The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade by Edgar Allan Poe
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an extent that he could_have made himself heard from one end of_the world to_the other .{*29} another had so_long an arm that he_could sit down in damascus and indite a letter at Bagdad -- or indeed at any distance whatsoever .{*30} another commanded the lightning to_come down to him out_of_the heavens, and it came at his call; and served him for a plaything when it came . another took two loud sounds and out_of_them made a silence . another constructed a deep darkness out of two brilliant lights .{*31} another made ice in a red- hot furnace .{*32} another directed the sun to paint his portrait, and_the sun did .{*33} another took this luminary with_the moon and_the planets, and having first weighed them with scrupulous accuracy, probed into their depths and found out the solidity of_the substance of_which they were made . but the whole nation is, indeed, of so surprising a necromantic ability, that not even their infants, nor their commonest cats and dogs have any difficulty in seeing objects that_do_not exist at all, or that for twenty millions of years before_the birth of_the nation itself had_been blotted out from_the face of creation ."' {*34}

analogous experiments in respect to sound produce analogous results .

" preposterous ! " said the king .

"' the wives and daughters of_these incomparably great and wise Magi,'" continued Scheherazade, without being in any manner disturbed by_these frequent and most ungentlemanly interruptions on_the_part of her husband -- "' the wives and daughters of_these eminent conjurers are every thing that_is accomplished and refined; and would_be every thing that_is interesting and beautiful, but for an unhappy fatality that besets them, and from_which not even the miraculous powers of_their husbands and fathers has, hitherto, been adequate to save . some fatalities come in certain shapes, and some in others -- but this of_which I speak has_come in_the shape of a crotchet .'"

"A what ? " said the king .

"'A crotchet'" said Scheherazade ."' one_of_the evil genii, who_are perpetually upon_the watch to inflict ill, has put it into_the heads of_these accomplished ladies that_the thing which we describe as personal beauty consists altogether in_the protuberance of_the region which lies not very far below the small of_the back . perfection of loveliness, they say, is in_the direct ratio of_the extent of_this lump .Having been long possessed of_this idea, and bolsters being cheap in_that country, the days have long gone by since it_was possible to distinguish a woman from a dromedary-'"

" stop ! " said the king -- " I_can't stand that, and I won't . you_have already given me a dreadful headache with your lies . the day, too, I perceive, is beginning to break . how long have we been married ? -- my conscience is getting to_be troublesome again . and then that dromedary touch -- do_you take me for a fool ? upon_the whole, you_might as_well get up and be throttled ."

these words, as I learn from_the "Isitsoornot," both grieved and astonished Scheherazade; but, as she knew the king to_be a man of scrupulous integrity, and quite unlikely to forfeit his word, she submitted to her fate with a good grace . she derived, however, great consolation, ( during the tightening of_the bowstring,) from_the reflection that much of_the history remained still untold, and_that the petulance of her brute of a husband had reaped for him a most righteous reward, in depriving him of many inconceivable adventures .

Notes --- Scherezade

{*1} the coralites .

{*2} " one_of_the_most remarkable natural curiosities in Texas is apetrified forest, near the head of Pasigno river . it consists of several hundred trees, in an erect position, all turned to stone . some trees, now growing, are partly petrified . this_is astartling fact for natural philosophers, and must cause them to modify the existing theory of petrification .-- Kennedy .

this account, at first discredited, has since been corroborated by_the discovery of acompletely petrified forest, near the head waters of_the Cheyenne, or Chienne river, which_has its source in_the black Hills of_the rocky chain .

there_is scarcely, perhaps, a spectacle on_the surface of_the globe more remarkable, either in a geological or picturesque point of view than that presented by_the petrified forest, near Cairo . the traveller, having passed the tombs of_the caliphs, just beyond the gates of_the city, proceeds to_the southward, nearly at right angles to_the road across the desert to Suez, and after having travelled some ten miles up a low barren valley, covered with sand, gravel, and sea shells, fresh as if_the tide had retired but yesterday, crosses a low range of sandhills, which_has for some distance run parallel to_his path . the scene now presented to him is beyond conception singular and desolate .a mass of fragments of trees, all converted into stone, and when struck by his horse's hoof ringing like cast iron, is seen to extend itself for miles and miles around him, in_the form of a decayed and prostrate forest . the wood is of a dark brown hue, but retains its form in perfection, the pieces being from one to fifteen feet in length, and from half a foot to three feet in thickness, strewed so closely together, as far as_the eye can reach, that an Egyptian donkey can scarcely thread its way through amongst them, and so natural that, were it in Scotland or Ireland, it might pass without remark for some enormous drained bog, on_which the exhumed trees lay rotting in_the sun . the roots and rudiments of_the branches are, in many cases, nearly perfect, and in some the worm-holes eaten under the bark are readily recognizable . the most delicate of_the sap vessels, and all the finer portions of_the centre of_the wood, are perfectly entire, and bear to_be examined with_the strongest magnifiers . the whole are so thoroughly silicified as_to scratch glass and_are capable of receiving the highest polish .-- _Asiatic magazine .

{*3} the mammoth cave of Kentucky .

{*4} in Iceland, 1783 .

{*5} " during the eruption of Hecla, in 1766, clouds of_this kind produced such a degree of darkness that, at Glaumba, which_is more than fifty leagues from_the mountain, people could only find their way by groping . during the eruption of Vesuvius, in 1794, at Caserta, four leagues distant, people could only walk by_the light of torches . on_the first of may, 1812, a cloud of volcanic ashes and sand, coming from a volcano in_the island of St . Vincent, covered the whole of Barbadoes, spreading over it so intense a darkness that, at mid- day, in_the open air, one could_not perceive the trees or other objects near him, or even a white handkerchief placed at_the distance of six inches from_the eye ." -- Murray, p .215, Phil . edit .

{*6} in_the year 1790, in_the Caraccas during an earthquake a portion of_the granite soil sank and left a lake eight hundred yards in diameter, and from eighty to a hundred feet deep . it_was a part of_the forest of Aripao which sank, and_the trees remained green for several_months under the water ." -- Murray_, p .221

{*7} the hardest steel ever manufactured may, under the action of a blowpipe, be reduced to an impalpable powder, which will float readily in_the atmospheric air .

{*8} the region of_the Niger . see Simmona's colonial magazine .

{*9} the Myrmeleon- lion- ant . the term " monster" is equally applicable to small abnormal things and to great, while such epithets as " vast" are merely comparative . the cavern of_the myrmeleon is vast in comparison with_the hole of_the common red ant .a grain of silex is also a" rock ."

{*10} the Epidendron, Flos Aeris, of_the family of_the Orchideae_, grows with merely the surface of_its roots attached to a tree or other object, from_which it derives no nutriment -- subsisting altogether upon air .

{*11} the Parasites, such as_the wonderful Rafflesia Arnaldii .

{*12} Schouw advocates a class of plants that grow upon living animals -- the Plantae Epizoae . of_this class are the Fuci and _Algae .

_Mr .J .B .Williams, of Salem, mass ., presented the " national institute" with an insect from New_Zealand, with_the following description: " '_The Hotte_,a decided caterpillar, or worm, is found gnawing at_the root of_the Rota tree, with a plant growing out of_its head . this most peculiar and extraordinary insect travels up both the Rota and Ferriri trees, and entering into_the top, eats its way, perforating the trunk of_the trees until it reaches the root, and dies, or remains dormant, and_the plant propagates out of_its head; the body remains perfect and entire, of a harder substance than when alive . from_this insect the natives make acoloring for tattooing .

{*13} in mines and natural caves we_find a species of cryptogamous _fungus that emits an intense phosphorescence .

{*14} the orchis, scabius and valisneria .

{*15} the corolla of_this flower (_Aristolochia Clematitis_), which_is tubular, but terminating upwards in aligulate limb, is inflated into a globular figure at_the base . the tubular part is internally beset with stiff hairs, pointing downwards . the globular part contains the pistil, which consists merely of agermen and stigma, together with_the surrounding stamens . but the stamens, being shorter than_the germen, cannot discharge the pollen so as_to throw it upon_the stigma, as_the flower stands always upright till after impregnation . and hence, without some additional and peculiar aid, the pollen must necessarily fan down to_the bottom of_the flower . now, the aid that nature has furnished in this_case, is_that of_the _Tiputa Pennicornis_, a small insect, which entering the tube of_the corrolla in quest of honey, descends to_the bottom, and rummages about till it becomes quite covered with pollen; but not being able to force its way out again, owing to_the downward position of_the hairs, which converge to a point like the wires of a mouse- trap, and being somewhat impatient of_its confinement it brushes backwards and forwards, trying every corner, till, after repeatedly traversing the stigma, it covers it with pollen sufficient for its impregnation, in consequence of_which the flower soon begins to droop, and_the hairs to shrink to_the sides of_the tube, effecting an easy passage for_the escape of_the insect ." --_Rev .P . Keith- system of physiological botany .

{*16} the bees -- ever_since bees were -- have_been constructing their cells with just such sides, in just such number, and at just such inclinations, as_it_has_been demonstrated ( in a problem involving the profoundest mathematical principles) are the very sides, in_the very number, and at_the very angles, which will afford the creatures the most room that_is compatible with_the greatest stability of structure .

during the latter part of_the last century, the question arose among mathematicians--" to determine the best form that_can_be given to_the sails of a windmill, according to_their varying distances from_the revolving vanes , and likewise from_the centres of_the revoloution ." this_is an excessively complex problem, for_it is, in other words, to_find the best possible position at an infinity of varied distances and at an infinity of points on_the arm . there were a thousand futile attempts to answer the query on_the_part of_the most illustrious mathematicians, and when at_length, an undeniable solution was discovered, men found that_the wings of a bird had given it with absolute precision ever_since the first bird had traversed the air .

{*17} he observed a flock of pigeons passing betwixt Frankfort and_the Indian territory, one mile at_least in breadth; it took up four hours in passing, which, at_the rate of one mile per minute, gives a length of 240 miles; and, supposing three pigeons to each square yard, gives 2,230,272,000 Pigeons .-- "_Travels in Canada and_the United_States," by Lieut .F . hall .

{*18} the earth is upheld by acow of a blue color, having horns four hundred in number ." -- sale's Koran .

{*19} " the Entozoa_, or intestinal worms, have repeatedly been observed in_the muscles, and in_the cerebral substance of men ." -- see Wyatt's physiology, p .143 .

{*20} on_the great western railway, between London and Exeter, a speed of 71 miles_per_hour has_been attained .a train weighing 90 tons was whirled from Paddington to Didcot (53 miles) in 51 minutes .

{*21} the Eccalobeion_

{*22} Maelzel's automaton chess- player .

{*23} Babbage's Calculating machine .

{*24} Chabert_, and since him, a hundred others .

{*25} the electrotype .

{*26} Wollaston made of platinum for_the field of views in a telescope a wire one eighteen- thousandth part of an inch in thickness . it could_be seen only by_means of_the microscope .

{*27} Newton demonstrated that_the retina beneath the influence of_the violet ray of_the spectrum, vibrated 900,000,000 of times in a second .

{*28} voltaic pile .

{*29} the Electro telegraph Printing apparatus .

{*30} the Electro telegraph transmits intelligence instantaneously- at_least at so_far as regards any distance upon_the earth .

{*31} common experiments in natural philosophy . if two red rays from two luminous points be admitted into a dark chamber so as to_fall on a white surface, and differ in their length by 0 .0000258 of an inch, their intensity is doubled . so also if_the difference in length be any whole- number multiple of_that fraction .a multiple by 2 1/4, 3 1/4, &c ., gives an intensity equal to one ray only; but a multiple by 2 1/2, 3 1/2, &c ., gives the result of total darkness . in violet rays similar effects arise when_the difference in length is 0 .000157 of an inch; and with all other rays the results are the same -- the difference varying with a uniform increase from_the violet to_the red .

{*32} place a platina crucible over a spirit lamp, and keep it a red heat; pour in some sulphuric acid, which, though the most volatile of bodies at a common temperature, will_be found to_become completely fixed in a hot crucible, and not a drop evaporates -- being surrounded by an atmosphere of_its own, it does_not, in_fact, touch the sides .a few drops of water are now introduced, when_the acid, immediately coming in contact with_the heated sides of_the crucible, flies off in sulphurous acid vapor, and so rapid is its progress, that_the caloric of_the water passes off with it, which falls a lump of ice to_the bottom; by taking advantage of_the moment before_it_is allowed to remelt, it may_be turned out a lump of ice from a red- hot vessel .

{*33} the daguerreotype .

{*34) although light travels 167,000 miles in a second, the distance of 61 Cygni ( the only star whose distance is ascertained) is so inconceivably great, that its rays would require more than ten years to reach the earth . for stars beyond this, 20 -- or even 1000 years -- would_be a moderate estimate . thus, if_they had_been annihilated 20, or 1000 years_ago, we_might still see them to- day by_the light which started from their surfaces 20 or 1000 years in_the_past time . that many which we see daily are really extinct, is_not impossible -- not even improbable .

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