threw him back the gold. Quoth he, "What aileth thee, O
Khalifah? Dost thou want silver in exchange for gold?" Khalifah
replied, "I want nor dirhams nor dinars. I only want thee to
give me back folk's fish." With this the Jew waxed wroth and
shouted out at him, saying, "O fisherman, thou bringest me a fish
not worth a sequin and I give thee five for it; yet art thou not
content! Art thou Jinn-mad? Tell me for how much thou wilt sell
it." Answered Khalifah, "I will not sell it for silver nor for
gold, only for two sayings [FN#206] thou shalt say me." When the
Jew heard speak of the "Two Sayings," his eyes sank into his
head, he breathed hard and ground his teeth for rage and said to
him, "O nail-paring of the Moslems, wilt thou have me throw off
my faith for the sake of thy fish, and wilt thou debauch me from
my religion and stultify my belief and my conviction which I
inherited of old from my forbears?" Then he cried out to the
servants who were in waiting and said, "Out on you! Bash me this
unlucky rogue's neck and bastinado him soundly!" So they came
down upon him with blows and ceased not beating him till he fell
beneath the shop, and the Jew said to them, "Leave him and let
him rise." Whereupon Khalifah jumped up, as if naught ailed him,
and the Jew said to him, "Tell me what price thou asketh for this
fish and I will give it thee: for thou hast gotten but scant good
of us this day." Answered the Fisherman, "Have no fear for me, O
master, because of the beating; for I can eat ten donkeys'
rations of stick." The Jew laughed at his words and said, "Allah
upon thee, tell me what thou wilt have and by the right of my
Faith, I will give it thee!" The Fisherman replied, "Naught from
thee will remunerate me for this fish save the two words whereof
I spake." And the Jew said, "Meseemeth thou wouldst have me
become a Moslem?" [FN#207] Khalifah rejoined, "By Allah, O Jew,