jars, and fearing lest the precious talisman might slip from his
arm and be lost again, he took the precaution of putting it in one of
the jars, on which he made a mark so as to be able to recognise it.
When night came the jars were all ready, and the prince and his host
went to bed.

Whether in consequence of his great age, or of the fatigues and
excitement of the previous day, I do not know, but the gardener passed
a very bad night. He was worse next day, and by the morning of the
third day was dangerously ill. At daybreak the ship's captain and some
of his sailors knocked at the garden door and asked for the passenger
who was to embark.

"I am he," said Camaralzaman, who had opened the door. "The gardener
who took my passage is ill and cannot see you, but please come in and
take these jars of olives and my bag, and I will follow as soon as I
have taken leave of him."

The sailors did as he asked, and the captain before leaving charged
Camaralzaman to lose no time, as the wind was fair, and he wished to
set sail at once.

As soon as they were gone the prince returned to the cottage to bid
farewell to his old friend, and to thank him once more for all his
kindness. But the old man was at his last gasp, and had barely
murmured his confession of faith when he expired.

Camaralzaman was obliged to stay and pay him the last offices, so
having dug a grave in the garden he wrapped the kind old man up and
buried him. He then locked the door, gave up the key to the owner of
the garden, and hurried to the quay only to hear that the ship had
sailed long ago, after waiting three hours for him.

It may well be believed that the prince felt in despair at this fresh
misfortune, which obliged him to spend another year in a strange and
distasteful country. Moreover, he had once more lost the Princess
Badoura's talisman, which he feared he might never see again. There
was nothing left for him but to hire the garden as the old man had
done, and to live on in the cottage. As he could not well cultivate
the garden by himself, he engaged a lad to help him, and to secure the
rest of the treasure he put the remaining gold dust into fifty more
jars, filling them up with olives so as to have them ready for
transport.

Whilst the prince was settling down to this second year of toil and
privation, the ship made a rapid voyage and arrived safely at the Ebony
Island.

As the palace of the new king, or rather of the Princess Bado