The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14.

The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 429 pages of information about The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14.

Dunyazad said to her, “Allah upon thee, O my sister, an thou be other than sleepy, finish for us thy tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!” She replied, “With love and good will!” It hath reached me, O auspicious King, the director, the right-guiding, lord of the rede which is benefiting and of deeds fair-seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Bhang-eater continued:—­I said to my wife, “Do thou go and return the moneys of Solomon’s Mother to their own place;” but she would not and flatly refused.  Then I repeated[FN#243] my words but without avail, so I flew into a fury and leaving her ceased not trudging till I found the Wali and said to him, “O my lord, my wife Such-an-one hath hit upon a hoard and ’tis now with her."[FN#244] The Chief of Police asked, “O man, hast thou seen it?” and I answered, “Yes.”  So he sent a body of his followers to bring her before him and when she came said to her, “O wo-man, where is the treasure trove?” Said she, “O my lord, this report is a baseless;” whereupon the Chief of Police bade her be led to jail.  They did his bidding and she abode in the prison a whole day, after which the Wali summoned her and repeated his words to her adding, “An thou bring not the hoard I will slay thee and cast thy corpse into the bogshop[FN#245] of the Hammam.”  The woman (my wife) rejoined, “O my lord, I never found aught;” and when he persisted threatening her with death she cried, “O my lord, wherefore oppress me on this wise and charge such load of sin upon thine own neck?  I never came upon treasure at all, at all!” The Chief of Police retorted, “My first word and my last are these:—­Except thou bring the treasure trove I will slay thee and cast thee into the jakes.”  Herewith quoth she, “O my lord, ask my husband where it was I hit upon the hoard and at what time, by day or by night,” and the Wali’s men cried, “By Allah, these her words are just and right, nor is therein aught of harm.”  So he sent to summon me and asked me, “O man, when did thy wife hit upon the hoard?” I answered, “O my lord, she found it on the night when the skies rained drink and food and fishes.”  Now when the Wali heard my words he said to me, “O man, the skies are not wont to shed aught save rainwater; and a man in his right wits speaketh not such speech as this.”  Said I, “By the life of thy head, O my lord, they did rain all three of them;” but the officers cried, “O my lord, verily this man be Jinn-mad and his wife who telleth plain truth is wronged by him:  the fellow deserveth confining in the Maristan."[FN#246] Accordingly the Chief of Police bade the men set the woman free and let her wend her ways and seize me and throw me into the madhouse.  They did his bidding and I remained there the first day and the second till the third when my wife said to herself, “There is no Majesty and there is no Might save in Allah, the Glorious, the Great!  By the Lord, needs must I go and relieve my husband from Bedlam and charge him never again to speak of that treasure

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The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 14 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.