A man was walking through the Sahara desert, desperate for water, when he saw something, far off in the distance. Hoping to find water, he walked towards the image, only to find a little old man sitting at a card table with a bunch of neckties laid out on it.

The man asked, "Please, I'm dying of thirst, can I have some water?"

The little old man replied "I don't have any water, but why don't you buy a tie? Here's one that goes nicely with your shirt."

The man shouted, "I don't want a tie, you idiot, I need water!"

"OK, don't buy a tie. But to show you what a nice guy I am, I'll tell you that over that hill there, about four miles, is a nice restaurant. Walk that way, they'll give you all the water you want."

The man thanked him and walked away towards the hill and eventually disappeared from view. Three hours later the man came crawling back to where the little old man was sitting behind his card table. He said, "I told you, about four miles over that hill. Couldn't you find it?"

The man rasped, "I found it alright. They wouldn't let me in without a tie."