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.
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