A parallel to the woman’s trick of shaving off the beards and blackening the faces of the robbers is found in the well-known legend, as told by Herodotus (Euterpe, 121), of the robbery of the treasure-house of Rhampsinitus king of Egypt, where the clever thief, having made the soldiers dead drunk, shaves off the right side of their beards and then decamps with his brother’s headless body.

         Theninth constable’s story.—­Vol.  XII. p. 29.

The narrow escape of the singing-girl hidden under a pile of halfah grass may be compared with an adventure of a fugitive Mexican prince whose history, as related by Prescott, is as full of romantic daring and hair’s breadth ’scapes as that of Scanderbeg or the “Young Chevader.”  This prince had just time to turn the crest of a hill as his enemies were climbing it on the other side, when he fell in with a girl who was reaping chian, a Mexican plant, the seed of which is much used in the drinks of the country.  He persuaded her to cover him with the stalks she had been cutting.  When his pursuers came up and inquired if she had seen the fugitive, the girl coolly answered that she had, and pointed out a path as the one he had taken.

       Thefifteenth constable’s story.—­Vol.  XII. p. 40.

The concluding part of this story differs very materially from that of the Greek legend of Ibycus (fl.  B.C. 540), which is thus related in a small Ms. collection of Arabian and Persian anecdotes in my possession, done into English from the French: 

It is written in the history of the first kings that in the reign of a Grecian king there lived a philosopher named Ibycus, who surpassed in sagacity all other sages of Greece.  Ibycus was once sent by the king to a neighbouring court.  On the way he was attacked by robbers who, suspecting him to have much money, formed the design of killing him “Your object in taking my life,” said Ibycus, “is to obtain my money; I give it up to you, but allow me to live.”  The robbers paid no attention to his words, and persisted in their purpose.  The wretched Ibycus, in his despair, looked about him to see if any one was coming to his as assistance, but no person was in sight.  At that very moment a flock of cranes flew overhead.  “O cranes!” cried Ibycus, “know that I have been seized in this desert by these wicked men, and I die from their blows.  Avenge me, and demand from them my blood.”  At these words the robbers burst into laughter:  “To take away life from those who have lost their reason,” they observed, “is to add nothing to their hurt.”  So saying, they killed Ibycus and divided his money.  On receipt of the news that Ibycus had been murdered, the inhabitants of the town were exasperated and felt great sorrow.  They caused strict inquiries to be made for the murderers, but they could not be found.  After some time the Greeks were celebrating a feast.  The inhabitants of the adjoining districts came in