The Camel Trader of Babylon 95out the copper he knew all too well how unwelcome
he would be.
In his abstraction he unexpectedly found himself
face to face with the one man he wished m ost to
avoid, the tall bony f igur e of Dabasir, the camel
trader. Of all the friends and others from whom he
had borr owed sm all sums, Dabasir made him feel
the most uncomfortable because of his failure to keep
his promises to repay promptly.
Dabasir's face lighted up at the sight of him. "Ha!
'Tis Tarkad, just the one I have been seeking that he
might repay the two pieces of copper which I lent
him a moon ago; also the piece of silver which I lent
to him before that.We are well met. I can make good
u s e o f t h e c o i n s t h i s v e r y d a y. W h a t s a y , b o y?
What say?"
Tar k ad s t utt er e d an d his f ac e f lu sh e d. H e ha d
naught in his empty stomach to nerve him to argue
with the outspoken Dabasir. "I am sorry, very sorry,"
he mumbled weakly, "but this day I have neither the
copper nor the silver with which I could repay."
"Then get it," Dabasir insisted. "Surely thou canst
get hold of a few coppers and a piece of silver to
repay the generosity of an old friend of thy father
who aided theewhenst thou wast in need?"
" 'Tis because ill fortune does pursue me that I
cannot pay."
"Ill fortune! Wouldst blame the gods for thine own
weakness. Ill fortune pursues every man who thinks
more of borrowing than of repaying. Come with me,
boy, while I eat. I am hungry and I would tell thee