‘Of course I will catch them!’ cried she in a hurry, and ran about the bushes after the birds, till thorns pierced her foot, and she shrieked from pain and exclaimed, ‘Oh dear, how unlucky I am! and how abominably this man is treating me!’ However, at last she managed to catch the seven birds, and brought them to Mohammed, saying, ‘Here they are!’ ‘Then now we will go back to the house,’ said he. When they had gone some way he turned to her sharply: ‘Be quick and drive the sheep home, for I do not know where their fold is.’ And she drove them before her. By-and-by the young man spoke: ‘Look here, old hag; if you say anything to your son about my having struck you, or about my not being the old shepherd, I’ll kill you!’ ‘Oh, no, of course I won’t say anything!’ When they got back, the son said to his mother: ‘That is a good shepherd I’ve got, isn’t he?’ ‘Oh, a splendid shepherd!’ answered she. ‘Why, look how fat the sheep are, and how much milk they give!’ ‘Yes, indeed!’ replied the son, as he rose to get supper for his mother and the shepherd. In the time of Mohammed’s uncle, the shepherd had had nothing to eat but the scraps left by the old woman; but the new shepherd was not going to be content with that. ‘You will not touch the food till I have had as much as I want,’ whispered he. ‘Very good!’ replied she. And when he had had enough, he said: ‘Now, eat!’ But she wept, and cried: ‘That was not written in your contract. You were only to have what I left!’ ‘If you say a word more, I will kill you!’ said he. The next day he took the old woman on his back, and drove the sheep in front of him till he was some distance from the house, when he let her fall, and said: ‘Quick! go and mind the sheep!’ Then he took a ram, and killed it. He lit a fire and broiled some of its flesh, and called to the old woman: ‘Come and eat with me!’ and she came. But instead of letting her eat quietly, he took a large lump of the meat and rammed it down her throat with his crook, so that she died. And when he saw she was dead, he said: ‘That is what you have got for tormenting my uncle!’ and left her lying where she was, while he went after the singing birds. It took him a long time to catch them; but at length he had the whole seven hidden in the pockets of his tunic, and then he threw the old woman’s body into some bushes, and drove the sheep before him, back to their fold. And when they drew near the house the seven boys came to meet him, and he gave a bird to each. ‘Why are you weeping?’ asked the boys, as they took their birds. ‘Because your grandmother is dead!’ And they ran and told their father. Then the man came up and said to Mohammed: ‘What was the matter? How did she die?’ And Mohammed answered: ‘I was tending the sheep when she said to me, “Kill me that ram; I am hungry!” So I killed it, and gave her the meat. But she had no teeth, and it choked her.’ ‘But why did you kill the ram, instead of one of the sheep?’ asked the man.