I will not live an hour if I am parted from him." So the chief was
obliged to agree to the marriage; and the young Prince was married to
the Princess, and her father gave them a house, and slaves, and fields,
and all sorts of good things.

But after a time the young Prince said to his wife, "I am doomed to die,
either by a crocodile, or by a serpent, or by a dog." And his wife
answered, "Why, then, do you keep this dog always with you? Let him be
killed." "Nay," said he, "I am not going to kill my faithful dog, which
I have brought up since the time that he was a puppy." So the Princess
feared greatly for her husband, and would never let him go out of her
sight.

Now, it happened in course of time that the Prince went back to the land
of Egypt; and his wife went with him, and his dog, and he dwelt in
Egypt. And one day, when the evening came, he grew drowsy, and fell
asleep; and his wife filled a bowl with milk, and placed it by his side,
and sat to watch him as he slept. Then a great serpent came out of his
hole to bite the youth. But his wife was watching, and she made the
servants give the milk to the serpent, and he drank till he could not
move. Then the Princess killed the serpent with blows of her dagger. So
she woke her husband, and he was astonished to see the serpent lying
dead, and his faithful wife said to him, "Behold, God has given one of
thy dooms into thy hand; He will also give the others." And the Prince
made sacrifice to God, and praised Him.

Now, it fell on a day that the Prince went out to walk in his estate,
and his dog went with him. And as they walked, the dog ran after some
game, and the Prince followed the dog. They came to the River Nile, and
the dog went into the river, and the Prince followed him. Then a great
crocodile rose in the river, and laid hold on the youth, and said, "I am
thy doom, following after thee." ...

But just here the old papyrus roll on which the story is written is torn
away, and we do not know what happened to the Doomed Prince. I fancy
that, in some way or other, his dog would save him from the crocodile,
and that later, by some accident, the poor faithful dog would be the
cause of his master's death. At least, it looks as if the end of the
story must have been something like that; for the Egyptians believed
that no one could escape from the doom that was laid upon him, but had
to suffer it sooner or later. Perhaps, some day, one of the explorers
who are searching