Page:Legends of Old Testament Characters.djvu/150

128 to an idol temple near the town, Saleh ran before the procession, entered the temple, and stood in the door.

"Who art thou?" asked the king in astonishment: for he did not recognize Saleh, so greatly had God changed him in his sleep of twenty years. He answered: "I am Saleh, the messenger of the only God, who preached to you twenty years ago, and showed to you many signs and wonders, but you would not believe. And now once more I appear unto you to give you a proof of my mission. Ask what miracle I shall perform and it shall be done."

Then the king said, "Bring me here out of the rock a camel one hundred ells long, of every colour under the sun, whose eyes are like lightning, and whose feet are swifter than the wind." Saleh consented. Then said Davud, "Let its fore feet be golden and its hinder feet silver, its head of emerald and its ears of ruby. Let it bear on its hump a tent of silver, woven with gold threads and adorned with pearls, resting on four pillars of diamonds!"

When Saleh agreed to this also, the king added, "And let it bring with it a foal like to its mother, just born, and running by her side; then will I believe in Allah, and in thee as His prophet." "And wilt thou believe too?" asked Saleh of the high priest. "Yes," answered Davud, "if she give milk without being milked, cold in summer and warm in winter."

"And one thing more," threw in the king's brother, Schihab; "the milk must heal the sick, enrich the poor, and the camel must of its own accord go into every house, and fill the pails with milk." "Be it according to your will," said Saleh. "But I warn you,—no one must injure the camel, deprive it of its food or drink, attempt to ride it, or use it for any other kind of labour."

When they consented, Saleh prayed to God, and the earth opened under his feet, and a well of fragrant water gushed up, and poured over the rock, and the rock was rent, and the camel started forth in every particular such as the king and his high priest had desired. So they cried, "There is no God but God, and Saleh is His prophet."

Then the angel Gabriel came down from heaven, having in his hand a flaming sword, wherewith he touched the camel, and she bore instantly a foal like her parent.