"I want to marry the Princess Vanella," I said, absent-mindedly.
"Why don't you, then?" the soldier inquired, smiling indulgently.
"She has sent me to get the Khan's goblet," I said, for I had no wish to go about the enterprise in any underhand manner.
"I did n't know he was going to send it to her," said the sentinel.
"Perhaps he won't after all," I said frankly.
"Maybe not," answered the soldier; "he thinks a great deal of it. But I suppose she would n't have sent you unless she thought he would let you have it. Would she, now?" he asked. He seemed to be proud of his cleverness.
"Well, she might," I said, cautiously, "But if he does n't care to give it to me, he can say so."
"So he can," said the soldier. "I wish you good luck."
Thanking him for his kindness, I went on my way. It did n't occur to me until afterward that the soldier thought I was a mere messenger sent by the Princess according to some arrangement between the Khan and herself.
Once within the frontier, I had no further difficulty until I reached the Khan's castle. I attributed my good fortune thus far to the fact that I had minded my own business. It is so much easier to go into a foreign country by yourself than it is to get in at the head of an army. My brother expected to be stopped, and he was stopped. I took it for granted that I could go in, and they let me in. It was very simple indeed.
Now another problem confronted me. Here was a strong castle built on a rocky promontory surrounded on three sides by the sea, and on the fourth defended by a lofty wall of hewn stone.
I went to the drawbridge gate and blew the trumpet.
"Hello! Who's there?" said a gruff voice.
"It's a gentleman to see the Khan," I said.
"Where is he?" asked the voice, through an iron lattice.
