Presently he came to a dyer's, and seeing
naught but blue in his shop, pulled out to him a kerchief and said, "O
master, take this and dye it and win thy wage." Quoth the dyer, "The
cost of dyeing this will be twenty dirhams," and quoth Abu Kir, "In
our country we dye it for two." "Then go and dye it in your own
country! As for me, my price is twenty dirhams and I will not bate a
tittle thereof." "What color wilt thou dye it?" "I will dye it
blue." "But I want it dyed red." "I know not how to dye red." "Then
dye it green." "I know not how to dye it green." "Yellow." "Nor yet
yellow." Thereupon Abu Kir went on to name the different tints to him,
one after other, till the dyer said: "We are here in this city forty
master dyers, not one more nor one less, and when one of us dieth,
we teach his son the craft. If he leave no son, we abide lacking
one, and if he leave two sons, we teach one of them the craft, and
if he die, we teach his brother. This our craft is strictly ordered,
and we know how to dye but blue and no other tint whatsoever."
Then said Abu Kir: "Know that I too am a dyer, and wot how to dye
all colors, and I would have thee take me into thy service on hire,
and I will teach thee everything of my art, so thou mayst glory
therein over all the company of dyers.
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