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.
* * * * *