The letter from the king of Serendib was written on the skin of a certain animal of great value, because of its being so scarce, and of a yellowish colour.  The characters of this letter were of azure, and the contents as follows: 

“The king of the Indies, before whom march one hundred elephants, who lives in a palace that shines with one hundred thousand rubies, and who has in his treasury twenty thousand crowns enriched with diamonds, to caliph Haroon al Rusheed.

“Though the present we send you be inconsiderable, receive it however as a brother and a friend, in consideration of the hearty friendship which we bear for you, and of which we are willing to give you proof.  We desire the same part in your friendship, considering that we believe it to be our merit, being of the same dignity with yourself.  We conjure you this in quality of a brother.  Adieu.”

The present consisted first, of one single ruby made into a cup, about half a foot high, an inch thick, and filled with round pearls of half a drachm each. 2.  The skin of a serpent, whose scales were as large as an ordinary piece of gold, and had the virtue to preserve from sickness those who lay upon it. 3.  Fifty thousand drachms of the best wood of aloes, with thirty grains of camphire as big as pistachios. 4.  A female slave of ravishing beauty, whose apparel was all covered over with jewels.

The ship set sail, and after a very successful navigation we landed at Bussorah, and from thence I went to Bagdad, where the first thing I did was to acquit myself of my commission.

Scheherazade stopped, because day appeared, and next night proceeded thus.

I took the king of Serendib’s letter, and went to present myself at the gate of the commander of the faithful, followed by the beautiful slave, and such of my own family as carried the presents.  I stated the reason of my coming, and was immediately conducted to the throne of the caliph.  I made my reverence, and, after a short speech, gave him the letter and present.  When he had read what the king of Serendib wrote to him, he asked me, if that prince were really so rich and potent as he represented himself in his letter?  I prostrated myself a second time, and rising again, said, “Commander of the faithful, I can assure your majesty he doth not exceed the truth.  I bear him witness.  Nothing is more worthy of admiration than the magnificence of his palace.  When the prince appears in public, he has a throne fixed on the back of an elephant, and marches betwixt two ranks of his ministers, favourites, and other people of his court; before him, upon the same elephant, an officer carries a golden lance in his hand; and behind the throne there is another, who stands upright, with a column of gold, on the top of which is an emerald half a foot long, and an inch thick; before him march a guard of one thousand men, clad in cloth of gold and silk, and mounted on elephants richly caparisoned.