Tat in trgovec z blagom

Besedilo

Tat in trgovec z blagom

It is also told that there was once a man who had been a thief, but had repented to God Most High and remained steadfast in his repentance. He opened a shop selling cloth and carried on in this way for some time. One day, after he had closed his shop and gone home, a cunning thief came along, dressed in the shopkeeper’s likeness, and drew a set of keys from his sleeve. It was night, and he said to the market watchman, “Light this candle for me.” The watchman took it from him and went to light it … But morning overtook Shahrazad, and she fell silent, leaving her tale untold.

When it was the three hundred and ninety-ninth night

She said: It has reached me, O fortunate king, that the watchman took the candle from him and went to light it. The thief then opened the shop and lit another candle he had brought with him. When the watchman returned, he found him seated in the shop with the account book in his hand, studying it and reckoning on his fingers. He remained thus until the hour before dawn, then said to the watchman, “Bring me a camel driver and his camel to carry some goods for me.” The watchman brought him a camel driver with his camel, and the thief took four bales of cloth and handed them to the driver, who loaded them onto the camel. Then he locked the shop, gave the watchman two dirhams, and followed the camel driver away, while the watchman believed him to be the shopkeeper. When morning came and daylight spread, the owner of the shop arrived, and the watchman began blessing him for the two dirhams. The shopkeeper denied knowing anything of the matter and was astonished at his words. When he opened the shop, he found candle wax dripped about and the account book lying out. Looking around, he discovered that four bales of cloth were missing, and said to the watchman, “What has happened?” The watchman told him what he had done during the night and how he had engaged the camel driver to carry the bales. The shopkeeper said, “Bring me the camel driver who carried the cloth for you before dawn.” “I hear and obey,” replied the watchman. He brought the man to him, and the shopkeeper asked, “Where did you take the cloth before dawn?” “To such-and-such a landing place,” he replied, “where I put it aboard so-and-so’s boat.” “Come with me there,” said the shopkeeper. The man went with him and said, “Here is the boat, and here is its owner.” The shopkeeper asked the boatman, “Where did you take the merchant and the cloth?” He answered, “To such-and-such a place. He brought a camel driver, who loaded the cloth onto his camel and went away. I do not know where he went.” “Bring me the camel driver who took the cloth from you,” said the shopkeeper. The boatman brought him, and the shopkeeper asked, “Where did you carry the cloth from the boat with the merchant?” “To such-and-such a place,” he replied. “Come with me and show it to me.” The camel driver went with him to a place far from the shore, pointed out the khan where he had left the cloth, and showed him the merchant’s storeroom. The shopkeeper went up to the storeroom and opened it. There he found the four bales of cloth just as they had been, still unopened, and handed them to the camel driver. The thief had laid his cloak over the cloth, so the shopkeeper handed that to the camel driver as well. He loaded everything onto the camel, and the shopkeeper locked the storeroom and went away with him. Just then the thief came upon him and followed him until he had unloaded the cloth into the boat. Then he said, “My brother, go in God’s keeping. You have recovered your cloth, and none of it is missing, so give me back my cloak.” The merchant laughed, gave him the cloak, and made no trouble for him. Then each went his own way.