Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/250

218 before him, bale after bale, till they had opened the seven hundred loads; whereupon he chose out the best and said, ‘Carry these to the princess, that she may distribute them among her women; and carry her also this coffer of jewels, that she may distribute them among her women and eunuchs.’ Then he proceeded to give the merchants to whom he was indebted stuffs in payment for their debts, giving him, whose due was a thousand, stuffs worth two thousand or more; after which he fell to distributing to the poor and needy, whilst the king looked on and could not hinder him; nor did he leave giving till he had made an end of the seven hundred loads, when he turned to the troops and proceeded to distribute amongst them emeralds and rubies and pearls and coral and other jewels by handsful, without count, till the king said to him, ‘Enough of this giving, O my son! There is but little left of the baggage.’ Quoth Marouf, ‘I have abundance;’ and indeed, his good faith was become manifest and none could belie him more; and he had come to reck not of giving, for that the servant of the ring brought him whatsoever he sought.

Presently, the treasurer came in to the king and said, ‘O king of the age, the treasury is full and will not hold the rest of the loads. Where shall we lay that which is left of the gold and jewels?’ And he assigned to him another place. As for the princess, when she saw this, her joy redoubled and she marvelled and said in herself, ‘How came he by all this wealth?’ In like manner the merchants rejoiced in that which he had given them and blessed him; whilst Ali wondered and said in himself, ‘How hath he lied and swindled, that he hath gotten him all these treasures? But how excellent is the saying of him who saith: