passion, for our mother had conferred many
obligations on these men and their families. They said one to
another, "By heavens, we cannot murder them!" and informed us of
what the vizier had written to our father: upon which the sultana
exclaimed, "God knows that he hath most falsely accused me;" and
she then related to them all that she had done, with the
strictest fidelity.

The men were moved even to tears at her misfortunes, and said,
"We are convinced that thou hast spoken truly." They then caught
some fawns of the antelope, killed them, and having required an
under garment from each of us, dipped it in the blood, after
which they broiled the flesh, with which we satisfied our hunger.
Our preservers now bade us farewell, saying, "We intrust you to
the protection of the Almighty, who never forsaketh those who are
committed to his care;" and then departed from us. We wandered
for ten days in the desert, living on such fruits as we could
find, without beholding any signs of population, when, at length,
fortunately we reached a verdant spot, abounding in various sorts
of excellent vegetables and fruits. Here also was a cave, in
which we resolved to shelter ourselves till a caravan might pass
by. On the fourth day of our arrival one encamped near our
asylum. We did not discover ourselves, but when the caravan
marched, speedily followed its track at some distance, and after
many days of painful exertion reached this city, where, having
taken up our lodging in a serai, we returned thanks to the
almighty assister of the distressed innocent for our miraculous
escape from death and the perils of the desert.

We must now quit for awhile the unfortunate sultana and her
daughters, to learn the adventures of the sultan her husband. As
he drew near his capital, the treacherous vizier, attended by the
officers of government and the principal inhabitants of the city,
came out to meet him; and both high and low congratulated his
safe return from the sacred pilgrimage.

The sultan, as soon as he had alighted at his palace, retired
with the vizier alone, and commanded him to relate the
particulars of the atrocious conduct of his wife; upon which he
said, "My lord, the sultana in your absence despatched to me a
slave, desiring me to visit her, but I would not, and I put the
slave to death that the secret might be hidden; hoping she might
repent of her weakness, but she did not, and repeated her wicked
invitation five times. On the