Unknown

“ So, when he arose in the morning, he repaired to the vizier and repeated to him that which the old woman had taught him; whereat the vizier marvelled and said to him, ‘What sayst thou of a man, who seeth in his house four holes, and in each a viper offering to come out and kill him, and in his house are four staves and each hole may not be stopped but with the ends of two staves? ”

“ When she grew feeble and decrepit, the townsfolk succoured her not with aught, but put her forth of the city, saying, ‘This old woman shall not harbour with us, for that we do her kindness and she requiteth us with evil.’ So she took shelter in a ruined place and strangers used to bestow alms upon her, and on this wise she abode a while of time. ”

“ The answer to that whereof thou askest me is that thou put the heads of two staves into one of the holes; then take the other two staves and lay them across the middle of the first two and stop with their heads the second hole and with their butts the fourth hole. ”