“Who knocks at our door at this advanced time of night?” “We are two foreign dervishes,” replied the vizier; to which the ladies answered, “We are women of virtue, and have no men in our house to whom you can be introduced:  repair to the festival of the sultan, who will entertain you!” “Alas!” continued the vizier, “we are strangers unacquainted with the way to the palace, and dread lest the magistrate of the police should meet and apprehend us.  We beg that you will afford us lodging till daylight:  we will then depart, and you need not apprehend from us any improper behaviour.”

When the mother of the ladies heard this she pitied the strangers, and commanded them to open the door:  upon which the sultan and vizier having entered, paid their respects and sat down; but the former, on observing the beauty of the sisters and their elegant demeanour, could not contain himself, and said, “How comes it that you dwell by yourselves, have no husbands or any male to protect you?” The younger sister replied, “Impertinent dervish, withhold thy inquiries! our story is surprising; but unless thou wert sultan, and thy companion vizier, you could not appreciate our adventures.”  The sultan upon this remark became silent on the subject, and they discoursed upon indifferent matters till near daylight, when the pretended dervishes took a respectful leave, and departed.  At the door the sultan commanded the vizier to mark it, so that he might know it again, being resolved, when the nuptial festivities should be concluded, to send for the ladies and hear their story.

On the last evening of the festival the sultan bestowed dresses of honour on all his courtiers; and on the following day, affairs returning to their usual course, he commanded his vizier to bring before him the three maimed men, and ordered them to relate the cause of their misfortunes, which they did as follows.

Story of the Broken-backed Schoolmaster.

Formerly, O mighty sultan, was a schoolmaster, and had under my tuition nearly seventy scholars, of whose manners I was as careful as of their learning:  so much did I make them respect me, that whenever I sneezed they laid down their writing boards, stood up with arms crossed, and with one voice exclaimed, “God have mercy upon our tutor!” to which I replied, “May he have mercy upon me and you, and all who have children.”  If any one of the boys did not join in this prayer, I used to beat him severely.  One fine afternoon my scholars requested leave to visit a certain garden some distance from the town, which I granted; and they clubbed their pittances to purchase sweetmeats and fruits.  I attended them on this excursion, and was as much delighted as themselves with the pleasure they enjoyed, and their childish gambols.  When evening approached we returned homewards, and on the way, my boys having fatigued themselves with play, as well as eaten much sweets and fruit, were seized with extreme thirst,