ey joined company and
agreed to live together. Then they took counsel about their means of
living, and said, how long shall we continue in such distress for our
necessary food? Come let us plough a piece of ground, and plant each one
such seeds as are suited to his taste. So they ploughed a piece of
ground and sowed the seed. The Goose planted rice, the Duck planted
wheat, the Dove planted pulse, and the Donkey planted barley, and they
stationed the Donkey on guard to watch the growing crop. Now when the
seeds began to grow and flourish, and the Donkey looked upon it green
and bright and waving in the wind, he arose and ate it all, and then
went and threw himself into a ditch near by. Then came the Dove, the
Goose, and the Duck to survey the growing crop, and lo and behold, it
was all eaten up, and the ground was red and barren. Then said they,
where is the Donkey whom we set on guard over our crop? They searched
near and far, and at length they found him standing in the ditch, and
they asked him where are the crops we so carefully planted and set you
to watch? Then said the Donkey, the Bedawin came with their flocks of
sheep and pastured them on our crops, and when I tried to resist, they
threw me into this ditch. Then they replied, it is false, you have eaten
it yourself. He said, I did not. They said, yes, you did, for you are
sleek and fat, and the contest waxed hot between them, until at length
they all agreed to make each one swear an oath "by the life of the
Lake," which was near at hand, and whoever swore the oath, and sprang
into the Lake without falling, should be declared innocent. So the Dove
went down first and said:

Ham, Ham, Ham, I am the Dove Hamam,
Ham, Ham, Ham, My food is the plain Kotan, (pulse),
Ham, Ham, Ham, If I ate the growing crop,
May I suddenly throw it up!
May Allah tumble me into the Lake,
And none any news of me ever take!

Then the Dove leaped into the Lake, and flew to the limb of a tree on
the shore, and was proved innocent.

Then the Duck went down and said:

But But, But, I am the Butta Duck,
But, But, But, My food is wheat and muck;
But, But, But, If I ate the growing crop,
May I suddenly throw it up!
May Allah tumble me into the Lake,
And none any news of me ever take!

So the Duck leaped into the Lake, and then flew to the limb of a tree on
the sho