her face black), with a string of beads in
her hand, and covered with a mantle, finding the door open, entered
without fear, and standing before the princess, lifted up her hands
and blessed her, saying, "I pray to God that he may long preserve you a
married woman, and that thy husband's turban may be permanent! I am a
poor beggar woman, and I have a daughter who is in her full time and
perishing in the pains of child-birth; I have not the means to get
a little oil which I may burn in our lamp; food and drink, indeed,
are out of the question. If she should die, how shall I bury her? and
if she is brought to bed, what shall I give the midwife and nurse,
or how procure remedies for the lying-in woman? it is now two days
since she has lain hungry and thirsty. O, noble lady! give her, out
of your bounty, a morsel of bread that she may eat the same along
with a drink of water."

The princess took pity on her, and called her near her, and gave
her four loaves, some roast meat, and a ring from her little finger,
saying, "having sold this, make jewels [for your daughter] and live
comfortably; and come occasionally to see me, the house is yours." The
old hag having completely gained the object she came in search of,
poured heartfelt blessings on the princess, saluted her and trotted
off. She threw away the loaves and meat at the door, but kept the
ring snug, saying to herself, "the clue to trace the princess is now
in my possession." As God wished to preserve us from this calamity,
just then the master of the house arrived; he was a brave soldier,
mounted on an Arab horse, with a spear in his hand, and a deer hanging
by the side of his saddle. Finding the door of his house open, the
lock broken, and the old hag coming out of it, he was enraged, and
seized her by the hair and dragged her to the house. He tied both
her feet with a rope, and hung her on the branch of a true with her
head down and her feet uppermost; so that in a short time the old
devil died in agonies. The moment I saw the soldier's looks, I was
overcome with such fear that I turned quite pale, and my heart began
to tremble with dread. That brave man seeing us both alarmed, gave
us assurances of safety, and added, "You have acted very imprudently;
you have done the deed and left the door open."

The princess, smiling, said, "The prince said it was the house
of his slave, and brought me here under a deception." The soldier
observed, "The prince said truly, for a