188 THE FISHERMAN

the fisherman went away by night; and, coming to the pond,
threw in his nets betimes next morning, took four such
fishes as the former, and brought them to the vizier at the
hour appointed. The minister took them himself, carried
them to the kitchen, and shutting himself up all alone with
the cook-maid, she gutted them, and put them on the fire,
as she had done the four others the day before: when they
were fried on one side, and she had turned them on the other,
the kitchen wall opened, and the same lady came in with the
rod in her hand, struck one of the fishes, spoke to it as before,
and all four gave her the same answer. After the four fishes
had answered the young lady, she overturned the frying-pan
with her rod, and retired into the same place of the wall from
whence she came out. The grand vizier being witness to what
had passed, “This is too surprising and extraordinary,” says
he, “‘to be concealed from the sultan ; I will inform him of
this prodigy ;” which he did accordingly, and gave him a very
faithful account of all that had happened.

The sultan, being much surprised, was impatient to see this
himself. He sent immediately for the fisherman, and says to him,
“ Friend, cannot you bring me four more such fishes?” The
fisherman. replied, “If your majesty will be pleased to allow
me three days time, I will do it.’ Having obtained his time,
he went to the pond immediately ; and, at the first throwing in
of his net, he caught four such fishes, and brought them pre-
sently to the sultan, who was so much the more rejoiced at it
as he did not expect them so soon, and ordered him other four
hundred pieces of gold. As soon as the sultan had the fish, he
ordered them to be carried into the closet, with all that was
necessary for frying them ; and having shut himself up there
with the vizier, the minister gutted them, put them in the pan
upon the fire, and when they were fried on one side, turned