FICTION

New Arabian

by Sheila (30-B-2 FPE)

Nights

There once was a young fisherman, who rose before dawn each day to cast his nets into the sea. He imposed it as a law upon himself not to make above four casts a day, come what might. One morning he had made three casts by moonlight, and had nothing but stones, gravel and shells to show for his labor. Bitter was his disapp- ointment, but when day began to appear he did not for- get to pray as a good Muslin should: and to his prayer he added this petition: "Lord, thou knowest I cast my nets but four times a day. I have already drawn them three times without the least reward; on this last cast I pray thee, let my catch be such as to justify my la- bor. I beg, send me not home empty-handed".

On the fourth cast, he found nothing in the nets but a box made of yellow copper; and although he had hoped for fish, he knew that his prayer had been answered. "This Box", he said to himself, "is heavy, I shall sell it at the metal dealer's, and will buy more fish than I alone can carry". On looking more closely at his prize he saw that it was sealed with lead, which led him to believe that it must contain something precious. To test this, he took his knife and with very little labor sprung open the lid. To his surprise, the contents proved to be smaller boxes, and jars, and metal tubes; and from these arose such a fragrance that the bare beach seemed like a veritable garden! Being wise in city ways (he had once spent an hour in Bagdad), he knew these to be the paints with which ladies perform their miracles of beautification; jars of blue kohl, tubes of antimony and vermillion, boxes of talc and the extracts of a thou- sand flowers.

At this point, a strange force seemed to seize the young fisherman, and he suddenly became furtive in his actions. Up and down the beach he peered; there was not a soul for as many leagues as he could see. Towards

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