Stories of Arabian Nights -
One thousand one Arabian Nights
The Story of the Blind Baba-Abdalla
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I was born, Commander of the Faithful, in
Bagdad, and was left an orphan while I was yet a very young man, for my parents
died within a few days of each other. I had inherited from them a small fortune,
which I worked hard night and day to increase, till at last I found myself the
owner of eighty camels. These I hired out to travelling merchants, whom I
frequently accompanied on their various journeys, and always returned with large
profits.
One day I was coming back from Balsora, whither I had taken a supply of goods,
intended for India, and halted at noon in a lonely place, which promised rich
pasture for my camels. I was resting in the shade under a tree, when a dervish,
going on foot towards Balsora, sat down by my side, and I inquired whence he had
come and to what place he was going. We soon made friends, and after we had
asked each other the usual questions, we produced the food we had with us, and
satisfied our hunger.
While we were eating, the dervish happened to mention that in a spot only a
little way off from where we were sitting, there was hidden a treasure so great
that if my eighty camels were loaded till they could carry no more, the hiding
place would seem as full as if it had never been touched.
At this news I became almost beside myself with joy and greed, and I flung my
arms round the neck of the dervish, exclaiming: "Good dervish, I see plainly
that the riches of this world are nothing to you, therefore of what use is the
knowledge of this treasure to you? Alone and on foot, you could carry away a
mere handful. But tell me where it is, and I will load my eighty camels with it,
and give you one of them as a token of my gratitude."
Certainly my offer does not sound very magnificent, but it was great to me, for
at his words a wave of covetousness had swept over my heart, and I almost felt
as if the seventy-nine camels that were left were nothing in comparison.
The dervish saw quite well what was passing in my mind, but he did not show what
he thought of my proposal.
"My brother," he answered quietly, "you know as well as I do, that you are
behaving unjustly. It was open to me to keep my secret, and to reserve the
treasure for myself. But the fact that I have told you of its existence shows
that I had confidence in you, and that I hoped to earn your gratitude for ever,
by making your fortune as well as mine. But before I reveal to you the secret of
the treasure, you must swear that, after we have loaded the camels with as much
as they can carry, you will give half to me, and let us go our own ways. I think
you will see that this is fair, for if you present me with forty camels, I on my
side will give you the means of buying a thousand more."
I could not of course deny that what the dervish said was perfectly reasonable,
but, in spite of that, the thought that the dervish would be as rich as I was
unbearable to me. Still there was no use in discussing the matter, and I had to
accept his conditions or bewail to the end of my life the loss of immense
wealth. So I collected my camels and we set out together under the guidance of
the dervish. After walking some time, we reached what looked like a valley, but
with such a narrow entrance that my camels could only pass one by one. The
little valley, or open space, was shut up by two mountains, whose sides were
formed of straight cliffs, which no human being could climb.
When we were exactly between these mountains the dervish stopped.
"Make your camels lie down in this open space," he said, "so that we can easily
load them; then we will go to the treasure."
I did what I was bid, and rejoined the dervish, whom I found trying to kindle a
fire out of some dry wood. As soon as it was alight, he threw on it a handful of
perfumes, and pronounced a few words that I did not understand, and immediately
a thick column of smoke rose high into the air. He separated the smoke into two
columns, and then I saw a rock, which stood like a pillar between the two
mountains, slowly open, and a splendid palace appear within.
But, Commander of the Faithful, the love of gold had taken such possession of my
heart, that I could not even stop to examine the riches, but fell upon the first
pile of gold within my reach and began to heap it into a sack that I had brought
with me.
The dervish likewise set to work, but I soon noticed that he confined himself to
collecting precious stones, and I felt I should be wise to follow his example.
At length the camels were loaded with as much as they could carry, and nothing
remained but to seal up the treasure, and go our ways.
Before, however, this was done, the dervish went up to a great golden vase,
beautifully chased, and took from it a small wooden box, which he hid in the
bosom of his dress, merely saying that it contained a special kind of ointment.
Then he once more kindled the fire, threw on the perfume, and murmured the
unknown spell, and the rock closed, and stood whole as before.
The next thing was to divide the camels, and to charge them with the treasure,
after which we each took command of our own and marched out of the valley, till
we reached the place in the high road where the routes diverge, and then we
parted, the dervish going towards Balsora, and I to Bagdad. We embraced each
other tenderly, and I poured out my gratitude for the honour he had done me, in
singling me out for this great wealth, and having said a hearty farewell we
turned our backs, and hastened after our camels.
I had hardly come up with mine when the demon of envy filled my soul. "What does
a dervish want with riches like that?" I said to myself. "He alone has the
secret of the treasure, and can always get as much as he wants," and I halted my
camels by the roadside, and ran back after him.
I was a quick runner, and it did not take me very long to come up with him. "My
brother," I exclaimed, as soon as I could speak, "almost at the moment of our
leave-taking, a reflection occurred to me, which is perhaps new to you. You are
a dervish by profession, and live a very quiet life, only caring to do good, and
careless of the things of this world. You do not realise the burden that you lay
upon yourself, when you gather into your hands such great wealth, besides the
fact that no one, who is not accustomed to camels from his birth, can ever
manage the stubborn beasts. If you are wise, you will not encumber yourself with
more than thirty, and you will find those trouble enough."
"You are right," replied the dervish, who understood me quite well, but did not
wish to fight the matter. "I confess I had not thought about it. Choose any ten
you like, and drive them before you."
I selected ten of the best camels, and we proceeded along the road, to rejoin
those I had left behind. I had got what I wanted, but I had found the dervish so
easy to deal with, that I rather regretted I had not asked for ten more. I
looked back. He had only gone a few paces, and I called after him.
"My brother," I said, "I am unwilling to part from you without pointing out what
I think you scarcely grasp, that large experience of camel-driving is necessary
to anybody who intends to keep together a troop of thirty. In your own interest,
I feel sure you would be much happier if you entrusted ten more of them to me,
for with my practice it is all one to me if I take two or a hundred."
As before, the dervish made no difficulties, and I drove off my ten camels in
triumph, only leaving him with twenty for his share. I had now sixty, and anyone
might have imagined that I should be content.
But, Commander of the Faithful, there is a proverb that says, "the more one has,
the more one wants." So it was with me. I could not rest as long as one solitary
camel remained to the dervish; and returning to him I redoubled my prayers and
embraces, and promises of eternal gratitude, till the last twenty were in my
hands.
"Make a good use of them, my brother," said the holy man. "Remember riches
sometimes have wings if we keep them for ourselves, and the poor are at our
gates expressly that we may help them."
My eyes were so blinded by gold, that I paid no heed to his wise counsel, and
only looked about for something else to grasp. Suddenly I remembered the little
box of ointment that the dervish had hidden, and which most likely contained a
treasure more precious than all the rest. Giving him one last embrace, I
observed accidentally, "What are you going to do with that little box of
ointment? It seems hardly worth taking with you; you might as well let me have
it. And really, a dervish who has given up the world has no need of ointment!"
Oh, if he had only refused my request! But then, supposing he had, I should have
got possession of it by force, so great was the madness that had laid hold upon
me. However, far from refusing it, the dervish at once held it out, saying
gracefully, "Take it, my friend, and if there is anything else I can do to make
you happy you must let me know."
Directly the box was in my hands I wrenched off the cover. "As you are so kind,"
I said, "tell me, I pray you, what are the virtues of this ointment?"
"They are most curious and interesting," replied the dervish. "If you apply a
little of it to your left eye you will behold in an instant all the treasures
hidden in the bowels of the earth. But beware lest you touch your right eye with
it, or your sight will be destroyed for ever."
His words excited my curiosity to the highest pitch. "Make trial on me, I
implore you," I cried, holding out the box to the dervish. "You will know how to
do it better than I! I am burning with impatience to test its charms."
The dervish took the box I had extended to him, and, bidding me shut my left
eye, touched it gently with the ointment. When I opened it again I saw spread
out, as it were before me, treasures of every kind and without number. But as
all this time I had been obliged to keep my right eye closed, which was very
fatiguing, I begged the dervish to apply the ointment to that eye also.
"If you insist upon it I will do it," answered the dervish, "but you must
remember what I told you just now--that if it touches your right eye you will
become blind on the spot."
Unluckily, in spite of my having proved the truth of the dervish's words in so
many instances, I was firmly convinced that he was now keeping concealed from me
some hidden and precious virtue of the ointment. So I turned a deaf ear to all
he said.
"My brother," I replied smiling, "I see you are joking. It is not natural that
the same ointment should have two such exactly opposite effects."
"It is true all the same," answered the dervish, "and it would be well for you
if you believed my word."
But I would not believe, and, dazzled by the greed of avarice, I thought that if
one eye could show me riches, the other might teach me how to get possession of
them. And I continued to press the dervish to anoint my right eye, but this he
resolutely declined to do.
"After having conferred such benefits on you," said he, "I am loth indeed to
work you such evil. Think what it is to be blind, and do not force me to do what
you will repent as long as you live."
It was of no use. "My brother," I said firmly, "pray say no more, but do what I
ask. You have most generously responded to my wishes up to this time, da not
spoil my recollection of you for a thing of such little consequence. Let what
will happen I take it on my own head, and will never reproach you."
"Since you are determined upon it," he answered with a sigh, "there is no use
talking," and taking the ointment he laid some on my right eye, which was tight
shut. When I tried to open it heavy clouds of darkness floated before me. I was
as blind as you see me now!
"Miserable dervish!" I shrieked, "so it is true after all! Into what a
bottomless pit has my lust after gold plunged me. Ah, now that my eyes are
closed they are really opened. I know that all my sufferings are caused by
myself alone! But, good brother, you, who are so kind and charitable, and know
the secrets of such vast learning, have you nothing that will give me back my
sight?"
"Unhappy man," replied the dervish, "it is not my fault that this has befallen
you, but it is a just chastisement. The blindness of your heart has wrought the
blindness of your body. Yes, I have secrets; that you have seen in the short
time that we have known each other. But I have none that will give you back your
sight. You have proved yourself unworthy of the riches that were given you. Now
they have passed into my hands, whence they will flow into the hands of others
less greedy and ungrateful than you."
The dervish said no more and left me, speechless with shame and confusion, and
so wretched that I stood rooted to the spot, while he collected the eighty
camels and proceeded on his way to Balsora. It was in vain that I entreated him
not to leave me, but at least to take me within reach of the first passing
caravan. He was deaf to my prayers and cries, and I should soon have been dead
of hunger and misery if some merchants had not come along the track the
following day and kindly brought me back to Bagdad.
From a rich man I had in one moment become a beggar; and up to this time I have
lived solely on the alms that have been bestowed on me. But, in order to expiate
the sin of avarice, which was my undoing, I oblige each passer-by to give me a
blow.
This, Commander of the Faithful, is my story.
When the blind man had ended the Caliph addressed him: "Baba-Abdalla, truly your
sin is great, but you have suffered enough. Henceforth repent in private, for I
will see that enough money is given you day by day for all your wants."
At these words Baba-Abdalla flung himself at the Caliph's feet, and prayed that
honour and happiness might be his portion for ever.
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