Page:Achmed Abdullah--Wings.djvu/223

Rh dren of Arabs, until Ilyas, the great Kutb, heard his praying thoughts and left his abode on the roof of the Kaabah in Mecca to fiy across the Western desert and to bring to Mohammed Ed-Din the inspiration which he needed. Ilyas spoke to the soul of the kadee, and the kadee exclaimed: "Hafiz, my faithful slave, go thou to the house of Hadji Nassim and bring to me the dogs which belong to his household."

The slave bowed and left, and soon he returned leading on a chain the two dogs of Nassim's house, two strong Kabyle dogs with black bristly hair and huge teeth.

The kadee ordered the woman to confront the dogs: "If thou hast been in Nassim's harem for long years, they will surely recognize thee." She obeyed trembling, and though she tried her best to talk to them with sweet words and gestures of blandishment, the dogs growled at her and showed their teeth and proved clearly that the woman was a stranger to them.

Then the wise kadee raised his hands and said: "Nassim, and thou, woman of the Bedawin, I sentence you according to the words in the book of the Koran: 'If any of the true believers commit