are informed, tied his
camel to this stone when he went to sacrifice Ishmael, for the
Mohammedans represent Hagar as Abraham's lawful wife, and Ishmael his
heir. There is another tradition, that when Abraham was about to build
the Kaaba, held in great veneration, the stones marched thither of
themselves ready hewn and polished, and that the black stone, being
left out when the building was completed, demanded of Abraham why it
had not been used in the sacred structure. The prophet told the stone
not to be disappointed, for he would cause it to be more honoured than
any stone in the building, by commanding all the faithful to kiss it
as they went in procession. The faithful people were wont to meet at
the place which they supposed was Adam and Eve's trysting place after
the expulsion, for it is related in one of their legends that the
first man and woman wandered about the world, separately, hundreds of
years after the Fall.

The Persians were extremely addicted to the study and practice of the
black art and all magical incantations, supposing that by such
mysterious operations they could influence the elements and all the
products of nature. When any one was suspected to have died an
unnatural death, the surviving relatives consulted spirits, with the
view of discovering the cause of it. Sometimes the relatives alleged
that a spell had been cast on the spirits consulted, which prevented
their giving answers to interrogatories. In that case, magicians were
employed to remove the fascination. A suspected murderer was submitted
to a severe ordeal:--A particular liquid was poured upon the arm or
thigh of the unfortunate person; but before the fluid was used it was
boiled, while the supposed criminal's name was repeatedly mentioned.
The moment the liquid began to boil, they commenced to address their
imaginary spirits in the following terms: "Is the party on whom I pour
this water guilty or not? If he is, may it scald him and shrivel up
his skin." If the application of the boiling liquid did not injure the
suspected person he was declared innocent, but if it burned him he was
pronounced guilty. People anxious to know the result of approaching
warlike engagements put a vessel full of water, mixed with particular
ingredients, over a fire. As soon as the water commenced to boil they
performed magical incantations, which, as they imagined, irresistibly
attracted the titular genius of their enemies, and obliged the spirit
or god