20 HIKAYAT ABU NAWAS. 



on the bier. Abu Xawas hires a horseman to scatter the mourners, 

 while the .young man really kills the manteri, who is actually 

 buried. 



XIII. Abu Xawas has a poor relation who wants to trade. 

 To get him capital, Abu Xawas sends his wife Maria to the Sultana, 

 Siti Zubaidah, to say that she wants alms to bury her husband, Abu 

 Xawas, who has just died. Meanwhile he himself goes to Sultan 

 Harun and asks for alms to bury his wife ! They both get money 

 and start their kinsman in trade. Maria however keeps back 250 

 of the 350 derham given to her. 



XIY. The poor relation loses all his money in trade and 

 enters the service of a Jew, with the stipulation that whoever of 

 them gives the other notice shall forfeit a pound of flesh. The 

 poor trader cannot endure the hard work, and forfeits his pound 

 of flesh. Abu Xawas enters the Jew's service to avenge his relative. 

 He works well but continually eats his master's food. The Jew 

 anxious to get rid of him but fearful of forfeiting a pound of flesh 

 determines to kill him. Abu Xawas puts the Jew's wife in his bed. 

 The Jew kills her and has to flee the country, leaving half his 

 property behind. Abu Xawas asks for one nail out of the property 

 and before the Baja and merchants come to the auction of the Jew's 

 property hangs stinking meat on it. They pay him 8000 peral' 

 in all to remove the meat. He gives the poor relation 1000 peral' 

 and the man trades and grows rich. 



XY. Harun orders Aim Xawas to get a bearded tiger (ma- 

 clian). Abu Xawas puts up a trap in his house, and after arrang- 

 ing with his wife, goes to an elder of the mosque and tells him that 

 his wife has quarrelled with him. The elder goes off to talk to the 

 lady and finding her fair draws very near to her. Abu Xawas re- 

 turns and knocks at the door. His wife puts the elder in the cage 

 to hide. Abu Xawas takes the trap with its human victim before 

 the Sultan and the elder is disgraced for ever. 



This forms one incident in the tale of Musang Berjanggut 

 (J. R. A. S., 8. B. Xo. 52) which is mostly derived from the Suka- 

 saptati (or Sanskrit original of "The Enchanted Parrot" Wor- 

 tham's translation, Tale XXXIII). 



XYI. The story how Muhammad Khali by a filthy trick cured 

 his wife of her guilty passion for a bilal. 



XVII. Harun a'r-Eashicl calls all his advisers except Abu 

 "Xawas to choose a name for his son. They select Abdul-Eahman. 

 Abu Xawas annoyed presents himself before the Sultan and declares 

 it is a name fit only for fools. To prove it he goes to the house of 

 a Penghulu Abdul-Eahman, hides money under his mat, pretends 

 to listen to the chirping of birds outside the house and declares the 

 birds are saying there is money under the mat. Abdul-Eahman 

 finds it is so. Abu Xawas repeats the trick for several days. On 

 the seventh day Abu Xawas weeps and says the birds declare that 

 Abdul-Eahman is about to die. To avoid this tragedy, Abdul- 



Jour. Straits Branch. 



