said Mohammed . ' I had to obey orders ! ' ` Well , I must see to her burial ! ' said the man ; and the next morning Mohammed drove out the sheep as usual , thinking to himself , ` Thank goodness I 've got rid of the old woman ! Now for the boys ! ' All day long he looked after the sheep , and towards evening he began to dig some little holes in the ground , out of which he took six scorpions . These he put in his pockets , together with one bird which he caught . After this he drove his flock home . When he approached the house the boys came out to meet him as before , saying : ` Give me my bird ! ' and he put a scorpion into the hand of each , and it stung him , and he died . But to the youngest only he gave a bird . As soon as he saw the boys lying dead on the ground , Mohammed lifted up his voice and cried loudly : ` Help , help ! the children are dead ! ' And the people came running fast , saying : ` What has happened ? How have they died ? ' And Mohammed answered : ` It was your own fault ! The boys had been accustomed to birds , and in this bitter cold their fingers grew stiff , and could hold nothing , so that the birds flew away , and their spirits flew with them . Only the youngest , who managed to keep tight hold of his bird , is still alive . ' And the father groaned , and said , ' I have borne enough ! Bring no more birds , lest I lose the youngest also ! '
` All right , ' said XXXXX .
Mohammed day evening goodness ground orders people scorpion scorpions spirits