Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/154

134 I who sinned against myself in telling thee. But write me a royal letter and I will go to him and bring him back to thee.’ So the Khalif wrote him a royal letter and he took it and repaired to Bassora. When he came in to the governor, the latter said, ‘God keep us from the mischief of thy return, O Abou Ishac! How comes it that I see thee return in haste? Belike the tribute is deficient and the Khalif will not accept it?’ ‘O Amir Abdallah,’ answered Abou Ishac, ‘my return is not on account of the deficiency of the tribute, for it is full measure and the Khalif accepts it; but I hope that thou wilt excuse me, for that I have sinned against thee, and indeed this that I have done was decreed of God the Most High.’ ‘And what hast thou done, O Abou Ishac?’ asked Abdallah. ‘Tell me; for thou art my friend and I will not reproach thee.’ ‘Know then,’ answered Abou Ishac, ‘that, when I was with thee, I followed thee three nights in succession and saw thee rise at midnight and beat the dogs and return; whereat I marvelled, but thought shame to question thee thereof. When I came back to Baghdad, I told the Khalif of thine affair, casually and without design, whereupon he charged me return to thee, and here is a letter under his hand. Had I known that the affair would lead to this, I had not told him, but this was fore-ordained to happen.’ And he went on to excuse himself to him.

Quoth Abdallah, ‘Since thou hast told him this, I will bear thee out with him, lest he deem thee a liar, for thou art my friend. Were it other than thou, I had denied the affair and given him the lie. But now I will go with thee and carry the two dogs with me, though in this be my own ruin and the ending of my term of life.’ ‘God will protect thee,’ rejoined Abou Ishac, ‘even as thou hast