Eye of Grace started out, and on the way she became very curious to see what was in the casket. She lifted the lid a very little, just to peep in, but immediately the insects were all over her from head to foot. Quickly she threw a hair in the fire. Prince Sleepy-Head at once appeared, collected all the insects again, and fastened down the lid. He gave the box back to her, and said: "Whatever my aunt told you to do you must do the exact opposite: put straw in the horse's manger, throw bones in front of the dog, and whenever you come to a doorway say: 'Peace be upon yo!' and open all the doors that are shut and shut all the doors that are open. If you don't do this you will assuredly be killed. And when you come to the hollow full of dirt and blood, say: 'If only I had time, I should like to dip my finger into that nice honey and eat some.' And every doorway that you come to, say: 'Peace be upon you!' " She went on and put straw in the manger, and threw bones to the dog, and opened the shut doors and closed the open ones, and when she saw the hollow full of dirt and blood she said: "If only I had time, I should like to dip my finger into that nice honey and eat some." And every doorway she came to she said: "Peace be upon you!" till at last she had delivered the casket to Such and Such a place and turned to come back. Then the person to whom she had delivered it cried out from behind her in a loud voice: "Open door, catch her!" But the door answered: "Why should I catch her? You opened me, but it was she who closed me again." Then the voice cried: "Shut door, catch her!" But the door said: "Why should I catch her? You shut me, but it was she who opened me again." - "Dog, catch her!" - "Why should I catch her? You gave me straw; it was she who gave me bones." - "Horse, catch her!" - "Why should I catch her? You gave me bones; it was she who put straw in my manger." Then the voice cried: "Dirt and blood, catch her!" But they answered: "Why should we catch her? You call us 'dirt and blood'; it was she who called us 'honey.'"

To cut a long story short, she got back safely at last, and when she arrived the aunt asked her: "Did you deliver the casket safely?" Mer Niga said: "Yes." Then cried the Lady Aunt: "This is not your work; it is the work of Miz Mast o Khumar, son of an evil mother!"

At last the wedding day came. On the evening of the wedding day the Lady Aunt said: "We shall fasten candles on the fingers of the slave-girl, that she may go in front and lighten the bride's path." So they fastened ten candles on to her fingers and lighted them. On the way, as she was walking in front of the bride, she kept saying: "Miz Mast o Khumar, my fingers are burning." And he replied: "Nay, Mer Niga, it is the heart in my body which is burning." At last they reached the house.

Prince Sleepy-Head privately warned Mer Niga and said: "Now, be very careful to-night and say: 'God be with you, farewell!' to every one of the things in the house, and don't forget a single one." When the very end of the night was come Miz Mast o Khumar cut off the bride's head and placed it on her breast, and carried off his Eye of Grace. And he took with him some reeds and a needle, some salt and a little sea-foam, and off they started.

Now it happened that Mer Niga had forgotten to say farewell to the one-pound weight. After they had gone a very little way, the one-pound weight began to jump about at the head of the Lady Aunt's bed, and cried: "Miz Mast o Khumar has cut off your daughter's head and has run away with Eye of Grace." Then the Lady Aunt and her husband, who were Divs, flew up in the air and pursued them.

Prince Sleepy-Head looked behind him and saw that in another moment they would be overtaken and slain, so he threw down a reed and said:

"O God, in the name of the Prophet Suleman,

Let a reed-brake spring up

So that they cannot set one foot before another!"

Immediately there sprang up a reed-brake, and the wicked aunt and her husband had the greatest difficulty in getting through it. But when Miz Mast o Khumar looked behind him again, he saw they were once more close on his heels. He threw down the needle and cried:

"O God, in the name of the Prophet Suleman,

Let a grove of needles spring up

So that they cannot set one foot before another!"

And forthwith up sprang a grove of needles. The wicked aunt and her husband had the greatest difficulty in getting over it, but when Miz Mast o Khumar looked again, he saw they were catching up once more, so he threw down the salt and cried:

"O God, in the name of the Prophet Suleman,

Let a salt-marsh spring up

So that they cannot set one foot before another!"

And forthwith there arose a salt-marsh. The unhappy pursuers only crossed it after a thousand hardships, with feet all bleeding and torn. But when Prince Sleepy-Head looked behind he saw that they were on his heels once again, and he threw down the sea-foam and cried:

"O God, in the name of the Prophet Suleman, Let a sea spring up!"

And forthwith there arose a very great sea, and in the middle of it the little piece of sea-foam floated on the top of the waves.

The wicked aunt and her husband reached the shore of the sea, and knew that they would never be able to cross it. Then the Lady Aunt began to beg and implore, saying: "Nephew, nephew, how did you get across this sea? Please show us so that we may come too." And he answered: "Both of us at once put our feet on that rock that you see in the middle of the sea, and thus we crossed over. Put your feet on the rock together, both of you, and cross too." They did as he told them, but as soon as their feet touched what they thought was a rock, they sank down and were both drowned.

Then Prince Sleepy-Head and Eye of Grace came back in safety to their own country, and they decorated and illuminated seven cities, and celebrated their marriage.

And now my story has come to an end, but the sparrow never got home.