Class Exercise 7

THE ARAB AND HIS CAMEL

AS an Arab sat in his tent one cold night,
he saw the curtain gently lifted, and the
face of his Camel looking in.
"What is it?" he asked kindly.
"It is cold, master," said the Camel; "suf-
fer me, I pray thee, to hold my head within
the tent."
"By all means," replied the hospitable
Arab; and the Camel stood with his head
inside the tent.
"Might I also warm my neck a little?" he
entreated after a moment.
The Arab readily consented, and the
Camel's neck was thrust within the tent.
He stood, moving his head from side to side
uneasily, and presently said, "It is awkward
standing thus. It would take but little more
room if I were to place my forelegs inside
the tent."
"You may place your forelegs within the
tent," said the Arab. And now he had to
move a little to make room, for the tent
was but small.
The Camel spoke again: "I keep the tent
open by standing thus, and make it cold for
us both. May I not stand wholly within?"
"Yes," said the Arab, whose compassion in-
cluded his beast as well as himself; "come
in wholly if you wish." But now the tent
proved to be too small to hold both.
"I think, after all," said the Camel, as he
crowded himself in, "that there will not be
room here for us both. You are the smaller;
it will be best for you to stand outside.
There will be room then for me." So he
pushed a little, and the Arab with all haste
went outside the tent.