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broker, ‘Mine for a hundred dinars.’ The broker adjudged him the chest and took the money of him, whereupon there was left him neither little nor much. The porters disputed [awhile] about [who should carry] the chest and [presently] said all, ‘By Allah, none shall carry this chest but Zureic!’ And the folk said, ‘Zureic hath the best right to it.’
So he shouldered the chest, after the goodliest fashion, and followed Khelif. As they went along, the fisherman said [in himself], ‘I have nothing left to give the porter; how shall I rid myself of him? I will traverse the streets with him and lead him about, till he is weary and [sets the chest down and] leaves it, when I will take it up and carry it to my lodging.’ Accordingly, he went round about [Baghdad] with the porter from noontide to sundown, till the man began to grumble and said, ‘O my lord, where is thy house?’ Quoth Khelif, ‘Yesterday I knew it, but to-day I have forgotten it.’ And the porter said, ‘Give me my hire and take thy chest.’ But Khelif said, ‘Go on at thy leisure, till I bethink me where my house is. I have no money with me. It is all in my house and I have forgotten where it is.’
As they were talking, there passed by them one who knew the fisherman and said to him, ‘O Khelif, what brings thee hither?’ Quoth the porter, ‘O uncle, where is Khelif’s house?’ And he answered, ‘It is in the ruined khan in the Rewasin.’[1] Then said Zureic [to Khelif], ‘Go to; wouldst thou had never lived nor been!’ And the fisherman went on, followed by the porter, till they came to the place and Zureic said, ‘O thou whose worldly provision God cut off, we have passed this place a score of times! Hadst thou said to me, “It is in such a place,” thou hadst spared me this great toil; but now give me my hire and let me go my way.’ Quoth Khelif, ‘Thou shalt
- ↑ A quarter of Baghdad.
