Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 2.djvu/87

60 broth to drink. When he had done eating, she brought hot water and he washed his hands and lay back upon the pillow; whereupon she covered him up and he slept till the time of afternoon-prayer. Then she killed another fowl and boiled it; after which she cut it up and bringing it to Zoulmekan, said, “Eat, O my son!” Presently, her husband entered and seeing her feeding him, sat down at his head and said to him, “How is it with thee now, O my son?” “Thanks be to God for recovery!” replied he. “May He requite thee thy goodness to me!” At this the stoker rejoiced and going out, bought sherbet of violets and rose-water and made him drink it. Now his day’s earnings at the bath were five dirhems, of which he spent every day two dirhems for Zoulmekan, one for sweet waters and sherbets and another for fowls; and he ceased not to entreat him thus kindly for a whole month, till the traces of illness ceased from him and he was quite recovered whereupon the stoker and his wife rejoiced and the former said to him, “O my son, wilt thou go with me to the bath?” “Willingly,” replied he. So the stoker went to the market and fetched an ass, on which he mounted Zoulmekan and supported him in the saddle, till they came to the bath Then he made him alight and sit down, whilst he repaired to the market and bought lote-leaves and lupin-meal, with which he returned to the bath and said to Zoulmekan, “O my son, in the name of God, enter, and I will wash thy body.” So they both entered the inner room of the bath, and the stoker fell to rubbing Zoulmekan’s legs and was going on to wash his body with the lote-leaves and powder, when there came to them a bathman, whom the keeper of the bath had sent to Zoulmekan, and seeing the stoker rubbing and washing the latter, said to him, “This is trespassing on the keeper’s rights.” “By Allah,” replied the stoker, “the master overwhelms us with his favours!”