Page:Gems of Arabic Literature.djvu/70

 head towards the ground and blew under the pot. By god! I saw the smoke of the firewood coming through his beard, which trailed on the ground when he stooped low to blow. He continued doing this until the fire blazed up and the ghee melted and began to boil. He then began stirring the ghee with one hand with a piece of wood, and mixing the flour with the ghee with the other, (and continued) until it was cooked.

All this time the children were shrieking round him. When the food was ready, he asked the old woman for a vessel, which she brought him. He poured out the cooked food into the vessel and blew upon it with his mouth to cool it, and then fed the little ones with his hands. He continued feeding them thus, one after another, until he had fed them all and they were satisfied. They then began playing and laughing with one another, until they became drowsy and slept. 'Umar then turned to the old woman and said to her, 'O aunt! I am a relation of 'Umar, the Prince of the Faithful, and shall mention thy case to him. Come to me tomorrow morning at Government House, and thou wilt find me there; so hope for the best.' Then 'Umar, bidding her goodbye, left the tent, and I with him. He said to me, 'O 'Abbās! by God! when I saw the old woman diverting her children with pebbles, I felt as if mountains had quaked and fallen upon my back until I brought what I did and had fed them with what I cooked for them until they were satisfied, and sat down playing and laughing. It was then that I felt that these mountains had fallen off my back.' 'Umar then returned to his own house, and ordered me to enter with him; and we spent the night (there). The next morning the old woman arrived, and 'Umar asked her to