Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 2.djvu/139

112 “We are now near my country and I would fain be alone with my brother, that we may enjoy one another’s company and take our fill of each other, before we reach Baghdad; for we have been long parted.” “Be it as thou wilt,” replied the Chamberlain and going forth, sent them wax candles and various kinds of sweetmeats, together with three costly suits of clothes for Zoulmekan. Then he returned to the litter, and Nuzhet ez Zeman said to him, “Bid the eunuch find the stoker and give him a horse to ride and provide him a tray of food morning and evening, and let him be forbidden to leave us.” The Chamberlain called the eunuch and charged him accordingly; so he took his pages with him and went out in search of the stoker, whom he found at the tail of the caravan, saddling his ass and preparing for flight. The tears were running down his cheeks, out of fear for himself and grief for his separation from Zoulmekan, and he was saying to himself, “Indeed, I warned him for the love of God, but he would not listen to me. O that I knew what is become of him!” Before he had done speaking, the eunuch came up and stood behind him, whilst the pages surrounded him. The stoker turned and seeing the eunuch and the pages round him, changed colour and trembled in every nerve for affright, exclaiming, “Verily, he knows not the value of the good offices I have done him! I believe he has denounced me to the eunuch and made me an accomplice in his offence.” Then the eunuch cried out at him, saying, “Who was it recited the verses? Liar that thou art, why didst thou tell me that thou knewest not who it was, when it was thy companion? But now I will not leave thee till we come to Baghdad, and what betides thy comrade shall betide thee.” Quoth the stoker, “Verily, what I feared has fallen on me.” And he repeated the following verse: