“Oh, nowhere in particular,” the old camel answered. “We just go round and round and try to make you give in to one temptation after another. It’s not at all amusing for us because we have to go through it so often. You’re the only one who gets any fun out of it because it’s all new to you. Only if you give in to a single temptation, that’s the end. You have to go all the way back to the first night when the camel drivers tied you out in the desert, and once you’re out there bound up again you die of fright.”
The old camel gave such a terrific yawn at this that his servants must have thought they were being called, for at the sound of it two sleek white camels with brocaded bands around their shoulders came in through the door of the tent and kneeled before their leader.
“Very well,” he said, closing his fan. “Let’s get going.”
Immediately the two servants rose and slipped their bands under the two ends of the old camel’s divan and lifted him, cushions and all, and bore him out of the tent into the light of the softly dawning day.
“I hate getting up so early,” said the old white camel as he adjusted the cushions behind his head with one lifted arm. The youngest camel trotted along beside him and respectfully nodded his head. “Why don’t you speak frankly to me?” the old camel asked him dreamily. “You were thinking I wasn’t at all up, weren’t you? You felt like saying that I was really more down, I’m sure.”
“Yes,” admitted the little camel. “I was thinking that.”
As soon as he had said this, he saw that a beautiful pure-white camel had suddenly appeared behind them and was following close behind the litter on which the drowsy leader stretched at his ease. His hoofs, too, were of finest gold and he wore a halter of spun gold. When the old camel saw the youngest camel staring with admiration at the new arrival, he said:—
“That’s Fourteen Carat. He’s the first always to join the caravan and that means you’ve passed safely through one temptation.” They were moving out from under the green trees now onto the desert sands. “Of course, you were tempted to lie when I asked you what you were thinking.”
“Just for politeness’ sake,” said the youngest camel, contritely.
“Well, most camels do lie when I ask them that, so as not to hurt my feelings,” the old white leader said. “And then it’s the end of them. They simply vanish into thin air, like a puff of smoke. Every time you resist a temptation,” he went on, trying hard not to yawn, “you’ll notice that another camel joins our caravan.”