The Tale of the Jackal, the Fox and the Goat , for ishafel 2/2

[tryfanstone]

Title: The Tale of the Jackal, the Fox and the Goat
Author: The Sand Lizard
Written for: ishafel
Characters/Pairing: a jinni, hight Duncan, the son of Leód, of the seed of Leód; a jinni, hight Methodius; a jinni, hight Qadir Bey; sundry wives of Qadir Bey
Rating: PG-13
Wordcount: 12,055
Summary: There was in times of yore and in ages long gone before a young jinni who came to great calamity.



The Tale of the Jackal, the Fox and the Goat

Part 1

He raised his sabre and it was true that his arm was strong and his skill with edged weapons, be they sabre or scimitar or two-handed broadsword, was great. But the other knew a clever trick and knocked the sabre from his hand and seized the hilt before it hit the ground and smote him such a blow on the head that young jinni fell down in a faint. As he lay comatose, the other stripped him naked and, when the young jinni had recovered from his fainting fit, proceeded to give him hundred hard blows with the flat of the blade. He buffeted him without the least mercy and the hundred and first blow that he struck, he struck so hard that the blade broke and the young jinni fell again down all arsey-versey. His nether cheeks were very bright red and all beaded with sweat like a dew-spangled rose. The other said in himself ‘Laud to the Lord! Assuredly, you will not forget this night!’ and he dropped upon him and covered him and took his will of him many times with inexhaustible lust and, in the morning, true to his word, booted him into the street with naught but a pair of petticoat pantaloons such as women wear to cover the parts below his waist; as a warning to who so will be warned.

And so the matter came to easy issue for him, but worse for the young jinni who went his way weeping bitterly. All the people he passed all thought that he was some wandering madman or some lover parted from his beloved. In himself he said, ‘By Allah who respiteth the sinner but letteth him not escape, I will settle this account. But how can I, when I have neither sword nor dagger? I am in a terrible pickle.’ As he spoke, he came down the street of the sword makers and there in front of his shop stood a swordsmith who was keening and lamenting the perfidy of a pestilent slave who had sickened and died that very morning. ‘Woe to me!’ the swordsmith wailed, ‘that I have no one to pump the bellows and blow the coals hot and here in my hand is a commission to make a hundred common swords for the soldiers of the Sārї`Askar Abercromby.’ The young jinni stopped, and said, “I will pump the bellows and blow the coals hot for you and, if you will but make one sword more for my wage, you may beat me like your slave.’ The swordsmith cried, ‘By Allah, if you will work like my slave, I will beat you like him, too, and gladly!’ All the people in the street of sword makers heard this said among themselves, ‘he is more beautiful than any she but, by Allah, he is of little wit or judgment.’ They ran and told their friends and soon a great crowd gathered to watch the young man in petticoat pantaloons pumping the bellows while the sworder beat him, and anon came down the jinn Methodius, who said to him, ‘This is not the way of a man of sense. Methinks the blow I smote you rattled thy reason.’ Although his face was still veiled, his eye-glance was laden with laughter and the young jinn replied stoutly, ‘Perfidious fairy! You thought to humiliate my by setting me in the street in petticoat pantaloons but the beating that this good sworder gives me stokes my rage anent you and keeps it hot; whilst I pump the bellows for him to make me a sword, with which I mean to kill you.’ Quoth Methodius, ‘The Lord of Light is Holy and Glorious and what He willeth is, and what He willeth not, is not,’ and went his way. Shortly there came to the shop of the sworder, a eunuch who barely ducked his head and sniggered at the young jinni, saying, ‘my noble master thinks it unseemly that a youth possessed of such beauty should have no jewel to set it off; he bade me give you this and requests you wear it.’ Whereupon around the young jinni’s neck the eunuch hung a fraying string from which dangled a ring of plain black iron. And all the people watching, said, ‘surely this eunuch’s noble master is capricious and cruel and scant of alms.’ The young jinni burned with shame but in himself he said, ‘That pernicious Methodius is the true cause of my shame and he will pay for this insult, as well.’ Shortly there came to the sworder’s shop, another eunuch. This one bowed low to the young jinni and said, ‘my noble master thinks it unseemly that a youth of such favor should labor like a white slave for the sword of a common soldier; he bade me give you this and commends it to your use.’ Whereupon he handed the young jinni a scimitar with a blade of blue steel like watered silk and a hilt of ivory set with pearls. All the people watching, except the sword smith, applauded and said, ‘surely this eunuch’s noble master is a prince of power and discrimination who has fallen in love with this moon-faced youth.’ The young jinni said in himself, ‘This is a suitable weapon with which to take the head of that vile jinni who has shamed me thrice,’ and making his salaam to the sword smith, who was much put out that he was now going to have to purchase two slaves to make up the loss of the strength one free man, set out to retrace his path up the street of the sword makers. But, when he attempted to enter the gate of the house of Methodius, his way was blocked by three large eunuchs. ‘It will go hard with you if you attempt to prevent me entering here,’ the young jinni said. ‘I have business with the owner of this house.’ The three eunuchs all laughed and biggest one said, ‘those are rash words from a madman who goes about the streets unashamed in a woman’s petticoat pantaloons.’ Then all three of the eunuchs seized the young jinni and bound him round with cords. Then they called a porter and tumbled him into the porter’s basket and threw the scimitar in the basket with him. They instructed the porter in this fashion, ‘Heave him up and take him to a certain house and ask for a certain lady; our master saith that it is not meet to beat a willing donkey, but hitch him to the task at hand.’ The porter heaved his basket on his back and carried the young jinni to a certain house wherein he enquired for a certain lady. On being led into the presence of that lady, he set his basket down and turned it over. Out tumbled the young jinni, who rolled over and over and fetched at the foot of a cedar wood couch. The porter then took his wage and left, while the young jinni wiggled and wriggled like an inch-worm until he could rear himself upon his knees.

He found himself in a chamber where the lamps were burning and the smoke of perfume spired in the air. There were four women seated on four cedar couches and all four were veiled with muslin veils. The young jinni bowed his head and addressed the first lady, saying, ‘I am hight Duncan, the son of Leód, of the seed of Leód. Lady, for pity’s sake, lady, for what purpose do you use me thus?’ The first lady lifted her hand and lowered her veil and showed her face to the young jinni and he was dumbstruck. For although she was a dame of some fifty years and her hair was white as bleached bone, she was as beautiful as the old moon cradled in the new moon’s arms. Then the three other ladies all lifted their hands and lowered their veils and showed their faces and they were like attendant stars; one was a matron of some forty years and she was as lush as a lotus blossom; one was a woman of some thirty years, the very flower of blooming womanhood; and the third was a damsel of some twenty years, as graceful as a young gazelle. ‘What do you mean by this, ladies?’ the young jinni cried. ‘Forgive this rough and ready treatment son of Leód,’ the oldest lady said, ‘It was not by my request you were used so. I merely wished that death would look me in the face before I died.’ ‘How can I be your death?’ the young jinni cried, ‘save by looking upon your faces to the dishonor of your lord and I assure you, that is not my will!’ ‘Son of Leód, before I explain myself, you should know that I am Akila, wife of Qadir Bey; these with me are my sister-wives, Jumanah, Raminah, and Zafira. Our husband has been gone from God-guarded Cairo for nigh three years and in all that time we have not heard one word of him until today, when one sent to tell me he would send you to me with news of him. Tell me quickly! Does Qadir Bey still reside above the earth? Yea or nay?’ The young jinn said, ‘Rejoice, lady, that noble gentleman still resides above the earth and will be with you before this day is done.’ At these words, the women all fell to crying and keening, and the youngest said, ‘Curse the hearing, son of Leód. My sister’s death came in the door with you.’ ‘Again, I entreat you,’ the young jinn cried, ‘I would harm to no woman.’ ‘Will you, nil you,’ the youngest lady said.’ How so?’ the young jinni cried in great distress, for he truly willed harm to no woman. ‘Hush sister,’ the oldest lady said, ‘it takes a wife to discover a husband’s secrets. Hear me, Son of Leód, and you will learn what reason we have for unveiling in front of you. Of the wives of Qadir Bey, I am the oldest now living. I was twelve years old when my father gave me to him in marriage and I thought it unbearable to be given to a man who already had three wives, as is permitted by law, but who was older even than my father. But the sage saith that a girl’s lot is either grace of marriage or the grave and Qadir Bey was wealthy and my father was poor, so I consoled myself, saying, ‘Old as he is, it cannot be long before he is translated to the Mansion of Eternity and things went well with me for seven years; he gave me, as he giveth to all of his wives, my own apartment and an allowance of a thousand sequins a month, with which I might purchase whatever I wished, whenever I wished, in the way of clothes and sweetmeats. He made me an honored portion of his world, although I was not blessed with boon of child, and his other wives were all my friends. In the seventh year my husband again took up his duties as Amir al-Hajj and called his wives to him and said to each of us, ‘Tomorrow I fare forth and in my absence see that thou protect my interests and fail not in service of any friend, nor suffer them to lack for aught.’ We each swore to this and said: ‘We will do all as thou hast bid.’ For three years he was gone upon the way and upon his return, he went first into the chambers of my then oldest sister-wife, hight Fathiyah. Anon there came the sound of angry voices and of two great screams, one of rage and one of fear and then there was silence. When my husband came from the chamber his scimitar was bloody and his face was sere. He said, ‘My wife, Fathiyah permitted a stranger to see unveiled and for this dishonor I have killed her.’ He built a tomb and mourned her for thirty days. After the mourning period, he went to the Hammam-bath and when he returned, sought me in my chambers. We sat and ate and teased each other and I remarked upon how little changed he was from my memory of three years before. Little did I know then of the curses and indignities of old age, but I said that in the ten years of my life with him that he did not appear to have grown one whit older! My husband became enraged at this, and said, ‘The wit of woman is weak; a word is a sufficiency; you misremember and you will mention this foolishness to no one.’ The next month he took to wife Jumanah.’ Here the Dame indicated the Matron who was as lush as a blooming lotus, and she took up the tale:

‘My father was a poor barber and in my twelfth year, he married me to Qadir Bey. I gave honor to my husband, wishing only that perhaps he had not been so old, and gave respect to my sister-wives such that I knew naught but love in return. For seven years we lived in peace and harmony but in the seventh year Qadir Bey again took up his duties as Amir al-Hajj and called each of us to him; ‘Tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I fare forth. In my absence, see that thou protect my interests and fail not in service of any friend, nor suffer them to lack for aught.’ Each of us swore to obey, saying, ‘We will do all as thou hast bid.’ He was three years upon the way and with his return, went, as is right, first into the chambers of the then oldest wife, Halawah, in that day, and anon there came the sound of angry voices followed by two great screams and, when my husband exited the chamber, his scimitar was bloody and his face was sere. He said, ‘While I was away, Halawah permitted a stranger to see her face; for this dishonor I have killed her.’ We built a tomb and mourned Halawah for thirty days. After the period of mourning was done, Qadir Bey betook himself to the Hammam-bath and, upon his return, he sought me in my chambers. We ate excellent fruit and drank clear wine and teased each other and I observed aloud how well preserved in looks he looked, as if all the time and hardship upon the way had not touched him. Whereupon he became furious with me and, in a terrible voice, he said, ‘women sometimes have strange wanderings of understanding, but a word is a sufficiency to the wise; you misremember.’ Now this greatly troubled my mind. I confided in Akila and she counseled me thus, ‘There is a mystery here; say nothing of this but between you and me.’ The next month he took to wife Raminah.’ Here the Matron indicated the Beauty who was like a rose, and she took up the tale:

‘It is with me as with Akila and Jumanah,’ Raminah said. ‘My father was poor and in my twelfth year, he made a marriage between me and Qadir Bey. I cannot complain of his treatment for he gave me chambers of my own and servants to wait upon me and never treated me less than honorably, although I was not blessed with boon of child, which saddened me greatly. In the seventh year he again took up his duties as Amir al-Hajj and called each of us to him; ‘Tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I fare forth. In my absence, see that thou protect my interests and fail not in service of any friend, nor suffer them to lack for aught.’ Each of us swore to him: ‘We will do all as thou hast bid.’ And he was away for three full years. Now it chanced that my father was a weaver and it is not in me to sit quietly, I must be ever busy and doing. I said in myself, ‘these chambers my husband has given me for my use are old fashioned and plain. I will spin silk and weave new hangings for the walls. And so I did for three full years and when it came to the time that he should be returning, I gave though to the hanging of the silk and it seemed well to repair the lattice screens, for they were old and broken, and hang new lamps while I was at it. I called craftsmen to take down the old hangings and to repair the screens. The craftsmen were honest and diligent and one day, the chief of the workers came to me with an ancient lamp in his hand. He said that one of the workmen had found it in a chink in the wall. It seemed that someone had taken great care to hide the lamp and when looked inside, I discovered a scroll wrapped in red silk and secured with a green thread. Attached to the scroll by the green thread was a ring of black iron which I put aside. When I unrolled the scroll, I saw that it was written in a delicate but ancient hand that I could not make out. I took it to Akila and she counseled me thus, ‘keep this scroll secret and say nothing of it except it be between you and me and Jumanah,’ and so I put it away with the ring. The next day my husband returned home and he went, as is right, first into the chambers of my then oldest sister-wife, Inaya, and anon there came the sound of angry voices followed by two great screams and, when my husband came into the hall, his scimitar was bloody and his face was sere. He said, ‘Inaya permitted a stranger to see her face; for this dishonor I have killed her.’ We built a tomb and mourned Inaya for thirty days. When the period of mourning was done, my husband betook himself to the Hammam-bath and upon his return, he sought me in my chambers. While I strained the wine poured it out, he expressed great pleasure at the new wall hangings, saying it did his heart good to see the room freshed. I drank his heath saying, ‘Husband, it does me my heart good to see you so little changed from you left God-guarded Cairo three years ago.’ Qadir Bey then grew wroth said, ‘Foolish woman, your eyes have grown weak from spinning and weaving, never mention such a foolish notion again.’ I said, ‘to hear is to obey, husband.’ But I was troubled in my mind if he was correct. I sought counsel of Akila, who counseled me thus, ‘Raminah, your eyes have not lost their luster, but say naught of this but between you and me and Jumanah.’ The next month he took to wife Zafira.’ Here the Beauty indicated the Damsel who was graceful as a gazelle, and she took up the tale:

‘It is with me,’ Zafira said, ‘as with the others save that my father was a scholar with few students and much time. Despite he thought it a waste to educate a woman, he taught me to read and write, and took pride in my skill. In my twelfth year, he made a marriage between me and Qadir Bey. Although in my heart yearned for the love of a younger man I had naught to complain of in his treatment of me and, for their parts, Akila, Jumanah and Raminah dealt with me with such kindness that I might have been their own daughter and we lived, all four together in love for seven years. In the seventh year my husband once more took up his duties as the Amir al-Hajj and called each of us to him; ‘Tomorrow,’ he said, ‘I fare forth. In my absence, see that thou protect my interests and fail not in service of any friend, nor suffer them to lack for aught.’ Each of us swore to him: ‘We will do all as thou hast bid.’ Now the time hung heavy upon our hands for none of us had been blessed with boon of child, neither male nor female, and so we passed the days by singing songs and reciting verses and telling stories. One day I said, ‘I will send to my father for a story scroll that I might read aloud to you from the Thousand and One Tales.’ Whereupon Akila, Jumanah and Raminah all joined in pretending to doubt that I could read. They said that I was bragging and, being hot to prove myself, I cried, ‘bring me any sort of writing and I will read it.’ Akila said to Raminah, ‘fetch the scroll that you found in the lamp that the workman found in the chink of the wall; mayhap it is a story scroll and if Zafira can read it, she will not need to send to her father.’ Raminah brang the scroll and I unrolled it and although it was of a fashion older than any I had ever seen before, I was able to make it out. This is the gist what was writ thereon:

I, Huda, wife of Qadir Bey, who must shortly make my peace with Allah, against my will and want, write this testimony. Three years ago, my husband took up his duties as the Amir al-Hajj. Upon the day of departure, he called me to him and said, ‘Tomorrow, I fare forth and in my absence, see that thou protect my interests and fail not in service of any friend, nor suffer them to lack for aught.’ I swore to obey, saying, ‘I will do all as thou hast bid.’ In the second year of his absence, one came to the door claiming to be an old friend of my husband and I admitted him to my presence. I confess, I was amazed for his face was like the glowing moon and I wondered in myself, how one so young could claim friendship of my husband, who was old when I married him. Nonetheless, I gave him food and wine and entertained him with song and verse. Yet as day progressed to evening, he grew sad and said to me, ‘Lady, you have treated me as a friend, when I confess I came to this house with intent of killing your husband for an old evil he did me. But, Lady, I would do well by you. I whist you take this ring of black iron, and should you ever be in need of any help of any sort, send it as a token to the house of Methodius in the street of the sword makers which you will know, and one there will contrive to help you with all haste.’ I could not see how this moon-face youth could be of service to me, but mayhap his father was a powerful prince and he spoke with such sadness and such kindness, that I said that I would keep his ring and remember his pledge for his mother’s sake. In the third year my husband sent messengers so I would know of his arrival imminent and have all ready for his return. I sent to the vintner and the fruiter and butcher and the flower seller. I strained the wine and cooked the meat and arranged the flowers and the fruits. I put oil in the lamps and burned all sorts of perfumes so that all was in readiness for his arrival. Now the way of the hajj is hard and my husband was old; it would not have come as a surprise to hear that he had succumbed upon the road; this did not occur, but in the course of nature, I expected to see some sign of travail about his person. But when he entered my chamber, I perceived that he had not changed by even one iota; the flesh of his brow was not more or less wrinkled or spotted with spots; not one whisker of his beard was more or less hoary than the day he left. Such perplexion and confusion came over me that I could not hide it. ‘What’s whist woman,’ he said, ‘that you blanch so? Did you fail in my absence to obey me in any wise?’ ‘Not so,’ I cried, ‘I protected your interests and failed not in service of any of your friends, not least the young man with the face like the moon’s glowing light!’ ‘And what,’ Qadir Bey said, ‘did that son of Iblis want?’ I lost my head and cried, ‘He said he came to kill you! And I wish he might, for you can only be another of Iblis’s sons!’ ‘It is true,’ said Qadir Bey, ‘and for that knowledge I will not suffer you to live. Make peace with your god,’ and so saying, he walked out and locked the door. It was only then that I bethought me of the young man’s promise and his ring. It is now too late for me but I will tie the ring to a silken thread and wrap it around this scroll and put it inside a lamp and hide the lamp in a chink in the wall. Should some other unhappy wife of Qadir Bey discover this ring and not wish to share my fate, send it to a certain house in the street of the sword makers near the Kahn el-Kalili which you will know by its lofty walls and wooden lattice screens and the broad gates fitted with panels of sandal and aloes wood.’

Then the lady Akila spoke again, saying ‘two days ago a messenger arrived and announced the arrival imminent of Qadir Bey. Yesterday I sent the ring of black iron to the house in the street of the sword makers and bade the servant tell to whom he gave the ring that life is still sweet to me and I do not wish to die; but if I must, I would put a name to the Destroyer of delights and the Severer of societies. Today you have been delivered to our door with the ring of black iron around your neck.’ Hearing all of this and looking upon the grace and beauty of the four wives of Qadir Bey, the young jinni was moved by pity, particularly when he contemplated the fate of Zafira, whose breasts were like two pomegranates of even size and the fate of Raminah, whose mouth was like the ring of Sulayman (peace be on him), her lips coral red and her teeth like chamomile petals, and fate of Juamanah, whose cheeks were like the anemone ruddy bright. To the Akila, whose throat recalled the antelope’s, he said, ‘Lady, I swore an oath never to annoy your husband, but I know now that he played me false. I will redeem Huda’s pledge for the day is long past that Qadir Bey should have paid his debt to time. Now, cut me loose,’ he said, ‘for we have much to do.’ They cut him loose, and he stood and said to Jumanah, ‘Run quickly and fetch me one of your gowns and one of your veils and a sash to tie around my waist.’ To the Raminah he said, ‘Send a servant to procure a chest large enough for me to lie within. Have them bring it into to this room and set it on the floor.’ The four ladies wondered but as he requested and sent a servant for just such a chest and caused it to be brought into the room. But the young jinni did not lie down in it; instead he placed the ring of black iron in the bottom and closed the lid.’ To Akila, he said, ‘Lady, Qadir Bey will come immediately to this room and demand to know what man is in the house. Answer him thus: there is n no man here. I will pretend to be the lady Raminah, for my part, and speak with her voice.’ Betimes Raminah brought him a gown such as he had requested, which was of purple cloth, and a veil of heavy muslin. The young jinni tied the scimitar around his waist with the sash and put the gown on over his petticoat pantaloons and arranged the veil over the back of his head. He said to Raminah ‘go you to a neighbor and hide yourself and, if you value your life, do not enter this place again until the night has joined forces with the day,’ and she promptly departed. To the three remaining, he said, ‘Sweet ladies, I must ask you to take you courage in both of your hands and abide with me and, no matter what you may see or hear, trust that no harm will befall you.’ The lady Akila, who had many years in which to contemplate her fate, was of high courage. She sat upon the couch and took up the wine flagon and crowned three golden goblets with ruby red wine. Two of these she gave to her sister-wives who sat down on her left hand side and the third she handed to the young jinni, whom she seated upon her right hand side, saying, ‘sit as our cup-companion and we will sing songs and recite verses to keep our hearts high while we wait.’ Then she crowned a fourth goblet from which she sipped, saying, ‘Drink! For we know not whence we came, nor why. Drink! For we know not why we go, nor where.’ And the four ceased not to drink and chat and nibble dry fruits for a full hour, when a knock was heard up the door. The young jinni said, ‘Let us all cover our faces,’ and followed his own counsel by arranging his veil so that only his eyes showed; the three ladies did likewise.

Shortly in came Qadir Bey with a bold stride and his scimitar drawn and his face contorted in such a state of rage that he was hideous to look upon. ‘Where is the man!’ he cried, for, of course, he could hear the drumming of the young jinni’s four brass wings. The lady Akila stood up and said, ‘Husband, can you not see that there is no man here.’ And Qadir Bey became even more enraged, and roared, ‘Ill-omened crone, wilt thou contradict me? Tell me where he is hidden!’ Then the young jinni stood up, letting his body sway as gracefully as a woman’s, and addressed Qadir in a flutelike voice. ‘Husband,’ he said, ‘there is no man in this room, other than yourself, whom we are overjoyed to see returned safely to us.’ At this, the lady Jumanah stood up and cried, ‘Husband, calm yourself, there is only this chest which was sent in here this very morning. The porter who brought it was a young man, broad of shoulder and bright of blee, and his face was like the moon, and he charged me to tell you straight off that it contains your heart’s desire. We have all four been waiting here together because we are anxious to see your heart’s desire.’ At these words, Qadir Bey’s anger vanished from his brow as quickly as a miser’s gold vanishes into his pocket. ‘So you will,’ he cried, ‘You will see my heart’s desire!’ and he plunged his scimitar into the lid of the chest. Over and over he struck until the blade stuck in the wood and would no longer be withdrawn. Thereupon he commenced to kicking the sides of the chest and jumping up and down top it and shouting imprecations at it such as, ‘Perverted philosophizer! Manichean heretic!’ At this, the lady Akila and cried, ‘Husband! Have you been bitten by the madness bug? You insult a tongue-less box!’ And the lady Jumanah, wailed, ‘I ween that chest contained valuable cloth; now it is ruined!’ ‘I will show you what I have ruined!’ Qadir Bey cried, flinging back the lid of the chest, with the scimitar still stuck tight. When he saw that it was empty, but for a little black ring (which he deemed worthless), his face turned as red as a beetroot and he raved around the room, crying, ‘Then he is one of you! Tell me which he is!’ But the three ladies and the young jinni all swayed about him as gracefully as young trees and he could not make out which of them was a woman and which was not. ‘If you do not tell me which is he, I will kill the lot you,’ Qadir Bey cried and caught the lady Zaphira in his arm. But she seized hold of his beard and twisted it and Akila and Jumanah flung themselves upon him, hailing him down him across the chest, and then the young jinni drew the sharp bladed scimitar from beneath his skirts and struck Qadir Bey’s head from his body as easily as if he were cutting silk. Whereupon a most marvelous and terrible thing happened: all of the oil lamps in the house exploded. Everything became dark except the stump of Qadir Bey’s neck which cast forth fire and bright streaks of lightning. These shot from the stump of the neck and struck the young jinni, who fell down in a fainting-fit and lay frothing on the floor, twitching and gibbering and thrusting his loins, like a stallion covering a mare, until the last vitalizing bolt was shot; thereupon he collapsed as one who has accomplished the deed of kind. When his fluttering spirits returned, the lady Akira brought him wine, and said to him, ‘the world is full of terrors and things wondrous and marvelous; we have seen face of death today.’ And the lady Raminah, who had minded the young jinni’s advice carefully, came running in from the neighbor’s house where she had hid herself, for the sun was setting. When she saw Qadir’s Bey’s headless body on the floor, she cried the young jinni the champion of weak women and joined with the rest of the widows in praising him and entreating him. ‘Let us feast you and you may stay with us as our husband,’ they said. But the young jinni refused in this wise: ‘I am stranger in this land and would return to my own place.’ And he instructed them to burn the body of Qadir Bey, saying, ‘scatter his ashes to the wind and speed him to the curse of Allah.’ The four widows promised to do that, and he left them, wearing only the torn petticoat pantaloons he had arrived in and carrying only that wonderful scimitar strapped across his back.

It was by the will of Allah that the wings of the Angel of Death passed over the young jinni, not always does the crock escape the shock. He crossed the city from end to end, from the Bab Zuweila to the Bab al-Futuh, not knowing wither he wended, threading the streets and looking for a place where he could lay his head until morning. As he went, he bewailed himself and his tears flowed freely, for he bethought himself much upon the veiled jinni and in himself, he said, ‘I have done ill by one who has done well by me. Though it grieves me to contemplate the thought, tomorrow I must sell this wonderful weapon and use the proceeds to buy my passage home. It grieves me more that I may never see the jinni Methodius again to beg his pardon for he is a true prince of jinns who would have killed me, had not Truth and Mercy restrained his hand.’ At last, he came to the Mosque Amr Ibn El-Aas, which of all the mosques in God-guarded Cairo is the oldest and, seeing that the lamps were lit therein, he entered and washed himself and lay down upon the palm mats. Although they were torn and very populous, he slept as one dead to the world and did not know when he was taken up and carried into the house at the end of the street of the sword makers. He gave not over snoring in his sleep until the cocks began a-crowing, whereupon he wiped his eyes and opened them to find himself lying on a carpet-bed in an apartment whose wall were painted with gold and lapis lazuli and its ceiling dotted and starred with red gold. When he saw this, he said, ‘Either I am dreaming or this is Paradise.’ He bit his finger and the bite pained and the young jinni said, ‘It must be Paradise!’ but the thought brought him no pleasure. Then two slave-girls entered bringing in a basin and ewer and poured water for him to wash in. Another slave-girl brought a bundled suit of linen stuff and helped him to dress. When he had clasped the scimitar around his waist, she bade him accompany her to the men’s sitting room. As he entered the men’s sitting, the young jinni felt the drumming of four brass wings and understood that he owed this succor to the jinni Methodius and it seemed to him at first that his wits were waylaid for he had thought never to see him more. But then he fell upon his knees and kissed the ground between his hands, crying and begging pardon and forgiveness for all that had passed between them. ‘Qadir Bey deceived me,’ he said, ‘but I have been prideful and foolish and nearly drowned my honor in a shallow cup.’ And then and there he offered to return the magnificent scimitar despite, he said, he knew of only one weapon in the world that was its better. ‘Verily,’ Methodius said, ‘you are stubborn and prideful but you are beautiful as the moon on the fourteenth night. The Lord of Light forgives all sins and I can do no less. You will be my guest.’ He took the young jinni’s face in his hands and pardoned him what was past and joyance grew on the young jinni as he marveled at the generosity of Methodius. ‘Let me see your face,’ he begged, ‘for your eyes are like the palest jade and if thou will love me a span, I will love thee a cubit.’ Whereupon, Methodius cuffed his cheek, and said, ‘There may be overmuch of forgiveness as of every other good thing.’ The young jinni’s complexion, which was wont to be rosy became pale, but Methodius continued, ‘Fear me naught; I have been the means of saving thy life, for sure as day follows night, Qadir Bey would have taken thy head if thou hadst taken mine. I will be the means of returning thee to thine own land. And you may mark this upon the tablet of your heart and impress these words upon the pages of your memory: should you have length of life and continuance of weal and ever again you are in my presence, I will offer you my home as if it was your own; we will know each other then.’ Then he summoned servants who brought in tray after tray of delicate viands, fruits and sweetmeats, and flagons of ruby-red wine, as clear as olive oil. So for a while the two jinns sat together, eating and drinking and telling tales of the lives and notable deeds of their kind. And among these tales, O Auspicious Queen, is one of…

Finis
12/18/10

‘Tis all a Chequer-board of Night and Day
Where Destiny with Men for Pieces plays:
Hither and thither moves, and mates, and slays,
And one by one back in the Closet lays.

The guessing post for this fic is here.