Part 12 (1/2)

The Wazir returned to his house swiftly, and there he found a most beautiful boy.

The Sultan came to the palace, and there he found a snake.

When he heard that the Wazir had a lovely child he was very pleased, and he used to go every day to the Wazir's house to see that child, but he told his people to throw that snake out of the palace.

Now there was a slave girl in the palace called Mizi, and when she saw them taking that snake to throw it in the river she said, ”Give me that snake, that I may bring him up as my child.”

So Mizi took that snake and wore him round her neck till he grew, and then she came to the Sultan and said, ”Build me a gra.s.s hut, that I may live there with my child, the snake.”

So a hut was built for her, and she stayed there by herself with that snake. She took her cooking pots there, and cooked food for herself and the snake. Every day she fed that snake, and it grew and grew, till at last it filled up the whole hut.

Then that snake said to Mizi, ”Go and tell the Sultan that his little snake wants a stone house of seven storeys in which to live. He must look for craftsmen who are not afraid, to come and build the house, and what they ask must be given them.”

So Mizi came and told those words to the Sultan, and craftsmen who had no fear were sought for. They came and built a house of seven storeys in the s.p.a.ce of seven days, and the wages they asked for were given them.

When the house was finished, they said, ”Go and tell the little snake that the house is ready.”

Then Mizi and the snake moved into that house and lived there. Till one day the snake said to Mizi, ”Go and look for a sage who will teach me learning, but he must be master of his heart and unafraid. He must come of his own free will.”

So she went and sought a man of learning, but every one she asked to come replied, ”I am not going so as to be swallowed whole by that snake.”

At last she found a sage who said, ”I will go, for I see that Mizi lives with this snake and is not devoured, so why should I be eaten?”

So that professor came and taught the snake learning of every kind, and when he had finished he went to the Sultan and received the pay he asked for.

So the snake and Mizi lived together, till one day that snake said to her, ”Now you must go and look for a wife for me; but she must come of her own free will, and what money she wants she must have.”

So a wife for the snake was sought for in all the land, but none was found; all said, ”Who wants to go and be swallowed whole by a big snake?”

Now in that country was a very poor man who had seven daughters. When the news came to them all refused, till the seventh and youngest was asked, and she replied, ”We are very poor; I will go and be eaten by that snake. What matter?”

So that girl was taken and decked out with pearls and precious stones and clothes of silk, and then Mizi was called and told, ”This is the wife of your master, the snake. Take her.”

So Mizi took her and brought her to the snake, and he said, ”Arrange everything for her comfort.”

When night had come, Mizi slept with that girl till, when twelve o'clock came, that snake came out from inside his skin. He put on wooden sandals and went to the bathroom and made his ablutions. When he had finished was.h.i.+ng he took his prayer mat and spread it out and prayed and read the Koran.

After that he came and sat near that girl and looked at her and said, ”My wife is beautiful; she has beautiful eyes, lovely ears and long straight hair. Hhum! Poor me, who am a snake. Sleep, my beautiful wife.”

Then he entered his skin again and slept.

Seven days pa.s.sed in this way, and on the eighth Mizi said to that girl, ”I will fasten a thread to your thumb; when I pull it open your eyes and look at him.”

That night, at twelve o'clock, the snake came out of his skin, and then Mizi pulled the thread and that girl awoke and opened her eyes and saw a wondrously handsome Arab youth: in all that country there was no youth so handsome as that son of the Sultan.

The snake went to the bathroom and made his ablutions, and then returned and prayed and read the Koran.

At the time of the before dawn breezes he came and looked at his wife and then returned to his skin. When dawn came Mizi and that girl took counsel together, and then Mizi went to the Sultan and said to him, ”Give me three tins of oil and ten maunds of firewood.”