Long, long ago there lived a very kind and generous man in Yemen. Yemen was a province in Arabia. The name of that man was Hatem Tai. He was not rich. But he was very hospitable. People loved him. They praised him more than their king. So the king wanted to have him removed from the world.

Androcles was a slave. He had fled from his master’s house. One day he saw a lion in the forest. He was frightened at the sight of the lion and he began to rum. Going some distance he turned round. The lion did not follow him. It stood where it was. It looked at him and also at its paw.

Mokdum was a Fakir. He had a stick in one hand and a Tasbeh in the other. His eyes were bright and his sight was deep and keen. He used to eat whatever he got. He passed his night anywhere his night came. He spread his blanket there and lay on it. Sometimes, he spent the entire might in prayer.

One day a hare met a tortoise. She laughed at the tortoise and said, “You have as many legs as I have. But I am sure; you cannot run as fast as I can. Perhaps, you can’t run at all.”

Long ago, there lived a shepherd in a certain village. It was a very beautiful village by a wood. There were open spaces in the wood covered with soft green grass. There were hills of different sizes and heights all around.