Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/287

259 charge with her?’ ‘ [sic]Charge Ahmed ed Denef,’ answered the Master of police; ‘for he has a thousand dinars a month and one-and-forty followers, at a monthly wage of a hundred dinars each.’ So the Khalif said, ‘Harkye, Captain Ahmed!’ ‘At thy service, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered he; and the Khalif said, ‘I charge thee to bring the old woman before me.’ ‘I will answer for her,’ replied Ahmed.

Then the Khalif kept the Bedouin and the five complainants with him, whilst Ahmed and his men went down to their hall, saying to one another, ‘How shall we lay hands on her, seeing that there are many old women in the town?’ [And Ahmed said to Hassan Shouman, ‘What counsellest thou?’] Whereupon quoth one of them, by name Ali Kitf el Jemel, to Ed Denef, ‘Of what dost thou take counsel with Hassan Shouman? Is he any great matter?’ ‘O Ali,’ said Hassan, ‘why dost thou disparage me? By the Mighty Name, I will not company with thee at this time!’ And he rose and went out in anger. Then said Ahmed, ‘O lads, let each sergeant take ten men and search for Delileh, each in his own quarter.’ And they agreed to rendezvous in such a place.

It was noised abroad in the city that Ahmed ed Denef had undertaken to lay hands on Delileh the Crafty, and Zeyneb said to her mother, ‘O my mother, if thou be indeed a trickstress, do thou befool Ahmed ed Denef and his company.’ ‘I fear none but Hassan Shouman,’ answered Delileh; and Zeyneb said, ‘By my browlock, I will get thee the clothes of all the one-and-forty.’ Then she dressed and veiled herself and going to a druggist, who had a saloon with two doors, gave him a dinar and said to him, ‘Let me thy saloon till the end of the day and take this dinar to its hire.’ So he gave her the keys and she fetched carpets and so forth on the stolen ass and furnishing the