The San Francisco call., 1895-12-22

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story-tellers who throng the streets of Cairo
Indeed, any narrative OF the adventures of tho
famous Hsroun Er Raschid finds eager listeners
IN every Oriental audience. 1t is the custom
OF these narrators to carry the tale to some
crucial incident, and, when they see that the
interest OF their auditors is at concert pitch 10
pause ana request donation before the con-
clusion of the narrative. Even although the
tale be an ancient and well known one there
are usually plenty to bestow a small coin TO
hear Its conclusion, particularly if the mar
rator be clever in his telling and possessed of
an easy, graceful style adorned with beauty of
speech ana lnterspersing his text with apt
quotauons from the poets. If. however there
De no contributions to justify the completion
OF the narrative the story teller will say: HAnd
the consummaton OF these circumstances was
IN US ana so, and depart, leaving his hearers
IN ignorance of the rest of the tale Khaleefeh,
the fisherman whose adventures are here set
forth, Is by no means silly fellow. The mar
ratiVe, indeed, shows him to be possessed of
considerable native shrewdness and a sharp
ness OF wit, accompanied by a CORRESPONDING
freedom OF speech by no means attributable to
weak intellect. His very remarka BILE vagaries
were beyond a doubt the result of Indulgence
in hasheesh. In fact his performances, as in
administering to himself the beatings are such
as modern hasheesh fiend might readily be
expected to fall into. The part played by Ha-
roun er Raschid in the fisherman's adventures
, Is characteristic of what we know OF that gen.
ial ruler OF Baghdadl
Baghdad a fisherman named Khaleefeh,
who was man in needy circumstances,
and he had never in his life been married.
And it chanced one day that, going in the
early morning to the river, he cast in his
net before the other fishermen had arrived
and 1t came up empty. And he cast it in
second and third time, but there came
not up in it aught. He ceased not to do
this for the space of ten times casting, ana
caught in it nothing whatever. So his
bosom was contracted and his mind was
perplexed, and he offered up a prayer 10
God, the forgiving, the mercifu! Then he
meditated upon his case, and when he had
prayed again and recited some verses he
cast i'll his net again, and there came up in
it lame, one-eyed ape.
So khaleefeh said: There is no strength
nor power but in God! What a deficient
fortune and evil Iuck What hath hap
pened to me on this blessed day? And he
took the ape and bound him to a tree, and
he had with him a whip wherewith he
would have beaten it. But the ape spake
to him with an eloquent tongue and babe
him leave it bound thus and cast in again
his net, saying 10 him, God will give thee
thy means OF subsistence. So Khaleefeh
laf% h. -
river cast in his net and found it heavier
than before; and he ceased not to labor
with it until he had drawn it to shore
when 10 there appeared in it another ape
whose front teeth were far apart and its
eyes adorned with kohl and his hands
stained with henna, and he was laughing.
Upon this Khaleefeh said: Praise be to
God, who hath substituted for the fish of
this river apeSl And again advancing to
the first ape he would have beaten him,
when he prayed for aid against him, say
ing: l conjure thee by Allah that thou
spare NE for this, my companions sake,
and seek of him what thou wantest, for he
will guide thee to what thou desirest. So
khaleefeh turned to the second ape,
who promised him that ii be would
do as he directed be would be
the means of his becoming rich. And
he charged him to cast in his net again,
and when he had done so and had drawn
it heavy TO the shore, 10! there appeared
in it a third ape; and this ape was red,
around his waist were blue garments and
his hands were stained with henna and
his eyes were adorned with kohl.
And Khaleefeh said: Verify this day is
blessed from it's beginning to its end, for
its luck hath been shown to be fortunate
by the countenance of the first ape, and
the page is shown by it's superscription.
Verify | came not forth this day save to
catch apes. Then he said to the third
ape: Who art thou, o unlucky2 And
he replied: am the ape of Abu-s- Sa adat,
the Jew.
And what doth thou do for him? He
answered: [ present myself to him in the
morning and he gaineth five pieces of gold,
and again IN the evening and he ganeth
five pieces. So Khaleefeh looked toward
the first ape and said: See, 0 unlucky,
how excellent are the apes of other people,
but thou presenteth thyself to me this
morning one-eyed and lame, and become
pauper, hungry, bankrupt and again he
would have beaten him, but the ape of
Abu-s-Sa' adat said: Leave him, Khalee-
feb, and spare thy hand, and
will tell thee what to do. So
Khaleefeh said: OF what wilt thou tell
me, . master of all apes? and he said:
Cast in thy net, and whatever cometh to
thee bring it to me, and l will tell thee
further. So when he had recited some
verses, he advanced to the river and cast
in the net and waited, after which he drew
it, and 10! in it was a large fish, with a
great head and tail like a ladle, and its
eyes were like two pieces of gold. And
Khaleefeh was rejoiced, and be brought
the fish to the ape of Abu-s-Sa 'adat, and
the ape bade him tie him to a tree and to
go to the middle of the quay and casting
his net into the Tigris bring again what
ever came up. So thereupon Khaleefeh
bound the ape and went and cast his net
again in the river and drew up a fish
called bayad, of the size of lamb.
Then he took it to the ape, and when he
had heard the apes instructions. he
brought some grass and put it in baske t,
and put thereon the fish. He covered it
with more grass and went in with it to
the city of Baghdad. And when he en-
tered it the people knowing him wished
him good morning and said: What
hast thou with thee, o Khaleefeh? But
he paid no regard to any one OF them until
ne came to the market OF the money
changers, whittier the ape had directed
him, and saw Abu-s-sa adat, the on jew /; sit
I;ss one OF the kings of Khurasan. And
Khaleefeh came and stood before him,