The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
General
The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night — Volume 07 (of 10)
Fairy tales; Tales -- Arab countries
Ali took a piece and ate it and fell down senseless, for there was
Bhang therein; whereupon the sweetmeat-seller seized the dress and
the charger and the rest of the gear and thrusting them into the box
where he kept his sweetmeats hoisted it up and made off. Presently
he met a Kazi, who called to him, saying, “Come hither, O sweetmeat
seller!” So he went up to him and setting down his sack laid the tray
of sweetmeats upon it and asked, “What dost thou want?” “Halwá and
dragées,[FN#256]” answered the Kazi and, taking some in his hand,
said, “Both of these are adulterated.” Then he brought out sweetmeats
from his breast-pocket[FN#257] and gave them to the sweetmeat-seller,
saying, “Look at this fashion; how excellent it is! Eat of it and make
the like of it.” So he ate and fell down senseless, for the sweetmeats
were drugged with Bhang, whereupon the Kazi bundled him into the sack
and made off with him, charger and chest and all, to the barrack of the
Forty. Now the Judge in question was Hasan Shuman and the reason of
this was as follows. When Ali had been gone some days in quest of the
dress and they heard no news of him, Calamity Ahmad said to his men,
“O lads, go and seek for your brother Ali of Cairo.” So they sallied
forth in quest of him and among the rest Hasan Shuman the Pestilence,
disguised in a Kazi’s gear. He came upon the sweetmeat-seller and,
knowing him for Ahmad al-Lakit[FN#258] suspected him of having played
some trick upon Ali; so he drugged him and did as we have seen.
Meanwhile, the other Forty fared about the streets and highways making
search in different directions, and amongst them Ali Kitf al-Jamal,
who espying a crowd, made towards the people and found the Cairene Ali
lying drugged and senseless in their midst. So he revived him and he
came to himself and seeing the folk flocking around him asked, “Where
am I?” Answered Ali Camel-shoulder and his comrades, “We found thee
lying here drugged but know not who drugged thee.” Quoth Ali, “’Twas a
certain sweetmeat-seller who drugged me and took the gear from me; but
where is he gone?” Quoth his comrades, “We have seen nothing of him;
but come, rise and go home with us.” So they returned to the barrack,
where they found Ahmad al-Danaf, who greeted Ali and enquired if he had
brought the dress. He replied, “I was coming hither with it and other
matters, including the Jew’s head, when a sweetmeat-seller met me and
drugged me with Bhang and took them from me.” Then he told him the
whole tale ending with, “If I come across that man of goodies again, I
will requite him.” Presently Hasan Shuman came out of a closet and said
to him, “Hast thou gotten the gear, O Ali?” So he told him what had
befallen him and added, “If I know whither the rascal is gone and where
to find the knave, I would pay him out. Knowest thou whither he went?”
Answered Hasan, “I know where he is,” and opening the door of the
closet, showed him the sweetmeat-seller within, drugged and senseless.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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