This cornelian,
said the prince to himself, must have something extraordinary in
it, or my princess would not be at the trouble to carry it with
her; and, indeed, it was Badoura's talisman, or a scheme of her
nativity drawn from the constellations of heaven, which the queen
of China had given her daughter as a charm that would keep her
from all harm as long as she had it about her.
The prince, to see what the talisman was, took it out to the
light, the tent being dark; and, while he was holding it up in
his hand, a bird darted down from the air, and snatched it away.
Your majesty may easily conceive the concern and grief of prince
Camaralzaman, when he saw the bird fly away with the
talisman*[Footnote: There is an adventure like this in the
romance of Peter of Provence and the Fair Maguelona, which was
taken from the Arabic.] . He was more troubled at it than words
can express, and cursed his unseasonable curiosity, by which
means he had lost a treasure that was so exceedingly precious,
and so much valued by his dear princess.
The bird, having got her prize, pitched upon the ground, not far
off, with the talisman in her mouth. The prince drew near it, in
hopes she would drop it; but, as he approached, the bird took
wing, and pitched again on the ground further off. Camaralzaman
followed her; and the bird, having swallowed the talisman, took a
small flight further off still.
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