There was once, in a certain desert, a spacious Wady, full of rills and trees and fruits and birds singing the praises of Allah the One of All might, Creator of day and night; and among them was a troop of Crows, which led the happiest of lives. Now they were under the sway and government of a Crow who ruled them with mildness and benignity, so that they were with him in peace and contentment; and by reason of their wisely ordering their affairs, none of the other birds could avail against them. Presently, it chanced that there befell their chief the doom irrevocably appointed to all creatures and he departed life; whereupon the others mourned for him with sore mourning, and what added to their grief was that there abided not amongst them like him one who should fill his place. So they all assembled and took counsel together concerning whom it befitted for his goodness and piety to set over them: and a party, of them chose one Crow, saying, "It beseems that this be King over us;" whilst others objected to him and would none of him, and thus there arose division and dissension amidst them and the strife of excitement grew hot between them. At last they agreed amongst themselves and consented to sleep the night upon it and that none should go forth at dawn next day to seek his living, but that all must wait till high morning, when they should gather together all in one place. "Then," they said, "we will all take flight at once and whichsoever shall soar above the rest in his flying, he shall be accepted of us as ruler and be made King over us."

The fancy pleased them; so they made covenant together and did as they had agreed and took flight all, but each of them deemed himself higher than his fellow; Why this said one "I am highest," and that, "Nay; that am I." Then said the lowest of them, "Look up, all of you, and whomsoever you find the highest of you, let him be your chief." So they raised their eyes and seeing the Hawk soaring over them, said each to other, "We agreed that which bird soever should be the highest of us we will make king over us, and behold, the Hawk is the highest of us: what say you to him?" And they all cried out, "We accept of him." Accordingly they summoned the Hawk and said to him, "O Father of Good, we have chosen you ruler over us, that you may look into our affair." The Hawk consented, saying, "God willing, you shall win of me abounding weal," So they rejoiced and made him their King. But after awhile, he fell to taking a company of them every day and betaking himself with them afar off to one of the caves, where he struck them down and eating their eyes and brains, threw their bodies into the river. And he did not stop doing in this way, it being his intent to destroy them all till, seeing their number daily diminishing, the Crows flocked to him and said, "O our King, we complain to you because from the date we made you Sovran and ruler over us, we are in the sorriest case and every day

The Crows And The Hawk. 55 a company of us is missing and we know not the reason of this, more by token that the most part of it are the high in rank and of those in attendance on you. We must now look after our own safety." Thereupon the Hawk vaxed wroth with them and said to them, "truly, you are the murtherers, and you forestall me with accusation!" So saying, he pounced upon them and tearing to pieces half a score of their chiefs in front of the rest, threatened them and drave them out sorely cuffed and beaten, from before him. at this they repented them of that which they had done and said, "We have known no good since the death of our first King especially in the deed of this stranger in kind; but we deserve our sufferings even had he destroyed us one by one to the last of us, and there is exemplified in us the saying of him that says, 'whoever submitts him not to the rule of his own folk, the foe has dominion over him, of his folly.' And now there is nothing for it but to flee for our lives, else shall we perish."

So they took flight and dispersed to various places. "And we also, O King," continued the Wazir, "feared lest the like of this befall us and there become ruler over us a King other than yourself; but Allah has vouchsafed us this boon and has sent us this blessed child, and now we are assured of peace and union and security and prosperity in our Mother land. So lauded be Almighty Allah and to Him be praise and thanks and goodly gratitude! And may He bless the King and us all his subjects and vouchsafe unto us and him the acme of felicity and make his life tide happy and his endeavour constant!" Then arose the sixth Wazir and said, "Allah favour you with all felicity, O King, in this world and in the next world! Truly, the ancients have left us this saying, 'whoever prays and fasts and gives parents their due and is just in his rule meets his Lord and He is well pleased with him.' You have been set over us and have ruled us justly and yours every step in this has been blessed; Why we beseech Allah Almighty to make great your reward eternal and requite you your beneficence. I have heard what this wise man has said respecting our fear for the loss of our prosperity, by reason of the death of the King or the advent of another who should not be his parallel, and how after him dissensions would be rife among us and calamity happen from our division and how it behoved us therefore to be instant in prayer to Allah the Most High, so perhaps He might vouchsafe the King a happy son to inherit the kingship after him. But, after all, the issue of that which man desires of mundane goods and wherefor he lusts is unknown to him and consequently it behoves a mortal to ask not of his Lord a thing whose end he knows not; for that perhaps the hurt of that thing is nearer to him than its gain and his destruction may be in that he seeks and there may befall him what befell the Serpent charmer, his wife and children and the folk of his house." —

When it was the Nine Hundred and seventh night

the King asked, "What was that?"; and the Wazir answered, "Hear, O King the tale of