doubt. If you choose that I relate it to you, I shall.' My master said: 'We have chosen that, so mention it to us.'

The Governor said: 'One day, a man among my brothers whom I trusted and whose virtue I knew related to me, while he was present with me; I had carried to him goods and trade, and I had treasures and wealth with him; he used to act as an agent for merchants. He sat with me for a long time until the time of food arrived. I ordered the table to be brought, and it was brought. I asked him to take his rest for the day we were in with me. He answered me in that, so we ate and washed our hands. I ordered the wine to be brought, and it was brought. I asked him to drink with me, but he refused. I said to him: "What prevents you from gladdening my heart on such a day by drinking with me and providing me intimacy by witnessing you?" He said to me: "A report I heard prevents me from that." I asked: "What is the report?" He said to me:

"I heard that ten of my brothers gathered for discussion and they hid their gathering from their servants. When they gathered, they served each other at the time of food and collected the washing of their hands in a basin. After they finished washing, they brought some wine and presented it. They began to use it and discuss some science over it. A man among them asked his brother about a matter, and he answered him with a reply that did not convince him. He said: 'Show me a report indicating the correctness of this answer.' So, he related a report from what indicates the correctness of his word. He [the first] said: 'This is a report I have not heard, nor have we related it; and this is an answer that does not convince me.' They were in this talk when the door was knocked upon." The narrator of the report said: "I leapt to see who was knocking the door and said to him: 'Who are you, and whom do you want?' He said: 'I am a brother among your brothers; I yearned for you and wanted intimacy with you and to gather with you.'"

He said: "I opened the door and looked at the man. I saw a form the likes of which I had never seen nor known before my time; he was in complete beauty, fine appearance, and pleasant scents. He greeted us