this thy plight, on condition that thou be reasonable and
discover not aught of thine affair ever?' And Selim answered, 'I
will swear to thee by whatsoever oath thou choosest that I will
keep thy secret and will not speak one syllable against thy due,
what while I abide on life.' Quoth the cook, 'I purpose to send
thee forth with my brother and cause thee travel with him on the
sea, on condition that thou be unto him a boughten slave; and
when he cometh to the land of Hind, he shall sell thee and thus
wilt thou be delivered from prison and slaughter.' And Selim
said, 'It is well: be it as thou sayst, may God the Most High
requite thee with good!'

Therewithal the cook equipped his brother and freighting him a
ship, embarked therein merchandise. Then he committed Selim unto
him and they set out and departed with the ship. God decreed them
safety, so that they arrived [in due course] at the first city
[of the land of Hind], the which is known as El Mensoureh, and
cast anchor there. Now the king of that city had died, leaving a
daughter and a widow, who was the quickest-witted of women and
gave out that the girl was a boy, so that the kingship might be
stablished unto them. The troops and the amirs doubted not but
that the case was as she avouched and that the princess was a
male child; so they obeyed her and the queen mother took order
for the matter and used to dress the girl in man's apparel and
seat her on the throne of the kingship, so that the folk might
see her. Accordingly, the grandees of the kingdom and the chief
officers of the realm used to go in to her and salute her and do
her service and go away, nothing doubting but she was a boy.

On this wise they abode months and years and the queen-mother