The Pacha of Many Tales | Page 5

and the slave was directed to proceed.
The Greek had arrived to the end of the First Night, in which
Schezehezerade commences her story, and the Sultan, who was anxious
to hear the termination of it, defers her execution to the following day.

"Stop," cried the pacha, taking the pipe from his lips; "how long before
the break of day did that girl call her sister?"
"About half an hour, your sublime highness."
"Wallah! is that all she could tell of her story in half an hour?--There's
not a woman in my harem who would not say as much in five minutes."
The pacha was so amused with the stories, that he never once felt
inclined to sleep; on the contrary, the Greek slave was compelled to
read every afternoon, until his legs were so tired that he could hardly
stand, and his tongue almost refused its office; consequently, they were
soon finished; and Mustapha not being able to procure any more, they
were read a second time. After which the pacha, who felt the loss of his
evening's amusement, became first puzzled how to pass away his time;
then he changed to hypochondriacism, and finally became so irritable,
that even Mustapha himself, at times, approached him with some
degree of awe.
"I have been thinking," observed the pacha, one morning, when under
the hands of Mustapha, in his original capacity, "that it would be as
easy for me to have stories told me, as the caliph in the Arabian
Nights."
"I wonder not that your highness should desire it. Those stories are as
the opium to Theriarkis, filling the soul with visions of delight at the
moment, but leaving it palsied from over-excitement, when their effect
has passed away. How does your sublime highness propose to obtain
your end; and in what manner can your slave assist to produce your
wishes?"
"I shall manage it without assistance; come this evening and you shall
see, Mustapha."
Mustapha made his appearance in the afternoon, and the pacha smoked
his pipe for some time, and appeared as if communing with himself; he
then laid it down, and clapping his hands, desired one of the slaves to
inform his favourite lady, Zeinab, that he desired her presence.

Zeinab entered with her veil down. "Your slave attends the pleasure of
her lord."
"Zeinab," said the pacha, "do you love me?"
"Do not I worship the dust that my lord treads on?"
"Very true--then I have a favour to request--observe, Zeinab--it is my
wish that"--(here the pacha took a few whiffs from his pipe--) "The fact
is--I wish you to dishonour my harem as soon as possible."
"Wallah sel Nebi!!--by Allah and the Prophet! your highness is in a
merry humour this evening," replied Zeinab, turning round to quit the
apartment.
"On the contrary, I am in a serious humour; I mean what I have said;
and I expect that you will comply with my wishes."
"Is my lord mad? or has he indulged too freely in the juice of the grape
forbidden by our prophet? Allah Kebur! God is most powerful--The
Hakim must be sent for."
"Will you do as I order you?" said the pacha, angrily.
"Does my lord send for his slave to insult her! My blood is as water, at
the dreadful thought!--Dishonour the harem!--Min Allah! God
forbid!--Would not the eunuch be ready and the sack?"
"Yes, they would, I acknowledge; but still it must be done."
"It shall not be done," replied the lady:--"Has my lord been visited by
heaven? or is he possessed by the Shitan?"--And the lady burst into
tears of rage and vexation as she quitted the apartment.
"There's obstinacy for you--women are nothing but opposition. If you
wish them to be faithful, they try day and night to deceive you; give
them their desires and tell them to be false, they will refuse. All was
arranged so well, I should have cut off all their heads, and had a fresh
wife every night until I found one who could tell stories; then I should

have rose up and deferred her execution to the following day."
Mustapha, who had been laughing in his sleeve at the strange idea of
the pacha, was nevertheless not a little alarmed. He perceived that the
mania had such complete possession, that, unless appeased, the results
might prove unpleasant even to himself. It occurred to him, that a
course might be pursued to gratify the pacha's wishes, without
proceeding to such violent measures. Waiting a little while until the
colour, which had suffused the pacha's face from anger and
disappointment, had subsided, he addressed him:
"The plan of your sublime highness was such as was to be expected
from the immensity of your wisdom; but hath not the prophet warned
us, that the wisest of