Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/263

241 her and my children from the queen in her despite.’ ‘How canst thou rescue them from her?’ said Shewahi. ‘Go and hide thyself, O my son, till God the Most High permit.’

Then Hassan showed her the wand and the cap, whereat she rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said, ‘Glory be to Him who quickeneth the bones, though they be rotten! By Allah, O my son, thou and thy wife were but lost folk, but now thou art saved, thou and thy wife and children! For I know the wand and I know its maker, who was my master in magic. He was a mighty magician and wrought a hundred and thirty and five years at this wand and cap, till he brought them to perfection, when death the inevitable overtook him. And I have heard him say to his two sons, “O my sons, these things are none of your lot, for there will come a stranger from a far country, who will take them from you perforce, and ye shall not know how he takes them.” “O our father,” said they, “tell us how he will win to take them.” But he answered, “I know not.” And how,’ added she, ‘availedst thou to take them, O my son?’

So he told her how he had taken them from the two boys, whereat she rejoiced and said, ‘O my son, since thou hast gotten [the means of freeing] thy wife and children, give ear to what I shall say to thee. There is no abiding for me with this wicked woman, after the fashion in which she hath dared to use me; wherefore I am minded to depart from her to the caves of the Magicians and abide with them there till I die. But do thou, O my son, don the cap and take the wand in thy hand and enter the place where thy wife and children are. Loose her bonds and smite the earth with the wand, saying, “Be present, O servants of these names!” whereupon the servants of the wand will appear; and if there present himself one of the heads of the tribes, command him what thou wilt.’

VOL. VII.