and see if she has not some of the flesh about her.'

'If she has, you may take her in exchange for the ram;' and as they
found the flesh exactly as Mohammed had foretold, the Arab gave his
daughter a good beating, and then told her to get out of sight, for she
was now the property of this stranger.

They wandered in the desert till, at nightfall, they came to a Bedouin
encampment, where they were hospitably bidden to enter. Before lying
down to sleep, Mohammed said to the owner of the tent: 'Your mare will
kill my wife.'

'Certainly not.'

'And if she does?'

'Then you shall take the mare in exchange.'

When everyone was asleep, Mohammed said softly to his wife: 'Maiden, I
have got such a clever plan! I am going to bring in the mare and put it
at your feet, and I will cut you, just a few little flesh wounds, so
that you may be covered with blood, and everybody will suppose you to be
dead. But remember that you must not make a sound, or we shall both be
lost.'

This was done, and then Mohammed wept and wailed louder than ever.

The Arab hastened to the spot and cried, 'Oh, cease making that terrible
noise! Take the mare and go; but carry off the dead girl with you. She
can lie quite easily across the mare's back.'

Then Mohammed and his uncle picked up the girl, and, placing her on the
mare's back, led it away, being very careful to walk one on each side,
so that she might not slip down and hurt herself. After the Arab tents
could be seen no longer, the girl sat up on the saddle and looked about
her, and as they were all hungry they tied up the mare, and took out
some dates to eat. When they had finished, Mohammed said to his uncle:
'Dear uncle, the maiden shall be your wife; I give her to you. But the
money we got from the sheep and cows we will divide between us. You
shall have two-thirds and I will have one. For you will have a wife, but
I never mean to marry. And now, go in peace, for never more will you see
me. The bond of bread and salt is at an end between us.'

So they wept, and fell on each other's necks, and asked forgiveness for
any wrongs in the past. Then they parted and went their ways.

[_Maerchen und Gedichte aus der Stadt Tripolis_. Von Hans Stumme.]

_BOBINO_

Once on a time there was a rich merchant, who had an only son called
Bobino. Now, as the boy was clever, and had a great desire for
knowledge, his father sent him to be under a master, from whom he
thought he would le