have done to you to deserve death?"

"I shall kill you," repeated the genius, "as you have killed my son."

"But," said the merchant, "how can I have killed your son?
I do not know him, and I have never even seen him."

"When you arrived here did you not sit down on the ground?"
asked the genius, "and did you not take some dates from your wallet,
and whilst eating them did not you throw the stones about?"

"Yes," said the merchant, "I certainly did so."

"Then," said the genius, "I tell you you have killed my son,
for whilst you were throwing about the stones, my son passed by,
and one of them struck him in the eye and killed him. So I shall
kill you."

"Ah, sir, forgive me!" cried the merchant.

"I will have no mercy on you," answered the genius.

"But I killed your son quite unintentionally, so I implore you
to spare my life."

"No," said the genius, "I shall kill you as you killed my son,"
and so saying, he seized the merchant by the arm, threw him on
the ground, and lifted his sabre to cut off his head.

The merchant, protesting his innocence, bewailed his wife