----------------------------------

When Mustapha translated all this to the pacha, the latter was lost in
astonishment. "Allah wakbar! God is every where! Did you ever hear of
such a swimmer? Twenty thousand miles--five months and three days. It
is a wonderful story! Let his mouth be filled with gold."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

Mustapha intimated to the sailor the unexpected compliment about to be
conferred on him, just as he had finished the bottle, and rolled it away
on one side. "Well, that be a rum way of paying a man. I have heard it
said that a fellow _pursed_ up his mouth but I never afore heard of a
mouth being a _purse_. Howsomever, all's one for that; only, d'ye see,
if you are about to stow it away in bulk, it may be just as well to get
rid of the dunnage."

The sailor put his thumb and forefinger into the cheek, and pulled out
his enormous quid of tobacco. "There now, I'm ready, and don't be
afraid of choking me." One of the attendants then thrust several pieces
of gold into the sailor's mouth, who spitting them all out into his hat,
jumped on his legs, made a jerk of his head with a kick of the leg
behind to the pacha; and declaring that he was the funniest old beggar
he had ever fallen in with, nodded to Mustapha, and hastened out of the
divan.

"Mashallah! but he swims well," said the pacha, breaking up the
audience.

VOLUME THREE, CHAPTER THREE.

The departure of the caravan was delayed for two or three days by the
vizier upon various pretexts--although it was his duty to render it
every assistance--that Menouni might afford further amusement to the
pacha. Menouni was well content to remain, as the liberality of the
pacha was not to be fallen in with every day, and the next evening he
was again ushered into the sublime presence.

"Khosh amedeid! you are welcome," said the pacha, as Menouni made his
low obeisance. "Now let us have another story. I don't care how long
it is, only let us have no more princesses to be married. That
Babe-bi-bobu was enough to tire the patience of a dervish."

"Your sublime highness shall be obeyed," replied Menouni. "Would it
please you to hear the story of Yussuf, the Water-Carrier?"

"Yes, that sounds better. You may proceed."

THE WATER-CARRIER.

May it please your highness, it so happened that the great Haroun
Alraschid was one night seized with one of those fits of sleepless
melancholy