Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/191

165 though I suffer torture for their sake.’ Then he bethought himself awhile, and his reason said to him, ‘Did not the Khalif rely on some great support, he had not forbidden me from beating them.’ So he entered his lodging and did off the collars from the dogs’ necks, saying, ‘I put my trust in God,’ and fell to comforting them and saying, ‘No harm shall befall you; for the Khalif, fifth of the sons of Abbas, hath undertaken for your deliverance and I have forgiven you. If it please God the Most High, the time is come and ye shall be delivered this blessed night; so rejoice ye in the prospect of peace and happiness.’

When they heard his words, they fell awhining, after the fashion of dogs, and rubbed their jowls against his feet, as if praying for him and humbling themselves before him. He mourned over them and fell to stroking their backs till supper time; and when they set on the evening meal,evening-meal, [sic] he bade the dogs sit. So they sat down and ate from the tray, whilst his officers stood gaping and marvelling at his eating with dogs and saying, ‘Is he mad or are his wits deranged? How can the Viceroy of Bassora, he who is greater than a vizier, eat with dogs? Knoweth he not that the dog is unclean?’ And they stared at the dogs, as they ate with him on decorous wise, knowing not that they were his brothers; nor did they leave staring at them, till they had made an end of eating, when Abdallah washed his hands and the dogs also put out their paws and washed; whereupon all who were present fell alaughinga-laughing [sic] at them and saying, one to another, ‘Never in our lives saw we dogs eat and after wash their paws!’

Then the dogs sat down on the divans beside Abdallah, nor dared any question him of this; and thus the case abode till midnight, when he dismissed the attendants and lay down to sleep and the dogs with him, each on a couch; whereupon the servants said to each other, ‘Verily, he hath lain down to sleep and the dogs with