第79章 STORY OF THE HUNCHBACK(1)

There lived once in the city of Bassora a tailorwho was openhanded and loved pleasure and merrymaking： and he was wont，he and his wifeto go out by timesa-pleasuringto the public places of recreation. One day they went out as usual and were returning home in the eveningwhen they fell in with a hunchbackthe sight of whom would make the disappointed laugh and dispel chagrin from the sorrowful. So they went up to look at him and invited him to go home and make merry with them that night. He consented and accompanied them to their house；whereuponthe night being now comethe tailor went out to the market and buying fried fish and bread and lemon and conserve of roses by way of dessertset them before the hunchbackand they ate. Presentlythe tailor's wife took a great piece of fish and cramming it into the hunchback's mouthclapped her hand over it，saying'By Allahthou must swallow it at one gulp；and I will give thee no time to chew it.'So he bolted it；but there was a great bone in itwhich stuck in his gulletand his hour being comeit choked himand he died at once. When the tailor saw thishe exclaimed'There is no power and no virtue but in God！

Alaspoor wretchthat he should have come by his death at our hands！'Why dost thou waste time in idle lamentation？'rejoined his wife. 'Hast thou not heard it said......？'And she repeated the following verses：

What ails me that I waste the time in idle griefUntil I find no friend mishap for me to bear？

Who but a fool would sit upon an unquenched fire？ To wait upon mischance as great a folly were.

'What is to be done？'asked he；and she replied'Rise and take the hunchback in thine arms and cover him with a silk handkerchief：

then go out with himand I will go before thee： and if thou meet any onesay'This is my son： his mother and I are taking him to the doctorthat he may look at him.'So he rose and taking the hunchback in his armscarried him along the streetspreceded by his wifewho kept saying'O my sonGod keep thee！Where has this smallpox attacked thee and in what part dost thou feel pain？'

So that all who saw them said'It is a child ill of smallpox.'

They went alongenquiring for a doctortill the people directed them to the house of onewho was a Jew. They knocked at the gate，and a black servant-maid came down and opened the door and seeing a man carrying a child and a woman with himsaid to them'What is your business？'We have a sick child here，'answered the tailor's wife'whom we want the doctor to look at： so take this quarter-dinar and give it to thy masterand let him come down and see my son.'The girl went up to tell her master，leaving the tailor and his wife in the vestibulewhereupon the latter said to her husband'Let us leave the hunchback here and be off.'So the tailor carried the dead man to the top of the stairs and propping him up against the wallwent awayhe and his wife. Meanwhile the serving-maid went in to the Jew and said to him'There are a man and a woman at the gate，with a sick child；and they have given me a quarter-dinar for theethat thou mayst go down and see the child and prescribe for him.'When the Jew saw the quarter-dinarhe was glad and rose hastily and went down in the dark. Hardly had he made a step，when he stumbled on the dead body and threw it downand it rolled to the bottom of the stairs. So he cried out to the girl to make haste with the lightand she brought itwhereupon he went down and examining the hunchbackfound that he was dead. 'O Esdras and Moses and the ten Commandments！'exclaimed he；'O Aaron and Joshuason of Nun！I have stumbled against the sick person and he has fallen downstairs and is dead！How shall I get the body out of my house？'Then he took it up and carrying it into the housetold his wife what had happened. Quoth she'Why dost thou sit still？ If he be found here when the day riseswe shall both of us lose our lives. Let us carry him up to the roof and throw him over into the house of our neighbour the Muslim；for if he abide there a nightthe dogs will come down on him from the terraces and eat him all up.'Now the neighbour in question was controller of the Sultan's kitchen and was wont to bring home great store of fat and broken meats；but the cats and mice used to eat itorif the dogs scented a fat sheep's tail，they would come down from the roofs and tear at it；and in this way he lost much of what he brought home. So the Jew and his wife carried the hunchback up to the roofand letting him down，through the windshaftinto the controller's housestood him up against the wall and went away. Hardly had they done sowhen the controllerwho had been spending the evening with some of his friendshearing a recitation of the Korancame home and going up with a lighted candlefound a man standing in the corner，under the ventilator. When he saw thishe said'By Allahthis is a fine thing！He who steals my goods is none other than a man.'Then he turned to the hunchback and said to him'So it is thou that stealest the meat and fat. I thought it was the cats and dogsand I kill the cats and dogs of the quarter and sin against them. And all the while it is thou comest down through the windshaft！But I will take my wreak of thee with my own hand.'So he took-a great cudgel and smote him on the breastand he fell down. Then he examined him and finding that he was dead，cried out in horrorthinking that he had killed himand said，'There is no power and no virtue but in God the Supremethe Omnipotent！'And he feared for himself and said'May God curse the fat and the sheep's tailsthat have caused this man's death to be at my hand！'Then he looked at the dead man and seeing him to be humpbackedsaid'Did it not suffice thee to be a hunchbackbut thou must turn thief and steal meat and fat？ O Protectorextend to me Thy gracious protection！'Then he took him up on his shoulders and going forth with himcarried him to the beginning of the marketwhere he set him on his feet against the wall of a shopat the corner of a dark laneand went away.