One Thousand and One Nights

by Richard Burton

  Thus he did seven days running, till he became disheartened and said in himself, ‘To-day I will go to Lake Caroun.’ So he went thither and was about to cast his net, when there came up to him unawares a Moor clad in a splendid habit and riding a mule with trappings embroidered with gold and on her back a pair of saddle-bags of the same stuff. The Moor alighted and said to him, ‘Peace be upon thee, O Jouder, son of Omar!’ ‘And on thee, O my lord the pilgrim!’ replied the fisherman. Quoth the Moor, ‘O Jouder, I have need of thee and if thou obey me, thou shalt get great good and shalt be my companion and do my occasions for me.’ ‘O my lord,’ replied Jouder, ‘Tell me what is in thy mind and I will obey thee, without demur.’ Quoth the Moor, ‘Repeat the First Chapter of the Koran.’ So he recited it with him and the Moor, bringing out a silken cord, said to Jouder, ‘Bind my hands fast behind me with this cord and cast me into the lake; then wait awhile and if thou see my hands appear above the water, cast thy net over me and draw me out in haste; but if I come up, feet foremost, then know that I am dead; in which case do thou leave me and take the mule and saddle-bags and carry them to the merchants’ bazaar, where thou wilt find a Jew, by name Shemaiah. Deliver him the mule and he will give thee a hundred dinars, which do thou take and go thy ways and keep the matter secret.’ So Jouder bound his hands behind his back and he kept saying, ‘Tighter.’ Then said he, ‘Push me into the lake.’ So he pushed him in and he sank.

  Jouder stood waiting some time, till, at last, the Moor’s feet appeared above the water, whereupon he knew that he was dead. So he left him and drove the mule to the bazaar, where he found the Jew seated on a stool at the door of his storehouse. When the latter saw the mule, he said, ‘The man hath perished and nought undid him but covetise.’ Then he took the mule from Jouder and gave him a hundred dinars, charging him keep the matter secret. So Jouder went to the baker and giving him a dinar, took what bread he needed. The baker reckoned up what was due to him and said, ‘I still owe thee two days’ bread.’ ‘Good,’ answered Jouder and went on to the butcher, to whom he gave a dinar and took meat, saying, ‘Keep the rest of the dinar on account.’ Then he bought vegetables and going home, found his brothers importuning their mother for food, whilst she said, ‘Have patience till your brother comes home, for I have nothing.’ So he went in to them and said, ‘Take and eat;’ and they fell on the victual like ghouls. Then he gave his mother the rest of the dinars, bidding her, if his brothers came to her, give them wherewithal to buy food and eat in his absence.

  Next morning he took his net and going down to Lake Caroun, was about to cast his net, when there came up to him a second Moor, riding on a mule, more handsomely accoutred than he of the day before and having with him a pair of saddle-bags, in each pocket of which was a casket. ‘Peace be on thee, O Jouder!’ said the Moor. ‘And on thee be peace, O my lord the pilgrim!’ replied Jouder. Quoth the Moor, ‘Did there come to thee yesterday a Moor riding on a mule like this of mine?’ At this Jouder was alarmed and replied, ‘I saw none,’ fearing lest the other should say, ‘Whither went he?’ and if he answered, ‘He was drowned in the lake,’ that he should charge him with having drowned him; wherefore he could not but deny. ‘Harkye, good fellow,’ rejoined the Moor, ‘this was my brother, who is gone before me.’ Quoth Jouder, ‘I know nothing of him.’ Then said the Moor, ‘Didst thou not bind his hands behind him and throw him into the lake, and did he not say to thee, “If my hands appear above the water first, cast thy net over me and pull me out in haste; but, if my feet appear first, know that I am dead and carry the mule to the Jew Shemaiah, who will give thee a hundred dinars?” And did not his feet appear first and didst thou not carry the mule to the Jew and take of him the hundred dinars?’ ‘Since thou knowest all this,’ replied Jouder, ‘why dost thou question me?’ Quoth the Moor, ‘I would have thee do with me as thou didst with my brother.’ Then he gave him a silken cord, saying, ‘Bind my hands behind me and throw me in, and if I fare as did my brother, take the mule to the Jew and he will give thee other hundred dinars.’ Quoth Jouder, ‘Come.’ So he came and he bound him and pushed him into the lake, where he sank.

  After awhile, his feet appeared above the water and Jouder said, ‘He is dead and damned! So God will, may Moors come to me every day, and I will bind them and push them in and they shall die; and I will be content with a hundred dinars for each dead man.’ Then he took the mule to the Jew, who exclaimed, on seeing him, ‘The other is dead?’ ‘May thy head live!’ answered Jouder, and the Jew said, ‘This is the reward of the covetous.’ Then he took the mule and gave Jouder a hundred dinars, with which he returned to his mother. ‘O my son,’ said she, ‘whence hast thou this money?’ So he told her and she said, ‘Go not again to Lake Caroun, for I fear for thee from the Moors.’ ‘O my mother,’ answered he, ‘I do but cast them in by their own wish, and what am I to do? This craft brings me in a hundred dinars a day and I return speedily; wherefore, by Allah, I will not leave going to Lake Caroun, till the trace of the Moors is cut off and not one of them is left.’

  So, on the morrow, he went down to the lake and stood there, till there came up a third Moor, riding on a mule and still more richly accoutred than the first two, who said to him, ‘Peace be on thee, O Jouder, O son of Omar!’ And the fisherman returned his salute, saying in himself, ‘How comes it that they all know me?’ Quoth the Moor, ‘Have any Moors passed by here?’ ‘Two,’ answered Jouder. ‘Whither went they?’ asked the Moor, and Jouder said, ‘I bound their hands behind them and cast them into the lake, where they were drowned, and the same fate is in store for thee.’ The Moor laughed and rejoined, saying, ‘O good fellow, every living soul hath its appointed term.’ Then he alighted and gave the fisherman the silken cord, saying, ‘Do with me as thou didst with them.’ ‘Put thy hands behind thy back,’ said Jouder, ‘that I may pinion thee, for I am in haste, and time flies.’ So he put his hands behind him and Jouder bound him and cast him in. Then he waited awhile, till presently the Moor thrust his hands forth of the water and called out to him, saying, ‘Ho, good fellow! Cast out thy net!’ So Jouder cast the net over him and drew him ashore, and behold, in each hand he held a fish as red as coral. Quoth the Moor, ‘Bring me the two caskets [that are in the saddle-bags].’ So Jouder brought them and opened them to him, and he laid in each casket a fish and shut them up.

  Then he pressed Jouder to his bosom and kissed him on the right cheek and the left, saying, ‘God save thee from all stress! By Allah, hadst thou not cast the net over me and pulled me out, I should have kept my grip of the two fish till I sank and was drowned, for I could not get ashore [of myself].’ ‘O my lord the pilgrim,’ quoth Jouder, ‘I conjure thee by Allah, tell me the true history of the two drowned men and the fishes and the Jew.’ ‘Know, O Jouder,’ replied the Moor, ‘that these that were drowned were my two brothers, by name Abdusselam and Abdulahed. My own name is Abdussemed, and the Jew also is our brother: his name is Abdurrehim and he is no Jew, but a true believer of the Maliki school. Our father, whose name was Abdulwedoud, taught us magic and the art of solving mysteries and bringing to light hidden treasures, and we applied ourselves thereto, till we compelled the Afrits and Marids of the Jinn to do us service. By-and-by, our father died and left us much wealth, and we divided amongst us his treasures and talismans, till we came to the books, when we fell out over a book called “The Fables of the Ancients,” whose like is not in the world, nor can its price be paid of any nor its value made good with gold and jewels; for in it are particulars of all the hidden treasures of the earth and the solution of all mysteries. Our father was wont to make use of this book, of which we had some small matter by heart, and each of us desired to possess it, that he might come at what was therein.

  Now there was in our company an old man, by name the Diviner El Abten, who had reared our father and taught him divination and magic, and he said to us, “Bring me the book.” So we gave it him and he said, “Ye are my son’s sons, and it may not be that I should wrong any of you. So whoso is mind
ed to have the book, let him address himself to achieve the treasure of Es Shemerdel and bring me the celestial planisphere and the kohl-pot and the seal-ring and the sword. For the ring hath a Marid that serves it called Er Raad el Casif. And whoso hath possession thereof, neither King nor Sultan may prevail against him; and if he will, he may therewith make himself master of the earth, in all its length and breadth. As for the sword, if its bearer draw it and brandish it against an army, the army will be put to the rout, and if he say the while, ‘Slay yonder host,’ there will come forth of the sword lightning and fire, that will slay the whole host. As for the planisphere, its possessor has only to turn its face toward any country with whose sight he hath a mind to divert himself, and therein he will see that country and its people, as they were before him, and he sitting in his place; and if he be wroth with a city and have a mind to burn it, he has but to turn the face of the planisphere towards the sun’s disc, saying, ‘Let such a city be burnt,’ and that city will be consumed with fire. As for the kohl-pot, whoso anointeth his eyes therefrom, he shall see all the treasures of the earth. And I make this condition with you that none but he who achieves the treasure and brings me the four precious things that be therein shall have any claim to this book.”

  We all agreed to this, and he continued, saying, “O my sons, know that the treasure of Es Shemerdel is under the governance of the sons of the Red King, and your father told me that he had himself essayed to open the treasure, but could not achieve it; for the sons of the Red King fled from him into the land of Egypt and took refuge in a lake there, called Lake Caroun, whither he pursued them, but could not prevail over them, by reason of their stealing into that lake, which was guarded by a spell. So he returned, empty-handed, and complained to me of his ill-success, whereupon I made him an astrological calculation and found that the treasure could only be achieved by means of a young fisherman of Cairo, by name Jouder ben Omar, the place of foregathering with whom was at Lake Caroun, for that he should be the means of the taking the sons of the Red King and that the charm should not be dissolved, save if he should bind the hands of the seeker of the treasure behind him and cast him into the lake, there to do battle with the sons of the Red King. An he were he to whom the adventure was reserved, he should lay hands upon them; but, if it were not destined to him, he should perish and his feet appear above the water. As for him who was successful, his hands would appear first above the water, whereupon it behoved that Jouder should cast the net over him and draw him ashore.”

  Quoth my brothers Abdusselam and Abdulahed, “We will essay the adventure, though we perish;” and I said, “And I also will go;” but my brother Abdurrehim (he whom thou hast seen in the habit of a Jew) said, “I have no mind [to this].” So we agreed with him that he should repair to Cairo in the disguise of a Jewish merchant, so that, if one of us perished in the lake, he might take his mule and saddle-bags and give the bearer a hundred dinars. The first that came to thee the sons of the Red King slew, and so did they with the second; but against me they could not prevail and I laid hands on them.’ Quoth Jouder, ‘And where are they?’ ‘Didst thou not see me shut them in the caskets?’ asked the Moor. ‘Those were fish,’ said Jouder. ‘Nay,’ answered the Moor, ‘they are Afrits in the guise of fish. But, O Jouder,’ continued he, ‘thou must know that the treasure can only be achieved by thy means: so wilt thou do my bidding and go with me to the towns of Fez and Mequinez and open the treasure? And after I will give thee what thou wilt and thou shalt ever be my brother in the bond of God and return to thy family with a joyful heart.’ ‘O my lord the pilgrim,’ said Jouder, ‘I have on my hands a mother and two brothers, whose provider I am; and if I go with thee, who shall give them bread to eat?’ ‘This is an idle excuse,’ replied the Moor; ‘if it be but a matter of spending-money, I will give thee a thousand dinars for thy mother, wherewith she may provide herself till thou come back; and indeed thou shalt return before four months.’

  When Jouder heard mention of the thousand dinars, he consented and the Moor, pulling out the money, gave it to him, whereupon he carried it to his mother and told her what had passed, saying, ‘Take these thousand dinars and provide thyself and my brothers withal, whilst I journey to Morocco with the Moor, for I shall be absent four months, and great good will betide me; so pray for me, O my mother!’ ‘O my son,’ answered she, ‘thou desolatest me and I fear for thee.’ ‘O my mother,’ rejoined he, ‘no harm can befall him who is in God’s keeping, and the Moor is a man of worth.’ And he went on to praise his fashion to her. ‘May God incline his heart to thee!’ said she. ‘Go with him, O my son: peradventure, he will give thee somewhat.’ So he took leave of her and rejoined the Moor Abdussemed, who said to him, ‘Hast thou consulted thy mother?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Jouder; ‘and she blessed me.’ ‘Then mount behind me,’ said the Moor.

  So Jouder mounted behind him on the mule, and they rode on from noon till the time of afternoon-prayer, when the fisherman was anhungred, but seeing no victual with the Moor, said to him, ‘O my lord the pilgrim, belike thou hast forgotten to bring aught to eat by the way?’ ‘Art thou hungry?’ asked the Moor. ‘Yes,’ answered Jouder. So Abdussemed alighted and made Jouder alight and take down the saddle-bags; then he said to him, ‘O my brother, what wilt thou have?’ ‘Anything,’ replied Jouder. ‘God on thee,’ rejoined the Moor, ‘tell me what thou hast a mind to.’ ‘Bread and cheese,’ said Jouder; and the other, ‘O good fellow, bread and cheese befit thee not; wish for something good.’ ‘Just now,’ replied Jouder, ‘everything is good to me.’ Quoth the Moor, ‘Dost thou like fricasseed fowl?’ ‘Yes,’ answered Jouder. ‘Dost thou like rice and honey?’ asked he, and Jouder said, ‘Yes.’ And the Moor went on to ask him if he liked this dish and that, till he had named four-and-twenty kinds of meats; and Jouder thought to himself, ‘He must be mad. Where are all these dishes to come from, seeing he hath neither cook nor kitchen?’ And he said to him, ‘Enough: thou makest me long for all these meats, and I see nothing.’ Quoth the Moor, ‘Thou art welcome, O Jouder!’ and putting his hand into the saddle-bags, pulled out a dish of gold, containing two hot fricasseed fowls. Then he put in his hand a second time and pulled out a golden dish, full of kabobs; nor did he give over taking out dishes from the saddle-bags, till he had brought forth the whole of the four-and-twenty he had named, whilst Jouder looked on in amazement.

  Then said the Moor, ‘Eat, good fellow.’ And Jouder said to him, ‘O my lord, meseems thou carriest in yonder saddle-bags a kitchen and cooking-folk!’ The Moor laughed and replied, ‘These are enchanted saddle-bags and have a servant, who would bring us a thousand dishes an hour, if we called for them.’ Quoth Jouder, ‘By Allah, this is indeed a fine pair of saddle-bags!’ Then they ate their fill and threw away what was left; after which the Moor replaced the empty dishes in the saddle-bags and putting in his hand, drew out an ewer. They drank and making the ablutions, prayed the afternoon-prayer; after which Abdussemed replaced the ewer and the two caskets in the saddle-bags and throwing them over the mule’s back, mounted and took Jouder up behind him. Then said he, ‘O Jouder, knowest thou how far we have come, since we left Cairo?’ ‘Not I, by Allah,’ replied he, and Abdussemed, ‘We have come a whole month’s journey.’ ‘And how is that?’ asked Jouder. ‘Know, O Jouder,’ replied the Moor, ‘that this mule under us is a Marid of the Jinn, that every day performs a year’s journey; but, for thy sake, she hath gone at her leisure.’

  Then they set out again and fared on westward till nightfall, when they halted and the Moor brought out the evening meal from the saddle-bags, and in like manner, in the morning, he took forth wherewithal to break their fast. So they rode on four days, alighting at midnight and sleeping till the morning, when they fared on again; and all that Jouder had a mind to, he sought of the Moor, who brought it out of the saddle-bags. On the fifth day, they arrived at Fez and Mequinez and entered the city, where all who met the Moor saluted him and kissed his hands; and he rode through the streets, till he came to a certain doo
r, at which he knocked, whereupon it opened and out came a girl like the moon, to whom said he, ‘O Rehmeh, O my daughter, open us the upper chamber.’ ‘On my head and eyes, O my father!’ replied she and went in, swaying to and fro with a graceful and voluptuous gait, that ravished Jouder’s reason, and he said, ‘This is none other than a King’s daughter.’ So she opened the upper chamber and the Moor, taking the saddle-bags from the mule’s back, said, ‘Go, and God bless thee!’ When behold, the earth opened and swallowing the mule, closed up again as before. And Jouder said, ‘O Protector! praised be God who hath kept us in safety on her back!’ ‘Marvel not, O Jouder,’ quoth the Moor; ‘I told thee that the mule was an Afrit; but come with us into the upper chamber.’

  So they went up into the upper chamber, and Jouder was amazed at the profusion of rich furniture and pendants of gold and silver and jewels and other rare and precious things that he saw there. As soon as they were seated, the Moor bade Rehmeh bring him a certain bale and opening it, took out a dress worth a thousand dinars, which he gave to Jouder, saying, ‘Don this dress, O Jouder! and welcome to thee!’ So Jouder put it on and became as he were one of the Kings of the West. Then the Moor laid the saddle-bags before him, and putting in his hand, pulled out dish after dish, till they had before them a tray of forty kinds of meat, when he said to Jouder, ‘Come, O my lord, eat and excuse us, for that we know not what meats thou wouldest have; but tell us what thou hast a mind to, and we will set it before thee without delay.’ ‘By Allah, O my lord the pilgrim,’ replied Jouder, ‘I love all kinds of meat and mislike none; so ask me not of aught, but bring all that cometh to thy thought, for I have nought to do but to eat.’