Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/264

252 of my hand.’ ‘O king,’ rejoined she, ‘I see that thou hast been duped by thy viziers and ministers, who wish but to torment and spite thee, so thou mayst have no pleasure of this thy kingship neither enjoy ease nor delight, and would have thee consume thy life in warding off trouble from them, till thy days be wasted in toil and weariness and thou be as one who slayeth himself for another’s benefit or like the boy and the thieves.’ ‘How was that?’ asked the king, and she answered, ‘It is said that THE BOY AND THE THIEVES.

Seven thieves once went out to steal, according to their wont, and fell in with a poor orphan boy, who besought them for somewhat to eat. Quoth one of them to him, “Wiltthou [sic]go with us, O boy, and we will feed thee and clothe thee and entreat thee kindly?” And he answered, saying, “Needs must I go with you whithersoever ye will and ye are as my own people.” So they took him and fared on with him till they came to a garden, and entering, went round about therein, till they found a walnut-tree laden with ripe fruit and said one to another, “Look which is the lightest and smallest of us and make him climb the tree.” And they said, “None of us is smaller than this boy.” So they sent him up into the tree and said to him, “O boy, touch not aught of the fruit, lest some one see thee and do thee a mischief.” “How then shall I do?” asked he, and they said, “Sit among the boughs and shake them with thy might, so that which is thereon may fall, and we will pick it up. Then, when thou hast made an end of shaking down the fruit, come down and take thy share of that which we have gathered.” So he began to shake every branch at