bliged, but I have no appetite to-day. I have come into the
meadow for a very different purpose. I am to dance to-day before some
guests of my father's, and I wish to practise here a little quietly by
myself."

The young stork immediately jumped about the field with singular
motions. The Caliph and Manzor looked on with wonder; but as she stood
in a picturesque attitude upon one foot, and fluttered her wings
gracefully, they could no longer contain themselves--an irresistible
laughter burst forth from their beaks, from which they could not
recover themselves for a long time. The Caliph first collected
himself. "That was a joke now," he exclaimed, "that is not to be
purchased with gold. Pity that the foolish creatures have been
frightened away by our laughter, otherwise perhaps they might even
have sung!"

But it now occurred to the Grand Vizier that laughter had been
specially forbidden them during their transformation. He told his
anxiety to the Caliph. "Dear me, dear me, it would indeed be a
sorrowful joke if I must remain a stork. Pray bethink thyself of the
magic word. For the life of me I can't remember it."

"Three times must we bow to the East and to Mecca, and then say, 'Mu,
mu, mu.'"

They turned toward the East, and bowed and bowed, so that their beaks
almost touched the earth. But alas! alas! the magic word would not
come. However often the Caliph bowed himself and however anxiously the
Vizier called out "Mu, mu," all recollection of it had vanished, and
the poor Caliph and Vizier remained storks.

Very mournfully did the enchanted ones wander through the fields. They
knew not what to do in their great distress. They could not rid
themselves of their storks' skin and feathers; they could not return
to the city to make themselves known, for who would have believed a
stork, if he had said he was the Caliph? And even if they should
believe it, the inhabitants of Bagdad would not have a stork for their
Caliph. Thus they wandered about for several days, and nourished
themselves with the fruits of the field, which they could not eat very
conveniently on account of their long beaks. For ducks and frogs they
had no appetite; they were afraid that with such food they might
fatally disorder their stomachs. It was their only pleasure in this
sad condition that they could fly, and so they often flew upon the
roofs of Bagdad to see what passed in the city.

During the first days they observed great disorder and mo