Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 11, 1900.djvu/382

 362 Cairene Folklore.

make a good profit (out of them). At present ten spring chickens cost a piastre, but after awhile when they grow big we can sell them for two and a half piastres each, and so make a great deal.' Her husband replied: 'Very good, you are a clever woman.' So he gave his wife a thousand piastres, and she bought spring chickens with five hundred of them and corn with the (other) five hundred. She put the chickens into a court and crushed the corn and threw it to the chickens, and shut the door upon them. (But) the kite comes and picks out the chickens; the weasel comes and carries off some others. After a little time they went to see the chickens : they find only one of them left. Then the man said to his wife : ' Cook the cock and we will dine off it.' His wife killed the cock and cooked it. When her husband comes, he said to her : ' Who can dine off a thou- sand piastres ? it can only be the sultan ; if I should make such a dinner everyone would say. This fellow is mad, no one dines for a thousand piastres except the sultan.' So he took the cock in a dish and took the bread and went to the palace of the sultan. The porter said to him : ' Hullo, where are you going, good sir?' He replied: T am going to the sultan to give him the cock.' The porter answered : ' If the sultan is favourable to you, what will you give me ? ' He replied : ' I will give you a quarter.' He said : ' Very well, go ! ' He reached the second gate ; the second porter asked him: 'Where are you going?' He answered: 'I have a present for the sultan.' The porter said : ' If the sultan grants you a favour, what will you give me ? ' He replied : ' I will give you a quarter.' So the other said : ' Very good, go.' He reached the third gate ; the porter asked : ' Where are you going ? ' He replied : ' I have a present for the sultan.' The porter said: ' (If) the sultan grants you a favour what will you give me ? ' He answered : ' I will give you a quarter.' He said : ' Very good, pass on.' He reached the fourth gate; the porter asked him: ' Where are you going, good sir ? ' He replied : ' I have a