The Loss Of The Talisman [Fairy Tales From The Arabian Nights]
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
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 .
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