ry conveyances.

When the news of the _khwaja's_ departure became public, the merchants
of that city on hearing it, began likewise their preparations to
set out with him. The dog-worshipping _khwaja_ took with him specie
and jewels to a great amount, servants and slaves without number,
and rich rarities and property worthy of a king, and having pitched
his tents of various sorts outside of the city, he went to them. All
the other merchants took articles of merchandise with them according
to their means, and joined the _khwaja_; they became for themselves a
[regular] army.

One day, having fixed on a lucky moment for departure, they set
out thence on their journey. Having laden thousands of camels with
canvas sacks filled with goods, and the jewels and specie on mules,
five hundred slaves from the steppes of _Kapchak_, from _Zang_, and
from _Rum_, [281] completely armed, men used to the sword, mounted
on horses of Arabia, of Tartary, and of _Irak_, accompanied [the
caravan]. In the rear of all came the _khwaja_ and the young merchant,
richly dressed, and mounted on sedans; a rich litter was lashed on the
back of a camel, in which the dog reposed on a cushion, and the cages
of the two prisoners were slung one on each side of another, across
a camel, and thus they marched onwards. At every stage they came to,
all the merchants waited on the _khwaja_ and on his _dastar-khwan_
they ate of his food and drank of his wine. The _khwaja_ offered up
his grateful thanks to the Almighty for the happiness of having the
young merchant with him, and proceeded on, stage by stage. At last,
they reached the environs of Constantinople in perfect safety, and
encamped without the city. The young merchant said [to the _khwaja_],
"O, father, if you grant me permission, I will go and see my parents,
and prepare a house for you, and when it is agreeable to you, you
will be pleased to enter the city."

The _khwaja_ replied, "I am come so far for your sake, well, go
quickly and see [your parents], and return to me, and give me a place
to live in near your own." The young merchant having taken leave [of
the _khwaja_], came to his own house. All the people of the household
of the _wazir_ were surprised, and exclaimed, "What man has entered
[the house]!" The young merchant, that is, the _wazir's_ daughter, ran
and threw herself at her mother's feet, and wept and said, "I am your
child." On hearing this, the _wazir's_ wife began to reproach her,
b