elt thirsty and begged the slave to fetch me some
water, and while he was absent I advised the youth to take off his
turban, so as to cool his head. He complied gladly, and in the twinkling
of an eye was changed into a pot. A cry from the slave warned me that I
had no time to lose if I would save my life, so I snatched up the pot
and fled with it like the wind.

'You have heard, my lords, what became of the pot, so I will only say
now that when I awoke it had disappeared; but I was partly consoled for
its loss by finding my two brothers fast asleep not far from me. "How
did you get here?" I inquired, "and what has happened to you since we
parted?"

'"Alas!" replied Izouf, "we were passing a wayside inn from which came
sounds of songs and laughter, and fools that we were--we entered and sat
down. Circassian girls of great beauty were dancing for the amusement of
several men, who not only received us politely, but placed us near the
two loveliest maidens. Our happiness was complete, and time flew unknown
to us, when one of the Circassians leaned forward and said to her
sister, 'Their brother danced, and they must dance too.' What they meant
by these words I know not, but perhaps you can tell us?"

'"I understand quite well," I replied. "They were thinking of the day
that I stole the son of the Bassa, and had danced before him."

'"Perhaps you are right," continued Izouf, "for the two ladies took our
hands and danced with us till we were quite exhausted, and when at last
we sat down a second time to table we drank more wine than was good for
us. Indeed, our heads grew so confused, that when the men jumped up and
threatened to kill us, we could make no resistance and suffered
ourselves to be robbed of everything we had about us, including the most
precious possession of all, the two talismans of the daughters of
Siroco." 'Not knowing what else to do, we all three returned to
Constantinople to ask the advice of Sumi, and found that she was already
aware of our misfortunes, having read about them in the book of Moizes.
The kind-hearted creature wept bitterly at our story, but, being poor
herself, could give us little help. At last I proposed that every
morning we should sell the silver watch into which Argentine was
changed, as it would return to Sumi every evening unless it was wound up
with the silver key--which was not at all likely. Sumi consented, but
only on the condition that we would never sell the watch without
a