THE LITTLE HUNCHBACK. 171

proached him, xissed his hand, and said, “I must confess, sir,
that you have encountered frightful perils; my afflictions are
not to be compared with yours. If I feel them heavily at the
time I suffer them, I console myself with the small profit which
they produce. You not only deserve a quiet life, but are worthy
of all the riches you possess, since you make so good a use of
them, and are so generous. May you continue to live happily
till the hour of your death !”

Sindbad ordered him to have another hundred sequins ; he
admitted him to his friendship, told him to quit the profession
of a porter, and to continue to eat at his table ; for that he should
all his life have reason to remember Sindbad, the sailor.

ODO RY OS D~P

THE HISTORY OF THE LITTLE HUNCHBACK.

extremity of Great Tartary, there formerly lived a
tailor, who had a very beautiful wife, with whom he
lived on terms of the greatest affection. One day,
while he was at work in his shop, a little hunchbacked fellow
came and sat down at the door, and began playing on a timbrel,
which he accompanied with his voice. The tailor was so much
pleased with his performance, that he shut up his shop and took
him home with him to entertain his wife.

They were no sooner arrived, than the tailor’s wife, who had
already set out the table, as it was near supper-time, placed
upon it a very nice dish of fish, which she had been dressing.
They all three then sat down ; but in eating, the little hunch-
back had the misfortune to swallow a large fish-bone, which
stuck fast in his throat, and almost instantly choked him, before
the tailor or his wife could apply any relief. They were both
most dreadfully frightened at this accident ; for as it happened
in their house they had great reason to fear it might come to
the knowledge of some of the officers of justice, who would
punish them as murderers ; the husband, however, thought of
an expedient to get rid of the dead body.

We N the city of Casgar, which is situated near the farther

ON