89-1-2 - The Story of the Hunchback
On
the 25th Night contd ...
Now
came a Christian, the Sultaan's broker, in drunken state to a bath. He
came near the hunchback and found himself standing beside him. Before this some
people had snatched his turban, so when he saw this man, he thought that
he is also standing to snatch his turban. He clenched his fist and struck
him on his neck. The hunchback fell down and the Christian cried out for
the watchman of the market. While in his drunkenness he continued beating
him.
The
watchman came and moved him from the hunchback, and found that he was dead.
He asked the Christian to move from there, checked him and found him dead.
He exclaimed - "How this Christian dares to kill a Muslim?" He
seized the Christian, bound his hands behind him and took him to Valee's
(Chief Police Magistrate) house. The Christian continued to think, "O
Heavens, How have I killed this man? And how quickly he died just by a
blow of the hand?" His intoxication had gone and reasoning had come
back.
The
Christian and the hunchback passed the remainder night in the house of the Valee. Valee asked the executioner to proclaim the crime of the Christian
and the executioner set up the instrument to execute the Christian. He
threw the rope around the neck of the Christian and was about to hang him
that the Sultaan's steward pushed through the crowd and said to the
executioner - "Do not execute him, for I have killed him." Valee
asked him - "Where did you kill him?"
Steward
replied - "Last night when I went to my house, I saw him descending
from the terrace and stole my goods, so I struck him with a hammer upon
his chest and he instantly died. I carried him out and left him in the
market at such and such place. Is it not enough for me to kill a Muslim,
that a Christian should be killed on my account? Hang then none but
me." When Valee heard these words, he freed the Christian and asked
his executioner to catch the steward and hang him on the ground of his confession.
So the
executioner took the rope off the neck of the Christian and put it around
the neck of the steward. He stationed him to hang and was about to hang,
that the Jewish physician pushed through the crowd and called out loudly
to the executioner - "Don't hang him, because none else has killed
him than I. In fact, he came to my house to be cured of a disease, and I
struck him with my foot and he died. So do not kill the steward, but kill
me." So the Valee gave the order to hang the physician, and the
executioner took off the rope from the neck of the steward and put it in
the neck of the physician.
Now
came the Tailor, forcing his way among the people and said to the
executioner - "Do not kill him, because I have killed him. It so happened
that I was out for my amusement during the day, and when I was coming back
to my house in the evening, I met this hunchback in a state of intoxication
singing happily. I brought him to my house. I bought some fish and we sat
down to eat. My wife took a piece of fish and a morsel of bread and
crammed them into his mouth. He got choked and he died instantly.
My
wife and I took him to the house of the Jew, a girl opened the door, and
while she up to her master to inform him about the patient, I set him up
near the stairs and came back to my house. When the Jew came down and
stumbled against him, he thought that he had killed him." Then he
asked the Jew - "Is this true?" 'Yes." The Tailor then said
to Valee - "You free the Jew and hang me."
When
Valee heard all this, he was astonished at the case of the hunchback and
said - "Surely this story should be recorded in books. He said to the
executioner - "Release the Jew and hang the Tailor on the basis of
his own confession." The executioner did so.
Now
the hunchback was the Sultaan's jester and the Sultaan could not bear him
out of the sight, so when the hunchback had got drunk and had been absent
for the night, and the next day till noon, the King inquired about him.
They said - "O Lord, the Valee has taken him forth dead and has given
the orders to hang the one whoever has killed him." Then they told
him what had happened regarding the humpback's murder.
The
King called his official and said to him - "Go to Valee, and bring
them all to me." So the officer went down and found that the
executioner had almost put the Tailor to death, so he called from a
distance - "Do not execute him." and informed the Valee that the
case has been reported to the King. He took Valee, hunchback, tailor,
Christian, Muslim and the Jew and the steward with him to the King and related the
case.
The
King got very amused hearing this tale and he ordered to write it in golden
letters. Then he addressed all and asked them - "Have you ever heard
such a wonderful story before?" At this the Christian advanced and
said - "O King, If you permit me I will tell you an event which has occurred to me,
it is more wonderful and strange than this one." The King
said - "Tell us your story." And the Christian started relating
story like this ..........
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