Aladdin was soon met with and dragged before the Sultan like a criminal. He would have been beheaded had not the Sultan been afraid to enrage the people, by whom he was much loved. "Go, wretch!" cried the Sultan; "I grant thee thy life; 5 but if ever thou appearest before me again death shall overtake thee, unless in forty days thou bringest me tidings of my daughter." Aladdin, wretched and downfallen, left the palace, not knowing whither to turn his steps. At length he stopped at a 10 brook to bathe his eyes, that smarted with the tears he had shed. As he stooped, his foot slipped, and, catching hold of a piece of rock to save himself from falling, he pressed the magician's ring, which he still wore on his finger, and the Genius of the ring appeared before him, saying, "What would'st thou have?" 15 "Oh, Genius," cried Aladdin, "bring my palace back to the place where yesterday it stood !" 20 "What you command," replied the Genius, "is not in my power; you must address yourself to the Genius of the lamp for that service." "Then I command thee," said Aladdin, "to transport me to the place where now it stands." Instantly Aladdin found himself beside his own palace, which stood in a meadow not far from a strange city; and the Princess Badroulbadour was then walking in her own chamber, weeping for his loss. Happening to 25 come near to the window, she saw Aladdin under it, and making a sign to him to keep silence, she sent a slave to bring him in by a private door. The Princess and her husband having kissed each other, and shed many tears, Aladdin said, "Tell me, my Princess, what has become of an old lamp which I left on the 30 cornice of the hall of four-and-twenty windows?" The Princess then told how her slave had exchanged it for a new one, and said that the tyrant in whose power she was, always carried that very lamp in his bosom. Aladdin was then sure that this person was no other than his old enemy, the 35 African magician. After talking a long while, they hit upon a plan for getting back the lamp. Aladdin went into the city in the disguise of a slave, where he bought a powder, and then the Princess invited the magician to sup with her. As she had never been so polite 5 to him before, he was quite delighted with her kindness; and while they were at table, she ordered a slave to bring two cups of wine one of which she had prepared by mixing in the powder, and after pretending to taste the one she held in her hand, she asked the magician to change cups, as was the custom in China. 10 He joyfully seized the goblet, and drinking it all at a draught, fell senseless on the floor. Aladdin was at hand to snatch the lamp from his bosom and hastily rubbing it, he summoned the Genius, who instantly transported the palace and all it contained back to the place whence 15 they had come. Some hours after, the Sultan who had risen at break of day to give way to his grief, went to the window to look at the spot which he expected to see empty and vacant, and then to his unspeakable joy, he saw Aladdin's palace shining in its place. 20 He summoned his guards and hastened to embrace his daughter; and during a whole week nothing was to be heard but the sound of drums, trumpets, cymbals, and all kinds of music and feasting, in honor of Aladdin's return with the Princess. Some time after this, the Sultan died, and Aladdin and the 25 Princess Badroulbadour ascended the throne. They reigned together many years and left many noble sons and daughters at their death. HELPS TO STUDY Notes and Questions Why did not Aladdin work at his father's trade? How did he spend his time? What caused the magician to notice him? What did the magician do to make Aladdin and his mother like him? How did he force Aladdin to obey him? What did Aladdin see when he raised the stone? What directions did the magician give Aladdin before he descended the steps? Why did he put the ring upon Aladdin's finger? Read the lines which describe the trees which Aladdin saw in the underground garden. What did Aladdin think the beautifully colored fruits that grew upon these trees were? How can you explain the magician's anxiety to get the lamp before he helped Aladdin up from the cavern? How was Aladdin rescued from the cavern? What did his mother think of the fruit? How did Aladdin discover the power of his lamp? What effect did Aladdin's remarkable adventures have upon his character? What use did Aladdin make of the fruit which he had gathered? Why was Aladdin's mother at first afraid to ask the Sultan to marry his daughter to Aladdin? How did Aladdin persuade his mother to see the Sultan? Where had Aladdin left the lamp when he went away from home on his hunting trip? How did the African magician gain possession of the lamp? What part of this story do you like best? In an old town of Persia there lived two brothers, Cassim and Ali Baba. Cassim married a wife who owned a fine shop, a warehouse, and some land; he thus found himself all at once quite at his 5 ease, and became one of the richest men in the whole town. Ali Baba, on the other hand, had a wife no better off than himself, and lived in a very poor house. He had no other means of livelihood and of supporting his wife and children than by going out to cut wood in the next forest, and carrying it about 10 the town to sell on three asses. Ali Baba went one day to the forest, and had very nearly finished cutting as much wood as his asses could carry, when he saw a thick cloud of dust rising very high in the air, which seemed to be coming toward him. He looked at it long, until 15 he saw a great company of men on horseback, who came riding fast, raising the dust. Although that part of the country was not often troubled by robbers, Ali Baba still thought that these horsemen looked. like them. Without, therefore, at all thinking what might be20 come of his asses, his first and only care was to save himself. So he climbed up quickly into a large tree, the branches of which spread out so close and thick that from the midst of them he could see everything that passed, without being seen. The robbers rode swiftly up to this very tree, and there alighted. Ali Baba counted forty of them, and saw that each 5 horseman took the bridle off his horse, hung over its head a bag filled with barley, and fastened it up. Then they took their traveling bags, which were so heavy that Ali Baba thought they were filled with gold and silver. The Captain of the thieves came, his bag on his shoulder, 10 close to the rock, at the very spot where the tree grew in which Ali Baba had hidden himself. After the rascal had made his way through the shrubs that grew there, he cried out these words, "Open Sesame!" which Ali Baba distinctly heard. No sooner were they spoken than a door opened; the Captain and all 15 his men passed quickly in, and the door closed again. There they stayed for a long time. Ali Baba was compelled to wait in the tree with patience, as he was afraid some of them might come out if he left his hiding-place. At length the door opened, and the forty thieves came out. 20 After he had seen all the troop pass out before him, Ali Baba heard the Captain say the words, "Shut Sesame!" Each man then bridled his horse, and mounted. When the Captain saw that all were ready, he put himself at their head, and they rode off as they had come. 25 Ali Baba did not come down from the tree at once, because he thought they might have forgotten something, and be obliged to come back, and that he should thus be caught. He watched them as long as he could; nor did he leave the tree for a long time after he had lost sight of them. Then, recalling the words 30 the Captain had used to open and shut the door, he made his way through the bushes to it, and called out "Open Sesame!" Instantly the door flew wide open! Ali Baba expected to find only a dark cave, and was very much astonished at seeing a fine large chamber, dug out of 35 the rock, and higher than a man could reach. It received its |