Page:Tales from the Arabic, Vol 2.djvu/195

 THE ELEVENTH OFFICER’S STORY.

There was once aforetime a chief officer [of police] and there passed by him one day a Jew, with a basket in his hand, wherein were five thousand dinars; whereupon quoth the officer to one of his slaves, “Canst thou make shift to take that money from yonder Jew’s basket?” “Yes,” answered he, nor did he tarry beyond the next day before he came to his master, with the basket in his hand. So (quoth the officer) I said to him, “Go, bury it in such a place.” So he went and buried it and returned and told me. Hardly had he done this when there arose a clamour and up came the Jew, with one of the king’s officers, avouching that the money belonged to the Sultan and that he looked to none but us for it. We demanded of him three days’ delay, as of wont, and I said to him who had taken the money, “Go and lay somewhat in the Jew’s house, that shall occupy him with himself.” So he went and played a fine trick, to wit, he laid in a basket a dead woman’s hand, painted [with henna] and having a gold seal-ring on one of the fingers, and buried the basket under a flagstone in the Jew’s house. Then came we and searched and found the basket, whereupon we