There lived in the time of Harun al-Rashid a man named Ahmad
al-Danaf and another Hasan Shúmán
[FN#180] hight, the twain
past-masters in fraud and feints, who had done rare things in
their day; wherefore the Caliph invested them with caftans of
honour and made them Captains of the Watch for Baghdad (Ahmad
of the right hand and Hasan of the left hand); and appointed
to each of them a stipend of a thousand dinars a month and
forty stalwart men to be at their bidding. Moreover to
Calamity Ahmad was committed the watch of the district
outside the walls. So Ahmad and Hasan went forth in company
of the Emir Khalid, the Wali or Chief of Police, attended
each by his forty followers on horse-back, and preceded by the
Crier, crying aloud and saying, "By command of the Caliph!
None is captain of the watch of the right hand but Ahmad al-
Danaf and none is captain of the watch of the left hand but
Hasan Shuman, and both are to be obeyed when they bid and are
to be held in all honour and worship." Now there was in the
city an old woman called Dalílah the Wily, who had a daughter
by name Zaynab the Coney-catcher. They heard the proclamation
made and Zaynab said to Dalilah, "See, O my mother, this
fellow, Ahmad al-Danaf! He came hither from Cairo, a
fugitive, and played the double-dealer in Baghdad, till he
got into the Caliph's company and is now become captain of
the right hand, whilst that mangy chap Hasan Shuman is
captain of the left hand, and each hath a table spread morning
and evening and a monthly wage of a thousand dinars; whereas
we abide unemployed and neglected in this house, without
estate and without honour, and have none to ask of us." Now
Dalilah's husband had been town-captain of Baghdad with a
monthly wage of one thousand dinars; but he died leaving two
daughters, one married and with a son by name Ahmad al-
Lakít
[FN#181] or Ahmad the Abortion; and the other called
Zaynab, a spinster. And this Dalilah was a past mistress in
all manner of craft and trickery and double dealing; she
could wile the very dragon out of his den and Iblis himself
might have learnt deceit of her. Her father
[FN#182] had also
been governor of the carrier-pigeons to the Caliph with a
solde of one thousand dinars a month. He used to rear the
birds to carry letters and messages, wherefore in time of
need each was dearer to the Caliph than one of his own sons.
So Zaynab said to her mother, "Up and play off some feint and
fraud that may haply make us notorious"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted
say.
When it was the Six Hundred and Ninety-ninth Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that
Zaynab thus addressed her dam, "Up and play off some feint
and fraud which may haply make us notorious in Baghdad, so
perchance we shall win our father's stipend for ourselves."
Replied the old trot, "As thy head liveth, O my daughter, I
will play off higher-class rogueries in Baghdad than ever
played Calamity Ahmad or Hasan the Pestilent." So saying, she
rose and threw over her face the Lisam-veil and donned
clothes such as the poorer Sufis wear, petticoat-trousers
falling over her heels, and a gown of white wool with a broad
girdle. She also took a pitcher
[FN#183] and filled it with
water to the neck; after which she set three dinars in the
mouth and stopped it up with a plug of palm-fibre. Then she
threw round her shoulder, baldrick-wise, a rosary as big as a
load of firewood, and taking in her hand a flag, made of
parti-coloured rags, red and yellow and green, went out,
crying, "Allah! Allah!" with tongue celebrating the praises
of the Lord, whilst her heart galloped in the Devil's race-
course, seeking how she might play some sharping trick upon
town. She walked from street to street, till she came to an
alley swept and watered and marble-paved, where she saw a
vaulted gateway, with a threshold of alabaster, and a Moorish
porter standing at the door, which was of sandalwood plated
with brass and furnished with a ring of silver for knocker.
Now this house belonged to the Chief of the Caliph's
Serjeant-ushers, a man of great wealth in fields, houses and
allowances, called the Emir Hasan Sharr al-Tarík, or Evil of
the Way, and therefor called because his blow forewent his
word. He was married to a fair damsel, Khátún
[FN#184] hight,
whom he loved and who had made him swear, on the night of his
going in unto her, that he would take none other to wife over
her nor lie abroad for a single night. And so things went on
till one day, he went to the Divan and saw that each Emir had
with him a son or two. Then he entered the Hammam-bath and
looking at his face in the mirror, noted that the white hairs
in his beard overlay its black, and he said in himself, "Will
not He who took thy sire bless thee with a son?" So he went
in to his wife, in angry mood, and she said to him, "Good
evening to thee"; but he replied, "Get thee out of my sight:
from the day I saw thee I have seen naught of good." "How
so?" quoth she. Quoth he, "On the night of my going in unto
thee, thou madest me swear to take no other wife over thee,
and this very day I have seen each Emir with a son and some
with two. So I minded me of death
[FN#185]; and also that to
me hath been vouchsafed neither son nor daughter and that
whoso leaveth no male hath no memory. This, then, is the
reason of my anger, for thou art barren; and knowing thee is
like planing a rock." Cried she, "Allah's name upon thee.
Indeed, I have worn out the mortars with beating wool and
pounding drugs,
[FN#186] and I am not to blame; the barrenness
is with thee, for that thou art a snub-nosed mule and thy
sperm is weak and watery and impregnateth not neither getteth
children." Said he, "When I return from my journey, I will
take another wife;" and she, "My luck is with Allah!" Then he
went out from her and both repented of the sharp words spoken
each to other. Now as the Emir's wife looked forth of her
lattice, as she were a Bride of the Hoards
[FN#187] for the
jewellery upon her, behold, there stood Dalilah espying her
and seeing her clad in costly clothes and ornaments, said to
herself, "'Twould be a rare trick, O Dalilah, to entice
yonder young lady from her husband's house and strip her of
all her jewels and clothes and make off with the whole lot."
So she took up her stand under the windows of the Emir's
house, and fell to calling aloud upon Allah's name and
saying, "Be present, O ye Walis, ye friends of the Lord!"
Whereupon every woman in the street looked from her lattice
and, seeing a matron clad, after Sufi fashion, in clothes of
white wool, as she were a pavilion of light, said, "Allah
bring us a blessing by the aidance of this pious old person,
from whose face issueth light!" And Khatun, the wife of the
Emir Hasan, burst into tears and said to her handmaid, "Get
thee down, O Makbúlah, and kiss the hand of Shaykh Abú Alí,
the porter, and say to him, 'Let yonder Religious enter to my
lady, so haply she may get a blessing of her.'" So she went
down to the porter and kissing his hand, said to him, "My
mistress telleth thee, 'Let yonder pious old woman come in to
me, so may I get a blessing of her'; and belike her
benediction may extend to us likewise."--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundredth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
handmaid went down and said to the porter, "Suffer yonder
Religious enter to my lady so haply she may get a blessing of
her, and we too may be blessed, one and all," the gate-keeper
went up to Dalilah and kissed her hand, but she forbade him,
saying, "Away from me, lest my ablution be made null and
void.
[FN#188] Thou, also, art of the attracted God-wards and
kindly looked upon by Allah's Saints and under His especial
guardianship. May He deliver thee from this servitude, O Abu
Ali!" Now the Emir owed three months' wage to the porter who
was straitened thereby, but knew not how to recover his due
from his lord; so he said to the old woman, "O my mother,
give me to drink from thy pitcher, so I may win a blessing
through thee." She took the ewer from her shoulder and
whirled it about in air, so that the plug flew out of its
mouth and the three dinars fell to the ground. The porter saw
them and picked them up, saying in his mind, "Glory to God!
This old woman is one of the Saints that have hoards at their
command! It hath been revealed to her of me that I am in want
of money for daily expenses; so she hath conjured me these
three dinars out of the air." Then said he to her, "Take, O
my aunt, these three dinars which fell from thy pitcher;" and
she replied, "Away with them from me! I am of the folk who
occupy not themselves with the things of the world, no never!
Take them and use them for thine own benefit, in lieu of
those the Emir oweth thee." Quoth he, "Thanks to Allah for
succour! This is of the chapter of revelation!" Thereupon the
maid accosted her and kissing her hand, carried her up to her
mistress. She found the lady as she were a treasure, whose
guardian talisman had been loosed; and Khatun bade her
welcome and kissed her hand. Quoth she, "O my daughter, I
come not to thee save for thy weal and by Allah's will." Then
Khatun set food before her; but she said, "O my daughter, I
eat naught except of the food of Paradise and I keep
continual fast breaking it but five days in the year. But, O
my child, I see thee chagrined and desire that thou tell me
the cause of thy concern." "O my mother," replied Khatun, "I
made my husband swear, on my wedding-night, that he would
wive none but me, and he saw others with children and longed
for them and said to me, 'Thou art a barren thing!' I
answered, 'Thou art a mule which begetteth not'; so he left
me in anger, saying, 'When I come back from my journey, I
will take another wife,' for he hath villages and lands and
large allowances, and if he begat children by another, they
will possess the money and take the estates from me." Said
Dalilah, "O my daughter, knowest thou not of my master, the
Shaykh Abú al-Hamlát,
[FN#189] whom if any debtor visit, Allah
quitteth him his debt, and if a barren woman, she conceiveth?"
Khatun replied, "O my mother, since the day of my wedding I
have not gone forth the house, no, not even to pay visits of
condolence or congratulation." The old woman rejoined, "O my
child, I will carry thee to him and do thou cast thy burden on
him and make a vow to him: haply when thy husband shall
return from his journey and lie with thee thou shalt conceive
by him and bear a girl or a boy: but, be it female or male,
it shall be a dervish of the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat." Thereupon
Khatun rose and arrayed herself in her richest raiment, and
donning all her jewellery said, "Keep thou an eye on the
house," to her maid, who replied, "I hear and obey, O my
lady." Then she went down and the porter Abu Ali met her and
asked her, "Whither away, O my lady?" "I go to visit the
Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat;" answered she; and he, "Be a year's
fast incumbent on me! Verily yon Religious is of Allah's
saints and full of holiness, O my lady, and she hath hidden
treasure at her command, for she gave me three dinars of red
gold and divined my case, without my asking her, and knew
that I was in want." Then the old woman went out with the
young lady Khatun, saying to her, "Inshallah, O my daughter,
when thou hast visited the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat, there shall
betide thee solace of soul and by leave of Almighty Allah
thou shalt conceive, and thy husband the Emir shall love thee
by the blessing of the Shaykh and shall never again let thee
hear a despiteful word." Quoth Khatun, "I will go with thee
to visit him, O my mother!" But Dalilah said to herself,
"Where shall I strip her and take her clothes and jewellery,
with the folk coming and going?" Then she said to her, "O my
daughter, walk thou behind me, within sight of me, for this
thy mother is a woman sorely burdened; everyone who hath a
burden casteth it on me and all who have pious
offerings
[FN#190] to make give them to me and kiss my hand."
So the young lady followed her at a distance, whilst her
anklets tinkled and her hair-coins
[FN#191] clinked as she
went, till they reached the bazar of the merchants.
Presently, they came to the shop of a young merchant, by name
Sídí Hasan who was very handsome
[FN#192] and had no hair on
his face. He saw the lady approaching and fell to casting
stolen glances at her, which when the old woman saw, she
beckoned to her and said, "Sit down in this shop, till I
return to thee." Khatun obeyed her and sat down in the shop-
front of the young merchant, who cast at her one glance of
eyes that cost him a thousand sighs. Then the old woman
accosted him and saluted him, saying, "Tell me, is not thy
name Sidi Hasan, son of the merchant Mohsin?" He replied,
"Yes, who told thee my name?" Quoth she, "Folk of good repute
direct me to thee. Know that this young lady is my daughter
and her father was a merchant who died and left her much
money. She is come of marriageable age and the wise say,
'Offer thy daughter in marriage and not thy son'; and all her
life she hath not come forth the house till this day. Now a
divine warning and a command given in secret bid me wed her
to thee; so, if thou art poor, I will give thee capital and
will open for thee instead of one shop two shops." Thereupon
quoth the young merchant to himself, "I asked Allah for a
bride, and He hath given me three things, to wit, coin,
clothing, and coynte." Then he continued to the old trot, "O
my mother, that where-to thou directest me is well; but this
long while my mother saith to me, 'I wish to marry thee,' but
I object replying, 'I will not marry except on the sight of
my own eyes.'" Said Dalilah, "Rise and follow my steps, and I
will show her to thee, naked."
[FN#193] So he rose and took a
thousand dinars, saying in himself, "Haply we may need to buy
somewhat"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and First Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
old woman said to Hasan, son of Mohsin the merchant, "Rise up
and follow me, and I will show her naked to thee." So he rose
and took with him a thousand dinars, saying in himself,
"Haply we may need to buy somewhat or pay the fees for
drawing up the marriage contract." The old woman bade him
walk behind the young lady at a distance but within shot of
sight and said to herself, "Where wilt thou carry the young
lady and the merchant that thou mayest strip them both whilst
his shop is still shut?" Then she walked on and Khatun after
her, followed by the young merchant, till she came to a
dyery, kept by a master dyer, by name Hajj Mohammed, a man of
ill-repute; like the colocasia
[FN#194] seller's knife cutting
male and female, and loving to eat both figs and
pomegranates.
[FN#195] He heard the tinkle of the ankle rings
and, raising his head, saw the lady and the young man.
Presently the old woman came up to him and, after salaming to
him and sitting down opposite him, asked him, "Art thou not
Hajj Mohammed the dyer?" He answered, "Yes, I am he: what
dost thou want?" Quoth she, "Verily, folks of fair repute
have directed me to thee. Look at yonder handsome girl, my
daughter, and that comely beardless youth, my son; I brought
them both up and spent much money on both of them. Now, thou
must know that I have a big old ruinous house which I have
shored up with wood, and the builder saith to me, 'Go and
live in some other place, lest belike it fall upon thee; and
when this is repaired return hither.' So I went forth to seek
me a lodging, and people of worth directed me to thee, and I
wish to lodge my son and daughter with thee." Quoth the dyer
in his mind, "Verily, here is fresh butter upon cake come to
thee." But he said to the old woman, "'Tis true I have a
house and saloon and upper floor; but I cannot spare any part
thereof, for I want it all for guests and for the indigo-
growers my clients." She replied, "O my son, 'twill be only
for a month or two at the most, till our house be repaired,
and we are strange folk. Let the guest-chamber be shared
between us and thee, and by thy life, O my son, an thou
desire that thy guests be ours, we will welcome them and eat
with them and sleep with them." Then he gave her the keys,
one big and one small and one crooked, saying to her "The big
key is that of the house, the crooked one that of the saloon
and the little one that of the upper floor." So Dalilah took
the keys and fared on, followed by the lady who forwent the
young merchant, till she came to the lane wherein was the
house. She opened the door and entered, introducing the
damsel to whom said she, "O my daughter, this (pointing to
the saloon) is the lodging of the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat; but
go thou into the upper floor and loose thy outer veil and
wait till I come to thee." So she went up and sat down.
Presently appeared the young merchant, whom Dalilah carried
into the saloon, saying, "Sit down, whilst I fetch my
daughter and show her to thee." So he sat down and the old
trot went up to Khatun who said to her, "I wish to visit the
Shaykh, before the folk come." Replied the beldame, "O my
daughter, we fear for thee." Asked Khatun, "Why so?" and
Dalilah answered, "Because here is a son of mine, a natural
who knoweth not summer from winter, but goeth ever naked. He
is the Shaykh's deputy and, if he saw a girl like thee come
to visit his chief, he would snatch her earrings and tear her
ears and rend her silken robes.
[FN#196] So do thou doff thy
jewellery and clothes and I will keep them for thee, till
thou hast made thy pious visitation." Accordingly the damsel
did off her outer dress and jewels and gave them to the old
woman, who said, "I will lay them for thee on the Shaykh's
curtain, that a blessing may betide thee." Then she went out,
leaving the lady in her shift and petticoat-trousers, and hid
the clothes and jewels in a place on the staircase; after
which she betook herself to the young merchant, whom she found
impatiently awaiting the girl, and he cried, "Where is thy
daughter, that I may see her?" But she smote palm on breast
and he said "What aileth thee?" Quoth she, "Would there were
no such thing as the ill neighbour and the envious! They saw
thee enter the house with me and asked me of thee; and I
said, 'This is a bridegroom I have found for my daughter.' So
they envied me on thine account and said to my girl, 'Is thy
mother tired of keeping thee, that she marrieth thee to a
leper?' There-upon I swore to her that she should not see thee
save naked." Quoth he, "I take refuge with Allah from the
envious," and baring his fore-arm, showed her that it was
like silver. Said she, "Have no fear; thou shalt see her
naked, even as she shall see thee naked;" and he said, "Let
her come and look at me. Then he put off his pelisse and
sables and his girdle and dagger and the rest of his raiment,
except his shirt and bag-trousers, and would have laid the
purse of a thousand dinars with them, but Dalilah cried,
'Give them to me, that I may take care of them." So she took
them and fetching the girl's clothes and jewellery shouldered
the whole and locking the door upon them went her ways.--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her
permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Second Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the old woman had taken the property of the young merchant and
the damsel and wended her ways, having locked the door upon
them, she deposited her spoils with a druggist of her
acquaintance and returned to the dyer, whom she found
sitting, awaiting her. Quoth he, "Inshallah, the house
pleaseth thee?"; and quoth she, "There is a blessing in it;
and I go now to fetch porters to carry hither our goods and
furniture. But my children would have me bring them a panade
with meat; so do thou take this dinar and buy the dish and go
and eat the morning meal with them." Asked the dyer, "Who
shall guard the dyery meanwhile and the people's goods that
be therein?"; and the old woman answered, "Thy lad!" "So be
it," rejoined he, and taking a dish and cover, went out to do
her bidding. So far concerning the dyer who will again be
mentioned in the tale; but as regards the old woman, she
fetched the clothes and jewels she had left with the druggist
and going back to the dyery, said to the lad, "Run after thy
master, and I will not stir hence till you both return." "To
hear is to obey," answered he and went away, while she began
to collect all the customers' goods. Presently, there came up
an ass-driver, a scavenger, who had been out of work for a
week and who was an Hashish-eater to boot; and she called
him, saying, "Hither, O donkey-boy!" So he came to her and
she asked, "Knowest thou my son the dyer?"; whereto he
answered, "Yes, I know him." Then she said, "The poor fellow
is insolvent and loaded with debts, and as often as he is put
in prison, I set him free. Now we wish to see him declared
bankrupt and I am going to return the goods to their owners;
so do thou lend me thine ass to carry the load and receive
this dinar to its hire. When I am gone, take the handsaw and
empty out the vats and jars and break them, so that if there
come an officer from the Kází's court, he may find nothing in
the dyery." Quoth he, "I owe the Hajj a kindness and will do
something for Allah's love." So she laid the things on the
ass and, the Protector protecting her, made for her own
house; so that she arrived there in safety and went in to her
daughter Zaynab, who said to her, "O my mother, my heart bath
been with thee! What hast thou done by way of roguery?"
Dalilah replied, "I have played off four tricks on four
wights; the wife of the Serjeant-usher, a young merchant, a
dyer and an ass-driver, and have brought thee all their spoil
on the donkey-boy's beast." Cried Zaynab, "O my mother, thou
wilt never more be able to go about the town, for fear of the
Serjeant-usher, whose wife's raiment and jewellery thou hast
taken, and the merchant whom thou hast stripped naked, and
the dyer whose customers' goods thou hast stolen and the
owner of the ass." Rejoined the old woman, "Pooh, my girl! I
reck not of them, save the donkey-boy, who knoweth me."
Meanwhile the dyer bought the meat-panade and set out for the
house, followed by his servant with the food on head. On his
way thither, he passed his shop, where he found the donkey-
boy breaking the vats and jars and saw that there was neither
stuff nor liquor left in them and that the dyery was in
ruins. So he said to him, "Hold thy hand, O ass-driver;" and
the donkey-boy desisted and cried, "Praised be Allah for thy
safety, O master! Verily my heart was with thee." "Why so?"
"Thou art become bankrupt and they have filed a docket of
thine insolvency." "Who told thee this?" "Thy mother told me,
and bade me break the jars and empty the vats, that the
Kazi's officers might find nothing in the shop, if they
should come." "Allah confound the far One!"
[FN#197] cried the
dyer; "My mother died long ago." And he beat his breast,
exclaiming, "Alas, for the loss of my goods and those of the
folk!" The donkey-boy also wept and ejaculated, "Alas, for
the loss of my ass!"; and he said to the dyer, "Give me back
my beast which thy mother stole from me." The dyer laid hold
of him by the throat and fell to buffeting him, saying,
"Bring me the old woman;" whilst the other buffeted him in
return saying, "Give me back my beast." So they beat and
cursed each other, till the folk collected around them--And
Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her
permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Third Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
dyer caught hold of the donkey-boy and the donkey-boy caught
hold of the dyer and they beat and cursed each other till the
folk collected round them and one of them asked, "What is the
matter, O Master Mohammed?" The ass-driver answered, "I will
tell thee the tale," and related to them his story, saying,
"I deemed I was doing the dyer a good turn; but, when he saw
me he beat his breast and said, 'My mother is dead.' And now,
I for one require my ass of him, it being he who hath put
this trick on me, that he might make me lose my beast." Then
said the folk to the dyer, "O Master Mohammed, dost thou know
this matron, that thou didst entrust her with the dyery and
all therein?" And he replied, "I know her not; but she took
lodgings with me to-day, she and her son and daughter." Quoth
one, "In my judgment, the dyer is bound to indemnify the ass-
driver." Quoth another, "Why so?" "Because," replied the
first, "he trusted not the old Woman nor gave her his ass
save only because he saw that the dyer had entrusted her with
the dyery and its contents." And a third said, "O master,
since thou hast lodged her with thee, it behoveth thee to get
the man back his ass." Then they made for the house, and the
tale will come round to them again. Mean-while, the young
merchant remained awaiting the old woman's coming with her
daughter, but she came not nor did her daughter; whilst the
young lady in like manner sat expecting her return with leave
from her son, the God-attended one, the Shaykh's deputy, to
go in to the holy presence. So weary of waiting, she rose to
visit the Shaykh by herself and went down into the saloon,
where she found the young merchant, who said to her, "Come
hither! where is thy mother, who brought me to marry thee?"
She replied, "My mother is dead, art thou the old woman's son,
the ecstatic, the deputy of the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat?" Quoth
he, "The swindling old trot is no mother of mine; she hath
cheated me and taken my clothes and a thousand dinars." Quoth
Khatun, "And me also hath she swindled for she brought me to
see the Shaykh Abu al-Hamlat and in lieu of so doing she hath
stripped me." Thereupon he, "I look to thee to make good my
clothes and my thousand dinars;" and she, "I look to thee to
make good my clothes and jewellery." And, behold, at this
moment in came the dyer and seeing them both stripped of their
raiment, said to them, "Tell me where your mother is." So the
young lady related all that had befallen her and the young
merchant related all that had betided him, and the Master-dyer
exclaimed, "Alas, for the loss of my goods and those of the
folk!"; and the ass-driver ejaculated, "Alas, for my ass!
Give me, O dyer, my ass!" Then said the dyer, "This old woman
is a sharper. Come forth, that I may lock the door." Quoth
the young merchant, "'Twere a disgrace to thee that we should
enter thy house dressed and go forth from it undressed." So
the dyer clad him and the damsel and sent her back to her
house where we shall find her after the return of her
husband. Then he shut the dyery and said to the young
merchant, "Come, let us go and search for the old woman and
hand her over to the Wali,
[FN#198] the Chief of Police." So
they and the ass-man repaired to the house of the master of
police and made their complaint to him. Quoth he, "O folk,
what want ye?" and when they told him he rejoined, "How many
old women are there not in the town! Go ye and seek for her
and lay hands on her and bring her to me, and I will torture
her for you and make her confess." So they sought for her all
round the town; and an account of them will presently be
given.
[FN#199] As for old Dalilah the Wily, she said, "I have
a mind to play off another trick," to her daughter who
answered, "O my mother, I fear for thee;" but the beldam
cried, "I am like the bean husks which fall, proof against
fire and water." So she rose, and donning a slave-girl's
dress of such as serve people of condition, went out to look
for some one to defraud. Presently she came to a by-street,
spread with carpets and lighted with hanging lamps, and heard
a noise of singing-women and drumming of tambourines. Here
she saw a handmaid bearing on her shoulder a boy, clad in
trousers laced with silver and a little Abá-cloak of velvet,
with a pearl embroidered Tarbush-cap on his head, and about
his neck a collar of gold set with jewels. Now the house
belonged to the Provost of the Merchants of Baghdad, and the
boy was his son. He had a virgin daughter, to boot, who was
promised in marriage, and it was her betrothal they were
celebrating that day. There was with her mother a company of
noble dames and singing-women, and whenever she went upstairs
or down, the boy clung to her. So she called the slave-girl
and said to her, "Take thy young master and play with him,
till the company break up." Seeing this, Dalilah asked the
handmaid, "What festivities are these in your mistress's
house;" and was answered "She celebrates her daughter's
betrothal this day, and she hath singing-women with her."
Quoth the old woman to herself, "O Dalilah, the thing to do
is to spirit away this boy from the maid,"--And Shahrazad
perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted
say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fourth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
old trot said to herself, "O Dalilah, the thing to do is to
spirit away this boy from the maid!" she began crying out, "O
disgrace! O ill luck!" Then pulling out a brass token,
resembling a dinar, she said to the maid, who was a
simpleton, "Take this ducat and go in to thy mistress and say
to her, 'Umm al-Khayr rejoiceth with thee and is beholden to
thee for thy favours, and on the day of assembly she and her
daughters will visit thee and handsel the tiring-women with
the usual gifts.'" Said the girl, "O my mother, my young
master here catcheth hold of his mamma, whenever he seeth
her;" and she replied "Give him to me, whilst thou goest in
and comest back." So she gave her the child and taking the
token, went in; whereupon Dalilah made off with the boy to a
by-lane, where she stripped him of his clothes and jewels,
saying to herself, "O Dalilah, 'twould indeed be the finest
of tricks, even as thou hast cheated the maid and taken the
boy from her, so now to carry on the game and pawn him for a
thousand dinars." So she repaired to the jewel-bazar, where
she saw a Jew goldsmith seated with a cage full of jewellery
before him, and said to herself, "'Twould be a rare trick to
chouse this Jew fellow and get a thousand gold pieces worth of
jewellery from him and leave the boy in pledge for it."
Presently the Jew looked at them and seeing the boy with the
old woman, knew him for the son of the Provost of the
Merchants. Now the Israelite was a man of great wealth, but
would envy his neighbour if he sold and himself did not sell;
so espying Dalilah, he said to her, "What seekest thou, O my
mistress?" She asked, "Art thou Master Azariah
[FN#200] the
Jew?" having first enquired his name of others; and he
answered, "Yes." Quoth she, "This boy's sister, daughter of
the Shahbandar of the Merchants, is a promised bride, and to-
day they celebrate her betrothal; and she hath need of
jewellery. So give me two pair of gold ankle-rings, a brace of
gold bracelets, and pearl ear-drops, with a girdle, a poignard
and a seal-ring." He brought them out and she took of him a
thousand dinars' worth of jewellery, saying, "I will take
these ornaments on approval; and whatso pleaseth them, they
will keep and I will bring thee the price and leave this boy
with thee till then." He said, "Be it as thou wilt!" So she
took the jewellery and made off to her own house, where her
daughter asked her how the trick had sped. She told her how
she had taken and stripped the Shahbandar's boy, and Zaynab
said, "Thou wilt never be able to walk abroad again in the
town." Meanwhile, the maid went in to her mistress and said
to her, "O my lady, Umm al-Khayr saluteth thee and rejoiceth
with thee and on assembly-day she will come, she and her
daughters, and give the customary presents." Quoth her
mistress, "Where is thy young master?" Quoth the slave-girl,
"I left him with her lest he cling to thee, and she gave me
this, as largesse for the singing-women." So the lady said to
the chief of the singers, "Take thy money;" and she took it
and found it a brass counter; whereupon the lady cried to the
maid, "Get thee down, O whore, and look to thy young master."
Accordingly, she went down and finding neither boy nor old
woman, shrieked aloud and fell on her face. Their joy was
changed into annoy, and behold, the Provost came in, when his
wife told him all that had befallen and he went out in quest
of the child, whilst the other merchants also fared forth and
each sought his own road. Presently, the Shahbandar, who had
looked every-where, espied his son seated, naked, in the Jew's
shop and said to tile owner, "This is my son." "'Tis well,"
answered the Jew. So he took him up, without asking for his
clothes, of the excess of his joy at finding him; but the Jew
laid hold of him, saying, "Allah succour the Caliph against
thee!"
[FN#201] The Provost asked, "What aileth thee, O Jew?";
and he answered, "Verily the old woman took of me a thousand
dinars' worth of jewellery for thy daughter, and left this
lad in pledge for the price; and I had not trusted her, but
that she offered to leave the child whom I knew for thy Son."
Said the Provost, "My daughter needeth no jewellery, give me
the boy's clothes." Thereupon the Jew shrieked out, "Come to
my aid, O Moslems!" but at that moment up came the dyer and
the ass-man and the young merchant, who were going about,
seeking the old woman, and enquired the cause of their jangle.
So they told them the case and they said, "This old woman is a
cheat, who hath cheated us before you." Then they recounted to
them how she had dealt with them, and the Provost said, "Since
I have found my son, be his clothes his ransom! If I come upon
the old woman, I will require them of her." And he carried the
child home to his mother, who rejoiced in his safety. Then the
Jew said to the three others "Whither go ye?"; and they
answered, "We go to look for her." Quoth the Jew, "Take me
with you," presently adding, "Is there any one of you knoweth
her?" The donkey-boy cried, "I know her;" and the Jew said,
"If we all go forth together, we shall never catch her; for
she will flee from us. Let each take a different road, and be
our rendezvous at the shop of Hajj Mas'úd, the Moorish
barber." They agreed to this and set off, each in a different
direction. Presently, Dalilah sallied forth again to play her
tricks and the ass-driver met her and knew her. So he caught
hold of her and said to her, "Woe to thee! Hast thou been
long at this trade?" She asked, "What aileth thee?"; and he
answered, "Give me back my ass." Quoth she, "Cover what Allah
covereth, O my son! Dost thou seek thine ass and the people's
things?" Quoth he, "I want my ass; that's all;" and quoth
she, "I saw that thou wast poor: so I deposited thine ass for
thee with the Moorish barber. Stand off, whilst I speak him
fair, that he may give thee the beast." So she went up to the
Maghrabi and kissed his hand and shed tears. He asked her
what ailed her and she said, "O my son, look at my boy who
standeth yonder. He was ill and exposed himself to the air,
which injured his intellect. He used to buy asses and now, if
he stand he saith nothing but, My ass! if he sit he crieth,
My ass! and if he walk he crieth, My ass! Now I have been
told by a certain physician that his mind is disordered and
that nothing will cure him but drawing two of his grinders
and cauterising him twice on either temple. So do thou take
this dinar and call him to thee, saying, 'Thine ass is with
me.'" Said the barber, "May I fast for a year, if I do not
give him his ass in his fist!" Now he had with him two
journeymen, so he said to one of them "Go, heat the irons."
Then the old woman went her way and the barber called to the
donkey-boy,
[FN#202] saying, "Thine ass is with me, good
fellow! come and take him, and as thou livest, I will give
him into thy palm." So he came to him and the barber carried
him into a dark room, where he knocked him down and the
journeymen bound him hand and foot. Then the Maghrabi arose
and pulled out two of his grinders and fired him on either
temple; after which he let him go, and he rose and said, "O
Moor, why hast thou used me with this usage?" Quoth the
barber, "Thy mother told me that thou hadst taken cold whilst
ill, and hadst lost thy reason, so that, whether sitting or
standing or walking, thou wouldst say nothing but My ass! So
here is thine ass in thy fist." Said the other, "Allah
requite thee for pulling out my teeth." Then the barber told
him all that the old woman had related and he exclaimed,
"Allah torment her!"; and the twain left the shop and went
out, disputing. When the barber returned, he found his booth
empty, for, whilst he was absent, the old woman had taken all
that was therein and made off with it to her daughter, whom
she acquainted with all that had befallen and all she had
done. The barber, seeing his place plundered, caught hold of
the donkey-boy and said to him, "Bring me thy mother" But he
answered, saying, "She is not my mother; she is a sharper who
hath cozened much people and stolen my ass." And lo! at this
moment up came the dyer and the Jew and the young merchant,
and seeing the Moorish barber holding on to the ass-driver who
was fired on both temples, they said to him, "What hath
befallen thee, O donkey-boy?" So he told them all that had
betided him and the barber did the like; and the others in
turn related to the Moor the tricks the old woman had played
them. Then he shut up his shop and went with them to the
office of the Police-master to whom they said, "We look to
thee for our case and our coin."
[FN#203] Quoth the Wali, "And
how many old women are there not in Baghdad! Say me, doth any
of you know her?" Quoth the ass-man, "I do; so give me ten of
thine officers." He gave them half a score archers and they
all five went out, followed by the sergeants, and patrolled
the city, till they met the old woman, when they laid hands
on her and carrying her to the house of the Chief of Police,
stood waiting under his office windows till he should come
forth. Presently, the warders fell asleep, for excess of
watching with their chief, and old Dalilah feigned to follow
their example, till the ass-man and his fellows slept
likewise, when she stole away from them and, going in to the
Wali's Harim, kissed the hand of the mistress of the house
and asked her "Where is the Chief of Police?" The lady
answered, "He is asleep; what wouldst thou with him?" Quoth
Dalilah, "My husband is a merchant of chattels and gave me
five Mamelukes to sell, whilst he went on a journey. The
Master of Police met me and bought them of me for a thousand
dinars and two hundred for myself, saying, 'Bring them to my
house.' So I have brought them."--And Shahrazad perceived the
dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Fifth Night,
She continued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
old woman, entering the Harim of the Police-Master, said to
his wife, "Verily the Wali bought of me five slaves for one
thousand ducats and two hundred for myself, saying, 'Bring
them to my quarters.' So I have brought them." Hearing the
old woman's story she believed it and asked her, "Where are
the slaves?" Dalilah replied, "O my lady, they are asleep
under the palace window"; whereupon the dame looked out and
seeing the Moorish barber clad in a Mameluke habit and the
young merchant as he were a drunken Mameluke
[FN#204] and the
Jew and the dyer and the ass-driver as they were shaven
Mamelukes, said in herself, "Each of these white slaves is
worth more than a thousand dinars." So she opened her chest
and gave the old woman the thousand ducats, saying, "Fare
thee forth now and come back anon; when my husband waketh, I
will get thee the other two hundred dinars from him."
Answered the old woman, "O my lady, an hundred of them are
thine, under the sherbert-gugglet whereof thou
drinkest,
[FN#205] and the other hundred do thou keep for me
against I come back," presently adding, "Now let me out by
the private door." So she let her out, and the Protector
protected her and she made her way home to her daughter, to
whom she related how she had gotten a thousand gold pieces
and sold her five pursuers into slavery, ending with, "O my
daughter, the one who troubleth me most is the ass-driver,
for he knoweth me." Said Zaynab, "O my mother, abide quiet
awhile and let what thou hast done suffice thee, for the
crock shall not always escape the shock." When the Chief of
Police awoke, his wife said to him, "I give thee joy of the
five slaves thou hast bought of the old woman." Asked he,
"What slaves?" And she answered, "Why dost thou deny it to
me? Allah willing, they shall become like thee people of
condition." Quoth he, "As my head liveth, I have bought no
slaves! Who saith this?" Quoth she, "The old woman, the
brokeress, from whom thou boughtest them; and thou didst
promise her a thousand dinars for them and two hundred for
herself." Cried he, "Didst thou give her the money?" And she
replied, "Yes; for I saw the slaves with my own eyes, and on
each is a suit of clothes worth a thousand dinars; so I sent
out to bid the sergeants have an eye to them." The Wali went
out and, seeing the five plaintiffs, said to the officers,
"Where are the five slaves we bought for a thousand dinars of
the old woman?" Said they, "There are no slaves here; only
these five men, who found the old woman, and seized her and
brought her hither. We fell asleep, whilst waiting for thee,
and she stole away and entered the Harim. Presently out came
a maid and asked us, 'Are the five with you with whom the old
woman came?'; and we answered, 'Yes.'" Cried the Master of
Police, "By Allah, this is the biggest of swindles!"; and the
five men said, "We look to thee for our goods." Quoth the
Wali, "The old woman, your mistress, sold you to me for a
thousand gold pieces." Quoth they, "That were not allowed of
Allah; we are free-born men and may not be sold, and we
appeal from thee to the Caliph." Rejoined the Master of
Police, "None showed her the way to the house save you, and I
will sell you to the galleys for two hundred dinars apiece."
Just then, behold, up came the Emir Hasan Sharr al-Tarik who,
on his return from his journey, had found his wife stripped
of her clothes and jewellery and heard from her all that had
passed; whereupon quoth he, "The Master of Police shall
answer me this" and repairing to him, said "Dost thou suffer
old women to go round about the town and cozen folk of their
goods? This is thy duty and I look to thee for my wife's
property." Then said he to the five men, "What is the case
with you?" So they told him their stories and he said, "Ye
are wronged men," and turning to the Master of Police, asked
him, "Why dost thou arrest them?" Answered he, "None brought
the old wretch to my house save these five, so that she took
a thousand dinars of my money and sold them to my women."
Whereupon the five cried, "O Emir Hasan, be thou our advocate
in this cause." Then said the Master of Police to the Emir,
"Thy wife's goods are at my charge and I will be surety for
the old woman. But which of you knoweth her?" They cried, "We
all know her: send ten apparitors with us, and we will take
her." So he gave them ten men, and the ass-driver said to
them, "Follow me, for I should know her with blue
eyes."
[FN#206] Then they fared forth and lo! they meet old
Dalilah coming out of a by-street: so they at once laid hands
on her and brought her to the office of the Wali who asked
her, "Where are the people's goods?" But she answered,
saying, "I have neither gotten them nor seen them." Then he
cried to the gaoler, "Take her with thee and clap her in gaol
till the morning;" but he replied, "I will not take her nor
will I imprison her lest she play a trick on me and I be
answerable for her." So the Master of Police mounted and rode
out with Dalilah and the rest to the bank of the Tigris,
where he bade the lamp-lighter crucify her by her hair. He
drew her up by the pulley and bound her on the cross; after
which the Master of Police set ten men to guard her and went
home. Presently, the night fell down and sleep overcame the
watchmen. Now a certain Badawi had heard one man say to a
friend, "Praise be to Allah for thy safe return! Where hast
thou been all this time?" Replied the other, "In Baghdad
where I broke my fast on honey-fritters."
[FN#207] Quoth the
Badawi to himself "Needs must I go to Baghdad and eat honey-
fritters therein"; for in all his life he had never entered
Baghdad nor seen fritters of the sort. So he mounted his
stallion and rode on towards Baghdad, saying in his mind,
"'Tis a fine thing to eat honey-fritters! On the honour of an
Arab, I will break my fast with honey-fritters and naught
else!"--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to
say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Sixth Night,
She pursued, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the
wild Arab mounted horse and made for Baghdad saying in his
mind, "'Tis a fine thing to eat honey-fritters! On the honour
of an Arab I will break my fast with honey-fritters and
naught else;" and he rode on till he came to the place where
Dalilah was crucified and she heard him utter these words. So
he went up to her and said to her, "What art thou?" Quoth
she, "I throw myself on thy protection, O Shaykh of the
Arabs!" and quoth lie, "Allah indeed protect thee! But what
is the cause of thy crucifixion?" Said she, "I have an enemy,
an oilman, who frieth fritters, and I stopped to buy some of
him, when I chanced to spit and my spittle fell on the
fritters. So he complained of me to the Governor who
commanded to crucify me, saying, 'I adjudge that ye take ten
pounds of honey-fritters and feed her therewith upon the
cross. If she eat them, let her go, but if not, leave her
hanging.' And my stomach will not brook sweet things." Cried
the Badawi, "By the honour of the Arabs, I departed not the
camp but that I might taste of honey-fritters! I will eat them
for thee." Quoth she, "None may eat them, except he be hung
up in my place." So he fell into the trap and unbound her;
whereupon she bound him in her stead, after she had stripped
him of his clothes and turband and put them on; then covering
herself with his burnouse and mounting his horse, she rode to
her house, where Zaynab asked her, "What meaneth this
plight?"; and she answered, "They crucified me;" and told her
all that had befallen her with the Badawi. This is how it
fared with her; but as regards the watchmen, the first who
woke roused his companions and they saw that the day had
broken. So one of them raised his eyes and cried, "Dalilah."
Replied the Badawi, "By Allah! I have not eaten all night.
Have ye brought the honey-fritters?" All exclaimed, "This is
a man and a Badawi, and one of them asked him, "O Badawi,
where is Dalilah and who loosed her?" He answered, "'Twas I;
she shall not eat the honey-fritters against her will; for
her soul abhorreth them." So they knew that the Arab was
ignorant of her case, whom she had cozened, and said to one
another, "Shall we flee or abide the accomplishment of that
which Allah hath written for us?" As they were talking, up
came the Chief of Police, with all the folk whom the old
woman had cheated, and said to the guards, "Arise, loose
Dalilah." Quoth the Badawi, "We have not eaten to-night. Hast
thou brought the honey-fritters?" Whereupon the Wali raised
his eyes to the cross and seeing the Badawi hung up in the
stead of the old woman, said to the watchmen, "What is this?"
"Pardon, O our lord!" "Tell me what hath happened" "We were
weary with watching with thee on guard and , 'Dalilah is
crucified.' So we fell asleep, and when we awoke, we found
the Badawi hung up in her room; and we are at thy mercy." "O
folk, Allah's pardon be upon you! She is indeed a clever
cheat!" Then they unbound the Badawi, who laid hold of the
Master of Police, saying, "Allah succour the Caliph against
thee! I look to none but thee for my horse and clothes!" So
the Wali questioned him and he told him what had passed
between Dalilah and himself. The magistrate marvelled and
asked him, "Why didst thou release her?"; and the Badawi
answered, "I knew not that she was a felon." Then said the
others, "O Chief of Police, we look to thee in the matter of
our goods; for we delivered the old woman into thy hands and
she was in thy guard; and we cite thee before the Divan of
the Caliph." Now the Emir Hasan had gone up to the Divan,
when in came the Wali with the Badawi and the five others,
saying, "Verily, we are wronged men!" "Who hath wronged you?"
asked the Caliph; so each came forward in turn and told his
story, after which said the Master of Police, "O Commander of
the Faithful, the old woman cheated me also and sold me these
five men as slaves for a thousand dinars, albeit they are
free-born." Quoth the Prince of True Believers, "I take upon
myself all that you have lost"; adding to the Master of
Police, "I charge thee with the old woman." But he shook his
collar, saying, "O Commander of the Faithful, I will not
answer for her; for, after I had hung her on the cross, she
tricked this Badawi and, when he loosed her, she tied him up
in her room and made off with his clothes and horse." Quoth
the Caliph, "Whom but thee shall I charge with her?"; and
quoth the Wali, "Charge Ahmad al-Danaf, for he hath a
thousand dinars a month and one-and-forty followers, at a
monthly wage of an hundred dinars each." So the Caliph said,
"Harkye, Captain Ahmad!" "At thy service, O Commander of the
Faithful," said he; and the Caliph cried, "I charge thee to
bring the old woman before us." Replied Ahmad, "I will answer
for her." Then the Caliph kept the Badawi and the five with
him,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Seventh Night,
She resumed, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when
the Caliph said to Calamity Ahmad, "I charge thee to bring the
old woman before us," he said, "I will answer for her O
Commander of the Faithful!" Then the Caliph kept the Badawi
and the five with him, whilst Ahmad and his men went down to
their hall,
[FN#208] saying to one another, "How shall we lay
hands on her, seeing that there are many old women in the
town?" And quoth Ahmad to Hasan Shuman, "What counsellest
thou?" Whereupon quoth one of them, by name Ali Kitf al-
Jamal,
[FN#209] to Al-Danaf, "Of what dost thou take counsel
with Hasan Shuman? Is the Pestilent one any great shakes?"
Said Hasan, "O Ali, why dost thou disparage me? By the Most
Great Name, I will not company with thee at this time!"; and
he rose and went out in wrath. Then said Ahmad, "O my braves,
let every sergeant take ten men, each to his own quarter and
search for Dalilah." All did his bidding, Ali included, and
they said, "Ere we disperse let us agree to rendezvous in the
quarter Al-Kalkh." It was noised abroad in the city that
Calamity Ahmad had undertaken to lay hands on Dalilah the
Wily, and Zaynab said to her, "O my mother, an thou be indeed
a trickstress, do thou befool Ahmad al-Danaf and his
company." Answered Dalilah, "I fear none save Hasan Shuman;"
and Zaynab said, "By the life of my browlock, I will assuredly
get thee the clothes of all the one-and-forty." Then she
dressed and veiled herself and going to a certain druggist,
who had a saloon with two doors, salamed to him and gave him
an ashrafi and said to him, "Take this gold piece as a
douceur for thy saloon and let it to me till the end of the
day." So he gave her the keys and she fetched carpets and so
forth on the stolen ass and furnishing the place, set on each
raised pavement a tray of meat and wine. Then she went out
and stood at the door, with her face unveiled and behold, up
came Ali Kitf al-Jamal and his men. She kissed his hand; and
he fell in love with her, seeing her to be a handsome girl,
and said to her, "What dost thou want?" Quoth she, "Art thou
Captain Ahmad al-Danaf?"; and quoth he, "No, but I am of his
company and my name is Ali Camel-shoulder." Asked she,
"Whither fare you?"; and he answered, "We go about in quest
of a sharkish old woman, who hath stolen folk's good, and we
mean to lay hands on her. But who art thou and what is thy
business?" She replied, "My father was a taverner at Mosul
and he died and left me much money. So I came hither, for
fear of the Dignities, and asked the people who would protect
me, to which they replied, 'None but Ahmad al-Danaf.'" Said
the men, "From this day forth, thou art under his
protection"; and she replied, "Hearten me by eating a bit and
drinking a sup of water."
[FN#210] They consented and
entering, ate and drank till they were drunken, when she
drugged them with Bhang and stripped them of their clothes and
arms; and on like wise she did with the three other
companions. Presently, Calamity Ahmad went out to look for
Dalilah, but found her not, neither set eyes on any of his
followers, and went on till he came to the door where Zaynab
was standing. She kissed his hand and he looked on her and
fell in love with her. Quoth she, "Art thou Captain Ahmad al-
Danaf?"; and quoth he, "Yes: who art thou?" She replied, "I
am a stranger from Mosul. My father was a vintner at that
place and he died and left me much money wherewith I came to
this city, for fear of the powers that be, and opened this
tavern. The Master of Police hath imposed a tax on me, but it
is my desire to put myself under thy protection and pay thee
what the police would take of me, for thou hast the better
right to it." Quoth he, "Do not pay him aught: thou shalt
have my protection and welcome." Then quoth she, "Please to
heal my heart and eat of my victual," So he entered and ate
and drank wine, till he could not sit upright, when she
drugged him and took his clothes and arms. Then she loaded
her purchase on the Badawi's horse and the donkey-boy's ass
and made off with it, after she had aroused Ali Kitf al-
Jamal. Camel-shoulder awoke and found himself naked and saw
Ahmad and his men drugged and stripped: so he revived them
with the counter-drug and they awoke and found themselves
naked. Quoth Calamity Ahmad, "O lads, what is this? We were
going to catch her, and lo! this strumpet hath caught us! How
Hasan Shuman will rejoice over us! But we will wait till it
is dark and then go away." Meanwhile Pestilence Hasan said to
the hall-keeper, "Where are the men?"; and as he asked, up
they came naked; and he recited these two couplets
[FN#211],
"Men in their purposes are much alike,
But in their issues
difference comes to light:
Of men some wise are, others simple souls;
As of the stars
some dull, some pearly bright.
Then he looked at them and asked, "Who hath played you this
trick and made you naked?"; and they answered, "We went in
quest of an old woman, and a pretty girl stripped us." Quoth
Hasan, "She hath done right well." They asked, "Dost thou
know her?"; and he answered, "Yes, I know her and the old trot
too." Quoth they, "What shall we say to the Caliph?"; and
quoth he, "O Danaf, do thou shake thy collar before him, and
he will say, 'Who is answerable for her'; and if he ask why
thou hast not caught her; say thou, 'We know her not; but
charge Hasan Shuman with her.' And if he give her into my
charge, I will lay hands on her." So they slept that night
and on the morrow they went up to the Caliph's Divan and
kissed ground before him. Quoth he, "Where is the old woman,
O Captain Ahmad?" But he shook his collar. The Caliph asked
him why he did so, and he answered, "I know her not; but do
thou charge Hasan Shuman to lay hands on her, for he knoweth
her and her daughter also." Then Hasan interceded for her
with the Caliph, saying, "Indeed, she hath not played off
these tricks, because she coveted the folk's stuff, but to
show her cleverness and that of her daughter, to the intent
that thou shouldst continue her husband's stipend to her and
that of her father to her daughter. So an thou wilt spare her
life I will fetch her to thee." Cried the Caliph, "By the
life of my ancestors, if she restore the people's goods, I
will pardon her on thine intercession!" And said the
Pestilence, "Give me a pledge, O Prince of True Believers!"
Whereupon Al-Rashid gave him the kerchief of pardon. So Hasan
repaired to Dalilah's house and called to her. Her daughter
Zaynab answered him and he asked her, "Where is thy mother?"
"Upstairs," she answered; and he said, "Bid her take the
people's goods and come with me to the presence of the
Caliph; for I have brought her the kerchief of pardon, and if
she will not come with a good grace, let her blame only
herself." So Dalilah came down and tying the kerchief about
her neck gave him the people's goods on the donkey-boy's ass
and the Badawi's horse. Quoth he, "There remain the clothes
of my Chief and his men"; and quoth she, "By the Most Great
Name, 'twas not I who stripped them!" Rejoined Hasan, "Thou
sayst sooth, it was thy daughter Zaynab's doing, and this was
a good turn she did thee." Then he carried her to the Divan
and laying the people's goods and stuff before the Caliph,
set the old trot in his presence. As soon as he saw her, he
bade throw her down on the carpet of blood, whereat she
cried, "I cast myself on thy protection, O Shuman."' So he
rose and kissing the Caliph's hands, said, "Pardon, O
Commander of the Faithful! Indeed, thou gavest me the
kerchief of pardon." Said the Prince of True Believers, "I
pardon her for thy sake: come hither, O old woman; what is
thy name?" "My name is Wily Dalilah," answered she, and the
Caliph said "Thou art indeed crafty and full of guile."
Whence she was dubbed Dalilah the Wily One. Then quoth he,
"Why hast thou played all these tricks on the folk and
wearied our hearts?" and quoth she, "I did it not of lust for
their goods, but because I had heard of the tricks which
Ahmad al-Danaf and Hasan Shuman played in Baghdad and said to
myself, 'I too will do the like.' And now I have returned the
folk their goods." But the ass-driver rose and said "I invoke
Allah's law
[FN#212] between me and her; for it sufficed her
not to take my ass, but she must needs egg on the Moorish
barber to tear out my eye-teeth and fire me on both
temples."--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say.
When it was the Seven Hundred and Eighth Night,
She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that when the
donkey-boy rose and cried out, "I invoke Allah's law between
me and her; for it sufficed her not to take my ass, but she
must needs egg on the barber to tear out my eye-teeth and
fire me on both temples;" thereupon the Caliph bade give him
an hundred dinars and ordered the dyer the like, saying, "Go;
set up thy dyery again." So they called down blessings on his
head and went away. The Badawi also took his clothes and
horse and departed, saying, "'Tis henceforth unlawful and
forbidden me to enter Baghdad and eat honey-fritters." And
the others took their goods and went away. Then said the
Caliph, "Ask a boon of me, O Dalilah!"; and she said,
"Verily, my father was governor of the carrier-pigeons to
thee and I know how to rear the birds; and my husband was
town-captain of Baghdad. Now I wish to have the reversion of
my husband and my daughter wisheth to have that of her
father." The Caliph granted both their requests and she said,
"I ask of thee that I may be portress of thy Khan." Now he
had built a Khan of three stories, for the merchants to lodge
in, and had assigned to its service forty slaves and also
forty dogs he had brought from the King of the
Sulaymániyah,
[FN#213] when he deposed him; and there was in
the Khan a cook-slave, who cooked for the chattels and fed
the hounds for which he let make collars. Said the Caliph, "O
Dalilah, I will write thee a patent of guardianship of the
Khan, and if aught be lost therefrom, thou shalt be
answerable for it. "'Tis well," replied she; "but do thou
lodge my daughter in the pavilion over the door of the Khan,
for it hath terraced roofs, and carrier-pigeons may not be
reared to advantage save in an open space." The Caliph
granted her this also and she and her daughter removed to the
pavilion in question, where Zaynab hung up the one-and-forty
dresses of Calamity Ahmad and his company. Moreover, they
delivered to Dalilah the forty pigeons which carried the
royal messages, and the Caliph appointed the Wily One
mistress over the forty slaves and charged them to obey her.
She made the place of her sitting behind the door of the
Khan, and every day she used to go up to the Caliph's Divan,
lest he should need to send a message by pigeon-post and stay
there till eventide whilst the forty slaves stood on guard at
the Khan; and when darkness came on they loosed the forty
dogs that they might keep watch over the place by night. Such
were the doings of Dalilah the Wily One in Baghdad and much
like them were The Adventures of Mercury Ali of Cairo.
