Budge_Ethiopic_Alexander

ALEXANDER AND THE TALKING BIRD. 273
ring going round about the whole chamber, and
behold, he found also a bird' which was like unto
a bird of prey, and which used to take hold of
the ring [of iron] with his beak. y\.nd it came to
pass that when the bird heard the sound of the
Two-horned, he said, "Who is he that hath dared
"us, and hath come into our place.'"' And the
Two-horned said unto him, "It is 1". And the bird
said unto him, "Hath not the great and glorious
"God holpen thee? And is it not He Who hath
"given thee [the earth] from the east even unto
"the west, until at length thou hast journeyed and
"hast come hither to us?" The Two-horned said Alexander
unto him, "Praise be unto God Almighty the Great.""th"Te
"Who can be satisfied with the marvellous things '''''^
"of God? But who art thou, O bird, for I see
"that thou art fettered by thy beak and that thou
"hangest from inside this ring? And who art thou,
"and what hast thou been? for in all my journey-
"ings I have never seen anything like thee, nor
"anything which resembled thee." The bird said
unto him, "[O] Two-horned, put this [questioning]
"away from thee, and enquire no further concern-
"ing me, for what God Almighty pleaseth [to
"reveal] to thee He will not reveal by another.
"But I would ask of thee a question, and would
"that thou didst tell me its answer." And the
Two-horned said unto him, "Say whatsoever thou
"wishest to say." The bird said unto him, "Are
' Compare Pseudo-Callisthenes, Bk. iii. chap. iS.
MM