Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 7.djvu/318

290 Paunch oo’ [sic] bran, to give me my due and let me go!’ The eunuch heard him, but was ashamed to answer him before Jaafer; and the latter saw the fisherman beckoning and talking to him, though he knew not what he said; so he said to Sendel, misliking his behaviour, ‘O eunuch, what would yonder poor fellow with thee?’ ‘Dost thou not know him, O my lord the vizier?’ asked Sendel; and Jaafer answered, ‘By Allah, I know him not! How should I know a man I have never seen before?’ ‘O my lord,’ rejoined the eunuch, ‘this is the fisherman whose fish we seized on the banks of the Tigris. I came too late to get any and was ashamed to return to the Commander of the Faithful, empty-handed, when all the rest had some. Presently I espied the fisherman standing in mid-stream, calling on God, with four fish in his hands, and said to him, “Give me what thou hast there and take their price.” So he gave me the fish and I put my hand into my pocket, to give him somewhat, but found it empty and said, “Come to me in the palace, and I will give thee wherewithal to succour thy poverty.” Accordingly, he came to me to-day and I was putting my hand to my pouch, to give him somewhat, when thou camest forth and I rose to wait on thee and was diverted with thee from him, till he grew tired of waiting; and this is how he comes to be standing here.’

When the vizier heard this, he smiled and said, ‘O