her, and going into the presence, kissed ground before the
Caliph, who rose to her, saluting and welcoming her, and asked
her how she had fared with him who had bought her. She replied,
"He is a man, Khalifah the Fisherman hight, and there he standeth
at the door. He telleth me that he hath an account to settle
with the Commander of the Faithful, by reason of a partnership
between him and the Caliph in fishing." Asked al-Rashid, "Is he
at the door?" and she answered, "Yes." So the Caliph sent for
him and he kissed ground before him and wished him endurance of
glory and prosperity. The Caliph marvelled at him and laughed at
him and said to him, "O Fisherman, wast thou in very deed my
partner [FN#255] yesterday?" Khalifah took his meaning and
heartening his heart and summoning spirit replied, "By Him who
bestowed upon thee the succession to thy cousin, [FN#256] I know
her not in anywise and have had no commerce with her save by way
of sight and speech!" Then he repeated to him all that had
befallen him, since he last saw him, [FN#257] whereat the Caliph
laughed and his breast broadened and he said to Khalifah, "Ask of
us what thou wilt, O thou to bringest to owners their own!" But
he was silent; so the Caliph ordered him fifty thousand dinars of
gold and a costly dress of honour such as great Sovrans don, and
a she-mule, and gave him black slaves of the Sudan to serve him,
so that he became as he were one of the Kings of that time. The
Caliph was rejoiced at the recovery of his favourite and knew
that all this was the doing of his cousin-wife, the Lady
Zubaydah,--And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and ceased
saying her permitted say.

When it was the Eight Hundred and Forty-fifth Night,