“Almost immediately after prayers, I saw a boat come to shore, in which all the rowers were eunuchs. They landed, and brought a great number of chests into the mosque. This being done, they all went away, except one, whom I soon recognised to be the same that had accompanied the lady; and who had spoken with me that very morning. Directly after I saw the lady herself come in. I went up to her, and was informing her, that I was ready to obey all her orders, when she said, ‘We have no time to lose in conversation.’ She then opened one of the chests and ordered me to get in. ‘It is,’ she added, ‘absolutely necessary, both for your safety and mine. Fear nothing, and leave me to manage every thing.’ I had gone too far to recede at this moment: I did, therefore, as she desired, and she immediately shut down the top of the chest and locked it. The eunuch, who was in her confidence, then called the other eunuchs, who had brought the chests, and ordered them to be carried on board the boat again. The lady and the eunuch then embarked, and they began to row towards the apartments of Zobeidè.
“While I was in this situation, I had leisure to make the most serious reflections; and considering the danger I was in, I repented most heartily of having exposed myself to it. I both swore and prayed, but one was now as equally useless, and out of season, as the other.
“The boat came to shore exactly before the gate of the caliph’s palace: they landed the chests, which were all carried to the apartment of the officer of the eunuchs, who keeps the key of that belonging to the ladies, and who never permits any thing to be carried in, without having first examined it. The officer was gone to bed; it was therefore necessary to wake him and make him get up. He was, however, excessively out of humor at having his rest thus disturbed and broken in upon; he quarrelled with the favorite, because she returned so late: ‘You shall not finish your business so soon as you think,’ said he to her, ‘for not one of these chests shall pass, till I have opened and examined them most narrowly.’ He at the same time commanded the eunuch to bring them to him one after the other, that he might open them. They began by taking that in which I was shut up, and set it down before him. At this I was more terrified than I can express, and thought the last moment of my life was approaching.
“The favorite, who had the key, declared she would not give it him, nor suffer that chest to be opened. ‘You very well know,’ she said, ‘that I do not bring any thing in here, but what is for our mistress, Zobeidè. This chest is filled with very valuable articles, that have been intrusted to me by some merchants, who are just arrived. There are also a great many bottles of water from the fountain of Zemsem, at Mecca; [4] and if any one of them should happen to be broken, all the other things will be spoiled, and you will have to be answerable for them. The wife of the Commander of the Faithful too will know how to punish your insolence.’ She spoke this in so peremptory a tone, that the officer had not courage to persist in his resolution of opening either the chest in which I was, or any of the others, ‘Get along then,’ he angrily cried out, ‘go.’ The door of the ladies’ apartment was immediately opened, and the chests were all carried in.
“They were scarcely deposited there, before I suddenly heard the cry of ‘Here’s the caliph; the caliph is come.’ These words increased my fears to a still greater degree, and I was almost ready to die on the spot. It was in fact the caliph himself. ‘What have you got in those chests?’ said he to the Favourite.—‘Commander of the Faithful,’ she replied, ‘they are some stuffs lately arrived, which your majesty’s lady wished to have shewn to her.’—‘Open them,’ said he, ‘and let me see them also.’—She endeavoured to excuse herself, by saying they were only fit for females, and that it would deprive Zobeidè of the pleasure of seeing them before any one else.—‘Open them, I tell you,’ he answered, ‘I command you.’—She still remonstrated, and said, ‘that the queen would be very angry, if she did as his majesty ordered.’—‘No, no,’ he replied, ‘I will promise you, that she shall not reproach you: only open them, and do not make me wait so long.’
“It was then absolutely necessary to obey: my fears were again excited, and I tremble, even now, every time I think of it. The caliph seated himself, and the Favourite ordering all the chests, one after the other, to be brought, opened them, and displayed the stuffs before him. In order to prolong the business as much as possible, she pointed out to him the peculiar beauties of each individual stuff, in hopes of tiring his patience quite out; but she did not succeed. As the Favourite was not less anxious than myself not to have that chest opened in which I was, she did not hurry in having them brought to her. There now remained only one to examine. ‘Come,’ said the caliph, ‘let us make haste and finish: we have now only to see what is in that chest.’ At this instant I knew not whether I was alive or dead; nor could I possibly hope to escape so great a danger.
“When the Favourite saw that the caliph was determined she should open the chest in which I was, she said, ‘Your majesty must absolutely excuse me, and must do me the favour not to see what is in that chest: there are some things which I cannot shew except in the presence of the queen, my mistress.’—‘Well, then,’ replied the caliph, ‘I am content: let them carry the chests in.’—The eunuchs immediately took them up and placed them in her chamber, where I again began, as it were, to breathe.
“As soon as the eunuchs, who brought the chests in, were retired, she quickly opened that in which I was a prisoner. ‘Come out,’ she cried, and showing me a staircase, which led to a chamber above, ‘Go up, and wait for me there.’ She had hardly shut the door after me, when the caliph came in, and sat down upon the very chest in which I had been locked up. The motive of this visit was a certain fit of curiosity, which did not in the least relate to me. This prince only wished to ask the Favourite some questions as to what she had seen and heard in the city. They conversed a long time together: he at last left her, and went back to his own apartment.
“She was no sooner at liberty, than she came into the apartment in which I was, and made a thousand excuses for the alarms she had caused me. ‘My anxiety and fear,’ she said, ‘was not less than your own: of this you ought not to doubt, since I suffered both for you, from my great regard for you, and for myself, on account of the great danger I ran from a discovery. Any other, in my place, would not, I think, have had the address and courage to extricate themselves from so delicate a situation. It required not less boldness than presence of mind; or rather, it was necessary to feel the love for you I do, to get out of such an embarrassment; but compose yourself now, there is nothing more to fear.’ After we had entertained ourselves some time with mutual proofs of our affection, ‘But,’ she said, ‘you want repose; you are to sleep here, and I will not fail to present you to my mistress, Zobeidè, some time to-morrow. This is a very easy matter, as the caliph is with her only at night.’ Encouraged by this account, I slept with the greatest tranquillity; or, if my rest was at all interrupted, it was by the pleasant ideas that arose in my mind from the thoughts of possessing a lady of so much understanding and beauty.
“The next morning, before the Favourite of Zobeidè introduced me to her mistress, she instructed me how I ought to conduct myself in her presence. She informed me almost word for word what Zobeidè would ask me, and dictated such answers as I should make to her. She then led me into a hall, where every thing was very magnificent, very rich, and very appropriate. I had not been long there, before twenty female slaves, of a certain age, all dressed in rich and uniform habits, came out from the cabinet of Zobeidè, and immediately ranged themselves before the throne in two equal rows, with the greatest modesty and propriety. They were followed by twenty other female slaves, very young, and dressed exactly like the first, with the difference only, that their dress were much gayer. Zobeidè appeared in the midst of the latter with the most majestic air. She was so loaded with precious stones and jewels, that she could scarcely walk. She went immediately and seated herself upon the throne. I must not forget to mention, that her favourite lady accompanied her, and remained standing close on her right hand, while the female slaves were crowded altogether at a greater distance on both sides the throne.