Tales of the Marvellous and News of the Strange (Hardcover Classics) (50 page)

Muhammad went down and told the girl to take the tambourine and sing. ‘What about the ascetic?’ she asked, but he said: ‘We don’t need to bother about him.’ She took the tambourine and sang but then said: ‘I don’t think my singing was very good. Give me one of your
jubbahs
so I may do better.’ Khultukh exclaimed in alarm but then said: ‘Let him give it to her.’ She stretched out her hand and took a
jubbah
of Coptic satin, elaborately marked, which, when she put it on, was too long for her. ‘It’s too long,’ she said, before taking it and tearing off a strip from
the bottom. ‘Oh, Oh! She has ruined it,’ exclaimed Khultukh, ‘but let her be.’ ‘Why didn’t you leave it till winter and then get it to fit you?’ asked Muhammad, but the girl told him to mind his own business.

She asked him what he supposed had happened to his slave and he told her that he would have to beat him. ‘What do you want from him?’ she asked. ‘He has done everything that you could want.’ She went on to ask whether he had bought the house or built it. ‘I bought it and it is mine,’ Muhammad replied. ‘And my
jubbah
as well,’ said Khultukh to himself. ‘What is the name of your slave?’ the girl asked, and he told her that it was Khultukh. ‘Was it you or your father who bought him?’ she went on, and he said: ‘It was my father who bought him and I inherited him.’ ‘God give you health!’ exclaimed Khultukh, adding: ‘Both I and this house have become this man’s property, with the clothes thrown in as an extra. But he is a handsome fellow, may God be good to him!’

He rushed down, belted his waist and went out to the market with a basket, in which he put fresh fruit and newly picked flowers. He got a porter to carry this on his head before flinging open the door and interrupting the two as they were enjoying themselves. He left the basket in front of Muhammad. ‘What kept you?’ said Muhammad and, taking a whip, he struck him. ‘Slowly!’ exclaimed Khultukh. ‘You hurt me.’ The girl jumped up and interceded for him, saying: ‘Don’t beat him! Does he deserve this from you?’ and she told Khultukh to come to her. He told her: ‘This is a fine thing my master does! He sends me to check an account with his banker and bring his money and then he beats me.’ From his sleeve he shook out two hundred dinars and when Muhammad told him to pick them up he produced a purse and left the gold in it.

Muhammad and the girl sat drinking until nightfall when they got up to sleep, with Khultukh spreading bedding in a fine gilded room, where the two of them slept until morning. The girl then got up and dressed, and Khultukh, who was standing there, recognized her and weighed out five dinars for her, saying: ‘Lady, take this to the baths.’ She said: ‘Khultukh, I’m not going to take anything from this master of mine. Every night I spend with him I shall let him have the money to spend on us.’ She then said goodbye to Muhammad and went out.

Khultukh went to Muhammad and said: ‘Come to the baths.’ Muhammad got up to go there and was dressed in a robe of Damiettan linen worth fifty dinars. Khultukh said to him: ‘Listen and don’t play games with me. I am your slave, and you must take over the house so that I can go to work. Here is the key so you can go out and come in. This is your
house, and I am your mamluk.’ Muhammad called down blessings on him and said: ‘May Almighty God allow me to repay you.’

Muhammad spent a year in Basra, while al-Rashid was left in a state of great unrest. Then news came from his agents that the person he was looking for had been seen in Basra. He ordered Masrur to ride to Basra with a hundred men and have a proclamation made that anyone who sees a person fitting this description would receive three hundred dinars a year together with three meals a day. He would also be able to hope for a gift. ‘To hear is to obey,’ said Masrur and he rode off, making for Basra and pressing on until he got there. He then got a town crier to make a general proclamation that whoever saw a young man with long hair, a white face, hairless cheeks, joining eyebrows and a mole on his cheek would be given three hundred dinars a year and three meals a day, as well as being able to ask for what he wanted from the Commander of the Faithful.

Khultukh was buying bread when the crier came to his street and went to the market to make his proclamation. Khultukh climbed on a bench to see what this was, and he then said to himself: ‘The young man he is talking about is the one who is with me. I’d better tell them, but, by God, I shall not do that until I have gone to him to see what he has to say.’ He got down from the bench and ran to his house, where he called to Muhammad. When Muhammad answered he said: ‘Masrur the eunuch has come with a town crier. They have given a description of you and said that whoever sees the man who fits the description will be handed the signet ring of the Commander of the Faithful and will be given such-and-such a reward if he leads the way to you.’ ‘It is for me that Masrur has come,’ said Muhammad, ‘so go and take the ring and tell him: “This man is with me.” Then take whatever they give you.’ ‘If I say that, what will Masrur do with you?’ ‘He will take me and go off,’ Muhammad told him, at which Khultukh said: ‘They can keep their gold. I don’t want you to go.’ ‘Khultukh,’ Muhammad said, ‘I want to do you some good and to bring you luck, so go and tell them.’

Khultukh left unwillingly and stood in front of Masrur, gesturing to him. Masrur ordered his men to hold him, and they rushed forward to do this. ‘How rough you are!’ Khultukh exclaimed, but Masrur asked what he wanted. ‘The man you are looking for is with me,’ Khultukh told him. ‘What are you saying?’ said Masrur, but Khultukh repeated: ‘He is with me, so produce the caliph’s ring, for this is going to please him.’ ‘It certainly will, by God!’ Masrur exclaimed and he passed the
ring to Khultukh, who took it and went to Muhammad with Masrur following him.

When Masrur saw Muhammad he kissed the ground in front of him and Muhammad went up and embraced him, saying: ‘You have always been good to me although I blamed you.’ ‘Master,’ said Masrur, ‘the Commander of the Faithful has had no news of you.’ ‘But you told me to stay away,’ Muhammad said. ‘Get up now,’ Masrur told him. ‘What are you doing sitting here?’ Khultukh asked him: ‘And why have you come to take away my son?’ Masrur laughed and said: ‘This is the son of the Commander of the Faithful.’

When Muhammad told him what Khultukh had done with him, Masrur embraced him and said: ‘May God produce more men like you!’ He presented him with three thousand
riyals
, but Khultukh kissed them and put them back on his head, saying: ‘God preserve the Commander of the Faithful! I take no reward for a good deed.’ Masrur insisted: ‘The caliph’s bounty is not to be rejected!’ and at that Khultukh accepted the money.

Muhammad mounted and said goodbye to Khultukh, who wept and kissed him. ‘Don’t be sad,’ Muhammad told him, ‘but come to us, as the caliph will welcome you.’ Khultukh said goodbye and went back, while Masrur set off with Muhammad. When they got to Sarsar they were met by a mounted escort together with servants, and both groups went together to the caliph. He welcomed Muhammad and asked why he had hidden himself away. ‘Out of fear of you, Commander of the Faithful,’ Muhammad told him. ‘If you fear the Great and Glorious God,’ the caliph said, ‘you need fear no one whom God created.’

He then ordered the Rumi slave girl to be produced, and she was brought in chains. ‘She is an ignorant creature,’ he said, ‘and instead of having her killed, I shall sell her and give the money to the poor and needy.’ Ja‘far was present, and when Muhammad told him what had happened to him he exclaimed: ‘By God, I have never heard of the like of this Khultukh!’ ‘Remind me to send him a robe of honour,’ the caliph told him, ‘and to give him an annual allowance of a thousand dinars from the state treasury of Basra.’ ‘To hear is to obey,’ said Ja‘far.

Two days later Muhammad fell seriously ill to the great distress of Zubaida, al-Rashid and the whole court, who uttered prayers of supplication to God. He was close to death, and his life was despaired of, leading al-Rashid to forget about Khultukh.

Khultukh himself had many friends, one of whom, an intimate of
Muhammad son of.Sulaiman, told him that he was about to be arrested, as a result of which he fled away with no more than five dinars. He went to Wasit, where he hired a mule to take him to Baghdad. There he tried to find someone to take a note from him to Muhammad the Foundling, but failed, as they were all concerned by the critical state of Muhammad’s illness. Khultukh ate up all he had with him and then for two days he had no food at all. ‘How false people are!’ he exclaimed. ‘I came here not wanting anything from anyone.’ He went to work in the baths, where his good nature made him so popular that every day he earned two or three dirhams.

After a month Muhammad’s illness subsided, prompting both al-Rashid and Zubaida to distribute alms. The doctor had recommended that he go to one of the public baths, where the smell would be good for him, and al-Rashid had ordered that he be taken there in secret without anybody knowing. As it happened, the baths to which they brought him were the ones where Khultukh worked. When he arrived with his escort and a servant carrying a candle, he was given a private room in which to sit. The baths were perfumed with ambergris and aloes, and he sat there like a golden branch.

Khultukh looked up and, recognizing Muhammad when he saw him, he exclaimed in distress: ‘He must have been ill!’ He poured hot water over him, saying to himself: ‘Modesty prevents me from speaking. What do I have to distress me, now that I am making a regular living?’ Muhammad asked what he was muttering and said that he had hurt him. ‘How have I hurt you?’ asked Khultukh, and at that Muhammad looked hard at him and recognized him. ‘Khultukh, my father!’ he exclaimed, and Khultukh replied: ‘Yes, that is who I am. Come now. When you came here, did you not remember me?’ Muhammad got up, greeted him with an embrace and said: ‘Don’t blame me, Father. I didn’t recognize you. Excuse me, as I have just been ill for five months [
sic
].’ ‘I excuse you,’ said Khultukh, ‘and had I known that you were ill, I would have been deeply distressed.’ ‘I swear by al-Rashid’s life that you must sit down and I shall wash you,’ Muhammad told him. Khultukh took his seat, and the servant poured water over his head, while Muhammad rubbed his back.

When he was slow in returning, al-Rashid told Masrur to find out why this was. ‘I hope nothing has happened to him,’ he said, ‘so go and hurry him up.’ Masrur went off and when he came to the baths he went in and saw Muhammad. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘what are you doing sitting there? You are a sick man. Don’t let the bath-man impose on you.’ ‘Do
you recognize this man whom I am washing?’ Muhammad asked and when Masrur said ‘no’, he said: ‘This is my father, Khultukh.’ ‘By God!’ exclaimed Masrur and he then removed his clothes and said: ‘It is I who should be serving him,’ and he got up, embraced and kissed him, saying: ‘By the life of al-Rashid, no one is going to rub him down except me.’

He had started to do this and was taking his time when al-Rashid said: ‘Ja‘far, I am worried. Go and see what is happening.’ Ja‘far got up and went that night to the baths, where he saw Muhammad pouring water over someone’s head and Masrur washing him. ‘Have you become bath attendants?’ he exclaimed in surprise. ‘Vizier,’ said Muhammad, ‘this is my father, Khultukh.’ ‘What, really?’ asked Ja‘far, and when Muhammad said ‘yes’, he too removed his clothes and poured water over him. When Khultukh kissed his hand he said: ‘Khultukh, people should serve a man like you.’

When Ja‘far was slow in returning, al-Rashid exclaimed at the lack of news and got up himself and went with two servants to the baths, where he saw them all acting as attendants. When he asked about this, Muhammad, Ja‘far and the others laughed and said: ‘Master, how can we not serve someone like this?’ ‘Who is he?’ al-Rashid asked, and they told him it was Khultukh. ‘By God!’ exclaimed al-Rashid, and he stretched out his hand to take the bowl in order to pour water over Khultukh’s head. Khultukh got up and, after kissing the ground, said: ‘Spare me, master! Do you want me to be punished by my Lord?’ ‘Get up and put your clothes back on,’ al-Rashid told his people, ‘then come out, and tomorrow we shall interview Khultukh.’ Khultukh kissed his hand, and they all left for al-Rashid’s palace.

When Khultukh went to him, al-Rashid told him to come close and said: ‘May God give you a good reward for the manly qualities you showed! My son, Muhammad, expressed his thanks to you so now tell me what happened to you.’ ‘Master,’ replied Khultukh, ‘I spent all my wealth and my life’s savings and took flight from your cousin Muhammad the son of Sulaiman al-Zainabi. When I got here I could find no one to take a note for me or to let Muhammad the Foundling know where I was and so I went and acted as a servant in the baths until he came and I introduced myself.’ ‘Fetch me a robe of honour,’ the caliph ordered, and when this had been brought he put it on Khultukh. Then he wrote immediately to summon his cousin Muhammad.

When this Muhammad arrived al-Rashid asked him how he dared treat a man like Khultukh as he had. ‘Where is he, Commander of the
Faithful?’ Muhammad asked, and al-Rashid said: ‘He is here with me,’ and went on to tell him what had happened to him. ‘By God, Commander of the Faithful,’ Muhammad said, ‘I never intended to do anything to him, but he took fright and fled away from me. His money is untouched and his house is locked and sealed.’ Khultukh came up, wearing the caliph’s robe of honour, and kissed the hand of Muhammad, who presented his excuses and said: ‘Come back with me to Basra.’ ‘I cannot leave the Commander of the Faithful and my master Muhammad,’ Khultukh replied, and Muhammad replied: ‘That is up to you.’

Khultukh then told him: ‘I would like you to sell my house for me and send me what it fetches.’ ‘How much would you charge me for the whole thing?’ asked Muhammad. ‘If I bought it you would have no need to go there as you can certify to the sale here.’ Khultukh named a price of three thousand dinars; Muhammad said: ‘I shall send you five thousand,’ at which Khultukh concluded the sale.

Muhammad went back to Basra and forwarded the five thousand dinars. After receiving them, Khultukh stayed with al-Rashid, and Muhammad the Foundling said: ‘He is to live in my apartment, as, thanks to the huge debt I owe him, I have a greater right to serve him than anyone else.’ This delighted Khultukh, who now did not have to ask permission before entering the caliph’s presence, as he was accepted as one of his intimates.