Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 1.djvu/111

91 may cause thy beasts to be restored to thee.’ But he said to her, ‘O woman, said I not to thee that he who doth evil shall suffer it? Indeed, the king hath done evil, and he shall suffer [the consequences of] his deed, for whoso taketh the goods of the folk, needs must his goods be taken.’ A man of his neighbours heard his speech, and he was an envier of his; so he went to the Sultan and acquainted him therewith, whereupon he sent and plundered all [the rest of] his goods and drove him forth from the village, and his wife [and children] with him. So they went wandering in the desert and his wife said to him, ‘All that hath befallen us cometh of thy slothfulness in affairs and thy default.’ But he said to her, ‘Have patience, for the issue of patience is good.’

Then they went on a little, and thieves met them and despoiling them of that which remained with them, stripped them of their raiment and took the children from them; whereupon the woman wept and said to her husband, ‘O man, put away from thee this folly and arise, let us follow the thieves, so haply they may have compassion on us and restore the children to us.’ ‘O woman,’ answered he, ‘have patience, for he who doth evil shall be requited with evil and his wickedness shall revert upon him. Were I to follow them, most like one of them would take his sword and smite off my head and slay me; but have patience, for the issue of patience is praised.’ Then they fared on till they drew near a village in the land of Kirman, and by it a river of water. So he said to his wife, ‘Abide thou here, whilst I enter the village and look us out a place wherein we may take up