Tales of the CaliphCrellin, H. N. (Horatio Nelson)
Science
Tales of the Caliph
Crellin, H. N. (Horatio Nelson)
Harun al-Rashid, Caliph, approximately 763-809 -- Fiction
"Rise," said the Caliph, "rise, beautiful lady, and be comforted. If
Suliman be alive he shall be restored to you. And whether he be alive
or dead the doom of the Emir is certain."
So saying, he at once went out of the harem, and summoning Giafer, he
said: "Send at once and fetch the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin. And let
some officers go also and bring hither, if they can find him, Suliman,
the nephew of the Emir, who lived in the next house to him."
An hour afterwards the officers returned, and reported that they could
find neither the Emir nor, his nephew. The former, taking some of his
slaves with him, had left his home about an hour before the arrival of
the officers sent to arrest him, and no one knew whither he had gone.
While as for his nephew, Suliman, he had left home on the previous day,
and had not since been heard of.
When this account was brought to the Caliph, he was furious.
"Go," said he, to the Grand Vizier, "destroy the house of that vile
scoundrel, the Emir Bargash ibn Beynin; leave of it not one stick or
stone upon another. And bring me both the Emir and his nephew--dead or
alive I will have them. Two days I give you to seek them, and if you
fail to find them, by Allah, your head shall not remain above your
shoulders."
Giafer trembled at the rage of his master, and went forth out of the
palace knowing no more where to look for the Emir and his nephew than
did the Caliph himself.
At first he said to himself, "I may as well go home to my own house and
set my affairs in order, for in two days I must die, for how can I find
in this great kingdom the two men I am in search of? I might as well
seek in a sand-heap two particular grains of sand."
However, as he rode along very slowly and moodily, it suddenly occurred
to him--"It is at least my duty to do at once that part of the Caliph's
order which is feasible." Therefore, sending for the proper workmen,
he proceeded immediately to the Emir's house, and superintended its
entire demolition.
After some hours' work the house was pulled down, and there remained
only some small portion of a very thick wall, which separated the house
from some out-buildings. While proceeding with the destruction of
this, the workmen came upon a doorway or opening, which had but
recently been bricked up, the cement being still damp; and when they
had removed this, they discovered a small cell or chamber situated in
the thickness of the wall, in which was seated a living man.
He, being brought to the Grand Vizier, declared that he was Suliman,
the nephew of the Emir, and said that his uncle--for what cause he knew
not--had barbarously caused him to be seized and buried alive where
they had found him. He begged that he might be allowed at once to
return to his own house, where his wife would be anxiously expecting
him.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account