The next morning, as he scratched in the dust heap, he saw a countryman going along, carrying a basket made of twigs, and he called to him: "Hi, there, countryman! What have you in that cage?"
The countryman, whose name was Moohaad'eem, replied, "Gazelles."
And Haamdaanee called: "Bring them here. Let me see them."
Now there were three well-to-do men standing near; and when they saw the countryman coming to Haamdaanee they smiled, and said, "You're taking lots of trouble for nothing, Moohaadeem."
"Why," said they, "that poor fellow has nothing at all. Not a cent."
"Oh, I don't know that," said the countryman; "he may have plenty, for all I know."
"Don't you see for yourself," continued one of them, "that he is on the dust heap? Every day he scratches there like a hen, trying to get enough grains of millet to keep himself alive. If he had any money, wouldn't he buy a square meal, for once in his life? Do you think he would want to buy a gazelle? What would he do with it? He can't find enough food for himself, without looking for any for a gazelle."
But Moohaadeem said: "Gentlemen, I have brought some goods here to sell. I answer all who call me, and if any one says 'Come,' I go to him. I don't favor one and slight another; therefore, as this man called me, I'm going to him."
"All right," said the first man; "you don't believe us. Well, we know where he lives, and all about him, and we know that he can't buy anything."
"That's so," said the second man. "Perhaps, however, you will see that we were right, after you have a talk with him."
To which the third man added, "Clouds are a sign of rain, but we have seen no signs of his being about to spend any money."
"All right, gentlemen," said Moohaadeem; "many better-looking people than he call me, and when I show them my gazelles they say, 'Oh, yes, they're very beautiful, but awfully dear; take them away.' So I shall not be disappointed if this man says the same thing. I shall go to him, anyhow."
Then one of the three men said, "Let us go with this man, and see what the beggar will buy."
"Pshaw!" said another; "buy! You talk foolishly. He has not had a good meal in three years, to my knowledge; and a man in his condition doesn't have money to buy gazelles. However, let's go; and if he makes this poor countryman carry his load over there just for the fun of looking at the gazelles, let each of us give him a good hard whack with our walking-sticks, to teach him how to behave toward honest merchants."