As soon as I heard
what befel my brother, I ran after him; he told me his
misfortune, and I brought him back secretly to the town. I could
easily have justified him to the judge, and have got the
highwayman punished as he deserved, but durst not attempt it, for
fear of bringing myself into trouble. Thus I finished the sad
adventure of my honest blind brother. The caliph laughed at it,
as much as at those he had heard before, and ordered again that
something should be given me; but, without staying for it, I
began the story of my fourth brother.
THE STORY OF THE BARBER'S FOURTH BROTHER.
Alcouz was the name of my fourth brother, who came to lose one of
his eyes upon an occasion that I shall by and by acquaint your
majesty with. He was a butcher by profession, and had a
particular way of teaching rams to fight by which he procured the
acquaintance and friendship of the chief lords of the country,
who loved that sport, and for that end kept rams about their
houses: he had, besides, a very good trade, and had his shop
always full of the best meat, because he was very rich, and
spared no cost for the best of every sort. One day, when he was
in his shop, an old man with a long white beard came and bought
six pounds of meat, gave him money for it, and went his way. My
brother thought the money so fine, so white, and so well coined,
that he put it apart by itself: the same old man came every day
for five months together, bought a like quantity of meat, and
paid for it in the same sort of money, which my brother continued
to lay apart by itself.
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