The Story of the Fisherman (2)

"If the Greek king," said the fisherman, "had spared the physician, he
would not have thus died. The same thing applies to you. Now I am
going to throw you into the sea."

"My friend," said the Genie, "do not do such a cruel thing. Do not
treat me as Imma treated Ateca."

"What did Imma do to Ateca?" asked the fisherman.

"Do you think I can tell you while I am shut up in here?" replied the
Genie. "Let me out, and I will make you rich."

The hope of being no longer poor made the fisherman give way.

"If you will give me your promise to do this, I will open the lid. I
do not think you will dare to break your word."

The Genie promised, and the fisherman lifted the lid. He came out at
once in smoke, and then, having resumed his proper form, the first
thing he did was to kick the vase into the sea. This frightened the
fisherman, but the Genie laughed and said, "Do not be afraid; I only
did it to frighten you, and to show you that I intend to keep my word;
take your nets and follow me."

He began to walk in front of the fisherman, who followed him with some
misgivings. They passed in front of the town, and went up a mountain
and then down into a great plain, where there was a large lake lying
between four hills.

When they reached the lake the Genie said to the fisherman, "Throw
your nets and catch fish."

The fisherman did as he was told, hoping for a good catch, as he saw
plenty of fish. What was his astonishment at seeing that there were
four quite different kinds, some white, some red, some blue, and some
yellow. He caught four, one of each colour. As he had never seen any
like them he admired them very much, and he was very pleased to think
how much money he would get for them.

"Take these fish and carry them to the Sultan, who will give you more
money for them than you have ever had in your life. You can come every
day to fish in this lake, but be careful not to throw your nets more
than once every day, otherwise some harm will happen to you. If you
follow my advice carefully you will find it good."

Saying these words, he struck his foot against the ground, which
opened, and when he had disappeared, it closed immediately.

The fisherman resolved to obey the Genie exactly, so he did not cast
his nets a second time, but walked into the town to sell his fish at
the palace.

When the Sultan saw the fish he was much astonished. He looked at them
one after the other, and when he had admired them long enough, "Take
these fish," he said to his first vizir, "and given them to the clever
cook the Emperor of the Greeks sent me. I think they must be as good
as they are beautiful."

The vizir took them himself to the cook, saying, "Here are four fish
that have been brought to the Sultan. He wants you to cook them."

Then he went back to the Sultan, who told him to give the fisherman
four hundred gold pieces. The fisherman, who had never before
possessed such a large sum of money at once, could hardly believe his
good fortune. He at once relieved the needs of his family, and made
good use of it.

But now we must return to the kitchen, which we shall find in great
confusion. The cook, when she had cleaned the fish, put them in a pan
with some oil to fry them. When she thought them cooked enough on one
side she turned them on the other. But scarcely had she done so when
the walls of the kitchen opened, and there came out a young and
beautiful damsel. She was dressed in an Egyptian dress of flowered
satin, and she wore earrings, and a necklace of white pearls, and
bracelets of gold set with rubies, and she held a wand of myrtle in her
hand.

She went up to the pan, to the great astonishment of the cook, who
stood motionless at the sight of her. She struck one of the fish with
her rod, "Fish, fish," said she, "are you doing your duty?" The fish
answered nothing, and then she repeated her question, whereupon they
all raised their heads together and answered very distinctly, "Yes,
yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you pay your debts, we pay ours.
If you fly, we conquer, and we are content."

When they had spoken the girl upset the pan, and entered the opening in
the wall, which at once closed, and appeared the same as before.

When the cook had recovered from her fright she lifted up the fish
which had fallen into the ashes, but she found them as black as
cinders, and not fit to serve up to the Sultan. She began to cry.

"Alas! what shall I say to the Sultan? He will be so angry with me,
and I know he will not believe me!"

Whilst she was crying the grand-vizir came in and asked if the fish
were ready. She told him all that had happened, and he was much
surprised. He sent at once for the fisherman, and when he came said to
him, "Fisherman, bring me four more fish like you have brought already,
for an accident has happened to them so that they cannot be served up
to the Sultan."

The fisherman did not say what the Genie had told him, but he excused
himself from bringing them that day on account of the length of the
way, and he promised to bring them next day.

In the night he went to the lake, cast his nets, and on drawing them in
found four fish, which were like the others, each of a different colour.

He went back at once and carried them to the grand-vizir as he had
promised.

He then took them to the kitchen and shut himself up with the cook, who
began to cook them as she had done the four others on the previous day.
When she was about to turn them on the other side, the wall opened, the
damsel appeared, addressed the same words to the fish, received the
same answer, and then overturned the pan and disappeared.

The grand-vizir was filled with astonishment. "I shall tell the Sultan
all that has happened," said he. And he did so.

The Sultan was very much astounded, and wished to see this marvel for
himself. So he sent for the fisherman, and asked him to procure four
more fish. The fisherman asked for three days, which were granted, and
he then cast his nets in the lake, and again caught four different
coloured fish. The sultan was delighted to see he had got them, and
gave him again four hundred gold pieces.

As soon as the Sultan had the fish he had them carried to his room with
all that was needed to cook them.

Then he shut himself up with the grand-vizir, who began to prepare them
and cook them. When they were done on one side he turned them over on
the other. Then the wall of the room opened, but instead of the maiden
a black slave came out. He was enormously tall, and carried a large
green stick with which he touched the fish, saying in a terrible voice,
"Fish, fish, are you doing your duty?" To these words the fish lifting
up their heads replied, "Yes, yes. If you reckon, we reckon. If you
pay your debts, we pay ours. If you fly, we conquer, and are content."

The black slave overturned the pan in the middle of the room, and the
fish were turned to cinders. Then he stepped proudly back into the
wall, which closed round him.

"After having seen this," said the Sultan, "I cannot rest. These fish
signify some mystery I must clear up."

He sent for the fisherman. "Fisherman," he said, "the fish you have
brought us have caused me some anxiety. Where did you get them from?"

"Sire," he answered, "I got them from a lake which lies in the middle
of four hills beyond yonder mountains."

"Do you know this lake?" asked the Sultan of the grand-vizir.

"No; though I have hunted many times round that mountain, I have never
heard of it," said the vizir.

As the fisherman said it was only three hours' journey away, the sultan
ordered his whole court to mount and ride thither, and the fisherman
led them.

They climbed the mountain, and then, on the other side, saw the lake as
the fisherman had described. The water was so clear that they could
see the four kinds of fish swimming about in it. They looked at them
for some time, and then the Sultan ordered them to make a camp by the
edge of the water.

When night came the Sultan called his vizir, and said to him, "I have
resolved to clear up this mystery. I am going out alone, and do you
stay here in my tent, and when my ministers come to-morrow, say I am
not well, and cannot see them. Do this each day till I return."

The grand-vizir tried to persuade the Sultan not to go, but in vain.
The Sultan took off his state robe and put on his sword, and when he
saw all was quiet in the camp he set forth alone.

He climbed one of the hills, and then crossed the great plain, till,
just as the sun rose, he beheld far in front of him a large building.
When he came near to it he saw it was a splendid palace of beautiful
black polished marble, covered with steel as smooth as a mirror.

He went to the gate, which stood half open, and went in, as nobody came
when he knocked. He passed through a magnificent courtyard and still
saw no one, though he called aloud several times.

He entered large halls where the carpets were of silk, the lounges and
sofas covered with tapestry from Mecca, and the hangings of the most
beautiful Indian stuffs of gold and silver. Then he found himself in a
splendid room, with a fountain supported by golden lions. The water
out of the lions' mouths turned into diamonds and pearls, and the
leaping water almost touched a most beautifully-painted dome. The
palace was surrounded on three sides by magnificent gardens, little
lakes, and woods. Birds sang in the trees, which were netted over to
keep them always there.

Still the Sultan saw no one, till he heard a plaintive cry, and a voice
which said, "Oh that I could die, for I am too unhappy to wish to live
any longer!"

The Sultan looked round to discover who it was who thus bemoaned his
fate, and at last saw a handsome young man, richly clothed, who was
sitting on a throne raised slightly from the ground. His face was very
sad.

The sultan approached him and bowed to him. The young man bent his
head very low, but did not rise.

"Sire," he said to the Sultan, "I cannot rise and do you the reverence
that I am sure should be paid to your rank."

"Sir," answered the Sultan, "I am sure you have a good reason for not
doing so, and having heard your cry of distress, I am come to offer you
my help. Whose is this palace, and why is it thus empty?"

Instead of answering the young man lifted up his robe, and showed the
Sultan that, from the waist downwards, he was a block of black marble.

The Sultan was horrified, and begged the young man to tell him his
story.

"Willingly I will tell you my sad history," said the young man.

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The Story of the Young King of the Black Isles.txt