pent of your singing as the faggot-maker had of his dancing." The
ass demanding how that came to pass, the elk made answer as follows:

_The Faggot-maker and the Magic Bowl._

As a faggot-maker was one day at work in a wood, he saw four peris [or
fairies] sitting near him, with a magnificent bowl before them, which
supplied them with all they wanted. If they had occasion for food of the
choicest taste, wines of the most delicious flavour, garments the most
valuable and convenient, or perfumes of the most odoriferous
exhalation--in short, whatever necessity could require, luxury demand,
or avarice wish for--they had nothing more to do but put their hands
into the bowl and pull out whatever they desired. The day following, the
poor faggot-maker being at work in the same place, the peris again
appeared, and invited him to be one of their party. The proposal was
cheerfully accepted, and impressing his wife and children with the seal
of forgetfulness, he remained some days in their company. Recollecting
himself, however, at last, he thus addressed his white-robed
entertainers:

"I am a poor faggot-maker, father of a numerous family; to drive famine
from my cot, I every evening return with my faggots; but my cares for my
wife and fireside have been for some time past obliterated by the cup of
your generosity. If my petition gain admission to the durbar of your
enlightened auditory, I will return to give them the salaam of health,
and inquire into the situation of their affairs."

The peris graciously nodded acquiescence, adding: "The favours you have
received from us are trifling, and we cannot dismiss you empty-handed.
Make choice, therefore, of whatever you please, and the fervour of your
most unbounded desire shall be slaked in the stream of our munificence."

The wood-cutter replied: "I have but one wish to gratify, and that is so
unjust and so unreasonable that I dread the very thought of naming it,
since nothing but the bowl before us will satisfy my ambitious heart."

The peris, bursting into laughter, answered: "We shall suffer not the
least inconvenience by the loss of it, for, by virtue of a talisman
which we possess, we could make a thousand in a twinkling. But, in order
to make it as great a treasure to you as it has been to us, guard it
with the utmost care, for it will break by the most trifling blow, and
be sure never to make use of it but when you really want it."

The faggot-maker, overcome with joy,