and drinking in company and he lay the night with her.  The prefect feigned to give no credence to this story, but one night he summoned the watchmen of the quarter and questioned them of this.  Quoth one of them, “O my lord, I saw a Jew enter the street in question one night; but know not for certain to whom he went in.”  And the prefect said, “Keep thine eye on him henceforth and note what place he entereth.”  So the watchman went out and kept his eye on the Jew.

One day, as the prefect sat [in his house], the watchman came in to him and said, “O my lord, the Jew goeth to the house of such an one.”  Whereupon El Atwesh arose and went forth alone, taking with him none but myself.  As he went along, he said to me, “Indeed, this [woman] is a fat piece of meat."[FN#109] And we gave not over going till we came to the door of the house and stood there till a slave-girl came out, as if to buy them somewhat.  We waited till she opened the door, whereupon, without further parley, we forced our way into the house and rushed in upon the girl, whom we found seated with the Jew in a saloon with four estrades, and cooking-pots and candles therein.  When her eyes fell on the prefect, she knew him and rising to her feet, said, “Welcome and fair welcome!  Great honour hath betided me by my lord’s visit and indeed thou honourest my dwelling.”

Then she carried him up [to the estrade] and seating him on the couch, brought him meat and wine and gave him to drink; after which she put off all that was upon her of raiment and jewels and tying them up in a handkerchief, said to him, “O my lord, this is thy portion, all of it.”  Moreover she turned to the Jew and said to him, “Arise, thou also, and do even as I.”  So he arose in haste and went out, scarce crediting his deliverance.  When the girl was assured of his escape, she put out her hand to her clothes [and jewels] and taking them, said to the prefect, “Is the requital of kindness other than kindness?  Thou hast deigned [to visit me and eat of my victual]; so now arise and depart from us without ill-[doing]; or I will give one cry and all who are in the street will come forth.”  So the Amir went out from her, without having gotten a single dirhem; and on this wise she delivered the Jew by the excellence of her contrivance.’

The folk marvelled at this story and as for the prefect and El Melik ez Zahir, they said, ’Wrought ever any the like of this device?’ And they marvelled with the utterest of wonderment Then arose a third officer and said, ’Hear what betided me, for it is yet stranger and more extraordinary.

The third officer’s story