Читать книгу One Thousand and One Nights (Complete Annotated Edition) - Richard Francis Burton - Страница 142

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She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that the army of the Moslems held the cavern mouth and stood by its walls and they fended off the foe, and every one of the Infidels attempted to charge them, him they slew; and they patiently supported all such assaults till day was done and night came on dusky and dun, by which time King Sharrkan had only five and twenty men and no more left. Then quoth the Infidels to one another, “When shall these battle days have an end? We are weary of warring the Moslems.” And quoth one of them, “Up and at them, for there remain of them but five and twenty men! If we cannot prevail on them to fight, let us light a fire upon them;1132 and if they submit themselves and yield to us, we will take them prisoners; but if they refuse we will leave them for fuel to the fire, so shall they become to men of foreseeing mind a warning dire. May the Messiah on their fathers have no grace, and may the sojourn of the Nazarenes be for them no abiding place!” So they carried fuel to the jaws of the cavern and set fire to it. Thereupon Sharrkan and his companions made sure of perdition and yielded themselves prisoners. And while they were in this condition, lo! the knight their captain said to those who counselled their slaughter, “It is not for any save for King Afridun to kill them, that he may gratify his wrath; therefore it behoveth us to keep them in durance by us till the morrow, when we will journey with them to Constantinople and deliver them to our King, who shall deal with them as he please.” Said they, “This is the right course;” and he commanded to pinion them and set guards over them. Then, as soon as it was black night, the Infidels busied themselves with feasting and making festival; and they called for wine and drank it till all fell upon their backs. Now Sharrkan and his brother, Zau al-Makan, were in confinement and so also were his companion knights; whereupon the elder turned to the younger brother and said to him, “O my brother, how win free?” “By Allah,” replied Zau al Makan, “I know not; for here we be like birds in cage.” Then Sharrkan waxed wroth and sighed for excess of rage and stretched himself, till his pinion bonds brass asunder; whereupon being free he arose and went up to the Captain of the guard, and taking from his pocket the keys of the fetters, freed Zau al-Makan and the Wazir Dandan and the rest of his men. Then he turned to the two and said, “I desire to slay three of these Infidels and take and don their dress, we three; so that we shall be guised as Greeks and we will pass through them, with out their knowing us, and fare forth to our own force.” Replied Zau al-Makan, “This is no safe counsel for if we kill them, I fear some of their comrades may hear their shrieks and the foe be aroused upon us and kill us. ’Twere the surer way to pass out of the defile.” So they agreed upon this and set out; and, when they had left the head of the strait a little distance behind, they saw horses picketed and the riders sleeping: and Sharrkan said to his brother, “Better we take each one of us a steed.” There were five and twenty horsemen, so they took five and twenty horses, whilst Allah sent sleep upon the Infidels for a purpose He knew and the Faithful mounted and fared on till they were out of reach. Meanwhile Sharrkan set to gathering from the Infidels as many weapons, swords, and spears, as were wanted. And while they took saddle and struck forwards none of the Infidels supposed that anyone could release Zau al-Makan and his brother and their men; or that their prisoners had power to escape. Now when all the captives were safe from the Unfaithful, Sharrkan came up with his comrades, and found them awaiting his arrival, on coals of flame, expecting him in anxious grame, so he turned to them and said, “Feel no fear since Allah protecteth us. I have that to propose which haply shall effect our purpose.” “What is it?” asked they and he answered, “I desire that ye all climb to the mountain top and cry out with one voice, ‘Allaho Akbar!’ and ye add, ‘The army of Al Islam is upon you! Allaho Akbar!’ This wise their company will surely be dissolved nor will they find out the trick for they are drunk, but they will think that the Moslem troops have encompassed them about on all sides and have mingled with them; so they will fall on one another brand in hand during the confusion of drunkenness and sleep, and we will cleave them asunder with their own swords and the scymitar will go round amongst them till dawn.” Replied Zau al-Makan, “This plan is not good; we should do better to make our way to our army and speak not a word; for if we cry out ‘Allaho Akbar,’ they will wake and fall on us and not one of us will escape.” Rejoined Sharrkan, “By Allah, though they should awake tis no matter, and I long that ye fall in with my plan, for naught save good can come of it!” So they agreed thereon and clomb the mountain and shouted, “Allaho Akbar!” And hills and trees and rocks reworded their Allaho Akbar for fear of the Almighty. But when the Kafirs heard this slogan they cried out to one another — And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.