and in a short time I had set out for India with the ambassador,
attended only by a small suite on account of the length of the journey,
and the badness of the roads. However, as was my duty, I took
with me ten camels, laden with rich presents for the Sultan.

We had been travelling for about a month, when one day we saw a cloud
of dust moving swiftly towards us; and as soon as it came near,
we found that the dust concealed a band of fifty robbers.
Our men barely numbered half, and as we were also hampered by
the camels, there was no use in fighting, so we tried to overawe
them by informing them who we were, and whither we were going.
The robbers, however, only laughed, and declared that was none
of their business, and, without more words, attacked us brutally.
I defended myself to the last, wounded though I was, but at length,
seeing that resistance was hopeless, and that the ambassador
and all our followers were made prisoners, I put spurs to my horse
and rode away as fast as I could, till the poor beast fell dead
from a wound in his side. I managed to jump off without any injury,
and looked about to see if I was pursued. But for the moment I
was safe, for, as I imagined, the robbers were all engaged in
quarrelling over their booty.

I found myself in a country that was quite new to me, and dared
not return to the main road lest I should again fall into the
hands of the robbers. Luckily my wound was only a slight one,
and after binding it up as well as I could, I walked on for the
rest of the day, till I reached a cave at the foot of a mountain,
where I passed the night in peace, making my supper off some fruits
I had gathered on the way.