Supplemental Nights to The Book of the Thousand and One Nights | Page 9

I asked the neighbours of her and they answered,
"This house hath been empty of habitants these many days; but three
days agone there came a woman with an ass, and at supper-time last
night she took her gear and went away." Hereat I turned back,
bewildered in my wit, and for many a day after I inquired of the
dwellers in that street concerning her, but could happen on no tidings of
her. And indeed I wondered at the eloquence of her tongue and the
readiness of her talk; and this is the most admirable of all I have seen
and of whatso hath betided me. When Al-Malik al-Zahir heard the tale
of Mu'in al-Din, he marvelled thereat. Then rose another constable and
said, "O lord, hear what befel me in bygone days."

The Second Constable's History.

I was once an overseer in the household of the Emir Jamál al-Din
al-Atwash al-Mujhidi, who was made governor of the two provinces,
Sharkíyah and Gharbíyah,[FN#43] and I was dear to his heart and he
hid from me naught of whatso he desired to do; and he was eke master
of his reason.[FN#44] It came to pass one day of the days that it was
reported to him how the daughter of Such-an-one had a mint of monies
and raiment and ornaments and at that present she loved a Jewish man,
whom every day she invited to be private with her, and they passed the
light hours eating and drinking in company and he lay the night with
her. The Wali feigned not to believe a word of this story, but he
summoned the watchmen of the quarter one night and questioned them
of this tittle-tattle. Quoth one of them, "As for me, O my lord, I saw
none save a Jew[FN#45] enter the street in question one night; but I
have not made certain to whom he went in;" and quoth the Chief,
"Keep thine eye on him from this time forward and note what place he

entereth." So the watchman went out and kept his eye on the Judaean.
One day as the Prefect sat in his house, the watchman came in to him
and said, "O my lord, in very sooth the Jew goeth to the house of
Such-an-one." Whereupon Al-Atwash sprang to his feet and went forth
alone, taking with him none save myself."[FN#46] As he went along,
he said to me, "Indeed, this girl is a fat piece of meat."[FN#47] And we
gave not over going till we came to the door of the house and stood
there until a hand-maid came out, as if to buy them something wanted.
We waited till she opened the door, whereupon, without question or
answer, we forced our way into the house and rushed in upon the girl,
whom we found seated with the Jew in a saloon with four daïses, and
cooking-pots and candles therein. When her eyes fell on the Wali, she
knew him and rising to her feet, said, "Well come and welcome and fair
cheer! By Allah, great honour hath betided me by my lord's visit and
indeed thou dignifiest my dwelling." Hereat she carried him up to the
dais and seating him on the couch, brought him meat and wine and
gave him to drink; after which she put off all that was upon her of
raiment and ornaments and tying them up in a kerchief, said to him, "O
my lord, this is thy portion, all of it." Then she turned to the Jew and
said to him, "Rise, thou also, and do even as I:" so he arose in haste and
went out very hardly crediting his deliverance.[FN#48] When the girl
was assured of his escape, she put out her hand to her clothes and
jewels and taking them, said to the Chief, "O Emir, is the requital of
kindness other than kindness? Thou hast deigned to visit me and eat of
my bread and salt; so now arise and depart from us without ill-doing; or
I will give a single outcry and all who are in the street will come forth."
So the Emir went out from her, without having gotten a single dirham;
and on this wise she delivered the Jew by the seemliness of her
stratagem. The company admired this tale, and as for the Wali and
Al-Malik al-Zahir, they said, "Ever devised any the like of this device?"
and they marvelled with the utterest of marvel. Then arose a third
constable and said, "Hear what betided me, for it is yet stranger and
rarer."

The Third Constable's History.

I was one day abroad on business with certain of my comrades; and, as

we walked along behold, we fell in with a company of women, as they
were