who heard me. When I had done speaking, the prince began again,
assuring me that he was deeply concerned at my misfortunes. He
then conducted me to his palace, and presented me to the queen
his mother, to whom I was obliged again to repeat my misfortunes
and to renew my tears. The queen seemed very sensible of my
trouble, and conceived extreme affection for me. On the other
hand, the sultan her son fell desperately in love with me, and
soon offered me his person and his crown. I was so taken up with
the thoughts of my calamities, that the prince, though so lovely
a person, did not make so great an impression on me as he might
have done at another time. However, gratitude prevailing, I did
not refuse to make him happy, and our nuptials were concluded
with all imaginable splendour.

While the people were taken up with the celebration of their
sovereign's nuptials, a neighbouring prince, his enemy, made a
descent by night on the island with a great number of troops.
That formidable enemy was the king of Zanguebar. He surprised
and cut to pieces my husband's subjects. He was very near taking
us both. We escaped very narrowly, for he had already entered
the palace with some of his followers, but we found means to slip
away, and to get to the seacoast, where we threw ourselves into a
fishing boat which we had the good fortune to meet with. Two
days we were driven about by the winds, without knowing what
would become of us. The third day we espied a vessel making
towards us under sail. We rejoiced at first, believing it had
been a merchant ship which might take us aboard; but what was our
consternation, when, as it drew near, we saw ten or twelve armed
pirates appear on the deck. Having boarded, five or six of them
leaped into our boat, seized us, bound the prince, and conveyed