 Section 34, Volume 2 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, translated by Richard Burton. This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 2, Section 34. 20. When It Was the Ninety-Third Night She said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when king Aphridon heard these words he fell into a fainting fit with his nose under his feet, and as soon as he revived fear flooded the scrotum below his belly, and he complained to the ancient tale Satal Dabai. Now this accursed old woman was a witch of the witches, past mistress in sorcery and deception, wanton and wily, debauched and deceptious, with foul breath, red eyelids, yellow cheeks, dull brown face, eyes blared, mangy body, hair grizzled, back pumped, skin withered, and one and nostrils which ever ran. But she had studied the scriptures of al-Islam, and had made the pilgrimage to the holy house of Mecca, and all this that she might come to the knowledge of the Muhammadan ordinances, and the miraculous verses of the Quran, and she had professed Judaism in the holy city of Jerusalem for two years' space, that she might master the magic of men and demons, so that she was a plague of plagues and a pest of pests, wrong-headed as to the belief and to no religion thief. Now the chief reason of her sojourn with her son, King Hardoub of Greece, was on account of the slave virgins at his court, for she was given to tribalism, and could not exist without saffism, or she went mad, so if any damsel pleased her, she was one to teach her the art of rubbing clitoris against clitoris, and would anoint her with saffron till she fainted away for excess of volupti. Hosu obeyed her, she was one to favor, and make her son inclined towards her, but Hosu repelled her, she would concede to destroy, and so she abode for a length of time. This was known to Marjana and Raihanan, and Uttriya, the handmaids of Abrissa, and their princes loathed the old woman and abhorred to lie with her, because of the rank smell from her armpits, the stench of her fizzles more fetid than carrion, and the roughness of her hidecorsher than palm fiber. She was one to bribe those who rubbed parts with her by means of jewels and instructions, but Abrissa held aloof from her, and sought refuge with the omnipotent, the omniscient for, by Allah, right well quoth the poet. Who thou who growls low before the great, nor over, fording lesser, mend as thou blench, who gildest dross by dirham gathering, no otter sent disguises carrion stench? And now to return to the story of her stratagem, and the woes of her working. Presently she departed, taking the chief Nazarenes with their hosts, and turned towards the army of the Muslims, whereupon King Hardub went into King Aphrodon and said to him, O King, we have no need of the chief patriarch nor of his prayers, but will consult my mother's counsel, and observe what she will do with her craft unending against the Muslim hosts. For these are marching with all their power, they will soon be upon us, and they will encircle us on all sides. When King Aphrodon heard this terror took hold upon his heart, and he wrote letters, without stay or delay, to all the nations of the Nazarenes saying, It behoove none of the misiates or cross knights to hold back, especially the fork of the strongholds and forts, but let them all come to us foot and horse, women and children, for the Muslim hosts already tread our soil. So haste, haste ye, ere what we fear to us here appear. Thus much concerning them, but regarding the work of the old woman Satal Dabahi, when she went forth from the city with her suit, she clad them in the clothing of Muslim merchants, having provided herself with an hundred mules, carrying stuffs of Antioch, such as gold-woven satins and royal brocades, and so forth. And she had taken a letter from King Aphrodon to the following effect. These be merchant men from the land of Sham who have been with us, so it besitteth none to do them harm or hindrance, nor take tax or tith of them till they reach their homes and safe places, for by merchants a country flourishes, and these are no men of war nor of ill faith. Then quoth the accursed Satal Dabahi to those with her, verily I wish to work out a plot for the destruction of the Muslim. Replied they, O Queen, command us what so thou wilt, we are at thy disposal, and may the Messiah never disappoint thy dealings. Then she donned a gown of fine white wool, and rubbed her forehead till she made a great mark as a viscar, and anointed it with anointment of her own fashion, so that it shone with prodigious sheen. Now the old hag was lean-bodied and hollow-eyed, and she bound her legs tightly round with cords, just above her feet till she drew near the Muslim camp, when she unwound them, leaving their marks deeply embedded in her ankles. Then she anointed the wheels with dragon's blood, and bade her companions beat her with their severe beating, and set her in a chest and quoth she. Cry a broader frame of unity, nor fear from it ought of damage. Replied they, how can we beat thee, who be our sovereign lady, Satal Dabahi, mother of the King we glory in? Then said she, we blame not, nor deal reproach to him, who goeth to the jakes, and in need evil becomes good deed. When ye have set me in the chest, take it and make it one of the bales, and place it on mule-back, and fare forth with it, and the other goods through the Muslim camp, and fear ye no blame, and if any of the Muslims hinders you, give up the mules and their lading, and betake yourself to their King, Saul Al-Makam, and implore his protection, saying, We were in the land of the infidels, and they took nothing from us, but wrote us a passport, that none shall do us hindrance or work our mischance. If he asks you, what profit had ye of your property in the land of room? answer him. We profited in the deliverance of a pious man, who had been bound down in an underground cell nigh fifteen years, crying out for help, yet none helped him. Nay, the infidels tortured him night and day. We knew not this, but after we had tarried in Constantinople for some time, having sold our goods and bought others in their steed, we determined on and made ready for a return to our native land. We spent that night conversing about our journey, and when day broke, we saw figured upon the wall a human form, and as we drew nigh it, behold, it moved and said, O Muslims, is there amongst you one who is minded to woo the favor of the Lord of the three worlds? How so? asked we, and the figure answered, Know that Allah hath made me speak to you, to the intent that your faith be fortified, and that your belief emboldened you, and that you may go forth of the country of the infidels, and repair to the Muslim host. For with them wounds the sword of the compassionate one of our age the champion King Sharkan, by whom he shall conquer Constantinople town and destroy the sect of the Nazarene. And when ye shall have journeyed three days, you will find an hermitage known as the hermitage of the ascetic Matruhina and containing a cell. Visit it with pure intent, and contrive to arrive there by force of will, for therein is a religious from the holy city Jerusalem, by name Abdullah, and he is one of the devoutest of mankind, endowed with the power of working saintly miracles, such as dispelled doubts and obscurity. Certain of the monks seized him by fraud and shut him up in a suturang, where he hath lain a long time. By his deliverance you will please the Lord of faithful men, for such release is better than fighting for the faith. Now when the ancient dame and those with her had agreed upon such words, she said, As soon as that which I impart shall reach the heirs of King Sharkan, say him further, hearing this from that image we knew that the holy man and Sharassad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her permitted say, when it was the ninety-fourth night. She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when the old woman Sathal Dabahi and those with her had agreed upon such words, she said, Now as soon as that which I impart shall reach the heirs of King Sharkan, say him further, hearing these words from that image we knew that the holy man was indeed of the chiefest devotees, and alas servants of purest qualities. So we made three days march till we came in sight of that hermitage, and then we went up to it and passed the day in buying and selling, as is the want of merchants. As soon as day had departed our sight and night was come to darken light, we repaired to the cell wherein was the dungeon, and we heard the holy man, after chanting some verses of the Quran, repeat the following couplets. My heart is heartened is, my breast is straight, and sinks my soul in sea of bail and bait. Unless escape be near, I soon shall die, and death were better than this doleful straight. O lightning, and thou light my home and foe, and there still brighter charms thy shine abate. Say what my path to meet them, being barred by wars and barricades of sucrose-gate. When once ye have brought me into the Muslim camp, and I mix with them, you shall see, the old movement continued, how I will make shift to begeel them, and slay them all, even to the last man. The Nazarenes hearing what she said, kissed her hands and set her in the chest, after they had beaten her with a grievous beating in obedience to her commands, for they saw it was incumbent on them to do her bidding in this. Then they all made for the Muslim host, as hath first been said. Such was the case with the damned hag Sattal Davahi and her companions. But as regards the Muhammedan army, they indeed after Allah had given them victory over their enemies, and they had plundered everything in the ships of money and hordes. All sat down to converse with one another, and saw Al Makan said to his brother Sharqam. Verily Allah hath granted us to prevail because of our just dealing and discipline and concord amongst ourselves. Wherefore continue, O Sharqam, to obey my commandment in submission to Allah. Be he exalted and extolled, for I mean to slay ten kings in blood revenge for my sire, to cut the throat of fifty thousand Greeks, and to enter Constantinople. Replied Sharqam, my life be thy ransom against death. Needs must I follow out the holy war, though I wown many a year in their country. But I have owe my brother in Damascus a daughter, named Kutsia Fakan, whom I love heartily, for she is one of the marbles of the time, and she will soon be of age. Said Saul Makan, and I also have left my wife with child and nearer time, nor do I know what Allah will vouchsafed me by her. But promise me, O my brother, that if Allah bless me with a son, thou will grant me thy daughter for wife to him, and make covenant with me and pledge me thy faith thereon. With love and goodwill, replied Sharqam, and stretching out his hand to his brother, he said, if she bring thee a son, I will give him my daughter Kutsia Fakan to wife. At this Saul Makan rejoiced, and they fell to congratulating each other on the victory over the enemy. And the Vasidandan also congratulated the two brothers and said to them, No, O ye kings, that Allah hath given us the victory, for that we have devoted our lives to him, be he exalted and extolled, and we have left our homes and households. And it is my counsel that we follow up the foe and press upon him and harass him, so happily Allah shall enable us to win our wishes, and we shall destroy our enemies branch and root. If it please you, do ye go down in these ships and sail over the sea, whilst we fare forward by land and bear the brunt of battle and the thrust of fight. And the minister Dandan ceased not to urge them to combat, and repeated his words, who said, To slay my foes in chiefest bliss I wist, and on the courses back be born a list. Comes promising Trist a messenger from friend, full of when comes the friend without Trist. And these words of another, War for my mother and I live I'll take, Spare for my brother's skimitar for sire, With every shag head brave who meet his death, Smiling till one from doom his dear desire. And when the vassir ended his verses he said, Praise be to him who aided a steered victory to uphold, and who hath given a spoil of silver and fine gold. Then Saul Makan commanded the army to depart, and they fared on forcing their marches for Constantinople, till they came to a wide and spacious champagne, full of all things fair and faint, With wild cattle frisking, and gazelles pacing to and fro across the plain. Now they had traversed great deserts, and drink had been six days cut off from them, When they drew near this meadow, and saw there in waters founting, and ripe fruits daunting, And that land as it were paradise, for it had donned its adornments and decked itself. Gently wade the branches of the trees drunken with a new wine of the dew, And combined with a nectar of Tasnim, the soft breathings of the morning breeze. Mind and gazer were confounded by its beauty, even as set the poet. Behold this lovely garden, tis as though spring over its frame her green cloak had spread, Looking with fleshly eyeing thou shalt but sight, a lake whose waters balance in their bed, But look with spirit eyes, and lo shall see glory in every leaf overwaves thy head. And as another said, the streams a cheek by sunlight rose she died, Whose down is creeping shade, or tamarisk stems. Round legs of tree trunks waved as rolling rings, Silvan and blossoms are the diadems. When Saul Markon saw this champagne, with his tree bowing, And his flowers blooming, and his birds wobbling, He called to his brother Sharkon and said, Oh, my brother, verily in Damascus is not the like of this place. We will not march from it save after three days that we may take rest ourselves, And that the army of Al-Islam may regain strength, And their souls be fortified to encounter the blamed infidels. So they halted therein, and while camping behold, They heard a noise of voices from afar, And Saul Markon asked the courts thereof, And was answered that a caravan of merchants from the land of Syria had halted there To rest, and that the Muslim troops had come on them, And had happily seized something of the goods which they had brought from the country of the infidels. After a while up came the merchants crying out and appealing to the king for agents. When Saul Markon saw this, he made them be brought before him, And when in presence they said to him, Oh, king, we have been in the country of the infidels, And they plundered us of nothing. Why then do our brothers the Muslims despoil our goods, And we in their own land? Of a truth, when we saw your truths, We went up to them, and they robbed us of what we had with us, And we have now reported to thee all that hath befallen us. Thereupon they brought out to him the letter of the king of Constantinople, And Sharkon read it and said, We will presently restore to you what hath been taken from you, But yet it behooveeth you not to carry merchandise to the country of the infidels. Reply they, O our Lord, In very sooth a large dispatcher thither, That we might win what Cahasin never won the like of, Not even thou in all thy rations. Ask, Sharkon, what was it you want? O king, answered they, We will not tell thee save in private, For if this matter be noised among the folk, Happily it may come to the ears of some, And this will be the cause of our ruin, And of the ruin of all Muslims, Who resort to the land of the Greeks. Now they had hidden the chest wherein was the damned Sattal Davahi. So Saul Mark and his brother brought them to a private place, Where they laid bare to both of them the story of the devotee, And wept till they made the two kings weep. And Shaharasad perceived the dawn of day, And ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 34 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 2 Read by Lars Rolander. Section 35, Volume 2 of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Translated by Richard Burton. This is a LibriVox recording, or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Reading by Lars Rolander. The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Volume 2, Section 35 When It Was the Ninety-Fifth Night She said it hath reached Mio's vicious king That the Nazarenes who wore merchant's weed When brought to a private place by Saul Markon And his brother Sharkon laid bare to both of them the story of the devotee, And wept till they made the two kings weep, And repeated to them all which had been taught by the old which sat al-Dabahi. Thereupon Sharkon's heart turned to the devotee, And he was moved to Ruth for him, And was fired with seal for the service of Almighty Allah. What hath he to them? Did ye rescue this holy man, or is he still in the hermitage? What they! We delivered him and slew the hermit, fearing for our lives, After which we made haste to fly for a dreed of death, But a trusty man told us That in this hermitage are quintals of gold and silver And stones of price. Then they fetched the chest And brought out the accursed old woman, As she were a cassia pod of excess of blackness and lurness. And she was laden with the same fetters and shackles. When Saul Markon and the bystanders saw her, They took her for a man of the best of a last devotees, And surpassing in pious qualities, More especially because of the shining of her forehead For the ointment wherewith she had anointed her face. So Saul Markon and Sharkon wept sore. Then they rose up in honor and kissed her hands and feet, Sobbing aloud. But she signed to them and said, Seize this weeping and hear my words. Hereet they dried their tears in obedience to her bidding. And she said, Know ye both that I was content to accept what my lord did unto me, For I ken that the affliction which befell me Was a trial from him. Be he exalted and extolled, And whoso hath no patience under calamity and tribulation, For him there is no coming to the delights of paradise. I had indeed supplicated him that I might return to my native land, Not as a compensation for the sufferings decreed to me, But that I might die under the horse hooves of warriors Fighting for the faith who, being slain in fray, Live again without suffering death. Then she repeated the following couplets, Our fort is tore and flames the fire of fight. Moses art thou and this is time for aid. Cast down thy rod, twill'd swallow all thy wrought, Nor dreed for men the ropes be vipers made, For chapters read on fight day, lines of foes, And on their next gray verses we thy blade. When the old woman had ended her verse, Her eyes overflowed with tears, And her forehead under the undue and shone like gleaming light, And shark and rose and kissed her hand, And caused food be brought before her. But she refused it, saying, I have not broken my fast by day for fifteen years, And how should I break it at such a time, When my Lord hath been bountiful to me In delivering me from the captivity of the infidels, And removing me from that which was more grievous To me than torment of fire. I will wait till sundown. So when it was nightfall, Sharkan and Saulmachan came and served her with food And said, Eat, O ascetic! But she said, This is no time for eating, It is the time for worshipping the requiting king. Then she stood up in the prayer-nish And remained praying till the night was spent, And she ceased not to do after this fashion For three days and nights, Sitting not but at the time of the salam or salutation, Ending with several prayers. When Saulmachan saw her on this wise, Firm belief in her get hold of his heart, And he said to Sharkan, Course a tent of perfumed leather To be pitched for this religious And appoint a body-servant to wait upon him. On the fourth day she called for food, So they brought her all kind of meats That could seduce the sense or delight the sight, But of all this she would eat only a scone with salt. Then she again turned to her fast, And as the night came, She rose anew to pray. When Sharkan said to Saulmachan, Verily this man carries renunciation of the world To the extreme of renouncing. And were it not for this holy war, I would join myself to him and worship Allah In his service till I came before his presence. And now I decide to enter his tent And talk with him for an hour. Quoth Saulmachan, And I also tomorrow will sally forth To fight against Constantinople, And we shall find no time like the present, Said the Basir Dandan, And I no less desire to see this ascetic, Happily he will pray for me that I find death In this holy war and come to the presence of my Lord, For I am aware of the world. So as soon as night had darkened, They repaired to the tent of that witch, Sat al-Dawahi, And seeing her standing to pray, They drew near her and fell a weeping For pity of her, But she paid no heed to them till midnight was past, When she ended her horizons By pronouncing the salutation. Then she turned to them, And after wishing them long life, Asked them, wherefore come ye? Where to they answered, O thou holy man, Didst thou not hear a sweep around thee? She rejoined, To him who standeth in the presence of Allah, Remaineth no existence in time, Either for hearing any or for seeing ought about him. Quoth they, We would have thee recount to us The cause of thy captivity And pray for us this night, For that will profit us more Than the possession of Constantinople. Now when she heard their words she said, By Allah, were ye not the emirs of the Muslims, I would not relate to you ought of this at any time, For I complain not but to Allah alone. However to you I will relate The circumstances of my captivity. Know then that I was in this saintly city of Jerusalem, With the certain ecstatics and inspired men, And did not magnify myself among them, For that Allah, Be exalted and extolled, Had endowed me with humility and abnegation, Till I chanced to go down to the sea one night And walked upon the water. Then entered into me pride, Whence I know not. And I said to myself, Who like me can walk the water? And my heart from that time hardened And Allah afflicted me with a love of travel. So I journeyed to room, land, And visited every part for a whole year, And left no place but therein I worshipped Allah. When I came to this spot, I cloned the mountain and saw there an hermitage, Inhabited by a monk called Matrubina, Who when he sighted me came out And kissed my hands and feet and said, Verily I have seen thee since thou enteredst The land of the Greeks, And thou hast filled me with longing For the land of al-Islam. Then he took my hand And carried me into that hermitage, And brought me to a dark room, And when I entered it unawares, He locked the door on me, And left me there for forty days Without meat or drink, For it was his intent to kill me by delay. It chanced one day that a night called Dakianus came to the hermitage, Accompanied by Ten Squires and his daughter, Tamasil, a girl whose beauty was incomparable. When they entered that hermitage, The monk Matrubina told them of me, And the night said, Bring him out, for surely there is not on him A bird's meal of meat. So they opened the door of the dark room And found me standing in the niche, Praying and reciting the Quran And glorifying Allah, And humbling myself before the Almighty. When they saw me in this state, Matrubina exclaimed, This man is indeed a sorcerer of the sorcerers! And hearing his words, they all came in on me. Dakianus and his company with all, And they beat me with a grievous beating, Till I desired death and reproached myself, Saying, This is his reward who exalted himself And who prides himself on that which Allah has watched Safe to him beyond his own competence. And thou, O my soul, verily self-esteem And arrogance have crept into thee. Thus thou not know that pride angereth The Lord and hardness the heart And bringeth men to the fire. Then they laid me in fetters And returned me to my place, Which was the dungeon underground. Every three days they threw me down A scone of barley bread and a draught of water, And every month or two the night Came to the hermitage. Now his daughter Thamasil had grown up For she was nine years old when I first saw her, And fifteen years passed of a mean captivity, So that she had reached her four-and-twentieth year. There is not in our land nor in the land Of the Greeks a fairer than she, And her father fearless the king-taker from him, For she had bowed herself to the Messiah And rode with Dacianus in the habit of a cavalier, So that albate none might compare with her in loveliness, No one who saw her knew her for a woman. And her father had laid up his monies in this hermitage. Every one who had ought of pride or treasured hoard Being want to deposit it therein, And I saw their all manner of gold and silver And jewels and precious vessels and rarities. None may keep count of them save almighty Allah. Now ye are worthier of these riches than those infidels, So lay hands on that which is in the hermitage And divide it among the Muslims And especially on fighters in the holy war. When these merchants came to Constantinople And sold their merchandise, That image which is on the wall spoke to them By grace of a marvel which Allah granted to me. So they made for that hermitage and slew Matruhina After torturing him with most grievous torments And dragging him by the beard Till he showed them the place where I was. When they took me and found no path But flight for dread or death. Now tomorrow night Tamazil will visit that hermitage As is her habit, and her father and his squires Will come after her as he feareth for her. So if ye would witness these things, Take me with you, and I will deliver to you The monies and the riches of the night Dakhianos Which be in that mountain. For I saw them bring out vessels of gold and silver To drink therefrom, and I heard a damsel Of their company sing to them in Arabic And well away, that so sweet a voice Should not be busied in chanting the Quran. If then ye will enter into that hermitage And hide there against the coming of Dakhianos And his daughter, and take her, For she is fit only for the king of the age Sharkan or King Tzawalmakan. Thereet they all rejoiced With the exception of the Vasir Dandan Who put scant faith in her story For her words took no hold on his reason And signs of doubt in her and his belief Showed in his face. Yet he was confounded at her discourse But he feared to speak with her For eve of the king. Then quoth the ancient dame Tzat al-Dawahi Verily I fearless the night come And seeing these troops encamped in the meadow Be afraid to enter the hermitage. So Tzawalmakan ordered the army To march upon Constantinople and said I have resolved to take with me A hundred horse and many mules And make for that mountain Where we will load the beasts With the monies which be in the hermitage. Then he sent at once for the chief chamberlain Whom they brought into the presence And he summoned likewise the leaders Of the Turks and Daelamites and said As soon as it is dawn Douyi set forth for Constantinople And Thou, O Chamberlain Shall take my place in council and contrivance While Thou, O Rustam Shall be my brother's deputy in battle But let none know that we are not with you And after three days we will rejoin you Then he chose out a hundred of their doubtiest riders And he and Sharkan and the minister Dandan Set out for the hermitage And the hundred horsemen led the mules With chests for transporting the treasure And Charasad perceived the dawn of day And ceased saying her permitted say. End of Section 35 of the Book Of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Vol. 2 Read by Lorsch Rolander Section 36, Vol. 2 Of the Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night Translated by Richard Burton This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org Reading by Lorsch Rolander The Book of a Thousand Nights and a Night, Vol. 2 Section 36 When it was the 96th night She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious king That Sharkan and his brother Saul Makan And the Vassir Dandan Set off with a hundred horse for the hermitage Described to them by that accursed Sataldavahi And they took with them mules and chests For transporting the treasure Now as soon as dawned the morn The Chamberlain signaled to the host An order for departure And they set out thinking that the two kings And the Vassir were with them Knowing not that the three had made for the monastery Such was the case with the host But as regards the two kings and the minister They tarried in their place till the end of that day Now the infidels who were with Sataldavahi Took their departure privily After they had gone into her And kissed her hands and feet And obtained her leave to march So she not only gave them permission But also taught them all she minded of wheel and gill And when it was dark night She arose and went into Saul Makan And his companions and said to them Come, let us set out for the mountain And take with you a few men at arms They obeyed her and left five horsemen At the foot of the mountain Whilst the rest drove on before Sataldavahi Who gained new strength for excessive joy But Saul Makan said Glory be to him who sustained this holy man Who's like we never saw Now the witch had written a letter To the king of Constantinople And dispatched it on the wings of a bird Acquainting him with what had passed an ending I wish thee to send me ten thousand horsemen Of the bravest of the Greeks And let them steal along the foot Of the mountains with caution Lest the host of Alislam get sight of them And when they reach the hermitage Let them ambush themselves there Till I come to them with a Muslim king And his brother For I shall inveigle them And will bring them thither Together with a vassir and a hundred horse And no more That I may presently deliver to them The crosses which be in the hermitage I am resolved to slay the Montmartruhina Since my scheme cannot be carried out But by taking his life If my plot worked well Not one of the Muslims shall return To his own country No, not a living wait Nor one who blows the fire alive And Montmartruhina shall be a sacrifice For the followers of the Nazarene faith And the servants of the cross And praise be to the Messiah First and last When this letter reached Constantinople The keeper of the carrier pigeons Carried it to King Aphrodon Who read it and forthwith inspected his host And equipped ten thousand cavaliers With horses and dromedaries And mules and provont And bade them repair to that hermitage And, after reaching the tower To hide therein Thus far concerning them Mattas regards King Saul Makan And his brother Sharkan And the Vasir Dandan And the escort When they reached the hermitage They entered and met the Montmartruhina Who came out to see Who and what they were Whereupon quothed that pious man Sattaldavahi Slay this damned fellow So they smote him with their swords And made him drink the cup of death Then the accursed old woman Carried them to the place of offerings And exvotos And brought out to them treasures And precious things More than she had described to them And after gathering the whole together They set the booty in chests And loaded the mules therewith As for Tamasil she came not She or her father for fear of the Muslims So Saul Makan tarried there Awaiting her all that day And the next and a third Till Sharkan said to him By Allah I am troubled and end the army of Al-Islam For I know not what is become of them His brother replied And I also am concerned for them We have come by this great treasure And I do not believe that Tamasil Or anyone else will approach the hermitage After that befell which had befallen The host of the Christians It behooved us then to content ourselves With what Allah hath given us and depart So happily he will help us conquer Constantinople Accordingly they came down from the mountain While Sattal Davahi was impotent To post their march for fear Of betraying her deceit And they fed forwards till they reached The head of a defile Where the old woman had laid an ambush For them with the ten thousand horse As soon as these saw the Muslims They encircled them from all sides Couching lands and bearing the white sabre blade And the infidels shouted the watch word Of their faithless faith And set the shafts of their mischief astring When Saul Makand and his brother Sharkand And the minister Dandan looked upon this host They saw that it was a numerous army And said, Who can have given these troops information of us? Replied Sharkand, Oh my brother, This be no time for talk This is the time for smiting with swords And shooting with shafts So gird up your courage And harden your hearts For this straight is like a street With two gates Though by the virtue of the lord Of Arabs and Ajams Were not the place so narrow I would bring them to naught Even though they were in hundred thousand men Said Saul Makand, Had we wotted this We would have brought with us five thousand horse And the Vasidandan continued If we had ten thousand horse They had availed us not in these narrows But Allah will secure us against them I know this defile and its straightness And I know there be many places of refuge in it For I have been here on Russia With King Omar bin Al-Numan What while we beseed Constantinople We abode in this place And here is water colder than snow So come, let us push out of this defile Air the infidel host increase on us And get the start of us to the mountaintop Whence they will hurl down rocks upon us And we powerless to come at them So they began hurrying on To get out of those narrows But the pious man, Sattal Davahi Looked at them and said What is it ye fear Ye who have bowed yourselves to the Lord And to working his will By Allah I abode in prison underground For fifteen years Yet never gainsaid the Almighty In ought he did with me Fight ye in Allah's way So whoever of you is slain Paradise shall be his abode And whoso slain His striving shall be to his honour When they heard from the ascetic these words Their care and anxiety ceased from them And they stood firm till the infidels charged down From all sides Whilst the swords played upon their necks And the cup of death went round amongst them The Muslims fought for the service of Allah A right good fight And wrought upon his foes With sway of sword and lung of lance While Saul Makan smote upon the men And guarded the knights by the dust And their heads from their bodies take flight Five by five and ten by ten Till he had done to death A number of them passed numbering And a count beyond counting Now while so doing He looked at the accursed old woman Who was waving her sword And heartening them And all who feared fled to her for shelter But she was also signing the infidels To slay Sharkan So troop after troop rushed on him With the sign to do him die But each troop that charged He charged and drew back And when another troop attacked him He repelled the assault with the sword In their backs For he thought it was the devotee's Blessing that gave him the victory And is said in himself Verily on this holy man Allah looketh with eyes of his favour And strengthened my prowess Against the infidels With the purity of his pious intent For I see that they fear me And cannot prevail against me But everyone who assaileth me With tail and takeeth flight So they battled the rest of the day And when night fell The Muslims took refuge in a cave Of that defile Being weary with stress of war And cast of stone And that day were slain of them Five and forty And when they were gathered together They sought the devotee But could find no trace of him And this was grievous to them And they said Like he hath died a martyr I saw him heartening the horsemen With divine instances And using as talisman verses Of holy writ Now while they were talking Behold the cursed old woman Sattal Davahi stood before them Hending in hand the head Of the chief captain Of the ten thousand horse A noble knight And a satan for blight One of the Turks had slain him With an arrow And Allah hurried his soul To the fire And when the infidels saw What that Muslim had done With their leader They all fell on him And wrought his pain And ewed him in pieces With their swords And Allah hurried his soul To heaven Then the cursed old woman Cut off that knight's head And brought it And threw it at the feet of Sharkan and Saul Makan And the Vasir Dandan Now when Sharkan saw her He sprang up hastily before her And exclaimed Praise be Allah for thy safety And for our sighting thee O holy man And devout champion of the religion Replied she O my son I have sought martyrdom this day And have thrown my life away Amid the infidel array But they feared me with dismay When ye dispersed I waxed jealous for your honour So I rushed on the chief knight Their leader Albeit he was a match for a thousand horse And I smote him till I severed He head from trunk Not one of the infidels Could near me So I brought his head to you And Charasad perceived the dawn of day And ceased to say her permitted save When it was the ninety-seventh night She said It hath reached me, O auspicious king That when the damned witch Sattal Davahi took the head of the knight The leader of the twenty thousand infidels She brought it And threw it down before Saul Makan and his brother Sharkan and the Vasir Dandan Saying When I saw your condition I waxed jealous for your honour So I rushed on the chief knight And smote him with a sword Till I severed head from trunk And none could near me So I brought his head to you That you may be strengthened in holy war And work out with your swords The will of the Lord of the faithful And now I propose leaving you To strive against the infidels Whilst I go to your army Though they be at the gates Of Constantinople And return with twenty thousand horse To destroy these unfaithfuls Quoth Sharkan How wilt thou pass to them? O thou holy man Seeing that the valley is blocked up On all sides by the miscreants Quoth the accursed hag Allah will wail me from their eyes And they shall not sight me Nor if any saw me Would he dare to attack me at that time For I shall be as one non-existing Absorbed in Allah And he will fend off from me his foes Thou sayst sooth O holy man Rejoin Sharkan For indeed I have been witness of that So if thou can pass out At the first of night It will be best for us Replied she I will set out at this very hour And if thou desire Thou shalt go with me And none shall see thee Furthermore if thy brother also Have a mind to go with us We will take him but none else For the shadow of a saint Can cover only twain Sharkan said As for me I will not leave my comrades But if my brother will There is no harm in his going With thee and setting us free Of this straight He is the stronghold of the Muslims And the sword of the lord Of the three walls And if it be his pleasure Let him take with him the Vasir Dandan Or whom else he may elect And send us ten thousand horse To succour us against these K-tiffs So after debate They agreed on this And the old woman said Give me leisure to go before you And consider the condition of the infidels If they be asleep or awake Quoth they We will not go forth say with thee And trust our affair to Allah If I do your bidding Replied she Blame me not but blame yourselves For it is my read that you Await me till I bring your tidings Of the case Then said Sharkan Go to them and delay not from us For we shall be awaiting thee Thereupon she fared forth And Sharkan turned to his brother Addressing him and said Were not this holy man a miracle worker He had never slain yonder Furious night This is proof sufficient Of the ascetic's power And of a truth the pride of the infidels Is laid low by the slaying Of this cavalier For he was violent An evil devil and a stubborn Now whilst they were thus Devising of the mighty Works of the devotee Behold the accursed Sattaldavahi came upon them And promised them victory over The unbelievers Wherefore they thanked her Not knowing that all this Was wheel and gill And the damned hag asked Where be the king of the aged Saul Markan and the minister Dandan Answered he, here am I Take with thee thy And follow after me That we may fare forth To Constantinople Now she had acquainted The infidels with the cheat She had put upon the Muslims And they rejoiced with Exceeding great joy and said Our hearts will not be Contended till we shall have Slain their king In return for the night's death Of course we had no stout Of rider than he Hadded, bespeaking the Elowment hag as she told them Her plan of faring to the Land of the Muslims When thou bringest him to us We will bear him to king Aphrodon. Then she went out And went out with her Saul Markan and the minister Dandan, and she walked on Before the two saying Fare forth with the blessing Of Almighty Allah. So they did her bidding For the shaft of patent fortune Of manslot had shot them And she ceased not leading Them both through the midst of the Grecian camp, till they came To the defile, the narrow path Of foresaid, whilst the Infidel enemy watched them But did them no hindrance For the infernaled old woman Had enjoined this. Now when Saul Markan and the Vassir Dandan saw that the Infidel host offered them no Stay, and yet had them inside The Vassir exclaimed By Allah This is one of the Holy Man's saintly miracles And doubtless he be Of the elect rejoined Saul Markan By Allah I think The Infidels be not but Blind, for we see them And they see us not And while they were thus Praising the Holy Man and His mighty works and his Piety and his prayers Behold, the Infidels charged Down on them from all sides And surrounded them and Seized them, saying Is there anyone else with you, Twain, that we may cease upon Him too? And the Vassir Dandan replied, See you Not John other man that is Before us? Replied the unbelievers by the Truth of the Messiah and the Metropolitan, we see None save you too Then Saul Markan said By Allah This is a chastisement Decreed to us by Almighty Allah And Sharassad perceived The dawn of day and Seized saying her permitted Say End of section 36 So the book of a thousand nights And a night, volume 2 Read by Losh Rulander When it was the 98th night She said It hath reached me, O auspicious king, That when the unfaithful had Seized upon King Saul Al Markan And the Vassir Dandan, they said To the two, Is there anyone else With you, Twain, that we may seize upon Him also? And the Vassir Dandan replied, See you Not John other man who be with us? They rejoined, By the Truth Of the Messiah and the Monks And the Primate and the Metropolitan Then the infidels laid shackles on their feet And set men to guard them during the night While sat al-Daway Fared on and disappeared from their sight So they fell to lamenting And saying to each other Verily the opposing of pious men Leadeth to greater distress than this And we are punished by the straight Which hath befallen us So far concerning, Saul Al Markan And the Vassir Dandan But as regards King Sharkan He passed that night in the cavern On the day and he had prayed the mourn prayer He and his men made ready to do Battle with the infidel And he heartened them and promised them all good Then they salad out till they were hard upon The unbelievers, and when these saw them From afar, they cried out to them Saying, O Muslims, we have taken Captives of your Sultan and your Vassir Who hath the ordering of your affairs And accept ye leave off fighting us We will slay you to the last man But an you yield yourselves, we will take You to our king, who will make peace On condition that you quit our country And return home and harm us in nought And we will do you no harm in nought If ye accept, it will be well for you But if you refuse, there remain Nothing for you but death So we have told you, Sooth, and this is our last word to you Now when Sharkan heard this And was certified of the captivity Of his brother and the Vassir Dandan He was weighed down with woe and wet His force failed him And, making sure of death He said to himself Do they know the cause of their capture? Did they fail of respect to the holy man Or disobey him, or what was the matter? Then they sprang up to battle with the unbelievers And slew great numbers of them The brave was known that day from craven men And sword and spear were dyed with bloody stain For the infidels flocked upon them As flies flocked to drink From hill and from plain But Sharkan and his men ceased not To wage the fight of those who fear not to die Nor let death hinder them from the pursuit of victory Till the valley ran gore All of the slain she bore And when night fell the armies separated Each making for his own place And the Muslims returned to the cavern Where gain and loss were manifest to them Few remained of them, and there was no dependence For them but on Allah and the Simitar Now there had been slain of them that day Five and thirty men of the chiefest in ears And they had killed thousands of the infidels Footmen and fighters on horse When Sharkan saw this The case was grievous to him And he asked his comrades Where to all answered That which almighty Allah willeth shall befall us On the morning of the second day Sharkan said to the remnant of his troop If you go forth to fight Not one of you will remain alive And we have but little left of food and water So I deem ye would do better to bear your brands And go forth and stand at the mouth of this cavern To hinder any from entering Happily the holy man may have reached the Muslim host And may return with ten thousand horses To succour us in the fight with the infidels For be like the unfaithful May have failed to see him and those with him They said, this were the better course to take And of its expediency no doubt we make So the troop went out And held the cavern mouth standing by its walls And every one of the infidels who sought to enter in They slew Thus did they fend off the foe from the gate of the cavern And they patiently supported all such assaults Till day was done And night came on dusky and done And Shaharazad perceived the dawn of day And ceased her permitted say When it was the ninety ninth night She said It hath reached me, O auspicious king That the army of the Muslims held the cavern Mouth and stood by its walls And they fended off the foe And every one of the infidels attempted to charge them Him they slew And they patiently supported all such assaults Till day was done And the night came on dusky and done By which time King Sharkhan had only five and twenty men And no more left Then quothed the infidels to one another When shall these battle days have an end Warring the Muslims And quothed one of them Up and at them For there remain of them but five and twenty men If we cannot prevail on them to fight Let us light a fire upon them And if they submit themselves and yield to us We will take them prisoners But if they refuse we will leave them for fuel to the fire So they become to men of foreseeing mind a warning dire May the Messiah on their fathers have no grace And may the sojourn of the Nazarenes be For them no abiding place So they carried fuel to the jaws Of heaven and set fire to it Thereupon Sharkhan and his companions Made sure of perdition and yielded themselves to prisoners And while they were in this condition low The night their captain said to those Who counseled their slaughter It is not for any safe for King Aphrodon to kill them That he may gratify his wrath Therefore it behoove us to keep them Endurance by us till the morrow When we will journey with them to Constantinople And deliver them to our king Who shall deal with them as he please Said they, this is the right course To pinion them and set guards over them Then, as soon as it was black night The infidels busied themselves with feasting And making festival And they called for wine and drank it Till all fell upon their backs Now Sharkhan and his brothers Zaual Makan Were in confinement and so also were His companion knights Were upon the elder turned to the younger brother And said to him, oh my brother, how win-free By Allah, replied Zaual Makan I know not, for here we be Like birds in cage Zaual Makan waxed wroth and sighed for excessive rage And stretched himself till his pinion Bonds brassish under Whereupon, being free, he arose And went up to the captain of the guard And, taking from his pocket the keys of the fetters Freed Zaual Makan and the Vazir Dandan And the rest of his men Then he turned to the two and said I desire to slay three of these infidels And take and don their dress, we three So that we shall be guised as Greeks And we will pass through them without their knowing us And fare forth to our own force Zaual Makan, this is no safe council For if we kill them I fear some of their comrades may hear their shrieks And the phobia roused upon us and kill us To other sure a way to pass out of the defile So they agreed upon this and set out And when they had left the head of the straight A little distance behind They saw horses picketed and the rider sleeping And Shah Khan said to his brother Better we take each one of us a steed There were five and twenty horsemen So they took five and twenty horses Whilst Allah sent sleep upon the infidels Over a purpose he knew And the faithful mounted and fared on Till they were out of reach Meanwhile Shah Khan set to gathering From the infidels as many weapons, Swords and spears as were wanted And while they took saddle and struck Forwards none of the infidels Supposed that anyone could release Zaual Makan and his brother and their men All that their prisoners had power to escape Now when all the captives were safe From the unfaithful Shah Khan came up With his comrades and found them awaiting Him in anxious grain So he turned to them and said Feel no fear, since Allah protected us I have that to propose which happily Shall affect our purpose What is it? asked Bey And he answered I desire that you all climb to the mountaintop And cry out with one voice Allah Akbar and ye add The army of Allah is upon you Allah Akbar This wise their company will surely be dissolved Nor will they find out the trick for they are drunk And have mingled with them So they will fall upon one another Brand in hand during the confusion Of drunkenness and sleep And we will cleave them a shunder with their own swords And the scimitar will go around amongst them till dawn Replied Zaual Makan This plan is not good We should do better to make our way to our army And speak not a word For if we cry out Allah Akbar They will wake and fall on us And not one of us will escape Rejoin Shah Khan All nought safe good can come of it So they agreed thereon And cloned the mountain and shouted Allah Akbar And hills and trees and rocks be worded there Allah Akbar for fear of the Almighty But when the kafirs heard this slogan They cried out to one another And Shaharazad perceived the dawn of day And ceased her permitted say End of section 37 Of the book of a thousand nights and a night Volume 2 Recording by Lucy Perry Section 37-2009 Section 38 Volume 2 Of the book of a thousand nights and a night Translated by Richard Burton This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information Or to volunteer Please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Cole McKinnon The book of a thousand nights and a night Volume 2 Section 38 When it was the one hundredth night She said It has reached me, O auspicious king That Charkhan spake thus I long that ye fall in with this my plan For nought safe good can come of it So they agreed thereon And cloned the mountain heat And shouted Allah Akbar And hills and trees and rocks be worded there Allah Akbar for fear of the Almighty The infidels heard it And cried out one to other And opened their armor and said The foe is upon us By the truth of the Messiah Then they fell on one another And slew of their own men More than any noath save the Almighty Allah As soon as it was done They sought for the captives But found no trace of them And their captains said They who did this were the prisoners In our possession Up then and after them in haste Till ye overtake them And let not fright nor the panic Of sudden awakening possess you So they took the horses And rode after the fugitives And it wanted but an eye twinkling Before they overtook them And surrounded them Now when Zawul Amakan saw this He was seized with increase of terror And said to his brother What I feared would come is upon us And now it remaineth only for us To fight for the faith But Charkhan preferred to hold his peace Then Zawul Amakan And his companions rushed down From the hill-crest shouting Alu Akbar And his men repeated the war cry And addressed themselves to fight And to sell their lives in the service Of the Lord of faithful men And while they were in this case Behold, they heard many voices voicing There is no God but the God God is most great Salutation and salvation Upon the apostle The bringer of glad tidings The bearer of bad tidings So they turned towards the direction Of the sound and saw a company Of Muslims who believed in one God Pushing towards them Where at their hearts were heartened And Charkhan charged upon the infidels Crying out There is no God but the God God is most great He and those with him So that earthquakeed as with an earthquake And the unbeliever host break asunder And fled into the mountains And the Muslims followed them with lunge and blow And Zau'ul Al-Makan And his comrades of the Muslims Ceased not to smite the hosts Of the infidel foe And parted heads from bodies till day darkened And night coming on stark in sight There upon the Muslims drew together And passed the night in congratulations And When morning dawned and day break Shone with its shine and sheen They saw Barum, the captain Of the Dalimites and Rustam The captain of the Turts Advancing to join them with twenty thousand Cavaliers like lions grim As soon as they saw Zau'ul Al-Makan The riders dismounted and saluted him And kissed ground between his hands When he said to them Rejoice ye in the glad tidings Of the victory of the Muslim And the discomforture of the tribe Of unbelievers Then they gave one another joy Of their deliverance and of the greatness Of the reward after resurrection day. Now the cause of the coming Of the suckers to that place was this When the Emir Barum And the Emir Rustam And the Chief Chamberlain With the Muslim host and flags Flanting high ahead Came in sight of Constantinople They saw that the Nazarenes had mounted The walls and manned the towers And the forts and had set all their defenders In order of defense As soon as they learned of the approach Of the host of al-Islam And the banners Muhammadin And they heard the clash of arms And the noise of war voices And tramp of horse hooves And from their lookouts They beheld the Muslims With their standards and ensigns Of the faith of unity under the dust Clouds and low They were like a flight of locust Or rain clouds raining rain And the voices of the Muslims Chanting the Quran and glorifying Now the infidels knew of the approach Of this host through Zat al-Dawahi With her craft and hordom Columny and contrivance And the armies of al-Islam drew near As it were the swollen sea For the multitude of footmen And horsemen and women and children Then quote the general of the Turks To the general of the Dalamites O Emir of a truth We are in jeopardy from the multitude Of the foe who is on the walls Look at yonder bulwarks And at this world of folk like the seas That clash with dashing billows Indeed, Yanin Fidel Outnumber us a hundred fold And we cannot be safe From spies who may inform them That we are without a Sultan In very sooth we run danger from these enemies Whose numbers may not be told And whose resources none can withhold Especially in the absence of King Zal Al-Muqan And his brother Sher Khan And the illustrious Wazir Dan Dan If they know of this They will be emboldened to attack us In their absence And with the sword they will annihilate us To the last man Not one of us safety shall see So it is my counsel that thou take Ten thousand riders of the allies And the Turks and march them To hermitage of Metra-Hiran And the medal of Malakuhi'in In quest of our brothers and comrades If thou act by my advice It may be we shall approve Ourselves the cause of their deliverance In case they be hard-pressed By the infidels And if thou act not Blame will not attach to me But an Yee-go it behooveth That ye return quickly For ill suspicion is part of prudence The Amir Afor said Fell in with his counsel So they chose twenty thousand horses And they set out covering the roads And making for the monastery above mentioned So much for the cause of their coming But as regards the ancient dame Zat al-Dwahi As soon as she had delivered Sultan Zal al-Makhan And his brothers Sher Khan And the Wazir Dandan And to the hands of the infidels The foul whore mounted a swift-steed Saying to the faithless I designed to rejoin the Muslim army Which is at Constantinople And contrive for their destruction For I will inform them That their chiefs are dead And when they hear that from me Their joining will be disjointed And the court of their confederation cut And their host scattered Then I will go to King Afridan Lord of Constantinople And to my son Hardab King of Rome And relate to them their tidings And they will sally forth on the Muslims With their troops and will destroy them And will not leave one of them alive So she mounted and struck Across country on her good-steed All the live long night And when day dawned Appeared the armies of Baram and Rustam Advancing towards her So she turned into a wayside break And hid her horse among the trees And she walked while saying to herself Happily the Muslim hosts Be returning Routed from the assault of Constantinople However, as she drew near them She looked narrowly And made sure that their standards were not reversed And she knew that they were coming Not as conquered men But fearing for their king and comrades When she was assured of this She hastened towards them Running at speed, like a devil of ill-read Till reaching them she cried out HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG HESHG oh, holy man, when didst thou leave them?" But this night replied she. He cried, Glory be to Allah, to him who hath rolled up the far distance for thee like a rug, so thou hast sped thus walking upon thy feet and props upon a mid-rip of a palm tree, but thou art one of the saints which fly like birds when inspired and possessed by his directions. Then he mounted his horse, and he was perplexed and confounded by what he had heard from the bedlam so strong in lies and ill communists. And he said, There is no majesty and there is no might, save in Allah, the glorious, the great. Verily our labor is lost and our hearts are heavy within us, for our sultan is a prisoner and those who are with him. Then they cut across the country, wide and side, night and day, and when morning dawn they reached the head of the defile, and saw Zau'u al-Muqan and Sharqan shouting, There is no God, alu Akbar, and salutation and salvation upon the congratulator, the Communinator, whereupon he and his drove at the unbelievers and whelmed them, as the rain-torn whelms the waste, and cried out their war cries till fear get hold of the prowess knights, and the mountains were cloven in a fright, and when shone the day and showed it shine and sheen, the breeze of morning blew upon them sweet and fragrant, and each recognized other as Hathbin said before. Then they kissed the ground before the king and before his brother Sharqan, who told them all that had befallen the party in the cave. Now there at they marveled and said to one another, Haste them we back to Constantinople, for we left our companions there, and our hearts are with them. So they hurried departure, commending themselves to the subtle, the all-wise, and Zau'u al-Muqan exhorted the Muslims to steadfastness and versified in the following couplets. Be praise as mine to all praiseworthy thee, O Lord, who stinted not mine aid to be. Though was I lost abroad, thou west to me, strong as support, which vouchsafed victory, thou gavest me wealth and rain and goodly gifts, and slungest conquering sword of valiancy, thou madeest me blessed beneath thy kingly shade, engraced with generous boons dealt feign and free. Thou savest from every fear I feared by aid of my wazir the ages noblest he. Gared us thy grace in fight to throw the Greek, who yet came back, dite in war's cremosy? Then made I faint to fly from out the fight, but like grim line turning made them flee, and left on valley soul my foam and drunk, not with old wine, but death cups revelry. Then came the saintly hermit and he showed his marvels wrought for town and wool to see, when slew the hero whites who woke to dwell in edin-bowers wherein sweet rile lets well. But when Zau'u al-Muqan had made an end of versifying, his brother Sharkhan congratulated him on his safety and thanked him for the deeds he had done, after which both set out, forcing their marches to rejoin their army, and Shahar-e-Zad perceived the dawn of day and cease saying her permitted say. When it was the one hundred and first night, she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that Sharkhan congratulated his brother, Zau'u al-Muqan, on his safety and thanked him for the deeds he had done, after which both set out, forcing their marches to rejoin their army. Such was their case. But as regards the old woman, Zat al-Dwalhi, after she had foregathered with the hosts of Rustam and Barum, she returned to the copus, where she took her steed and mounted and sped on at speed, till she drew near the Muslim army that beleaguered Constantinople. When she lighted down from her destrier, and led it to the pavilion tent of the chief chamberlain, and when he saw her, he stood up to her in honor and signed to her, with his right hand, and said, Welcome, O pious recluse. Then he questioned her of what had befallen, and she repeated to him her disquieting lies, and eluding communes, saying, In sooth I fear for the Amir Rustam and the Amir Barum, for that I met them and theirs on the way, and sent them and their following to relieve the king and his companions. Now there are but twenty thousand horses, and the unbelievers outnumber them. So I would have thee at this moment send off the rest of thy troops at full speed to their sucker, least they be slain to the last man. And she cried to them, Haste, haste! When the chamberlain and the Muslims heard these words, their spirits fell and they wept. But Zat al-Dwalhi said to them, Ask agents of Allah, and bear patiently this triburation, for ye have the example of those who have been before you of the people of Muhammad, and paradise with its palaces is laid out by Allah for those who die martyrs, and needs must all die, but most praiseworthy is dying while fighting for the faith. The chamberlain hearing this speech of the accursed old woman, called for the Amir Barum's brother, a knight by the name of Tarkash, and choosing out for him ten thousand horses, riders famed for force, bade him set out at once. So he fared forth and marched all that day, and the whole of the next night, till he neared the Muslims. When daylight dawned, Sharkan saw the dust cloud about them, and feared for the men of al-Islam and said, If these troops which are coming upon us be Muslim men, our victory is assured by them. But if these be Nazarenes, there is no gainsaying destinies decrees. Then he turned to his brother, Zah'ul al-Makhan, and said, Never fear, for with my life I will grant them thee from death. If these be Muhammadan troops, then were it an increase of heavenly favors. But if they be our foes, there is no help save that we fight them. Yet do I long to meet the holy men ere I die, so I may beg him to pray that I die, not saved by death of martyrdom. Wilts the twain were thus speaking, Behold, there appeared the banners inscribed with the words. There is no God but the God in Muhammad is the apostle of God. And Sharkan cried out, How is it with the Muslims? All are sound and safe, replied they, and we came not but out of concern for you. Then the chief of the army dismounted, and kissing ground before Sharkan asked, O my lord, how be the sultan and the wazir dandan and Rustam and my brother Baram? Are they all in safety? He answered, All well, but who brought the tidings of us? Quote Tarkesh, it was the holy man who told us that he had met my brother Baram and Rustam, and had sent them both to you, and he also assured us that the infidels had encompassed you and outnumbered you. But I see not the case, save the contrary thereof, and that you are victorious. They questioned him. And how did the holy man reach you? And he replied, walking on his feet, and he had compassed in a day and a night ten days journey for a well-girt horseman. There is no doubt but that he is a saint of Allah, such Sharkan, but where is he now? They rejoined, we left him with our troops, the folk of faith moving them to do battle with the rebels and the faithless. There at Sharkan rejoiced, and thanked Allah for their own deliverance and the safety of the holy man, and commended the dead his mercy, saying, This was written the book. Then they set out making for Constantinople by forced marches, and wilt they were on this enterprise, behold, a dust cloud arose to such height that it walled the two horizons, the Eastern and the Western, from man's sight, and the day was darkened by it two nights. But Sharkan looked at it and said, Verily I fear, least this be the infidels who have routed the army of all Islam, for that this dust walled the world, East and West, and hideeth the two horizons north and south. Presently appeared under the dust a pillar of darkness, blacker than the blackness of dismal days, nor cease to come upon them that column more dreadful than the dread of the day of doom. Horse and foot hastened up to look at it, and know the terrors of the chase. When behold, they saw it to be the recluse aforesaid, so they thronged round him to kiss his hand, and he cried out, O people of the best of mankind, the lamp which shineth and darkness blind, verily the infidels have outwitted the Muslims by guile. For they fell upon the host of the one God, wilts they deem themselves safe from the faithless, and attack them in their tents, and made a sore slaughter of them, what well they looked for no while. So hastened to the aid of the believers in the unity of God, and delivered them from those who deny him. Now when Sharkan heard these words, his heart flew from his breast with sore trouble, and alighting from his steed in amazement, he kissed the recluse's hands and feet. One likewise stood his brother, Zau'ul al-Mikhan, and the rest of the foot and horse-trups, except the wazir Dandan, who dismounted not but said, By all of my heart flieth from this devotee, for I never knew show of devotion to religion that bread not bane. So leave him and rejoin your comrades, the Muslims, for this man is of the outcast from the gate of the mercy of the Lord of the three worlds. How often have I here made Razia with the king Omar bin al-Numan, and trod in the earth of these lands, said Sharkan. Put away from these such evil thought, hast thou not seen this holy man exciting the faithful to fight, and holding spirits and swords-lights? So slander him not, for backbiting is blamable and poisoned is the flesh of the pious. Look how he incited hath to fight the foe, and did not al-Mite'ala love him. He had cast him aforetime into fearful torment, then Sharkan bade bring anubium mule for the ascetic to ride, and said, Mount Opaia's man devote in virtuous. But the devotee refused to ride, and feigned self-denial that he might attain his end, and they knew not that his holy personage was like him of whom the poet saith. He prayeth, and he fasteth, for an end he doth aspire, when once his end is safely won, then fast in prayer good-bye. So the devotee ceased not to walk among the horsemen and the footmen, like a wily fox meditating guile, and began to uplift her voice, chanting the Koran and praising the compassionate one, and they continued pressing forward till they approached the camp of al-Islam, where Sharkan found the Muslims in conquered plight and the Chamberlain upon the brink of falling back in flight, with the sword of grease, havoc, dite among the faithful, the righteous and those who work upright, and Shahrzad perceived the dawn of day and cease saying her permitted say. When it was the one hundred and second nights, she said, it hath reached me, O auspicious king, that when Sharkan saw the Muslims in conquered plight, and the Chamberlain upon the brink of retreat and flight, and the sword havoc, dite among the righteous and workers of upright, the cause of this weakness among the Muslims was the accursed old woman, Zat al-Dewahi, the foe of the faith. After seeing that Baram and Rustam had set forward with their troops to join Sharkan and his brother, Zal al-Makhan, repaired to the camp of the Mohammedans before Constantinople, and caused the mission of the emir, Takash, as had been before said. In this her purpose was to divide the Muslim forces the better to weaken them. Then she left them and entered Constantinople, and called with a loud voice on the nights of the Greeks saying, let me down a chord, that I may tie thereto this letter, and do ye bear it to your king after done, that he may read it, and to my son, King Hardab, that they both do what is written therein of bidding and forbidding. So they let down for her a string, and she tied thereto a letter whose purport was the following. From the terribleist of tribulations, and the chiefest of all calamities, Zat al-Dewahi to King Afridan greeting. But afterwards of a truth I have contrived a device for destroying the Muslims. So bitchy, quiet, and content, I have cozened, and captured their Sultan, and the Wazir Dandan, and then I returned to their camp and acquainted them therewith, whereby their pride had a fall and their withers were wrung. And I have so wrought upon the host leagering Constantinople, that they have sent ten thousand men under the emir Takash, to succor the captives of whom there be now left but few. It is therefore my object that ye sally forth against them, with all your power, while this day endureth, and that ye fallen them in their tents, and that ye leave them not, till ye shall have slain them to the last man. For verily the messiahs look down upon you, and the blessed virgin favoureth you, and I hope of the messiah that he forget not what deed I have done. When her letter came to King Afridan, he rejoiced with great joyance, and sending at once for King Hardab of Greece, son of Zat al-Dewahi, read the letter to him as soon as he came, whereeth he was exceedingly glad and said, See my mother's craft, verily it dispenses with sword, and her aspect standeth, in stead of the terrors of the day of dread. Rejoined Afridan, may the messiah not berave us for the vernable parent, nor deprive her of her while and guile. Then he bade the knights give orders for sallying outside the city, and the news was noised abroad in Constantinople, so the Nazarenes and cohorts of the cross birth forth, and unsheath their keen sabers in their numbers, shouting out their professions of impiety and heresies and blasphemying the Lord of all creatures. When the Chamberlain saw the sally, he said, Behold, the Greek is upon us, and they surely have learned that our Sultan is far away, and happily they have attacked us, for that the most part of our troops have marched to the sucker of King Zal al-Makhan. There with he waxed wrath and cried out, whole soldiers of al-Islam and favours of the true faith. Ang ye flee and are lost, but if ye stand fast ye win. No ye that valiancy lieeth in endurance of outtrance, and that no case is so straight, but that the almighty is able to make it straight. Allah is on you, and look upon you with eyes of compassion and faith. There upon the Muslims cried out, Allah Akbar! And the believer in the one God shouted his slogan and whirled the mill wheels of fight with cutting and thrusting in mane and mites. Cimitars and spears played sore and the plains and valleys were swamped with gore. The priest and monks priested it, tight-girding their girdles and uplifting the crucifixes, while the Muslims shouted out the professions of the requiting king, and verses of the Quran began to sing. The hosts of the compassion are one fought against the legion of Satan, and head flew from body of man, while the good angels hovered above the people of the chosen prophet, nor did the sword cease to smite till the day darkened and night came on and starkened. Now the miscreants had encompassed the Muslims and made sure of escaping the pains that awaited them, and the faithless greeted for victory over the faithful until day dawned and dazzled. There upon the Chamberlain mounted, he and his men, trusting the Allah would help them to victory, and host was mingled with host, and battle rose afoot and took post, and heads flew from trunks, whilst the brave stood in fast-steed, the craven turned tail and fled, and the judge of death judged and sent in sped, so that the champions fell from their saddles slain and corpus cumbered meadow and plain. Then the Muslims begin to give ground and rearwards bent, and the Greek took possession of some of their tents, where upon the Muslims were about to break and retreat and take flight, when meanwhile behold, up came Shirkhan with the rest of the host of Al-Islam, and the standards of the believers in unity. And having come up with them, he charged the infidels, and followed him Zal Al-Makhan, and the Wazir Dandan, and the Imirs Bahram and Rustam, with his brother Tarkash. When the foes saw this, they lost head, and their reason fled, and the dust clouds towered till they covered the country, whilst the righteous believers joined their pious comrades. Then Shirkhan accosted the Chamberlain and praised him for his steadfastness, and he in turn gave the Prince joy of his timely succor and his gaining the day. There at the Muslims were glad and their hearts were hardened, so they rushed upon their enemies and devoted themselves to Allah, and their fight for the faith. But when the idolaters beheld the standards of Muhammadin, and there on the profession of faith of Islamatin, proclaiming the unity, they shrieked woe and rune, and besought succor of the patriarchs of the monasteries. Then they fell to calling upon John and Mary and the cross appearance, and stayed their hands from slaughter. Wilts King Aphrodon went up to consult King Hardab of Greece, for the two kings stood one at the head of each wing, right and left. Now there was with them also a famous cavalier, Lauea Hais, who commanded the center, and they drew out in battle array, but indeed they were full of alarm and affray. Meanwhile, the Muslims aligned their forces, and thereupon Shirkhan came to his brother, Zaul Al-Makhan, and said, O king of the age, doubtless they mean to champion it, and that is also the object of our desire. But it is my wish to push forward the stoutest hearted of our fighters, for by forethought is one half of life wrought. Reply the Sultan, as thou wilt, O companion of good counsel, it is my wish, added Shirkhan, to stand in midline opposite the Amphidil, with the Wazir Dandan on my left, and thee on my right. Wilts the Amir Barum leads the Dexter wing, and the Amir Rustam leads the wing cinstrel, and thou, O mighty king, shalt be under the standards and the enzymes, for that thou art the pillar of our defense upon thee, after Allah, is our dependence, and we will all be thy ransom from aunt that can harm thee. Zaul Al-Makhan thanked him therefore, and the slogan arose, and the saber was drawn. But as things stood thus, behold, there came forth a cavalier from the ranks of Rome. And as he drew near, they saw that he was mounted on a slow paced she-mule, fleeing with her master from the shock of swords. Her housings were of white silk covered by a paper carpet of cashmere stuff, and on her back set a shake. An old man of comely presence and reverend aspect garbed in a gown of white wool. He stinted not pushing her and hurrying her on till he came near the Muslim and said, I am an ambassador to you all, and an ambassador hath not to do safe to deliver. So give me safe conduct and permit of speech that I communicate to you my message. Reply, Cher Khan, thou art in safety, fear neither sway of sword nor lunge of lands. Thereupon the old man dismounted, and, taking the cross from his neck, placed it before the sultan and humbled himself with much humility. Then, quote to him the Muslims, what is with thee of news? And quote he, I am an ambassador from King Aphrodon, for I counseled him to avert the destruction of all these frames of men and temples of the compassionate one, and to him it seemed righteous to stay the shedding of blood and limit it to the encounter of two knights and shock of fight singular. So he agreed to that, and he saith to you, verily, I will ransom my army with my life. So let the Muslim king do as I do, and with his life ransom his host. And if he kill me, there will be no stay left in the army of Rome. And if I kill him, there will be no stability with the Muslims. When Cher Khan heard this, he said, Oh, monk, I agree to that. For it is just, nor it may be gained said. And behold, I will meet him in duel and do with him daring do. For I am champion of the faithful, even as he is champion of the faithless. And if he slay me, he will have won the day, and not will remain for the Muslims' forces save flight. So return to him, O thou monk, and say that the single combat shall take place tomorrow. For this day we have come off our journey and we are weary. But after rest neither reproach nor blame fear ye. So the monk returned, and he rejoicing to King Aphrodon and King Hardub, and told them both what Cher Khan had said, where at King Aphrodon was glad with exceeding gladness, and fell from him anxiety and sadness. And he said to himself, No doubt, but this Cher Khan is their doughtiest swear of the sword, and their dourist at lunge of lands. And when I shall have slain him, their hearts will be disheartened, and their strength will be shattered. Now that Aldwahi had written to King Aphrodon of that, and had told him how Cher Khan was a knight of the braves, and the bravest of knights, and had warned him against him. But Aphrodon was a stalwart cavalier who fought in many a fashion. He could hurl rocks and throw spears and smite with the iron mace, and he feared not the prowess of the prow. So when he heard the report of the monk that Cher Khan agreed to the duel, he was likely to fly for exceeding joy because he had self confidence, and he knew that none could withstand him. The infidels passed that night in joy and jubilee and wine bibbing. And as soon as it was done, the two armies drew out the sort of spear and the blanche of blade. And behold, a cavalier rode single handed into the plane, mounted on a steed of pure strain, and four foray and fray for ready and feign. And that knight had limbs of might, and he was clad in an iron curious, made for stress of fights. On his breast he wore a jeweled mirror, and in his hand he bore a keen scimitar. And his lance of Cahalan wood, the curious work of the Frank, weighing a quintal. Then the rider uncovered his face and cried out saying, Who so knoweth me verily hath enough of me? And who so knoweth me not right soon shall keen who I be? I am Aphrodon, the overwhelmed by the well omen shawahi zat al-dwahi. But he had not ended speaking ere Sher Khan, the champion of the Muslims, fared forth to meet him, mounted on a sorrel horse, worth a thousand pieces of red gold with accoutrements purpled in pearls and precious stone. And he bore in Baltric a blade of watered Indian steel that through neck shore and made easy the hard and sore. He craved his charger between the two hosts in line, wilts the horsemen, all fixed on him their eye. And he cried out to Aphrodon, Woe to thee, O accursed, dost thou deem me one of the horsemen thou hast overtaken, who cannot stand against thee on a battle-plane? Then each rushed upon other and they bashed together like two mountains crashing, or two billows dashing and clashing. They advanced and retreated, and drew together and withdrew, and stinted not of fray and fight and weapon play, and strife and stay, with stroke of sword and lunge of lance. Of the two armies looking on, some said, Sher Khan is victor, and others, Aphrodon will conquer. And the two riders stayed not their hands from the hustle until cease the clamor and the bustle. And the dust columns rose and the day waned, and the sun waxed yellow and warm. Then cried out King Aphrodon to Sher Khan, saying, By the truth of the Messiah and the faith which is no liar, thou art not save a doughty rider and a stalwart fighter, but thou art fraudful, and thy nature is not that of the noble. I keen thy work is other than praiseworthy, nor is thy prowess that of a prince. For thy people behave to thee as though thou art a slave, and see, they bring thee out a charger, which is not thine, that thou mayst mount and return to the fight. But by the truth of my faith, thy fighting irketh and fatigeth me, and I am weary of cutting and thrusting with thee. And if thou propose to lay on a load with me at tonight, thou wouldst not change at any of the harness nor thy horse, till thou approve to the Cavaliers thy generous blood and skill and brunt. When Charcan heard him say these words concerning his own folk behaving to him as though he were a slave, he waxed rough and turned towards his men, meaning to sign to them and bid them not to prepare him change of harness or horse. When low Aphrodon shook his throat speared high in the air and cast it at Charcan. Now when the Muslim turned his back, he found none of the men near him, and he knew this to be a trick of the curset embatelle. So he wheeled round in haste, and behold, the javelin came at him. So he swerved from it, till his head was bent low as his saddle bow. The weapon grazed his breast and pierced the skin of his chest, for Charcan was high bosomed. Whereupon he gave one cry and swooned away. There at the accursed Aphrodon was joyful, thinking he had slain him and shouted to the infidels bidding them rejoice. Where at the faithless were encouraged and the faithful wept. When Zell, Al-McCann, saw his brother reeling in seals so that he well now fell, he dispatched Cavaliers towards him and the braves hurried to his aid and came up with him. Thereupon the infidels dove at the Muslims, the two host-joined battle and the two lines were mingled, whilst the keen scimitar of El-Yemen did good work. Now the first to reach Charcan was the Wazar Dandan. And Char'Hazad perceived the dawn of day, and ceased to say her per minute say. End of Section 39, in the Book of a Thousand Nights in a Night, Volume 2.