She would have said more, but supper being served up, hindered her. She made prince Assad sit at table with her, being charmed with his beauty and eloquence, and touched with a most ardent passion, which she hoped soon to let him know. Prince, said she, we must make you amends for so many fasts and wretched meals which the pitiless adorers of fire forced you to make; you will want to be nourished after such sufferings. With these and such like words supper began; and the queen plied the prince with wine to recover his spirits; of which he drank more than he could well bear.
The cloth being taken away, Assad wishing to go out, watched his time when the queen did not see him. He descended into a court, and, seeing the garden-door open, went in. Being tempted by the pleasantness of the place, he walked there a while. At last he came to a fountain, where he washed his face and hands to refresh himself; and, lying down on some grass plots which surrounded the fountain, fell asleep.
It was almost night, and Behram, fearing the queen would do as she threatened, had weighed anchor, and was under sail, mightily troubled at the loss of Assad, by which he was disappointed of a most acceptable sacrifice. He comforted himself as well as he could with the thoughts that the storm was over, and that a land-breeze favoured his getting off from that coast. He was towed out of the port, and, as he was hoisting more sail to hasten his course, he remembered he wanted some fresh water. My lads, said he to the seamen, we must put to shore again, and fill our water-casks. The sailors excused themselves, for they did not know where to get water. Behram had observed, while he was talking to the queen in the garden, that there was a fountain at the end of it, near the port. Go, said he, to such a place of the palace-garden. The wall is not above breast high; you may easily get over. There is a fountain, where you may fill all your barrels, and hand them on board without difficulty.
The sailors accordingly went on shore to the place he directed them, leaped over the wall, filled their barrels, and easily enough heaved them over also, when they returned to their boat.
As they were filling the casks, they perceived a man sleeping on the grass, and knew him to be Assad. They immediately divided themselves; and, while some of the crew filled their barrels, others surrounded Assad, and observed him, lest he should awake, and offer to run away.
As soon as they had filled their casks, they handed them over the wall to others of their crew, who waited there to carry them on board.
They afterwards seized Assad, and bore him away asleep as he was.
They got over the wall into their boat, and rowed to the ship.
When they came near her, they cried out, Captain, sound your
trumpets, beat your drums; we bring your slave again!
Behram, who could not imagine how the seamen could find and take him again, and did not see Assad in the boat, it being night, waited their coming on board with impatience, to ask what they meant by their shouts; but seeing it was true, and that they had really got him, he could not contain himself for joy. He commanded him to be chained again, not staying to inquire how they came at him; and having hauled the boat on board, set sail for the Fiery Mountain.
In the mean while queen Margiana was in a dreadful fright. She did not much concern herself at first when she found prince Assad was gone out, because she did not doubt that he would soon return. When several minutes, and then an hour, were past, without hearing any thing, she began to be uneasy, and commanded her women to look for him. They searched all about without finding him; and, night coming, she ordered them to search again with torches, which they did, but to as little purpose.
Queen Margiana was so impatient and frightened, that she went with lights all over the garden to seek him herself; and passing by the fountain, saw a slipper, which she took up, and knew to be prince Assad's: her women also said that it was his; and the water being spilled about the cistern in which the fountain played, made her suspect that Behram had again carried him off. She sent immediately to see if he was still in the port; and hearing that he had set sail a little before it was dark, and had stopped some time off the shore, while he sent his boat for water from the fountain, she doubted no longer of the prince's ill fortune. So she commanded the commodore of ten men of war, who lay ready in the port to sail as occasion required, to prepare to put to sea, for that she would embark herself next morning as soon as it was day. The commodore ordered the captains and subalterns, seamen and soldiers, on board, and was ready to sail at the time appointed. She embarked, as she had said; and, when the squadron was at sea, told the commodore her intention. Make all the sail you can, said she, and give chase to the merchantman that sailed yesterday out of this port: I give it to you to be plundered, if you take it; if not, your life shall answer it.