The Arabian Nights Entertainments, vol 1 | Page 5

easily
prevailed upon in this point as he had been in the other, on his brother's
account. But being obliged to yield to his pressing instances, answered,
"I must obey you then, since your command is absolute, yet I am afraid
that my obedience will occasion your trouble to be greater than my own.
But you must blame yourself, since you force me to reveal what I
should otherwise have buried in eternal Oblivion." "What you say,"
answered Shier-ear, "serves only to increase my curiosity. Discover the
secret, whatever it be." The king of Tartary being no longer able to
refuse, related to him the particulars of the blacks in disguise, of the
ungoverned passion of the sultaness, and her ladies; nor did he forget
Masoud. After having been witness to these infamous actions, he
continued, "I believed all women to be naturally lewd; and that they
could not resist their inclination. Being of this opinion, it seemed to me
to be in men an unaccountable weakness to place any confidence in
their fidelity. This reflection brought on many others; and in short, I
thought the best thing I could do was to make myself easy. It cost me
some pains indeed, but at last I grew reconciled; and if you will take
my advice, you will follow my example."
Though the advice was good, the sultan could not approve of it, but fell

into a rage. "What!" said he, "is the sultaness of the Indies capable of
prostituting herself in so base a manner! No, brother, I cannot believe
what you state unless I beheld it with my own eyes. Yours must needs
have deceived you; the matter is so important that I must be satisfied of
it myself." "Dear brother," answered Shaw-zummaun, "that you may
without much difficulty. Appoint another hunting-match, and when we
are out of town with your court and mine, we will rest under our tents,
and at night let you and I return unattended to my apartments. I am
certain the next day you will see a repetition of the scene." The sultan
approving the stratagem, immediately appointed another hunting-
match. And that same day the tents were pitched at the place appointed.
The next day the two princes set out with all their retinue; they arrived
at the place of encampment, and stayed there till night. Shier-ear then
called his grand vizier, and, without acquainting him with his design,
commanded him during his absence to suffer no person to quit the
camp on any presence whatever. As soon as he had given this order, the
king of Grand Tartary and he took horse, passed through the camp
incognito, returned to the city, and went to Shaw-zummaun's apartment.
They had scarcely placed themselves in the window whence the king of
Tartary had beheld the scene of the disguised blacks, when the secret
gate opened, the sultaness and her ladies entered the garden with the
blacks, and she having called to Masoud, the sultan saw more than
enough fully to convince him of his dishonour and misfortune.
"Oh heavens!" he exclaimed, "what indignity! What horror! Can the
wife of a sovereign be capable of such infamous conduct? After this, let
no prince boast of being perfectly happy. Alas! my brother," continued
he, embracing the king of Tartery, "let us both renounce the world,
honour is banished out of it; if it flatter us one day, it betrays us the
next. Let us abandon our dominions, and go into foreign countries,
where we may lead an obscure life, and conceal our misfortunes."
Shaw-zummaun did not at all approve of this plan, but did not think fit
to contradict Shierear in the heat of his passion. "Dear brother," he
replied, "your will shall be mine. I am ready to follow you
whithersoever you please: but promise me that you will return, if we
meet with any one more unhappy than ourselves." "To this I agree,"

said the sultan, "but doubt much whether we shall." "I am not of your
opinion in this," replied the king of Tartary; "I fancy our journey will
be but short." Having thus resolved, they went secretly out of the palace.
They travelled as long as day-light continued; and lay the first night
under trees. They arose about break of day, went on till they came to a
fine meadow on the seashore, that was be-sprinkled with large trees
They sat down under one of them to rest and refresh themselves, and
the chief subject of their conversation was the infidelity or their wives.
They had not rested long, before they heard a frightful noise from the
sea, and a terrible cry, which filled them with fear. The sea then opened,
and there arose something like a great black column, which reached
almost to the