I gave him repeated assurances of a punctual performance of whatever should be enjoined me.  Then, said he, in the evening you must be at the mosque built by the caliph’s lady on the banks of the Tigris, and stay there till one comes to call you, I agreed to what he proposed; and, after passing the day in great impatience, went in the evening to the prayer that is said in an hour and an half after sunset in the mosque, and there I staid after the people were gone.  Immediately I saw a boat making up to the mosque, the rowers of which were all eunuchs, who came on shore, and put several large trunks into the mosque, and then retired; only one of them remained, whom I perceived to be the same eunuch that had all along accompanied the lady, and had been with me that morning.  About the same time, I saw the lady enter the mosque; and, making up to her, told her I was ready to obey her orders.  Come, said she, we have no time to lose.  With that she opened one of the trunks, and bid me get into it, that being necessary both for her safety and mine.  Fear nothing, added she; leave the management of the rest to me.  I considered that I had gone too far to look back, and so obeyed her orders; upon which she locked the trunk.  This done, the eunuch who was her confident, called the other eunuchs who had brought in the trunks, and ordered them to carry them on board again; after which the lady and eunuch re-embarked, and the boatmen rowed to Zobeide’s apartment.  In the mean time, I reflected very seriously upon the danger to which I had exposed myself, and made vows and prayers, though it was then too late.  The boat put into the palace-gate, and the trunks were carried into the apartment of the officer of the eunuchs, who keeps the key of the ladies’ apartments, and suffers nothing to enter without a narrow inspection.  The officer was then in bed, consequently there was a necessity for calling him.  He was angry that they should break his rest, and chid the favourite lady severely for coming home so late:  You shall not come off so easily as you think; for, said he, not one of these trunks shall pass till I have opened every one of them.  He then commanded the eunuchs to bring them before him, and open them one by one.  The first they began with was that in which I lay; so that I was in the last degree of consternation.

The favourite lady, who had the key of the trunk, protested it should not be opened.  You know very well, said she, I bring nothing hither but what is to serve Zobeide, your mistress and mine.  This trunk, continued she, is filled with rich goods I had from some merchants lately arrived, besides a number of bottles of Zemzem water [Footnote:  There is a fountain at Mecca, which, according to the Mahometans, is a spring that God showed to Hagar after Abraham was obliged to put her away.  The water of this spring is drank by way of devotion, and is sent in presents to the princes and princesses.] sent from Mecca; if any of these should happen to break, the