Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 5.djvu/373

339 who were wont to take him as their judge, and amongst them the merchant’s four adversaries. They saluted the sheikh and each other and sat down round him, whereupon he set food before them and they ate. Then each began to tell what had befallen him that day, and amongst the rest came forward he of the sandal-wood and told how he had bought of one sandal-wood, below its price, and had agreed to pay for it a measure of whatever the seller should desire. Quoth the old man, “Thine opponent hath the better of thee.” “How can that be,” asked the other, “seeing that, if he say, ‘I will take the measure full of gold or silver,’ I will give it him and still be the gainer?” And the sheikh answered, “And if he say, ‘I will take the measure full of fleas, half male and half female,’ what wilt thou do?” So the sharper knew that he was beaten.

Then came forward the one-eyed man and said, “O Sheikh, I met a blue-eyed man to-day, a stranger to the town; so I picked a quarrel with him and caught hold of him, saying, ‘It was thou robbedst me of my eye;’ nor did I let him go, till some became surety for him that he should return to me to-morrow and satisfy me for my eye.” Quoth the sheikh, “If he will, he may have the better of thee.” “How so?” asked the sharper; and the sheikh said, “He may say to thee, ‘Pluck out thine eye, and I will pluck out one of mine; then will we weigh them both, and if thine eye be of the same weight as mine, thou speakest truth in what thou avouchest.’ So wilt thou owe him the price of his eye and be stone blind, whilst he will still see with his other eye.” So the sharper knew that the merchant might baffle him with this subterfuge.

Then came the cobbler and said, “O Sheikh, a man brought me his shoe to-day, saying, ‘Mend this shoe and thou shalt have of me what will content thee.’ Now nothing will content me but all he hath.” Quoth the sheikh, “If he will, he may take his shoe from thee and