eyes for very redness like cresset gleam and dusty hair in

disheveled trim, as he were, Ifrit or a lion grim. Al-Rashid saluted
him and he returned his salutation, but he was wroth, and fires

might have been lit at his breath. Quoth the Caliph, "O man, hast thou
any water?" and quote Khalifah: "How, thou, art thou blind, or

Jinnmad? Get thee to the river Tigris, for 'tis behind this mound." So
Al-Rashid went around the mound, and going down to the river, drank

and watered his mule. Then without a moment's delay he returned to
Khalifah and said to him, "What aileth thee, O man, to stand here, and

what is thy calling.?" The fisherman cried: "This is a stranger and
sillier question than that about the water! Seest thou not the gear of

my craft on my shoulder?" Said the Caliph, "Belike thou art a
fisherman?" and he replied, "Yes." Asked Al-Rashid, "Where is thy

gabardine, and where are thy waistcloth and girdle, and where be the
rest of thy raiment?"

Now these were the very things which had been taken from Khalifah,
like for like, so when he heard the Caliph name them, he got into

his head that it was he who had stolen his clothes from the riverbank,
and coming down from the top of the mound, swiftlier than the blinding

levin, laid hold of the mule's bridle, saying, "Hark ye, man, bring me
back my things and leave jesting and joking." Al-Rashid replied, "By

Allah, I have not seen thy clothes, nor know aught of them!" Now the
Caliph had large cheeks and a small mouth, so Khalifah said to him:

"Belike thou art by trade a singer, or a piper on pipes? But bring
me back my clothes fairly and without more ado, or I will bash thee

with this my staff till thou bepiss thyself and befoul thy clothes."
When Al-Rashid saw the staff in the fisherman's hand and that he had

the vantage of him, he said to himself, "By Allah, I cannot brook from
this mad beggar half a blow of that staff!" Now he had on a satin

gown, so he pulled it off and gave it to Khalifah, saying, "O man,
take this in place of thy clothes." The fisherman took it and turned

it about and said, "My clothes are worth ten of this painted aba
cloak," and rejoined the Caliph, "Put it on till I bring thee thy

gear."
So Khalifah donned the gown, but finding it too long for him, took a

knife he had with him tied to the handle of his basket, and cut off
nigh a third of the skirt, so that it fell only beneath his knees.

Then he turned to Al-Rashid and said to him, "Allah upon thee, O
piper, tell me what wage thou gettest every month from thy master, for

thy craft of piping." Replied the Caliph, "My wage is ten dinars a
month," and Khalifah continued: "By Allah, my poor fellow, thou makest

me sorry for thee! Why, I make thy ten dinars every day! Hast thou a
mind to take service with me, and I will teach thee the art of fishing

and share my gain with thee? So shalt thou make five dinars a day
and be my slavey and I will protect thee against thy master with

this staff." Quoth Al-Rashid, "I will well," and quoth Khalifah: "Then
get off thy she-ass and tie her up, so she may serve us to carry the

fish hereafter, and come hither, that I may teach thee to fish
forthright."

So Al-Rashid alighted, and hobbling his mule, tucked his skirts into
his girdle, and Khalifah said to him, "O piper, lay hold of the net

thus and put it over thy forearm thus and cast it into the Tigris
thus." Accordingly the Caliph took heart of grace and, doing as the

fisherman showed him, threw the net and pulled at it, but could not
draw it up. So Khalifah came to his aid and tugged at it with him, but

the two together could not hale it up. Whereupon said the fisherman:
"O piper of ill-omen, for the first time I took thy gown in place of

my clothes, but this second time I will have thine ass and will beat
thee to boot till thou bepiss and beskit thyself, an I find my net

torn." Quoth Al-Rashid, "Let the twain of us pull at once." So they
both pulled together, and succeeded with difficulty in hauling that

net ashore, when they found it full of fish of all kinds and colors,
and Khalifah said to Al-Rashid: "By Allah, O piper, thou art foul of

favor but an thou apply thyself to fishing, thou wilt make a mighty
fine fisherman. But now 'twere best thou bestraddle thine ass and make

for the market and fetch me a pair of frails, and I will look after
the fish till thou return, when I and thou will load it on thine ass's

back. I have scales and weights and all we want, so we can take them
with us, and thou wilt have nothing to do but to hold the scales and

punch the price. For here we have fish worth twenty dinars. So be fast
with the frails and loiter not."

Answered the Caliph, "I hear and obey" and mounting, left him with
his fish, and spurred his mule, in high good humor, and ceased not

laughing over his adventure with the fisherman till he came up to
Ja'afar, who said to him, "O Commander of the Faithful, belike when

thou wentest down to drink, thou foundest a pleasant flower garden and
enteredst and tookest thy pleasure therein alone?" At this Al-Rashid

fell a laughing again and all the Barmecides rose and kissed the
ground before him, saying: "O Commander of the Faithful, Allah make

joy to endure for thee and do away annoy from thee! What was the cause
of thy delaying when thou faredst to drink, and what hath befallen

thee?" Quoth the Caliph, "Verily, a right wondrous tale and a joyous
adventure and a wondrous hath befallen me.

And he repeated to them what had passed between himself and the
fisherman and his words, "Thou stolest my clothes!" and how he had

given him his gown and how he had cut off a part of it, finding it too
long for him. Said Ja'afar, "By Allah, O Commander of the Faithful,

I had it in mind to beg the gown of thee, but now I will go straight
to the fisherman and buy it of him." The Caliph replied, "By Allah, he

hath cut off a third part of the skirt and spoilt it! But, O
Ja'afar, I am tired with fishing in the river, for I have caught great

store of fish, which I left on the bank with my master Khalifah, and
he is watching them and waiting for me to return to him with a

couple of frails and a matchet. Then we are to go, I and he, to the
market and sell the fish and share the price." Ja'afar rejoined, "O

Commander of the Faithful, I will bring you a purchaser for your
fish." And Al-Rashid retorted: "O Ja'afar, by the virtue of my holy

forefathers, whoso bringeth me one of the fish that are before
Khalifah, who taught me angling, I will give him for it a gold dinar!"

So the crier proclaimed among the troops that they should go forth and
buy fish for the Caliph, and they all arose and made for the

riverside.
Now while Khalifah was expecting the Caliph's return with the two

frails, behold, the Mamelukes swooped down upon him like vultures
and took the fish and wrapped them in gold-embroidered kerchiefs,

beating one another in their eagerness to get at the fisherman
Whereupon quoth Khalifah, "Doubtless these are the fish of

Paradise!" and hending two fish right hand and left, plunged into
the water up to his neck and fell a-saying, "O Allah, by the virtue of

these fish, let Thy servant the piper, my partner, came to me at
this very moment." And suddenly up to him came a black slave which was

the chief of the Caliph's Negro eunuchs. He had tarried behind the
rest, by reason of his horse having stopped to make water by the way,

and finding that naught remained of the fish, little or much, looked
right and left till he espied Khalifah standing in the stream with a

fish in either hand, and said to him, "Come hither, O Fisherman!"
But Khalifah replied, "Begone and none of your impudence!" So the

eunuch went up to him and said, "Give me the fish and I will pay
thee their price." Replied the fisherman: "Art thou little of wit? I

will not sell them." Therewith the eunuch drew his mace upon him,
and Khalifah cried out, saying: "Strike not, O loon! Better largess

than the mace."
So saying, he threw the two fishes to the eunuch, who took them

and laid them in his kerchief. Then he put hand in pouch, but found
not a single dirham, and said to Khalifah: "O fisherman, verily thou

art out of luck for, by Allah, I have not a silver about me! But
come tomorrow to the palace of the Caliphate and ask for the eunuch