STORIES OF ANIMALS
THE TURTLE, THE FROG, AND THE SERPENT
Once upon a time the turtle married a frog. One day they quarrelled. The frog escaped and withdrew into a hole. The turtle was troubled and stood in front of his door very much worried. In those days the animals spoke. The griffin came by that way and said: "What is the matter with you? You look worried this morning."
"Nothing ails me," answered the turtle, "except that the frog has left me."
The griffin replied, "I'll bring him back."
"You will do me a great favor."
The griffin took up his journey and arrived at the hole of the frog. He scratched at the door.
The frog heard him and asked, "Who dares to rap at the door of a king's daughter?"
"It is I, the griffin, son of a griffin, who lets no carrion escape him."
"Get out of here, among your corpses. I, a daughter of the King, will not go with you."
He departed immediately.
The next day the vulture came along by the turtle and found it worrying before its door, and asked what was the trouble. It answered: "The frog has gone away."
"I'll bring her back," said the vulture.
"You will do me a great favor."
The vulture started, and reaching the frog's house began to beat its wings.
The frog said: "Who conies to the east to make a noise at the house of the daughter of kings, and will not let her sleep at her ease?"
"It is I, the vulture, son of a vulture, who steals chicks from under her mother."
The frog replied: "Get away from here, father of the dunghill. You are not the one to conduct the daughter of a king."
The vulture was angry and went away much disturbed. He returned to the turtle and said: "The frog refuses to come back with me. Seek someone else who can enter her hole and make her come out. Then I will bring her back even if she won't walk."
The turtle went to seek the serpent, and when he had found him he began to weep. "I'm the one to make her come out," said the serpent. He quickly went before the hole of the frog and scratched at the door.
"What is the name of this other one?" asked the frog.
"It is I, the serpent, son of the serpent. Come out or I'll enter."
"Wait awhile until I put on my best clothes, gird my girdle, rub my lips with nut-shells, put some koheul in my eyes; then I will go with you."
"Hurry up," said the serpent. Then he waited a little while. Finally he got angry, entered her house, and swallowed her. Ever since that time the serpent has been at war with the frog. Whenever he sees one he chases her and eats her.
THE HEDGEHOG, THE JACKAL, AND THE LION
Once upon a time the jackal went in search of the hedgehog and said to it: "Come along. I know a garden of onions. We will fill our bellies."
"How many tricks have you?" asked the hedgehog.
"I have a hundred and one."
"And I," said the other, "have one and a half."
They entered the garden and ate a good deal. The hedgehog ate a little and then went to see if he could get out of the entrance or not. When he had eaten enough so that he could just barely slip out, he stopped eating. As for the jackal, he never stopped eating until he was swollen very much.
As these things were going on, the owner of the garden arrived. The hedgehog saw him and said to his companion:
"Escape! the master is coming." He himself took flight. But in spite of his exhortations the jackal couldn't get through the opening. "It is impossible," he said.
"Where are those one hundred and one tricks? They don't serve you now."
"May God have mercy on your parents, my uncle, lend me your half a trick." "Lie down on the ground," answered the hedgehog. "Play dead, shut your mouth, stretch out your paws as if you were dead, until the master of the garden shall see it and cast you into the street, and then you can run away."
On that the hedgehog departed. The jackal lay down as he had told him until the owner of the garden came with his son and saw him lying as if dead. The child said to his father:
"Here is a dead jackal. He filled his belly with onions until he died."
Said the man, "Go, drag him outside."
"Yes," said the child, and he took him and stuck a thorn into him.
"Hold on, enough!" said the jackal. "They play with reeds, but this is not sport."
The child ran to his father and said, "The jackal cried out, 'A reed! a reed!'"
The father went and looked at the animal, which feigned death. "Why do you tell me that it still lives?"
"It surely does."
"Come away and leave that carrion." The child stuck another thorn into the jackal, which cried, "What, again?" The child went to his father. "He has just said, 'What, again?'"
"Come now," said the man, and he sent away his son. The latter took the jackal by the motionless tail and cast him into the street. Immediately the animal jumped up and started to run away. The child threw after him his slippers. The jackal took them, put them on, and departed.
On the way he met the lion, who said, "What is that footwear, my dear?"
"You don't know, my uncle? I am a shoemaker. My father, my uncle, my mother, my brother, my sister, and the little girl who was born at our house last night are all shoemakers."
"Won't you make me a pair of shoes?" replied the lion.
"I will make you a pair. Bring me two fat camels. I will skin them and make you some good shoes."
The lion went away and brought the two fat camels. "They are thin," said the jackal. "Go change them for others."
He brought two thin ones.
"They are fat," said the jackal. He skinned them, cut some thorns from a palm-tree, rolled the leather around the lion's paws and fastened it there with the thorns.
"Ouch!" screamed the lion.
"He who wants to look finely ought not to say, 'Ouch.'"
"Enough, my dear."
"My uncle, I will give you the rest of the slippers and boots." He covered the lion's skin with the leather and stuck in the thorns. When he reached the knees, "Enough, my dear," said the lion. "What kind of shoes are those?"
"Keep still, my uncle, these are slippers, boots, breeches, and clothes."
When he came to the girdle the lion said, "What kind of shoes are those?"
"My uncle, they are slippers, boots, breeches, and clothing." In this way he reached the lion's neck. "Stay here," he said, "until the leather dries. When the sun rises look it in the face. When the moon rises, too, look it in the face."
"It is good," said the lion, and the jackal went away.
The lion remained and did as his companion had told him. But his feet began to swell, the leather became hard, and he could not get up. When the jackal came back he asked him, "How are you, my uncle?"
"How am I? Wretch, son of a wretch, you have deceived me. Go, go; I will recommend you to my children."
The jackal came near and the lion seized him by the tail. The jackal fled, leaving his tail in the lion's mouth.
"Now," said the lion, "you have no tail. When my feet get well I will catch you and eat you up."
The jackal called his cousins and said to them, "Let us go and fill our bellies with onions in a garden that I know." They went with him. Arriving he tied their tails to the branches of a young palm-tree, and twisted them well. "Who has tied our tails like this?" they asked. "No one will come before you have filled your bellies. If you see the master of the garden approach, struggle and fly. You see that I, too, am bound as you are." But he had tied an onion-stalk on himself. When the owner of the garden arrived, the jackal saw him coming. They struggled, their tails were all torn out, and stayed behind with the branches to which they were fastened. When the jackal saw the man, he cut the onion stem and escaped the first of all.
As for the lion, when his feet were cured, he went to take a walk and met his friend the jackal. He seized him and said, "Now I've got you, son of a wretch."
The other answered, "What have I done, my uncle?"
"You stuck thorns in my flesh. You said to me, 'I will make you some shoes.' Now what shall I do to you?"
"It was not I," said the jackal.
"It was you, and the proof is that you have your tail cut off."
"But all my cousins are without tails, like me."
"You lie, joker."
"Let me call them and you will see."
"Call them."
At his call the jackals ran up, all without tails.
"Which of you is a shoemaker?" asked the lion.
"All of us," they answered.
He said to them: "I am going to bring you some red pepper. You shall eat of it, and the one who says, 'Ouch!' that will be the one I'm looking for."
"Go and get it."
He brought them some red pepper, and they were going to eat it when the first jackal made a noise with his shoes, but he said to the lion, "My uncle, I did not say, 'Ouch!'" The lion sent them away, and they went about their business.
THE STOLEN WOMAN
It is related that a man of the Onlad Draabad married his cousin, whom he loved greatly. He possessed a single slave and some camels. Fearing lest someone should carry off his wife on account of her beauty, he resolved to take her to a place where no one should see her. He started, therefore, with his slave, his camels, and his wife, and proceeded night and day until he arrived at the shore of the great salt sea, knowing that nobody would come there.
One day when he had gone out to see his camels and his slave, leaving his wife alone in the tent, she saw a ship that had just then arrived. It had been sent by a sultan of a far country, to seek in the islands of the salt sea a more beautiful wife for him than the women of his land. The woman in the tent, seeing that the ship would not come first to her, went out first in front. The people said to her, "Come on board in order to see the whole ship." She went aboard. Finding her to be just the one for whom they were seeking, they seized her and took her to their Sultan. On his return, the husband, not finding his wife, realized that she had been stolen. He started to find the son of Keij, the Christian. Between them there existed a friendship. The son of Keij said to him: "Bring a ship and seven men, whose guide I will be on the sea. They need not go astray nor be frightened. The city is three or four months' journey from here." They set sail in a ship to find the city, and were on the way the time that he had said.
Arriving they cast their anchor near the city, which was at the top of a high mountain. Their chief went ashore and saw a fire lighted by someone. He went in that direction. It was an old woman, to whom he told his story. She gave him news of his wife. They agreed to keep silence between themselves. Then the old woman added: "In this place there are two birds that devour people. At their side are two lions like to them, and two men. All of these keep guard over your wife."
He bought a sheep, which he killed; then he went to the two birds and threw them a part of it. While they were quarrelling over it he passed by them and came near to the two lions, to which he did the same. Approaching the two men, he found them asleep. He went as far as the place where his wife was in prison, and attracted her attention by scratching her foot. He was disguised and said to her, "I have sought you to tell you something." He took her by the hand. They both went out, and he swore that if she made the slightest noise he would kill her. He also asked her which was the swiftest boat for the journey. She pointed out the best boat there, and they embarked in it. There were some stones on board, and when he threw one at a ship it was crushed from stem to stern, and all on board perished.
He started to find the son of Keij. While they were at sea a marine monster swallowed them and the ship on which they were sailing. The chief took some pitch and had it boiled in a kettle. The monster cast up the ship on the shore of the sea. They continued their journey, proceeding by the seaside.
Behold one day they came to a deserted city. They desired to take what it contained of riches, silver, and gold. All of a sudden the image of an armed man appeared to them. They could not resist or kill him at first, but finally they destroyed him and took all the riches of the houses. When they arrived near the son of Keij he said to them: "I want only the ship." So the other man took the treasures and returned home with his wife.
THE KING, THE ARAB, AND THE MONSTER
In former times there was a king of the At Taberchant (the son of a negress), whose city was situated at the foot of a mountain. An enormous beast came against them, entered the city, and devoured all the people. The beast established itself in the city and stayed there a century. One day it was hungry. It came out into the plain, found some Arabs with their tents, their sheep, their oxen, their mares, and their camels. The beast fell upon them in the night and ate them all up, leaving the earth all white with their bones; then it went back to the city.
A single man escaped, thanks to his good mare. He arrived at a city of the At Taberchant and, starving, began to beg. The King of the Jews said to him: "Whence do you come into our country--you who invoke the lord of men [Mahomet]? You don't know where you are. We are Jews. If you will embrace our religion, we will give you food."
"Give me some food," said the Arab, "and I will give you some good advice."
The King took him to his house and gave him some supper, and then asked him what he had to say.
"An enormous monster has fallen upon us," said the Arab. "It ate up everybody. I will show you its city. It has two gates, one at the north and the other at the south."
"To-morrow," said the King.
When he awoke the next day, they mounted horses and followed the way to the gate of the monster's city. They looked at it and went away.
"What shall we do?" said the King.
"Let us make a great trap of the size of the entrance to the city, at the southern gate. At the northern gate we will place a forty-mule load of yellow sulphur. We will set it on fire, and then escape and see what will happen."
"Your advice is good," said the King.
They returned to the city of the Jews, ordered the smiths to make a big trap and commanded the citizens to furnish the sulphur. When all was ready, they loaded the mules, went to the monster's city, set the trap at the southern gate, and at the northern they placed the sulphur, which they set on fire, and then fled. The monster came out by the southern gate. Half of his body was caught in the trap that the two men had set. He was cut in two, filling the river with blood. The King and the Arab entered the city and found a considerable treasure, which they removed in eighty loads to the city of the Jews. When they had got back to the palace the King said to his companion: "Be my caliph. My fortune and thine shall be the same."
They sat down and had supper. The prince put in the stew some poison and turned it to the Arab. The latter observed what he had done and said, "Where did that bird come from?" When the King of the Jews raised his head to look, the Arab turned the dish around, placing the poison side of it in front of the King. He did not perceive the trick, and died on the spot. The Arab went to the gate of the city and said to the inhabitants: "I am your King. You are in my power. He who will not accept my religion, I will cut off his head." They all embraced Islamism and practised fasting and prayer.
THE LION, THE JACKAL, AND THE MAN
In times past, when the animals spoke, there existed, they say, a laborer who owned a pair of oxen, with which he worked. It was his custom to start out with them early in the morning, and in the evening he returned with one ox. The next day he bought another and went to the fallow land, but the lion came and took one ox from him and left him only one. He was in despair, seeking someone to advise him, when he met the jackal and told him what had taken place between him and the lion. The jackal demanded:
"What will you give me if I deliver you from the lion?"
"Whatever you wish I will give it to you."
"Give me a fat lamb," answered the jackal. "You will follow my advice. To-morrow when the lion comes, I will be there. I will arrive on that hill on the other side. You will bring your axe very well sharpened and when I say to you, 'What is that which I see with you now?' you must answer, 'It is an ass which I have taken with me to carry barley.' I will say to you, 'I am looking for the lion, and not for an ass,' Then he will ask you, 'Who is speaking to you?' Answer him, 'It is the nems!' He will say to you, 'Hide me, for I am afraid of him,' When I ask you, 'Who is that stretched there before you?' answer, 'It is a beaver,' I will say, 'Take your axe and strike, to know if it be not the lion,' You will take your axe and you will strike the lion hard between the eyes. Then I will continue: 'I have not heard very well. Strike him again once more until he shall really be dead,'" The next day he came to him as before to eat an ox. When the jackal saw him he called his friend and said, "Who is that with you?"
"It is a beaver which is before me."
The jackal answered: "Where is the lion? I am looking for him."
"Who is talking to you?" asked the lion, of the laborer.
"The 'nems.'"
"Hide me," cried the lion, "for I fear him."
The laborer said to him, "Stretch yourself out before me, shut your eyes, and don't move." The lion stretched out before him, shut his eyes, and held his breath.
The peasant said to the jackal, "I have not seen the lion pass to-day."
"What is that stretched before you?"
"It is a beaver."
"Take your axe," said the jackal, "and strike that beaver." The laborer obeyed and struck the lion violently between the eyes.
"Strike hard," said the jackal again; "I did not hear very well."
He struck him three or four times more, until he had killed him. Then he called the jackal: "See, I have killed him. Come, let me embrace you for your good advice. To-morrow you must come here to get the lamb which I will give you." They separated and each went his way. As for the peasant, the next day, as soon as dawn, he took a lamb, put it into a sack, tied it up, went into the court-yard and hung it up. Then while he went to get his oxen to till his fields, at that moment, his wife opened the sack, set the lamb free, and replaced it by a dog. The peasant took the sack and went to his work. He attached his oxen and set to work, till the arrival of the jackal. The jackal said to him, "Where is that promise you made me?"
"It is in the sack. Open it and you'll find the lamb which I give you."
He followed his advice, opened the sack, and saw two eyes which shone more brightly than those of a lamb, and said to the laborer, "My friend, you have deceived me."
"How have I deceived you?" asked the other. "As for the lamb, I put him in the sack. Open it well; I do not lie."
The jackal followed his advice, he opened the sack, a dog jumped fiercely out. When the jackal saw the dog he ran away, but the dog caught him and ate him up.
SALOMON AND THE GRIFFIN
Our Lord Salomon was talking one day with the genii. He said to them: "There is born a girl at Dabersa and a boy at Djaberka. This boy and this girl shall meet," he added. The griffin said to the genii: "In spite of the will of the divine power, I shall never let them meet each other." The son of the King of Djaberka came to Salomon's house, but hardly had he arrived when he fell ill; then the griffin carried away the daughter of the King of Djaberka and put her upon a big tree at the shore of the sea. The wind impelled the prince, who had embarked. He said to his companions, "Put me ashore." He went under the big tree and fell asleep. The young girl threw leaves at him. He opened his eyes, and she said to him: "Beside the griffin, I am alone here with my mother. Where do you come from?"
"From Djaberka."
"Why," she continued, "has God created any human beings except myself, my mother, and our Lord Salomon?"
He answered her, "God has created all kinds of human beings and countries."
"Go," she said, "bring a horse and kill it. Bring also some camphor to dry the skin, which you will hang on the top of the mast." The griffin came, and she began to cry, saying, "Why don't you conduct me to the house of our Lord Salomon?"
"To-morrow I will take you."
She said to the son of the King, "Go hide inside the horse." He hid there.
The next day the griffin took away the carcass of the horse, and the young girl departed also. When they arrived at the house of our Lord Salomon, the latter said to the griffin, "I told you that the young girl and the young man should be united."
Full of shame the griffin immediately fled and took refuge in an island.
ADVENTURE OF SIDI MAHOMET
One day Mouley Mahomet summoned Sidi Adjille to come to Morocco, or he would put him in prison. The saint refused to go to the city until the prince had sent him his chaplit and his "dalil" as pledges of safety. Then he started on the way and arrived at Morocco, where he neither ate nor drank until three days had passed. The Sultan said to him:
"What do you want at my palace? I will give it to you, whatever it may be."
Sidi Adjille answered, "I ask of you only one thing, that is, to fill with wheat the feed-bag of my mule."
The prince called the guardian, and said to him, "Fill the feed-bag of his mule." The guardian went and opened the door of the first granary and put wheat in the feed-bag until the first granary was entirely empty. He opened another granary, which was soon equally exhausted, then a third, and so on in this fashion until all the granaries of the King were emptied. Then he wanted to open the silos, but their guardian went and spoke to the Sultan, together with the guardian of the granaries.
"Lord," they said, "the royal granaries are all empty, and yet we have not been able to fill the feed-bag of the saint's mule."
The donkey-drivers came from Fas and from all countries, bringing wheat on mules and camels. The people asked them,
"Why do you bring this wheat?"
"It is the wheat of Sidi Mahomet Adjille that we are taking." The news came to the King, who said to the saint, "Why do you act so, now that the royal granaries are empty?" Then he called together the members of his council and wanted to have Sidi Mahomet's head cut off. "Go out," he said to him.
"Wait till I make my ablutions" [for prayer], answered the saint.
The people of the makhzen who surrounded him watched him among them, waiting until he had finished his ablutions, to take him to the council of the King and cut off his head. When Sidi Mahomet had finished washing, he lifted his eyes to heaven, got into the tub where was washing, and vanished completely from sight. When the guardians saw that he was no longer there, they went vainly to continue the search at his house at Tagountaft.
THE HAUNTED GARDEN
A man who possessed much money had two daughters. The son of the caliph of the King asked for one of them, and the son of the cadi asked for the other, but their father would not let them marry, although they desired it. He had a garden near his house. When it was night, the young girls went there, the young men came to meet them, and they passed the night in conversation. One night their father saw them. The next morning he killed his daughters, buried them in his garden, and went on a pilgrimage.
That lasted so until one night the son of the cadi and the son of the caliph went to a young man who knew how to play on the flute and the rebab. "Come with us," they said to him, "into the garden of the man who will not give us his daughters in marriage. You shall play for us on your instruments." They agreed to meet there that night. The musician went to the garden, but the two young men did not go. The musician remained and played his music alone. In the middle of the night two lamps appeared, and the two young girls came out of the ground under the lamps. They said to the musician: "We are two sisters, daughters of the owner of the garden. Our father killed us and buried us here. You, you are our brother for this night. We will give you the money which our father has hidden in three pots. Dig here," they added. He obeyed, found the three pots, took them away, and became rich, while the two girls returned to their graves.
THE WOMAN AND THE FAIRY
A woman who was named Omm Halima went one day to the stream to wash at the old spring. Alone, in the middle of the day, she began her work, when a woman appeared to her and said: "Let us be friends, you and I, and let us make a promise. When you come to this spring, bring me some herma and perfumes. Cast them into the fountain which faces the qsar. I will come forth and I will give you money." And so the wife of Ben Sernghown returned every day and found the other woman, who gave her pieces of money. Omm Khalifah was poor. When she "became friends" with the fairy she grew rich all of a sudden. The people were curious to know how she had so quickly acquired a fortune. There was a rich man, the possessor of much property. He was called Mouley Ismail. They said to Omm Khalifah:
"You are the mistress of Mouley Ismail, and he gives you pieces of money."
She answered, "Never have I been his mistress." One day, when she went to the spring to bathe, the people followed her until she arrived. The fairy came to meet her as usual, and gave her money. The people surprised them together. But the fairy never came out of the fountain again.
HAMED-BEN-CEGGAD
There was in a city a man named Hamed-ben-Ceggad. He lived alone with his mother. He lived upon nothing but the chase. One day the inhabitants of the city said to the King:
"Hamed-ben-Ceggad is getting the better of you."
He said to them, "Tell me why you talk thus to me, or I will cut off your heads."
"As he only eats the flesh of birds, he takes advantage of you for his food."
The King summoned Hamed and said to him, "You shall hunt for me, and I will supply your food and your mother's, too." Every day Hamed brought game to the prince, and the prince grew very proud of him.
The inhabitants of the city were jealous of him, and went to the Sultan and said: "Hamed-ben-Ceggad is brave. He could bring you the tree of coral-wood and the palm-tree of the wild beasts."
The King said to him, "If you are not afraid, bring me the tree of coral-wood and the palm-tree of the wild beasts."
"It is well," said Hamed. And the next day he took away all the people of the city. When he came to the tree, he killed all the wild beasts, cut down the palm-tree, loaded it upon the shoulders of the people, and the Sultan built a house of coral-wood.
Seeing how he succeeded in everything, they said to the King, "Since he achieves all that he attempts, tell him to bring you the woman with the set of silver ornaments."
The prince repeated these words to Hamed, who said:
"The task you give me is harsh, nevertheless I will bring her to you," He set out on the way, and came to a place where he found a man pasturing a flock of sheep, carrying a millstone hanging to his neck and playing the flute. Hamed said to him: "By the Lord, I cannot lift a small rock, and this man hangs a millstone to his neck." The shepherd said: "You are Hamed-ben-Ceggad, who built the house of coral-wood?"
"Who told you?"
"A bird that flew into the sky." He added, "I will go with you."
"Come," said Hamed. The shepherd took the millstone from his neck, and the sheep were changed into stones.
On the way they met a naked man, who was rolling in the snow. They said [to themselves], "The cold stings us, and yet that man rolls in the snow without the cold killing him."
The man said to them, "You are Hamed-ben-Ceggad, who built the house of coral-wood?"
"Who told you that?"
"A bird that passed flying in the sky told me. I will accompany you."
"Come," said Hamed. After they had pursued their way some time, they met a man with long ears.
"By the Lord," they said, "we have only small ears, and this man has immense ones."
"It is the Lord who created them thus, but if it pleases God I will accompany you, for you are Hamed-ben-Ceggad."
They arrived at the house of the woman with the silver ornaments, and Hamed said to the inhabitants, "Give us this woman, that we may take her away."
"Very well," said her brother, the ogre. They killed an ox, placed it upon a hurdle, which they lifted up and put down with the aid of ninety-nine men.
"Give us one of your men who can lift this hurdle."
He who wore millstones hanging from his neck said, "I can lift it." When he had placed it on the ground, they served a couscous with this ox. The ogre said, "Eat all that we give you." They ate a little, and the man with the long ears hid the rest of the food. The brother continued: "You give us one of you who will go to gather a branch of a tree that stands all alone on the top of a mountain two days' march in the snow." The one who had rolled in the snow departed, and brought back the branch.
"There remains one more proof," said the ogre. "A partridge is flying in the sky; let one of you strike it." Hamed-ben-Ceggad killed it.
They gave him the woman, but before her departure her brother gave her a feather and said to her, "When anyone shall try to do anything to you against your will, cast this feather on the hearth and we will come to you."
People told the woman, "The old Sultan is going to marry you."
She replied, "An old man shall never marry me," and cast the feather into the fire. Her brother appeared, and killed all the inhabitants of the city, as well as the King, and gave the woman to Hamed-ben-Ceggad.
THE MAGIC NAPKIN
A taleb made a proclamation in these terms: "Is there anyone who will sell himself for 100 mitquals?" A man agreed to sell himself. The stranger took him to the cadi, who wrote out the bill of sale. He took the 100 mitquals and gave them to his mother and departed with the taleb. They went to a place where the latter began to repeat certain formulas. The earth opened and the man entered it. The other said to him, "Bring me the candlestick of reed and the box." He took this and came out keeping it in his pocket.
"Where is the box?" asked the taleb.
"I did not find it."
"By the Lord, let us go." He took him to the mountains, cast a stone at him, and went away. He lay on the ground for three days. Then he came to himself, went back to his own country, and rented a house. He opened the box, found inside a silk napkin, which he opened, and in which he found seven folds. He unfolded one. Genii came around the chamber, and a young girl danced until the day dawned. The man stayed there all that day until night. The King came out that night, and, hearing the noise of the dance, he knocked at the door, with his vezir. They received him with a red h'aik. He amused himself until the day dawned. Then he went home with his vezir. The latter sent for the man and said, "Give me the box which you have at home." He brought it to the King, who said to him: "Give me the box which you have so that I may amuse myself with it, and I will marry you to my daughter." The man obeyed and married the Sultan's daughter. The Sultan amused himself with the box, and after his death his son-in-law succeeded him.
THE CHILD AND THE KING OF THE GENII
There was a sheik who gave instruction to two talebs. One day they brought to one of them a dish of couscous with meat. The genius stole him and bore him away. When they had arrived down there he taught him. One day the child was crying. The King of the genii asked him, "Why do you cry?"
"I am crying for my father and my mother. I don't want to stay here any longer."
The King asked his sons, "Who will take him back?"
"I," said one of them; "but how shall I take him back?"
"Carry him back after you have stuffed his ears with wool so that he shall not hear the angels worshipping the Lord."
They had arrived at a certain place, the child heard the angels worshipping the Lord, and did as they did. His guide released him and he remained three days without awaking. When he came to himself, he took up his journey and found a mother-dog which slept while her little ones barked, although yet unborn. He proceeded and met next an ass attacked by a swarm of flies. Further on he saw two trees, on one perched a blue bird. Afterward it flew upon the other tree and began to sing. He found next a fountain of which the bottom was of silver, the vault of gold and the waters white. He went on and met a man who had been standing for three days without saying a word. Finally he arrived at a village protected by God, but which no one entered. He met a wise man and said to him:
"I want to ask you some questions."
"What do you wish to ask me?"
"I found a mother-dog which was asleep while her little ones were barking, although yet unborn."
The sage answered, "It is the good of the world that the old man should keep silence because he is ashamed to speak."
"I saw an ass attacked by a swarm of flies."
"It is Pjoudj and Madjoudj of God (Gog and Magog) and the Antichrist."
"I met two trees, a blue bird perched on one, then flew upon the other and began to sing."
"It is the picture of the man who has two wives. When he speaks to one the other gets angry."
"I saw a fountain of which the bottom was of silver, the vault of gold, and the waters white."
"It is the fountain of life; he who drinks of it shall not die."
"I found a man who was praying. I stayed three days and he did not speak."
"It is he who never prayed upon the earth and is now making amends."
"Send me to my parents," concluded the child.
The old man saw a light cloud and said to it, "Take this human creature to Egypt." And the cloud bore him to his parents.
THE SEVEN BROTHERS
Here is a story that happened once upon a time. A man had seven sons who owned seven horses, seven guns, and seven pistols for hunting. Their mother was about to increase the family. They said to their father: "If we have a little sister we shall remain. If we have a little brother we shall go." The woman had a little boy. They asked, "Which is it?"
"A boy."
They mounted their horses and departed, taking provisions with them. They arrived at a tree, divided their bread, and ate it. The next day they started and travelled as far as a place where they found a well, from which they drew water. The older one said, "Come, let us put the young one in the well." They united against him, put him in, and departed, leaving him there. They came to a city.
The young man remained some time in the well where they had put him, until one day a caravan passing that way stopped to draw water. While the people were drinking they heard something moving at the bottom of the well. "Wait a moment," they said; they let down a rope, the young man caught it and climbed up. He was as black as a negro. The people took him away and sold him to a man who conducted him to his house. He stayed there a month and became white as snow. The wife of the man said:
"Come, let us go away together."
"Never!" he answered.
At evening the man returned and asked, "What is the negro doing?"
"Sell him," said the woman.
He said, "You are free. Go where you please."
The young man went away and came to a city where there was a fountain inhabited by a serpent. They couldn't draw water from this fountain without his eating a woman. This day it was the turn of the King's daughter to be eaten. The young man asked her:
"Why do you weep?"
"Because it is my turn to be devoured to-day."
The stranger answered, "Courage, I will kill the serpent, if it please God."
The young girl entered the fountain. The serpent darted toward her, but as soon as he showed his head the young man struck it with his stick and made it fly away. He did the same to the next head until the serpent was dead. All the people of the city came to draw water. The King said:
"Who has done this?"
"It is he," they cried, "the stranger who arrived yesterday." The King gave him his daughter and named him his lieutenant The wedding-feast lasted seven days. My story is finished before my resources are exhausted.
HALF-A-COCK
In times past there was a man who had two wives, and one was wise and one was foolish. They owned a cock in common. One day they quarrelled about the cock, cut it in two, and each took half. The foolish wife cooked her part. The wise one let her part live, and it walked on one foot and had only one wing. Some days passed thus. Then the half-a-cock got up early, and started on his pilgrimage. At the middle of the day he was tired and went toward a brook to rest. A jackal came there to drink. Half-a-Cock jumped on his back, stole one of his hairs, which it put under its wing and resumed its journey. It proceeded until evening and stopped under a tree to pass the night there. It had not rested long when it saw a lion pass near the tree where it was lying. As soon as it perceived the lion it jumped on its back and stole one of its hairs, which it put with that of the jackal. The next morning it got up early and took up its journey again. Arrived at the middle of a forest, it met a boar and said:
"Give me a hair from your back, as the king of the animals and the trickiest of them have done--the jackal and the lion."
The boar answered, "As these two personages so important among the animals have done this, I will also give you what you request." He plucked a hair from his back and gave it to Half-a-Cock. The latter went on his way and arrived at the palace of a king. It began to crow and to say:
"To-morrow the King will die, and I will take his wife."
Hearing these words the King gave to his negroes the command to seize Half-a-Cock, and cast him into the middle of the sheep and goat-pen to be trampled upon and killed by them, so that the King might get rid of his crowing. The negroes seized him and cast him into the pen to perish. When he got there Half-a-Cock took from under his wing the jackal's hair and burnt it in the fire. As soon as it was near the fire the jackal came and said:
"Why are you burning my hair? As soon as I smelled it, I came running."
Half-a-Cock replied, "You see what situation I am in. Get me out of it."
"That is an easy thing," said the jackal, and immediately blowed in order to summon his brothers. They gathered around him, and he gave them this command: "My brothers, save me from Half-a-Cock, for it has a hair from my back which it has put in the fire. I don't want to burn. Take Half-a-Cock out of the sheep-pen, and you will be able to take my hair from its hands." At once the jackals rushed to the pen, strangled everything that was there, and rescued Half-a-Cock. The next day the King found his stables deserted and his animals killed. He sought for Half-a-Cock, but in vain. The latter, the next day at the supper hour, began to crow as it did the first time. The prince called his negroes and said to them:
"Seize Half-a-Cock and cast him into the cattle-yard so that it may be crushed under their feet."
The negroes caught Half-a-Cock and threw him into the middle of the cow-pen. As soon as it reached there, it took the lion's hair and put it into the fire. The lion came, roaring, and said:
"Why do you burn my hair? I smelled from my cave the odor of burning hair, and came running to learn the motive of your action."
Half-a-Cock answered: "You see my situation. Help me out of it."
The lion went out and roared to call his brothers. They came in great haste and said to him, "Why do you call us now?"
"Take the Half-a-Cock from the ox-yard, for it has one of my hairs, which it can put into the fire. If you don't rescue Half-a-Cock, it will burn the hair, and I don't want to smell the odor of burning hair while I am alive."
His brothers obeyed. They at once killed all the cattle in the pen. The King saw that his animals were all dead, and he fell into such a rage that he nearly strangled. He looked for Half-a-Cock to kill it with his own hands. He searched a long time without finding it, and finally went home to rest. At sunset Half-a-Cock came to his usual place and crowed as on the former occasions. The King called his negroes and said to them:
"This time when you have caught Half-a-Cock, put it in a house and shut all the doors till morning. I will kill it myself."
The negroes seized him immediately and put him in the treasure-room. When it got there, it saw money under its feet. It waited till it had nothing to fear from the masters of the house, who were all sound asleep, took from under its wing the hair of the boar, started a fire, and placed the hair in it. At once the boar came running and shaking the earth. It thrust its head against the wall. The wall shook and half of it fell down, and going to Half-a-Cock the boar said:
"Why are you burning my hair at this moment?"
"Pardon me, you see the situation in which I am, without counting what awaits me in the morning, for the King is going to kill me with his own hands if you don't get me out of this prison."
The boar replied: "The thing is easy; fear not, I will open the door so that you may go out. In fact, you have stayed here long enough. Get up, go and take money enough for you and your children."
Half-a-Cock obeyed. It rolled in the gold, took all that stuck to its wing and its foot, and swallowed as much as it could hold. It took the road it had followed the first day and when it had arrived near the house it called the mistress and said: "Strike now, be not afraid to kill me." His mistress began to strike until Half-a-Cock called from beneath the mat:
"Enough now. Roll the mat."
She obeyed and saw the earth all shining with gold.
At the time when Half-a-Cock returned from his pilgrimage the two women owned a dog in common. The foolish one seeing that her companion had received much money said to her:
"We will divide the dog between us."
The wise woman answered: "We can't do anything with it. Let it live, I will give you my half. Keep it for yourself. I have no need of it."
The foolish one said to the dog, "Go on a pilgrimage as Half-a-Cock did and bring me some gold."
The dog started to carry out the commands of his mistress. She began her journey in the morning and came to a fountain. As she was thirsty she started to drink. As she stopped she saw in the middle of the fountain a yellow stone. She took it in her mouth and ran back home. When she reached the house she called her mistress and said to her:
"Get ready the mats and the rods, you see that I have come back from the pilgrimage."
The foolish one prepared the mats under which the dog ran as soon as she heard the voice of her mistress and said, "Strike gently." The woman seized the rods and struck with all the force possible. The dog cried out to her a long while for her to stop the blows. Her mistress refused to stop until the animal was cold. She lighted up the mats and found the dog dead with the yellow stone in its mouth.
STRANGE MEETINGS
Once upon a time a man was on a journey and he met a mare who grazed in the meadow. She was thin, lean, and had only skin and bone. He went on until he came to a place where he found a mare which was fat, although she did not eat. He went on further until he met a sheep which kicked against a rock till evening to pass the night there. Advancing he met a serpent which hung in a hole from which it could not get out. Farther on, he saw a man who played with a ball, and his children were old men. He came to an old man who said to him:
"I will explain all that to you. The lean mare which you saw represents the rich man whose brothers are poor. The fat mare represents the poor man whose brothers are rich. The serpent which swings unable to enter nor to leave the hole is the picture of the word which once spoken and heard can never go back. The sheep which kicks against the rock to pass the night there, is the man who has an evil house. The one whose children you saw aged while he was playing ball, what does he represent? That is the man who has taken a pretty wife and does not grow old. His children have taken bad ones."
THE KING AND HIS FAMILY
In times gone by a king reigned over Maghreb. He had four sons. He started, he, his wife, and his children, for the Orient. They set sail, but their ship sank with them. The waves bore them all in separated directions. One wave took the wife; another bore the father alone to the middle of the sea on an island where he found a mine of silver. He dug out enough silver until he had a great quantity and he established himself in the country. His people after heard tell of him and learned that he dwelt in the midst of the sea. They built houses until there was a great city. He was king of that country. Whoever came poor to him he gave him pieces of money. A poor man married his wife. As for his sons, they applied themselves to a study, each in a different country. They all became learned men and feared God. The King had a search made for tolbas who should worship God. The first of the brothers was recommended to him. He sent for him. He sought also a khodja. The second brother was designated. He summoned him to the court. The prince also especially wanted an adel. Another brother was pointed to him. He made him come to him as, indeed, he also did the imam, who was none other than the fourth brother. They arrived at their father's without knowing him or being known by him. The wife and the man who had espoused her also came to the King to make complaint. When they arrived the wife went alone that night to the palace. The prince sent for the four tolba to pass the night with him until morning. During the; night he spied upon them to see who they were. One of them said to the others, "Since sleep comes not upon us, let each one make known who he is."
One said: "My father was a king. He had much money and four sons whose names were like yours."
Another said: "My father was a king. My case is like yours."
Another said: "My father was a king. My case is like yours."
The fourth said in his turn: "My father, too, was a king. My case is like that of your three. You are my brothers."
Their mother overheard them and took to weeping until day.
They took her to the prince, who said, "Why do you weep?"
She answered: "I was formerly the wife of a king and we had four sons. We set sail, he, our children, and I. The ship which bore us was wrecked. Each one was borne away alone, until yesterday when they spoke before me during the night and showed me what had happened to them, to their father, and to their mother."
The King said, "Let me know your adventure."
They told him all that had happened. Then the prince arose, weeping, and said, "You are my children," and to the woman, "You are my wife." God reunited them.
BEDDOU
Two men, one of whom was named Beddou and the other Amkammel, went to market bearing a basket of figs. They met a man who was working, and said to him:
"God assist you!"
"Amen!" he answered. One of them wanted to wash himself, but there was no water. The laborer, him who was with him (sic), said, "What is your name?"
"Beddou."
"By the Lord, Beddou, watch my oxen while I go to drink."
"Go!"
When he had gone, he took away one of the oxen. On his return the laborer saw that one was missing. He went to the other traveller and asked him:
"By my father, what is your name?"
"Amkammel Ouennidhui" ("The Finisher"), he answered.
"By the Lord, Amkammel Ouennidhui, watch this ox for me while I go look for the one that is gone."
"Go!"
He stole the other one. When the laborer returned he didn't even find the second.
The two thieves went away, taking the oxen. They killed them to roast them. One drank all the water of the sea, the other all the fresh water, to wash it down. When they had finished, one stayed there to sleep, the other covered him with ashes. The former got up to get a drink and the ashes fell on the road. When he came back, the second covered himself with the ox-head. His brother, who had gone to get a drink, was afraid, and ran away. They divided the other ox to eat it. The one who had drunk the sea-water now drank fresh water, and the one who had drunk fresh water now drank sea-water. When they had finished their repast they took up their journey. They found an old woman who had some money, upon which she was sitting. When they arrived they fought. She arose to separate them. One of them took her place to pass the night, and pretended that he was dead. The old woman said to him:
"Get up, my son."
He refused. In the evening one of them stole the money, and said to his brother:
"Arise! Let us go!"
They went away to a place where was sleeping the one who had taken the money. The other took away the dirkhems and departed, leaving the first asleep. When he awaked he found nothing. He started in pursuit of the other, and when he arrived he found him dying of illness. The latter had said to his wife, "Bury me." She buried him. He who had first stolen the money went away. He said, "It is an ox."
"It is I, my friend," he cried. "Praise be to God, my friend! May your days pass in happiness!" Beddou said to him: "Let us go for a hunt."
They went away alone. Beddou added: "I will shave you."
He shaved him, and when he came to the throat he killed him and buried his head. A pomegranate-tree sprang up at this place. One day Beddou found a fruit, which he took to the King. When he arrived he felt that it was heavy. It was a head. The King asked him:
"What is that?"
"A pomegranate."
"We know what you have been doing," said the King, and had his head cut off. My story is finished.
THE LANGUAGE OF THE BEASTS
Once upon a time there was a man who had much goods. One day he went to market. There came a greyhound, which ate some meat. The butcher gave it a blow, which made it yelp. Seeing this, the heart of the man was touched with compassion. He bought of the butcher half a piece of meat and flung it to the greyhound. The dog took it and went away. It was the son of a king of the nether world.
Fortune changed with the man. He lost all his possessions, and began to wash for people. One day, he had gone to wash something, he stretched it on the sand to dry. A jerboa appeared with a ring in its ear. The man ran after it, killed it, hid the ring, made a fire, cooked the jerboa and ate it. A woman came out of the earth, seized him, and demanded, "Haven't you seen my son, with an ear-ring?"
"I haven't seen anybody," he answered; "but I saw a jerboa which had a ring in its ear."
"It is my son." She drew him under the earth and told him: "You have eaten my son, you have separated me from him. Now I will separate you from your children, and you shall work in the place of my son." He who was changed into a greyhound saw this man that day, and said to him: "It is you who bought some meat for a greyhound and threw it to him?"
"It is I."
"I am that greyhound. Who brought you here?"
"A woman," answered the man, and he recounted all his adventure.
"Go and make a complaint to the King," answered the other. "I am his son. I'll tell him: 'This man did me a good service,' When he asks you to go to the treasure and take as much money as you wish, answer him: 'I don't want any. I only want you to spit a benediction into my mouth,' If he asks you, 'Who told you that?' answer, 'Nobody.'"
The man went and found the King and complained of the woman. The King called her and asked her: "Why have you taken this man captive?"
"He ate my son."
"Why was your son metamorphosed into a jerboa? When men see one of those they kill him and eat him." Then addressing the man: "Give her back the ear-ring." He gave it to her.
"Go," said the King, "take this man to the place from which you brought him."
The son of the King then said to his father: "This man did me a favor; you ought to reward him."
The King said to him: "Go to the treasure, take as much money as you can."
"I don't want money," he answered; "I want you to spit into my mouth a benediction."
"Who told you that?"
"Nobody."
"You will not be able to bear it."
"I will be able."
"When I have spat into your mouth, you will understand the language of beasts and birds; you will know what they say when they speak; but if you reveal it to the people you will die."
"I will not reveal it." So the King spat into his mouth and sent him away, saying to the woman, "Go and take him back where you found him." She departed, and took him back there.
He mounted his ass and came back to his house. He arranged the load and took back to the people the linen he had washed. Then he remounted the beast to go and seek some earth. He was going to dig when he heard a crow say in the air:
"Dig beneath; you will sing when God has made you rich."
He understood what the crow said, dug beneath, and found a treasure. He filled a basket with it. On the top he put a little earth and went home, but often returned to the spot. On one of these occasions his ass met a mule, which said:
"Are you working still?"
The ass replied: "My master has found a treasure and he is taking it away."
The mule answered: "When you are in a crowd balk and throw the basket to the ground. People will see it, all will be discovered, and your master will leave you in peace."
The man had heard every word of this. He filled his basket with earth only. When they arrived at a crowd of people the ass kicked and threw the load to the ground. Her master beat her till she had enough. He applied himself to gathering the treasure, and became a rich merchant.
He had at home some chickens and a dog. One day he went into the granary, and a hen followed him and ate the grain. A cock said to her:
"Bring me a little."
She answered, "Eat for yourself."
The master began to laugh. His wife asked him:
"What are you laughing at?"
"Nothing."
"You are laughing at me."
"Not at all."
"You must tell me what you are laughing at."
"If I tell you I shall die."
"You shall tell me, and you shall die."
"To-night." He brought out some grain and said to his wife, "Give alms." He invited the people, bade them to eat, and when they had gone he brought food to the dog, but he would not eat. The neighbor's dog came, as it did every day, to eat with his dog. To-day it found the food intact.
"Come and eat," it said.
"No," the dog answered.
"Why not?"
Then the dog told the other: "My master, hearing the chickens talk, began to laugh. His wife asked him: 'Why are you laughing?' 'If I tell you, I shall die.' 'Tell me and die,' That is why," continued the dog, "he has given alms, for when he reveals his secret he will die, and I shall never find anyone to act as he has."
The other dog replied: "As he knows our language, let him take a stick and give it to his wife until she has had enough. As he beats her let him say: 'This is what I was laughing at. This is what I was laughing at. This is what I was laughing at,' until she says to him, 'Reveal to me nothing.'"
The man heard the conversation of the dogs, and went and got a stick. When his wife and he went to bed she said to him, "Tell me that now."
Then he took the stick and beat her, saying: "This is what I was laughing at. This is what I was laughing at. This is what I was laughing at," until she cried out:
"Don't tell it to me. Don't tell it to me. Don't tell it to me."
He left her alone. When the dogs heard that, they rejoiced, ran out on the terrace, played, and ate their food. From that day the wife never again said to her husband, "Tell me that!" They lived happy ever after. If I have omitted anything, may God forgive me for it.
THE APPLE OF YOUTH
There once lived a king who had five daughters and no sons. They grew up. He wanted them to marry, but they would not have any of the young men of the city. A youth came from a far country and stood under the castle, beneath the window of the youngest daughter. She saw him, and told her father she would marry him.
"Bring him in," said the King.
"He will come to-morrow."
"God be praised," said the King, "that you are pleased with us."
The young man answered, "Give me your daughter for a wife."
"Advise me," said the King.
The stranger said, "Go and wait till to-morrow."
The next day the young man said to the King: "Make all the inhabitants of the city come out. You will stand with the clerks at the entrance to the gate. Dress your daughters and let them choose their husbands themselves."
The people began to come out. The eldest daughter struck one of them on the chest with an apple, and they said: "That daughter has chosen a husband. Bravo!" Each one of the daughters thus selected a husband, and the youngest kept hers. A little while afterward, the King received a visit from one of his sons-in-law, who said to him, "What do you want us to give you?"
"I'll see what my daughters want," he answered. "Come back in six days."
When they went to see their wives the King said to them, "I will ask of you a thing about which they have spoken to me."
"What is it? We are anxious to know."
"It is an apple, the odor of which gives to the one who breathes it youth, no matter what his age may be."
"It is difficult," they answered. "We know not where it can be found."
"If you do not bring it to me, you cannot marry my daughter."
They kept silent, and then consulted with each other. The youngest said to them, "Seek the means to satisfy the King."
"Give us your advice----"
"Father-in-law, to-morrow we shall bring you the apple." His brothers-in-law added: "Go out. To-morrow we will meet you outside the city."
The next day they all five met together. Four of them said to the other, "Advise us or we will kill you."
"Cut off your fingers," he said.
The first one began, and the three others did the same. The youngest one took them and put them into his game-bag, and then he added, "Wait near the city till I come back."
He went out into the desert and came to the city of the ogress. He entered, and found her ready to grind some wheat. He said to the ogress, "Show me the apple whose color gives eternal youth to the old man who smells it."
"You are in the family of ogres," she said. "Cut a hair from the horse of their King. When you go into the garden cast this hair into the fire. You will find a tree, from which you must pick five fruits. When plucking them do not speak a word, and keep silence on your return. It is the smallest fruit that possesses the magic power."
He took the apple and went back to the city, where he found his companions. He concealed in his breast the wonderful fruit, and gave the others to his brothers-in-law, one to each. They entered the palace of the King, who was overjoyed to see them, gave them seats, and asked them, "Have you brought it or not?"
"We have brought it," they answered.
He said to the eldest, "Give me your apple first."
He took a mirror in his left hand, and the fruit in the right hand, bent down, and inhaled the odor of the apple, but without results. He threw it down upon the ground. The others gave him their apples, with no more success.
"You have deceived me," he said to them. "The apples do not produce the effect that I sought."
Addressing, then, the stranger, he said, "Give me your apple."
The other son-in-law replied: "I am not of this country. I will not give you my fruit."
"Give it to me to look at," said the King. The young man gave it to him, saying, "Take a mirror in your right hand and the apple in your left hand."
The King put the apple to his nose, and, looking at his beard, saw that it became black. His teeth became white. He grew young again. "You are my son," he said to the young man. And he made a proclamation to his subjects, "When I am dead he shall succeed me on the throne." His son-in-law stayed some time with him, and after the death of the King he reigned in his place and did not marry the other daughters of the King to his companions.
POPULAR TALES OF THE KABYLES
[Translated by J. Rivière and Chauncey C. Starkweather]
ALI AND OU ALI
Ali and Ou Ali were two friends. One day they met at the market. One of them bore ashes and the other carried dust. The first one had covered his goods with a little flour. The other had concealed his merchandise under some black figs. "Come, I will sell you some flour," said Ali.
"Come, I will sell you some black figs," answered Ou Ali.
Each regained his own horse. Ali, who thought he was carrying flour, found, on opening his sack, that it was only ashes. Ou Ali, who thought he was bearing black figs, found on opening his sack that it was nothing but dust. Another day they again greeted each other in the market. Ali smiled. Ou Ali smiled, and said to his friend:
"For the love of God, what is your name?"
"Ali; and yours?"
"Ou Ali."
Another time they were walking together, and said to each other:
"Let us go and steal."
One of them stole a mule and the other stole a rug. They passed the night in the forest. Now, as the snow was falling, Ali said to Ou Ali:
"Give me a little of your rug to cover me."
Ou Ali refused. "You remember," he added, "that I asked you to put my rug on your mule, and you would not do it." An instant afterward Ali cut off a piece of the rug, for he was dying of cold. Ou Ali got up and cut the lips of the mule. The next morning, when they awaked, Ou Ali said to Ali:
"O my dear friend, your mule is grinning."
"O my dear friend," replied Ali, "the rats have gnawed your rug."
And they separated. Some time afterward they met anew. Ali said to Ou Ali:
"Let us go and steal."
They saw a peasant, who was working. One of them went to the brook to wash his cloak there, and found it dry. He laid the blade of his sabre so that it would reflect the rays of the sun, and began to beat his cloak with his hands as if to wash it. The laborer came to the brook also, and found the man who was washing his cloak without water.
"May God exterminate you," said he, "who wash without water."
"May God exterminate you," answered the washer, "who work without a single ox."
The other robber watched the laborer, and had already stolen one of his oxen. The laborer went back to his plough, and said to the washer, "Keep this ox for me while I go and hunt for the other." As soon as he was out of sight the robber took away the ox left in his charge. The laborer returned, and seizing the goad by one end he gave a great blow on the plough-handle, crying:
"Break, now. It matters little."
The robbers met in a wood and killed the oxen. As they lacked salt, they went to purchase it. They salted the meat, roasted it, and ate it. Ali discovered a spring. Ou Ali not being able to find water, was dying of thirst.
"Show me your spring," he said to Ali, "and I will drink."
"Eat some salt, my dear friend," answered Ali. What could he do? Some days afterward Ou Ali put ashes on the shoes of Ali. The next day he followed the traces of the ashes, found the spring, and discovered thus the water that his friend was drinking. He took the skin of one of the oxen and carried it to the fountain. He planted two sticks above the water, hung the skin on the sticks, and placed the horns of the ox opposite the road. During the night his friend went to the spring. At the sight of the skin thus stretched out, fear seized him, and he fled.
"I am thirsty," said Ou Ali.
"Eat some salt, my dear friend," answered Ali, "for salt removes thirst."
Ali retired, and, after having eaten, ran to examine the skin that he had stretched out. Ou Ali ate the salt, and was dying of thirst.
"For the love of God," he said finally, "show me where you drink."
Ali was avenged. "Come, Jew-face, and I will show you the water." He made him drink at the spring, and said to him: "See what you were afraid of." The meat being finished, they started away. Ou Ali went to the house of Ali, and said to him:
"Come, we will marry you to the daughter of an old woman."
Now, the old woman had a herd of oxen. She said to Ali: "Take this drove to the fields and mount one of the animals." Ali mounted one of the oxen. He fell to the ground; the oxen began to run and trample on him. Ou Ali, who was at the house, said to the old woman:
"O my old woman, give me your daughter in marriage."
She called her daughter. "Take a club," she said to her, "and we will give it to him until he cries for mercy."
The daughter brought a club and gave Ou Ali a good beating. Ali, who was watching the herd, came at nightfall and met his friend.
"Did the old woman accept you?" he asked him.
"She accepted me," answered Ali. "And is the herd easy to watch?"
"From morning till night I have nothing to do but to repose. Take my place to-morrow, and mount one of the oxen."
The next day Ou Ali said to the old woman, "To-day I will take care of the herd." And, on starting, he recommended Ali to ask the old woman for her daughter's hand.
"It is well," answered Ali. Ou Ali arrived in the fields; one of the oxen seized him with his horns and tossed him into the air. All the others did the same thing. He regained the horse half dead. Ali, who had remained at the house, asked the old woman for her daughter's hand. "You ask me again?" said she. She took a club and gave it to him till he had had enough. Ou Ali said to Ali: "You have played me a trick." Ali answered him: "Without doubt they gave me the stick so hard that I did not hear the last blow."
"It is well, my dear friend. Ali owes nothing to Ou Ali."
They went away. The old woman possessed a treasure. Ou Ali therefore said to Ali: "I will put you in a basket, for you know that we saw that treasure in a hole." They returned to the old woman's house. Ali goes down into the hole, takes the treasure, and puts it into the basket. Ou Ali draws up the basket, takes it, abandons his friend, now a prisoner, and runs to hide the treasure in the forest. Ali was in trouble, for he knew not how to get out. What could he do? He climbed up the sides of the hole. When he found himself in the house, he opened the door and fled. Arriving at the edge of the forest he began to bleat. Ou Ali, thinking it was a ewe, ran up. It was his friend.
"O my dear," cried Ali, "I have found you at last."
"God be praised. Now, let us carry our treasure."
They started on the way. Ou Ali, who had a sister, said to Ali: "Let us go to my sister's house." They arrived at nightfall. She received them with joy. Her brother said to her:
"Prepare some pancakes and some eggs for us."
She prepared the pancakes and the eggs and served them with the food.
"O my sister," cried Ou Ali, "my friend does not like eggs; bring us some water." She went to get the water. As soon as she had gone, Ali took an egg and put it into his mouth. When the woman returned, he made such efforts to give it up that he was all out of breath. The repast was finished, and Ali had not eaten anything. Ou Ali said to his sister: "O my sister, my friend is ill; bring me a skewer." She brought him a skewer, which he put into the fire. When the skewer was red with the heat, Ou Ali seized it and applied it to the cheek of Ali. The latter uttered a cry, and rejected the egg. "Truly," said the woman, "you do not like eggs."
The two friends started and arrived at a village.
"Let us go to my sister's house," said Ali to his friend. She received them with open arms.
Ali said to her: "O my sister, prepare a good stew for us."
They placed themselves at the table at nightfall, and she served them with food.
"O my sister," cried Ali, "my friend does not like stew."
Ali ate alone. When he was satisfied, the two friends started, without forgetting the treasure. On the way Ali said to Ou Ali: "Give it to me to-day and I will deposit it in my house." He took it and gave it to his wife. "Bury me," he said to her. "And if Ou Ali comes tell him that his old friend is dead, and receive him with tears." Ou Ali arrived, and asked the woman in tears to see the tomb of his dead friend. He took an ox-horn and began to dig in the earth that covered the body.
"Behind! behind!" cried the pretended dead man.
"Get up, there, you liar," answered Ali.
They went away together. "Give me the treasure," asked Ou Ali; "to-day I will take it to my house." He took it to his house, and said to his wife: "Take this treasure. I am going to stretch myself out as if I were dead. When Ali comes receive him weeping, and say to him: 'Your friend is dead. He is stretched out in the bedroom.'"
Ali went and said to the woman: "Get me some boiling water, for your husband told me to wash him when he should die." When the water was ready the woman brought it. Ali seized the kettle and poured it on the stomach of Ou Ali, who sprang up with a bound. Thus he got even for the trick of his friend. The two friends divided the treasure then, and Ali went home.
THE INFIDEL JEW
A man went on a journey. At the moment of departure he placed with a Jew, his friend, a jar filled with gold. He covered the gold with butter and said to the Jew: "I trust to your care this jar of butter, as I am going on a journey." On his return he hastened to the house of his friend. "Give me the jar of butter that I left with you," he said. The Jew gave it to him. But the poor traveller found nothing but butter, for the Jew had taken the gold. Nevertheless, he did not tell anybody of the misfortune that had happened to him. But his countenance bore traces of a secret sorrow. His brother perceived it, and said to him:
"What is the matter with you?"
"I intrusted a jar filled with gold to a Jew," he answered, "and he only returned a jar of butter to me. I don't know what to do to recover my property."
His brother replied: "The thing is easy. Prepare a feast and invite your friend the Jew."
The next day the traveller prepared a feast and invited the Jew. During this time the brother of the traveller ran to a neighboring mountain, where he captured a monkey. During the night he entered the house of the Jew and found a child in the cradle. He took the child away and put the monkey in its place. When day had come the mother perceived the monkey tied in the cradle. She called her husband with loud cries, and said to him:
"See how God has punished us for having stolen your friend's gold. Our child is changed into a monkey. Give back the stolen property."
They immediately had the traveller summoned, and returned his gold to him. The next night the child was taken back to the cradle and the monkey was set free. As I can go no further, may God exterminate the jackal and pardon all our sins!
THE SHEIK'S HEAD
A man died, leaving a son. The child spent day and night with his mother. The sheik chanted a prayer every morning and waked him up. The child went to find the sheik, and said:
"Ali Sheik, do not sing so loudly, you wake us up every morning--my mother and me."
But the sheik kept on singing. The child went to the mosque armed with a club. At the moment when the sheik bowed to pray he struck him a blow and killed him. He ran to his mother, and said to her:
"I have killed that sheik; come, let us bury him."
They cut off his head and buried his body. The child went to the Thadjeinath, where the men of the village were assembled. In his absence his mother killed a sheep. She took the head and buried it in place of the sheik's head. The child arrived at the Thadjeinath and said to those present:
"I have killed the sheik who waked us up every morning."
"It is a lie," said they.
"Come to my mother's house and we will show you where we buried his head." They went to the house, and the mother said to them:
"Ali Sidi, this child is mad. It is a sheep that we have killed. Come and see where we buried its head." They went to the spot, dug, and found a sheep's head.
THE WAGTAIL AND THE JACKAL
At the time when all the animals spoke, a wagtail laid her eggs on the ground. The little ones grew up. A jackal and a fox came to them. The jackal said to the fox:
"Swear to me that the wagtail owes me a pound of butter."
The fox swore to it. The bird began to weep. A greyhound came to her and asked her what was the matter. She answered him:
"The fox has calumniated me."
"Well," said the hound, "put me in this sack of skin."
She put him in the sack. "Tie up the top well," said the hound. When the jackal returned she said to him:
"Come and measure out the butter."
The jackal advanced and unfastened the sack. He saw the hound, who stretched out his paws and said to the fox:
"I am ill; come and measure, fox."
The fox approached. The hound seized him. The jackal said, "Remember your false testimony."
THE FLUTE-PLAYER
A servant tended the sheep of his master. Arrived in the meadow, he played the flute. The sheep heard him, and would not browse. One day the master perceived that his sheep did not graze. He followed the servant to the fields and hid himself in the bush. The shepherd took his flute and began to play. His master began to dance so that the bushes brought blood upon him. He returned home.
"Who scratched you so?" asked his wife.
"The servant played on the flute, and I began to dance."
"That is a lie," said she; "people don't dance against their will."
"Well," answered the husband, "tie me to this post and make the servant play."
She tied him to the post and the servant took the flute. Our man began to dance. He struck his head against a nail in the post and died. The son of the dead man said to the servant:
"Pay me for the loss of my father."
They went before the cadi. On the way they met a laborer, who asked them where they were going.
"Before the cadi."
"Could you tell me why?"
"This man killed my father," answered the son of the dead man.
"It was not I that killed him," answered the shepherd; "I played on the flute, he danced and died."
"That is a lie!" cried the laborer. "I will not dance against my will. Take your flute and we shall see if I dance."
The shepherd took his flute. He began to play, and the laborer started dancing with such activity that his oxen left to themselves fell into the ravine.
"Pay me for my oxen," he cried to the shepherd.
"Come before the cadi," he answered. They presented themselves before the cadi, who received them on the second floor of the house. They all sat down. Then the cadi said to the servant:
"Take your flute and play before me. I will see how you play." The servant took his flute and all began to dance. The cadi danced with the others, and they all fell down to the ground floor and were killed. The servant stayed in the house of the cadi and inherited the property of all.
THE CHILD
A child had a thorn in his foot. He went to an old woman and said to her:
"Take out this thorn for me."
The old woman took out the thorn and threw it away.
"Give me my thorn," and he began to cry.
"Take an egg."
He went to another old woman, "Hide me this egg."
"Put it in the hen's nest."
In the night he took his egg and ate it. The next day he said to the old woman: "Give me my egg."
"Take the hen," she answered.
He went to another old woman, "Hide my hen for me."
"Put her on the stake to which I tie my he-goat."
At night he took away the hen. The next morning he demanded his hen.
"Look for her where you hid her."
"Give me my hen."
"Take the he-goat."
He went to another old woman, "O old woman, hide this goat for me."
"Tie him to the sheep's crib."
During the night he took away the buck. The next day he claimed the buck.
"Take the sheep."
He went to another old woman, "O old woman, keep my sheep for me."
"Tie him to the foot of the calf."
During the night he took away the sheep. Next morning he demanded his sheep.
"Take the calf."
He went to another old woman, "Keep my calf for me."
"Tie him to the cow's manger."
In the night he took away the calf. The next morning he asked for his calf.
"Take the cow."
He went to another old woman, "Keep my cow for me."
"Tie her to the foot of the old woman's bed."
In the night he took away the cow. The next morning he demanded his cow.
"Take the old woman."
He went to another old woman and left the old dame, whom he killed during the night. The next morning he demanded his old woman.
"There she is by the young girl."
He found her dead.
"Give me my old woman."
"Take the young girl."
He said to her: "From the thorn to the egg, from the egg to the hen, from the hen to the buck, from the buck to the sheep, from the sheep to the calf, from the calf to the cow, from the cow to the old woman, from the old woman to the young girl, and now come and marry me."
THE MONKEY AND THE FISHERMAN
A fisherman went one day to the sea to catch some fish. In the evening he sold his catch, and bought a little loaf of bread, on which he made his supper. The next day he returned to his fishing and found a chest. He took it to his house and opened it. Out jumped a monkey and said to him: "Bad luck to you. I am not the only one to conquer. You may bewail your sad lot."
"My lot is unbearable," he answered. The next day he returned to his fishing. The monkey climbed to the roof of the house and sat there. A moment afterward he cut all the roses of the garden. The daughter of the King saw him, and said to him:
"O Sidi Mahomet, what are you doing there? Come here, I need you."
He took a rose and approached.
"Where do you live?" asked the princess.
"With the son of the Sultan of India," answered the monkey.
"Tell him to buy me."
"I will tell him, provided he will accept."
The next day he stayed in the house and tore his face. The princess called him again. The monkey brought her a rose.
"Who put you in that condition?" she cried.
"It was the son of the Sultan of India," answered the monkey. "When I told him to buy you he gave me a blow."
The princess gave him 100 ecus, and he went away. The next day he scratched his face worse and climbed on the house. The daughter of the King called him:
"Sidi Mahomet!"
"Well?"
"Come here. What did you say to him?"
"I told him to buy you, and he gave me another blow."
"Since this is so, come and find me to-morrow."
The next day the monkey took the fisherman to a shop and bought him some clothes. He took him to the baths and made him bathe. Then he went along the road and cried:
"Flee, flee, here is the son of the Sultan of India!"
They went into a coffee-house, and Si Mahomet ordered two coffees. They drank their coffees, gave an ecu to the proprietor, and went out. While going toward the palace Si Mahomet said to-the fisherman:
"Here we are at the house of your father-in-law. When he serves us to eat, eat little. When he offers us coffee, drink only a little of it. You will find silken rugs stretched on the floor; keep on your sandals."
When they arrived the fisherman took off his sandals. The King offered them something to eat; the fisherman ate a great deal. He offered them some coffee, and the fisherman did not leave a drop of it. They went out. When they were outside the palace Si Mahomet said to the fisherman:
"Jew of a fisherman, you are lucky that I do not scratch your face."
They returned to their house. Si Mahomet climbed upon the roof. The daughter of the King perceived him, and said:
"Come here."
The monkey approached.
"Truly you have lied. Why did you tell me that the son of the Sultan of India was a distinguished person?"
"Is he a worthless fellow?"
"We furnished the room with silken rugs, he took off his sandals. We gave him food, and he ate like a servant. We offered him some coffee, and he licked his fingers."
The monkey answered: "We had just come out of the coffeehouse. He had taken too much wine and was drunken, and not master of himself. That is why he ate so much."
"Well," replied the princess, "come to the palace again tomorrow, but do not take him to the coffee-house first."
The next day they set out. On the way the monkey said to the fisherman: "Jew of a fisherman, if to-day you take off your sandals or eat too much or drink all your coffee, look out for yourself. Drink a little only, or I will scratch your eyes out."
They arrived at the palace. The fisherman walked on the silken rugs with his sandals. They gave him something to eat, and he ate little. They brought him some coffee, and he hardly tasted it. The King gave him his daughter. Si Mahomet said to the King:
"The son of the Sultan of India has quarrelled with his father, so he only brought one chest of silver."
In the evening the monkey and the fisherman went out for a walk. The fisherman said to Si Mahomet:
"Is it here that we are going to find the son of the Sultan of India?"
"I can show him to you easily," answered the monkey. "Tomorrow I will find you seated. I will approach, weeping, with a paper in my hands; I will give you the paper, and you must read it and burst into tears. Your father-in-law will ask you why you weep so. Answer him: 'My father is dead. Here is the letter I have just received. If you have finally determined to give me your daughter, I will take her away and we will go to pay the last duties to my father.'"
"Take her," said the King. He gave him an escort of horsemen and soldiers. Arriving at the place, Si Mahomet said to the soldiers:
"You may return to the palace, for our country is far from here."
The escort went back to the palace, and the travellers continued on their journey. Soon Si Mahomet said to the fisherman: "Stay here till I go and look at the country of your father." He started, and arrived at the gates of a city he found closed he mounted upon the ramparts. An ogress perceived him, "I salute you, Si Mahomet."
"May God curse you, sorceress! Come, I am going to your house."
"What do you want of me, Si Mahomet?"
"They are seeking to kill you."
"Where can I hide?" He put her in the powder-house of the city, shut the door on her, and set the powder on fire. The ogress died. He came back to the fisherman.
"Forward," he said. They entered the city and established themselves there. One day Si Mahomet fell ill and died The two spouses put him in a coffin lined with silk and buried him. My story is told.
THE TWO FRIENDS
Sidi El-Marouf and Sidi Abd-el-Tadu were travelling in company. Toward evening they separated to find a resting-place. Sidi Abd-el-Tadu said to his friend:
"Let us say a prayer, that God may preserve us from the evil which we have never committed."
Sidi El-Marouf answered, "Yes, may God preserve us from the evil that we have not done!"
They went toward the houses, each his own way. Sidi El-Marouf presented himself at a door. "Can you entertain a traveller?"
"You are welcome," said a woman to him. "Enter, you may remain for the night."
Night came. He took his supper. The woman spread a mat on the floor and he went to sleep. The woman and her husband slept also. When all was quiet, the woman got up, took a knife, and killed her husband. The next day at dawn she began to cry:
"He has killed my husband!"
The whole village ran up to the house and seized the stranger. They bound him, and everyone brought wood to burn the guilty man.
Sidi Abd-el-Tadu came also, and saw his friend in tears. "What have you done?" he asked.
"I have done no evil," answered Sidi El-Marouf.
"Did I not tell you yesterday," said Sidi Abd-el-Tadu, "that we would say the prayer that God should preserve us from the evil we had never committed? And now you will be burned for a crime of which you are innocent!"
Sidi El-Marouf answered him, "Bring the woman here."
"Did he really kill your husband?" asked Sidi Abd-el-Tadu.
"He killed him," she replied.
There was a bird on a tree nearby. Sidi Abd-el-Tadu asked the bird. The bird answered:
"It was the woman who killed her husband. Feel in her hair and you will find the knife she used."
They searched her hair and found the knife still covered with blood, which gave evidence of the crime. The truth was known and innocence was defended. God avenged the injustice.
THE ROBBER AND THE TWO PILGRIMS
Two robbers spent their time in robbing. One of them got married, and the other continued his trade. They were a long time without seeing each other. Finally the one who was not married went to visit his friend, and said to him:
"If your wife has a daughter, you must give her to me."
"I will give her to you seven days after her birth."
The daughter was born, and the robber took her to bring up in the country. He built a house, bought flocks, and tended them himself. One day some pilgrims came to the house. He killed a cow for them and entertained them. The next day he accompanied them on their pilgrimage. The pilgrims said to him:
"If you come with us, two birds will remain with your wife."
The woman stayed in the country. One day the son of the Sultan came that way to hunt. One of the birds saw him and said to the woman, "Don't open the door." The prince heard the bird speak, and returned to the palace without saying a word. An old woman was called to cast spells over him, and said to the King:
"He could not see a woman he has never seen."
The prince spoke and said to her: "If you will come with me, I will bring her here." They arrived.
The old dame called the young woman, "Come out, that we may see you."
She said to the bird, "I am going to open the door."
The bird answered: "If you open the door you will meet the same fate as Si El-Ahcen. He was reading with many others in the mosque. One day he found an amulet. His betrothed went no longer to school, and as she was old enough he married her. Some days after he said to his father, 'Watch over my wife.' 'Fear nothing,' answered the father.
"He started, and came back. 'Watch over my wife,' he said to his father again. 'Fear nothing,' repeated his father. The latter went to the market. On his return he said to his daughter-in-law, 'There were very beautiful women in the market,' 'I surpass them all in beauty,' said the woman; 'take me to the market.'
"A man offered 1,000 francs for her. The father-in-law refused, and said to her: 'Sit down on the mat. The one that covers you with silver may have you,' A man advanced. 'If you want to marry her,' said her father-in-law, 'cover her with silver, and she will be your wife.'
"Soon Si El-Ahcen returned from his journey and asked if his wife were still living. 'Your wife is dead,' said his father; 'she fell from her mule,' Si El-Ahcen threw himself on the ground. They tried to lift him up. It was useless trouble. He remained stretched on the earth.
"One day a merchant came to the village and said to him, 'The Sultan married your wife,' She had said to the merchant, 'The day that you leave I will give you a message,' She wrote a letter to her husband, and promised the bearer a flock of sheep if he would deliver it.
"Si El-Ahcen received the letter, read it, was cured, ran to the house, and said to his father: 'My wife has married again in my absence; she is not dead. I brought home much money. I will take it again.'
"He took his money and went to the city where his wife lived. He stopped at the gates. To the first passer-by he gave five francs, to the second five more.
"'What do you want, O stranger?' they asked. 'If you want to see the Sultan we will take you to him,' They presented him to the Sultan.
"'Render justice to this man,' 'What does he want?' 'My lord,' answered Sidi El-Ahcen, 'the woman you married is my wife,' 'Kill him!' cried the Sultan. 'No,' said the witnesses, 'let him have justice,'
"'Let him tell me if she carries an object,' Si El-Ahcen answered: 'This woman was betrothed to me before her birth. An amulet is hidden in her hair,' He took away his wife, returned to the village, and gave a feast.
"If you open the door," continued the bird, "you will have the same fate as Fatima-ou-Lmelh. Hamed-ou-Lmelh married her. Fatima said to her father-in-law, 'Take me to my uncle's house,' Arriving there she married another husband. Hamed-ou-Lmelh was told of this, and ran to find her. At the moment he arrived he found the wedding over and the bride about to depart for the house of her new husband. Then Hamed burst into the room and cast himself out of the window. Fatima did the same, and they were both killed.
"The intended father-in-law and his family returned to their house, and were asked the cause of the misfortune. 'The woman was the cause,' they answered.
"Nevertheless, the father of Hamed-ou-Lmelh went to the parents of Fatima and said: 'Pay us for the loss of our son. Pay us for the loss of Fatima.'
"They could not agree, and went before the justice. Passing by the village where the two spouses had died they met an old man, and said, 'Settle our dispute,' 'I cannot,' answered the old man. Farther on they met a sheep, which was butting a rock. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to the sheep. 'I cannot,' answered the sheep. Farther on they met a serpent. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to him. 'I cannot,' answered the serpent. They met a river. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to it. 'I cannot,' answered the river. They met a jackal. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to him. 'Go to the village where your children died,' answered the jackal. They went back to the village, and applied to the Sultan, who had them all killed."
The bird stopped speaking, the pilgrims returned. The old woman saw them and fled. The robber prepared a feast for the pilgrims.
THE LITTLE CHILD
"Come, little child, eat your dinner."
"I won't eat it."
"Come, stick, beat the child."
"I won't beat him."
"Come, fire, burn the stick."
"I won't burn it."
"Come, water, quench the fire."
"I won't quench it."
"Come, ox, drink the water."
"I won't drink it."
"Come, knife, kill the ox."
"I won't kill him."
"Come, blacksmith, break the knife."
"I won't break it."
"Come, strap, bind the blacksmith."
"I won't bind him."
"Come, rat, gnaw the strap."
"I won't gnaw it."
"Come, cat, eat the rat."
"Bring it here."
"Why eat me?" said the rat; "bring the strap and I'll gnaw it."
"Why gnaw me?" said the strap; "bring the blacksmith and I'll bind him."
"Why bind me?" said the blacksmith; "bring the knife and I'll break it."
"Why break me?" said the knife; "bring the ox and I'll kill him."
"Why kill me?" said the ox; "bring the water and I'll drink it."
"Why drink me?" said the water; "bring the fire and I'll quench it."
"Why quench me?" said the fire; "bring the stick and I'll burn it."
"Why burn me?" said the stick; "bring the child and I'll strike him."
"Why strike me?" said the child; "bring me my dinner and I'll eat it."
THE WREN
A wren had built its nest on the side of a road. When the eggs were hatched, a camel passed that way. The little wrens saw it, and said to their father when he returned from the fields:
"O papa, a gigantic animal passed by."
The wren stretched out his foot. "As big as this, my children?"
"O papa, much bigger."
He stretched out his foot and his wing. "As big as this?"
"O papa, much bigger."
Finally he stretched out fully his feet and legs. "As big as this, then?"
"Much bigger."
"That is a lie; there is no animal bigger than I am."
"Well, wait," said the little ones, "and you will see." The camel came back while browsing the grass of the roadside. The wren stretched himself out near the nest. The camel seized the bird, which passed through its teeth safe and sound.
"Truly," he said to them, "the camel is a gigantic animal, but I am not ashamed of myself."
On the earth it generally happens that the vain are as if they did not exist. But sooner or later a rock falls and crushes them.
THE MULE, THE JACKAL, AND THE LION
The mule, the jackal, and the lion went in company. "We will eat the one whose race is bad," they said to each other.
"Lion, who is your father?"
"My father is a lion and my mother is a lioness."
"And you, jackal, what is your father?"
"My father is a jackal and my mother, too."
"And you, mule, what is your father?"
"My father is an ass, and my mother is a mare."
"Your race is bad; we will eat you."
He answered them: "I will consult an old man. If he says that my race is bad, you may devour me."
He went to a farrier, and said to him, "Shoe my hind feet, and make the nails stick out well."
He went back home. He called the camel and showed him his feet, saying: "See what is written on this tablet."
"The writing is difficult to decipher," answered the camel. "I do not understand it, for I only know three words--outini, ouzatini, ouazakin." He called a lion, and said to him: "I do not understand these letters; I only know three words--outini, ouzatini, ouazakin"
"Show it to me," said the lion. He approached. The mule struck him between the eyes and stretched him out stiff.
He who goes with a knave is betrayed by him.
THADHELLALA
A woman had seven daughters and no son. She went to the city, and there saw a rich shop. A little farther on she perceived at the door of a house a young girl of great beauty. She called her parents, and said:
"I have my son to marry; let me have your daughter for him."
They let her take the girl away. She came back to the shop and said to the man in charge of it:
"I will gladly give you my daughter; but go first and consult your father."
The young man left a servant in his place and departed. Thadhellala (that was her name) sent the servant to buy some bread in another part of the city. Along came a caravan of mules. Thadhellala packed all the contents of the shop on their backs and said to the muleteer:
"I will go on ahead; my son will come in a moment. Wait for him--he will pay you."
She went off with the mules and the treasures which she had packed upon them. The servant came back soon.
"Where is your mother?" cried the muleteer; "hurry and, pay me."
"You tell me where she is and I will make her give me back what she has stolen." And they went before the justice.
Thadhellala pursued her way, and met seven young students. She said to one of them, "A hundred francs and I will marry you." The student gave them to her. She made the same offer to the others, and each one took her word.
Arriving at a fork in the road, the first one said, "I will take you," the second one said, "I will take you," and so on to the last.
Thadhellala answered: "You shall have a race as far as that ridge over there, and the one that gets there first shall marry me."
The young men started. Just then a horseman came passing by. "Lend me your horse," she said to him. The horseman jumped off. Thadhellala mounted the horse and said:
"You see that ridge? I will rejoin you there."
The scholars perceived the man. "Have you not seen a woman?" they asked him. "She has stolen 700 francs from us."
"Haven't you others seen her? She has stolen my horse?"
They went to complain to the Sultan, who gave the command to arrest Thadhellala. A man promised to seize her. He secured a comrade, and they both pursued Thadhellala, who had taken flight. Nearly overtaken by the man, she met a negro who pulled teeth, and said to him:
"You see my son coming down there; pull out his teeth." When the other passed the negro pulled out his teeth. The poor toothless one seized the negro and led him before the Sultan to have him punished. The negro said to the Sultan: "It was his mother that told me to pull them out for him."
"Sidi," said the accuser, "I was pursuing Thadhellala."
The Sultan then sent soldiers in pursuit of the woman, who seized her and hung her up at the gates of the city. Seeing herself arrested, she sent a messenger to her relatives.
Then there came by a man who led a mule. Seeing her he said, "How has this woman deserved to be hanged in this way?"
"Take pity on me," said Thadhellala; "give me your mule and I will show you a treasure." She sent him to a certain place where the pretended treasure was supposed to be hidden. At this the brother-in-law of Thadhellala had arrived.
"Take away this mule," she said to him. The searcher for treasures dug in the earth at many places and found nothing. He came back to Thadhellala and demanded his mule.
She began to weep and cry. The sentinel ran up, and Thadhellala brought complaint against this man. She was released, and he was hanged in her place.
She fled to a far city, of which the Sultan had just then died. Now, according to the custom of that country, they took as king the person who happened to be at the gates of the city when the King died. Fate took Thadhellala there at the right time. They conducted her to the palace, and she was proclaimed Queen.
THE GOOD MAN AND THE BAD ONE
Two men, one good and the other bad, started out together to do business, and took provisions with them. Soon the bad one said to the good one: "I am hungry; give me some of your food." He gave him some, and they both ate.
They went on again till they were hungry. "Give me some of your food," said the bad one. He gave him some of it, and they ate.
They went on until they were hungry. "Give me some of your food," said the bad one. He gave him some, and they ate.
They went on until they were hungry. The good man said to his companion: "Give me some of your food."
"Oh, no, my dear," said the bad one.
"I beg you to give me some of your food," said the good one.
"Let me pluck out one of your eyes," answered the bad one. He consented. The bad one took his pincers and took out one of his eyes.
They went on until they came to a certain place. Hunger pressed them. "Give me some of your food," said the good man.
"Let me pluck out your other eye," answered his companion.
"O my dear," replied the good man, "leave it to me, I beg of you."
"No!" responded the bad one; "no eye, no food."
But finally he said, "Pluck it out."
They proceeded until they came to a certain place. When hunger pressed them anew the bad one abandoned his companion.
A bird came passing by, and said to him: "Take a leaf of this tree and apply it to your eyes." He took a leaf of the tree, applied it to his eyes, and was healed. He arose, continued on his way, and arrived at a city where he found the one who had plucked out his eyes.
"Who cured you?"
"A bird passed near me," said the good man. "He said to me, 'Take a leaf of this tree.' I took it, applied it to my eyes, and was cured."
The good man found the King of the city blind.
"Give me back my sight and I will give you my daughter."
He restored his sight to him, and the King gave him his daughter. The good man took his wife to his house. Every morning he went to present his respects to the King, and kissed his head. One day he fell ill. He met the bad one, who said to him:
"Eat an onion and you will be cured; but when you kiss the King's head, turn your head aside or the King will notice your breath and will kill you."
After these words he ran to the King and said: "O King, your son-in-law disdains you."
"O my dear," answered the King, "my son-in-law does not disdain me."
"Watch him," answered the bad one; "when he comes to kiss your head he will turn away from you."
The King remarked that his son-in-law did turn away on kissing his head.
"Wait a moment," he said to him. Immediately he wrote a letter to the Sultan, and gave it to his son-in-law, commanding him to carry it to the Sultan. Going out of the house he met the bad one, who wanted to carry the letter himself. The good man gave it to him. The Sultan read the letter, and had the bad one's head cut off. The good man returned to the King.
"What did he say?" asked the King.
"Ah, Sidi, I met a man who wanted to carry the letter. I intrusted it to him and he took it to the Sultan, who condemned him to death in the city."
THE CROW AND THE CHILD
A man had two wives. He was a rich merchant. One of them had a son whose forehead was curved with a forelock. Her husband said to her:
"Don't work any more, but only take care of the child. The other wife will do all the work."
One day he went to market. The childless wife said to the other, "Go, get some water."
"No," she answered, "our husband does not want me to work."
"Go, get some water, I tell you." And the woman went to the fountain. On the way she met a crow half dead with fatigue. A merchant who was passing took it up and carried it away. He arrived before the house of the woman who had gone to the fountain, and there found the second woman.
"Give something to this crow," demanded the merchant.
"Give it to me," she answered, "and I will make you rich."
"What will you give me?" asked the merchant.
"A child," replied the woman.
The merchant refused, and said to her, "Where did you steal it?"
"From whom did I steal it?" she cried. "It is my own son."
"Bring him."
She brought the child to him, and the merchant left her the crow and took the boy to his home and soon became very, rich. The mother came back from the fountain. The other woman said:
"Where is your son? Listen, he is crying, that son of yours."
"He is not crying," she answered.
"You don't know how to amuse him. I'll go and take him."
"Leave him alone," said the mother. "He is asleep."
They ground some wheat, and the child did not appear to wake up.
At this the husband returned from the market and said to the mother, "Why don't you busy yourself looking after your son?" Then she arose to take him, and found a crow in the cradle. The other woman cried:
"This is the mother of a crow! Take it into the other house; sprinkle it with hot water." She went to the other house and poured hot water on the crow.
Meanwhile, the child called the merchant his father and the merchant's wife his mother. One day the merchant set off on a journey. His mother brought some food to him in the room where he was confined.
"My son," she said, "will you promise not to betray me?"
"You are my mother," answered the child; "I will not betray you."
"Only promise me."
"I promise not to betray you."
"Well, know that I am not your mother and my husband is not your father."
The merchant came home from his journey and took the child some food, but he would not eat it.
"Why won't you eat?" asked the merchant. "Could your mother have been here?"
"No," answered the child, "she has not been here."
The merchant went to his wife and said to her, "Could you have gone up to the child's chamber?"
The woman answered, "I did not go up to the room."
The merchant carried food to the child, who said: "For the love of God, I adjure you to tell me if you are my father and if your wife is my mother."
The merchant answered: "My son, I am not your father and my wife is not your mother."
The child said to her, "Prepare us some food."
When she had prepared the food the child mounted a horse and the merchant a mule. They proceeded a long way, and arrived at the village of which the real father of the child was the chief. They entered his house. They gave food to the child, and said, "Eat."
"I will not eat until the other woman comes up here."
"Eat. She is a bad woman."
"No, let her come up." They called her. The merchant ran to the child.
"Why do you act thus toward her?"
"Oh!" cried those present, "she had a child that was changed into a crow."
"No doubt," said the merchant; "but the child had a mark."
"Yes, he had one."
"Well, if we find it, we shall recognize the child. Put out the lamp." They put it out. The child threw off its hood. They lighted the lamp again.
"Rejoice," cried the child, "I am your son!"
H'AB SLIMAN
A man had a boy and a girl. Their mother died and he took another wife. The little boy stayed at school until evening. The school-master asked them:
"What do your sisters do?"
One answered, "She makes bread."
A second, "She goes to fetch water."
A third, "She prepares the couscous."
When he questioned H'ab Sliman, the child played deaf, the master struck him. One day his sister said to him: "What is the matter, O my brother? You seem to be sad."
"Our schoolmaster punishes us," answered the child.
"And why does he punish you?" inquired the young girl.
The child replied: "After we have studied until evening he asks each of us what our sisters do. They answer him: she kneads bread, she goes to get water. But when he questions me I have nothing to say, and he beats me."
"Is it nothing but for that?"
"That is all."
"Well," added the young girl, "the next time he asks you, answer him: 'This is what my sister does: When she laughs the sun shines; when she weeps it rains; when she combs her hair, legs of mutton fall; when she goes from one place to another, roses drop.'"
The child gave that answer.
"Truly," said the schoolmaster, "that is a rich match." A few days after he bought her, and they made preparations for her departure for the house of her husband. The stepmother of the young girl made her a little loaf of salt bread. She ate it and asked some drink from her sister, the daughter of her stepmother.
"Let me pluck out one of your eyes," said the sister.
"Pluck it out," said the promised bride, "for our people are already on the way."
The stepmother gave her to drink and plucked out one of her eyes.
"A little more," she said.
"Let me take out your other eye," answered the cruel woman.
The young girl drank and let her pluck out the other eye. Scarcely had she left the house than the stepmother thrust her out on the road. She dressed her own daughter and put her in the place of the blind one. They arrive.
"Comb yourself," they told her, and there fell dust.
"Walk," and nothing happened.
"Laugh," and her front teeth fell out.
All cried, "Hang H'ab Sliman!"
Meanwhile some crows came flying near the young blind girl, and one said to her: "Some merchants are on the point of passing this way. Ask them for a little wool, and I will restore your sight."
The merchants came up and the blind girl asked them for a little wool, and each one of them threw her a bit. The crow descended near her and restored her sight.
"Into what shall we change you?" they asked.
"Change me into a pigeon," she answered.
The crows stuck a needle into her head and she was changed into a pigeon. She took her flight to the house of the schoolmaster and perched upon a tree near by. The people went to sow wheat.
"O master of the field," she said, "is H'ab Sliman yet hanged?"
She began to weep, and the rain fell until the end of the day's work.
One day the people of the village went to find a venerable old man and said to him:
"O old man, a bird is perched on one of our trees. When we go to work the sky is covered with clouds and it rains. When the day's work is done the sun shines."
"Go," said the old man, "put glue on the branch where it perches."
They put glue on its branch and caught the bird. The daughter of the stepmother said to her mother:
"Let us kill it."
"No," said a slave, "we will amuse ourselves with it."
"No; kill it." And they killed it. Its blood spurted upon a rose-tree. The rose-tree became so large that it overspread all the village. The people worked to cut it down until evening, and yet it remained the size of a thread.
"To-morrow," they said, "we will finish it." The next morning they found it as big as it was the day before. They returned to the old man and said to him:
"O old man, we caught the bird and killed it. Its blood gushed upon a rose-tree, which became so large that it overspreads the whole village. Yesterday we worked all day to cut it down. We left it the size of a thread. This morning we find it as big as ever."
"O my children," said the old man, "you are not yet punished enough. Take H'ab Sliman, perhaps he will have an expedient. Make him sleep at your house." H'ab Sliman said to them, "Give me a sickle." Someone said to him: "We who are strong have cut all day without being able to accomplish it, and do you think you will be capable of it? Let us see if you will find a new way to do it."
At the moment when he gave the first blow a voice said to him:
"Take care of me, O my brother!"
The voice wept, the child began to weep, and it rained. H'ab Sliman recognized his sister.
"Laugh," he said. She laughed and the sun shone, and the people got dried.
"Comb yourself," and legs of mutton fell. All those who were present regaled themselves on them. "Walk," and roses fell. "But what is the matter with you, my sister?"
"What has happened to me."
"What revenge does your heart desire?"
"Attach the daughter of my stepmother to the tail of a horse that she may be dragged in the bushes."
When the young girl was dead, they took her to the house, cooked her, and sent her to her mother and sister.
"O my mother," cried the latter, "this eye is that of my sister Aftelis."
"Eat, unhappy one," said the mother, "your sister Aftelis has become the slave of slaves."
"But look at it," insisted the young girl. "You have not even looked at it. I will give this piece to the one who will weep a little."
"Well," said the cat, "if you give me that piece I will weep with one eye."
THE KING AND HIS SON
He had a son whom he brought up well. The child grew and said one day to the King, "I am going out for a walk."
"It is well," answered the King. At a certain place he found an olive-tree on fire.
"O God," he cried, "help me to put out this fire!"
Suddenly God sent the rain, the fire was extinguished, and the young man was able to pass. He came to the city and said to the governor:
"Give me a chance to speak in my turn."
"It is well," said he; "speak."
"I ask the hand of your daughter," replied the young man.
"I give her to you," answered the governor, "for if you had not put out that fire the city would have been devoured by the flames."
He departed with his wife. After a long march the wife made to God this prayer:
"O God, place this city here."
The city appeared at the very spot. Toward evening the Marabout of the city of which the father of the young bridegroom was King went to the mosque to say his prayers.
"O marvel!" he cried, "what do I see down there?"
The King called his wife and sent her to see what was this new city. The woman departed, and, addressing the wife of the young prince, asked alms of him. He gave her alms. The messenger returned and said to the King:
"It is your son who commands in that city."
The King, pricked by jealousy, said to the woman: "Go, tell him to come and find me. I must speak with him."
The woman went away and returned with the King's son. His father said to him:
"If you are the son of the King, go and see your mother in the other world."
He regained his palace in tears.
"What is the matter with you," asked his wife, "you whom destiny has given me?"
He answered her: "My father told me, 'Go and see your mother in the other world.'"
"Return to your father," she replied, "and ask him for the book of the grandmother of your grandmother."
He returned to his father, who gave him the book. He brought it to his wife, who said to him, "Lay it on the grave of your mother." He placed it there and the grave opened. He descended and found a man who was licking the earth. He saw another who was eating mildew. And he saw a third who was eating meat.
"Why do you eat meat?" he asked him.
"Because I did good on earth," responded the shade. "Where shall I find my mother?" asked the prince.
The shade said, "She is down there."
He went to his mother, who asked him why he came to seek her.
He replied, "My father sent me."
"Return," said the mother, "and say to your father to lift up the beam which is on the hearth." The prince went to his father. "My mother bids you take up the beam which is above the hearth." The King raised it and found a treasure.
"If you are the son of the King," he added, "bring me someone a foot high whose beard measures two feet." The prince began to weep.
"Why do you weep," asked his wife, "you whom destiny has given me?"
The prince answered her, "My father said to me, 'Bring me someone a foot high whose beard measures two feet."
"Return to your father," she replied, "and ask him for the book of the grandfather of your grandfather."
His father gave him the book and the prince brought it to his wife.
"Take it to him again and let him put it in the assembly place, and call a public meeting." A man a foot high appeared, took up the book, went around the city, and ate up all the inhabitants.
MAHOMET-BEN-SOLTAN
A certain sultan had a son who rode his horse through the city where his father reigned, and killed everyone he met. The inhabitants united and promised a flock to him who should make him leave the city. An old woman took it upon herself to realize the wishes of her fellow-citizens. She procured some bladders and went to the fountain to fill them with the cup of an acorn. The old man came to water his horse and said to the old woman:
"Get out of my way."
She would not move. The young man rode his horse over the bladders and burst them.
"If you had married Thithbirth, a cavalier," cried the old woman, "you would not have done this damage. But I predict that you will never marry her, for already seventy cavaliers have met death on her account."
The young man, pricked to the quick, regained his horse, took provisions, and set out for the place where he should find the young girl. On the way he met a man. They journeyed together. Soon they perceived an ogress with a dead man at her side.
"Place him in the earth," said the ogress to them; "it is my son; the Sultan hanged him and cut off his foot with a sword."
They took one of the rings of the dead man and went on their way. Soon they entered a village and offered the ring to the governor, who asked them for another like it. They went away from there, returned through the country which they had traversed, and met a pilgrim who had made the tour of the world. They had visited every place except the sea. They turned toward the sea. At the moment of embarking, a whale barred their passage. They retraced their steps, and met the ogress, took a second ring from the dead man, and departed. At a place they found sixty corpses. A singing bird was guarding them. The travellers stopped and heard the bird say:
"He who shall speak here shall be changed into a rock and shall die. Mahomet-ben-Soltan, you shall never wed the young girl. Ninety-nine cavaliers have already met death on her account."
Mahomet stayed till morning without saying one word. Then he departed with his companion for the city where Thithbirth dwelt. When they arrived they were pressed with hunger. Mahomet's companion said to him:
"Sing that which you heard the bird sing." He began to sing. The young girl, whom they meant to buy, heard him and asked him from whom he had got that song.
"From my head," he answered.
Mahomet's companion said: "We learned it in the fields from a singing bird."
"Bring me that bird," she said, "or I'll have your head cut off."
Mahomet took a lantern and a cage which he placed upon the branch of the tree where the bird was perching.
"Do you think to catch me?" cried the bird. The next day it entered the cage and the young man took it away. When they were in the presence of the young girl the bird said to her:
"We have come to buy you."
The father of the young girl said to Mahomet: "If you find her you may have her. But if not, I will kill you. Ninety-nine cavaliers have already met death thus. You will be the hundredth."
The bird flew toward the woman.
"Where shall I find you?" it asked her.
She answered: "You see that door at which I am sitting; it is the usual place of my father. I shall be hidden underneath."
The next day Mahomet presented himself before the Sultan: "Arise," he said, "your daughter is hidden there."
The Sultan imposed this new condition: "My daughter resembles ninety-nine others of her age. She is the hundredth. If you recognize her in the group I will give her to you. But if not, I will kill you."
The young girl said to Mahomet, "I will ride a lame horse." Mahomet recognized her, and the Sultan gave her to him, with a serving-maid, a female slave, and another woman.
Mahomet and his companion departed. Arriving at a certain road they separated. Mahomet retained for himself his wife and the slave woman, and gave to his companion the two other women. He gained the desert and left for a moment his wife and the slave woman. In his absence an ogre took away his wife. He ran in search of her and met some shepherds.
"O shepherds," he said, "can you tell me where the ogre lives?"
They pointed out the place. Arriving, he saw his wife. Soon the ogre appeared, and Mahomet asked where he should find his destiny.
"My destiny is far from here," answered the ogre. "My destiny is in an egg, the egg in a pigeon, the pigeon in a camel, the camel in the sea."
Mahomet arose, ran to dig a hole at the shore of the sea, stretched a mat over the hole; a camel sprang from the water and fell into the hole. He killed it and took out an egg, crushed the egg in his hands, and the ogre died. Mahomet took his wife and came to his father's city, where he built himself a palace. The father promised a flock to him who should kill his son. As no one offered, he sent an army of soldiers to besiege him. He called one of them in particular and said to him:
"Kill Mahomet and I will enrich you."
The soldiers managed to get near the young prince, put out his eyes, and left him in the field. An eagle passed and said to Mahomet: "Don't do any good to your parents, but since your father has made you blind take the bark of this tree, apply it to your eyes, and you will be cured."
The young man was healed.
A short time after his father said to him, "I will wed your wife."
"You cannot," he answered. The Sultan convoked the Marabout, who refused him the dispensation he demanded. Soon Mahomet killed his father and celebrated his wedding-feast for seven days and seven nights.
FOOTNOTES
[1] Geographica, t. xviii, ch. 3, Section ii.
[2] Hanoteau, Poésies Populaires de la Khabylie du Jurgura, Paris, 1867, 8vo.
[4] Affectionate term for a child.
[6] Hanoteau, Preface, p. iii.
[11] Masqueray, Observations grammaticales sur la grammaire Touareg et textes de la Tourahog des Tailog, pp. 212, 213. Paris, 1897.
[16] Hanoteau, pp. 2, 3, 5, 7, 9, 11.
[18] R. Basset, L'insurrection Algerienne, de 1871 dans les chansons populaires Khabyles Lourain, 1892.
[19] J.D. Luciani, Chansons Khabyles de Ismail Azekkion. Algiers, 1893.
[22] Marmier, Lettres sur l'Islemde.
[23] Hanoteau, Essaie de grammaire de la langue Tamachek, pp. 210, 211. Paris, 1860.
[25] R. Basset, Le Poème de Sabi, p. 15 et suis. Paris, 1879.
[26] Hanoteau, Poèmes Populaires de la Khabyle, pp. 179-181, Du Jurgura.
[29] Hanoteau, Essai de Grammaire Khabyle, p. 282 et seq. Alger.
[30] Hanoteau, p. 266. Le chasseur.
[31] Contes Populaires de la Khabylie du Jurgura, p. 239. Paris, 1892. Le chausseur.
[32] Legendes et contes merveilleuses de la grande Khabylie, p. 20. 2 vols. Tunis, 1893-1898. Le fils du Sultan et le chien des Chrétiens, p. 90. Histoire de Ali et sa mère.
[33] R Basset, Nouveaux Contes Berbers, p. 18. Paris, 1897. La Pomme de jeunesse.
[34] Spitta-bey, Contes Arabes modernes, p. 12. Ley de 1883.
[35] Arless Pasha, Contes Populaire de la vallée du Nil. Paris, 1895.
[36] Deeplun, Recueil de textes pour l'étude de l'Arabe parlé, v. 12, p. iv. Paris, 1891.
[37] Iumsche Märchen und Gedichte. Leipzig, 1898. 2 vols. Märchen und Gedichte. Aus der Stadt Tripolis in Nord Afrika. Leipzig.
[38] Zum Arabischen Dialekt. Von Markko. Leipzig, 1893. Vers. 8.
[39] Delphin et Genis. Notes sur la Poesie et la musique Arabes dans le Maghreb Algerien, pp. 14-16. Paris, 1886.
[40] R. Basset. Un Episode d'une chanson de geste Arabe sur la seconde conquête de l'Afrique Septentrionale par les Mussulmans. Bulletin de Correspondence Africaine, p. 147. Alger, 1885, in 8vo. See also Stemme. Tripolitanisches Bederinenlieder. Leipzig, 1804, in 8vo.
[41] Joly, Poesie Arnaduno chez les Nomades Algeriennes. Revue Africaine, XLV, pp. 217-219. Alger, 1901, 8vo.
[42] R. Basset. Les dictionnaires satiriques attribues à Sidi ben Yousof. Paris, 1890, 8vo.
[43] H.J. Castries. Les Gnomes de Sidi Abdir Rahman El Medjedoub. Paris, 1896.
[44] Dozy. Histoire des Mussulmans de l'Espagne, pp. 103-166. Leyden, 1861, in 12mo, 4to.
[45] T. Ramon Manendez Pidal. La legende de les Infantes de Sara. Madrid, 1896. 8vo.
[46] A. de Circourt. Histoire des Moors mudijares et des Moresques. Paris, 1846.
[47] T.A. de Circourt. I. iii., p. 327-332.
[48] R. Basset. Legendes Arabes d'Espagne. La Maison fermée de Tolède. Oran, 1898, in 8vo.
[49] R. Basset. D'Alhambra et le Chateau de Khanumag: Revue des traditions populaires. Fairier, 1871, p. 459-465.
[50] Histoire des Conquêtes d'Espagne par les Mores. Par Ali Aven Sufran. Paris, 1720.
[51] Guillon Robles. Legendas Moriscas. Madrid, 1885-86. 36 petit in 8vo.
[52] Guillon Robles. La Legenda de Jose, hijo de Jacob, ye do Alexandro Magna. Zaragoza, 1888, en 8vo.
[53] L de Eguilas el Hditz, de La Princess Zoraida. Granada, 1892, 16mo.
[54] P. Gil y Ribera et Mar Sanches. Colleccion el textos Aljamiados. Zaragoza, 1888, 8vo.
[55] Pamo. Las coplas del Peregrino de Puey Monçon. Zaragoza, 1897. Pet. en 8vo.
[56] R. Basset. Les Aventures Merveilleuses de Tunis et Dais. Rome, 1891, en 8vo. L'expédition du Chateau d'or, et la combat d'Ali et du dragon. Rome, 1893, en 8vo. M'lle Florence Groff. Les sept dormants, La ville de Tram, et l'excursion contre la Makke, Alger, 1891, en 8vo.
[57] M. Basset's "Special Introduction" was written in French; the English translation was made by Robert Arnot.
[58] Former student of the Medersa of Algiers, bookbinder, lutemaker, and copier of manuscripts, Qaddour ben Omar ben Beuyna, best known among his coreligionists as Qaddour el Hadby (the hunchback), who died during the winter of 1897-1808, has sung for thirty years about all the notables of his city.
[59] This elegy is the work of a celebrated sheik of Tlemcen, Mahomet-Ben-Sahla, whose period was the first half of the eighteenth century. He left a son, Ben Medien, a poet, too, and his descendants still live, near Tlemcen, in a village called Feddan-es-Seba.