At these words, Schaibar, looking on Prince Ahmed favorably, said: “Is
there anything else, sister, wherein I can serve him? It is enough
for me that he is your husband to engage me to do for him whatever he
desires.” “The Sultan, his father,” replied Paribanou, “has a curiosity
to see you, and I desire he may be your guide to the Sultan’s Court.”
“He needs but lead me the way I’ll follow him.” “Brother,” replied
Paribanou, “it is too late to go to-day, therefore stay till to-morrow
morning; and in the meantime I’ll inform you of all that has passed
between the Sultan of the Indies and Prince Ahmed since our marriage.”
The next morning, after Schaibar had been informed of the affair, he and
Prince Ahmed set out for the Sultan’s Court. When they arrived at the
gates of the capital the people no sooner saw Schaibar but they ran and
hid themselves; and some shut up their shops and locked themselves up in
their houses, while others, flying, communicated their fear to all they
met, who stayed not to look behind them, but ran too; insomuch that
Schaibar and Prince Ahmed, as they went along, found the streets all
desolate till they came to the palaces where the porters, instead
of keeping the gates, ran away too, so that the Prince and Schaibar
advanced without any obstacle to the council-hall, where the Sultan was
seated on his throne, and giving audience. Here likewise the ushers,
at the approach of Schaibar, abandoned their posts, and gave them free
admittance.
Schaibar went boldly and fiercely up to the throne, without waiting to
be presented by Prince Ahmed, and accosted the Sultan of the Indies in
these words: “Thou hast asked for me,” said he; “see, here I am; what
wouldst thou have with me?”
The Sultan, instead of answering him, clapped his hands before his eyes
to avoid the sight of so terrible an object; at which uncivil and rude
reception Schaibar was so much provoked, after he had given him the
trouble to come so far, that he instantly lifted up his iron bar and
killed him before Prince Ahmed could intercede in his behalf. All that
he could do was to prevent his killing the grand vizier, who sat not far
from him, representing to him that he had always given the Sultan his
father good advice. “These are they, then,” said Schaibar, “who gave him
bad,” and as he pronounced these words he killed all the other viziers
and flattering favorites of the Sultan who were Prince Ahmed’s enemies.
Every time he struck he killed some one or other, and none escaped but
they who were not so frightened as to stand staring and gaping, and who
saved themselves by flight.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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