He arrived at the right moment to rescue his master, Kalum-Bek. The shop was crowded with people, the boys were dancing round Kalum and taunting him, and the older people stood by and laughed. The merchant was in a furious rage. He stood with a shawl in one hand and a veil in the other. The uproar was caused by Said’s absence, for scarcely had he left than Kalum took his stand at the door and began to cry his wares, but nobody would buy from the ugly old man. Kalum had noticed two men walking up and down the Bazaar, evidently looking out for something. In reality they had come to buy presents for their wives and had been commanded by them to purchase only from the handsome young shopman. At length Kalum called to them: “Here, my masters, you will find everything you require by me. Shawls and veils of the finest quality.” “That may be, my good man,” they replied, “but it has become the fashion amongst the women to buy their goods from a certain handsome young man named Said, and we are looking out for him. If you can direct us to him we will come and buy from you another time.” “Allah is good,” said Kalum, grinning in friendly fashion, “the prophet has led you to the right door. You wish to buy veils from the handsome young shopman, then step inside, this is his shop.” One of the men laughed at his assertion that he the ugly little creature, was the tall handsome shopman but the other man, who believed he was being made fun of, lost his temper and rated him in no measured terms. Kalum was beside himself and called his neighbours to testify that his shop was the one known as the shop of the handsome young assistant. But the neighbours, who were jealous of the trade he drove, pretended to know nothing about the matter and the two men struck the “old liar,” as they called him. Kalum protected himself more by shrieking and yelling than by using his fists and so he attracted a crowd to his shop. Everyone in the town knew him to be an avaricious old cheat and so no one interfered, for they thought he deserved all he was getting. One of the men had seized him by the beard and was about to further ill-treat him when he was seized and flung violently to the ground, so that his turban and both his shoes flew off. The crowd, who would have enjoyed seeing Kalum ill-used, began to murmur, the companion of the man who had been knocked down advanced to his assistance, but when he saw himself confronted by a tall, handsome young fellow he thought it better not to strike him. Kalum no sooner spied his assistant than he began calling out, “There he is, there is the handsome young shopman called Said.” The man who had been knocked down got up again and limped away rather ashamed of himself, without having bought either shawl or veil. “Oh! prince of shop-assistants,” cried Kalum-Bek, “you did indeed arrive at the very moment you were wanted. How can I reward you for the service you have done me?”