The King and the Robbers

What happens when a king becomes a thief for a night? "The King and the Robbers" transports you to the world of Sultan Muhammad of Ghazni, who disguises himself to walk among his subjects and unexpectedly joins a band of notorious thieves.

The music in this episode is Imagine Sleep by Hanna Lindgren.

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Dreamful is produced and hosted by Jordan Blair. Edited by Katie Sokolovska. Theme song by Joshua Snodgrass. Cover art by Jordan Blair.  ©️ Dreamful LLC

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:21

Welcome to Dreamful Podcast , the time stories for slumber . In this bonus episode , I will be reading the King and the Robbers . So snuggle up in your blankets and have sweet dreams . Thank you .

Speaker 1 1:20

In former days , it was the delight of kings and princes to disguise themselves and to visit the streets of their cities , both to seek adventures and to learn the habits and opinions of their subjects . One night , the famous Sultan Muhammad of Ghazni dressed himself up and , assuming the character of a thief , went into the streets . He there fell in with a gang of notorious robbers and , joining himself to their company , he gave himself out as a desperate villain , saying If you are thieves , I am a thief too . So let us go and try our good fortune together . They all agreed . Be it so , said they . But before we set out , let us compare notes and see who possesses the strongest point for the business in hand , and let him be our captain . My strongest point , said one , is my hearing . I can distinguish and understand the speech of dogs and of wolves . Mine , said the next , is my hands , with which I am so practiced that I can jerk a rope to the tops of the highest houses . And mine , said another , is my strength of arm . I can force my way through any wall , however stoutly built . My chief point , said the fourth , is my sense of smell . Show me a house and I will reveal to you whether it is rich or poor , whether it is full or empty . And mine said the fifth robber is my keenness of eyesight . If I meet a man on the darkest night , I can detect him and point him out in the daytime . The king now spoke and said my strong point is my beard . I have only to wag my beard and a man sentenced to be hanged is released immediately . Then you shall be a captain , cried all the robbers at once , since hanging is the only thing of which we are afraid . So the king was unanimously chosen as a leader and away the six confederates started .

Speaker 1 4:29

The house which they agreed to rob that night was the king's palace . When they arrived under the walls , a dog suddenly sprang out and began to bark . What is he saying , asked one . The dog is saying , said the robber with the fine ear , that the king himself is one of our company . Then the dog lies , answered another , for that cannot be .

Speaker 1 5:18

The robber who was so dexterous with his hands now threw up a rope ladder which attached itself to a lofty balcony . It enabled the party to mount to the top of one of the houses . Do you smell any money here ? Said one to the robber , whose scent was his principal boast . The man went smelling about all over the roof and said at last this must be some poor widow's quarters . But there is neither gold nor silver in the place . Let us go on . The robbers now crept cautiously along the flat tops of the houses until they came to a towering wall richly carved and painted , and the robber of the keen scent began smelling again . Ah , exclaimed he . Here we are . This is the king's treasure house . Oh , strong arm , do you break open a way through ? The robber of the strong arm now proceeded to dislodge the woodwork and stones until , at last , he had pierced the wall and effected an entrance into the house . And effected an entrance into the house . The rest of the gang speedily followed , and their search was rewarded by the coffers full of gold which they found there and which they passed out through the aperture and carried away . While laden , they all , by common consent , hastened to one of their favorite haunts , where the spoil was divided , the king also receiving his share with the rest , while at the same time he informed himself of the robbers' names and learned their places of abode . After this , as the night was far advanced , they separated and the king returned alone to his palace .

Speaker 1 7:46

The next morning the robbery was discovered and the city cried by the officers of justice , but the king , without a word , went to his audience chamber where he took his seat as usual . He then addressed his minister and told him to send and arrest the robbers . Go to such and such a street , said he , in the lower corridor of the city , and there you will find the house . Here are the names of the criminals . Let them be taken before the judge and sentenced , and then produce them here" . The minister at once left the presence and , taking with him some attendants , he proceeded with all dispatch to the street in question , found and arrested the robbers and took them before the judge . As the evidence of their guilt was conclusive , they made a full confession and implored mercy . They made a full confession and implored mercy , but the judge condemned them all to be hanged and sent them before the king . As soon as they appeared , the king looked sternly at them and demanded what they had to allege in extenuation that their sentence should not be carried out . Then they all began to make excuses , accepting the one whose special gift it was to recognize in the day those whom he had met at night . He , looking fixedly at the king , cried out . To the surprise of his comrades , the moment has arrived for the wagging of the beard . The king , hearing his words , gravely , wagged his beard as a signal that the executioner should retire . And having enjoyed a hearty laugh with his chance acquaintances the preceding night , he feasted them well , gave them some good advice and restored them to their liberty .

Speaker 1 10:39

In former days , it was the delight of kings and princes to disguise themselves and to visit the streets of their cities , both to seek adventures and to learn the habits and opinions of their subjects . One night , the famous Sultan Muhammad of Ghuzni dressed himself up and , assuming the character of a thief , went into the streets . He there fell in with a gang of notorious robbers and , joining himself to their company , he gave himself out as a desperate villain , saying if you are thieves , I am a thief too . So let us go and try our good fortune together . They all agreed . Be it . So , said they .

Speaker 1 11:42

But before we set out , let us compare notes and see who possesses the strongest point for the business in hand , and let him your captain . My strongest point , said one , is my hearing . I can distinguish and understand the speech of dogs and of wolves . Mine , said the next is my hands , with which I am so practiced that I can jerk a rope to the tops of the highest houses . And mine said another is my strength of arm . I can force my way through any wall , however stoutly built . My chief point , said the fourth , is my sense of smell . Show me a house and I will reveal to you whether it is rich or poor , whether it is full or empty . And mine said the fifth robber is my keenness of eyesight . If I meet a man on the darkest night , I can detect him and point him out in the daytime . The king now spoke and said my strong point is my beard . I have only to wag my beard . And a man sentenced to be hanged is released immediately . Is released immediately , then you shall be our captain , cried all the robbers at once , since hanging is the only thing of which we are afraid . So the king was unanimously chosen as a leader , and away the six confederates started .

Speaker 1 13:50

The house which they agreed to rob that night was the king's palace . When they arrived under the walls , a dog suddenly sprang out and began to bark . What is he saying , asked one . The dog is saying , said the robber with the fine ear , that the king himself is one of our company . Then the dog lies , answered another , or that cannot be .

Speaker 1 14:28

The robber , who was so dexterous with his hands , now threw up a rope ladder which attached itself to a lofty balcony . It enabled the party to mount to the top of one of the houses . Amount , to the top of one of the houses . Do you smell any money here ? Said one to the robber whose scent was his principal boast . The man went smelling about all over the roof and said at last , this must be some poor widow's quarters . But there is neither gold nor silver in the place . Let us go on .

Speaker 1 15:17

The robbers now crept cautiously along the flat tops of the houses until they came to a towering wall richly carved and painted , and the robber of the keen scent began smelling again . Ah , exclaimed he , here we are . This is the king's treasure house . Oh , strong arm , do you break open a way through ? The robber of the strong arm now proceeded to dislodge the woodwork and stones until at last he had pierced the wall and effected an entrance into the house . The rest of the gang speedily followed , and their search was rewarded by the coffers full of gold which they found there and which they passed out through the aperture and carried away , while laden , they all , by common consent , hastened to one of their favorite haunts , where the spoil was divided , the king also receiving a share with the rest , while at the same time he informed himself of the robbers' names and learned their places of abode . After this , as the night was far advanced , they separated and the king returned alone to his palace .

Speaker 1 17:13

The next morning the robbery was discovered and the city cried by the officers of justice , but the king , without a word , went to his audience chamber where he took his seat as usual . He then addressed his minister and told him to send and arrest the robbers . Go to such and such a street , said he in the lower corridor of the city , and there you will find the house . Here are the names of the criminals , let them be taken before the judge and sentenced , and then produce them here . The minister at once left the presence and , taking with him some attendants , he proceeded with all dispatch to the street in question , found and arrested the robbers and took them before the judge .

Speaker 1 18:16

As the evidence of their guilt was conclusive , they made a full confession and implored mercy , but the judge condemned them all to be hanged and sent them before the king as soon as they appeared . The king looked sternly at them and demanded what they had to allege in extenuation that their sentence should not be carried out . Then they all began to make excuses , accepting the one whose special gift it was to recognize in the day those whom he had met at night , to recognize in the day those whom he had met at night . He , looking fixedly at the king , cried out , to the surprise of his comrades the moment has arrived for the wagging of the beard . The king , hearing his words , gravely wagged his beard as a signal that the executioner should retire and having enjoyed a hearty laugh with his chance acquaintances the preceding night , he feasted them well no-transcript .