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Sir, ſaid ſhe, the young Prince, my Siſters and my felf enjoy’d our ſelves for ſometime very agreeably: But alas! this good Underftanding did not laſt long, for my Siſters grew jealous of the Friendſhip between the Prince and me, and maliciouſly ask’d me one Day, what we ſhould do with him when we came to Bagdad? I perceiv’d immediately that they put this Queſtion to me, on purpoſe to a diſcover my Inclinations, therefore reſolving to put it off with a Jeſt, I anſwer’d them, I will take him for my Husband: and upon that, turning my ſelf to the Prince, Sir, humbly beg of you to give your Conſent, for as ſoon as we came to Bagdad, I deſign to offer you my Perſon to be your Slave, to do you all the Service that is in my Power, and to reſign my ſelf wholly to your Commands.
The Prince anſwered, I know not, Madam, whether you be in jeſt or no; but for my own part, I ſeriouſly declare before theſe Ladies, your Siſters, that from this Moment I heartily accept your Offer, not with any Intention to have you as a Slave, but as my Lady and Miſtreſs; nor will I pretend to have any Power over your Actions. At theſe Words my Siſters changed Colour, and I could perceive afterwards, that they did not love me formerly.
We were come into the Perſian Gulph, and not far from Balſora, where I hop’d, conſidering the fair Wind, we might have arriv’d the Day following; but in the Night, when I was aſleep, my Siſters watch’d their Time, and threw me over board. They did the ſame to the Prince, who was drown’d, I ſwam ſome Minutes on the Water; but by good Fortune, or rather Miracle, I felt Ground, I went towards a black Place, that by what I could diſcern in the Dark ſeemed to be Land, and actually was a Flat on the Coaſt, which when Day came, I found to be a Deſart Iſland, lying about twenty Miles from Balſora. I ſoon dried my Cloths in the Sun, and as I walked along, I found ſeveral ſorts of Fruit, and likewiſe freſh Water, which gave me ſome hopes of preſerving my Life.
I laid my ſelf down in a Shade, and ſoon after I ſaw a winged Serpent, very large and long, coming towards me, wriggling to the right and to the left, and hanging out his Tongue, which made me think he had got ſome Hurt, I aroſe and ſaw a Serpent larger than he following him, hold-ing
