Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 5.djvu/43

fine young Man, which you have heard. You are, however, Witneſs of his Ingratitude, and of the injurious Manner in which he treated me inſtead of teſtifying his Acknowledgment, he rather choſe to fly from me, and to leave his own Country. When I underſtood that he was not at Bagdad, though nobody could tell me truly whither he was gone, yet I did not forbear to go and ſeek him. I travell’d from Province to Province a long time, and when I had given over all Hopes, I met him next Day, but I did not think to find him ſo incenſed againſt me.

Scheherazade perceiving Day, broke off here, and continued her Diſcourſe next Night, thus.

SIR, the Taylor made an end of telling the Sultan of Caſgar the Hiſtory of the lame young Man, and the Barber of Bagdad, after that manner, I had the Honour to tell your Majeſty. When the Barber, continued ſhe, had finſhed his Story, we found that the young Man was not to blame for calling him a great Prattler. However, we were pleaſed that he would ſtay with us, and partake of the Treat which the Maſter of the Houſe had prepared for us. We ſat down to the Table, and were merry together til Afternoon Prayers; then all the Company parted, and I went to my Shop, ’till it was Time for me to return Home.

It was during this Interval that Hump-back came half drunk before my Shop, where he ſung and taper’d. I thought that by carrying him Home with me, I ſhould divert my Wife, therefore I brought him along: My Wife gave us a Diſh of Fiſh, and I preſented Hump-back with ſome; which he eat without taking notice of a Bone. He fell down Dead before us, and having in vain eſſay’d to help him, in the Trouble occaſion’d us by ſuch an unlucky Accident, and in the Fear it occaſion’d to us, we carry’d the Corps out, and dextrouſly lodg’d him with the Jewiſh Doctor; the Jewiſh Doctor put him into the Chamber of the Purveyor, and the Purveyor carry’d him forth into the Street, where it was believ’d the Merchant had kill’d him. This, Sir, adds the Taylor is what I had to ſay, to