The Fellah And His Wicked Wife.

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A Thousand Nights and One Night

The Seven Hundred and Seventy seventh Night

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There was of olden time in the land of Egypt a Fellah, or tiller of the ground, who had a fair woman to wife and she had another man to friend. The husband used to sow every year some fifty faddán of seeding wheat in which there was not one barley grain, and grind it in the mill and pass this meal to his spouse who would sift it and bolt it. Then would she take the softest and best of the flour to make of it either scones or cakes or something more toothsome which she would give to her friend and feed him therewith, whereas the refuse of the flour she would make into loaves for her husband so this bread would be ruddy brown of hue. Now every day about dawn time the Fellah was wont fare to his field either to ear or to delve and tarry there working till noon at which time the wife would send him the bread of bran and refuse flour, whilst to those beside him who wrought as he did would be brought from their homes white bread and clean. So they said, "Ho certain person! Your wheat is from fine sowing seed, nor is there in it a barley corn, how then be your bread like unto barley?" he said, "I know not."

He remained in such case for a while of time whilst his wife fed her playmate with all the good food and served to her husband the vilest of diet, until one chance day of the days the Fellah took his plough and went off at early dawn to work and wrought till midday when his wife sent him his dinner of dirty bread. Hereupon he and his neighbours, who were earing in the same field, took seat and each one set before him white bread and seeing the Fellah's scones brown as barley meal they marvelled at that. They had with them a scald head boy who was sitting with them at the noon meal, so they said to the peasant, "Take you to servant this youngster and he shall manifest you the case in which you are from the doings of your dame." He obeyed their bidding Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, 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 Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Fellah and His Wicked Wife. 251

The Seven Hundred and Seventy eighth Night

Now when the servant lad had left the hut her lover came in asking, "Have you made bread for me?" and she answered, "Indeed the boy with the scald head did not stop sitting beside me, nor was I able to bake anything for you." But when the lad had gone forth to the field with his master's dinner he set it before him and returned in hot haste and hurry to the house, where he found the friend of his mistress conversing with her; so he hid himself behind the door and fell to overhearing them and to noting whatever they said. Amongst other things she said, "Take this quartern of good wheat and clean grain and grind it in this mill and I will make you a platter of bread from handrubbed flour which I will send to you on the morrow." he asked, "How will you know the field?" and she answered, "Carry with you a basket of bran and drop the contents as you walkest along the highway; then leave it close by the land belonging to you and I will follow the traces and find you a field; and so do you remain at rest."

All this and the scald head boy was standing behind the door hearkening to their words until he had understood them all. On the next day the lad took a basket of bran which he scattered on the way to his master's land and then sat with him whilst the wife, after baking the platter full of scones, carried it upon her head and fared forth intending for her lover in the field. She marked the traces of the bran which the scald head had dropped and she did not stop following them until she came to her husband's field. Hereupon the lad arose and taking the platter from her said, "By God, O my master, truly my mistress loves you and favours you, for that she has brought a bannock made from handrubbed grain;" and so saying he set it before him. Presently, she looked out of the corner of her eye and saw her lover ploughing at a little distance from them; so she said to her husband, "in God's name, O certain person, call aloud to so and so our neighbour that he may come and eat the noon meal with you." The man said, " 'Tis well;" and presently added, "O Boy, go forth and shout to such an one."

Now the lad had brought with him a parcel of green dates, so he arose and scattered them at intervals upon the highway; and when he came to his mistress's lover he cried aloud, "Do you come dine with my master." But the man refused so to do Why the scald head returned and said, "He will not;" and hereupon the wife bade her husband go himself and fetch him. The Fellah trudged along the highway and finding thereon the scattered dates bowed himself downwards to gather them when the lover said to himself, "This one is picking up stones wherewith to beat me;" and as he saw the man often stoop he fled and left the place, and the more the other cried to him, "Come here, O certain person," the faster sped he in his running. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, 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 Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night, and that was

The Fellah and His Wicked Wife. 253

The Seven Hundred and Seventy ninth 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 more that man cried to the lover "Come," the faster did he run away; so the Fellah returned and said, "He misliks to come and he has fled." Hereupon he took seat together with the scald head and the neighbours to dine off the scones of hand rubbed grain, and the wife served to them whatever she had made for her lover's eating and she would not touch anything of it but left it for her spouse and for his servant and for the neighbours. On the following day the Fellah went forth early to plough whilst the boy, delaying purposely at home, hid himself behind the door when behold, the lover entered to her, and she said, " 'Tis my desire that we forge a story by which to slay my husband and Master Scald head the servant." he said, "How will you slay them?" and she said, "I will buy for them poison and make it up in cooked food, so they may devour it together and perish together; after which we will abide, I and you, making merry, nor shall the dead disturb us any more." He rejoined, "Do what you wiliest," and all this whilst the boy stood listening to them behind the door. But as soon as the lover went forth the house, the lad arose and retired; then, donning Jews' garb he shouldered a pair of saddle bags and went about crying, "Ho! Aloes good for use. Ho! Pepper good for use. Ho! Kohl good for use. Ho! Tutty good for use!"

Now when the woman saw him she came forth the house and hailed him, "Ho you the Jew!" And he said to her, "Yes, O my lady."

Then she said, "Have you with you anything of poison?" and he said, "How, O my lady? Have I not with me poison of the hour? and whoever shall eat of it in a mess of sweet milk and rice and clarified butter shall die within that time."

"Do you take this dinar," continued she, "and give me something of it;" but he rejoined, "I do not trade for moneys, and I will sell it only for ornaments of precious metal." Hereupon she pulled off one of her anklets and handed it to him and he, who had provided himself with half a loaf of Egyptian sugar, gave her the moiety of it, saying, "Use it with sweet milk and rice and clarified butter." She took it in high glee, and arising milked the she buffalo, after which she boiled the loaf sugar in the milk and then threw it into a sufficiency of the rice and the clarified butter, fancying the while that she was cooking a mortal meal, and lastly she ladled out the mess into a large platter. Now when it was sunset time her husband returned from the field and was met about half way by the boy who told him all that he had overheard and how he had sold her the sugar for one of her anklets, saying, "This be poison."

Then he charged him that, as soon as both of them should have swallowed the mess of milk and rice and clarified butter, they fall down and feign dead. So master and servant agreed upon this plan. And when the Fellah entered the hut she served to them the platter which contained their supper, and they ate the whole of it, she sitting by intent upon their action and expecting their death. But they served her with a sleight; for suddenly the Fellah changed countenance and made as though he grew ill and faint, and fell upon the ground like one in the last agony, and shortly after the boy rolled upon the floor on similar wise. Whenas she considered them she exclaimed, "May Allah have no mercy upon you; the wretches are dead!" Hereupon she went out and called aloud to her lover, and as he was coming cried, "Hie you here and enjoy the sight of these dead ones;" so he hastened up to them, and seeing them stretched upon the floor said, "They're dead."

Presently, she said, "We two, I and you, will now make merry;" and so saying she withdrew with him into another hut, intending at once to sleep together. Hereupon the husband arose and went in to them and smote the lover with a quarter staff upon the neck and broke

The Fellah and His Wicked Wife. 255 in his back bone, after which he turned to the wicked woman his wife and struck her and split open her head, and left the twain stone dead. And as soon as it was midnight he wrapped them in a single sheet and carried them forth outside the village, and after choosing a place, dug a hole and thrust them within it. And ever after that same Fellah had rest from his wife, and he bound himself by a strong oath not to interwed with womankind—never no more. And now (Said Shahrazad) I will recount to you another tale touching the wiles of women; and thereupon she fell to relating the adventure of

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Mohammed The Shalabi And His Mistress And His Wife.

The Woman Who Humoured Her Lover At Her Husband's Expense.