Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 3.djvu/43

I would ſatisfy their Curioſity. They gave me ſeveral ſorts of Food, and when I had ſatisfied my Hunger, I gave them a true Account of all that had befallen me, which they liſtened to with Admiration. As ſoon as I had finiſhed my Diſcourſe, they told me by the Perſon who ſpoke Arabick and interpreted to them what I ſaid That it was one of the moſt ſurprizing Stories they ever heard, and that I muſt go along with them, and tell it their King myſelf; the Thing is too extraordinary to be told him by any other than the Perſon to whom it happened! I told them I was ready to do whatever they pleas’d,

They immediately ſent for a Horſe, which was brought them in a little time, and having made me get up upon him, ſome of them walked before me to ſhew me the way, and the reſt took my Float and Cargo, and followed me.

Here Scheherazade was obliged to ſtop, becauſe Day appeared, but towards the cloſe of next Night reſum’d the Thread of her Story thus,

WE marched thus altogether till we came to the City of Serendib, for ’twas in that Iſland where I landed. The Blacks preſented me to their King, I approached his Throne and ſaluted him as I uſed to do the Kings of the Indies; that’s to ſay, I proſtrated my ſelf at his Feet, and kiſſed the Earth. The Prince ordered me to rife up, received me with an obliging Air, and made me come up, and ſit down near him. He firſt ask’d me my Name, and I anſwer’d, They cal’d me, Sindbad the Sailor, becauſe of the many Voyages I had undertaken, and that I was a Citizen of Bagdad. But replys he how did you come into my Dominions, and from whence came you laſt?

I concea’d nothing from the King, I told him all that I have now told you, and his Majeſty was fo ſurpriz’d and charm’d with it, that he commanded my Adventures to be writ in Letters of Gold, and laid up in the Archive of his Kingdom. At laſt my Float was brought him, and the Bales open’d in his Preſence; he admir’d the Quantity of Wood of Aloes and Ambergreeſe, but above all, the Rubies and Emeralds, for he had none in his Treasury that came near them.