We lay one night in the house of a man of the Sa'id or Upper Egypt, and he entertained us and entreated us hospitably. Now he was a very old man swart with exceeding swarthiness, and he had little children, who were white, of a white dashed with red. So we said to him, "Hark, such a one, how comes it that these your children are white, whilst you yourself are passing swart?" And he said, "Their mother was a Frankish woman, whom I took prisoner in the days of Al-Malik al-Nasír Saláh al-Dín, after the battle of Hattín, when I was a young man." We asked, "And how got you her?" and he answered, "I had a rare adventure with her." We said, "Favour us with it," and he said, "With all my heart! You must know that I once sowed a crop of flax in these parts and pulled it and scutched it and spent on it five hundred gold pieces; after which I would have sold it, but could get no more than this for it, and the folk said to me, 'Carry it to Acre: for there you will perhaps make good gain by it.' Now Acre was then in the hands of the Franks; so I carried my flax there and sold part of it at six months' credit. One day, as I was selling, behold, there came up a Frankish woman (now 'tis the custom of the women of the Franks to go about the market streets with unveiled faces), to buy flax of me, and I saw of her beauty what dazed my wits.

So I sold her something of flax and was easy with her concerning the price; and she took it and went away. Some days after, she returned and bought something more flax of me and I was yet easier with her about the price; and she repeated her visits to me, seeing that I was in love with her. Now she was used to walk in company of an old woman to whom I said, 'I am sore enamoured of your mistress. Can you contrive for me to enjoy her?' She said, 'I will contrive this for you; but the secret must not go beyond us three, me, you and her; and there is no help but that you be lavish with money, to boot.' And I answered saying, 'Though my life were the price of her favours 'twere no great matter.'"—

When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety fifth night

He replied, "Though my life were the price of her favours 'twere no great matter." "So it was agreed" (continued the man of Upper Egypt), "that I should pay her fifty dinars and that she should come to me; whereupon I procured the money and gave it to the old woman. She took it and said, 'Make ready a place for her in your house, and she will come to you this night.' Accordingly I went home and made ready what I could of meat and drink and grew candles and sweetmeats. Now my house overlooked the sea and 'twas the season of summer; so I spread the bed on the terrace roof. Presently, the Frank woman came and we ate and drank, and the night fell dark. We lay down under the sky, with the moon shining on us, and fell to watching the shimmering of the stars in the sea: and I said to myself, 'Are you not ashamed before Allah (to whom belong Might and Majesty!) and you a stranger, under the heavens and in presence of the deep waters, to disobey Him with a Nazarene woman and merit the torment of Fire?' Then i said, 'O my God, I call You to witness that I abstain from this Christian woman this night, of shamefastness before You and fear of Your vengeance!' So I slept till the morning and she arose at peep of day full of anger and went away. I walked to my shop and sat there; and behold, presently she passed, as she were the moon, accompanied by the old woman who

The Man Of Upper Egypt And His Frankish Wife. 21 was also angry; at which my heart sank within me and I said to myself, 'Who are you that you should refrain from that damsel? Are you Sarí al-Sakatí or Bishr Barefoot or Junayd of Baghdad or Fuzayl bin 'Iyáz?' Then I ran after the old woman and coming up with her said to her, 'Bring her to me soon;' and she said, 'By the virtue of the Messiah, she will not return to you but for an hundred ducats!' said I 'I will give you a hundred gold pieces.' So I paid her the money and the damsel came to me a second time; but no sooner was she with me than I returned to my former way of thinking and abstained from her and forbore her for the sake of Allah Almighty. Presently, she went away and I walked to my shop, and shortly after the old woman came up, in a rage. I said to he, 'Bring her to me again;' and she said, 'By the virtue of the Messiah, you will never again enjoy her presence with you, except for five hundred ducats, and you will perish in your pain!'

At this I trembled and resolved to expend the whole price of my flax and therewith ransom my life. But, before I could think, I heard the crier proclaiming and saying, 'Ho, all you Moslems, the truce which was between us and you is expired, and we give all of you Mahometans who are here a week from this time to have done with your business and depart to your own country.' Thus her visits were cut off from me and I betook myself to getting in the price of my flax which men had bought upon credit, and to bartering what remained in my hands for other goods. Then I took with me fair merchandise and departed Acre with a soul full of affection and love longing for the Frankish woman, who had taken my heart and my coin. So I journeyed till I made Damascus, where I sold the stock in trade I had brought from Acre, at the highest price, because of the cutting off of communication by reason of the term of truce having expired; and Allah (extolled and exalted be He!) vouchsafed me good gain. Then I fell to trading in captive slave girls, thinking thus to ease my heart of its pining for the Frankish woman, and in this traffic engaged I abode three years, till there befell between al-Malik al-Nasir and the Franks what befell of the action of Hattin and other encounters and Allah gave him the victory over them, so that he took all their Kings prisoners and he opened the coast cities by His leave.

Now it fortuned one day after this, that a man came to me and sought of me a slave girl for al-Malik al-Nasir. Having a handsome handmaid I showed her to him and he bought her of me for an hundred dinars and gave me ninety of it, leaving ten still due to me, for that there was no more found in the royal treasury that day, because he had expended all his monies in waging war against the Franks. Accordingly they took counsel with him and he said, 'Carry him to the treasury where are the captives' lodging and give him his choice among the damsels of the Franks, so he may take one of them for the ten dinars,'"—

When it was the Eight Hundred and Ninety sixth night

We marvelled at his story and at that which had befallen him of good fortune, and Allah is All knowing. But men also tell a tale anent the