t her go; and may the Prophet of the
Faithful guide her footsteps in safety and security! I am assured that
Horam would not consent to an enterprise that was foolish and weak;
and to his direction I leave the fate of this trusty female."

The slave then fell prostrate, and besought the Sultan to give her
some of his writings and mandates, that she might pretend she had
stolen them from his tent, with a design to carry and lay them at the
feet of Tasnar and Ahubal.

The Sultan approved of her scheme, and ordered several mandates to be
written and signed relative to the motions of his army the next day,
which were quite contrary to the real disposition he intended to give
out.

The female slave being furnished with these, and being conducted by
the Vizier to the outskirts of the Sultan's army, walked forward till
she was challenged by the sentinels of Ahubal, who seized upon and
carried her to their commander.

The commander, fearful of deceit, first satisfied himself that she was
really a female slave, and then asked her what brought her alone out
of the camp of the Sultan.

"Bring me," said she, "before your Prince; for I have things to
deliver up to him that will be of service to his army."

The commander then sent her with the guard to the pavilion of Ahubal,
where that Prince and the enchanter Tasnar were consulting in private
together.

As soon as the female slave had gained admittance, she fell prostrate
at the feet of Ahubal, which Tasnar observing, commanded the guards to
seize her.

"Let us see," said the enchanter, "what service this slave can do us,
before she is trusted so near our persons."

The female slave, being secured by the guards, was doubtful how to
behave.

"Have you, base slave," said the enchanter, "aught to reveal to us? or
are you sent as a spy to betray the counsels of the brave?"

"I have," said the female slave (somewhat recovered from her
surprise), "papers and mandates of great consequence, which I have
stolen from the tent of the Sultan; and I bring them to the Prince
Ahubal, the lord of all the hearts of the Indian empire."

She then produced her mandates, and the guards laid them at the feet
of Ahubal.

The Prince Ahubal, having read the papers, gave them to Tasnar,
saying, "These are indeed valuable acquisitions, and the female slave
that brought them is worthy of high honour and reward."

The slave, hearing this encomium, bowed down her head; for the guards
who held