Moorish Literature Part 48

They cut off his head and buried his body. The child went to the Thadjeinath, where the men of the village were a.s.sembled. In his absence his mother killed a sheep. She took the head and buried it in place of the sheik's head. The child arrived at the Thadjeinath and said to those present:

"I have killed the sheik who waked us up every morning."

"It is a lie," said they.

"Come to my mother's house and we will show you where we buried his head."

They went to the house, and the mother said to them:

"Ali Sidi, this child is mad. It is a sheep that we have killed. Come and see where we buried its head." They went to the spot, dug, and found a sheep's head.

THE WAGTAIL AND THE JACKAL

At the time when all the animals spoke, a wagtail laid her eggs on the ground. The little ones grew up. A jackal and a fox came to them. The jackal said to the fox:

"Swear to me that the wagtail owes me a pound of b.u.t.ter."

The fox swore to it. The bird began to weep. A greyhound came to her and asked her what was the matter. She answered him:

"The fox has calumniated me."

"Well," said the hound, "put me in this sack of skin."

She put him in the sack. "Tie up the top well," said the hound. When the jackal returned she said to him:

"Come and measure out the b.u.t.ter."

The jackal advanced and unfastened the sack. He saw the hound, who stretched out his paws and said to the fox:

"I am ill; come and measure, fox."

The fox approached. The hound seized him. The jackal said, "Remember your false testimony."

THE FLUTE-PLAYER

A servant tended the sheep of his master. Arrived in the meadow, he played the flute. The sheep heard him, and would not browse. One day the master perceived that his sheep did not graze. He followed the servant to the fields and hid himself in the bush. The shepherd took his flute and began to play. His master began to dance so that the bushes brought blood upon him. He returned home.

"Who scratched you so?" asked his wife.

"The servant played on the flute, and I began to dance."

"That is a lie," said she; "people don't dance against their will."

"Well," answered the husband, "tie me to this post and make the servant play."

She tied him to the post and the servant took the flute. Our man began to dance. He struck his head against a nail in the post and died. The son of the dead man said to the servant:

"Pay me for the loss of my father."

They went before the cadi. On the way they met a laborer, who asked them where they were going.

"Before the cadi."

"Could you tell me why?"

"This man killed my father," answered the son of the dead man.

"It was not I that killed him," answered the shepherd; "I played on the flute, he danced and died."

"That is a lie!" cried the laborer. "I will not dance against my will. Take your flute and we shall see if I dance."

The shepherd took his flute. He began to play, and the laborer started dancing with such activity that his oxen left to themselves fell into the ravine.

"Pay me for my oxen," he cried to the shepherd.

"Come before the cadi," he answered. They presented themselves before the cadi, who received them on the second floor of the house. They all sat down. Then the cadi said to the servant:

"Take your flute and play before me. I will see how you play." The servant took his flute and all began to dance. The cadi danced with the others, and they all fell down to the ground floor and were killed. The servant stayed in the house of the cadi and inherited the property of all.

THE CHILD

A child had a thorn in his foot. He went to an old woman and said to her:

"Take out this thorn for me."

The old woman took out the thorn and threw it away.

"Give me my thorn," and he began to cry.

"Take an egg."

He went to another old woman, "Hide me this egg."

"Put it in the hen's nest."

In the night he took his egg and ate it. The next day he said to the old woman: "Give me my egg."