The Robber And The Two Pilgrims

Two robbers spent their time in robbing. One of them got married, and the
other continued his trade. They were a long time without seeing each other.
Finally the one who was not married went to visit his friend, and said to
him:

"If your wife has a daughter, you must give her to me."

"I will give her to you seven days after her birth."

The daughter was born, and the robber took her to bring up in the country.
He built a house, bought flocks, and tended them himself. One day some
pilgrims came to the house. He killed a cow for them and entertained them.
The next day he accompanied them on their pilgrimage. The pilgrims said to
him:

"If you come with us, two birds will remain with your wife."

The woman stayed in the country. One day the son of the Sultan came that
way to hunt. One of the birds saw him and said to the woman, "Don't open
the door." The prince heard the bird speak, and returned to the palace
without saying a word. An old woman was called to cast spells over him, and
said to the King:

"He could not see a woman he has never seen."

The prince spoke and said to her: "If you will come with me, I will bring
her here." They arrived.

The old dame called the young woman, "Come out, that we may see you."

She said to the bird, "I am going to open the door."

The bird answered: "If you open the door you will meet the same fate as Si
El-Ahcen. He was reading with many others in the mosque. One day he found
an amulet. His betrothed went no longer to school, and as she was old
enough he married her. Some days after he said to his father, 'Watch over
my wife.' 'Fear nothing,' answered the father.

"He started, and came back. 'Watch over my wife,' he said to his father
again. 'Fear nothing,' repeated his father. The latter went to the market.
On his return he said to his daughter-in-law, 'There were very beautiful
women in the market,' 'I surpass them all in beauty,' said the woman; 'take
me to the market.'

"A man offered 1,000 francs for her. The father-in-law refused, and said to
her: 'Sit down on the mat. The one that covers you with silver may have
you,' A man advanced. 'If you want to marry her,' said her father-in-law,
'cover her with silver, and she will be your wife.'

"Soon Si El-Ahcen returned from his journey and asked if his wife were
still living. 'Your wife is dead,' said his father; 'she fell from her
mule,' Si El-Ahcen threw himself on the ground. They tried to lift him up.
It was useless trouble. He remained stretched on the earth.

"One day a merchant came to the village and said to him, 'The Sultan
married your wife,' She had said to the merchant, 'The day that you leave I
will give you a message,' She wrote a letter to her husband, and promised
the bearer a flock of sheep if he would deliver it.

"Si El-Ahcen received the letter, read it, was cured, ran to the house, and
said to his father: 'My wife has married again in my absence; she is not
dead. I brought home much money. I will take it again.'

"He took his money and went to the city where his wife lived. He stopped at
the gates. To the first passer-by he gave five francs, to the second five
more.

"'What do you want, O stranger?' they asked. 'If you want to see the Sultan
we will take you to him,' They presented him to the Sultan.

"'Render justice to this man,' 'What does he want?' 'My lord,' answered
Sidi El-Ahcen, 'the woman you married is my wife,' 'Kill him!' cried the
Sultan. 'No,' said the witnesses, 'let him have justice,'

"'Let him tell me if she carries an object,' Si El-Ahcen answered: 'This
woman was betrothed to me before her birth. An amulet is hidden in her
hair,' He took away his wife, returned to the village, and gave a feast.

"If you open the door," continued the bird, "you will have the same fate as
Fatima-ou-Lmelh. Hamed-ou-Lmelh married her. Fatima said to her
father-in-law, 'Take me to my uncle's house,' Arriving there she married
another husband. Hamed-ou-Lmelh was told of this, and ran to find her. At
the moment he arrived he found the wedding over and the bride about to
depart for the house of her new husband. Then Hamed burst into the room and
cast himself out of the window. Fatima did the same, and they were both
killed.

"The intended father-in-law and his family returned to their house, and
were asked the cause of the misfortune. 'The woman was the cause,' they
answered.

"Nevertheless, the father of Hamed-ou-Lmelh went to the parents of Fatima
and said: 'Pay us for the loss of our son. Pay us for the loss of Fatima.'

"They could not agree, and went before the justice. Passing by the village
where the two spouses had died they met an old man, and said, 'Settle our
dispute,' 'I cannot,' answered the old man. Farther on they met a sheep,
which was butting a rock. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to the sheep. 'I
cannot,' answered the sheep. Farther on they met a serpent. 'Settle our
dispute,' they said to him. 'I cannot,' answered the serpent. They met a
river. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to it. 'I cannot,' answered the
river. They met a jackal. 'Settle our dispute,' they said to him. 'Go to
the village where your children died,' answered the jackal. They went back
to the village, and applied to the Sultan, who had them all killed."

The bird stopped speaking, the pilgrims returned. The old woman saw them
and fled. The robber prepared a feast for the pilgrims.