Aladdin and the Wonderful Lamp [5]
who loved him, followed, armed, to see
that he came to no harm. He was carried before the Sultan, who
ordered the executioner to cut off his head. The executioner made
Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised his scimitar to
strike. At that instant the Vizier, who saw that the crowd had
forced their way into the courtyard and were scaling the walls
to rescue Aladdin, called to the executioner to stay his hand.
The people, indeed, looked so threatening that the Sultan gave
way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound, and pardoned him in the
sight of the crowd. Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.
"False wretch!" said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from
the window the place where his palace had stood. Aladdin was so
amazed he could not say a word. "Where is your palace and my
daughter?" demanded the Sultan. "For the first I am not so deeply
concerned, but my daughter I must have, and you must find her or
lose your head." Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find
her, promising if he failed to return to suffer death at the
Sultan's pleasure. His prayer was granted, and he went forth
sadly from the Sultan's presence.
For three days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone
what had become of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him.
He came to the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers
before throwing himself in. In doing so he rubbed the ring he
still wore. The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and
asked his will. "Save my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring
my palace back." That is not in my power," said the genie;
"I am only the Slave of the Ring; you must ask him of the lamp."
"Even so," said Aladdin, "but thou canst take me to the palace,
and set me down under my dear wife's window." He at once found
himself in Africa, under the window of the Princess, and fell
asleep out of sheer weariness.
He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.
He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owning to the loss of the lamp,
and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.
That morning the Princess rose earlier than she had done since
she had been carried into Africa by the magician, whose company
she was forced to endure once a day. She, however, treated him
so harshly that he dared not live there altogether. As she
was dressing, one of her women looked out and saw Aladdin.
The Princess ran and opened the window, and at the noise she made,
Aladdin looked up. She called to him to come to her, and great
was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other again. After he
had kissed her Aladdin said: "I beg of you, Princess, in God's
name, before we speak of anything else, for your own sake and
mine, tell me what has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice
in the hall of four-and-twenty windows when I went a-hunting."
"Alas," she said, "I am the innocent cause of our sorrows," and
told him of the exchange of the lamp. "Now I know," cried
Aladdin, "that we have to thank the African magician for this!
Where is the lamp?" "He carries it about with him," said the
Princess. "I know, for he pulled it out of his breast to show me.
He wishes me to break my faith with you and marry him, saying that
you were beheaded by my father's command. He is forever speaking
ill of you, but I only reply by my tears. If I persist, I doubt
not but he will use violence." Aladdin comforted her, and left
her for a while. He changed clothes with the first person he met
in the town, and having bought a certain powder returned to the
Princess, who let him in by a little side door. "Put on your
most beautiful dress," he said to her, "and receive the magician
with smiles, leading him to believe that you have forgotten me.
Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste the wine of
his country. He will go for some, and while he is gone I will tell
you
that he came to no harm. He was carried before the Sultan, who
ordered the executioner to cut off his head. The executioner made
Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised his scimitar to
strike. At that instant the Vizier, who saw that the crowd had
forced their way into the courtyard and were scaling the walls
to rescue Aladdin, called to the executioner to stay his hand.
The people, indeed, looked so threatening that the Sultan gave
way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound, and pardoned him in the
sight of the crowd. Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.
"False wretch!" said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from
the window the place where his palace had stood. Aladdin was so
amazed he could not say a word. "Where is your palace and my
daughter?" demanded the Sultan. "For the first I am not so deeply
concerned, but my daughter I must have, and you must find her or
lose your head." Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find
her, promising if he failed to return to suffer death at the
Sultan's pleasure. His prayer was granted, and he went forth
sadly from the Sultan's presence.
For three days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone
what had become of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him.
He came to the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers
before throwing himself in. In doing so he rubbed the ring he
still wore. The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and
asked his will. "Save my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring
my palace back." That is not in my power," said the genie;
"I am only the Slave of the Ring; you must ask him of the lamp."
"Even so," said Aladdin, "but thou canst take me to the palace,
and set me down under my dear wife's window." He at once found
himself in Africa, under the window of the Princess, and fell
asleep out of sheer weariness.
He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.
He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owning to the loss of the lamp,
and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.
That morning the Princess rose earlier than she had done since
she had been carried into Africa by the magician, whose company
she was forced to endure once a day. She, however, treated him
so harshly that he dared not live there altogether. As she
was dressing, one of her women looked out and saw Aladdin.
The Princess ran and opened the window, and at the noise she made,
Aladdin looked up. She called to him to come to her, and great
was the joy of these lovers at seeing each other again. After he
had kissed her Aladdin said: "I beg of you, Princess, in God's
name, before we speak of anything else, for your own sake and
mine, tell me what has become of an old lamp I left on the cornice
in the hall of four-and-twenty windows when I went a-hunting."
"Alas," she said, "I am the innocent cause of our sorrows," and
told him of the exchange of the lamp. "Now I know," cried
Aladdin, "that we have to thank the African magician for this!
Where is the lamp?" "He carries it about with him," said the
Princess. "I know, for he pulled it out of his breast to show me.
He wishes me to break my faith with you and marry him, saying that
you were beheaded by my father's command. He is forever speaking
ill of you, but I only reply by my tears. If I persist, I doubt
not but he will use violence." Aladdin comforted her, and left
her for a while. He changed clothes with the first person he met
in the town, and having bought a certain powder returned to the
Princess, who let him in by a little side door. "Put on your
most beautiful dress," he said to her, "and receive the magician
with smiles, leading him to believe that you have forgotten me.
Invite him to sup with you, and say you wish to taste the wine of
his country. He will go for some, and while he is gone I will tell
you