Black Tales for White Children

by C. H. Stigand; Nancy Yulee Stigand

For he thought to himself, "What shall I do that I may keep all these monies?" and he said to himself, "Now my friend did not say that he was entrusting me with a skin of dinars, he said only that he had left a skin of oil."

So he went to the bazaar and sought for coco-nut oil and brought it to his house, and he filled up the skin with the oil he had brought, and he fastened it securely, after the same manner in which it had been done up formerly.

Now when the merchant had rested awhile he set off straightway to the house of his friend, and he saluted him. His friend bade him draw nigh, and he asked him for the news of his journey.

So they conversed awhile, and then the merchant said, "The night is closing in; I must with your permission now return to my house."

As he took leave of him he feigned to have suddenly remembered the skin which he had left in his house, and he said to him, "My friend, have you that skin of oil I left with you?"

So his friend said, "I had forgotten about it, but perhaps it will be in my store, where it has lain since you left. I will go and look for it."

So he entered into the house, and presently came forth with the skin and said, "Here it is, my friend; I have found it safe and sound."

So the merchant took his skin and went his way.

When he reached his house he opened it with haste to look for his dinars.

He poured out the oil, but behold, the gold was not there. Then was he seized with great wrath; so he poured back the oil and ran back to his friend's house and asked him, "Where are the golden dinars I left with you?"