my brother!  Alas, my chief!  Alas, my lord!’ And he went in to the men, who rose and condoled with him.  Then he accosted Er Razi’s wife and said to her, ’How came his death about?’ ‘I know not,’ answered she, ’except that, when I arose in the morning, I found him dead.’  Moreover, he questioned her of the money and good that was with her, but she said, ’I have no knowledge of this and no tidings.’

So he sat down at the sharper’s head, and said to him, ’Know, O Razi, that I will not leave thee till after ten days and their nights, wherein I will wake and sleep by thy grave.  So arise and be not a fool.’  But he answered him not and El Merouzi [drew his knife and] fell to sticking it into the other’s hands and feet, thinking to make him move; but [he stirred not and] he presently grew weary of this and concluded that the sharper was dead in good earnest. [However, he still misdoubted of the case] and said in himself, ’This fellow is dissembling, so he may enjoy all the money.’  Therewith he addressed himself to prepare him [for burial] and bought him perfumes and what [not else] was needed.  Then they brought him to the washing-place and El Merouzi came to him and heating water till it boiled and bubbled and a third of it was wasted,[FN#40] fell to pouring it on his skin, so that it turned red and blue and blistered; but he abode still on one case [and stirred not].

So they wrapped him in the shroud and set him on the bier.  Then they took up his bier and bearing him to the burial-place, laid him in the grave[FN#41] and threw the earth over him; after which the folk dispersed, but El Merouzi and the widow abode by the tomb, weeping, and gave not over sitting till sundown, when the woman said to him, ’Come, let us go to the house, for this weeping will not profit us, nor will it restore the dead.’  ’By Allah,’ answered the sharper, ’I will not budge hence till I have slept and waked by this tomb ten days, with their nights!’ When she heard this his speech, she feared lest he should keep his word and his oath, and so her husband perish; but she said in herself, ’This fellow dissembleth:  if I go away and return to my house, he will abide by him a little while and go away.’  And El Merouzi said to her, ‘Arise, thou, and go away.’

So she arose and returned to her house, whilst El Merouzi abode in his place till the night was half spent, when he said to himself, ’How long [is this to last]?  Yet how can I let this knavish dog die and lose the money?  Methinks I were better open the tomb on him and bring him forth and take my due of him by dint of grievous beating and torment.’  Accordingly, he dug him up and pulled him forth of the tomb; after which he betook himself to an orchard hard by the burial-ground and cut thence staves and palm sticks.  Then he tied the dead man’s legs and came down on him with the staff and beat him grievously; but he stirred not.  When the time grew long on him, his shoulders became weary and