Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 5.djvu/200

and candlestick, a basin and ewer and a gugglet [FN#269]; after which he left him and returned home. Ali lighted the candle, supped at his ease and prayed the night-prayer; and presently he said to himself, "Come, take the bedding and go upstairs and sleep there; 'twill be better than here." So he took the bed and carried it upstairs, where he found a splendid saloon, with gilded ceiling and floor and walls cased with coloured marbles. He spread his bed there and sitting down, began to recite somewhat of the Sublime Koran, when (ere he was ware) he heard one calling to him and asking, "O Ali, O son of Hasan, say me, shall I send thee down the gold?" And he answered, "Where be the gold thou hast to send?" But hardly had he spoken, when gold pieces began to rain down on him, like stones from a catapult, nor ceased till the saloon was full. Then, after the golden shower, said the Voice, "Set me free, that I may go my way; for I have made an end of my service and have delivered unto thee that which was entrusted to me for thee." Quoth Ali, "I adjure thee, by Allah the Almighty, to tell me the cause of this gold-rain." Replied the Voice, "This is a treasure that was talisman'd to thee of old time, and to every one who entered the house, we used to come and say: 'O Ali, O son of Hasan, shall we send thee down the gold?' Whereat he would be affrighted and cry out, and we would come down to him and break his neck and go away. But, when thou camest and we accosted thee by thy name and that of thy father, saying, 'Shall we send thee down the gold?' and thou madest answer to us, 'And where be the gold?' we knew thee for the owner of it and sent it down. Moreover, there is yet another hoard for thee in the land of Al-Yaman and thou wouldst do well to journey thither and fetch it. And now I would fain have thee set me free, that I may go my way." Said Ali, "By Allah, I will not set thee free, till thou bring me hither the treasure from the land of Al-Yaman!" Said the Voice, "An I bring it to thee, wilt thou release me and eke the servant of the other hoard?" "Yes," replied Ali, and the Voice cried, "Swear to me." So he swore to him, and he was about to go away, when Ali said to him, "I have one other need to ask of thee;" and he, "What is that?" Quoth Ali, "I have a wife and children at Cairo in such a place; thou needs must fetch them to me, at their ease and without their unease."