f this poor child."
"Alas!" cried the mother, "why hast thou made such a cruel prayer?"
"Fear nothing," said the old man; "thy child will assuredly enjoy long
life. It is my fate to have the reverse of whatever I pray for. I
implored Allah for assistance to carry me over this hill, and, by way of
help, I suppose, I have had this colt imposed on my shoulders."

* * * * *

Jami tells this humorous story in the Sixth "Garden" of his
_Baharistan_, or Abode of Spring: A man said the prescribed prayers in a
mosque and then began his personal supplications. An old woman, who
happened to be near him, exclaimed: "O Allah! cause me to share in
whatsoever he supplicates for." The man, overhearing her, then prayed:
"O Allah! hang me on a gibbet, and cause me to die of scourging." The
old trot continued: "O Allah! pardon me, and preserve me from what he
has asked for." Upon this the man turned to her and said: "What a very
unreasonable partner this is! She desires to share in all that gives
rest and pleasure, but she refuses to be my partner in distress and
misery."

* * * * *

We have already seen that even the grave and otiose Turk is not devoid
of a sense of the ludicrous, and here is another example, from Mr.
E. J. W. Gibb's translation of the _History of the Forty Vezirs_: A party
of Turkmans left their encampment one day and went into a neighbouring
city. Returning home, as they drew near their tents, they felt hungry,
and sat down and ate some bread and onions at a spring-head. The juice
of the onions went into their eyes and caused them to water. Now the
children of those Turkmans had gone out to meet them, and, seeing the
tears flow from their eyes, they concluded that one of their number had
died in the city, so, without making any inquiry, they ran back, and
said to their mothers: "One of ours is dead in the city, and our fathers
are coming weeping." Upon this all the women and children of the
encampment went forth to meet them, weeping together. The Turkmans who
were coming from the city thought that one of theirs had died in the
encampment; and thus they were without knowledge one of the other, and
they raised a weeping and wailing together such that it cannot be
described. At length the elders of the camp stood up in their midst and
said: "May ye all remain whole; there is none other help than patience";
and they questioned them. The Turkmans coming from