," said Balkis, "if thou shalt tell me
which of them is woman, and which man."

But the king burst out laughing, and ordered that every he and she
sent him be brought a separate bason of silver, and a separate ewer of
silver, for laving. And whereas the boys bravely splashed in the water
and cast it in handfuls at their faces, drying their skin vigorously,
the girls acted as women always do at their ablutions. They lathered
each hand gently and solicitously, bringing it closely to their eyes.

In so easy a manner did the king solve the first riddle of
Balkis-Makkedah.

Next she sent Solomon a large diamond, the size of a hazel nut. This
stone had a thin, exceedingly tortuous flaw, that perforated its entire
body with a narrow, intricate path. The task was to put a silken thread
through the jewel. And the wise king let into the opening a silk worm,
which, having passed through, left the finest of silken webs in its
wake.

Also, the beauteous Balkis sent King Solomon a precious goblet of carved
sardonyx, of magnificent workmanship. "This goblet shall be thine," she
had commanded that the king be told, "if thou fillest it with moisture
taken neither from earth nor heaven." And Solomon, having filled the
goblet with froth falling from the body of a fatigued steed, ordered it
to be carried to the queen.

Many such hard questions did the queen put to Solomon, but could not
belittle his wisdom; nor with all her secret charms of love's passion
in the night might she contrive to retain his love. And when she had
finally palled upon the king, he had cruelly, hurtfully made mock of
her.

Everybody knew that the Savvian queen never showed her lower extremities
to anyone, and for that reason wore a garment reaching to the ground.
Even in the hours of love caresses did she keep her legs closely covered
with raiment. Many strange and droll legends had sprung up on this
account.

Some averred, that the queen had legs like a goat, grown over with wool;
others swore, that instead of human feet she had webbed feet, like a
goose. And they even related how the mother of Balkis had once, after
bathing, sat down upon sand where just before a certain god, temporarily
metamorphosed into a gander, had left his seed, and that through this
she had borne the beauteous Queen of Sheba.

And so Solomon one day commanded to be built, in one of his chambers, a
transparent floor of crystal, with an empty space beneath it, which was
filled with