第96章 ALAEDDIN ABOU ESH SHAMAT.(6)

This merchandise，'added he，is a trust from God and may not be sold. If I sold it to other than thee for gold，I would sell it thee for silver： but，by Allah，O filthy one，I will never again company with thee！' Then he returned to Kemaleddin and said to him，Yonder man is a lewd fellow and I will no longer consort with him nor suffer his company by the way.' O my son，'replied the muleteer，did I not forbid thee to go with him？But if we part company with him，I fear destruction for ourselves；so let us still make one caravan.' But Alaeddin said，It may not be： I will never again travel with him.' So he loaded his beasts and journeyed onward，he and his company，till they came to a valley，where Alaeddin would have halted，but the muleteer said to him，Do not halt here；rather let us fare forward and quicken our pace，so haply we may reach Baghdad before the gates are closed，for they open and shut them with the sun，for fear the schismatics should take the city and throw the books of learning into the Tigris.' O my father，'replied Alaeddin，I came not to Baghdad with this merchandise，for the sake of traffic，but to divert myself with the sight of foreign lands.' And Kemaleddin rejoined，O my son，we fear for thee and for thy goods from the wild Arabs.' But he answered，Harkye，sirrah，art thou master or servant？I will not enter Baghdad till the morning，that the townsfolk may see my merchandise and know me.' Do as thou wilt，said the muleteer；I have given thee good counsel，and thou must judge for thyself.' Then Alaeddin bade them unload the mules and pitch the tent；so they did his bidding and abode there till the middle of the night，when the youth went out to do an occasion and seeing something gleaming afar off，said to Kemaleddin，O captain，what is yonder glittering？The muleteer sat up and considering it straitly，knew it for the glint of spear-heads and Bedouin swords and harness. Now this was a troop of Bedouins under a chief called Ajlan Abou Naib，Sheikh of the Arabs，and when the neared the camp and saw the baggage，they said，one to another，O night of booty！' Quoth Kemaleddin，Avaunt，O meanest of Arabs！' But Abou Naib smote him with his javelin in the breast，that the point came out gleaming from his back，and he fell down dead at the tent-door. Then cried the water-carrier，Avaunt，O foulest of Arabs！' and one of them smote him with a sword upon the shoulder，that it issued shining from the tendons of the throat and he also fell slain. Then the Bedouins fell upon the caravan from all sides and slew the whole company except Alaeddin，after which they loaded the mules with the spoil and made off. Quoth Alaeddin to himself，Thy dress and mule will be the death of thee.' So he put off his cassock and threw it over the back of a mule，remaining in his shirt and drawers alone；

after which he went to the door of the tent and finding there a pool of blood from the slain，rolled himself in it，till he was as a slain man，drowned in his blood. Meanwhile Ajlan said to his men，O Arabs，was this caravan bound from Egypt for Baghdad or from Baghdad for Egypt？It was bound from Egypt for Baghdad，answered they. Then，'said he，return to the slain，for methinks the owner of the caravan is not dead.' So they turned back and fell to larding the slain with lance and sword-thrusts，[lest any life were left in them，] till they came to Alaeddin，who had laid himself among the dead bodies. Quoth they，Thou dost but feign thyself dead，but we will make an end of thee.' So one of the Bedouins drew his javelin and should have plunged it into his breast. But he cried out，Save me，O my lord Abdulcadir！' and behold，he saw a hand turn the lance away from his breast to that of the muleteer，so that it pierced the latter and spared himself. Then the Bedouins made off；and when Alaeddin saw that the birds were flown with their purchase，he rose and set off running；but Abou Naib looked back and said，O Arabs，I see somewhat moving.' So one of the Bedouins turned back and spying Alaeddin running，called out to him，saying，Flight shall not avail thee，and we after thee；and he smote his mare with his fist and pricked after him. Then Alaeddin，seeing before him a watering tank and a cistern beside it，climbed up into a niche in the cistern and stretching himself along，feigned sleep and said，O gracious Protector，cover me with the veil of Thy protection，that may not be torn away！' Presently，the Bedouin came up to the cistern and standing in his stirrups put out one hand to lay hold of Alaeddin；but he said Save me，O my lady Nefiseh！[95] Now is thy time！' And behold，a scorpion stung the Bedouin in the palm and he cried out，saying，Help，O Arabs！

I am stung；and fell off his mare. His comrades came up to him and set him on horseback again，saying，What hath befallen thee？Quoth he，A scorpion stung me.' And they departed，leaving Alaeddin in the niche.

Meanwhile，Mehmoud of Balkh loaded his beasts and fared on till he came to the Valley of Dogs，where he found Alaeddins men lying slain. At this he rejoiced and went on till he reached the reservoir. Now his mule was athirst and turned aside to drink，but took fright at Alaeddins shadow in the water and started；

whereupon Mehmoud raised his eyes and seeing Alaeddin lying in the niche，stripped to his shirt and trousers，said to him，Who hath dealt thus with thee and left thee in this ill plight？The Bedouins，'answered Alaeddin，and Mehmoud said，O my son，the mules and the baggage were thy ransom；so do thou comfort thyself with the saying of the poet：

So but a man may win to save his soul alive from death，But as the paring of his nail his wealth he reckoneth.

But now，O my son，'continued he，come down and fear no hurt.'