when Moses’ companion awoke, he forgot to inform him of the fish._ Moses said unto him [namely El-Khiḍr], Shall I follow thee, that thou mayest teach me [part] of that which thou hast been taught, for a direction _unto me_? He answered, Verily thou canst not have patience with me. For how canst thou be patient with respect to that whereof thou comprehendest not the knowledge?—He replied, Thou shalt find me, if God please, patient; and I will not disobey any command of thine. He said, Then if thou follow me, ask me not respecting anything: _but be patient_ until I give thee an account thereof. _And Moses assented to his condition._ And they departed, _walking along the shore of the sea_, until, when they embarked in the ship _that passed by them_, he (El-Khiḍr) made a hole in it, _by pulling out a plank or two planks from it on the outside by means of an axe when it reached the middle of the sea. Moses_ said _unto him_, Hast thou made a hole in it that thou mayest drown its people? Thou hast done a grievous thing.—(_But it is related that the water entered not the hole._) He replied, Did I not say that thou couldst not have patience with me? [Moses] said, Chastise me not for my forgetfulness, nor impose on me a difficulty in my case.—And they departed, _after they had gone forth from the vessel_, _walking on_, until, when they found a boy _who had not attained the age of knowing right and wrong, playing with other children, and he was the most beautiful of them in countenance_, and he (_El-Khiḍr_) slew him, _Moses_ said _unto him_, Hast thou slain an innocent soul, without _his having slain_ a soul? Thou hast done an iniquitous thing.—He replied, Did I not say that thou couldst not have patience with me? [Moses] said, If I ask thee concerning anything after this _time_, suffer me not to accompany thee. Now hast thou received from me an excuse _for thy separating thyself from me_.—And they departed [and proceeded] until, when they came to the people of a city (_which was Antioch[307]_), they asked food of its people; but they refused to entertain them: and they found therein a wall, _the height whereof was a hundred cubits_, which was about to fall down; whereupon he (_El-Khiḍr_) set it upright _with his hand_. _Moses_ said _unto him_, If thou wouldst, thou mightest have obtained pay for it, _since they did not entertain us, notwithstanding our want of food_. _El-Khiḍr_ said _unto him_, This shall be a separation between me and thee; _but before my separation from thee_, I will declare unto thee the interpretation of that which thou couldst not bear with patience.