Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/66

46 when he became Sultan, he built therein a congregational mosque and other buildings, wherefore the quarter was named after him and was called the Jouderiyeh quarter.

Moreover, he made his brother Salim his Vizier of the right and his brother Selim his Vizier of the left hand; and thus they abode a year and no more; for, at the end of that time, Salim said to Selim, ‘O my brother, how long is this to last? Shall we pass our whole lives in service to our brother Jouder? We shall never enjoy lordship or fortune whilst he lives: so how shall we do to kill him and take the ring and the saddle-bags?’ ‘Thou art craftier than I,’ answered Selim; ‘do thou contrive us a device, whereby we may kill him.’ ‘If I do this,’ said Salim, ‘wilt thou agree that I be Sultan and have the ring and that thou be my right-hand Vizier and have the saddle-bags?’ ‘I consent to this,’ replied Selim, and they agreed to kill their brother for love of the world and of dominion.

So they laid a snare for Jouder and said to him, ‘O our brother, we have a mind to glory in thee and would fain have thee enter our houses and eat of our victual and solace our hearts.’ ‘So be it,’ replied Jouder. ‘In whose house shall the banquet be?’ ‘In mine,’ said Salim, ‘and after thou hast eaten of my victual, thou shalt be the guest of my brother.’ ‘It is well,’ answered Jouder and went with him to his house, where he set before him poisoned food, of which when he had eaten, his flesh rotted from his bones [and he fell down dead]. Then Salim came up to him and would have drawn the ring from his finger, but it resisted him; so he cut off the finger with a knife. Then he rubbed the ring and the Marid presented himself, saying, ‘At thy service. Ask what thou wilt.’ Quoth Salim, ‘Put my brother Selim to death and take the two bodies, the poisoned man and the slaughtered, and cast them down before the troops.’ So the Marid took Selim and slew him; then, carrying the two bodies forth, he cast them down