Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 2.djvu/34

 1 6 Alf L aylah wa. Laylak^ round and, seeing* the broker calling out in the market with all the merchants around him, said to himself, " I am sure that he is penniless and hath .brought hither the damsel Anis al-Jalis for sale ; " addirtg, " O how cooling and grateful is this to my heart ! " Then he called the crier, who came up and kissed the ground before him ; and h$ said to hijn, " I want this slave-girl whom thou art calling for sale." The broker dared not cross him, so he answered, " O my lord, Bismillah ! in Allah's name so be it ; " and led for- ward the damsel and showed her to him. She pleased him much whereat he asked, "O Hasan, what is bidden for this girl ?" and he answered,." Four thousand five hundred dinars to open the door of sale/' . Quoth Al-Mu'in, " Four thousand five hundred is wj^bid." When the merchants heard this, they held back and dard not bid another dirham, wotting what they did of the Wazir's tyranny, violence and treachery. So Al-Mu'in looked at the broker and said to him, " Why stand still ? Go and offer four thousand dinars for me and the five hundred shall be for thyself." Thereupon the broker went to Nur al-Din and said, " O my lord, thy slave is going for nothing ! " "And how so ? " asked he. The broker answered, " We had opened the biddings for her at four thousand five hundred dinars; when^that tyrant, Al-Mu'in bin Sawi, passed through the bazar and, as he saw the damsel she pleased him, so he cried to me : Call me the buyer at four thousand dinars and thou shalt have five hundred for thyself. I doubt not but that he knoweth that the damsel is thine, and if he would pay thee down her price at once it were well ; but I know his injustice and violence ; he will give thee a written order upon some of his agents and will send after thee to say to them : Pay him nothing. So as often as thou shalt go in quest of the coin they will say : We'irpay thee presently ! and they will put thee off day after day, and thou art proud of spirit ; till at last, when they are wearied with thine importunity, they will say : Show us the cheque. Then, as soon as they have got hold of it they will tear it up and so thou wilt lose the girl's price." When Nur al- Din heard this he looked at the broker and asked him, " How shall this matter be managed?"; and he answered, " I will. give thee a counsel which, if thou follow, it shall bring thee complete satisfaction." . " And what is that ?" quoth Nur al-Din." Quoth the broker, " Come thou tome anon when I am standing in the middle of the market and, taking the girl from my hand, give her a sound cuffing and say to her : Thou baggage, I have