How Drummer Abu Kasim Became a Kazi.

There was once, O King of the Age, a merchant and a man of Bassorah who went about trading with eunuchs and slave-boys and who bore his goods in bales[FN#250] from Bassorah to Ajam-land there to sell them and to buy him other merchandise for vending in Syria.  On this wise he tarried a long while until one year of the years he packed up his property, as was his wont, and fared forth with it to Persia.  But at that time there fortuned to be a famine and when he arrived at one of the cities of the Ajam-land, where formerly the traders bought his goods, on this occasion none of them would come near him.  In such case he continued a long while till at last a Khwajah appeared before him, a man who owned abundant riches in Persia, but his home was distant three days from the place.  The visitor asked saying, “O Bassorite, wilt thou sell me thy stock-in-trade?” whereto the other answered, “And how?  Of course I’ll sell it!” So the buyer opened the gate of bidding and offered such-and-such; but the Bassorah man cried, “Allah openeth.”  Then the purchaser added somewhat and the seller rejoined, “Give me yet more?” At last the buyer exclaimed, “I will give nothing more than ’Anaught’;"[FN#251] and the seller accepted the offer saying, “May Allah grant us gain!” Thereupon the Persian Khwajah took over all the goods from the vendor and next day the twain met to settle money-matters.  Now I, O King of the Age, happened to be abiding in that city.  The seller received from the buyer payment in full nor did anything remain; but after, the Bassorah man said to his customer, “Thou still owest me the ‘Anaught,’ which thou must hand over to me.”  The other replied jeeringly, “And the ‘Anaught’ is a naught; to wit, no thing;” but the Bassorite rejoined, “Here with that ’Anaught’!” Upon this a violent ruffle befel between them, the cause was carried before the King and payment was required in the Divan, for the Bassorite still demanded from the purchaser his “Anaught.”  The Sultan asked, “And what be this ’Anaught’?” and the Bassorah man answered, “I wot not, O King of the Age;” and the Bassorah man answered, “I wot not, O King of the Age;” whereat the Sultan marvelled.—­And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased to say her permitted say.  Then quoth her sister Dunyazad, “How sweet is thy story, O sister mine, and how enjoyable and delectable!” Quoth she, “And where is this compared with that I would relate to you on the coming night, and the Sovran suffer me to survive?” Now when it was the next night and that was

The Four Hundred and First Night,