Supplemental Nights to The Book of the Thousand and One Nights | Page 4

Explanatory
By Richard F. Burton
VOLUME TWO Privately Printed By The Burton Club

To Henry Irving, Esq.
My Dear Irving,
To a consummate artist like yourself I need hardly suggest that The
Nights still offers many a virgin mine to the Playwright; and I inscribe
this volume to you, not only in admiration of your genius but in the
hope that you will find means of exploiting the hidden wealth which
awaits only your "Open Sesame!"
Every yours sincerely, Richard F. Burton.
London, August 1, 1886.

Contents of the Twelfth Volume.
13. Al-Malik Al-Zahir Rukn Al-Din Bibars Al-Bundukdari and the
Sixteen Captains of Police a. First Constable's History b. Second
Constable's History c. Third Constable's History d. Fourth Constable's
History e. Fifth Constable's History f. Sixth Constable's History g.
Seventh Constable's History h. Eighth Constable's History ha. The
Thief's Tale i. Ninth Constable's History j. Tenth Constable's History k.
Eleventh Constable's History l. Twelfth Constable's History m.
Thirteenth Constable's History n. Fourteenth Constable's History na. A
Merry Jest of a Clever Thief nb. Tale of the Old Sharper o. Fifteenth
Constable's History p. Sixteenth Constable's History 14. Tale of Harun
Al-Rashid and Abdullah Bin Nafi' a. Tale of the Damsel Torfat
Al-Kulub and the Caliph Harun Al-Rashid 15. Women's Wiles 16. Nur
Al-Din Ali of Damascus and the Damsel Sitt Al-Milah 17. Tale of King
Ins Bin Kays and His Daughter with the Son of King Al-'abbas 18. Tale

of the Two kings and the Wazir's Daughters 19. The Concubine and the
Caliph 20. The Concubine of Al-Maamun
Appendix: Variants and Analogues of Some of the Tales in Vols. XI
and XII. by W. A. Clouston
The Sleeper and the Waker The Ten Wazirs; or the History of King
Azadbakht and His Son King Dadbin and His Wazirs King Aylan Shah
and Abu Tamman King Sulayman Shah and His Niece Firuz and His
Wife King Shah Bakht and His Wazir Al-Rahwan On the Art of
Enlarging Pearls The Singer and the Druggist The King Who Kenned
the Quintessence of Things The Prince Who Fell In Love With the
Picture The Fuller, His Wife, and the Trooper The Simpleton Husband
The Three Men and our Lord Isa The Melancholist and the Sharper The
Devout Woman accused of Lewdness The Weaver Who Became A
Leach By Order of His Wife The King Who Lost Kingdom, Wife, and
Wealth Al-Malik Al-Zahir and the Sixteen Captains of Police The
Thief's Tale The Ninth Constable's Story The Fifteenth Constable's
Story The Damsel tohfat Al-Kulub Womens Wiles Nur Al-Din and the
Damsel Sitt Al-Milah King Ins Bin Kays and his Daughter
Additional Notes: Firuz and His Wife The Singer and the Druggist The
Fuller, His Wife, and the Trooper

Supplemental Nights
To The Book Of The
Thousand Nights And A Night

AL-MALIK AL-ZAHIR RUKN AL-DIN BIBARS AL-
BUNDUKDARI AND THE SIXTEEN CAPTAINS OF
POLICE.[FN#1]

There was once in the climes[FN#2] of Egypt and the city of Cairo,
under the Turks, a king of the valiant kings and the exceeding mighty
Soldans, hight Al-Malik al-Záhir Rukn al-Din Bibars
al-Bundukdári,[FN#3] who was used to storm the Islamite sconces and
the strongholds of "The Shore"[FN#4] and the Nazarene citadels. His
Chief of Police in the capital of his kingdom, was just to the folk, all of
them; and Al-Malik al-Zahir delighted in stories of the common sort

and of that which men purposed in thought; and he loved to see this
with his own eyes and to hear their sayings with his own ears. Now it
fortuned that he heard one night from a certain of his nocturnal
reciters[FN#5] that among women are those who are doughtier than the
doughtiest men and prower of prowess, and that among them are some
who will engage in fight singular with the sword and others who
beguile the quickest-witted of Walis and baffle them and bring down
on them all manner of miseries; wherefore said the Soldan, "I would
lief hear this of their legerdemain from one of those who have had to do
with it, so I may hearken unto him and cause him discourse." And one
of the story-tellers said, "O king, send for the Chief of Police of this thy
city." Now 'Alam al-Din[FN#6] Sanjar was at that time Wali and he
was a man of experience, in affairs well versed; so the king sent for him
and when he came before him, he discovered to him that which was in
his mind. Quoth Sanjar, "I will do my endeavour for that which our
lord seeketh." Then he arose and returning to his house, summoned the
Captains of the watch and the Lieutenants of the ward and said to them,
"Know that I purpose to marry my son and make him a bridal banquet,
and I