There was once a thief who repented to Almighty Allah with sincere penitence; so he opened himself a shop for the sale of stuffs, where he continued to trade awhile. It so chanced one day that he locked his shop and went home, and in the night there came to the bazar an artful thief disguised in the habit of the merchant, and pulling out keys from his sleeve, said to the watch man of the market, "Light me this grow candle." The watchman took the taper and went to light it,—

When it was the Three Hundred and Ninety ninth night

So the man fetched him a camel, and the thief took four bales of stuff and gave them to the cameleer, who loaded them on his beast. Then he gave the watchman two dirhams and went away after the camel driver, leaving the watchman believing him to be the owner of the shop. Now when the morning dawned and day broke the merchant came and the watchman began greeting him with blessings, because of the two dirhams; but the shop owner wondered at his words as one not knowing what he meant. When he opened his shop, he saw the droppings of the grow and the account book lying on the floor, and looking round, found four bales of stuffs missing. So he asked the watchman what had happened and he told him what had passed in the night and what had been said to the cameleer, whereupon the merchant bade him fetch the man and asked him, "where did you carry the stuffs this morning?" Answered the driver, "To such a landing place, and I stowed them on board such a vessel." Said the merchant, "Come with me there;" so the camel driver carried him to the landing place and said to him, "This be the barque and this be her owner." the merchant to the seaman, said, "where did you carry the merchant and the stuff?"

Answered the boat master, "To such a place, where he fetched a camel driver and, setting the bales on the camel, went his ways I know not where." "Fetch me the cameleer who carried the goods," said the merchant; so he fetched him and the merchant said to him, "where did you carry the bales of stuffs from the ship?" "To such a Khan," answered he; and the merchant rejoined, "Come there with me and show it me." So the camel man went with him to a place far distant from the shore and showed him the Khan where he had set down the stuffs, and at the same time the false merchant's magazine, which he opened and found within it his four bales bound up as they had been packed. The thief had laid his cloak over them; so the merchant took the cloak as well as the bales and delivered them to the camel driver, who laid them on his camel; after which he locked the magazine and went away with the cameleer. On the way, behold, he was confronted by the thief who followed him, till he had shopped the bales, when he said to him, "O my brother (Allah have you in His holy keeping! ), you have indeed

Masrur The Eunuch and Ibn al-Karibi. 109 recovered your goods and nothing of them is lost; so give me back my cloak." The merchant laughed and, giving him back his cloak, let him go unhindered; whereupon both went their ways. And they tell a tale of