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witness against him, [O merchants!] By Allah, O unhappy wretch, thou art debarred [from making any further claim on me]!’
So Khelif turned back, blaming himself and saying, ‘There is no power and no virtue but in God the Most High, the Supreme! Alas, that I had taken the gold!’ and fared on till he came to the Tigris, but found not the two apes, whereupon he wept and buffeted his face and strewed dust on his head, saying, ‘But that the second ape deluded me and put a cheat on me, the one-eyed ape had not made his escape.’ And he gave not over weeping and crying out, till heat and hunger grew sore on him, when he took the net, saying, ‘Come, let us make a cast, trusting in the blessing of God; belike I may catch a barbel or a carplet, that I may broil and eat.’
So he cast the net [and waiting] till it had settled down, drew it ashore, and found it full of fish, whereat he rejoiced and busied himself with killing the fish and casting them on the earth. Presently, up came a woman seeking fish and crying out and saying, ‘There is no fish in the town.’ She caught sight of Khelif and said to him, ‘Wilt thou sell this fish, master?’ ‘I am going to turn it into clothes,’ answered Khelif; ‘it is all for sale, even to my beard. Take what thou wilt.’ So she gave him a dinar and he filled her a basket.
Then she went away and up came another servant, seeking a dinar’s worth of fish; nor did the folk leave coming till it was the hour of afternoon prayer and Khelif had sold ten dinars’ worth of fish. Then, being faint with hunger, he shouldered his net and repairing to the market, bought himself a woollen gown, a skull-cup with a plaited border and a yellow turban for a dinar, receiving two dirhems change, with which he bought fried cheese and a fat sheep’s tail and honey and setting them in the oilman’s platter, ate till he was full.
