A secret gate of the sultan's palace opened all of a sudden,
and there came out at it twenty women, in the midst of whom
marched the sultaness, who was easily distinguished from the rest
by her majestic air. This princess, thinking that the king of
Tartary was gone a hunting with his brother the sultan, came up
with her retinue near the windows of his apartment; for the
prince had placed himself so that he could see all that passed in
the garden without being perceived himself. He observed that the
persons who accompanied the sultaness threw off their veils and
long robes, that they might be at more freedom; but was
wonderfully surprised when he saw ten of them to be blacks, and
that each of them took his mistress. The sultaness, on her part,
was not long without her gallant. She clapped her hands, and
called out Masoud, Masoud, and immediately a black came down from
a tree, and ran to her in all haste.
Modesty will not allow, nor is it necessary to relate, what
passed betwixt the blacks and ladies. It is sufficient to say,
that Schahzenan saw enough to convince him that his brother had
as much cause to complain as himself. This amorous company
continued together till midnight and having bathed all together
in a great pond, which was one of the chief ornaments of the
garden, they dressed themselves, and re-entered the palace, by
the secret door, all except Masoud, who climbed up his tree, and
got over the garden-wall the same way as he came.
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