Tales from the Arabic/The Seventh Officer’s Story

by Unknown

THE SEVENTH OFFICER’S STORY.

There came one day an old woman [to the stuff-market], with a casket of precious workmanship, containing trinkets, and she was accompanied by a damsel great with child. The old woman sat down at the shop of a draper and giving him to know that the damsel was with child by the prefect of police of the city, took of him, on credit, stuffs to the value of a thousand dinars and deposited with him the casket as security. [She opened the casket and] showed him that which was therein; and he found it full of trinkets [apparently] of price; [so he trusted her with the goods] and she took leave of him and carrying the stuffs to the damsel, who was with her, [went her way]. Then the old woman was absent from him a great while, and when her absence was prolonged, the draper despaired of her; so he went up to the prefect’s house and enquired of the woman of his household, [who had taken his stuffs on credit;] but could get no tidings of her nor lit on aught of her trace.

Then he brought out the casket of jewellery [and showed it to an expert,] who told him that the trinkets were gilt and that their worth was but an hundred dirhems. When he heard this, he was sore concerned thereat and presenting himself before the Sultan’s deputy, made his complaint to him; whereupon the latter knew that a trick had been put off upon him and that the folk had cozened him and gotten the better of him and taken his stuffs. Now the magistrate in question was a man of good counsel and judgment, well versed in affairs; so he said to the draper, “Remove somewhat from thy shop, [and amongst the rest the casket,] and on the morrow break the lock and cry out and come to me and complain that they have plundered all thy shop. Moreover, do thou call [upon God for succour] and cry aloud and acquaint the folk, so that all the people may resort to thee and see the breach of the lock and that which is missing from thy shop; and do thou show it to every one who presenteth himself, so the news may be noised abroad, and tell them that thy chief concern is for a casket of great value, deposited with thee by a great man of the town and that thou standest in fear of him. But be thou not afraid and still say in thy converse, ‘My casket belonged to such an one, and I fear him and dare not bespeak him; but you, O company and all ye who are present, I call you to witness of this for me.’ And if there be with thee more than this talk, [say it;] and the old woman will come to thee.”

The draper answered with “Hearkening and obedience” and going forth from the deputy’s presence, betook himself to his shop and brought out thence [the casket and] somewhat considerable, which he removed to his house. At break of day he arose and going to his shop, broke the lock and cried out and shrieked and called [on God for help,] till the folk assembled about him and all who were in the city were present, whereupon he cried out to them, saying even as the prefect had bidden him; and this was bruited abroad. Then he made for the prefecture and presenting himself before the chief of the police, cried out and complained and made a show of distraction.

After three days, the old woman came to him and bringing him the [thousand dinars, the] price of the stuffs, demanded the casket.^[1] When he saw her, he laid hold of her and carried her to the prefect of the city; and when she came before the Cadi, he said to her, “O Sataness, did not thy first deed suffice thee, but thou must come a second time?” Quoth she, “I am of those who seek their salvation^[2] in the cities, and we foregather every month; and yesterday we foregathered.” “Canst thou [bring me to] lay hold of them?” asked the prefect; and she answered, “Yes; but, if thou wait till to-morrow, they will have dispersed. So I will deliver them to thee to-night.” Quoth he to her, “Go;” and she said, “Send with me one who shall go with me to them and obey me in that which I shall say to him, and all that I bid him he shall give ear unto and obey me therein.” So he gave her a company of men and she took them and bringing them to a certain door, said to them, “Stand at this door, and whoso cometh out to you, lay hands on him; and I will come out to you last of all.” “Hearkening and obedience,” answered they and stood at the door, whilst the old woman went in.

They waited a long while, even as the Sultan’s deputy had bidden them, but none came out to them and their standing was prolonged. When they were weary of waiting, they went up to the door and smote upon it heavily and violently, so that they came nigh to break the lock. Then one of them entered and was absent a long while, but found nought; so he returned to his comrades and said to them, “This is the door of a passage, leading to such a street; and indeed she laughed at you and left you and went away.” When they heard his words, they returned to the Amir and acquainted him with the case, whereby he knew that the old woman was a crafty trickstress and that she had laughed at them and cozened them and put a cheat on them, to save herself. Consider, then, the cunning of this woman and that which she contrived of wiles, for all her lack of foresight in presenting herself [a second time] to the draper and not apprehending that his conduct was but a trick; yet, when she found herself in danger, she straightway devised a shift for her deliverance.’

Return to El Melik ez Zahir Rukneddin Bibers el Bunducdari and the Sixteen Officers of Police.

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1. Apparently supposing the draper to have lost it and purposing to require a heavy indemnity for its loss.
2. Apparently, a cant phrase for “thieve.”