thine." Then, turning to the Wazir, he said: "Take him and make him
look out at the window, and after let him tell us where be his

pavilion." And when the royal order was obeyed, Aladdin saw the
place level as a well-trodden road, even as it had been ere the base

of the building was laid, nor was there the faintest trace of edifice.
Hereat he was astonished and perplexed, knowing not what had occurred.

But when he returned to the presence, the King asked him: "What is
it thou hast seen? Where is thy pavilion, and where is my daughter,

the core of my heart, my only child, than whom I have none other?"
Aladdin answered, "O King of the Age, I wot naught thereof nor aught

of what hath befallen," and the Sultan rejoined: "Thou must know, O
Aladdin, I have pardoned thee only that thou go forth and look into

this affair and inquire for me concerning my daughter. Nor do thou
ever show thyself in my presence except she be with thee, and if

thou bring her not, by the life of my head I will cut off the head
of thee." The other replied: "To hear is to obey. Only vouchsafe me

a delay and respite of some forty days, after which, an I produce
her not, strike off my head and do with me whatso thou wishest." The

Sultan said to Aladdin: "Verily, I have granted thee thy request, a
delay of forty days. But think not thou canst fly from my hand, for

I would bring thee back even if thou wert above the clouds instead
of being only upon earth's surface." Replied Aladdin: "O my lord the

Sultan, as I said to thy Highness, an I fail to bring her within the
term appointed, I will present myself for my head to he stricken off."

Now when the folk and the lieges all saw Aladdin at liberty, they
rejoiced with joy exceeding and were delighted for his release, but

the shame of his treatment and bashfulness before his friends and
the enviousexultation of his foes had bowed down Aladdin's head. So

he went forth a wandering through the city ways, and he was
perplexed concerning his case and knew not what had befallen him. He

lingered about the capital for two days, in saddest state, wotting not
what to do in order to find his wife and his pavilion, and during this

time sundry of the folk privily brought him meat and drink. When the
two days were done, he left the city to stray about the waste and open

lands outlying the walls, without a notion as to whither he should
wend. And he walked on aimlessly until the path led him beside a

river, where, of the stress of sorrow that overwhelmed him, he
abandoned himself to despair and thought of casting himself into the

water. Being, however, a good Moslem who professed the unity of the
Godhead, he feared Allah in his soul, and standing upon the margin, he

prepared to perform the wuzu ablution.
But as he was bailing up the water in his right hand and rubbing his

fingers, it so chanced that he also rubbed the ring. Hereat its
Marid appeared, and said to him: "Adsum! Thy thrall between thy

hands is come. Ask of me whatso thou wantest." Seeing the Marid,
Aladdin rejoiced with exceeding joy and cried: "O Slave, I desire of

thee that thou bring before me my pavilion and therein my wife, the
Lady Badr al-Budur, together with all and everything it containeth."

"O my lord," replied the Marid, "'tis right hard upon me that thou
demandest a service whereto I may not avail. This matter dependeth

upon the Slave of the Lamp, nor dare I even attempt it." Aladdin
rejoined: "Forasmuch as the matter is beyond thy competence, I require

it not of thee, but at least do thou take me up and set me down beside
my pavilion in what land soever that may be." The slave exclaimed,

"Hearing and obeying, O my lord," and uplifting him high in air,
within the space of an eye glance set him down beside his pavilion

in the land of Africa, and upon a spot facing his wife's apartment.
Now this was at fall of night, yet one look enabled him to recognize

his home, whereby his cark and care were cleared away and he recovered
trust in Allah after cutting off all his hope to look upon his wife

once more. Then he fell to pondering the secret and mysterious
favors of the Lord (glorified he His omnipotence!), and how after

despair had mastered him the ring had come to gladden him, and how
when all his hopes were cut off, Allah had deigned bless him with

the services of its slave. So he rejoiced and his melancholy left him.
Then, as he had passed four days without sleep for the excess of his

cark and care and sorrow and stress of thought, he drew near his
pavilion and slept under a tree hard by the building, which (as we

mentioned) had been set down amongst the gardens outlying the city
of Africa. He slumbered till morning showed her face, and when

awakened by the warbling of the small birds, he arose and went down to
the bank of the river which flowed thereby into the city, and here

he again washed hands and face and after finished his wuzu ablution.
Then he prayed the dawn prayer, and when he had ended his orisons he

returned and sat down under the windows of the Princess's bower.
Now the Lady Badr al-Budur, of her exceeding sorrow for severance

from her husband and her sire, the Sultan, and for the great mishap
which had happened to her from the Maghrabi, the magician, the

accursed, was wont to rise during the murk preceding dawn and to sit
in tears, inasmuch as she could not sleep o' nights and had forsworn

meat and drink. Her favorite slave girl would enter her chamber at the
hour of prayer salutation in order to dress her, and this time, by

decree of Destiny, when she threw open the window to let her lady
comfort and console herself by looking upon the trees and rills, and

she herself peered out of the lattice, she caught sight of her
master sitting below, and informed the Princess of this, saying: "O my

lady! O my lady! Here's my lord Aladdin seated at the foot of the
wall!" So her mistress arose hurriedly and gazing from the casement,

saw him, and her husband, raising his head, saw her, so she saluted
him and he saluted her, both being like to fly for joy. Presently

quoth she, "Up and come in to me by the private postern, for now the
accursed is not here," and she gave orders to the slave girl, who went

down and opened for him. Then Aladdin passed through it and was met by
his wife, when they embraced and exchanged kisses with all delight

until they wept for overjoy.
After this they sat down, and Aladdin said to her: "O my lady,

before all things 'tis my desire to ask thee a question. 'Twas my wont
to place an old copper lamp in such a part of my pavilion. What became

of that same?" When the Princess heard these words, she sighed and
cried, "O my dearling, 'twas that very lamp which garred us fall

into this calamity!" Aladdin asked her, "How befell the affair?" and
she answered by recounting to him all that passed, first and last,

especially how they had given in exchange an old lamp for a new
lamp, adding: "And next day we hardly saw one another at dawn before

we found ourselves in this land, and he who deceived us and took the
lamp by way of barter informed me that he had done the deed by might

of his magic and by means of the lamp; that he is a Moorman from
Africa; and that we are now in his native country."

When the Lady Badr al-Budur ceased speaking, Aladdin resumed:
"Tell me the intent of this accursed in thy respect, also what he

sayeth to thee and what he his will of thee." She replied: "Every
day he cometh to visit me once and no more. He would woo me to his

love, and he sueth that I take him to spouse in lieu of thee and
that I forget thee and he consoled for the loss of thee. And he

telleth me that the Sultan, my sire, hath cut off my husband's head,
adding that thou, the son of pauper parents, wast by him enriched. And

he sootheth me with talk, but he never seeth aught from me save
weeping and wailing, nor hath he heard from me one sugar-sweet

word." Quoth Aladdin: "Tell me where he hath placed the lamp, an
thou know anything thereof," and quoth she: "He beareth it about on

his body alway, nor is it possible that he leave it for a single hour.
Moreover, once when he related what I have now recounted to thee, he

brought it out of his breast pocket and allowed me to look upon it."
When Aladdin heard these words, he joyed with exceeding joy and

said: "O my lady, do thou lend ear to me. 'Tis my design to go from
thee forthright and to return only after doffing this my dress, so

wonder not when thou see me changed, but direct one of thy women to
stand by the private postern alway, and whenever she espy me coming,