Murad the Unlucky and Other Tales | Page 5

of the pretended merchants, "I
see that you are strangers: you do not know how much cause I have for
grief and despair! You do not know that you are speaking to Murad the
Unlucky! Were you to hear all the unfortunate accidents that have
happened to me, from the time I was born till this instant, you would
perhaps pity me, and acknowledge I have just cause for despair."
Curiosity was strongly expressed by the sultan; and the hope of
obtaining sympathy inclined Murad to gratify it by the recital of his
adventures. "Gentlemen," said he, "I scarcely dare invite you into the
house of such an unlucky being as I am; but if you will venture to take
a night's lodging under my roof, you shall hear at your leisure the story
of my misfortunes."
The sultan and the vizier excused themselves from spending the night

with Murad, saying that they were obliged to proceed to their khan,
where they should be expected by their companions; but they begged
permission to repose themselves for half an hour in his house, and
besought him to relate the history of his life, if it would not renew his
grief too much to recollect his misfortunes.
Few men are so miserable as not to like to talk of their misfortunes,
where they have, or where they think they have, any chance of
obtaining compassion. As soon as the pretended merchants were seated,
Murad began his story in the following manner:-
"My father was a merchant of this city. The night before I was born he
dreamed that I came into the world with the head of a dog and the tail
of a dragon; and that, in haste to conceal my deformity, he rolled me up
in a piece of linen, which unluckily proved to be the grind seignior's
turban; who, enraged at his insolence in touching his turban,
commanded that his head should be struck off.
"My father awaked before he lost his head, but not before he had lost
half his wits from the terror of his dream. He considered it as a warning
sent from above, and consequently determined to avoid the sight of me.
He would not stay to see whether I should really be born with the head
of a dog and the tail of a dragon; but he set out, the next morning, on a
voyage to Aleppo.
"He was absent for upwards of seven years; and during that time my
education was totally neglected. One day I inquired from my mother
why I had been named Murad the Unlucky. She told me that this name
was given to me in consequence of my father's dream; but she added
that perhaps it might be forgotten, if I proved fortunate in my future life.
My nurse, a very old woman, who was present, shook her head, with a
look which I shall never forget, and whispered to my mother loud
enough for me to hear, 'Unlucky he was, and is, and ever will be. Those
that are born to ill luck cannot help themselves; nor can any, but the
great prophet, Mahomet himself, do anything for them. It is a folly for
an unlucky person to strive with their fate: it is better to yield to it at
once.'
"This speech made a terrible impression upon me, young as I then was;
and every accident that happened to me afterwards confirmed my belief
in my nurse's prognostic. I was in my eighth year when my father
returned from abroad. The year after he came home my brother Saladin

was born, who was named Saladin the Lucky, because the day he was
born a vessel freighted with rich merchandise for my father arrived
safely in port.
"I will not weary you with a relation of all the little instances of good
fortune by which my brother Saladin was distinguished, even during
his childhood. As he grew up, his success in everything he undertook
was as remarkable as my ill luck in all that I attempted. From the time
the rich vessel arrived, we lived in splendour; and the supposed
prosperous state of my father's affairs was of course attributed to the
influence of my brother Saladin's happy destiny.
"When Saladin was about twenty, my father was taken dangerously ill;
and as he felt that he should not recover, he sent for my brother to the
side of his bed, and, to his great surprise, informed him that the
magnificence in which we had lived had exhausted all his wealth; that
his affairs were in the greatest disorder; for, having trusted to the hope
of continual success, he had embarked in projects beyond his powers.
"The sequel was, he had nothing remaining to leave to his children but
two large