Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/345

317 Then he betook himself to his lodging, clad in the gown and the yellow turban and with the nine dinars in his mouth, rejoicing in what he had never in his life seen. He entered and lay down, but could not sleep for the trouble of his spirits and abode playing with the money half the night. Then said he in himself, ‘Belike, the Khalif may hear that I have gold and say to Jaafer, “Go to Khelif the fisherman and borrow us some money of him.” If I give it him, it will be no light matter to me, and if I give it not, he will torment me; but torture is easier to me than the giving up of the cash. However, I will arise and make trial of myself, if I have a skin proof against beating or not.’

So he put off his clothes and taking a sailor’s plaited whip, of a hundred and sixty strands, fell a-beating himself, till his sides and body were all bloody, crying out at every stroke he dealt himself and saying, ‘[Help,] O Muslims! I am a poor man! O Muslims, I am a poor man! O Muslims, whence should I have gold, whence should I have money?’ till the neighbours who dwelt with him in that place, hearing him [roaring out thus and] saying, ‘Go to men of wealth and take of them,’ doubted not but that thieves were torturing him, to get money from him, and that he was crying out for succour.

So they flocked to him, arms in hand, and finding the door of his lodging locked and hearing him roaring out for help, thought that the thieves had come down upon him from the roof; so they fell upon the door and burst it open. Then they entered and found him naked and bare-headed, with body dripping blood, and altogether in a piteous plight; so they said to him, ‘What is this case in which we find thee? Hast thou taken leave of thy wits and hath madness betided thee this night?’ And he answered them, saying, ‘Nay; but I have gold with me and I feared lest the Khalif send to borrow of me and it