History of the Second Larrikin.

I was living, O my lord, under the same roof with my father’s wife and I had with me some bundles of sesame cobs, but no great quantity, which I stored in a little basket hanging up in the great ceiling-vault of our house.  Now one day of the days a party of merchants, numbering five or so, together with their head man, came to our village and began asking for sesame; and they happened to meet me on the road hard by our place, so they put me the same question.  I asked them, “Do you want much of it?” and they answered, “We require[FN#340] about an hundred ardabbs."[FN#341] Quoth I, “By me is a large quantity thereof;” and quoth they, “Have the kindness to show us the muster;"[FN#342] whereto I rejoined, “Upon the head and the eye!” Hereat I led them into the room wherein the basket was suspended with a few cobs of sesame (there being none other) and I went up by an outside staircase to the top of the vault, which I pierced, and putting forth my hand, took up a palm-full and therewith returned to them and showed the specimen.  They saw that the sesame was clean grain, and said one to other, “This house is naught but full to the vault,[FN#343] for had there been a small quantity there he would have opened the door and shown us the heaps.”  Hereupon I conversed with them and settled the price and they paid me as earnest money for an hundred ardabbs of sesame six hundred reals.  I took the coin and gave it to the wife of my father, saying to her, “Cook for us a supper that shall be toothsome.”  Then I slaughtered for her five chickens and charged her that, after she should have cooked the supper, she must prepare for us a pot of Baysarah[FN#344] which must be slab and thick.  She did as I bade her and I returned to the merchants and invited them to sup with us and night in our house.  Now when sunset time came I brought them in for the evening meal and they supped and were cheered, and as soon as the hour for night-prayer had passed I spread for them sleeping-gear and said to them, “O our guests, be careful of yourselves lest the wind come forth from your bellies, for with me dwelleth the wife of my father, who disgusteth fizzles and who dieth if she hear a fart.”  After this they slept soundly from the stress of their fatigue and were overwhelmed with slumber; but when it was midnight, I took the pot of Baysarah and approached them as they still slumbered and I besmeared[FN#345] their backsides with the Baysarah and returned and slept until dawn of day in my own stead hard beside them.  At this time all five were awake, and as each one arose before his companions he sensed a somewhat soft below him and putting forth his hand felt his bum bewrayed[FN#346] with the stuff, and said to his neighbour, “Ho, such an one, I have skited!” and the other said, “We have skited.”  But when I heard this, O my lord, I arose forthwith and cried out saying, “Haste ye to my help, O ye folk, for these guests have killed my father’s