Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/308

280 the water. Seest thou not the tools of my craft on my shoulder?’ ‘Belike thou art a fisherman?’ said the Khalif, and he answered, ‘Yes.’ ‘Where is thy gown?’ asked Er Reshid. ‘And where are thy waistcloth and girdle and [the rest of] thy clothes?’ Now these were the very things that Khelifeh had lost, like for like; so, when he heard the Khalif name them, he took it into his head that it was he who had stolen his clothes from the river bank and coming down from the top of the mound, swiftlier than the blinding lightning, laid hold of the mule’s bridle, saying, ‘Harkye, sirrah, give me back my things and leave jesting.’ ‘By Allah,’ replied Er Reshid, ‘I have not seen thy clothes, nor know I aught of them!’

Now the Khalif had large cheeks and a small mouth; so Khelifeh said to him, ‘Belike, thou art a singer or a piper by trade? But give me back my clothes, without more ado, or I will belabour thee with this staff till thou bepiss thyself and foul thy hose.’ When Er Reshid saw the staff in the fisherman’s hand and that he had the vantage of him, he said in himself, ‘By Allah, I cannot brook half a blow of that staff from this mad beggar!’ Now he had on a satin gown; so he pulled it off and gave it to Khelifeh, saying, ‘Take this in place of thy clothes.’ The fisherman took it and turned it about and said, ‘My clothes are worth ten of this painted clout.’ ‘Put it on, till I bring thee thy clothes,’ rejoined the Khalif. So Khelifeh donned the gown, but finding it too long for him, took a knife he had with him, tied to the handle of his basket, and cut off nigh a third of the skirt, so that it [but] fell beneath his knees.

Then he turned to Er Reshid and said to him, ‘God on thee, O piper, tell me what wage thou gettest every month from thy master, for thy craft of piping.’ ‘My wage is ten dinars a month,’ replied the Khalif. And Khelifeh