out of the high road as was possible.  When night began to approach, they alighted at a caravanserai or inn, where they supped, and slept till about midnight; when Marzavan awakened the prince, and desired his highness to let him have his dress, and to take another for himself, which was brought in his baggage.  Thus equipped, they mounted the fresh horses, and after Marzavan had taken one of the grooms’ horses by the bridle, they left the caravanserai.

At day-break they found themselves in a forest, where four roads met.  Here Marzavan, desiring the prince to wait for him a little, went into the wood.  He then cut the throat of the groom’s horse, and after having torn the suit which the prince had taken off, and besmeared it with blood, threw it into the highway.

The prince inquired his reason for what he had done.  He replied, he was sure that when the king his father found he did not return, and should learn that he had departed without the grooms, he would suspect something wrong, and immediately send in quest of them. “they who may come this way, finding this bloody habit, will conclude you are devoured by wild beasts, and that I have escaped to avoid the king’s anger.  The king, concluding you are dead, will stop further pursuit, and we may have leisure to continue our journey without fear of being followed.”  “I must confess,” continued Marzavan, “it is a violent way of proceeding, to alarm a fond father with the death of his son, but his joy will be the greater when he shall hear you are alive and happy.”  “Breve Marzavan,” replied the prince, “I cannot but approve such an ingenious stratagem, or sufficiently admire your conduct:  you place me under fresh obligations to you.”

The prince and Marzavan being well provided for their expenses, continued their journey both by land and sea, and found no other obstacle but the length of the time which it necessarily took up.  They arrived at length at the capital of China, where Marzavan, instead of going to his house, carried the prince to a public inn.  They remained there incognito three days, to rest themselves after the fatigue of the voyage; during which time Marzavan caused an astrologer’s habit to be made for the prince.  The three days being expired, they went together to the bath, where the prince put on his astrologer’s dress:  from thence Marzavan conducted him to the neighbourhood of the king of China’s palace, where he left him, to go and inform his mother of his arrival.

Kummir al Zummaun, instructed by Marzavan what he was to do, came next morning to the gate of the king’s palace, and cried aloud, “I am an astrologer, and am come to cure the illustrious princess Badoura, daughter of the most high and mighty monarch Gaiour king of China, on the conditions proposed by his majesty, to marry her if I succeed, or else to lose my life for my fruitless and presumptuous attempt.”

Besides the guards and porters at the gate, this incident drew together a great number of people about the prince.  There had no physician, astrologer, or magician appeared for a long time on this account, being deterred by the many tragical examples of ill success that appeared before; it was therefore thought there remained no more of these professions in the world, or none so mad as those that had already forfeited their lives.