He snatched it and bade the slave take her choice, amid the jeers of the
crowd. Little he cared, but left off crying his lamps, and went out of
the city gates to a lonely place, where he remained till nightfall, when
he pulled out the lamp and rubbed it. The genie appeared, and at the
magician's command carried him, together with the palace and the
princess in it, to a lonely place in Africa.
Next morning the Sultan looked out of the window towards Aladdin's
palace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for the vizir, and
asked what had become of the palace. The vizir looked out too, and was
lost in astonishment. He again put it down to enchantment, and this time
the Sultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback to fetch
Aladdin in chains. They met him riding home, bound him, and forced him
to go with them on foot. The people, however, 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 vizir, 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 that he could not say a word.
"Where is my 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 and 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 so doing he rubbed the magic 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 the Slave 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 owing 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 that he will use violence."
Aladdin comforted her, and left her for awhile. 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 what
to do."
She listened carefully to Aladdin, and when he left her arrayed herself
gayly for the first time since she left China. She put on a girdle and
head-dress of diamonds, and seeing in a glass that she looked more
beautiful than ever, received the magician, saying to his great
amazement: "I have made up my mind that Aladdin is dead, and that all my
tears will not bring him back to me, so I am resolved to mourn no more,
and have therefore invited you to sup with me; but I am tired of the
wines of China, and would fain taste those of Africa."
The magician flew to his cellar, and the princess put the powder Aladdin
had given her in her cup. When he returned she asked him to drink her
health in the wine of Africa, handing him her cup in exchange for his as
a sign she was reconciled to him.
Before drinking the magician made her a speech in praise of her beauty,
but the princess cut him short, saying:--
"Let me drink first, and you shall say what you will afterwards." She
set her cup to her lips and kept it there, while the magician drained
his to the dregs and fell back lifeless.
The princess then opened the door to Aladdin, and flung her arms round
his neck, but Aladdin put her away, bidding her to leave him, as he had
more to do. He then went to the dead magician, took the lamp out of his
vest, and bade the genie carry the palace and all in it back to China.
This was done, and the princess in her chamber only felt two little
shocks, and little thought she was at home again.
The Sultan, who was sitting in his closet, mourning for his lost
daughter, happened to look up, and rubbed his eyes, for there stood the
palace as before! He hastened thither, and Aladdin received him in the
hall of the four-and-twenty windows, with the princess at his side.
Aladdin told him what had happened, and showed him the dead body of the
magician, that he might believe. A ten days' feast was proclaimed, and
it seemed as if Aladdin might now live the rest of his life in peace;
but it was not to be.
The African magician had a younger brother, who was, if possible, more
wicked and more cunning than himself. He travelled to China to avenge
his brother's death, and went to visit a pious woman called Fatima,
thinking she might be of use to him. He entered her cell and clapped a
dagger to her breast, telling her to rise and do his bidding on pain of
death. He changed clothes with her, colored his face like hers, put on
her veil and murdered her, so that she might tell no tales. Then he went
towards the palace of Aladdin, and all the people thinking he was the
holy woman, gathered round him, kissing his hands and begging his
blessing. When he got to the palace there was such a noise going on
round him that the princess bade her slave look out of the window and
ask what was the matter. The slave said it was the holy woman, curing
people by her touch of their ailments, whereupon the princess, who had
long desired to see Fatima, sent for her. On coming to the princess the
magician offered up a prayer for her health and prosperity. When he had
done the princess made him sit by her, and begged him to stay with her
always. The false Fatima, who wished for nothing better, consented, but
kept his veil down for fear of discovery. The princess showed him the
hall, and asked him what he thought of it.
"It is truly beautiful," said the false Fatima. "In my mind it wants but
one thing."
"And what is that?" said the princess.
"If only a roc's egg," replied he, "were hung up from the middle of this
dome, it would be the wonder of the world."
After this the princess could think of nothing but a roc's egg, and when
Aladdin returned from hunting he found her in a very ill humor. He
begged to know what was amiss, and she told him that all her pleasure in
the hall was spoilt for the want of a roc's egg hanging from the dome.
"If that is all," replied Aladdin, "you shall soon be happy."
He left her and rubbed the lamp, and when the genie appeared commanded
him to bring a roc's egg. The genie gave such a loud and terrible shriek
that the hall shook.
"Wretch!" he said, "is it not enough that I have done everything for
you, but you must command me to bring my master and hang him up in the
midst of this dome? You and your wife and your palace deserve to be
burnt to ashes; but this request does not come from you, but from the
brother of the African magician whom you destroyed. He is now in your
palace disguised as the holy woman--whom he murdered. He it was who put
that wish into your wife's head. Take care of yourself, for he means to
kill you." So saying the genie disappeared.
Aladdin went back to the princess, saying his head ached, and requesting
that the holy Fatima should be fetched to lay her hands on it. But when
the magician came near, Aladdin, seizing his dagger, pierced him to the
heart.
"What have you done?" cried the princess. "You have killed the holy
woman!"
"Not so," replied Aladdin, "but a wicked magician," and told her of how
she had been deceived.
After this Aladdin and his wife lived in peace. He succeeded the Sultan
when he died, and reigned for many years, leaving behind him a long line
of kings.