As soon as he knew him, he went up to
him and said: "Well come, and welcome to thee, O piper! 'Twas not
right of thee to make thyself a fisherman and go away, leaving me
sitting to guard the fish, and never to return! For, before I was
aware, there came up Mamelukes on beasts of all manner colors, and
snatched away the fish from me, I standing alone. And this was all
of thy fault, for hadst thou returned with the frails forthright, we
had sold a hundred dinars' worth of fish. And now I come to seek my
due, and they have arrested me. But thou, who hath imprisoned thee
also in this place?" The Caliph smiled, and raising a corner of the
curtain, put forth his head and said to the fisherman, "Come hither
and take thee one of these papers." Quoth Khalifah the fisherman:
"Yesterday thou wast a fisherman, and today thou hast become an
astrologer, but the more trades a man hath, the poorer he waxeth."
Thereupon Ja'afar said: "Take the paper at once, and do as the
Commander of the Faithful biddeth thee, without prating."
So he came forward and put forth his hand saying, "Far be it from me
that this piper should ever again be my knave and fish with me!" Then,
taking the paper, he handed it to the Caliph, saying: "O piper, what
hath come out for me therein? Hide naught thereof.
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