When I came up to him, I said, “Brother, I had no sooner parted from you, but a thought came into my head, which neither of us had reflected on before.  You are a recluse dervish, used to live in tranquillity, disengaged from all the cares of the world, and intent only upon serving God.  You know not, perhaps, what trouble you have taken upon yourself, to take care of so many camels.  If you would take my advice, you would keep but thirty; you will find them sufficiently troublesome to manage.  Take my word; I have had experience.”

“I believe you are right,” replied the dervish, who found he was not able to contend with me;” I own I never thought of this.  I begin already to be uneasy at what you have stated.  Choose which ten you please, and take them, and go on in God’s keeping.”

I set ten apart, and after I had driven them off, I put them in the road to follow my others.  I could not have imagined that the dervish would be so easily persuaded to part with his camels, which increased my covetousness, and made me flatter myself, that it would be no hard matter to get ten more:  wherefore, instead of thanking him for his present, I said to him again; “Brother, the interest I take in your repose is so great, that I cannot resolve to part from you without desiring you to consider once more how difficult a thing it is to govern thirty loaded camels, especially for you who are not used to such work:  you will find it much better to return me as many more back as you have done already.  What I tell you is not for my own sake and interest, but to do you the greater kindness.  Ease yourself then of the camels, and leave them to me, who can manage a hundred as well as one.”

My discourse had the desired effect upon the dervish, who gave me, without any hesitation, the other ten camels; so that he had but twenty left and I was master of sixty, and might boast of greater riches than any sovereign princes.  Any one would have thought I should now have been content; but as a person afflicted with a dropsy, the more he drinks the more thirsty he is, so I became more greedy and desirous of the other twenty camels.

I redoubled my solicitations and importunities, to make the dervish condescend to grant me ten of the twenty, which he did with a good grace:  and as to the other ten he had left, I embraced him, kissed his feet, and caressed him, conjuring him not to refuse me, but to complete the obligation I should ever have to him, so that at length he crowned my joy, by giving me them also.  “Make a good use of them, brother,” said the dervish, “and remember that God can take away riches as well as give them, if we do not assist the poor, whom he suffers to be in want, on purpose that the rich may merit by their charity a recompense in the other world.”