174 THE ARABIAN NIGHTS,

Although he was much intoxicated, he had still sufficient recol-
lection to know that the night was far advanced, and that the
people would very soon be called to early prayers. It was for
this reason that he was making all the haste he could in order to
arrive at the bath, for fear any Mussulman, as he was going to
mosque, should meet him, and order him to prison as a drunkard.
When he was at the end of the street, however, he stopped close
to the shop against which the sultan’s purveyor had placed little
hunchback’s body, which at the very first touch fell directly
against the merchant’s back. The latter took him for a robber
that was attacking him, and therefore knocked him down with
his fist, with which he struck him on the head. He immediately
repeated the blows, and began calling out, “ Thief, thief !”

The guard belonging to that quarter of the city came directly
on hearing his cries, and seeing that it was a Christian who was
beating a Mussulman (for the hunchback was of this religion),
“ What business have you,” he said, “to ill-treat a Mussulman
in that manner?” “He wanted to rob me,” answered the mer.
chant ; “and he attacked me behind in order to seize me by the
throat.” “You have revenged yourself pretty well,” replied the
guard, taking hold of the merchant’s arm and pulling him away,
“let him go, therefore.” At the same time he held out his hand
to the hunchback to assist him in getting up ; but observing that
he was dead, “Oh, oh,” he cried, “is it thus then that a Chris-
tian has the impudence to assassinate a Mussulman.” Having
said this, he arrested the Christian merchant, and carried him
before the magistrate of the police, from whence they sent him
to prison till the judge had risen, and was ready to examine the
accused. In the mean time, the merchant became completely
sober ; and the more he reflected upon this adventure, the less
could he comprehend how a single blow with the fist was capable
of taking away the life of a man.

Upon the report of the guard, and after having seen the body
which they had brought with them, the judge examined the
Christian merchant, who could not deny the crime, although he
in fact was not guilty of it. As the little hunchback belonged to
the sultan, for he was one of his buffoons, the judge determined
not to put the Christian to death till he had learnt the will of the
prince. He went therefore to the palace, in order to give an
account of what had passed to the sultan; who, having heard