The Arabian Nights Entertainments, vol 2 | Page 3

a thousand imprecations against him. "Ah, thou cursed
hunch-back," cried he, "thou crooked wretch, would to God thou hadst
robbed me of all my fat, and I had not found thee here. I then should
not have been thrown into this perplexity on account of this and thy
vile hunch. Ye stars that twinkle in the heavens, give your light to none
but me in this dangerous juncture." As soon as he had uttered these
words, he took the crooked corpse upon his shoulders, and carried it to
the end of the street, where he placed it in an upright posture against a
shop; he then returned without once looking behind him.
A few minutes before day-break, a Christian merchant, who was very
rich, and furnished the sultan's palace with various articles, having sat
up all night at a debauch, happened to come from his house in this
direction on his way to the bath. Though he was intoxicated, he was
sensible that the night was far spent, and that the people would soon be
called to morning prayers; he therefore quickened his pace to get to the
bath in time, lest some Mussulmaun, in his way to the mosque, should

meet him and carry him to prison for a drunkard. When he came to the
end of the street, he had occasion to stop by the shop where the sultan's
purveyor had put the hunch-backed corpse; which being jostled by him,
tumbled upon the merchant's back. The merchant thinking he was
attacked by a robber, knocked it down, and after redoubling his blows,
cried out "Thieves!"
The outcry alarmed the watch, who came up immediately, and finding a
Christian beating a Mussulmaun (for hump-back was of our religion),
"What reason have you," said he, "to abuse a Mussulmaun in this
manner?" "He would have robbed me," replied the merchant, "and
jumped upon my back in order to take me by the throat." "If he did,"
said the watch, "you have revenged yourself sufficiently; come, get off
him." At the same time he stretched out his hand to help little
hump-back up, but observing he was dead, "Oh!" said he, "is it thus
that a Christian dares to assassinate a Mussulmaun?" So saying, he laid
hold of the Christian, and carried him to the house of the officer of the
police, where he was kept till the judge was stirring, and ready to
examine him. In the mean time, the Christian merchant became sober,
and the more he reflected upon his adventure, the less could he
conceive how such slight blows of his fist could have killed the man.
The judge having heard the report of the watch, and viewed the corpse,
which they had taken care to bring to his house, interrogated the
Christian merchant, who could not deny the crime, though he had not
committed it. But the judge considering that little hump-back belonged
to the sultan, for he was one of his buffoons, would not put the
Christian to death till he knew the sultan's pleasure. For this end he
went to the palace, and acquainted the sultan with what had happened;
and received this answer: "I have no mercy to show to a Christian who
kills a Mussulmaun." Upon this the judge ordered a stake to be
prepared, and sent criers all over the city to proclaim that they were
about to impale a Christian for killing a Mussulmaun.
At length the merchant was brought to the place of execution; and the
executioner was about to do his duty, when the sultan's purveyor
pushed through the crowd, calling to him to stop for that the Christian
had not committed the murder, but he himself had done it. Upon that,
the officer who attended the execution began to question the purveyor,
who told him every circumstance of his having killed the little

hunchback, and how he had conveyed his corpse to the place where the
Christian merchant had found it. "You were about," added he, "to put to
death an innocent person; for how can he be guilty of the death of a
man who was dead before he touched him? It is enough for me to have
killed a Mussulmaun without loading my conscience with the death of
a Christian who is not guilty."
The sultan of Casgar's purveyor having publicly charged himself with
the death of the little hunchbacked man, the officer could do no less
than execute justice on the merchant. "Let the Christian go," said he to
the executioner, "and impale this man in his stead, since it appears by
his own confession that he is guilty." Thereupon the executioner
released the merchant, and seized the purveyor; but just as he was
going to impale him, he heard the voice of the Jewish doctor, earnestly