Soon after his marriage Prince Camaralzaman dreamt one night that
he saw his father Schahzaman on his death-bed, and heard him speak
thus to his attendants: 'My son, my son, whom I so tenderly loved,
has abandoned me.' He awoke with a great sigh, which aroused the
princess, who asked him the cause of it. Next morning the princess
went to her own father, and finding him alone kissed his hand and
thus addressed herself to him: 'Sir, I have a favour to beg of your
majesty; it is that you will give me leave to go with the prince my
husband to see King Schahzaman, my father-in-law.'
'Daughter,' replied the king, 'though I shall be very sorry to part
with you for so long a time, your resolution is worthy of you: go,
child, I give you leave, but on condition that you stay no longer
than a year in King Schahzaman's court.'
The princess communicated the King of China's consent to Prince
Camaralzaman, who was transported with joy to hear it.
The King of China gave orders for preparations to be made for the
journey; and when all things were ready, he accompanied the prince
and princess several days' journey on their way. They parted at
length with great weeping on all sides: the king embraced them, and
having desired the prince to be kind to his daughter, and to love
her always, he left them to proceed on their journey, and, to
divert his thoughts, hunted all the way home.
Prince Camaralzaman and the Princess Badoura travelled for about a
month, and at last came to a meadow of great extent, planted with
tall trees, forming an agreeable shade. The day being unusually
hot, Camaralzaman thought it best to encamp there. They alighted in
one of the finest spots, and the prince ordered his servants to
pitch their tents, and went himself to give directions. The
princess, weary with the fatigue of the journey, bade her women
untie her girdle, which they laid down by her, and when she fell
asleep, her attendants left her by herself.
Prince Camaralzaman having seen all things in order came to the
tent where the princess was sleeping; he entered, and sat down
without making any noise, intending to take a nap himself; but
observing the princess's girdle lying by her, he took it up, and
looked at the diamonds and rubies one by one. In doing this, he saw
a little purse hanging to it, sewed neatly on to the stuff, and
tied fast with a ribbon; he felt it, and found there was something
solid inside it. Desirous to know what it was, he opened the purse,
and took out a cornelian, engraven with unknown figures and
characters. 'This cornelian,' said the prince to himself, 'must be
something very valuable, or my princess would not carry it with so
much care.' It was Badoura's talisman, which the Queen of China had
given her daughter as a charm, to keep her, as she said, from any
harm as long as she had it about her.
The prince, the better to look at the talisman, took it out to the
light, the tent being dark; and while he was holding it up in his
hand, a bird darted down from the air and snatched it away from
him.
Imagine the concern and grief of Prince Camaralzaman when he saw
the bird fly away with the talisman. He was more troubled at it
than words can express, and cursed his unseasonable curiosity, by
which his dear princess had lost a treasure that was so precious
and so much valued by her.
The bird having got her prize settled on the ground not far off,
with the talisman in her mouth. The prince drew near, in hopes she
would drop it; but, as he approached, the bird took wing, and
settled again on the ground further off. Camaralzaman followed, and
the bird, having swallowed the talisman, took a further flight: the
prince still followed; the further she flew, the more eager he grew
in pursuing her. Thus the bird drew him along from hill to valley,
and valley to hill all day, every step leading him further away
from the field where he had left his camp and the Princess Badoura;
and instead of perching at night on a bush where he might probably
have taken her, she roosted on a high tree, safe from pursuit. The
prince, vexed to the heart for taking so much pains to no purpose,
thought of returning to the camp; 'but,' said he to himself, 'which
way shall I return? Shall I go down the hills and valleys which I
passed over? Shall I wander in darkness? and will my strength bear
me out? How dare I appear before my princess without her talisman?'
Overwhelmed with such thoughts, and tired with the pursuit, he lay
down under a tree, where he passed the night.
He awoke the next morning before the bird had left the tree, and,
as soon as he saw her on the wing, followed her again that whole
day, with no better success, eating nothing but herbs and fruits
all the way. He did the same for ten days together, pursuing the
bird, and keeping his eye upon her from morning to night, always
lying under the tree where she roosted. On the eleventh day the
bird continued flying, and came near a great city. When the bird
came to the walls, she flew over them and the prince saw no more of
her; so he despaired of ever recovering the Princess Badoura's
talisman.
Camaralzaman, whose grief was beyond expression, went into the
city, which was built by the seaside, and had a fine port; he
walked up and down the streets without knowing where he was, or
where to stop. At last he came to the port, in as great uncertainty
as ever what he should do. Walking along the river-side, he
perceived the gate of a garden open, and an old gardener at work.
The good man looked up and saw that he was a stranger and a
Mussulman, so he asked him to come in, and to shut the door after
him.
Camaralzaman entered, and, as the gardener bade him shut the door,
demanded of the gardener why he was so cautious.
'Because,' replied the old man, 'I see you are a stranger newly
arrived, and a Mussulman, and this city is inhabited for the most
part by idolaters, who have a mortal aversion to us Mussulmans, and
treat those few of us that are here with great barbarity. I suppose
you did not know this, and it is a miracle that you have escaped as
you have thus far, these idolaters being very apt to fall upon the
Mussulmans that are strangers, or to draw them into a snare, unless
those strangers know how to beware of them.'
Camaralzaman thanked the honest gardener for his advice, and the
safety he offered him in his house: he would have said more, but
the good man interrupted him, saying, 'You are weary, and must want
to refresh yourself. Come in and rest.' He conducted him into his
little hut, and after the prince had eaten heartily of what he set
before him, he requested him to relate how he came there.
Camaralzaman complied with his request, and when he had ended his
story, he asked him which was the nearest way to the king his
father's territories; 'for it is in vain,' said he, 'for me to
think of finding my princess where I left her, after wandering
eleven days from the spot. Ah!' continued he, 'how do I know she is
alive?' and so saying, he burst into tears.
The gardener replied that there was no possibility of his going
thither by land, the roads were so difficult and the journey so
long; besides, he must necessarily pass through the countries of so
many barbarous nations that he would never reach his father's. It
was a year's journey from the city where he was to any country
inhabited only by Mussulmans; the quickest passage for him would be
to go to the Isle of Ebony, whence he might easily transport
himself to the Isles of the Children of Khaledan: a ship sailed
from the port every year to Ebony, and he might take that
opportunity of returning to those islands. 'The ship departed,'
said the gardener, 'but a few days ago: if you had come a little
sooner you might have taken your passage in it. If you will wait
the year round until it makes the voyage again, and will stay with
me in my house, such as it is, you will be as welcome to it as to
your own.'
Prince Camaralzaman was glad he had met with such a place of
refuge, in a place where he had no acquaintances. He accepted the
offer, and lived with the gardener till the time came that the ship
was to sail to the Isle of Ebony. He spent his time in working all
day in the garden, and all night in sighs, tears and complaints,
thinking of his dear Princess Badoura.
We must leave him in this place, to return to the princess, whom we
left asleep in her tent.
The princess slept a long time, and, when she awoke, wondered that
Prince Camaralzaman was not with her; she called her women, and
asked them if they knew where he was. They told her they saw him
enter the tent, but did not see him go out again. While they were
talking to her, she took up her girdle, found the little purse
open, and the talisman gone. She did not doubt but that
Camaralzaman had taken it to see what it was, and that he would
bring it back with him. She waited for him impatiently till night,
and could not imagine what made him stay away from her so long.
When it was quite dark, and she could hear no news of him, she fell
into violent grief; she cursed the talisman, and the man that made
it. She could not imagine how her talisman should have caused the
prince's separation from her: she did not however lose her
judgment, and came to a courageous decision as to what she should
do.
She only and her women knew of the prince's being gone; for his men
were asleep in their tents. The princess, fearing they would betray
her if they had any knowledge of it, moderated her grief, and
forbade her women to say or do anything that might create the least
suspicion. She then laid aside her robe, and put on one of Prince
Camaralzaman's, being so like him that next day, when she came out,
his men took her for him.
She commanded them to pack up their baggage and begin their march;
and when all things were ready, she ordered one of her women to go
into her litter, she herself mounting on horseback, and riding by
her side.
They travelled for several months by land and sea; the princess
continuing, the journey under the name of Camaralzaman. They took
the Isle of Ebony on their way to the Isles of the Children of
Khaledan. They went to the capital of the Isle of Ebony, where a
king reigned whose name was Armanos. The persons who first landed
gave out that the ship carried Prince Camaralzaman, who was
returning from a long voyage and was driven in there by a storm,
and the news of his arrival was presently carried to the court.
King Armanos, accompanied by most of his courtiers, went
immediately to meet the prince, and met the princess just as she
was landing, and going to the lodging that had been taken for her.
He received her as the son of a king who was his friend, and
conducted her to the palace, where an apartment was prepared for
her and all her attendants, though she would fain have excused
herself, and have lodged in a private house. He showed her all
possible honour, and entertained her for three days with
extraordinary magnificence. At the end of this time, King Armanos,
understanding that the princess, whom he still took for Prince
Camaralzaman, talked of going on board again to proceed on her
voyage, charmed with the air and qualities of such an accomplished
prince as he took her to be, seized an opportunity when she was
alone, and spoke to her in this manner: 'You see, prince, that I am
old, and cannot hope to live long; and, to my great mortification,
I have not a son to whom I may leave my crown. Heaven has only
blest me with one daughter, the Princess Haiatalnefous whose beauty
cannot be better matched than with a prince of your rank and
accomplishments. Instead of going home, stay and marry her from my
hand, with my crown, which I resign in your favour. It is time for
me to rest, and nothing could be a greater pleasure to me in my
retirement than to see my people ruled by so worthy a successor to
my throne.'
The King of the Isle of Ebony's generous offer to bestow his only
daughter in marriage, and with her his kingdom, on the Princess
Badoura, put her into unexpected perplexity. She thought it would
not become a princess of her rank to undeceive the king, and to own
that she was not Prince Camaralzaman, but his wife, when she had
assured him that she was he himself, whose part she had hitherto
acted so well. She was also afraid refuse the honour he offered
her, lest, as he was much bent upon the marriage, his kindness
might turn to aversion and hatred, and he might attempt something
even against her life. Besides, she was not sure whether she might
not find Prince Camaralzaman in the court of King Schahzaman his
father.
These considerations, added to the prospect of obtaining a kingdom
for the prince her husband, in case she found him again, determined
her to accept the proposal of King Armanos, and marry his daughter;
so after having stood silent for some minutes, she with blushes,
which the king took for a sign of modesty, answered, 'Sir, I am
infinitely obliged to your majesty for your good opinion of me, for
the honour you do me, and the great favour you offer me, which I
cannot pretend to merit, and dare not refuse.
'But, sir,' continued she, 'I cannot accept this great alliance on
any other condition than that your majesty will assist me with your
counsel, and that I do nothing without first having your
approbation.'
The marriage treaty being thus concluded and agreed on, the
ceremony was put off till next day. In the mean time Princess
Badoura gave notice to her officers, who still took her for Prince
Camaralzaman, of what she was going to do so that they might not be
surprised at it, assuring them that the Princess Badoura consented.
She talked also to her women, and charged them to continue to keep
the secret.
The King of the Isle of Ebony, rejoicing that he had got a son-in-
law so much to his satisfaction, next morning summoned his council,
and acquainted them with his design of marrying his daughter to
Prince Camaralzaman, whom he introduced to them; and having made
him sit down by his side, told them he resigned the crown to the
prince, and required them to acknowledge him for king, and swear
fealty to him. Having said this, he descended from his throne, and
the Princess Badoura, by his order, ascended it. As soon as the
council broke up, the new king was proclaimed through the city,
rejoicings were appointed for several days, and couriers despatched
all over the kingdom to see the same ceremonies observed with the
same demonstrations of joy.
As soon as they were alone, the Princess Badoura told the Princess
Haiatalnefous the secret, and begged her to keep it, which she
promised faithfully to do.
'Princess,' said Haiatalnefous, 'your fortune is indeed strange,
that a marriage, so happy as yours was, should be shortened by so
unaccountable an accident. Pray heaven you may meet with your
husband again soon, and be sure that I will religiously keep the
secret committed to me. It will be to me the greatest pleasure in
the world to be the only person in the great kingdom of the Isle of
Ebony who knows what and who you are, while you go on governing the
people as happily as you have begun. I only ask of you at present
to be your friend.' Then the two princesses tenderly embraced each
other, and after a thousand expressions of mutual friendship lay
down to rest.
While these things were taking place in the court of the Isle of
Ebony, Prince Camaralzaman stayed in the city of idolaters with the
gardener, who had offered him his house till the ship sailed.
One morning when the prince was up early, and, as he used to do,
was preparing to work in the garden, the gardener prevented him,
saying, 'This day is a great festival among the idolaters, and
because they abstain from all work themselves, so as to spend the
time in their assemblies and public rejoicings, they will not let
the Mussulmans work. Their shows are worth seeing. You will have
nothing to do to-day: I leave you here. As the time approaches in
which the ship is accustomed to sail for the Isle of Ebony, I will
go and see some of my friends, and secure you a passage in it.' The
gardener put on his best clothes, and went out.
When Prince Camaralzaman was alone, instead of going out to take
part in the public joy of the city, the solitude he was in brought
to his mind, with more than usual violence, the loss of his dear
princess. He walked up and down the garden sighing and groaning,
till the noise which two birds made on a neighbouring tree tempted
him to lift up his head, and stop to see what was the matter.
Camaralzaman was surprised to behold a furious battle between these
two birds, fighting one another with their beaks. In a very little
while one of them fell down dead at the foot of a tree; the bird
that was victorious took wing again, and flew away.
In an instant, two other large birds, that had seen the fight at a
distance, came from the other side of the garden, and pitched on
the ground one at the feet and the other at the head of the dead
bird: they looked at it some time, shaking their heads in token of
grief; after which they dug a grave with their talons, and buried
it.
When they had filled up the grave with the earth they flew away,
and returned in a few minutes, bringing with them the bird that had
committed the murder, the one holding one of its wings in its beak,
and the other one of its legs; the criminal all the while crying
out in a doleful manner, and struggling to escape. They carried it
to the grave of the bird which it had lately sacrificed to its
rage, and there sacrificed it in just revenge for the murder it had
committed. They killed the murderer with their beaks. They then
opened it, tore out the entrails, left the body on the spot
unburied, and flew away.
Camaralzaman remained in great astonishment all the time that he
stood beholding this sight. He drew near the tree, and casting his
eyes on the scattered entrails of the bird that was last killed, he
spied something red hanging out of its body. He took it up, and
found it was his beloved Princess Badoura's talisman, which had
cost him so much pain and sorrow and so many sighs since the bird
snatched it out of his hand. 'Ah, cruel monster!' said he to
himself, still looking at the bird, 'thou tookest delight in doing
mischief, so I have the less reason to complain of that which thou
didst to me: but the greater it was, the more do I wish well to
those that revenged my quarrel on thee, in punishing thee for the
murder of one of their own kind.'
It is impossible to express Prince Camaralzaman's joy: 'Dear
princess,' continued he to himself, 'this happy minute, which
restores to me a treasure so precious to thee, is without doubt a
presage of our meeting again, perhaps even sooner than I think.'
So saying, he kissed the talisman, wrapped it up in a ribbon, and
tied it carefully about his arm. Till now he had been almost every
night a stranger to rest, his trouble always keeping him awake, but
the next night he slept soundly: he rose somewhat later the next
morning than he was accustomed to do, put on his working clothes,
and went to the gardener for orders. The good man bade him root up
an old tree which bore no fruit.
Camaralzaman took an axe, and began his work. In cutting off a
branch of the root, he found that his axe struck against something
that resisted the blow and made a great noise. He removed the
earth, and discovered a broad plate of brass, under which was a
staircase of ten steps. He went down, and at the bottom saw a
cavity about six yards square, with fifty brass urns placed in
order around it, each with a cover over it. He opened them all, one
after another, and there was not one of them which was not full of
gold-dust. He came out of the cave, rejoicing that he had found
such a vast treasure: he put the brass plate over the staircase,
and rooted up the tree against the gardener's return.
The gardener had learned the day before that the ship which was
bound for the Isle of Ebony would sail in a few days, but the exact
time was not yet fixed. His friend promised to let him know the
day, if he called upon him on the morrow; and while Camaralzaman
was rooting up the tree, he went to get his answer. He returned
with a joyful countenance, by which the prince guessed that he
brought him good news. 'Son,' said the old man (so he always called
him, on account of the difference of age between him and the
prince), 'be joyful, and prepare to embark in three days, for the
ship will then certainly set sail: I have arranged with the captain
for your passage.'
'In my present situation,' replied Camaralzaman, 'you could not
bring me more agreeable news; and in return, I have also tidings
that will be as welcome to you; come along with me, and you shall
see what good fortune heaven has in store for you.'
The prince led the gardener to the place where he had rooted up the
tree, made him go down into the cave, and when he was there showed
him what a treasure he had discovered, and thanked Providence for
rewarding his virtue, and the labour he had done for so many years.
'What do you mean?' replied the gardener: 'do you imagine I will
take these riches as mine? They are yours: I have no right to them.
For fourscore years, since my father's death, I have done nothing
but dig in this garden, and could not discover this treasure, which
is a sign that it was destined for you, since you have been
permitted to find it. It suits a prince like you, rather than me: I
have one foot in the grave, and am in no want of anything.
Providence has bestowed it upon you, just when you are returning to
that country which will one day be your own, where you will make a
good use of it.'
Prince Camaralzaman would not be outdone in generosity by the
gardener. They had a long dispute about it. At last the prince
solemnly protested that he would have none of it, unless the
gardener would divide it with him and take half. The good man, to
please the prince, consented; so they parted it between them, and
each had twenty-five urns.
Having thus divided it, 'Son,' said the gardener to the prince, 'it
is not enough that you have got this treasure; we must now contrive
how to carry it so privately on board the ship that nobody may know
anything of the matter, otherwise you will run the risk of losing
it. There are no olives in the Isle of Ebony, and those that are
exported hence are wanted there; you know I have plenty of them;
take what you will; fill fifty pots, half with the gold dust, and
half with olives, and I will get them carried to the ship when you
embark.'
Camaralzaman followed this good advice, and spent the rest of the
day in packing up the gold and the olives in the fifty pots, and
fearing lest the talisman, which he wore on his arm, might be lost
again, he carefully put it into one of the pots, marking it with a
particular mark, to distinguish it from the rest. When they were
all ready to be shipped, the prince retired with the gardener, and
talking together, he related to him the battle of the birds, and
how he had found the Princess Badoura's talisman again. The
gardener was equally surprised and joyful to hear it for his sake.
Whether the old man was quite worn out with age, or had exhausted
himself too much that day, he had a very bad night; he grew worse
the next day, and on the third day, when the prince was to embark,
was so ill that it was plain he was near his end. As soon as day
broke, the captain of the ship came in person with several seamen
to the gardener's; they knocked at the garden-door, and
Camaralzaman opened it to them. They asked him where the passenger
was that was to go with him. The prince answered, 'I am he; the
gardener who arranged with you for my passage is ill, and cannot be
spoken with: come in, and let your men carry those pots of olives
and my baggage aboard. I will only take leave of the gardener, and
follow you.'
The seamen took up the pots and the baggage, and the captain bade
the prince make haste, for the wind being fair they were waiting
for nothing but him.
When the captain and his men were gone, Camaralzaman went to the
gardener, to take leave of him, and thank him for all his good
offices: but he found him in the agonies of death, and had scarcely
time to bid him rehearse the articles of his faith, which all good
Mussulmans do before they die, when the gardener expired in his
presence.
The prince being under the necessity of embarking immediately
hastened to pay the last duty to the deceased. He washed his body,
buried him in his own garden (for the Mahometans had no cemetery in
the city of the idolaters, where they were only tolerated), and as
he had nobody to assist him it was almost evening before he had put
him in the ground. As soon as he had done it he ran to the water-
side, carrying with him the key of the garden, intending, if he had
time, to give it to the landlord; otherwise to deposit it in some
trusty person's hand before a witness, that he might leave it when
he was gone. When he came to the port, he was told the ship had
sailed several hours before he came and was already out of sight.
It had waited three hours for him, and the wind standing fair, the
captain dared not stay any longer.
It is easy to imagine that Prince Camaralzaman was exceedingly
grieved to be forced to stay longer in a country where he neither
had nor wished to have any acquaintance: to think that he must wait
another twelvemonth for the opportunity he had lost. But the
greatest affliction of all was his having let go the Princess
Badoura's talisman, which he now gave over for lost. The only
course that was left for him to take was to return to the garden to
rent it of the landlord, and to continue to cultivate it by
himself, deploring his misery and misfortunes. He hired a boy to
help him to do some part of the drudgery; and that he might not
lose the other half of the treasure, which came to him by the death
of the gardener, who died without heirs, he put the gold-dust into
fifty other pots, which he filled up with olives, to be ready
against the time of the ship's return.
While Prince Camaralzaman began another year of labour, sorrow and
impatience, the ship, having a fair wind, continued her voyage to
the Isle of Ebony, and happily arrived at the capital.
The palace being by the sea-side, the new king, or rather the
Princess Badoura, espying the ship as she was entering the port,
with all her flags flying, asked what vessel it was; she was told
that it came annually from the city of the idolaters, and was
generally richly laden.
The princess, who always had Prince Camaralzaman in her mind amidst
the glories which surrounded her, imagined that the prince might be
on board, and resolved to go down to the ship and meet him. Under
presence of inquiring what merchandise was on board, and having the
first sight of the goods, and choosing the most valuable, she
commanded a horse to be brought, which she mounted, and rode to the
port, accompanied by several officers in waiting, and arrived at
the port just as the captain came ashore. She ordered him to be
brought before her, and asked whence he came, how long he had been
on his voyage, and what good or bad fortune he had met with: if he
had any stranger of quality on board, and particularly with what
his ship was laden.
The captain gave a satisfactory answer to all her demands; and as
to passengers, assured her that there were none but merchants in
his ship, who were used to come every year and bring rich stuffs
from several parts of the world to trade with, the finest linens
painted and plain, diamonds, musk, ambergris, camphor, civet,
spices, drugs, olives, and many other articles.
The Princess Badoura loved olives extremely: when she heard the
captain speak of them, she said, 'Land them, I will take them off
your hands: as to the other goods, tell the merchants to bring them
to me, and let me see them before they dispose of them, or show
them to any one else.'
The captain, taking her for the King of the Isle of Ebony, replied,
'Sire, there are fifty great pots of olives, but they belong to a
merchant whom I was forced to leave behind. I gave him notice
myself that I was waiting for him, and waited a long time; but as
he did not come, and the wind was good, I was afraid of losing it,
and so set sail.'
The princess answered, 'No matter; bring them ashore; we will make
a bargain for them.'
The captain sent his boat aboard, and in a little time it returned
with the pots of olives. The princess demanded how much the fifty
pots might be worth in the Isle of Ebony. 'Sir,' said the captain,
'the merchant is very poor, and your majesty will do him a singular
favour if you give him a thousand pieces of silver.'
'To satisfy him,' replied the princess, 'and because you tell me he
is poor, I will order you a thousand pieces of gold for him, which
do you take care to give him.' The money was accordingly, paid, and
the pots carried to the palace in her presence.
Night was drawing on when the princess withdrew into the inner
palace, and went to the Princess Haiatalnefous' apartment, ordering
the fifty pots of olives to be brought thither. She opened one, to
let the Princess Haiatalnefous taste them, and poured them into a
dish. Great was her astonishment when she found the olives mingled
with gold-dust. 'What can this mean?' said she, 'it is wonderful
beyond comprehension.' Her curiosity increasing, she ordered
Haiatalnefous' women to open and empty all the pots in her
presence; and her wonder was still greater, when she saw that the
olives in all of them were mixed with gold-dust; but when she saw
her talisman drop out of that into which the prince had put it, she
was so surprised that she fainted away. The Princess Haiatalnefous
and her women restored the Princess Badoura by throwing cold water
on her face. When she recovered her senses, she took the talisman
and kissed it again and again; but not being willing that the
Princess Haiatalnefous's women, who were ignorant of her disguise,
should hear what she said, she dismissed them.
'Princess,' said she to Haiatalnefous, as soon as they were gone,
'you, who have heard my story, surely guessed that it was at the
sight of the talisman that I fainted. This is the talisman, the
fatal cause of my losing my dear husband Prince Camaralzaman; but
as it was that which caused our separation, so I foresee it will be
the means of our meeting again soon.'
The next day, as soon as it was light, she sent for the captain of
the ship; and when he came she spoke to him thus: 'I want to know
something more of the merchant to whom the olives belong, that I
bought of you yesterday. I think you told me you had left him
behind you in the city of the idolaters: can you tell me what he is
doing there?'
'Yes, sire,' replied the captain, 'I can speak on my own knowledge.
I arranged for his passage with a very old gardener, who told me I
should find him in his garden, where he worked under him. He showed
me the place, and for that reason I told your majesty he was poor.
I went there to call him. I told him what haste I was in, spoke to
him myself in the garden, and cannot be mistaken in the man.'
'If what you say is true,' replied the Princess Badoura, 'you must
set sail this very day for the city of idolaters, and fetch me that
gardener's man, who is my debtor; else I will not only confiscate
all your goods and those of your merchants, but your and their
lives shall answer for his. I have ordered my seal to be put on the
warehouses where they are, which shall not be taken off till you
bring me that man. This is all I have to say to you; go, and do as
I command you.'
The captain could make no reply to this order, the disobeying of
which would be a very great loss to him and his merchants. He told
them about it, and they hastened him away as fast as they could
after he had laid in a stock of provisions and fresh water for his
voyage. They were so diligent, that he set sail the same day. He
had a prosperous voyage to the city of the idolaters, where he
arrived in the night. When he was as near to the city as he thought
convenient, he would not cast anchor, but let the ship ride off the
shore; and going into his boat, with six of his stoutest seamen, he
landed a little way off the port, whence he went directly to
Camaralzaman's garden.
Though it was about midnight when he arrived there, the prince was
not asleep. His separation from the fair Princess of China his wife
afflicted him as usual. He cursed the minute in which his curiosity
tempted him to touch the fatal girdle.
Thus did he pass those hours which are devoted to rest, when he
heard somebody knock at the garden door. He ran hastily to it,
half-dressed as he was; but he had no sooner opened it, than the
captain and his seamen took hold of him, and carried him by force
on board the boat, and so to the ship, and as soon as he was safely
lodged, they set sail immediately, and made the best of their way
to the Isle of Ebony.
Hitherto Camaralzaman, the captain, and his men had not said a word
to one another; at last the prince broke silence, and asked the
captain, whom he recognized, why they had taken him away by force?
The captain in his turn demanded of the prince whether he was not a
debtor of the King of Ebony?
'I the King of Ebony's debtor!' replied Camaralzaman in amazement;
'I do not know him, I never had anything to do with him in my life,
and never set foot in his kingdom.'
The captain answered, 'You should know that better than I; you will
talk to him yourself in a little while: till then, stay here and
have patience.'
Though it was night when he cast anchor in the port, the captain
landed immediately, and taking Prince Camaralzaman with him
hastened to the palace, where he demanded to be introduced to the
king.
The Princess Badoura had withdrawn into the inner palace; however,
as soon as she had heard of the captain's return and Camaralzaman's
arrival, she came out to speak to him. As soon as she set her eyes
on the prince, for whom she had shed so many tears, she knew him in
his gardener's clothes. As for the prince, who trembled in the
presence of a king, as he thought her, to whom he was to answer for
an imaginary debt, it did not enter into his head that the person
whom he so earnestly desired to see stood before him. If the
princess had followed the dictates of her inclination, she would
have run to him and embraced him, but she put a constraint on
herself, believing that it was for the interest of both that she
should act the part of a king a little longer before she made
herself known. She contented herself for the present with putting
him into the hands of an officer, who was then in waiting, with a
charge to take care of him till the next day.
When the Princess Badoura had provided for Prince Camaralzaman, she
turned to the captain, whom she was now to reward for the important
service he had done her. She commanded another officer to go
immediately and take the seal off the warehouse where his and his
merchants' goods were, and gave him a rich diamond, worth much more
than the expense of both his voyages. She bade him besides keep the
thousand pieces of gold she had given him for the pots of olives,
telling him she would make up the account with the merchant
herself.
This done, she retired to the Princess of the Isle of Ebony's
apartment, to whom she communicated her joy, praying her to keep
the secret still. She told her how she intended to manage to reveal
herself to Prince Camaralzaman, and to give him the kingdom.
The Princess of the Isle of Ebony was so far from betraying her,
that she rejoiced and entered fully into the plan.
The next morning the Princess of China ordered Prince Camaralzaman
to be apparelled in the robes of an emir or governor of a province.
She commanded him to be introduced into the council, where his fine
person and majestic air drew all the eyes of the lords there
present upon him.
The Princess Badoura herself was charmed to see him again, as
handsome as she had often seen him, and her pleasure inspired her
to speak the more warmly in his praise. When she addressed herself
to the council, having ordered the prince to take his seat among
the emirs, she spoke to them thus: 'My lords, this emir whom I have
advanced to the same dignity with you is not unworthy the place
assigned him. I have known enough of him in my travels to answer
for him, and I can assure you he will make his merit known to all
of you.'
Camaralzaman was extremely amazed to hear the King of the Isle of
Ebony, whom he was far from taking for a woman, much less for his
dear princess, name him, and declare that he knew him, while he
thought himself certain that he had never seen him before in his
life. He was much more surprised when he heard him praise him so
excessively. Those praises, however, did not disconcert him, though
he received them with such modesty as showed that he did not grow
vain. He prostrated himself before the throne of the king, and
rising again, 'Sire,' said he, 'I want words to express my
gratitude to your majesty for the honour you have done me: I shall
do all in my power to render myself worthy of your royal favour.'
From the council-board the prince was conducted to a palace, which
the Princess Badoura had ordered to be fitted up for him; where he
found officers and domestics ready to obey his commands, a stable
full of fine horses, and everything suitable to the rank of an
emir. Then the steward of his household brought him a strong box
full of gold for his expenses.
The less he understood whence came his great good fortune, the more
he admired it, but never once imagined that he owed it to the
Princess of China.
Two or three days after, the Princess Badoura, that he might be
nearer to her, and in a more distinguished post, made him high
treasurer, which office had lately become vacant. He behaved
himself in his new charge with so much integrity, yet obliging
everybody, that he not only gained the friendship of the great but
also the affections of the people, by his uprightness and bounty.
Camaralzaman would have been the happiest man in the world, if he
had had his princess with him. In the midst of his good fortune he
never ceased lamenting her, and grieved that he could hear no
tidings of her, especially in a country where she must necessarily
have come on her way to his father's court after their separation.
He would have suspected something had the Princess Badoura still
gone by the name of Camaralzaman, but on her accession to the
throne she changed it, and took that of Armanos, in honour of the
old king her father-in-law. She was now known only by the name of
the young King Armanos. There were very few courtiers who knew that
she had ever been called Camaralzaman, which name she assumed when
she arrived at the court of the Isle of Ebony, nor had Camaralzaman
so much acquaintance with any of them yet as to learn more of her
history.
The princess fearing he might do so in time, and desiring that he
should owe the discovery to herself only, resolved to put an end to
her own torment and his; for she had observed that as often as she
discoursed with him about the affairs of his office, he fetched
such deep sighs as could be addressed to nobody but her. She
herself also lived under such constraint that she could endure it
no longer.
The Princess Badoura had no sooner made this decision with the
Princess Haiatalnefous, than she took Prince Camaralzaman aside,
saying, 'I must talk with you about an affair, Camaralzaman, which
requires much consideration, and on which I want your advice. Come
hither in the evening, and leave word at home that you will not
return; I will take care to provide you a bed.'
Camaralzaman came punctually to the palace at the hour appointed by
the princess; she took him with her into the inner apartment, and
having told the chief chamberlain, who was preparing to follow her,
that she had no occasion for his service, and that he should only
keep the door shut, she took him into a different apartment.
When the prince and princess entered the chamber she shut the door,
and, taking the talisman out of a little box, gave it to
Camaralzaman, saying, 'It is not long since an astrologer presented
me with this talisman; you being skilful in all things, may perhaps
tell me its use.'
Camaralzaman took the talisman, and drew near a lamp to look at it.
As soon as he recollected it, with an astonishment which gave the
princess great pleasure, 'Sire,' said he to the princess, 'your
majesty asked me what this talisman is good for. Alas! it is only
good to kill me with grief and despair, if I do not quickly find
the most charming and lovely princess in the world to whom it
belonged, whose loss it occasioned by a strange adventure, the very
recital of which will move your majesty to pity such an unfortunate
husband and lover, if you would have patience to hear it.'
'You shall tell me that another time,' replied the princess; 'I am
very glad to tell you I know something of it already; stay here a
little, and I will return to you in a moment.'
At these words she went into her dressing-room, put off her royal
turban, and in a few minutes dressed herself like a woman; and
having the girdle round her which she wore on the day of their
separation, she entered the chamber.
Prince Camaralzaman immediately knew his dear princess, ran to her,
and tenderly embraced her, crying out, 'How much I am obliged to
the king, who has so agreeably surprised me!'
'Do not expect to see the king any more,' replied the princess,
embracing him in her turn, with tears in her eyes; 'you see him in
me: sit down, and I will explain this enigma to you.'
They sat down, and the princess told the prince the resolution she
came to, in the field where they encamped the last time they were
together, as soon as she perceived that she waited for him to no
purpose; how she went through with it till she arrived at the Isle
of Ebony, where she had been obliged to marry the Princess
Haiatalnefous, and accept the crown which King Armanos offered her
as a condition of the marriage: how the princess, whose merit she
highly extolled, had kept the secret, and how she found the
talisman in the pots of olives mingled with the gold dust, and how
the finding it was the cause of her sending for him to the city of
the idolaters.
The Princess Badoura and Prince Camaralzaman rose next morning as
soon as it was light, but the princess would no more put on her
royal robes as king; she dressed herself in the dress of a woman,
and then sent the chief chamberlain to King Armanos, her father-in-
law to desire he would be so good as to come to her apartment.
When the king entered the chamber, he was amazed to see there a
lady who was unknown to him, and the high treasurer with her, who
was not permitted to come within the inner palace. He sat down and
asked where the king was.
The princess answered, 'Yesterday I was king, sir, and to-day I am
the Princess of China, wife of the true Prince Camaralzaman, the
true son of King Schahzaman. If your majesty will have the patience
to hear both our stories, I hope you will not condemn me for putting
an innocent deceit upon you.' The king bade her go on, and heard her
discourse from the beginning to the end with astonishment. The
princess on finishing it said to him, 'Sir, in our religion men may
have several wives; if your majesty will consent to give your
daughter the Princess Haiatalnefous in marriage to Prince
Camaralzaman, I will with all my heart yield up to her the rank and
quality of queen, which of right belongs to her, and content myself
with the second place. If this precedence was not her due, I would,
however, give it her, after she has kept my secret so generously.'
King Armanos listened to the princess with astonishment, and when
she had done, turned to Prince Camaralzaman, saying, 'Son, since the
Princess Badoura your wife, whom I have all along thought to be my
son-in-law, through a deceit of which I cannot complain, assures me
that she is willing, I have nothing more to do but to ask you if you
are willing to marry my daughter and accept the crown, which the
Princess Badoura would deservedly wear as long as she lived, if she
did not quit it out of love to you.'
'Sir,' replied Prince Camaralzaman, 'though I desire nothing so
earnestly as to see the king my father, yet the obligation I am
under to your majesty and the Princess Haiatalnefous are so
weighty, I can refuse her nothing.' Camaralzaman was proclaimed
king, and married the same day with all possible demonstrations of
joy.
Not long afterwards they all resumed the long interrupted journey
to the Isles of the Children of Khaledan, where they were fortunate
enough to find the old King Schahzaman still alive and overjoyed to
see his son once more; and after several months' rejoicing, King
Camaralzaman and the two queens returned to the Island of Ebony,
where they lived in great happiness for the remainder of their
lives.