at I had a brother in misfortune!'

'Be comforted,' replied the Bassa; 'sooner or later the dervish who
stole the pink bag is sure to be found.'

Supper was then served, and after they had all eaten of rare fruits
which seemed to them the most delicious in the whole world, the Bassa
ordered the flask containing the elixir of love to be brought and the
young people to drink of it. Then their eyes shone with a new fire, and
they swore to be true to each other till death.

This ceremony was scarcely over when the clock struck one, and in an
instant Aurora and Argentine had vanished, and in the place where they
stood lay two watches. Silence fell upon all the company--they had
forgotten the enchantment; then the voice of Azemi was heard asking if
he might be allowed to take charge of the watches till the next day,
pledging his head to end their enchantment. With the consent of Sumi,
this was granted, and the Bassa gave Azemi a purse containing a thousand
sequins, as a reward for the services he had already rendered to them.
After this everybody went to his own apartment.

Azemi had never possessed so much money before, and never closed his
eyes for joy the whole night long. Very early he got up and went into
the garden, thinking how he could break the enchantment of the daughters
of Siroco. Suddenly the soft tones of a woman fell on his ear, and
peeping through the bushes he saw Tezila, who was arranging flowers in
her sister's hair. The rustling of the leaves caused Dely to start; she
jumped up as if to fly, but Azemi implored her to remain and begged her
to tell him what happened to them after the death of their lovers, and
how they had come to find the dervish.

'The punishment decreed to us by the Queen Okimpare,' answered Dely,
'was that we were to dance and sing in the midst of our sorrow, at a
great fete which was to be held that very day for all her people. This
cruel command nearly turned our brains, and we swore a solemn oath to
make all lovers as wretched as we were ourselves. In this design we
succeeded so well that in a short time the ladies of the capital came in
a body to Okimpare, and prayed her to banish us from the kingdom, before
their lives were made miserable for ever. She consented, and commanded
us to be placed on board a ship, with our slave Gouloucou.

'On the shore we saw an old man who was busily engaged in drowning
some little black pigs, talking to them all the while, as if they could
unde