and the Fairy | | ®& 109

added’ he, ‘I cannot imagine that there is or can be such a man
in the world: either he has a mind to try whether I am silly
enough to go and seek him; or if there is such a man, he seeks my
ruin. How can he suppose that I should get hold of a.man so ~
small, armed as he describes? What arms could I make use of
to reduce him to submission ?’

‘Do not affright yourself, prince,’ replied the fairy; ‘you ran a
risk in fetching the water of the fountain of lions for your father; but
there is no danger jin finding this man. It is my brother, Schaibar,
who is so far from being like me, though we both had the same
-father, that. he is of so violent a nature that nothing can prevent
his giving gory marks of his resentment for a slight offence ; yet, on
the other hand, he is so good as to oblige any one in whatever
they desire. He is made exactly as the sultan your father has
described him; and he has no other arms than a bar of iron five
hundred pounds in weight, without which he never stirs, and which
makes him. respected.~ I will send for him, and. you shall judge of
the truth of what I tell you; and prepare not to Ce ‘frightened
when you see him,’

‘What! my queen, ’ replied Prince Ahmed, ‘do you say Schaibar
is your brother? Let him be ever so.ugly or deformed, I shall love
and honour him, and consider him as my nearest relation.’

The fairy ordered a gold chafing-dish to be set with a fire in
it under the porch of her palace, with a box of the same metal.
Taking some incense out of this, and throwing it into the’ fire,
there arose a thick cloud of smoke. -

Some moments after, the fairy said to Prince Ahmed, ‘ Prince,
here comes my brother; do you see him?’

The prince immediately perceived Schaibar, who was but a foot
arid a half high, coming gravely with his heavy bar on his shoulder ;

_ his beard, thirty feet long; supported itself before him, and a pair
of thick moustaches were tucked up to his: ears, almost covering