to thee, and give thee command over her life; if the matter be as thou sayest kill her without consulting me." And when the Queen had read her father's letter she sent for Manar and made her stand in her presence humiliated and abashed. And Nur al-Huda continued to treat her sister cruelly, binding her with cords to a ladder of wood and beating her with a palm stick and with thongs till her charms were wasted for excess of beating, nor would she hearken to her tears and piteous cries for mercy. And when Shawahi saw this she wept and cursed the Queen, for which she was seized and beaten and turned out of the palace. But as for Hasan he wandered lonely and sad by the riverside, albeit he felt that deliverance from trouble was at hand and reunion with those he loved.
Now as he walked he came upon two little boys, the sons of sorcerers, who were quarreling about a rod of copper graven with talismans, and a skull cap of leather wrought in steel. And Hasan parted them, saying: "What are you quarreling about?" And they replied: "We are brothers-german, and our father was a mighty magician. He died and left us this cap and rod. Now my brother wants the rod, and so do I, but thou shalt be the judge between us." "And what are their properties?" asked Hasan. And they replied: "The virtue of the cap is that whoso setteth it on his head is concealed from all men's eyes, nor can any see him while it remains on his head. That of the rod is that whoso owneth it hath authority over seven tribes of the Jinn,
