The Arabian Nights | Page 9

my
astonishment. I went immediately with the steward to speak with his daughter myself.
First of all I went to the stable to see my son, and he replied in his dumb way to all my

caresses. When the steward's daughter came I asked her if she could change my son back
to his proper shape."
"Yes, I can," she replied, "on two conditions. One is that you will give him to me for a
husband, and the other is that you will let me punish the woman who changed him into a
calf."
"To the first condition," I answered, "I agree with all my heart, and I will give you an
ample dowry. To the second I also agree, I only beg you to spare her life."
"That I will do," she replied; "I will treat her as she treated your son."
Then she took a vessel of water and pronounced over it some words I did not understand;
then, on throwing the water over him, he became immediately a young man once more.
"My son, my dear son," I exclaimed, kissing him in a transport of joy. "This kind maiden
has rescued you from a terrible enchantment, and I am sure that out of gratitude you will
marry her."
He consented joyfully, but before they were married, the young girl changed my wife into
a hind, and it is she whom you see before you. I wished her to have this form rather than
a stranger one, so that we could see her in the family without repugnance.
Since then my son has become a widower and has gone travelling. I am now going in
search of him, and not wishing to confide my wife to the care of other people, I am taking
her with me. Is this not a most marvellous tale?
"It is indeed," said the genius, "and because of it I grant to you the third part of the
punishment of this merchant."
When the first old man had finished his story, the second, who was leading the two black
dogs, said to the genius, "I am going to tell you what happened to me, and I am sure that
you will find my story even more astonishing than the one to which you have just been
listening. But when I have related it, will you grant me also the third part of the
merchant's punishment?"
"Yes," replied the genius, "provided that your story surpasses that of the hind."
With this agreement the second old man began in this way.

The Story of the Second Old Man, and of the Two Black Dogs
Great prince of the genii, you must know that we are three brothers-- these two black
dogs and myself. Our father died, leaving us each a thousand sequins. With this sum we
all three took up the same profession, and became merchants. A short time after we had
opened our shops, my eldest brother, one of these two dogs, resolved to travel in foreign
countries for the sake of merchandise. With this intention he sold all he had and bought

merchandise suitable to the voyages he was about to make. He set out, and was away a
whole year. At the end of this time a beggar came to my shop. "Good-day," I said.
"Good-day," he answered; "is it possible that you do not recognise me?" Then I looked at
him closely and saw he was my brother. I made him come into my house, and asked him
how he had fared in his enterprise.
"Do not question me," he replied, "see me, you see all I have. It would but renew my
trouble to tell of all the misfortunes that have befallen me in a year, and have brought me
to this state."
I shut up my shop, paid him every attention, taking him to the bath, giving him my most
beautiful robes. I examined my accounts, and found that I had doubled my capital--that is,
that I now possessed two thousand sequins. I gave my brother half, saying: "Now, brother,
you can forget your losses." He accepted them with joy, and we lived together as we had
before.
Some time afterwards my second brother wished also to sell his business and travel. My
eldest brother and I did all we could to dissuade him, but it was of no use. He joined a
caravan and set out. He came back at the end of a year in the same state as his elder
brother. I took care of him, and as I had a thousand sequins to spare I gave them to him,
and he re-opened his shop.
One day, my two brothers came to me to propose that we should make a journey and
trade. At first I refused