Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/46

26 before her all he had named. Whereupon, ‘O my son,’ said she, ‘the saddle-bags are small and moreover they were empty; yet hast thou taken thereout all these dishes. Where then were they all?’ ‘O my mother,’ answered he, ‘know that these are enchanted saddle-bags, which the Moor gave me, and they have a servant, whom, if one desire aught, he has but to adjure by the names [which have power over him,] saying, “O servant of the saddle-bags, bring me such a dish!” and he will bring it.’ Quoth his mother, ‘And may I put out my hand and ask of him?’ ‘Do so,’ replied he. So she put out her hand and said, ‘O servant of the saddle-bags, [I conjure thee,] by the virtue of the names that have power over thee, bring me stuffed ribs [of mutton].’ Then she thrust in her hand and found a dish containing delicate stuffed ribs of lamb. So she took it out, and called for bread and what else she had a mind to; after which Jouder said to her, ‘O my mother, when thou hast made an end of eating, empty what is left of the food into platters other than these and restore the empty dishes to the saddle-bags, for the charm is upon this condition, and keep the saddle-bags carefully.’ So she arose and laid them up in a safe place. ‘And look that thou keep this secret,’ added he; ‘and whenever thou hast a mind to aught, take it forth of the saddle-bags and give alms and feed my brothers, whether I be absent or present.’

Then he fell to eating with her, and while they were thus engaged, in came his two brothers, whom a man of the quarter had apprised of his return, saying, ‘Your brother is come back, riding on a mule, with a slave before him, and wearing a dress that hath not its like.’ So they said to each other, ‘Would we had not ill-treated our mother! She will surely tell him how we did by her, and then how sore will be our disgrace with him!’ But one of them said, ‘Our mother is tender-hearted, and if she tell