The Red Pearl - Part 3/4

As the baron searched, he descried a figure matching the description of the jeweller. He was walking along the road and whistling. He headed toward him and stopped before him. The man looked up.

“What do you want, sir?”, he inquired.

“Is your name Ibn Rajab?”, asked the baron.

“Yes. It is”, replied Ibn Rajab.

“I believe you purchased 25 red pearls from a jeweller, said the baron, “I wonder if you could sell them to me.”

“How do you know I bought 25 pearls?”, Ibn Rajab asked suspiciously, “I will not sell them unless you tell me how you came across that information.”

“Well…I met a man…”, and the baron related his story.

“Intriguing, very intriguing”, muttered Ibn Rajab, “alright, you can have them…for only 25 gold coins. I’ll just retrieve them from my room.”

Ibn Rajab walked away and soon returned holding a sack. He handed it to the baron, who in return, gave him 25 coins.

“Thank you very much”, said the baron.

Ibn Rajab walked away. The baron returned to his waiting horse and embarked.

Then he stopped, he had forgotten to ask the pearl owner where to find him when he had retrieved the pearls.

He decided to return to the place wherein he had met the man. When he arrived, he found the man leaning against a tree waiting for him.

Dismounting he handed the sack to the man who wordlessly took it and peered inside.

The man looked up and his visage was irate as he said, “you tricked me, you wanted to steal my money!”

He hurled the sack on the ground and stormed away.

The baron picked up the sack and saw therein 25 round pebbles.

To be continued ...