A Certain singing girl was fair of favour and bruited of repute, and it happened one day that she fared forth to a garden a pleasuring. As she sat in the summer house, behold, a man lopped of the hand stopped to beg of her, and suddenly entered in at the door. Then he touched her with his stump, saying, "An alms, for the love of Allah! " But she answered, "Allah open!"

and insulted him. Many days after this, there came to her a messenger and gave her the hire of her going forth. So she took with her a hand maid and an accompanyist; and when she came to the place appointed, the messenger brought her into a long passage, at the end whereof was a saloon. "So" (She said) "we entered within it and found nobody, but we saw the room made ready for an entertainment with candles, dried fruits and wine, and in another place we saw food and in a third beds. Thereupon we sat down and I looked at him who had opened the door to us, and behold he was lopped of the hand. I misliked this, and when I sat a little longer, there entered a man, who filled the candelabra in the saloon and lit the waxen candles; and behold, he also was handlopped. Then flocked the folk and there entered none except he were lopped of the hand, and indeed the house was full of these companions. When the session was complete, the host came in and the company rose to him and seated him in the place of honour. Now he was none other than the man who had fetched me, and he was clad in sumptuous clothes, but his hands were in his sleeves, so that I knew not how it was with them. They brought him food and he ate, he and the company; after which they washed hands and the host began casting at me furtive glances.

Then they drank till they were drunken, and when they had taken leave of their wits, the host turned to me and said, 'You dealt not in friendly fashion with him who sought an alms of you, and you said to him, "How loathsome are you!"' I considered him and behold, he was the lophand who had accosted me in my pleasance. So I asked, 'O my lord, what is this you say?' and he answered, 'Wait; you will remember it.' So saying, he shook his head and stroked his beard, whilst I sat down for fear. Then he put out his hand to my mantilla and walking boots and laying them by his side, cried to me, 'Sing, O accursed!' Accordingly, I sang till I was tired out,

The Ninth Constable's History. 31 what while they occupied themselves with their case and drank themselves drunk and the heat of their drink redoubled. Presently, the doorkeeper came to me and said, 'O my lady, fear not; but when you have a mind to go, let me know.' I, said, 'Thinkest you to delude me?' and He said, 'Nay, By God! But I have ruth on you for that our Captain and Chief purposes you no good and methinks he will kill you this night.' I said to him, 'If you be minded to do me a favour, now is its time;' and he said, 'When our Chief rises to his need and goes to the Chapel of Ease, I will precede him with the light and leave the door open; and do you go whithersoever you wiliest.' Then I sang and the Captain cried, 'Tis good.' Replied I, 'Nay, but you'rt loathsome.' He looked at me and rejoined, 'By God, you will never more scent the odour of the world!' But his comrades said to him, 'Do it not,' and gentled him, till he added, 'If it must be so, and there be no help for it, she shall tarry here a whole year and not fare forth.'

My answer was, 'I am content to submit to whatever pleases you: if I have failed in respect to you, you are of the clement.' He shook his head and drank, then arose and went out to do his need, whilst his comrades were occupied with what they were about of merry making and drunkenness and sport. So I winked to my friends and we all slipped out into the corridor. We found the door open and fled forth, unveiled and unknowing where we went; nor did we halt till we had fared afar from the house and happened on a Cook cooking, of whom I asked, 'Have you a mind to quicken the dead?' He said, 'Come up;' so we went up into the shop, and he whispered, 'Lie down.' Accordingly, we lay down and he covered us with the Halfah grass, wherewith he was used to kindle the fire under the food. Hardly had we settled ourselves in the place when we heard a noise of kicking at the door and people running right and left and questioning the Cook and asking, 'Has any one passed by you?' Answered he, 'None has passed by me.' But they did not stop to go round about the shop till the day broke, when they turned back, disappointed. Then the Cook removed the reeds and said to us, 'Rise, for you are delivered from death.' So we arose, and we were uncovered, sans veil or mantilla;

but the Cook carried us up into his house and we sent to our homes and fetched us veils; and we repented to Allah Almighty and renounced singing, for indeed this was a mighty narrow escape after stress." Those present marvelled at this, and the tenth constable came forward and said, "As for me, there befell me that which was yet rarer than all you have yet heard." Al-Malik al-Zahir said, "What was that?" And he said, "Deign give ear to me."