Egyptian Boy
Ahmed is an Egyptian boy. His family has lived near the Sahara Desert since Ahmed was born. His father earns a living by helping travelers cross the desert. He has several camels for hire any time of the day.
One day, Ahmed rode one of the camels. His mother has sent him to fetch water from the oasis that morning. The sun was very hot and the heat of the sand was unbearable. Suddenly, the camel stopped walking, Ahmed twitched the camel lightly at the side. But it did not move. It stood still on the hot sand for an hour. Then, Ahmed talked to the camel for thirty minutes.
” I’ve been good to you all my life,” Ahmed said. ” Mother expects us to be home in an hour or so. Please be a good boy.”
What a surprise! The camel looked at Ahmed and seemed to smile. Then, it almost ran all the way to the oasis and back home. They made the trip home in thirty minutes.