'*1001 nights~Story told by the Christian Merchant
1001 NIGHTS
Story told by the Christian Merchant
"O great king, i was not born in any spot within the limits of your empire. I am a stranger, a native of Cairo in Egypt, of Coptic parents, and by religion a Christian. My father was a corn dealer by trade, and had amassed a large fortune, which he left to me when he died, and i continued to carry on his business. One day, when i was in the public corn market at Cairo, which is frequented by those who deal in all sorts of grain, a young an handsome merchant, richly dressed, and mounted upon an ass, accosted me. He saluted me, and opening a handkerchief in which he had a sample of sesame, he showed it to me, and inquired how much a large measure of grain of a similiar quality was worth. I examined the sample and told him that, according to the present price, a large measure was worth a hundred drachms of silver. Then he said, 'Find me a merchant who will buy it at that price and come to the gate called Victory, where you will see a khan standing apart from every other house, and i will wait for you there.'
Thereupon he went away and left me the sample of sesame which i showed to different merchants on the spot. They all said they would take as much as i would sell them at one hundred and ten drachms of silver a measure, and at this rate i should gain ten drachms for each measure sold."
"Elated at so large a profit, i went directly to the gate called Victory, where the merchant was waiting for me. He took me into his werehouse, which was full of sesame. I had the heap measured, and there were about fifty large measures. I then loaded the corn upon asses, and went and sold it for five thousand drachms of silver. Then the young man said to me, 'You have right, according to our agreement, to five hundred drachms of this money, at the rate of ten drachms a measure, the rest belongs to me, but as i have no immediate use for it, go and put it by for me till i shall come and demand it of you.'
I told him it should be ready at any time when he came for it. I kissed his hand, and he left me."
"A whole month passed without my seeing him, at the end of that time he appeared. Then he said, 'Where are the four thousand five hundred drachms of silver which you owe me?'
'They are all ready,' i replied, 'and i will immediately count them out to you.'
As he was mounted upon an ass, i requested him to alight and do me the honour to eat with me before he received his money. 'No,' he answered, 'i have no time. I have some urgent business which requires my presence, but on my way back i will call for my money.'
So saying he went away, i waited for him a long time, but he did not return till a month afterwards. 'This young merchant,' thought i to myself, 'places a deal of confidence to me, to leave the sum of four thousand five hundred drachms of silver in my hands without knowing anything of me.'
At the end of the third month i saw him come back mounted upon the same ass, but much more magnificently dressed than he had been before."
"As soon as i perceived the young man, i went out to meet him. I entreated him to alight, and asked whether he wished me to count out the money which i had in trust for him. 'Never mind that,' he replied, in a contented manner, 'i am in no hurry. I know it is in good hands, and i will come and take it when i have spent all i now have, and there is nothing left. Farewell,' he added, 'Expect me again at the end of the week.'
At these words he gave his ass a stroke with his whip and was out of sight in a moment. 'This is excellent,' said i to myself, 'he told me to expect him in a week, and yet, if i may judge from his conversation, i may not see him for a long time. Why should not i, in the meantime, make some use of this money? It will be of considerable advantage to me.'"
"I was not mistaken in my conjecture, for a whole year passed before i heard anything of the young man. At the end of that time he again appeared, as richly dressed as when he last came, but it seemed to me that there was something which affected his spirits. I entreated him to honour me by entering my house. 'I agree to do so for this once,' he replied, 'but it is only on condition that you put yourself to no additional trouble or expense on my account.'
'I will do exactly as you please,' i said, 'if you will favour me by coming in.'
He immediately alighted, and came with me. I then gave orders for refreshments. Directy he began to eat, i observed he fed himself with his left hand, and i was much astonished to observe that he never made use of his right. I knew not what to think of it, and said to myself, 'From the very first moment i have known this merchant, i have always seen him behave with the greatest politeness. It is impossible that he can act thus out of contempt for me. What can be the reason that he makes no use of his right hand?'
This matter continued to puzzle me extremely."
"When the repast was over we went and sat down on a sofa. 'I entreat you, sir,' i cried at last, 'to pardon the liberty i take in asking you how it happens that you always make use of your left hand, and never of the right. Some accident surely has happened to you?'
At this speech of mine he gave a deep sigh, and instead of answering me, he drew out his right arm from his robe, under which he had till now quite concealed it, when i saw to my utter astonishment that his hand had been cut off! 'You were much shocked,' he said, 'at seeing me eat with my left hand, but you now see i could not do otherwise.'
'May i inquire,' i asked, 'how you had the misfortune to lose your right hand?'
At this request he told the following history:"
"'I must in the first place inform you,' said the young man, 'that i am a native of Bagdad. My father was extremely rich, and one of the most eminent men, both as to rank and possessions, in that city. I had hardly begun to take part in the business of the world, when i was struck with the accounts which many people who had travelled in Egypt gave of the wonderful and extraordinary sights to be seen in that country. Their conversation made a deep impression on my mind, and i became very anxious to journey thither. But my father would not give me permission. He at lenght died, and, as his death left me master of my own actions, i resolved to go to Cairo. I invested a large sum of money in the purchase of different sorts of the fine stuffs and manufactures of Bagdad and Moussoul, and began my travels.'"
"'When i arrived at Cairo i stopped at the khan of Mesrour. I took up my abode there, and also hired a warehouse, in which i placed the bales of merchandise i had brought with me.'"
"'The next morning i dressed myself very carefully, and took from my bales some very beautiful and rich stuffs, which i purposed carrying to a bazaar, to know what buyers would offer me for them. I gave these pieces of stuff to some of my slaves, and we went to the bazaar of the Circassians. I was instantly surrounded by a multitude of brokers and criers, who had been informed of my arrival. I gave specimens of my different stuffs to several criers, who went and showed them all over the place. But no merchant offered me even so much as the original cost of the merchendise and the expenses of the carriage. This vexed me very much, and the criers were witness to my anger and disappointment. 'If you will depend upon us,' they said,' we will show you how you may lose nothing by your stuffs.'
I asked them what method i should adopt to sell my goods to advantage. They replied thus, 'Distribute them among different merchants, who will sell them in small quantities, and you may come twice every week and receive the money for which the goods have been sold. By this method you will make some profit, instead of losing anything, and the merchants also will have an advantage in the business.'"
"'I followed their advice, and took them with me to my warehouse, from whence i brought out all my goods, and, returning to the market place, i distributed the stuffs among those of the merchants whom the criers pointed out to me as the most trusty and creditable. The merchants gave me a receipt, and stipulated that i should make no demand upon them for the first month.'"
"'Having thus arranged all my business, i gave myself up entirely to pleasure and gaiety. I made acquaintance with several young men about my own age, who contributed very much to make my time pass agreeably. When the first month had elapsed, i began to call upon my merchants regularly twice every week. In this manner i constantly brought away a considerable sum of money, which i took with me to the khan of Masrour, where i lodged. This business did not prevent me from going, on the intervening days of the week, to pass the morning sometimes with one merchant, and sometimes with another, and i was much pleased with their conversation, and amused at the various scenes in the bazaar.'"
"'One monday, while i was sitting in the shop of one of these merchants, whose name was Bedreddin, a lady, richly attired and of a distinguished air, and accompanied by a female slave, entered the shop, and sat down close to me. Her appearance, and a certain natural grace which accopanied her every movement, interested me very much in her favour, and excited a great desire in me to know more of her. I know not whether she perceived that i took a pleasure in beholding her, or whether my attention pleased her or not, but she lifted up the thick crape veil that hung over the muslin which concealed the lower part of her face, and thus gave me an opportunity of seeing her black eyes, by which i was quite charmed. She completed her conquest, and made me quite in love with her, by the pleasant tone of her voice, and by the obliging and modest manner with which she addressed the merchant.'"
"'After she had conversed some time upon various subjects, she told him that she was in search of a particular sort of stuff, with a gold ground. She said that if he had such a thing, he would much oblige her by letting her see it. Bedreddin having spread out a great many different pieces, she at lenght selected one, and asked the price of it. He said he could afford to sell it her for eleven hundred drachms of silver. 'I will agree to give you that sum,' she replied, 'though i have not the money about me, but i hope you will give me credit for it till tomorrow, and suffer me to carry the stuff home, and i will not fail to send you the eleven hundred drachms in the course of tomorrow.'
'Lady,' answered the merchant, 'i would gladly give you credit, and you should have full permission to take the stuff home with you, if it belonged to me, but it is the property of this young man, whom you see here, and this is one of the days upon which i must give an account of the money for which his goods are sold.'
'How comes it,' cried the lady, 'that you treat me in this manner? Am i not in the habit of coming to your shop, and every time i have bought any stuffs you have desired me to carr them without first paying for them. Have i ever failed to send you the money on the following day?'
The merchant agreed that she was right. ' It is all very true, lady,' he answered, 'but today i require the money.'
Thereupon she threw down the stuff in anger, and said, 'Take your stuff, and may Allah confound you!'
So she rose up in a passion, and went away greatly enraged against Bedreddin.'"
"'When i saw that the lady was gone, i began to feel very much interested about her, and before she was out of hearing i called her back, and said, 'Lady, i beg you to come back, and perhaps i shall find a way to accomodate and satisfy both you and the merchant.'
She came back, but made me understand the she did this entirely on my account. Then i said to the merchant, 'How much do you wish to receive for this stuff which belongs to me?'
'Eleven hundred drachms of silver,' replied he, 'nor can i possibly let it go for less.'
'Then give it to the lady,' said i, 'and permit her to carry it home. I will give you one hundred drachms for your profit, and you shall have an order to take this sum out of the payements for the other merchandise which you have of mine.'
I immediately wrote the order, signed it, and put it into the hands of Bedreddin. Then presenting the stuff to the lady, i said, 'O lady, you have now full power to take it away with you, and with respect to the money, you may send it tomorrow, or on the next day, or if you will do me the honour to accept of the stuff, it is quite at your service.'
'That,' replied the lady, 'is very far from my intention. You have behaved with so much kindness that i should be unworthy of appearing in the presence of men if i did not prove my gratitude to you. May heaven increase your fortune, may the gates of heaven be opened at your death.'"
"'This speech gave me courage, and i said to her, 'Lady, permit me as a favour to see your face.'
at these words she turned towards me, and, lifting up the muslim which covered her face, she displayed a countenance of amazing beauty. She quickly dropped her veil, for fear any one should perceive her, and, taking up the piece of stuff, she went out of the shop. Before i left the merchant, i asked if he knew who the lady was, and he told me she was the daughter of a deceased emir, who had left her an immense fortune.'"
"'So soon as i had returned to the khan of Mesrour my people brought up supper, but i was unable to eat a morsel. I could not close my eyes during the whole night, which appeared to me of interminable lenght. As soon as it was day i got up, in hopes that i should again behold the object who had thus disturbed my repose, and returned to the shop of Bedreddin.'"
"'I had not been long before i saw the lady approach, followed by her slave. Paying no attention to the merchant she addressed herself only to me. 'You see,' she said, 'i have kept my word. I promised to pay the money today, and have come on purpose to bring you the sum for which you had the goodness to trust me, without knowing anything of me. This is an act of generosity i shall never forget.'
I replied, 'Lady, there was not the least necessity for hurry. I was quite satisfied with respect to my money, and am sorry for the trouble you have given yourself.'
Then she put the money into my hands, and sat down near me.'"
"'Taking advantage of this opportunity of conversing with her, i decleared to her the love i felt, but she got up and left me so hastily that i believed she was offended at my confession. I followed her with my eyes as long as i could see her, and when she was quite out of sight i took my leave of the merchant, and left the bazaar. I was mediating upon this adventure, when i felt some person touch me. I instantly turned round, and recognized the young slave belonging to the lady by whom my whole mind was absorbed. She said, 'My mistress wishes to speak a few words to you, if you will have the goodness to follow me.'
I went with her, and found her mistress waiting for me in the shop of a money charger.'"
"'The lady invited me to sit down near her, and said, 'Be not surprised that i quitted you just now so abruptly. I did not think it prudent before that merchant to give anything like a favourable answer to the acknowledgment you made of your affection for me. Yet i was not offended at your words. It afforded me great pleasure to hear you say that i was not indifferent to you. From the very first moment i saw you i felt a very great inclination towards you.'
'Madam,' i exclaimed, transported with love and filled with delight, 'nothing i could possibly hear would give me half so much pleasure as what you have now had the goodness to say to me. It is impossible for any one to feel a stronger regard than i have felt for you, from that happy moment when my eyes first beheld you!'
'Then,' she said, interrupting me, 'let us not lose any time in useless protestations. I do not doubt your sincerity, and you shall immediately be convinced of mime. Will you do me the honour of visiting my house? Or, if you prefer it, i will accompany you.'
'Madam,' replied i, 'i am quite a stranger in this city, and have only lodgings at a khan. It will surely be much better that you should have the goodness to acquaint me with your residence, where i shall be delighted to have the honour of waiting upon you.'
The lady consented to this pland. 'On the day after tomorrow,' she said, 'come directly after midday prayers into the street called Evotion street. You have only to inquire, for the house of Abon Schamma, surnamed Bercour, formerly chief of the emirs. At that place you will find me.'
Hereupon we seperated.'"
"'When thursday came, i rose very early, and dressed myself in the handsomest robe i had. I put purse cointaining fifty pieces of gold into my pocket, and i set out mounted upon an ass, which i had ordered the day before, and accompanied by the man of whom i had hired it. Whe we have reached Devotion street, i desired the owner of the ass to inquire the whereabouts of the house which i was seeking, a bystander immediately pointed it out. I alighted at the door, rewarded the man very liberally, and dismissed him, desiring him at the same time to observe well the house which he left me, and not to fail to return for me, to take me back to the khan of Mesrour.'"
"'I knocked at the door. Two little slaves, as white as snow, very neatly dressed, immediately appeared and opened it. 'Enter, my lord,' they said, 'our mistress has been waiting very impatiently for you. For two whole days she has never ceased talking of you.'
I went into a court, and came to a pavilion surrounded with trellis work, which divided it from a very beautiful garden. Some majestic trees embelished the spot, and sheltered it from the rays of the sun. I was charmed with the warbling of a great many birds, whose notes mingled with the murmurs of a fountain that threw its water to a vast height, in the midst of a parterre enamelled with flowers. The two little slaves desired me to go into a saloon magnificently furnished, and while one of them went to inform her mistress of my arrival, the other remained with me.'"
"'I had not been long in this place before the lady with whom i was so much in love made her appearance, adorned with the finest diamonds and pearls, but the lustre of her eyes was more brilliant than the sheen of her jewels. He form, now no longer concealed by her walking dress, as when i met her in the city, seemed to me to be the finest and most striking in the world. After the first compliments were over, we both sat down on a sofa, where we conversed with the greatest satisfaction. They then served up a repast, consisting of the most delicate and exquisite dishes. We sat down to table, and recommenced our conversation, which lasted till the evening set im. The attendants then brought us some most excellent wine, and we drank to the sound of instruments, on which slaves played, accompanying the music with their voices. The lady of the house also sang, and thus completely confirmed her conquest. I bade the lady farewell, after secretly puting the purse with fifty pieces of gold in it under a cushion. Before i went, she asked me when i would return again. 'I promise you, madam,' i replied, 'to come back tomorrow.'
She seemed delighted with my answer, accompanied me herself to the door, and at parting conjured me not to forget my promise.'"
"'The man who had brought me was waiting with his ass. I immediately mounted, and returned to the khan of Mesrour. On dismissing the man i told him i would not pay him, but that he might come again with his ass at an appointed hour.'"
"'As soon as i returned to my khan, i sailled forth again and purchased a lamb and several sorts of cakes, which i sent by a porter as a present to the lady. Next day i went again to the lady's house. She received me with us much joy as she had shown on the day before, and regaled me quite as magnificient a style. When i left her i again put a purse containing fifty pieces of gold under the cushion, and returned to the khan of Mesrour.'"
"'I continued thus to visit the lady every day, and each time i left with her a purse with fifty pieces of gold. I pursued this plan till the merchants to whom i had gived my merchendise to sell had nothing more of mine in their hands. I then found myself without money, and without the least chance of obtaining any.'"
"'I was ready to give myself up to despair. I went out of my khan, without knowing what i was about, and walked towards the castle, where a great multitude of people had assembled to behold a spectacle given by the Sultan of Egypt. I plunged into the thickest part of the crowd, and by chance i found myself near a gentelman who was well mounted, and very handsomely dressed. To the pommel of his saddle there was fastened a little half open bag, from which hung a green string. I touched the outside of the bag, and it seemed to me that the green string which hung down belonged to a purse. At the very moment when this thought crossed my mind, a porter, carrying a large bundle of wood, passed so cl6se to the horseman on the other side of his hourse, that he was obliged to turn away, to prevent the wood touching him and tearing his dress. The devil at this moment tempted me, and laying hold of the string i drew out the purse unperceived by any. It was very heavy, and i made sure that it was filled either with gold or silver.'"
"'So soon as the porter had gone past, the person on horseback, who seemed to have had some suspicion of my intention, instantly put his hand into the bag and missed the purse. He gave me such a blow that i fell to the ground. The spectators who saw this violent attack began to take my part. Some seized the bridle of the man's horse to stop him, and asked him what he meant by thus knocking me down, and how he durst ill treat a Mussulman. 'What have you to do with it?'
He answered, in an angry tone. 'I know what i am about. He is a thief!'
At these words i got up. On seeing me, every one took my part, and said he lied, for it seemed very improbable that a young man of my appearance and manners could be guilty of the infamous crime lait to my charge. The bystanders insisted that i was innocent, but while they were holding my accuser's horse to favour my escape, unfortunately for me one of the officers of the police came by, accompanied by some of his men. He came up to us and inquired what happened. Every one accused the man on horseback of having used me ill, under the pretence that i had robbed him.'"
"'The officer was by no means satisfied with this account. He asked the horseman if he suspected any one besides me of having robbed him. The latter replied in the negative, and informed the officer of the reason which he had for his suspicions. After he had attentively listened to him, the officer ordered his attendants to seize and search me. They instantly obeyed, and one of them, discovering the purse, held it up to public view.'"
"'As soon as the officer had taken the purse, he asked the man on the horseback if it belonged to him, and how much money there was in it. The latter immediately knew it to be the purse which had been taken from him, and assured the officer that it contained twenty sequins. The judge instantly opened it, and, finding exactly that sum in the purse, gave it back to the horseman. After this he ordered me before him. 'Youn man,' said he, 'confess the truth, acknowledge that you stole the purse, and do not wait till i order you to the torture to make you tell the truth.'
I reflected that, as the purse was found upon me, they could only consider it as a falsehood if i denied the fact. To avoid, therefore, being doubly punished as a liar and a thief, i acknowledged that i had taken it. Directly i had made his confession, the officer wrote down the evidence, and ordered my right hand to be cut off. This sentence was executed upon the spot, and excited the compassion of all the spectators, and i observed the accuser himself was moved to pity.'"
"'Directly the officer had gone away, the person who i had attempted to rob came up to me, and offered me the purse, saying, 'I am convinced that necessity alone compelled you to commit so disgraceful an action. Here is this fatal purse. Take it, and i am truly sorry for the misfortune it has occasioned you.'
With this speech he left me, and as i was very weak and fain from the quantity of blood i had lost, some people had compassion on me, and took me home with them, and gave me wine to drink. They also dressed my arm, and put my hand, which had been cut off, in a piece of linen cloth, and i fastened it to my girdle.'"
"'When i had returned to the khan of Mesrour, i did not find that assistance of which i stood in need. It seemed to me that i should run a great risk by presenting myself to the young lady. I said to myself, 'She will not wish to see me any more when she hears of the infamous action i have done.'
Nevertheless determined to see her again, and i went to her house. When i arrived, i found myself so weak and worn out from pain and fatique, that i instantly threw myself on a sofa, taking care to keep my right arm under my robe, as i was anxious to hide my misfortune from my friend.'"
"'In the meantime, the lady being informed of my arrival, and having been told that i seemed very ill, came to me in the greatest haste. She exclaimed, on seeing me pale and faint, 'My dear lord! What is the matter with you?'
I concealed the real cause of my illness, and told her that i had a most violent headache. At this she appeared much distressed. 'Sit down,' she said, for i had risen to receive her, 'and tell me how this is happened to you. There is surely something else which you conceal from me. Tell me, i pray you, what it is.'
As i remained silent the tears fell from my eyes. 'I cannot comprehend,' she added, 'what can possibly cause you so much grief. Have i unintentionally given you any offence? Do you come to tell me you no longer love me?'
'It is not that, madam,' i replied, 'and even a suspicion of the sort augments my misery.'"
"'I could not make up my mind to discover the true cause of my illness to her. When evening approached supper was served. My entertainer entreated me to eat, but as i could only ake use of my left hand, i requested her to excuse me, saying i had no appetite. 'Your appetite will come back,' said she, 'if you unfold to me what you so obstinately conceal.'
'Alas, madam,' i replied, 'it is very necessary that i should make that determination and adhere to it.'
I had no sooner said this than she poured me some wine, and presenting it to me, 'Drink this,' she replied, 'it will give you strength and courage.'
I held out my left hand, and took the glass.'"
"'When i had received the glass, my tears flowed afresh and my sighs increased. 'Why do you lament and sigh so bitterly?' said the lady to me. 'And why do you take the glass in your left hand rather than your right?'
'Alas! Lady,' i replied, 'be no angry with me, i entreat you, for i have swelling on my right hand.'
'Show me this swelling,' said she, 'and i will open it for you.'
I excused myself and drank all the contents of the glass, which was a very large one. The strenght of the wine soon made me very drowsy, and i then fell into a profound sleep that lasted till the next morning.'"
To be continued...
