The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6

R >> Richard F. Burton >> The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 6

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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-Salam 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-
Wadud,[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-Kasif;[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.

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