Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1876-05-04
YACOB AND His DONKEY.

1ACOB was the name Of an Arab boy in
the Oriental city of Cairo. He was poor,
and, like most of the poor boys of that
city, his chief ambition was to own a
donkey and hire him out to the travellers
to 60 to the pyramids and other places of
interest in the neighborhood OF Cairo As
it was, he was only the driver of another
mans donkey; that is, when the animal
was mounted by the traveller he ran be-
hind, poking the quadruped with a sharp
stick to keep him in brisk trot
One day, while Yacob was standing in
front of Shepherds Hotel in Cairo, wish
ing he had donkey Of his own, an En-
gllsh traveller on the veranda beckoned to
him and asked him why he looked so
wistful, and Yacob answered that he was
unhappy because he had no donkey
And when the Englishman heard his
story, he called his servant and told him
to bring up Mafish, which was an old
sleepy donkey. Then he said to Yacob:
"Would you be happy if you owned
that donkey, my lad? ?"
"Oh, master, l would be happy with
any donkeyn' said Yacob
"Then," said the Englishman, "he is
yours make him present to you"
When he said this, the other travellers
gathered around, with smiles on their
faces, for it appeared that the Englishman
was man much given to making fun.
He told Yacob to get on the donkey and
ride him up and down in front of the ho-
tel few times to show his gait Yacob
got astride of him, and found that he was
stiff in the legs and moved slowly, not
withstanding the sharp pokes he gave
him with his stick
& [ shall give the donkey name that
will draw custom for you," said the En-
glishman, as the lad rodeup to the veranda.
Iacob was much pleased that his bene-
factor should give the donkey a name,
for he had seen some of his companions
who hired their donkeys more easily tina
others, on account of fortunate names
given to them by travellers.
:" l shall be very much glad to call him
what my master pleases," said Yacob.
" Then his name shall be Lightning"
said the Englishman, and the other tray
elers laughed.
1acob did not know what Lightning
meant, and he continued to call his donkey
by that name after the Englishman went
away. He did not have much difficulty
IN hiring his Donkey but when the trav-
elers started on their journey, they told
Yacob he was humbug, and that he had
imposed on them with his animal. So
that they only kept Lightning for a few
minutes, and the same people never hired
him twice.
One day, as he led his old donkey to-
ward the hotel veranda, after being called
little humbug by an angry traveller, who
refused to pay him for hire of half an
hour, he was spoken to by fat man in a
long black coat, who told him he ought
to call his donkey Slow-coach.
After that, Yacob called him Slow
coach, not knowing any more about that
name than he did about lightning. But
this change Of name, instead of mending
matters, made them worse. In short, no
one would hire his donkey any more on
any condition, and Yacob and Slow coach
were rueful pair, as they stood idly be-
fore the hotel
One day, as he stood thus, the Prince Of
Wales came out from the veranda (the
Prince was then on his way to the East
Indies) mounted Slowcoach, and rode
him two or three yards, and then got off
and took another donkey. Thereupon
Yacob bemoaned his bad luck in the hear
ing of an American sitting on a tilted
char on the veranda.
" Yacob," said the American, your
donkey shall be hired as much as any
other, but hereafter his name must be the
Prince Of Wales'' ..-.
The American had certificate drawn
up and sworn to before the American Con-
sui in Cairo, to show that the Prince Of
Wales had, without any doubt, mounted
Jacobs donkey and when the lad wanted
to hire the animal to any man, woman or
child from England, all he had to do was
to show this certificate and they straight
way engaged him, Notwithstanding his
moping gait and stiff legs. They en-
gagged him for whole days, fondled him,
and begged 1acob not to poke him up too
sharp from behind. They fed him with
whatever he would eat, and the only draw
back TO the donkey's pleasant life was
that his tail was plucked a good deal for
mementOs.
Yacob said, and says still, that the luck
lest day of his life was when he was
spoken to by the American gentleman on
a tilted chair.-AI5ert Rhodes, an st. NtcIs-
oJas for Nay.
What L. That e.