'If we throw it over，it will break，'replied they. And he said，'I fear lest there be brigands within who kill four and steal their goods；for they are wont when night falls on them，to enter these places and divide their spoil.'O thou of little wit！'rejoined they，'how could they get in here？'Then they set down the chest and climbing the wall，got down and opened the gate，whilst Bekhit held the light for themafter which they shut the door and sat down. Then said one of them，'O my brotherswe are tired with walking and carrying the chest，and it is now the middle of the night，and we have no breath left to open the tomb and bury the chest： so let us rest two or three hours，then rise and do what we have to do. Meanwhile each of us shall tell how he came to be an eunuch and all that befell him from first to lastto pass away the time，whilst we rest ourselves.'Good，'answered the others；and Bekhit said，'O my brothers，I will begin.'Say on，'replied they. So he began as follows'KnowO my brothers，that Story of the Eunuch Bekhit.
I was brought from my native country，when I was five years old，by a slave-merchantwho sold me to one of the royal messengers.
My master had a three-year-old daughterwith whom I was reared，and they used to make sport of me，letting me play with the girl and dance and sing to her，till I reached the age of twelve and she that of ten；and even then they did not forbid me from her.
One dayI went in to her and found her sitting in an inner room，perfumed with essences and scented woods，and her face shone like the round of the moon on its fourteenth night，as if she had just come out of the bath that was in the house. She began to sport with me，and I with her. Now I had just reached the age of puberty，and my yard rose on end，as it were a great bolt. Then she threw me down and mounting my breast，pulled me hither and thither，till my yard became uncovered. When she saw this，and it in point，she seized it in her hand and fell to rubbing it against the lips of her kazeoutside her trousers. At thisheat stirred in me and I put my arms round herwhilst she wreathed hers about my neck and strained me to her with all her might，till，before I knew what I did，my yard thrust through her trousers，and entering her kaze，did away her maidenhead. When I saw what I had done，I fled and took refuge with one of my comrades. Presently，her mother came in to her，and seeing her in this statewas lost to the world. Howevershe smoothed the matter over and hid the girl's condition from her father，of the love they bore me，nor did they cease to call to me and coax me，till they took me from where I was. After two months had passed byher mother married her to a young man，a barber，who used to shave her father，and portioned and fitted her out of her own monies，whilst her father knew nothing of what had passed. Then they took me unawares and gelded me： and when they brought her to her husbandthey made me her eunuchto go before herwherever she went，whether to the bath or to her father's house. On the wedding-nightthey slaughtered a young pigeon and sprinkled the blood on her shift；and I abode with her a long while，enjoying her beauty and grace，by way of kissing and clipping and clicketing，till she died and her husband and father and mother died also；when they seized me for the Treasury and I found my way hither，where I became your comrade. This then，O my brothers，is my story and how I came to be docked of my cullions；and peace be on you.'Then said the second eunuch，'Know，O my brothers，that Story of the Eunuch Kafour.
From the time when I was eight years oldI was wont to tell the slave-merchants one lie every year，so that they fell out with one another，till at last my master lost patience with me and carrying me down to the marketdelivered me to a broker and bade him cry me for salesaying'Who will buy this slave with his fault？'He did so，and it was asked him，'What is his fault？'
Quoth he，'He tells one lie every year.'Then came up one of the merchants and said to the broker'How much have they bidden for this slave，with his fault？'Six hundred dirhems，'replied the broker. 'And twenty dirhems for thyself，'said the merchant. So he brought him to the slave-dealer，who took the money，and the broker carried me to my master's house and went away，after having received his brokerage. The merchant clothed me as befitted my conditionand I bode in his service the rest of the year，until the new year came in with good omen. It was a blessed season，rich in herbage and the fruits of the earth，and the merchants began to give entertainments every dayeach bearing the cost in turn，till it came to my master's turn to entertain them in a garden without the city. So he and the other merchants repaired to the gardentaking with them all that they required of food and so forth，and sat，eating and drinking and carousing，till noon，when my master，having need of something from the house，said to me'O slave，mount the mule and go to the house and get such and such a thing from thy mistress and return quickly.'I did as he bade me and started for the house，but as I drew near，I began to cry out and weep copiouslywhereupon all the people of the quarter collectedgreat and small；and my master's wife and daughtershearing the noise I was making，opened the door and asked me what was the matter. Quoth I，'My master and his friends were sitting beneath an old walland it fell on them：and when I saw what had befallen them，I mounted the mule and came hitherin hasteto tell you.'When my master's wife and daughters heard this，they shrieked aloud and tore their clothes and buffeted their faces，whilst the neighbours came round them. Then my mistress overturned the furniture of the housepell-melltore down the shelvesbroke up the casements and the lattices and smeared the walls with mud and indigo. Presently she said to me，'Out on thee，O Kafour！
