answered, “I must obey you then, since your command is absolute, yet I am afraid that my obedience will occasion your trouble to be greater than my own.  But you must blame yourself, since you force me to reveal what I should otherwise have buried in eternal Oblivion.”  “What you say,” answered Shier-ear, “serves only to increase my curiosity.  Discover the secret, whatever it be.”  The king of Tartary being no longer able to refuse, related to him the particulars of the blacks in disguise, of the ungoverned passion of the sultaness, and her ladies; nor did he forget Masoud.  After having been witness to these infamous actions, he continued, “I believed all women to be naturally lewd; and that they could not resist their inclination.  Being of this opinion, it seemed to me to be in men an unaccountable weakness to place any confidence in their fidelity.  This reflection brought on many others; and in short, I thought the best thing I could do was to make myself easy.  It cost me some pains indeed, but at last I grew reconciled; and if you will take my advice, you will follow my example.”

Though the advice was good, the sultan could not approve of it, but fell into a rage.  “What!” said he, “is the sultaness of the Indies capable of prostituting herself in so base a manner!  No, brother, I cannot believe what you state unless I beheld it with my own eyes.  Yours must needs have deceived you; the matter is so important that I must be satisfied of it myself.”  “Dear brother,” answered Shaw-zummaun, “that you may without much difficulty.  Appoint another hunting-match, and when we are out of town with your court and mine, we will rest under our tents, and at night let you and I return unattended to my apartments.  I am certain the next day you will see a repetition of the scene.”  The sultan approving the stratagem, immediately appointed another hunting-match.  And that same day the tents were pitched at the place appointed.

The next day the two princes set out with all their retinue; they arrived at the place of encampment, and stayed there till night.  Shier-ear then called his grand vizier, and, without acquainting him with his design, commanded him during his absence to suffer no person to quit the camp on any presence whatever.  As soon as he had given this order, the king of Grand Tartary and he took horse, passed through the camp incognito, returned to the city, and went to Shaw-zummaun’s apartment.  They had scarcely placed themselves in the window whence the king of Tartary had beheld the scene of the disguised blacks, when the secret gate opened, the sultaness and her ladies entered the garden with the blacks, and she having called to Masoud, the sultan saw more than enough fully to convince him of his dishonour and misfortune.