Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/21

5 thou want bread?’ But he was silent and the baker continued, ‘If thou hast no money, take thy sufficiency and thou shalt have credit.’ So Jouder said, ‘Give me ten paras’ worth of bread and take this net in pledge.’ ‘Nay, good fellow,’ rejoined the baker, ‘the net is thy means of earning thy livelihood, and if I take it of thee, I shall close up against thee the door of thy subsistence. Take ten paras’ worth of bread and take these other ten paras, and to-morrow bring me fish for the twenty.’ ‘On my head and eyes be it,’ answered Jouder and took the bread and money, saying, ‘To-morrow God will provide me the means of acquittance.’ Then he bought meat and vegetables and carried them home to his mother, who cooked them, and they supped and went to bed.

Next morning he arose at daybreak and took the net, and his mother said to him, ‘Sit down and break thy fast.’ But he said, ‘Do thou and my brothers breakfast,’ and went down to the river, where he ceased not to cast and shift about all day, without aught falling to him, till the hour of afternoon-prayer, when he shouldered his net and went away, sore dejected. His way led him perforce by the shop of the baker, who, when he saw him, counted out to him the loaves and the money, saying, ‘Come, take it and go; if it be not for to-day, it will be for to-morrow.’ Jouder would have excused himself, but the baker said to him, ‘There needs no excuse; if thou hadst caught aught, it would be with thee; so, when I saw thee empty-handed, I knew thou hadst gotten nought; and if to-morrow thou have no better luck, come and take bread and be not ashamed, for I will give thee credit.’ So Jouder took the bread and money and went home. Next day he sallied forth and fished from lake to lake until the time of afternoon-prayer, but caught nothing; so he went to the baker and took the bread and silver as usual.