Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/60

40 and the King said to him, ‘Return not but with him.’

Now this Othman was a proud conceited fool; so he went forth upon his errand, and when he came to Jouder’s palace, he saw at the door an eunuch seated upon a chair of gold, who rose not at his approach, but sat as if none were near, though there were with the Amir fifty men. Now this eunuch was none other than Er Raad el Casif, the servant of the ring, whom Jouder had commanded to put on the guise of an eunuch and sit at the gate of the palace. So the Amir rode up to him and said to him, ‘O slave, where is thy lord?’ ‘In the palace,’ answered he, without stirring from his leaning posture; whereupon Othman waxed wroth and said to him, ‘O pestilent slave, art thou not ashamed, when I speak to thee, to answer me, sprawling at thy length like a good-for-nought?’ ‘Begone,’ answered the eunuch, ‘and do not multiply words.’ When Othman heard this, he was filled with rage and drawing his mace, would have smitten the eunuch, knowing not that he was a devil; but the latter leapt upon him and taking the mace from him, dealt him four blows with it. When the fifty men saw their lord beaten, it was grievous to them; so they drew their swords and ran at the slave, thinking to kill him; but he said, ‘Do ye draw swords on us, O dogs?’ And fell upon them with the mace, and every one whom he smote, he broke his bones and drowned him in his blood. So they gave back before him and fled in confusion, whilst he followed them, beating them, till he had driven them far from the palace; after which he returned and sat down on his chair at the gate, caring for no one.

Meanwhile the Amir and his company returned, beaten and discomfited, to Shems ed Dauleh, and Othman said, ‘O King of the age, when I came to the palace gate, I saw an eunuch seated there in a chair of gold and he was passing arrogant; for, when he saw me coming, he lay