were dried up, their beds were lost
in the sand, and there was not a drop of water anywhere. The young prince
anxious to go everywhere and see everything and not noticing how dry things
were, kept going farther and farther, and deeper and deeper, into the
desert. But after a while he became terribly thirsty. In order to find some
water he sent his servant in one direction and he himself went in another.
After a long time he succeeded in finding a well. He called to his
servant, "I have found a means of getting some water," and they both were
happy. But their happiness did not last, for the well was very deep and
they had nothing with which to reach the water.

The prince said to the servant: "Dismount, I will let you down into the
well by some long ropes and you shall draw up some water."

"No, my prince," answered the servant, "I am much heavier than you are, and
Your Majesty's hands will not be able to hold me. You take hold of the
ropes, and I will let you down into the well."

The prince, the ropes tied around him, went down into the well, drank the
cold water, and taking some of it for the servant, pulled the ropes, as a
sign for the servant to draw him up again.

But instead of pulling him up, the servant said: "Listen, you, kingly son!
From your cradle-days until now you have lived a happy life, surrounded by
luxury and love, and I have always led the life of a miserable wretch. Now
you must agree to become my servant, and I will be the prince instead of
you. If you will not exchange, say your last prayer, for I am going to
drown you."

"Do not drown me, my true servant, you will not gain anything by it. You
will never find such a good master as I am, and you know what a murderer
may expect in the next world."

"Let me suffer in the next world, but I will make you suffer in this one,"
answered the servant and he began to loosen the ropes.

"Stop!" cried the prince, "I will be thy servant and you shall be the
prince. I will give you my word for it."

"I do not believe your word. Swear that you will write down what you
promise me, now, for words are lost in the air, and writing always remains
as a testimony against us."

"I swear!"

The servant let down into the well a sheet of paper and a pencil, and told
the prince to write the following: "The bearer of this is Prince
Kindhearted, traveling with his servant, a subject of his father's
kingdom."

The servant glanced over the note, pulled the prince out