was unfortunately seized with a fit of sneezing; upon which the
boys mechanically, as they had been accustomed to do in school,
one and all let go their hold, crossed their arms, and exclaimed,
"God have mercy upon our venerable tutor!" while I tumbled at
once to the bottom of the well, and broke my back. I cried out
from the agony of pain, and the children ran on all sides for
help. At length some charitable passengers drew me out, and
placing me upon an ass, carried me home; where I languished for a
considerable time, and never could recover my health sufficiently
again to attend to my school. Thus did I suffer for my foolish
pride: for had I not been so tenacious of respect from my
scholars, they would not upon my sneezing have let go their hold
and broken my back.

When the broken-backed schoolmaster had finished his story, the
old man with the wry-mouth thus began:

Story of the Wry-mouthed Schoolmaster.

I also, O sultan, was a schoolmaster; and so strict with my
pupils, that I allowed them no indulgence, but even kept them to
their studies frequently after the usual hours. At length, one
more cunning than the rest resolved, in revenge, to play me a
trick. He instructed the lads as they came into school to say to
me, "Dear master, how pale you look!" Not feeling myself ill, I,
though surprised at their remarks, did not much regard them on
the first day; but a second, and so on to a fifth passing, on
each of which all the pupils on entrance uttered the same
exclamation, I began to think some fatal disorder had seized me,
and resolved, by way of prevention, to take physic. I did so the
following morning, and remained in my wife's apartments; upon
which the unlucky lads, clubbing their pittances together to the
amount of about a hundred faloose, requested my acceptance of the
money as an offering for my recovery; and I was so pleased with
the present that I gave them a holiday. The receipt of cash in so
easy a manner was so agreeable to me, that I feigned illness for
some days; my pupils made an offering as usual, and were allowed
to play. On the tenth day the cunning urchin who had planned the
scheme came into my chamber, as customary, with an offering of
faloose. I happened then to have before me a boiled egg, which,
upon seeing him enter, I clapped into my mouth, supposing, that
if he perceived me well enough to eat he might not give me the
money. He, however, observed the trick, and c