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ing and the like for the evening meal; and yesterday they sought of me a sixth dish, rice dressed with honey and saffron, and a seventh, a mass of cooked pomegranate-seed.’ ‘And what is the order of thy service?’ asked Ali. ‘First,’ answered the cook, ‘I serve up Zeyneb’s tray, then that of Delileh; then I serve the slaves and give the dogs their sufficiency of meat, and the least that satisfies them is a pound each.’ But, as fate would have it, he forgot to ask him of the keys. Then he drugged him and donned his clothes; Night dccxiii after which he took the basket and went to the market. There he bought meat and greens and returning to the khan, with the two knives stuck in his girdle, saw Delileh seated at the gate, watching those that went in and out, and the forty slaves with her, armed.
He took courage and entered; but Delileh knew him and said to him, ‘Back, O captain of thieves! Wilt thou play a trick on me in the khan?’ When he heard this, he turned and said to her, ‘What sayst thou, O portress?’ ‘What hast thou done with the cook?’ asked she. ‘What cook?’ answered he. ‘Is there here another cook than I?’ ‘Thou liest,’ rejoined she; ‘thou art Quicksilver Ali the Cairene.’ And he said to her, in slaves’ lingo, ‘O portress, are Cairenes black or white? I have always been a servant.’ Then said the slaves to him, ‘What is the matter, cousin?’ Quoth Delileh, ‘This is none of your cousin, but Quicksilver Ali the Egyptian; and meseems he hath either killed your cousin or drugged him.’ But they said, ‘Indeed this is our cousin, Saadullah the cook.’ ‘Not so,’ answered she; ‘it is Quicksilver Ali, and he hath dyed his skin.’ Quoth the sharper, ‘And who is Ali? I am Saadullah.’ Then she fetched ointment of proof, with which she anointed Ali’s forearm and rubbed it; but the black did not come off; whereupon quoth the slaves, ‘Let him go and dress us the morning meal.’ ‘If he be indeed your cousin,’ said Delileh, ‘he knows what you sought of
