honey-coloured turband[FN#280]?" When Khalif heard him name the
clothes he had lost, he said in himself, "This is he who took my
duds: belike he did but jest with me." So he came down from the
knoll and said, "Can I not take a noontide nap[FN#281] but thou
must trick me this trick? I saw thee take my gear and knew that
thou wast joking with me." At this, laughter got the better of
the Caliph and he said; "What clothes hast thou lost? I know
nothing of that whereof thou speakest, O Khalif." Cried the
Fisherman, "By God the Great, except thou bring me back the gear,
I will smash thy ribs with this staff!" (For he always carried a
quarterstaff.) Quoth the Caliph, "By Allah, I have not seen the
things whereof thou speakest!"; and quoth Khalif "I will go with
thee and take note of thy dwelling-place and complain of thee to
the Chief of Police, so thou mayst not trick me this trick again.
By Allah, none took my gown and turband but thou, and except thou
give them back to me at once, I will throw thee off the back of
that she-ass thou ridest and come down on thy pate with this
quarterstaff, till thou canst not stir!" Thereupon he tugged at
the bridle of the mule so that she reared up on her hind legs and
the Caliph said to himself, "What calamity is this I have fallen
into with this madman?" Then he pulled off a gown he had on,
worth an hundred dinars, and said to Khalif, "Take this gown in
lieu of thine own." He took it and donning it saw it was too
long; so he cut it short at the knees and turbanded his head with
the cut-off piece; then said to the Caliph, "What art thou and
what is thy craft? But why ask? Thou art none other than a
trumpeter." Al-Rashid asked, "What showed thee that I was a
trumpeter by trade?"; and Khalif answered, "Thy big nostrils and
little mouth." Cried the Caliph, "Well guessed! Yes, I am of that
craft." Then said Khalif, "An thou wilt hearken to me, I will