"What was that?" "It was yourself, O Guardian of the Harem." "You... burped." "Silence..." "daughters of foolishness." "I was but paying tribute to the generosity of our lord and master." "Let us to the improvement of your minds, what there is of them." "For today's reading, we will take the story of the dancing girl and the two brothers." "Now, all together." "When the noble and beloved Haroun-Al-Raschid" ""When the noble and beloved Haroun-Al-Raschid..." ""ascended to the throne of the Caliphs," ""he had many secret enemies, not least among them," ""being his elder brother," ""the passionate and cruel Kamar-Al-Zaman," ""born of a slave of the harem... and barred, therefore, from the succession to the throne."" "Very good, very good." "Continue alone, O my little Dunya." ""Now, it happened that in Bagdad at this time," ""there was a dancing girl named Sherazade..." ""whose skill and beauty... had made her the idol of the people."" "The story, the story!" "Now you, Ayesha." ""Yet Sherazade," ""because of the poverty of her childhood," ""was as avid of power and riches..." ""as a shipwrecked mariner of water." ""Kamar had seen the beauteous maid... and like many others, had fallen madly in love with her."" "Enough, enough." "Be silent and listen." "But Sherazade had spurned his love, saying half in jest and half in earnest," ""Return to me, O Kamar, when you are Caliph of Bagdad and I will listen to you."" "But Kamar, besotted by love, had taken the jest in earnest." "And rebelling against his brother, had been defeated and captured, thereafter being condemned to suffer the punishment of the slow death... even as the law provides." "Haroun-Al-Raschid!" "Salaam, O Mighty Caliph." "Is he dead?" "Not yet." "They will tell us when." "Seven days and seven nights and still he lives." "Nadan, this is no end for one of Allah's creatures." "You must not relent, my lord." "It is the law." "It is man's law, not Allah's." "He was a great warrior, Nadan." "And a great rebel, my lord." "Were he in your place and you in his, he would be merciless." "He always hated me, even when we were children." "Yet, now you pity him." "Why not?" "He's cursed with an ambition he could never fulfill." "Is that not to be pitied?" "You mistake, my lord." "It was not ambition alone that prompted your brother to rebel." "There is a dancing girl, Sherazade." "Sherazade?" "It was to win her love that he dared to seek your throne." "A slow death for love of a woman." "Sherazade!" "Let us see Sherazade!" "We want Sherazade!" "Let us see Sherazade, the dancing girl." "All right, hurry!" "Change into your acrobat costumes." "Ali?" "Where is Ali?" "That boy is always late." "He will be the death of me." "Hurry!" "Love of Allah, Sinbad!" "You're in a hurry, are you?" "Yes, I" " A great hurry." " A terrible hurry." "Aaah!" "Aaah!" "Aaah!" "Whoo." "The day of reckoning will come!" "We want Sherazade." "Listen to them." "The crowd is hungry for you tonight, mistress." "You'd better hurry." "Let them wait, the fools." "I detest them!" "I'm their servant, their slave." "But one day, one day when I'm above them all" "But the day never seems to come." "And there may never be another Kamar to risk his life to make you a queen." "Silence!" "How dare you, you" "Sherazade, my sweet!" "What is this?" "They are calling for you." "Let them call." "I'll come when I'm ready!" "Get out!" "Get out!" "Do you hear?" "Allah, defend me." "First it is that son of Satan, Ali, and now" "I'm going." "Look, I'm going." "Good-bye." "I'm going." "The madness ofhis desire for Sherazade has brought him to this torture." "It is the law." "Law or no law." "He's suffered enough." "Wait!" "Kamar's men!" "Stop him!" "Stop Haroun." "Free him." "... the mighty Valda, who will perform an unheard of feat... of supporting six men at the same time, unaided." "You are about to witness... a most phenomenal performance of all times, including that world-famous Ali Ben Ali." "Ouch!" "Pull in your neck, O brother, to the wine barrel." "O you grateful son of infamy!" "And this is Ali, Ali the wonderful," "Ali the magnificent, Ali, the world's greatest acrobat... who is the son of an acrobat, who himself was the son of a son of a son of a son of an acrobat." "Go!" "Watch him as he climbs high above the blessed earth." "Watch Ali defying death in that death-defying feat... of standing his head upon the head of Sinbad." "Now, my noble friends, watch closely... and see how this miracle of miracles is performed." "Watch each man flex his powerful muscles... as the seventh wonder of the world" "Watch how steady this tower of men rises to the heavens!" "Note how steady and straight they stand, never swaying, like the giant pine tree of the forest." "Now, watch Ali very closely as he places his head" "Pick it up a little." "Get up a little higher!" "Watch Ali very closely as he places his head... upon the head of Sinbad... and points his toes to the sky." "Watch them regain their balance." "Watch them sway as they bend and... bend!" "Isn't it wonderful?" "Watch!" "The ring of the Caliph." "Haroun-Al-Raschid." "Sherazade!" "Give us Sherazade." "Sherazade." "Give us Sherazade." "Rsst!" "Rsst!" "Mistress, you cannot, you must not." "You have to" "Let go of me." "What happened?" "This stranger, he is hurt, his shoulder." "I saw it all upside down." "I would swear I have seen this man before, but where?" "Maybe in your dreams." "It is written that dreams of a woman are engraved upon her heart." "I dream of no man." "Look, his eyes are opening." "Who, who are you?" "I am Sherazade." "Sherazade." "I know now why..." "why he risked so much." "What does he mean?" "Who is he?" "Who were those who tried to kill him?" "The followers of Kamar." "Of Kamar?" "How do you know?" "Look." "He is dead." "That one's own mother would never recognize his face." "Now, you fortunate holders of ducats, you are about to witness the most phenomenal" "Kamar is free." "Kamar has escaped!" "Kamar is free." "Kamar has escaped." "Aladdin, can't you look where you're going?" "I'm looking for Sherazade." "If I don't find her, I'm lost." "You wouldn't be lost if I hadn't lost my magic lamp." "You lost that when you were a little boy." "You've lost all sense of time." "And I've lost my" " I've lost- I'm losing my mind." "Sherazade?" "Sherazade?" "Oh, where is she?" "Where is she?" "I die, I expire." "Sherazade, where is she?" "Oh, praise be Allah, there you are." "Kamar, he's escaped!" "I know that." "And suppose he has?" "You must hide until they've recaptured him." "Valda, quickly, prepare the litter." "Sherazade runs in fear of no man." "He will be here seeking you." "He might carry you off with him out of the country." "Against my will?" "Let him dare to lay a hand on me." "Let him dare!" "Sherazade, be reasonable." "Without you, I have no show." "Lovely Sherazade, maiden sweeter than honey." "I tell you, I will stay." "I am neither afraid of Kamar nor any man that lives." "But there is one thing you forget." "If you remain here, Kamar is sure to come seeking you." "It is the one place the soldiers will be looking for him." "He is sure to be taken again." "What is that to me?" "You have said it is written in your stars that you will be a queen." "If Kamar leaves Bagdad now alone, he will have a chance outside the city to organize his followers, to try again to seize his brother's throne." "Then you could be a queen indeed." "I wonder." "It is the way, Sherazade, the way of destiny." "Believe me." "You are right, Ali." "Well, what are you waiting for, you fool?" "Hurry, you fools!" "Come a running!" "Sinbad, come!" "Hurry!" "Run!" "Do something!" "Get the baskets!" "What about the wounded one?" "He has nothing to do with us." "Kamar's men tried to kill him." "If they return seeking you and find him" "Very well." "He shall come with us." "Come!" "Move!" "Go!" "Ouch!" "Here." "If I only had my magic lamp." "One rub and out popped a genie ten leagues high, my slave." "You've told that lamp story so often, you believe it yourself!" "Look, look." "My lamp!" "Oh, the genie at last!" "This is no time for sleeping." "I told you to get the litter." "Come!" "Move!" "Aladdin." "Sinbad." "Forward, all of you." "Bear that litter." "Move, you fools!" "You, with the cart, forward!" "Name of Allah, hurry!" "Don't tire yourself working so hard, Sinbad." "This calls to mind an experience I had when I was a sailor." "We don't want to hear it." "I'd like less Sinbad the sailor, more Sinbad the worker." "Stop your lies and lend a hand." "This particular voyage had lasted for six long years." "Here's the body." "How do you know it's Haroun?" "He wears a robe and a ring of the Caliph." "Hail, O Kamar-Al-Zaman." "This day you shall mount the throne of the Caliphs in your brother's stead." "My throne..." "and Sherazade's." "I have already sent the captain of the guard to escort her here, my lord." "Nadan, you've helped me to achieve my greatest happiness." "You'll not find me ungrateful." "To serve you loyally is reward enough, my lord." "The captain has returned, my lord." "Let him enter." "Where's Sherazade?" "I..." "I do not know, my lord." "She has disappeared." "You lie." "It is the truth, O mighty one." "The circus has gone and all the players with it." "I can find no trace of them." "I tried, but- Stop babbling like a fool." "The girl must be found." "Take your men and search every house in the city." "Find Sherazade and bring her here!" "Captain, a word, a word of interest to you." "I have great influence with the Caliph." "I do not wish it to be destroyed by a dancing girl." "Such a beautiful beard." "He'll probably want to kill you!" "He'll thank me." "Oh, I still say we should have found a doctor for that wound of his." "No, Aladdin, that's not it either." "Well?" "What are you doing?" "Just what you told us, keeping quiet and hiding." "Do you have to keep quiet so quietly?" "There's work to be done." "Did you find out?" "What of Kamar?" "Allah protect us." "No one knows." "Bagdad is in such a turmoil and just when we're doing so much business!" "Is he still here?" "Name of the prophet, what have you done to him?" "Anyway, who asked you to pick up dying strangers... to share my quarters and eat my food?" "He's eaten none of your food." "Shh!" "Hear that?" "He's awakening." "Hungry, I'll wager my life." "Quiet, fat one." "Kamar." "Kamar." "Kamar is not here." "Who are you?" "Who" "We are your friends." "But this place, how have I come here?" "I- l" "Who dared?" "I was your barber, good sir." "It was necessary." "The followers of Kamar are everywhere." "Everywhere, are they?" "Well, I'll" "You're weak from loss of blood." "I'm afraid I need food and something to drink." "I knew it!" "See?" "I told you." "He's a beggar." "Now see here, you." "If you would share in our food, you must work." "What can you do?" "Can you juggle, stand on your head?" "That's it!" "You..." "standing on your head." "It wasn't a dream." "No, it certainly was not." "And afterwards, a girl." "There was a girl?" "Yes." "Sherazade." "Sherazade." "Of course." "Where is she?" "In there asleep." "She nursed you most of the night." "Your shoulder." "All this is very nice, but my question is still unanswered." "You, sir, are you in a position to pay for all these ministrations?" "Ahmad, be silent." "You shall be repaid, all of you, many fold." "But how soon?" "At once, today." "As soon as I return to my- to my home." " But what guarantee have I of all this?" " Please, Ahmad!" "This man to me is but an unsampled well on a strange oasis." "Why should I trust him?" "My face is not enough?" "A face is but a face." "Skin and bones with eyes." "Yours could be the face of a rogue, a robber, a cutthroat!" "How should I know?" "Then suppose I swear to repay you?" "Swear by the beard of the Caliph?" "Would that suffice?" "Of course it would!" "I know I shall regret this." " But you" " Here." "Valda, bring him food and wine, the new wine." "And the rest of you, because we all must be idle, must you all be idle?" "There's work to be done." "Go, go!" "This calls to mind an experience I had when I was a sailor." "In farthermost- No tales, Sinbad." "Work, work." "Here, take this." "Ingrate!" "Brother to the only brother of an only brother of an idiot!" "You must forgive Ahmad." "He is really kindhearted." "I know." "And I'm grateful to him and all of you." "Hail, O Mighty Caliph." "You know?" "Yes." "But the others?" "I was afraid to tell them." "They might have made too much fuss." "And I had problems enough." "You're a very old one for one so young." "What is your name?" "Ali Ben Ali." "Your slave 'til death, O Mighty Caliph." "Not my slave, Ali, my friend." "Who, from this hour forth, can ask anything in my power to grant." "It is his." "Thank you, noble one." "It was Sherazade who really saved you." "It was she who got Ahmad to let us bring you here." "The girl does not know?" "No." "Yet she... she cared for me through half the night." "Why?" "She is a woman!" "And all women, like all mules, are unpredictable." "Only Sherazade is worse than any mule!" "Oh, Sherazade!" "We were just speaking about you." "Ahmad will be looking for me." "I better go help the others." "The tongue of Ali is swift, too swift for his own good." "Will you sit with me while I eat?" "I understand I have much to thank you for." "It was the whim of Ali that you should come with us." "I did not mind." "And last night..." "nursing me?" "I could not sleep anyway." "You would really trouble yourself for no man, except perhaps Kamar." "Everyone knows you promised to marry him if he became Caliph." "And why not?" "It is my destiny to marry a king and rule a kingdom." "Written in your stars." "You don't believe it?" "You think I am not worthy to be a queen?" "I think you're sublimely worthy." "There's one trouble." "What if your friend Kamar never gains the throne?" "Then he will do without me." "And ifhe loves you?" "I do not desire love." "I desire power." "You are sure of that, Sherazade?" "I am sure." "You say that with your lips." "There's a different answer in your eyes." "You are dreaming." "You are a woman to make men dream." "You could love a man for himself alone, regardless of power, of everything." "No, it is not true." "I will not let it be true!" "Sherazade!" "Sherazade!" "Word has just come." "Kamar, they've made him Caliph." "Haroun is dead." "They found his body last night." "And Kamar has been proclaimed Caliph by the Great Council." "His soldiers control the city!" "So the Caliph Haroun is dead!" "Believe me, I did not know- Never mind, Ali." "In fact there are times when it is most desirable to be dead." "Kamar, Caliph of Bagdad." "Kamar upon the throne!" "Did I not tell you?" "You are not yet on the throne beside him." "Of course she is." "Already she is as good as queen." "Sherazade, whom I have loved as my own daughter, for whom I have done countless favors." "The good, the sweet, the grateful Sherazade." "Listen." "Are you the dancing girl, Sherazade?" "I am." "You are to come with me and your friends with you." "You hear?" "All of us!" " By whose command?" " The new Caliph, Kamar-Al-Zaman." "But a moment to prepare and I am ready." "Did you hear?" "His first act as Caliph was to send for Sherazade." "I shall be practicing how to salaam when you pass by." "You must not go." "Stay here." "I will go." "But remember from now forward my name is Ahmeen." "I better find you some other clothes!" "Alms for the love of Allah." "Praise Allah." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Praise Allah." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Rraise Allah." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Rraise Allah." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Rraise Allah." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Rraise Allah." "What is this?" "Why have you brought us here?" "This does not look to me like the way to the palace." "I do not like it." "Be silent." "No one has asked for your opinion." "You must get away." "This may be your last chance." "Look!" "Slave traders!" "Be ready." "Now what?" "Slave traders." "So this is the girl!" "Good." "In fact, excellent, excellent!" "Is this man mad?" "When the new Caliph hears of this" "The new Caliph Kamar will never hear." "Where we are sending you, not even Allah himself could find you." "Chain them, quickly!" "Hurry, go!" "Hurry, hurry!" "Pick him up." "Hold him fast!" "Put the chains on him." "Inside." "No!" "You, back there." "The amount agreed upon." "You, you, bear the litter." "Follow me." "Alms for the love of Allah." "Allah, Allah!" "Allah." "Praise Allah." "Praise be to the prophet." ""Be it known to all loyal subjects..." ""that any person bringing news of the whereabouts..." ""of the dancing girl Sherazade and her companions..." ""to the summer palace of the Caliph... will be richly rewarded."" "Tighter!" "Tighter!" "No!" "Son of infamy, every bone in your body shall be broken if you continue to defy me." "The blind beggar said you sold Sherazade into slavery." "Is that true?" "Tighter!" "Tighter." "More!" "Enough!" "I know nothing, my lord." "You lie." "There must've been others with you in this plot." "Who were they?" "Tell me their names and I promise you a quick death." "See that he lives 'til he speaks." "Yes, my lord." "I am going now to find her." "No power on earth can keep me from that." "If when I return you're still alive," "I promise you an eternity of suffering." "Slacken the rope." "I can release you from this torture if you will be honest with me." "The blind one spoke the truth, did he not?" "Yes, my lord." "You told me to make certain that the girl would never return so I thought" "You could obey my commands and fill your purse at the same time." "I meant no harm, my lord." "What is the slave trader's name?" "Hakim." "Where can I find him?" "At the marketplace of El Bessera." "It is the truth, my lord." "You have served me well... and I shall release you." "Now, my noble sirs, I have 90 dinars bid." "Surely a trifling figure for so sublime a slave." "Do I hear 100?" "Oh, come now, noble sirs." "Behold this young, beauteous damsel." "See, my noble gentlemen." "I remove her veil." "And now, my noble sirs, do I have your final bid... for this ravishing vision of loveliness?" "I have 90 dinars." "Who'll say 100?" "One hundred dinars!" "She is sold." "Sold to the merchant Abdullah." "Quickly." "fetch another." "Next one." "You!" "Hurry." "Come on." "Hurry." "I am ready!" "Come on!" "Does it move?" "Not yet." "Sherazade, there's still a chance." "You must not give up hope." "What have I to hope for?" "That out there?" "And now, my noble sirs, we have another tempting and tantalizing morsel," "Marzena, the exquisite flower of the Nile." "What am I bid?" "A hundred and fifty dinars!" "I have 150 dinars." "Will someone say 200?" "Oh, come, noble sirs!" "Two hundred dinars!" "Stand back." "Let me." "Come along, my masters, bid." "Have you no eyes for beauty?" "Two hundred dinars!" "That is a man who speaks." "Who'll make it 250?" "Two hundred fifty dinars." "They are in a good mood." "It's time to offer them the dancing girl." "Bring her." "Come, my good sirs, who'll say 300?" "Speak one of you." "Are you all women?" "Or will one of you say 300?" "Three hundred dinars." "She is sold!" "Sold to the noble and most venerable Kassim Baba." "May Allah strengthen him." "They are coming for Sherazade." "So this is the end." "No, Sherazade, listen to me." "You, on the top tier, forward." "There are things I cannot explain, but in my rightful place I have power, great power." "Somehow I will regain that power." "Then I swear to you, I'll seek you out and set you free, free to fulfill your destiny." "And if I am dead when that day comes?" "No, Sherazade." "All right, you, outside." "Not you, step back." "Where I go, she goes." "Sherazade, you must believe me." "Here, I'll help." "Pull!" "Wait!" "Wait!" "And now, noble sirs, prepare yourselves... for a sight such as is seldom seen by mortal eyes." "A vision of beauty beyond your dreams." "A foretaste of paradise itself." "She is as a young moon, mounting the stairway of the stars." "See how she approaches." "What poise, what grace." "See, my noble lords, what an exquisite creature." "Think that she can be yours or yours or yours to possess for all time." "Do not dare." "I warn you, if you show me to those men, this will be yours." "I swear it." "Do you hear that, you old men?" "If this man as much as touches me, I swear I will kill him." "What am I to do?" "You she-cat!" "Noble sirs, you see my plight." "This impossible creature" "No, no, no, I mean, this superb woman of character... cannot bear to deprive one of you of the privilege... of being alone in his joy." "Which one of you is to be that lucky man?" "Oh, come, sirs, What am I bid?" "Unveil her." "Come, come, unveil her." "Unveil her." "We want to see her first!" "Does it mean nothing to you to have the sole, the exclusive, the breathtaking privilege of seeing the beauteous damsel alone?" "One thousand dinars." "Ah, that's better, noble sir." "I am bid-What was that you said, noble sir?" "One thousand dinars." "A thou" "Come this way, noble sir." "Come this way." "Sherazade has been sold." "May we know the name of the noble lord?" "Do you wish names or gold?" "Together now!" "Together!" "Let me go too, master." "This must not fail." "The rest of you, be ready." "Help!" "Help!" "Help!" "Let us out!" "Hey, let us out!" "What is this?" "The plague!" "We shall all die." "And you'll lose your money!" "Let them out." "Hurry up, you fool, let them out." "The rope!" "The rope!" "I'll wait for you at the dunes of El Sohmra." "Shall I help you hold him?" "No, help me let go of him." "But if the slavers should follow." "They will not." "You are safe, Sherazade." "Ali, Ahmad and the others?" "They, too, will have escaped." "I told Ali we would meet here." "Then we will return to Bagdad, to the palace of Kamar." "No, not to Kamar." "Sherazade, you shall not return to Bagdad now." "You will ride with me beyond the river." "You speak as though I were your slave." "There are different kinds of slavery... a woman taught me." "A woman?" "A woman whose beauty shames the glory of the desert sunset." "Hello?" "Hello!" "Ahmeen!" "Sherazade!" "You see?" "As I told you, they are free!" "Ahmad, you are safe!" "All of you!" "Never fear, my little one." "We were more than a match for those cutthroats." "We must hurry to the river." "There is still danger." "In the village is a smithy where we can be rid of our chains." "Hurry, we must go quickly!" "Can he not work faster?" "Silence!" "Don't sound like a frightened woman." "Even on that slave block, you were unafraid." "Fear and anger walk different roads." "By the beard of the prophet, you would have killed that slaver." "I would." "Only those who wear chains, know the joys of freedom." "Enough of this philosophy." "What we need is speed!" "Should those slavers come" "If you have the strength, O feeble one." "O stomach of jelly!" "If my wife were here, she could break you from your chains." "The boat is here, but the ferryman is afraid to take us across." "I will persuade him." "Come to the boat as soon as you are ready." "Oh!" "I'm sure your wife would be more gentle." "Ouch!" "You know this calls to mind an experience I once had." "Sinbad, this is no time for tales." "Come." "Sinbad will follow." "What if the ferryman should refuse him?" "He won't." "Ahmeen will not fail his friends." "Shh!" "Listen." "The slavers!" "Quickly, hurry!" "We must go quickly!" "Hurry, hurry!" "Lay down your arms." "In whose name?" "In the name of Kamar Zaman, the Caliph of Bagdad." "These are the men?" "Yes, lord, yes." "I swear I did not know" "Silence!" "Where is she?" "Sherazade, where is she?" "Sherazade..." "at last!" "At last." "You see, my beloved, a city built on the sands of the desert to receive you." "This and all Bagdad shall be yours." "My lord, you should not enter that city." "If you'd be recognized" "Sherazade may need me." "Onward!" "Salaam." "Salaam, O commander of the faithful." "You see, Nadan, my search has been rewarded." "You are the chosen of Allah." "Sherazade, this is Nadan, my Grand Vizier and friend, as loyal as my right hand." "Peace and happiness be with you... and your beloved, O my lady." "Nadan, prepare a feast that shall be remembered through the ages." "Let us have wine and music." "This is the day when only joy is in the tents of the Caliph." "Saleem will escort you to your quarters." "What clothes!" "What luxury!" "What food!" "And you have me to thank for it all." "Sherazade had something to do with it." "May I get you something to eat?" "There was no triumph in her eyes when she looked at me, only sadness." "Only that, my lord?" "What else?" "Perhaps love." "I dare to hope so." "While you had eyes only for Sherazade, Nadan was watching." "I think he recognized you." "If he did, I must go to him and caution him to keep my secret from Sherazade." "She must not know who I am yet." "You cannot trust him!" "He's loyal to Kamar." "This is madness." "Well, what would you have me do then?" "Reveal yourself to your people, not to Nadan." "When they know you're alive, they will rise and restore you to the throne." "You there, you are wanted." "You must find Sherazade." "Tell her to have courage and I will keep my promise." "Come." "What do they want with him?" "What has happened?" "I'll try to find out." "This is the man, my lord." "You may leave us." "Wait outside." "Come closer." "I am told it was you who planned the escape from the slave market." "I played my part, my lord." "And that it was you who rescued Sherazade from the man who bought her." "It was my fortune to be the first to reach her." "Perhaps that was because you had a stronger motive." "What motive, my lord?" "The strongest of all, love." "Who am I to aspire to Sherazade, the chosen of Kamar?" "Who or what you are is no matter." "Love can come to the lowliest and to the highest." "That is true, my lord." "But the lowliest can hardly dare to hope to be loved for himself alone... by one as far above him as the stars." "Then you do love Sherazade." " My lord, I did not say" " I say it!" "I watched you closely when she was with Kamar." "Your lips may lie now, but then your eyes told me the truth." "Arrest this man." "Not so fast, little one." "Is it forbidden to enter there?" "Forbidden?" "No man but the Caliph and the Lord Vizier can enter the harem." "But I'm not a man." "I'm only a boy." "Boys grow fast." "Now be off with you!" "You cannot loiter here." "Well?" "What are you staring at, son-of-a-frog?" "At your magnificence, O mightier than the moon." "I was thinking, when I grow up, I, too, might stand guard over the harem of the Caliph." "Make a prayer that you won't have to do it in such a heat as this." "Your kerchief is red and angry like the sun." "Perhaps if it were blue, it would be more cooling." "But I, I have no blue one." "Aha!" "Now you have, O mighty one." "Beelzebub!" "Magic!" "Doubtless, too, your honor is thirsty." "As a goat in the desert!" "Drink, my lord." "Now I'll make it vanish." "Watch." "By Allah!" "He, too, has vanished." "A boy!" "Catch him!" "Bring him here." "Show him to us." "No!" "Please let me go." "It is serious." "Don't be serious." "What brought you here?" "I came to find Sherazade." "The new favorite." "I bring her a message from- A lover?" "Already a tryst!" "We must help him." "If Kamar should find out, he'd be furious." "There's the tent of Sherazade." "We must move cautiously." "Let's hide him." "What are you doing there?" "What do we do now?" "What can we do?" "Start a fight!" "Stop it." "Stop it." "Stop it!" "Get in the water." "Stop it, I say." "Stop it." "Come here!" "Come here!" "Here he comes!" "Look at this one." "Just think of it." "From now on, you can have everything you want." "Sherazade?" "Sherazade?" "Sherazade?" "Ali!" "I have come with a message from my master." "He said he will keep his promise." "But he's in great danger." "And he's heedless of that danger because ofhis love for you." "Make way, make way for the Grand Vizier." "Look!" "You mustn't be found here." "Quick!" "What is this man to you?" "Is he your lover?" "I have loved no man." "But he has admitted that he loves you." "He said that?" "And you love him." "That isn't true!" "Can't you understand?" "She is Sherazade, whose dream it was to marry a king." "Why should she choose a humble player?" "Do you still deny he is your lover?" "Yes." "He came to us by chance before we were sold into slavery." "He will regret that escape from the tender mercies of those slavers." "Guard!" "What are you going to do?" "What will happen to him?" "There are many ways that death can come to a man." "His will not be easy." "But he's our friend!" "What has he done that he should die?" "You really love him, do you not?" "Yes, yes, I love him!" "Help me." "Save him." "I'll be your slave." "Only save him!" "If I save him, I shall need your help." "What do you want me to do?" "This ring." "You see?" "Wear it." "At the feast, when the marriage cup is brought, the slave will already have tasted the wine." "Kamar will suspect nothing." "As you pass your hands over the cup during the betrothal dance" "It should be easy." "And he?" "I will sign an order for his release... and provide an escort as far as the border." "Once across the river, he should be quite safe." "Why are you doing this?" "What will you gain?" "My rightful place that belongs to the strongest." "The throne." "I have been a servant long enough." "Now I will be king." "Come, make up your mind!" "How do I know you will keep your word?" "You will see him leave the encampment yourself." "Will that satisfy you?" "Very well." "I will make the arrangements." "When the time comes, I will let you know." "I have kept my bargain." "See that you keep yours." "He is to reach the other bank of the river safely, but then- I understand, my lord." "You expect us to believe all of that?" "You must believe it!" "Haroun-Al-Raschid!" "And I thought he was a beggar." "I asked him if he could juggle." "We must do something!" "What can we do?" "Haroun's safe conduct goes only as far as the river." "We must get there before the soldiers and hide the ferryboat." "I have a plan." "We'll go to the smithy and" "All we want is to borrow your smithy for an hour." "Borrow it?" "That's right." "Don't worry." "You'll be paid." "You paid me nothing before." "You paid him nothing?" "In that case, we'll double it." "What?" "Clear off, offspring of a beggar!" "Did you get the boat?" "Yes, we have it hidden downstream." "Good, good." "Watch for the soldiers." "What's going on out there?" "Ahmad!" "They are here." "The soldiers are coming." "Smith?" "Oh, there you are." "We want the ferryboat." "The ferryboat?" "Yes." "Oh, oh, the, uh..." "the, uh, ferryboat." "Yes." "It's out of service." "Out of service?" "It's on account of the ferryman." "He's sick with confusionitis." "Eh?" "You see, for 25 years he's been going to and fro, and fro and to." "And most of the time he didn't know whether he was fro or to." "Have you ever been to when you were supposed to be fro?" "It makes you wish you'd never started." "This isn't getting us anyplace." "That's exactly what the ferryman said to his wife after his 4,000th round-trip." "Oh, excuse me, but there's a woman in there... who used to know on which side of the river the ferryman lived." "I'll go in and ask her." "Oh, if you have to leave, don't go until you come back." "I can't hold off the corporal much longer." "The man's crazy!" "That, that..." "that gives me an idea." "One of you will have to be a woman." "Nooo!" "I'll do it." "When I was with the Strolling Players," "I was known as the Bag of Bagdad." "You can't do it with that beard." "Ridiculous!" "The woman that I loved most dearly had a beard like that." "The corporal isn't that crazy." "No, you'll have to shave it off." "My beard?" "Rather my life than my beard." "But it's Haroun's life that matters now." "Valda." "Off with the beard." "No, no, no." "No, Valda, I forbid it." "Valda, don't!" "The woman said, the last time she saw" "There's a horse with a split hoof." "See to it." "Who, me?" "You!" "What's the matter with you?" "You're the smith, aren't you?" "Oh, uh" "Yes, yes, yes." "Come on." "I'll show you." "He'll have to get down." "Can't you manage without?" "Without?" "Don't be ridiculous." "Don't you think I know my own trade?" "Come on." "Right this way, sir." "Help bind him." "You'll be comfortable here." "You need not be gentle with that accursed one." "By the stars, this better be the one." "Allah, preserve us." "What was that?" "That was Sultana." "A camel?" "Oh, no." "A woman, a very beautiful woman." "Oh?" "I'm going to look for the ferryman." "I'll come back later." "Why don't you come back now?" "Well, I" "Don't begin that again." "Get on with your work." "Oh!" "Where did I put my anvil?" "Sultana, what have you done with my anvil?" "Did you call, father?" "Oh, I..." "I didn't know you had company." "What a beautiful distribution of flesh." "Ahh!" "The most magnificent." "Not only the most magnificent, but the most." "Ahh." "Um... may I?" "Coochi-coochi-coochi." "I've stood enough." "Not now." "Wait 'til we get him in here." "Coochi-coochi-coochi." "What's going on here?" "I only chucked her under the chin." "Which chin?" "How dare you pay court to my beloved." "Silly boy, takes so much for granted." "Away with you!" "I dare you to cross this threshold." "I defy you to enter here." "Aren't you going to accept his challenge?" "Oh, you do, do you?" "I double" "Rleasant dreams." "Eedee, jedee, midee, moe." "Jedee, moe." "The corporal, come." "Come quickly!" "Come, the corporal!" "Quick, go!" "Come." "Wine!" "Wine!" "Wine." "Ali, what are you doing here?" "Nadan ordered his soldiers to kill you at the river." "Why did he pretend to free me?" "He made a bargain with Sherazade." "What bargain?" "She agreed to poison Kamar's wine... in return for your safety." "What does my safety mean to her?" "She loves you, my lord, and she's in great danger." "Hurry, we must go quickly!" "The soldiers are sleeping peacefully." "We await your commands, O Mighty Caliph." "Ali, cross the river and rouse my people." "The rest of you, mount your horses and follow me." "Proceed." "Bring the wedding gifts." "We will drink to our betrothal." "Sherazade." "Ahmeen!" "Seize that man!" "Sinbad!" "Sinbad!" "Guards, stop them!" "Do you not recognize me, my brother?" "Haroun." "Haroun-Al-Raschid." "The rightful Caliph!" "Haroun-Al-Raschid!" "Why did you not tell me, my lord?" "I could not until I was sure of your love." "Her love?" "Now, my brother, you condemned me to the slow death." "Yours shall be swift and sure." "By Allah!" "This has got to be the one." "Beautiful lamp." "Magic" "It worked!" "It worked!" "The palace guard." "Look!" "Oh, no, you won't!" "Oh, Sherazade." "Hail, Haroun-Al-Raschid!" "The rightful monarch thus regained his throne." "There was great rejoicing throughout the land." "Sherazade and Haroun lived in peace and happiness all their days." "Did that really happen, O Guardian of the Harem?" "Of course it did." "Thus, as Allah had willed, so did it come to pass."