Arabian Nights (Barnes & Noble Classics Series)

Alnaschar and his basket of glass.

“ ‘All this shall have no effect upon me; and my mother-in-law, observing my indifference, will take a glass of wine, and putting it into my wife’s hand, will say, ‘Go and offer him this glass of wine yourself; he will not have the cruelty to refuse it from so beautiful a hand.’ My wife will then take the glass and stand before me trembling. When she observes that I do not relent towards her, and that I persist in my sullen behaviour, she will address me thus, with her eyes bathed in tears: ‘My heart, my dear soul, my amiable lord, I conjure you, by the favours which Heaven has so plentifully bestowed on you, to have the goodness to take this glass of wine from the hand of the humblest of your slaves.’ I shall, however, neither look at her nor speak. ‘My charming husband,’ she will continue to say, with renewed tears, and coming closer to me with the glass of wine, ‘I will not cease to entreat you until you do me the favour of drinking it.’ At last, tired and annoyed with her solicitations and prayers, I will throw a terrible glance at her, and give her a blow on her cheek, and push her so violently from me with my foot, that she will fall down beside the sofa.’

“My brother was so entirely absorbed in these chimerical visions, that he thrust out his foot as if the whole scene were a reality; and he unfortunately struck his basket of glassware so violently that it fell from his shopboard into the street, where it was all broken to pieces.

“His neighbour the tailor, who had heard the whole of Alnaschar’s extravagant speech, burst into a fit of laughter when he saw the basket overturned. ‘O cruel wretch!’ said he to my brother, ‘ought you not to die with shame for thus ill-treating a young wife, when she has given you no reason for complaint? You must be hard-hearted indeed to pay no attention to the tears of so amiable a lady, and to be insensible to her charms. If I were your father-in-law, the grand vizier, I would order you a hundred blows with a leathern strap, and send you round the city, with a man to proclaim your crime, as you deserve.’

“This most unfortunate accident brought my brother to his senses; and knowing that it had been caused by his own insufferable pride, he beat his breast, tore his garments, and shrieked so violently and so loud that all the neighbours came running up; and the people who were going by to mid-day prayers stopped to inquire what was the matter; and as this happened to be Friday, there were more people than usual. Some pitied Alnaschar; others laughed at his folly. But the vanity which he had before shown was now entirely subdued by the loss of his property; and he continued bewailing his hard and cruel fate, when a lady of considerable rank passed by, mounted on a mule richly caparisoned. The sight of my brother’s distress excited her compassion. She asked who he was, and the reason of his violent grief. The people replied that he was a poor man, who had laid out the little money he possessed in a basket of glassware, and that the basket had fallen down, and all his glass was broken. The lady immediately turned to a eunuch who accompanied her, and ordered him to give my brother what money he had with him. The eunuch obeyed, and put a purse containing five hundred pieces of gold into my brother’s hand. Alnaschar was ready to expire with joy at sight of this wealth. He bestowed a thousand blessings on the lady; and after shutting up his shop, where there was now nothing to keep him, he went home.

“He made many serious reflections on the good fortune which had so unexpectedly come to him; and while he was thus employed, he heard some person knock at his door. He asked who was there; and perceiving that his visitor was a female, he admitted her. ‘My son,’ said she, addressing my brother, ‘I have a favour to request of you. It is now the time for prayers, and I wish to wash myself, that I may be fit to perform my devotions. Suffer me, I entreat you, to come into your house, and bestow on me a basin of water.’ My brother looked at her, and saw she was somewhat advanced in years; and although he did not know her, he nevertheless acceded to her request. He gave her a vessel of water, and then resumed his seat. He again fell to thinking of his adventure: he took his gold and put it into a sort of long and narrow purse, which he could easily carry at his girdle. The old woman in the meantime said her prayers; and when she had done, she approached my brother, and prostrated herself twice at his feet till her forehead touched the ground; then rising, she wished Alnaschar all manner of prosperity, and thanked him for his kindness.

“As she was very meanly dressed, and humbled herself so much before him, my brother thought that she meant to ask charity; he therefore offered her two pieces of gold. The old woman drew back with as great an appearance of surprise as if my brother had done her an injury. ‘O Allah!’ cried she, ‘what do you mean by this? Is it possible, my master, that you can take me for one of those poor wretches who make a practice of impudently going into men’s houses and begging? Put back your money, for I have no need of it, Allah be praised! I belong to a young lady in this city, whose beauty is incomparable, and she is so rich that she does not let me want for anything.’

“My brother was not wise enough to see through the cunning of the old woman, who refused the two pieces of gold only to dupe him the more. He asked her if she could not procure him the honour of seeing this lady. ‘Certainly,’ answered she; ‘and you may even succeed in marrying her; and, in becoming her husband, you will get possession of all her fortune: take your money, and follow me.’ Delighted that his singular good fortune in receiving such a large sum of money should be followed by the acquisition of a beautiful and rich wife, Alnaschar forgot every thought of prudence. He took his five hundred pieces of gold, and suffered the old woman to lead him away.

“She went on before, and he followed her till they came to the door of a large house, at which she knocked. He came up just as a young female Greek slave opened the door. The old woman made Alnaschar enter first. He passed through a well-paved court, and she then brought him into a hall, whose handsome furniture confirmed him in the high opinion he had conceived of the mistress of the house. While the old woman went to inform the young lady of his arrival, he sat down; and, as the day was warm, he took off his turban, and laid it by his side. The lady of the house presently made her appearance; and he was much more struck with her beauty than with the magnificence and richness of her dress. He rose up the moment he saw her. The lady requested him with a pleasing air to resume his seat, and placed herself by his side. She expressed great pleasure at seeing him; and, after some kind speeches, she said to him, ‘We are not here sufficiently at our ease; come, give me your hand.’ So she led him to a distant apartment, where they remained some time in conversation; she then left him, with a promise to return in a few moments. He had waited some time, when, instead of the lady, a large black slave entered with a scimitar in his hand; and he cried, casting a terrible look at my brother, ‘What do you here?’ Alnaschar was seized with so violent a fright, he could not make any answer. The black immediately stripped him, took away his gold, and gave him several wounds with his scimitar. Poor Alnaschar fell down on the ground, where he remained motionless, though he did not lose his senses. The black slave, thinking he had killed my brother, called for some salt, and the Greek slave brought him a large dishful. They rubbed the salt over my brother’s wounds; and although the pain he felt was almost intolerable, he had the presence of mind to show no signs of life. The black slave and the young Greek now went away; and the old woman who had caught my brother in this snare came in. She took him by the legs, and drew him towards a trap-door, which she opened. She then threw him in; and he found himself in a subterraneous vault, surrounded by the bodies of different people who had been murdered. It was some time, however, before he knew this, as the violence of the fall had stunned him and taken away his senses. The salt with which his wounds had been rubbed had preserved his life. He soon felt himself sufficiently strong to sit up. At the end of two days he opened the trap-door in the night; and observing a place in a court-yard in which he could conceal himself, he remained there till daybreak. He then saw the wicked old woman come out: she opened the street-door, and went away in search of more prey. As soon as she was out of sight, he escaped out of this den of murderers, and fled to my house. He then informed me of the numerous adventures he had encountered in the last few days.

“At the end of a month, he was quite cured of his wounds, by means of the sovereign remedies I made him apply. He then resolved to avenge himself on the old woman who had so cruelly deceived him. For this purpose he took a purse large enough to hold five hundred pieces of money, but instead of putting gold in it, he filled it with pieces of glass.

“My brother then tied the purse to his girdle, and disguised himself as an old woman, taking with him a scimitar concealed under his dress. He went out early one morning, and soon met the old hag, who was already prowling about the city, seeking to entrap some unwary passenger. Alnaschar accosted her, and, in a feigned woman’s voice, he said, ‘Can you do me the favour to lend me some scales for weighing money? I am a Persian, and have just arrived in this city. I have brought five hundred pieces of gold from my own country, and I wish to see if they are the proper weight.’ ‘My good woman,’ replied the old hag, ‘you could not have addressed yourself to a more proper person than myself. You need only follow me, and I will take you to the house of my son, who is a money-changer, and he will be glad to weigh the gold for you himself, and save you the trouble. Let us lose no time, lest he should be gone to his shop.’ My brother followed her to the same house whither she had led him the first time, and the door was opened by the Greek slave.

“The old woman conducted my brother into the hall, where she bade him wait a moment, while she went to find her son. The pretended son then appeared in the form of the villainous black slave. ‘Come, my old woman,’ he called out, ‘get up, and follow me.’ Having spoken this, he walked on before to the place where he committed his murders. Alnaschar rose and followed the black slave; but as he went, he drew his scimitar from under his robe, and struck the slave such a blow on the hinder part of the neck that he cut his head completely off. He then took the head up in one hand, and with the other he drew the body after him to the entrance of the subterraneous vault, into which he cast both head and body. The Greek slave, who was used to this business, quickly appeared with a basin of salt; but when she saw Alnaschar with the scimitar in his hand, and without the veil that had concealed his face, she let the basin fall, and ran away; but my brother, who was very active, soon overtook her, and struck her head from her shoulders. Hearing the noise they made, the wicked old woman ran to see what was the matter; but Alnaschar seized her before she had time to make her escape. ‘Wretch!’ he exclaimed, ‘dost thou not know me?’ ‘Alas! my master,’ she tremblingly answered, ‘I do not remember to have ever seen you before; who are you?’ ‘I am the man into whose house you came the other day to request leave to wash yourself, and say your hypocritical prayers. Do you not recollect it?’ She instantly fell down on her knees, and begged for mercy; but he cut her into four pieces.

“Now the lady alone remained; and she knew nothing at all of what was passing. My brother went to look for her, and discovered her in a chamber. When she saw him enter she nearly fainted. She begged him to spare her life, and he had the generosity to grant her prayer. Then he said, ‘How can you, lady, live with such wretches as those on whom I have even now so justly revenged myself?’ She answered: ‘I was the wife of a very worthy merchant; and that wicked old woman, whose treacherous character I did not know, sometimes came to see me. She said to me one day, ‘O lady, we are going to have a merry and splendid wedding at our house, and you will be well entertained there if you will honour us with your company.’ I suffered myself to be prevailed upon to go; and I dressed myself in my richest habit, and took a hundred pieces of gold with me. I followed her till she came to this house, where I saw this black, who detained me here by force; and it is now three years that I have been kept here as a prisoner.’ My brother replied: ‘To judge by the time he has continued his proceedings, this black must have amassed great wealth.’ ‘So much,’ she answered, ‘that if you could carry it away you would never be poor again. Follow me, and I will show it you.’ She conducted Alnaschar into a room, where he really saw so many coffers filled with gold that he could not conceal his astonishment. The lady said to him, ‘Go and bring here a sufficient number of persons to carry all this away.’

The lady shows Alnaschar the hidden treasure.

“My brother needed no second bidding. He went away, and had quickly collected ten men together. He brought them back with him, and was much astonished to find the door of the house open; but his astonishment was still greater when, on going into the room where he had left the coffers, he could not find a single one. The lady had been more cunning and more diligent than he, and she and the coffers had vanished during my brother’s absence. That he might not return with empty hands, he ordered the men to take whatever moveables they could find in the chambers and different apartments, whence he carried off much more than sufficient to repay him the value of the five hundred pieces of gold of which he had robbed. But when he left the house, my brother forgot to shut the door; and the neighbours, who knew Alnaschar, and had seen the porters come and go, went and gave information to the judge of what appeared to them to be a very suspicious business.

“Alnaschar passed the night quite comfortably; but early the next morning, as he was going out, he encountered twenty men belonging to the police, who immediately seized him. ‘You must come with us,’ they cried: ‘our master wants to speak with you.’ My brother begged them to have patience, and offered them a sum of money if they would permit him to escape; but instead of paying any attention to what he said, they bound him, and compelled him to go with them. In the street they met an old friend of my brother’s, who stopped them to know the reason why they led him away in this manner. He also offered to give them a considerable sum if they would allow Alnaschar to escape, and report to the judge that they were unable to find him. But he could not prevail with them, and they carried Alnaschar before the judge of the police.

“As soon as he came into the judge’s presence, that officer said to him, ‘I desire you to inform me from what place you got all that furniture you caused to be brought home yesterday.’ ‘O judge,’ replied Alnaschar, ‘I am ready to tell you the whole truth; but permit me in the first place to implore your favour, and to beg that you will pledge me your word that nothing shall happen to me.’ ‘I promise it,’ said the judge. My brother then related, without disguise, every circumstance that had happened to him from the time when the old woman first came to his house to request leave to say her prayers, till his return to the chamber in which he had left the young lady, after having killed the black, the Greek slave, and the old woman. With regard to what he had carried home, he entreated the judge to suffer him to keep at least a part of it, as amends for the five hundred pieces of gold of which he had been robbed.

“The judge immediately sent some of his people to my brother’s house to bring away everything, without promising to let Alnaschar keep any part of the spoil; and as soon as the things were deposited in his own warehouse, he ordered my brother instantly to leave the city, and forbade him to return again on pain of death; because he was fearful that if my brother remained in the city he would go and complain to the caliph of the judge’s injustice. Alnaschar obeyed the order without a murmur. He departed from the city, and fled for refuge to another town. But on the road he fell among robbers, who took from him everything he had, and stripped him naked. So soon as I heard of this new misfortune I took some clothes with me, and went to find him out. I consoled him as well as I could, and brought him back with me, and made him enter the city quite privately; and I took as much care of him as of my other brothers.”