Page:Peregrinaggio di tre giovani figliuoli del re di Serendippo.djvu/25

 He dearly asked them that they would also tell him those. In order to fully satisfy his questions, the first brother said, “Sire, I noticed that the load of the animal consisted of butter on one side and honey on the other side, because for the length of a mile, I saw on one side of the road an infinite multitude of ants who like fat, while on the other side I saw a great number of flies who like to search for honey.”

"And I guessed that there was a woman on the camel," said the second brother, "because I saw near the tracks where the camel had been kneeling, also the shape of a human foot, which seemed to me to be that of a woman. However, it could also have been that of a child. I ascertained that because I saw that there had been urination near the foot, and when I put my fingers in the urine and wanted to smell it, I was immediately overcome by a carnal concupiscence, which I believed came from the foot of the woman."

The third brother said, "That this woman was then pregnant, was clear to me from the hand prints, visible on the ground, which were there from helping to lift herself up on her feet with her hands after urinating."

The Emperor endlessly admired the words of the young men whom he esteemed for their incredible ingenuity and he decided to treat them courteously in all respects and honor them in such a way as their remarkable account merited. And he had a sumptuous room prepared in his own palace.