Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and a Night - Volume 4.djvu/311

 Jew, "To Allah be the praise and the thanks!" and abode in all delight of life he and his household till death. And men recount this story of

Abú Hassán al-Ziyádi :—I was once in straitened case and so needy that the grocer, the baker and other tradesmen dunned and importuned me; and my misery became extreme, for I knew of no resource nor what to do. Things being on this wise there came to me one day certain of my servants and said to me, "At the door is a pilgrim wight, who seeketh admission to thee." Quoth I, "Admit him." So he came in and behold, he was a Khorasání. We exchanged salutations and he said to me, "Tell me, art thou Abu Hassan al-Ziyadi?"; and I replied, "Yes, what is thy wish?" Quoth he, "I am a stranger and am minded to make the pilgrimage; but I have with me a great sum of money, which is burdensome to bear: so I wish to deposit these ten thousand dirhams with thee whilst I make my pilgrimage and return. If the caravan march back and thous see me not, then know that I am dead, in which case the money is a gift from me to thee; but if I come back, it shall be mine." I answered, "Be it as thou wilt, an thus please Allah Almighty." So he brough out a leather bag and I said to the servant, "Fetch the scales;" and when he brought them the man weighed out the money and handed it to me, after which he went his way. Then I called the purveyors and paid them my liablities—And Sharazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased to say her permitted say

Now when it was the Three Hundred and Fiftieth Night,

She said, It hath reached me, O auspicious King, that quoth Abu Hassan al=Ziyadi:—I called the purveyors and paid them my liablities and spent freely and amply, saying to myself, "By the