Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/100

76 anecdotes.’ ‘My soul inclines not to aught of this,’ answered the Khalif; and Mesrour said, ‘O my lord, bid the minions and wits and boon-companions attend thee and divert thee with witty sallies.’ ‘O Mesrour,’ replied the Khalif, ‘indeed my soul inclineth not to aught of this.’ ‘Then, O my lord,’ rejoined Mesrour, ‘strike off my head; maybe, that will dispel thine unease and do away the restlessness that is upon thee.’

At this the Khalif laughed and said, ‘See which of the boon-companions is at the door.’ So Mesrour went out and returning, said, ‘O my lord, he who sits without is Ali ben Mensour of Damascus, the Wag.’ ‘Bring him to me,’ quoth Haroun; and Mesrour went out and returned with Ibn Mensour, who said, on entering, ‘Peace be on thee, O Commander of the Faithful!’ The Khalif returned his salutation and said to him, ‘O Ibn Mensour, tell us one of thy stories.’ ‘O Commander of the Faithful,’ said the other, ‘shall I tell thee what I have seen with my eyes or what I have only heard tell?’ ‘If thou have seen aught worth telling,’ replied the Khalif, ‘let us hear it; for report is not like eye-witness.’ ‘O Commander of the Faithful,’ said Ibn Mensour, ‘lend me thine ear and thy heart.’ ‘O Ibn Mensour,’ answered the Khalif, ‘behold, I am listening to thee with mine ears and looking at thee with mine eyes and attending to thee with my heart.’

‘Know then, O Commander of the Faithful,’ began Ibn Mensour, ‘that I receive a yearly allowance from Mohammed ben Suleiman el Hashimi, Sultan of Bassora; so I went to him, once upon a time, as usual, and found him about to ride out a-hunting. I saluted him, and he returned my salute and would have me mount and go a-hunting with him; but I said, “O my lord, I cannot ride; so do thou stablish me in the guest-house and give thy chamberlains and officers charge over me.” And he did so and departed