Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 1.djvu/47

29 when his daughter saw me, she veiled her face and said to her father, “How is it that thou bringest a man in to me?” “Where is the man?” asked he; and she replied, “This dog is a man, whose wife has enchanted him, and I can release him.” When her father heard this, he said, “I conjure thee by Allah, O my daughter, release him!” So she took a mug of water and muttered over it, then sprinkled a little of it on me, saying, “Leave this shape and return to thy former one.” And immediately I became a man again and kissed her hand and begged her to enchant my wife as she had enchanted me. So she gave me a little of the water and said to me, “When thou seest her asleep, sprinkle her with this water and repeat the words thou hast heard me use, naming the shape thou wouldst have her take, and she will become whatever thou wishest.” So I took the water and returned home and went in to my wife. I found her asleep and sprinkled the water upon her, saying, “Quit this form for that of a mule.” And she at once became a mule; and this is she whom thou seest before thee, O Sultan and Chief of the Kings of the Jinn!’ Then he said to the mule, ‘Is it true?’ And she nodded her head and made signs as who should say, ‘Yes, indeed: this is my history and what befell me.’” Here Shehrzad perceived the day and was silent. And Dunyazad said to her, “O my sister, what a delightful story is this of thine!” “This is nothing,” answered Shehrzad, “to what I will tell thee to-morrow night, if the King let me live.” Quoth the King to himself, “By Allah, I will not put her to death till I hear the rest of her story, for it is wonderful.” And they lay together till the morning. Then the King rose and betook himself to his audience-chamber, and the Vizier and the troops presented themselves and the Court was full. The King judged and appointed and deposed and ordered and forbade till the end of the day, when the Divan broke up and he returned to his apartments.