Being true to my oath, I made no farther inquiry, but took the lady by the hand, and, by the directions which the prince my cousin had given me, I brought her to the place, by the light of the moon, without missing one step of the way. We were scarcely got thither, when we saw the prince following after, carrying a little pitcher with water, a hatchet, and a little bag with plaster. The hatchet served him to break down the empty sepulchre in the middle of the tomb; he took away the stones one after another, and laid them in a corner. When all this was taken away, he digged up the ground, where I saw a trap-door under the sepulchre, which he lifted up, and underneath perceived the head of a staircase leading into a vault. Then my cousin, speaking to the lady, said, Madam, it is by this way that we are to go to the place I told you of. Upon which the lady drew nigh, and went down, and the prince began to follow; but first, turning to me, said, My dear cousin, I am infinitely obliged to you for the trouble you have taken; I thank you. Adieu. I cried, Dear cousin, what is the meaning of this? Be content, replied he; you may return back the same way you came. Scheherazade having proceeded thus far, saw day appear, which prevented her proceeding any farther. The sultan got up, but longed very much to know the design of the prince and his lady, who seemed as if they had a mind to bury themselves alive; and impatiently waited for next night, that he might be thoroughly informed of it. THIRTY-EIGHTH NIGHT. Dinarzade awaked the sultaness next night as usual, and prayed her to continue the history of the first calender. Schahriar having also signified to the sultaness, that it would be very pleasing to him, she resumed the thread of her discourse as follows: Madam, said the calender to Zobeide, I could get nothing farther from him, but was obliged to take leave of him. As I returned to my uncle’s palace, the vapours of the wine got up into my head; however, I got to my apartment, and went to bed. Next morning, when I awaked, I began to reflect upon what had happened the night before; and after recollecting all the circumstances of such a singular adventure, I fancied it was nothing but a dream. Full of these thoughts, I sent to see if the prince, my cousin, was ready to receive a visit from me; but when they brought word back that he did not lie in his own lodgings that night, they knew not what was become of him, and were in much trouble about it, I conceived that the strange event of the tomb was but too true. I was sensibly afflicted at it; and stealing away privately from my people, I went to the public burying-place, where there was a vast number of tombs like that which I had seen. I spent the day in viewing them one after another, but could not find that I sought for, and thus I spent four days successively in vain.