" So saying, he threw him the dinar and went
out, with the tears flowing down the plain of his cheeks.
When the eunuch saw him in this plight, he knew that he had spoken
sooth and called to the lads to fetch him back. So they brought him
back and Sandal, putting his hand to his pouch, pulled out a red
purse, whence he emptied a hundred golden dinars into the
fisherman's hand, saying, "Take this gold in payment of thy fish,
and wend thy ways." So Khalifah, in high good humor, took the
hundred ducats and the Caliph's one dinar and went his way, and forgot
the beating.
Now as Allah willed it for the furthering of that which He had
decreed, he passed by the mart of the handmaidens, and seeing there
a mighty ring where many folks were forgathering, said to himself,
"What is this crowd?" So he brake through the merchants and others,
who said, "Make wide the way for Skipper Rapscallion, and let him
pass." Then he looked, and behold, he saw a chest, with a eunuch
seated thereon and an old man standing by it,-and the Sheikh was
crying: "O merchants, O men of money, who will hasten and hazard his
coin for this chest of unknown contents from the palace of the Lady
Zubaydah bint al-Kasim, wife of the Commander of the Faithful? How
much shall I say for you? Allah bless you all!" Quoth one of the
merchants; "By Allah, this is a risk! But I will say one word, and
no blame to me.
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