Story of the Sultan of Al-Yaman and his Three Sons.

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A Thousand Nights and One Night

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There was erewhile in the land of Al-Yaman a man which was a Sultan and under him were three Kinglets whom he overruled. He had four children; to wit, three sons and a daughter: he also owned wealth and treasures greater than reed can pen or page may contain; as well as animals such as horses and camels, sheep and black cattle; and he was held in awe by all the sovrans. But when his reign had lasted for a length of time, Age brought with it ailments and infirmities and he became incapable of faring forth his Palace to the Divan, the hall of audience; whereupon he summoned his three sons to the presence and said to them, "As for me, 'tis my wish to divide among you all my substance before I die, that you may be equal in circumstance and live in accordance with whatever I shall command." And they said, "I hear and I obey." Then the Sultan said, "Let the eldest of you become sovereign after me: let the cadet succeed to my moneys and treasures and as for the youngest let him inherit my animals of every kind.

Suffer none to transgress against other; but each aid each and assist his co-partner." He then caused them to sign a bond and agreement to abide by his bequeathal; and, after delaying a while, he departed to the mercy of Allah. Thereupon his three sons got ready the funeral gear and whatever was suited to his estate for the mortuary obsequies such as cerements and other matters: they washed the corpse and enshrouded it and prayed over it: then, having committed it to the earth they returned to their palaces where the Wazirs and the Lords of the Land and the city folk in their multitudes, high and low, rich and poor, flocked to condole with them on the loss of their father. And the news of his decease was soon bruited abroad in all the provinces; and deputations from each and every city came to offer condolence to the King's sons. These ceremonies duly ended, the eldest Prince demanded that he should be seated as Sultan on the stead of his sire in accordance with the paternal will and testament; but he could not obtain it from his two brothers as both and each said, "I will become ruler in room of my father."

So enmity and disputes for the government now arose amongst them and it was not to be won by any; but at last the eldest Prince said, "go we and submit ourselves to the arbitration of a Sultan of the tributary sultans; and let him to whom he shall adjudge the realm take it and reign over it." they said," 'Tis well!" And thereto agreed, as did also the Wazirs; and the three set out without suite seeking the capital of one of the subject Sovrans.—And Shahrázád was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say. Then her sister said,Dunyázád, "How sweet is your story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night, if the King permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three Hundred and Thirties near

The Sultan of Al-Yaman and His Sons. 3 the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me,the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deed fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the three Princes fared seeking a Sultan of the sultans who had been under the hands of their sire, in order that they might take him to arbitrator. And they did not stop faring till the middle way, when behold, they came upon a mead abounding in herbage and in rain water lying sheeted. So they sat them down to rest and to eat of their victual, when one of the brothers, casting his eye upon the herbage cried, "truly a camel has lately passed this way laden half with Halwá sweetmeats and half with Hámiz pickles." "True," cried the second, "and he was blind of an eye." Exclaimed the third, " 'Tis truth; and indeed he has lost his tail." Hardly, however, had they ended their words when to! The owner of the camel came upon them (for he had overheard their speech and had said to himself, "By God, these three fellows have driven off my property, given that they have described the burthen and eke the beast as tail less and one eyed"), and cried out, "You three have carried away my camel!" "By God we have not seen him," the Princes said, "much less have we touched him;" but the man said, "By the Almighty, who can have taken him except you? and if you will not deliver him to me, off with us, I and you three, to the Sultan."

They replied, "By all manner of means; let us go to the Sovran." So the four went forth, the three Princes and the Cameleer, and did not stop faring till they reached the capital of the King. There they took seat without the wall to rest for an hour's time and presently they arose and pushed into the city and came to the royal Palace. Then they craved leave of the Chamberlains, and one of the Eunuchs caused them enter and signified to the sovereign that the three sons of Such and such a Sultan had made act of presence. So he bade them be set before him and the four went in and saluted him, and prayed for him and he returned their salams. He then asked them, "What is it has brought you here and what may you want in the way of enquiry?" Now the first to speak was the Cameleer and he said, "O my lord the Sultan; truly these three men have carried off my camel by proof of their own speech."—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Thirty first Night

DUNYAZAD said to her, "in God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me,the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Cameleer came forward between the Sultan's hands and said, "O my lord, truly these men have carried away the camel which belongs to me, for they have indeed described him and the burthen he bore!. And I require of our lord the Sultan that he take from these people and deliver to me the camel which is my as proved by their own words." Presently, asked the Sultan, "What say you to the claims of this man and the camel belonging to him?" Hereto the Princes made answer, "By God,we have not seen the camel, much less have we stolen him." Thereupon the Cameleer exclaimed, "O my lord, I heard that one say that the beast

The Sultan of Al-Yaman and His Sons. 5 was blind of an eye; and the second said that he was tail less, and the third said that half his load was of sour stuff and the other half was of sweet stuff." They replied, "True, we spoke these words;" and the Sultan cried to them, "You have purloined the beast by this proof." They rejoined, "No, By God, O my lord. We sat us in such a place for repose and refreshment and we remarked that some of the pasture had been grazed down, so we said, 'This is the grazing of a camel; and he must have been blind of one eye as the grass was eaten only on one side.' But as for our saying that he was tail less, we noted the droppings lying heaped upon the ground which made us agree that the tail must have been cut off, it being the custom of camels at such times to whisk their tails and scatter the dung abroad. So 'twas evident to us that the camel had lost his tail. But as for our saying that the load was half Halwá and half Hámiz, we saw on the place where the camel had knelt the flies gathering in great numbers while on the other were none: so the case was clear to us (as flies settle on nothing save the sugared) that one of the panniers must have contained sweets and the other sours."

Hearing this the Sultan said to the Cameleer, "O man, fare you forth and look after your camel; for these signs and tokens prove not the theft of these men, but only the power of their intellect and their penetration." And when the Cameleer heard this, he went his ways. Presently, the Sultan cleared a place in the Palace and allotted to it the Princes for their entertainment: he also directed they be supplied with a banquet and the eunuchs did his bidding. But when it was eventide and supper was served up, the trio sat down to it purposing to eat; the eldest, however, having seized in hand a bannock of bread exclaimed, "By God, truly this cake was baked by a woman in blood, to wit, one with the menses." The cadet tasting a bit of kid exclaimed, "This kid was suckled by a bitch"; and the youngest exclaimed, "Assuredly this Sultan must be a son of shame, a bastard." All this was said by the youths what while the Sultan had hidden himself in order to hear and to profit by the Princes' words. So he grew wroth and entered hastily crying,

"What be these speeches you have spoken?" They replied, "Concerning all you have heard enquire within and you will find it wholly true." The Sultan then entered his women's apartments and after inquisition found that the woman who had kneaded the bread was sick with her monthly courses. He then went forth and summoned the head shepherd and asked him concerning the kid he had butchered. He replied, "By God, O my lord, the nanny goat that bare the kid died and we found none other in milk to suckle him; but I had a bitch that had just pupped and her have I made nourish him." The Sultan lastly seized his sword in hand and proceeded to the apartments of the Sultánah mother and cried, "By God, unless you avert my shame we will cut you down with this scimitar! Say me whose son am I?" She replied, "By God, O my child, indeed falsehood is an excuse, but fact and truth are more saving and superior. truly you are the son of a cook!"

Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet is your story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night, if the King permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Thirty second Night

The Sultan of Al-Yaman and His Sons. 7 astonishment at the penetration of the three youths and, when he had taken seat in his Palace, he summoned the trio and as soon as they appeared he asked them; "Which of you was it that said, 'She who kneaded the bread was in blood'?" the eldest said, "That was I;" and the King said, "What led you to suspect that she was menstruous?" He replied, "O my lord, when I took the bannock and broke off a bittock, the flour fell out in lumps. Now had the kneader been well, her strength of hand would have remained and the bread would have been wrought by all the veins; but, when the blood came, her powers were minished for women's force is in their hands; and as soon as the monthly period comes upon them their strength is lost. Their bodies contain three hundred and sixty veins all lying close by one another and the blood of the catamenia flows from them all; hence their force becomes feebleness. And this was my proof of the woman which was menstruous." the Sultan said, " 'Tis well. We accept as certain your saying upon this evidence, for it is agreeable to man's understanding nor can any challenge it; this being from the power of insight into the condition of womankind. And we are assured of its soothfastness, for 'tis evident to us without concealment. But which is he who said of the kid's meat that the beast was suckled by a bitch? What proof had he of this? How did he learn it and from where did his intelligence discover it to him?"

Now when the deceased Sultan's second son heard these words, he made answer. "I,am he who said that say!" The King replied, " 'Tis well;" and the Prince resumed, "O my lord, that which showed me the matter of the meat which was to us brought is as follows. I found the fat of the kid all close by the bone, and I knew that the beast had sucked bitch's milk; for the flesh of dogs lies outside and their fat is on their bones, whereas in sheep and goats the fat lies upon the meat. Such, then, was my proof in which there is nor doubt nor hesitation; and when you will have made question and inquiry you will find this to be fact." the Sultan said, " 'Tis well; you have spoken truth and whatever you say is truthful. But which is he who declared that I am a bastard and what was his proof and what sign in me exposed it to him?" the youngest Prince said, "I am he who said it;" and the Sultan rejoined, "There is no help but that you provide me with a proof." The Prince rejoined, " 'Tis well!"—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Thirty third Night

DUNYAZAD said to her, "in God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me,the director, the right guiding lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the youngest Prince said to the Sultan, "O my lord, I have evidence that you are the son of a cook and a base born in that you did not sit at meat with us and this was my all sufficient evidence. Every man has three properties which he inherits at times from his father, at times from his maternal uncle and at times from his mother. From his sire comes generosity or niggardness; from his uncle courage or cowardice; from his mother modesty or immodesty; and such is the proof of every man." Then to him the Sultan said, "truth you speak; but say me, men who like you know all things thoroughly by evidence and by your powers of penetration, what cause have they to come seeking arbitration at my hand? Beyond yours there be no increase of intelligence. So fare you forth from me and manage the matter amongst yourselves, for 'tis made palpable to me by your own words

The Sultan of Al-Yaman and His Sons. 9 that nothing remains to you save to speak of mysterious subjects; nor have I the capacity to adjudge between you after that which I have heard from you. In fine an you possess any document drawn up by your sire before his decease, act according to it and contrary it not." Upon this the Princes went forth from him and made for their own country and city and did as their father had bidden them do on his death bed. The eldest enthroned himself as Sultan; the cadet assumed possession and management of the moneys and treasures and the youngest took to himself the camels and the horses and the beeves and the muttons. Then each and every was indeed equal with his co-partner in the gathering of good. But when the new year came, there befell a drought among the beasts and all belonging to the youngest brother died nor had he anything of property left: yet his spirit brooked not to take anything from his brethren or even to ask of them anything. This then is the Tale of the King of Al-Yaman in its entirety; yet is the Story of the Three Sharpers more wondrous and marvellous than that just recounted. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet is your story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night, if the King permits me to survive."

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Thirty fourth Night

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The Two Sisters Who Envied Their Cadette.

The Story Of The Three Sharpers.