Page:Three crump twin brothers of Damascus (1).pdf/19

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CRUMP TWIN-BROTHERS.
19

at the fight of his brothers, who were laid upon sopha's. He almost cracked his eye-strings with staring at them, and could not possibly conceive how he came into that strange place with the them He suffered himself to be undressed without uttering a single word, while the same was done to Ibad and Syahouk.

The Caliph having caused the three cramps to be carried into different chambers, had them put to bed and locked up. Then he sent away, the fisherman, and having ordered the Viziar to keep the porter, and to use him with great kindness he prepared to divert himself at the expence of the crooked brothers and the cutler woman, whom he arrested next morning by the break of day.

To heighten his diversion, the Caliph caused to be made that night two suits of clothes exactly like that which Babekan wore when he was thrown into the Tygris. He ordered them to be put upon Ibad and Syahouk, whose drunken fit was quite over, and being all dressed exactly alike, he placed them behind three different pieces of hanging in a magnificent ball of the palace and gave orders that they should be discovered upon his making a certain sign.

The Viziar, who, with the porter and several guards, had been early in the morning to arrest the cutler's wife, brought her into the hall, where the Caliph was a ready placed upon his throne. He examined her with relation to what passed between her and the porter. She told im all that had happened without concealing a little of the truth, and seemed very much concerned at the loss of her husband. But said the Caliph, is not this a made story that you tell me? how is it possible these three crooked brothers should be so exactly alike that the porter should be deceived by