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At last he thought to take out the money to buy sheep; so he

opened the box and found in it nothing, save bits of white paper

cut round to look like coin;[FN#656] so he buffeted his face and

cried aloud till the folk gathered about him, whereupon he told

them his tale which made them marvel exceedingly.

Then he rose as was his wont, and slaughtering a ram hung it up

inside his shop; after which he cut off some of the flesh, and

hanging it outside kept saying to himself, "O Allah, would the

ill omened old fellow but come!" And an hour had not passed

before the Shaykh came with his silver in hand; where upon my

brother rose and caught hold of him calling out, "Come aid me, O

Moslems, and learn my story with this villain!" When the old man

heard this, he quietly said to him, "Which will be the better for

thee, to let go of me or to be disgraced by me amidst the folk?"

"In what wilt thou disgrace me?" "In that thou sellest man's

flesh for mutton!" "Thou liest, thou accursed!" "Nay, he is the

accursed who hath a man hanging up by way of meat in his shop. If

the matter be as thou sayest, I give thee lawful leave to take my

money and my life." Then the old man cried out aloud, "Ho, ye

people!