enters where a dog is."
Cats, on the contrary, are great favorites, and sometimes accompany
their masters when they go to their mosque. The Mohammedans are under
certain restrictions in food; they are forbidden to eat the hare,
wolf, the cat, and all animals forbidden by the law of Moses. The
shrimp is forbidden among fish.--Bernard Picard.]

Zobeide sat still some time in the middle of the room, where she had
whipped the two dogs, to recover herself of her fatigue; and Safie
called to her, "Dear sister, will you not be pleased to return to your
place, that I may also act my part?"

"Yes, sister," replied Zobeide, and then went and sat down upon the
sofa, having the caliph, Giafar, and Mesrour on her right hand, and
the three calenders, with the porter, on her left.

The whole company remained silent for some time. At last Safie,
sitting on a chair in the middle of the room, spoke to her sister
Amina: "Dear sister, I conjure you to rise; you know what I would
say." Amina rose, and went into another closet near to that where the
dogs were, and brought out a case covered with yellow satin, richly
embroidered with gold and green silk. She went toward Safie and opened
the case, from whence she took a lute, and presented it to her; and
after some time spent in tuning it, Safie began to play, and,
accompanying the instrument with her voice, sang a song about the
torments that absence creates to lovers.

Having sung with much passion and action, she said to Amina, "Pray
take it, sister, for my voice fails me; oblige the company with a tune
and a song in my stead."

"Very willingly," replied Amina, who, taking the lute from her sister
Safie, sat down in her place. Having sung most delightfully, the
caliph expressed his admiration. While he was doing so, Amina fainted
away; and on opening her robe to give her air, they discovered that
her breast was covered with fearful scars.

While Zobeide and Safie ran to assist their sister, the caliph
inquired of the calender, "Cannot you inform me about these two black
dogs, and this lady, who appears to have been so ill-treated?"

"Sir," said the calender, "we never were in this house before now, and
entered it only a few minutes sooner than you did."

This increased the astonishment of the caliph. "Perhaps," said he,
"the man who is with you can give you some information?"

The calender made signs to the porter to draw near, and asked him if
he knew why the black dogs had been