Page:Swahili tales.djvu/319

Rh the sultan, "That son of yonr vizir, Ali, has gone to ruin, and if people ask him, 'What have you done with your property, Ali, that it is so soon ended? For your late father left you much property. If you had been wise, Ali, his property would have remained yours, for that property was large.' Ali answers, and tells whoever asks him, 'He that does not know the meaning of it, will not be told.

And the sultan said, "Call me Ali, that I may ask him whether these words are true which people say, or whether they slander him." And the cadi said, "Yes, sultan, the words are true." And he sent a soldier to go and call him to come at the time of the public audience, and that all the people at the sultan's public audience might come and hear whether the words which Ali said were true or false.

So Ali went and borrowed from a poor man a ragged old kanzu, for there was no one who would trust him with his clothes, and this kanzu Ali only got by entreaties and prostrations.

And so he went to the sultan's door, and the audience was very full and the sultan was seated. And the sultan arose and called him, "Ali!" And he answered, "Here." And he said, "Ali, I have heard say that your property has come to ruin, and that in reply to people who ask you, you say, 'He who does not know the meaning of it, will not be told.

And he said, "Yes, master, I made this property into four parts, one part I threw into the sea, one part I put into the fire, one part I lent and shall not be paid, with one part I paid a debt and have not yet paid it all."

And the sultan said, "Ali, sell dear, don't sell cheap." And Ali said, "All right, sir." And he went out and went his way.