“And also of intoxication,” replied the princess.  “They will be produced at the banquet of the king, and, O sir! be temperate, very temperate, in the use of them.”

I promised that I would, and we continued our walk to the porticos of the palace, where I pointed to the statues of blue chalcedony, and begged her to inform me by whom they had been executed, and why they were all in such grotesque and absurd positions.

“That is a question which I cannot answer, further than that they were made in the island.  We must now return, as the king’s banquet will be ready.”

We sat down at the table of the king, that is to say, I and my companions; for no courtiers, male or female, were permitted to have the same honour.  Each lady stood behind the person who had been intrusted to her charge, and waited upon him.  My gallantry, as a Frenchman, was sorely wounded at the idea of my charming princess performing the duties of a menial, and I expressed my feelings to her in a low tone of voice.  She shook her head, as if to rebuke me, and I said no more.  When we had finished the banquet, his majesty ordered the water of the golden fountain to be produced, which it immediately was, by those in attendance, and extolling its virtues, desired a cup to be filled for each guest, which was handed to him by the attendant ladies.

As the princess presented the cup, she contrived to press one of her fingers against mine, before she removed them, to remind me of my promise.  I drank but sparingly, but the effects were instantaneous—­my spirits rose buoyant, and I felt a sort of intellectual intoxication.  At a sign made by the king, the ladies now took their seats beside us, and by their attentions and caresses, increased the desire for the water, which they supplied in abundance.  I must confess that at each sip that I took, the princess, who had taken her seat by me, appeared so much more charming in my eyes, that notwithstanding the repeated pressure of her foot to remind me of my promise, I could not resist the impulse to drink.

The boatswain and one of the seamen were very drunken characters, and had very soon poured down so much of the water, that they dropped off their stools on the marble pavement, without sense or motion.  This recalled me to my senses, which were rapidly stealing away; I rose from my seat, and pointing out to my companions that it would ill become them to intoxicate themselves in the presence of his majesty, requested that they would drink no more, but leave the table before they were incapacitated from paying the proper attentions to their fair conductors.  The last argument had more weight than the first, and notwithstanding the remonstrances of the king, who showed the greatest anxiety that we should remain, the party rose from the table and separated.  The two men who were intoxicated were carried away by some of the courtiers, and the king with marks of displeasure quitted the hall.  I was again