The Thousand and One Days

ry as the earth in the hottest days of summer, and never open to pity for the unfortunate. To amass, to amass for ever was

el was the sole heritage of which Ali came into possession at the death of his father. He sold it for much less than its val

amel betake itself with hasty steps to a spot at some distance behind some rocks, and on its arrival there kneel down and groan, as

followed it, and saw with surprise that the spot at which it stopped was one where no merchant of any country had been ever known to unload his merchandise. He reflected deeply on this circumstance, and in the end res

his intense satisfaction, he came upon some bags of money, then a coffer firmly shut, but which contained, he could not doubt, objects of costly value. He first took the bags, which were filled with good and true Spanish doubloons; with these he loaded his camel, who thus had gained nothing but a double burden

, yet Eggadi to obtain possession of it had never yet plundered the widow and the orphan. The first step in the road to evil is not accomplished without difficulty and without remorse;

d the rocks, Eggadi, impelled by his conscience, approached the mise

as it is said he was, left you no fortune

im to the utmost of his power. At times, however, I have suspected that my father may have had riches concealed in

to thee. Come close to me that my voice may reach thy ear alone: but before our conversati

more. Allah, no doubt, judged that that which

upon his breast. Eggadi, much disturbed at th

fortune befel thee, thou wouldst

I have any, drown themselves in crossing a torrent; my goods either do not sell or are damaged. I am destined to possess upon this earth nothing but this miserable hut, which has been my only home for ten years, But what matters it, provided I f

just that such an honest man as thou shoul

e there not, then, many honest me

oo, and I come to propose to thee to enter into partnership with me. I have two good houses outside the town; one shall

usouf, who had never had any friendship for him, and who so far from evincing any generosit

or refusing the offer, but looking with an abstra

t at making this show of generosity to one whom he was

be best for me to keep at once my poverty and the freedom of all my actions, or to accept opulence and with it the necessity of being always of th

his eyes before this poor man

and come to me in the morning under the palm tre

ate thyself save with him who has no more than thyself, and who already knows the right way. The good are spoilt by associ

Eggadi, where the latter awaited him uneasy and fatigued after a sleepless ni

f gold, and merchandise, whilst I, I who have nothing, rise with a joyous heart,

s me," replied Eggadi; "I have gr

hy transactions, and liv

ate speculation balances an unlucky one. You must accept all if you would grow

nd Allah will doubtless recompense thee; but prudence forbids me to accept the

The traveller who does not stop beneath the first trees he meets runs the risk of not finding another upon his road, and of performing the whol

I come, on the contrary, to tell th

s well, remain as thou art. Instead of gold pieces, be content to receive rain-drops throu

about the poverty of this man." And he remembered his fine house, where

, rose from the table, and called his wife, his daughters, his mother, and h

al, whilst he went and sat down out of doors, and smoked with his sons,

ny of my orders, if you would not run the risk of becoming poor, poor-" he was going to say, "as Ali, t

this very moderate relief, he might still enjoy the benefit of a doubt as to whether the father of Ali was really the possessor of the discovered treasures. However, the coffer left behind the rocks would doubtless throw a light upon this matter. Eggadi proceeded

equeath them to my only son, Ali-Bénala, who has ever been a faithful servant of Allah, and respectful towards me. May

n, and to say to himself: "This wealth was without an owner; Allah has been pleased to bestow it on me!" But if Eggadi had never as yet committed any very culpable actions, he had never done any good ones, and did not merit the protection of heaven. He dared not doubt that by keeping unlawful possession of the property of Ali

By day, too, this coffer often served him for a seat; whilst scarce a day passed without his opening it, to assure himself that nothing

urchased at the price of our peace of mind. And each time after having contemplated them, he would repeat to himself the words of Ali, "Allah w

he formed the project of quitting his country, where the sight of Ali, his humble house and miserable shop, haunted him incessa

e will depend all things on earth and in heaven, visited him with a severe fever, accompanied with delirium, d

ntal anguish. Thanks to the skill acquired by medical science, and still more to the intuition engendered by the desire of self-enrichment, the old Jew was not sl

an of the sick man, seated himself by his bedside and patiently awaited the auspicious mome

rious, and as though awakening from a painful dream, dr

lmans cry, 'God is great,' but you do not believe it, for if you did, how could you dare enrich yo

, distending his eyes with terror as

poor Jews like me, God would perhaps pardon thee, but thou takest care to give us nothing. If I cure thee what will be my profit? a few miserable doubloons, which I shall have all the same if thou diest; for thy sons will give them me, and if they refused to pay me, I sh

ld give thee, far more than the cadi would grant thee did my children refuse thee payme

when thou art dead? I demand five hundred doubloons for curing thee, and I will have them at once, for in an ho

give thee five hundred. If I did,-Allah would not pardon me the

rejoined Salmanazar, settli

deep baying of the neighbouring dogs was heard without intermission. The weather was windy and tempestuous. All this but served to increase the deep depression which filled the soul of Eggadi. He threw a wistful look around his shadow-haunted room; it fell upon the old Jew who was watching him askance, h

a sitting posture on his bed. He collected all his s

; give me the remedy which will m

ive hundred doubloon

t here," replie

hey are, I will

, my black slave, he will bring me the key of my coffe

lied Salmanazar; and

nazar, and he disappeared. He returned shortly with two other slave

plied, "They are needed to go and bring the coffer as soon as Bankala

held his peace, looking alternately

y cure?" began Eggadi to inqui

And they both awaited the return of the slave with an

se quickly," had been the summons of the slave to him; "Eggadi my master summons thee in the name of Allah, and desires to see thee b

l no doubt aided him in concealing the great wealth he would fain have bestowed upon thee ere he died. I discovered this wealth, and I conceived the iniquitous design of keeping it, instead of restoring it to thee in accordance with the demands of justice. I was on the point of quitting my country to avoid the further sight of thy poverty, the unceas

may lead. I have mourned for my fault, and have taken a sudden resolution to repair it. By deceiving this skilful man, I have been enabled to send f

ords. How! he had been actually sitting

i con

s time, if I desired to live. I think that five hundred blows with a stick should be his recompense; at the same time I am unworthy to judge

all he had just heard. He took a moment

willingly; and to prove it, I say

patriarchs. As for Salmanazar, let his only punishment be to behold the riches he would have forced th

stones which were revealed to his cupidity. Then he departed, filled with grief at having missed his aim, and at not having been himself the fortunate purchaser of the old camel of Ali. This event was engraven on his memory, and caused him

ecame the adopted brother of Ali, who insisted on sharing with him his newly-acquired fortune; and thes