skilful and their teacher experience-full, acting according to
his knowledge.' Now we enjoy this happiness, after we had
despaired of the birth of a son to thee, to inherit thy kingship;
however, Allah (extolled be His name!) hath not disappointed
thine expectation, but hath granted thy petition, by reason of
the goodliness of thy trust in Him and thy submission of thine
affairs to Him. Then fair fall thy hope! there hath betided thee
that which betided the Crow and the Serpent." Asked the King
"What was that?"; and the Wazir answered, "Hear, O King, the tale
of




The Crow and the Serpent.



A crow once dwelt in a tree, he and his wife, in all delight of
life, till they came to the time of the hatching of their young,
which was the midsummer season, when a Serpent issued from its
hole and crawled up the tree wriggling around the branches till
it came to the Crows' nest, where it coiled itself up and there
abode all the days of the summer, whilst the Crow was driven away
and found no opportunity to clear his home nor any place wherein
to lie. When the days of heat were past, the Serpent went away to
its own place and quoth the Crow to his wife, "Let us thank
Almighty Allah, who hath preserved us and delivered us from this
Serpent, albeit we are forbidden from increase this year. Yet the
Lord will not cut off our hope; so let us express our gratitude