Page:Gems of Arabic Literature.djvu/66

 days in the year, (on which) he used to give audience near the Mausoleums. One of the days was called "The Red Letter Day ," and the other "The Black Letter Day." To the first person who went to him on the Red Letter Day, he gave a hundred black camels; and to the first person who went to him on the Black Letter Day, he gave a black pole-cat, and then ordered him to be slain, and the Mausoleums to be smeared with his blood.

XV. It is told in the book "Warlike Expeditions ," on the authority of Abdullah, the son of Al-'Abbās, (who heard it) from his father ('Abbās) that he said: "I went out one very dark night, intending to go to the house of the Prince of the Faithful, 'Umar, the son of Al-Khattāb (May God be pleased with him!). I had hardly reached half way when I saw an Arab of the desert. He pulled me by my garment, saying, 'Follow me, O 'Abbās!' I scanned the nomad Arab and found him to be the Prince of the Faithful, 'Umar, in disguise. I advanced towards him, saluted him and said, 'Where art thou going, O Prince of the Faithful?' He replied, 'I intend to make a round among the encampments of the Arabs this dark night.' I followed him. It was a cold night, and he went on, I continuing to follow him. He made the round of the tents and houses of the Arabs, examining them intently until we had been to all. When we were on the point of leaving, we noticed a tent in which was an old woman, and, around her, some children crying and weeping. In front of her was a fireplace on which was a cooking-pot, under which a fire was burning, and she kept saying to the children, 'Hush! Hush ! my children, in a little while the food will be cooked, and you shall eat.'