ad, and ate it. The next day they
started and travelled as far as a place where they found a well, from which
they drew water. The older one said, "Come, let us put the young one in the
well." They united against him, put him in, and departed, leaving him
there. They came to a city.

The young man remained some time in the well where they had put him, until
one day a caravan passing that way stopped to draw water. While the people
were drinking they heard something moving at the bottom of the well. "Wait
a moment," they said; they let down a rope, the young man caught it and
climbed up. He was as black as a negro. The people took him away and sold
him to a man who conducted him to his house. He stayed there a month and
became white as snow. The wife of the man said:

"Come, let us go away together."

"Never!" he answered.

At evening the man returned and asked, "What is the negro doing?"

"Sell him," said the woman.

He said, "You are free. Go where you please."

The young man went away and came to a city where there was a fountain
inhabited by a serpent. They couldn't draw water from this fountain without
his eating a woman. This day it was the turn of the King's daughter to be
eaten. The young man asked her:

"Why do you weep?"

"Because it is my turn to be devoured to-day."

The stranger answered, "Courage, I will kill the serpent, if it please
God."

The young girl entered the fountain. The serpent darted toward her, but as
soon as he showed his head the young man struck it with his stick and made
it fly away. He did the same to the next head until the serpent was dead.
All the people of the city came to draw water. The King said:

"Who has done this?"

"It is he," they cried, "the stranger who arrived yesterday." The King gave
him his daughter and named him his lieutenant The wedding-feast lasted
seven days. My story is finished before my resources are exhausted.

* * * * *

HALF-A-COCK

In times past there was a man who had two wives, and one was wise and one
was foolish. They owned a cock in common. One day they quarrelled about the
cock, cut it in two, and each took half. The foolish wife cooked her part.
The wise one let her part live, and it walked on one foot and had only one
wing. Some days passed thus. Then the half-a-cock got up early, and started
on his pilgrimage. At the middle of the day he was tired and went toward a
brook to rest. A jackal came