SOME POINTS IN MOSLEM FAITH

danger of drowning. A passer-by, seeing his distress,
runs to his aid and cries, " Give me your hand, oh
my lord, and I will pull you out.53 " No, indeed,"
answers the mullah, " I have never yet given any-
thing to any one, and I certainly will not begin now."
The kindly passer-by, not liking to leave the mullah
in his sad condition, tries to think of another way out
of the difficulty. Suddenly a bright idea strikes him,
and running to the priest, he calls out, "Will you
take my hand, then, oh my lord ? " " Gladly/5 says
the mullah, and allows himself to be drawn out of
his perilous position.

Another rather good story is told, showing the
meanness of the priests. A man had agreed to pay a
workman eight krans (2s. 8d.) for digging a hole one
yard square. At the end of the day the workman
had only dug a hole half a yard square, so the master
went to a mullah to ask him how much he ought to
pay the workman. " Why. of course/' says the
mullah, "half the sum agreed upon, that is, four
krans." After deliberating awhile he said, "No, two
krans is enough/' and this decision he gave as final,
although he impressed upon the man that one kran
was all he could legally claim, as he had scientifically
only done one-eighth of his work 1

In the next chapter we shall see a little of another
religious sect, which is fast becoming a power in
Persia.

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