the holes, whereupon the prophet invoked a blessing on him. Abu Bekr was also troubled by serpents and scorpions, so that tears rolled down his cheeks, and when the Lord of beings saw this, he said to him: "Be not sad, for God is with us." Upon this the Glorious One sent such patience and composure into the heart of Abu Bekr that he felt quite light and at rest, and from that time those creatures could no longer hurt him. God also caused an acacia tree to grow before the opening of that cave, and inspired a pair of wild pigeons to make a nest on that tree, and to lay eggs that very night, and He commanded a spider to spin its net across the entrance of that cave.

The Polytheists, knowing what faithful friendship existed between that prince and Abu Bekr, went to the latter's house-door to obtain information about the former. Asma, Abu Bekr's daughter, being asked where her father was, answered, "I do not know." For this answer the cursed Abu Jahl lifted up his hand and dealt her such a heavy blow in her face that her ear-ring fell upon the ground. The Polytheists, having brought a sorcerer with them, searched till they found the footsteps of the fugitives, and then, with sword or stick in hand, pursued their track to the vicinity of the cave of Thaur where they lost it. The sorcerer being puzzled, said: "Behold, they came as far as these footprints, but whither they went hence I do not know;" and on having come close to the cave, he added, "The men whom you seek have not passed beyond this cave." At that moment Abu Bekr, the true, said, "O Apostle of God, if any of them were to look down underneath their feet, they would see us." The Teacher of all beings replied, "O Abu Bekr, God is as the Third amongst those who in thy opinion are but two." When they came to the door, the pigeons, being frightened, flew from their nest, and the Polytheists, on seeing the eggs and the spider's web, gave up all hope and said, "If Mohammed had entered this cave, those eggs would have been broken and those spider-webs torn." Then the Lord of the world knew that by this means God had turned away from them the harm which those men had intended. It is reported that the pigeons, now flying about the temple of Mecca, are descendants of that pair upon which

the prophet had then invoked a blessing, and assigned the temple of Mecca for their abode, to roost there where they like. As for the infidels, they returned home utterly disappointed. Abu Jahl had caused it to be proclaimed, throughout the high and low parts of Mecca, that he would give 100 camels to any one who brought back Mohammed and Abu Bekr, or showed the place of their concealment. It is from this reason that the infidels continued their search for a long time.

'In the morning after the third night, the hired guide and the man with camels arrived at the entrance of the cave. The Prophet and Abu Bekr mounted one of the two camels and the two men the other, and then started for Medina. After having travelled for a day and a night, Abu Bekr looked round and, seeing no pursuers, he invited the Prophet to dismount and take some rest, whilst he procured a bowl of milk from some shepherd. On continuing their journey further, they reached some Bedouin tents where no food could be obtained, on account of a prevailing famine. But Mohammed, seeing a sheep which was so emaciated that it could not walk, rubbed her udder with his blessed hands, and then could milk from it enough to give drink to the inmates of the tents and his own companions, as well as to fill all the procurable vessels. The same sheep continued to give abundance of milk daily, both morning and evening, for eighteen years, till it died in Omar's Califate.

'Bokhari also narrates that the Koreish sent to the Beni Modlej to inform them that if they would either kill Mohammed and Abu Bekr, or make them prisoners, they should receive their price of blood, consisting of 100 camels each. Suraka started in pursuit of the fugitives, without letting any one know it; but when he had approached them to within two spears' distance, his horse's fore-legs, or, according to another account, four legs, suddenly sunk in the ground, so that they could not be withdrawn, till Suraka begged the Prophet to pray for him, and promised that he would desist from further pursuit. — It is likewise reported that Beride Ibn el Khasib pursued Mohammed with seventy horsemen, in the hope of earning the offered prize, but on reaching the fugitives, he, instead of making them prisoners,