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away thy slave-girl, whom thou stolest, and sought for thee, but found thee not.’ ‘And how came they to take my slave-girl?’ asked Khelifeh. And one said, ‘Had he fallen in their way, they had slain him.’ But he paid no heed to them and returned, running, to the shop of Ibn el Kirnas, whom he met riding, and said to him, ‘By Allah, it was a scurvy trick of thee to amuse me and send thy servants meanwhile to take my slave-girl!’ ‘O madman,’ replied the jeweller, ‘hold thy peace and come with me.’
So he took him and carried him into a handsome house, where he found the damsel seated on a couch of gold, with ten slave-girls like moons round her. Ibn el Kirnas kissed the ground before her and she said, ‘What hast thou done with my new master, who bought me with all he had?’ ‘O my lady,’ answered he, ‘I gave him a thousand dinars,’ and related to her Khelifeh’s history from first to last, at which she laughed and said, ‘Blame him not; for he is but a common man. These other thousand dinars are a present from me to him and God willing, he shall get of the Khalif what shall enrich him.’
As they were talking, there came an eunuch from the Khalif, in quest of Cout el Culoub, for, when he knew that she was in Ibn el Kirnas’s house, he could not restrain his impatience, but sent forthwith to fetch her. So she repaired to the palace, taking Khelifeh with her, and going in to the presence, kissed the ground before the Khalif, who rose to her, saluting and welcoming her, and asked her how she had fared with him who had bought her. ‘He is a man named Khelifeh the fisherman,’ answered she, ‘and standeth presently at the door. He tells me that he hath an account to settle with the Commander of the Faithful, by reason of a partnership between him and the Khalif in fishing.’
