There was once in the coast-fortress of Alexandria, a Chief of
Police, Husám al-Din highs, the sharp Scymitar of the Faith. Now
one night as he sat in his seat of office, behold, there came in
to him a trooper-wight who said, "Know, O my lord the Chief, that
I entered your city this night and alighted at such a khan and
slept there till a third part of the night was past when I awoke
and found my saddle-bags sliced open and a purse of a thousand
gold pieces stolen from them." No sooner had he done speaking
than the Chief summoned his chief officials and bade them lay
hands on all in the khan and clap them in limbo till the morning;
and on the morrow, he caused bring the rods and whips used in
punishment, and, sending for the prisoners, was about to flog
them till they confessed in the presence of the owner of the
stolen money when, lo! a man broke through the crowd till he came
up to the Chief of Police,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of
day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Three Hundred and Forty-second Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the Chief
was about to flog them when lo! a man broke through the crowd
till he came up to the Chief of Police and the trooper and said;
"Ho! Emir, let these folk go, for they are wrongously accused. It
was I who robbed this trooper, and see, here is the purse I stole
from his saddle-bags." So saying, he pulled out the purse from
his sleeve and laid it before Husam al-Din, who said to the
soldier, "Take thy money and pouch it; thou now hast no ground of
complaint against the people of the khan." Thereupon these folk
and all who were present fell to praising the thief and blessing
him; but he said, "Ho! Emir, the skill is not in that I came to
thee in person and brought thee the purse; the cleverness was in
taking it a second time from this trooper." Asked the Chief, "And
how didst thou do to take it, O sharper?"; and the robber
replied, "O Emir, I was standing in the Shroff's
FN#396 bazar at
Cairo, when I saw this soldier receive the gold in change and put
it in yonder purse; so I followed him from by-street to by-
street, but found no occasion of stealing it. Then he travelled
from Cairo and I followed him from town to town, plotting and
planning by the way to rob him, but without avail, till he
entered this city and I dogged him to the khan. I took up my
lodging beside him and watched him till he fell asleep and I
heard him sleeping; when I went up to him softly, softly; and I
slit open his saddle-bags with this knife, and took the purse in
the way I am now taking it." So saying, he put out his hand and
took the purse from before the Chief of Police and the trooper,
both of whom, together with the folk, drew back watching him and
thinking he would show them how he took the purse from the
saddle-bags. But, behold! he suddenly broke into a run and threw
himself into a pool of standing water
FN#397 hard by. So the
Chief of the Police shouted to his officers, "Stop thief!" and
many made after him; but before they could doff their clothes and
descend the steps, he had made off; and they sought for him, but
found him not; for that the by-streets and lanes of Alexandria
all communicate. So they came back without bringing the purse;
and the Chief of Police said to the trooper, "Thou hast no demand
upon the folk; for thou fondest him who robbed thee and
receivedst back thy money, but didst not keep it." So the trooper
went away, having lost his money, whilst the folk were delivered
from his hands and those of the Chief of Police, and all this was
of the favour of Almighty Allah.
FN#398 And they also tell the
tale of AL-MALIK AL-NASIR AND THE THREE CHIEFS OF POLICE.
