The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-12-08

ring, acting in the service of its possessor,
and my name is Abu-s-Sa' adat And
Maaroof said: Canst thou bring forth
this treasure and place it on the earth !?
And he said: 1t will be the easiest of ac-
tons.
And Immediately there appeared multi
tudes of young, elegant boys, with beauti-
full faces, carrying the treasure forth in
baskets. And they ceased not to trans
port the treasure until naught remained
in the subterranean chambe and Maaroof
said: Canst thou bring me mules and
chests and place this treasure in the chests
and upon the mules? And 10, it was done,
the gold and each mineral packed by itself
on 800 mules. And Maaroof said: 0 Abu-s-
Sa adat, canst thou bring me a caravan Of
loads of precious stuffs, Egyptian, Syrian,
Persian Indian and Greek, of the stuff of
each country a hundred loads, upon the
backs of mules? And he said: Grant me
a delay until night, and Maaroof granted
the delay. Then he ordered pavilion
spread and table of viands, and Maaroof
sa. in the tent with the viands be-
fore him and attendants and male
black slaves about him, when the peas
ant approached, carrying a large wooden
bowl of lentils and fodder-bag of barley.
And when he saw the state by which
Maaroof was surrounded he was confused,
and said within himself: Would that
red with clarified butter, to please the Sui
tan; and he desired to return and do so,
but Maaroof saw MIN and said to the
memlooks: Bring him, and Maaroof
caused the peasant to sit down with him
and partake of the various dishes of ex-
quisite viands before him, but for him he
ate only of the lentiis which the peasant
had brought until he was satisfied. and
when the bowl was emptied he filled it
with gold, and the peasant returned with
it to his dwelling, driving his bulls before
him, and imagining that he himself was a
relative of the king. Maaroof passed that
night in delight and joy, and when the
morning arose, lol he was surrounded by
a caravan of the magnifcence of all lands.
Now the king with his wezeer sat
in the council chamber, and the king
said: Verify. my heart is sad by reason
of my son-in-law, Maaroof, and | fear that
the Arabs may STAY him. Would that
| knew whittier he had gone, that might
send my memlooks with troops to his aid.
And the weZeer said By my beard,
the man is none other than an impostor,
and l imagine that he knew we had be-
come excited to suspect him, and that he
had fled to escape thy wrath. And 10! a
courier entered and kissed the ground be-
fore the king and offered up a prayer for
the continuance of his glory. So the king
said, What is thine affair? And he an
SWeTeu MIN. Iny SOH-lH-iaW Is dpprOdCn-
ing with his merchandise and hath sent
me with this letter that thou mayst go
forth to meet him with the troops. Then
the king read the letter and said to the
wezeer: May Allah blacEen thy face
How often wilt thou speak against my
son-in-law2 Behold he hath come with
the merchandise, and thou art none other
than a traitor. And the wezeer hung
down his head in shame and confusion,
for he had said not these words save in
anxiety for the king and the treasure.
Then the king gave orders to decorate
the city and went In to his daughter and
told her the good news, whereupon she
wondered, saying: Was he deriding me,
or was he trying me when he said he was
poor man? But praise be to God that
nothing unjust proceeded from me to him.
And great excitement prevailed in the
city, the merchants saying one to another:
The merchandise of the merchant Maaroof
hath arrived. The king then assembled
the troops and went forth, and, 10! Maaroof
was approaching in the midst of his mem
looks and attendants and drivers and male