Then she entered the bathroom and washed herself, and when she came out
she was dressed as a man. Now that girl had wisdom more than all her
sisters, and she was well read in the Koran.
She took her dog, whose name was Atakalo, and she entered the ship and
set sail.
She travelled day and night for three years, and there in the midst of
the ocean she taught her dog till it attained great learning.
At the end of the third year she drew near to the country of Sultan
Makami, and she ordered a salute to be fired, and the people on land
replied also with a salute.
When her vessel drew near, the Sultan's son rowed out to meet her. He
climbed on board, and there he saw a handsome Arab youth sitting on the
deck.
Binti Ali arose, and they greeted one another after the fashion of men:
"Peace be with you," "And with you peace."
She went ashore with that son of the Sultan, and they came to the
palace.
When they came to the palace he said to his father, the Sultan, "How
shall we see that this is a man and not a woman? Let us give him very
hot gruel, and if it is a woman she will not be able to drink it, and
then we will kill her."
So they ordered food to be brought, and slaves were told: "Take matting
and platters, and very big trays and cups of gold, and place them ready
for the feast."
When the food was ready they brought gruel for that foreign youth to
drink, and it was very hot.
Binti Ali took it and threw it away, saying, "Am I a woman, that you
bring me cold gruel like that?"
So they prepared fresh gruel, steaming hot, and gave it to her, and she
said, "Ah, that is more fit for a Sultan's son to drink."
So she put it beside her, and her dog Atakalo blew on it, so that it
quickly cooled, and she drank it.
Very good food was then brought, and they fed, and she returned to her
ship.
The Sultan then said, "To-morrow we must take this foreigner to my store
of jewels and ornaments, and if it be a woman we will surely see, for
she will take delight in women's jewellery."
All night long Binti Ali taught Atakalo what he should do, and in the
morning the Sultan's son came to fetch her.
He said, "My father says that I am to take you to his store and show you
his treasures."
So they went to the Sultan's treasure-house, where they showed her neck
chains and nose pendants, anklets and bracelets, women's gold rings and
ear ornaments.
She said, "Have you in this country no men's ornaments, that you should
show me nothing but women's jewellery?"
So they brought her to the next store, wherein were gold-hilted daggers
and all manner of arms, swords and pistols, guns and muskets. These she
admired, and meanwhile Atakalo went and swallowed all the gold ornaments
he could find and took them to the ship, till he had brought much wealth
aboard.
Then the Sultan's son said to his father, "Now what shall we do, so
that we may kill her if she is a woman?"
So the Sultan said, "Make him take off his turban, and then we will
surely see by the manner in which he ties it whether it is a woman or
not."