166 ome a” at The Loss of

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The palace being by the sea-side, the new king, or rather the
Princess Badoura, espying the ship as she was entering the port,
with all her flags flying, asked what vessel it was; she was told
that it came annually from the city of the idolaters, and was
generally richly laden.

The princess, who always had Prince Camaralzaman in her
mind amidst the glories which surrounded her, imagined that the
prince might be on board, and resolved to go down to the ship
and meet him. Under pretence of inquiring what merchandise
was on board, and having the first sight of the goods, and
choosing the most valuable, she commanded a horse to be
brought, which she ‘mounted, and rode to the port, accompanied
by several officers in waiting, and arrived at the port just as the
captain came ashore. She ordered him to be brought before her,
and asked whence he came, how long he had been on his -voyage,
and what good or bad fortune he had met with: if he had any
stranger of quality on board, and particularly. with what his ship
was laden.

The captain gave a satisfactory answer to all her demands ;
and as to passengers, assured her that there were none but mer-
chants in his ship, who were used to come every year and bring
rich stuffs from several parts of the world to trade with, the finest
linens painted and ‘plain, diamonds, musk, ambergris, camphor,
civet, spices, drugs, ‘olives, and many other articles.

The Princess Badoura loved olives extremely: when she heard
the captain speak of them, she said, ‘Land them, I will take them:
off your hands: as to the other goods, tell the merchants to bring
them to me, and let me. see them before they dispose of them,
or show them to any one else.’

The captain, taking her for the King of the Isle of Ebony, :
replied, ‘ Sire, there are fifty great pots of olives, but they. belong
to a merchant whom I was forced to leave behind. I gave him