the government in
charge of his wife, departed, attended only by his vizier. They
both assumed the habit of dervishes, and after a month's
uninterrupted travelling reached a large city extending along the
sea coast, close upon which the sultan of it had erected a
magnificent pleasure house, where the pretended dervishes beheld
him sitting in one of the pavilions with his two sons, one six
and the other seven years old. They approached, made their
obeisance, and uttered a long invocation, agreeably to the usage
of the religious, for his prosperity. The sultan returned their
compliment, desired them to be seated, and having conversed with
them till evening, dismissed them with a present, when they
repaired to a caravanserai, and hired an apartment. On the
following day, after amusing themselves with viewing the city,
they again repaired to the beach, and saw the sultan sitting with
his children, as before. While they were admiring the beauty of
the structure, the younger prince, impelled by an unaccountable
impulse, came up to them, gazed eagerly at them, and when they
retired followed them to their lodging, which they did not
perceive till he had entered with them and sat down. The old
sultan was astonished at the child's behaviour, took him in his
arms, kissed and fondled him, after which he desired him to
return to his parents, but the boy insisted upon staying, and
remained four days, during which the pretended dervishes did not
stir from their caravanserai.

The sultan missing his son, supposed that he had gone to his
mother, and she imagined that he was still with his father; but
on the latter entering the haram the loss was discovered.
Messengers were despatched every way, but no tidings of the boy
could be obtained. The miserable parents now supposed that he had
fallen into the sea and was drowned. Nets were dragged, and
divers employed for three days, but in vain. On the fifth day
orders were issued to search every house in the city, when the
infant prince was at length discovered at the caravanserai in the
apartment of the pretended dervishes, who were ignominiously
dragged before the sultan.

The sultan was transported with joy at the recovery of his son,
but supposing the dervishes had meant to steal him away, he
ordered them instantly to be put to death. The executioners
seized them, bound their hands behind them, and were going to
strike, when the child with loud outcries ran up, and clinging to
the k