Then he went to fetch that which he had hidden of the grain, but found it not and returned, perplexed and sorrowful, to the old man, who said to him, ‘What aileth thee to be sorrowful?’ And he answered, ’Methought thou wouldst not pay me my due; so I took of the grain, after the measure of my hire; and now thou hast paid me my due and I went to bring back to thee that which I had hidden from thee, but found it gone, for those who had happened upon it had stolen it.’  The old man was wroth, when he heard this, and said to the merchant, ’There is no device [can cope] with ill luck!  I had given thee this, but, of the sorriness of thy luck and thy fortune, thou hast done this deed, O oppressor of thine own self!  Thou deemedst I would not acquit thee thy wage; but, by Allah, nevermore will I give thee aught.’  And he drove him away from him.

So the merchant went forth, afflicted, sorrowful, weeping, [and wandered on along the sea-shore], till he came to a sort of divers diving in the sea for pearls.  They saw him weeping and mourning and said to him, ’What is thy case and what maketh thee weep?’ So he acquainted them with his history, from first to last, whereby they knew him and said to him, ’Art thou [such an one] son of such an one?’ ‘Yes,’ answered he; whereupon they condoled with him and wept sore for him and said to him, ’Abide here till we dive for thy luck this next time and whatsoever betideth us shall be between us and thee.’  Accordingly, they dived and brought up ten oysters, in each two great pearls; whereat they marvelled and said to him, ’By Allah, thy luck hath returned and thy good star is in the ascendant!’ Then they gave him ten pearls and said to him, ’Sell two of them and make them thy capital [whereon to trade]; and hide the rest against the time of thy straitness.’  So he took them, joyful and contented, and addressed himself to sew eight of them in his gown, keeping the two others in his mouth; but a thief saw him and went and advertised his mates of him; whereupon they gathered together upon him and took his gown and departed from him.  When they were gone away, he arose, saying, ’These two pearls [in my mouth] will suffice me,’ and made for the [nearest] city, where he brought out the pearls [and repairing to the jewel- market, gave them to the broker], that he might sell them.

Now, as destiny would have it, a certain jeweller of the town had been robbed of ten pearls, like unto those which were with the merchant; so, when he saw the two pearls in the broker’s hand, he said to him, ‘To whom do these pearls belong?’ and the broker answered, ‘To yonder man.’ [The jeweller looked at the merchant and] seeing him in sorry case and clad in tattered clothes, misdoubted of him and said to him (purposing to surprise him into confession), ‘Where are the other eight pearls?’ The merchant thought he asked him of those which were in the gown and answered, ‘The thieves stole them from me.’  When the jeweller heard his reply, he doubted not but that it was he who had taken his good; so he laid hold of him and haling him before the chief of the police, said to him, ’This is the man who stole my pearls:  I have found two of them upon him and he confesseth to the other eight.’