The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-11-29
AN ARABIAN NIGHTS TALE.
The Eventful and WOndrOus Experience
CT AbdalIah.
He SHAaites IA Genie and Takes IN
Ride on Ihe Back Of IAN eagle.

Ride on the Back Of nm eagle.
Charles Warren Stoddard writes to the
San Francisco Chronicle an interesting
story he heard while travelling down the
Nile He says: [ scented the incense
of the nargileh and heard the water
bubbling in the shell of the cocOanut. |
knew that the
HAsHEEsH EATERS
Were sleeping their fatal sleep, 1--WE had
six of them in our crew. And very
shortly one Of these slaves of sleep began
mutteripg to the moon in kind of sing
song that attracted about him an audience
of intent listeners. The story teller
reclined on his bed of rugs between
decks; the hatch was drawn back, and a
great square of moonlight brought him
Into strong relief. Dark Nubians lay at
full length on the deck and listened as
stealthily as spies. Two or three of the
hasheesh eaters sat near and applauded
the narration with foolish delight, chuck
ling to themselves continually and filling
up the pauses in the narration when the
narrator seemed to have dropped fast to
sleep, with expressions of their complete
satisfaction. Yussef was near me; we
were leaning together over the rail look
ing down upon the picturesque group
below He gave me, in his literary
translation, fragment after fragment of
''the thousand and second tale" just as it
came from the lips of the hasheesh
dreamer under the moonlight on the
Nile
CHAPTER !.
There was king in Egypt who had
three sons About his palace was a
royal garden in a chosen corner of the
garden stood an apricot tree beloved of
the king. SoE, when it was summer
and the fruits ripening, the king grew
sorrowful and sat alone in his chamber
day after day so his sons went in to him
and said ''Sire, why dc you sit sorrow
full and alone IN the plessantest days OF
the years.
The king answered, Behold, my
apricots ripen, but as fast as they ripen
they disappear in the night, and my life
has become burden to me in conse-
quence of this thing"
The elder boy said, "Re of good cheer;
| will watch with the tree this night and
bring You the ripest fruit at daybreak. "
God is great" exclaimed the king,
stroking his beard. His three sons kissed
his hand and withdrew.
CHAPTER II.
When ii vas evening the elder son
went out and sat und6F the apricot tree
and bent his watchfuf eye among the
branches. The fruit ripened, but while
it was very still the watcher slept, and
when he awoke at dawn all that was ripe
had been plucked out of the branches
and the king mourned again.
Then spoke the second son: 'SIre,
will watch tonight" So he watched
and slept, and between watching and
sleeping the tree was robbed again.
On the third night the third son said
LET me watch it may be [ shall save
the fruit"
Then they laughed at him, for he was
Young and handsome. But at night he
girded on his sword aud took in his hands
q ball of snow and went out to watch.
Placing the snow in branch OF tree,
he Law down under it. When he slept
the melting snow fell, drop by drop, on
his eye-l lids, and he kept watch until
midnight. At midnight he heard
movement among the branches The
stars were bright, but he saw nothing.
He arose and cut the air with bis sword,
till he heard a cry of pain, and the ripe
fruit fell at his feet.
At daybreak he returned to the palace,
offered his trophies to the king on tray
of ebony, set with jewels, and the king
fell upon his neck and kissed him.
CHATTER III.
The youngest son said to his brothers,
ssLet us capture the thief" He took
with him his sword and long cord and
went out to the apricot tree; the ground
was stained with blood and the three
followed the bloody stains till they came
to the mouth Of a deep pit. The young