by Howard Pyle
The Talisman _of_ Solomon.
There was once upon a time a man whom other men called Aben Hassenthe Wise. He had read a thousand books of magic, and knew all thatthe ancients or moderns had to tell of the hidden arts.
The King of the Demons of the Earth, a great and hideous monster,named Zadok, was his servant, and came and went as Aben Hassen theWise ordered, and did as he bade. After Aben Hassen learned allthat it was possible for man to know, he said to himself, “Now Iwill take my ease and enjoy my life.” So he called the Demon Zadokto him, and said to the monster, “I have read in my books thatthere is a treasure that was one time hidden by the ancient kingsof Egypt--a treasure such as the eyes of man never saw before orsince their day. Is that true?”
“It is true,” said the Demon.
“Then I command thee to take me to that treasure and to show it tome,” said Aben Hassen the Wise.
“It shall be done,” said the Demon; and thereupon he caught up theWise Man and transported him across mountain and valley, acrossland and sea, until he brought him to a country known as the “Landof the Black Isles,” where the treasure of the ancient kings washidden. The Demon showed the Magician the treasure, and it was asight such as man had never looked upon before or since the daysthat the dark, ancient ones hid it. With his treasure Aben Hassenbuilt himself palaces and gardens and paradises such as the worldnever saw before. He lived like an emperor, and the fame of hisdoings rang through all the four corners of the earth.
Now the queen of the Black Isles was the most beautiful woman inthe world, but she was as cruel and wicked and cunning as she wasbeautiful. No man that looked upon her could help loving her; fornot only was she as beautiful as a dream, but her beauty was ofthat sort that it bewitched a man in spite of himself.
One day the queen sent for Aben Hassen the Wise. “Tell me,” saidshe, “is it true that men say of you that you have discovered ahidden treasure such as the world never saw before?” And she lookedat Aben Hassen so that his wisdom all crumbled away like sand, andhe became just as foolish as other men.
“Yes,” said he, “it is true.”
Aben Hassen the Wise spent all that day with the queen, and whenhe left the palace he was like a man drunk and dizzy with love.Moreover, he had promised to show the queen the hidden treasure thenext day.
As Aben Hassen, like a man in a dream, walked towards his ownhouse, he met an old man standing at the corner of the street. Theold man had a talisman that hung dangling from a chain, and whichhe offered for sale. When Aben Hassen saw the talisman he knew verywell what it was--that it was the famous talisman of King Solomonthe Wise. If he who possessed the talisman asked it to speak, itwould tell that man both what to do and what not to do.
The Wise Man bought the talisman for three pieces of silver (andwisdom has been sold for less than that many a time), and as soonas he had the talisman in his hands he hurried home with it andlocked himself in a room.
“Tell me,” said the Wise Man to the Talisman, “shall I marry thebeautiful queen of the Black Isles?”
“Fly, while there is yet time to escape!” said the Talisman; “butgo not near the queen again, for she seeks to destroy thy life.”
“But tell me, O Talisman!” said the Wise Man, “what then shall I dowith all that vast treasure of the kings of Egypt?”
“Fly from it while there is yet chance to escape!” said theTalisman; “but go not into the treasure-house again, for in thefarther door, where thou hast not yet looked, is that which willdestroy him who possesses the treasure.”
“But Zadok,” said Aben Hassen; “what of Zadok?”
“Fly from the monster while there is yet time to escape,” said theTalisman, “and have no more to do with thy Demon slave, for alreadyhe is weaving a net of death and destruction about thy feet.”
The Wise Man sat all that night pondering and thinking upon whatthe Talisman had said. When morning came he washed and dressedhimself, and called the Demon Zadok to him. “Zadok,” said he,“carry me to the palace of the queen.” In the twinkling of an eyethe Demon transported him to the steps of the palace.
“Zadok,” said the Wise Man, “give me the staff of life and death;”and the Demon brought from under his clothes a wand, one-half ofwhich was of silver and one-half of which was of gold. The Wise Mantouched the steps of the palace with the silver end of the staff.Instantly all the sound and hum of life was hushed. The thread oflife was cut by the knife of silence, and in a moment all was asstill as death.
“Zadok,” said the Wise Man, “transport me to the treasure-house ofthe king of Egypt.” And instantly the Demon had transported himthither. The Wise Man drew a circle upon the earth. “No one,” saidhe, “shall have power to enter here but the master of Zadok, theKing of the Demons of the Earth.”
“And now, Zadok,” said he, “I command thee to transport me toIndia, and as far from here as thou canst.” Instantly the Demondid as he was commanded; and of all the treasure that he had, theWise Man took nothing with him but a jar of golden money and a jarof silver money. As soon as the Wise Man stood upon the ground ofIndia, he drew from beneath his robe a little jar of glass.
“Zadok,” said he, “I command thee to enter this jar.”
Then the Demon knew that now his turn had come. He besought andimplored the Wise Man to have mercy upon him; but it was all invain. Then the Demon roared and bellowed till the earth shook andthe sky grew dark overhead. But all was of no avail; into the jarhe must go, and into the jar he went. Then the Wise Man stopperedthe jar and sealed it. He wrote an inscription of warning upon it,and then he buried it in the ground.
“Now,” said Aben Hassen the Wise to the Talisman of Solomon, “haveI done everything that I should?”
“No,” said the Talisman, “thou shouldst not have brought the jarof golden money and the jar of silver money with thee; for thatwhich is evil in the greatest is evil in the least. Thou fool! Thetreasure is cursed! cast it all from thee while there is yet time.”
“Yes, I will do that, too,” said the Wise Man. So he buried in theearth the jar of gold and the jar of silver that he had broughtwith him, and then he stamped the mould down upon it. After thatthe Wise Man began his life all over again. He bought, and hesold, and he traded, and by-and-by he became rich. Then he builthimself a great house, and in the foundation he laid the jar inwhich the Demon was bottled.
Then he married a young and handsome wife. By-and-by the wife borehim a son, and then she died.
This son was the pride of his father’s heart; but he was as vainand foolish as his father was wise, so that all men called him AbenHassen the Fool, as they called the father Aben Hassen the Wise.
Then one day death came and called the old man, and he left his sonall that belonged to him--even the Talisman of Solomon.
* * * * *
Young Aben Hassen the Fool had never seen so much money as nowbelonged to him. It seemed to him that there was nothing in theworld he could not enjoy. He found friends by the dozens andscores, and everybody seemed to be very fond of him.
He asked no questions of the Talisman of Solomon, for to his mindthere was no need of being both wise and rich. So he began enjoyinghimself with his new friends. Day and night there was feasting anddrinking and singing and dancing and merrymaking and carousing;and the money that the old man had made by trading and wise livingpoured out like water through a sieve.
Then, one day came an end to all this junketing, and nothingremained to the young spendthrift of all the wealth that his fatherhad left him. Then the officers of the law came down upon him andseized all that was left of the fine things, and his fair-weatherfriends flew away from his troubles like flies from vinegar. Thenthe young man began to think of the Talisman of Wisdom. For it waswith him as it is with so many of us: When folly has emptied theplatter, wisdom is called in to pick the bones.
“Tell me,” said the young man to the Talisman of Solomon, “whatshall I do, now that everything is gone?”
“Go,” said the T
alisman of Solomon, “and work as thy father hasworked before thee. Advise with me and become prosperous andcontented, but do not go dig under the cherry-tree in the garden.”
“Why should I not dig under the cherry-tree in the garden?” saysthe young man; “I will see what is there, at any rate.”
So he straightway took a spade and went out into the garden, wherethe Talisman had told him not to go. He dug and dug under thecherry-tree, and by-and-by his spade struck something hard. It wasa vessel of brass, and it was full of silver money. Upon the lid ofthe vessel were these words, engraved in the handwriting of the oldman who had died:
“My son, this vessel full of silver has been brought from thetreasure-house of the ancient kings of Egypt. Take this, then, thatthou findest; advise with the Talisman; be wise and prosper.”
“And they call that the Talisman of Wisdom,” said the young man.“If I had listened to it I never would have found this treasure.”
The next day he began to spend the money he had found, and hisfriends soon gathered around him again.
The vessel of silver money lasted a week, and then it was all gone;not a single piece was left.
Then the young man bethought himself again of the Talisman ofSolomon. “What shall I do now,” said he, “to save myself fromruin?”
“Earn thy bread with honest labor,” said the Talisman, “and I willteach thee how to prosper; but do not dig beneath the fig-tree thatstands by the fountain in the garden.”
The young man did not tarry long after he heard what the Talismanhad said. He seized a spade and hurried away to the fig-tree in thegarden as fast as he could run. He dug and dug, and by-and-by hisspade struck something hard. It was a copper vessel, and it wasfilled with gold money. Upon the lid of the vessel was engravedthese words in the handwriting of the old man who had gone: “Myson, my son,” they said, “thou hast been warned once; be warnedagain. The gold money in this vessel has been brought from thetreasure-house of the ancient kings of Egypt. Take it; be advisedby the Talisman of Solomon; be wise and prosper.”
“And to think that if I had listened to the Talisman, I would neverhave found this,” said the young man.
The gold in the vessel lasted maybe for a month of jollity andmerrymaking, but at the end of that time there was nothingleft--not a copper farthing.
“Tell me,” said the young man to the Talisman, “what shall I donow?”
“Thou fool,” said the Talisman, “go sweat and toil, but do not godown into the vault beneath this house. There in the vault is a redstone built into the wall. The red stone turns upon a pivot. Behindthe stone is a hollow space. As thou wouldst save thy life fromperil, go not near it!”
“Hear that now,” says the young man, “first, this Talisman toldme not to go, and I found silver. Then it told me not to go, andI found gold; now it tells me not to go--perhaps I shall findprecious stones enough for a king’s ransom.”
He lit a lantern and went down into the vault beneath the house.There, as the Talisman had said, was the red stone built into thewall. He pressed the stone, and it turned upon its pivot as theTalisman had said it would turn. Within was a hollow space, asthe Talisman said there would be. In the hollow space there wasa casket of silver. The young man snatched it up, and his handstrembled for joy.
Upon the lid of the box were these words in the father’shandwriting, written in letters as red as blood: “Fool, fool! Thouhast been a fool once, thou hast been a fool twice; be not a foolfor a third time. Restore this casket whence it was taken, anddepart.”
“I will see what is in the box, at any rate,” said the young man.
He opened it. There was nothing in it but a hollow glass jar thesize of an egg. The young man took the jar from the box; it was ashot as fire. He cried out and let it fall. The jar burst upon thefloor with a crack of thunder; the house shook and rocked, and thedust flew about in clouds. Then all was still; and when Aben Hassenthe Fool could see through the cloud of terror that enveloped himhe beheld a great, tall, hideous being as black as ink, and witheyes that shone like coals of fire.
When the young man saw that terrible creature his tongue clave tothe roof of his mouth, and his knees smote together with fear, forhe thought that his end had now certainly come.
“Who are you?” he croaked, as soon as he could find his voice.
“I am the King of the Demons of the Earth, and my name is Zadok,”answered the being. “I was once thy father’s slave, and now I amthine, thou being his son. When thou speakest I must obey, andwhatever thou commandest me to do that I must do.”
“For instance, what can you do for me?” said the young man.
“I can do whatsoever you ask me; I can make you rich.”
“You can make me rich?”
“Yes, I can make you richer than a king.”
“Then make me rich as soon as you can,” said Aben Hassen the Fool,“and that is all that I shall ask of you now.”
“It shall be done,” said the Demon; “spend all that thou canstspend, and thou shalt always have more. Has my lord any furthercommands for his slave?”
“No,” said the young man, “there is nothing more; you may go now.”
And thereupon the Demon vanished like a flash.
“And to think,” said the young man, as he came up out of thevault--“and to think that all this I should never have found if Ihad obeyed the Talisman.”
Such riches were never seen in that land as the young man nowpossessed. There was no end to the treasure that poured in uponhim. He lived like an emperor. He built a palace more splendidthan the palace of the king. He laid out vast gardens of the mostexquisite beauty, in which there were fountains as white as snow,trees of rare fruit and flowers that filled all the air with theirperfume, summer-houses of alabaster and ebony.
Every one who visited him was received like a prince, entertainedlike a king, given a present fit for an emperor, and sent awayhappy. The fame of all these things went out through all the land,and every one talked of him and the magnificence that surroundedhim.
It came at last to the ears of the king himself, and one day hesaid to his minister, “Let us go and see with our own eyes if allthe things reported of this merchant’s son are true.”
So the king and his minister disguised themselves as foreignmerchants, and went that evening to the palace where the young manlived. A servant dressed in clothes of gold and silver cloth stoodat the door, and called to them to come in and be made welcome.He led them in, and to a chamber lit with perfumed lamps of gold.Then six black slaves took them in charge and led them to a bathof white marble. They were bathed in perfumed water and driedwith towels of fine linen. When they came forth they were clad inclothes of cloth of silver, stiff with gold and jewels. Then twelvehandsome white slaves led them through a vast and splendid hall toa banqueting-room.
When they entered they were deafened with the noise of carousingand merrymaking.
Aben Hassen the Fool sat at the head of the table upon a throne ofgold, with a canopy of gold above his head. When he saw the kingand the minister enter, he beckoned to them to come and sit besidehim. He showed them special favor because they were strangers, andspecial servants waited upon them.
The king and his minister had never seen anything like what theythen saw. They could hardly believe it was not all magic andenchantment. At the end of the feast each of the guests was givena present of great value, and was sent away rejoicing. The kingreceived a pearl as big as a marble; the minister a cup of wroughtgold.
The next morning the king and the prime-minister were talkingover what they had seen. “Sire,” said the prime-minister, “I haveno doubt but that the young man has discovered some vast hiddentreasure. Now, according to the laws of this kingdom, the halfof any treasure that is discovered shall belong to the king’streasury. If I were in your place I would send for this young manand compel him to tell me whence comes all this vast wealth.”
“That is true,” said the king; “I had not thought of that before.The young ma
n shall tell me all about it.”
So they sent a royal guard and brought the young man to the king’spalace. When the young man saw in the king and the prime-ministerhis guests of the night before, whom he had thought to be onlyforeign merchants, he fell on his face and kissed the ground beforethe throne. But the king spoke to him kindly, and raised him up andsat him on the seat beside him. They talked for a while concerningdifferent things, and then the king said at last, “Tell me, myfriend, whence comes all the inestimable wealth that you mustpossess to allow you to live as you do?”
“Sire,” said the young man, “I cannot tell you whence it comes. Ican only tell you that it is given to me.”
The king frowned. “You cannot tell,” said he; “you must tell. It isfor that that I have sent for you, and you must tell me.”
Then the young man began to be frightened. “I beseech you,” saidhe, “do not ask me whence it comes. I cannot tell you.”
Then the king’s brows grew as black as thunder. “What!” criedhe, “do you dare to bandy words with me? I know that you havediscovered some treasure. Tell me upon the instant where it is; forthe half of it, by the laws of the land, belongs to me, and I willhave it.”
At the king’s words Aben Hassen the Fool fell on his knees. “Sire,”said he, “I will tell you all the truth. There is a demon namedZadok--a monster as black as a coal. He is my slave, and it is hethat brings me all the treasure that I enjoy.” The king thoughtnothing else than that Aben Hassen the Fool was trying to deceivehim. He laughed; he was very angry. “What,” cried he, “do you amuseme by such an absurd and unbelievable tale? Now I am more thanever sure that you have discovered a treasure and that you wishto keep the knowledge of it from me, knowing, as you do, that theone-half of it by law belongs to me. Take him away!” cried he tohis attendants. “Give him fifty lashes, and throw him into prison.He shall stay there and have fifty lashes every day until he tellsme where his wealth is hidden.”
It was done as the king said, and by-and-by Aben Hassen the Foollay in the prison, smarting and sore with the whipping he had had.
Then he began again to think of the Talisman of Solomon.
“Tell me,” said he to the Talisman, “what shall I do now to helpmyself in this trouble?”
“Bear thy punishment, thou fool,” said the Talisman. “Know thatthe king will by-and-by pardon thee and will let thee go. In themeantime bear thy punishment; perhaps it will cure thee of thyfolly. Only do not call upon Zadok, the King of the Demons, in thisthy trouble.”
The young man smote his hand upon his head. “What a fool I am,”said he, “not to have thought to call upon Zadok before this!” Thenhe called aloud, “Zadok, Zadok! If thou art indeed my slave, comehither at my bidding.”
In an instant there sounded a rumble as of thunder. The floorswayed and rocked beneath the young man’s feet. The dust flew inclouds, and there stood Zadok as black as ink, and with eyes thatshone like coals of fire.
“I have come,” said Zadok, “and first let me cure thy smarts, Omaster.”
He removed the cloths from the young man’s back, and rubbed theplaces that smarted with a cooling unguent. Instantly the pain andsmarting ceased, and the merchant’s son had perfect ease.
“Now,” said Zadok, “what is thy bidding?”
“Tell me,” said Aben Hassen the Fool, “whence comes all the wealththat you have brought me? The king has commanded me to tell him andI could not, and so he has had me beaten with fifty lashes.”
“I bring the treasure,” said Zadok, “from the treasure-house of theancient kings of Egypt. That treasure I at one time discovered toyour father, and he, not desiring it himself, hid it in the earthso that no one might find it.”
“And where is this treasure-house, O Zadok?” said the young man.
“It is in the city of the queen of the Black Isles,” said theKing of the Demons; “there thy father lived in a palace of suchmagnificence as thou hast never dreamed of. It was I that broughthim thence to this place with one vessel of gold money and onevessel of silver money.”
“It was you who brought him here, did you say, Zadok? Then, tellme, can you take me from here to the city of the queen of the BlackIsles, whence you brought him?”
“Yes,” said Zadok, “with ease.”
“Then,” said the young man, “I command you to take me thitherinstantly, and to show me the treasure.”
“I obey,” said Zadok.
He stamped his foot upon the ground. In an instant the walls ofthe prison split asunder, and the sky was above them. The Demonleaped from the earth, carrying the young man by the girdle, andflew through the air so swiftly that the stars appeared to slideaway behind them. In a moment he set the young man again upon theground, and Aben Hassen the Fool found himself at the end of whatappeared to be a vast and splendid garden.
“We are now,” said Zadok, “above the treasure-house of which Ispoke. It was here that I saw thy father seal it so that no one butthe master of Zadok may enter. Thou mayst go in any time it mayplease thee, for it is thine.”
“I would enter into it now,” said Aben Hassen the Fool.
“Thou shalt enter,” said Zadok. He stooped, and with hisfinger-point he drew a circle upon the ground where they stood;then he stamped with his heel upon the circle. Instantly theearth opened, and there appeared a flight of marble steps leadingdownward into the earth. Zadok led the way down the steps andthe young man followed. At the bottom of the steps was a door ofadamant. Upon the door were these words in letters as black as ink,in the handwriting of the old man who had gone:
“Oh, fool! fool! Beware what thou doest. Within here shalt thoufind death!”
There was a key of brass in the door. The King of the Demons turnedthe key and opened the door. The young man entered after him.
Aben Hassen the Fool found himself in a vast vaulted room, litby the light of a single carbuncle set in the centre of the domeabove. In the middle of the marble floor was a great basin twentypaces broad, and filled to the brim with money such as he had foundin the brazen vessel in the garden.
The young man could not believe what he saw with his own eyes. “Oh,marvel of marvels!” he cried; “little wonder you could give meboundless wealth from such a storehouse as this.”
Zadok laughed. “This,” said he, “is nothing; come with me.”
He led him from this room to another--like it vaulted, and like itlit by a carbuncle set in the dome of the roof above. In the middleof the floor was a basin such as Aben Hassen the Fool had seen inthe other room beyond; only this was filled with gold as that hadbeen filled with silver, and the gold was like that he had foundin the garden. When the young man saw this vast and amazing wealthhe stood speechless and breathless with wonder. The Demon Zadoklaughed. “This,” said he, “is great, but it is little. Come and Iwill show thee a marvel indeed.”
He took the young man by the hand and led him into a thirdroom--vaulted as the other two had been, lit as they had been bya carbuncle in the roof above. But when the young man’s eyes sawwhat was in this third room, he was like a man turned drunk withwonder. He had to lean against the wall behind him, for the sightmade him dizzy.
In the middle of the room was such a basin as he had seen in thetwo other rooms, only it was filled with jewels--diamonds andrubies and emeralds and sapphires and precious stones of allkinds--that sparkled and blazed and flamed like a million stars.Around the wall, and facing the basin from all sides, stood sixgolden statues. Three of them were statues of the kings and threeof them were statues of the queens who had gathered together allthis vast and measureless wealth of ancient Egypt.
There was space for a seventh statue, but where it should havestood was a great arched door of adamant. The door was tight shut,and there was neither lock nor key to it. Upon the door werewritten these words in letters of flame:
“Behold! beyond this door is that alone which shall satisfy all thydesires.”
“Tell me, Zadok,” said the young man, after he had filled his soulwit
h all the other wonders that surrounded him--“tell me what isthere that lies beyond that door?”
“That I am forbidden to tell thee, O master!” said the King of theDemons of the Earth.
“Then open the door for me,” said the young man; “for I cannot openit for myself, as there is neither lock nor key to it.”
“That also I am forbidden to do,” said Zadok.
“I wish that I knew what was there,” said the young man.
The Demon laughed. “Some time,” said he, “thou mayest find forthyself. Come, let us leave here and go to the palace which thyfather built years ago, and which he left behind him when hequitted this place for the place in which thou knewest him.”
He led the way and the young man followed; they passed through thevaulted rooms and out through the door of adamant, and Zadok lockedit behind them and gave the key to the young man.
“All this is thine now,” he said; “I give it to thee as I gave itto thy father. I have shown thee how to enter, and thou mayst go inwhenever it pleases thee to do so.”
They ascended the steps, and so reached the garden above. ThenZadok struck his heel upon the ground, and the earth closed asit had opened. He led the young man from the spot until they hadcome to a wide avenue that led to the palace beyond. “Here I leavethee,” said the Demon, “but if ever thou hast need of me, call andI will come.”
Thereupon he vanished like a flash, leaving the young man standinglike one in a dream.
He saw before him a garden of such splendor and magnificence as hehad never dreamed of even in his wildest fancy. There were sevenfountains as clear as crystal that shot high into the air and fellback into basins of alabaster. There was a broad avenue as white assnow, and thousands of lights lit up everything as light as day.Upon either side of the avenue stood a row of black slaves, clad ingarments of white silk, and with jewelled turbans upon their heads.Each held a flaming torch of sandal-wood. Behind the slaves stooda double row of armed men, and behind them a great crowd of otherslaves and attendants, dressed each as magnificently as a prince,blazing and flaming with innumerable jewels and ornaments of gold.
But of all these things the young man thought nothing and sawnothing; for at the end of the marble avenue there arose a palace,the like of which was not in the four quarters of the earth--apalace of marble and gold and carmine and ultramarine--rising intothe purple starry sky, and shining in the moonlight like a visionof Paradise. The palace was illuminated from top to bottom andfrom end to end; the windows shone like crystal, and from it camesounds of music and rejoicing.
When the crowd that stood waiting saw the young man appear, theyshouted: “Welcome! welcome! to the master who has come again! ToAben Hassen the Fool!”
The young man walked up the avenue of marble to the palace,surrounded by the armed attendants in their dresses of jewels andgold, and preceded by dancing-girls as beautiful as houris, whodanced and sung before him. He was dizzy with joy. “All--all this,”he exulted, “belongs to me. And to think that if I had listened tothe Talisman of Solomon I would have had none of it.”
That was the way he came back to the treasure of the ancient kingsof Egypt, and to the palace of enchantment that his father hadquitted.
For seven months he lived a life of joy and delight, surroundedby crowds of courtiers as though he were a king, and going frompleasure to pleasure without end. Nor had he any fear of an endcoming to it, for he knew that his treasure was inexhaustible. Hemade friends with the princes and nobles of the land. From far andwide people came to visit him, and the renown of his magnificencefilled all the world. When men would praise any one they wouldsay, “He is as rich,” or as “magnificent,” or as “generous, asAben Hassen the Fool.”
So for seven months he lived a life of joy and delight; thenone morning he awakened and found everything changed to griefand mourning. Where the day before had been laughter, to-daywas crying. Where the day before had been mirth, to-day waslamentation. All the city was shrouded in gloom, and everywhere wasweeping and crying.
Seven black slaves stood on guard near Aben Hassen the Fool as helay upon his couch. “What means all this sorrow?” said he to one ofthe slaves.
Instantly all the slaves began howling and beating their heads, andhe to whom the young man had spoken fell down with his face in thedust, and lay there twisting and writhing like a worm.
“He has asked the question!” howled the slaves--“he has asked thequestion!”
“Are you mad?” cried the young man. “What is the matter with you?”
At the doorway of the room stood a beautiful female slave, bearingin her hands a jewelled basin of gold, filled with rose-water, anda fine linen napkin for the young man to wash and dry his handsupon. “Tell me,” said the young man, “what means all this sorrowand lamentation?”
Instantly the beautiful slave dropped the golden basin upon thestone floor, and began shrieking and tearing her clothes. “He hasasked the question!” she screamed--“he has asked the question!”
The young man began to grow frightened; he arose from his couch,and with uneven steps went out into the anteroom. There he foundhis chamberlain waiting for him with a crowd of attendants andcourtiers. “Tell me,” said Aben Hassen the Fool, “why are you allso sorrowful?”
Instantly they who stood waiting began crying and tearing theirclothes and beating their hands. As for the chamberlain--he was areverend old man--his eyes sparkled with anger, and his fingerstwitched as though he would have struck if he had dared. “What,” hecried, “art thou not contented with all thou hast and with all thatwe do for thee without asking the forbidden question?”
Thereupon he tore his cap from his head and flung it upon theground, and began beating himself violently upon the head withgreat outcrying.
Aben Hassen the Fool, not knowing what to think or what was tohappen, ran back into the bedroom again. “I think everybody inthis place has gone mad,” said he. “Nevertheless, if I do not findout what it all means, I shall go mad myself.”
Then he bethought himself, for the first time since he came to thatland, of the Talisman of Solomon.
“Tell me, O Talisman,” said he, “why all these people weep and wailso continuously?”
“Rest content,” said the Talisman of Solomon, “with knowing thatwhich concerns thine own self, and seek not to find an answer thatwill be to thine own undoing. Be thou also further advised: do notquestion the Demon Zadok.”
“Fool that I am,” said the young man, stamping his foot; “here am Iwasting all this time when, if I had but thought of Zadok at first,he would have told me all.” Then he called aloud, “Zadok! Zadok!Zadok!”
Instantly the ground shook beneath his feet, the dust rose inclouds, and there stood Zadok as black as ink, and with eyes thatshone like fire.
“Tell me,” said the young man; “I command thee to tell me, O Zadok!why are the people all gone mad this morning, and why do they weepand wail, and why do they go crazy when I do but ask them why theyare so afflicted?”
“I will tell thee,” said Zadok. “Seven-and-thirty years agothere was a queen over this land--the most beautiful that ever wasseen. Thy father, who was the wisest and most cunning magician inthe world, turned her into stone, and with her all the attendantsin her palace. No one since that time has been permitted to enterthe palace--it is forbidden for any one even to ask a questionconcerning it; but every year, on the day on which the queen wasturned to stone, the whole land mourns with weeping and wailing.And now thou knowest all!”
“What you tell me,” said the young man, “passes wonder. But tell mefurther, O Zadok, is it possible for me to see this queen whom myfather turned to stone?”
“Nothing is easier,” said Zadok.
“Then,” said the young man, “I command you to take me to where sheis, so that I may see her with mine own eyes.”
“I hear and obey,” said the Demon.
He seized the young man by the girdle, and in an instant flew awaywith him to a hanging-garden that lay bef
ore the queen’s palace.
“Thou art the first man,” said Zadok, “who has seen what thou artabout to see for seven-and-thirty years. Come, I will show thee aqueen, the most beautiful that the eyes of man ever looked upon.”
He led the way, and the young man followed, filled with wonder andastonishment. Not a sound was to be heard, not a thing moved, butsilence hung like a veil between the earth and the sky.
Following the Demon, the young man ascended a flight of steps, andso entered the vestibule of the palace. There stood guards in armorof brass and silver and gold. But they were without life--they wereall of stone as white as alabaster. Thence they passed through roomafter room and apartment after apartment crowded with courtiersand nobles and lords in their robes of office, magnificent beyondfancying, but each silent and motionless--each a stone as white asalabaster. At last they entered an apartment in the very centre ofthe palace. There sat seven-and-forty female attendants around acouch of purple and gold. Each of the seven-and-forty was beautifulbeyond what the young man could have believed possible, and eachwas clad in a garment of silk as white as snow, embroidered withthreads of silver and studded with glistening diamonds. But eachsat silent and motionless--each was a stone as white as alabaster.
Upon the couch in the centre of the apartment reclined a queen witha crown of gold upon her head. She lay there motionless, still.She was cold and dead--of stone as white as marble. The young manapproached and looked into her face, and when he looked his breathbecame faint and his heart grew soft within him like wax in a flameof fire.
He sighed; he melted; the tears burst from his eyes and ran downhis cheeks. “Zadok!” he cried--“Zadok! Zadok! What have you done toshow me this wonder of beauty and love! Alas! that I have seen her;for the world is nothing to me now. O Zadok! that she were fleshand blood, instead of cold stone! Tell me, Zadok, I command you totell me, was she once really alive as I am alive, and did my fathertruly turn her to stone as she lies here?”
“She was really alive as thou art alive, and he did truly transformher to this stone,” said Zadok.
“And tell me,” said the young man, “can she never become aliveagain?”
“She can become alive, and it lies with you to make her alive,”said the Demon. “Listen, O master. Thy father possessed a wand,half of silver and half of gold. Whatsoever he touched with silverbecame converted to stone, such as thou seest all around thee here;but whatsoever, O master, he touched with the gold, it becamealive, even if it were a dead stone.”
“Tell me, Zadok,” cried the young man; “I command you to tell me,where is that wand of silver and gold?”
“I have it with me,” said Zadok.
“Then give it to me; I command you to give it to me.”
“I hear and obey,” said Zadok. He drew from his girdle a wand, halfof gold and half of silver, as he spoke, and gave it to the youngman.
“Thou mayst go now, Zadok,” said the young man, trembling witheagerness.
Zadok laughed and vanished. The young man stood for a while lookingdown at the beautiful figure of alabaster. Then he touched thelips with the golden tip of the wand. In an instant there camea marvellous change. He saw the stone melt, and begin to growflexible and soft. He saw it become warm, and the cheeks and lipsgrow red with life. Meantime a murmur had begun to rise all throughthe palace. It grew louder and louder--it became a shout. Thefigure of the queen that had been stone opened its eyes.
“Who are you?” it said.
Aben Hassen the Fool fell upon his knees. “I am he who was sent tobring you to life,” he said. “My father turned you to cold stone,and I--I have brought you back to warm life again.”
The queen smiled--her teeth sparkled like pearls. “If you havebrought me to life, then I am yours,” she said, and she kissed himupon the lips.
He grew suddenly dizzy; the world swam before his eyes.
* * * * *
For seven days nothing was heard in the town but rejoicing and joy.The young man lived in a golden cloud of delight. “And to think,”said he, “if I had listened to that accursed Talisman of Solomon,called ‘The Wise,’ all this happiness, this ecstasy that is nowmine, would have been lost to me.”
* * * * *
“Tell me, beloved,” said the queen, upon the morning of the seventhday--“thy father once possessed all the hidden treasure of theancient kings of Egypt--tell me, is it now thine as it was oncehis?”
“Yes,” said the young man, “it is now all mine as it was once allhis.”
“And do you really love me as you say?”
“Yes,” said the young man, “and ten thousand times more than Isay.”
“Then, as you love me, I beg one boon of you. It is that you showme this treasure of which I have heard so much, and which we are toenjoy together.”
The young man was drunk with happiness. “Thou shalt see it all,”said he.
Then, for the first time, the Talisman spoke without beingquestioned. “Fool!” it cried; “wilt thou not be advised?”
“Be silent,” said the young man. “Six times, vile thing, you wouldhave betrayed me. Six times you would have deprived me of joys thatshould have been mine, and each was greater than that which wentbefore. Shall I now listen the seventh time? Now,” said he to thequeen, “I will show you our treasure.” He called aloud, “Zadok,Zadok, Zadok!”
Instantly the ground shook beneath their feet, the dust rose inclouds, and Zadok appeared, as black as ink, and with eyes thatshone like coals of fire.
“I command you,” said the young man, “to carry the queen and myselfto the garden where my treasure lies hidden.”
Zadok laughed aloud. “I hear thee and obey thee, master,” said he.
He seized the queen and the young man by the girdle, and in aninstant transported them to the garden and to the treasure-house.
“Thou art where thou commandest to be,” said the Demon.
The young man immediately drew a circle upon the ground with hisfinger-tip. He struck his heel upon the circle. The ground opened,disclosing the steps leading downward. The young man descended thesteps with the queen behind him, and behind them both came theDemon Zadok.
The young man opened the door of adamant and entered the first ofthe vaulted rooms.
When the queen saw the huge basin full of silver treasure, hercheeks and her forehead flushed as red as fire.
They went into the next room, and when the queen saw the basin ofgold her face turned as white as ashes.
They went into the third room, and when the queen saw the basin ofjewels and the six golden statues her face turned as blue as lead,and her eyes shone green like a snake’s.
“Are you content?” asked the young man.
The queen looked about her. “No!” cried she, hoarsely, pointingto the closed door that had never been opened, and whereon wereengraved these words:
“_=Behold! Beyond this door is that alone which shall satisfy allthy desires.=_”
“No!” cried she. “What is it that lies behind yon door?”
“I do not know,” said the young man.
“Then open the door, and let me see what lies within.”
“I cannot open the door,” said he. “How can I open the door, seeingthat there is no lock nor key to it?”
“If thou dost not open the door,” said the queen, “all is overbetween thee and me. So do as I bid thee, or leave me forever.”
They had both forgotten that the Demon Zadok was there. Then theyoung man bethought himself of the Talisman of Solomon. “Tell me, OTalisman,” said he, “how shall I open yonder door?”
“Oh, wretched one!” cried the Talisman, “oh, wretched one! flywhile there is yet time--fly, for thy doom is near! Do not push thedoor open, for it is not locked!”
The young man struck his head with his clinched fist. “What a foolam I!” he cried. “Will I never learn wisdom? Here have I beencoming to this place seven months, and have never yet thought totry whether yonder door was locked or not!”
“Open the door!” cried the queen.
They went forward together. The young man pushed the door with hishand. It opened swiftly and silently, and they entered.
Within was a narrow room as red as blood. A flaming lamp hung fromthe ceiling above. The young man stood as though turned to stone,for there stood a gigantic Black Demon with a napkin wrapped aroundhis loins and a scimitar in his right hand, the blade of whichgleamed like lightning in the flame of the lamp. Before him lay abasket filled with sawdust.
When the queen saw what she saw she screamed in a loud voice, “Thouhast found it! thou hast found it! Thou hast found what alone cansatisfy all thy desires! Strike, O slave!”
The young man heard the Demon Zadok give a yell of laughter. He sawa whirl and a flash, and then he knew nothing.
The Black had struck--the blade had fallen, and the head of AbenHassen the Fool rolled into the basket of sawdust that stoodwaiting for it.
* * * * *
_“Aye, aye,” said St. George, “and so it should end. For what wasyour Aben Hassen the Fool but a heathen Paniem? Thus should theheads of all the like be chopped off from their shoulders. Is therenot some one here to tell us a fair story about a saint?”_
_“For the matter of that,” said the Lad who fiddled when the Jewwas in the bramble-bush--“for the matter of that I know a very goodstory that begins about a saint and a hazel-nut.”_
_“Say you so?” said St. George. “Well, let us have it. But stay,friend, thou hast no ale in thy pot. Wilt thou not let me pay forhaving it filled?”_
_“That,” said the Lad who fiddled when the Jew was in thebramble-bush, “may be as you please, Sir Knight; and, to tell thetruth, I will be mightily glad for a drop to moisten my throatwithal.”_
_“But,” said Fortunatus, “you have not told us what the story is tobe about.”_
_“It is,” said the Lad who fiddled for the Jew in thebramble-bush, “about_--”
