The Story of the Third Royal Mendicant

Illustrious lady, my story is not like those of my two
companions, but more wonderful : the course of fate and
destiny brought upon them events against which they could
not guard; but as to myself, the shaving of my beard end
the loss of my eye were occasioned by my provoking fate
and misfortune; and the cause was this: —

1 was a King, and the son of a King; and when m>
father died, I succeeded to his throne, and governed my
subjects with justice and beneficence. I took pleasure in
sea-voyages; and my capital was on the shore of an ex-
tensive sea, interspersed with fortified and garrisoned islands,
which I desired, for my amusement, to visit; I therefore
embarked with a fleet of ten ships, and took with me pro-
visions sufficient for a whole month. I proceeded twenty
days, after which there arose against us a contrary wind;
but at daybreak it ceased, and the sea became calm, and
we arrived at an island, where we landed, and cooked some
provisions and ate ; after which we remained there two days.
We then continued our voyage ; and when twenty days more
had passed, we found ourselves in strange waters, unknown
to the captain, and desired the watch to look out from the
mast-head: so he went aloft, and when he had come down
he said to the captain, I saw, on my right hand, fish floating
upon the surface of the water; and looking towards the
midst of the sea, I perceived something looming in the
distance, sometimes black and sometimes white.

When the captain heard this report of the watch, he
threw his turban on the deck, and plucked his beard, and
said to those who were with him, Receive warning of our
destruction, which will befall all of us : not one will escape !
So saying, he began to weep ; and all of us in like manner
bewailed our lot. I desired him to inform us of that which
the watch had seen. O my lord, he replied, know that we
have wandered from our course since the commencement
of the contrary wind that was followed in the morning by
a calm, in consequence of which we remained stationary
two days; from that period we have deviated from our
course for twenty-one days, and we have no wind to carry
us back from the fate which awaits us after this day: to-
morrow we shall arrive at a mountain of black stone, called
loadstone: the current is now bearing us violently towards
it. and the ships will fall in pieces, and every nail in them
will fly to the mountain, and adhere to it; for God hath given
to the loadstone a secret property by virtue of which every-
thing of iron is attracted toward it. On that mountain is
such a quantity of iron as no one knowcth but God, whose
name be exalted; for from times of old great numbers of
ships have been destroyed by the influence of that mountain.
There is, upon the summit of the mountain, a cupola of brass
supported by ten columns, and upon the top of this cupola is
a horseman upon a horse of brass, having in his hand a brazen
spear, and upon his breast suspended a tablet of lead, upon
which are engraved mysterious names and talismans; and as
long, O King, as this horseman remains upon the horse, so
long will every ship that approaches be destroyed, with
every person on board, and all the iron contained in it will
cleave to the mountain : no one will be safe until the horse-
man shall have fallen from the horse. — The captain then
wept bitterly; and we felt assured that our destruction was
inevitable, and every one of us bade adieu to his friend.

On the following morning we drew near to the mountain ;
the current carried us toward it with violence, and when the
ships were almost close to it, they fell asunder, and all the
nails, and everything else that was of iron, flew from them
towards the loadstone. It was near the close of day when
the ships fell in pieces. Some of us were drowned, and
some escaped; but the greater number were drowned, and
of those who saved their lives none knew what became of
the others, so stupefied "^^ere they by the waves and the
boisterous wind. As for myself, O my mistress, God, whose
name be exalted, spared me on account of the trouble and
torment and affliction that He had predestined to befall me.
I placed myself upon a plank, and the wind and waves cast
it upon the mountain ; and when I had landed, I found a
practicable way to the summit, resembling steps cut in the
rock: so I^ exclaimed, In the name of God! — and offered
up a prayer, and attempted the ascent, holding fast by the
notches; and presently God stilled the wind and assisted
me in my endeavours, so that I arrived in safety at the
summit. Rejoicing greatly in my escape, I immediately en-
tered the cupola, and performed the prayers of two rek'ahs"
in gratitude to God for my preservation ; after which I slept
beneath the cupola, and heard a voice saying to me. O son
of Khasib, when thou awakest from thy sleep, dig beneath
thy feet, and thou wilt find a bow of brass, and three arrows
of lead, whereon are engraved talismans: then take the
bow and arrows and shoot at the horseman that is upon the
top of the cupola, and reheve mankind from this great afflic-
tion ; for when thou hast shot at the horseman he will fall
into the sea ; the bow will also fall, and do thou bury it
in its place; and as soon as thou hast done this, the sea
will swell and rise until it attains the summit of the moun-
tain ; and there will appear upon it a boat bearing a man,
different from him whom thou shalt have cast down, and
he will come to thee, having an oar in his hand: then do
thou embark with him; but utter not the name of God;
and he will convey thee in ten days to a safe sea, where, on
thy arrival, thou wilt find one who will take thee to thy
city. All this shall be done if thou utter not the name of God.

Awaking from my sleep, I sprang up, and did as the
voice had directed. I shot at the horseman, and he fell into
the sea; and the bow having fallen from my hand, I buried
it: the sea then became troubled, and rose to the summit
of the mountain, and when I had stood waiting there a little
while, I beheld a boat in the midst of the sea, approaching
me. I praised God, whose name be exalted, and when the
boat came to me I found in it a man of brass, with a tablet
of lead upon his breast, engraven with names and talismans.
Without uttering a word, I embarked in the boat, and the
man rowed me ten successive days, after which I beheld the
islands of security, whereupon, in the excess of my joy, I
exclaimed, In the name of God ! There is no deity but
God ! God is most great ! — and as soon as I had done
this, he cast me out of the boat, and sank in the sea.

Being able to swim, I swam until night, when my arms
and shoulders were tired, and, in this perilous situation, I
repeated the profession of the faith, and gave myself up as
lost ; but the sea rose with the violence of the wind, and a
wave like a vast castle threw me upon the land, in order to
the accomplishment of the purpose of God. I ascended the
shore, and after I had wrung out my clothes, and spread
them upon the ground to dry, I slept; and in the morning
I put on my clothes again, and, looking about to see which
way J should go, I found a tract covered with trees, to which
I advanced ; and when I had walked round it, I found that
which I said within myself, Every time that I escape from
one calamity I fall into another that is worse: — but while I
was reflecting upon my unfortunate case, and wishing for
death, I beheld a vessel bearing a number of men. I arose
immediately, and climbed into a tree ; and lo, the vessel
came to the shore, and there landed from it ten black slaves
bearing axes. They proceeded to the middle of the island,
and, digging up the earth, uncovered and lifted up a trap-
door, after which they returned to the vessel, and brought
from it bread and flour and clarified butter and honey and
sheep and everything that the wants of an inhabitant would
require, continuing to pass backwards and forwards between
the vessel and the trap-door, bringing loads from the former,
and entering the latter, until they had removed all the stores
from the ship. They then came out of the vessel with
various clothes of the most beautiful description, and in the
midst of them was an old sheykh, enfeebled and wasted
by extreme age, leading by the hand a young man cast in
the mould of graceful symmetry, and invested with such
perfect beauty as deserved to be a subject for proverbs. He
was like a fresh and slender twig, enchanting and captivating
every heart by his elegant form. The party proceeded to
the trap-door, and, entering it, became concealed from my
eyes.

They remained beneath about two hours, or more; after
which, the sheykh and the slaves came out; but the youth
came not with them ; and they replaced the earth, and
embarked and set sail. Soon after, I descended from the
tree, and went to the excavation. I removed the earth, and,
entering the aperture, saw a flight of wooden steps, which
I descended; and, at the bottom, I beheld a handsome
dwelling-place, furnished with a variety of silken carpets;
and there was the youth, sitting upon a high mattress, with
sweet-smelling flowers and fruits placed before him. On
seeing mc, his countenance became pale ; but I saluted him,
and said, Let thy mind be composed, O my Master: thou
hast nothing to fear, O delight of my eye ; for I am a man,
and the son of a King, like thyself: fate hath impelled me to
thee, that I may cheer thee in thy solitude. The youth,
when he heard me thus address him, and was convinced that
I was one of his own species, rejoiced exceedingly at my
arrival, his colour returned, and, desiring me to approach
him, he said, O my brother, my story is wonderful: my
father is a jeweller: he had slaves who made voyages by his
orders, for the purposes of commerce, and he had dealings
with Kings; but he had never been blest with a son; and he
dreamt that he was soon to have a son, but one whose life
would be short; and he awoke sorrowful. Shortly after, in
accordance with the decrees of God, my mother conceived
me, and when her time was complete, she gave birth to me;
and my father was greatly rejoiced: the astrologers, however,
came to him, and said, Thy son will live fifteen years: his
fate is intimated by the fact that there is, in the sea, a
mountain called the Mountain of Loadstone, whereon is a
horseman on a horse of brass, on the former of which is
a tablet of lead suspended to his neck; and when the
horseman shall be thrown down from his horse, thy son will
be slain : the person who is to slay him is he who will throw
down the horseman, and his name is King 'Ajib, the son
of King Khasib. My father was greatly afflicted at this
announcement; and when he had reared me until I had
nearly attained the age of fifteen years, the astrologers came
again, and informed him that the horseman had fallen into
the sea, and that it had been thrown down by King 'Ajib,
the son of King Khasib; on hearing which, he prepared for
me this dwelling, and here left me to remain until the com-
pletion of the term, of which there now remain ten days.
All this he did from fear lest King 'Ajib should kill me.

When I heard this, I was filled with wonder, and said
within myself, I am King 'Ajib, the son of King Khasib, and
it was I who threw down the horseman; but, by Allah, I will
neither kill him nor do him any injury. Then said I to the
youth. Far from thee be both destruction and harm, if it be
the will of God, whose name be exalted: thou hast nothing
to fear: I will remain with thee to serve thee, and will go
forth with thee to thy father, and beg of him to send me
back to my country, for the which he will obtain a reward.
The youth rejoiced at my words, and I sat and conversed
with him until night, when I spread his bed for him, and
covered him, and slept near to his side. And in the morning
I brought him water, and he washed his face, and said to me,
May God requite thee for me with every blessing. If I
escape from King 'Ajib, I will make my father reward thee
with abundant favours. Never, I replied, may the day arrive
that would bring thee misfortune. I then placed before him
some refreshments, and after we had eaten together, we
passed the day conversing with the utmost cheerfulness.

I continued to serve him for nine days ; and on the tenth
day the youth rejoiced at finding himself in safety, and said
to me, O my brother, I wish that thou wouldst in thy kind-
ness warm for me some water, that I may wash myself and
change my clothes; for I have smelt the odour of escape
from death, in consequence of thy assistance. — With pleasure,
I replied; — and I arose, and warmed the water; after which,
he entered a place concealed from my view, and, having
washed himself and changed his clothes, laid himself upon
the mattress to rest after his bath. He then said to me,
Cut up for me, O my brother, a water-melon, and mix its
juice with some sugar: — so I arose, and taking a melon,
brought it upon a plate, and said to him, Knowest thou, O
my master, where is the knife? — See, here it is, he answered,
upon the shelf over my head. I sprang up hastily, and
took it from its sheath, and as I was drawing back, my foot
slipped, as God had decreed, and I fell upon the youth,
grasping in my hand the knife, which entered his body, and
he died instantly. When I perceived that he was dead, and
that I had killed him, I uttered a loud shriek, and beat my
face and rent my clothes, saying. This is, indeed, a
calamity ! O what a calamity ! O my Lord, I implore thy
pardon, and declare to Thee my innocence of his death !
Would that I had died before him ! How long shall I devour
trouble after trouble !

With these reflections I ascended the steps, and, having
replaced the trap-door, returned to my first station, and
looked over the sea, where I saw the vessel that had come
before, approaching, and cleaving the waves in its rapid
course. Upon this I said within myself. Now will the men
come forth from the vessel, and find the youth slain, and
they will slay me also: — so I climbed into a tree, and con-
cealed myself among its leaves, and sat there till the vessel
arrived and cast anchor, when the slaves landed with the
old sheykh, the father of the youth, and went to the place,
and removed the earth. They were surprised at finding it
moist, and when they had descended the steps, they dis-
covered the youth lying on his back, exhibiting a face
beaming with beauty, though dead, and clad in white and
clean clothing, with the knife remaining in his body. They
all wept at the sight, and the father fell down in a swoon,
w'hich lasted so long that the slaves thought he was dead.
At length, however, he recovered, and came out with the
slaves, who had wrapped the body of the youth in his clothes.
They then took back all that was in the subterranean dwelling
to the vessel, and departed.

I remained, O my mistress, by day hiding myself in a
tree, and at night walking about the open part of the island.
Thus I continued for the space of two months; and I per-
ceived that, on the western side of the island, the water of
the sea every day retired, until, after three months, the land
that had been beneath it became dry. Rejoicing at this, and
feeling confident now in my escape, I traversed this
dry tract, and arrived at an expanse of sand ; whereupon
I emboldened myself, and crossed it. I then saw in the
distance an appearance of fire, and, advancing towards it,
found it to be a palace, overlaid with plates of copper, which,
reflecting the rays of the sun, seemed from a distance to
be fire : and when I drew near to it, reflecting upon this
sight, there approached me an old sheykh, accompanied by
ten young men who were all blind of one eye, at which I
was extremely surprised. As soon as they saw me, they
saluted me, and asked me my story, which I related to them
from first to last ; and they were filled with wonder. They
then conducted me into the palace, where I saw ten benches,
upon each of which was a mattress covered with a blue
stuff ;" and each of the young men seated himself upon one
of these benches, while the sheykh took his place upon a
smaller one; after which they said to me, Sit down, O
young man, and ask no question respecting our condition,
nor respecting our being blind of one eye. Then the sheykh
arose and brought to each of them some food, and the same
to me also; and next he brought to each of us some wine:
and after we had eaten, we sat drinking together until the
time for sleep, when the young men said to the sheykh, Bring
to us our accustomed supply : — upon which the sheykh arose,
and entered a closet, from which he brought upon his head,
ten covered trays. Placing these upon the floor, he lighted
ten candles, and stuck one of them upon each tray ; and,
having done this he removed the covers, and there ap-
peared beneath them ashes mixed with pounded charcoal.
The young men then tucked up their sleeves above the
elbow, and blackened their faces, and slapped their cheeks,
exclaiming. We were reposing at our ease, and our im-
pertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so ! Thus they
did until the morning, when the sheykh brought them some
hot water, and they washed their faces, and put on other
clothes.

On witnessing this conduct, my reason was confounded,
my heart was so troubled that I forgot my own misfortunes,
and I asked them the cause of their strange behaviour;
upon which they looked towards me, and said, O young
man, ask not respecting that which doth not concern thee;
but be silent; for in silence is security from error. — I
remained with them a whole month, during which every
night they did the same; and at length I said to them, I
conjure you by Allah to remove this disquiet from my mind,
and to inform me of the cause of your acting in this manner,
and of your exclaiming, We were reposing at our ease, and
our impertinent curiosity suffered us not to remain so ! — if
ye inform me not, I will leave you, and go my way; for the
proverb saith, When the eye seeth not, the heart doth not
grieve. — On hearing these words, they replied. We have not
concealed this affair from thee but in our concern for thy
welfare, lest thou shouldst become like us, and the same
affliction that hath befallen us happen also to thee. I said,
however. Ye must positively inform me of this matter. — We
give thee good advice, said they, and do thou receive it, and
ask us not respecting our case ; otherwise thou wilt become
blind of one eye, like us: — but I still persisted in my
request; whereupon they said. O young man, if this befall
thee, know that thou wilt be banished from our company.

They then all arose, and, taking a ram, slaughtered and
skinned it, and said to me. Take this knife with thee, and
introduce thyself into the skin of the ram, and we will
sew thee up in it, and go away; whereupon a bird called
the rukh will come to thee, and, taking thee up by its talons,
will fly away with thee, and set thee down upon a mountain :
then cut open the skin with this knife, and get out, and the
bird will fly away. Thou must arise, as soon as it hath
gone, and journey for half a day, and thou wilt see be-
fore thee a lofty palace, encased with red gold, set with
various precious stones, such as emeralds and rubies, &c. ;
and if thou enter it thy case will be as ours; for our
entrance into that palace was the cause of our being blind
of one eye; and if one of us would relate to thee all that
hath befallen him, his story would be too long for thee to
hear.

They then sewed me up in the skin, and entered their
palace; and soon after, there came an enormous white bird,
which seized me, and flew away with me, and set me down
upon the mountain ; whereupon I cut open the skin, and
got out; and the bird, as soon as it saw me, flew away. I
rose up quickly, and proceeded towards the palace, which
I found to be as they had described it to me; and when I
had entered it, I beheld, at the upper end of a saloon, forty
young damsels, beautiful as so many moons, and magnifi-
cently attired, who, as soon as they saw me, exclaimed,
Welcome ! Welcome ! O our master and our lord ! We
have been for a month expecting thee. Praise be to God
who hath blessed us with one who is worthy of us, and one
of whom we are worthy ! — After having thus greeted me,
they seated me upon a mattress, and said. Thou art from
this day our master and prince, and we are thy handmaids,
and entirely under thy authority. They then brought to
me some refreshments, and when I had eaten and drunk, they
sat and conversed with me, full of joy and happiness. So
lovely were these ladies, that even a devotee, if he saw
them, would gladly consent to be their servant, and to com-
ply with all that they would desire. At the approach of
night they all assembled around me, and placed before me
a table of fresh and dried fruits, with other delicacies that
the tongue cannot describe, and wine; and one began to
sing, while another played upon the lute. The wine-cups
circulated among us, and joy overcame me to such a degree
as to obliterate from my mind every earthly care, and make
me exclaim. This is indeed a delightful life ! I passed a
night of such enjoyment as I had never before experienced;
and on the morrow I entered the bath; and, after I had
washed myself, they brought me a suit of the richest cloth-
ing, and we again sat down to a repast.

In this manner I lived with them a whole year ; but on
the first day of the new year, they seated themselves around
me, and began to weep, and bade me farewell, clinging to
my skirts. — What calamity hath befallen you? said I. Ye
have broken my heart. — They answered. Would that we had
never known thee; for we have associated with many men,
but have seen none like thee. May God, therefore, not
deprive us of thy company. — And they wept afresh. I said
to them, I wish that you would acquaint me with the cause
of this weeping. — Thou, they replied, art the cause; yet
now, if thou wilt attend to what we tell thee, we shall never
be parted; but if thou act contrary to it, we are separated
from this time; and our hearts whisper to us that thou wilt
not regard our warning. — Inform me, said I, and I will
attend to your directions: — and they replied. If then thou
wouldst inquire respecting our history, know that we are the
daughters of Kings : for many years it hath been our custom
to assemble here, and every year we absent ourselves during
a period of forty days; then returning, we indulge ourselves
for a year in feasting and drinking. This is our usual prac-
tice ; and now we fear that thou wilt disregard our directions
when we arc absent from thee. We deliver to thee the keys
of the palace, which are a hundred in number, belonging to a
hundred closets. Open each of these, and amuse thyself,
and eat and drink, and refresh thyself, excepting the closet
that hath a door of red gold; for if thou open this, the con-
sequence will be a separation between us and thee. We con-
jure thee, therefore, to observe our direction, and to be patient
during this period. — Upon hearing this, I swore to them that
I would never open the closet to which they alluded; and
they departed, urgins: me to be faithful to my promise.

I remained alone in the palace, and at the approach of
evening I opened the first closet, and, entering it, found a
mansion like paradise, with a garden containing green trees
loaded with ripe fruits, abounding with singing birds, and
watered by copious streams. ^My heart was soothed by the
sight, and I wandered among the trees, scenting the fragrance
of the flowers, and listening to the warbling of the birds as
they sang the praises of the One, the Almighty. After
admiring the mingled colours of the apple resembling the
hue upon the cheek of a beloved mistress and the sallow
countenance of the perplexed and timid lover, the sweet-
smelling quince diffusing an odour like musk and ambergris,
and the plum shining as the ruby, I retired from this place,
and, having locked the door, opened that of the next closet,
within which I beheld a spacious tract planted with numerous
palm-trees, and watered by a river flowing among rose-trees,
and jasmine, and marjoram, and eglantine, and narcissus,
and gilliflower, the odours of which diffused in every direc-
tion by the wind, inspired me with the utmost delight. I
locked again the door of the second closet, and opened that
of the third. Within this I found a large saloon, paved with
marbles of various colours, and with costly minerals and
precious gems, and containing cages constructed of sandal
and aloes-wood with singing birds within them, and others
upon the branches of trees which were planted there. My
heart was charmed, my trouble was dissipated, and I slept
there until the morning. I then opened the door of the
fourth closet, and within this door I found a great building
in which were forty closets with open doors; and, entering
these, I beheld pearls, and rubies, and chrysolites, and
emeralds, and other precious jewels such as the tongue can-
not describe. I was astonished at the sight and said, Such
things as these, I imagine, are not found in the treasury of
any King. I am now the King of my age, and all these
treasures, through the goodness of God, are mine, together
with forty damsels under my authority who have no man to
share them with me.

Thus I continued to amuse myself, passing from one
place to another, until thirty-nine days had elapsed, and I
had opened the doors of all the closets excepting that which
they had forbidden me to open. My heart was t!ien dis-
turbed by curiosity respecting this hundredth closet, and the
Devil, in order to plunge me into misery, induced me to
open it. I had not patience to abstain, though there
remained of the appointed period only one day: So I
approached the closet, and opened the door; and when I
had entered, I perceived a fragrant odour, such as I had
never before smelt, which intoxicated me so that I fell
down insensible, and remained some time in this state: but
at length recovering, I fortified my heart, and proceeded. I
found the floor overspread with saffron, and the place
illuminated by golden lamps and by candles, which diffused
the odours of musk and ambergris; and two large perfum-
ing-vessels filled with aloes-wood and ambergris, and a
perfume compounded with honey, spread fragrance through
the whole place. I saw also a black horse, of the hue of
the darkest night, before which was a manger of white
crystal filled with cleansed sesame, and another, similar to
it, containing rose-water infused with musk: he was saddled
and bridled, and his saddle was of red gold. Wondering
at the sight of him, I said within myself, This must be an
animal of extraordinary qualities; — and, seduced by the
Devil, I led him out, and mounted him; but he moved not
from his place : I kicked him with my heel ; but still he
moved not : so I took a mikra'ah and struck him with it ;
and as soon- as he felt the blow he uttered a sound like
thunder, and, expanding a pair of wangs, soared with me to
an immense height through the air, and then alighted upon
the roof of another palace, where he threw me from his
back, and, by a violent blow with his tail upon my face, as
I sat on the roof, struck out my eye, and left me.

In this state I descended from the roof, and below I
fotmd the one-eyed young men before mentioned, who, as
soon as they beheld mc, exclaimed, No welcome to thee ! —
Receive me, said I, into your company: — but they replied,
By Allah, thou shalt not remain with us : — so I departed
from them, with mournful heart and weeping eye, and, God
having decreed me a safe journey hither, I arrived at
Baghdad, after I had shaved my beard, and become a
mendicant.

The mistress of the house then looked towards the
KhaHfeh and Ja'far and Mesrur, and said to them, Acquaint
me with your histories: — upon which Ja'far advanced to-
wards her, and related to her the same story that he had
told to the portress before they entered; and when she had
heard it, she liberated them all. They accordingly de-
parted, and when they had gone out into the street, the
Khalifeh inquired of the mendicants whither they were
going. They answered that they knew not whither to go :
whereupon he desired them to accompany his party; and
then said to Ja'far, Take them home with thee, and bring
them before me to-morrow_, and we will see the result.
Ja'far, therefore, did as he was commanded, and the Khalifeh
returned to his palace; but he was unable to sleep during
the remainder of the night.

On the following morning he sat upon his throne, and
when his courtiers had presented themselves before him,
and departed, excepting Ja'far, he said to him, Bring before
me the three ladies and the two bitches and the mendicants.
So Ja'far arose, and brought them, and, placing the ladies
behind the curtains, said to them, We have forgiven you
on account of your previous kindness to us, and because
ye knew us not; and now I acquaint you that ye are in
the presence of the fifth of the sons of El-'Abbas, Harun
Er-Rashid; therefore relate to him nothing but the truth.
And when the ladies heard the words which Ja'far ad-
dressed to them on the part of the Khalifeh, the eldest of
them advanced, and thus related her story.