THE EGYPTIAN SUDAN So young and so active a slave ; So splendid and costly his dress ; So sweet the scent of his body ! Our chief, what wisdom he has shown ! God has blessed him with great judgment, O, what a prize he has gained I He will lead your horse to the field ; Give you your lances in battle, And ward off the treacherous blow.

Our chief, what wisdom he has shown ! God has blessed him with great judgment, O, what a prize he has gained !

Mustapha bore good-naturedly the jests of his companions, and, not wishing to appear to despise the gift of Providence, although apparently useless, he led to his castle, as prisoner, the disguised Amnah. On his arrival, he asked her what she could do : " Can you cut wood? " said he. " No," replied Amnah, " I have " no strength ; see you not that my arm is shrivelled up with " age ? " " Can you carry it ? " said the chief. " No," she said, " my back is already double ; I should sink under the lightest " weight." " Can you guard the cows, or sheep ? " " Alas, no ! " replied Amnah, " they walk too fast and far for me." " Can you "clean the horses ? " "I know not how." " Can you wash the " sand for gold dust ? " " My eyes are not good enough." " You are too dirty to make bread, can you attend the geese ? " " I think I can," said Amnah ; " at all events I will try." Mustapha gave her for her companion a dumb youth, called Yabibi. After some days, when Yabibi was bathing in the river, Amnah took off her disguise, and showed herself, to the astonished peasant, as the perfection of beauty, covered with gold and precious stones, her hair ornamented with fine pearls and plates of gold, and her earrings studded with diamonds ; laughing, she sang to him the following lines : Open your eyes, Yabibi; See ! I am young and lovely, Covered with gold all over ; my necklace of gold, My earrings of gold, my bracelets of gold. And gold round my arms, and gold round my legs, Gold on my forehead, and gold on my rat ; Peails and silver also. Open your eyes, Yabebe ; See ! I am young and lovely, Covered with gold all over I The astonished peasant left the river, and Amnah, laughing, resumed her disguise. On his return to the castle, the dumb youth made signs to his chief that Amnah was a woman, beautiful, and covered with gold. They surveyed her, and, not finding out her disguise, beat the boy for his improbable falsehood.

The day afterwards they were at the same river ; Amnah threw aside her disguise, put her ornaments together, and bathed 238 I