Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/306

278 slave. Moreover, he anointed his lips and smeared his eyes with red kohl. Then he clad him in a slave’s habit and giving him a tray of kabobs and wine, said to him, ‘There is a black cook in the khan, and thou art now become his like; so go thou to him and accost him in friendly fashion and speak to him in the blacks’ lingo, saying, “It is long since we foregathered in the beer-shop.” He will answer thee, “I have been too busy for this; for I have on my hands forty slaves, for whom I cook the morning and the evening meals, besides making ready a tray for Delileh and the like for her daughter Zeyneb and the dogs’ food.” And do thou say to him, “Come, let us eat kabobs and drink wine.” Then go in with him into the saloon and make him drunk and question him of his service, how many and what dishes he has to cook, and ask him of the dogs’ food and the keys of the kitchen and the larder; and he will tell thee, for a man, when he is drunk, tells all that he would conceal, were he sober. [When thou hast learned all this of him,] drug him and don his clothes and sticking the two knives in thy girdle, take the vegetable-basket and go to the market and buy meat and greens, with which do thou return to the khan and enter the kitchen and the larder and cook the food. Dish it up and put henbane in it, so as to drug the dogs and the slaves and Delileh and Zeyneb. Then serve up and when they are all asleep, go up into the upper chamber and bring away all the clothes thou wilt find hanging there. And if thou have a mind to marry Zeyneb, bring also the forty carrier-pigeons.’

So Ali went to the khan and going in to the cook, saluted him and said, ‘It is long since I have foregathered with thee in the beer-shop.’ Quoth the cook, ‘I have been busy cooking for the slaves and the dogs.’ Then he took him and making him drunk, questioned him of his duties. Said the cook, ‘Every day I cook five dishes for the