My father died when I was a youth, leaving my mother and myself with little property, but an old she-goat, which we sold, and with the price bought a calf, and nourished her as well as we could for a whole year; when my mother desired me to go and dispose of her in the market.  Accordingly I went, and soon perceived that there was not a fatter or finer beast in the market.  The company of butchers, composed of forty persons, fixed their eyes upon the calf, and supposing me an ignorant lad, resolved to have her for little or nothing, and feast themselves upon her flesh.  After concerting among themselves, one of them coming up, said, “My lad, dost thou mean to sell this she-goat?” “Goat!” replied I, “it is a calf.”  “Nay,” answered he, “surely thou must be blind or under enchantment; but, old as the goat is, if thou wilt sell it, I will give thee a koorsh for her.”  I angrily refused, and he went away; when presently up came another; and, in short, in regular succession the whole forty, the last of whom was the chief of the butchers.  I perceived the connivance to cheat me, and resolving to be revenged, said, “I am convinced I am deceived, so you shall have the goat, if such she is, for the koorsh, provided you let me have her tail.”  This was agreed to, and it being cut off, I delivered my calf to the chief of the butchers, received the money, and returned home.

On my arrival at home, my mother asked if I had sold the calf; to which I replied, “Yes, for a koorsh, and her tail into the bargain.”  She thought me stupid or mad, and inquired what I would do with the latter.  I answered, “I will be amply revenged on the sharpers, who pretended that my calf was a she-goat, and force from them, at least, a thousand times the price they gave me.”  After this, I skinned the tail, cut the leather into thongs, and twisted them into a whip with hard thick knots.  I then disguised myself in female attire, taking pains to make myself look as handsome as possible with the assistance of my mother, who put soorma into my eyelids, and arranged my eyebrows, stained my hands with hinna, and directed me how to ogle and smile.  In short, as I was then a beardless lad, and reckoned comely, I appeared as a very desirable maiden in my disguise.

On my arrival at the house of the chief of the butchers, I found him sitting with his companions in the court.  The whole of my calf had been cooked in various ways, and they were just going to spread the cloth and feast upon it.  On my entrance I made a profound salutation:  upon which they all rose up to return it, and having teated me welcomely, whispered one to another, saying, “By Allah, this will be a night of glorious festivity, illumined by so much beauty! however, our chief must have the preference, this night shall be his; after which we will all cast lots for his turn of enjoyment.”