Arabian Nights: Nights: 210th Night: Anis al Jalis, The Slave Girl - 10

The following night Shahrazad said:

I heard, O happy King, that the broker cried out, "O merchants, O men of wealth, not every round thing a walnut nor every long thing a banana; not every red thing meat nor every white thing fat.  O merchants I have here this unique pearl.  What will you pay for her and what is your opening bid.  One of them cried out, "Four thousand dinars," and the broker opened the bidding at four thousand dinars, but while he was calling for bids, the vizier al Mu'in ibn-Sawi happened to pass through the market, and seeing Nur al-Din standing in a corner said to himself, "I wonder what ibn-Khaqan is doing here.  Has his good for nothing anything left to buy the girls with?"  Then he looked around and seeing the broker in the middle of the market, surrounded by merchants, said to himself, "If I am not mistaken, I think that Nur al-Din has become penniless and has brought Anis al Jalis down to the market to auction her off.  O how soothing to my heart!"

Then he called the broker, who came and kissed the ground before him, and he said to him, "Broker, show me the girl you are selling."  The broker who dared not cross him, replied, "Yes my lord, here she is, look at her." He showed Anis al Jalis, who pleased him very much.  He said to the broker, "Hasan, what is the bid on her?"

The broker replied, "My lord, I have an opening bid of four thousand dinars."

Al Mu'in ibn-Sawi said, "I too bid four thousand dinars." When the merchants heard this, they dared not bid against him, knowing his tyranny and treachery.

The vizier looked at the broker and said, "Damn it, what are you waiting for? Go to Nur al-Din Ali and offer him four thousand dinars for her."  The broker went to Nur al-Din and said to him, "My lord, your girl is about to be sold for nothing."

Nur al-Din Ali asked, "How so?" The broker replied, "I opened the bidding at four thousand dinars, when that unfair tyrant al Mu'in ibn-Sawi passed through the market, and when he saw the girl, she pleased him, and he said to me to go and offer four thousand dinars for her.  I am sure, my lord, that he knows she belongs to you, and if he would pay you at once, it would still be alright, but knowing how unfair is he, he will give you a written note on some of his agents; then he will send someone to tell them to procrastinate and give you nothing at this time, and whenever you go to them to ask for your money, they will say to you, 'very well, come back tomorrow.'  They will do this to you day after day, until being as self-respecting you are, you will angrily snatch the note and tear it up and lose the money." 

"What is to be done?" asked Nur al-Din Ali to the broker.

The broker replied, "When I stand in the middle of the market, come to me at once, and taking the girl from my hand, slap her and say, 'O slut, see how I have fulfilled my pledge and brought you down to the market to sell you at auction, just as I had sworn that I would.'  If you do this, the vizier, as well as the merchants will be fooled and will believe that you brought the girl to the market only to fulfill a pledge."

Nur al-Din Ali replied, "This is a good advice."

Then the broker left him, and returning to his place in the middle of the market, took Anis al Jalis by the hand, and turning to al Mu'in ibn-Sawi said, "My lord, here comes her owner," as Nur al-Din came up to the broker, and snatching the girl from him, slapped her....

But morning overtook and Shahrazad lapsed into silence.