Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 6 (of 6)
General
Supplemental Nights to the Book of the Thousand and One Nights — Volume 6 (of 6)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
The prince then took the three fairies to the bottom of the well. His father,
the Sultan, had long believed that he was dead, and had put on mourning for
him. His two brothers often came to the well, and they happened to be there
just at the time. Badialzaman attracted their attention by his shouts, told
them what had happened, and added that he had brought the three fairies with
him. He asked for a rope and fastened the eldest fairy to it, calling out,
"Pull away, Prince Rostam, I send you your good fortune." The rope was let
down again, and he fastened the second fairy to it, calling out "Brother
Gaiath Eddin, pull up your good fortune too."
The third fairy, who was to marry Badialzaman, begged him to allow himself to
be drawn up before her [as she was distrustful of his brothers], but he would
not listen to her. As soon as the two princes had drawn her up so high that
they could see her, they began to dispute who should have her. Then the fairy
cried out to Badialzaman, "Prince, did I not warn you of this ?"
The princes were obliged to agree that the Sultan should settle their dispute.
When the third fairy had been drawn out of the well, the three fairies
endeavoured to persuade the two princes to draw up their youngest brother, but
they refused, and compelled them to follow them. While they carried off the
youngest princess, the other two asked leave to say adieu to Prince
Badialzaman They cried out from the top of the well, "Prince have patience
till Friday, when you will see six bulls pass by--three red ones and three
black ones. Mount upon one of the red ones and he will bring you up to the
earth, but take good care not to mount upon a black one, for he would carry
you down to the Seventh Earth."[FN#435]
The princes carried off the three fairies, and on Friday, three days
afterwards, the six bulls appeared. Badialzaman was about to mount upon a red
one, when a black one prevented him, and compelled him to mount his back, when
he plunged through the earth till he stopped at a large town in another world.
He entered the town, and took up his abode with an old woman, to whom he gave
a piece of gold to provide him with something to eat, for he was almost
famished. When he had eaten enough, he asked for something to drink. "You
cannot be a native of this country," said the old woman ["or you would not ask
for drink"]. She then brought him a sponge, saying that she had no other
water. She then informed him that the town was supplied with water from a very
copious spring, the flow of which was interrupted by a monster. They were
obliged to offer up a girl to be devoured by it on every Friday. To-day the
princess, the Sultan's daughter, was to be given up to him, and while the
monster emerged from his lair to devour her, enough water would flow for
everyone to supply himself until the following Friday.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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