Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 3.djvu/111

93 my negress-slave there and forgot what had befallen me. Then I repaired to Ali ben Bekkar’s house, where his servants accosted me, saying, ‘Our lord calls for thee day and night and hath promised his freedom to whichever of us brings thee to him; so we have been in quest of thee everywhere, but knew not where to find thee. Our master is by way of recovery, but he has frequent relapses, and when he revives, he names thee and says, “Needs must ye bring him to me, though but for an instant,” and sinks back into his torpor.’ So I went in to Ali ben Bekkar and finding him unable to speak, sat down at his head, whereupon he opened his eyes and seeing me, wept and said, ‘Welcome and fair welcome!’ I raised him and making him sit up, strained him to my bosom, and he said, ‘Know, O my brother, that, since I took to my bed, I have not sat up till now: praised be God that I see thee again!’ Presently, little by little, I made him stand up and walk a few steps, after which I changed his clothes and he drank some wine. All this he did to please me. Then, seeing him to be somewhat restored, I told him what had befallen me with the slave-girl, none else hearing me, and said to him, ‘I know what thou sufferest; but take heart and be of good courage; for henceforth nought shall betide thee, but what shall rejoice thee and ease thine heart.’ He smiled and called for food, which being brought, he signed to his servants, and they withdrew. Then said he to me, ‘O my brother, thou seest what hath befallen me;’ and he made his excuses to me and enquired how I had fared all that while. I told him all that had befallen me, from first to last, at which he wondered and calling his servants, said, ‘Bring me such and such things.’ Accordingly, they brought in rich carpets and hangings and utensils of gold and silver, more than I had lost, and he gave them all to me; so I sent them to my house and abode with him that night. When the day began to break, he said to me, ‘To