408 Jowrnal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. { November, 1906. 
meat you have ? it for sale | sentry said, “ This is 
for any that chooses to eat it.” Said the Faqir, ‘“ Have 
permission to eat it?” “You have,” said the sentry. 
Next d 
and he was full of repentance for what he had done. He entered 
a mosque and found the Muazzin. The latter said, “‘ Hie, So and 
So! whence comest thou?” The Faqir answered, “ Actually ! 
from the wide world. Anda thing has happened to me that has 
happend to none as yet.” The Muazzinsaid, “ Thy news. What 
has happened to thee?” The Faqir then related the whole of the 
tale. Said the Muazzin, “O thon of little sense! Hadst thou 
accepted the girl in the first instance, or else murdered the boy, 
thou wouldst not have been guilty of all four crimes; but thou 
shouldst have known that the moment thou drankest the wine, 
all the others would follow.” 
e continued, “ Ask pardon of thy God, and resolve never 
to repeat the offence ; for Allah is Forgiving and Merciful.” The 
Foce departed, and I do not know what wilderness swallowed 
im up. 
IX. WHO CAN TELL THE BIGGEST LIE. 
One day four Arabs met together to tell each other night- 
tales, Said one of the four, “T make a proposal, and he who 
“ Alas for me, the day I fail in lying ! 
aoe & man cupping a man with a firkin, 
oor wretch am I who had to dig thirty wells with one needle.” 
Said one of them, “You are a : 
¢ , poet, but we number no poe 
oe us: if you like, we will speak in prose.” He replied, 
7 ; 
Prose——it any of you can.” Said one of the Seven 
aie had I, and one of them was mast. I placed this one at 
e head of the string and pushed through a pass, leading th 
the “red tongue,” # bore off th ‘# i 
, e whole string, and disappeared 10 
prin sky, and I knew not whither the ek bore our T lost 
: Lit, © By God!” 
The word “tongne” is need in default ofa better. 
