bolted the door gave to each dog a bit of the meat weighing half
a pound.[FN#349] So all ate and were filled, after which I shut
them up in the house which was large, for a space of three days
when, behold, the folk came seeking their tykes and crying,
"Whither can the curs have gone?" So I related how I had locked
them up within the house and hereupon each man who had a hound
came and took it away. Then quoth I, "Thy dog hath eaten a full
pound of flesh," and I took from each owner six faddahs and let
him have his beast until I had recovered for the meat of that
bull a sum of two thousand faddahs.[FN#350] At last of these dogs
there remained to me but one unclaimed and he had only a single
eye and no owner. So I took up a staff and beat him and he ran
away and I ran after him to catch him until he came upon a house
with the door open and rushed within. Now by the decree of the
Decreer it so happened that the mistress of the house had a man
living with her who was one-eyed and I ran in and said to her,
"Bring out the one-eyed that is with thee," meaning the dog. But
when the house mistress heard me say, "Bring out the one-eyed,"
she fancied that I spoke of her mate, so knowing naught about the
matter of the tyke she came up to me and cried, "Allah upon thee,
O my lord, do thou veil what Allah hath veiled and rend not our
reputation and deal not disgrace to us;"[FN#351] presently
adding, "Take this bangle from me and betray us not." So I took
it and left her and went my ways, after which she returned to the
house and her heart was heaving and she found that her man had
been in like case ever since he heard me say, "Bring out the
one-eyed." So I went away carrying off the bracelet and fared
homeward. But when she looked about the room, lo and behold! she
espied the one-eyed dog lying in a corner and, as soon as she
caught sight of him, she was certified that I had alluded to the