"The time-honored story of Solomon's carpet on which he mounted and was
wafted away to any place, with his retinue, had a good deal of foundation
in fact; for Solomon was an exceedingly ingenious man, and not only
constructed parachutes by which people could safely descend from great
heights, but he made some attempts in the direction of ballooning.
I have seen small bags of thin silk, covered with a fine varnish made of
gum to render them air-tight, which, being inflated with hot air and
properly ballasted, rose high above the earth, and were wafted out of
sight by the wind. Many people supposed that in the course of time
Solomon would be able to travel through the air, and from this idea was
derived the tradition that he really did so.

"Another of the interesting legends regarding King Solomon concerned his
dominion over the Jinns. These people, of whom so much has been written
and handed down by word of mouth, and who were supposed by subsequent
generations to be a race of servile demons, were, in reality, savage
natives of surrounding countries, who were forced by the king to work on
his great buildings and other enterprises, and who occupied very much the
position of the coolies of the present day. But that story of the dead
Solomon and the Jinns who were at work on the temple gives a good idea of
one of the most important characteristics of this great ruler. He was a
man who gave personal attention to all his affairs, and was in the habit
of overseeing the laborers on his public works. Do you remember the story
to which I refer?"

I was obliged to say that I did not think I had ever heard it.

"The story runs thus," said my host: "The Jinns were at work building
the temple, and Solomon, according to his custom, overlooked them daily.