Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/222

194 to give alms till my baggage arrive!’ ‘Have no care for that,’ said the Provost and sending one of his men for a thousand dinars, gave them to Marouf, who went on giving them to every beggar who passed till the call to midday prayer.midday-prayer. [sic]

Then they entered the mosque and prayed the noonday prayers,noonday-prayers, [sic] and what was left him of the thousand dinars he scattered on the heads of the worshippers. This drew the people’s attention to him and they called down blessings upon him, whilst the merchants marvelled at the abundance of his generosity and openhandedness. Then he turned to another merchant and borrowing of him other thousand dinars, gave these also away, whilst Ali looked on at what he did, but could not speak. He ceased not to do thus till the call to afternoon-prayer, when he entered the mosque and prayed and distributed the rest of the money. On this wise, by the time they shut the gate of the bazaar, he had borrowed five thousand dinars and given them away, saying to every one of whom he took aught, ‘Wait till my baggage arrives, when, if thou desire gold, I will give thee gold, and if thou desire stuffs, thou shalt have stuffs; for I have great plenty.’

At eventide Ali invited Marouf and the rest of the merchants to an entertainment and seated him in the place of honour, where he talked of nothing but stuffs and jewels, and whenever they made mention to him of aught, he said, ‘I have abundance of it.’ Next day, he again repaired to the bazaar, where he improved his acquaintance with the merchants and borrowed of them more money, which he gave to the poor: nor did he leave to do thus twenty days, till he had borrowed threescore thousand dinars, and still there came no baggage, no, nor a burning plague [to rid the people of him]. At last the folk began to clamour for their money and say, ‘The