, "Do thou
and my brothers break fast," and went down to the river about
Bulak where he ceased not to cast once, twice, thrice; and to
shift about all day, without aught falling to him, till the hour
of mid afternoon prayer, when he shouldered his net and went away
sore dejected. His way led him perforce by the booth of the baker
who, when he saw him counted out to him the loaves and the money,
saying, "Come, take it and go; an it be not today, 'twill be
tomorrow." Judar would have excused himself, but the baker said
to him, "Go! There needeth no excuse; an thou had netted aught,
it would be with thee; so seeing thee empty handed, I knew thou
hadst gotten naught; and if tomorrow thou have no better luck,
come and take bread and be not abashed, for I will give thee
credit." So Judar took the bread and money and went home. On the
third day also he sallied forth and fished from tank to tank
until the time of afternoon prayer, but caught nothing; so he
went to the baker and took the bread and silver as usual. On this
wise he did seven days running, till he became disheartened and
said in himself, "To day I go to the Lake Kárún."[FN#264] So he
went thither and was about to cast his net, when there came up to
him unawares a Maghrabí, a Moor, clad in splendid attire and
riding a she mule with a pair of gold embroidered saddle bags on
her back and all her trappings also orfrayed. The Moor alighted
and said to him, "Peace be upon thee, O Judar, O son of Omar!"
"And on thee likewise be peace, O my lord the pilgrim!" replied
the fisherman. Quoth the Maghrabi, "O Judar, I have need of thee
and, given thou obey me, thou shalt get great good and shalt be
my companion and manage my affairs for me." Quoth Judar, "O my
lord, tell me what is in thy mind and I will obey thee, without
demur." Said the Moor, "Repeat the Fatihah, the Opening Chapter
of the Koran."[FN#265] So he recited it with him and the Moor
bringing out a silken cord, said to Judar, "Pinion my elbows
behind me with this cord, as fast as fast can be, and cast me
into the lake; then wait a little while; and, if thou see me put
forth my hands above the water, raising them high ere my body
show, cast thy net over me and drag me out in haste; but if thou
see me come up feet foremost, then know that I am dead; in which
case do thou leave me and take the mule and saddle bags and carry
them to the merchants' bazaar, where thou wilt find a Jew by name
Shamáyah. Give him the mule and he will give thee an hundred
dinars, which do thou take and go thy ways and keep the matter
secret with all secrecy." So Judar tied his arms tightly behind
his back and he kept saying, "Tie tighter." Then said he "Push me
till I fall into the lake:" so he pushed him in and he sank.
Judar stood waiting some time till, behold, the Moor's feet
appeared above the water, whereupon he knew that he was dead. So
he left him and drove the mule to the bazaar, where seated on a
stool at the door of his storehouse he saw the Jew who spying the
mule, cried, "In very sooth the man hath perished," adding, "and
naught undid him but covetise." Then he took the mule from Judar
and gave him an hundred dinars, charging him to keep the matter
secret. So Judar went and bought what bread he needed, saying to
the baker, "Take this gold piece!"; and the man summed up what
was due to him and said, "I still owe thee two days' bread"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Ninth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar,
when the baker after summing up what was due to him said, "I
still owe thee two days' bread," replied, "Good," and went on to
the butcher, to whom he gave a gold piece and took meat, saying,
"Keep the rest of the dinar on account." Then he bought
vegetables and going home, found his brothers importuning their
mother for victual, whilst she cried, "Have patience till your
brother come home, for I have naught." So he went in to them and
said, "Take and eat;" and they fell on the food like cannibals.
Then he gave his mother the rest of his gold saying, "If my
brothers come to thee, give them wherewithal to buy food and eat
in my absence." He slept well that night and next morning he took
his net and going down to Lake Karun stood there and was about to
cast his net, when behold, there came up to him a second
Maghribi, riding on a she mule more handsomely accoutred than he
of the day before and having with him a pair of saddle bags of
which each pocket contained a casket. "Peace be with thee, O
Judar!" said the Moor: "And with thee be peace, O my lord, the
pilgrim!" replied Judar. Asked the Moor, "Did there come to thee
yesterday a Moor riding on a mule like this of mine?" Hereat
Judar was alarmed and answered, "I saw none," fearing lest the
other say, "Whither went he?" and if he replied, "He was drowned
in the lake," that haply he should charge him with having drowned
him; wherefore he could not but deny. Rejoined the Moor, "Hark
ye, O unhappy![FN#266] this was my brother, who is gone before
me." Judar persisted, "I know naught of him." Then the Moor
enquired, "Didst thou not bind his arms behind him and throw him
into the lake, and did he not say to thee, 'If my hands appear
above the water first, cast thy net over me and drag me out in
haste; but, if my feet show first, know that I am dead and carry
the mule to the Jew Shamayah, who shall give thee an hundred
dinars?'" Quoth Judar, "Since thou knowest all this why and
wherefore dost thou question me?"; and quoth the Moor, "I would
have thee do with me as thou didst with my brother." Then he gave
him a silken cord, saying, "Bind my hands behind me and throw me
in, and if I fare as did my brother, take the mule to the Jew and
he will give thee other hundred dinars." Said Judar, "Come on;"
so he came and he bound him and pushed him into the lake, where
he sank. Then Judar sat watching and after awhile, his feet
appeared above the water and the fisher said, "He is dead and
damned! Inshallah, may Maghribis come to me every day, and I will
pinion them and push them in and they shall die; and I will
content me with an hundred dinars for each dead man." Then he
took the mule to the Jew, who seeing him asked, "The other is
dead?" Answered Judar, "May thy head live!"; and the Jew said,
"This is the reward of the covetous!" Then he took the mule and
gave Judar an hundred dinars, with which he returned to his
mother. "O my son," said she, "whence hast thou this?" So he told
her, and she said, "Go not again to Lake Karun, indeed I fear for
thee from the Moors." Said he, "O my mother, I do but cast them
in by their own wish, and what am I to do? This craft bringeth me
an hundred dinars a day and I return speedily; wherefore, by
Allah, I will not leave going to Lake Karun, till the race of the
Magháribah[FN#267] is cut off and not one of them is left." So,
on the morrow which was the third day, he went down to the lake
and stood there, till there came up a third Moor, riding on a
mule with saddle bags and still more richly accoutred than the
first two, who said to him, "Peace be with thee, O Judar, O son
of Omar!" And the fisherman saying in himself, "How comes it that
they all know me?" returned his salute. Asked the Maghribi, "Have
any Moors passed by here?" "Two," answered Judar. "Whither went
they?" enquired the Moor, and Judar replied, "I pinioned their
hands behind them and cast them into the lake, where they were
drowned, and the same fate is in store for thee." The Moor
laughed and rejoined, saying, "O unhappy! Every life hath its
term appointed." Then he alighted and gave the fisherman the
silken cord, saying, "Do with me, O Judar, as thou didst with
them." Said Judar, "Put thy hands behind thy back, that I may
pinion thee, for I am in haste, and time flies." So he put his
hands behind him and Judar tied him up and cast him in. Then he
waited awhile; presently the Moor thrust both hands forth of the
water and called out to him, saying, "Ho, good fellow, cast out
thy net!" So Judar threw the net over him and drew him ashore,
and lo! in each hand he held a fish as red as coral. Quoth the
Moor, "Bring me the two caskets that are in the saddle bags." So
Judar brought them and opened them to him, and he laid in each
casket a fish and shut them up. Then he pressed Judar to his
bosom and kissed him on the right cheek and the left, saying,
"Allah save thee from all stress! By the Almighty, hadst thou not
cast the net over me and pulled me out, I should have kept hold
of these two fishes till I sank and was drowned, for I could not
get ashore of myself." Quoth Judar, "O my lord the pilgrim, Allah
upon thee, tell me the true history of the two drowned men and
the truth anent these two fishes and the Jew."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Tenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Judar asked the Maghribi, saying, "Prithee tell me first of the
drowned men," the Maghribi answered, "Know, O Judar, that these
drowned men were my two brothers, by name Abd al-Salám and Abd
al- Ahad. My own name is Abd al-Samad, and the Jew also is our
brother; his name is Abd al-Rahim and he is no Jew but a true
believer of the Maliki school. Our father, whose name was Abd al-
Wadúd,[FN#268] taught us magic and the art of solving mysteries
and bringing hoards to light, and we applied ourselves thereto,
till we compelled the Ifrits and Marids of the Jinn to do us
service. By and by, our sire died and left us much wealth, and we
divided amongst us his treasures and talismans, till we came to
the books, when we fell out over a volume called 'The Fables of
the Ancients,' whose like is not in the world, nor can its price
be paid of any, nor is its value to be evened with gold and
jewels; for in it are particulars of all the hidden hoards of the
earth and the solution of every secret. Our father was wont to
make use of this book, of which we had some small matter by
heart, and each of us desired to possess it, that he might
acquaint himself with what was therein. Now when we fell out
there was in our company an old man by name Cohen
Al-Abtan,[FN#269] who had reared our sire and taught him
divination and gramarye, and he said to us, 'Bring me the book.'
So we gave it him and he continued, 'Ye are my son's sons, and it
may not be that I should wrong any of you. So whoso is minded to
have the volume, let him address himself to achieve the treasure
of Al-Shamardal[FN#270] and bring me the celestial planisphere
and the Kohl phial and the seal ring and the sword. For the ring
hath a Marid that serveth it called Al-Ra'ad al-Kásif;[FN#271]
and whoso hath possession thereof, neither King nor Sultan may
prevail against him; and if he will, he may therewith make
himself master of the earth, in all the length and breadth
thereof. As for the brand, if its bearer draw it and brandish it
against an army, the army will be put to the rout; and if he say
the while, 'Slay yonder host,' there will come forth of that
sword lightning and fire, that will kill the whole many. As for
the planisphere, its possessor hath only to turn its face toward
any country, east or west, with whose sight he hath a mind to
solace himself, and therein he will see that country and its
people, as they were between his hands and he sitting in his
place; and if he be wroth with a city and have a mind to burn it,
he hath but to face the planisphere towards the sun's disc,
saying, 'Let such a city be burnt,' and that city will be
consumed with fire. As for the Kohl phial, whoso pencilleth his
eyes therefrom, he shall espy all the treasures of the earth. And
I make this condition with you which is that whoso faileth to hit
upon the hoards shall forfeit his right; and that none save he
who shall achieve the treasure and bring me the four precious
things which be therein shall have any claim to take this book.'
So we all agreed to this condition, and he continued, 'O my sons,
know that the treasure of Al-Shamardal is under the commandment
of the sons of the Red King, and your father told me that he had
himself essayed to open the treasure, but could not; for the sons
of the Red King fled from him into the land of Egypt and took
refuge in a lake there, called Lake Karun, whither he pursued
them, but could not prevail over them, by reason of their
stealing into that lake, which was guarded by a spell.' "--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Eleventh Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Cohen al-Abtan had told the youths this much, he continued his
tale as follows, "So your father returned empty handed and unable
to win to his wish; and after failing he complained to me of his
ill-success, whereupon I drew him an astrological figure and
found that the treasure could be achieved only by means of a
young fisherman of Cairo, highs Judar bin Omar, the place of
foregathering with whom was at Lake Karun, for that he should be
the means of capturing the sons of the Red King and that the
charm would not be dissolved, save if he should bind the hands of
the treasure seeker behind him and cast him into the lake, there
to do battle with the sons of the Red King. And he whose lot it
was to succeed would lay hands upon them; but, if it were not
destined to him he should perish and his feet appear above water.
As for him who was successful, his hands would show first,
whereupon it behoved that Judar should cast the net over him and
draw him ashore." Now quoth my brothers Abd al-Salam and Abd
al-Ahad, "We will wend and make trial, although we perish;" and
quoth I, "And I also will go;" but my brother Abd al- Rahim (he
whom thou sawest in the habit of a Jew) said, "I have no mind to
this." Thereupon we agreed with him that he should repair to
Cairo in the disguise of a Jewish merchant, so that, if one of us
perished in the lake, he might take his mule and saddle bags and
give the bearer an hundred dinars. The first that came to thee
the sons of the Red King slew, and so did they with my second
brother; but against me they could not prevail and I laid hands
on them." Cried Judar, "And where is thy catch?" Asked the Moor,
"Didst thou not see me shut them in the caskets?" "Those were
fishes," said Judar. "Nay," answered the Maghribi, "they are
Ifrits in the guise of fish. But, O Judar," continued he, "thou
must know that the treasure can be opened only by thy means: so
say, wilt thou do my bidding and go with me to the city Fez and
Mequinez[FN#272] where we will open the treasure?; and after I
will give thee what thou wilt and thou shalt ever be my brother
in the bond of Allah and return to thy family with a joyful
heart." Said Judar, "O my lord the pilgrim, I have on my neck a
mother and two brothers,"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twelfth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar
said to the Maghribi, "I have on my neck a mother and two
brothers, whose provider I am; and if I go with thee, who shall
give them bread to eat?" Replied the Moor, "This is an idle
excuse! if it be but a matter of expenditure, I will give thee a
thousand ducats for thy mother, wherewith she may provide her
self till thou come back: and indeed thou shalt return before the
end of four months." So when Judar heard mention of the thousand
diners, he said, "Here with them, O Pilgrim, and I am thy man;"
and the Moor, pulling out the money, gave it to him, whereupon he
carried it to his mother and told her what had passed between
them, saying, "Take these thousand diners and expend of them upon
thyself and my brothers, whilst I journey to Marocco with the
Moor, for I shall be absent four months, and great good will
betide me; so bless me, O my mother!" Answered she, "O my son,
thou desolatest me and I fear for thee." "O my mother," rejoined
he, "no harm can befall him who is in Allah's keeping, and the
Maghribi is a man of worth;" and he went on to praise his
condition to her. Quoth she, "Allah incline his heart to thee! Go
with him, O my son; peradventure, he will give thee somewhat." So
he took leave of his mother and rejoined the Moor Abd al-Samad,
who asked him, "Hast thou consulted thy mother?" "Yes," answered
Judar; "and she blessed me." "Then mount behind me," said the
Maghribi. So Judar mounted the mule's crupper and they rode on
from noon till the time of mid afternoon prayer, when the
fisherman was an hungered; but seeing no victual with the Moor,
said to him, "O my lord the pilgrim, belike thou hast forgotten
to bring us aught to eat by the way?" Asked the Moor, "Art thou
hungry?" and Judar answered, "Yes." So Abd al-Samad alighted and
made Judar alight and take down the saddle bage[FN#273]; then he
said to him, "What wilt thou have, O my brother?" "Anything."
"Allah upon thee, tell me what thou hast a mind to." "Bread and
cheese." "O my poor fellow! bread and cheese besit thee not; wish
for some thing good." "Just now everything is good to me." "Dost
thou like nice browned chicken?" "Yes!" "Dost thou like rice and
honey?" "Yes!" And the Moor went on to ask him if he liked this
dish and that dish till he had named four and twenty kinds of
meats; and Judar thought to himself, "He must be daft! Where are
all these dainties to come from, seeing he hath neither cook nor
kitchen? But I'll say to him, ''Tis enough!'" So he cried, "That
will do: thou makest me long for all these meats, and I see
nothing." Quoth the Moor, "Thou art welcome, O Judar!" and,
putting his hand into the saddle bags, pulled out a golden dish
containing two hot browned chickens. Then he thrust his hand a
second time and drew out a golden dish, full of kabobs[FN#274];
nor did he stint taking out dishes from saddle bags, till he had
brought forth the whole of the four and twenty kinds he had
named, whilst Judar looked on. Then said the Moor, "Fall to poor
fellow!", and Judar said to him, "O my lord, thou carriest in
yonder saddle bags kitchen and kitcheners!" The Moor laughed and
replied, "These are magical saddle bags and have a servant, who
would bring us a thousand dishes an hour, if we called for them."
Quoth Judar, "By Allah, a meat thing in saddle bags'" Then they
ate their fill and threw away what was left; after which the Moor
replaced the empty dishes in the saddle bags and putting in his
hand, drew out an ewer. They drank and making the Wuzu ablution,
prayed the mid afternoon prayer; after which Abd al-Samad
replaced the ewer and the two caskets in the saddle bags and
throwing them over the mule's back, mounted and cried "Up with
thee and let us be off," presently adding, "O Judar, knowest thou
how far we have come since we left Cairo?" "Not I, by Allah,"
replied he, and Abd al-Samad, "We have come a whole month's
journey." Asked Judar, "And how is that?"; and the Moor answered,
"Know, O Judar, that this mule under us is a Marid of the Jinn
who every day performeth a year's journey; but, for thy sake, she
hath gone an easier pace." Then they set out again and fared on
westwards till nightfall, when they halted and the Maghribi
brought out supper from the saddle bags, and in like manner, in
the morning, he took forth wherewithal to break their fast. So
they rode on four days, journeying till midnight and then
alighting and sleeping until morning, when they fared on again;
and all that Judar had a mind to, he sought of the Moor, who
brought it out of the saddle bags. On the fifth day, they arrived
at Fez and Mequinez and entered the city, where all who met the
Maghribi saluted him and kissed his hands; and he continued
riding through the streets, till he came to a certain door, at
which he knocked, whereupon it opened and out came a girl like
the moon, to whom said he, "O my daughter, O Rahmah,[FN#275] open
us the upper chamber." "On my head and eyes, O my papa!" replied
she and went in, swaying her hips to and fro with a graceful and
swimming gait like a thirsting gazelle, movements that ravished
Judar's reason, and he said, "This is none other than a King's
daughter." So she opened the upper chamber, and the Moor, taking
the saddle bags from the mule's back, said, "Go, and God bless
thee!" when lo! the earth clove asunder and swallowing the mule,
closed up again as before. And Judar said, "O Protector! praised
be Allah, who hath kept us in safety on her back!" Quoth the
Maghribi, "Marvel not, O Judar. I told thee that the mule was an
Ifrit; but come with us into the upper chamber." So they went up
into it, and Judar was amazed at the profusion of rich furniture
and pendants of gold and silver and jewels and other rare and
precious things which he saw there. As soon as they were seated,
the Moor bade Rahmah bring him a certain bundle[FN#276] and
opening it, drew out a dress worth a thousand diners, which he
gave to Judar, saying, "Don this dress, O Judar, and welcome to
thee!" So Judar put it on and became a fair en sample of the
Kings of the West. Then the Maghribi laid the saddle bags before
him, and, putting in his hand, pulled out dish after dish, till
they had before them a tray of forty kinds of meat, when he said
to Judar, "Come near, O my master! eat and excuse us"--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say,
When it was the Six Hundred and Thirteenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Maghribi having served up in the pavilion a tray of forty kinds
of meat, said to Judar, "Come near, O my master, and excuse us
for that we know not what meats thou desirest; but tell us what
thou hast a mind to, and we will set it before thee without
delay." Replied Judar, "By Allah, O my lord the pilgrim, I love
all kinds of meat and unlove none; so ask me not of aught, but
bring all that cometh to thy thought, for save eating to do I
have nought." After this he tarried twenty days with the Moor,
who clad him in new clothes every day, and all this time they ate
from the saddle bags; for the Maghribi bought neither meat nor
bread nor aught else, nor cooked, but brought everything out of
the bags, even to various sorts of fruit. On the twenty first
day, he said, "O Judar up with thee; this is the day appointed
for opening the hoard of Al-Shamardal." So he rose and they went
afoot[FN#277] without the city, where they found two slaves, each
holding a she mule. The Moor mounted one beast and Judar the
other, and they ceased not riding till noon, when they came to a
stream of running water, on whose banks Abd al-Samad alighted
saying, "Dismount, O Judar!" Then he signed with his hand to the
slaves and said, "To it!" So they took the mules and going each
his own way, were absent awhile, after which they returned, one
bearing a tent, which he pitched, and the other carpets, which he
spread in the tent and laid mattresses, pillows and cushions
there around. Then one of them brought the caskets containing the
two fishes; and another fetched the saddle bags; whereupon the
Maghribi arose and said, "Come, O Judar!" So Judar followed him
into the tent and sat down beside him; and he brought out dishes
of meat from the saddle bags and they ate the undurn meal. Then
the Moor took the two caskets and conjured over them both,
whereupon there came from within voices that said' "Adsumus, at
thy service, O diviner of the world! Have mercy upon us!" and
called aloud for aid. But he ceased not to repeat conjurations
and they to call for help, till the two caskets flew in sunder,
the fragments flying about, and there came forth two men, with
pinioned hands saying, "Quarter, O diviner of the world! What
wilt thou with us?" Quoth he, "My will is to burn you both with
fire, except ye make a covenant with me, to open to me the
treasure of Al-Shamardal." Quoth they, "We promise this to thee,
and we will open the tree sure to thee, so thou produce to us
Judar bin Omar, the fisherman, for the hoard may not be opened
but by his means, nor can any enter therein save Judar." Cried
the Maghribi "Him of whom ye speak, I have brought, and he is
here, listening to you and looking at you." Thereupon they
covenanted with him to open the treasure to him, and he released
them. Then he brought out a hollow wand and tablets of red
carnelian which he laid on the rod; and after this he took a
chafing dish and setting charcoal thereon, blew one breath into
it and it kindled forthwith. Presently he brought incense and
said, "O Judar, I am now about to begin the necessary
conjurations and fumigations, and when I have once begun, I may
not speak, or the charm will be naught; so I will teach thee
first what thou must do to win thy wish." "Teach me," quoth
Judar. "Know," quoth the Moor, "that when I have recited the
spell and thrown on the incense, the water will dry up from the
river's bed and discover to thee, a golden door, the bigness of
the city gate, with two rings of metal thereon; whereupon do thou
go down to the door and knock a light knock and wait awhile; then
knock a second time a knock louder than the first and wait
another while; after which give three knocks in rapid succession,
and thou wilt hear a voice ask, 'Who knocketh at the door of the
treasure, unknowing how to solve the secrets?' Do thou answer, 'I
am Judar the fisherman son of Omar': and the door will open and
there will come forth a figure with a brand in hand who will say
to thee: 'If thou be that man, stretch forth thy neck, that I may
strike off thy head.' Then do thou stretch forth thy neck and
fear not; for, when he lifts his hand and smites thee with the
sword, he will fall down before thee, and in a little thou wilt
see him a body sans soul; and the stroke shall not hurt thee nor
shall any harm befall thee; but, if thou gainsay him, he will
slay thee. When thou hast undone his enchantment by obedience,
enter and go on till thou see another door, at which do thou
knock, and there will come forth to thee a horseman riding a mare
with a lance on his shoulder and say to thee, 'What bringeth thee
hither, where none may enter ne man ne Jinni?' And he will shake
his lance at thee. Bare thy breast to him and he will smite thee
and fall down forthright and thou shalt see him a body without a
soul; but if thou cross him he will kill thee. Then go on to the
third door, whence there will come forth to thee a man with a bow
and arrows in his hand and take aim at thee. Bare thy breast to
him and he will shoot at thee and fall down before thee, a body
without a soul; but if thou oppose him, he will kill thee. Then
go on to the fourth door"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her per misted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Fourteenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
Maghribi said to Judar, "Go on to the fourth door and knock and
it shall be opened to thee, when there will come forth to thee a
lion huge of bulk which will rush upon thee, opening his mouth
and showing he hath a mind to devour thee. Have no fear of him,
neither flee from him: but when he cometh to thee, give him thy
hand and he will bite at it and fall down straightway, nor shall
aught of hurt betide thee. Then enter the fifth door, where thou
shalt find a black slave, who will say to thee, 'Who art thou?'
Say, 'I am Judar!' and he will answer, 'If thou be that man, open
the sixth door.' Then do thou go up to the door and say, 'O Isa,
tell Musa to open the door'; whereupon the door will fly open and
thou wilt see two dragons, one on the left hand and another on
the right, which will open their mouths and fly at thee, both at
once. Do thou put forth to them both hands and they will bite
each a hand and fall down dead; but an thou resist them, they
will slay thee. Then go on to the seventh door and knock,
whereupon there will come forth to thee thy mother and say,
'Welcome, O my son! Come, that I may greet thee!' But do thou
reply, 'Hold off from me and doff thy dress.' And she will make
answer, 'O my son, I am thy mother and I have a claim upon thee
for suckling thee and for rearing thee: how then wouldst thou
strip me naked?' Then do thou say, 'Except thou put off thy
clothes, I will kill thee!' and look to thy right where thou wilt
see a sword hanging up. Take it and draw it upon her, saying,
'Strip!' where upon she will wheedle thee and humble herself to
thee; but have thou no ruth on her nor be beguiled, and as often
as she putteth off aught, say to her, 'Off with the rave'; nor do
thou cease to threaten her with death, till she doff all that is
upon her and fall down, whereupon the enchantment will be
dissolved and the charms undone, and thou wilt be safe as to thy
life. Then enter the hall of the treasure, where thou wilt see
the gold lying in heaps; but pay no heed to aught thereof, but
look to a closet at the upper end of the hall, where thou wilt
see a curtain drawn. Draw back the curtain and thou wilt descry
the enchanter, Al-Shamardal, lying upon a couch of gold, with
something at his head round and shining like the moon, which is
the celestial planisphere. He is baldrick'd with the
sword[FN#278]; his finger is the ring and about his neck hangs a
chain, to which hangs the Kohl phial. Bring me the four
talismans, and beware lest thou forget aught of that which I have
told thee, or thou wilt repent and there will be fear for thee."
And he repeated his directions a second and a third and a fourth
time, till Judar said, "I have them by heart: but who may face
all these enchantments that thou namest and endure against these
mighty terrors?" Replied the Moor, "O Judar, fear not, for they
are semblances without life;" and he went on to hearten him, till
he said, "I put my trust in Allah." Then Abd al-Samad threw
perfumes on the chafing dish, and addressed himself to reciting
conjurations for a time when, behold, the water disappeared and
uncovered the river bed and discovered the door of the treasure,
whereupon Judar went down to the door and knocked. Therewith he
heard a voice saying, "Who knocketh at the door of the treasure,
unknowing how to solve the secrets?" Quoth he, "I am Judar son of
Omar;" whereupon the door opened and there came forth a figure
with a drawn sword, who said to him, "Stretch forth thy neck." So
he stretched forth his neck and the species smote him and fell
down, lifeless. Then he went on to the second door and did the
like, nor did he cease to do thus, till he had undone the
enchantments of the first six doors and came to the seventh door,
whence there issued forth to him his mother, saying, "I salute
thee, O my son!" He asked, "What art thou?", and she answered, "O
my son, I am thy mother who bare thee nine months and suckled
thee and reared thee." Quoth he, "Put off thy clothes." Quoth
she, "Thou art my son, how wouldst thou strip me naked?" But he
said "Strip, or I will strike off thy head with this sword;" and
he stretched out his hand to the brand and drew it upon her
saying, "Except thou strip, I will slay thee." Then the strife
became long between them and as often as he redoubled on her his
threats, she put off somewhat of her clothes and he said to her,
"Doff the rest," with many menaces; while she removed each
article slowly and kept saying, "O my son, thou hast disappointed
my fosterage of thee," till she had nothing left but her
petticoat trousers Then said she, "O my son, is thy heart stone?
Wilt thou dishonour me by discovering my shame? Indeed, this is
unlawful, O my son!" And he answered, "Thou sayest sooth; put not
off thy trousers." At once, as he uttered these words, she cried
out, "He hath made default; beat him!" Whereupon there fell upon
him blows like rain drops and the servants of the treasure
flocked to him and dealt him a funding which he forgot not in all
his days; after which they thrust him forth and threw him down
without the treasure and the hoard doors closed of themselves,
whilst the waters of the river returned to their bed.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Fifteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
servants of the treasure beat Judar and cast him out and the
hoard doors closed of themselves, whilst the river waters
returned to their bed, Abd al-Samad the Maghribi took Judar up in
haste and repeated conjurations over him, till he came to his
senses but still dazed as with drink, when he asked him, "What
hast thou done, O wretch?" Answered Judar, "O my brother, I undid
all the opposing enchantments, till I came to my mother and there
befell between her and myself a long contention. But I made her
doff her clothes, O my brother, till but her trousers remained
upon her and she said to me, 'Do not dishonour me; for to
discover one's shame is forbidden.' So I left her her trousers
out of pity, and behold, she cried out and said, 'He hath made
default; beat him!' Whereupon there came out upon me folk, whence
I know not, and funding me with a belabouring which was a Sister
of Death, thrust me forth; nor do I know what befell me after
this." Quoth the Moor, "Did I not warn thee not to swerve from my
directions? Verily, thou hast injured me and hast injured
thyself: for if thou hadst made her take off her petticoat
trousers, we had won to our wish; but now thou must abide with me
till this day next year." Then he cried out to the two slaves,
who struck the tent forthright and loaded it on the beasts; then
they were absent awhile and presently returned with the two
mules; and the twain mounted and rode back to the city of Fez,
where Judar tarried with the Maghribi, eating well and drinking
well and donning a grand dress every day, till the year was ended
and the anniversary day dawned. Then the Moor said to him, "Come
with me, for this is the appointed day." And Judar said, "'Tis
well." So the Maghribi carried him without the city, where they
found the two slaves with the mules, and rode on till they
reached the river. Here the slaves pitched the tent and furnished
it; and the Moor brought forth the tray of food and they ate the
morning meal; after which Abd al-Samad brought out the wand and
the tablets as before and, kindling the fire in the chafing dish,
made ready the incense. Then said he, "O Judar, I wish to renew
my charge to thee." "O my lord the pilgrim," replied he, "if I
have forgotten the bastinado, I have forgotten the
injunctions."[FN#279] Asked the Moor, "Dost thou indeed remember
them?" and he answered, "Yes." Quoth the Moor, "Keep thy wits,
and think not that the woman is thy very mother; nay, she is but
an enchantment in her semblance, whose purpose is to find thee
defaulting. Thou camest off alive the first time; but, an thou
trip this time, they will slay thee." Quoth Judar, "If I slip
this time, I deserve to be burnt of them." Then Abd al-Samad cast
the perfumes into the fire and recited the conjurations, till the
river dried up; whereupon Judar descended and knocked. The door
opened and he entered and undid the several enchantments, till he
came to the seventh door and the semblance of his mother appeared
before him, saying, "Welcome,[FN#280] O my son!" But he said to
her, "How am I thy son, O accursed? Strip!" And she began to
wheedle him and put off garment after garment, till only her
trousers remained; and he said to her, "Strip, O accursed!" So
she put off her trousers and became a body without a soul. Then
he entered the hall of the treasures, where he saw gold lying in
heaps, but paid no heed to it and passed on to the closet at the
upper end, where he saw the enchanter Al-Shamardal lying on a
couch of gold, baldrick'd with the sword, with the ring on his
finger, the Kohl phial on his breast and the celestial
planisphere hanging over his head. So he loosed the sword and
taking the ring, the Kohl phial and the planisphere, went forth,
when behold, a band of music sounded for him and the servants of
the treasure cried out, saying, "Mayest thou be assained with
that thou hast gained, O Judar!" Nor did the music leave
sounding, till he came forth of the treasure to the Maghribi, who
gave up his conjurations and fumigations and rose up and embraced
him and saluted him. Then Judar made over to him the four hoarded
talismans, and he took them and cried out to the slaves, who
carried away the tent and brought the mules. So they mounted and
returned to Fez-city, where the Moor fetched the saddle bags and
brought forth dish after dish of meat, till the tray was full,
and said, "O my brother, O Judar, eat!" So he ate till he was
satisfied, when the Moor emptied what remained of the meats and
other dishes and returned the empty platters to the saddle bags.
Then quoth he, "O Judar, thou hast left home and native land on
our account and thou hast accomplished our dearest desire;
wherefore thou hast a right to require a reward of us. Ask,
therefore, what thou wilt, it is Almighty Allah who giveth unto
thee by our means.[FN#281] Ask thy will and be not ashamed, for
thou art deserving." "O my lord," quoth Judar, "I ask first of
Allah the Most High and then of thee, that thou give me yonder
saddle bags." So the Maghribi called for them and gave them to
him, saying, "Take them, for they are thy due; and, if thou hadst
asked of me aught else instead, I had given it to thee. Eat from
them, thou and thy family; but, my poor fellow, these will not
profit thee, save by way of provaunt, and thou hast wearied
thyself with us and we promised to send thee home rejoicing. So
we will join to these other saddle bags, full of gold and gems,
and forward thee back to thy native land, where thou shalt become
a gentleman and a merchant and clothe thyself and thy family; nor
shalt thou want ready money for thine expenditure. And know that
the manner of using our gift is on this wise. Put thy hand
therein and say, 'O servant of these saddle bags, I conjure thee
by the virtue of the Mighty Names which have power over thee,
bring me such a dish!' And he will bring thee whatsoever thou
askest, though thou shouldst call for a thousand different dishes
a day." So saying, he filled him a second pair of saddle bags
half with gold and half with gems and precious stones; and,
sending for a slave and a mule, said to him, "Mount this mule,
and the slave shall go before thee and show thee the way, till
thou come to the door of thy house, where do thou take the two
pair of saddle bags and give him the mule, that he may bring it
back. But admit none into thy secret; and so we commend thee to
Allah!" "May the Almighty increase thy good!" replied Judar and,
laying the two pairs of saddle bags on the mule's back, mounted
and set forth. The slave went on before him and the mule followed
him all that day and night, and on the morrow he entered Cairo by
the Gate of Victory,[FN#282] where he saw his mother seated,
saying, "Alms, for the love of Allah!" At this sight he well nigh
lost his wits and alighting, threw himself upon her: and when she
saw him she wept. Then he mounted her on the mule and walked by
her stirrup,[FN#283] till they came to the house, where he set
her down and, taking the saddle bags, left the she mule to the
slave, who led her away and returned with her to his master, for
that both slave and mule were devils. As for Judar, it was
grievous to him that his mother should beg; so, when they were in
the house, he asked her, "O my mother, are my brothers well?";
and she answered, "They are both well." Quoth he, "Why dost thou
beg by the wayside?" Quoth she, "Because I am hungry, O my son,"
and he, 'Before I went away, I gave thee an hundred diners one
day, the like the next and a thousand on the day of my
departure." "O my son, they cheated me and took the money from
me, saying, 'We will buy goods with it.' Then they drove me away,
and I fell to begging by the wayside, for stress of hunger." "O
my mother, no harm shall befall thee, now I am come; so have no
concern, for these saddle bags are full of gold and gems, and
good aboundeth with me." "Verily, thou art blessed, O my son!
Allah accept of thee and increase thee of His bounties! Go, O my
son, fetch us some victual, for I slept not last night for excess
of hunger, having gone to bed supperless. "Welcome to thee, O my
mother! Call for what thou wilt to eat, and I will set it before
thee this moment; for I have no occasion to buy from the market,
nor need I any to cook. "O my son, I see naught with thee." "I
have with me in these saddle bags all manner of meats." "O my
son, whatever is ready will serve to stay hunger." "True, when
there is no choice, men are content with the smallest thing; but
where there is plenty, they like to eat what is good: and I have
abundance; so call for what thou hast a mind to." "O my son, give
me some hot bread and a slice of cheese." "O my mother, this
befitteth not thy condition." "Then give me to eat of that which
besitteth my case, for thou knowest it." "O my mother," rejoined
he, "what suit thine estate are browned meat and roast chicken
and peppered rice and it becometh thy rank to eat of sausages and
stuffed cucumbers and stuffed lamb and stuffed ribs of mutton and
vermicelli with broken almonds and nuts and honey and sugar and
fritters and almond cakes." But she thought he was laughing at
her and making mock of her; so she said to him, "Yauh!
Yauh![FN#284] what is come to thee? Dost thou dream or art thou
daft?" Asked he, "Why deemest thou that I am mad?" and she
answered, "Because thou namest to me all manner rich dishes. Who
can avail unto their price, and who knoweth how to dress them?"
Quoth he, "By my life! thou shalt eat of all that I have named to
thee, and that at once;" and quoth she, "I see nothing;" and he,
"Bring me the saddle bags." So she fetched them and feeling them,
found them empty. However, she laid them before him and he thrust
in his hand and pulled out dish after dish, till he had set
before her all he had named. Whereupon asked she, "O my son, the
saddle bags are small and moreover they were empty; yet hast thou
taken thereout all these dishes. Where then were they all?"; and
he answered, "O my mother, know that these saddle bags, which the
Moor gave me, are enchanted and they have a servant whom, if one
desire aught, he hath but to adjure by the Names which command
him, saying, 'O servant of these saddle bags, bring me such a
dish!' and he will bring it." Quoth his mother, "And may I put
out my hand and ask of him?" Quoth he, "Do so." So she stretched
out her hand and said, "O servant of the saddle bags, by the
virtue of the Names which command thee, bring me stuffed ribs."
Then she thrust in her hand and found a dish containing delicate
stuffed ribs of lamb. So she took it out, and called for bread
and what else she had a mind to: after which Judar said to her,
"O my mother, when thou hast made an end of eating, empty what is
left of the food into dishes other than these, and restore the
empty platters to the saddle bags carefully." So she arose and
laid them up in a safe place. "And look, O mother mine, that thou
keep this secret," added he; "and whenever thou hast a mind to
aught, take it forth of the saddle bags and give alms and feed my
brothers, whether I be present or absent." Then he fell to eating
with her and behold, while they were thus occupied, in came his
two brothers, whom a son of the quarter[FN#285] had apprised of
his return, saying, "Your brother is come back, riding on a she
mule, with a slave before him, and wearing a dress that hath not
its like." So they said to each other, "Would to Heaven we had
not evilly entreated our mother! There is no hope but that she
will surely tell him how we did by her, and then, oh our disgrace
with him!" But one of the twain said, "Our mother is soft
hearted, and if she tell him, our brother is yet tenderer over us
than she; and, given we excuse ourselves to him, he will accept
our excuse." So they went in to him and he rose to them and
saluting them with the friendliest salutation, bade them sit down
and eat. So they ate till they were satisfied, for they were weak
with hunger; after which Judar said to them, "O my brothers, take
what is left and distribute it to the poor and needy." "O
brother," replied they, "let us keep it to sup withal." But he
answered, "When supper time cometh, ye shall have more than
this." So they took the rest of the victual and going out, gave
it to every poor man who passed by them, saying, "Take and eat,"
till nothing was left. Then they brought back the dishes and
Judar said to his mother, "Put them in the saddle bags."--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Sixteenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar,
when his brethren had finished their under meal, said to his
mother, "Put back the platters in the saddle bags." And when it
was eventide, he entered the saloon and took forth of the saddle
bags a table of forty dishes; after which he went up to the upper
room and, sitting down between his brothers, said to his mother,
"Bring the supper."[FN#286] So she went down to the saloon and,
finding there the dishes ready, laid the tray and brought up the
forty dishes, one after other. Then they ate the evening meal,
and when they had done, Judar said to his brothers, "Take and
feed the poor and needy." So they took what was left and gave
alms thereof, and presently he brought forth to them sweetmeats,
whereof they ate, and what was left he bade them give to the
neighbours. On the morrow, they brake their fast after the same
fashion, and thus they fared ten days, at the end of which time
quoth Sálim to Salím, "How cometh it that our brother setteth
before us a banquet in the morning, a banquet at noon, and a
banquet at sundown, besides sweetmeats late at night, and all
that is left he giveth to the poor? Verily, this is the fashion
of Sultans. Yet we never see him buy aught, and he hath neither
kitchener nor kitchen, nor doth he light a fire. Whence hath he
this great plenty? Hast thou not a mind to discover the cause of
all this?" Quoth Salím, "By Allah, I know not: but knowest thou
any who will tell us the truth of the case?" Quoth Sálim, "None
will tell us save our mother." So they laid a plot and repairing
to their mother one day, in their brother's absence, said to her,
"O our mother, we are hungry." Replied she, "Rejoice, for ye
shall presently be satisfied;" and going into the saloon, sought
of the servant of the saddle bags hot meats, which she took out
and set before her sons. "O our mother," cried they, "this meat
is hot; yet hast thou not cooked, neither kindled a fire." Quoth
she, "It cometh from the saddle bags;" and quoth they, "What
manner of thing be these saddle bags?" She answered, "They are
enchanted; and the required is produced by the charm:" she then
told her sons their virtue, enjoining them to secrecy. Said they,
"The secret shall be kept, O our mother, but teach us the manner
of this." So she taught them the fashion thereof and they fell to
putting their hands into the saddle bags and taking forth
whatever they had a mind to. But Judar knew naught of this. Then
quoth Sálim privily to Salím, "O my brother, how long shall we
abide with Judar servant wise and eat of his alms? Shall we not
contrive to get the saddle bags from him and make off with them?"
"And how shall we make shift to do this?" "We will sell him to
the galleys." "How shall we do that?" "We two will go to the
Raís, the Chief Captain of the Sea of Suez and bid him to an
entertainment, with two of his company. What I say to Judar do
thou confirm, and at the end of the night I will show thee what I
will do." So they agreed upon the sale of their brother and going
to the Captain's quarters said to him, "O Rais, we have come to
thee on an errand that will please thee." "Good," answered he;
and they continued, "We two are brethren, and we have a third
brother, a lewd fellow and good for nothing. When our father
died, he left us some money, which we shared amongst us, and he
took his part of the inheritance and wasted it in frowardness and
debauchery, till he was reduced to poverty, when he came upon us
and cited us before the magistrates, avouching that we had taken
his good and that of his father, and we disputed the matter
before the judges and lost the money. Then he waited awhile and
attacked us a second time, until he brought us to beggary; nor
will he desist from us, and we are utterly weary of him;
wherefore we would have thee buy him of us." Quoth the Captain,
"Can ye cast about with him and bring him to me here? If so, I
will pack him off to sea forthright." Quoth they "We cannot
manage to bring him here; but be thou our guest this night and
bring with thee two of thy men, not one more; and when he is
asleep, we will aid one another to fall upon him, we five, and
seize and gag him. Then shalt thou carry him forth the house,
under cover of the night, and after do thou with him as thou
wilt." Rejoined the Captain, "With all my heart! Will ye sell him
for forty dinars?" and they, "Yes, come after nightfall to such a
street, by such a mosque, and thou shalt find one of us awaiting
thee." And he replied, "Now be off." Then they repaired to Judar
and waited awhile, after which Sálim went up to him and kissed
his hand. Quoth Judar, "What ails thee, O my brother?" And he
made answer, saying, "Know that I have a friend, who hath many a
time bidden me to his house in thine absence and hath ever
hospitably entreated me, and I owe him a thousand kindnesses, as
my brother here wotteth. I met him to day and he invited me to
his house, but I said to him, 'I cannot leave my brother Judar.'
Quoth he, 'Bring him with thee'; and quoth I, 'He will not
consent to that; but if ye will be my guests, thou and thy
brothers'[FN#287] * * * * * (for his brothers were sitting with
him); and I invited them thinking that they would refuse. But he
accepted my invitation for all of them, saying, 'Look for me at
the gate of the little mosque,[FN#288] and I will come to thee, I
and my brothers.' And now I fear they will come and am ashamed
before thee. So wilt thou hearten my heart and entertain them
this night, for thy good is abundant, O my brother? Or if thou
consent not, give me leave to take them into the neighbours'
houses." Replied Judar, "Why shouldst thou carry them into the
neighbours' houses? Is our house then so strait or have we not
wherewith to give them supper? Shame on thee to consult me! Thou
hast but to call for what thou needest and have rich viands and
sweetmeats and to spare. Whenever thou bringest home folk in my
absence, ask thy mother, and she will set before thee victual
more than enough. Go and fetch them; blessings have descended
upon us through such guests." So Sálim kissed his hand and going
forth, sat at the gate of the little mosque till after sundown,
when the Captain and his men came up to him, and he carried them
to the house. When Judar saw them he bade them welcome and seated
them and made friends of them, knowing not what the future had in
store for him at their hands. Then he called to his mother for
supper, and she fell to taking dishes out of the saddlebags,
whilst he said, "Bring such and such meats," till she had set
forty different dishes before them. They ate their sufficiency
and the tray was taken away, the sailors thinking the while that
this liberal entertainment came from Sálim. When a third part of
the night was past, Judar set sweetmeats before them and Sálim
served them, whilst his two brothers sat with the guests, till
they sought to sleep. Accordingly Judar lay down and the others
with him, who waited till he was asleep, when they fell upon him
together and gagging and pinioning him, before he was awake,
carried him forth of the house,[FN#289] under cover of the
night,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying
her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Seventeenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that they seized
Judar and carrying him forth of the house under cover of the
night, at once packed him off to Suez, where they shackled him
and set him to work as a galley slave; and he ceased not to serve
thus in silence a whole year.[FN#290] So far concerning Judar;
but as for his brothers, they went in next morning to his mother
and said to her, "O our mother, our brother Judar is not awake."
Said she, "Do ye wake him." Asked they, "Where lieth he?" and she
answered, "With the guests." They rejoined, "Haply he went away
with them whilst we slept, O mother. It would seem that he had
tasted of strangerhood and yearned to get at hidden hoards; for
we heard him at talk with the Moors, and they said to him, 'We
will take thee with us and open the treasure to thee.'" She
enquired, "Hath he then been in company with Moors?;" and they
replied, saying, "Were they not our guests yester night?" And
she, "Most like he hath gone with them, but Allah will direct him
on the right way; for there is a blessing upon him and he will
surely come back with great good." But she wept, for it was
grievous to her to be parted from her son. Then said they to her,
"O accursed woman, dost thou love Judar with all this love,
whilst as for us, whether we be absent or present, thou neither
joyest in us nor sorrowest for us? Are we not thy sons, even as
Judar is thy son?" She said, "Ye are indeed my sons: but ye are
reprobates who deserve no favour of me, for since your father's
death I have never seen any good in you; whilst as for Judar, I
have had abundant good of him and he hath heartened my heart and
entreated me with honour; wherefore it behoveth me to weep for
him, because of his kindness to me and to you." When they heard
this, they abused her and beat her; after which they sought for
the saddle bags, till they found the two pairs and took the
enchanted one and all the gold from one pouch and jewels from the
other of the unenchanted, saying, "This was our father's good."
Said their mother, "Not so, by Allah!, it belongeth to your
brother Judar, who brought it from the land of the Magharibah."
Said they, "Thou liest, it was our father's property; and we will
dispose of it, as we please." Then they divided the gold and
jewels between them; but a brabble arose between them concerning
the enchanted saddle bags, Sálim saying, "I will have them;" and
Salím, saying, "I will take them;" and they came to high words.
Then said she, "O my sons, ye have divided the gold and the
jewels, but this may not be divided, nor can its value be made up
in money; and if it be cut in twain, its spell will be voided; so
leave it with me and I will give you to eat from it at all times
and be content to take a morsel with you. If ye allow me aught to
clothe me, 'twill be of your bounty, and each of you shall
traffic with the folk for himself. Ye are my sons and I am your
mother; wherefore let us abide as we are, lest your brother come
back and we be disgraced." But they accepted not her words and
passed the night, wrangling with each other. Now it chanced that
a Janissary[FN#291] of the King's guards was a guest in the house
adjoining Judar's and heard them through the open window. So he
looked out and listening, heard all the angry words that passed
between them and saw the division of the spoil. Next morning he
presented himself before the King of Egypt, whose name was Shams
al-Daulah,[FN#292] and told him all he had heard, whereupon he
sent for Judar's brothers and put them to the question, till they
confessed; and he took the two pairs of Saddle bags from them and
clapped them in prison, appointing a sufficient daily allowance
to their mother. Now as regards Judar, he abode a whole year in
service at Suez, till one day, being in a ship bound on a voyage
over the sea, a wind arose against them and cast the vessel upon
a rock projecting from a mountain, where she broke up and all on
board were drowned and none get ashore save Judar. As soon as he
landed he fared on inland, till he reached an encampment of
Badawi, who questioned him of his case, and he told them he had
been a sailor.[FN#293] Now there was in camp a merchant, a native
of Jiddah, who took pity on him and said to him, "Wilt thou take
service with me, O Egyptian, and I will clothe thee and carry
thee with me to Jiddah?" So Judar took service with him and
accompanied him to Jiddah, where he showed him much favour. After
awhile, his master the merchant set out on a pilgrimage to
Meccah, taking Judar with him, and when they reached the city,
the Cairene repaired to the Haram temple, to circumambulate the
Ka'abah. As he was making the prescribed circuits,[FN#294] he
suddenly saw his friend Abd al-Samad the Moor doing the like;--
And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Eighteenth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar, as
he was making the circuits, suddenly saw his friend Abd al-Samad
also circumambulating; and when the Maghribi caught sight of him,
he saluted him and asked him of his state; whereupon Judar wept
and told him all that had befallen him. So the Moor carried him
to his lodging and entreated him with honour, clothing him in a
dress of which the like was not, and saying to him, "Thou hast
seen the end of thine ills, O Judar." Then he drew out for him a
geomantic figure, which showed what had befallen Sálim and Salím
and said to Judar, "Such and such things have befallen thy
brothers and they are now in the King of Egypt's prison; but thou
art right welcome to abide with me and accomplish thine
ordinances of pilgrimage and all shall be well." Replied Judar,
"O my lord, let me go and take leave of the merchant with whom I
am and after I will come back to thee." "Dost thou owe money?"
asked the Moor, and he answered, "No." Said Abd al-Samad, "Go
thou and take leave of him and come back forth right, for bread
hath claims of its own from the ingenuous." So Judar returned to
the merchant and farewelled him, saying, "I have fallen in with
my brother."[FN#295] "Go bring him here," said the merchant, "and
we will make him an entertainment." But Judar answered, saying,
"He hath no need of that; for he is a man of wealth and hath many
servants." Then the merchant gave Judar twenty dinars, saying,
"Acquit me of responsibility";[FN#296] and he bade him adieu and
went forth from him. Presently, he saw a poor man, so he gave him
the twenty ducats and returned to the Moor, with whom he abode
till they had accomplished the pilgrimage rites when Abd al-Samad
gave him the seal ring, that he had taken from the treasure of
Al-Shamardal, saying, "This ring will win thee thy wish, for it
enchanteth and hath a servant, by name Al-Ra'ad al-Kásif; so
whatever thou hast a mind to of the wants of this world, rub this
ring and its servant will appear and do all thou biddest him."
Then he rubbed the ring before him, whereupon the Jinni appeared,
saying, "Adsum, O my lord! Ask what thou wilt and it shall be
given thee. Hast thou a mind to people a ruined city or ruin a
populous one? to slay a king or to rout a host?" "O Ra'ad," said
Abd al-Samad, "this is become thy lord; do thou serve him
faithfully." Then he dismissed him and said to Judar, "Rub the
ring and the servant will appear and do thou command him to do
whatever thou desirest, for he will not gainsay thee. Now go to
thine own country and take care of the ring, for by means of it
thou wilt baffle thine enemies; and be not ignorant of its
puissance." "O my lord," quoth Judar, "with thy leave, I will set
out homewards." Quoth the Maghribi, "Summon the Jinni and mount
upon his back; and if thou say to him, 'Bring me to my native
city this very day,' he will not disobey thy commandment." So he
took leave of Moor Abd al-Samad and rubbed the ring, whereupon
Al-Ra'ad presented himself, saying, "Adsum; ask and it shall be
given to thee." Said Judar, "Carry me to Cairo this day;" and he
replied, "Thy will be done;" and, taking him on his back, flew
with him from noon till midnight, when he set him down in the
courtyard of his mother's house and disappeared. Judar went in to
his mother, who rose weeping, and greeted him fondly, and told
him how the King had beaten his brothers and cast them into gaol
and taken the two pairs of saddle bags; which when he heard, it
was no light matter to him and he said to her, "Grieve not for
the past; I will show thee what I can do and bring my brothers
hither forth right." So he rubbed the ring, whereupon its servant
appeared, saying, "Here am I! Ask and thou shalt have." Quoth
Judar, "I bid thee bring me my two brothers from the prison of
the King." So the Jinni sank into the earth and came not up but
in the midst of the gaol where Sálim and Salím lay in piteous
plight and sore sorrow for the plagues of prison,[FN#297] so that
they wished for death, and one of them said to the other, "By
Allah, O my brother, affliction is longsome upon us! How long
shall we abide in this prison? Death would be relief." As he
spoke, behold, the earth clove in sunder and out came Al-Ra'ad,
who took both up and plunged with them into the earth. They
swooned away for excess of fear, and when they recovered, they
found themselves in their mother's house and saw Judar seated by
her side. Quoth he, "I salute you, O my brothers! you have
cheered me by your presence." And they bowed their heads and
burst into tears. Then said he, "Weep not, for it was Satan and
covetise that led you to do thus. How could you sell me? But I
comfort myself with the thought of Joseph, whose brothers did
with him even more than ye did with me, because they cast him
into the pit."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and
ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Nineteenth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that Judar
said to his brothers, "How could you do with me thus? But repent
unto Allah and crave pardon of Him, and He will forgive you both,
for He is the Most Forgiving, the Merciful. As for me, I pardon
you and welcome you: no harm shall befall you." Then he comforted
them and set their hearts at ease and related to them all he had
suffered, till he fell in with Shaykh Abd al-Samad, and told them
also of the seal ring. They replied, "O our brother, forgive us
this time; and, if we return to our old ways, do with us as thou
wilt." Quoth he, "No harm shall befall you; but tell me what the
King did with you." Quoth they, "He beat us and threatened us
with death and took the two pairs of saddle bags from us." "Will
he not care?"[FN#298] said Judar, and rubbed the ring, whereupon
Al-Ra'ad appeared. When his brothers saw him, they were frighted
and thought Judar would bid him slay them; so they fled to their
mother, crying, "O our mother, we throw our selves on thy
generosity; do thou intercede for us, O our mother!" And she said
to them, "O my sons, fear nothing!" Then said Judar to the
servant, "I command thee to bring me all that is in the King's
treasury of goods and such; let nothing remain and fetch the two
pairs of saddle bags he took from my brothers." "I hear and I
obey," replied Al-Ra'ad; and, disappearing straight way gathered
together all he found in the treasury and returned with the two
pairs of saddle bags and the deposits therein and laid them
before Judar, saying, "O my lord, I have left nothing in the
treasury." Judar gave the treasure to his mother bidding her keep
it and laying the enchanted saddle bags before him, said to the
Jinni, "I command thee to build me this night a lofty palace and
overlay it with liquid gold and furnish it with magnificent
furniture: and let not the day dawn, ere thou be quit of the
whole work." Replied he, "Thy bidding shall be obeyed;" and sank
into the earth. Then Judar brought forth food and they ate and
took their ease and lay down to sleep. Meanwhile, Al-Ra'ad
summoned his attendant Jinn and bade them build the palace. So
some of them fell to hewing stones and some to building, whilst
others plastered and painted and furnished; nor did the day dawn
ere the ordinance of the palace was complete; whereupon Al-Ra'ad
came to Judar and said to him, "O my lord, the palace is finished
and in best order, an it please thee to come and look on it." So
Judar went forth with his mother and brothers and saw a palace,
whose like there was not in the whole world; and it confounded
all minds with the goodliness of its ordinance. Judar was
delighted with it while he was passing along the highway and
withal it had cost him nothing. Then he asked his mother, "Say
me, wilt thou take up thine abode in this palace?" and she
answered, "I will, O my son," and called down blessings upon him.
Then he rubbed the ring and bade the Jinni fetch him forty
handsome white hand maids and forty black damsels and as many
Mamelukes and negro slaves. "Thy will be done," answered Al-Ra'ad
and betaking himself, with forty of his attendant Genii to Hind
and Sind and Persia, snatched up every beautiful girl and boy
they saw, till they had made up the required number. Moreover, he
sent other four score, who fetched comely black girls, and forty
others brought male chattels and carried them all to Judar's
house, which they filled. Then he showed them to Judar, who was
pleased with them and said, "Bring for each a dress of the
finest." "Ready!" replied the servant. Then quoth he, "Bring a
dress for my mother and another for myself, and also for my
brothers." So the Jinni fetched all that was needed and clad the
female slaves, saying to them, "This is your mistress: kiss her
hands and cross her not, but serve her, white and black." The
Mamelukes also dressed them selves and kissed Judar's hands; and
he and his brothers arrayed themselves in the robes the Jinni had
brought them and Judar became like unto a King and his brothers
as Wazirs. Now his house was spacious; so he lodged Sálim and his
slave girls in one part thereof and Salím and his slave girls in
another, whilst he and his mother took up their abode in the new
palace; and each in his own place was like a Sultan. So far
concerning them; but as regards the King's Treasurer, thinking to
take something from the treasury, he went in and found it
altogether empty, even as saith the poet,
"'Twas as a hive of bees that greatly thrived; * But, when the
bee swarm fled, 'twas clean unhived."[FN#299]
So he gave a great cry and fell down in a fit. When he came to
himself, he left the door open and going in to King Shams
al-Daulah, said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful,[FN#300] I
have to inform thee that the treasury hath become empty during
the night." Quoth the King, 'What hast thou done with my monies
which were therein?" Quoth he, "By Allah, I have not done aught
with them nor know I what is come of them! I visited the place
yesterday and saw it full; but to day when I went in, I found it
clean empty, albeit the doors were locked, the walls were
unpierced[FN#301] and the bolts[FN#302] are unbroken; nor hath a
thief entered it." Asked the King, "Are the two pairs of saddle
bags gone?" "Yes," replied the Treasurer; whereupon the King's
reason flew from his head,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twentieth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Treasurer informed the King that all in the treasury had been
plundered, including the two pairs of saddlebags, the King's
reason flew from his head and he rose to his feet, saying, "Go
thou before me." Then he followed the Treasurer to the treasury
and he found nothing there, whereat he was wroth with him; and he
said to them, "O soldiers! know that my treasury hath been
plundered during the night, and I know not who did this deed and
dared thus to outrage me, without fear of me." Said they, "How
so?"; and he replied, "Ask the Treasurer." So they questioned
him, and he answered, saying, "Yesterday I visited the treasury
and it was full, but this morning when I entered it I found it
empty, though the walls were unpierced and the doors unbroken."
They all marvelled at this and could make the King no answer,
when in came the Janissary, who had denounced Sálim and Salím,
and said to Shams al-Daulah, "O King of the age, all this night I
have not slept for that which I saw." And the King asked, "And
what didst thou see?" "Know, O King of the age," answered the
Kawwás, "that all night long I have been amusing myself with
watching builders at work; and, when it was day, I saw a palace
ready edified, whose like is not in the world. So I asked about
it and was told that Judar had come back with great wealth and
Mamelukes and slaves and that he had freed his two brothers from
prison, and built this palace, wherein he is as a Sultan." Quoth
the King, "Go, look in the prison." So they went thither and not
finding Sálim and Salím, returned and told the King, who said,
"It is plain now who be the thief; he who took Sálim and Salím
out of prison it is who hath stolen my monies." Quoth the Wazir,
"O my lord, and who is he?"; and quoth the King, "Their brother
Judar, and he hath taken the two pairs of saddle bags; but, O
Wazir do thou send him an Emir with fifty men to seal up his
goods and lay hands on him and his brothers and bring them to me,
that I may hang them." And he was sore enraged and said, "Ho, off
with the Emir at once, and fetch them, that I may put them to
death." But the Wazir said to him, "Be thou merciful, for Allah
is merciful and hasteth not to punish His servants, whenas they
sin against Him. More over, he who can build a palace in a single
night, as these say, none in the world can vie with him; and
verily I fear lest the Emir fall into difficulty for Judar. Have
patience, therefore, whilst I devise for thee some device of
getting at the truth of the case, and so shalt thou win thy wish,
O King of the age." Quoth the King, "Counsel me how I shall do, O
Wazir." And the Minister said, "Send him an Emir with an
invitation; and I will make much of him for thee and make a show
of love for him and ask him of his estate; after which we will
see. If we find him stout of heart, we will use sleight with him,
and if weak of will, then do thou seize him and do with him thy
desire." The King agreed to this and despatched one of his Emirs,
Othman highs, to go and invite Judar and say to him, "The King
biddeth thee to a banquet;" and the King said to him, "Return
not, except with him." Now this Othman was a fool, proud and
conceited; so he went forth upon his errand, and when he came to
the gate of Judar's palace, he saw before the door an eunuch
seated upon a chair of gold, who at his approach rose not, but
sat as if none came near, though there were with the Emir fifty
footmen. Now this eunuch was none other than Al-Ra'ad al-Kasif,
the servant of the ring, whom Judar had commanded to put on the
guise of an eunuch and sit at the palace gate. So the Emir rode
up to him and asked him, ' O slave, where is thy lord?"; whereto
he answered, "In the palace;" but he stirred not from his leaning
posture; whereupon the Emir Othman waxed wroth and said to him,
'O pestilent slave, art thou not ashamed, when I speak to thee,
to answer me, sprawling at thy length, like a gallows bird?"
Replied the eunuch "Off and multiply not words." Hardly had
Othman heard this, when he was filled with rage and drawing his
mace[FN#303] would have smitten the eunuch, knowing not that he
was a devil; but Al-Ra'ad leapt upon him and taking the mace from
him, dealt him four blows with it. Now when the fifty men saw
their lord beaten, it was grievous to them; so they drew their
swords and ran to slay the slave; but he said, "Do ye draw on us,
O dogs?" and rose at them with the mace, and every one whom he
smote, he broke his bones and drowned him in his blood. So they
fell back before him and fled, whilst he followed them, beating
them, till he had driven them far from the palace gate; after
which he returned and sat down on his chair at the door, caring
for none.--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-first Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the eunuch
having put to flight the Emir Othman, the King's officer, and his
men, till they were driven far from Judar's gate, returned and
sat down on his chair at the door, caring for none. But as for
the Emir and his company, they returned, discomfited and funded,
to King Shams al-Daulah, and Othman said, "O King of the age,
when I came to the palace gate, I espied an eunuch seated there
in a chair of gold and he was passing proud for, when he saw me
approach, he stretched himself at full length albeit he had been
sitting in his chair and entreated me contumeliously, neither
offered to rise to me. So I began to speak to him and he answered
without stirring, whereat wrath get hold of me and I drew the
mace upon him, thinking to smite him. But he snatched it from me
and beat me and my men therewith and overthrew us. So we fled
from before him and could not prevail against him." At this, the
King was wroth and said, "Let an hundred men go down to him."
Accordingly, the hundred men went down to attack him; but he
arose and fell upon them with the mace and ceased not smiting
them till he had put them to the rout; when he regained his
chair; upon which they returned to the King and told him what had
passed, saying, "O King of the age, he beat us and we fled for
fear of him." Then the King sent two hundred men against him, but
these also he put to the rout, and Shams Al-Daulah said to his
Minister, "I charge thee, O Wazir, take five hundred men and
bring this eunuch in haste, and with him his master Judar and his
brothers." Replied the Wazir, "O King of the age, I need no
soldiers, but will go down to him alone and unarmed." "Go," quoth
the King, "and do as thou seest suitable." So the Wazir laid down
his arms and donning a white habit,[FN#304] took a rosary in his
hand and set out afoot alone and unattended. When he came to
Judar's gate, he saw the slave sitting there; so he went up to
him and seating himself by his side courteously, said to him,
"Peace be with thee!"; whereto he replied, "And on thee be peace,
O mortal! What wilt thou?" When the Wazir heard him say "O
mortal," he knew him to be of the Jinn and quaked for fear; then
he asked him, "O my lord, tell me, is thy master Judar here?"
Answered the eunuch, "Yes, he is in the palace." Quoth the
Minister, "O my lord, go thou to him and say to him, 'King Shams
Al-Daulah saluteth thee and biddeth thee honour his dwelling with
thy presence and eat of a banquet he hath made for thee;'" Quoth
the eunuch, "Tarry thou here, whilst I consult him. So the Wazir
stood in a respectful attitude, whilst the Marid went up to the
palace and said to Judar, "Know, O my lord, that the King sent to
thee an Emir and fifty men, and I beat them and drove them away.
Then he sent an hundred men and I beat them also; then two
hundred, and these also I put to the rout. And now he hath sent
thee his Wazir unarmed, bidding thee visit him and eat of his
banquet. What sayst thou?" Said Judar, "Go, bring the Wazir
hither." So the Marid went down and said to him, "O Wazir, come
speak with my lord." "On my head be it.", replied he and going in
to Judar, found him seated, in greater state than the King, upon
a carpet, whose like the King could not spread, and was dazed and
amazed at the goodliness of the palace and its decoration and
appointments, which made him seem as he were a beggar in
comparison. So he kissed the ground before Judar and called down
blessings on him; and Judar said to him, "What is thy business, O
Wazir?" Replied he, "O my lord, thy friend King Shams Al-Daulah
saluteth thee with the salaam and longeth to look upon thy face;
wherefore he hath made thee an entertainment. So say, wilt thou
heal his heart and eat of his banquet?" Quoth Judar, "If he be
indeed my friend, salute him and bid him come to me." "On my head
be it," quoth the Minister. Then Judar bringing out the ring
rubbed it and bade the Jinni fetch him a dress of the best, which
he gave to the Wazir saying, "Don this dress and go tell the King
what I say." So the Wazir donned the dress, the like whereof he
had never donned, and returning to the King told him what had
passed and praised the palace and that which was therein, saying,
"Judar biddeth thee to him." So the King called out, "Up, ye men;
mount your horses and bring me my steed, that we may go to
Judar!" Then he and his suite rode off for the Cairene palace.
Meanwhile Judar summoned the Marid and said to him, "It is my
will that thou bring me some of the Ifrits at thy command in the
guise of guards and station them in the open square before the
palace, that the King may see them and be awed by them; so shall
his heart tremble and he shall know that my power and majesty be
greater than his." Thereupon Al-Ra'ad brought him two hundred
Ifrits of great stature and strength, in the guise of guards,
magnificently armed and equipped, and when the King came and saw
these tall burly fellows his heart feared them. Then he entered
the palace, and found Judar sitting in such state as nor King nor
Sultan could even. So he saluted him and made his obeisance to
him, yet Judar rose not to him nor did him honour nor said "Be
seated," but left him standing,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn
of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
King entered, Judar rose not to him, nor did him honour nor even
said "Be seated!"; but left him standing,[FN#305] so that fear
entered into him and he could neither sit nor go away and said to
himself, "If he feared me, he would not leave me thus unheeded
peradventure he will do me a mischief, because of that which I
did with his brothers." Then said Judar, "O King of the age, it
beseemeth not the like of thee to wrong the folk and take away
their good." Replied the King, "O my lord, deign excuse me, for
greed impelled me to this and fate was thereby fulfilled; and,
were there no offending, there would be no forgiving." And he
went on to excuse himself for the past and pray to him for pardon
and indulgence till he recited amongst other things this poetry,
"O thou of generous seed and true nobility, * Reproach me not for
that which came from me to thee
We pardon thee if thou have wrought us any wrong * And if I
wrought the wrong I pray thee pardon me!"
And he ceased not to humble himself before him, till he said,
"Allah pardon thee!" and bade him be seated. So he sat down and
Judar invested him with garments of pardon and immunity and
ordered his brothers spread the table. When they had eaten, he
clad the whole of the King's company in robes of honour and gave
them largesse; after which he bade the King depart. So he went
forth and thereafter came every day to visit Judar and held not
his Divan save in his house: wherefore friendship and familiarity
waxed great between them, and they abode thus awhile, till one
day the King, being alone with his Minister, said to him, "O
Wazir, I fear lest Judar slay me and take the kingdom away from
me." Replied the Wazir, "O King of the age, as for his taking the
kingdom from thee, have no fear of that, for Judar's present
estate is greater than that of the King, and to take the kingdom
would be a lowering of his dignity; but, if thou fear that he
kill thee, thou hast a daughter: give her to him to wife and thou
and he will be of one condition." Quoth the King, "O Wazir, be
thou intermediary between us and him"; and quoth the Minister,
"Do thou invite him to an entertainment and pass the night with
him in one of thy saloons. Then bid thy daughter don her richest
dress and ornaments and pass by the door of the saloon. When he
seeth her, he will assuredly fall in love with her, and when we
know this, I will turn to him and tell him that she is thy
daughter and engage him in converse and lead him on, so that thou
shalt seem to know nothing of the matter, till he ask her to thee
to wife. When thou hast married him to the Princess, thou and he
will be as one thing and thou wilt be safe from him; and if he
die, thou wilt inherit all he hath, both great and small."
Replied the King, "Thou sayst sooth, O my Wazir," and made a
banquet and invited thereto Judar who came to the Sultan's palace
and they sat in the saloon in great good cheer till the end of
the day. Now the King had commanded his wife to array the maiden
in her richest raiment and ornaments and carry her by the door of
the saloon. She did as he told her, and when Judar saw the
Princess, who had not her match for beauty and grace, he looked
fixedly at her and said, "Ah!"; and his limbs were loosened; for
love and longing and passion and pine were sore upon him; desire
and transport get hold upon him and he turned pale. Quoth the
Wazir, "May no harm befall thee, O my lord! Why do I see thee
change colour and in suffering?" Asked Judar, "O Wazir, whose
daughter is this damsel? Verily she hath enthralled me and
ravished my reason." Replied the Wazir, "She is the daughter of
thy friend the King; and if she please thee, I will speak to him
that he marry thee to her." Quoth Judar, "Do so, O Wazir, and as
I live, I will bestow on thee what thou wilt and will give the
King whatsoever he shall ask to her dowry; and we will become
friends and kinsfolk." Quoth the Minister, "It shall go hard but
thy desire be accomplished." Then he turned to the King and said
in his ear, "O King of the age, thy friend Judar seeketh alliance
with thee and will have me ask of thee for him the hand of thy
daughter, the Princess Asiyah; so disappoint me not. but accept
my intercession, and what dowry soever thou askest he will give
thee." Said the King, "The dowry I have already received, and as
for the girl, she is his handmaid; I give her to him to wife and
he will do me honour by accepting her."--And Shahrazad perceived
the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-third Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
Wazir whispered the King, "Judar seeketh alliance with thee by
taking thy daughter to wife," the other replied, "The dowry I
have already received, and the girl is his handmaid: he will do
me honour by accepting her." So they spent the rest of that night
together and on the morrow the King held a court, to which he
summoned great and small, together with the Shaykh
al-Islam.[FN#306] Then Judar demanded the Princess in marriage
and the King said, "The dowry I have received." Thereupon they
drew up the marriage contract and Judar sent for the saddle bags
containing the jewels and gave them to the King as settlement
upon his daughter. The drums beat and the pipes sounded and they
held high festival, whilst Judar went in unto the girl.
Thenceforward he and the King were as one flesh and they abode
thus for many days, till Shams al-Daulah died; whereupon the
troops proclaimed Judar Sultan, and he refused; but they
importuned him, till he consented and they made him King in his
father in law's stead. Then he bade build a cathedral mosque over
the late King's tomb in the Bundukániyah[FN#307] quarter and
endowed it. Now the quarter of Judar's house was called
Yamániyah; but, when he became Sultan he built therein a
congregational mosque and other buildings, wherefore the quarter
was named after him and was called the Judariyah[FN#308] quarter.
Moreover, he made his brother Sálim his Wazir of the right and
his brother Salím his Wazir of the left hand; and thus they abode
a year and no more; for, at the end of that time, Sálim said to
Salím, "O my brother, how long is this state to last? Shall we
pass our whole lives in slavery to our brother Judar? We shall
never enjoy luck or lordship whilst he lives," adding, "so how
shall we do to kill him and take the ring and the saddle bags?"
Replied Salím, "Thou art craftier than I; do thou devise, whereby
we may kill him." "If I effect this," asked Sálim, "wilt thou
agree that I be Sultan and keep the ring and that thou be my
right hand Wazir and have the saddle bags?" Salím answered, "I
consent to this;" and they agreed to slay Judar their brother for
love of the world and of dominion. So they laid a snare for Judar
and said to him, "O our brother, verily we have a mind to glory
in thee and would fain have thee enter our houses and eat of our
entertainment and solace our hearts." Replied Judar, "So be it,
in whose house shall the banquet be?" "In mine," said Sálim "and
after thou hast eaten of my victual, thou shalt be the guest of
my brother." Said Judar, " 'Tis well," and went with him to his
house, where he set before him poisoned food, of which when he
had eaten, his flesh rotted from his bones and he died.[FN#309]
Then Sálim came up to him and would have drawn the ring from his
finger, but it resisted him; so he cut off the finger with a
knife. Then he rubbed the ring and the Marid presented himself,
saying, "Adsum! Ask what thou wilt." Quoth Sálim, "Take my
brother Salím and put him to death and carry forth the two
bodies, the poisoned and the slaughtered, and cast them down
before the troops." So the Marid took Salím and slew him; then,
carrying the two corpses forth, he cast them down before the
chief officers of the army, who were sitting at table in the
parlour of the house. When they saw Judar and Salím slain, they
raised their hands from the food and fear get hold of them and
they said to the Marid, "Who hath dealt thus with the Sultan and
the Wazir Replied the Jinni, "Their brother Sálim." And behold,
Sálim came up to them and said, "O soldiers, eat and make merry,
for Judar is dead and I have taken to me the seal ring, whereof
the Marid before you is the servant; and I bade him slay my
brother Salím lest he dispute the kingdom with me, for he was a
traitor and I feared lest he should betray me. So now I am become
Sultan over you; will ye accept of me? If not, I will rub the
ring and bid the Marid slay you all, great and small."--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Twenty-fourth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
Sálim said to the officers, "Will ye accept me as your Sultan,
otherwise I will rub the ring and the Marid shall slay you all,
great and small?"; they replied, "We accept thee to King and
Sultan." Then he bade bury his brothers and summoned the Divan;
and some of the folk followed the funeral, whilst others forewent
him in state procession to the audience hall of the palace, where
he sat down on the throne and they did homage to him as King;
after which he said, "It is my will to marry my brother Judar's
wife." Quoth they, "Wait till the days of widowhood are
accomplished.[FN#310] Quoth he, "I know not days of widowhood nor
aught else. As my head liveth, I needs must go in unto her this
very night." So they drew up the marriage contract and sent to
tell the Princess Asiyah, who replied, "Bid him enter."
Accordingly, he went in to her and she received him with a show
of joy and welcome; but by and by she gave him poison in water
and made an end of him. Then she took the ring and broke it, that
none might possess it thenceforward, and tore up the saddle bags;
after which she sent to the Shaykh al-Islam and other great
officers of state, telling them what had passed and saying to
them, "Choose you out a King to rule over you." And this is all
that hath come down to us of the Story of Judar and his
Brethren.[FN#311] But I have also heard, O King, a tale called
the
