THE ORIENTAL STORY BOOK. 

 A COLLECTION OF TALES. 

 TRANSLATED FROM THE GERMAN OF WILHELM HAUFF, BY G. P. QUACKENBOS. 

 ILLUSTRATED BY J. W. ORR. 

 NEW YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 346 & 348 BROADWAY. 1855. 

[Illustration]

 OF NEW ORLEANS

 IN REMEMBRANCE OF A LONG FRIENDSHIP, AND MANY HAPPY HOURS SPENT WITH HIM OVER THE

 GERMAN CLASSICS, THIS LITTLE VOLUME

 IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED. 

THE CARAVAN. 

INTRODUCTION. 

In a beautiful distant kingdom, of which there is a saying, that thesun on its everlasting green gardens never goes down, ruled, from thebeginning of time even to the present day, Queen Phantasie. With fullhands, she used to distribute for many hundred years, the abundance ofher blessings among her subjects, and was beloved and respected by allwho knew her. The heart of the Queen, however, was too great to allowher to stop at her own land with her charities; she herself, in theroyal attire of her everlasting youth and beauty, descended upon theearth; for she had heard that there men lived, who passed their livesin sorrowful seriousness, in the midst of care and toil. Unto theseshe had sent the finest gifts out of her kingdom, and ever since thebeauteous Queen came through the fields of earth, men were merry attheir labor, and happy in their seriousness. 

Her children, moreover, not less fair and lovely than their royalmother, she had sent forth to bring happiness to men. One dayMärchen[A], the eldest daughter of the Queen, came back in haste fromthe earth. The mother observed that Märchen was sorrowful; yes, attimes it would seem to her as if her eyes would be consumed byweeping. 

"What is the matter with thee, beloved Märchen?" said the Queen toher. "Ever since thy journey, thou art so sorrowful and dejected; wiltthou not confide to thy mother what ails thee?"

"Ah! dear mother, " answered Märchen, "I would have kept silence, had Inot known that my sorrow is thine also. "

"Speak, my daughter!" entreated the fair Queen. "Grief is a stone, which presses down him who bears it alone, but two draw it lightly outof the way. "

"Thou wishest it, " rejoined Märchen, "so listen. Thou knowest howgladly I associate with men, how cheerfully I sit down before the hutsof the poor, to while away a little hour for them after their labor;formerly, when I came, they used to ask me kindly for my hand tosalute, and looked upon me afterwards, when I went away, smiling andcontented; but in these days, it is so no longer!"

"Poor Märchen!" said the Queen as she caressed her cheek, which waswet with a tear. "But, perhaps, thou only fanciest all this. "

"Believe me, I feel it but too well, " rejoined Märchen; "they love meno more. Wherever I go, cold looks meet me; nowhere am I any moregladly seen; even the children, who ever loved me so well, laugh atme, and slyly turn their backs upon me. "

The Queen leaned her forehead on her hand, and was silent inreflection. "And how, then, Märchen, " she asked, "should it happenthat the people there below have become so changed?"

"See, O Queen Phantasie! men have stationed vigilant watchmen, whoinspect and examine all that comes from thy kingdom, with sharp eyes. If one should arrive who is not according to their mind, they raise aloud cry, and put him to death, or else so slander him to men, whobelieve their every word, that one finds no longer any love, anylittle ray of confidence. Ah! how fortunate are my brothers, theDreams! they leap merrily and lightly down upon the earth, carenothing for those artful men, seek the slumbering, and weave and paintfor them, what makes happy the heart, and brightens the eye with joy. "

"Thy brothers are light-footed, " said the Queen, "and thou, mydarling, hast no reason for envying them. Besides, I know theseborder-watchmen well; men are not so wrong in sending them out; therecame so many boastful fellows, who acted as if they had come straightfrom my kingdom, and yet they had, at best, only looked down upon usfrom some mountain. "

"But why did they make me, thine own daughter, suffer for this?" weptforth Märchen. "Ah, if thou knewest how they have acted towards me!They called me an old maid, and threatened the next time not to admitme!"

"How, my daughter?--not to admit thee more?" asked the Queen, asanger heightened the color on her cheeks. "But already I see whencethis comes; that wicked cousin has slandered us!"

"Fashion? Impossible!" exclaimed Märchen; "she always used to act sofriendly towards us. "

"Oh, I know her, the false one!" answered the Queen. "But try it againin spite of her, my daughter: whoever wishes to do good, must notrest. "

"Ah, mother! suppose, then, they send me back again, or slander me sothat men let me stay in a corner, disregarded, or alone and slighted!"

"If the old, deluded by Fashion, value thee at nothing, then turn theeto the young; truly they are my little favorites. I send to them myloveliest pictures through thy brothers, the Dreams; yes, already Ihave often hovered over them in person, caressed and kissed them, andplayed fine games with them. They, also, know me well, though not byname; for I have often observed how in the night they laugh at mystars, and in the morning, when my shining fleeces play over theheavens, how they clap their hands for joy. Moreover, when they growlarger, they love me still; then I help the charming maids to weavevariegated garlands, and the wild boys to become still, while I seatmyself near them, on the lofty summit of a cliff, steep lofty citiesand brilliant palaces in the mist-world of the blue mountains in thedistance, and, on the red-tinged clouds of evening, paint brave troopsof horsemen, and strange pilgrim processions. "

"Oh, the dear children!" exclaimed Märchen, deeply affected. "Yes--beit so! with them I will make one more trial. "

"Yes, my good child, " answered the Queen; "go unto them; but I willattire thee in fine style, that thou mayest please the little ones, and that the old may not drive thee away. See! the dress of anAlmanach[B] will I give thee. "

"An Almanach, mother? Ah!--I will be ashamed to parade, in such a way, before the people. "

The Queen gave the signal, and the attendants brought in the richdress of an Almanach. It was inwrought with brilliant colors, andbeautiful figures. The waiting-maids plaited the long hair of the fairgirl, bound golden sandals on her feet, and arrayed her in the robe. 

The modest Märchen dared not look up; her mother, however, beheld herwith satisfaction, and clasped her in her arms. "Go forth!" said sheunto the little one; "my blessing be with thee. If they despise andscorn thee, turn quickly unto me; perhaps later generations, more trueto nature, may again incline to thee their hearts. "

Thus spoke Queen Phantasie, while Märchen went down upon the earth. With beating heart she approached the city, in which the cunningwatchmen dwelt: she dropped her head towards the earth, wrapped herfine robe closely around her, and with trembling step drew near untothe gate. 

"Hold!" exclaimed a deep, rough voice. "Look out, there! Here comes anew Almanach!"

Märchen trembled as she heard this; many old men, with gloomycountenances, rushed forth; they had sharp quills in their fists, andheld them towards Märchen. One of the multitude strode up to her, andseized her with rough hand by the chin. "Just lift up your head, Mr. Almanach, " he cried, "that one may see in your eyes whether you beright or not. "

Blushing, Märchen lifted her little head quite up, and raised her darkeye. 

"Märchen!" exclaimed the watchmen, laughing boisterously. "Märchen!That we should have had any doubt as to who was here! How come you, now, by this dress?"

"Mother put it on me, " answered Märchen. 

"So! she wishes to smuggle you past us! Not this time! Out of the way;see that you be gone!" exclaimed the watchmen among themselves, lifting up their sharp quills. 

"But, indeed, I will go only to the children, " entreated Märchen;"this, surely, you will grant to me. "

"Stay there not, already, enough of these menials in the land around?"exclaimed one of the watchmen. "They only prattle nonsense to ourchildren. "

"Let us see what she knows this time, " said another. 

"Well then, " cried they, "tell us what you know; but make haste, forwe have not much time for you. "

Märchen stretched forth her hand, and described with the forefinger, various figures in the air. Thereupon they saw confused images moveslowly across it;--caravans, fine horses, riders gayly attired, numerous tents upon the sand of the desert; birds, and ships upon thestormy seas; silent forests, and populous places, and highways;battles, and peaceful wandering tribes--all hovered, a motley crowd, in animated pictures, over before them. 

Märchen, in the eagerness with which she had caused the figures torise forth, had not observed that the watchmen of the gate had one byone fallen asleep. Just as she was about to describe new lines, afriendly man came up to her, and seized her hand. "Look here, goodMärchen, " said he, as he pointed to the sleepers; "for these thyvaried creations are as nothing; slip nimbly through the door; theywill not suspect that thou art in the land, and thou canst quietly andunobserved pursue thy way. I will lead thee unto my children; in myhouse will give thee a peaceful, friendly home; there thou mayestremain and live by thyself; whenever my sons and daughters shall havelearned their lessons well, they shall be permitted to run to theewith their plays, and attend to thee. Dost thou agree?"

"Oh! how gladly will I follow thee unto thy dear children! howdiligently will I endeavor to make, at times, for them, a happy littlehour!"

The good man nodded to her cordially, and assisted her to step overthe feet of the sleeping men. Märchen, when she had got safely across, looked around smilingly, and then slipped quickly through the gate. 

FOOTNOTES:

[A] Märchen represents the fairy or legendary tales, of which theGermans were at one time so fond. 

[B] The German "Almanach" corresponds in a measure with the English"Annual. "

THE CARAVAN. 

Once upon a time, there marched through the wilderness a largeCaravan. Upon the vast plain, where one sees nothing but sand andheaven, were heard already, in the far distance, the little bells ofthe camels, and the silver-toned ones of the horses; a thick cloud ofdust, which preceded them, announced their approach, and when a galeof wind separated the clouds, glittering weapons and brilliant dressesdazzled the eye. Such was the appearance of the Caravan to a man whowas riding up towards it in an oblique direction. He was mounted on afine Arabian courser, covered with a tiger-skin; silver bells weresuspended from the deep-red stripe work, and on the head of the horsewaved a plume of heron feathers. The rider was of majestic mien, andhis attire corresponded with the splendor of his horse: a whiteturban, richly inwrought with gold, adorned his head, his habit andwide pantaloons were of bright red, and a curved sword with amagnificent handle hung by his side. He had arranged the turban fardown upon his forehead; this, together with the dark eyes whichgleamed forth from under his bushy brows, and the long beard whichhung down under his arched nose, gave him a wild, daring expression. When the horseman had advanced fifty paces farther, the foremost lineof the Caravan was near, and putting spurs to his steed, in thetwinkling of an eye he was at the head of the procession. It was sounusual a thing to see a solitary rider travelling through the desert, that the guard, apprehending an attack, put their lances in rest. 

"What mean you?" exclaimed the horseman, as he saw himself received inso hostile a manner. "Do you imagine that a single man would attackyour Caravan?"

Ashamed of their precipitation, the guards lowered their lances, andtheir leader rode forth to the stranger, and asked to know hispleasure. 

"Who is the lord of this Caravan?" inquired the cavalier. 

"It belongs to no single lord, " answered the interrogated one; "butto several merchants, who march from Mecca to their native country, and whom we escort through the desert; for oftentimes scoundrels ofevery kind alarm those who travel here. "

"Then lead me to the merchants, " responded the stranger. 

"That cannot be now, " rejoined the other, "for we must proceed withoutdelay, and the merchants are at least a quarter of a mile behind; if, however, you would like to ride along with me until we halt to takeour siesta, I will execute your desire. "

The stranger said nothing further; he drew forth a long pipe which hehad attached to his saddle, and began to smoke with slow puffs, as herode along by the leader of the van. The latter knew not what to makeof the stranger, and ventured not to ask his name in so many words;but when he artfully endeavored to weave up a conversation, thecavalier, to his remarks, "You smoke there a good tobacco, " or, "Yourhorse has a brave gait, " constantly replied with only a brief "Yes, yes!" At last they arrived at the place where they were to halt forthe siesta: the chief sent his people forward to keep a look-out, while he remained with the stranger to receive the Caravan. First, thirty camels passed by, heavily laden, guided by armed drivers. Afterthese, on fine horses, came the five merchants to whom the Caravanbelonged. They were, for the most part, men of advanced age, of graveand serious aspect; one, however, seemed much younger, as well as moregay and lively than the rest. A large number of camels and pack-horsesclosed the procession. 

Tents were pitched, and the camels and horses fastened around. In themidst was a large pavilion of blue silk, to which the chief of theescort conducted the stranger. When they reached the entrance, theysaw the five merchants seated on gold-embroidered cushions; blackslaves were carrying around to them food and drink. "Whom bringestthou hither to us?" exclaimed the young merchant unto the leader:before, however, the latter could reply, the stranger spoke. 

"I am called Selim Baruch, and am from Bagdad; I was taken captive bya robber-horde on a ride to Mecca, but three days ago managed to freemyself from confinement. The mighty Prophet permitted me to hear, inthe far distance, the little bells of your Caravan, and so I came toyou. Allow me to ride in your company; you will grant your protectionto no unworthy person; and when we reach Bagdad, I will reward yourkindness richly, for I am the nephew of the Grand Vizier. "

The oldest of the merchants took up the discourse: "Selim Baruch, "said he, "welcome to our protection! It affords us joy to be ofassistance to thee. But first of all, sit down, and eat and drink withus. "

Selim Baruch seated himself among the merchants, and ate and drankwith them. After the meal, the slaves removed the table, and broughtlong pipes and Turkish sherbet. The merchants sat for some time insilence, while they puffed out before them the bluish, smoke-clouds, watching how they formed circle after circle, and at last weredissipated in the ambient air. The young merchant finally broke thesilence. "Here sit we for three days, " said he, "on horseback, and attable, without doing any thing to while away the time. I feel thistediousness much, for I am accustomed after dinner to see dancers, orto hear singing and music. Know you nothing, my friends, that willpass away the time for us?"

The four elder merchants smoked away, and seemed to be seriouslyreflecting, but the stranger spoke: "If it be allowed me, I will makea proposition to you. I think one of us, at this resting-place, couldrelate something for the amusement of the rest: this, certainly, wouldserve to pass the time. "

"Selim Baruch, thou hast well spoken, " said Achmet, the oldest of themerchants; "let us accept the proposal. "

"I am rejoiced that it pleases you, " answered Selim; "and, in orderthat you may see that I desire nothing unreasonable, I will myselfbegin. " The five merchants, overjoyed, drew nearer together, andplaced the stranger in their midst. The slaves replenished their cups, filled the pipes of their masters afresh, and brought glowing coalsfor a light. Selim cleared his voice with a hearty draught of sherbet, smoothed back the long beard from his mouth, and said, "Listen then toTHE HISTORY OF CALIPH STORK. "

[Illustration]

THE HISTORY OF CALIPH STORK. 

CHAPTER I. 

Once upon a time, on a fine afternoon, the Caliph Chasid was seated onhis sofa in Bagdad: he had slept a little, (for it was a hot day, ) andnow, after his nap, looked quite happy. He smoked a long pipe ofrosewood, sipped, now and then, a little coffee which a slave pouredout for him, and stroked his beard, well-satisfied, for the flavorpleased him. In a word, it was evident that the Caliph was in a goodhumor. At this season one could easily speak with him, for he wasalways very mild and affable; on which account did his Grand-Vizier, Mansor, seek him at this hour, every day. 

On the afternoon in question he also came, but looked very serious, quite contrary to his usual custom. The Caliph removed the pipe, amoment, from his mouth, and said, "Wherefore, Grand-Vizier, wearestthou so thoughtful a visage?"

The Grand-Vizier folded his arms crosswise over his breast, madereverence to his lord, and answered: "Sir, whether I wear a thoughtfullook, I know not, but there, below the palace, stands a trader who hassuch fine goods, that it vexes me not to have abundant money. "

The Caliph, who had often before this gladly indulged his Vizier, sentdown his black slave to bring up the merchant, and in a moment theyentered together. He was a short, fat man, of swarthy countenance andtattered dress. He carried a chest in which were all kinds ofwares--pearls and rings, richly-wrought pistols, goblets, and combs. The Caliph and his Vizier examined them all, and the former at lengthpurchased fine pistols for himself and Mansor, and a comb for theVizier's wife. When the pedler was about to close his chest, theCaliph espied a little drawer, and inquired whether there were waresin that also. The trader drew forth the drawer, and pointed outtherein a box of black powder, and a paper with strange characters, which neither the Caliph nor Mansor could read. 

"I obtained these two articles, some time ago, from a merchant, whofound them in the street at Mecca, " said the trader. "I know not whatthey contain. They are at your service for a moderate price; I can donothing with them. " The Caliph, who gladly kept old manuscripts in hislibrary, though he could not read them, purchased writing and box, anddischarged the merchant. The Caliph, however, thought he would like toknow what the writing contained, and asked the Vizier if he knew anyone who could decipher it. 

"Most worthy lord and master, " answered he, "near the great Mosquelives a man called 'Selim the Learned, ' who understands all languages:let him come, perhaps he is acquainted with these mysteriouscharacters. "

The learned Selim was soon brought in. "Selim, " said the Caliph tohim, "Selim, they say thou art very wise; look a moment at thismanuscript, and see if thou canst read it. If thou canst, thou shaltreceive from me a new festival-garment; if not, thou shalt have twelveblows on the cheek, and five and twenty on the soles of the feet, since, in that case, thou art unjustly called Selim the Learned. "

Selim bowed himself and said, "Sire, thy will be done!" For a longtime he pored over the manuscript, but suddenly exclaimed, "This isLatin, sire, or I will suffer myself to be hung. "

"If it is Latin, tell us what is therein, " commanded the Caliph. Selimbegan to translate:--

"Man, whosoever thou mayest be that findest this, praise Allah for hisgoodness! Whoever snuffs of the dust of this powder, and at the sametime says, MUTABOR, can change himself into any animal, and shall alsounderstand its language. If he wishes to return to the form of a man, then let him bow three times to the East, and repeat the same word. But take thou care, if thou be transformed, that thou laugh not;otherwise shall the magic word fade altogether from thy remembrance, and thou shalt remain a beast!"

When Selim the Learned had thus read, the Caliph was overjoyed. Hemade the translator swear to tell no one of their secret, presentedhim a beautiful garment, and discharged him. To his Grand-Vizier, however, he said: "That I call a good purchase, Mansor! How can Icontain myself until I become an animal! Early in the morning, do thoucome to me. Then will we go together into the country, take a littlesnuff out of my box, and hear what is said in the air and in thewater, in the forest and in the field. "

CHAPTER II. 

Scarcely, on the next morning, had the Caliph Chasid breakfasted anddressed himself, when the Grand-Vizier appeared, to accompany him, ashe had commanded, on his walk. The Caliph placed the box with themagic powder in his girdle, and having commanded his train to remainbehind, set out, all alone with Mansor, upon their expedition. Theywent at first through the extensive gardens of the Caliph, but lookedaround in vain for some living thing, in order to make their strangeexperiment. The Vizier finally proposed to go farther on, to a pond, where he had often before seen many storks, which, by their gravebehavior and clattering, had always excited his attention. The Caliphapproved of the proposition of his Vizier, and went with him to thepond. When they reached it they saw a stork walking gravely to andfro, seeking for frogs, and now and then clattering at somethingbefore her. Presently they saw, too, another stork hovering far up inthe air. 

"I will wager my beard, most worthy sire, " exclaimed the Grand-Vizier, "that these two long-feet are even now carrying on a fine conversationwith one another. How would it be, if we should become storks?"

"Well spoken!" answered the Caliph. "But first, we will consider howwe may become men again. --Right! Three times bow to the East, andexclaim 'MUTABOR!' then will I be Caliph once more, and thou Vizier. Only, for the sake of Heaven, laugh not, or we are lost!"

While the Caliph was thus speaking, he saw the other stork hoveringover their heads, and sinking slowly to the ground. He drew the boxquickly out of his girdle, and took a good pinch; then he presented itto the Grand-Vizier, who also snuffed some of the powder, and bothexclaimed "MUTABOR!" Immediately their legs shrivelled away and becameslender and red; the handsome yellow slippers of the Caliph and hiscompanion became misshapen stork's feet; their arms turned to wings;the neck extended up from the shoulders, and was an ell long; theirbeards had vanished, and their whole bodies were covered with softfeathers. 

"You have a beautiful beak, my lord Grand-Vizier, " exclaimed theCaliph after long astonishment. "By the beard of the Prophet, in mywhole life I have not seen any thing like it!"

"Most humble thanks!" responded the Vizier, as he bowed. "But if Idared venture it, I might assert that your Highness looks almost ashandsome when a stork, as when a Caliph. But suppose, if it bepleasing to you, that we observe and listen to our comrades, to see, if we actually understand Storkish. "

Meanwhile the other stork reached the earth. He cleaned his feet withhis bill, smoothed his feathers, and moved towards the first. Both thenew birds, thereupon, made haste to draw near, and to theirastonishment, heard the following conversation. 

"Good-morning, Madam Long-legs; already, so early, upon the pond?"

"Fine thanks, beloved Clatter-beak. I have brought me a littlebreakfast. Would you like, perhaps, the quarter of an eider-duck, or alittle frog's thigh?"

"My best thanks, but this morning I have little appetite. I come tothe pond for a very different reason. I have to dance to-day beforethe guests of my father, and I wish to practise a little in private. "

Immediately, thereupon, the young lady-stork stepped, in greatexcitement, over the plain. The Caliph and Mansor looked on her inamazement. When, however, she stood in a picturesque attitude upon onefoot, and, at the same time, gracefully moved her wings like a fan, the two could contain themselves no longer; a loud laugh broke forthfrom their bills. The Caliph was the first to recover himself. "Thatwere once a joke, " said he, "which gold could not have purchased. Pity! that the stupid birds should have been driven away by ourlaughter; otherwise they would certainly even yet have been singing. "

But already it occurred to the Grand-Vizier that, during theirmetamorphosis, laughter was prohibited; he shared his anxiety on thishead with the Caliph. "By Mecca and Medina! that were a sorry jest, ifI am to remain a stork. Bethink thyself, then, of the foolish word, for I can recall it not. "

"Three times must we bow ourselves to the East, and at the same timesay, Mu--mu--mu--"

They turned to the East, and bowed so low that their beaks almosttouched the earth. But, O misery! that magic word had escaped them;and though the Caliph prostrated himself again and again, though atthe same time the Vizier earnestly cried "Mu--mu--, " all recollectionthereof had vanished, and poor Chasid and his Vizier were to remainstorks. 

CHAPTER III. 

The enchanted ones wandered sorrowfully through the fields, notknowing, in their calamity, what they should first set about. To thecity they could not return, for the purpose of discovering themselves, for who would have believed a stork that he was the Caliph? or, if heshould find credit, would the inhabitants of Bagdad have been willingto have such a bird for their master? Thus, for several days, did theywander around, supporting themselves on the produce of the fields, which, however, on account of their long bills, they could not readilypick up. For eider-ducks and frogs they had no appetite, for theyfeared with such dainty morsels to ruin their stomachs. In thispitiable situation their only consolation was that they could fly, andaccordingly they often winged their way to the roofs of Bagdad, to seewhat was going on therein. 

On the first day they observed great commotion and mourning in thestreets; but on the fourth after their transformation, they lighted bychance upon the royal palace, from which they saw, in the streetbeneath, a splendid procession. Drums and fifes sounded; on arichly-caparisoned steed was seated a man, in a scarlet mantleembroidered with gold, surrounded by gorgeously-attired attendants. Half Bagdad was running after him, crying, "Hail, Mizra! Lord ofBagdad!" All this the two storks beheld from the roof of the palace, and the Caliph Chasid exclaimed, --

"Perceivest thou now why I am enchanted, Grand-Vizier? This Mizra isthe son of my deadly enemy, the mighty sorcerer Kaschnur, who, in anevil hour, vowed revenge against me. Still I do not abandon all hope. Come with me, thou faithful companion of my misery; we will go to thegrave of the Prophet; perhaps in that holy spot the charm may bedissolved. " They raised themselves from the roof of the palace, andflew in the direction of Medina. 

In the use of their wings, however, they experienced some difficulty, for the two storks had, as yet, but little practice. "O Sire!"groaned out the Vizier, after a couple of hours; "with yourpermission, I can hold out no longer; you fly so rapidly! Besides, itis already evening, and we would do well to seek a shelter for thenight. "

Chasid gave ear to the request of his attendant, and thereupon saw, inthe vale beneath, a ruin which appeared to promise safe lodgings; andthither, accordingly, they flew. The place where they had alighted forthe night, seemed formerly to have been a castle. Gorgeous columnsprojected from under the rubbish, and several chambers, which werestill in a state of tolerable preservation, testified to the formermagnificence of the mansion. Chasid and his companion went aroundthrough the corridor, to seek for themselves a dry resting-place;suddenly the stork Mansor paused. "Lord and master, " he whisperedsoftly, "were it not foolish for a Grand-Vizier, still more for astork, to be alarmed at spectres, my mind is very uncomfortable; forhere, close at hand, sighs and groans are very plainly perceptible. "The Caliph now in turn stood still, and quite distinctly heard a lowmoaning, which seemed to belong rather to a human being than a beast. Full of expectation, he essayed to proceed to the place whence theplaintive sounds issued: but the Vizier, seizing him by the wing withhis beak, entreated him fervently not to plunge them in new andunknown dangers. In vain! the Caliph, to whom a valiant heart beatbeneath his stork-wing, burst away with the loss of a feather, andhastened into a gloomy gallery. In a moment he reached a door, whichseemed only on the latch, and out of which he heard distinct sighs, accompanied by a low moaning. He pushed the door open with his bill, but stood, chained by amazement, upon the threshold. In the ruinousapartment, which was now but dimly lighted through a grated window, hesaw a huge screech-owl sitting on the floor. Big tears rolled downfrom her large round eyes, and with ardent voice she sent her criesforth from her crooked bill. As soon, however, as she espied theCaliph and his Vizier, who meanwhile had crept softly up behind, sheraised a loud cry of joy. She neatly wiped away the tears with herbrown-striped wing, and to the great astonishment of both, exclaimed, in good human Arabic, --

"Welcome to you, storks! you are to me a good omen of deliverance, for it was once prophesied to me that, through storks, a great pieceof good fortune is to fall to my lot. "

When the Caliph recovered from his amazement, he bowed his long neck, brought his slender feet into an elegant position, and said:"Screech-owl, after your words, I venture to believe that I see in youa companion in misfortune. But, alas! this hope that through us thydeliverance will take place, is groundless. Thou wilt, thyself, realize our helplessness, when thou hearest our history. "

The Screech-owl entreated him to impart it to her, and the Caliph, raising himself up, related what we already know. 

CHAPTER IV. 

When the Caliph had told his history to the owl, she thanked him, andsaid: "Listen to my story, also, and hear how I am no less unfortunatethan thyself. My father is the king of India; I, his only, unfortunatedaughter, am called Lusa. That same sorcerer Kaschnur, who transformedyou, has plunged me also in this affliction. He came, one day, to myfather, and asked me in marriage for his son Mizra. My father, however, who is a passionate man, cast him down the steps. The wretchmanaged to creep up to me again under another form, and as I was onone occasion taking the fresh air in my garden, clad as a slave, hepresented me a potion which changed me into this detestable figure. Hebrought me hither, swooning through fear, and exclaimed in my ear withawful voice, 'There shalt thou remain, frightful one, despised even bybeasts, until thy death, or till one, of his own free will, evenunder this execrable form, take thee to wife. Thus revenge I myselfupon thee, and thy haughty father!'

"Since then, many months have elapsed; alone and mournfully I live, like a hermit, in these walls, abhorred by the world, an abominationeven to brutes. Beautiful nature is shut out from me; for I am blindby day, and only when the moon sheds her wan light upon this ruin, falls the shrouding veil from mine eye. "

The owl ended, and again wiped her eyes with her wing, for thenarration of her wo had called forth tears. The Caliph was plunged indeep meditation by the story of the Princess. "If I am not altogetherdeceived, " said he, "you will find that between our misfortunes asecret connection exists; but where can I find the key to thisenigma?"

The owl answered him, "My lord! this also is plain to me; for once, inearly youth, it was foretold to me by a wise woman, that a stork wouldbring me great happiness, and perhaps I might know how we may saveourselves. "

The Caliph was much astonished, and inquired in what way she meant. 

"The enchanter who has made us both miserable, " said she, "comes onceevery month to these ruins. Not far from this chamber is a hall;there, with many confederates, he is wont to banquet. Already I haveoften watched them: they relate to one another their shamefuldeeds--perhaps he might then mention the magic word which you haveforgotten. "

"Oh, dearest Princess!" exclaimed the Caliph: "tell us--when will hecome, and where is the hall?"

The owl was silent a moment, and then said: "Take it not unkindly, butonly on one condition can I grant your wish. "

"Speak out! speak out!" cried Chasid. "Command; whatever it may be, Iam ready to obey. "

"It is this: I would fain at the same time be free; this, however, canonly take place, if one of you offer me his hand. " At this propositionthe storks seemed somewhat surprised, and the Caliph beckoned to hisattendant to step aside with him a moment. "Grand-Vizier, " said theCaliph before the door, "this is a stupid affair, but you can set itall right. "

"Thus?" rejoined he; "that my wife, when I go home, may scratch myeyes out? Besides, I am an old man, while you are still young andunmarried, and can better give your hand to a young and beautifulprincess. "

"Ah! that is the point, " sighed the Caliph, as he mournfully droopedhis wings: "who told you she is young and fair? That is equivalent tobuying a cat in a sack!" They continued to converse together for along time, but finally, when the Caliph saw that Mansor would ratherremain a stork than marry the owl, he determined sooner, himself, toaccept the condition. The owl was overjoyed; she avowed to them thatthey could have come at no better time, since, probably, that verynight, the sorcerers would assemble together. 

She left the apartment with the storks, in order to lead them to thesaloon; they went a long way through a gloomy passage, until at last avery bright light streamed upon them through a half-decayed wall. Whenthey reached this place, the owl advised them to halt very quietly. From the breach, near which they were standing, they could look downupon a large saloon, adorned all around with pillars, and splendidlydecorated, in which many colored lamps restored the light of day. Inthe midst of the saloon stood a round table, laden with various choicemeats. Around the table extended a sofa, on which eight men wereseated. In one of these men the storks recognised the very merchant, who had sold them the magic powder. His neighbor desired him to tellthem his latest exploits; whereupon he related, among others, thestory of the Caliph and his Vizier. 

"What did you give them for a word?" inquired of him one of the othermagicians. 

"A right ponderous Latin one--MUTABOR. "

CHAPTER V. 

When the storks heard this through their chasm in the wall, theybecame almost beside themselves with joy. They ran so quickly withtheir long feet to the door of the ruin, that the owl could scarcelykeep up with them. Thereupon spoke the Caliph to her: "Preserver of mylife and that of my friend, in token of our eternal thanks for whatthou hast done for us, take me as thy husband. " Then he turned to theEast: three times they bowed their long necks towards the sun, whichwas even now rising above the mountains, and at the same momentexclaimed "MUTABOR!" In a twinkling they were restored, and in theexcessive joy of their newly-bestowed life, alternately laughing andweeping, were folded in each other's arms. But who can describe theirastonishment when they looked around? A beautiful woman, attired as aqueen, stood before them. Smiling, she gave the Caliph her hand, andsaid, "Know you your screech-owl no longer?" It was she; the Caliphwas in such transports at her beauty and pleasantness, as to cry out, that it was the most fortunate moment in his life, when he became astork. 

The three now proceeded together to Bagdad. The Caliph found in hisdress, not only the box of magic powder, but also his money-bag. Bymeans thereof, he purchased at the nearest village what was necessaryfor their journey, and accordingly they soon appeared before the gatesof the city. Here, however, the arrival of the Caliph excited greatastonishment. They had given out that he was dead, and the people weretherefore highly rejoiced to have again their beloved lord. 

So much the more, however, burned their hatred against the impostorMizra. They proceeded to the palace, and caught the old magician andhis son. The old man the Caliph sent to the same chamber in the ruin, which the princess, as a screech-owl, had inhabited, and there hadhim hung; unto the son, however, who understood nothing of hisfather's arts, he gave his choice, --to die, or snuff some of thepowder. Having chosen the latter, the Grand-Vizier presented him thebox. A hearty pinch, and the magic word of the Caliph converted himinto a stork. Chasid had him locked up in an iron cage, and hung inhis garden. 

Long and happily lived Caliph Chasid with his spouse, the Princess;his pleasantest hours were always those, when in the afternoon theVizier sought him; and whenever the Caliph was in a very good humor, he would let himself down so far, as to show Mansor how he looked, when a stork. He would gravely march along, with rigid feet, up anddown the chamber, make a clattering noise, wave his arms like wings, and show how, in vain, he had prostrated himself to the East, andcried out, MU--MU. To the Princess and her children, this imitationalways afforded great amusement: when, however, the Caliph clattered, and bowed, and cried out, too long, then the Vizier would threaten himthat he would disclose to his spouse what had been proposed outsidethe door of the Princess Screech-owl!

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When Selim Baruch had finished his story, the merchants declaredthemselves delighted therewith. "Verily, the afternoon has passed awayfrom us without our having observed it!" exclaimed one of them, throwing back the covering of the tent: "the evening wind blows cool, we can still make a good distance on our journey. " To this hiscompanions agreed; the tents were struck, and the Caravan proceeded onits way in the same order in which it had come up. 

They rode almost all the night long, for it was refreshing andstarry, whereas the day was sultry. At last they arrived at aconvenient stopping-place; here they pitched their tents, and composedthemselves to rest. To the stranger the merchants attended, as a mostvalued guest. One gave him cushions, a second covering, a thirdslaves; in a word, he was as well provided for as if he had been athome. The hottest hours of the day had already arrived, when theyawoke again, and they unanimously determined to wait for evening inthis place. After they had eaten together, they moved more closely toeach other, and the young merchant, turning to the oldest, addressedhim: "Selim Baruch yesterday made a pleasant afternoon for us; supposeAchmet, that you also tell us something, be it either from your longlife, which has known so many adventures, or even a pretty Märchen. "

Upon these words Achmet was silent some time, as if he were in doubtwhether to tell this or that; at last he began to speak: "Dearfriends, on this our journey you have proved yourselves faithfulcompanions, and Selim also deserves my confidence; I will thereforeimpart to you something of my life, of which, under othercircumstances, I would speak reluctantly, and, indeed, not to any one:THE HISTORY OF THE SPECTRE SHIP. "

THE HISTORY OF THE SPECTRE SHIP. 

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My father had a little shop in Balsora; he was neither rich, nor poor, but one of those who do not like to risk any thing, through fear oflosing the little that they have. He brought me up plainly, butvirtuously, and soon I advanced so far, that I was able to makevaluable suggestions to him in his business. When I reached myeighteenth year, in the midst of his first speculation of anyimportance, he died; probably through anxiety at having intrusted athousand gold pieces to the sea. I was obliged, soon after, to deemhim happy in his fortunate death, for in a few weeks the intelligencereached us, that the vessel, to which my father had committed hisgoods, had been wrecked. This misfortune, however, could not depressmy youthful spirits. I converted all that my father had left intomoney, and set out to try my fortune in foreign lands, accompaniedonly by an old servant of the family, who, on account of ancientattachment, would not part from me and my destiny. 

In the harbor of Balsora we embarked, with a favorable wind. The ship, in which I had taken passage, was bound to India. We had now forfifteen days sailed in the usual track, when the Captain predicted tous a storm. He wore a thoughtful look, for it seemed he knew that, inthis place, there was not sufficient depth of water to encounter astorm with safety. He ordered them to take in all sail, and we movedalong quite slowly. The night set in clear and cold, and the Captainbegan to think that he had been mistaken in his forebodings. All atonce there floated close by ours, a ship which none of us hadobserved before. A wild shout and cry ascended from the deck, atwhich, occurring at this anxious season, before a storm, I wonderednot a little. But the Captain by my side was deadly pale: "My ship islost, " cried he; "there sails Death!" Before I could demand anexplanation of these singular words, the sailors rushed in, weepingand wailing. "Have you seen it?" they exclaimed: "all is now over withus!"

But the Captain had words of consolation read to them out of theKoran, and seated himself at the helm. But in vain! The tempest beganvisibly to rise with a roaring noise, and, before an hour passed by, the ship struck and remained aground. The boats were lowered, andscarcely had the last sailors saved themselves, when the vessel wentdown before our eyes, and I was launched, a beggar, upon the sea. Butour misfortune had still no end. Frightfully roared the tempest, theboat could no longer be governed. I fastened myself firmly to my oldservant, and we mutually promised not to be separated from each other. At last the day broke, but, with the first glance of the morning-red, the wind struck and upset the boat in which we were seated. After thatI saw my shipmates no more. The shock deprived me of consciousness, and when I returned to my senses, I found myself in the arms of my oldfaithful attendant, who had saved himself on the boat which had beenupturned, and had come in search of me. The storm had abated; of ourvessel there was nothing any more to be seen, but we plainly descried, at no great distance from us, another ship, towards which the waveswere driving us. As we approached, I recognised the vessel as the samewhich had passed by us in the night, and which had thrown the Captaininto such consternation. I felt a strange horror of this ship; theintimation of the Captain, which had been so fearfully corroborated, the desolate appearance of the ship, on which, although as we drewnear we uttered loud cries, no one was visible, alarmed me. Nevertheless this was our only expedient; accordingly, we praised theProphet, who had so miraculously preserved us. 

From the fore-part of the ship hung down a long cable; for the purposeof laying hold of this, we paddled with our hands and feet. At lastwe were successful. Loudly I raised my voice, but all remained quietas ever, on board the vessel. Then we climbed up by the rope, I, asthe youngest, taking the lead. But horror! what a spectacle was therepresented to my eye, as I stepped upon the deck! The floor was redwith blood; upon it lay twenty or thirty corpses in Turkish costume;by the middle-mast stood a man richly attired, with sabre in hand--buthis face was wan and distorted; through his forehead passed a largespike which fastened him to the mast--he was dead! Terror chained myfeet; I dared hardly to breathe. At last my companion stood by myside; he, too, was overpowered at sight of the deck which exhibited noliving thing, but only so many frightful corpses. After having, in theanguish of our souls, supplicated the Prophet, we ventured to moveforward. At every step we looked around to see if something new, something still more horrible, would not present itself. But allremained as it was--far and wide, no living thing but ourselves, andthe ocean-world. Not once did we dare to speak aloud, through fearthat the dead Captain there nailed to the mast would bend his rigideyes upon us, or lest one of the corpses should turn his head. At lastwe arrived at a staircase, which led into the hold. Thereinvoluntarily we came to a halt, and looked at each other, for neitherof us exactly ventured to express his thoughts. 

"Master, " said my faithful servant, "something awful has happenedhere. Nevertheless, even if the ship down there below is full ofmurderers, still would I rather submit myself to their mercy orcruelty, than spend a longer time among these dead bodies. " I agreedwith him, and so we took heart, and descended, full of apprehension. But the stillness of death prevailed here also, and there was no soundsave that of our steps upon the stairs. We stood before the door ofthe cabin; I applied my ear, and listened--there was nothing to beheard. I opened it. The room presented a confused appearance; clothes, weapons, and other articles, lay disordered together. The crew, or atleast the Captain, must shortly before have been carousing, for theremains of a banquet lay scattered around. We went on from room toroom, from chamber to chamber finding, in all, royal stores of silk, pearls, and other costly articles. I was beside myself with joy at thesight, for as there was no one on the ship, I thought I couldappropriate all to myself; but Ibrahim thereupon called to my noticethat we were still far from land, at which we could not arrive, aloneand without human help. 

We refreshed ourselves with the meats and drink, which we found inrich profusion, and at last ascended upon deck. But here again weshivered at the awful sight of the bodies. We determined to freeourselves therefrom, by throwing them overboard; but how were westartled to find, that no one could move them from their places! Sofirmly were they fastened to the floor, that to remove them one wouldhave had to take up the planks of the deck, for which tools werewanting to us. The Captain, moreover, could not be loosened from themast, nor could we even wrest the sabre from his rigid hand. We passedthe day in sorrowful reflection on our condition; and, when nightbegan to draw near, I gave permission to the old Ibrahim to lie downto sleep, while I would watch upon the deck, to look out for means ofdeliverance. When, however, the moon shone forth, and by the stars Icalculated that it was about the eleventh hour, sleep so irresistiblyoverpowered me that I fell back, involuntarily, behind a cask whichstood upon the deck. It was rather lethargy than sleep, for I plainlyheard the sea beat against the side of the vessel, and the sails creakand whistle in the wind. All at once I thought I heard voices, and thesteps of men upon the deck. I wished to arise and see what it was, buta strange power fettered my limbs, and I could not once open my eyes. But still more distinct became the voices; it appeared to me as if amerry crew were moving around upon the deck. In the midst of this Ithought I distinguished the powerful voice of a commander, followed bythe noise of ropes and sails. Gradually my senses left me; I fell intoa deep slumber, in which I still seemed to hear the din of weapons, and awoke only when the sun was high in the heavens, and sent down hisburning rays upon my face. Full of wonder, I gazed about me; storm, ship, the bodies, and all that I had heard in the night, recurred tome as a dream; but when I looked around, I found all as it had beenthe day before. Immoveable lay the bodies, immoveably was the Captainfastened to the mast; I laughed at my dream, and proceeded in searchof my old companion. 

The latter was seated in sorrowful meditation in the cabin. "Omaster, " he exclaimed as I entered, "rather would I lie in the deepestbottom of the sea, than pass another night in this enchanted ship. " Iasked him the reason of his grief, and thus he answered me:--

"When I had slept an hour, I awoke, and heard the noise of walking toand fro over my head. I thought at first that it was you, but therewere at least twenty running around; I also heard conversation andcries. At length came heavy steps upon the stairs. After this I was nolonger conscious; but at times my recollection returned for a moment, and then I saw the same man who is nailed to the mast, sit down atthat table, singing and drinking; and he who lies not far from him onthe floor, in a scarlet cloak, sat near him, and helped him to drink. "Thus spoke my old servant to me. 

You may believe me, my friends, that all was not right to my mind;for there was no delusion--I too had plainly heard the dead. To sailin such company was to me horrible; my Ibrahim, however, was againabsorbed in deep reflection. "I have it now!" he exclaimed at length;there occurred to him, namely, a little verse, which his grandfather, a man of experience and travel, had taught him, and which could giveassistance against every ghost and spectre. He also maintained that wecould, the next night, prevent the unnatural sleep which had come uponus, by repeating right fervently sentences out of the Koran. 

The proposition of the old man pleased me well. In anxious expectationwe saw the night set in. Near the cabin was a little room, to which wedetermined to retire. We bored several holes in the door, large enoughto give us a view of the whole cabin; then we shut it as firmly as wecould from within, and Ibrahim wrote the name of the Prophet in allfour corners of the room. Thus we awaited the terrors of the night. 

It might again have been about the eleventh hour, when a stronginclination for sleep began to overpower me. My companion, thereupon, advised me to repeat some sentences from the Koran, which assisted meto retain my consciousness. All at once it seemed to become livelyoverhead; the ropes creaked, there were steps upon the deck, andseveral voices were plainly distinguishable. We remained, a fewmoments, in intense anxiety; then we heard something descending thecabin stairs. When the old man became aware of this, he began torepeat the words which his grandfather had taught him to use againstspirits and witchcraft:

 "Come you, from the air descending, Rise you from the deep sea-cave, Spring you forth where flames are blending, Glide you in the dismal grave: Allah reigns, let all adore him! Own him, spirits--bow before him!"

I must confess I did not put much faith in this verse, and my hairstood on end when the door flew open. The same large, stately manentered, whom I had seen nailed to the mast. The spike still passedthrough the middle of his brain, but he had sheathed his sword. Behindhim entered another, attired with less magnificence, whom also I hadseen lying on the deck. The Captain, for he was unquestionably of thisrank, had a pale countenance, a large black beard, and wildly-rollingeyes, with which he surveyed the whole apartment. I could see himdistinctly, for he moved over opposite to us; but he appeared not toobserve the door which concealed us. The two seated themselves at thetable, which stood in the centre of the cabin, and spoke loud andfast, shouting together in an unknown tongue. They continually becamemore noisy and earnest, until at length, with doubled fist, theCaptain brought the table a blow which shook the whole apartment. Withwild laughter the other sprang up, and beckoned to the Captain tofollow him. The latter rose, drew his sabre, and then both left theapartment. We breathed more freely when they were away; but ouranxiety had still for a long time no end. Louder and louder became thenoise upon deck; we heard hasty running to and fro, shouting, laughing, and howling. At length there came an actually hellish sound, so that we thought the deck and all the sails would fall down upon us, the clash of arms, and shrieks--of a sudden all was deep silence. When, after many hours, we ventured to go forth, we found every thingas before; not one lay differently--all were as stiff as woodenfigures. 

[Illustration]

Thus passed we several days on the vessel; it moved continuallytowards the East, in which direction, according to my calculation, laythe land; but if by day it made many miles, by night it appeared to goback again, for we always found ourselves in the same spot when thesun went down. We could explain this in no other way, than that thedead men every night sailed back again with a full breeze. In order toprevent this, we took in all the sail before it became night, andemployed the same means as at the door in the cabin; we wrote onparchment the name of the Prophet, and also, in addition, the littlestanza of the grandfather, and bound them upon the furled sail. Anxiously we awaited the result in our chamber. The ghosts appearedthis time not to rage so wickedly; and, mark, the next morning thesails were still rolled up as we had left them. During the day weextended only as much as was necessary to bear the ship gently along, and so in five days we made considerable headway. 

At last, on the morning of the sixth day, we espied land at a shortdistance, and thanked Allah and his Prophet for our wonderfuldeliverance. This day and the following night we sailed along thecoast, and on the seventh morning thought we discovered a city at nogreat distance: with a good deal of trouble we cast an anchor into thesea, which soon reached the bottom; then launching a boat which stoodupon the deck, we rowed with all our might towards the city. Afterhalf an hour we ran into a river that emptied into the sea, andstepped ashore. At the gate we inquired what the place was called, andlearned that it was an Indian city, not far from the region to whichat first I had intended to sail. We repaired to a Caravansery, andrefreshed ourselves after our adventurous sail. I there inquired for awise and intelligent man, at the same time giving the landlord tounderstand that I would like to have one tolerably conversant withmagic. He conducted me to an unsightly house in a remote street, knocked thereat, and one let me in with the injunction that I shouldask only for Muley. 

In the house, came to me a little old man with grizzled beard and along nose, to demand my business. I told him I was in search of thewise Muley; he answered me that he was the man. I then asked hisadvice as to what I should do to the dead bodies, and how I musthandle them in order to remove them from the ship. 

He answered me that the people of the ship were probably enchanted onaccount of a crime somewhere upon the sea: he thought the spell wouldbe dissolved by bringing them to land, but this could be done only bytaking up the planks on which they lay. In the sight of God andjustice, he said that the ship, together with all the goods, belongedto me, since I had, as it were, found it; and, if I would keep it verysecret, and make him a small present out of my abundance, he wouldassist me with his slaves to remove the bodies. I promised to rewardhim richly, and we set out on our expedition with five slaves, whowere supplied with saws and hatchets. On the way, the magician Muleycould not sufficiently praise our happy expedient of binding thesails around with the sentences from the Koran. He said this was theonly means, by which we could have saved ourselves. 

It was still pretty early in the day when we reached the ship. Weimmediately set to work, and in an hour placed four in the boat. Someof the slaves were then obliged to row to land to bury them there. They told us, when they returned, that the bodies had spared them thetrouble of burying, since, the moment they laid them on the earth, they had fallen to dust. We diligently set to work to saw off thebodies, and before evening all were brought to land. There were, atlast, no more on board than the one that was nailed to the mast. Vainly sought we to draw the nail out of the wood, no strength wasable to start it even a hair's-breadth. I knew not what next to do, for we could not hew down the mast in order to bring him to land; butin this dilemma Muley came to my assistance. He quickly ordered aslave to row to land and bring a pot of earth. When he had arrivedwith it, the magician pronounced over it some mysterious words, andcast it on the dead man's head. Immediately the latter opened hiseyes, drew a deep breath, and the wound of the nail in his foreheadbegan to bleed. We now drew it lightly forth, and the wounded man fellinto the arms of one of the slaves. 

"Who bore me hither?" he exclaimed, after he seemed to have recoveredhimself a little. Muley made signs to me, and I stepped up to him. 

"Thank thee, unknown stranger; thou hast freed me from long torment. For fifty years has my body been sailing through these waves, and myspirit was condemned to return to it every night. But now my head hascome in contact with the earth, and, my crime expiated, I can go to myfathers!"

I entreated him, thereupon, to tell how he had been brought to thishorrible state, and he began--

"Fifty years ago, I was an influential, distinguished man, and residedin Algiers: a passion for gain urged me on to fit out a ship, and turnpirate. I had already followed this business some time, when once, atZante, I took on board a Dervise, who wished to travel for nothing. Iand my companions were impious men, and paid no respect to theholiness of the man; I, in particular, made sport of him. When, however, on one occasion he upbraided me with holy zeal for my wickedcourse of life, that same evening, after I had been drinking to excesswith my pilot in the cabin, anger overpowered me. Reflecting on whatthe Dervise had said to me, which I would not have borne from aSultan, I rushed upon deck, and plunged my dagger into his breast. Dying, he cursed me and my crew, and doomed us not to die and not tolive, until we should lay our heads upon the earth. 

"The Dervise expired, and we cast him overboard, laughing at hismenaces; that same night, however, were his words fulfilled. Oneportion of my crew rose against me; with terrible courage the strugglecontinued, until my supporters fell, and I myself was nailed to themast. The mutineers, however, also sank under their wounds, and soonmy ship was but one vast grave. My eyes also closed, my breathstopped--I thought I was dying. But it was only a torpor which held mechained: the following night, at the same hour in which we had castthe Dervise into the sea, I awoke, together with all my comrades;life returned, but we could do and say nothing but what had been doneand said on that fatal night. Thus we sailed for fifty years, neitherliving nor dying, for how could we reach the land? With mad joy weever dashed along, with full sails, before the storm, for we hoped atlast to be wrecked upon some cliff, and to compose our weary heads torest upon the bottom of the sea; but in this we never succeeded. Now Ishall die! Once again, unknown preserver, accept my thanks, and iftreasures can reward thee, then take my ship in token of mygratitude. "

With these words the Captain let his head drop, and expired. Like hiscompanions, he immediately fell to dust. We collected this in a littlevessel, and buried it on the shore: and I took workmen from the cityto put the ship in good condition. After I had exchanged, with greatadvantage, the wares I had on board for others, I hired a crew, richlyrewarded my friend Muley, and set sail for my fatherland. I took acircuitous route, in the course of which I landed at several islandsand countries, to bring my goods to market. The Prophet blessed myundertaking. After several years I ran into Balsora, twice as rich asthe dying Captain had made me. My fellow-citizens were amazed at mywealth and good fortune, and would believe nothing else but that I hadfound the diamond-valley of the far-famed traveller Sinbad. I leftthem to their belief; henceforth must the young folks of Balsora, whenthey have scarcely arrived at their eighteenth year, go forth into theworld, like me, to seek their fortunes. I, however, live in peace andtranquillity, and every five years make a journey to Mecca, to thankthe Lord for his protection, in that holy place, and to entreat forthe Captain and his crew, that He will admit them into Paradise. 

[Illustration]

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The march of the Caravan proceeded the next day without hinderance, and when they halted, Selim the Stranger began thus to speak to Muley, the youngest of the merchants:

"You are, indeed, the youngest of us, nevertheless you are always infine spirits, and, to a certainty, know for us, some right merrystory. Out with it then, that it may refresh us after the heat of theday. "

"I might easily tell you something, " answered Muley, "which wouldamuse you, nevertheless modesty becomes youth in all things; thereforemust my older companions have the precedence. Zaleukos is ever sograve and reserved; should not he tell us what has made his life soserious? Perhaps we could assuage his grief, if such he have; forgladly would we serve a brother, even if he belong to another creed. "

The person alluded to was a Grecian merchant of middle age, handsomeand strongly built, but very serious. Although he was an unbeliever, (that is, no Mussulman, ) still his companions were much attached tohim, for his whole conduct had inspired them with respect andconfidence. He had only one hand, and some of his companionsconjectured that, perhaps, this loss gave so grave a tone to hischaracter. Zaleukos thus answered Muley's friendly request:

"I am much honored by your confidence: grief have I none, at leastnone from which, even with your best wishes, you can relieve me. Nevertheless, since Muley appears to blame me for my seriousness, Iwill relate to you something which will justify me when I am moregrave than others. You see that I have lost my left hand; this camenot to me at my birth, but I lost it in the most unhappy days of mylife. Whether I bear the fault thereof, whether I am wrong to be moreserious than my condition in life would seem to make me, you mustdecide, when I have told you the STORY OF THE HEWN-OFF HAND. "

[Illustration]

THE STORY OF THE HEWN OFF HAND. 

I was born in Constantinople; my father was a Dragoman of the OttomanPorte, and carried on, besides, a tolerably lucrative trade inessences and silk goods. He gave me a good education, since he partlysuperintended it himself, and partly had me instructed by one of ourpriests. At first, he intended that I should one day take charge ofhis business: but since I displayed greater capacity than he expected, with the advice of his friends, he resolved that I should studymedicine; for a physician, if he only knows more than a common quack, can make his fortune in Constantinople. 

Many Frenchmen were in the habit of coming to our house, and one ofthem prevailed upon my father to let me go to the city of Paris, inhis fatherland, where one could learn the profession gratuitously, andwith the best advantages: he himself would take me with him, at hisown expense, when he returned. My father, who in his youth had alsobeen a traveller, consented, and the Frenchman told me to hold myselfin readiness in three months. I was beside myself with delight to seeforeign lands, and could not wait for the moment in which we shouldembark. At last the stranger had finished his business, and was readyto start. 

On the evening preceding our voyage, my father conducted me into hissleeping apartment; there I saw fine garments and weapons lying on thetable; but what most attracted my eye was a large pile of gold, for Ihad never before seen so much together. My father embraced me, andsaid, "See, my son, I have provided thee with garments for thy journey. These weapons are thine; they are those which thy grandfather hungupon me, when I went forth into foreign lands. I know thou canst wieldthem; but use them not, unless thou art attacked; then, however, layon with right good-will. My wealth is not great; see! I have dividedit into three parts: one is thine; one shall be for my support, andspare money in case of necessity; the third shall be sacred anduntouched by me, it may serve thee in the hour of need. " Thus spoke myold father, while tears hung in his eyes, perhaps from a presentiment, for I have never seen him since. 

Our voyage was favorable; we soon reached the land of the Franks, andsix days' journey brought us to the large city, Paris. Here my Frenchfriend hired me a room, and advised me to be prudent in spending mymoney, which amounted to two thousand thalers. In this city I livedthree years, and learned all that a well-educated physician shouldknow. I would be speaking falsely, however, if I said that I was veryhappy, for the customs of the people pleased me not; moreover, I hadbut few good friends among them, but these were young men ofnobility. 

The longing after my native land at length became irresistible; duringthe whole time I had heard nothing from my father, and I thereforeseized a favorable opportunity to return home. There was going anembassy from France to the Supreme Porte: I agreed to join the trainof the ambassador as surgeon, and soon arrived once more at Stamboul. 

My father's dwelling, however, I found closed, and the neighbors, astonished at seeing me, said that my father had been dead for twomonths. The priest, who had instructed me in youth, brought me thekey. Alone and forsaken, I entered the desolate house. I found all asmy father had left it; but the gold which he promised to leave to me, was missing. I inquired of the priest respecting it, and he bowed andsaid:

"Your father died like a holy man, for he left his gold to theChurch!"

This was incomprehensible to me; nevertheless, what could I do? I hadno proofs against the priest, and could only congratulate myself thathe had not also looked upon the house, and wares of my father, in thelight of a legacy. This was the first misfortune that met me; but afterthis came one upon another. My reputation as a physician would notextend itself, because I was ashamed to play the quack; above all, Imissed the recommendation of my father, who had introduced me to therichest and most respectable families; but now they thought no more ofthe poor Zaleukos. Moreover, the wares of my father found no sale, forhis customers had been scattered at his death, and new ones came onlyafter a long time. One day, as I was reflecting sorrowfully upon mysituation, it occurred to me that in France I had often seen countrymenof mine, who travelled through the land, and exposed their goods at themarket-places of the cities: I recollected that people gladly purchasedof them, because they came from foreign lands; and that by such atrade, one could make a hundred-fold. My resolution was forthwithtaken; I sold my paternal dwelling, gave a portion of the moneyobtained thereby to a tried friend to preserve for me, and with theremainder purchased such articles as were rare in France, --shawls, silken goods, ointments, and oils; for these I hired a place upon avessel, and thus began my second voyage to France. It appeared as iffortune became favorable to me, the moment I had the Straits of theDardanelles upon my back. Our voyage was short and prosperous. Itravelled through the cities of France, large and small, and found, inall, ready purchasers for my goods. My friend in Stamboul continuallysent me fresh supplies, and I became richer from day to day. At lastwhen I had husbanded so well, that I believed myself able to venture onsome more extensive undertaking, I went with my wares into Italy. Imust, however, mention something that brought me in no little money; Icalled my profession also to my assistance. As soon as I arrived in acity I announced, by means of bills, that a Grecian physician wasthere, who had already cured many; and, truly, my balsam, and mymedicines, had brought me in many a zechin. 

Thus at last I reached the city of Florence, in Italy. I proposed tomyself to remain longer than usual in this place, partly because itpleased me so well, partly, moreover, that I might recover from thefatigues of my journey. I hired myself a shop in the quarter of thecity called St. Croce, and in a tavern not far therefrom, took acouple of fine rooms which led out upon a balcony. Immediately I hadmy bills carried around, which announced me as a physician andmerchant. I had no sooner opened my shop than buyers streamed in uponme, and although I asked a tolerably high price, still I sold morethan others, because I was attentive and friendly to my customers. 

Well satisfied, I had spent four days in Florence, when one evening, after I had shut my shop, and according to custom was examining mystock of ointment-boxes, I found, in one of the smaller ones, a letterwhich I did not remember to have put in. I opened it and found thereinan invitation to repair that night, punctually at twelve, to thebridge called the Ponte Vecchio. For some time I reflected upon this, as to who it could be that had thus invited me; as, however, I knewnot a soul in Florence, I thought, as had often happened already, thatone wished to lead me privately to some sick person. Accordingly Iresolved to go; nevertheless, as a precautionary measure, I put onthe sabre which my father had given me. As it was fast approachingmidnight, I set out upon my way, and soon arrived at the PonteVecchio; I found the bridge forsaken and desolate, and resolved towait until it should appear who had addressed me. 

It was a cold night; the moon shone clear as I looked down upon thewaters of the Arno, which sparkled in her light. On the church of thecity the twelfth hour was sounding, when I looked up, and before mestood a tall man, entirely covered with a red cloak, a corner of whichhe held before his face. At this sudden apparition I was at firstsomewhat startled, but I soon recovered myself and said--

"If you have summoned me hither, tell me, what is your pleasure?"

The Red-mantle turned, and solemnly ejaculated, "Follow!"

My mind was nevertheless somewhat uneasy at the idea of going alonewith this Unknown; I stood still and said, "Not so, dear sir; you willfirst tell me whither; moreover, you may show me your face a little, that I may see whether you have good intentions towards me. "

The Stranger, however, appeared not to be concerned thereat. "If thouwishest it not, Zaleukos, then remain!" answered he, moving away. Atthis my anger burned. 

"Think you, " I cried, "that I will suffer a man to play the fool withme, and wait here this cold night for nothing?" In three bounds Ireached him; crying still louder, I seized him by the cloak, layingthe other hand upon my sabre; but the mantle remained in my hand, andthe Unknown vanished around the nearest corner. My anger graduallycooled; I still had the cloak, and this should furnish the key to thisstrange adventure. I put it on, and moved towards home. Before I hadtaken a hundred steps, somebody passed very near, and whispered in theFrench tongue, "Observe, Count, to-night, we can do nothing. " Before Icould look around, this somebody had passed, and I saw only a shadowhovering near the houses. That this exclamation was addressed to themantle, and not to me, I plainly perceived; nevertheless, this threwno light upon the matter. Next morning I considered what was best tobe done. At first I thought of having proclamation made respectingthe cloak, that I had found it; but in that case the Unknown couldsend for it by a third person, and I would have no explanation of thematter. While thus meditating I took a nearer view of the garment. Itwas of heavy Genoese velvet, of dark red color, bordered with fur fromAstrachan, and richly embroidered with gold. The gorgeousness of thecloak suggested to me a plan, which I resolved to put in execution. Icarried it to my shop and offered it for sale, taking care, however, to set so high a price upon it, that I would be certain to find nopurchaser. My object in this was to fix my eye keenly upon every onewho should come to inquire after it; for the figure of the Unknown, which, after the loss of the mantle, had been exposed to me distinctlythough transiently, I could recognise out of thousands. Many merchantscame after the cloak, the extraordinary beauty of which drew all eyesupon it; but none bore the slightest resemblance to the Unknown, nonewould give for it the high price of two hundred zechins. It wassurprising to me, that when I asked one and another whether there wasa similar mantle in Florence, all answered in the negative, andprotested that they had never seen such costly and elegantworkmanship. 

It was just becoming evening, when at last there came a young man whohad often been in there, and had also that very day bid high for themantle; he threw upon the table a bag of zechins, exclaiming--

"By Heaven! Zaleukos, I must have your mantle, should I be made abeggar by it. " Immediately he began to count out his gold pieces. Iwas in a great dilemma; I had exposed the mantle, in order thereby toget a sight of my unknown friend, and now came a young simpleton togive the unheard-of price. Nevertheless, what remained for me? Icomplied, for on the other hand the reflection consoled me, that mynight adventure would be so well rewarded. The young man put on thecloak and departed; he turned, however, upon the threshold, while heloosened a paper which was attached to the collar, and threw ittowards me, saying, "Here, Zaleukos, hangs something, that does notproperly belong to my purchase. " Indifferently, I received the note;but lo! these were the contents:--

"This night, at the hour thou knowest, bring the mantle to the PonteVecchio; four hundred zechins await thee!"

I stood as one thunder-struck: thus had I trifled with fortune, andentirely missed my aim. Nevertheless, I reflected not long; catchingup the two hundred zechins, I bounded to the side of the young man andsaid, "Take your zechins again, my good friend, and leave me thecloak; I cannot possibly part with it. "

At first he treated the thing as a jest, but when he saw it wasearnest, he fell in a passion at my presumption, and called me a fool;and thus at last we came to blows. I was fortunate enough to seize themantle in the scuffle, and was already making off with it, when theyoung man called the police to his assistance, and had both of uscarried before a court of justice. The magistrate was much astonishedat the accusation, and adjudged the cloak to my opponent. I however, offered the young man twenty, fifty, eighty, at last a hundred, zechins, in addition to his two hundred, if he would surrender it tome. What my entreaties could not accomplish, my gold did. He took mygood zechins, while I went off in triumph with the mantle, obliged tobe satisfied with being taken for a madman by every one in Florence. Nevertheless, the opinion of the people was a matter of indifferenceto me, for I knew better than they, that I would still gain by thebargain. 

With impatience I awaited the night; at the same hour as the precedingday, I proceeded to the Ponte Vecchio, the mantle under my arm. Withthe last stroke of the clock, came the figure out of darkness to myside: beyond a doubt it was the man of the night before. 

"Hast thou the cloak?" I was asked. 

"Yes, sir, " I replied, "but it cost me a hundred zechins cash. "

"I know it, " rejoined he; "look, here are four hundred. " He moved withme to the broad railing of the bridge and counted out the gold pieces;brightly they glimmered in the moonshine, their lustre delighted myheart--ah! it did not foresee that this was to be its last joy. I putthe money in my pocket, and then wished to get a good view of thegenerous stranger, but he had a mask before his face, through whichtwo dark eyes frightfully beamed upon me. 

"I thank you, sir, for your kindness, " said I to him; "what furtherdesire you of me? I told you before, however, that it must be nothingevil. "

"Unnecessary trouble, " answered he, throwing the cloak over hisshoulders; "I needed your assistance as a physician, nevertheless notfor a living, but for a dead person. "

"How can that be?" exclaimed I in amazement. 

"I came with my sister from a distant land, " rejoined he, at the sametime motioning me to follow him, "and took up my abode with a friendof our family. A sudden disease carried off my sister yesterday, andour relations wished to bury her this morning. According to an oldusage of our family, however, all are to repose in the sepulchre ofour fathers; many who have died in foreign lands, nevertheless sleepthere embalmed. To my relations now I grant the body, but to my fathermust I bring at least the head of his daughter, that he may see itonce again. "

In this custom of severing the head from near relatives there was tome, indeed, something awful; nevertheless, I ventured to say nothingagainst it, through fear of offending the Unknown. I told him, therefore, that I was well acquainted with the art of embalming thedead, and asked him to lead me to the body. Notwithstanding, I couldnot keep myself from inquiring why all this must be done so secretlyin the night. He answered me that his relations, who considered hispurpose inhuman, would prevent him from accomplishing it by day; butonly let the head once be cut off, and they could say little moreabout it: he could, indeed, have brought the head to me, but a naturalfeeling prevented him from cutting it off himself. 

These words brought us to a large splendid house; my companion pointedit out to me as the termination of our nocturnal walk. We passed theprincipal door, and entering a small gate, which the strangercarefully closed after him, ascended, in the dark, a narrow, windingstaircase. This brought us to a dimly-lighted corridor, from which weentered an apartment; a lamp, suspended from the ceiling, shed itsbrilliant rays around. 

In this chamber stood a bed, on which lay the corpse; the Unknownturned away his face, as if wishing to conceal his tears. He beckonedme to the bed, and bidding me set about my business speedily yetcarefully, went out by the door. 

I seized my knives, which, as a physician, I constantly carried withme, and approached the bed. Only the head of the corpse was visible, but that was so beautiful that the deepest compassion involuntarilycame over me. In long braids the dark hair hung down; the face waspale, the eyes closed. At first, I made an incision in the skin, according to the practice of surgeons when they remove a limb. Then Itook my sharpest knife and cut entirely through the throat. But, horror! the dead opened her eyes--shut them again--and in a deep sighseemed now, for the first time, to breathe forth her life! Straightwaya stream of hot blood sprang forth from the wound. I was convincedthat I had killed the poor girl; for that she was dead there could beno doubt--from such a wound there was no chance of recovering. I stoodsome moments in anxious wo, thinking on what had happened. Had theRed-mantle deceived me, or was his sister, perhaps, only apparentlydead? The latter appeared to me more probable. Yet I dared not tellthe brother of the deceased, that, perhaps, a less rash blow wouldhave aroused, without having killed her; therefore I began to severthe head entirely--but once again the dying one groaned, stretchedherself out in a convulsion of pain, and breathed her last. Thenterror overpowered me, and I rushed shivering out of the apartment. 

But outside in the corridor it was dark, for the lamp had died out; notrace of my companion was perceptible, and I was obliged to move alongby the wall, at hazard in the dark, in order to reach thewinding-stairs. I found them at last, and descended, half falling, half gliding. There was no one below; the door was only latched, and Ibreathed more freely when I was in the street, out of the uneasyatmosphere of the house. Spurred on by fear, I ran to my dwelling, andburied myself in the pillow of my bed, in order to forget the horridcrime I had committed. But sleep fled my eyelids, and soon morningadmonished me again to collect myself. It seemed probable to me, thatthe man who had led me to this villainous deed, as it now appeared tome, would not denounce me. I immediately resolved to attend to mybusiness in my shop, and to put on as careless an air as possible. But, alas! a new misfortune, which I now for the first time observed, augmented my sorrow. My cap and girdle, as also my knives, weremissing; and I knew not whether they had been left in the chamber ofthe dead, or lost during my flight. Alas! the former seemed moreprobable, and they could discover in me the murderer. 

I opened my shop at the usual time; a neighbor stepped in, as was hiscustom, being a communicative man. "Ah! what say you to the horriddeed, " he cried, "that was committed last night?" I started as if Iknew nothing. "How! know you not that with which the whole city isfilled? Know you not that last night, the fairest flower in Florence, Bianca, the daughter of the Governor, was murdered? Ah! only yesterdayI saw her walking happily through the streets with her bridegroom, forto-day she would have had her nuptial festival!"

Every word of my neighbor was a dagger to my heart; and how oftenreturned my torments! for each of my customers told me the story, onemore frightfully than another; yet not one could tell it half sohorribly as it had seemed to me. About mid-day, an officer of justiceunexpectedly walked into my shop, and asked me to clear it of thebystanders. 

"Signor Zaleukos, " said he, showing me the articles I had lost, "belong these things to you?" I reflected whether I should notentirely disown them; but when I saw through the half-opened door, mylandlord and several acquaintances, who could readily testify againstme, I determined not to make the matter worse by a falsehood, andacknowledged the articles exhibited as my own. The officer told me tofollow him, and conducted me to a spacious building, which I soonrecognised as the prison. Then, a little farther on, he showed me intoan apartment. 

My situation was terrible, as I reflected on it in my solitude. Thethought of having committed a murder, even against my wish, returnedagain and again. Moreover, I could not conceal from myself that theglance of the gold had dazzled my senses; otherwise I would not havefallen so blindly into the snare. 

Two hours after my arrest, I was led from my chamber, and afterdescending several flights of stairs, entered a spacious saloon. Around a long table hung with black, were seated twelve men, mostlygray with age. Along the side of the room, benches were arranged, onwhich were seated the first people of Florence. In the gallery, whichwas built quite high, stood the spectators, closely crowded together. As soon as I reached the black table, a man with a gloomy, sorrowfulair arose--it was the Governor. He told the audience that, as afather, he could not judge impartially in this matter, and that he, for this occasion, would surrender his seat to the oldest of thesenators. The latter was a gray-headed man, of at least ninety years. He arose, stooping beneath the weight of age; his temples were coveredwith thin white hair, but his eyes still burned brightly, and hisvoice was strong and steady. He began by asking me whether I confessedthe murder. I entreated his attention, and with dauntless, distinctvoice, related what I had done and all that I knew. I observed thatthe Governor during my recital turned first pale, then red, and when Iconcluded, became furious. "How, wretch!" he cried out to me, "wishest thou thus to lay upon another, the crime thy avarice hascommitted?"

The Senator rebuked him for his interruption, after having of his ownfree will resigned his right; moreover, that it was not so clear, thatI had done the deed through avarice, for according to his owntestimony, nothing had been taken from the corpse. Yes, he went stillfurther; he told the Governor that he must give an account of hisdaughter's early life, for in this way only could one conclude whetherI had told the truth or not. Immediately he closed the court for thatday, for the purpose, as he said, of consulting the papers of thedeceased, which the Governor was to give him. I was carried back to myprison, where I passed a sorrowful day, constantly occupied with theardent hope, that they would in some way discover the connectionbetween the deceased and the Red-mantle. 

Full of hope, I proceeded the next day to the justice-hall. Severalletters lay upon the table; the old Senator asked whether they were ofmy writing. I looked at them, and found that they were by the samehand as both the letters that I had received. This I disclosed to theSenator; but he seemed to give but little weight to it, answering thatI must have written both, for the name subscribed was unquestionably aZ, the initial of my name. The letters, however, contained menacesagainst the deceased, and warnings against the marriage which she wason the point of consummating. The Governor seemed to have impartedsomething strange and untrue, with respect to my person; for I wastreated this day with more suspicion and severity. For myjustification, I appealed to the papers, which would be found in myroom, but I was informed that search had been made and nothing found. Thus, at the close of the court, vanished all my hope; and when, onthe third day, I was led again to the hall, the judgment was readaloud, that I was convicted of a premeditated murder, and sentenced todeath. To such extremity had I come; forsaken by all that was dear tome on earth, far from my native land, innocent and in the bloom of myyears, I was to die by the axe!

On the evening of this terrible day which had decided my fate, I wasseated in my lonely dungeon, my hopes past, my thoughts seriouslyturned upon death, when the door of my prison opened, and a manentered who regarded me long in silence. 

"Do I see you again, in this situation, Zaleukos?" he began. By thedim light of my lamp I had not recognised him, but the sound of hisvoice awoke within me old recollections. It was Valetty, one of thefew friends I had made during my studies at Paris. He said that he hadcasually come to Florence, where his father, a distinguished man, resided; he had heard of my story, and come to see me once more, toinquire with his own lips, how I could have been guilty of such anawful crime. I told him the whole history: he seemed lost in wonder, and conjured me to tell him, my only friend, all the truth, and not todepart with a lie upon my tongue. I swore to him with the most solemnoath, that I had spoken the truth; and that no other guilt could beattached to me, than that, having been blinded by the glance of thegold, I had not seen the improbability of the Stranger's story. "Thendid you not know Bianca?" asked he. I assured him that I had neverseen her. Valetty thereupon told me that there was a deep mystery inthe matter; that the Governor in great haste had urged mycondemnation, and that a report was current among the people, that Ihad known Bianca for a long time, and had murdered her out of revengefor her intended marriage with another. I informed him that all thiswas probably true of the Red-mantle, but that I could not prove hisparticipation in the deed. Valetty embraced me, weeping, and promisedme to do all that he could; to save my life, if nothing more. I hadnot much hope; nevertheless, I knew that my friend was a wise man, andwell acquainted with the laws, and that he would do all in his powerto preserve me. 

Two long days was I in suspense; at length Valetty appeared. "I bringconsolation, though even that is attended with sorrow. You shall liveand be free, but with the loss of a hand!"

Overjoyed, I thanked my friend for my life. He told me that theGovernor had been inexorable, and would not once look into the matter:that at length, however, rather than appear unjust, he had agreed, ifa similar case could be found in the annals of Florentine history, that my penalty should be regulated by the punishment that was theninflicted. He and his father had searched, day and night, in the oldbooks, and had at length found a case similar in every respect tomine; the sentence there ran thus:--

"He shall have his left hand cut off; his goods shall be confiscated, and he himself banished forever!"

Such now was my sentence, also, and I was to prepare for the painfulhour that awaited me. I will not bring before your eyes the frightfulmoment, in which, at the open market-place, I laid my hand upon theblock; in which my own blood in thick streams flowed over me!

Valetty took me to his house until I had recovered, and thengenerously supplied me with money for my journey, for all that I hadso laboriously acquired was confiscated to Justice. I went fromFlorence to Sicily, and thence, by the first ship I could find, toConstantinople. My hopes, which rested on the sum of money I had leftwith my friend, were not disappointed. I proposed that I should livewith him--how astonished was I, when he asked why I occupied not myown house! He told me that a strange man had, in my name, bought ahouse in the quarter of the Greeks, and told the neighbors that Iwould soon, myself, return. I immediately proceeded to it with myfriend, and was joyfully received by all my old acquaintances. An agedmerchant handed me a letter which the man who purchased for me hadleft. I read:--

"Zaleukos! two hands stand ready to work unceasingly, that thou mayestnot feel the loss of one. That house which thou seest and all thereinare thine, and every year shalt thou receive so much, that thou shaltbe among the rich of thy nation. Mayest thou forgive one who is moreunhappy than thyself!"

I could guess who was the writer, and the merchant told me, in answerto my inquiry that it was a man covered with a red cloak, whom he hadtaken for a Frenchman. I knew enough to convince me that the Unknownwas not entirely devoid of generous feeling. In my new house I foundall arranged in the best style; a shop, moreover, full of wares, finerthan any I had ever had. Ten years have elapsed since then; more incompliance with ancient custom, than because it is necessary, do Icontinue to travel in foreign lands for purposes of trade, but theland which was so fatal to me I have never seen since. Every year Ireceive a thousand pieces of gold; but although it rejoices me to knowthat this Unfortunate is so noble, still can his money never remove wofrom my soul, for there lives forever the heart-rending image of themurdered Bianca!

[Illustration]

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Thus ended the story of Zaleukos, the Grecian merchant. With greatinterest had the others listened; the stranger, in particular, seemedto be wrapt up in it: more than once he had drawn a deep sigh, andMuley looked as if he had had tears in his eyes. No one spoke for sometime after the recital. 

"And hate you not the Unknown, who so basely cost you a noble memberof your body, and even put your life in danger?" inquired Selim. 

"Perhaps there were hours at first, " answered the Greek, "in which myheart accused him before God, of having brought this misfortune uponme, and embittered my life; but I found consolation in the religion ofmy fathers, which commanded me to love my enemies. Moreover, heprobably is more unhappy than myself. "

"You are a noble man!" exclaimed Selim, cordially pressing the hand ofthe Greek. 

The leader of the escort, however, here interrupted theirconversation. He came with a troubled air into the tent, and told themthat they could not give themselves up to repose, for this was theplace in which Caravans were usually attacked, and his guards imaginedthey had seen several horsemen in the distance. 

The merchants were confounded at this intelligence. Selim, thestranger, however, expressed wonder at their alarm, saying they wereso well escorted they need not fear a troop of Arabian robbers. 

"Yes, sir, " rejoined to him the leader of the guard; "were he only acommon outlaw, we could compose ourselves to rest without anxiety; butfor some time back, the frightful Orbasan has shown himself again, andit is well to be upon our guard. "

The stranger inquired who this Orbasan was, and Achmet, the oldmerchant, answered him:--

"Various rumors are current among the people with respect to thiswonderful man. Some hold him to be a supernatural being, because, withonly five or six men, he has frequently fallen upon a wholeencampment; others regard him as a bold Frenchman, whom misfortune hasdriven into this region: out of all this, however, thus much alone iscertain, that he is an abandoned robber and highwayman. "

"That can you not prove, " answered Lezah, one of the merchants. "Robber as he is, he is still a noble man, and such has he shownhimself to my brother, as I can relate to you. He has formed hiswhole band of well-disciplined men, and as long as he marches throughthe desert, no other band ventures to show itself. Moreover, he robsnot as others, but only exacts a tribute from the caravans; whoeverwillingly pays this, proceeds without further danger, for Orbasan islord of the wilderness!"

Thus did the travellers converse together in the tent; the guards, however, who were stationed around the resting-place, began to becomeuneasy. A tolerably large band of armed horsemen showed themselves atthe distance of half a league. They appeared to be riding straight tothe encampment; one of the guard came into the tent, to inform themthat they would probably be attacked. 

[Illustration]

The merchants consulted among themselves as to what they should do, whether to march against them, or await the attack. Achmet and the twoelder merchants inclined to the latter course; the fiery Muley, however, and Zaleukos desired the former, and summoned the stranger totheir assistance. He, however, quietly drew forth from his girdle alittle blue cloth spangled with red stars, bound it upon a lance, and commanded one of the slaves to plant it in front of the tent: hewould venture his life upon it, he said, that the horsemen, when theysaw this signal, would quietly march back again. Muley trusted not theresult; still the slave put out the lance in front of the tent. Meanwhile all in the camp had seized their weapons, and were lookingupon the horsemen in eager expectation. The latter, however, appearedto have espied the signal; they suddenly swerved from their directcourse towards the encampment, and, in a large circle, moved off tothe side. 

Struck with wonder, the travellers stood some moments, gazingalternately at the horsemen and the stranger. The latter stood infront of the tent quite indifferently, as though nothing had happened, looking upon the plain before him. At last Muley broke the silence. 

"Who art thou, mighty stranger, " he exclaimed, "that restrainest witha glance the wild hordes of the desert?"

"You rate my art higher than it deserves, " answered Selim Baruch. "Iobserved this signal when I fled from captivity; what it means, I knownot--only this much I know, that whoever travels with this sign, isunder great protection. "

The merchants thanked the stranger, and called him their preserver;indeed, the number of the robbers was so great, that the Caravan couldnot, probably, for any length of time, have offered an effectualresistance. 

With lighter hearts they now gave themselves to sleep; and when thesun began to sink, and the evening wind to pass over the sand-plain, they struck their tents, and marched on. The next day they haltedsafely, only one day's journey from the entrance of the desert. Whenthe travellers had once more collected in the large tent, Lezah, themerchant, took up the discourse. 

"I told you, yesterday, that the dreaded Orbasan was a noble man;permit me to prove it to you, to-day, by the relation of my brother'sadventure. My father was Cadi of Acara. He had three children; I wasthe eldest, my brother and sister being much younger than myself. WhenI was twenty years old, a brother of my father took me under hisprotection; he made me heir to his property, on condition that Ishould remain with him until his death. He however had reached an oldage, so that before two years I returned to my native land, havingknown nothing, before, of the misfortune which had meanwhile fallenupon my family, and how Allah had turned it to advantage. "

[Illustration]

FATIMA'S DELIVERANCE. 

My brother Mustapha and my sister Fatima were almost of the same age;the former was at most but two years older. They loved each otherfervently, and did in concert, all that could lighten, for oursuffering father, the burden of his old age. On Fatima's seventeenthbirthday, my brother prepared a festival. He invited all hercompanions, and set before them a choice banquet in the gardens ofour father, and, towards evening, proposed to them to take a littlesail upon the sea, in a boat which he had hired, and adorned in grandstyle. Fatima and her companions agreed with joy, for the evening wasfine, and the city, particularly when viewed by evening from the sea, promised a magnificent prospect. The girls, however, were so wellpleased upon the bark, that they continually entreated my brother togo farther out upon the sea. Mustapha, however, yielded reluctantly, because a Corsair had been seen, for several days back, in thatvicinity. 

Not far from the city, a promontory projected into the sea; thitherthe maidens were anxious to go, in order to see the sun sink into thewater. Having rowed thither, they beheld a boat occupied by armed men. Anticipating no good, my brother commanded the oarsmen to turn thevessel, and make for land. His apprehensions seemed, indeed, to beconfirmed, for the boat quickly approached that of my brother, andgetting ahead of it, (for it had more rowers, ) ran between it and theland. The young girls, moreover, when they knew the danger to whichthey were exposed, sprang up with cries and lamentations: in vainMustapha sought to quiet them, in vain enjoined upon them to be still, lest their running to and fro should upset the vessel. It was of noavail; and when, in consequence of the proximity of the other boat, all ran upon the further side, it was upset. 

Meanwhile, they had observed from the land the approach of the strangeboat, and, inasmuch as, for some time back, they had been in anxietyon account of Corsairs, their suspicions were excited, and severalboats put off from the land to their assistance: but they only came intime to pick up the drowning. In the confusion, the hostile boatescaped. In both barks, however, which had taken in those who werepreserved, they were uncertain whether all had been saved. Theyapproached each other, and, alas! found that my sister and one of hercompanions were missing; at the same time, in their number a strangerwas discovered, who was known to none. In answer to Mustapha'sthreats, he confessed that he belonged to the hostile ship, which waslying at anchor two miles to the eastward, and that his companions hadleft him behind in their hasty flight, while he was engaged inassisting to pick up the maidens; moreover, he said he had seen twotaken on board their boat. 

The grief of my old father was without bounds, but Mustapha also wasafflicted unto death, for not only had his beloved sister been lost, and did he accuse himself of having been the cause of her misfortune, but, also, her companion who had shared it with her, had been promisedto him by her parents as his wife; still had he not dared to avow itto our father, because her family was poor, and of low descent. Myfather, however, was a stern man; as soon as his sorrow had subsided alittle, he called Mustapha before him, and thus spake to him:--

"Thy folly has deprived me of the consolation of my old age, and thejoy of my eyes. Go! I banish thee forever from my sight! I curse theeand thine offspring--and only when thou shalt restore to me my Fatima, shall thy head be entirely free from a father's execrations!"

This my poor brother had not expected; already, before this, he haddetermined to go in search of his sister and her friend, after havingasked the blessing of his father upon his efforts, and now that fatherhad sent him forth into the world, laden with his curse. As, however, his former grief had bowed him down, so this consummation ofmisfortune, which he had not deserved, tended to steel his mind. Hewent to the imprisoned pirate, and, demanding whither the ship wasbound, learned that she carried on a trade in slaves, and usually hada great sale thereof in Balsora. 

On his return to the house, in order to prepare for his journey, theanger of his father seemed to have subsided a little, for he sent hima purse full of gold, to support him during his travels. Mustapha, thereupon, in tears took leave of the parents of Zoraida, (for so hisaffianced was called, ) and set out upon the route to Balsora. 

Mustapha travelled by land, because from our little city there was noship that went direct to Balsora. He was obliged, therefore, to useall expedition, in order not to arrive too long after the sea-robbers. Having a good horse and no luggage, he hoped to reach this city by theend of the sixth day. On the evening of the fourth, however, as hewas riding all alone upon his way, three men came suddenly upon him. Having observed that they were well-armed and powerful men, and soughthis money and his horse, rather than his life, he cried out that hewould yield himself to them. They dismounted, and tied his feettogether under his horse; then they placed him in their midst, and, without a word spoken, trotted quickly away with him; one of themhaving seized his bridle. 

Mustapha gave himself up to a feeling of gloomy despair; the curse ofhis father seemed already to be undergoing its accomplishment on theunfortunate one, and how could he hope to save his sister and Zoraida, should he, robbed of all his means, even be able to devote his poorlife to their deliverance? Mustapha and his silent companions mighthave ridden about an hour, when they entered a little valley. The valewas enclosed by lofty trees; a soft, dark-green turf, and a streamwhich ran swiftly through its midst, invited to repose. In this placewere pitched from fifteen to twenty tents, to the stakes of which werefastened camels and fine horses: from one of these tents distinctlysounded the melody of a guitar, blended with two fine manly voices. Itseemed to my brother as if people who had chosen so blithesome aresting-place, could have no evil intentions towards himself; andaccordingly, without apprehension, he obeyed the summons of hisconductors, who had unbound his feet, and made signs to him to follow. They led him into a tent which was larger than the rest, and on theinside was magnificently fitted up. Splendid cushions embroidered withgold, woven carpets, gilded censers, would elsewhere have bespokenopulence and respectability, but here seemed only the booty of arobber band. Upon one of the cushions an old and small-sized man wasreclining: his countenance was ugly; a dark-brown and shining skin, adisgusting expression around his eyes, and a mouth of maliciouscunning, combined to render his whole appearance odious. Although thisman sought to put on a commanding air, still Mustapha soon perceivedthat not for him was the tent so richly adorned, and the conversationof his conductors seemed to confirm him in his opinion. 

"Where is the Mighty?" inquired they of the little man. 

"He is out upon a short hunt, " was the answer; "but he hascommissioned me to attend to his affairs. "

"That has he not wisely done, " rejoined one of the robbers; "for itmust soon be determined whether this dog is to die or be ransomed, andthat the Mighty knows better than thou. "

Being very sensitive in all that related to his usurped dignity, thelittle man, raising himself, stretched forward in order to reach theother's ear with the extremity of his hand, for he seemed desirous ofrevenging himself by a blow; but when he saw that his attempt wasfruitless, he set about abusing him (and indeed the others did notremain much in his debt) to such a degree, that the tent resoundedwith their strife. Thereupon, of a sudden, the tent-door opened, andin walked a tall, stately man, young and handsome as a Persian prince. His garments and weapons, with the exception of a richly-mountedponiard and gleaming sabre, were plain and simple; his serious eye, however, and his whole appearance, demanded respect without excitingfear. 

"Who is it that dares to engage in strife within my tent?" exclaimedhe, as they started back aghast. For a long time deep stillnessprevailed, till at last one of those who had captured Mustapha, related to him how it had begun. Thereupon the countenance of "theMighty, " as they had called him, seemed to grow red with passion. 

"When would I have placed thee, Hassan, over my concerns?" he cried, in frightful accents, to the little man. The latter, in his fear, shrunk until he seemed even smaller than before, and crept towards thedoor of the tent. One step of the Mighty was sufficient to send himthrough the entrance with a long singular bound. As soon as the littleman had vanished, the three led Mustapha before the master of thetent, who had meanwhile reclined upon the cushion. 

"Here bring we thee him, whom thou commandedst us to take. " Heregarded the prisoner for some time, and then said, "Bashaw ofSulieika, thine own conscience will tell thee why thou standest beforeOrbasan. " When my brother heard this, he bowed low and answered:--

"My lord, you appear to labor under a mistake; I am a poorunfortunate, not the Bashaw, whom you seek. " At this all were amazed;the master of the tent, however, said:--

"Dissimulation can help you little, for I will summon the people whoknow you well. " He commanded them to bring in Zuleima. An old womanwas led into the tent, who, on being asked whether in my brother sherecognised the Bashaw of Sulieika, answered:--

"Yes, verily! And I swear by the grave of the Prophet, it is theBashaw, and no other!"

"Seest thou, wretch, that thy dissimulation has become as water?"cried out the Mighty in a furious tone. "Thou art too pitiful for meto stain my good dagger with thy blood, but to-morrow, when the sun isup, will I bind thee to the tail of my horse, and gallop with theethrough the woods, until they separate behind the hills of Sulieika!"Then sank my poor brother's courage within him. 

"It is my cruel father's curse, that urges me to an ignominiousdeath, " exclaimed he, weeping; "and thou, too, art lost, sweetsister, and thou, Zoraida!"

"Thy dissimulation helps thee not, " said one of the robbers, as hebound his hands behind his back. "Come, out of the tent with thee! forthe Mighty is biting his lips, and feeling for his dagger. If thouwouldst live another night, bestir thyself!"

Just as the robbers were leading my brother from the tent, they metthree of their companions, who were also pushing a captive beforethem. They entered with him. "Here bring we the Bashaw, as thou hastcommanded, " said they, conducting the prisoner before the cushion ofthe Mighty. While they were so doing, my brother had an opportunity ofexamining him, and was struck with surprise at the remarkableresemblance which this man bore to himself; the only difference being, that he was of more gloomy aspect, and had a black beard. The Mightyseemed much astonished at the resemblance of the two captives. 

"Which of you is the right one?" he asked, looking alternately atMustapha and the other. 

"If thou meanest the Bashaw of Sulieika, " answered the latter in ahaughty tone, "I am he!"

The Mighty regarded him for a long time with his grave, terrible eye, and then silently motioned to them to lead him off. This having beendone, he approached my brother, severed his bonds with his dagger, andinvited him by signs to sit upon the cushion beside him. "It grievesme, stranger, " he said, "that I took you for this villain. It hashappened, however, by some mysterious interposition of Providence, which placed you in the hands of my companions, at the very hour inwhich the destruction of this wretch was ordained. "

Mustapha, thereupon, entreated him only for permission to pursue hisjourney immediately, for this delay might cost him much. The Mightyasked what business it could be that required such haste, and, whenMustapha had told him all, he persuaded him to spend that night in histent, and allow his horse some rest; and promised the next morning toshow him a route which would bring him to Balsora in a day and a half. My brother consented, was sumptuously entertained, and slept soundlytill morning in the robber's tent. 

Upon awaking, he found himself all alone in the tent, but, before theentrance, heard several voices in conversation, which seemed to belongto the swarthy little man and the bandit-chief. He listened awhile, and to his horror heard the little man eagerly urging the other toslay the stranger, since, if he were let go, he could betray them all. Mustapha immediately perceived that the little man hated him, forhaving been the cause of his rough treatment the day before. TheMighty seemed to be reflecting a moment. 

"No, " said he; "he is my guest, and the laws of hospitality are withme sacred: moreover, he does not look like one that would betray us. "

Having thus spoken, he threw back the tent-cover, and walked in. "Peace be with thee, Mustapha!" he said: "let us taste themorning-drink, and then prepare thyself for thy journey. " He offeredmy brother a cup of sherbet, and after they had drunk, they saddledtheir horses, and Mustapha mounted, with a lighter heart, indeed, thanwhen he entered the vale. They had soon turned their backs upon thetents, and took a broad path, which led into the forest. The Mightyinformed my brother, that this Bashaw whom they had captured in thechase, had promised them that they should remain undisturbed withinhis jurisdiction; but some weeks before, he had taken one of theirbravest men, and had him hung, after the most terrible tortures. Hehad waited for him a long time, and to-day he must die. Mustaphaventured not to say a word in opposition, for he was glad to haveescaped himself with a whole skin. 

At the entrance of the forest, the Mighty checked his horse, showedMustapha the way, and gave him his hand with these words: "Mustapha, thou becamest in a strange way the guest of the robber Orbasan. I willnot ask thee not to betray what thou hast seen and heard. Thou hastunjustly endured the pains of death, and I owe thee a recompense. Takethis dagger as a remembrance, and when thou hast need of help, send itto me, and I will hasten to thy assistance. This purse thou wiltperhaps need upon thy journey. "

My brother thanked him for his generosity; he took the dagger, butrefused the purse. Orbasan, however, pressed once again his hand, letthe money fall to the ground, and galloped with the speed of the windinto the forest. Mustapha, seeing that he could not overtake him, dismounted to secure the purse, and was astonished at the greatmagnanimity of his host, for it contained a large sum of gold. Hethanked Allah for his deliverance, commended the generous robber tohis mercy, and again started, with fresh courage, upon the route toBalsora. 

 * * * * *

Lezah paused, and looked inquiringly at Achmet, the old merchant. 

"No! if it be so, " said the latter, "then will I gladly correct myopinion of Orbasan; for indeed he acted nobly towards thy brother. "

"He behaved like a brave Mussulman, " exclaimed Muley; "but I hope thouhast not here finished thy story, for, as it seems to me, we are alleager to hear still further, how it went with thy brother, and whetherhe succeeded in rescuing thy sister and the fair Zoraida. "

"I will willingly proceed, " rejoined Lezah, "if it be not tiresome toyou; for my brother's history is, throughout, full of the mostwonderful adventures. "

 * * * * *

About the middle of the seventh day after his departure, Mustaphaentered the gate of Balsora. As soon as he had arrived at acaravansery, he inquired whether the slave-market, which was held hereevery year, had opened; but received the startling answer, that he hadcome two days too late. His informer deplored his tardiness, tellinghim that on the last day of the market, two female slaves had arrived, of such great beauty as to attract to themselves the eyes of all themerchants. 

He inquired more particularly as to their appearance, and there was nodoubt in his mind, that they were the unfortunate ones of whom he wasin search. Moreover, he learned that the man who had purchased themboth, was called Thiuli-Kos, and lived forty leagues from Balsora, anillustrious and wealthy, but quite old man, who had been in his earlyyears Capudan-Bashaw of the Sultan, but had now settled down intoprivate life with the riches he had acquired. 

Mustapha was, at first, on the point of remounting his horse with allpossible speed, in order to overtake Thiuli-Kos, who could scarcelyhave had a day's start; but when he reflected that, as a single man, he could not prevail against the powerful traveller, could still lessrescue from him his prey, he set about reflecting for another plan, and soon hit upon one. His resemblance to the Bashaw of Sulieika, which had almost been fatal to him, suggested to him the thought ofgoing to the house of Thiuli-Kos under this name, and, in that way, making an attempt for the deliverance of the two unfortunate maidens. Accordingly he hired attendants and horses, in which the money ofOrbasan opportunely came to his assistance, furnished himself and hisservants with splendid garments, and set out in the direction ofThiuli's castle. After five days he arrived in its vicinity. It wassituated in a beautiful plain, and was surrounded on all sides bylofty walls, which were but slightly overtopped by the structureitself. When Mustapha had arrived quite near, he dyed his hair andbeard black, and stained his face with the juice of a plant, whichgave it a brownish color, exactly similar to that of the Bashaw. Fromthis place he sent forward one of his attendants to the castle, andbade him ask a night's lodging, in the name of the Bashaw ofSulieika. The servant soon returned in company with fourfinely-attired slaves, who took Mustapha's horse by the bridle, andled him into the court-yard. There they assisted him to dismount, andfour others escorted him up a wide marble staircase, into the presenceof Thiuli. 

The latter personage, an old, robust man, received my brotherrespectfully, and had set before him the best that his castle couldafford. After the meal, Mustapha gradually turned the conversationupon the new slaves; whereupon, Thiuli praised their beauty, butexpressed regret because they were so sorrowful; nevertheless hebelieved that would go over after a time. My brother was muchdelighted at his reception, and, with hope beating high in his bosom, lay down to rest. 

He might, perhaps, have been sleeping an hour, when he was awakened bythe rays of a lamp, which fell dazzlingly upon his eyes. When he hadraised himself up, he believed himself dreaming, for there before himstood the very same little, swarthy fellow of Orbasan's tent, a lampin his hand, his wide mouth distended with a disgusting laugh. Mustapha pinched himself in the arm, and pulled his nose, in order tosee if he were really awake, but the figure remained as before. 

"What wishest thou by my bed?" exclaimed Mustapha, recovering from hisamazement. 

"Do not disquiet yourself so much, my friend, " answered the littleman. "I made a good guess as to the motive that brought you hither. Although your worthy countenance was still well remembered by me, nevertheless, had I not with my own hand assisted to hang the Bashaw, you might, perhaps, have deceived even me. Now, however, I am here topropose a question. "

"First of all, tell me why you came hither, " interrupted Mustapha, full of resentment at finding himself detected. 

"That I will explain to you, " rejoined the other: "I could not put upwith the Mighty any longer, and therefore ran away; but you, Mustapha, were properly the cause of our quarrel, and so you must give me yoursister to wife, and I will help you in your flight; give her not, andI will go to my new master, and tell him something of our new Bashaw. "

Mustapha was beside himself with fear and anger; at the very momentwhen he thought he had arrived at the happy accomplishment of hiswishes, must this wretch come, and frustrate them all! It was the onlyway to carry his plan into execution--he must slay the little monster:with one bound, he sprang from the bed upon him; but the other, whomight perhaps have anticipated something of the kind, let the lampfall, which was immediately extinguished, and rushed forth in thedark, crying vehemently for help. 

Now was the time for decisive action; the maids he was obliged, forthe moment, to abandon, and attend only to his own safety:accordingly, he approached the window, to see if he could not springfrom it. It was a tolerable distance from the ground, and on the otherside stood a lofty wall, which he would have to surmount. Reflecting, he stood by the window until he heard many voices approaching hischamber: already were they at the door, when seizing desperately hisdagger, and garments, he let himself down from the window. The fallwas hard, but he felt that no bone was broken; immediately he sprangup, and ran to the wall which surrounded the court. This, to theastonishment of his pursuers, he mounted, and soon found himself atliberty. He ran on until he came to a little forest, where he sankdown exhausted. Here he reflected on what was to be done; his horsesand attendants he was obliged to leave behind, but the money, which hehad placed in his girdle, he had saved. 

His inventive genius, however, soon pointed him to another means ofdeliverance. He walked through the wood until he arrived at a village, where for a small sum he purchased a horse, with the help of which, ina short time, he reached a city. There he inquired for a physician, and was directed to an old experienced man. On this one he prevailed, by a few gold pieces, to furnish him with a medicine to produce adeath-like sleep, which, by means of another, might be instantaneouslyremoved. Having obtained this, he purchased a long false beard, ablack gown, and various boxes and retorts, so that he could readilypass for a travelling physician; these articles he placed upon an ass, and rode back to the castle of Thiuli-Kos. He was certain, this time, of not being recognised, for the beard disfigured him so that hescarcely knew himself. 

Arrived in the vicinity of the castle, he announced himself as thephysician Chakamankabudibaba, and matters turned out as he hadexpected. The splendor of the name procured him extraordinary favorwith the old fool, who invited him to table. Chakamankabudibabaappeared before Thiuli, and, having conversed with him scarcely anhour, the old man resolved that all his female slaves should submit tothe examination of the wise physician. The latter could scarcelyconceal his joy at the idea of once more beholding his beloved sister, and with palpitating heart followed Thiuli, who conducted him to hisseraglio. They reached an unoccupied room, which was beautifullyfurnished. 

"Chambaba, or whatever thou mayest be called, my good physician, " saidThiuli-Kos, "look once at that hole in the wall; thence shall each ofmy slaves stretch forth her arm, and thou canst feel whether the pulsebetoken sickness or health. "

Answer as he might, Mustapha could not arrange it so that he might seethem; nevertheless, Thiuli agreed to tell him, each time, the usualhealth of the one he was examining. Thiuli drew forth a long list fromhis girdle, and began, with loud voice, to call out, one by one, thenames of his slaves; whereupon, each time, a hand came forth from thewall, and the physician felt the pulse. Six had been read off, anddeclared entirely well, when Thiuli, for the seventh called Fatima, and a small white hand slipped forth from the wall. Trembling withjoy, Mustapha grasped it, and with an important air pronounced herseriously ill. Thiuli became very anxious, and commanded his wiseChakamankabudibaba straightway to prescribe some medicine for her. Thephysician left the room, and wrote a little scroll:

"Fatima, I will preserve thee, if thou canst make up thy mind to takea draught, which for two days will make thee dead; nevertheless, Ipossess the means of restoring thee to life. If thou wilt, then onlyreturn answer, that this liquid has been of no assistance, and it willbe to me a token that thou agreest. "

In a moment he returned to the room, where Thiuli had remained. Hebrought with him an innocent drink, felt the pulse of the sick Fatimaonce more, pushed the note beneath her bracelet, and then handed herthe liquid through the opening in the wall. Thiuli seemed to be ingreat anxiety on Fatima's account, and postponed the examination ofthe rest to a more fitting opportunity. As he left the room withMustapha, he addressed him in sorrowful accents:

"Chadibaba, tell me plainly, what thinkest thou of Fatima's illness?"

My brother answered with a deep sigh: "Ah, sir, may the Prophet giveyou consolation! she has a slow fever, which may, perhaps, cost herlife!"

Then burned Thiuli's anger: "What sayest thou, cursed dog of aphysician? She, for whom I gave two thousand gold pieces--shall shedie like a cow? Know, if thou preservest her not, I will chop offthine head!"

My brother immediately saw that he had made a misstep, and againinspired Thiuli with hope. While they were yet conversing, a blackslave came from the seraglio to tell the physician, that the drink hadbeen of no assistance. 

"Put forth all thy skill, Chakamdababelda, or whatever thy name maybe; I will pay thee what thou askest!" cried out Thiuli-Kos, well-nighhowling with sorrow, at the idea of losing so much gold. 

"I will give her a potion, which will put her out of all danger, "answered the physician. 

"Yes, yes!--give it her, " sobbed the old Thiuli. 

With joyful heart Mustapha went to bring his soporific, and havinggiven it to the black slave, and shown him how much it was necessaryto take for a dose, he went to Thiuli, and, telling him he mustprocure some medicinal herbs from the sea, hastened through the gate. On the shore, which was not far from the castle, he removed his falsegarments, and cast them into the water, where they floated merrilyaround; concealing himself, however, in a thicket, he awaited thenight, and then stole softly to the burying-place of Thiuli's castle. 

Hardly an hour had Mustapha been absent, when they brought Thiuli theintelligence that his slave Fatima was in the agonies of death. Hesent them to the sea-coast to bring the physician back with all speed, but his messengers returned alone, with the news that the poorphysician had fallen into the water, and was drowned; that they hadespied his black gown floating upon the surface, and that now and thenhis large beard peeped forth from amid the billows. Thiuli seeing nowno help, cursed himself and the whole world; plucked his beard, anddashed his head against the wall. But all this was of no use, for soonFatima gave up the ghost, in the arms of her companions. When theunfortunate man heard the news of her death, he commanded them quicklyto make a coffin, for he could not tolerate a dead person in hishouse; and bade them bear forth the corpse to the place of burial. Thecarriers brought in the coffin, but quickly set it down and fled, forthey heard sighs and sobs among the other piles. 

Mustapha, who, concealed behind the coffins, had inspired theattendants with such terror, came forth and lighted a lamp, which hehad brought for that purpose. Then he drew out a vial which containedthe life-restoring medicine, and lifted the lid of Fatima's coffin. But what amazement seized him, when by the light of the lamp, strangefeatures met his gaze! Neither my sister, nor Zoraida, but an entirestranger, lay in the coffin! It was some time before he could recoverfrom this new stroke of destiny; at last, however, compassiontriumphed over anger. He opened the vial, and administered the liquid. She breathed--she opened her eyes--and seemed for some time to bereflecting where she was. At length, recalling all that had happened, she rose from the coffin, and threw herself, sobbing, at Mustapha'sfeet. 

"How may I thank thee, excellent being, " she exclaimed, "for havingfreed me from my frightful prison?" Mustapha interrupted herexpressions of gratitude by inquiring, how it happened that she, andnot his sister Fatima, had been preserved. The maiden looked inamazement. 

"Now is my deliverance explained, which was before incomprehensible, "answered she. "Know that in this castle I am called Fatima, and it wasto me thou gavest thy note, and the preserving-drink. "

My brother entreated her to give him intelligence of his sister andZoraida, and learned that they were both in the castle, but, accordingto Thiuli's custom, had received different names; they were nowcalled Mirza and Nurmahal. When Fatima, the rescued slave, saw that mybrother was so cast down by this failure of his enterprise, she badehim take courage, and promised to show him means whereby he couldstill deliver both the maidens. Aroused by this thought, Mustapha wasfilled with new hope, and besought her to point out to him the way. 

"Only five months, " said she, "have I been Thiuli's slave;nevertheless, from the first, I have been continually meditating anescape; but for myself alone it was too difficult. In the inner courtof the castle, you may have observed a fountain, which pours forthwater from ten tubes; this fountain riveted my attention. I rememberedin my father's house to have seen a similar one, the water of whichwas led up through a spacious aqueduct. In order to learn whether thisfountain was constructed in the same manner, I one day praised itsmagnificence to Thiuli, and inquired after its architect. 'I myselfbuilt it, ' answered he, 'and what thou seest here is still thesmallest part; for the water comes hither into it from a brook atleast a thousand paces off, flowing through a vaulted aqueduct, whichis as high as a man. And all this have I myself planned. ' Afterhearing this, I often wished only for a moment to have a man'sstrength, in order to roll away the stone from the side of thefountain; then could I have fled whither I would. The aqueduct nowwill I show to you; through it you can enter the castle by night, andset them free. Only you must have at least two men with you, in orderto overpower the slaves which, by night, guard the seraglio. "

Thus she spoke, and my brother Mustapha, although twice disappointedalready in his expectations, once again took courage, and hoped withAllah's assistance to carry out the plan of the slave. He promised toconduct her in safety to her native land, if she would assist him inentering the castle. But one thought still troubled him, namely, wherehe could find two or three faithful assistants. Thereupon the daggerof Orbasan occurred to him, and the promise of the robber to hasten tohis assistance, when he should stand in need of help, and he thereforestarted with Fatima from the burying-ground, to seek the chieftain. 

In the same city where he had converted himself into a physician, with his last money he purchased a horse, and procured lodgings forFatima, with a poor woman in the suburbs. He, however, hastenedtowards the mountain where he had first met Orbasan, and reached it inthree days. He soon found the tent, and unexpectedly walked in beforethe chieftain, who welcomed him with friendly courtesy. He related tohim his unsuccessful attempts, whereupon the grave Orbasan could notrestrain himself from laughing a little now and then, particularlywhen he announced himself as the physician Chakamankabudibaba. At thetreachery of the little man, however, he was furious; and swore, if hecould find him, to hang him with his own hand. He assured my brotherthat he was ready to assist him the moment he should be sufficientlyrecovered from his ride. Accordingly, Mustapha remained that nightagain in the robber's tent, and with the first morning-red they setout, Orbasan taking with him three of his bravest men, well mountedand armed. They rode rapidly, and in two days arrived at the littlecity, where Mustapha had left the rescued Fatima. Thence they rode onwith her unto the forest, from which, at a little distance, they couldsee Thiuli's castle; there they concealed themselves, to await thenight. As soon as it was dark, guided by Fatima, they proceeded softlyto the brook, where the aqueduct commenced, and soon found it. Therethey left Fatima and a servant with the horses, and preparedthemselves for the descent: before they started, however, Fatima oncemore repeated, with precision, the directions she had given; namely, that, on emerging from the fountain into the inner court-yard, theywould find a tower in each corner on the right and left; that insidethe sixth gate from the right tower, they would find Fatima andZoraida, guarded by two black slaves. Well provided with weapons andiron implements for forcing the doors, Mustapha, Orbasan, and the twoother men, descended through the aqueduct; they sank, indeed, inwater, up to the middle, but not the less vigorously on that accountdid they press forward. 

In a half hour they arrived at the fountain, and immediately began toply their tools. The wall was thick and firm, but could not longresist the united strength of the four men; they soon made a breachsufficiently large to allow them to slip through without difficulty. Orbasan was the first to emerge, and then assisted the others. Beingnow all in the court-yard, they examined the side of the castle whichlay before them, in order to find the door which had been described. But they could not agree as to which it was, for on counting from theright tower to the left, they found one door which had been walled up, and they knew not whether Fatima had included this in her calculation. But Orbasan was not long in making up his mind: "My good sword willopen to me this gate, " he exclaimed, advancing to the sixth, while theothers followed him. They opened it, and found six black slaves lyingasleep upon the floor; imagining that they had missed the object oftheir search, they were already softly drawing back, when a figureraised itself in the corner, and in well-known accents called forhelp. It was the little man of the robber-encampment. But ere theslaves knew what had taken place, Orbasan sprang upon the little man, tore his girdle in two, stopped his mouth, and bound his hands behindhis back; then he turned to the slaves, some of whom were alreadyhalf bound by Mustapha and the two others, and assisted in completelyoverpowering them. They presented their daggers to the breasts of theslaves, and asked where Nurmahal and Mirza were: they confessed thatthey were in the next chamber. Mustapha rushed into the room, andfound Fatima and Zoraida awakened by the noise. They were not long incollecting their jewels and garments, and following my brother. 

Meanwhile the two robbers proposed to Orbasan to carry off what theycould find, but he forbade them, saying: "It shall never be told ofOrbasan, that he enters houses by night, to steal gold. " Mustapha, andthose he had preserved, quickly stepped into the aqueduct, whitherOrbasan promised to follow them immediately. As soon as they haddeparted, the chieftain and one of the robbers led forth the littleman into the court-yard; there, having fastened around his neck asilken cord, which they had brought for that purpose, they hung him onthe highest point of the fountain. After having thus punished thetreachery of the wretch, they also entered the aqueduct, and followedMustapha. With tears the two maidens thanked their brave preserver, Orbasan; but he urged them in haste to their flight, for it was veryprobable that Thiuli-Kos would seek them in every direction. 

With deep emotion, on the next day, did Mustapha and the rescuedmaidens part with Orbasan. Indeed, they never will forget him! Fatima, the freed slave, left us in disguise for Balsora, in order to takepassage thence to her native land. 

After a short and agreeable journey, my brother and his companionsreached home. Delight at seeing them once more, almost killed my oldfather; the next day after their arrival, he gave a great festival, towhich all the city was invited. Before a large assemblage of relationsand friends, my brother had to relate his story, and with one voicethey praised him and the noble robber. 

When, however, Mustapha had finished, my father arose and led Zoraidato him. "Thus remove I, " said he with solemn voice, "the curse fromthy head; take this maiden as the reward which thy unwearied couragehas merited. Receive my fatherly blessing: and may there never bewanting to our city, men who, in brotherly love, in prudence, andbravery, may be thy equals!"

[Illustration]

 * * * * *

The Caravan had reached the end of the desert, and gladly did thetravellers salute the green meadows, and thickly-leaved trees, ofwhose charms they had been deprived for so many days. In a lovelyvalley lay a caravansery, which they selected as their resting-placefor the night; and though it offered but limited accommodations andrefreshment, still was the whole company more happy and sociable thanever: for the thought of having passed through the dangers andhardships, with which a journey through the desert is everaccompanied, had opened every heart, and attuned their minds to jestand gayety. Muley, the young and merry merchant, went through a comicdance, and sang songs thereto, which elicited a laugh, even fromZaleukos, the serious Greek. But not content with having raised thespirits of his comrades by dance and merriment, he also gave them, inthe best style, the story he had promised, and, as soon as he couldrecover breath from his gambols, began the following tale. 

[Illustration]

LITTLE MUCK. 

In Nicea, my beloved father-city, lived a man, whom people called"Little Muck. " Though at that time I was quite young, I can recollecthim very well, particularly since, on one occasion, I was floggedalmost to death, by my father, on his account. The Little Muck, eventhen, when I knew him, an old man, was nevertheless but three or fourfeet high: he had a singular figure, for his body, little and smartas it was, carried a head much larger and thicker than that of others. He lived all alone in a large house, and even cooked for himself;moreover, it would not have been known in the city whether he wasalive or dead, (for he went forth but once in four weeks, ) had notevery day, about the hour of noon, strong fumes come forth from thehouse. Nevertheless, in the evening he was often to be seen walking toand fro upon his roof; although, from the street, it seemed as if itwere his head alone that was running around there. 

I and my comrades were wicked fellows, who teased and ridiculed everyone; accordingly, to us it was a holiday when the Little Muck wentforth: on the appointed day we would assemble before his house, andwait for him to come out. When, then, the door opened, and at firstthe immense head and still larger turban peered forth, when the restof the body followed covered with a small cloak which had beenirregularly curtailed, with wide pantaloons, and a broad girdle inwhich hung a long dagger, so long that one could not tell whether Muckwas fastened to the dagger, or the dagger to Muck--when in this guisehe came forth, then would the air resound with our cries of joy; thenwould we fling our caps aloft, and dance round him, like mad. LittleMuck, however, would salute us with a serious bow, and walk with longstrides through the street, shuffling now and then his feet, for hewore large wide slippers, such as I have never elsewhere seen. We boyswould run behind him, crying continually, "Little Muck! Little Muck!"We also had a droll little verse, which we would now and then sing inhis honor; it ran thus:--

 "Little Muck, oh Little Muck! What a fine, brave dwarf art thou! Livest in a house so tall; Goest forth but once a month, Mountain-headed, though so small. Turn thyself but once, and look! Run, and catch us, Little Muck. "

In this way had we often carried on our sport, and, to my shame, Imust confess that I took the most wicked part in it, for I oftenplucked him by the mantle, and once trod from behind on his largeslippers, so that he fell down. This was, at first, a source of thegreatest amusement to me, but my laughter soon ceased when I saw theLittle Muck go up to my father's house; he walked straight in, andremained there some time. I concealed myself near the door, and sawMuck come forth again, escorted by my father, who respectfully shookhis hand, and with many bows parted with him at the door. My mind wasuneasy, and I remained some time in my concealment; at length, however, hunger, which I feared more than blows, drove me in, andashamed and with downcast head, I walked in before my father. 

"Thou hast, as I hear, insulted the good Muck, " said he with a veryserious tone. "I will tell thee the history of this Muck, and then Iam sure thou wilt ridicule him no more. But first, thou shalt receivethy allowance. " The allowance was five-and-twenty lashes, which hetook care to count only too honestly. He thereupon took a longpipe-stem, unscrewed the amber mouthpiece, and beat me more severelythan he had ever done before. 

When the five-and-twenty were all made up, he commanded me to attend, and told me the following story of Little Muck. 

 * * * * *

The father of Little Muck, who is properly called Mukrah, lived herein Nicea, a respectable, but poor man. He kept himself almost asretired as his son does now. The latter he could not endure, becausehe was ashamed of his dwarfish figure, and let him therefore grow upin perfect ignorance. When the Little Muck was still in hisseventeenth year, a merry child, his father, a grave man, keptcontinually reproaching him, that he, who ought long before to havetrodden down the shoes of infancy, was still so stupid and childish. 

The old man, however, one day had a bad fall, from the effects ofwhich he died, and Little Muck was left behind, poor and ignorant. Hiscruel relations, to whom the deceased owed more than he could pay, turned the poor fellow out of the house, and advised him to go forthinto the world, and seek his fortune. Muck answered that he was allready, only asking them for his father's dress, which they willinglygranted him. His father had been a large, portly man, and the garmentson that account did not fit him. Muck, however, soon hit upon anexpedient; he cut off what was too long, and then put them on. Heseemed, however, to have forgotten that he must also take from theirwidth; hence the strange dress that he wears at the present day; thehuge turban, the broad girdle, the wide breeches, the blue cloak, allthese he has inherited from his father, and worn ever since. The longDamascus dagger of his father, too, he attached to his girdle, andseizing a little staff, set out from the door. 

Gayly he wandered, the whole day, for he had set out to seek hisfortune: if he saw upon the ground a potsherd shining in the sunlight, he took care to pick it up, in the belief that he could change it intoa diamond of the first water; if he saw in the distance the cupola ofa Mosque sparkling like fire, or the sea glittering like a mirror, hewould hasten up, fully persuaded that he had arrived at fairy-land. But ah! these phantoms vanished as he approached, and too soonfatigue, and his stomach gnawed by hunger, convinced him that he wasstill in the land of mortals. In this way he travelled two days, inhunger and grief, and despaired of finding his fortune; the produce ofthe field was his only support, the hard earth his bed. On themorning of the third day, he espied a large city upon an eminence. Brightly shone the crescent upon her pinnacles, variegated flags wavedover the roofs, and seemed to be beckoning Little Muck to themselves. In surprise he stood still, contemplating the city and the surroundingcountry. 

"There at length will Klein-Muck find his fortune, " said he tohimself, and in spite of his fatigue bounded in the air; "there ornowhere!" He collected all his strength, and walked towards the city. But although the latter seemed quite near, he could not reach it untilmid-day, for his little limbs almost entirely refused him theirassistance, and he was obliged to sit down to rest in the shade of apalm-tree. At last he reached the gate; he fixed the mantle jauntily, wound the turban still more tastily around his head, made the girdlebroader, and arranged the dagger so as to fall still more obliquely:then, wiping the dust from his shoes, and seizing his cane, he marchedbravely through the gate. 

He had already wandered through a few streets, but nowhere did anydoor open to him, nowhere did any one exclaim, as he had anticipated:"Little Muck, come in and eat and drink, and rest thy little feet. "

He was looking very wistfully straight at a large fine house, when awindow opened, and an old woman, putting out her head, exclaimed in asinging tone--

 "Hither, come hither! The porridge is here; The table I've spread, Come taste of my cheer. Hither, come hither! The porridge is hot; Your neighbors bring with you, To dip in the pot!"

The door opened, and Muck saw many dogs and cats walking in. For amoment he stood in doubt whether he should accept the invitation; atlast, however, he took heart and entered the mansion. Before himproceeded a couple of genteel kittens, and he resolved to follow them, since they, perhaps, knew the way to the kitchen better than himself. 

When Muck had ascended the steps, he met the same old woman who hadlooked forth from the window. With frowning air she asked what hewanted. 

"Thou hast invited every one to thy porridge, " answered Little Muck, "and as I was very hungry, I came too. "

The old woman laughed, saying, "Whence come you then, strange fellow?The whole city knows that I cook for no one but my dear cats, and nowand then, as you see, I invite their companions from theneighborhood. " Little Muck told her how hard it had gone with himsince his father's death, and entreated her to let him dine, that day, with her cats. The old woman, on whom the frank relation of the littlefellow made quite an impression, permitted him to become her guest, and gave him abundance to eat and drink. When he was satisfied andrefreshed, she looked at him for some time, and then said:--

"Little Muck, remain with me in my service; you will have little todo, and shall be well taken care of. " Muck, who had relished thecat-porridge, agreed, and thus became the servant of the Frau Ahavzi. His duties were light but singular: Frau Ahavzi had two male, and fourfemale cats; every morning Little Muck had to comb their hair, andanoint them with costly ointment. When the Frau went out, he had togive them all his attention; when they ate, he placed their bowlsbefore them; and, at night, he had to lay them on silken cushions, andwrap them up in velvet coverings. There were, moreover, a few littledogs in the house, on which he was obliged to wait; but there were notso many ceremonies gone through with these as with the cats, whom FrauAhavzi treated as her own children. As for the rest, Muck led asretired a life as in his father's house, for with the exception of theFrau, he saw every day only dogs and cats. 

For a long time it went very well with Little Muck; he had enough toeat, and but little to do; and the old woman seemed to be perfectlysatisfied with him. But, by-and-by, the cats began to behave verybadly; the moment the Frau went out, they ran around the rooms as ifpossessed, threw down every thing in confusion, and broke considerablefine crockery, which stood in their way. When, however, they heardtheir mistress coming up the steps, they would creep to theircushions, and wag their tails, when they saw her, as if nothing hadhappened. The Frau Ahavzi always fell in a passion when she saw herrooms so disordered, and attributed all to Muck; assert his innocenceas he might, she believed her cats who looked so demure, in preferenceto her servant. 

Little Muck was very sorry that here also he had been disappointed infinding his fortune, and determined in his own mind to leave theservice of the Frau Ahavzi. As, however, on his first journey, he hadlearned how badly one lives without money, he resolved to procure, insome way, for himself the wages which his mistress had once promisedhim, but had never paid. In the house of the Frau Ahavzi was a room, which was always closed, and the inside of which he had never seen. Nevertheless, he had often heard the Frau making a noise therein, andhe would have willingly risked his life to know what was thereconcealed. Reflecting upon his travelling-money, it occurred to himthat there his mistress might conceal her treasures. But the door wasalways tightly closed, and therefore he could not get at them. 

One morning, after the Frau Ahavzi had gone out, one of the littledogs who was treated by her in a very stepmother-like manner, butwhose favor he had in a great degree gained by various acts ofkindness, pulled him by his wide pantaloons, and acted as if he wantedMuck to follow him. Muck, who always gladly played with him, did so, and perceived that the dog was leading him to the sleeping apartmentof his mistress; he stopped before a door, which the little fellow hadnever before observed, and which was now wide open. The dog entered, and Muck, following, was overjoyed at finding himself in the verychamber, which had so long been the object of his curiosity. He lookedall around for money, but could find none: old garments only, andstrangely-fashioned vases were scattered around. One of the latter, inparticular, attracted his attention; it was of crystal, and finefigures were cut thereon. He lifted it up and turned it on all sides;but, oh horror! he had not observed that it had a lid, which was butinsecurely fastened on: it fell to the floor, and broke into athousand pieces. 

For a long time stood Little Muck motionless through terror; now washis fate decided, now must he fly, or be killed by the old woman. Hisdeparture was immediately resolved on; he only looked around, to seeif he could not use some of the goods of the Frau Ahavzi upon hisjourney. Thereupon, a formidable pair of huge slippers met his eye;they were not, it is true, beautiful, but his own could hold out nolonger; moreover their size was an inducement, for when he had theseupon his feet, people would see, he hoped, that he had cast off theshoes of childhood. He quickly took off his own slippers, and put onthe others. A walking-stick, also, with a fine lion's head cut uponthe handle, seemed to be standing too idly in the corner; so he seizedit, and hurried from the apartment. He hastened to his own room, puton his cloak, arranged his paternal turban, placed the dagger in hisgirdle, and ran as fast as his feet would carry him, out of the house, and out of the city. Fear of his old mistress drove him farther andstill farther, until, from fatigue, he could scarcely run any more. Hehad never gone so quickly in his life; nay, it appeared to him as ifhe could not cease running, for an invisible power seemed propellinghim on. At last he observed that this must be connected with theslippers, for they would continually shoot forward and bear him alongwith them. He endeavored in various ways, to stand still, but couldnot succeed; at last, in the greatest distress, he cried out tohimself, as a man calls to his horse, "Wo--wo!" Then the slippersstopped, and Muck fell exhausted upon the earth. 

The slippers were a source of great joy to him. Thus had he, by hisservices, gained something that would help him on his way through theworld to seek his fortune. In spite of his joy, he fell asleep throughfatigue; for the body of Little Muck, which had to carry so heavy ahead, could not hold out long. In his dream the little dog appeared tohim, which had assisted him to the slippers in the house of the FrauAhavzi, and thus spoke:--

"Dear Muck, thou dost not still rightly understand the use of theslippers: know that if, in them, thou turnest thyself three timesaround upon the heel, thou canst fly wherever thou wilt; and with thestaff thou canst find treasures, for, wherever gold is buried, it willbeat three times upon the earth; where silver, twice. "

Thus dreamed Little Muck. When he awoke, he reflected on the singularvision, and resolved to make the experiment immediately. He put on theslippers, lifted one foot, and began to turn around upon his heel. Butwhoever has attempted to perform this manoeuvre in an enormously wideslipper, will not wonder that the Little Muck could not succeed, particularly when he remembers that his heavy head kept falling onthis side and on that. 

The poor little fellow fell several times violently upon his nose;nevertheless, that did not deter him from making the trial again, andat last he succeeded. Like a wheel he went around upon his heel, wishing himself in the nearest large city, and--the slippers mountedinto the air, ran with the speed of the wind through the clouds, andbefore Little Muck knew what to make of it, he found himself in alarge market-place, where many stalls were erected, and innumerablemen were busily running to and fro. He moved among the people, butconsidered it more prudent to retire into a less frequented street, for near the market one of the slippers bore him along so rapidly, that he almost fell down, or else ran against one and another withhis projecting dagger, so that it was with difficulty he avoided theirblows. 

Little Muck now seriously reflected what he should set about, in orderto earn a piece of money. He had, it is true, a staff which would showhim concealed treasures, but how could he find a place where gold orsilver was buried. He could, indeed, in this emergency, have exhibitedhimself for money, but for this he was too proud. At last thequickness of his gait occurred to him. Perhaps, thought he, myslippers can procure me support, and he determined to hire himself outas a courier. He ventured to hope that the king of the city rewardedsuch service well, so he inquired for the palace. Before the door ofthe palace stood a guard, who asked him what he sought there. Onanswering that he was in search of service, they led him to theoverseer of the slaves. Before this one he laid his request, andentreated that he might be admitted among the royal couriers. Theoverseer measured him with his eyes from head to foot, and said: "How!with thy little feet, which are scarcely a span long, wishest thou tobecome a royal messenger? Away with thee! I cannot play with everyfool. "

Little Muck assured him, however, that his proposal was made inperfect seriousness, and that he would let it come to a trial with theswiftest, upon a wager. The matter seemed very ludicrous to theoverseer. He commanded him to hold himself in readiness for a race inthe afternoon, and leading him into the kitchen, saw that he wasfurnished with proper meat and drink. He himself, however, repairedunto the king, and told him of the little man and his proposal. Theking was a merry lord, and therefore it pleased him well that theoverseer had kept the little man for their amusement. He directed himto make preparations in a large meadow behind the castle, that therace might be conveniently beheld by his whole court, and once morecommanded him to take great care of the dwarf. The king told hisprinces, and princesses, what a pastime they were to enjoy thatafternoon; these told it again to their attendants, and when the timearrived all were in great expectation; and as many as had feet pouredinto the meadow, where a scaffolding had been erected, in order tosee the boastful dwarf run. 

As soon as the king and his sons and daughters had taken their placesupon the platform, the Little Muck walked forth upon the meadow, andmade before the noble sovereign a very elegant bow. A universal cry ofjoy arose, the moment they beheld the little fellow; such a figure hadthey never seen. The small body with the mighty head, the littlecloak, and the wide pantaloons, the long dagger in the broad girdle, the tiny feet in the immense slippers--no! it was so droll a sightthey could not keep from laughing aloud. Little Muck, however, was notdisconcerted by their laughter. He proudly walked forward, supportedby his cane, and awaited his opponent. At Muck's own desire, theoverseer of the slaves had selected the best runner. Walking in, heplaced himself near the dwarf, and both looked for the signal. Thereupon the Princess Amarza made a sign with her veil as had beenpreconcerted, and, like two arrows shot from the same bow, the racersflew over the meadow. 

At first the courier took a tremendous bound, but Muck pursued him inhis slipper carriage, overtook him, passed him, and had been standingfor some time at the goal, when his opponent, gasping for breath, ranup. Amazement for a few moments enchained the spectators: the king wasthe first to clap his hands; then shouted the crowd for joy, allexclaiming, "Long live the Little Muck, the victor in the race!"

Meanwhile they had brought up the little man; he prostrated himselfbefore the king, saying, "Most mighty King, I have here given thee buta small proof of my powers; allow them, I pray thee, to give me aplace among thy couriers. " The king answered:--

"Nay, dear Muck, thou shalt be my favorite messenger, and shalt remainabout my person; every year shalt thou have a hundred gold pieces asthy wages, and thou shalt sup at the table of my first attendant. "

Then Muck thought he had at last found the fortune, of which he had solong been in search, and was merry and light-hearted. Moreover, herejoiced in the peculiar favor of the king, for the latter employedhim on his quickest and most secret errands, which he performed withthe greatest care, and with inconceivable rapidity. 

But the other attendants of the king were not well affected towardshim, because they reluctantly saw themselves displaced from theirlord's favor by a dwarf, who knew how to do nothing, but to run fast. They set on foot many a conspiracy against him in order to work hisdestruction, but all failed, through the confidence which the kingplaced in his private Oberleibläufer, (for to this dignity had he inso short a time arrived. )

Muck, upon whom these movements against himself produced no effect, thought not of revenge; for that he had too good a heart: no, hereflected upon the means of making himself necessary to his enemies, and beloved by them. Thereupon the staff, which in his good fortune hehad forgotten, occurred to him; if he could find treasures, he thoughtthe lords would be more favorably disposed towards him. He had beforethis often heard that the father of the present king had buried muchof his gold, when the enemy had invaded the land; they said, moreover, that he had died without imparting the secret to his son. From thistime Muck always carried his cane, in the hope that he would sometime pass over the place where the money of the old king was buried. 

One evening, chance led him into a remote portion of thecastle-garden, which he seldom visited, when suddenly he felt thestaff move in his hand, and three times it beat upon the ground. Heknew in an instant what this indicated; accordingly he drew forth hisdagger, made marks on the surrounding trees, and then slipped backinto the castle. Then he procured a spade, and awaited night for hisundertaking. 

Treasure-digging, however, gave Muck more trouble than he hadanticipated. His arms were very feeble, his spade large and heavy; hemight perhaps have been laboring a couple of hours, without gettingany farther down than as many feet. At length he hit upon somethinghard, which sounded like iron: he then set to work still morediligently, and soon brought up a large cover; he then descended intothe hole, in order to examine what the cover concealed, and found alarge pot completely full of gold pieces. His feeble wisdom, however, did not teach him to lift up the pot; but he put in his pantaloonsand girdle as much as he could carry, filled his cloak, and thencarefully covering up the rest, placed the load upon his back. But, indeed, if he had not had the slippers on his feet, he could not havestirred, so heavily did the gold weigh him down. Then, unobserved, hereached his room, and secured the money under the cushions of hissofa. 

When the little man saw so much gold in his possession, he thought thetables would now be turned, and that from among his enemies at court, he could gain many well-wishers and warm friends. But even in this, one could see that the good Muck had enjoyed no very carefuleducation; otherwise he would not have imagined that he could buy truefriends with gold. Ah! that he had then put on his slippers, and withhis mantle full of gold, scampered away!

The gold which from this time Little Muck distributed with lavishhand, awakened the envy of the other court-attendants. Thekitchen-master, Ahuli, said, "He is a counterfeiter. " Theslave-overseer, Achmet, said, "He has cajoled the king. " But Archaz, the treasurer, his most wicked enemy, who himself, even, now and thenput his hand into his lord's coffers, exclaimed, "He is a thief. " Inorder to be sure of the thing, they consulted together, and the headcup-bearer, Korchuz, placed himself one day, with a very sorrowful anddepressed air, before the eyes of the king. He made his wo soapparent, that the king asked him what was the matter. 

"Ah!" answered he, "I am sorry that I have lost the favor of my lord!"

"Why talkest thou idly, friend Korchuz?" rejoined the monarch. "Sincewhen have I veiled from thee the sun of my favor?"

The cup-bearer answered, that he loaded his private Oberleibläuferwith money, but gave his poor faithful servants nothing. The king wasmuch astonished at this accusation, had the story of Muck'sgold-distribution told him, and the conspirators soon aroused in himthe suspicion that the dwarf had, in some way or other, stolen themoney from the treasure-chamber. Very pleasant was this turn of thematter to the treasurer, who would not otherwise have willinglysubmitted his accounts to examination. The king thereupon commandedthat they should secretly watch all the movements of the dwarf, inorder, if possible, to surprise him in the act. When, now, on thenight which followed the fatal day, seeing his funds almost exhaustedby his generosity, Muck crept forth, with his spade, into thecastle-garden, to bring new supplies from his secret treasury, thewatch followed him in the distance, led by Ahuli and Archaz; and, atthe moment when he was removing the gold from the pot to his cloak, they fell upon him, bound him, and immediately led him before theking. The latter, whom, independently of any thing else, thisinterruption of his sleep would have enraged, received his poor dwarfvery ungraciously, and ordered an immediate trial. Meanwhile they haddug the full pot out of the ground, and with the spade and cloak fullof gold had placed it before the king. The treasurer said that he hadsurprised Muck with his guard, just as he had buried this vessel ofgold in the earth. 

The king thereupon inquired of the accused, whether it was true, andwhence the gold had come. 

Little Muck, conscious of innocence, answered that he had discoveredthis pot in the garden; that he had not buried it, but had brought itto light. 

All present laughed aloud at this defence; the king, however, provokedin the highest degree by the supposed impudence of the dwarf, exclaimed, "How, wretch! wilt thou so stupidly and shamelessly lie tothy king, after having stolen from him? Treasurer Archaz, I commandthee to say whether thou knowest this sum of gold to be the same thatis missing from my treasury. "

The treasurer thereupon answered that he was sure of the thing; thatso much and even more had been missing from the royal treasures; andhe could take his oath that this was the stolen money. Then the kingcommanded them to place Little Muck in galling chains, and convey himto prison: to Archaz, however, he gave the gold, that he might restoreit to the treasury. Delighted at the fortunate issue of the matter, the officer took it, and counted out, at home, the glittering goldpieces; but the bad man never disclosed that down in the pot lay aletter, to the following purport:--

 "The enemy has overrun my land; therefore I here conceal a portion of my treasure. Whoever may find it, the curse of his king fall upon him, if he do not immediately deliver it to my son!

 KING SADI. "

In his dungeon, poor Muck gave way to sorrowful reflections; he knewthat for taking royal property death was the penalty; and yet--hecould not betray the secret of his staff unto the king, because, inthat case, he justly feared being deprived of both that, and hisslippers. His slippers, alas! could render him no help, for there byclose fetters he was fastened to the wall, and, torment himself as hemight, he could not turn around upon his heel. When, however, on thenext day, sentence of death was pronounced, he thought it would bebetter to live without the magic staff, than to die with it; and, having asked a private audience with the king, disclosed to him thesecret. At first the king gave no credit to his assertions, but LittleMuck promised him a proof, if he would respite him from death. Theking gave him his word upon it, and having had some gold buried in theearth, unseen by Muck, commanded him to find it with his cane. In afew moments he succeeded in doing so, for the staff beat three timesdistinctly upon the ground. Then the king saw that his treasurer hadbetrayed him, and sent him, as is customary in the East, a silkencord, wherewith he should strangle himself. To Little Muck, however, he said:--

"I have indeed promised thee thy life, but it seems to me that this isnot the only secret thou art possessed of, connected with this staff. Therefore thou shalt remain in everlasting captivity, if thou do notconfess what relation exists between it and thy rapid running. "

Little Muck, whom one night in his dungeon had deprived of all desirefor further confinement, acknowledged that his whole art lay in theslippers; nevertheless, he informed not the king of the wonderfuleffect of turning three times upon the heel. The king put on theslippers, himself, in order to make the experiment, and ran, like mad, through the garden; often did he wish to hold up, but he knew not howto bring the slippers to a halt, and Muck, who could not deny himselfthis revenge, let him run on, until he fell down exhausted. 

When the king returned to consciousness, he was terribly angry atLittle Muck, who had suffered him to run until so entirely out ofbreath. "I have promised thee thy freedom and life, " said he, "butwithin twelve hours must thou leave my land; otherwise will I havethee hung. " The slippers and cane, however, he commanded them to bearto his treasure-chamber. 

Thus, poor as ever, wandered the little fellow forth through the land, cursing the folly which had led him astray, and prevented his playingan important part at court. The land from which he was banished, wasfortunately not extensive, and accordingly eight hours brought him tothe frontier; but travelling, now that he was used to his dearslippers, came very hard to him. Having arrived at the border, hechose the usual road for reaching the most lonely part of the forest, for he hated all men, and resolved to live there by himself. In athick portion of the wood, he lighted on a place, which seemed to himquite suitable for the resolution he had taken. A clear brook, surrounded by large shady fig-trees, and a soft turf, invited him: hethrew himself down, determined to taste food no more, but calmly toawait his end. Amid his sorrowful reflections on death, he fellasleep; when he awoke, he was tormented by hunger, and began to thinkthat starving to death was rather an unpleasant affair; so he lookedaround to find something to eat. 

Fine ripe figs hung upon the tree beneath which he had slept; hestretched forth his hand to pluck some; their taste was delicious, andthen he descended into the brook to slake his thirst. But what was hishorror, when the water showed his head adorned with two immense ears, and a long thick nose! Amazed, he clapped his hands upon his ears, andthey were really more than half an ell long. 

"I deserve ass's ears!" he exclaimed; "for, like an ass, have Itrodden Fortune under my feet. " He wandered around among the trees, and feeling hunger again, was obliged to have recourse once more tothe fig-tree, for he could find nothing else that was eatable. Afterthe second portion of figs, it struck him that if his ears could findroom beneath his large turban, he would not look so ridiculous, and, on trying it, he found that his ears had vanished. He ran straightback to the stream, in order to convince himself thereof; it wasactually so; his ears had resumed their original figure, his longmisshapen nose was no more! He soon perceived how all this hadhappened; from the first fig-tree he had received the long nose andears, the second had relieved him of them: he saw with joy that kinddestiny yet again placed in his hands the means of becoming fortunate. He plucked, therefore, from each tree as many figs as he could carry, and went back to the land which shortly before he had left. There, inthe first town, he disguised himself by means of different garments;then, turning again to the city inhabited by the king, he soon arrivedat it. 

For about a year ripe fruit had been quite scarce; Little Muck, therefore, placed himself before the gate of the palace, for from hisformer residence there, it was well known to him, that here suchrareties would be purchased by the kitchen-master for the royal table. Muck had not long been seated, when he saw that dignitary walkingacross the court-yard. He examined the articles of the traders whohad placed themselves at the palace-gate; at length his eye fell uponMuck's little basket. 

"Ah! a dainty morsel!" said he, "which will certainly please hismajesty: what wish you for the whole basket?" Muck set a high priceupon them, and the bargain was soon struck. The kitchen-master gavethe basket to his slave, and went his way: meantime Little Muck stoleaway, for he feared, when the change should show itself on the headsof the court, that he, as the one who sold them, would be sought forpunishment. 

At table the king was well pleased, and praised his kitchen-mastermore than ever, on account of his good kitchen, and the care withwhich he always sought the rarest morsels for his table; the officer, however, who well knew what dainties he had in the back-ground, smiledpleasantly, and let fall but few words: "The day is not all past tillevening, " or "End good, all good;" so that the princesses were verycurious to know what he would still bring on. The moment, however, hehad the fine, inviting figs set upon the table, a universal "Ah!"escaped the lips of those who were present. "How ripe! how delicate!"exclaimed the king; "kitchen-master, thou art a whole-souled man, anddeservest our peculiar favor!" Thus speaking, the king, who with suchchoice dishes took care to be very sparing, with his own handsdistributed the figs around the table. Each prince and princessreceived two; the ladies of the court, the Viziers and Agas, each one;the rest he placed before himself, and began to swallow them withgreat delight. 

"In the name of heaven, father, why lookest thou so strange?" suddenlyexclaimed the Princess Amarza. All gazed in astonishment upon theking; vast ears hung down from his head, a long nose stretched itselfbridge-like, over above his chin; upon themselves also they looked, one upon another, with amazement and horror; all, more or less, wereadorned with the same strange headdress. 

The horror of the court may be imagined. All the physicians in thecity were immediately sent for; they came with a blustering air, prescribed pills and mixtures, but ears and noses remained. Theyoperated on one of the princes, but the ears grew out again. 

From the place of concealment into which he had withdrawn, Muck hadheard the whole story, and perceived that it was now time for him tocommence operations. He had already, with the money obtained by thesale of his figs, procured a dress which would represent him as alearned man; a long beard of goat's hair completed the illusion. Witha small sack full of figs he repaired to the royal palace, and offeredhis assistance as a foreign physician. At first they were quiteincredulous; but when Little Muck gave a fig to one of the princes, and thereby restored ears and nose to their original shape, then wereall eager to be cured by the stranger. But the king took him silentlyby the hand, and led him to his apartment; then, opening a door thatled into the treasure-chamber, he made signs to Muck to follow. 

"Here are my treasures, " said the king; "choose for thyself: whateverit may be, it shall be thine, if thou wilt free me from this shamefulevil. " This was sweet music in the ears of Little Muck: at the momentof entering he had seen his slippers standing upon the floor, and hardby lay his little staff. He moved around the room, as if in wonder atthe royal treasures; but no sooner had he reached his beloved shoes, than he hastily slipped into them, and seizing the little cane, toreoff his false beard, and displayed to the astonished king thewell-known countenance of his exiled Muck. 

[Illustration]

"False king!" said he, "who rewardest faithful service withingratitude, take, as well-deserved punishment, the deformity whichthou now hast. The ears I leave thee, that, each day they may remindthee of Little Muck. " Having thus spoken, he turned quickly aroundupon his heel, wished himself far away, and before the king could callfor help Little Muck had vanished. Ever since, he has lived here ingreat affluence, but alone, for men he despises. Experience has madehim a wise man--one who, though there is something offensive in hisexterior, deserves rather your admiration than your ridicule. 

 * * * * *

Such was my father's story. I assured him that I sincerely repented ofmy behavior towards the good little man, and he remitted the otherhalf of the punishment which he had intended for me. To my comrades Itold the wonderful history of the dwarf, and we conceived such anaffection for him, that no one insulted him any more. On the contrary, we honored him as long as he lived, and bowed as low to him as to Cadior Mufti. 

 * * * * *

The travellers determined to rest a day in this caravansery, in orderto refresh themselves and their beasts for the rest of their journey. The gayety of the day before again prevailed, and they divertedthemselves with various sports. After the meal, however, they calledupon the fifth merchant, Ali Sizah, to perform his duty to the rest, and give them a story. He answered, that his life was too poor inremarkable adventures for him to relate one connected therewith, buthe would tell them something which had no relation to it: "The storyof the False Prince. "

[Illustration]

THE FALSE PRINCE. 

There was once an honest journeyman tailor, by name Labakan, wholearned his trade with an excellent master in Alexandria. It could notbe said that Labakan was unhandy with the needle; on the contrary, hecould make excellent work: moreover, one would have done him injusticeto have called him lazy. Nevertheless, his companions knew not what tomake of him, for he would often sew for hours together so rapidlythat the needle would glow in his hand, and the thread smoke, and thatnone could equal him. At another time, however, (and this, alas!happened more frequently, ) he would sit in deep meditation, lookingwith his staring eyes straight before him, and with a countenance andair so peculiar, that his master and fellow-journeymen could say ofhis appearance nothing else than, "Labakan has on again, hisaristocratic face. "

On Friday, however, when others quietly returned home from prayers totheir labor, Labakan would come forth from the mosque in a finegarment which with great pains he had made for himself, and walk withslow and haughty steps through the squares and streets of the city. Atsuch times, if one of his companions cried, "Joy be with thee!" or, "How goes it, friend Labakan?" he would patronizingly give a token ofrecognition with his hand, or, if he felt called upon to be verypolite, would bow genteelly with the head. Whenever his master said tohim in jest, "Labakan, in thee a prince is lost, " he would berejoiced, and answer, "Have you too observed it?" or, "I have alreadylong thought it. "

In this manner did the honest journeyman tailor conduct himself for along time, while his master tolerated his folly, because, in otherrespects, he was a good man and an excellent workman. But one day, Selim, the sultan's brother, who was travelling through Alexandria, sent a festival-garment to his master to have some change made in it, and the master gave it to Labakan, because he did the finest work. Inthe evening, when the apprentices had all gone forth to refreshthemselves after the labor of the day, an irresistible desire droveLabakan back into the workshop, where the garment of the sultan'sbrother was hanging. He stood some time, in reflection, before it, admiring now the splendor of the embroidery, now the varied colors ofthe velvet and silk. He cannot help it, he must put it on; and, lo! itfits him as handsomely as if it were made for him. "Am not I as good aprince as any?" asked he of himself, as he strutted up and down theroom. "Has not my master himself said, that I was born for a prince?"With the garments, the apprentice seemed to have assumed quite akingly carriage; he could believe nothing else, than that he was aking's son in obscurity, and as such he resolved to travel forth intothe world, leaving a city where the people hitherto had been sofoolish as not to discover his innate dignity beneath the veil of hisinferior station. The splendid garment seemed sent to him by a goodfairy; resolving therefore not to slight so precious a gift, he puthis little stock of money in his pocket, and, favored by the darknessof the night, wandered forth from Alexandria's gates. 

The new prince excited admiration everywhere upon his route, for thesplendid garment, and his serious majestic air, would not allow him topass for a common pedestrian. If one inquired of him about it, he tookcare to answer, with a mysterious look, that he had his reasons forit. Perceiving, however, that he rendered himself an object ofridicule by travelling on foot, he purchased for a small sum an oldhorse, which suited him very well, for it never brought his habitualquiet and mildness into difficulty, by compelling him to show himselfoff as an excellent rider, a thing which in reality he was not. 

One day, as he was proceeding on his way, step by step, upon hisMurva, (thus had he named his horse, ) a stranger joined him, and askedpermission to travel in his company, since to him the distance wouldseem much shorter, in conversation with another. The rider was a gayyoung man, elegant and genteel in manners. He soon knit up aconversation with Labakan, with respect to his whence and whither, andit turned out that he also, like the journeyman tailor, was travellingwithout purpose, in the world. He said his name was Omar, that he wasthe nephew of Elfi Bey, the unfortunate bashaw of Cairo, and was nowon his way to execute a commission which his uncle had delivered tohim upon his dying-bed. Labakan was not so frank with respect to hiscircumstances; he gave him to understand that he was of lofty descent, and was travelling for pleasure. 

The two young men were pleased with each other, and rode on incompany. On the second day, Labakan interrogated his companion Omar, respecting the commission with which he was charged, and to hisastonishment learned the following. Elfi Bey, the bashaw of Cairo, hadbrought up Omar from his earliest childhood; the young man had neverknown his parents. But shortly before, Elfi Bey, having been attackedby his enemies, and, after three disastrous engagements, mortallywounded, was obliged to flee, and disclosed to his charge that he wasnot his nephew, but the son of a powerful lord, who, inspired withfear by the prophecy of his astrologer, had sent the young prince awayfrom his court, with an oath never to see him again until histwenty-second birthday. Elfi Bey had not told him his father's name, but had enjoined upon him with the greatest precision, on the fourthday of the coming month Ramadan, on which day he would betwo-and-twenty years old, to repair to the celebrated pillarEl-Serujah, four days' journey east of Alexandria: there he shouldoffer to the men who would be standing by the pillar, a dagger whichhe gave him, with these words, "Here am I, whom ye seek!" If theyanswered, "Blessed be the Prophet, who has preserved thee!" then hewas to follow them--they would lead him to his father. 

The journeyman tailor, Labakan, was much astonished at thisinformation; from this time he looked upon Prince Omar with enviouseyes, irritated because fortune conferred upon him, though already hepassed for the nephew of a mighty bashaw, the dignity of a king's son;but on him, whom she had endowed with all things necessary for aprince, bestowed in ridicule, an obscure lineage, and an every-dayvocation. He instituted a comparison between himself and the prince. He was obliged to confess that the latter was a man of very livelyaspect; that fine sparkling eyes belonged to him, a boldly-archednose, a gentlemanly, complaisant demeanor, in a word, all the externalaccomplishments, which every one is wont to commend. But numerous aswere the charms he found in his companion, still he was compelled toacknowledge to himself, that a Labakan would be no less acceptable tothe royal father than the genuine prince. 

These thoughts pursued Labakan the whole day; with them he went tosleep in the nearest night-lodgings; but when he awoke in the morning, and his eye rested upon Omar sleeping near him, who was reposing soquietly, and could dream of his now certain fortune, then arose in himthe thought of gaining, by stratagem or violence, what unpropitiousdestiny had denied him. The dagger, the returning prince's token ofrecognition, hung in the sleeper's girdle; he softly drew it forth, toplunge it in the breast of its owner. Nevertheless, the peaceable soulof the journeyman recoiled before thoughts of murder; he contentedhimself with appropriating the dagger, and bridling for himself thefaster horse of the prince; and, ere Omar awoke to see himselfdespoiled of all his hopes, his perfidious companion was several milesupon his way. 

The day on which Labakan robbed the prince was the first of the holymonth Ramadan, and he had therefore four days to reach the pillarEl-Serujah, the locality of which was well known to him. Although theregion wherein it was situated could at farthest be at a distance ofbut four days' journey, still he hastened to reach it, through aconstant fear of being overtaken by the real prince. 

By the end of the second day, he came in sight of the pillarEl-Serujah. It stood upon a little elevation, in the midst of anextensive plain, and could be seen at a distance of two or threeleagues. Labakan's heart beat high at the sight: though he had hadtime enough on horseback, for the last two days, to think of the parthe was to play, still a consciousness of guilt made him anxious; thethought that he was born for a prince, however, encouraged him again, and he advanced towards the mark with renewed confidence. 

The country around the pillar was uninhabited and desert, and the newprince would have experienced some difficulty in finding sustenance, if he had not previously supplied himself for several days. He laydown beside his horse beneath some palm-trees, and there awaited hisdistant destiny. 

Towards the middle of the next day, he saw a large procession ofhorses and camels crossing the plain in the direction of the pillarEl-Serujah. It reached the foot of the hill, on which the pillarstood; there they pitched splendid tents, and the whole looked likethe travelling-suite of some rich bashaw or sheik. Labakan perceivedthat the numerous train which met his eye, had taken the pains to comehither on his account, and gladly would he that moment have shown themtheir future lord; but he mastered his eager desire to walk asprince; for, indeed, the next morning would consummate his boldestwishes. 

The morning sun awoke the too happy tailor to the most importantmoment of his life, which would elevate him from an inferiorsituation, to the side of a royal father. As he was bridling his horseto ride to the pillar, the injustice of his course, indeed, occurredto him; his thoughts pictured to him the anguish of the true prince, betrayed in his fine hopes; but the die was cast: what was done couldnot be undone, and self-love whispered to him that he looked statelyenough to pass for the son of the mightiest king. Inspirited by thesereflections, he sprang upon his horse, and collecting all his courageto bring him to an ordinary gallop, in less than a quarter of an hour, reached the foot of the hill. He dismounted from his horse, andfastened it to one of the shrubs that were growing near; then he drewthe dagger of Prince Omar, and proceeded up the hill. At the base ofthe pillar six persons were standing around an old gray-haired man, oflofty king-like aspect. A splendid caftan of gold cloth surrounded bya white Cashmere shawl, a snowy turban spangled with glitteringprecious stones, pointed him out as a man of opulence and nobility. Tohim Labakan proceeded, and bowing low before him, said, as he extendedthe dagger--

"Here am I, whom you seek. "

"Praise to the Prophet who has preserved thee!" answered thegray-haired one, with tears of joy. "Omar, my beloved son, embracethine old father!" The good tailor was deeply affected by these solemnwords, and sank, with mingled emotions of joy and shame, into the armsof the old noble. 

But only for a moment was he to enjoy the unclouded delight of his newrank; raising himself from the arms of the king, he saw a riderhastening over the plain in the direction of the hill. The travellerand his horse presented a strange appearance; the animal, either fromobstinacy or fatigue, seemed unwilling to proceed. He went along witha stumbling gait, which was neither a pace nor a trot; but the riderurged him on, with hands and feet, to a faster run. Only too soon didLabakan recognise his horse Murva, and the real Prince Omar. But theevil spirit of falsehood once more prevailed within him, and heresolved, come what might, with unmoved front to support the rights hehad usurped. Already, in the distance, had they observed the horsemanmaking signs; at length, in spite of Murva's slow gait, having reachedthe bottom of the hill, he threw himself from his horse, and beganrapidly to ascend. 

"Hold!" cried he. "Hold! whoever you may be, and suffer not yourselvesto be deceived by a most infamous impostor! I am called Omar, and letno mortal venture to misuse my name!"

Great astonishment was depicted on the countenances of the bystandersat this turn of the affair; the old man, in particular, seemed to bemuch amazed, as he looked inquiringly on one and another. ThereuponLabakan spoke, with a composure gained only by the most powerfuleffort. 

"Most gracious lord and father, be not led astray by this man. He is, as far as I know, a mad journeyman tailor of Alexandria, by nameLabakan, who deserves rather our pity than our anger. "

These words excited the prince almost to phrensy. Foaming withpassion, he would have sprung upon Labakan, but the bystanders, throwing themselves between, secured him, while the old man said:"Truly, my beloved son, the poor man is crazed. Let them bind him andplace him on one of our dromedaries; perhaps we may be of someassistance to the unfortunate. "

The anger of the prince had abated; in tears, he cried out to the oldman, "My heart tells me that you are my father; by the memory of mymother, I conjure you--hear me!"

"Alas! God guard us!" answered he: "already he again begins to talkwildly. How can the man come by such crazy thoughts?" Thereupon, seizing Labakan's arm, he made him accompany him down the hill. Theyboth mounted fine and richly-caparisoned coursers, and rode at thehead of the procession, across the plain. They tied the hands of theunfortunate prince, however, and bound him securely upon a dromedary. Two horsemen rode constantly by his side, who kept a watchful eye uponhis every movement. 

The old prince was Saoud, sultan of the Wechabites. For some time hadhe lived without children; at last a prince, for whom he had soardently longed, was born to him. But the astrologer, whom heconsulted respecting the destiny of his son, told him that, until histwenty-second year, he would be in danger of being supplanted by anenemy. On that account, in order that he might be perfectly safe, hadthe sultan given him, to be brought up, to his old and tried friend, Elfi Bey; and twenty-two sad years had lived without looking upon him. 

This did the sultan impart to his supposed son, and seemed delightedbeyond measure with his figure and dignified demeanor. 

When they reached the sultan's dominions, they were everywherereceived by the inhabitants with shouts of joy; for the rumor of theprince's arrival had spread like wildfire through the cities andtowns. In the streets through which they proceeded, arches of flowersand branches were erected; bright carpets of all colors adorned thehouses; and the people loudly praised God and his prophet, who haddiscovered to them so noble a prince. All this filled the proud heartof the tailor with delight: so much the more unhappy did it make thereal Omar, who, still bound, followed the procession in silentdespair. In this universal jubilee, though it was all in his honor, noone paid him any attention. A thousand, and again a thousand, voicesshouted the name of Omar; but of him who really bore this name, of himnone took notice: at most, only one or two inquired whom they werecarrying with them, so tightly bound, and frightfully in the ears ofthe prince sounded the answer of his guards, "It is a mad tailor. "

The procession at last reached the capital of the sultan, where allwas prepared for their reception with still more brilliancy than inthe other cities. The sultana, an elderly woman of majesticappearance, awaited them, with her whole court, in the most splendidsaloon of the castle. The floor of this room was covered with a largecarpet; the walls were adorned with bright blue tapestry, which wassuspended from massive silver hooks, by cords and tassels of gold. 

[Illustration]

It was dark by the time the procession came up, and accordingly manyglobular colored lamps were lighted in the saloon, which made nightbrilliant as day; but with the clearest brilliancy and most variedcolors, shone those in the farthest part of the saloon, where thesultana was seated upon a throne. The throne stood upon four steps, and was of pure gold, inlaid with amethysts. The four most illustriousemirs held a canopy of crimson silk over the head of their mistress;and the sheik of Medina cooled her with a fan of peacock feathers. Thus awaited the sultana her husband and son; the latter she had neverlooked on since his birth, but significant dreams had so plainly shownher the object of her longings, that she would know him out ofthousands. 

Now they heard the noise of the approaching troop; trumpets and drumsmingled with the huzzas of the populace; the hoofs of the horsessounded on the court of the palace; steps came nearer and nearer; thedoors of the room flew open, and, through rows of prostrateattendants, hastened the sultan, holding his son by the hand, towardsthe mother's throne. 

"Here, " said he, "do I bring to thee, him for whom thou hast so oftenlonged. "

The sultana, however, interrupted him, crying: "This is not my son!These are not the features which the Prophet has shown me in mydreams!"

Just as the sultan was about to rebuke her superstition, the door ofthe saloon sprang open, and Prince Omar rushed in, followed by hisguards, whom an exertion of his whole strength had enabled him toescape. Breathless, he threw himself before the throne, exclaiming:--

"Here will I die! Kill me, cruel father, for this disgrace I canendure no longer!"

All were confounded at these words; they pressed around theunfortunate one, and already were the guards, who had hurried up, onthe point of seizing him and replacing his fetters, when the sultana, who had thus far looked on in mute astonishment, sprang from thethrone. 

"Hold!" she cried; "this, and no other, is my son! This is he, who, though my eyes have never seen him, is well known to my heart!" Theguards had involuntarily fallen back from Omar, but the sultan, foaming with rage, commanded them to bind the madman. 

"It is mine to decide, " he cried with commanding tone; "and here wewill judge, not by a woman's dreams, but by sure and infalliblesigns. This, " pointing to Labakan, "is my son, for he has brought methe dagger, the real token of my friend Elfi. "

"He stole it, " cried Omar; "my unsuspicious confidence has hetreacherously abused!" But the sultan hearkened not to the voice ofhis son, for he was wont in all things obstinately to follow his ownjudgment. He bade them forcibly drag the unfortunate Omar from thesaloon, and himself retired with Labakan to his chamber, filled withanger at his wife, with whom, nevertheless, he had lived in happinessfor five-and-twenty years. The sultana was full of grief at thisaffair; she was perfectly convinced that an impostor had takenpossession of the sultan's heart, so numerous and distinct had beenthe dreams which pointed out the unhappy Omar as her son. When hersorrow had a little abated, she reflected on the means of convincingher husband of his mistake. This was indeed difficult, for he who hadpassed himself off as her son, had presented the dagger, the token ofrecognition, and had, moreover, as she learned, become acquainted withso much of Omar's early life from the lips of the prince himself, asto be able to play his part without betraying himself. 

She called to her the men who had attended the sultan to the pillarEl-Serujah, in order to have the whole matter exactly laid before her, and then took counsel with her most trusty female slaves. She chose, and in a moment rejected, this means and that; at length, Melechsalah, an old and cunning Circassian, spoke. 

"If I have heard rightly, honored mistress, the one who bore thisdagger called him whom thou holdest to be thy son, a crazy tailor, Labakan?"

"Yes, it is so, " answered the sultana; "but what wilt thou make ofthat?"

"What think you, " proceeded the slave, "of this impostor's havingstitched his own name upon your son? If this be so, we have anexcellent way of catching the deceiver, which I will impart to you inprivate. "

The sultana gave ear to her slave, and the latter whispered to her aplan which seemed to please her, for she immediately got ready to goto the sultan. The sultana was a sensible woman, and knew not onlythe weak side of her husband, but also the way to take advantage ofit. She seemed therefore to give up, and to be willing to acknowledgeher son, only offering one condition: the sultan, whom the outbreakbetween himself and his wife had grieved, agreed thereto, and shesaid:--

"I would fain have from each a proof of his skill; another, perhaps, would have them contend in riding, in single conflict, or in hurlingspears: but these are things which every one can do; I will give themsomething which will require both knowledge and dexterity. It shall bethis; each shall make a caftan, and a pair of pantaloons, and thenwill we see at once who can make the finest ones. "

The sultan laughingly answered, "Ah! thou hast hit on a fineexpedient! Shall my son contend with a mad tailor, to see who can makethe best caftan? No! that cannot be. " The sultana, however, cried out, that he had already agreed to the condition, and her husband, who wasa man of his word, at length yielded, though he swore, should the madtailor make his caftan ever so beautiful, he would never acknowledgehim as his son. 

The sultan thereupon went to his son, and entreated him to submit tothe caprices of his mother, who now positively wished to see a caftanfrom his hands. The heart of the good Labakan laughed with delight; ifthat be all that is wanting, thought he to himself, then shall thelady sultana soon behold me with joy. Two rooms had been fitted up, one for the prince, the other for the tailor; there were they to trytheir skill, and each was furnished with shears, needles, thread, anda sufficient quantity of silk. 

The sultan was very eager to see what sort of a caftan his son wouldbring to light, but the heart of the sultana beat unquietly, fromapprehension lest her stratagem might be unsuccessful. Two days hadthey been confined to their work; on the third, the sultan sent forhis wife, and when she appeared, dispatched her to the apartments tobring the two caftans and their makers. With triumphant air Labakanwalked in, and extended his garment before the astonished eyes of thesultan. 

"Behold, father, " said he, "look, mother! see if this be not amasterpiece of a caftan. I will leave it to the most skilfulcourt-tailor, upon a wager, whether he can produce such another. "

The sultana, smiling, turned to Omar:-- "And thou, my son, what hastthou brought?"

Indignantly he cast the silk and shears upon the floor. 

"They have taught me to tame horses, and to swing my sabre; and mylance will strike you a mark at sixty paces. But the art of the needleis unknown to me; it were unworthy a pupil of Elfi Bey, the lord ofCairo!"

"Oh, thou true son of my heart!" exclaimed the sultana. "Ah, that Imight embrace thee, and call thee, son! Forgive me, husband andmaster, " she continued, turning to the sultan, "for having set on footthis stratagem against you. See you not now who is prince, and whotailor? Of a truth the caftan which your lord son has made, ismagnificent, and I would fain ask with what master he has learned!"

The sultan was lost in deep reflection, looking with distrust, now onhis wife, now on Labakan, who vainly sought to conceal his blushes andconsternation at having so stupidly betrayed himself. "This proofpleases me not, " said he; "but, Allah be praised! I know a means oflearning whether I am deceived. " He commanded them to bring hisswiftest horse, mounted, and rode to a forest, which commenced not farfrom the city. There, according to an old tradition, lived a goodfairy, named Adolzaide, who had often before this assisted with heradvice the monarchs of his family, in the hour of need: thitherhastened the sultan. 

In the middle of the wood was an open place, surrounded by loftycedars. There, the story said, lived the fairy; and seldom did amortal visit this spot, for a certain awe connected with it had, fromolden time, descended from father to son. When the sultan had drawnnear he dismounted, tied his horse to a tree, and placing himself inthe middle of the open space, cried with loud voice:--

"If it be true that thou hast given good counsel to my fathers, in thehour of need, then disdain not the request of their descendant, andadvise me in a case where human understanding is too short-sighted. "

Hardly had he uttered the last word, when one of the cedars opened, and a veiled lady, in long white garments, stepped forth. 

"I know, Sultan Saoud, why thou comest to me; thy wish is fair, therefore shall my assistance be thine. Take these two chests; leteach of the two who claim to be thy son, choose; I know that he who isthe real one, will not make a wrong selection. " Thus speaking, theveiled lady extended to him two little caskets of ivory, richlyadorned with gold and pearls: upon the lids, which he vainly sought toopen, were inscriptions formed by inlaid diamonds. 

As he was riding home, the sultan tormented himself with variousconjectures, as to what might be the contents of the caskets, which, do his best, he could not open. The words on the outside threw nolight upon the matter; for on one was inscribed, HONOR AND FAME; uponthe other, FORTUNE AND WEALTH. Saoud thought it would be difficult tomake choice between these two, which seemed equally attractive, equally alluring. When he reached the palace, he sent for his wife, and told her the answer of the fairy: it filled her with an eagerhope, that he to whom her heart clung, might select the casket whichwould indicate his royal origin. 

Two tables were brought in before the sultan's throne; on these, withhis own hand, Saoud placed the two boxes; then, ascending to his seat, he gave the signal to one of his slaves to open the door of thesaloon. A brilliant throng of bashaws and emirs of the realm pouredthrough the open door: they seated themselves on the splendidcushions, which were arranged around the walls. When they had donethis, Saoud gave a second signal, and Labakan was introduced; withhaughty step he walked through the apartment, and prostrated himselfbefore the throne with these words:--

"What is the command of my lord and father?" The sultan raised himselfin his throne, and said:--

"My son, doubts are entertained as to the genuineness of thy claims tothis name; one of these chests contains the confirmation of thy realbirth. Choose! I doubt not thou wilt select the right one!" Labakanraised himself, and advanced towards the boxes; for a long time hereflected as to which he should choose, at last he said:--

"Honored father, what can be loftier than the fortune of being thyson? What more noble than the wealth of thy favor? I choose the chestwhich bears the inscription, FORTUNE AND WEALTH. "

"We will soon learn whether thou hast made the right choice; meanwhilesit down upon that cushion, near the bashaw of Medina, " said thesultan, again motioning to his slaves. 

Omar was led in; his eye was mournful, his air dejected, and hisappearance excited universal sympathy among the spectators. He threwhimself before the throne, and inquired after the sultan's pleasure. Saoud informed him that he was to choose one of the chests: he arose, and approached the table. He read attentively both inscriptions, andsaid:--

"The few last days have informed me how insecure is fortune, howtransient is wealth; but they have also taught me that, in the breastof the brave, lives what can never be destroyed, HONOR, and that thebright star of RENOWN sets not with fortune. The die is cast! should Iresign a crown, Honor and Fame, you are my choice!" He placed his handupon the casket that he had chosen, but the sultan commanded him notto unclose it, while he motioned to Labakan to advance, in likemanner, before his table. He did so, and at the same time grasped hisbox. The sultan, however, had a chalice brought in, with water fromZemzem, the holy fountain of Mecca, washed his hands for supplication, and, turning his face to the East, prostrated himself in prayer:

"God of my fathers! Thou, who for centuries hast established ourfamily, pure and unadulterated, grant that no unworthy one disgracethe name of the Abassidæ; be with thy protection near my real son, inthis hour of trial. " The sultan arose, and reascended his throne. Universal expectation enchained all present; they scarcely breathed;one could have heard a mouse crawl over the hall, so mute andattentive were all. The hindmost extended their necks, in order to geta view of the chests, over the heads of those in front. The sultanspoke: "Open the chests;" and they, which before no violence couldforce, now sprang open of their own accord. 

In the one which Omar had chosen, lay upon a velvet cushion, a smallgolden crown, and a sceptre: in Labakan's, a large needle, and alittle linen thread. The sultan commanded both to bring their casketsbefore him: he took the little crown from the cushion in his hand, and, wonderful to see! it became larger and larger, until it reachedthe size of a real crown. Placing it on his son Omar, who kneeledbefore him, he kissed his forehead, and bade him sit upon his righthand. To Labakan, however, he turned and said:--

"There is an old proverb, 'Shoemaker, stick to thy last;' it seemsthat thou shouldst stick to thy needle. Thou hast not, indeed, meritedmuch mercy at my hands, but one has supplicated for thee, whom thisday I can refuse nothing; therefore give I thee thy paltry life; but, if I may advise, haste thee to leave my land. "

Ashamed, ruined as he was, the poor tailor could answer nothing: hethrew himself before the prince, and tears came into his eyes. 

"Can you forgive me, prince?" he said. 

"To be true to a friend, magnanimous to a foe, is the pride of theAbassidæ!" answered the prince, raising him. "Go in peace!"

"My true son!" cried the old sultan, deeply affected, and sinking uponOmar's breast. The emirs and bashaws, and all the nobles of therealm, arose from their seats, to welcome the new prince, and amidthis universal jubilee, Labakan, his chest under his arm, crept out ofthe saloon. 

He went down into the sultan's stable, bridled his horse Murva, androde forth from the gate towards Alexandria. His whole career asprince recurred to him as a dream, and the splendid chest, richlyadorned with pearls and diamonds, alone convinced him that it was notall an idle vision. Having at last reached Alexandria, he rode to thehouse of his old master, dismounted, and fastening his horse to thedoor, walked into the workshop. The master, who did not even know him, made a low bow and asked what was his pleasure: when, however, he hada nearer view of his guest, and recognised his old Labakan, he calledto his journeymen and apprentices, and all precipitated themselves, like mad, upon poor Labakan, who expected no such reception; theybruised and beat him with smoothing-irons and yard-sticks, pricked himwith needles, and pinched him with sharp shears, until he sank down, exhausted, on a heap of old clothes. As he lay there, the masterceased, for a moment, from his blows, to ask after the stolengarments: in vain Labakan assured him that he had come back on thataccount alone, to set all right; in vain offered him threefoldcompensation for his loss; the master and his journeymen fell upon himagain, beat him terribly, and turned him out of doors. Sore andbruised, he mounted Murva, and rode to a caravansery. There he laiddown his weary lacerated head, reflecting on the sorrows of earth, onmerit so often unrewarded, and on the nothingness and transientness ofall human blessings. He went to sleep with the determination to giveup all hopes of greatness, and to become an honest burgher. Nor on thefollowing day did he repent of his resolution, for the heavy hands ofhis master, and the journeymen, had cudgelled out of him all thoughtsof nobility. 

He sold his box to a jeweller for a high price, and fitted up aworkshop for his business. When he had arranged all, and had hung out, before his window, a sign with the inscription, LABAKAN, MERCHANTTAILOR, he sat down and began with the needle and thread he had foundin the chest, to mend the coat which his master had so shockinglytorn. He was called off from his work, but on returning to it, what awonderful sight met his eyes! The needle was sewing industriouslyaway, without being touched by any one; it took fine, elegantstitches, such as Labakan himself had never made even in his mostskilful moments. 

Truly the smallest present of a kind fairy is useful, and of greatvalue! Still another good quality had the gift; be the needle asindustrious as it might, the little stock of thread never gave out. 

Labakan obtained many customers, and was soon the most famous tailorfor miles around. He cut out the garments, and took the first stitchtherein with the needle, and immediately the latter worked away, without cessation, until the whole was completed. Master Labakan soonhad the whole city for customers, for his work was beautiful, and hischarges low; and only one thing troubled the brains of the people ofAlexandria, namely, how he finished his work entirely withoutjourneymen, and with closed doors. 

Thus was the motto of the chest which promised fortune and wealthundergoing its accomplishment. FORTUNE AND WEALTH accompanied, withgradual increase, the steps of the good tailor, and when he listenedto the praises of the young sultan Omar, who lived in every mouth;when he heard that this brave man was the object of his people's prideand love, the terror of his enemies; then would the quondam prince sayto himself, "Still is it better that I remained a tailor, for HONORAND FAME are ever accompanied by danger. "

Thus lived Labakan, contented with himself, respected by hisfellow-burghers; and if the needle, meanwhile, has not lost hercunning, she is still sewing with the everlasting thread of the goodFairy Adolzaide. 

[Illustration]

 * * * * *

At sundown the Caravan set out, and soon reached Birket-el-had, or"the Pilgrims' Fountain, " whence the distance to Cairo was threeleagues. The Caravan had been expected at this time, and the merchantssoon had the pleasure of seeing their friends coming forth from thecity to meet them. They entered through the gate Bebel-Falch, for itwas considered a good omen for those who came from Mecca to enter bythis gate, because the Prophet himself had passed through it. 

At the market-place the four Turkish merchants took leave of thestranger and the Greek Zaleukos, and went home with their friends. Zaleukos, however, showed his companion a good caravansery, andinvited him to dine with him. The stranger agreed, and promised tomake his appearance as soon as he should have changed his dress. TheGreek made every arrangement for giving a fine entertainment to thestranger, for whom, upon the journey, he had conceived a deep feelingof esteem; and when the meats and drink had been brought in in properorder, he seated himself, waiting for his guest. 

He heard slow and heavy steps approaching through the gallery whichled to their apartment. He arose in order to meet him as a friend, andwelcome him upon the threshold; but, full of horror, he started backas the door opened--the same frightful Red-mantle walked in beforehim! His eyes were still turned upon him; it was no illusion: the samelofty, commanding figure, the mask, from beneath which shone forth thedark eyes, the red cloak with embroidery of gold--all were but toowell known to him, impressed upon his mind as they had been during themost awful moments of his life. 

The breast of Zaleukos heaved with contending emotions; he had longsince felt reconciled towards this too-well-remembered apparition, andforgiven him; nevertheless his sudden appearance opened every woundafresh. All those torturing hours of anguish, that wo which hadenvenomed the bloom of his life, rushed back for a moment, crowdingupon his soul. 

"What wishest thou, terrible one?" cried the Greek, as the apparitionstill stood motionless upon the threshold. "Away with thee, that I maycurse thee not!"

"Zaleukos!" said a well-known voice from under the mask: "Zaleukos! isit thus that you receive your guest?" The speaker removed the mask, and threw back his cloak: it was Selim Baruch, the stranger! But stillZaleukos seemed not at ease, for he too plainly recognised in him theUnknown of the Ponte Vecchio: nevertheless, old habits of hospitalityconquered; he silently motioned to the stranger to seat himself at thetable. 

"I can guess your thoughts, " commenced the latter, when they had takentheir places: "your eyes look inquiringly upon me. I might have beensilent, and your gaze would never more have beheld me; but I owe youan explanation, and therefore did I venture to appear before you in myformer guise, even at the risk of receiving your curse. You once saidto me, 'The faith of my fathers bids me love him; and he is probablymore unhappy than myself:' be assured of this, my friend, and listento my justification. 

"I must begin far back, in order that you may fully understand mystory. I was born in Alexandria, of Christian parents. My father, theyoungest son of an ancient illustrious French family, was consul forhis native land in the city I have just mentioned. From my tenth yearI was brought up in France, by one of my mother's brothers, and leftmy fatherland for the first time a few years after the revolutionbroke out there, in company with my uncle, who was no longer safe inthe land of his ancestors, in order to seek refuge with my parentsbeyond the sea. We landed eagerly, hoping to find in my father's housethe rest and quiet of which the troubles of France had deprived us. But ah! in my father's house I found not all as it should be: theexternal storms of these stirring times had not, it is true, reachedit; but the more unexpectedly had misfortune made her home in theinmost hearts of my family. My brother, a promising young man, firstsecretary of my father, had shortly before married a young lady, thedaughter of a Florentine noble who lived in our vicinity: two daysbefore our arrival she had suddenly disappeared, and neither ourfamily nor her own father could discern the slightest trace of her. At last they came to the conclusion that she had ventured too far in awalk, and had fallen into the hands of robbers. Almost agreeable wasthis thought to my poor brother, when compared to the truth, whichonly too soon became known. The perfidious one had eloped with a youngNeapolitan, with whom she had become acquainted in her father's house. My brother, who was exceedingly affected by this step, employed everymeans to bring the guilty one to punishment; but in vain: hisattempts, which in Naples and Florence had excited wonder, served onlyto complete his and our misfortune. The Florentine nobleman returnedto his native land, under the pretence of seeing justice done to mybrother, but with the real determination of destroying us all. Hefrustrated all those examinations which my brother had set on foot, and knew how to use his influence, which he had obtained in variousways, so well, that my father and brother fell under suspicion oftheir government, were seized in the most shameful manner, carried toFrance, and there suffered death by the axe of the executioner. Mypoor mother lost her mind; and not until ten long months had passed, did death release her from her awful situation, though for the fewlast days she was possessed of perfect consciousness. Thus did I nowstand isolated in the world: one thought alone occupied my whole soul, one thought alone bade me forget my sorrows; it was the mighty flamewhich my mother in her last moments had kindled within me. 

"In her last moments, as I said, recollection returned; she had mesummoned, and spoke with composure of our fate, and her own death. Then she sent all out of the room, raised herself, with a solemn air, from her miserable bed, and said that I should receive her blessing, if I would swear to accomplish something with which she would chargeme. Amazed at the words of my dying mother, I promised with an oath todo whatever she should tell me. She thereupon broke forth inimprecations against the Florentine and his daughter, and charged me, with the most frightful threats of her curse, to avenge upon him themisfortunes of my house. She died in my arms. This thought ofvengeance had long slumbered in my soul; it now awoke in all itsmight. I collected what remained of my paternal property, and boundmyself by an oath to stake it all upon revenge, and, rather than beunsuccessful, to perish in the attempt. 

"I soon arrived in Florence, where I kept myself as private aspossible; it was very difficult to put my plan in execution on accountof the situation which my enemy occupied. The old Florentine hadbecome governor, and thus had in his hand all the means of destroyingme, should he entertain the slightest suspicion. An accident came tomy assistance. One evening I saw a man in well-known livery, walkingthrough the streets: his uncertain gait, his gloomy appearance, andthe muttered 'Santo sacramento, ' and 'Maledetto diavolo, ' soon made merecognise old Pietro, a servant of the Florentine, whom I had formerlyknown in Alexandria. There was no doubt but that he was in a passionwith his master, and I resolved to turn his humor to my advantage. Heappeared much surprised to see me there, told me his grievances, thathe could do nothing aright for his master since he had becomegovernor, and my gold supported by his anger soon brought him over tomy side. Most of the difficulty was now removed: I had a man in mypay, who would open to me at any hour the doors of my enemy, and fromthis time my plan of vengeance advanced to maturity with still greaterrapidity. The life of the old Florentine seemed to me too pitiful athing, to be put into the balance with that of my whole family. Murdered before him, he must see the dearest object of his love, andthis was his daughter Bianca. It was she that had so shamefullywronged my brother, it was she that had been the author of ourmisfortunes. My heart, thirsting for revenge, eagerly drank in theintelligence, that Bianca was on the point of being married a secondtime; it was settled--she must die. But as my soul recoiled at thedeed, and I attributed too little nerve to Pietro, we looked aroundfor a man to accomplish our fell design. I could hire no Florentine, for there was none that would have undertaken such a thing against thegovernor. Thereupon Pietro hit upon a plan, which I afterwardsadopted, and he thereupon proposed you, being a foreigner and aphysician, as the proper person. The result you know: only, throughyour excessive foresight and honesty, my undertaking seemed, at onetime, to be tottering; hence the scene with the mantle. 

"Pietro opened for us the little gate in the governor's palace; hewould have let us out, also, in the same secret manner, if we had notfled, overcome by horror at the frightful spectacle, which, throughthe crack of the door, presented itself to our eyes. Pursued by terrorand remorse, I ran on about two hundred paces, until I sank down uponthe steps of a church. There I collected myself again, and my firstthought was of you, and your awful fate, if found within the house. 

"I crept back to the palace, but neither of Pietro nor yourself couldI discover a single trace. The door, however, was open, and I could atleast hope that you had not neglected this opportunity of flight. 

"But when the day broke, fear of detection, and an unconquerablefeeling of remorse, allowed me to remain no longer within the walls ofFlorence. I hastened to Rome. Imagine my consternation, when, after afew days, the story was everywhere told, with the addition that, in aGrecian physician, they had detected the murderer. In anxious fear, Ireturned to Florence; my vengeance now seemed too great: I cursed itagain and again, for with your life it was purchased all too dearly. Iarrived on the same day which cost you a hand. I will not tell youwhat I felt, when I saw you ascend the scaffold, and bear all withsuch heroism. But when the blood gushed forth in streams, then was myresolution taken, to sweeten the rest of your days. What has sincehappened you know; it only now remains to tell you, why I havetravelled with you. As the thought that you had never yet forgiven me, pressed heavily upon me, I determined to spend some days with you, andat last to give you an explanation of what I had done. "

Silently had the Greek listened to his guest; with a kind look, as hefinished, he offered him his right hand. 

"I knew very well that you must be more unhappy than I, for that awfuldeed will, like a thick cloud, forever darken your days. From my heartI forgive you. But answer me yet one question: how came you under thisform, in the wilderness? What did you set about, after purchasing myhouse in Constantinople?"

"I returned to Alexandria, " answered the guest. "Hate against allmankind raged in my bosom; burning hate, in particular, against thatpeople, whom they call 'the polished nation. ' Believe me, my Moslemfriends pleased me better. Scarcely a month had I been in Alexandria, when the invasion of my countrymen took place. I saw in them only theexecutioners of my father and brother; I, therefore, collected someyoung people of my acquaintance, who were of the same mind as myself, and joined those brave Mamelukes, who were so often the terror of theFrench host. When the campaign was finished, I could not make up mymind to return to the peaceful arts. With my little band of congenialfriends, I led a restless, careless life, devoted to the field and thechase. I live contented among this people, who honor me as theirchief; for though my Asiatics are not quite so refined as yourEuropeans, yet are they far removed from envy and slander, fromselfishness and ambition. "

Zaleukos thanked the stranger for his relation, but did not concealfrom him, that he would find things better suited to his rank andeducation, if he would live and work in Christian, in European lands. With delight his companion looked upon him. 

"I know by this, " said he, "that you have entirely forgiven me, thatyou love me: receive, in return, my heartfelt thanks. " He sprang up, and stood in full height before the Greek, whom the warlike air, thedark sparkling eyes, the deep mysterious voice of his guest, almostinspired with fear. "Thy proposal is intended kindly, " continued he;"for another it might have charms; but I--I cannot accept it. Alreadystands my horse saddled: already do my attendants await me. Farewell, Zaleukos!"

The friends whom destiny had so strangely thrown together, embraced atparting. "And how may I call thee? What is the name of my guest, whowill forever live in my remembrance?" exclaimed the Greek. 

The stranger gazed at him some time, and said, as he pressed his handonce more: "They call me 'the lord of the wilderness;' I am THE ROBBERORBASAN!"

THE END. 

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Transcriber's Note

Minor punctuation errors have been corrected without note. There issome archaic spelling in this text, which has been retained as printed, for example, pedler, phrensy, wo, etc. The single oe ligature has notbeen retained. 

The author dedication at the beginning of the book appears exactly asprinted in the original, although it appears that there is some textmissing from the start of it. 

The following amendments have been made:

 Page 101--thus amended to this--". .. Only this much I know, that whoever . .. "

 Page 136--Nourmahal amended to Nurmahal--". .. And asked where Nurmahal and Mirza were. "

 Page 188--Saaud amended to Saoud--"The old prince was Saoud, sultan of the Wechabites. "

 Page 204--sheers amended to shears--". .. And pinched him with sharp shears, until he sank down, . .. "

Illustrations have been moved slightly where they were previouslylocated in the middle of a paragraph. The frontispiece illustrationhas been moved to follow the title page. 

Advertising material has been moved to the end of the text.