Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/38

20 the water disappeared and discovered the bed of the river and the door of the treasure, whereupon Jouder went down to the door and knocked. Therewith he heard a voice saying, ‘Who knocks at the door of the treasure, unknowing how to solve the mysteries?’ Quoth he, ‘I am Jouder, son of Omar;’ whereupon the door opened and there came forth one with a drawn sword, who said to him, ‘Stretch forth thy neck.’ So he stretched forth his neck and the figure smote him and fell down, lifeless. Then he went on to the second door and did the like, nor did he cease to do thus, till he had undone the enchantments of the first six doors and came to the seventh door, from which there issued forth to him his mother, saying, ‘Greeting, O my son!’ ‘What art thou?’ said he; and she answered saying, ‘O my son, I am thy mother who bore thee nine months [in my womb] and gave thee suck and reared thee.’ Quoth he, ‘Put off thy clothes.’ ‘Thou art my son,’ said she, ‘how wouldst thou strip me naked?’ But he said, ‘Strip, or I will strike off thy head with this sword;’ and he put out his hand to it and drew it upon her, saying, ‘Except thou strip, I will slay thee.’ Then the strife became long between them and as often as he redoubled on her his menaces, she put off somewhat of her clothes and he said to her, ‘Put off the rest,’ whilst she kept saying, ‘O my son, thou hast disappointed my fosterage of thee,’ till she had nothing left but her trousers. Then said she, ‘O my son, is thy heart stone? Wilt thou dishonour me by discovering my nakedness. Indeed, this is unlawful, O my son!’ And he answered, ‘Thou sayst sooth; it behoves not that thou put off thy trousers.’

No sooner had he uttered these words, than she cried out and said, ‘He hath made default: beat him!’ Whereupon there fell upon him blows like rain and the servants of the treasure flocked to him and dealt him a beating that he forgot not in all his life; after which they thrust