Page:Folk-lore of the Holy Land.djvu/40

16 way that he could not get rid of it, nor see where he was going. Hereupon Mûsa, whose stature was ten dra’as, and whose miracle-working rod was the same length, leapt up to the height of ten dra’as and just managed to hit Og on his ankle, so that he fell down and was killed. Stones were heaped upon his body as high as a mountain.

To return to Noah: the ark floated to and fro on the surface of the Flood till it came to the place where Mecca is situated, and there it lay motionless seven days. Then it moved northward till it reached the site of Jerusalem, where, being endowed with speech by Allah, it informed Noah that here the “Beyt el Makdas,” or House of the Sanctuary, would be rebuilt, and inhabited by many prophets, his descendants. After the Flood, when the men and women who had been saved in the ark had gone forth to re-people the earth, the Patriarch was left alone with his daughter, who kept house for him, his wicked wife (Wa’ileh) having perished. One day a suitor for the girl appeared, and Noah promised her to him on condition of his preparing a suitable home for her. The man took his leave, promising to return within a certain time. The term having passed without his reappearance, Noah promised his daughter to another man, upon the same condition. He also departed and failed to appear at the time stated, so when a third suitor came, with a home quite ready, Noah consented to the marriage taking place at once. Hardly, however, had the wedded pair departed, when the second suitor came