wares of all sorts: pearls and rings, richly mounted pistols, drinking cups, and combs. The caliph and his vizier rummaged over the whole chest, and the caliph finally bought some pistols for himself and Mansor, and a comb for the vizier's wife. As the pedler was about to close the chest, the caliph saw a little drawer, and asked if there was any thing more in it. The pedler pulled the drawer out, and showed in it a box of blackish powder, and a paper with curious writing on it, which neither the caliph nor Mansor could read. "I got these two things from a merchant who found them at Mecca, in the street; I do not know what they contain, but you may have them very cheap, for I cannot do any thing with them."

The caliph, who liked to have old manuscripts in his library, although he could not read them, bought the paper and the box, and dismissed the pedler.

The caliph, however, thought he should like to know the contents of the manuscript, and asked the vizier if he knew any body who could decipher it. "Most gracious sovereign and master," answered he, "there is a man at the great mosque, who is called Selim the Learned; he understands all languages; send for him; perhaps he may make out these mysterious characters."

The learned Selim was soon brought. "Selim," said the caliph to him, "they say you are very learned; now just look into this manuscript, and see whether you can read it; if you can, I will give you a new dress; but if you cannot, you shall have twelve boxes on the ear, and twenty-five blows on the soles of your feet, for having been called, without reason, Selim the Learned."

Selim bowed and said, "Be it as you command, Sir!" He examined the writing for a long time, and then suddenly cried out, "This is Latin, sir, or I'll give you leave to hang me." "Let us hear what it contains, then, if it is Latin," said the caliph.

Selim began to translate: "O man who findest this, praise Allah for his goodness. Whoever snuffs up some of the powder in this box, and at the same time says, 'Mutabor,' may change himself into any animal, and will understand the language of animals. If he wishes to return to the human shape, let him bow three times towards the East, and pronounce the same word. But let him take care, after he is transformed, not to laugh, otherwise the word will disappear entirely from his memory, and he will remain a beast."

When Selim the Learned had read this, the caliph was exceedingly delighted. He made Selim swear never to reveal any thing of the secret to any one; then he gave him a beautiful robe, and dismissed him.

Then he said to his grand vizier, "That is what I call a good bargain, Mansor! How impatient I am to become a beast! Come to me easily to-morrow morning, and we will go out into the fields, snuff up a little of the powder, and then listen to what is said in the air and in the water, in the woods and in the fields!"

Scarcely had the caliph breakfasted and dressed, the next morning, when the grand vizier appeared, according to his orders, to accompany him in his excursion. The caliph stuck the box with the magic powder into his girdle, and having commanded his retinue to remain behind, he set off with only the grand vizier, on his way. They went first through the spacious gardens of the caliph, but they could not find any living animal to try their experiment upon. At last, the vizier proposed to go out to a pond, where he had often seen many animals, particularly storks, which had attracted his attention by their grave demeanor and their chattering.

The caliph approved of the vizier's proposal, and went with him towards the pond. When they got there, they saw a stork, walking gravely back and forth, searching for frogs, and occasionally chattering something to himself. At the same time they saw another stork soaring high in the air, above the place.

"I will wager my beard, most gracious Sir," said the grand vizier, "that these two long-legs are carrying on a fine conversation together. What say you to turning ourselves into storks?"

"Well said!" answered the caliph. "But let us see; how is it that one is to become man again?"

"O, yes! we are to bow three times towards the East, and say, Mutabor, and then I am caliph again, and you vizier. But for Heaven's sake don't laugh, or we are lost!"

While the caliph was speaking, he saw the other stork come sailing down over their heads, and settle in a business manner on the ground. Quickly he drew the box from his girdle, took a good pinch of the powder, and handed it to the grand vizier, who also took a pinch, and then both cried out, "Mutabor!"

Immediately their legs shrivelled up, and became thin and red; the beautiful yellow slippers of the caliph and his companion turned into clumsy stork-feet; their arms became wings; their necks stretched out from their shoulders, and were an ell long; their beards disappeared, and their bodies were covered with soft feathers, instead of clothes.

"That's a pretty bill of yours, Mr. Grand Vizier," said the caliph, after a long pause of astonishment. "By the beard of the Prophet, I never saw any thing like that in my life."

"Thank you kindly," answered the grand vizier, bowing; "but, if I may be allowed the observation, your highness looks almost handsomer as stork than as caliph. But come, if you please, let us listen to our comrades yonder, and try whether we really do understand Storkish."

In the mean time the other stork had alighted on the ground. He arranged his feathers with his bill, put himself to rights, and walked up to the first stork.

The two new storks made haste to approach them, and overheard, to their astonishment, the following conversation.

"Good morning, Mrs. Longlegs; you are early on the meadow."

"Thank you, dear blatterbeak! I have been getting a little breakfast. Will you take a bit of lizard, or a frog's leg?"

"Much obliged, but I have no appetite this morning. I came on to the meadow for quite a different purpose. I am to dance before the guests at my father's to-day, and I thought I would exercise a little in private beforehand."

At the same time the young storkess marched about the field making the oddest gesticulations. The caliph and Mansor looked on with wonder. But at last, when she put herself into a picturesque attitude on one foot, and gracefully waved her wings, they could stand it no longer; an inextinguishable laugh burst from their bills, from which they did not recover for some time. The caliph composed himself first. "What a capital joke!" cried he; "I never saw any thing better in my life; it is a pity that the stupid birds were frightened away by our laughter, else she would certainly have sung!"

But it now occurred to the grand vizier that they had been forbidden to laugh during their transformation. He communicated his anxiety to the caliph.

"By Mecca and Medina!" cried the caliph, "it would be a pretty piece of business if I had to remain a stork all my life! Try think of the stupid word; I can't remember it."

"We must bow three times towards the East, and say, Mu—Mu—Mu—." They turned to the East, and bowed away till their beaks touched the ground. But, alas! The magic word had vanished, and with all the caliph's bowing, and his vizier's crying Mu—Mu—, all recollections of it had disappeared from their memories, and the poor Chasid and his vizier still remained storks as before.

The caliph and the grand vizier walked in a melancholy mood through the fields, not knowing what to do in their sad plight. They could not get out of their stork-skins, and it would not do for them to go back to the town to tell any one of their condition, for who would believe a stork if he said that he was the caliph? And even if they had 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.