the watch."
The merchant again went to sleep, and awaking about midnight cried: "Ho!
what are you doing?" The servant replied: "I am considering how Allah
has supported the sky without pillars." Quoth the master: "But I am
afraid that while you are busy meditating thieves will carry off my
horse." "Be not afraid, master, I am fully awake; how, then, can thieves
come?" The master replied: "If you wish to sleep, I will keep watch."
But the servant would not hear of this; he was not at all sleepy; so his
master addressed himself once more to slumber; and when one hour of the
night yet remained he awoke, and as usual asked him what he was doing,
to which he coolly answered: "I am considering, since the thieves have
stolen the horse, whether I shall carry the saddle on my head, or you,
sir."

* * * * *

Somewhat akin to the familiar "story" of the man whose eyesight was so
extraordinary that he could, standing in the street, perceive a fly on
the dome of St. Paul's is the tale of the Three Dervishes who,
travelling in company, came to the sea-shore of Syria, and desired the
captain of a vessel about to sail for Cyprus to give them a passage. The
captain was willing to take them "for a consideration"; but they told
him they were dervishes, and therefore without money, but they possessed
certain wonderful gifts, which might be of use to him on the voyage. The
first dervish said that he could descry any object at the distance of a
year's journey; the second could hear at as great a distance as his
brother could see. "Well!" exclaimed the captain, "these are truly
miraculous gifts; and pray, sir," said he, turning to the third dervish,
"what may _your_ particular gift be?" "I, sir," replied he, "am an
unbeliever." When the captain heard this, he said he could not take such
a person on board of his ship; but on the others declaring they must all
three go together or remain behind, he at length consented to allow the
third dervish a passage with the two highly-gifted ones. In the course
of the voyage, it happened one fine day that the captain and the three
dervishes were on deck conversing, when suddenly the first dervish
exclaimed: "Look, look!--see, there--the daughter of the sultan of India
sitting at the window of her palace, working embroidery." "A mischief on
your eyes!" cried the second dervish, "for her needle has this moment
dropped from her hand, and I hear it sound upon the pavement belo