I Began life,as a Schoolmaster and my case was wondrous.—And Shahrazad perceived the dawn of day and fell silent and ceased saying her permitted say. Then her sister Dunyazad said, "How sweet and tasteful is your tale, O sister mine, and enjoyable and delectable!" She said, "And where is this compared with what I would relate to you on the coming night if the Sovran permits me to survive?"

Now when it was the next night and that was

The Three hundred and Sixty third Night

DUNYAZAD said to her, "in God's name, O my sister, If you be other than sleepy, finish for us your tale that we may cut short the watching of this our latter night!" She replied, "With love and good will!" It has reached me,

The Broke Back Schoolmaster. 73

, the director, the right guiding, lord of the counsel which is benefiting and of deeds fair seeming and worthy celebrating, that the Shaykh continued. I began life, O my lord, as a Schoolmaster, and my tale with the boys was wondrous. They numbered from sixty to seventy, and I taught them to read and I inculcated due discipline and ready respect esteeming these a part of liberal education; nor did I regard,the vicissitudes of Time and Change; nay, I held them with so tight a rein that whenever the boys heard me sneeze they were expected to lay down their writing tablets and stand up with their arms crossed and exclaim, "Allah have ruth upon you, O our lord!" Whereto I would make reply, "Allah deign pardon us and you!" And if any of the lads failed or delayed to join in this prayer I was wont to bash him with a severe bashing. One day of the days they asked leave to visit the outskirts of the town for liberty and pleasuring and when I granted it they clubbed their pittances for a certain sum of money to buy them a noonday meal. So we went forth to the suburbs and there found verdure and water, and we enjoyed ourselves that day with perfect enjoyment until mid afternoon when we purposed to return homewards. Accordingly, the boys collected their belongings and laded them upon an ass and we walked about half way when behold, the whole party, big and little, stood still and said to me, "O our lord, we are athirst and burning with drowthiness, nor can we stir from this spot and if we leave it without drinking we shall all die."

Now there was in that place a draw well, but it was deep and we had nor pitcher nor bucket nor anything in which to draw water and the scholars still suffered from exceeding thirst. We had with us, however, cooking gear such as chauldrons and platters; so I said to them, "O boys, whoever carries a cord or has bound his belongings with one let him bring it here!" They did my bidding and I tied these articles together and spliced them as strongly as I could: then I said to the lads, "Bind me under the armpits." Accordingly they made me fast by passing the rope around me and I took with me a chauldron, whereupon they let me down bucket wise into the well till I reached the water. Then I loosed the bandage from under my armpits and tied it to the chauldron which I filled brimfull and shook the rope for a signal to the boys above. They haled at the vessel till they pulled it up and began drinking and giving drink;

and in this way they drew a first chauldron and a second and a third and a fourth till they were satisfied and could no more and cried out to me, "We have had enough, quite enough." Hereupon I bound the bandage under my armpits, as it was when I went down, and I shook it as a signal and they haled me up till I had well near reached the kerbstone of the well when a fit of sneezing seized me and I sneezed violently. At this all let go their hold and carrying their arms over their breasts, cried aloud, "Allah have ruth upon you, O our lord!" But I, as soon as they loosed hold, fell into the depths of the well and brake my back. I shrieked for excess of agony and all the boys ran on all sides screaming for aid till they were heard by some wayfaring folk; and these haled at me and drew me out. They placed me upon the ass and bore me home: then they brought a leach to medicine me and at last I became even as you see me, O Sultan of the Age. Such, then, is my story showing the weakness of my wits; for had I not enjoined and enforced over respect the boys would not have let go their hold when I happened to sneeze nor would my back have been broken. "You speak truth, O Shaykh," said the Sultan, "and indeed you have made evident the weakness of your wit." Then he to the man who was cloven of said,mouth. "And you, the other, what was it split your gape?" "The weakness of my wit, O my lord the Sultan," He said, and fell to telling the