the folk and cried, "O ye, my brethren of the Faith which is true
and who bear testimony to the unity of the Deity, I would have
you to weet that housed in this our quarter are two men which be
strangers, and haply ye have heard of them how they lavish and
waste immense sums of money, in fact moneys beyond measure, and
for my part I cannot but suspect that they are cutpurses and
brigands who commit robberies in their own country and who came
hither to expend their spoils."--And Shahrazad was surprised by
the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say.

When it was the Five Hundred and Eighth Night,

Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
tell us one of thy fair tales, so therewith we may cut short the
waking hours of this our night," and quoth Shahrazad:--It hath
reached me, O King of the Age, that the Imam in his jealousy of
Zayn al-Asnam and Mubarak said to the congregation, "Verily they
be brigands and cutpurses;" adding, "O believers of Mohammed, I
counsel you in Allah's name that ye guard yourselves against such
accurseds; for haply the Caliph shall in coming times hear of
these twain and ye also shall fall with them into
calamity.[FN#50] I have hastened to caution you, and having
warned you I wash my hands of your business, and after this do ye
as ye judge fit." All those present replied with one voice,
"Indeed we will do whatso thou wishest us to do, O Abu Bakr!" But
when the Imam heard this from them he arose and, bringing forth
ink-case and reed-pen and a sheet of paper, began inditing an
address to the Commander of the Faithful, recounting all that was
against the two strangers. However, by decree of Destiny, Mubarak
chanced to be in the Mosque amongst the crowd when he heard the