第39章

'And if he say，too much？' 'Then three hundred！' 'And if he say yet，too much？' 'Then two hundred！' 'And if he say yet，too much？' 'Then one hundred！' 'And if he say yet，too much？' 'Then，fifty！' 'And if he say yet，too much？' 'Then thirty！' 'And if he say still，too much？' asked Ma'an bin Zaidah.Answered the Badawi，'I will make my ass set his four feet in his Honour's home[138] and return to my people，disappointed and empty-handed.' So Ma'an laughed at him and urged his steed till he came up with his suite and returned to his place，when he said to his chamberlain，'An there come to thee a man with cucumbers and riding on an ass admit him to me.' Presently up came the Badawi and was admitted to Ma'an's presence； but knew not the Emir for the man he had met in the desert，by reason of the gravity and majesty of his semblance and the multitude of his eunuchs and attendants，for he was seated on his chair of state with his officers ranged in lines before him and on either side.So he saluted him and Ma'an said to him 'What bringeth thee，O brother of the Arabs？' Answered the Badawi，'I hoped in the Emir，and have brought him curly cucumbers out of season.' Asked Ma'an，'And how much dost thou expect of us？' 'A thousand dinars，'

answered the Badawi.'This is far too much，' quoth Ma'an.Quoth he，'Five hundred.' 'Too much！' 'Then three hundred.' 'Too much！'

'Two hundred.' 'Too much！' 'One hundred.' 'Too much！' 'Fifty.'

'Too much！' At last the Badawi came down to thirty dinars； but Ma'an still replied，'Too much！' So the Badawi cried，'By Allah，the man who met me in the desert brought me bad luck！ But I will not go lower than thirty dinars.' The Emir laughed and said nothing； whereupon the wild Arab knew that it was he whom he had met and said，'O my lord，except thou bring the thirty dinars，see ye，there is the ass tied ready at the door and here sits Ma'an，his honour，at home.' So Ma'an laughed，till he fell on his back； and，calling his steward，said to him，'Give him a thousand dinars and five hundred and three hundred and two hundred and one hundred and fifty and thirty； and leave the ass tied up where he is.' So the Arab to his amazement，received two thousand one hundred and eighty dinars，and Allah have mercy on them both and on all generous men！ And I have also heard，O auspicious King，a tale of THE CITY OF LABTAYT.[139]

There was once a royal-city in the land of Roum，called the City of Labtayt wherein stood a tower which was always shut.And whenever a King died and another King of the Greeks took the Kingship after him，he set on the tower a new and strong lock，till there were four-and-twenty locks upon the gate，according to the number of the Kings.After this time，there came to the throne a man who was not of the old royal-house，and he had a mind to open these locks，that he might see what was within the tower.The grandees of his kingdom forbade him this and pressed him to desist and reproved him and blamed him； but he persisted saying，'Needs must this place be opened.' Then they offered him all that their hands possessed of monies and treasures and things of price，if he would but refrain； still he would not be baulked，--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased saying her permitted say.

When it was the Two Hundred and Seventy-second Night，She said，It hath reached me，O auspicious King，that the grandees offered that King all their hands possessed of monies and treasures if he would but refrain； still he would not be baulked and said 'There is no help for it but I open this tower.'

So he pulled off the locks and entering，found within the tower figures of Arabs on their horses and camels，habited in turbands[140] hanging down at the ends，with swords in baldrick-belts thrown over their shoulders and bearing long lances in their hands.He found there also a scroll which he greedily took and read，and these words were written therein，'Whenas this door is opened will conquer this country a raid of the Arabs，after the likeness of the figures here depicted；

wherefore beware，and again beware of opening it.' Now this city was in Andalusia； and that very year Tarik ibn Ziyad conquered it，during the Caliphate of Al-Walid son of Abd al-Malik[141]

of the sons of Umayyah； and slew this King after the sorriest fashion and sacked the city and made prisoners of the women and boys therein and got great loot.Moreover，he found there immense treasures； amongst the rest more than an hundred and seventy crowns of pearls and jacinths and other gems of price； and he found a saloon，wherein horsemen might throw the spears，full of vessels of gold and silver，such as no deion can comprise.

Moreover，he found there the table of food for the Prophet of Allah，Solomon，son of David （peace with both of them！），which is extant even now in a city of the Greeks，it is told that it was of grass-green emerald with vessels of gold and platters of jasper.Likewise he found the Psalms written in the old Ionian[142] characters on leaves of gold bezel'd with jewels；

together with a book setting forth the properties of stones and herbs and minerals，as well as the use of characts and talismans and the canons of the art of alchymy； and he found a third volume which treated of the art of cutting and setting rubies and other precious stones and of the preparation of poisons and theriacks.

There found he also a mappa mundi figuring the earth and the seas and the different cities and countries and villages of the world；