I durst not resist the prince’s will, and soon I was married to one of the ladies of his court, noble, beautiful, and rich.  We lived together in perfect harmony, but I could not forget Bagdad, and planned to make my escape as soon as might be.

At this time the wife of one of my neighbors, with whom I had made a very strict friendship, fell sick and died.  I went to comfort him in his sorrow, and said as soon as I saw him, “God preserve you and grant you a long life.”

“Alas!” replied he, “how may that be?  I have not above an hour to live, for I must be buried this day with my wife.  That is a law in this island.  The living husband is buried with the dead wife, and the living wife with the dead husband.”

While he was telling me of this barbarous custom, the very account of which chilled my blood, his kindred, friends, and neighbors came to assist at the funeral.  They dressed the corpse of the woman in her richest robes and all her jewels, as if it had been her wedding-day; then they placed her on an open bier, and began their march to the place of burial.  The husband walked first, next to the dead body.  When they reached a high mountain, they took up a large stone, which formed the mouth of a deep pit, and let down the body with all its apparel and jewels.  Then the husband, embracing his kindred and friends, let himself be placed on another bier, with a pot of water, and seven small loaves, and was led down in the same manner.  The mouth of the pit was again covered with the stone, and the company returned.

I describe all this the more carefully, because I in a few weeks’ time was to be the chief actor on a similar occasion.  Alas! my own wife fell sick and died.  I made every plea I could to the king not to expose me, a foreigner, to this inhuman law.  I appealed in vain.  The king and all his court, with the chief persons of the city, sought to soften my sorrow by honoring the funeral with their presence; and when the ceremony was finished I was lowered into the pit with a vessel full of water and seven loaves.  As I neared the bottom, I saw, by the aid of a little light that came from above, what sort of place it was.  It seemed an endless cavern, and might be about fifty fathoms deep.

I lived for some time upon my bread and water, when one day, just as I was nearly exhausted, I heard something tread, and breathing or panting as it moved.  I followed the sound.  The animal seemed to stop sometimes, but always fled and breathed hard as I approached.  I pursued it till at last I saw a light, like a star.  I went on, sometimes lost sight of it, but always found it again, and at last discovered that it came through a hole in the rock, which I got through, and found myself, to my great joy, upon the seashore.  I fell upon the shore to thank God for his mercy, and shortly afterwards saw a ship making for the place where I was.  I made a sign with the linen of my turban, and called to the crew as loud as I could.  They heard me, and sent a boat to bring me on board.  It was fortunate for me that they did not inspect the place where they found me, but bore me away at once.