🧚 The Story of the Foolish Young Mussulman. · page 2

Towards evening, when the feast was completed, the guests withdrew, and the Boy was left alone with his Bride; and she began asking him what the matter was, and why he had been behaving so strangely during the banquet.72

He was at first too shy to tell her what had happened, but after much coaxing she elicited from him the fact that his right hand was confined in the neck of the copper vessel.73

“Never mind,” said she; “there is a large white stone lying at the foot of the staircase.74 You had better slip down stairs in the dark, and by beating the vessel against the stone you will soon succeed in freeing yourself.”75

The young fellow thought this was a good idea, and he went off quietly down the staircase, until he detected what he thought was a white stone lying near the foot of the steps.76 So, creeping up to it, he raised his arm and brought down the copper vessel with great force upon the white object, shattering the vessel and leaving his hand free.77 But to his horror the stone, instead of being hard, gave way, and a muffled groan issued from it; and on examining the spot, he found that instead of striking a stone, he had delivered a violent blow upon the grey head of his Bride’s father, who, overcome by his potations during the wedding feast, had fallen asleep at the foot of the stairs.78

The young Man was terrified at what he had done, and feeling sure that he must have killed the old man, he decided to flee from the house; so he opened the door and ran off into the night.79 After running for some distance he reached a neighbouring farm, where, as it happened, a large honeycomb had been left lying in the corner of the courtyard.80 The Boy, not knowing what it was, lay down upon this and fell fast asleep, and soon smeared himself all over with honey.81 Later in the night he woke up feeling very cold, and creeping into a shed close by, which was used as a storage for wool, he lay down upon the wool and slept until morning.82

He woke with the first gleam of dawn, and in the early morning light he saw that he was all white and woolly, and in his simplicity he believed that, as a punishment for his wickedness in killing his father-in-law, he had been turned into a sheep.83 So under this impression, he ran out of the courtyard and joined a flock of sheep, which were grazing on a neighbouring hillside.84 He wandered about with the sheep all day, feeling very miserable, and trying to accommodate himself to the manners and customs of his new companions, and when evening came he accompanied them into the fold where they always spent the night.85

About midnight some robbers came to the fold, and getting in amongst the sheep felt about for a good fat heavy one; and finally finding that the Boy was the heaviest of them all, they proceeded to carry him off.86 One of them hoisted him up on to his back, and they carried him along for some distance until they reached the banks of a small stream.87 Here they halted, and, laying him down upon the ground, they began to make preparations for cutting his throat.88 This trial proved rather too much for the nerves of the young Man, and forgetting his rôle of sheep, he called out in a shrill voice:89

“Please don’t kill me, kind robbers.”90

On hearing this the robbers were very much frightened, and ran off as fast as they could; and the Boy, thankful to have escaped from this danger, and being thoroughly worn out by the exertions and exposure of the last twenty-four hours, returned to his Bride’s house.91 There he found that the old man, though sorely hurt, was not dead, and having explained all the circumstances of the case, he was freely forgiven, and taken back into the household.92

After living for some years very happily with his Bride, he thought that he would like to make a little money for himself by trading, so having procured a good stock of merchandise he set off for India, in the hope of making a good profit on his goods.93 On the way he halted one evening at a large house.94 The Landlord received him very hospitably, and made him quite comfortable, and during the conversation which followed their evening meal the Master of the house began telling some very tall stories.95 Some of these stories being rather too wonderful for belief, the young Man bluntly said that he could not believe them.96 Thereupon the Landlord replied:97

“I can prove to you that I am telling the truth by showing you a stranger thing than anything which I have hitherto related.98 I will bet you that when night falls a lantern will be carried into this room by a cat instead of by a servant.”99

The young Man was amused at his Host’s boasting, and he said:100

“Very well, I am prepared to bet you anything you like that this will not happen.”101

“Very good,” said the Landlord.102 “If this does not happen, I will hand you over my house, my merchandise, and everything I possess; but if it does, you will forfeit all your baggage, animals and merchandise to me.”103 And so the bet was arranged.104

Now this was a regular trick of the Landlord’s, who had a tame cat which had been taught to carry in a lantern in her mouth every evening just at dusk, and he was accustomed to practise this deceit upon unwary travellers, and by this means to secure their goods and whatever property they possessed.105

Sure enough, just at dusk a large white cat entered the sitting-room, holding a lighted lantern in its mouth, and the unfortunate young Man was obliged to hand over to his Host everything he possessed in the world; and finding himself without money or goods he decided to stay on in the house as a servant.106

After the lapse of one or two months his Wife grew anxious about him, and knowing that from the infirmity of his mind he was likely to get himself into some scrape or another, she decided to set out herself to see what had become of him.107 So she disguised herself as a man, and taking with her a few ponies laden with wool, she started off to follow in the tracks of her Husband.108

After several days she arrived at the house where her Husband was now employed as a servant, and, meeting him in the courtyard, she learnt from him all that had happened.109 So she bade him hold his tongue, and she herself entered the inn, and asked for a night’s lodging.110 During the evening the Host got talking, and in the course of the conversation he made her the same wager as he had done to her Husband some time before.111

“Well,” said she, “that sounds a very strange story.112 I can scarcely believe it possible you can have a cat so well trained as to be able to carry in a lantern.113 But I will think over what you say to-night, and we will see about making the bet to-morrow morning.”114

Next morning at breakfast she said to her Host:115

“I have thought over what you said to me yesterday, and I am now prepared to make a bet with you that the cat will not carry a lantern into this room at dusk this evening.”116

So the bet was concluded upon the same terms as before, and the Lady privately told her Husband what he was to do.117 So in accordance with the instructions she had given him, he caught three mice, and concealed them in a little box, which he placed in the bosom of his robe.118 When evening approached, the Landlord and the Lady seated themselves in the supper room, waiting to see whether or no the cat would appear as expected, whilst the Husband hid himself in a corner of the courtyard, just outside the door near where the cat was accustomed to pass.119

Just at dusk the cat, carrying the lantern in its mouth, began to cross the courtyard towards the door of the room where it was expected to bring the light, and when about half way across the yard the Husband released one of the mice from the box which he had hidden in his robe.120 The mouse scampered off across the courtyard, and the cat gave a violent start, and was on the point of pursuing it, when its training overcame its natural instincts, and it allowed the mouse to escape.121

It reluctantly continued its way towards the house, and scarcely had it started to go on, when the Husband released a second mouse, which also scampered off right in front of the cat.122 This time it was all the cat could do to refrain from following so tempting an opportunity.123 It paused with great indecision, but again, its training standing it in good stead, it pursued its way towards the house.124

Just as it was reaching the door of the house the third mouse was released.125 This was more than the cat could stand.126 It dropped the lantern upon the threshold, bounded across the courtyard, and seized the mouse just as it was entering its hole.127

Meanwhile the Landlord and the Lady having waited until long after dark, the Landlord was reluctantly obliged to own that he had lost his bet.128 So he handed over to the disguised merchant, not only his own property, but also the merchandise, which he had previously won from her Husband; and the two, carrying their possessions with them, returned to their own home, where they lived happily ever afterwards.129