Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 6.djvu/313

285 with child and the smell irketh me; go, fetch me a piece of the fish.’ So the man said to Zureic, ‘What ails thee to fry fish so early and annoy pregnant women with the smell? I have here the wife of the Amir Hassan Sherr et Teric, and she is with child; so give her a piece of fish, for the child stirs in her belly. O Protector, O my God, avert from us this day’s mischief!’ So Zureic took a piece of fish and would have fried it, but the fire had gone out and he went in, to rekindle it.

Meanwhile Ali dismounted and sitting down, pressed upon the lamb’s gut till it burst and the blood ran out from between his legs. Then he cried out, saying, ‘O my back! o my side!’ Whereupon the driver turned and seeing the blood running, said, ‘What ails thee, O my lady?’ ‘I have miscarried,’ answered Ali, whereupon Zureic looked out and seeing the blood, was affrighted and fled into the [inner] shop. Quoth the driver, ‘God torment thee, O Zureic! The lady has miscarried and thou art no match for her husband. Why must thou make a stench so early in the morning? I bade thee bring her a piece, but thou wouldst not.’ So saying, he took his ass and went his way, whilst Ali put out his hand to the purse; but no sooner had he touched it than the bells and rings began to jingle and the gold to chink. Quoth Zureic, ‘Thy perfidy is discovered, O gallows-bird! Wilt thou put a cheat on me and thou in a woman’s habit? Take what cometh to thee!’ And he threw a cake of lead at him, but it went askew and lighted on another; whereupon the people rose against Zureic and said to him, ‘Art thou a tradesman or a swashbuckler? If thou be a tradesman, take down thy purse and spare the folk thy mischief.’ ‘In the name of God! On my head be it,’ answered he.

As for Ali, he made off to the barrack and told Hassan Shouman what had happened, after which he put off his woman’s clothes and donning a groom’s habit, took a dish