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repenting and tried to climb up the tree and fell down.The bird mocked and said," You have not profited by anyof the three. I am free, why do you repent? I am so smallthat it is impossible that I should have in me such a hugepearl. And though warned not to mount where it is impos-sible, you tried and fell down.

8. Story of Alexander and the women, etc. See aboveNo. 5a.

9. Story of Joab in Kinsari. See above No. 304.

391. 10. Rich man sent his son far away to trade. In hisabsence, the old man died and left all his property in thehands of a slave. When the son returned, the slave claimedto be the son. Brought before the judge, the judge said," The plaintiff is a slave to the son and therefore all theproperty goes to the son." This was the real intention ofthe testator, who feared otherwise the property would havebeen plundered.

They brought the case before king David; the slavebrought witnesses and King David dismissed the son, be-lieving the other to be the right son. The real son cried.Solomon was allowed to decide. He asked the slave to bringa bone from the dead man's body and told each of themto fill a basin with their blood and dip the bone into it.The bone remained unchanged in the blood of the slave butsucked in and became red with the blood of the son. ThusSolomon proved to the assembly that it was of the sameblood. Slave then ordered to return the property.

392. 11. Ashmedai wished to confuse Solomon's wisdom,so he brought up from the netherworld a man with twoheads. Solomon was surprised and so was Benaya, whowould not believe it. Asked by Solomon, the man saidthat he was of the descendants of Cain. Sun and moonshine upon their land called Tebel; they sow and reap andhave animals. Sun rises in the west and sets in the east.When he wished to be returned Ashmedai declined, sayingit was impossible. The two headed man married, got veryrich and left seven sons, one of them with two heads, who