nd rounded in its proportions, and Auerbach, who seemed most of
all entranced, insisted that the source of so fascinating a narrative
should be guided through the "canal of the pen into the sea of
publicity." Bodenstedt demurred, maintaining that the "art-hewn path
from the head to the hand" was far more difficult to traverse than the
natural one from the mouth to the ear.

"Yes, but it leads farther," rejoined Auerbach, "and what pleases us,
who listen, you may rest assured, with critical ears, cannot fail to
please in more extended circles."

Upon this foundation arose that delightful book, _A Thousand and One
Days in the Orient_, which was the occasion of one of the most
amusing mystifications and controversies that ever occupied the German
literary world.

Friedrich Bodenstedt was born at Peine in Hanover, April 21, 1819.
Notwithstanding his precocious intellectuality and remarkable poetic
talents, he was condemned by his parents to a mercantile career. After
a mournful apprenticeship he managed, however, to escape from this
uncongenial employment, and pursued a course of study at Goettingen,
Munich and Berlin, devoting himself chiefly to philology and history.
The year 1840 found him in Moscow as private tutor in the family of
Prince Galitzin, and shortly after he published his first volume of
poetry. Later, he was appointed teacher of languages at the Tiflis
Gymnasium, and the result of his learned investigations here were
given to the world in his _People of Caucasus_, in which, however,
were wholly thrust into the background poetical reminiscences evoked,
as we have seen, by gifted and genial friends.

During his sojourn in Tiflis, the mountain-encompassed capital of
Georgia, Bodenstedt undertook the study of the Tartar language,
finding it to be a universally-employed means of communication with
the many-tongued races of Caucasus. Among the numerous teachers
recommended to him, he selected one called Mirza-Schaffy, "the wise
man of Gjaendsha," being attracted to him partly because of his calm,
dignified demeanor, partly because he possessed a sufficient knowledge
of Russian, with which Bodenstedt was perfectly familiar, to render
intercourse easy and agreeable.

Here it may not be amiss to observe that "Mirza" is a title which
placed before a proper name signifies "scribe"--after a name it
designates a prince. Thus, Mirza-Schaff[^y] means "Scribe Schaffy,"
but Schaffy-Mirza would mean "Prince Schaffy." Ea