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BERBERS FOLKTALES
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THE
STOLEN WOMAN
It
is related that a man of the Onlad Draabad married his cousin, whom
he loved greatly. He possessed a single slave and some camels. Fearing
lest someone should carry off his wife on account of her beauty, he
resolved to take her to a place where no one should see her. He started,
therefore, with his slave, his camels, and his wife, and proceeded
night and day until he arrived at the shore of the great salt sea,
knowing that nobody would come there. One
day when he had gone out to see his camels and his slave, leaving
his wife alone in the tent, she saw a ship that had just then arrived.
It had been sent by a sultan of a far country, to seek in the islands
of the salt sea a more beautiful wife for him than the women of his
land. The woman in the tent, seeing that the ship would not come first
to her, went out first in front. The people said to her, "Come
on board in order to see the whole ship." She went aboard. Finding
her to be just the one for whom they were seeking, they seized her
and took her to their Sultan. On his return, the husband, not finding
his wife, realized that she had been stolen. He started to find the
son of Keij, the Christian. Between them there existed a friendship.
The son of Keij said to him: "Bring a ship and seven men, whose
guide I will be on the sea. They need not go astray nor be frightened.
The city is three or four months' journey from here." They set
sail in a ship to find the city, and were on the way the time that
he had said. Arriving
they cast their anchor near the city, which was at the top of a high
mountain. Their chief went ashore and saw a fire lighted by someone.
He went in that direction. It was an old woman, to whom he told his
story. She gave him news of his wife. They agreed to keep silence
between themselves. Then the old woman added: "In this place
there are two birds that devour people. At their side are two lions
like to them, and two men. All of these keep guard over your wife." He
bought a sheep, which he killed; then he went to the two birds and
threw them a part of it. While they were quarrelling over it he passed
by them and came near to the two lions, to which he did the same.
Approaching the two men, he found them asleep. He went as far as the
place where his wife was in prison, and attracted her attention by
scratching her foot. He was disguised and said to her, "I have
sought you to tell you something." He took her by the hand. They
both went out, and he swore that if she made the slightest noise he
would kill her. He also asked her which was the swiftest boat for
the journey. She pointed out the best boat there, and they embarked
in it. There were some stones on board, and when he threw one at a
ship it was crushed from stem to stern, and all on board perished. He
started to find the son of Keij. While they were at sea a marine monster
swallowed them and the ship on which they were sailing. The chief
took some pitch and had it boiled in a kettle. The monster cast up
the ship on the shore of the sea. They continued their journey, proceeding
by the seaside. Behold one day they came to a deserted city. They desired to take what it contained of riches, silver, and gold. All of a sudden the image of an armed man appeared to them. They could not resist or kill him at first, but finally they destroyed him and took all the riches of the houses. When they arrived near the son of Keij he said to them: "I want only the ship." So the other man took the treasures and returned home with his wife.
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