89-4-2 -
The Story of the Hunchback:
The Story
Told by the Jewish Physician
On
the 28th Night contd ...
I met
my uncles in Egypt. They had already sold there merchandise. Seeing me
they got very happy and asked me why did I come there? I said - "I had a desire to be
with you and feared that my money was not enough." I stayed with them
for a year and enjoyed the pleasures of Egypt and the Nile. I left them
before they left so they thought that I had gone before them and had come
to Damascus, so they also left. But I did not leave Cairo. I stayed there for
three years and lost everything except the rent for a year. So I went back
to Damascus and came to Kaah. The jeweler became very happy to see me. I
found everything at its place where I left it. When I was taking out my
clothes I found her golden necklace studded with 10 gems of extraordinary
beauty, which she wore on that night. I
took it up and wept for a while. I stayed there for two days, then I took bath and went to market. I
had no money.
Satan
bade me to have money out of that necklace, so I took that necklace to
market and gave
it to a broker and he put it on sale secretly without my
knowledge. The price bidden for it was announced to 2,000 pieces of gold (Deenaars),
but he came to me and said - "This necklace is of brass, of the
counterfeit of manufacture of the Franks, and its price is about 2,000
pieces of silver (Dirhams)." I said - "Yes, We made it for a woman,
just for fun and my wife has inherited it and now we desire to sell it, so go
and get 1,000 pieces of silver."
On
the 29th Night
When the broker heard this, he got
suspicious. He went and gave the necklace to the Chief of the market, who
took it to the Valee (police officer) and said to him - "This
necklace was stolen from me, and we have found the thief, in the guise of
a merchant."
Before
I knew what had happened, the officers had surrounded me and took me to
the Valee who questioned me about the necklace. I told him the same story
which I told to the broker. He laughed and said - "This is not
true." Instantly his people stripped off my clothing and beat me
until, because of the beating, I told him that I stole it. Saying it was
still better than its owner was dead in my house. Hearing this they cut
off my hand and burn my stump with boiling oil. Then they gave me some
wine to drink, I took my hand and came back to my Kaah. But the owner of
the Kaah said - "Since you have been convicted for theft, you may look for some other
place to live." I asked him a couple of days to move from there. Then
I wept and thought how to return to my own people. The person who cut my
hand, did not know that I am innocent, maybe God will bring me some
relief.
I got
sick for two days. On the third day, suddenly the owner of the Kaah came
to me with the Chief of the merchants and some police officers and accused me again of stealing the
necklace. They bound my hand behind me and said - "The necklace which
was in your possession belonged to the Vazeer of Damascus. It has been missing from his house for the last three
years at the same time as his younger daughter." When I heard this, I
trembled with fear and I said to myself, "They will kill me. I must
tell my story to the Governor and then whatever he wants to do with me,
let him do it."
When
we arrived at the Governor's place, the Governor asked - "Is this the man
who stole the necklace and went to sell it? Certainly you have cut his
hand wrongfully." I told him that I was forced to accept the theft of
the necklace. Then he ordered to imprison the Chief of the market
and to give me the compensation for my hand. They took him away, and I was
left alone with the Governor. My chains were loosened and the Governor
said to me - "My son, Tell me the story and speak the truth. How did
this necklace come into you possession?" So I told him all that
happened.
Hearing
the story he covered his face and wept. Then he said to me - "The
elder girl was my daughter. When she got of marriageable age I sent her to
the son of her uncle in Cairo, but he died and she returned to me learning
the habits of extravagance from the people of that city. So she visited
you three or four times and then she took her younger sister to you. They
were sisters from the same mother and loved each other very much. She
opened her secret to her younger sister who then asked her permission to
go with her. And after which the elder one returned alone. When I asked
her about her sister, she wept for her and later told her mother that she
had murdered her. That is why your account is true, because I knew this
affair before you told me. She also mourned her so much that she died.
Now I
request you that you don't say "No" what I am going to
suggest you. You marry my youngest daughter. She is from the same mother
as they were. She is a virgin and I will ask you no dowry, but will assign
you both an allowance and you will be like my own son." "As you
desire." He got me a large sum of money from the Chief of the
merchants also. He immediately sent somebody to bring the property
my father had left for me, and now I am in utmost affluence."
The
Jew further said - "I wondered at his story and remained with him
for three days. He gave me a large sum of money." The King said -
"This story is not more wonderful than the story of the hunchback, so
all of you should be hanged and especially the tailor who is the source of
all the mischief." But then he said - "O Tailor, If
you tell me a story more wonderful than that of the hunchback, I will
forgive you all your offences."
So the
tailor advanced and started his story ....
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