Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 2.djvu/388

351 dreamt that he had a girl in his arms. So he kissed her and set her between his thighs; then, clipping her as a man clips a woman, took his yard in his hand and was about to have at her, when he heard one saying to him, ‘Awake, thou good-for-nought! The hour of noon is come and thou art still asleep.’ He opened his eyes and found himself lying on the merge of the cold-water tank, with a crowd of people about him, laughing at him; for the napkin was fallen from his middle and discovered his yard in point. So he knew that all this was but an imbroglio of dreams and an illusion of hashish and was vexed and said to him who had aroused him, ‘Would thou hadst waited till I had put it in!’ Then said the folk, ‘Art thou not ashamed, O hashish-eater, and thou lying asleep and naked, with thy yard on end?’ And they cuffed him, till the nape of his neck was red. Now he was starving, yet had he tasted the savour of delight in sleep.” When Kanmakan heard this story, he laughed till he fell backward and said to Bakoun, “O my nurse, this is indeed a rare story; I never heard its like. Hast thou any more?” “Yes,” answered she and went on to tell him diverting stories and laughable anecdotes, till sleep overcame him. Then she sat by him till the most part of the night was past, when she said to herself, “It is time to profit by the occasion.” So she unsheathed the dagger and drawing near to Kanmakan, was about to slaughter him, when, behold, in came his mother. When Bakoun saw her, she rose to meet her, and fear got hold on her and she fell a-trembling, as if she had the ague. The princess mother marvelled to see her thus and aroused her son, who awoke and found her sitting at his head. Now the reason of her coming was that Kuzia Fekan heard of the plot to kill Kanmakan and said to his mother, “O wife of my uncle, go to thy son, ere that wicked