Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers 12 – Anonymous · Library Across
Literature · Short Stories
Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers 12The Seven Sleepers (part 4)
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Literature · Short Stories
Eastern Tales by Many Story Tellers 12
The Seven Sleepers (part 4)
AnonymousEnglish
Ahubal was encouraged by the words of Ollomand; and the enchanter, having opened his design to the Prince, invited him to behold the riches of his castle.
Passing through the hall of bones, they descended into a square court, much more spacious than the former, in the middle of which appeared a deep and dark pit. This court contained four hundred massive gates of brass, and each gate was supported by nine enormous hinges of the same metal.
As Ollomand the enchanter entered this court, with the Prince Ahubal in his hand, he lifted up his voice, which echoed like thunder amidst the lofty turrets of the castle, and commanded his slaves to expose to the sight of Ahubal the treasures of their master.
The Prince Ahubal, who had seen no creature but the dwarf and the enchanter in the castle, wondered whence the slaves would come; but his wonder was shortly turned into fear when he beheld a gigantic black, with a club of ebony forty feet in length, arise out of the pit which was in the centre of the court.
But his horrors were increased when he perceived a succession of the same gigantic monsters following one another out of the pit, and advancing to the four hundred brazen gates, till every gate had a slave standing before it.
When Ollomand saw his slaves were all prepared before the gates, he bade them strike with their clubs of ebony against them.
The black slaves, in obedience to the enchanter's orders, lifted up their ponderous clubs of ebony, and struck against the four hundred gates, which jarred so much with the blows of the slaves that Ahubal was forced to stop his ears, and was ready to sink into the earth with astonishment and dread.
As soon as the black slaves of Ollomand had struck the four hundred gates of brass, the gates began to move, and the harsh creaking of the hinges sent forth a noise which alone had chilled the hearts of all the armies of Misnar, could they have heard them.
Ahubal then, lifting up his head, looked around the court, and saw the four hundred gates were opened. In those to the right were millions of wedges of gold and silver, piled beneath craggy arches of huge unchiselled stone. Opposite to these he beheld a hundred vaulted roofs, under which were sacks and bags of the gold and silver coin of many nations.
Before him another hundred gates exposed to his view the arms and warlike accoutrements of ten thousand nations, and all the instruments of death which the inventive malice of man had ever devised.
Ahubal, who understood but little of these instruments, was amazed at their construction, and asked for what purposes they were formed.
"These," said Ollomand, "are the arms of Europe, a part of the earth filled with industrious robbers, whose minds are hourly on the stretch to invent new plagues to torment each other. Of these mortals many are settled on the sea-coasts of our southern provinces, whom I shall persuade through the instigation of that god whom they worship, to join the forces of Ahubal."
"Hast thou, then, mighty enchanter," answered the Prince Ahubal, "the gods of Europe in thy power?"
"The Europeans," said Ollomand, "acknowledge one God, who, they pretend, doth inhabit the heavens, but whom we find buried in the entrails of the earth: gold, O Prince, is their god, for whose sake they will undertake the most daring enterprises, and forsake the best of friends. To these shalt thou send presents, and future promises of wealth; and, by their machinations, fear not but Misnar shall yield to thy superior address."
"What need of the arms or the persons of Europeans," answered the Prince Ahubal, "while my friend has an army of such gigantic slaves, ten of whom are more than sufficient to destroy the puny armies of my brother the Sultan?"
"Alas!" said Ollomand, "the slaves of enchantment cannot fight against the sons of the Faithful. Though we deny Mahomet, and will not adore him, yet we cannot control a power that must overrule us. As Misnar's troops are in possession of the country, we will transport ourselves to Orixa in the disguise of merchants, and there endeavour to forward the destruction of Misnar, the tame Sultan of the East."
As Ollomand spake these words he stamped with his feet, and a chariot, drawn by four dragons, arose from the pit in the centre of the court, which Ahubal and the enchanter ascended, and were conveyed in a dark cloud to the woods behind the city of Orixa.
When Ollomand's chariot alighted on the ground, he touched the dragons with his wand, and they became four camels laden with merchandise, and the chariot was converted into an elephant. Ahubal became like a merchant, and the enchanter appeared as a black slave.
They entered the town in the evening, and the next morning exposed their goods in the market-place.
The bales of Ahubal, the sham merchant, being opened, were found to contain chiefly materials for clothing the officers of the army.
The troops of Misnar, hearing this, were his chief customers; and as Ahubal sold his wares very cheap, he soon got acquainted with all the officers at Orixa.
In all his conversations with them, the enchanter had directed Ahubal to lament the small salaries which the army were allowed: this was a subject all agreed in, and soon led to more lucrative offers, if they would embrace the cause of Ahubal. The officers, who were, for the most part, soldiers for the sake of pay and plunder, rather than duty and honour, soon came into the sham merchant's proposal; and in ten days Ahubal found himself in a condition to recover the province of Orixa.
The young Prince, fired with his success, was about to discover himself; but the enchanter checked his ardour, and besought him to consider how many more provinces must be gained before he could make head against his brother. The advice of Ollomand prevailed with the Prince; and they sent some of those officers who were strongest in their interest into the different provinces of the south to corrupt the minds of the commanders.
As there was no want of money and bribery, so an easier conquest was made over the loyalty of the troops than could have been made over their prowess by the sword.
In a few moons all the southern provinces were ripe for a revolt, and the troops who were sent to overawe them were most desirous of opening the campaign against their Sultan. Two hundred French engineers were also invited, by large rewards, to join the armies of Ahubal; and the troops were supplied by the vigilance of the enchanter Ollomand.
On a fixed day all the armies of the provinces were in motion, and all unfurled the standard of Ahubal; the provinces were invited to rebel, and thousands were daily added to the troops of the Prince. Tidings of these alterations were sent to Delhi by the few friends of the Sultan who remained in those parts, and Horam the Vizier laid before his master the dreadful news of a general revolt both of his troops and provinces in the south.
"The enemies of Misnar," said the Sultan, as the Vizier Horam ended his report, "are many, and one only is his friend!"
Horam bowed low at his master's words.
"Faithful Horam," said the Sultan, "I honour and esteem thee; but think not I prefer my Vizier to my God: no, Horam, Allah alone is the friend of Misnar; a friend more mighty than the armies of Ahubal, or the sorceries of the enchanters."
Misnar then assembled his troops; and putting himself at their head, he marched by easy stages towards the southern frontiers of his dominions.
The armies of Ahubal continued to increase, and Cambaya acknowledged him for its Sultan. In a short time he arrived with his forces at Narvar, and encamped within seven leagues of the army of Misnar the Sultan.
Ollomand the enchanter, notwithstanding Ahubal had thrown off the disguise of a merchant, still attended him as a black slave, being always about his person, till the freedom which the Prince allowed him was resented by the officers of his army. This the enchanter perceived; and therefore he desired Ahubal would grant him five thousand of his troops, and the European engineers, that he might advance before the main army, and signalize himself by a blow which he meditated to give the enemy.
The counsel of Ollomand was never opposed by Ahubal; the Prince commanded the troops to attend Ollomand, and be subject unto him.
The enchanter then marched with his selected troops into a thick wood, which the army of Misnar must pass through ere they could oppose their enemies; and in this wood the engines of European war were placed, to command every avenue which had been hewn out by the troops of the Sultan.
Ollomand, marching by night, surprised all the advanced guards of the Sultan, and possessed himself of the wood, where he placed the European engineers, before the sun could penetrate through the branches of the forest of Narvar.
This enterprise would have ruined all the hopes of the Sultan, who proposed to march his army through the next day, if the Europeans had continued faithful to Ahubal and his party; but one, favoured by the darkness of the night, escaped, and betrayed the whole design to the Sultan.
Misnar was no sooner apprised of the enchanter's contrivance than he ordered certain of his troops to climb over the mountains to the right of the wood, and if possible gain the opposite side, and there, in several parts, set the wood on fire. This was so successfully executed by the soldiers, that, as soon as Ollomand was possessed of the wood, he perceived it was on fire, and had made a separation between him and the army of Ahubal.
In this distress, the enchanter resolved to dispose of his troops and engineers in the most advantageous manner, proposing in his mind to secure his own retreat by the power of enchantment. But while the subtle enchanter was directing his engineers in the rear to bring up the fell engines of war, one of the cannon which was left in the wood (the flames having obliged those who belonged to it to retreat), being made hot by the raging fires among the trees, discharged its contents, and a ball striking the enchanter, carried with it the head of Ollomand toward the camp of the Sultan.
This occurrence threw the troops in the wood into the utmost confusion, and many fled to the Sultan's camp, declaring the loss of their leader, and the rest resolved rather to submit than perish by fire or sword.
The flames of the wood, which rose between the armies of Misnar and Ahubal, soon disturbed the peace of the rebel Prince. At first, indeed, he hoped Ollomand had enclosed his brother's troops, and was consuming them by his fires. But no dispatch arriving from his friend, Ahubal was filled with just fears, which were greatly increased, as, in a few days, the fire decreasing, and having opened a passage through the wood, he was informed by his spies that the armies of Misnar were approaching.
The Prince Ahubal, having lost his friend the enchanter, was fearful of the event, and wished to fly; but his generals, being rebels, and fearing their fate if they should be taken, resolved to conquer or die; so that Ahubal was constrained against his will to put his army in a state of defence.
The Sultan, supposing his brother's army would be disheartened at the loss of the enchanter, was desirous of giving them battle before they had recovered from their consternation, and therefore led on his troops with great impetuosity toward the front of the rebel army, while the Vizier Horam, covered by the main body of Misnar's forces, used his utmost endeavours to gain the right flank of the enemy.
And now the adverse elephants made the sandy plains shake as they advanced, and from the turrets on their backs ten thousand hostile arrows were discharged. The loud hollow cymbals sounded the alarm. The troops of the Sultan advanced with confidence, and the rebellious supporters of Ahubal rushed forward with resolute despair. Innumerable scimitars blazed fearfully over the heads of the warlike. The feet of the elephants were stained with the blood of the slain. But the troops of Misnar were flushed with hope, and fear and dismay were in the paths of Ahubal. The Prince himself, in confusion, sounded the retreat; and the backs of his troops were already exposed to the darts of the Sultan, when the swarthy enchanter Tasnar appeared aloft, seated on a rapacious vulture.
"Base cowards!" exclaimed he, as he hovered in the air, "turn again, and fear not while Tasnar is your friend. The troops of the Sultan are exhausted and fatigued, and you are flying from those who are destined for your prey. Are, then, the riches of Delhi to be so easily resigned, and your tedious marches over the deserts to be foiled by a moment's fear? Even now is India offered as the reward of your toils, and you prefer shame and ignominy to glory and honour!"
The troops of Ahubal hearing these words, and being encouraged by a sight so wonderful, for a time stood still, irresolute what to do; till Tasnar, alighting on the ground, and seizing a javelin, bade the brave support and defend the avenger of their wrongs.
The Sultan's army, finding their enemies retreat, had followed them in a tumultuous manner, and were therefore less able to resist the enchanter Tasnar and those who supported him. And they would have experienced the truth of the enchanter's assertion, had not the Vizier Horam, perceiving their resistance, hastened with a few chosen troops to the rescue of his friends.
The battle, though not so general as before, was yet much fiercer; and Tasnar and Horam met face to face. The Vizier aimed in vain his scimitar at the head of the enchanter, and Tasnar found a superior arm withhold him when he attempted to demolish the faithful Vizier. But this prevented not the general slaughter that ensued; till night, which recruits the wasted strength of man, divided the armies of Misnar and Ahubal.
After the retreat of the two contending armies, the Vizier Horam attended the Sultan in the royal pavilion, and informed him of the descent of the enchanter Tasnar, and his prowess in the field.
"Alas!" answered Misnar, "it is in vain, O Horam, that the sword is uplifted against the power of enchantment, so long as these magicians are prepared against our attacks: we must surprise them, or we cannot prevail. Tasnar is joined to my faithless brother Ahubal; but there is in my camp, doubtless, some trusty slave, who will penetrate into the camp of Ahubal, and destroy this enchanter while he sleeps in security; and Horam my Vizier must find that slave."
Horam bowed, and went out from the presence of the Sultan in great distress of heart. "Where," said he to himself, "can the mighty find a trusty friend? or what slave will be faithful to that master who has robbed him of his liberty? Better had I perished by the hand of Tasnar, than be betrayed through the wickedness of my servants!"
The Vizier, doubtful where to apply or whom to trust, returned to his tent; where he found an old female slave, who waited to deliver a message from his seraglio, which was kept in a tent adjoining to his own.
Horam, not regarding her presence, threw himself on his sofa, and there bemoaned his fate in being commanded to find a trusty slave.
The female slave, who saw her master's tears, cast herself at his feet, and called Allah to witness that she had always served him faithfully, and was ready to sacrifice her life for his pleasure.
Horam was rather more distressed than alleviated by her protestations. "What art thou?" said he to her, sternly--"a poor decrepit woman! and canst thou go forth and combat the enchantments of Tasnar, the enemy of thy master's peace?"
"The locust and the worm," said the female slave, "are the instruments of Allah's vengeance on the mighty ones of the earth; and Mahomet can make even my weakness subservient to the cause of my lord."
"And how wilt thou prevail against Ahubal the Prince and Tasnar the magician?" said Horam, careless of what he spoke.
"I will go," answered she, "into the camp of Ahubal, and engage to poison my master the Vizier, and Misnar the lord of our lives, as I stand before them to minister unto them the pleasing draught. And while Tasnar is intently hearing my proposals, the steel of death shall suddenly search out the vile enchanter's heart."
"But knowest thou not," said Horam, "that death will be the consequence of this rash deed?"
"My lord," answered the slave, "I was, when young, bred up in the caves of Denraddin, and was taught by a sage to know what should happen to me in future times; and the sage read in the stars of heaven, that by my means should the Sultan of India be delivered from the enemy that oppressed him."
The Vizier rejoiced at the assurances of his female slave, and bade her immediately prepare herself to appear before the Sultan.
The slave, having put on her veil, followed the Vizier Horam, and was introduced to the tent of Misnar.
"What!" said the Sultan, as he saw his Vizier enter with the female slave, "what new kind of warrior has Horam brought me?"
"Light of mine eyes!" answered the Vizier, "behold a woman who is desirous of executing thy commands. This slave assures me that the sages of the caves of Denraddin have read in the stars of heaven that by her means the Sultan of India should be delivered from the enemy that oppressed him."
"Then," said the Sultan, "let her go; and may the Prophet of the Faithful guide her footsteps in safety and security! I am assured that Horam would not consent to an enterprise that was foolish and weak; and to his direction I leave the fate of this trusty female."
The slave then fell prostrate, and besought the Sultan to give her some of his writings and mandates, that she might pretend she had stolen them from his tent, with a design to carry and lay them at the feet of Tasnar and Ahubal.
The Sultan approved of her scheme, and ordered several mandates to be written and signed relative to the motions of his army the next day, which were quite contrary to the real disposition he intended to give out.
The female slave being furnished with these, and being conducted by the Vizier to the outskirts of the Sultan's army, walked forward till she was challenged by the sentinels of Ahubal, who seized upon and carried her to their commander.
The commander, fearful of deceit, first satisfied himself that she was really a female slave, and then asked her what brought her alone out of the camp of the Sultan.
"Bring me," said she, "before your Prince; for I have things to deliver up to him that will be of service to his army."
The commander then sent her with the guard to the pavilion of Ahubal, where that Prince and the enchanter Tasnar were consulting in private together.
As soon as the female slave had gained admittance, she fell prostrate at the feet of Ahubal, which Tasnar observing, commanded the guards to seize her.
"Let us see," said the enchanter, "what service this slave can do us, before she is trusted so near our persons."
The female slave, being secured by the guards, was doubtful how to behave.
"Have you, base slave," said the enchanter, "aught to reveal to us? or are you sent as a spy to betray the counsels of the brave?"
"I have," said the female slave (somewhat recovered from her surprise), "papers and mandates of great consequence, which I have stolen from the tent of the Sultan; and I bring them to the Prince Ahubal, the lord of all the hearts of the Indian empire."
She then produced her mandates, and the guards laid them at the feet of Ahubal.
The Prince Ahubal, having read the papers, gave them to Tasnar, saying, "These are indeed valuable acquisitions, and the female slave that brought them is worthy of high honour and reward."
The slave, hearing this encomium, bowed down her head; for the guards who held her prevented her falling prostrate.
"Mighty son of Dabulcombar," said the enchanter, "let the guards carry her forth, till we consult what reward she shall receive."
As soon as the female slave was carried out, "My Prince," said Tasnar, "it is indeed politic to give rewards to those who serve us; and therefore it is sometimes necessary to do it, that the silly birds may be the more surely entangled in the snares of State; but when we can better serve our ends by their destruction than by their safety, it is but just that we should do so. This slave has already risked her life for our service, and therefore she will no doubt be ready to lay it down if we require it."
As the enchanter said this, he called one of the guards, and commanded him to bring in the female slave and the bow-string.
The slave approached, still held by the guards.
"Kind slave," said the enchanter, "you have already served us much; there is one thing more that we require: let the slaves fit the bow-string to thy neck, and let thy last breath be sent forth in praise of thy lord Ahubal."
The slaves of Ahubal then put upon the wretched female the deadly bow-string, and strangled her instantly; after which they retired, leaving her dead body on the floor of the tent.
"What hast thou done, O Tasnar?" said Ahubal, astonished at the deed.
"I suspect," said the enchanter, "that this female was sent on a vile errand; and see, here," continued he, searching her garments, "is the weapon of death!"
So saying, he drew a dagger from her bosom, which she had concealed with a design of stabbing the enchanter.
"Prudent Tasnar," said the Prince, "I admire thy foresight; but of what use is this murdered slave now to us?"
"The disguise of this slave," answered the enchanter, "will introduce me into the camp of the Sultan, and, I hope, will give me an opportunity of reaching his heart with that steel which he designed for mine. But no time must be lost: the morning will, ere long, disclose its grey light in the east."
Thus it is that deceit often leads into danger, and recoils upon itself.
The enchanter then put on the garments of the murdered female slave, and stroking his face, it became like hers, so that Ahubal could scarcely believe but the slave was revived. He also cut off the head of the female slave, and, anointing it with a white ointment, it resembled his own. Thus equipped, the commander of the advanced guard conducted him to the foremost sentinels of the rebel army. The disguised enchanter soon reached the camp of the Sultan; and the sentinels, imagining it was the same female slave whom Horam had led through their ranks in the former part of the night, suffered him to pass unexamined.
In a short time he reached the royal pavilion, and demanded admittance. The Vizier Horam, who was there in waiting, heard, as he supposed, the voice of his female slave, and went out to bring her before the Sultan.
"My slave," said Horam, as he saw the disguised enchanter, "hast thou succeeded? and is Tasnar, the foe of the Faithful, dead?"
"Bring me before the Sultan," said the pretended slave, "that my lord may first behold the head of his foe."
The Vizier then led the disguised enchanter into the pavilion, where the Sultan Misnar, being warned of her coming, was seated on his throne.
As the enchanter approached, he held a dagger in one hand, which was covered by a long sleeve, and in the other he bore the fictitious head. And now the pretended female was about to ascend the steps of the throne, when the Vizier commanded her first to fall prostrate before the Sultan.
The sham slave did as she was ordered; and the Vizier, seeing her prostrate, fell upon her, and slew her with his sabre.
"What hast thou done, wretched Vizier?" said the Sultan. "Has envy thus rashly stirred thee up against my faithful slave, that----"
The Sultan would probably have continued his invective against his Vizier much longer, had he not beheld the corpse of the dead enchanter change its appearance, and found that Horam, by the sudden destruction of Tasnar, had but just preserved his own life.
At the sight of this transformation, Misnar descended from his throne, and closely embraced his Vizier Horam.
"O Horam, forgive my impetuous temper!" said the Sultan: "how have I blamed my friend for doing that which alone could have saved my life! But by what means did my faithful Vizier become acquainted with the disguise of this wicked enchanter, or how did he discover himself to thy watchful eye?"
"Lord of my heart," answered Horam, "when I carried my poor female slave through the camp (whose death we have unhappily caused by our fraud), I bade her, when she returned and saw me, first repeat these words in my ear: 'Allah is Lord of heaven, Mahomet is His Prophet, and Misnar is His vicegerent upon earth.' And this precaution I took, fearful less Tasnar, discovering our design, should invent this method of revenge. Wherefore, when the pretended slave was brought before me, and she repeated not the words that I had taught her, I was assured that it was the enchanter in disguise, and waited till, by prostrating himself before my lord, he gave me an opportunity of destroying the life of the chief of thine enemies."
The Sultan of India again embraced his faithful Vizier; and as soon as the eye of morn was opened in the east, the armies of Ahubal beheld the enchanter Tasnar's head fixed on a pole in the front of the Sultan's army.
The Prince Ahubal, rising with the earliest dawn of the morning, went forward to the front of his troops, and there, at a small distance, saw the hideous features of the enchanter Tasnar already blackening in the sun. Fear immediately took possession of his soul; and he ran, with tears in his eyes, and hid himself, till the sun went down, in his pavilion.
The Vizier Horam, perceiving the approach of the sun, would have led on the Sultan's troops to a second attack; but Misnar commanded him to forbear, that his army might rest one day after their fatigues.
The great distress of the enchanters, and their unexpected deaths, alarmed the rest of that wicked race; and Ahaback and Desra, seeing that no one enchanter had succeeded against the Sultan, resolved to join their forces; and while one led a powerful army to Ahubal's assistance from the east, the other raised the storms of war and rebellion on the western confines of the Sultan's empire.
In the meantime, the two armies of the Sultan and Ahubal continued inactive, till an express arrived that Ahaback was leading the strength of nine thousand squadrons against their Sultan, and that Desra was travelling over the plains of Embracan, with three thousand elephants and a hundred thousand troops from the western provinces.
The Sultan instantly resolved to attack Ahubal before these succours could arrive; but the Vizier Horam fell at his feet, and besought him not to hazard his army, but rather to recruit and strengthen it.
This advice, though quite contrary to the opinion of Misnar, was yet so strongly urged by the Vizier, that the Sultan gave up his better judgment to the opinion of Horam; and, when every one expected to be called forth to action, the Vizier gave orders in the camp for recruits to be sought after, and went himself to the north of Delhi to raise a second army for his master's service.
The troops of Ahubal, finding themselves free from the attacks of the Sultan's army, endeavoured to comfort their Prince, who was grieved and dejected at the loss of his friends; and the provinces of the south, to dissipate his gloom, besought him to permit them to raise a pavilion worthy of his dignity, as heretofore he contented himself with such as his generals made use of.
The Prince Ahubal, who by nature was not formed for war or contest, but only stirred up by the enchanters to be their tool against the Sultan his brother, was easily persuaded to accept of the offers of his troops, and a hundred curious artisans were set to work to contrive and erect a sumptuous pavilion for the use of the Prince.
To these workmen, all the provinces who acknowledged the authority of Ahubal sent diamonds and jewels, and rich silks, and all the costly materials of the world, to finish the splendid pavilion which they purposed to raise for their Prince.
While the sumptuous tent was raising, the squadrons of Ahaback drew nearer and nearer, and the elephants of Desra were within thirty days of the camp of Ahubal.
The Vizier Horam, having returned with his reinforcements, waited on the Sultan, and besought him to trust the management of his army to him for forty days.
"Horam," said the Sultan, "I have such confidence in thy sense and loyalty, that I grant thy request."
The Vizier, having obtained his end, sent a messenger to Ahubal, and desired a forty-days' truce between the armies, to which the Prince readily agreed. In a few hours the truce was proclaimed in the Sultan's camp; and when Misnar hoped that his Vizier would have attacked the rebel army with a force more than double their number, he heard the trumpets sound a truce in the tents.
Such a behaviour, so contrary to reason, alarmed the Sultan, and he sent for the Vizier Horam, and demanded his reasons for making a truce with his enemies.
"My lord," answered Horam, "I have heard that the southern provinces are erecting a pavilion for your rebel brother Ahubal, which in splendour and magnificence is to surpass all the glories of thy palace at Delhi; and being convinced that thy subjects are led more by show and appearance than by duty and honour, I feared that Ahubal's glorious pavilion might draw the neighbouring cities into his encampment, and thereby strengthen his army, and weaken the resources of my Prince. For this reason I besought my lord to give me the command of his army for forty days, in which time I propose to build thee such a pavilion as shall far outshine in splendour every glory upon earth."
"Horam," answered the Sultan, "I have put all things into thine hands; but let me beseech thee to be careful of thy master."
The Vizier Horam, leaving the Sultan, sent to Delhi for workmen and artificers; and, ordering a large spot to be enclosed, that none might behold his pavilion till it was completed, he proceeded with the work with great care and assiduity.
While these works of peace, rather than of war, were carrying on in the two armies of Misnar and Ahubal, the reinforcements of Ahaback and Desra arrived; and the captains in the Sultan's army, hearing of the great addition which was made to the rebel army, while the Vizier was spending his time with his curious workmen, petitioned the Sultan that one might be put over them who loved war rather than the amusements of females and children.
The Sultan, who thought, with his captains, that Horam was rather betraying than forwarding his cause, commanded the Vizier to be brought before him, and, in the presence of the captains, asked him why he delayed to lead his troops against the rebel army.
The Vizier Horam made no answer to the Sultan's question, but desired his lord to bring the captains towards the pavilion which he had erected.
As soon as the Sultan appeared before the enclosure, several slaves behind were employed to remove it, so that in an instant Misnar and his captains beheld the most magnificent spectacle that art could achieve.
The sight of the pavilion was highly acceptable to the army of the Sultan; but the captains justly condemned a performance which had, without cause, wasted the greatest part of the coffers of India.
The pavilion was situated at one extremity of the Sultan's army, at a small distance from a rocky mountain, and surrounded by a grove of palm-trees, part of which had been cut down by the Vizier's order, to admit the air and light among the rest. It was composed of crimson velvet, embroidered round with flowers and festoons of silver and gold; and in the body was worked, in golden tissue, the deaths of the enchanters Ulin, Happuck, Ollomand, and Tasnar.
The pavilion stood upon a carpet or cloth of gold, and within was supported by four massive pillars of burnished gold; the ceiling of the canopy within was studded with jewels and diamonds, and under it were placed two sofas of the richest workmanship.
The Sultan, though much averse to such pageantry, was yet persuaded by his Vizier to sleep in his new pavilion; and the glorious appearance which it made brought thousands to view the magnificent abode of their Sultan.
The account of this splendid tent soon reached Ahubal's army, and every one extolled the glorious pavilion: so that Ahubal's tent seemed as nothing in comparison with the Sultan's.
Ahaback and Desra, who were in the Prince's pavilion, hearing the account, resolved to go invisibly and examine it; and leaving the Prince, and putting each a ring on his fingers, they passed the sentinels and watches of both armies.
But if the sight of the pavilion filled them with malice and envy, the histories of their brethren's deaths increased that malice, and urged them to revenge. They returned hastily to Ahubal's pavilion, and related to him what they had seen.
Ahubal's heart rankled at their account, and his visage fell, to hear how much his brother had outdone him in magnificence.
"Get me a tent more splendid than the Sultan's," said he to the enchanters, "or disband your armies, and leave me to my fate."
"My Prince," answered Ahaback, "let not such a trifle discompose you. It is true, we could in a moment erect a pavilion more magnificent than the Sultan's; but it will be more glorious to dispossess him of that which he has built, and to set my Prince upon the throne of his father: for which purpose let the trumpet sound on the morrow,--the truce is at an end, and if it were not, we mean not to keep faith with an usurper,--and ere the Sultan be prepared, let us fall upon him. Who knows but we may sleep to-morrow night in this pavilion which now causes uneasiness?"
The counsel of Ahaback pleased both Desra and Ahubal; and they gave orders for the troops to march in the morning, and attack the army of the Sultan.
The forces of Misnar were sleeping in their tents when the alarm was spread that the enemy was upon them. The Vizier Horam arose in haste, and put himself at the head of the army; but, instead of leading them towards their enemies, he fled off to the right with the choicest of the troops, and taking possession of a pass in the mountains behind the pavilion, sent a messenger to inform the Sultan that he had secured him a retreat, in case the armies of Ahubal should conquer.
The Sultan, being at the extremity of his army, knew not of the confused attack till it was too late to redeem his lost opportunity. He collected his scattered troops, and led them towards the enemy, at the same time sending a message to Horam to leave the mountains and support him.
The captains and officers that followed Misnar behaved with great resolution and intrepidity, and the Sultan exposed himself frequently to the darts and missile weapons of his enemies, till, overpowered by numbers, and his own troops on all sides giving way, through the confusion which prevailed, he was forced to make to the mountains, where his Vizier still continued, though he had received the Sultan's commands to the contrary.
The troops of Ahubal pursued the Sultan's scattered forces to the mountains, where the Vizier's troops opened to receive their friends, and then opposed the rebels, who were faint with the fatigues of the day.
After a great slaughter, the rebels were forced to give over, and, returning to the encampment of the Sultan, they loaded themselves with the spoils of their enemies.
Ahaback and Desra were greatly elated at their success, and Ahubal in one day found himself master of India, his brother defeated, and his gaudy pavilion wrested from him.
Ahubal beheld with surprise the magnificence of the pavilion, and seeing the invidious workmanship on the outside, where the deaths of his former friends were displayed, "Ahaback and Desra," said the Prince, "it is but just that you should revenge yourselves on my proud brother. For my part, I never can inhabit a pavilion which was meant as a triumph over my friends; but you may justly take up your abode here, that the nations may at once learn, when they see you in this pavilion, the former misfortunes of your brethren, and your present well-deserved success: wherefore, to-night, my friends, take up your residence here, as this place is most worthy to hold you, and to-morrow I will order my workmen to remove the pavilion next my own."
The enchanters were pleased at the speech of Ahubal, and the banquet was prepared for the conquerors in the gay pavilion of the unfortunate Sultan, while he remained among the mountains, wanting even the necessaries of life for himself and his army.
But the Sultan's misfortunes did not make him forget the cause of them. He called a council of his captains, and commanded the Vizier Horam to be brought before them. The Vizier was condemned by every voice, and Misnar, with tears in his eyes, pronounced the sentence of death against him.
"To-morrow," said the Sultan, "must the ill-fated Horam be numbered with the dead."
Horam heard the sentence without emotion. "My life," said he, "is in the hand of my lord, and he is welcome to the blood of his slave."
The Vizier was then ordered into the custody of a hundred men, and a captain was appointed to guard him until morning.
The unfortunate Sultan then retired to rest in an obscure tent, or rather not to rest, but to an irksome contemplation.
"My kingdom," said he, "is passed from me, and, worse than my kingdom, my friend, my dearly beloved Horam, has proved a traitor to his master."
As the Sultan was filled with these meditations, his guards gave him notice that the captain who was set over the Vizier had brought Horam to communicate an affair of moment to him.
"Is there deceit in Horam," said the Sultan, "that he cometh like a thief in the night? If Horam is false, farewell my life. Let him that destroyed my kingdom complete his ingratitude by finishing my fate."
The captain then entered the tent of his Sultan with Horam in chains.
"Life of my life, and master of my thoughts," said the Vizier, "ere I die, I am constrained to show thee among these mountains far greater riches than are in thy palace at Delhi, or in the tents of thine enemies--riches that will restore thy affairs, and turn thy tears into showers of joy."
"Are you not satisfied," said Misnar, "O ill-fated Horam, that you come to deceive me with new illusions? Where is my kingdom? where my royalty? where my army? By thy fatal counsels destroyed, overwhelmed, confounded! Now, then, lead the way, and let me see these curious treasures which are to recompense the loss of all my hopes."
The captain then led Horam out of the tent, and the Sultan followed.
The Vizier, being in chains, moved but slowly, and the captain of the guard, dismissing his men, drew his sabre, and held it naked over the head of the Vizier. The darkness of the night prevented the Sultan from seeing whither he was carried by his Vizier.
They passed over various rocks, and were obliged to wade through some small brooks or rivulets which fell from the tops of the mountains, till at length they arrived at a spacious cavern, which was formed by two pendent rocks.
Here the Vizier entered, and, lifting up his chains, knocked against a small door at the extremity of the cavern. In a moment it opened, and four slaves came forward with flambeaux in their hands.
The slaves, seeing their master and the Sultan, fell prostrate: and Horam inquired whether all was safe.
"Yes, my lord," answered the slaves. "We have not been disturbed since my lord first brought us to this gloomy cavern."
"Where is Camul?" said the Vizier.
"He watches," replied the slaves, "with the axe in his hand."
"What hour of the night is it?" said Horam to his slaves.
"The third watch of the night is past," answered the slaves.
"Then enter, my Sultan," said Horam, "and see thine enemies perish from before thee."
"What enemies? and what mysterious place is this?" said the Sultan. "Who is Camul? and what axe doth he bear in his hand? Lead me, Horam, not into danger, and remember that the sabre of my captain hangeth over thy head."
The Sultan then entered in at the little door, and followed the Vizier and his guard, and the four slaves with flambeaux in their hands.
In this manner Misnar passed through a long passage hewn out of the solid rock, till he beheld, at a distance, a man seated on a stone with an axe in his hand, and nine lamps burning before him.
As they drew near, the man fell prostrate before them; and the Vizier, also falling prostrate, desired Misnar to take the axe out of the hand of Camul his slave.
"What wonderful axe is this," said the Sultan, "that is thus preserved in the bowels of the earth?"
The Sultan took the axe, and Camul the slave removing the stone on which he sat, there appeared a strong rope underneath, one end of which passed through the rocks, and the other was fastened to an enormous ring of iron.
"Strike, royal master," said Horam, "and sever that rope from the ring of iron."
The Sultan did as Horam desired, and struck the rope with his axe, and divided it from the ring.
The rope, being released, flew with great swiftness through the hole in the rock, and Misnar waited some time to see what might be the consequence of cutting it asunder; but nothing appearing, he said to his Vizier,
"Where are the riches, Horam, which I left my bed to view? Is this like the rest of your promises? and am I brought here to be again deceived?"
"Royal master," answered Horam, "let me die the death of a rebel. I have nothing more to discover: pardon my follies, and avenge thine own losses by the sword of justice."
"What!" said the Sultan, enraged, "hast thou brought me through the dangerous passes of the mountains by night only to cut a rope asunder? And was I called forth to see only a passage made in the rocks, and the slaves of Horam as ill employed as their master lately has been? Lead me, villain!" continued he, "back to my tent, and expect with the rising of the sun the fate you have so amply merited."
Thus saying, the Sultan returned, and the captain of the guard led Horam back in chains to his place of confinement.
In the morning, the army of the Sultan Misnar, which had escaped to the mountains, were all drawn out, the cymbals sounded, and a gibbet forty feet high was erected in their front, to which the captain of the guard led the unfortunate Vizier Horam.
At the sound of the cymbals the Sultan came from his tent, and gave orders that Horam should be conducted to his fate.
The Vizier, unmoved at his doom, surrendered himself to the officer who was to execute the Sultan's sentence; and the ignominious rope was put about his neck, when a messenger, attended by several sentinels, came running into the camp.
The messenger hastened to the Sultan, and thus delivered his message: "Ahaback and Desra, the wicked enchanters who have upholden thy rebellious brother, are dead; the army of Ahubal is in the utmost consternation; and the friends of the Sultan wish to see thee hunting thine enemies, as the lion hunts the wild asses in the forest."
This messenger was succeeded by several of the Sultan's spies, who confirmed the account.
Misnar then put himself at the head of his troops, ordered Horam back to his former confinement, and hastened to fall upon the forces of the rebels.
Early the same morning, Ahubal was awakened by his guards, who, with countenances of woe, declared to him the death of his friends Ahaback and Desra.
"Are my friends dead?" said Ahubal, trembling: "by what misfortune am I bereaved of them? What new device has Misnar practised against them? Are not these wise and sage magicians, then, a match for a boy's prudence? Alas! what can I effect against them, when these fall away before his victorious arm?"
"Prince," answered the guards, "we have too late discovered the wiles of our enemies. Over the magnificent pavilion of the Sultan, which Horam built for his master, the artful Vizier had concealed a ponderous stone, which covered the whole pavilion. This, by some secret means, he contrived in the night to release from its confinement, while Ahaback and Desra were sleeping on the sofas beneath it; and ere day began to rise, their guards were surprised by the fall, and ran to release their masters from the stone; but, alas! their bodies were crushed to atoms, and still remain buried under the pavilion, as fifty of the strongest of thy troops were unable to remove the stone from the ground."
At these words the countenance and the heart of Ahubal sank; and ere he could recover, word was brought him that the Sultan's troops were in the midst of his army, and that none dared stand against them unless he approached to encourage them.
Ahubal was so overwhelmed with fear and grief, that, instead of leading his troops, he prepared himself for flight; and Misnar, pursuing his good fortune, was in a few hours in possession, not only of his own tents, but also of those of the enemy.
Having gained a complete victory, and sent part of his troops after those that were fled, the Sultan commanded his Vizier to be brought before him, and, in the sight of his army, asked him what merit he could challenge in the success of that day.
"The contrivances of thy slave had been useless," Horam replied, "if a less than my Sultan had afterwards led his troops to the battle. Therefore thine only be the glory and the honour of the day; but my lord must know, that some time since we were informed that the enchanters Ahaback and Desra were preparing to uphold thy rebellious brother; and well I knew that prudence, and not force, must prevail against them. I therefore besought my lord to grant me the chief command for forty days, and neglected to take such advantages over Ahubal's troops as the captains of thy armies advised.
"This I did, knowing that any victory would be vain and fruitless, if the enchanters were not involved in the ruin; and that, while they were safe, a second army would spring up as soon as the first was destroyed. For these reasons, I endeavoured to strengthen my Sultan's army, that when the reinforcements of Ahaback and Desra should arrive, their numbers might not prevail against us.
"In the meantime, the sumptuous pavilion which was built for Ahubal inspired me with a device, which I hoped would put the enchanters in my power.
"Studious that no one might interrupt or betray my designs, I enclosed a place near the mountains, surrounded with trees, where I began to build a pavilion, which I gave out was erected in honour of my lord the Sultan: within this pavilion I concealed a massy stone, which was sawn out of the solid rock, and which, by the help of several engines, was hung upon four pillars of gold, and covered the whole pavilion. The rope which upheld this massy stone passed through one of the golden pillars into the earth beneath, and, by a secret channel cut in the rock, was carried onward through the side of the mountain, and was fastened to a ring of iron in a cave hollowed out of the rock on the opposite side.
"By the time the enchanters were arrived in the camp of Ahubal, the pavilion was finished; and although I had secret advice that my Sultan's troops were to be attacked on the morrow, yet I chose to conceal that knowledge, and so to dispose of the army that the chief part might fly with me behind the mountains which hung over the pavilion, and that the rest, having no conductor, might be put to flight with as little slaughter as possible. This I did, expecting that Ahaback and Desra, puffed up with their good fortune, would take possession of my Sultan's pavilion."
"Rise, faithful Horam," said the Sultan Misnar; "your plot is sufficiently unravelled; but why did you hide your intentions from your lord?"
"Lord of my life," answered the Vizier, "because I was resolved, in case my plot did not succeed, to bear the burden myself, that my Sultan's honour might not be lessened in the eyes of his troops."
This noble confession of the Vizier pleased the whole army, and they waited with the utmost impatience to hear his pardon pronounced.
The Sultan then embraced his Vizier, and the shouts of the army were,--"Long live Misnar the lord of our hearts, and Horam the first and the most faithful of his slaves!"
The army of Ahubal still continued to fly after their Prince, whose fear did not suffer him to direct those who came up to him.
And now, in a few days, the army would have been totally dispersed, had not the giant Kifri, enraged at the death of his brethren, and travelling in his fury, appeared before the eyes of the terrified Prince and his troops, in a narrow pass among the rocks.
The presence of Kifri was not less terrifying than the noise of the pursuers; and Ahubal, at the sight of the monster, fell with his face to the ground.
"Who art thou," said Kifri, with the voice of thunder, "that fliest like the roebuck, and tremblest like the heart-stricken antelope?"
"Prince of earth," said Ahubal, "I am the friend of Ulin, of Happuck, of Ollomand, of Tasnar, of Ahaback, and of Desra. I am he who, through the power of the enchanters, have contended for the throne of India."
"Wretched, then, are they that league with thee," answered the giant Kifri, "thou son of fear, thou wretch unworthy of such support! Was it for thee, base coward, that Ollomand poured forth his unnumbered stores? that the plains of India were dyed with the blood of Desra, the mistress of our race?"
As Kifri spake thus, his broad eyeballs glowed like the red orb of day when covered with dark fleeting clouds, and from his nostrils issued forth the tempest and the flame.
In an instant he seized on the fear-shaken Ahubal, as the eagle shuts within her bloody talons the body of the affrighted trembling hare; and, lifting him high in the air, he dashed the wretched Prince against the rugged face of the mountains. The blood of Ahubal ran down from the mountain's side, and his mangled limbs, crushed by the fall, hung quivering on the pointed rocks.
The death of Ahubal lessened not the fury of Kifri; but all that followed the unhappy Prince experienced his rage, till, glutted with blood, and tired of his revenge, the monstrous giant sank to rest, and stretched out his limbs upon the tops of the mountains.
But the sleep of Kifri was cumbrous as his body. In the visions of the night came Ulin before him, and the ghost of the murdered Happuck was in the eye of his fancy.
"Enemy of our race," said they, "where is he who was to redeem our glory and to revenge our blood? Where is Ahubal, of whom the dark saying went forth, that none but our race could overpower him? The dark saying is now interpreted by thy shameful deed, and the powers of enchantment are at an end!"
The giant, disturbed at his visions, started up: the moon rode high above the mountains, and the trees of the forest looked broad with the shades of night. He cast his black eyes to the south, and saw the storm rolling forth in clouds: the tempest gathered around him, and poured its fury against him.
The giant bent his body towards a huge rock, whereon he had slept, and straining his tough sinews, tore up the mighty fragment from the ground. The earth felt the shock, and its dark entrails trembled; but Kifri, undismayed, threw the wild ruin to the clouds. The labouring mountain returned quickly on the rebellious head of the giant, crushing him beneath its ponderous mass, and finished, by its descent, the life and the presumption of Kifri.
The intelligence of Kifri's death was brought to the Sultan by one of the followers of Ahubal, who, at the first approach of the giant, had run from his presence, and hid himself in a cave in the rocks.
"Horam," said the Sultan, "our enemies are no more; seven are destroyed, and one weak woman alone remains. But since Kifri, the terror of Asia, has fallen a sacrifice to the cause of Ahubal, and since the rebel is himself destroyed, what has Misnar more to fear? However, let our army be yet increased: let trusty nabobs be sent into every province, and nothing omitted which may preserve the peace of my empire: it is the part of prudence to watch most where there is the least appearance of danger."
The Vizier Horam obeyed his master's command; and Misnar, having regulated his army, returned in triumph to Delhi.
The Sultan, having restored peace to his kingdoms, began to administer impartial justice to his subjects: and, although the faith of Horam had often been tried, yet Misnar chose not to rely altogether on any but himself.
"Vizier," said the Sultan, as Horam was standing before him, "are my people happy?--it is for them I rule, and not for myself; and though I delay not to punish the licentious and rebellious, yet shall I ever study to gain the hearts of my obedient subjects. A father's frown may restrain his children, but his smile can only bless them. Dost not thou remember, Horam, the story of Mahoud, the son of the jeweller? And how am I sure but even now private malice may be wreaking as great cruelty upon some innocent person, as the Princess Hemjunah suffered from the enchanter Bennaskar?"
"My Prince," answered the Vizier, "the toils and the dangers of the war have never for a moment driven from my mind the memory of that Princess, who, with Mahoud, underwent the most odious transformation through the power of Ulin."
"Nor have I," answered the Sultan, "forgot their distress; but the cares of my empire have hitherto prevented my search after them. As to the Princess, she is possibly with her father in Cassimir; but Mahoud is doubtless an inhabitant of Delhi, where he lived before his transformation; therefore, O Vizier, give immediate orders that the respective Cadis of each division of the city, who have the numbers and the names of every inhabitant within their district, be questioned concerning this jeweller's son; and let him to-morrow be brought before me."
The Vizier Horam did as he was commanded, and sent for all the Cadis of the city, and examined them concerning Mahoud; but no one could give any account of him.
The next morning Horam attended the divan, and acquainted the Sultan with his fruitless search.
The Sultan was much dissatisfied at the Vizier's report; and after he had answered the petitioners and dismissed them, he sent again for his favourite Vizier.
"Horam," said the Sultan, "my Cadis are remiss in their duty: Mahoud is certainly hid in my city: all is not right, Horam; the poor son of the jeweller would be proud to own that he was formerly the companion of the Sultan of the Indies, though in his distress; he had long ere this been at the foot of my throne, did not somewhat prevent him."
"Prince of my life," answered the Vizier, "if Mahoud is in this city, he is doubtless disguised, and has reasons for concealing himself; and how shall thy officers of justice discover, among many millions, one obscure person, who is studious to hide himself?"
"In a well-regulated city," answered the Sultan, "every one is known, and sound policy has always invented such distinctions as may prevent the disguise of designing and wicked men. But, till my capital is better regulated, I mean to take advantage myself of the confusion of my city, and examine, in disguise, those private outrages which are screened from the public eye of justice. Wherefore, Horam, procure two disguises for yourself and me; and let the Emir Matserak be sent ambassador to the Sultan of Cassimir, to inquire after the welfare of the Princess Hemjunah."
The Vizier, in obedience to the Sultan's orders, sent the habits of two fakeers into the palace; and at evening the Sultan, accompanied by his Vizier, went forth in his disguise.
As they passed through the second street from the royal palace, one habited like a fakeer, with his horn, saluted them, and asked them to partake of the alms he had received.
The Sultan readily accepted his offer, lest the brother of his order should be offended.
They immediately retired into a remote place, and, the strange fakeer pulling out the provision he had received, they began their repast.
"Brother," said the fakeer to the disguised Sultan, "you are, I perceive, but a novice in your profession; you have seen but little of life, and you would be puzzled were you to encounter such wonders as I experienced but last night in my approach to this city."
"What," answered the Sultan hastily, "were they? Perhaps, brother, you mistake me: possibly, though not so communicative as yourself, I may nevertheless be as brave and resolute."
