Page:The Folk-Lore Journal Volume 7 1889.djvu/449

 Tabulation of folktaljes. 105

[No. 39.]

Title of Story—Sell Dear, don't sell Cheap.

Dramatis Personae.— Merchant.— His wife.— Their son A.li.— Sultan.— Vizir. — Juma.— Slave.

Aostract of Story — (l) a wealthy merchant, sultan's vizir, died, leaving a son, Ali, twenty-five years old, with his mother. AH squandered all father's property. Every one asked him what he had done with it, and he replied, " He who does not know the meaning of it will be told." These words reached Sultan, who sent for Ali to know if it was so. Ali borrowed ragged clothes, came to Sultan, told him he had thrown one-fourth part into sea, one into fire, one lent and would not be paid, with one had paid part of debt. Sultan said, " Sell dear, don't sell cheap." Ali left.— (2) Then sultan's vizir said he knew meaning of those words. Sultan promised him on telling it without asking Ali, his sultanship and possessions, if not he would take vizir's property, except wife. Vizir went, looked in books without finding meaning, told Juma to take him to Ali, and at midnight went with slave to Ali, who put ear to door to learn his name, and went to his house with him. Vizir asked meaning of sultan's words to Ali, and of his words to sultan. Ali kept repeating them, till vizir promised him everything except wife. — (3) Then after going to mosque, Ali told him meaning; vizir went to sultan, repeated meaning to him, sultan became vizir, and vizir became sultan. — (4) Ali, who stayed in and possessed house, when asked why there, repeated sultan's words. Then sultan knew vizir had asked Ali, and given him all he had as bribe. Sultan sent for vizir, who denied all, then for Ali, who confessed, and sultan disgraced vizir, and put Ali in his place.

Alphabetical List of Incidents.

Interpretation of obscure phrase (1).

Property obtained by correct interpretation of obscure phrase (3, 4).

Where publislied.-->S^«Mi Tales, by Edward Steere. London, 1870. Story No. 7, pp. 295-323.

Nature of Collection, whether:—

1. Original or translation.— Tvoxi&XaXQd. from Swahili and Arabic, by

Edward Steere.

2. If iy word of mouth, state narrator's na/me. Told to Dr. Steere by

Masazo, a long time cook and house steward to him.

Special Points noted by the Editor of the above. -The dialect spoken

by a class less refined and educated, less exact in its style, and with more Arabic words, is represented by this tale.