The Arabian Nights [128]
When the ceremony of changing habits was passed, the music ceased and the company retired. The bride repaired to the nuptial chamber, whither her attendants followed to undress her, and none remained in the hall but the hump-back groom, Buddir ad Deen, and some of the domestics.
Hump-back, who was enraged at Buddir ad Deen, suspecting him to be his rival, gave him a cross look, and said, "And thou, what dost thou wait for? Why art thou not gone as well as the rest? Depart!" Buddir ad Deen having no pretence to stay, withdrew, not knowing what to do with himself. But before he got out of the vestibule, the genie and the perie met and stopped him. "Whither are you going?" said the perie; "stay, hump-back is not in the hall, return, and introduce yourself into the bride's chamber. As soon as you are alone with her, tell her boldly that you are her husband, that the sultan's intention was only to make sport with the groom. In the mean time we will take care that the hump-back shall not return, and let nothing hinder your passing the night with your bride, for she is yours and not his."
While the perie thus encouraged Buddir ad Deen, and instructed him how he should behave himself, hump-back had really gone out of the room for a moment. The genie went to him in the shape of a monstrous cat, mewing at a most fearful rate. Hump-back called to the cat, he clapped his hands to drive her away, but instead of retreating, she stood upon her hinder feet, staring with her eyes like fire, looking fiercely at him, mewing louder than she did at first, and increasing in size till she was as large as an ass. At this sight, hump-back would have cried out for help, but his fear was so great, that he stood gaping and could not utter one word. That he might have no time to recover, the genie changed himself immediately into a large buffalo, and in this stripe called to him, with a voice that redoubled his fear, "Thou hump-backed villain!" At these words the affrighted groom cast himself upon the ground, and covering his face with his vest, that he might not see this dreadful beast, "Sovereign prince of buffaloes," said he, "what is it you want of me?" "Woe be to thee," replied the genie, "hast thou the presumption to venture to marry my mistress?" "O my lord," said hump-back, "I pray you to pardon me, if I am guilty, it is through ignorance. I did not know that this lady had a buffalo to her sweetheart: command me in anything you please, I give you my oath that I am ready to obey you." "By death," replied the genie; "if thou goest out from hence, or speakest a word till the sun rises, I will crush thy head to pieces. I warn thee to obey, for if thou hast the impudence to return, it shall cost thee thy life." When the genie had done speaking, he transformed himself into the shape of a man, took hump-back by the legs, and after having set him against the wall with his head downwards, "If thou stir," said he, "before the sun rise, as I have told thee already, I will take thee by the heels again, and dash thy head in a thousand pieces against the wall."
To return to Buddir ad Deen. Prompted by the genie and the presence of the perie, he returned to the hall, from whence he slips into the bride-chamber, where he sat down, expecting the success of his adventure. After a while the bride arrived, conducted by an old matron, who came no farther than the door, without looking in to see whether it were hump-back or another that was there, and then retired.
The beautiful bride was agreeably surprised to find instead of hump-back a handsome youth, who gracefully addressed her. "What! my dear friend," said she, "by your being here at this time of night you must be my husband's comrade?" "No, madam," said Buddir ad Deen, "I am of another quality than that ugly hump-back." "But," said she, "you do not consider that you speak degradingly of my husband." "He your husband," replied he: "can you retain those thoughts so long? Be convinced of