The tale is told of a woman who was carrying a casket of jewels of various sizes to a jeweller's shop. Just outside the shop she tripped, and the box fell to the ground.

the top came off the casket, and the jewels were scattered everywhere.

The jeweler's assistants ran from the shop, to prevent passers-by from taking any of the gems, and they helped to collect them.

An ostrich, which was wandering about, ran past, and, unnoticed in the excitement, swallowed the largest and the best stone.

When the woman missed this jewel, she started to lament, and in spite of looking everywhere, it could not be found.

Someone said: 'the only person who could have taken that stone was yonder dervish, sitting quitely beside the shop.'

The dervish had seen the ostrich swallow the stone, but he did not want blood to be spilt. Therefore, when he was searched, and siezed, and even beaten, he said no more than:

'I have not taken anything at all'

While he was being beaten one of his companions came up and reminded the mob to be careful of what they were doing. They siezed him too, and accused him of having probably taken the stone from the first dervish, despite his denials.

This scene was proceeding thus when there appeared a man endowed with knowledge. noticing the ostrich, he asked:

'Was that bird here at the time when the casket was dropped?'

'Yes,' said the people.

'in that case,' he answered, 'address your attentions to the ostrich.'

the owner of the ostrich was paid the value of the bird, which was then killed. In its stomach was found the missing jewel.