Four sharpers once plotted against a Shroff, a man of much wealth, and agreed upon a sleight for securing some of his coins. So one of them took an ass and laying on it a bag, in which were dirhams, lighted down at the shop of the Shroff and sought of him small change. The man of monies brought out to him the silver bits and bartered them with him, whilst the sharper

The Tale of the Two Sharpers. 207 was easy with him in the matter of exchange, so he might gar him long for more gain. As they were thus, up came the other three sharpers and surrounded the donkey; and one of them said, "'Tis he," and another said, "Wait till I look at him." Then he took to considering the ass and stroking him from crest to tail; whilst the third went up to him and handled him and felt him from head to rump, saying, "Yes, 'tis in him." another said, "No, 'tis not in him;" and they did not leave doing the like of this for some time. Then they accosted the donkey's owner and chaffered with him and he said, "I will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhams." They offered him a thousand dirhams; but he refused and swore that he would not vend the ass but for that which he had said. They did not stop adding to their offer till the price reached five thousand dirhams, whilst their mate still said, "I'll not vend him save for ten thousand silver pieces." The Shroff advised him to sell, but he would not do this and said to him, "Ho, shaykh! You know not the case of this donkey. Stick to silver and gold and what pertains thereto of exchange and small change; because indeed the virtue of this ass is a mystery to you. For every craft its crafty men and for every means of livelihood its peculiar people."

When the affair was prolonged upon the three sharpers, they went away and sat down aside; then they came up privily to the money-changer and said to him, "If you can buy him for us, do so, and we will give you twenty dirhams." He said, "Go away and sit down at a distance from him." So they did as he bade and the Shroff went up to the owner of the ass and did not stop luring him with lucre and saying, "Leave these people and sell me the donkey, and I will reckon him a present from you," till he sold him the animal for five thousand and five hundred dirhams. Accordingly the money-changer weighed out to him that sum of his own monies, and the owner of the ass took the price and delivered the beast to him, saying, "whatever shall happen, though he abide a deposit upon your neck, sell him not to that cheats for less than ten thousand dirhams, for that they would glad buy him because of a hidden hoard they know, whereto nothing can guide them save this donkey. So close your hand on him and cross me not, or you will repent."

With these words he left him and went away, whereupon up came the three other sharpers, the comrades of him of the ass, and said to the Shroff, "God requite you for us with good, in that you have bought him! How can we reward you?" He said, "I will not sell him but for ten thousand dirhams." When they heard that they returned to the ass and fell again to examining him like buyers and handling him. Then they said to the money-changer, "Indeed we were deceived in him. This is not the ass we sought and he is not worth to us more than ten nusfs." Then they left him and offered to go away, at which the Shroff was sore chagrined and cried out at their speech, saying, "O folk, you asked me to buy him for you and now I have bought him, you say, we were deceived in him, and he is not worth to us more than ten nusfs." They replied, "We thought that in him was whatever we wanted; but, behold, in him is the contrary of that which we wish; and indeed he has a blemish, for that he is short of back."

Then they made long noses at him and went away from him and dispersed. The money-changer deemed they did but play him off, that they might get the donkey at their own price; but, when they walked away from him and he had long awaited their return, he cried out saying, "Well-away!" And "Ruin!" And "Sorry case I am in!" And shrieked aloud and rent his raiment. So the market-people assembled to him and questioned him of his case; whereupon he acquainted them with his condition and told them what the knaves had said and how they had cozened him and how they had cajoled him into buying an ass worth fifty dirhams for five thousand and five hundred. His friends blamed him and a gathering of the folk laughed at him and admired his folly and over-faith in believing the talk of the sharpers without suspicion, and meddling with that which he understood not and thrusting himself into that whereof he had no sure knowledge. "in this way, O King Shah Bakht" (continued the Wazir), "is the issue of greed for the goods of the world and indeed coveting that which our knowledge contains not shall lead to ruin and repentance. Nor, " (added he), "is this story stranger than that of the Cheat and the Merchants." When the King heard these words, he said in himself, "Indeed, had I given ear to the sayings

The Cheat and the Merchants. 209 of my courtiers and inclined to their idle prate in the matter of my Minister, I had repented to the utterest of penitence, but praise be to God—laud be to the Lord—who has disposed me to endurance and long-suffering and has vouchsafed to me patience!" Then he turned to the Wazir and dismissed him to his dwelling and gave congé to those who were present according to his custom.

The Twenty third Night of the Month

WHEN the evening evened, the King summoned the Minister and when he presented himself before him, he required of him the hearing of the story. So he said, "Hearing and obeying. Give ear, O illustrious lord, to