Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 9.djvu/32

14 service,” replied I. Quoth he, “It is our wont, when a merchant grows poor with us, to give him hospitality three days; but thou hast had a year with us, eating and drinking and doing what thou wouldst.” Then he turned to his servants and said to them, “Pull off his clothes.” They did as he bade them and gave me ten dirhems and an old suit worth other five; after which he said to me, “Go forth; I will not beat thee nor revile thee; but go thy ways and if thou abide in this town, thy blood be on thine own head.”

So I went forth, in my own despite, knowing not whither to go, for all the trouble in the world was fallen on my heart and I was occupied with melancholy thought. Then I bethought me of the wealth which I had brought from Oman and said in myself, “I came hither with a million dinars and have made away with it all in the house of yonder ill-omened old man, and now I go forth from him, naked and broken-hearted! But there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme!”

I abode three days in Baghdad, without tasting meat or drink, and on the fourth day I saw a ship bound for Bassora; so I hired a passage in her and when we reached Bassora, I landed and went to the market, being sore anhungred. Presently, a man saw me, a grocer, whom I had known aforetime, and coming up to me, embraced me,—for he had been my friend and my father’s friend before me,—and questioned me of my case, for that he saw me clad in those tattered clothes. So I told him all that had befallen me, and he said, “By Allah, this is not the fashion of a reasonable man! But what dost thou purpose to do, after this that hath befallen thee?” Quoth I, “I know not what I shall do,” and he said, “Wilt thou abide with me and write my goings-out and comings-in, and thou shalt have two dirhems a day, over and above thy meat and drink?” I agreed to this and abode with