Margiana immediately went on board the vessel, and asked Behram where the secretary was whom he had the audacity either to take away, or to make others carry him from her palace. “Queen,” replied Behram, “I swear to your majesty, that he is not on board my vessel: if you will order it to be searched you will then know my innocence.”
Margiana commanded the vessel to be searched with the greatest possible strictness; but he whom she was so desirous of finding, as much for the love she had for him, as from her natural goodness of disposition, could not be found. She was even on the point of killing Behram with her own hand; but she restrained herself, and was satisfied with confiscating the vessel and all its cargo, and putting him and all the sailors afloat in their open boat, with the chance of reaching the shore. Having landed, Behram and his crew went on, and happened to arrive at the city of the Magi on the very same night in which Assad had taken refuge in the burial-ground, and retired to the tomb. As the gate of the city was shut, he was also obliged to have recourse to the cemetery, and to find some tomb to wait in, till day appeared, and the gate was again open.
Unfortunately for Assad, Behram came to that in which he was. He went in, and saw a man asleep, with his head wrapped in his clothes. The prince awoke at the noise, and lifting up his head, demanded who was there. Behram immediately recognised him: “Ah, ah,” said he, “is it then you, who are the cause of my being ruined for the rest of my life. You have escaped being sacrificed this year, but you shall not evade it again on the following.” Having said this, he threw himself upon him, put his handkerchief into his mouth, to prevent his calling out, and then made his sailors bind him.
The next morning, as soon as the gate of the city was open, it was very easy for Behram to carry Assad back to the old man’s house, who had so completely deceived him by his cunning tricks; and by taking him through unfrequented streets, as few people were yet risen, he was sure of not being discovered. As soon as he arrived there, he took him into the same dungeon from whence he had before been brought, and then went and informed the old man of the unfortunate cause of his return, and the bad success of his voyage. The wicked wretch did not forget to impress his two daughters very strongly with the necessity of ill-treating the unfortunate prince in a still worse manner, if possible, than before.
Assad was extremely surprised at finding himself again in the same place where he had already suffered so much; and in expectation of the same tortures, from which he thought himself delivered for ever. He wept, and was lamenting the hardness of his destiny, when he saw Bostana enter the dungeon with a stick in her hand, a piece of bread, and a pitcher of water. He trembled at the sight of this merciless creature, and groaned aloud when he reflected upon the daily torments he was again to endure for another whole year, before he was to be led to his most horrible kind of death.
Bostana, however, did not treat the unfortunate Assad in so cruel a manner as she had done, when he was in this prison the former time. The lamentations, the complaints, and the continual prayers of the prince to spare him, joined to his tears, were at length so powerful, that Bostana could not avoid being softened by them, and even to mingle her tears with his. “Sir,” she said to Assad, as she again covered his shoulders, “I ask you a thousand pardons for the cruelty with which I have before treated you, and of which I have again made you feel the ill effects. Hitherto I have been afraid of disobeying my father, who is so unjustly enraged against you, and who is determined upon your destruction. But I now detest and abhor his barbarity. Console yourself, therefore, for your evils are at an end; and I am going to repair all my crimes, the enormity of which I am well aware of, by better treatment. You have hitherto looked upon me as an infidel; you must for the future regard me as a mussulman. I have already received much instruction from a female slave, who attends me; I hope that you will complete what she has begun. To prove to you my good intentions, I ask pardon of the true God for all my offences against, and ill treatment of, you; and I have full confidence, that he will discover to me the means of restoring you to your full liberty.”
This speech afforded prince Assad great consolation; he offered up his grateful thanks to God for instilling such kindness into the heart of Bostana, and converting her to the true religion. After first thanking her for the good opinion she had expressed for him, he neglected nothing that he thought would confirm her in her new opinions; not only by endeavoring to instruct her still further in the various doctrines of the mussulman religion, but even giving her a long and faithful account of himself, of all his misfortunes, and his illustrious descent. As soon as he was convinced of her firmness in the good resolutions she had taken, he asked her how she would be able to prevent her sister Cavama from becoming acquainted with this change; and also from using him so ill, when it should be her turn; “Let not that give you any pain,” replied Bostana, “I know very well how to manage, so that she shall give herself no further trouble about you.”
In fact, Bostana found some means of preventing Cavama, every time she expressed a wish to go into the dungeon. She herself, however, saw the prince very often; and instead of carrying only bread and water to him, as she was ordered, she brought him wine, and a variety of excellent food, which was prepared by twelve mussulman slaves, who attended on her. She frequently also partook of his repasts with him, and did every thing in her power to console him.
Some days after prince Assad’s return to the city of the Magi, Bostana happened to be at the door of her house, when she heard the public crier giving notice of something. As she could not understand what the crier said, because he was so far off, and as she observed him coming up towards the house, she went in, but left the door a little open and listened. She saw him walking on before the grand vizier, Amgiad, prince Assad’s brother, accompanied by several officers of state: and with a great multitude of people following them.
The crier had not gone many steps from the door before he made the following proclamation in a loud tone of voice; The most excellent and illustrious grand vizier, who is now present, comes in person to inquire after, and seek for, his dear brother, who has been separated from him for more than a year. His person and description are as follows. If any person has given him a lodging at his house, or knows where he is, his Excellency commands them to bring him to him, or to give him some information concerning him, and he promises to reward them handsomely. But if any one shall conceal and detain him, and he shall afterwards be discovered, his Excellency declares that he will punish such persons with death, together with their wives, their children, and all their family; and will also raze their houses to the ground.