The Arabian Nights Entertainments, vol 2 | Page 4

intreating him to suspend the execution, and make room for him to
approach.
When he appeared before the judge, "My lord," said he, "this
Mussulmaun you are going to execute is not guilty. I am the criminal.
Last night a man and a woman, unknown to me, came to my door with
a sick man; my maid went and opened it without a light, and received
from them a piece of money with a commission to come and desire me,
in their name, to step down and look at the patient. While she was
delivering her message, they conveyed the sick person to the stair-head,
and disappeared. I went, without staying till my servant had lighted a
candle, and in the dark happened to stumble upon the sick person, and
kick him down stairs. At length I saw he was dead, and that it was the
crooked Mussulmaun whose death you are now about to avenge. My
wife and I took the corpse, and, after conveying it up to the roof of the
purveyor, our next neighbour, whom you were going to put to death
unjustly, let it down the chimney into his chamber. The purveyor
finding it in his house, took the little man for a thief, and after beating
him concluded he had killed him. But that it was not so you will be
convinced by this my deposition; I am the sole author of the murder;
and though it was committed undesignedly, I am resolved to expiate
my crime, that I may not have to charge myself with the death of two
Mussulmauns."
The chief justice being persuaded that the Jewish doctor was the
murderer, gave orders to the executioner to seize him and release the

purveyor. Accordingly the doctor was just going to be impaled, when
the tailor appeared, crying to the executioner to hold his hand, and
make room for him, that he might come and make his confession to the
chief judge. Room being made, "My lord," said he, "you have narrowly
escaped taking away the lives of three innocent persons; but if you will
have the patience to hear me, I will discover to you the real murderer of
the crook backed man. If his death is to be expiated by another, that
must be mine. Yesterday, towards the evening, as I was at work in my
shop, and was disposed to be merry, the little hunch-back came to my
door half-drunk, and sat down. He sung a little, and so I invited him to
pass the evening at my house. He accepted the invitation and went in
with me. We sat down to supper and I gave him a plate of fish; but in
eating, a bone stuck in his throat, and though my wife and I did our
utmost to relieve him, he died in a few minutes. His death afflicted us
extremely, and for fear of being charged with it, we carried the corpse
to the Jewish doctor's house and knocked. The maid came. and opened
the door; I desired her to go up again and ask her master to come down
and give his advice to a sick person whom we had brought along with
us; and withal, to encourage him, I charged her to give him a piece of
money, which I put into her hand. When she was gone, I carried the
hunch-back up stairs, and laid him upon the uppermost step, and then
my wife and I made the best of our way home. The doctor coming,
threw the corpse down stairs, and concluded himself to be the author of
his death. This being the case," continued he, "release the doctor, and
let me die in his stead."
The chief justice, and all the spectators, wondered at the strange events
which had ensued upon the death of the little hunch-back. "Let the
Jewish doctor go," said the judge, "and seize the tailor, since he
confesses the crime. It is certain this history is very uncommon, and
deserves to be recorded in letters of gold." The executioner having
dismissed the doctor prepared to impale the tailor.
While the executioner was making ready to impale the tailor, the sultan
of Casgar, wanting the company of his crooked jester, asked where he
was; and one of his officers told him; "The hunch- back, Sir, whom you
inquire after, got drunk last night, and contrary to his custom slipped
out of the palace, and went strolling about the city, and this morning
was found dead. A man was brought before the chief justice, and

charged with the murder of him; but when he was going to be impaled,
up came a man, and after him another, who took the charge upon
themselves and cleared one another, and the judge is now examining