Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/186

162 of iron on the neck of each of these two traitors and tie them to the leg of a couch and shut them up by themselves. Moreover, every night, at midnight, do thou go down to them and beat each of them till he swoon away; and if thou suffer a single night to pass, without beating them, I will come to thee and swinge thee soundly, after which I will beat them.” And I answered, “I hear and obey.” Then said she, “Tie them up with ropes till thou come into Bassora.” So I tied a rope about each dog’s neck and bound them to the mast, and she went her way.

On the morrow we entered Bassora and the merchants came out to meet me and saluted me, and none enquired of my brothers. But they looked at the dogs and said to me, “What wilt thou do with these two dogs thou hast brought with thee?” Quoth I, “I reared them on the voyage and have brought them home with me.” And they laughed at them, knowing not that they were my brothers. When I reached my house, I put the dogs in a closet and busied myself with the unpacking and disposition of the bales of stuffs and jewels I had with me. Moreover, the merchants were with me, because of salutation; wherefore I was occupied with them and forgot to beat the dogs or chain them up. Then I lay down to sleep, but hardly had I done so, when there came to me the Red King’s daughter Saïdeh and said to me, “Did I not bid thee clap chains on their necks and give each of them a beating?” So saying, she seized me and pulling out a whip, beat me till I swooned away, after which she went to the place where my brothers were and beat them till they came nigh upon death.

Then said she to me, “Beat each of them thus every night, and if thou let a night pass without doing this, I will beat thee;” and I answered, “O my lady, to-morrow I will put chains on their necks, and next night I will beat them nor will I leave them one night unbeaten.” And