Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/21

 "And I can tell you," added the second brother, "that there was a woman on the back of your camel."

"And this woman," said the third brother, "so you know, that we are telling you the truth, I tell you, was pregnant."

Having heard these words, and led to believe because of the many true clues they had given him, that the young men had stolen his camel, which he had not been able to find on the road indicated by them, the camel driver decided to go to court and accuse the young people of having stolen his camel on the way. He therefore appeared before the judge, and the three brothers, seriously accused of having committed the theft, were sent to prison. This event reached the ears of the Emperor who was annoyed because he had used the utmost diligence so that one could travel through his kingdom safely and without fear of highway robbers. This is why, quite disturbed, he ordered the young men to be brought into his presence the next day, and having also called the camel driver, he wanted, in the presence of the young men, to be informed by him of all that had happened. Having obtained a full understanding of the facts from the camel driver, with certain detailed information about the lost camel given to him by the young men, he addressed them, greatly disturbed, with the following words, "You have now heard the accusations made by the camel driver against you, and because of the information you gave him, I know for sure, that you have stolen his animal, since he was unable, notwithstanding great efforts, to find it on the road you indicated to him.