第51章 THE PORTER AND THE THREE LADIES OF BAGHDAD.(26)

These two bitches are my elder sisters by the same mother and fatherand these two othersshe on whom are the marks of blows and the cateressare my sisters by another mother. When my father diedeach took her portion of the heritageand after awhile my mother died also and left me and my sisters-german a thousand dinars each. After awhile my two sisters married and lived with their husbands for a time；then the latter bought merchandise with their wives'money and set out on their travels，and I heard no more of them for five years：for their husbands spent their wives'fortunes and became bankrupt and deserted them in a foreign land. Presentlymy eldest sister came back to me in the guise of a beggarwith tattered clothes and a dirty old veiland altogether in so sorry a plightthat at first I knew her not；but when I recognised herI asked her how she came in such a state. 'O my sister，'answered she'talking profits not now： the pen hath written what was decreed.'Then I sent her to the bath and clothed her in a suit of my own and entreated her kindly and said to her'O my sisterthou standest to me in the stead of my father and mother；and God has blessed me in the share of the inheritance that fell to me and prospered it to me，so that I am now in flourishing case；and thou shalt share with me in my increase.'So she abode with me a whole yearduring which time we were much concerned to know what was become of our other sister. At lastshe too came back to mein a worse plight than the otherand I dealt still more kindly by her than by the firstand each of them had a share of my substance. After awhilethey said to me'O sisterwe desire to marry againfor we can no longer endure to live without husbands.'O my dear ones ，'answered I'there is no good in marriagefor now-a-days good men are rare to find；nor do I see the advantage of marrying againsince ye have already made trial of matrimony and it has profited you nothing.'They would not listen to me，but married without my consent；nevertheless I equipped them and portioned them with my own money and they went away with their husbands. After a littlethe latter cheated them of all they had and went away and left them. Then they came to mein abject caseand made their excuses to mesaying'Do not reproach us；thou art younger than webut riper of witso take us as thy handmaidsthat we may eat our mouthful；and we will never again speak of marriage.'Quoth I'Ye are welcomeO my sisters：there is nothing dearer to me than you.'And I took them in and redoubled in kindness to them. We lived thus for a whole yearat the end of which time I was minded to travel. So I fitted out a great ship at Bassora and loaded her with merchandise and victual and other necessaries for a voyageand said to my sisters'Will you come with me or abide at home till I return？'We will go with thee，'answered they'for we cannot endure to be parted from thee.'So I took them and set sailafter dividing my money into two partsone of which I deposited with a trusty person，saying'Maybe ill-hap shall betide the ship and yet we remain alive；but nowif we returnwe shall find what will be of service to us.'We sailed days and nightstill the captain missed the true course and the ship went astray with us and entered a sea other than that we aimed at. We knew not of this awhile and the wind blew fair for us ten daysat the end of which timethe watch went up to the mast-headto look outand cried'Good news！'Then he came downrejoicingand said to us，'I see a city in the distance as it were a dove.'At this we rejoiced and before an hour of the day was pastthe city appeared to us afar off： and we said to the captain'What is the name of yonder city？'By Allah！'