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the Faithful and Defender of the Faith and descendant of the uncle of the prince of Apostles, God bless him and save him and all his family!’ The Khalif raised his head and answered, ‘And on thee be peace and the mercy of God and His blessings!’ Quoth Jaafer; ‘If it like the Commander of the Faithful, his servant will speak without restraint.’ ‘And when was restraint put upon thee in speech,’ asked the Khalif, ‘and thou the Prince of Viziers? Say what thou wilt.’ ‘O my lord,’ answered Jaafer, ‘when I went out from before thee, intending for my house, I saw thy master and teacher and partner, Khelifeh the fisherman, standing at the door, and he was aggrieved at thee and complaining of thee and saying, “Glory be to God! I taught him to fish and he went away to fetch me a pair of frails, but returned not: and this is not the way a partner should use his partner nor an apprentice his master.” So, if thou hast a mind to partnership, well and good; and if not, tell him, that he may take another to partner.’
When the Khalif heard this, he smiled and his heart was lightened and he said, ‘My life on thee, is this the truth thou sayest, that the fisherman standeth at the door?’ ‘By thy life, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered Jaafer, ‘he standeth at the door.’ Quoth the Khalif, ‘O Jaafer, by Allah, I will do my best to give him his due! If God send him, at my hands, misery, he shall have it; and if fortune, he shall have it.’ Then he took a piece of paper and cutting it in pieces, said to the Vizier, ‘O Jaafer, write down twenty sums of money, from one dinar to a thousand, and the names of all kinds of offices and dignities from the least employ to the Khalifate, also twenty kinds of punishment from the lightest beating to death.’ ‘I hear and obey, O Commander of the Faithful,’ answered Jaafer and did as he was bidden.
