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Others say, that Sarah and Hagar were both pregnant together. The two boys grew up, and once, on a certain day, they were throwing stones at each other; and Abraham caused Ismaël to sit upon his lap, placing Isaac by his side. This Sarah seeing, was enraged, and said, "Thou shalt not put my son in the rank of the concubines." Afterwards, Ismaël and Isaac fighting one day together as boys do, Sarah was enraged, and said unto Hagar, Thou shalt not dwell with me in the same land for ever. She commanded Abraham to remove her and Ismaël; to which, having received God's consent in revelation, he agreed. Abraham went with them unto a spot whose frontiers are guarded by the proud Amalekítes. He leaned upon a stony place, and caused them to alight, and commanded Hagar to place a seat thereon; which she did. Then Abraham prayed: -O Lord! I take up, as a resting-place for my offspring, a valley never sown, hard by thy Venerable House of Marvels (or signs). Some say that Ismaël was a suckling at this time; some deny it. Then did Abraham place them (some say) beneath a great tree. They had with them nothing but an old skin of water. At that time there was no one in Mecca, and no water there. He also placed with Hagar a vessel containing

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dates. Then he returned, and Hagar called loudly after Abraham, O Abraham! whither fleest thou? Wilt thou leave us in this place, wherein there is no man? This she said unto him many times; but he turned not round his head towards her. Then she said, God hath commanded thee to do this. He said, Yes. Then she said, God therefore will not permit us to perish: I am content. I am content. Then she returned, and Abraham proceeded until he came to a declivity where no one could see him. Then he prayed the prayer just quoted, turning himself towards the spot where Mecca afterwards stood, as his Kiblah. Hagar, however, went back, and continued to suckle her little boy, and to drink the water, until the skin was exhausted. Then she began to thirst, and he began to thirst. Seeing him struggling for thirst, she could not bear it. She went up, therefore, unto a neighbouring hillock, to see whether any one was near whom she might call to her succour. Here she leaned upon the stony and flinty place, called Marwat. She did this several times, going round and round. At last she thought she would look at him, how he did. Then she heard a voice; and she then cried out, Help, if you can! Then, lo! she beheld Gabriel strike with his heel, and the water

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flowed from the earth, and voices sang around Ismaël. Hagar was astonished, and, going up, found Ismaël sucking up with his hand the water which gushed from a fountain flowing beneath his hand. She began to stop up the stream, in order to fill her vessel, to preserve some for Ismaël, and also to widen the mouth, and dig into it. Had she not done so, assuredly the fountain Zemzem would have flowed bright and clear. The angel then said unto her, Fear not destruction. Here is the place wherein thy son shall build a temple unto God. Never shall God destroy his family. Here shall the temple rise above the earth, like a lofty hill, strong as mighty torrents, extending on the right and the left..

Here, then, Hagar remained, drinking and suckling her son; but some genii passing, or, as some say, a company with camels passing by, saw some birds hovering and flying about in the low hollow of the valley of Mecca. Then they said, Surely these birds must be flying over water; yet we never met with water here before. So they sent to examine, and found Hagar and Ismaël by the water. They returned, and told the story: upon which the company went and met with Hagar by the water-side. They said, Suffer us to dwell with thee. She replied, Yes; but you shall have no right in the water. They replied, Very well.

Ismaël, however, neglected this, and, loving the men, dwelt with them; and, sending for their families, they dwelt also there; so that houses were built. The youth also grew up, and learned Arabic, and filled them with admiration. At á proper age, he married one of their females.

After this Hagar died, and Abraham came to offer his blessing. Not finding Ismaël, he asked where he was; and his wife said, He is gone to seek us some game. Abraham then asked of their welfare and their comforts. Then she said, We endure great straits, and suffer under poverty. Abraham doubted her, and said, When Ismaël comes home, salute him from me, and tell him "to change the threshold of his door." When Ismaël returned, and asked if any one had been there, his wife said, An old man, of such and such an appearance, came; who asked me about our way of living; when I told him we lived in great struggles and straits. Then said Ismaël, Did he give you any command? Yes, said the wife, he told me to salute thee on his part, and to say that thou must change the threshold of thy gate. Then said Ismaël, That is my father. I shall dissolve all connexion with thee and thy family. So he divorced her, and married another. Abraham in like manner came unto her in Ismaël's absence, and asked about their welfare. She replied, We

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live in great comfort and abundance; which blessing I impute to God. So said Abraham, What is your food? She said, Meat. And what your drink? Water. Then he said, O God! bless their meat and water! Then he said, When thy husband returns, salute him from me, and tell him to stand firmly by the threshold of his gate. When, therefore, Ismaël came back, he said, Hath any one come unto thee? Yes, the wife said; a Shaikh of beautiful appearance came; and so told him what had happened. He replied, That was my father; and thou art the threshold I am commanded to keep and hold fast.

After some delay, Abraham came whilst Ismaël was sharpening his arrows under a large tree near Zemzem. When he saw Abraham, he rose up, and they both did what sons and fathers do. Then he said, O Ismaël! God hath commanded me, and I will do it. Make me, then, thine eye, and I will make thee my eye (follow my directions, and I will make thee my deputy); for God Almighty hath commanded me to build a temple here. Then he pointed to Mecca, which was a rising ground. Hereupon the corner-stones were placed, and the foundations were laid. Ismaël collected all the stones, and handed them up to Abraham; and Abraham built. Also, they said,

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