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186 35 The Sultan’s Wife 131 Somali (Somalia)132 There was a sultan who had a son. His son said, “I want to marry.” So the sultan gave him many presents and also a ship. The sultan’s son set sail and came to a town. When he arrived at the town, he became friends with a sultan, and the sultan gave him a house. The young man made a hole between the house he was in and the sultan’s house, and he became friends with the sultan’s wife. One day, the young man said to the sultan’s wife, “Make some food for me just as you are accustomed to make it for your husband.” Then he went to the sultan and said, “Tonight, will you take food with me?” The sultan said, “Well and good.” The young man said to the sultan’s wife, “Tonight, when I and the sultan are having our food, I want you to serve us the food.” The woman said, “The sultan will know me.” He said, “He will not know you. I will say you are my wife.” She said, “If he does not know me, I will go with you and be your wife.” At night, the sultan came home and dressed himself, then went to the young man’s house. And his wife passed through the hole in the house and came to the young man’s house. Then she served the food to the sultan and the young man. The sultan recognized his wife and got off his chair and went to his house. Before he reached his house, the woman passed through the hole and sat on her bed. And the sultan saw her. When he saw her, he straightway came back to the house of the young man, while the woman came through the hole, and still he saw her. The young man who was dining with him said to the sultan, “Did you think this woman who is serving our food was your wife? The woman is my wife,” he said. And the sultan sat down. The next morning, the young man said, “I am sailing.” “Very good,” the sultan answered. And the young man arranged matters with the sultan’s wife, saying, “In the morning, come through that hole; I am sailing.” So the woman came through and came to the young man, and he took her to the ship and sailed. And the young man, having run away with the sultan’s wife, married her. Somali (Somalia) 187 ...

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