"'Bismillah!' cried one, as he saw the great gourd Mustapha. 'What a monstrous gourd!'
"'Let us take it with us and sell it,' said the second.
"Thus saying he took a knife from his girdle and cut the stem by which Mustapha hung. This caused him so much pain that he cried aloud,
"'What's that?' said the farmer. 'The gourd speaks! It is alive!'
"Upon this he pricked the gourd with his knife. At this Mustapha exclaimed, 'Don't!'
"'Mahomet!' said the farmer. 'The thing is enchanted. It will fetch us a fortune.'
"Shortly afterwards they carried the gourd to the market. Here they made a goodly fortune by running pins into Mustapha that he might cry out for the amusement of the by-standers.
"Before long all Bagdad flocked to see and hear this wonderful gourd, and at last an officer of the Caliph's household arrived, payed a great sum for the gourd, and putting it in a basket, carried it away to the Palace.
"By and by Mustapha found himself in a superb room of the Palace, where, surrounded by her ladies, the Princess lay upon a couch.