By and by it began to rain heavily.  The Bey and the rest of the party galloped off with all speed towards shelter, and the Khoja was left in the lurch.

When they were all out of sight the Khoja got down and took off all his clothes and folded them neatly together, and put them on the saddle.  Then he got up again and sat on his clothes, to keep them dry.

By and by the rain ceased, and the Khoja dressed himself and went leisurely home.  When he reached the Bey’s palace all the guests were assembled, and presently the Bey perceived him and cried out, “Why, here is the worthy Khoja!  And—­how extraordinary!—­his clothes are not as wet as ours.”

“Why do you not praise the horse on which you mounted me?” answered the Khoja; “it carried me through the storm without a single thread of my clothes being wet.”

“They must have made a mistake about the horses,” thought the Bey to himself, and he invited the Khoja to go hunting on the following day.

The Khoja accepted, and when the time came he was mounted on the horse which the Bey had ridden the day before, and the Bey seated himself on that which had carried the Khoja with dry clothes through the shower.

By and by it began to rain; every one rode off as usual, and this time the Khoja among them.

The Bey, however, could not induce his horse to stir out of a foot’s pace, and when he arrived at his palace he was drenched to the skin.

“Wretched man!” he cried to the Khoja, “is it not through you that I was induced to ride this useless horse?”

“Most eminent Bey,” replied the Khoja, “the beast has treated you no worse than he served me.  But perhaps your Eminence did not think of taking off your clothes and sitting on them?”

Tale 43.—­The Khoja’s Donkey brays to Good Purpose.

One day the Khoja dismounted at the door of a shop, and threw his woollen pelisse on the donkey’s back till he should return.  He then went in to buy sweetmeats.

In a few minutes there passed a man, who snatched the woollen pelisse from the donkey’s back, and went off with it.  At this moment the donkey began to bray.

“O bawl away!” cried the Khoja, who had come out just in time to see his pelisse disappear; “much good that will do.”

But as it happened, when the man heard the noise he was afraid of being caught, and, throwing the pelisse back on to the donkey, he ran away as hard as he could.

[Illustration:  THE KHOJA PRAYS.]

Tale 44.—­The Khoja’s Left Leg.

During one very hot season there was a scarcity of water in the city.

One day, the Khoja was performing his religious ablutions:  he washed himself all over with the exception of his left leg, but before that could be washed the water was all used up.

When the Khoja began to recite the customary prayers he stood on one leg like a goose.

“O Khoja Effendi!” cried the people, “why do you pray standing on your right leg?”