Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/339

309 from the Cadi’s court and taking of him the prescribed acknowledgment, delivered him the key, which he took and entered the house. The merchant sent him bedding by a slave, who spread it for him on the bench behind the door and went away. Presently Ali went into the inner court and seeing there a well with a bucket, let down the latter and drew water, with which he made the ablution and prayed the obligatory prayers. Then he sat awhile, till the merchant’s slave brought him the evening mealevening-meal [sic] from his master’s house, together with a lamp, a candle and candlestick, a basin and ewer and a gugglet; after which he left him and returned home. Ali lighted the candle and supped at his ease and prayed the evening prayer;evening-prayer; [sic] after which he said to himself, ‘Let us take the bed and go upstairs and sleep there, rather than here.’ So he took the bed and carried it upstairs, where he found a splendid saloon, with gilded ceiling and walls and floor of variegated marble. He spread his bed there and sitting down, began to recite somewhat of the sublime Koran, when suddenly he heard one calling to him and saying, ‘O Ali, O son of Hassan, shall I send thee down the gold?’ And he answered, ‘Send away.’

Hardly had he spoken, when pieces of gold began to rain down on him, like [pebbles from] a mangonel, nor stinted till the saloon was full. Then said the voice, ‘Set me free, that I may go my way; for I have made an end of my service and have delivered unto thee that which was committed to me for thee.’ Quoth Ali, ‘I adjure thee by the Most High God to tell me the history of this gold.’ ‘This is a treasure that was enchanted to thee of old time,’ replied the voice; ‘and to every one, who entered the house, we used to come and say to him, “O Ali, O son of Hassan, shall we send down the gold?” Whereat he would be affrighted and cry out, and we would come down to him and break his neck and go away. But, when thou