al," said Horace; "but surely your own hair
and beard might be described as rather inclining to grey."

"Not from age," said Fakrash, "This cometh from long confinement."

"I see," said Horace. "Like the Prisoner of Chillon. Well, assuming that
the lady in question is still in the bloom of early youth, I see one
fatal difficulty to becoming her suitor."

"Doubtless," said the Jinnee, "thou art referring to Jarjarees, the son
of Rejmoos, the son of Iblees?"

"No, I wasn't," said Horace; "because, you see, I don't remember having
ever heard of him. However, he's _another_ fatal difficulty. That makes
two of them."

"Surely I have spoken of him to thee as my deadliest foe? It is true
that he is a powerful and vindictive Efreet, who hath long persecuted
the beauteous Bedeea with hateful attentions. Yet it may be possible, by
good fortune, to overthrow him."

"Then I gather that any suitor for Bedeea's hand would be looked upon as
a rival by the amiable Jarjarees?"

"Far is he from being of an amiable disposition," answered the Jinnee,
simply, "and he would be so transported by rage and jealousy that he
would certainly challenge thee to mortal combat."

"Then that settles it," said Horace. "I don't think any one can fairly
call me a coward, but I do draw the line at fighting an Efreet for the
hand of a lady I've never seen. How do I know he'll fight fair?"

"He would probably appear unto thee first in the form of a lion, and if
he could not thus prevail against thee, transform himself into a
serpent, and then into a buffalo or some other wild beast."

"And I should have to tackle the entire menagerie?" said Horace. "Why,
my dear sir, I should never get beyond the lion!"

"I would assist thee to assume similar transformations," said the
Jinnee, "and thus thou mayst be enabled to defeat him. For I burn with
desire to behold mine enemy reduced to cinders."

"It's much more likely that you would have to sweep _me_ up!" said
Horace, who had a strong conviction that anything in which the Jinnee
was concerned would be bungled somehow. "And if you're so anxious to
destroy this Jarjarees, why don't you challenge him to meet you in some
quiet place in the desert and settle him yourself? It's much more in
your line than it is in mine!"

He was not without hopes that Fakrash might act on this suggestion, and
that so he would be relieved of him in the simplest and most
satisfactory way; but any such hopes were as usual doo