is to-day in a terrible pickle! [FN#254] Would we knew whence he
can have gotten this damsel?" Quoth one of them, "He is a mad
pimp; haply he found her lying on the road drunken, and carried
her to his own house, and his absence showeth his offence." As
they were talking, behold, up came Khalifah, and they said to
him, "What a plight is thine, O unhappy! Knowest thou not what is
come for thee?" He replied, "No, by Allah!" and they said, "But
just now there came Mamelukes and took away thy slave-girl whom
thou stolest, and sought for thee, but found thee not." Asked
Khalifah, "And how came they to take my slave-girl?"; and quoth
one, "Had he falled in their way, they had slain him." But he,
so far from heeding them, returned running to the shop of Ibn
al-Kirnas, whom he met riding, and said to him, "By Allah, 'twas
not right of thee to wheedle me and meanwhile send thy Mamelukes
to take my slave-girl!" Replied the jeweller, "O idiot, come
with me and hold thy tongue." So he took him and carried him
into a house handsomely builded, where he found the damsel seated
on a couch of gold, with ten slave-girls like moons round her.
Sighting her Ibn al-Kirnas kissed ground before her and she said,
"What hast thou done with my new master, who bought me with all
he owned?" He replied, "O my lady, I gave him a thousand gold
dinars;" and related to her Khalifah's history from first to
last, whereat she laughed and said, "Blame him not; for he is but
a common wight. These other thousand dinars are a gift from me
to him and Almighty Allah willing, he shall win of the Caliph
what shall enrich him." As they were talking, there came an
eunuch from the Commander of the Faithful, in quest of Kut al-
Kulub, for, when he knew that she was in the house of Ibn al-
Kirnas, he could not endure the severance, but bade bring her
forthwith. So she repaired to the Palace, taking Khalifah with