The Story of the Limping Schoolmaster.[FN#142]



My tale, O my lord the Sultan, is marvellous and 'twas as
follows. My father was by profession a schoolmaster and, when he
fared to the ruth of Almighty Allah, I took his place in the
school and taught the boys to read after the fashion of my sire.
Now over the schoolroom was an upper lattice whereto planks had
been nailed and I was ever casting looks at it till one chance
day I said to myself, "By Allah, this lattice thus boarded up
needs must contain hoards or moneys or manuscripts which my
father stored there before his decease; and on such wise I am
deprived of them." So I arose and brought a ladder and lashed it
to another till the two together reached the lattice and I clomb
them holding a carpenter's adze[FN#143] wherewith I prized up the
planks until all were removed. And behold, I then saw a large
fowl, to wit, a kite,[FN#144] setting upon her nestlings. But
when she saw me she flew sharply in my face and I was frightened
by her and thrown back; so I tumbled from the ladder-top to the
ground and brake both knee-caps. Then they bore me home and
brought a leach to heal me; but he did me no good and I fell into
my present state. Now this, O our lord the Sultan, proveth the
weakness of my wit and the greatness of my greed; for there is a
saw amongst men that saith "Covetise aye wasteth and never
gathereth: so 'ware thee of covetise." Such, O lord of the Age
and the Time, is my tale. Hereupon the King bade gifts and
largesse be distributed to the three old schoolmasters, and when
his bidding was obeyed they went their ways. Then the Sultan
turned to the Minister and said, "O Wazir, now respecting the