Some time after, one of my brothers came to me to propose a trading voyage with them. I immediately rejected their proposal. You have travelled, says I, and what have you gained by it? Who can assure me that I shall be more successful than you have been. They represented to me, in vain, all that they thought fit, to prevail upon me to engage in that design with them, for I constantly refused: but they importuned me so much, that after having resisted their solicitations five whole years, they overcame me at last. But, when we were to make preparations for our voyage, and to buy goods necessary to the undertaking, I found they had spent all, and that they had not one farthing left of the thousand sequins I had given each of them. I did not, however, upbraid them in the least. On the contrary, my stock being six thousand sequins, I shared the half of it with them, telling them, My brothers, we must venture these three thousand sequins, and hide the rest in some sure place; that, in case our voyage be no more successful than your’s was formerly, we may have wherewith to assist us, and to follow our ancient way of living. I gave each of them a thousand sequins, and, keeping as much for myself, I buried the other three thousand in a corner of my house. We bought our goods, and, after having embarked them on board of a vessel, which we freighted betwixt us three, we put to sea, with a favourable wind. After a month’s sail --But I see day, says Scheherazade; I must stop here. Sister, says Dinarzade, this story promises a great deal; I fancy the rest of it must be very extraordinary. You are not mistaken, says the sultaness; and, if the sultan will allow me to tell it you, I am persuaded, it will very much divert you. Schahriar got up, as he did the day before, without explaining his mind, but gave no order to the grand vizier to kill his daughter. SEVENTH NIGHT. When the seventh night drew near a close, Dinarzade awaked the sultaness, and prayed her to continue the story of the second old man. I will, answered Scheherazade, provided the sultan, my lord and master, does not oppose it. Not at all, says Schahriar; I am so far from opposing it, that I desire you earnestly to go on with it. To resume the thread of the story, says Scheherazade, you must know, that the old man who led the two dogs, continued his story to the genie, the other two old men, and the merchant, thus: In short, says he, after two months’ sail, we arrived happily at port, where we landed and had a very great vent for our goods. I, especially, sold mine so well, that I gamed ten to one, and we bought commodities of that country, to transport and sell in our own.