said, “O Shaykh, I met to-day a blue-eyed man, a stranger to the town; so I picked a quarrel with him and caught hold of him, saying, ’’Twas thou robbedst me of my eye’; nor did I let him go, till some became surety for him that he should return to me to-morrow and satisfy me for my eye.”  Quoth the oldster, “If he will he may have the better of thee and thou the worse.”  “How so?” asked the sharper; and the Chief said, “he may say to thee, ’Pluck out thine eye, and I will pluck out one of mine; then we will weigh them both, and if thine eye be of the same weight as mine, thou sayest sooth in what thou avouchest.’  So wilt thou owe him the legal price of his eye and be stone blind, whilst he will still see with his other eye.”  So the sharper knew that the merchant might baffle him with such plea.  Then came the cobbler; and said, “O Shaykh, a man brought me his sandal-shoe to-day, saying, ‘Mend this;’ and I asked him, ‘What wage wilt thou give me?’; when he answered, ’Thou shalt have of me what will content thee.’  Now nothing will content me but all the wealth he hath.”  Quoth the oldster, “And he will, he may take his sandal from thee and give thee nothing.”  “How so?” quoth the cobbler, and quoth the Shaykh, “He has but to say to thee, ’The Sultan’s enemies are put to the rout; his foes are waxed weak and his children and helpers are multiplied.  Art thou content or no?’ If thou say, ’I am content,’[FN#251] he will take his sandal and go away; and if thou say, ‘I am not content,’ he will take his sandal and beat thee therewith over the face and neck.”  So the cobbler owned himself worsted.  Then came forward the gamester and said, “O Shaykh, I played at forfeits with a man to-day and beat him and quoth I to hime, ’If thou drink the sea I will give thee all my wealth; and if not I will take all that is thine.’” Replied the Chief, “An he will he may worst thee.”  “How so?” asked the sharper, and the Shaykh answered, “He hath but to say, ’Hold for me the mouth of the sea in thine hand and give it me and I will drink it.’  But thou wilt not be able to do this; so he will baffle thee with this plea.”  When the merchant heard this, he knew how it behoved him to deal with his adversaries.  Then the sharpers left the Shaykh and the merchant returned to his lodging.  Now when morning morrowed, the gamester came to him and summoned him to drink the sea; so he said to him, “Hold for me its mouth and I will drink it up.”  Whereupon he confessed himself beaten and redeemed his foreit by paying an hundred gold pieces.  Then came the cobbler and sought of him what should content him.  Quoth the merchant, “Our lord the Sultan hath overcome his foes and hath destroyed his enemies and his children are multiplied.  Art thou content or no?” “I am content,” replied the cobbler and, giving up the shoe[FN#252] without wage, went away.  Next came the one-eyed man and demanded the legal price of his eye.  Said the merchant, “Pluck out thine eye, and I will pluck out mine:  then we will weigh them, and if they