The Princess Badoura loved olives extremely: when she heard the
captain speak of them, she said, 'Land them, I will take them off
your hands: as to the other goods, tell the merchants to bring them
to me, and let me see them before they dispose of them, or show
them to any one else.'
The captain, taking her for the King of the Isle of Ebony, replied,
'Sire, there are fifty great pots of olives, but they belong to a
merchant whom I was forced to leave behind. I gave him notice
myself that I was waiting for him, and waited a long time; but as
he did not come, and the wind was good, I was afraid of losing it,
and so set sail.'
The princess answered, 'No matter; bring them ashore; we will make
a bargain for them.'
The captain sent his boat aboard, and in a little time it returned
with the pots of olives. The princess demanded how much the fifty
pots might be worth in the Isle of Ebony. 'Sir,' said the captain,
'the merchant is very poor, and your majesty will do him a singular
favour if you give him a thousand pieces of silver.'
'To satisfy him,' replied the princess, 'and because you tell me he
is poor, I will order you a thousand pieces of gold for him, which
do you take care to give him.
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