a mare."

"Your race is bad; we will eat you."

He answered them: "I will consult an old man. If he says that my race is
bad, you may devour me."

He went to a farrier, and said to him, "Shoe my hind feet, and make the
nails stick out well."

He went back home. He called the camel and showed him his feet, saying:
"See what is written on this tablet."

"The writing is difficult to decipher," answered the camel. "I do not
understand it, for I only know three words--_outini, ouzatini,
ouazakin_." He called a lion, and said to him: "I do not understand
these letters; I only know three words--_outini, ouzatini, ouazakin_"

"Show it to me," said the lion. He approached. The mule struck him between
the eyes and stretched him out stiff.

He who goes with a knave is betrayed by him.

* * * * *

THADHELLALA

A woman had seven daughters and no son. She went to the city, and there saw
a rich shop. A little farther on she perceived at the door of a house a
young girl of great beauty. She called her parents, and said:

"I have my son to marry; let me have your daughter for him."

They let her take the girl away. She came back to the shop and said to the
man in charge of it:

"I will gladly give you my daughter; but go first and consult your father."

The young man left a servant in his place and departed. Thadhellala (that
was her name) sent the servant to buy some bread in another part of the
city. Along came a caravan of mules. Thadhellala packed all the contents of
the shop on their backs and said to the muleteer:

"I will go on ahead; my son will come in a moment. Wait for him--he will
pay you."

She went off with the mules and the treasures which she had packed upon
them. The servant came back soon.

"Where is your mother?" cried the muleteer; "hurry and, pay me."

"You tell me where she is and I will make her give me back what she has
stolen." And they went before the justice.

Thadhellala pursued her way, and met seven young students. She said to one
of them, "A hundred francs and I will marry you." The student gave them to
her. She made the same offer to the others, and each one took her word.

Arriving at a fork in the road, the first one said, "I will take you," the
second one said, "I will take you," and so on to the last.

Thadhellala answered: "You shall have a race as far as that ridge over
there, and the one that gets there first shall marry me."

The youn