book in his hand. He carried a basin, on which he spread the covering

of the book, and presenting it to the king, said: "Sire, take this

book, and when my head is cut off, let it be placed in the basin on the

covering of this book; as soon as it is there, the blood will cease to

flow. Then open the book, and my head will answer your questions.

But, sire, I implore your mercy, for I am innocent."

"Your prayers are useless, and if it were only to hear your head speak

when you are dead, you should die."

So saying, he took the book from the physician's hands, and ordered the

executioner to do his duty.

The head was so cleverly cut off that it fell into the basin, and

directly the blood ceased to flow. Then, to the great astonishment of

the king, the eyes opened, and the head said, "Your majesty, open the

book." The king did so, and finding that the first leaf stuck against

the second, he put his finger in his mouth, to turn it more easily. He

did the same thing till he reached the sixth page, and not seeing any

writing on it, "Physician," he said, "there is no writing."

"Turn over a few more pages," answered the head. The king went on

turning, still putting his finger in his mouth, till the poison in

which each page was dipped took effect. His sight failed him, and he

fell at the foot of his throne.

When the physician's head saw that the poison had taken effect, and

that the king had only a few more minutes to live, "Tyrant," it cried,

"see how cruelty and injustice are punished."

Scarcely had it uttered these words than the king died, and the head

lost also the little life that had remained in it.

That is the end of the story of the Greek king, and now let us return

to the fisherman and the genius.

"If the Greek king," said the fisherman, "had spared the physician, he

would not have thus died. The same thing applies to you. Now I am

going to throw you into the sea."

"My friend," said the genius, "do not do such a cruel thing. Do not

treat me as Imma treated Ateca."

"What did Imma do to Ateca?" asked the fisherman.

"Do you think I can tell you while I am shut up in here?" replied the

genius. "Let me out, and I will make you rich."

The hope of being no longer poor made the fisherman give way.

"If you will give me your promise to do this, I will open the lid. I

do not think you will dare to break your word."

The genius promised, and the fisherman lifted the lid. He came out at

once in smoke, and then, having resumed his proper form, the first

thing he did was to kick the vase into the sea. This frightened the

fisherman, but the genius laughed and said, "Do not be afraid; I only

did it to frighten you, and to show you that I intend to keep my word;

take your nets and follow me."

He began to walk in front of the fisherman, who followed him with some

misgivings. They passed in front of the town, and went up a mountain

and then down into a great plain, where there was a large lake lying

between four hills.

When they reached the lake the genius said to the fisherman, "Throw

your nets and catch fish."

The fisherman did as he was told, hoping for a good catch, as he saw

plenty of fish. What was his astonishment at seeing that there were

four quite different kinds, some white, some red, some blue, and some

yellow. He caught four, one of each colour. As he had never seen any

like them he admired them very much, and he was very pleased to think

how much money he would get for them.

"Take these fish and carry them to the Sultan, who will give you more

money for them than you have ever had in your life. You can come every

day to fish in this lake, but be careful not to throw your nets more

than once every day, otherwise some harm will happen to you. If you

follow my advice carefully you will find it good."

Saying these words, he struck his foot against the ground, which

opened, and when he had disappeared, it closed immediately.

The fisherman resolved to obey the genius exactly, so he did not cast

his nets a second time, but walked into the town to sell his fish at

the palace.

When the Sultan saw the fish he was much astonished. He looked at them

one after the other, and when he had admired them long enough, "Take

these fish," he said to his first vizir, "and given them to the clever

cook the Emperor of the Greeks sent me. I think they must be as good

as they are beautiful."

The vizir took them himself to the cook, saying, "Here are four fish

that have been brought to the Sultan. He wants you to cook them."

Then he went back to the Sultan, who told him to give the fisherman

four hundred gold pieces. The fisherman, who had never before

possessed such a large sum of money at once, could hardly believe his

good fortune. He at once relieved the needs of his family, and made

good use of it.

But now we must return to the kitchen, which we shall find in great

confusion. The cook, when she had cleaned the fish, put them in a pan

with some oil to fry them. When she thought them cooked enough on one

side she turned them on the other. But scarcely had she done so when

the walls of the kitchen opened, and there came out a young and

beautiful damsel. She was dressed in an Egyptian dress of flowered

satin, and she wore earrings, and a necklace of white pearls, and

bracelets of gold set with rubies, and she held a wand of myrtle in her

hand.

She went up to the pan, to the great astonishment of the cook, who

stood motionless at the sight of her. She struck one of the fish with

her rod, "Fish, fish," said she, "are you doing your duty?" The fish

answered nothing, and then she repeated her question, whereupon they

all raised their heads together and answered very distinctly, "Yes,

yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you pay your debts, we pay ours.

If you fly, we conquer, and we are content."

When they had spoken the girl upset the pan, and entered the opening in

the wall, which at once closed, and appeared the same as before.

When the cook had recovered from her fright she lifted up the fish

which had fallen into the ashes, but she found them as black as

cinders, and not fit to serve up to the Sultan. She began to cry.

"Alas! what shall I say to the Sultan? He will be so angry with me,

and I know he will not believe me!"

Whilst she was crying the grand-vizir came in and asked if the fish

were ready. She told him all that had happened, and he was much

surprised. He sent at once for the fisherman, and when he came said to

him, "Fisherman, bring me four more fish like you have brought already,

for an accident has happened to them so that they cannot be served up

to the Sultan."

The fisherman did not say what the genius had told him, but he excused

himself from bringing them that day on account of the length of the

way, and he promised to bring them next day.

In the night he went to the lake, cast his nets, and on drawing them in

found four fish, which were like the others, each of a different colour.

He went back at once and carried them to the grand-vizir as he had

promised.

He then took them to the kitchen and shut himself up with the cook, who

began to cook them as she had done the four others on the previous day.

When she was about to turn them on the other side, the wall opened, the

damsel appeared, addressed the same words to the fish, received the

same answer, and then overturned the pan and disappeared.

The grand-vizir was filled with astonishment. "I shall tell the Sultan

all that has happened," said he. And he did so.

The Sultan was very much astounded, and wished to see this marvel for

himself. So he sent for the fisherman, and asked him to procure four

more fish. The fisherman asked for three days, which were granted, and

he then cast his nets in the lake, and again caught four different

coloured fish. The sultan was delighted to see he had got them, and

gave him again four hundred gold pieces.

As soon as the Sultan had the fish he had them carried to his room with

all that was needed to cook them.

Then he shut himself up with the grand-vizir, who began to prepare them

and cook them. When they were done on one side he turned them over on

the other. Then the wall of the room opened, but instead of the maiden

a black slave came out. He was enormously tall, and carried a large

green stick with which he touched the fish, saying in a terrible voice,

"Fish, fish, are you doing your duty?" To these words the fish lifting

up their heads replied, "Yes, yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you

pay your debts, we pay ours. If you fly, we conquer, and are content."

The black slave overturned the pan in the middle of the room, and the

fish were turned to cinders. Then he stepped proudly back into the

wall, which closed round him.

"After having seen this," said the Sultan, "I cannot rest. These fish

signify some mystery I must clear up."

He sent for the fisherman. "Fisherman," he said, "the fish you have

brought us have caused me some anxiety. Where did you get them from?"

"Sire," he answered, "I got them from a lake which lies in the middle

of four hills beyond yonder mountains."

"Do you know this lake?" asked the Sultan of the grand-vizir.

"No; though I have hunted many times round that mountain, I have never

heard of it," said the vizir.

As the fisherman said it was only three hours' journey away, the sultan

ordered his whole court to mount and ride thither, and the fisherman

led them.

They climbed the mountain, and then, on the other side, saw the lake as

the fisherman had described. The water was so clear that they could

see the four kinds of fish swimming about in it. They looked at them

for some time, and then the Sultan ordered them to make a camp by the

edge of the water.

When night came the Sultan called his vizir, and said to him, "I have

resolved to clear up this mystery. I am going out alone, and do you

stay here in my tent, and when my ministers come to-morrow, say I am

not well, and cannot see them. Do this each day till I return."

The grand-vizir tried to persuade the Sultan not to go, but in vain.

The Sultan took off his state robe and put on his sword, and when he

saw all was quiet in the camp he set forth alone.

He climbed one of the hills, and then crossed the great plain, till,

just as the sun rose, he beheld far in front of him a large building.

When he came near to it he saw it was a splendid palace of beautiful

black polished marble, covered with steel as smooth as a mirror.

He went to the gate, which stood half open, and went in, as nobody came

when he knocked. He passed through a magnificent courtyard and still

saw no one, though he called aloud several times.

He entered large halls where the carpets were of silk, the lounges and

sofas covered with tapestry from Mecca, and the hangings of the most

beautiful Indian stuffs of gold and silver. Then he found himself in a

splendid room, with a fountain supported by golden lions. The water

out of the lions' mouths turned into diamonds and pearls, and the

leaping water almost touched a most beautifully-painted dome. The

palace was surrounded on three sides by magnificent gardens, little

lakes, and woods. Birds sang in the trees, which were netted over to

keep them always there.

Still the Sultan saw no one, till he heard a plaintive cry, and a voice

which said, "Oh that I could die, for I am too unhappy to wish to live

any longer!"

The Sultan looked round to discover who it was who thus bemoaned his

fate, and at last saw a handsome young man, richly clothed, who was

sitting on a throne raised slightly from the ground. His face was very

sad.

The sultan approached him and bowed to him. The young man bent his

head very low, but did not rise.

"Sire," he said to the Sultan, "I cannot rise and do you the reverence

that I am sure should be paid to your rank."

"Sir," answered the Sultan, "I am sure you have a good reason for not

doing so, and having heard your cry of distress, I am come to offer you

my help. Whose is this palace, and why is it thus empty?"

Instead of answering the young man lifted up his robe, and showed the

Sultan that, from the waist downwards, he was a block of black marble.

The Sultan was horrified, and begged the young man to tell him his

story.

"Willingly I will tell you my sad history," said the young man.

The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles

You must know, sire, that my father was Mahmoud, the king of this

country, the Black Isles, so called from the four little mountains

which were once islands, while the capital was the place where now the

great lake lies. My story will tell you how these changes came about.

My father died when he was sixty-six, and I succeeded him. I married

my cousin, whom I loved tenderly, and I thought she loved me too.

But one afternoon, when I was half asleep, and was being fanned by two

of her maids, I heard one say to the other, "What a pity it is that our

mistress no longer loves our master! I believe she would like to kill

him if she could, for she is an enchantress."

I soon found by watching that they were right, and when I mortally

wounded a favourite slave of hers for a great crime, she begged that

she might build a palace in the garden, where she wept and bewailed him

for two years.

At last I begged her to cease grieving for him, for although he could

not speak or move, by her enchantments she just kept him alive. She

turned upon me in a rage, and said over me some magic words, and I

instantly became as you see me now, half man and half marble.

Then this wicked enchantress changed the capital, which was a very

populous and flourishing city, into the lake and desert plain you saw.

The fish of four colours which are in it are the different races who

lived in the town; the four hills are the four islands which give the

name to my kingdom. All this the enchantress told me to add to my

troubles. And this is not all. Every day she comes and beats me with

a whip of buffalo hide.

When the young king had finished his sad story he burst once more into

tears, and the Sultan was much moved.

"Tell me," he cried, "where is this wicked woman, and where is the

miserable object of her affection, whom she just manages to keep alive?"

"Where she lives I do not know," answered the unhappy prince, "but she

goes every day at sunrise to see if the slave can yet speak to her,

after she has beaten me."

"Unfortunate king," said the Sultan, "I will do what I can to avenge

you."

So he consulted with the young king over the best way to bring this

about, and they agreed their plan should be put in effect the next day.

The Sultan then rested, and the young king gave himself up to happy

hopes of release. The next day the Sultan arose, and then went to the

palace in the garden where the black slave was. He drew his sword and

destroyed the little life that remained in him, and then threw the body

down a well. He then lay down on the couch where the slave had been,

and waited for the enchantress.

She went first to the young king, whom she beat with a hundred blows.

Then she came to the room where she thought her wounded slave was, but

where the Sultan really lay.

She came near his couch and said, "Are you better to-day, my dear

slave? Speak but one word to me."

"How can I be better," answered the Sultan, imitating the language of

the Ethiopians, "when I can never sleep for the cries and groans of

your husband?"

"What joy to hear you speak!" answered the queen. "Do you wish him to

regain his proper shape?"

"Yes," said the Sultan; "hasten to set him at liberty, so that I may no

longer hear his cries."

The queen at once went out and took a cup of water, and said over it

some words that made it boil as if it were on the fire. Then she threw

it over the prince, who at once regained his own form. He was filled

with joy, but the enchantress said, "Hasten away from this place and

never come back, lest I kill you."

So he hid himself to see the end of the Sultan's plan.

The enchantress went back to the Palace of Tears and said, "Now I have

done what you wished."

"What you have done," said the Sultan, "is not enough to cure me.

Every day at midnight all the people whom you have changed into fish

lift their heads out of the lake and cry for vengeance. Go quickly,

and give them their proper shape."

The enchantress hurried away and said some words over the lake.

The fish then became men, women, and children, and the houses and shops

were once more filled. The Sultan's suite, who had encamped by the

lake, were not a little astonished to see themselves in the middle of a

large and beautiful town.

As soon as she had disenchanted it the queen went back to the palace.

"Are you quite well now?" she said.

"Come near," said the Sultan. "Nearer still."

She obeyed. Then he sprang up, and with one blow of his sword he cut

her in two.

Then he went and found the prince.

"Rejoice," he said, "your cruel enemy is dead."

The prince thanked him again and again.

"And now," said the Sultan. "I will go back to my capital, which I am

glad to find is so near yours."

"So near mine!" said the King of the Black Isles.

"Do you know it is a whole year's journey from here? You came here in

a few hours because it was enchanted. But I will accompany you on your

journey."

"It will give me much pleasure if you will escort me," said the Sultan,

"and as I have no children, I will make you my heir."

The Sultan and the prince set out together, the Sultan laden with rich

presents from the King of the Black Isles.

The day after he reached his capital the Sultan assembled his court and

told them all that had befallen him, and told them how he intended to

adopt the young king as his heir.

Then he gave each man presents in proportion to his rank.

As for the fisherman, as he was the first cause of the deliverance of

the young prince, the Sultan gave him much money, and made him and his

family happy for the rest of their days.

The Story of the Three Calenders, Sons of Kings,

and of Five Ladies of Bagdad

In the reign of the Caliph Haroun-al-Raschid, there lived at Bagdad a

porter who, in spite of his humble calling, was an intelligent and

sensible man. One morning he was sitting in his usual place with his

basket before him, waiting to be hired, when a tall young lady, covered

with a long muslin veil, came up to him and said, "Pick up your basket

and follow me." The porter, who was greatly pleased by her appearance

and voice, jumped up at once, poised his basket on his head, and

accompanied the lady, saying to himself as he went, "Oh, happy day!

Oh, lucky meeting!"

The lady soon stopped before a closed door, at which she knocked. It

was opened by an old man with a long white beard, to whom the lady held

out money without speaking. The old man, who seemed to understand what

she wanted, vanished into the house, and returned bringing a large jar

of wine, which the porter placed in his basket. Then the lady signed

to him to follow, and they went their way.

The next place she stopped at was a fruit and flower shop, and here she

bought a large quantity of apples, apricots, peaches, and other things,

with lilies, jasmine, and all sorts of sweet-smelling plants. From

this shop she went to a butcher's, a grocer's, and a poulterer's, till

at last the porter exclaimed in despair, "My good lady, if you had only

told me you were going to buy enough provisions to stock a town, I

would have brought a horse, or rather a camel." The lady laughed, and

told him she had not finished yet, but after choosing various kinds of

scents and spices from a druggist's store, she halted before a

magnificent palace, at the door of which she knocked gently. The

porteress who opened it was of such beauty that the eyes of the man

were quite dazzled, and he was the more astonished as he saw clearly

that she was no slave. The lady who had led him hither stood watching

him with amusement, till the porteress exclaimed, "Why don't you come

in, my sister? This poor man is so heavily weighed down that he is

ready to drop."

When they were both inside the door was fastened, and they all three

entered a large court, surrounded by an open-work gallery. At one end

of the court was a platform, and on the platform stood an amber throne

supported by four ebony columns, garnished with pearls and diamonds.

In the middle of the court stood a marble basin filled with water from

the mouth of a golden lion.

The porter looked about him, noticing and admiring everything; but his

attention was specially attracted by a third lady sitting on the

throne, who was even more beautiful than the other two. By the respect

shown to her by the others, he judged that she must be the eldest, and

in this he was right. This lady's name was Zobeida, the porteress was

Sadie, and the housekeeper was Amina. At a word from Zobeida, Sadie

and Amina took the basket from the porter, who was glad enough to be

relieved from its weight; and when it was emptied, paid him handsomely

for its use. But instead of taking up his basket and going away, the

man still lingered, till Zobeida inquired what he was waiting for, and

if he expected more money. "Oh, madam," returned he, "you have already

given me too much, and I fear I may have been guilty of rudeness in not

taking my departure at once. But, if you will pardon my saying so, I

was lost in astonishment at seeing such beautiful ladies by themselves.

A company of women without men is, however, as dull as a company of men

without women." And after telling some stories to prove his point, he

ended by entreating them to let him stay and make a fourth at their

dinner.

The ladies were rather amused at the man's assurances and after some

discussion it was agreed that he should be allowed to stay, as his

society might prove entertaining. "But listen, friend," said Zobeida,

"if we grant your request, it is only on condition that you behave with

the utmost politeness, and that you keep the secret of our way of

living, which chance has revealed to you." Then they all sat down to

table, which had been covered by Amina with the dishes she had bought.

After the first few mouthfuls Amina poured some wine into a golden cup.

She first drank herself, according to the Arab custom, and then filled

it for her sisters. When it came to the porter's turn he kissed

Amina's hand, and sang a song, which he composed at the moment in

praise of the wine. The three ladies were pleased with the song, and

then sang themselves, so that the repast was a merry one, and lasted

much longer than usual.

At length, seeing that the sun was about to set, Sadia said to the

porter, "Rise and go; it is now time for us to separate."

"Oh, madam," replied he, "how can you desire me to quit you in the

state in which I am? Between the wine I have drunk, and the pleasure

of seeing you, I should never find the way to my house. Let me remain

here till morning, and when I have recovered my senses I will go when

you like."

"Let him stay," said Amina, who had before proved herself his friend.

"It is only just, as he has given us so much amusement."

"If you wish it, my sister," replied Zobeida; "but if he does, I must

make a new condition. Porter," she continued, turning to him, "if you

remain, you must promise to ask no questions about anything you may

see. If you do, you may perhaps hear what you don't like."

This being settled, Amina brought in supper, and lit up the hall with a

number of sweet smelling tapers. They then sat down again at the

table, and began with fresh appetites to eat, drink, sing, and recite

verses. In fact, they were all enjoying themselves mightily when they

heard a knock at the outer door, which Sadie rose to open. She soon

returned saying that three Calenders, all blind in the right eye, and

all with their heads, faces, and eyebrows clean shaved, begged for

admittance, as they were newly arrived in Bagdad, and night had already

fallen. "They seem to have pleasant manners," she added, "but you have

no idea how funny they look. I am sure we should find their company

diverting."

Zobeida and Amina made some difficulty about admitting the new comers,

and Sadie knew the reason of their hesitation. But she urged the

matter so strongly that Zobeida was at last forced to consent. "Bring

them in, then," said she, "but make them understand that they are not

to make remarks about what does not concern them, and be sure to make

them read the inscription over the door." For on the door was written

in letters of gold, "Whoso meddles in affairs that are no business of

his, will hear truths that will not please him."

The three Calenders bowed low on entering, and thanked the ladies for

their kindness and hospitality. The ladies replied with words of

welcome, and they were all about to seat themselves when the eyes of

the Calenders fell on the porter, whose dress was not so very unlike

their own, though he still wore all the hair that nature had given him.

"This," said one of them, "is apparently one of our Arab brothers, who

has rebelled against our ruler."

The porter, although half asleep from the wine he had drunk, heard the

words, and without moving cried angrily to the Calender, "Sit down and

mind your own business. Did you not read the inscription over the

door? Everybody is not obliged to live in the same way."

"Do not be so angry, my good man," replied the Calender; "we should be

very sorry to displease you;" so the quarrel was smoothed over, and

supper began in good earnest. When the Calenders had satisfied their

hunger, they offered to play to their hostesses, if there were any

instruments in the house. The ladies were delighted at the idea, and

Sadie went to see what she could find, returning in a few moments laden

with two different kinds of flutes and a tambourine. Each Calender

took the one he preferred, and began to play a well-known air, while

the ladies sang the words of the song. These words were the gayest and

liveliest possible, and every now and then the singers had to stop to

indulge the laughter which almost choked them. In the midst of all

their noise, a knock was heard at the door.

Now early that evening the Caliph secretly left the palace, accompanied

by his grand-vizir, Giafar, and Mesrour, chief of the eunuchs, all

three wearing the dresses of merchants. Passing down the street, the

Caliph had been attracted by the music of instruments and the sound of

laughter, and had ordered his vizir to go and knock at the door of the

house, as he wished to enter. The vizir replied that the ladies who

lived there seemed to be entertaining their friends, and he thought his

master would do well not to intrude on them; but the Caliph had taken

it into his head to see for himself, and insisted on being obeyed.

The knock was answered by Sadie, with a taper in her hand, and the

vizir, who was surprised at her beauty, bowed low before her, and said

respectfully, "Madam, we are three merchants who have lately arrived

from Moussoul, and, owing to a misadventure which befel us this very

night, only reached our inn to find that the doors were closed to us

till to-morrow morning. Not knowing what to do, we wandered in the

streets till we happened to pass your house, when, seeing lights and

hearing the sound of voices, we resolved to ask you to give us shelter

till the dawn. If you will grant us this favour, we will, with your

permission, do all in our power to help you spend the time pleasantly."

Sadie answered the merchant that she must first consult her sisters;

and after having talked over the matter with them, she returned to tell

him that he and his two friends would be welcome to join their company.

They entered and bowed politely to the ladies and their guests. Then

Zobeida, as the mistress, came forward and said gravely, "You are

welcome here, but I hope you will allow me to beg one thing of

you--have as many eyes as you like, but no tongues; and ask no

questions about anything you see, however strange it may appear to you."

"Madam," returned the vizir, "you shall be obeyed. We have quite

enough to please and interest us without troubling ourselves about that

with which we have no concern." Then they all sat down, and drank to

the health of the new comers.

While the vizir, Giafar, was talking to the ladies the Caliph was

occupied in wondering who they could be, and why the three Calenders

had each lost his right eye. He was burning to inquire the reason of

it all, but was silenced by Zobeida's request, so he tried to rouse

himself and to take his part in the conversation, which was very

lively, the subject of discussion being the many different sorts of

pleasures that there were in the world. After some time the Calenders

got up and performed some curious dances, which delighted the rest of

the company.

When they had finished Zobeida rose from her seat, and, taking Amina by

the hand, she said to her, "My sister, our friends will excuse us if we

seem to forget their presence and fulfil our nightly task." Amina

understood her sister's meaning, and collecting the dishes, glasses,

and musical instruments, she carried them away, while Sadie swept the

hall and put everything in order. Having done this she begged the

Calenders to sit on a sofa on one side of the room, and the Caliph and

his friends to place themselves opposite. As to the porter, she

requested him to come and help her and her sister.

Shortly after Amina entered carrying a seat, which she put down in the

middle of the empty space. She next went over to the door of a closet

and signed to the porter to follow her. He did so, and soon reappeared

leading two black dogs by a chain, which he brought into the centre of

the hall. Zobeida then got up from her seat between the Calenders and

the Caliph and walked slowly across to where the porter stood with the

dogs. "We must do our duty," she said with a deep sigh, pushing back

her sleeves, and, taking a whip from Sadie, she said to the man, "Take

one of those dogs to my sister Amina and give me the other."

The porter did as he was bid, but as he led the dog to Zobeida it

uttered piercing howls, and gazed up at her with looks of entreaty.

But Zobeida took no notice, and whipped the dog till she was out of

breath. She then took the chain from the porter, and, raising the dog

on its hind legs, they looked into each other's eyes sorrowfully till

tears began to fall from both. Then Zobeida took her handkerchief and

wiped the dog's eyes tenderly, after which she kissed it, then, putting

the chain into the porter's hand she said, "Take it back to the closet

and bring me the other."

The same ceremony was gone through with the second dog, and all the

while the whole company looked on with astonishment. The Caliph in

particular could hardly contain himself, and made signs to the vizir to

ask what it all meant. But the vizir pretended not to see, and turned

his head away.

Zobeida remained for some time in the middle of the room, till at last

Sadie went up to her and begged her to sit down, as she also had her

part to play. At these words Amina fetched a lute from a case of

yellow satin and gave it to Sadie, who sang several songs to its

accompaniment. When she was tired she said to Amina, "My sister, I can

do no more; come, I pray you, and take my place."

Amina struck a few chords and then broke into a song, which she sang

with so much ardour that she was quite overcome, and sank gasping on a

pile of cushions, tearing open her dress as she did so to give herself

some air. To the amazement of all present, her neck, instead of being

as smooth and white as her face, was a mass of scars.

The Calenders and the Caliph looked at each other, and whispered

together, unheard by Zobeida and Sadie, who were tending their fainting

sister.

"What does it all mean?' asked the Caliph.

"We know no more than you," said the Calender to whom he had spoken.

"What! You do not belong to the house?"

"My lord," answered all the Calenders together, "we came here for the

first time an hour before you."

They then turned to the porter to see if he could explain the mystery,

but the porter was no wiser than they were themselves. At length the

Caliph could contain his curiosity no longer, and declared that he

would compel the ladies to tell them the meaning of their strange

conduct. The vizir, foreseeing what would happen, implored him to

remember the condition their hostesses had imposed, and added in a

whisper that if his Highness would only wait till morning he could as

Caliph summon the ladies to appear before him. But the Caliph, who was

not accustomed to be contradicted, rejected this advice, and it was

resolved after a little more talking that the question should be put by

the porter. Suddenly Zobeida turned round, and seeing their excitement

she said, "What is the matter--what are you all discussing so

earnestly?"

"Madam," answered the porter, "these gentlemen entreat you to explain

to them why you should first whip the dogs and then cry over them, and

also how it happens that the fainting lady is covered with scars. They

have requested me, Madam, to be their mouthpiece."

"Is it true, gentlemen," asked Zobeida, drawing herself up, "that you

have charged this man to put me that question?"

"It is," they all replied, except Giafar, who was silent.

"Is this," continued Zobeida, growing more angry every moment, "is this

the return you make for the hospitality I have shown you? Have you

forgotten the one condition on which you were allowed to enter the

house? Come quickly," she added, clapping her hands three times, and

the words were hardly uttered when seven black slaves, each armed with

a sabre, burst in and stood over the seven men, throwing them on the

ground, and preparing themselves, on a sign from their mistress, to cut

off their heads.

The seven culprits all thought their last hour had come, and the Caliph

repented bitterly that he had not taken the vizir's advice. But they

made up their minds to die bravely, all except the porter, who loudly

inquired of Zobeida why he was to suffer for other people's faults, and

declared that these misfortunes would never have happened if it had not

been for the Calenders, who always brought ill-luck. He ended by

imploring Zobeida not to confound the innocent with the guilty and to

spare his life.

In spite of her anger, there was something so comic in the groans of

the porter that Zobeida could not refrain from laughing. But putting

him aside she addressed the others a second time, saying, "Answer me;

who are you? Unless you tell me truly you have not another moment to

live. I can hardly think you are men of any position, whatever country

you belong to. If you were, you would have had more consideration for

us."

The Caliph, who was naturally very impatient, suffered far more than

either of the others at feeling that his life was at the mercy of a

justly offended lady, but when he heard her question he began to

breathe more freely, for he was convinced that she had only to learn

his name and rank for all danger to be over. So he whispered hastily

to the vizir, who was next to him, to reveal their secret. But the

vizir, wiser than his master, wished to conceal from the public the

affront they had received, and merely answered, "After all, we have

only got what we deserved."

Meanwhile Zobeida had turned to the three Calenders and inquired if, as

they were all blind, they were brothers.

"No, madam," replied one, "we are no blood relations at all, only

brothers by our mode of life."

"And you," she asked, addressing another, "were you born blind of one

eye?"

"No, madam," returned he, "I became blind through a most surprising

adventure, such as probably has never happened to anybody. After that

I shaved my head and eyebrows and put on the dress in which you see me

now."

Zobeida put the same question to the other two Calenders, and received

the same answer.

"But," added the third, "it may interest you, madam, to know that we

are not men of low birth, but are all three sons of kings, and of

kings, too, whom the world holds in high esteem."

At these words Zobeida's anger cooled down, and she turned to her

slaves and said, "You can give them a little more liberty, but do not

leave the hall. Those that will tell us their histories and their

reasons for coming here shall be allowed to leave unhurt; those who

refuse--" And she paused, but in a moment the porter, who understood

that he had only to relate his story to set himself free from this

terrible danger, immediately broke in,

"Madam, you know already how I came here, and what I have to say will

soon be told. Your sister found me this morning in the place where I

always stand waiting to be hired. She bade me follow her to various

shops, and when my basket was quite full we returned to this house,

when you had the goodness to permit me to remain, for which I shall be

eternally grateful. That is my story."

He looked anxiously to Zobeida, who nodded her head and said, "You can

go; and take care we never meet again."

"Oh, madam," cried the porter, "let me stay yet a little while. It is

not just that the others should have heard my story and that I should

not hear theirs," and without waiting for permission he seated himself

on the end of the sofa occupied by the ladies, whilst the rest crouched

on the carpet, and the slaves stood against the wall.

Then one of the Calenders, addressing himself to Zobeida as the

principal lady, began his story.

The Story of the First Calender, Son of a King

In order, madam, to explain how I came to lose my right eye, and to

wear the dress of a Calender, you must first know that I am the son of

a king. My father's only brother reigned over the neighbouring

country, and had two children, a daughter and a son, who were of the

same age as myself.

As I grew up, and was allowed more liberty, I went every year to pay a

visit to my uncle's court, and usually stayed there about two months.

In this way my cousin and I became very intimate, and were much

attached to each other. The very last time I saw him he seemed more

delighted to see me than ever, and gave a great feast in my honour.

When we had finished eating, he said to me, "My cousin, you would never

guess what I have been doing since your last visit to us! Directly

after your departure I set a number of men to work on a building after

my own design. It is now completed, and ready to be lived in. I

should like to show it to you, but you must first swear two things: to

be faithful to me, and to keep my secret."

Of course I did not dream of refusing him anything he asked, and gave

the promise without the least hesitation. He then bade me wait an

instant, and vanished, returning in a few moments with a richly dressed

lady of great beauty, but as he did not tell me her name, I thought it

was better not to inquire. We all three sat down to table and amused

ourselves with talking of all sorts of indifferent things, and with

drinking each other's health. Suddenly the prince said to me, "Cousin,

we have no time to lose; be so kind as to conduct this lady to a

certain spot, where you will find a dome-like tomb, newly built. You

cannot mistake it. Go in, both of you, and wait till I come. I shall

not be long."

As I had promised I prepared to do as I was told, and giving my hand to

the lady, I escorted her, by the light of the moon, to the place of

which the prince had spoken. We had barely reached it when he joined

us himself, carrying a small vessel of water, a pickaxe, and a little

bag containing plaster.

With the pickaxe he at once began to destroy the empty sepulchre in the

middle of the tomb. One by one he took the stones and piled them up in

a corner. When he had knocked down the whole sepulchre he proceeded to

dig at the earth, and beneath where the sepulchre had been I saw a

trap-door. He raised the door and I caught sight of the top of a spiral

staircase; then he said, turning to the lady, "Madam, this is the way

that will lead you down to the spot which I told you of."

The lady did not answer, but silently descended the staircase, the

prince following her. At the top, however, he looked at me. "My

cousin," he exclaimed, "I do not know how to thank you for your

kindness. Farewell."

"What do you mean?" I cried. "I don't understand."

"No matter," he replied, "go back by the path that you came."

He would say no more, and, greatly puzzled, I returned to my room in

the palace and went to bed. When I woke, and considered my adventure,

I thought that I must have been dreaming, and sent a servant to ask if

the prince was dressed and could see me. But on hearing that he had

not slept at home I was much alarmed, and hastened to the cemetery,

where, unluckily, the tombs were all so alike that I could not discover

which was the one I was in search of, though I spent four days in

looking for it.

You must know that all this time the king, my uncle, was absent on a

hunting expedition, and as no one knew when he would be back, I at last

decided to return home, leaving the ministers to make my excuses. I

longed to tell them what had become of the prince, about whose fate

they felt the most dreadful anxiety, but the oath I had sworn kept me

silent.

On my arrival at my father's capital, I was astonished to find a large

detachment of guards drawn up before the gate of the palace; they

surrounded me directly I entered. I asked the officers in command the

reason of this strange behaviour, and was horrified to learn that the

army had mutinied and put to death the king, my father, and had placed

the grand-vizir on the throne. Further, that by his orders I was

placed under arrest.

Now this rebel vizir had hated me from my boy-hood, because once, when

shooting at a bird with a bow, I had shot out his eye by accident. Of

course I not only sent a servant at once to offer him my regrets and

apologies, but I made them in person. It was all of no use. He

cherished an undying hatred towards me, and lost no occasion of showing

it. Having once got me in his power I felt he could show no mercy, and

I was right. Mad with triumph and fury he came to me in my prison and

tore out my right eye. That is how I lost it.

My persecutor, however, did not stop here. He shut me up in a large

case and ordered his executioner to carry me into a desert place, to

cut off my head, and then to abandon my body to the birds of prey. The

case, with me inside it, was accordingly placed on a horse, and the

executioner, accompanied by another man, rode into the country until

they found a spot suitable for the purpose. But their hearts were not

so hard as they seemed, and my tears and prayers made them waver.

"Forsake the kingdom instantly," said the executioner at last, "and

take care never to come back, for you will not only lose your head, but

make us lose ours." I thanked him gratefully, and tried to console

myself for the loss of my eye by thinking of the other misfortunes I

had escaped.

After all I had gone through, and my fear of being recognised by some

enemy, I could only travel very slowly and cautiously, generally

resting in some out-of-the-way place by day, and walking as far as I

was able by night, but at length I arrived in the kingdom of my uncle,

of whose protection I was sure.

I found him in great trouble about the disappearance of his son, who

had, he said, vanished without leaving a trace; but his own grief did

not prevent him sharing mine. We mingled our tears, for the loss of

one was the loss of the other, and then I made up my mind that it was

my duty to break the solemn oath I had sworn to the prince. I

therefore lost no time in telling my uncle everything I knew, and I

observed that even before I had ended his sorrow appeared to be

lightened a little.

"My dear nephew," he said, "your story gives me some hope. I was aware

that my son was building a tomb, and I think I can find the spot. But

as he wished to keep the matter secret, let us go alone and seek the

place ourselves."

He then bade me disguise myself, and we both slipped out of a garden

door which opened on to the cemetery. It did not take long for us to

arrive at the scene of the prince's disappearance, or to discover the

tomb I had sought so vainly before. We entered it, and found the

trap-door which led to the staircase, but we had great difficulty in

raising it, because the prince had fastened it down underneath with the

plaster he had brought with him.

My uncle went first, and I followed him. When we reached the bottom of

the stairs we stepped into a sort of ante-room, filled with such a

dense smoke that it was hardly possible to see anything. However, we

passed through the smoke into a large chamber, which at first seemed

quite empty. The room was brilliantly lighted, and in another moment

we perceived a sort of platform at one end, on which were the bodies of

the prince and a lady, both half-burned, as if they had been dragged

out of a fire before it had quite consumed them.

This horrible sight turned me faint, but, to my surprise, my uncle did

not show so much surprise as anger.

"I knew," he said, "that my son was tenderly attached to this lady,

whom it was impossible he should ever marry. I tried to turn his

thoughts, and presented to him the most beautiful princesses, but he

cared for none of them, and, as you see, they have now been united by a

horrible death in an underground tomb." But, as he spoke, his anger

melted into tears, and again I wept with him.

When he recovered himself he drew me to him. "My dear nephew," he

said, embracing me, "you have come to me to take his place, and I will

do my best to forget that I ever had a son who could act in so wicked a

manner." Then he turned and went up the stairs.

We reached the palace without anyone having noticed our absence, when,

shortly after, a clashing of drums, and cymbals, and the blare of

trumpets burst upon our astonished ears. At the same time a thick

cloud of dust on the horizon told of the approach of a great army. My

heart sank when I perceived that the commander was the vizir who had

dethroned my father, and was come to seize the kingdom of my uncle.

The capital was utterly unprepared to stand a siege, and seeing that

resistance was useless, at once opened its gates. My uncle fought hard

for his life, but was soon overpowered, and when he fell I managed to

escape through a secret passage, and took refuge with an officer whom I

knew I could trust.

Persecuted by ill-fortune, and stricken with grief, there seemed to be

only one means of safety left to me. I shaved my beard and my

eyebrows, and put on the dress of a calender, in which it was easy for

me to travel without being known. I avoided the towns till I reached

the kingdom of the famous and powerful Caliph, Haroun-al-Raschid, when

I had no further reason to fear my enemies. It was my intention to

come to Bagdad and to throw myself at the feet of his Highness, who

would, I felt certain, be touched by my sad story, and would grant me,

besides, his help and protection.

After a journey which lasted some months I arrived at length at the

gates of this city. It was sunset, and I paused for a little to look

about me, and to decide which way to turn my steps. I was still

debating on this subject when I was joined by this other calender, who

stopped to greet me. "You, like me, appear to be a stranger," I said.

He replied that I was right, and before he could say more the third

calender came up. He, also, was newly arrived in Bagdad, and being

brothers in misfortune, we resolved to cast in our lots together, and

to share whatever fate might have in store.

By this time it had grown late, and we did not know where to spend the

night. But our lucky star having guided us to this door, we took the

liberty of knocking and of asking for shelter, which was given to us at

once with the best grace in the world.

This, madam, is my story.

"I am satisfied," replied Zobeida; "you can go when you like."

The calender, however, begged leave to stay and to hear the histories

of his two friends and of the three other persons of the company, which

he was allowed to do.

The Story of the Second Calendar, Son of a King

"Madam," said the young man, addressing Zobeida, "if you wish to know

how I lost my right eye, I shall have to tell you the story of my whole

life."

I was scarcely more than a baby, when the king my father, finding me

unusually quick and clever for my age, turned his thoughts to my

education. I was taught first to read and write, and then to learn the

Koran, which is the basis of our holy religion, and the better to

understand it, I read with my tutors the ablest commentators on its

teaching, and committed to memory all the traditions respecting the

Prophet, which have been gathered from the mouth of those who were his

friends. I also learnt history, and was instructed in poetry,

versification, geography, chronology, and in all the outdoor exercises

in which every prince should excel. But what I liked best of all was

writing Arabic characters, and in this I soon surpassed my masters, and

gained a reputation in this branch of knowledge that reached as far as

India itself.

Now the Sultan of the Indies, curious to see a young prince with such

strange tastes, sent an ambassador to my father, laden with rich

presents, and a warm invitation to visit his court. My father, who was

deeply anxious to secure the friendship of so powerful a monarch, and

held besides that a little travel would greatly improve my manners and

open my mind, accepted gladly, and in a short time I had set out for

India with the ambassador, attended only by a small suite on account of

the length of the journey, and the badness of the roads. However, as

was my duty, I took with me ten camels, laden with rich presents for

the Sultan.

We had been travelling for about a month, when one day we saw a cloud

of dust moving swiftly towards us; and as soon as it came near, we

found that the dust concealed a band of fifty robbers. Our men barely

numbered half, and as we were also hampered by the camels, there was no

use in fighting, so we tried to overawe them by informing them who we

were, and whither we were going. The robbers, however, only laughed,

and declared that was none of their business, and, without more words,

attacked us brutally. I defended myself to the last, wounded though I

was, but at length, seeing that resistance was hopeless, and that the

ambassador and all our followers were made prisoners, I put spurs to my

horse and rode away as fast as I could, till the poor beast fell dead

from a wound in his side. I managed to jump off without any injury,

and looked about to see if I was pursued. But for the moment I was

safe, for, as I imagined, the robbers were all engaged in quarrelling

over their booty.

I found myself in a country that was quite new to me, and dared not

return to the main road lest I should again fall into the hands of the

robbers. Luckily my wound was only a slight one, and after binding it

up as well as I could, I walked on for the rest of the day, till I

reached a cave at the foot of a mountain, where I passed the night in

peace, making my supper off some fruits I had gathered on the way.

I wandered about for a whole month without knowing where I was going,

till at length I found myself on the outskirts of a beautiful city,

watered by winding streams, which enjoyed an eternal spring. My

delight at the prospect of mixing once more with human beings was

somewhat damped at the thought of the miserable object I must seem. My

face and hands had been burned nearly black; my clothes were all in

rags, and my shoes were in such a state that I had been forced to

abandon them altogether.

I entered the town, and stopped at a tailor's shop to inquire where I

was. The man saw I was better than my condition, and begged me to sit

down, and in return I told him my whole story. The tailor listened

with attention, but his reply, instead of giving me consolation, only

increased my trouble.

"Beware," he said, "of telling any one what you have told me, for the

prince who governs the kingdom is your father's greatest enemy, and he

will be rejoiced to find you in his power."

I thanked the tailor for his counsel, and said I would do whatever he

advised; then, being very hungry, I gladly ate of the food he put

before me, and accepted his offer of a lodging in his house.

In a few days I had quite recovered from the hardships I had undergone,

and then the tailor, knowing that it was the custom for the princes of

our religion to learn a trade or profession so as to provide for

themselves in times of ill-fortune, inquired if there was anything I

could do for my living. I replied that I had been educated as a

grammarian and a poet, but that my great gift was writing.

"All that is of no use here," said the tailor. "Take my advice, put on

a short coat, and as you seem hardy and strong, go into the woods and

cut firewood, which you will sell in the streets. By this means you

will earn your living, and be able to wait till better times come. The

hatchet and the cord shall be my present."

This counsel was very distasteful to me, but I thought I could not do

otherwise than adopt it. So the next morning I set out with a company

of poor wood-cutters, to whom the tailor had introduced me. Even on

the first day I cut enough wood to sell for a tolerable sum, and very

soon I became more expert, and had made enough money to repay the

tailor all he had lent me.

I had been a wood-cutter for more than a year, when one day I wandered

further into the forest than I had ever done before, and reached a

delicious green glade, where I began to cut wood. I was hacking at the

root of a tree, when I beheld an iron ring fastened to a trapdoor of

the same metal. I soon cleared away the earth, and pulling up the

door, found a staircase, which I hastily made up my mind to go down,

carrying my hatchet with me by way of protection. When I reached the

bottom I discovered that I was in a huge palace, as brilliantly lighted

as any palace above ground that I had ever seen, with a long gallery

supported by pillars of jasper, ornamented with capitals of gold. Down

this gallery a lady came to meet me, of such beauty that I forgot

everything else, and thought only of her.

To save her all the trouble possible, I hastened towards her, and bowed

low.

"Who are you? Who are you?" she said. "A man or a genius?"

"A man, madam," I replied; "I have nothing to do with genii."

"By what accident do you come here?" she asked again with a sigh. "I

have been in this place now for five and twenty years, and you are the

first man who has visited me."

Emboldened by her beauty and gentleness, I ventured to reply, "Before,

madam, I answer your question, allow me to say how grateful I am for

this meeting, which is not only a consolation to me in my own heavy

sorrow, but may perhaps enable me to render your lot happier," and then

I told her who I was, and how I had come there.

"Alas, prince," she said, with a deeper sigh than before, "you have

guessed rightly in supposing me an unwilling prisoner in this gorgeous

place. I am the daughter of the king of the Ebony Isle, of whose fame

you surely must have heard. At my father's desire I was married to a

prince who was my own cousin; but on my very wedding day, I was

snatched up by a genius, and brought here in a faint. For a long while

I did nothing but weep, and would not suffer the genius to come near

me; but time teaches us submission, and I have now got accustomed to

his presence, and if clothes and jewels could content me, I have them

in plenty. Every tenth day, for five and twenty years, I have received

a visit from him, but in case I should need his help at any other time,

I have only to touch a talisman that stands at the entrance of my

chamber. It wants still five days to his next visit, and I hope that

during that time you will do me the honour to be my guest."

I was too much dazzled by her beauty to dream of refusing her offer,

and accordingly the princess had me conducted to the bath, and a rich

dress befitting my rank was provided for me. Then a feast of the most

delicate dishes was served in a room hung with embroidered Indian

fabrics.

Next day, when we were at dinner, I could maintain my patience no

longer, and implored the princess to break her bonds, and return with

me to the world which was lighted by the sun.

"What you ask is impossible," she answered; "but stay here with me

instead, and we can be happy, and all you will have to do is to betake

yourself to the forest every tenth day, when I am expecting my master

the genius. He is very jealous, as you know, and will not suffer a man

to come near me."

"Princess," I replied, "I see it is only fear of the genius that makes

you act like this. For myself, I dread him so little that I mean to

break his talisman in pieces! Awful though you think him, he shall

feel the weight of my arm, and I herewith take a solemn vow to stamp

out the whole race."

The princess, who realized the consequences of such audacity, entreated

me not to touch the talisman. "If you do, it will be the ruin of both

of us," said she; "I know genii much better than you." But the wine I

had drunk had confused my brain; I gave one kick to the talisman, and

it fell into a thousand pieces.

Hardly had my foot touched the talisman when the air became as dark as

night, a fearful noise was heard, and the palace shook to its very

foundations. In an instant I was sobered, and understood what I had

done. "Princess!" I cried, "what is happening?"

"Alas!" she exclaimed, forgetting all her own terrors in anxiety for

me, "fly, or you are lost."

I followed her advice and dashed up the staircase, leaving my hatchet

behind me. But I was too late. The palace opened and the genius

appeared, who, turning angrily to the princess, asked indignantly,

"What is the matter, that you have sent for me like this?"

"A pain in my heart," she replied hastily, "obliged me to seek the aid

of this little bottle. Feeling faint, I slipped and fell against the

talisman, which broke. That is really all."

"You are an impudent liar!" cried the genius. "How did this hatchet

and those shoes get here?"

"I never saw them before," she answered, "and you came in such a hurry

that you may have picked them up on the road without knowing it." To

this the genius only replied by insults and blows. I could hear the

shrieks and groans of the princess, and having by this time taken off

my rich garments and put on those in which I had arrived the previous

day, I lifted the trap, found myself once more in the forest, and

returned to my friend the tailor, with a light load of wood and a heart

full of shame and sorrow.

The tailor, who had been uneasy at my long absence, was, delighted to

see me; but I kept silence about my adventure, and as soon as possible

retired to my room to lament in secret over my folly. While I was thus

indulging my grief my host entered, and said, "There is an old man

downstairs who has brought your hatchet and slippers, which he picked

up on the road, and now restores to you, as he found out from one of

your comrades where you lived. You had better come down and speak to

him yourself." At this speech I changed colour, and my legs trembled

under me. The tailor noticed my confusion, and was just going to

inquire the reason when the door of the room opened, and the old man

appeared, carrying with him my hatchet and shoes.

"I am a genius," he said, "the son of the daughter of Eblis, prince of

the genii. Is not this hatchet yours, and these shoes?" Without

waiting for an answer--which, indeed, I could hardly have given him, so

great was my fright--he seized hold of me, and darted up into the air

with the quickness of lightning, and then, with equal swiftness,

dropped down towards the earth. When he touched the ground, he rapped

it with his foot; it opened, and we found ourselves in the enchanted

palace, in the presence of the beautiful princess of the Ebony Isle.

But how different she looked from what she was when I had last seen

her, for she was lying stretched on the ground covered with blood, and

weeping bitterly.

"Traitress!" cried the genius, "is not this man your lover?"

She lifted up her eyes slowly, and looked sadly at me. "I never saw

him before," she answered slowly. "I do not know who he is."

"What!" exclaimed the genius, "you owe all your sufferings to him, and

yet you dare to say he is a stranger to you!"

"But if he really is a stranger to me," she replied, "why should I tell

a lie and cause his death?"

"Very well," said the genius, drawing his sword, "take this, and cut

off his head."

"Alas," answered the princess, "I am too weak even to hold the sabre.

And supposing that I had the strength, why should I put an innocent man

to death?"

"You condemn yourself by your refusal," said the genius; then turning

to me, he added, "and you, do you not know her?"

"How should I?" I replied, resolved to imitate the princess in her

fidelity. "How should I, when I never saw her before?"

"Cut her head off," then, "if she is a stranger to you, and I shall

believe you are speaking the truth, and will set you at liberty."

"Certainly," I answered, taking the sabre in my hands, and making a

sign to the princess to fear nothing, as it was my own life that I was

about to sacrifice, and not hers. But the look of gratitude she gave

me shook my courage, and I flung the sabre to the earth.

"I should not deserve to live," I said to the genius, "if I were such a

coward as to slay a lady who is not only unknown to me, but who is at

this moment half dead herself. Do with me as you will--I am in your

power--but I refuse to obey your cruel command."

"I see," said the genius, "that you have both made up your minds to

brave me, but I will give you a sample of what you may expect." So

saying, with one sweep of his sabre he cut off a hand of the princess,

who was just able to lift the other to wave me an eternal farewell.

Then I lost consciousness for several minutes.

When I came to myself I implored the genius to keep me no longer in

this state of suspense, but to lose no time in putting an end to my

sufferings. The genius, however, paid no attention to my prayers, but

said sternly, "That is the way in which a genius treats the woman who

has betrayed him. If I chose, I could kill you also; but I will be

merciful, and content myself with changing you into a dog, an ass, a

lion, or a bird--whichever you prefer."

I caught eagerly at these words, as giving me a faint hope of softening

his wrath. "O genius!" I cried, "as you wish to spare my life, be

generous, and spare it altogether. Grant my prayer, and pardon my

crime, as the best man in the whole world forgave his neighbour who was

eaten up with envy of him." Contrary to my hopes, the genius seemed

interested in my words, and said he would like to hear the story of the

two neighbours; and as I think, madam, it may please you, I will tell

it to you also.

The Story of the Envious Man and of Him Who Was Envied

In a town of moderate size, two men lived in neighbouring houses; but

they had not been there very long before one man took such a hatred of

the other, and envied him so bitterly, that the poor man determined to

find another home, hoping that when they no longer met every day his

enemy would forget all about him. So he sold his house and the little

furniture it contained, and moved into the capital of the country,

which was luckily at no great distance. About half a mile from this

city he bought a nice little place, with a large garden and a

fair-sized court, in the centre of which stood an old well.

In order to live a quieter life, the good man put on the robe of a

dervish, and divided his house into a quantity of small cells, where he

soon established a number of other dervishes. The fame of his virtue

gradually spread abroad, and many people, including several of the

highest quality, came to visit him and ask his prayers.

Of course it was not long before his reputation reached the ears of the

man who envied him, and this wicked wretch resolved never to rest till

he had in some way worked ill to the dervish whom he hated. So he left

his house and his business to look after themselves, and betook himself

to the new dervish monastery, where he was welcomed by the founder with

all the warmth imaginable. The excuse he gave for his appearance was

that he had come to consult the chief of the dervishes on a private

matter of great importance. "What I have to say must not be

overheard," he whispered; "command, I beg of you, that your dervishes

retire into their cells, as night is approaching, and meet me in the

court."

The dervish did as he was asked without delay, and directly they were

alone together the envious man began to tell a long story, edging, as

they walked to and fro, always nearer to the well, and when they were

quite close, he seized the dervish and dropped him in. He then ran off

triumphantly, without having been seen by anyone, and congratulating

himself that the object of his hatred was dead, and would trouble him

no more.

But in this he was mistaken! The old well had long been inhabited

(unknown to mere human beings) by a set of fairies and genii, who

caught the dervish as he fell, so that he received no hurt. The

dervish himself could see nothing, but he took for granted that

something strange had happened, or he must certainly have been dashed

against the side of the well and been killed. He lay quite still, and

in a moment he heard a voice saying, "Can you guess whom this man is

that we have saved from death?"

"No," replied several other voices.

And the first speaker answered, "I will tell you. This man, from pure

goodness of heart, forsook the town where he lived and came to dwell

here, in the hope of curing one of his neighbours of the envy he felt

towards him. But his character soon won him the esteem of all, and the

envious man's hatred grew, till he came here with the deliberate

intention of causing his death. And this he would have done, without

our help, the very day before the Sultan has arranged to visit this

holy dervish, and to entreat his prayers for the princess, his

daughter."

"But what is the matter with the princess that she needs the dervish's

prayers?" asked another voice.

"She has fallen into the power of the genius Maimoum, the son of

Dimdim," replied the first voice. "But it would be quite simple for

this holy chief of the dervishes to cure her if he only knew! In his

convent there is a black cat which has a tiny white tip to its tail.

Now to cure the princess the dervish must pull out seven of these white

hairs, burn three, and with their smoke perfume the head of the

princess. This will deliver her so completely that Maimoum, the son of

Dimdim, will never dare to approach her again."

The fairies and genii ceased talking, but the dervish did not forget a

word of all they had said; and when morning came he perceived a place

in the side of the well which was broken, and where he could easily

climb out.

The dervishes, who could not imagine what had become of him, were

enchanted at his reappearance. He told them of the attempt on his life

made by his guest of the previous day, and then retired into his cell.

He was soon joined here by the black cat of which the voice had spoken,

who came as usual to say good-morning to his master. He took him on

his knee and seized the opportunity to pull seven white hairs out of

his tail, and put them on one side till they were needed.

The sun had not long risen before the Sultan, who was anxious to leave

nothing undone that might deliver the princess, arrived with a large

suite at the gate of the monastery, and was received by the dervishes

with profound respect. The Sultan lost no time in declaring the object

of his visit, and leading the chief of the dervishes aside, he said to

him, "Noble scheik, you have guessed perhaps what I have come to ask

you?"

"Yes, sire," answered the dervish; "if I am not mistaken, it is the

illness of the princess which has procured me this honour."

"You are right," returned the Sultan, "and you will give me fresh life

if you can by your prayers deliver my daughter from the strange malady

that has taken possession of her."

"Let your highness command her to come here, and I will see what I can

do."

The Sultan, full of hope, sent orders at once that the princess was to

set out as soon as possible, accompanied by her usual staff of

attendants. When she arrived, she was so thickly veiled that the

dervish could not see her face, but he desired a brazier to be held

over her head, and laid the seven hairs on the burning coals. The

instant they were consumed, terrific cries were heard, but no one could

tell from whom they proceeded. Only the dervish guessed that they were

uttered by Maimoum the son of Dimdim, who felt the princess escaping

him.

All this time she had seemed unconscious of what she was doing, but now

she raised her hand to her veil and uncovered her face. "Where am I?"

she said in a bewildered manner; "and how did I get here?"

The Sultan was so delighted to hear these words that he not only

embraced his daughter, but kissed the hand of the dervish. Then,

turning to his attendants who stood round, he said to them, "What

reward shall I give to the man who has restored me my daughter?"

They all replied with one accord that he deserved the hand of the

princess.

"That is my own opinion," said he, "and from this moment I declare him

to be my son-in-law."

Shortly after these events, the grand-vizir died, and his post was

given to the dervish. But he did not hold it for long, for the Sultan

fell a victim to an attack of illness, and as he had no sons, the

soldiers and priests declared the dervish heir to the throne, to the

great joy of all the people.

One day, when the dervish, who had now become Sultan, was making a

royal progress with his court, he perceived the envious man standing in

the crowd. He made a sign to one of his vizirs, and whispered in his

ear, "Fetch me that man who is standing out there, but take great care

not to frighten him." The vizir obeyed, and when the envious man was

brought before the Sultan, the monarch said to him, "My friend, I am

delighted to see you again." Then turning to an officer, he added,

"Give him a thousand pieces of gold out of my treasury, and twenty

waggon-loads of merchandise out of my private stores, and let an escort

of soldiers accompany him home." He then took leave of the envious

man, and went on his way.

Now when I had ended my story, I proceeded to show the genius how to

apply it to himself. "O genius," I said, "you see that this Sultan was

not content with merely forgiving the envious man for the attempt on

his life; he heaped rewards and riches upon him."

But the genius had made up his mind, and could not be softened. "Do

not imagine that you are going to escape so easily," he said. "All I

can do is to give you bare life; you will have to learn what happens to

people who interfere with me."

As he spoke he seized me violently by the arm; the roof of the palace

opened to make way for us, and we mounted up so high into the air that

the earth looked like a little cloud. Then, as before, he came down

with the swiftness of lightning, and we touched the ground on a

mountain top.

Then he stooped and gathered a handful of earth, and murmured some

words over it, after which he threw the earth in my face, saying as he

did so, "Quit the form of a man, and assume that of a monkey." This

done, he vanished, and I was in the likeness of an ape, and in a

country I had never seen before.

However there was no use in stopping where I was, so I came down the

mountain and found myself in a flat plain which was bounded by the sea.

I travelled towards it, and was pleased to see a vessel moored about

half a mile from shore. There were no waves, so I broke off the branch

of a tree, and dragging it down to the water's edge, sat across it,

while, using two sticks for oars, I rowed myself towards the ship.

The deck was full of people, who watched my progress with interest, but

when I seized a rope and swung myself on board, I found that I had only

escaped death at the hands of the genius to perish by those of the

sailors, lest I should bring ill-luck to the vessel and the merchants.

"Throw him into the sea!" cried one. "Knock him on the head with a

hammer," exclaimed another. "Let me shoot him with an arrow," said a

third; and certainly somebody would have had his way if I had not flung

myself at the captain's feet and grasped tight hold of his dress. He

appeared touched by my action and patted my head, and declared that he

would take me under his protection, and that no one should do me any

harm.

At the end of about fifty days we cast anchor before a large town, and

the ship was immediately surrounded by a multitude of small boats

filled with people, who had come either to meet their friends or from

simple curiosity. Among others, one boat contained several officials,

who asked to see the merchants on board, and informed them that they

had been sent by the Sultan in token of welcome, and to beg them each

to write a few lines on a roll of paper. "In order to explain this

strange request," continued the officers, "it is necessary that you

should know that the grand-vizir, lately dead, was celebrated for his

beautiful handwriting, and the Sultan is anxious to find a similar

talent in his successor. Hitherto the search has been a failure, but

his Highness has not yet given up hope."

One after another the merchants set down a few lines upon the roll, and

when they had all finished, I came forward, and snatched the paper from

the man who held it. At first they all thought I was going to throw it

into the sea, but they were quieted when they saw I held it with great

care, and great was their surprise when I made signs that I too wished

to write something.

"Let him do it if he wants to," said the captain. "If he only makes a

mess of the paper, you may be sure I will punish him for it. But if,

as I hope, he really can write, for he is the cleverest monkey I ever

saw, I will adopt him as my son. The one I lost had not nearly so much

sense!"

No more was said, and I took the pen and wrote the six sorts of writing

in use among the Arabs, and each sort contained an original verse or

couplet, in praise of the Sultan. And not only did my handwriting

completely eclipse that of the merchants, but it is hardly too much to

say that none so beautiful had ever before been seen in that country.

When I had ended the officials took the roll and returned to the Sultan.

As soon as the monarch saw my writing he did not so much as look at the

samples of the merchants, but desired his officials to take the finest

and most richly caparisoned horse in his stables, together with the

most magnificent dress they could procure, and to put it on the person

who had written those lines, and bring him to court.

The officials began to laugh when they heard the Sultan's command, but

as soon as they could speak they said, "Deign, your highness, to excuse

our mirth, but those lines were not written by a man but by a monkey."

"A monkey!" exclaimed the Sultan.

"Yes, sire," answered the officials. "They were written by a monkey in

our presence."

"Then bring me the monkey," he replied, "as fast as you can."

The Sultan's officials returned to the ship and showed the royal order

to the captain.

"He is the master," said the good man, and desired that I should be

sent for.

Then they put on me the gorgeous robe and rowed me to land, where I was

placed on the horse and led to the palace. Here the Sultan was

awaiting me in great state surrounded by his court.

All the way along the streets I had been the object of curiosity to a

vast crowd, which had filled every doorway and every window, and it was

amidst their shouts and cheers that I was ushered into the presence of

the Sultan.

I approached the throne on which he was seated and made him three low

bows, then prostrated myself at his feet to the surprise of everyone,

who could not understand how it was possible that a monkey should be

able to distinguish a Sultan from other people, and to pay him the

respect due to his rank. However, excepting the usual speech, I

omitted none of the common forms attending a royal audience.

When it was over the Sultan dismissed all the court, keeping with him

only the chief of the eunuchs and a little slave. He then passed into

another room and ordered food to be brought, making signs to me to sit

at table with him and eat. I rose from my seat, kissed the ground, and

took my place at the table, eating, as you may suppose, with care and

in moderation.

Before the dishes were removed I made signs that writing materials,

which stood in one corner of the room, should be laid in front of me.

I then took a peach and wrote on it some verses in praise of the

Sultan, who was speechless with astonishment; but when I did the same

thing on a glass from which I had drunk he murmured to himself, "Why, a

man who could do as much would be cleverer than any other man, and this

is only a monkey!"

Supper being over chessmen were brought, and the Sultan signed to me to

know if I would play with him. I kissed the ground and laid my hand on

my head to show that I was ready to show myself worthy of the honour.

He beat me the first game, but I won the second and third, and seeing

that this did not quite please I dashed off a verse by way of

consolation.

The Sultan was so enchanted with all the talents of which I had given

proof that he wished me to exhibit some of them to other people. So

turning to the chief of the eunuchs he said, "Go and beg my daughter,

Queen of Beauty, to come here. I will show her something she has never

seen before."

The chief of the eunuchs bowed and left the room, ushering in a few

moments later the princess, Queen of Beauty. Her face was uncovered,

but the moment she set foot in the room she threw her veil over her

head. "Sire," she said to her father, "what can you be thinking of to

summon me like this into the presence of a man?"

"I do not understand you," replied the Sultan. "There is nobody here

but the eunuch, who is your own servant, the little slave, and myself,

yet you cover yourself with your veil and reproach me for having sent

for you, as if I had committed a crime."

"Sire," answered the princess, "I am right and you are wrong. This

monkey is really no monkey at all, but a young prince who has been

turned into a monkey by the wicked spells of a genius, son of the

daughter of Eblis."

As will be imagined, these words took the Sultan by surprise, and he

looked at me to see how I should take the statement of the princess.

As I was unable to speak, I placed my hand on my head to show that it

was true.

"But how do you know this, my daughter?" asked he.

"Sire," replied Queen of Beauty, "the old lady who took care of me in

my childhood was an accomplished magician, and she taught me seventy

rules of her art, by means of which I could, in the twinkling of an

eye, transplant your capital into the middle of the ocean. Her art

likewise teaches me to recognise at first sight all persons who are

enchanted, and tells me by whom the spell was wrought."

"My daughter," said the Sultan, "I really had no idea you were so

clever."

"Sire," replied the princess, "there are many out-of-the-way things it

is as well to know, but one should never boast of them."

"Well," asked the Sultan, "can you tell me what must be done to

disenchant the young prince?"

"Certainly; and I can do it."

"Then restore him to his former shape," cried the Sultan. "You could

give me no greater pleasure, for I wish to make him my grand-vizir, and

to give him to you for your husband."

"As your Highness pleases," replied the princess.

Queen of Beauty rose and went to her chamber, from which she fetched a

knife with some Hebrew words engraven on the blade. She then desired

the Sultan, the chief of the eunuchs, the little slave, and myself to

descend into a secret court of the palace, and placed us beneath a

gallery which ran all round, she herself standing in the centre of the

court. Here she traced a large circle and in it wrote several words in

Arab characters.

When the circle and the writing were finished she stood in the middle

of it and repeated some verses from the Koran. Slowly the air grew

dark, and we felt as if the earth was about to crumble away, and our

fright was by no means diminished at seeing the genius, son of the

daughter of Eblis, suddenly appear under the form of a colossal lion.

"Dog," cried the princess when she first caught sight of him, "you

think to strike terror into me by daring to present yourself before me

in this hideous shape."

"And you," retorted the lion, "have not feared to break our treaty that

engaged solemnly we should never interfere with each other."

"Accursed genius!" exclaimed the princess, "it is you by whom that

treaty was first broken."

"I will teach you how to give me so much trouble," said the lion, and

opening his huge mouth he advanced to swallow her. But the princess

expected something of the sort and was on her guard. She bounded on

one side, and seizing one of the hairs of his mane repeated two or

three words over it. In an instant it became a sword, and with a sharp

blow she cut the lion's body into two pieces. These pieces vanished no

one knew where, and only the lion's head remained, which was at once

changed into a scorpion. Quick as thought the princess assumed the

form of a serpent and gave battle to the scorpion, who, finding he was

getting the worst of it, turned himself into an eagle and took flight.

But in a moment the serpent had become an eagle more powerful still,

who soared up in the air and after him, and then we lost sight of them

both.

We all remained where we were quaking with anxiety, when the ground

opened in front of us and a black and white cat leapt out, its hair

standing on end, and miauing frightfully. At its heels was a wolf, who

had almost seized it, when the cat changed itself into a worm, and,

piercing the skin of a pomegranate which had tumbled from a tree, hid

itself in the fruit. The pomegranate swelled till it grew as large as

a pumpkin, and raised itself on to the roof of the gallery, from which

it fell into the court and was broken into bits. While this was taking

place the wolf, who had transformed himself into a cock, began to

swallow the seed of the pomegranate as fast as he could. When all were

gone he flew towards us, flapping his wings as if to ask if we saw any

more, when suddenly his eye fell on one which lay on the bank of the

little canal that flowed through the court; he hastened towards it, but

before he could touch it the seed rolled into the canal and became a

fish. The cock flung himself in after the fish and took the shape of a

pike, and for two hours they chased each other up and down under the

water, uttering horrible cries, but we could see nothing. At length

they rose from the water in their proper forms, but darting such flames

of fire from their mouths that we dreaded lest the palace should catch

fire. Soon, however, we had much greater cause for alarm, as the

genius, having shaken off the princess, flew towards us. Our fate

would have been sealed if the princess, seeing our danger, had not

attracted the attention of the genius to herself. As it was, the

Sultan's beard was singed and his face scorched, the chief of the

eunuchs was burned to a cinder, while a spark deprived me of the sight

of one eye. Both I and the Sultan had given up all hope of a rescue,

when there was a shout of "Victory, victory!" from the princess, and

the genius lay at her feet a great heap of ashes.

Exhausted though she was, the princess at once ordered the little

slave, who alone was uninjured, to bring her a cup of water, which she

took in her hand. First repeating some magic words over it, she dashed

it into my face saying, "If you are only a monkey by enchantment,

resume the form of the man you were before." In an instant I stood

before her the same man I had formerly been, though having lost the

sight of one eye.

I was about to fall on my knees and thank the princess but she did not

give me time. Turning to the Sultan, her father, she said, "Sire, I

have gained the battle, but it has cost me dear. The fire has

penetrated to my heart, and I have only a few moments to live. This

would not have happened if I had only noticed the last pomegranate seed

and eaten it like the rest. It was the last struggle of the genius,

and up to that time I was quite safe. But having let this chance slip

I was forced to resort to fire, and in spite of all his experience I

showed the genius that I knew more than he did. He is dead and in

ashes, but my own death is approaching fast." "My daughter," cried the

Sultan, "how sad is my condition! I am only surprised I am alive at

all! The eunuch is consumed by the flames, and the prince whom you

have delivered has lost the sight of one eye." He could say no more,

for sobs choked his voice, and we all wept together.

Suddenly the princess shrieked, "I burn, I burn!" and death came to

free her from her torments.

I have no words, madam, to tell you of my feelings at this terrible

sight. I would rather have remained a monkey all my life than let my

benefactress perish in this shocking manner. As for the Sultan, he was

quite inconsolable, and his subjects, who had dearly loved the

princess, shared his grief. For seven days the whole nation mourned,

and then the ashes of the princess were buried with great pomp, and a

superb tomb was raised over her.

As soon as the Sultan recovered from the severe illness which had

seized him after the death of the princess he sent for me and plainly,

though politely, informed me that my presence would always remind him

of his loss, and he begged that I would instantly quit his kingdom, and

on pain of death never return to it. I was, of course, bound to obey,

and not knowing what was to become of me I shaved my beard and eyebrows

and put on the dress of a calender. After wandering aimlessly through

several countries, I resolved to come to Bagdad and request an audience

of the Commander of the Faithful.

And that, madam, is my story.

The other Calender then told his story.

The Story of the Third Calendar, Son of a King

My story, said the Third Calender, is quite different from those of my

two friends. It was fate that deprived them of the sight of their

right eyes, but mine was lost by my own folly.

My name is Agib, and I am the son of a king called Cassib, who reigned

over a large kingdom, which had for its capital one of the finest

seaport towns in the world.

When I succeeded to my father's throne my first care was to visit the

provinces on the mainland, and then to sail to the numerous islands

which lay off the shore, in order to gain the hearts of my subjects.

These voyages gave me such a taste for sailing that I soon determined

to explore more distant seas, and commanded a fleet of large ships to

be got ready without delay. When they were properly fitted out I

embarked on my expedition.

For forty days wind and weather were all in our favour, but the next

night a terrific storm arose, which blew us hither and thither for ten

days, till the pilot confessed that he had quite lost his bearings.

Accordingly a sailor was sent up to the masthead to try to catch a

sight of land, and reported that nothing was to be seen but the sea and

sky, except a huge mass of blackness that lay astern.

On hearing this the pilot grew white, and, beating his breast, he

cried, "Oh, sir, we are lost, lost!" till the ship's crew trembled at

they knew not what. When he had recovered himself a little, and was

able to explain the cause of his terror, he replied, in answer to my

question, that we had drifted far out of our course, and that the

following day about noon we should come near that mass of darkness,

which, said he, is nothing but the famous Black Mountain. This

mountain is composed of adamant, which attracts to itself all the iron

and nails in your ship; and as we are helplessly drawn nearer, the

force of attraction will become so great that the iron and nails will

fall out of the ships and cling to the mountain, and the ships will

sink to the bottom with all that are in them. This it is that causes

the side of the mountain towards the sea to appear of such a dense

blackness.

As may be supposed--continued the pilot--the mountain sides are very

rugged, but on the summit stands a brass dome supported on pillars, and

bearing on top the figure of a brass horse, with a rider on his back.

This rider wears a breastplate of lead, on which strange signs and

figures are engraved, and it is said that as long as this statue

remains on the dome, vessels will never cease to perish at the foot of

the mountain.

So saying, the pilot began to weep afresh, and the crew, fearing their

last hour had come, made their wills, each one in favour of his fellow.

At noon next day, as the pilot had foretold, we were so near to the

Black Mountain that we saw all the nails and iron fly out of the ships

and dash themselves against the mountain with a horrible noise. A

moment after the vessels fell asunder and sank, the crews with them. I

alone managed to grasp a floating plank, and was driven ashore by the

wind, without even a scratch. What was my joy on finding myself at the

bottom of some steps which led straight up the mountain, for there was

not another inch to the right or the left where a man could set his

foot. And, indeed, even the steps themselves were so narrow and so

steep that, if the lightest breeze had arisen, I should certainly have

been blown into the sea.

When I reached the top I found the brass dome and the statue exactly as

the pilot had described, but was too wearied with all I had gone

through to do more than glance at them, and, flinging myself under the

dome, was asleep in an instant. In my dreams an old man appeared to me

and said, "Hearken, Agib! As soon as thou art awake dig up the ground

underfoot, and thou shalt find a bow of brass and three arrows of lead.

Shoot the arrows at the statue, and the rider shall tumble into the

sea, but the horse will fall down by thy side, and thou shalt bury him

in the place from which thou tookest the bow and arrows. This being

done the sea will rise and cover the mountain, and on it thou wilt

perceive the figure of a metal man seated in a boat, having an oar in

each hand. Step on board and let him conduct thee; but if thou

wouldest behold thy kingdom again, see that thou takest not the name of

Allah into thy mouth."

Having uttered these words the vision left me, and I woke, much

comforted. I sprang up and drew the bow and arrows out of the ground,

and with the third shot the horseman fell with a great crash into the

sea, which instantly began to rise, so rapidly, that I had hardly time

to bury the horse before the boat approached me. I stepped silently in

and sat down, and the metal man pushed off, and rowed without stopping

for nine days, after which land appeared on the horizon. I was so

overcome with joy at this sight that I forgot all the old man had told

me, and cried out, "Allah be praised! Allah be praised!"

The words were scarcely out of my mouth when the boat and man sank from

beneath me, and left me floating on the surface. All that day and the

next night I swam and floated alternately, making as well as I could

for the land which was nearest to me. At last my strength began to

fail, and I gave myself up for lost, when the wind suddenly rose, and a

huge wave cast me on a flat shore. Then, placing myself in safety, I

hastily spread my clothes out to dry in the sun, and flung myself on

the warm ground to rest.

Next morning I dressed myself and began to look about me. There seemed

to be no one but myself on the island, which was covered with fruit

trees and watered with streams, but seemed a long distance from the

mainland which I hoped to reach. Before, however, I had time to feel

cast down, I saw a ship making directly for the island, and not knowing

whether it would contain friends or foes, I hid myself in the thick

branches of a tree.

The sailors ran the ship into a creek, where ten slaves landed,

carrying spades and pickaxes. In the middle of the island they

stopped, and after digging some time, lifted up what seemed to be a

trapdoor. They then returned to the vessel two or three times for

furniture and provisions, and finally were accompanied by an old man,

leading a handsome boy of fourteen or fifteen years of age. They all

disappeared down the trapdoor, and after remaining below for a few

minutes came up again, but without the boy, and let down the trapdoor,

covering it with earth as before. This done, they entered the ship and

set sail.

As soon as they were out of sight, I came down from my tree, and went

to the place where the boy had been buried. I dug up the earth till I

reached a large stone with a ring in the centre. This, when removed,

disclosed a flight of stone steps which led to a large room richly

furnished and lighted by tapers. On a pile of cushions, covered with

tapestry, sat the boy. He looked up, startled and frightened at the

sight of a stranger in such a place, and to soothe his fears, I at once

spoke: "Be not alarmed, sir, whoever you may be. I am a king, and the

son of a king, and will do you no hurt. On the contrary, perhaps I

have been sent here to deliver you out of this tomb, where you have

been buried alive."

Hearing my words, the young man recovered himself, and when I had

ended, he said, "The reasons, Prince, that have caused me to be buried

in this place are so strange that they cannot but surprise you. My

father is a rich merchant, owning much land and many ships, and has

great dealings in precious stones, but he never ceased mourning that he

had no child to inherit his wealth.

"At length one day he dreamed that the following year a son would be

born to him, and when this actually happened, he consulted all the wise

men in the kingdom as to the future of the infant. One and all they

said the same thing. I was to live happily till I was fifteen, when a

terrible danger awaited me, which I should hardly escape. If, however,

I should succeed in doing so, I should live to a great old age. And,

they added, when the statue of the brass horse on the top of the

mountain of adamant is thrown into the sea by Agib, the son of Cassib,

then beware, for fifty days later your son shall fall by his hand!

"This prophecy struck the heart of my father with such woe, that he

never got over it, but that did not prevent him from attending

carefully to my education till I attained, a short time ago, my

fifteenth birthday. It was only yesterday that the news reached him

that ten days previously the statue of brass had been thrown into the

sea, and he at once set about hiding me in this underground chamber,

which was built for the purpose, promising to fetch me out when the

forty days have passed. For myself, I have no fears, as Prince Agib is

not likely to come here to look for me."

I listened to his story with an inward laugh as to the absurdity of my

ever wishing to cause the death of this harmless boy, whom I hastened

to assure of my friendship and even of my protection; begging him, in

return, to convey me in his father's ship to my own country. I need

hardly say that I took special care not to inform him that I was the

Agib whom he dreaded.

The day passed in conversation on various subjects, and I found him a

youth of ready wit and of some learning. I took on myself the duties

of a servant, held the basin and water for him when he washed, prepared

the dinner and set it on the table. He soon grew to love me, and for

thirty-nine days we spent as pleasant an existence as could be expected

underground.

The morning of the fortieth dawned, and the young man when he woke gave

thanks in an outburst of joy that the danger was passed. "My father

may be here at any moment," said he, "so make me, I pray you, a bath of

hot water, that I may bathe, and change my clothes, and be ready to

receive him."

So I fetched the water as he asked, and washed and rubbed him, after

which he lay down again and slept a little. When he opened his eyes

for the second time, he begged me to bring him a melon and some sugar,

that he might eat and refresh himself.

I soon chose a fine melon out of those which remained, but could find

no knife to cut it with. "Look in the cornice over my head," said he,

"and I think you will see one." It was so high above me, that I had

some difficulty in reaching it, and catching my foot in the covering of

the bed, I slipped, and fell right upon the young man, the knife going

straight into his heart.

At this awful sight I shrieked aloud in my grief and pain. I threw

myself on the ground and rent my clothes and tore my hair with sorrow.

Then, fearing to be punished as his murderer by the unhappy father, I

raised the great stone which blocked the staircase, and quitting the

underground chamber, made everything fast as before.

Scarcely had I finished when, looking out to sea, I saw the vessel

heading for the island, and, feeling that it would be useless for me to

protest my innocence, I again concealed myself among the branches of a

tree that grew near by.

The old man and his slaves pushed off in a boat directly the ship

touched land, and walked quickly towards the entrance to the

underground chamber; but when they were near enough to see that the

earth had been disturbed, they paused and changed colour. In silence

they all went down and called to the youth by name; then for a moment I

heard no more. Suddenly a fearful scream rent the air, and the next

instant the slaves came up the steps, carrying with them the body of

the old man, who had fainted from sorrow! Laying him down at the foot

of the tree in which I had taken shelter, they did their best to

recover him, but it took a long while. When at last he revived, they

left him to dig a grave, and then laying the young man's body in it,

they threw in the earth.

This ended, the slaves brought up all the furniture that remained

below, and put it on the vessel, and breaking some boughs to weave a

litter, they laid the old man on it, and carried him to the ship, which

spread its sails and stood out to sea.

So once more I was quite alone, and for a whole month I walked daily

over the island, seeking for some chance of escape. At length one day

it struck me that my prison had grown much larger, and that the

mainland seemed to be nearer. My heart beat at this thought, which was

almost too good to be true. I watched a little longer: there was no

doubt about it, and soon there was only a tiny stream for me to cross.

Even when I was safe on the other side I had a long distance to go on

the mud and sand before I reached dry ground, and very tired I was,

when far in front of me I caught sight of a castle of red copper,

which, at first sight, I took to be a fire. I made all the haste I

could, and after some miles of hard walking stood before it, and gazed

at it in astonishment, for it seemed to me the most wonderful building

I had ever beheld. While I was still staring at it, there came towards

me a tall old man, accompanied by ten young men, all handsome, and all

blind of the right eye.

Now in its way, the spectacle of ten men walking together, all blind of

the right eye, is as uncommon as that of a copper castle, and I was

turning over in my mind what could be the meaning of this strange fact,

when they greeted me warmly, and inquired what had brought me there. I

replied that my story was somewhat long, but that if they would take

the trouble to sit down, I should be happy to tell it them. When I had

finished, the young men begged that I would go with them to the castle,

and I joyfully accepted their offer. We passed through what seemed to

me an endless number of rooms, and came at length into a large hall,

furnished with ten small blue sofas for the ten young men, which served

as beds as well as chairs, and with another sofa in the middle for the

old man. As none of the sofas could hold more than one person, they

bade me place myself on the carpet, and to ask no questions about

anything I should see.

After a little while the old man rose and brought in supper, which I

ate heartily, for I was very hungry. Then one of the young men begged

me to repeat my story, which had struck them all with astonishment, and

when I had ended, the old man was bidden to "do his duty," as it was

late, and they wished to go to bed. At these words he rose, and went

to a closet, from which he brought out ten basins, all covered with

blue stuff. He set one before each of the young men, together with a

lighted taper.

When the covers were taken off the basins, I saw they were filled with

ashes, coal-dust, and lamp-black. The young men mixed these all

together, and smeared the whole over their heads and faces. They then

wept and beat their breasts, crying, "This is the fruit of idleness,

and of our wicked lives."

This ceremony lasted nearly the whole night, and when it stopped they

washed themselves carefully, and put on fresh clothes, and lay down to

sleep.

All this while I had refrained from questions, though my curiosity

almost seemed to burn a hole in me, but the following day, when we went

out to walk, I said to them, "Gentlemen, I must disobey your wishes,

for I can keep silence no more. You do not appear to lack wit, yet you

do such actions as none but madmen could be capable of. Whatever

befalls me I cannot forbear asking, `Why you daub your faces with

black, and how it is you are all blind of one eye?'" But they only

answered that such questions were none of my business, and that I

should do well to hold my peace.

During that day we spoke of other things, but when night came, and the

same ceremony was repeated, I implored them most earnestly to let me

know the meaning of it all.

"It is for your own sake," replied one of the young men, "that we have

not granted your request, and to preserve you from our unfortunate

fate. If, however, you wish to share our destiny we will delay no

longer."

I answered that whatever might be the consequence I wished to have my

curiosity satisfied, and that I would take the result on my own head.

He then assured me that, even when I had lost my eye, I should be

unable to remain with them, as their number was complete, and could not

be added to. But to this I replied that, though I should be grieved to