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stranger into our craft.’ ‘And what if I open a dyery for myself?’ asked Aboukir. ‘We will not suffer thee to do that,’ replied the other; whereupon he left him and going to a second dyer, made him the like proposal; but he returned him the same answer as the first; and he ceased not to go from one to another, till he had made the round of the whole forty; but they would not accept of him either to master or journeyman. Then he repaired to the Syndic of the Dyers and told him what had passed, and he said, ‘We admit no stranger into our craft.’
With this Aboukir became exceeding wroth and going up to the king of the city, made complaint to him, saying, ‘O king of the age, I am a stranger and a dyer by trade;’ and he told him what had passed between himself and the dyers of the town, adding, ‘I can dye various kinds of red, such as rose-colour and carnation,[1] and various kinds of green, such as grass-green and pistachio-green and olive and parrot’s wing, and various kinds of black, such as coal-black and blue-black, and various shades of yellow, such as orange and lemon-colour,’ and went on to name to him the rest of the colours. Then said he, ‘O king of the age, there is not a dyer in thy city who can avail to any one of these colours, for they know not how to dye aught but blue; yet will they not admit me amongst them, either as master or journeyman.’ ‘Thou sayst sooth for that matter,’ answered the king; ‘but I will open thee a dyery and give thee capital and have thou no care for them; for whoso offereth to do thee hindrance, I will hang him over the door of his shop.’
Then he sent for builders and said to them, ‘Go round about the city with this master, and whatsoever place pleases him, be it shop or khan or what not, turn out its occupier and build him a dyery after his wish. Whatso-
- ↑ Or jujube-plum colour (unnabiy).
