and lost the money.  Then he waited awhile and attacked us a second time, until he brought us to beggary; nor will he desist from us, and we are utterly weary of him; wherefore we would have thee buy him of us.”  Quoth the Captain, “Can ye cast about with him and bring him to me here?  If so, I will pack him off to sea forthright.”  Quoth they “We cannot manage to bring him here; but be thou our guest this night and bring with thee two of thy men, not one more; and when he is asleep, we will aid one another to fall upon him, we five, and seize and gag him.  Then shalt thou carry him forth the house, under cover of the night, and after do thou with him as thou wilt.”  Rejoined the Captain, “With all my heart!  Will ye sell him for forty dinars?” and they, “Yes, come after nightfall to such a street, by such a mosque, and thou shalt find one of us awaiting thee.”  And he replied, “Now be off.”  Then they repaired to Judar and waited awhile, after which Salim went up to him and kissed his hand.  Quoth Judar, “What ails thee, O my brother?” And he made answer, saying, “Know that I have a friend, who hath many a time bidden me to his house in thine absence and hath ever hospitably entreated me, and I owe him a thousand kindnesses, as my brother here wotteth.  I met him to day and he invited me to his house, but I said to him, ‘I cannot leave my brother Judar.’  Quoth he, ‘Bring him with thee’; and quoth I, ’He will not consent to that; but if ye will be my guests, thou and thy brothers’[FN#287] * * * * * (for his brothers were sitting with him); and I invited them thinking that they would refuse.  But he accepted my invitation for all of them, saying, ’Look for me at the gate of the little mosque,[FN#288] and I will come to thee, I and my brothers.’  And now I fear they will come and am ashamed before thee.  So wilt thou hearten my heart and entertain them this night, for thy good is abundant, O my brother?  Or if thou consent not, give me leave to take them into the neighbours’ houses.”  Replied Judar, “Why shouldst thou carry them into the neighbours’ houses?  Is our house then so strait or have we not wherewith to give them supper?  Shame on thee to consult me!  Thou hast but to call for what thou needest and have rich viands and sweetmeats and to spare.  Whenever thou bringest home folk in my absence, ask thy mother, and she will set before thee victual more than enough.  Go and fetch them; blessings have descended upon us through such guests.”  So Salim kissed his hand and going forth, sat at the gate of the little mosque till after sundown, when the Captain and his men came up to him, and he carried them to the house.  When Judar saw them he bade them welcome and seated them and made friends of them, knowing not what the future had in store for him at their hands.  Then he called to his mother for supper, and she fell to taking dishes out of the saddlebags, whilst he said, “Bring such and such meats,” till she had set forty different dishes before them.  They