Once I was in such a city, where I hid a thousand dirhams in a monastery. After a while, I went there and taking the money, bound it about my waist. Then I set out to return and when I came to the Sahará waste, the carrying of the money was heavy upon me. Presently, I espied a horseman pushing on after me; so I waited till he came up and said to him, "O rider, carry this money for me and earn reward and recompense in Heaven." he said, "No, I will not do it, for I should tire myself and tire out my horse."

Then he went on but, before he had gone far, he said in his mind, "If I take up the money and put my steed to speed and devance him, how shall he overtake me?" And I also said in my mind, "truly, I erred; for, had he taken the money and made off, what could I have done?" Then he turned back to me and cried to me, "Hand over the money, that I may carry it for you." But I replied to him, "That which has occurred to your mind has occurred to my also; so go you and go safe." Isa said,(on whom be the Peace!), "Had these done prudently, they had taken thought for themselves; but they unheeded the issues of events; for that whoever acts cautiously is safe and winns his wish, and whoever neglects precaution is lost and repents." "Nor," continued the Wazir, "is this stranger or rarer than the story of the King, whose kingdom was restored to him and his wealth, after he had become poor, possessing not a single dirham." When the king heard this, he said in himself, "How like is this to my own story in the matter of the Minister and his slaughter! Had I not used deliberation, I had done him dead." And he bade Al-Rahwan hie to his own home.

The Thirteenth Night of the Month

When the even evened, the king sent for the Wazir to his sitting chamber and bade him tell the promised tale. So he said, "I hear and I obey. They relate, O king,