Page 277 of 1116

Then Ja'afar came forward and kissing the ground before her said,

"O my lady, we be merchants from Tiberias town: we arrived at

Baghdad ten days ago; and, alighting at the merchants'

caravanserai, we sold all our merchandise. Now a certain trader

invited us to an entertainment this night; so we went to his

house and he set food before us and we ate: then we sat at wine

and wassail with him for an hour or so when he gave us leave to

depart; and we went out from him in the shadow of the night and,

being strangers, we could not find our way back to our Khan.