Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/62

50 he, ‘Who did off the shackles from your legs? But needs must I let make each of you shackles ten pounds in weight and go round about the city with you.’ ‘All that thou purposest against us,’ replied Huboub, ‘thou shalt fall into thyself, so it please God the Most High, by token that thou hast exiled us from our homes, and to-morrow we shall stand, we and thou, before the governor of the city.’

On this wise they passed the night and the next morning the Jew went out to order fresh shackles, whereupon Zein el Mewasif rose and repaired with her women to the court-house, where she found the four Cadis and saluted them. They all returned her salutation and the Chief Cadi said to those about him, ‘Verily this damsel is lovely as Ez Zehra and all who see her love her and prostrate themselves to her beauty and grace.’ Then he despatched four sergeants, who were sherifs, to fetch the Jew after the most abject fashion: so, when he returned with the shackles and found none in the house, he was confounded; but, as he abode in perplexity, up came the officers and laying hold of him, beat him soundly and dragged him face, downward, before the Cadi. When the latter saw him, he cried out in his face and said to him, ‘Out on thee, O enemy of God, is it come to such a pass with thee that thou dost thus and bringest these women far from their country and stealest their good and wouldst make them Jews? How darest thou seek to pervert Muslims?’ ‘O my lord,’ answered the Jew, ‘this woman is my wife.’

When the Cadis heard this, they all cried out, saying,