Thousand & One Nights: 109th Night.
One hundred and ninth night:
Shahrazad began to tell the story:
The absence of the Hunchback was felt in the court of the king. The king inquired about him from one of those present. He replied, "O Lord, I have heard that the chief of Police found a dead hunchback and caught his killer. But when he was about to hang him, a second and third man came forward, and each of them claimed to be murderer. They are still there, each telling the chief how the hunchback died." When the king of China heard this, he called out one of the Chamberlains, saying, "Go down and bring me everyone." The Chamberlain went down at once, and reached at the site of gallows. The hangman had put the rope round the tailor's neck, and was about to hoist him up. He cried out to the hangman, "Stop!" and turning to the chief, relayed to him king's order. The chief took the tailor, the Jew, the steward, and the Christian together with the hunchback, carried on a litter, and brought them all before the king. He kissed the ground before him and related to him their adventures with the hunchback, from beginning to end. When the king of China heard the story, he was very much amazed and moved to mirth, and he ordered that the story be recorded. "Have you ever heard anything more amazing than the adventure of the hunchback?" He asked to those around him. The Christian trader came forward, and kissing the ground before the king, said, "O king of the age, with your leave I will tell you a more amazing story that happened to myself, a story that will
make even the stone weep." The king replied, "Tell us your story." The Christian said:
The day broke, and Shahrazad stopped the story.
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