" Asked Khalifah, "And what hast thou to say to me that I
may obey thee therein?" The ape answered, "Leave me bound on the
bank and hie thee down to the river, then cast thy net a third time,
and after I will tell thee what to do."
So he took his net, and going down to the river, cast it once more
and waited awhile. Then he drew it in, and finding it heavy, labored
at it and ceased not his travail till he got it ashore, when he
found in it yet another ape. But this one was red, with a blue
waistcloth about his middle; his hands and feet were stained with
henna and his eyes blackened with kohl When Khalifah saw this, he
exclaimed: "Glory to God the Great! Extolled be the perfection of
the Lord of Dominion! Verily, this is a blessed day from first to last
Its ascendant was fortunate in the countenance of the first ape, and
the scroll is known by its superscription! Verily, today is a day of
apes. There is not a single fish left in the river, and we are come
out today but to catch monkeys!"
Then he turned to the third ape and said, "And what thing thou also,
O unlucky?" Quoth the ape, "Dost thou not know me, O Khalifah!" and
quoth he, "Not I!" The ape cried, "I am the ape of Abu al-Sa'adat
the Jew, the shroff.
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