89-4-2 - The Story of the Hunchback (9 of 21) :
The Story Told by the Jewish Physician-2

On the 28th Night contd ...

I met my uncles in Egypt. They had already sold there merchandise. Seeing me they got very happy and asked me why did I come there? I said - "I had a desire to be with you and feared that my money was not enough." I stayed with them for a year and enjoyed the pleasures of Egypt and the Nile. I left them before they left so they thought that I had gone before them and had come to Damascus, so they also left. But I did not leave Cairo. I stayed there for three years and lost everything except the rent for a year. So I went back to Damascus and came to Kaah. The jeweler became very happy to see me. I found everything at its place where I left it. When I was taking out my clothes I found her golden necklace studded with 10 gems of extraordinary beauty, which she wore on that night. I took it up and wept for a while. I stayed there for two days, then I took bath and went to market. I had no money.

Satan bade me to have money out of that necklace, so I took that necklace to market and gave it to a broker and he put it on sale secretly without my knowledge. The price bidden for it was announced to 2,000 pieces of gold (Deenaars), but he came to me and said - "This necklace is of brass, of the counterfeit of manufacture of the Franks, and its price is about 2,000 pieces of silver (Dirhams)." I said - "Yes, We made it for a woman, just for fun and my wife has inherited it and now we desire to sell it, so go and get 1,000 pieces of silver."

On the 29th Night

When the broker heard this, he got suspicious. He went and gave the necklace to the Chief of the market, who took it to the Valee (police officer) and said to him - "This necklace was stolen from me, and we have found the thief, in the guise of a merchant." 

Before I knew what had happened, the officers had surrounded me and took me to the Valee who questioned me about the necklace. I told him the same story which I told to the broker. He laughed and said - "This is not true." Instantly his people stripped off my clothing and beat me until, because of the beating, I told him that I stole it. Saying it was still better than its owner who was dead in my house. Hearing this they cut off my hand and burned my stump with boiling oil. Then they gave me some wine to drink, I took my hand and came back to my Kaah. But the owner of the Kaah said - "Since you have been convicted for theft, you may look for some other place to live." I asked him a couple of days to move from there. Then I wept and thought about how to return to my own people. The person who cut my hand, did not know that I am innocent, maybe God will bring me some relief.

I got sick for two days. On the third day, suddenly the owner of the Kaah came to me with the Chief of the merchants and some police officers and accused me again of stealing the necklace. They bound my hand behind me and said - "The necklace which was in your possession belonged to the Vazeer of Damascus. It has been missing from his house for the last three years at the same time as his younger daughter." When I heard this, I trembled with fear and I said to myself, "They will kill me. I must tell my story to the Governor and then whatever he wants to do with me, let him do it."

When we arrived at the Governor's place, the Governor asked - "Is this the man who stole the necklace and went to sell it? Certainly you have cut his hand wrongfully." I told him that I was forced to accept the theft of the necklace. Then he ordered to imprison the Chief of the market and to give me the compensation for my hand. They took him away, and I was left alone with the Governor. My chains were loosened and the Governor said to me - "My son, Tell me the story and speak the truth. How did this necklace come into you possession?" So I told him all that happened.

Hearing the story he covered his face and wept. Then he said to me - "The elder girl was my daughter. When she got of marriageable age I sent her to the son of her uncle in Cairo, but he died and she returned to me learning the habits of extravagance from the people of that city. So she visited you three or four times and then she took her younger sister to you. They were sisters from the same mother and loved each other very much. She opened her secret to her younger sister who then asked her permission to go with her. And after which the elder one returned alone. When I asked her about her sister, she wept for her and later told her mother that she had murdered her. That is why your account is true, because I knew this affair before you told me. She also mourned her so much that she died.

Now I request you that you don't say "No" what I am going to suggest you. You marry my youngest daughter. She is from the same mother as they were. She is a virgin and I will ask you no dowry, but will assign you both an allowance and you will be like my own son." "As you desire." He got me a large sum of money from the Chief of the merchants also. He immediately sent somebody to bring the property my father had left for me, and now I am in utmost affluence."

The Jew further said - "I wondered at his story and remained with him for three days. He gave me a large sum of money." The King said - "This story is not more wonderful than the story of the hunchback, so all of you should be hanged and especially the tailor who is the source of all the mischief." But then he said - "O Tailor, If you tell me a story more wonderful than that of the hunchback, I will forgive you all your offences."

So the tailor advanced and started his story ....

Contd on 10th Page