A hour after, the princess came slowly, attended by one female servant only, and sat down on the masnad; it was through my happy destinies that I lived to see this day!  I kissed her feet; she lifted up my head, and embraced me, and said, “Conceive this opportunity as fortunate; mind my advice; take me from hence, and go to some other country.”  I replied, “Come along.”  After having thus spoken, we both got out of the garden, but we were so confused, through wonder and joy, that we could not use our hands and feet, and we lost our road; we went along, in another direction, but found not a place of rest.  The princess got angry, and said, “I am now tired, where is your house? hasten to get there; otherwise what do you mean to do?  My feet are blistered; I shall [be obliged to] sit down somewhere on the road.”

I replied, “My slave’s house is near; we have now reached it; be easy in your mind, and march on.”  I indeed told a falsehood, but I was at a loss where to take her.  A locked door appeared on the road; I quickly broke the lock, and we entered the place; it was a fine house, laid out with carpets, and flasks full of wine were arranged in the recesses, and bread and roast meat were ready in the kitchen.  We were greatly fatigued, and drank each of us, a glass of Portugal wine with our meat, and passed the whole night together in mutual bliss.  In this scene of felicity when the morning dawned, an uproar was raised in the town that the princess had disappeared.  Proclamations were issued in every district and street; and bawds and messengers were despatched with orders, that wherever she was to be found, she might be seized [and brought to the king]; and guards of royal slaves were posted at all the gates of the city.  Those guards received orders not to let an ant pass without the royal permission; and that whoever would bring any intelligence of the princess should receive a khil’at and a thousand pieces of gold as a present.  The bawds roamed through the whole city and entered every house.

I, who was ill fated, did not shut the door.  An old hag, the aunt of Satan (may God make her face black), with a string of beads in her hand, and covered with a mantle, finding the door open, entered without fear, and standing before the princess, lifted up her hands and blessed her, saying, “I pray to God that he may long preserve you a married woman, and that thy husband’s turban may be permanent!  I am a poor beggar woman, and I have a daughter who is in her full time and perishing in the pains of child-birth; I have not the means to get a little oil which I may burn in our lamp; food and drink, indeed, are out of the question.  If she should die, how shall I bury her? and if she is brought to bed, what shall I give the midwife and nurse, or how procure remedies for the lying-in woman? it is now two days since she has lain hungry and thirsty.  O, noble lady! give her, out of your bounty, a morsel of bread that she may eat the same along with a drink of water.”