Page:Three crump twin brothers of Damascus (1).pdf/9

Rh opened, and suspecting his wife of having some gallant hid in a corner, he took a stick and beat her soundly, afterwards, his jealousy inducing him to search all the house, he visited every hole with the greatest care, but never thought of looking behind the brandy tubs, though he went into the cellar. At last, the hump-backed churl having made no discovery, grew a little calm: he locked all the doors; taking the keys according to his custon; went to bed with Nohoud; and did not go out all next day till toward the evening, prayer, telling his wife he should sup with a friend. His back was hardly turned, when Nohoud ran immediately to the cellar; but she was in the utmost surprise at finding Ibad and Syahouk without the least signs of life: her perplexity increased, when she confided she had no way of getting rid of the two bodies; but taking her resolution at once the shut up the shop, ran to look towards the bridge of Bagdad for a foolish porter of Sivrihissar, and having told him that a little hump- backed man who came to her house to buy some knives, having died there suddenly, she feared she should be brought into trouble about it: she proffered him four sequins of gold, if he would put him into the sack, and throw him into the ygris. The porter accepted her offer; and Nohoud having taken him home with her gave him two sequins by way of earnest treated him with drink till it was night put only one of the crumps into his sack, helped him up with it, and promised to give him the other two sequins when she was sure he had performed his commission.

The porter, with the crump upon his shoulder