took basket, staff and net and went down to the Tigris, where he
made a cast but brought up naught. So he removed from that place
to another and threw again, but once more the net came up empty;
and he went on removing from place to place till he had gone half
a day's journey from the city, ever casting the net which kept
bringing up naught. So he said to himself, "By Allah, I will
throw my net a-stream but his once more, whether ill come of it
or weal!" [FN#212] Then he hurled the net with all his force, of
the excess and his wrath and the purse with the hundred dinars
flew out of his collar-pocket and, lighting in mid-stream, was
carried away by the strong current; whereupon he threw down the
net and plunged into the water after the purse. He dived for it
nigh a hundred times, till his strength was exhausted and he came
up for sheer fatigue without chancing on it. When he despaired
of finding the purse, he returned to the shore, where he was
nothing but staff, net and basket and sought for his clothes, but
could light on no trace of them: so he said in himself, "O vilest
of those wherefor was made the byword, 'The pilgrimage is not
perfected save by copulation with the camel!" [FN#213] Then he
wrapped the net about him and taking staff in one hand and basket
in other, went trotting about like a camel in rut, running right
and left and backwards and forwards, dishevelled and dusty, as he
were a rebel Marid let loose from Solomon's prison. [FN#214] So
far for what concerns the Fisherman Khalifah; but as regards the
Caliph Harun al-Rashid, he had a friend, a jeweller called Ibn
al-Kirnas, [FN#215] and all the traders, brokers and middle-men
knew him for the Caliph's merchant; wherefore there was naught
sold in Baghdad, by way of rarities and things of price or
Mamelukes or handmaidens, but was first shown to him. As he sat
one day in his shop, behold, there came up to him the Shaykh of