Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 4.djvu/87

63 the rice!’ Then they all went out, minded thenceforth to leave sitting in the Christian’s place, over against the dish of sweet rice.

When the first day of the third month came, they laid the tables as of wont, and Queen Zumurrud came down and sat on her throne, with her guards in attendance on her, fearing her danger. Then the townsfolk entered, as usual, and went round about the tables, looking for the place of the dish of sweet rice, and quoth one to another, ‘Hark ye, Hajji Khelef!’ ‘At thy service, O Hajji Khalid,’ answered the other. ‘Avoid the dish of sweet rice,’ said Khalid, ‘and look thou eat not thereof; for if thou do, thou wilt be hanged.’ Then they sat down to meat; and as they were eating, Zumurrud chanced to look at the gate of the tilting-ground and saw a man come running in. So she considered him and knew him for Jewan the Kurd.

Now the manner of his coming was on this wise. When he left his mother, he went to his comrades and said to them, ‘I had fine purchase yesterday; for I slew a trooper and took his horse. Moreover there fell to me last night a pair of saddle-bags, full of gold, and a girl worth more than the money; and I have left them all with my mother in the cave.’ At this they rejoiced and repaired to the cavern at nightfall, whilst they forewent them, that he might fetch them the booty. But he found the place empty and questioned his mother, who told him what had befallen; whereupon he bit his hands for despite and exclaimed, ‘By Allah, I will make search for yonder harlot and take her, wherever she is, though it be in the shell of a pistachio-nut, and quench my malice on her!’ So he went forth in quest of her and journeyed from place to place, till he came to Queen Zumurrud’s city. He found the town deserted and enquiring of some women whom he saw looking from the windows, learnt that it was the Sultan’s custom to make a banquet for all the people on the first of each