“I will not go with thee, but if thou art hungry, I will give thee food.”

“Thou’lt come with me or I will kill thee!”

She goes with him.  He finds his camel, unfastens him, dons his ordinary clothing, takes his wife upon the camel’s back with him, and departs.  The day dawns.  She says: 

“O thou who art the son of my paternal uncle, I am thirsty.”  Now she planned a treachery.

He said to her:  “Is there any water here?”

“The day the Targui took me off we found some in that pass.”  They arrived at the well.

“Go down into the well,” said the Soufi.

“I’m only a woman.  I’m afraid.  Go down thyself.”  He goes down.  He draws the water.  She drinks.  He draws more water for the camel, which is drinking, when she pours the water on the ground.

“Why dost thou turn out the water?”

“I did not turn it out; thy camel drank it.”  And nevertheless she casts her glances and sees a dust in the distance.  The Targui is coming.  The woman says: 

“Now I have trapped him for thee.”

“Brava!” he cries, and addressing the Soufi:  “Draw me some water that I may drink.”  He draws the water, and the Targui drinks.  The woman says to him:  “Kill him in the well.  He is a good shot.  Thou art not stronger than he is.”

“No,” he answered, “I do not want to soil a well of the tribes.  I’ll make him come up.”  The Soufi comes up till his shoulders appear.  They seize him, hoist and bind him, and tie his feet together.  Then they seize and kill his camel.

“Bring wood,” says the Targui to the woman; “we’ll roast some meat.”  She brings him some wood.  He cooked the meat and ate it, while she roasted pieces of fat till they dripped upon her cousin.

“Don’t do that,” says the Targui.

She says, “He drew his sword on me, crying, ’Come with me or I will kill thee.’”

“In that case do as you like.”  She dropped the grease upon his breast, face, and neck until his skin was burnt.  While she was doing this, the Targui felt sleep coming upon him, and said to the woman, “Watch over him, lest he should slip out of our hands.”

While he slept the Soufi speaks:  “Word of goodness, O excellent woman, bend over me that I may kiss thy mouth or else thy cheek.”  She says:  “God make thy tent empty.  Thou’lt die soon, and thou thinkest of kisses?”

“Truly I am going to die, and I die for thee.  I love thee more than the whole world.  Let me kiss thee once.  I’ll have a moment of joy, and then I’ll die.”  She bends over him, and he kisses her.

She says, “What dost thou want?”

“That thou shalt untie me.”  She unties him.  He says to her:  “Keep silent.  Do not speak a word.”  Then he unfastens the shackles that bind his feet, puts on his cloak, takes his gun, draws out the old charge and loads it anew, examines the flint-lock and sees that it works well.  Then he says to the woman, “Lift up the Targui.”  The latter awakes.