"I will not go," she says. He approaches, threatening her, and strikes her. She gets up then and brings him some wood. He cooks the meat and eats his fill. He thinks then of killing the woman, but he fears that the people of his tribe will say, "Thou didst not bring her back." So he takes her on the camel and starts homeward. His cousins are pasturing their flocks on a hill. When he had nearly arrived a dust arose. He draws near, and they see that it is he. His brother speaks, "What have they done to thee?" He answers, "The daughter of my uncle did all this." Then they killed the woman and cut her flesh in strips and threw it on a jujube-tree. And the jackals and birds of prey came and passed the whole day eating it, until there was none left. AHMED EL HILALIEU AND EL REDAH Ahmed el Hilalieu was not loved by people in general. His enemies went and found an old sorceress, and spoke to her as follows: "O sorceress, we want you to drive this man out of our country. Ask what you will, we will give it to you!" She said to them: "May God gladden your faces. Call aloud. Our man will come out and I will see him." They obeyed her, crying out that a camel had escaped. Straightway Ahmed goes to find his father, and tells him his intention of going to join in the search. He starts forth mounted on his courser, and on the way meets some people, who tell him, "It is nothing." He makes a half turn, not forgetting to water his horse, and meets at the fountain the sorceress, who was drawing water. "Let me pass," he said to her, "and take your buckskin out of my way." "You may pass," she answered. He started his horse, which stepped on the buckskin and tore it. "You who are so brave with a poor woman," she said, "would you be able to bring back Redah Oum Zaid?" "By the religion of Him whom I adore, you shall show me where this Redah lives or I'll cut off your head." "Know, then, that she lives far from here, and that there is between her and you no less than forty days' journey." Ahmed went home, and took as provisions for the journey forty dates of the deglet-nour variety, putting them into his pocket. He mounted his steed and departed. He goes and goes without stopping, until he comes to the country of the sand. The charger throws his feet forward and buries himself in the sand up to his breast, but soon stops, conquered and worn out by fatigue. Ahmed el Hilalieu then addresses him: "My good gray horse, of noble mien, the sand, The cruel sand would eat your very eyes. The air no longer thy loud whinnies bears, No strength is left thee in thy head or heart. The prairies of Khafour I'll give to thee, With Nouna's eyes I'll quench thy thirst, by God A mule's whole pack of barley shalt thou have That Ben Haddjouna shall bring here for thee."