' And the captain
said, 'This device should serve well.' Presently they reached
the city and slackening sail, cast anchor; when, behold, Queen
Merjaneh came down to them, attended by her guards, and halting
before the ship, called out to the captain, who landed and kissed
the earth before her. Quoth she, 'What is the lading of thy ship
and whom hast thou with thee?' 'O queen of the age,' answered
he, 'I have with me a merchant who deals in slaves.' And she
said, 'Bring him to me;' whereupon Behram came ashore to her,
followed by Asaad in a slave's habit, and kissed the earth before
her. 'What is thy condition?' asked the queen; and Behram
answered, 'I am a slave-dealer.' Then she looked at Asaad and
taking him for a slave, said to him, 'What is thy name?' Quoth
he, 'Dost thou ask my present or my former name?' 'Hast thou
then two names?' asked she, and he answered (and indeed his voice
was choked with tears), 'Yes; my name aforetime was Asaad,[FN#70]
but now it is Muterr.'[FN#71] Her heart inclined to him and she
said, 'Canst thou write?' 'Yes,' answered he; and she gave him
inkhorn and pen and paper and said to him, 'Write somewhat, that
I may see it.' So he wrote the following verses:
Harkye, O thou that judgest, what can a mortal do, When fate, in
all conditions, doth him to death ensue?
It casts him in the ocean, bound hand and foot, and says, "Beware
lest with the water you wet yourself, look you!"
When she read this, she had compassion upon him and said to
Behram, 'Sell me this slave.
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