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The jar burst upon the floor with a crack of thunder; the house shook and rocked, and the dust flew about in clouds. Then all was still; and when Aben Hassen the Fool could see through the cloud of terror that enveloped him he beheld a great, tall, hideous being as black as ink, and with eyes that shone like coals of fire.
Take him away!" cried he to his attendants. "Give him fifty lashes, and throw him into prison. He shall stay there and have fifty lashes every day until he tells me where his wealth is hidden." It was done as the king said, and by-and-by Aben Hassen the Fool lay in the prison, smarting and sore with the whipping he had had. Then he began again to think of the Talisman of Solomon.
Thou hast found what alone can satisfy all thy desires! Strike, O slave!" The young man heard the Demon Zadok give a yell of laughter. He saw a whirl and a flash, and then he knew nothing. The Black had struck the blade had fallen, and the head of Aben Hassen the Fool rolled into the basket of sawdust that stood waiting for it. "Aye, aye," said St. George, "and so it should end.
When they entered they were deafened with the noise of carousing and merrymaking. Aben Hassen the Fool sat at the head of the table upon a throne of gold, with a canopy of gold above his head. When he saw the king and the minister enter, he beckoned to them to come and sit beside him. He showed them special favor because they were strangers, and special servants waited upon them.
Willst du dir ein hübsch Leben zimmern, Must ums Vergangne dich nicht bekümmern, Und wäre dir auch was verloren, Musst immer thun wie neu geboren; Was jeder Tag will, sollst du fragen, Was jeder Tag will, wird er sagen; Musst dich an eignem Thun ergetzen, Was andre thun, das wirst du schätzen; Besonders keinen Menschen hassen, Und das Uebrige Gott überlassen.
There was once upon a time a man whom other men called Aben Hassen the Wise. He had read a thousand books of magic, and knew all that the ancients or moderns had to tell of the hidden arts. The King of the Demons of the Earth, a great and hideous monster, named Zadok, was his servant, and came and went as Aben Hassen the Wise ordered, and did as he bade.
It grew louder and louder it became a shout. The figure of the queen that had been stone opened its eyes. "Who are you?" it said. Aben Hassen the Fool fell upon his knees. "I am he who was sent to bring you to life." he said. "My father turned you to cold stone, and I I have brought you back to warm life again." The queen smiled her teeth sparkled like pearls.
There he found his chamberlain waiting for him with a crowd of attendants and courtiers. "Tell me," said Aben Hassen the Fool, "why are you all so sorrowful?" Instantly they who stood waiting began crying and tearing their clothes and beating their hands.
"As the dregs of oil shall the fruit of the tree of Al Zakkum boil in the bellies of the damned!" the sheik quoted. "They should be hurried, therefore, to the punishment that waits!" But Hassen Ah outargued him. "Then they will land men from the ship, who will search our houses," he asserted. "Is there a majority in the council who would like to be searched by unbelievers?"
Thereupon he tore his cap from his head and flung it upon the ground, and began beating himself violently upon the head with great outcrying. Aben Hassen the Fool, not knowing what to think or what was to happen, ran back into the bedroom again. "I think everybody in this place has gone mad," said he. "Nevertheless, if I do not find out what it all means, I shall go mad myself."
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