hee here [to perish]; so it
has turned out; now, except death, thou hast no release." At last,
the people seized me, and led me to the pagoda; I saw that the king,
the nobles, and thirty-six tribes of his subjects were assembled
there; the wealth and property of my wife were all collected there;
whatever article any one's heart desired, he took; and put down its
price in cash.

"'In short, all her property was converted into specie; with this
specie precious stones were purchased, and locked up in a small
box; they then filled a chest with bread, sweetmeats, roast meat,
dried and green fruits, and other eatables; and they put the corpse
of my wife into another chest, and slung both the chests across a
camel; they mounted me on it, and put the box of precious stones in
my lap. All the _Brahmans_ went before me singing hymns and blowing
their shells, and a crowd for the purpose of wishing me joy came on
behind. In this manner I was conducted out of the city, through the
same gate by which I entered the first day. The moment when the same
keeper of the gate saw me, he began to weep, and said, "O unfortunate,
death-seized [wretch]! thou wouldst not listen to me, but by entering
this city thou hast lost thy life for nothing! It is not my fault;
I did dissuade thee." He said this to me; but I was so confounded,
that I could not use my tongue to reply to him; nor were my senses
in their right place, to foresee what would become of me at last.

"'They conducted me at last to the same fort, the door of which I
had seen shut the first day [I entered this country]. The lock was
opened with the assistance of many people united, and they carried in
the corpse and the chest of food. A priest came up to me, and began
to console me, saying, "Man is born one day, and one day dies; such
is the [mode of] transmigration in this world; now these, thy wife,
thy son, thy wealth, and forty days' food are placed here; take them,
and remain here until the great idol is favourable to thee." In my
wrath I wished to curse the idol, the inhabitants of that place,
and their manners and customs, and to inflict blows and buffets on
that priest. That same man of Persia in his own tongue, forbade me,
and said, "Take care, do not on any account utter a word; if you
should say anything whatever, they will burn you immediately. Well,
whatever was in your destiny, that has taken place: rely now on the
mercy of God; perhaps He will deliver you alive from t