The morning call., 1893-08-20
VOLUME LXXIV-NO. 81.
ES SIND OF Ell BASRAH.
A Veracious Narrative Founded Upon Fiction

TReaders OF The CALL will remember my
discovery, announced some time ago, of certain
lOng-lOst manuscript in the Arabian. from
which translated and published In THE CALL,
a fun and authentic account of the eighth vow
age of Is Sindl0ad Ot the sea, and promised
that would al some future date translate and
prepare for publication eel tain other nar atiyes
from the Arabian chronicles of A bu el Hassan
the wag which same, the time being ripe there
for now submit To California readers Lest
IL might be deemed by thOughtleSs ones that the
land described therein exists not, save in The
imagination OF the chronicler and that the
events related are too grotesque aud evil ever
10 nave hetailen any race of men. l would say
that there remain, even unto this day. in the
writings OF the learned ana VeraciouS Sheykh
l6raheem OF Baghdad reference 10 he land of
Lll-zai' and even unmStakabe illusions TO the
great monster, wax Wax and all of Ihe events
herein narrated. so that, incredible though iC
may seem TO the people of an enlightened age,
ana dwelling In free country. we are yet CON-
peIed TO believe that at one time in the history
OF this world, and in land which has passed
from our geographical lie ming the evils here
depicted were possible. Praise be 10 Allan,
VINO hath suffered US to live In another age
among people where oppression and injustice
prevail not. A E X.
On the next evening after King Shahri-
Zar had heard the story of the eighth vOy-
age of Es Sindibad of the sea. and had
caused Ii to be written in a book that it
might prove lesson to him who would be
admonished, he said to ShahraZad as they
retired to the royal couch, "Of verify, oh
Shahrazad, thou hast told me vet no more
marvellous a case nor a more wonderful
adventure than that of ES Sindibad's
eighth voyage"
"It was indeed most marvellous adven-
ture," said Shahrazad, yet know, oh most
happy King, that the story of ES Sind of
FL Basrah is more wonderful than this"
And the King said. Tell me the story"
"Oh, King of the Age" said ShahraZad,
know that in the days of Haroun Err
Rasheed there dwelt in the city of Ell
Basrah a dealer in precious stuff named
Es Sind, and he was shah-bandar of the
merchants. and fortune had smiled upon
him and he was possessed of great wealth,
so that among all the merchants of El
Basrah there was none greater than he.
But in spite of his wealth and of his power
Es Sind was not happy, for his wife was a
virago of the most violent sort, ana ceased
not to bers.e him by day and by night,
upon no pretext whatever, Until his reason
became cOnfounded and his bosom was
contracted bv reason OF the violence Uf her
tongue and the vehemence of her malisops.
which she uttered at all times without
respect 10 place or person. Moreover she
had borne him no son, ard his breast was
thought that there would be none to take
his place and uphold his name in tn G
market when he should die and depart to
receive the mercy of Allah (whose name
he exalted.
Now. it happened one day that as the
shah-bandar was sitting in the front of his
SHOP converslng with his friends and other
merchants OF the place he saw his wife
approaching, riding in a takht-rawan, ac-
ccompanled by female slave and attended
Dy TWO memlOoks aTrayed as are the mem
LOOKS Wh0 are IN attendance upon the sons
of kiESs. anu when she had reached the
shq4Of rs Sind the bearers of the takht-
raS n ceased 10 proceed, aud she de-
sfe, hed frobs the takht-rawan and ad-
dressed the shah-bandar, looking at him
III Iaturedly and saying: ION, thou, hast
thou procured for me the stuffs from Da-
mascQs such as | directed thee to have
reaQY at thy hand?"
Now, the sha h h-bandar had forgotten to
remember the command of his wife, that
he should procure for her some apparel of
lewelembroidered stuffs and cloth from
Aianaascus, and when she appeared unto
him and asked him concerning these he
was abashed and dared not say he had for
gotten, for she was yiragO and he feared
her tongue, lest she should make him
ashamed before all the merchants and he
should become Teproach among them, so
he said unto her, Verify, oh. my mistress,
the caravans from Damascus have not yet
arrived, but as SOM as they shall have
come l will procure for thee jeweled stuffs
and OF damascened cloth In abundance"
And when she heard him speak thus her
complexion became sallOw and her coun-
tenance changed, and she ceased not to
berate him and TO upbraid him in the most
malevolent manner. and her teeth showed
forth from her mouth and she screamed
violently in the excess of her rage, until
shame nvercame him and he raised his hand
and pushed her from him toward the
takht-rawan, saying to her, '0h, thou of
little good breeding. dOst thou thus put
me, the shah-bandar Of the merchants. to
shame in the open market?"
And when he put his hand upon her she
screamed aloud, and cried out, saying.
"Oh, people Of the quarter, come to my
rescue against the shah-bandar Of the mer-
chants" and she attacked him with such