“’At last, when I became quite restless, I mentioned it to my hand-maid, and gave her many presents [to gain her assistance].  She contrived, by some means or other, to introduce the youth in secrecy into my apartment; he then began to love me likewise.  Many days passed in these love interviews.  In short, the sentinels saw him one midnight going armed into my apartment, and seized him, and informed the raja of the circumstance.  The raja ordered him to be put to death; through the solicitations of all the officers of state, his life was pardoned, but he was ordered to be thrown into the prison of Solomon; and the other young man, who is a fellow-prisoner with him, is his brother, and was with him the night [he was seized].  Both were put into the well, and it is now three years since they were confined, but no one has yet found out why the youth entered the raja’s palace.  God has preserved my character [from public exposure], and in return for his goodness, I conceived it my duty to continue to supply the two prisoners with bread and water.  Since their confinement I go there every eight days, and let them down eight days’ provisions at once.

“’Last night, I saw in a dream that somebody advised me, saying, “arise quickly and take a horse, a dress, a rope-ladder, and some money for expenses, and go to that pit, and deliver from thence the unfortunate prisoners.”  On hearing this, I started up [from my sleep], and being greatly rejoiced, I dressed myself like a man, filled a casket with jewels and gold pieces, and taking this horse and some clothes with me, I went to the prison to draw them out with the rope-ladder.  It was in your fate to be delivered from such a confinement in this manner; no one knows what I have done; perhaps he was some protecting angel who sent me to enlarge you.  Well, whatever was in my destiny, the same has come to pass.’  After finishing this relation, she took out some cakes fried in butter, some wheaten bread, some pulse, and meat curry from her handkerchief; but first, she dissolved some sugar in a cup of water, and put some spirit of bed-mushk in it, and gave it to me.  I took it from her hand and drank it, and then ate some breakfast.  After a short while, she made me wrap a piece of cloth round my waist, and led me to the river, and with scissors she cut my hair and nails and bathing me, dressed me in the clothes [she had brought], and made a new man of me.  I, having turned my face to the kibla offered up a prayer of thanksgiving; the beautiful girl regarded what I was doing.

“When I had finished from praying, she asked me, ’What hast thou been thus doing?’ I answered, ’I have been worshipping the Almighty God who has created the whole world, and who has effected my relief through a being lovely as thou art, and who has inclined thy heart to kindness towards me, and caused me to be released from such a prison.  His person is without an equal, [311] to Him I have