all blind of the right eye. They were accompanied by an old man, very tall, and of a venerable aspect.
As I was conjecturing by what adventure these men could come together, they approached, and seemed glad to see me. After we had made our salutations, they inquired what had brought me thither. I told them my story, which filled them with great astonishment.
After I had concluded my account, the young men prayed me to accompany them into the palace, and brought me into a spacious hall, where there were ten small blue seats set round, separate from one another. In the middle of this circle stood an eleventh seat, not so high as the rest, but of the same color, upon which the old man before mentioned sat down, and the young men occupied the other ten. But as each seat could only contain one man, one of the young men said to me, “Sit down, friend, upon that carpet in the middle of the room, and do not inquire into anything that concerns us, nor the reason why we are all blind of the right eye.”
The old man, having sat a short time, arose, and went out; but he returned in a minute or two, brought in supper, distributed to each man separately his portion, and likewise brought me mine, which I ate apart, as the rest did; and when supper was almost ended, he presented to each of us a cup of wine.
One of the young men observing that it was late, said to
106
