ad believed him, would the inhabitants of Bagdad be willing to have
a stork for their caliph? So they sneaked about for several days,
feeding upon wild fruits, which, however, they could not manage very
well, on account of their long bills. For lizards and frogs, they
had no appetite. Their only satisfaction in this sad predicament was
that they could fly; and they often flew over on to the roofs in the
city of Bagdad, to see what was going on.

For the first few days they observed great uneasiness and mourning
in the streets. But, on the fourth day of their enchantment, as they
were sitting on the roof of the caliph's palace, they saw in the
street below a splendid procession. The drums and fifes sounded, and
a man in a scarlet robe, embroidered with gold, came riding along on
a richly caparisoned horse, surrounded by servants in glittering
garments. Half the town were at his heels, and all were shouting,
"Hail to Mizra! Caliph of Bagdad!" The two storks looked at each
other as they sat on the roof, and the Caliph Chasid said, "Do not
you begin to understand how I come to be enchanted, Grand Vizier?
This Mizra is the son of my mortal enemy, the powerful enchanter,
Kaschnur, who in an evil hour vowed vengeance against me. But I do
not yet give up all hope. Come with me, faithful companion in
misfortune; we will make a pilgrimage to the grave of the Prophet;
perhaps the charm may be broken in sacred places."

So they raised themselves from the roof of the palace, and flew in
the direction of Medina.

Flying, however, did not suit the two storks very well, on account
of their want of practice. "Ah, Sir," groaned the vizier, after they
had been flying a couple of hours, "with your permission--I cannot
stand it any longer; you fly too fast! Besides, it is already
growing dark, and we should do well to be looking out for some place
to pass the night."

Chasid yielded to the request of his officer, and perceiving a
ruined building in the valley below, they flew down to it. The place
which they had pitched upon for their night-quarters, seemed to have
been a castle. Beautiful columns were still standing among the
ruins, and numerous chambers, which were in tolerable preservation,
testified to the former splendor of the house. Chasid and his
companion walked about the passages to find a dry spot; suddenly the
stork Mansor stood still. "Lord and Master," whispered he, softly,
"if it were not that it would be foolish for a g