Page:The Book of the Thousand Nights and One Night, Vol 8.djvu/209

197 THE FISHES AND THE CRAB.

There was once a pond of water, wherein dwelt a number of fish, and it befell that the water of the pond dwindled and shrank away, till there remained barely enough to suffice them and they were nigh upon death and said, “What will become of us? How shall we do and of whom shall we seek counsel for our deliverance?” Quoth one of them, who was the chiefest of them in wit and age, “There is nothing will serve us but that we seek deliverance of God; but, come, let us go to the crab and seek his counsel, for indeed he is the chiefest and wisest of us all.” They all approved of the fish’s advice and betook themselves to the crab, whom they found squatted in his hole, without news or knowledge of their strait. So they saluted him and said to him, “O our lord, doth not our affair concern thee, who art our ruler and our chief?” The crab returned their salutation, saying, “And on you be peace! What aileth you and what is your want?” So they told him the strait in which they were by reason of the shrinking of the water, and that, when it should be altogether dried up, destruction would betide them. “Wherefore,” added they, “we come to thee, expecting thy counsel, so haply deliverance may be therein, for thou art the chiefest and most experienced of us.”

The crab bowed his head awhile and said, “Doubtless ye lack understanding, in that ye despair of the mercy of God the Most High and His care for the provision of all His creatures. Know ye not that God (blessed and exalted be He!) provideth all his creatures without stint and that He fore-ordained their means of livelihood ere He created aught and appointed to each of His creatures a fixed term of life and an allotted provision, of His