father himself wrote with the sacred ink that was
used for the Talmud." So saying, our father fell back on his cushions
and died, leaving us burning with desire for the three rings of the
daughters of Siroco.

'No sooner were our sad duties finished than we began to make inquiries
where these young ladies were to be found, and we learned after much
trouble that Siroco, their father, had fought in many wars, and that his
daughters, whose beauty was famous throughout all the land, were named
Aurora, Argentine, and Zelida.'

At the second of these names, both the Bassa and his son gave a start of
surprise, but they said nothing and Izaf went on with his story.

'The first thing to be done was to put on a disguise, and it was in
the dress of foreign merchants that we at length approached the young
ladies, taking care to carry with us a collection of fine stones which
we had hired for the occasion. But alas! it was to no purpose that
Nathan Ben-Sadi had warned us to close our hearts against their charms!
The peerless Aurora was clothed in a garment of golden hue, studded all
over with flashing jewels; the fair-haired Argentine wore a dress of
silver, and the young Zelida, loveliest of them all, the costume of a
Persian lady.

'Among other curiosities that we had brought with us, was a flask
containing an elixir which had the quality of exciting love in the
breasts of any man or woman who drank of it. This had been given me by
the fair Sumi, who had used it herself and was full of wrath because I
refused to drink it likewise, and so return her passion. I showed this
liquid to the three maidens who were engaged in examining the precious
stones, and choosing those that pleased them best; and I was in the act
of pouring some in a crystal cup, when Zelida's eyes fell on a paper
wrapped round the flask containing these words. "Beware lest you
drink this water with any other man than him who will one day be your
husband." "Ah, traitor!" she exclaimed, "what snare have you laid for
me?" and glancing where her finger pointed I recognised the writing of
Sumi.

'By this time my two brothers had already got possession of the rings
of Aurora and Argentine in exchange for some merchandise which they
coveted, and no sooner had the magic circles left their hands than the
two sisters vanished completely, and in their place nothing was to be
seen but a watch of gold and one of silver. At this instant the old
slave whom we had bribed to