with her rod, "Fish, fish," said she, "are you doing your duty?"
The fish answered nothing, and then she repeated her question,
whereupon they all raised their heads together and answered
very distinctly, "Yes, yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you
pay your debts, we pay ours. If you fly, we conquer, and we
are content."

When they had spoken the girl upset the pan, and entered the opening
in the wall, which at once closed, and appeared the same as before.

When the cook had recovered from her fright she lifted up the fish
which had fallen into the ashes, but she found them as black as cinders,
and not fit to serve up to the Sultan. She began to cry.

"Alas! what shall I say to the Sultan? He will be so angry with me,
and I know he will not believe me!"

Whilst she was crying the grand-vizir came in and asked
if the fish were ready. She told him all that had happened,
and he was much surprised. He sent at once for the fisherman,
and when he came said to him, "Fisherman, bring me four
more fish like you have brought already, for an accident
has happened to them so that they cannot be served up to the Sultan."

The fisherman did not say what the genius had told him, but he
excused himself from bringing them that day on account of the length
of the way, and he promised to bring them next day.

In the night he went to the lake, cast his nets, and on drawing
them in found four fish, which were like the others, each of