eat many of the leaves
in "Mahometism Explained" were torn out, but enough remained to make
me imagine that Ishmael was the true son of Abraham: I read here that
the true descendants of Abraham were known by a light which streamed
from the middle of their foreheads. It said, that Ishmael's father and
mother first saw this light streaming from his forehead, as he was
lying asleep in the cradle. I was very sorry so many of the leaves
were torn out, for it was as entertaining as a fairy tale. I used
to read the history of Ishmael, and then go and look at him in the
tapestry, and then read his history again. When I had almost learned
the history of Ishmael by heart, I read the rest of the book, and then
I came to the history of Mahomet, who was there said to be the last
descendant of Abraham.

If Ishmael had engaged so much of my thoughts, how much more so
must Mahomet? His history was full of nothing but wonders from the
beginning to the end. The book said, that those who believed all
the wonderful stories which were related of Mahomet were called
Mahometans, and true believers:--I concluded that I must be a
Mahometan, for I believed every word I read.

At length I met with something which I also believed, though I
trembled as I read it:--this was, that after we are dead, we are to
pass over a narrow bridge, which crosses a bottomless gulf. The bridge
was described to be no wider than a silken thread; and it said, that
all who were not Mahometans would slip on one side of this bridge, and
drop into the tremendous gulf that had no bottom. I considered myself
as a Mahometan, yet I was perfectly giddy whenever I thought of
passing over this bridge.

One day, seeing the old lady totter across the room, a sudden terror
seized me, for I thought, how would she ever be able to get over the
bridge. Then too it was, that I first recollected that my mother would
also be in imminent danger; for I imagined she had never heard the
name of Mahomet, because I foolishly conjectured this book had been
locked up for ages in the library, and was utterly unknown to the rest
of the world.

All my desire was now to tell them the discovery I had made; for I
thought, when they knew of the existence of "Mahometism Explained,"
they would read it, and become Mahometans, to ensure themselves a
safe passage over the silken bridge. But it wanted more courage than
I possessed, to break the matter to my intended converts; I must
acknowledge that I h