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PART II

PERSIAN FABLES THE CAMEL AND THE RAT

CAMEL, bound by a foot so that he could not wander, was browsing in a desert. A Rat, finding him without a guardian, decided to take hold of the leash and lead the Camel back to his rat-hole. As the Camel is naturally docile and never balky, he readily followed his new leader. But when they arrived at the threshold of the rat-hole it proved to be much too narrow. "You simpleton!" said the Camel, "what have you done? Don't you see that my body is too big and your home too little? The one will never grow any smaller nor the other bigger. How do you expect to keep me with you?"

Good intentions are useless in the absence of common-sense.

(Jami, The Baharistan.)

THE CAMEL AND THE ASS

CAMEL and an Ass were once travelling together. Upon reach-reaching [sic] the bank of a river the Camel was the first to enter the water. As it rose somewhat above his knees, but barely touched his body, he called to his companion: "Follow me in, for the water hardly bathes my sides."

"I believe you," rejoined his wise, long-eared friend, "but between 241