drawest me an unlucky lot. Fie upon thee,[FN#285] in thee is
naught of good!" When the Caliph heard his speech, he fell
fainting in a fit of laughter and said, "O Khalif, no harm shall
betide thee: fear not. Give him an hundred gold pieces." So they
gave him an hundred dinars, and he went out, and ceased not
faring forth till he came to the trunk-market, where he found the
folk assembled in a ring about a broker, who was crying out and
saying, "At an hundred dinars, less one dinar! A locked chest!"
So he pressed on and pushed through the crowd and said to the
broker, "Mine for an hundred dinars!" The broker closed with him
and took his money, whereupon there was left him nor little nor
much. The porters disputed awhile about who should carry the
chest and presently all said, "By Allah, none shall carry this
chest but Zurayk!"[FN#286] And the folk said, "Blue-eyes hath the
best right to it." So Zurayk shouldered the chest, after the
goodliest fashion, and walked a-rear of Khalif. As they went
along, the Fisherman said in himself, "I have nothing left to
give the porter; how shall I rid myself of him? Now I will
traverse the main streets with him and lead him about, till he be
weary and set it down and leave it, when I will take it up and
carry it to my lodging." Accordingly, he went round about the
city with the porter from noontide to sundown, till the man began
to grumble and said, "O my lord, where is thy house?" Quoth
Khalif, "Yesterday I knew it, but to-day I have forgotten it."
And the porter said, "Give me my hire and take thy chest." But
Khalif said, "Go on at thy leisure, till I bethink me where my
house is," presently adding, "O Zurayk, I have no money with me.
'Tis all in my house and I have forgotten where it is." As they
were talking, there passed by them one who knew the Fisherman and
said to him, "O Khalif, what bringeth thee hither?" Quoth the