Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 2.djvu/89

 The Tale of Ghanim bin Ayyub. 67 been in Ghanim's house for four months. Whereupon he was angered with exceeding anger and rising up, he summoned the Emirs of his state ; and his Wazir Ja'afar the Barmaki came also and kissed the ground between his hands. The Caliph said to him in fury ; " Go down, O Ja'afar, with a party of armed men and ask for the house of Ghanim son of Ayyub : fall upon it and spoil it and bring him to me with my slave-girl, Kut al-Kulub, for there is no help but that I punish him !" " To hear is to obey," said Ja'afar ; and setting out with the Governor and the guards and a world of people, repaired to Ghanim's house. Now about that time the youth happened to have brought back a pot of dressed meat and was about to put forth his hand to eat of it, he and Kut al-Kulub, when the lady, happening to look out saw calamity sur- rounding the house on every side ; for the Wazir and the Governor, the night-guard and the Mamelukes with swords drawn had girt it as the white of the eye girdeth the black. At this she knew that tidings of her had reached the Caliph, her lord ; and she made sure of ruin, and her colour paled and her fair features changed and her favour faded. Then she turned to Ghanim and said to him, " O my love ? fly for thy life ! " " What shall I do," asked he, " and whither shall I go, seeing that my money and means of main- tenance are all in this house?"; and she answered, " Delay not lest thou be slain and lose life as well as wealth." " O my loved one and light of mine eyes ! " he cried, " How shall I do to get away when they have surrounded the house ?" Quoth she, " Fear not; " and, stripping off his fine clothes, dressed him in ragged old garments, after which she took the pot and, putting in it bits of broken bread and a saucer of meat, 1 placed the whole in a basket and setting it upon his head said, " Go out in this guise and fear not for me who wotteth right well what thing is in my hand for the Caliph." 2 So he went out amongst them, bearing the basket with its contents, and the Protector vouchsafed him His protection and he escaped the snares and perils that beset him, by the blessing of his good conscience and pure conduct. Meanwhile Ja'afar dis- mounted and entering the house, saw Kut al-Kulub who had dressed and decked herself in splendid raiments and ornaments and filled a chest with gold and jewellery and precious stones and rarities and Arab. "Ta'dm," which has many meanings: in mod. parlance it would signify millet, holcus-seed. i.e. " I well know how to deal with him."

Arab. "Ta'dm," which has many meanings: in mod. parlance it would signify millet, holcus-seed. i.e. " I well know how to deal with him."