The Arabian Nights II (20 page)

Then he resumed the story of his adventure, telling her that when he returned and presented himself at the mouth of the cave, ready to come out, the magician asked him to give him the lamp, which he wanted, but upon refusing, the magician, by throwing some incense into the fire and pronouncing some words, instantly caused the entrance to the cave to close again. 'Ala al-Din could not, without bursting into tears, go on to describe to her the miserable condition in which he found himself buried alive in that deadly cave, until by touching the ring, whose power he had not yet learned, he came out of the cave, properly speaking, came to life again. When he finished his story, he said to his mother, “There is no need to say more; you know the rest. This is my adventure and the danger I have faced, since you last saw me.”

'Ala al-Din's mother listened patiently, without interrupting this surprising and wonderful story, which was at the same time painful to a mother who loved her son tenderly, in spite of his faults. Yet in the most touching parts, which clearly revealed the perfidy of the African magician, she could not help showing, by marks of her indignation, how much she detested him, and when 'Ala al-Din finished his story, she broke out into a thousand reproaches against that imposter. She called him perfidious, treacherous, barbarian, assassin, deceiver, magician, and enemy and destroyer of mankind, adding, “Yes, son, he is a magician, and they are a plague to the world, and by their magic and sorcery have commerce with the devil. Bless God for wishing to preserve you from the total effect of his infamous wickedness. You should thank Him for the mercy He has shown you, for your death would have been inevitable if you had not thought of Him and implored His assistance.” She said a great deal more against the magician's treachery against her son, but while she spoke, she sensed that 'Ala al-Din, who had not slept for three days, needed to rest. So she put him to bed, and soon after went to bed herself.

'Ala al-Din, who had not had any rest while he was in the subterranean place where he was buried and left to die, slept soundly the whole night and did not wake up until very late the next day. When he got up, the first thing he said to his mother was that he wanted something to eat and that she could not do him a greater favor than to give him breakfast. His mother replied, “Alas, son, I don't have even a piece of bread to give you; you ate up all the food I had in the house last night, but have a little patience, and it will not be long before I will bring you some. I have some cotton yarn that I have spun. I will go and sell it, in order to buy bread and something for our dinner.” 'Ala al-Din replied, “Mother, keep your cotton yarn for another occasion, and give me the lamp I brought yesterday. I will go and sell it, and the money I will get for it will buy us breakfast and dinner, and perhaps supper.”

'Ala al-Din's mother fetched the lamp, saying to her son, “Here it is, but it is very dirty. If it was cleaned, I believe it would bring more.” She took water and a little fine sand to clean it, but no sooner had she begun to rub the lamp than a hideous demon of gigantic size appeared instantly before her and her son and said to her with a thundering voice, “What do you wish? Here I am, ready to obey you as your slave and the slave of all those who have the lamp in their hands, I and the other slaves of the lamp.”

'Ala al-Din's mother was in no condition to reply, for she could not bear the sight of this hideous and terrifying demon, and her terror was so great, from the very first words he uttered, that she fainted away. 'Ala al-Din, who had already seen a somewhat similar apparition in the cave, without losing time on reflection, promptly snatched the lamp from his mother's hand and, acting as her deputy, spoke for her, replying boldly, “I am hungry; bring me something to eat.” The demon disappeared and in an instant returned, carrying on his head a large silver basin containing twelve covered silver plates full of excellent food; six large loaves of bread, as white as snow, placed on the plates; and two bottles of delicious wine; and holding in his hand two silver cups. He placed all this before the sofa and disappeared.

This was done in such a short time that 'Ala al-Din's mother had not yet regained consciousness before the demon disappeared for the second time. 'Ala al-Din, who had been throwing water on her face, without success, redoubled his efforts to bring her to herself, and whether her lost consciousness returned by itself or was somewhat aroused by the aroma of the food the demon had brought, she soon recovered. 'Ala al-Din said to her, “Mother, don't mind this. Get up, and come and eat. Here is what will revive you and at the same time satisfy my extreme hunger. We should not let such fine food get cold; let us eat.”

'Ala al-Din's mother was extremely surprised to see the large basin, the twelve plates, the six loaves, and the two bottles and cups, and to smell the delicious aroma that wafted from the plates. She asked 'Ala al-Din, “Son, from where did we get this abundance and to whom do we owe this great generosity? Has the king learned of our poverty and had compassion on us?” 'Ala al-Din replied, “Mother, let us sit down and eat; you need food as much as I do. I will answer your questions after we eat.” They sat down and ate with great relish, since both mother and son had never before sat at such a sumptuous table. Throughout the meal, 'Ala al-Din's mother could not stop looking at and admiring the basin and plates, even though she could not tell exactly whether they were silver or some other metal, for she was little accustomed to seeing such things. In fact, being ignorant of their value, it was only the novelty that aroused her admiration. 'Ala al-Din himself knew no more about them than she did. 'Ala al-Din and his mother, who had expected to eat a simple breakfast, ate until it was dinnertime. The excellent food aroused their appetite, and while it was still warm, they thought it best to combine the two meals. After they finished, they found that they had enough left not only for supper, but for two full meals for the following day.

After 'Ala al-Din's mother cleared the table and put aside the food that was not touched, she went and sat down on the sofa next to her son and said to him, “ 'Ala al-Din, I want you now to satisfy my impatience to hear the explanation you had promised.” 'Ala al-Din related to her exactly all that had happened between him and the demon, from the time she lost consciousness to the time she recovered. She was in great amazement at what her son told her and at the appearance of the demon and said to him, “Son, what have we to do with your demons? In all my life, I never heard that any of my acquaintances had ever seen one. By what misadventure did that demon address himself to me, and why me and not you, since he had already appeared to you in the cave of the treasure?” 'Ala el-Din replied, “Mother, the demon you saw is not the same who appeared to me; they are similar in a way, particularly in their gigantic size, but they are completely different in features and clothes, and they belong to different masters. If you remember, the one I saw said that he was the slave of the ring, which I have on my finger, while the one you saw said that he was the slave of the lamp, which you had in your hand. But I believe that you did not hear him, for you fainted as soon as he began to speak.” The mother cried out, “What! Was it your lamp then that made that wicked demon speak to me, rather than you? Ah! my son, take it out of my sight, and put it where you please. I don't want to touch it again. I would rather see you throw it out or sell it than run the risk of being frightened to death by touching it, and if you
would listen to me, you would also get rid of the ring. You should have nothing to do with demons, for, as our Prophet has told us, they are devils.”

'Ala al-Din replied, “Mother, with your permission, I shall be careful now not to sell a lamp, as I was ready to do, which will be useful both to you and to me. Haven't you seen what it has procured us? It will continue to provide us sustenance and maintenance. You must assume, as I do, that my false and wicked uncle went to such lengths and undertook such a long and hard journey just to take possession of this magic lamp, which he preferred above all the gold and silver that he knew were in the halls, as he told me, and which I have seen with my own eyes. He knew too well the merit and value of this lamp not to prefer it to a great treasure. Since chance made us discover its power, let us use it to our advantage, in a discreet manner that will not bring upon us the envy and jealousy of our neighbors. Because the demon frightens you so much, I am quite willing to take it out of your sight and to put it in a place where I can find it when I need it. As for the ring, I cannot resolve to get rid of it either, for without it, you would never have seen me again, and though I am alive now, I may not be a few moments after it is gone. Allow me then to keep it and to wear it always on my finger, very carefully. Who knows whether we may not face other dangers, which neither you nor I can foresee and from which the ring can deliver us.” As 'Ala al-Din's arguments were just, his mother had no reply, except to say, “Son, do as you please; as for myself, I will have nothing to do with demons. I will wash my hands of them and never say anything more about them.”

The following night, after they had eaten supper, there was nothing left of the good provisions the demon had brought. So the following day, 'Ala al-Din, who did not wish to wait until he got very hungry, took one of the silver plates under his gown and went out early in the morning to sell it. He approached a Jew whom he met on the street and, taking him aside, showed him the plate and asked him if he wished to buy it. The Jew, who was experienced and cunning, took the plate and examined it, and as soon as he found that it was good silver, he asked 'Ala al-Din how much he valued it at. 'Ala al-Din, who did not know the value and never trafficked in such merchandise, told him that he himself knew very well how much it was worth and that he would trust in his good faith. The Jew was confounded by 'Ala al-Din's simplicity, and being uncertain whether or not 'Ala al-Din knew the material or the value, he took out of his purse a piece of gold, which was only a seventy-second of the value of the plate, and gave it to him. 'Ala al-Din took the money very eagerly and, as soon as he had it in his hand, left so hurriedly that the Jew, not content with the exorbitant profit of this purchase, was angry with himself for not realizing
that 'Ala al-Din did not know the value of what he had sold him and that he could have paid him much less. He was about to run after the young man, in order to get some change back, but 'Ala al-Din had run so fast and got so far that it would have been very difficult for the Jew to overtake him.

On his way back to his mother, 'Ala al-Din stopped at a bakery, where he bought some bread for his mother and himself, paying with the piece of gold and receiving the change. When he arrived, he gave the change to his mother, who went to the market and bought enough provisions to sustain the two of them for several days. In this manner, they continued to live, as 'Ala al-Din sold all the plates to the Jew, one after another and in the same way as he had sold the first. The Jew, who had paid a piece of gold for the first plate, did not dare to offer him less for the others, for fear of losing such a windfall, and so paid him the same amount for each plate. When the money from the last plate was spent, 'Ala al-Din had recourse to the basin, which alone weighed ten times more than each plate. He would have carried it to the usual purchaser, but its heavy weight prevented him; therefore, he was obliged to look for the Jew and bring him to his mother's house. The Jew, after assessing the weight of the basin, laid down, on the spot, ten pieces of gold, and 'Ala al-Din was satisfied.

They used the money for some time to pay for their daily expenses. 'Ala al-Din, who had been used to an idle life, had stopped playing with the boys of his own age ever since his adventure with the African magician. He spent his days in walking about and talking with people with whom he had gotten acquainted. Sometimes he would stop at the shops of the prominent merchants which people of distinction frequented, on business or for a rendezvous, and he would listen to their conversation, by which he gained, little by little, a smattering of knowledge of the world.

When all the money was gone, 'Ala al-Din had recourse to the lamp. He took it in his hand, looked for the spot which his mother had rubbed, and, finding it by the mark the sand had left on it, rubbed it, as she had done, and the demon immediately appeared before him, but since 'Ala al-Din had rubbed the lamp more lighdy, the demon spoke to him with a gentler voice, saying, as before, “What do you wish? Here I am, ready to obey you as your slave and the slave of all those who have the lamp in their hands, I and the other slaves of the lamp.” 'Ala al-Din replied, “I am hungry; bring me some food.” The demon disappeared and, a very short time later, returned, carrying a table service similar to the one he had brought the first time. He put it before the sofa and disappeared instantly.

'Ala al-Din's mother, warned of the plan of her son, had gone out on some errands, on purpose, in order not to be at home when the
demon appeared. When she returned, a little time later, she found the table very well furnished and was as much astonished as before at the prodigious effect of the lamp. 'Ala al-Din and his mother sat down to eat, and after they finished, enough food was left to last them two more days.

As soon as 'Ala al-Din saw that nothing was left in the house, neither bread nor other provisions nor any money to buy them with, he took a silver plate and went to look for the Jew he knew, in order to sell it to him. On his way, he passed by the shop of a goldsmith who was of venerable age, a man of honesty and great probity. When the goldsmith saw him, he called him, invited him into his shop, and said, “Son, I have often seen you go by, loaded as you are now, to meet a certain Jew and come back a short time later, carrying nothing. I assume that you carry something that you sell to him, but perhaps you don't know that the Jew is a cheat, indeed, even more so than all the other Jews, and that none of those who know him wishes to do any business with him. I am telling you this for your own good. If you wish to show me what you are carrying now, and if it is for sale, I will pay you its exact value, if I can afford it. If I cannot, I will direct you to other merchants who will not cheat you.”