Journeys Through Bookland Volume Iii Part 35

"I have sent to have the private chamber opened for you," she said; "enter and come up."

A few moments later, the happy couple were united in the princess's chamber. It is impossible to describe the joy they felt at seeing each other after so long a separation. After embracing each other and weeping for joy, they sat down, and Aladdin said, "I beg you, my princess, tell me what has become of an old lamp which stood upon the shelf of my robing chamber?"

"Alas!" answered the princess, "I was afraid our misfortune might be owing to that lamp, and what grieves me most is that I was the cause of it. I was foolish enough to change the lamp for a new one, and the next morning I found myself in this unknown country, which I am told is Africa."

"Princess," interrupted Aladdin, "you have explained everything by telling me we are in Africa. Can you tell me where the old lamp now is?"

"The African magician carries it carefully wrapped up in his bosom,"

replied the princess. "I can a.s.sure you of this, because he pulled it out and showed it to me one time."

"My princess," said Aladdin, "I think I can regain possession of the lamp and deliver you. But to execute this design, I must go to the town. I shall return by noon and will then tell you what to do. In the meantime I shall disguise myself, and I beg that the private door may be opened at my first knock."

When Aladdin came out of the palace, he saw a peasant going into the country and hastened after him. After some persuasion the peasant agreed to change clothes with Aladdin, and the latter entered the city in disguise. Here, after traversing several streets, he entered one of the largest and best drug stores, and asked the druggist if he had a certain powder.

The druggist, noticing Aladdin's poor clothing, said, "I have the powder, but it is very costly."

Aladdin, understanding the druggist's insinuation, drew out his purse, showed him some gold, and asked for a half a dram of the powder, which was weighed and pa.s.sed over. Aladdin gave the druggist a gold piece and hastened back to the palace which he entered by the private door.

"Princess," he said, as he came into her apartment, "you must carry out your part in this scheme for our deliverance. Overcome your aversion for the magician; a.s.sume a friendly manner, and invite him to an entertainment in your apartment. Before he leaves, ask him to exchange cups with you. Gratified at the honor you do him, he will gladly exchange, when you must hand him the cup into which I place this powder. On drinking it he will fall instantly asleep, and we shall obtain the lamp with its slaves, who will restore us and the palace to the capital of China."

The princess obeyed her husband's instructions, and the next night at the entertainment, when the magician drank the gla.s.s out of compliment to the princess, he fell back lifeless on the sofa. Antic.i.p.ating success, she had arranged it so that the moment the magician fell senseless, Aladdin should be admitted to her apartment.

The princess arose from her seat and ran overjoyed to embrace her husband, but he stopped her, saying, "Princess, retire to your own room and leave me alone while I try to transport you back to China as speedily as you were brought hither."

When everybody had withdrawn, Aladdin shut the door and went directly to the body of the magician, opened his vest, took out the lamp, unwrapped it carefully, and rubbed it as of old. The genie immediately appeared.

"Genie," said Aladdin, "I command thee to transport the palace instantly back to the place from which it was brought."

Everything happened as Aladdin commanded, and the removal was felt only by two little shocks: one when the palace was lifted up, and the other when it was set down, and both in a very short interval of time.

The next morning the sultan, looking out of his window, and mourning over the fate of his daughter, was astonished to see the vacant place again filled up with his son-in-law's palace. Joy and gladness succeeded to sorrow and grief. Ordering a horse to be saddled, he mounted it that instant, but could not make haste enough to satisfy himself.

That morning Aladdin rose at daybreak, put on one of his most magnificent habits and walked out into the hall of the four and twenty windows, from whence he saw the sultan approaching, and hastened down to a.s.sist his ruler in dismounting.

He conducted the sultan directly to the princess's apartment, and the happy father and his daughter embraced each other with tears of joy.

For a short interval they were engaged in mutual explanations, and the sultan said, "My son, be not displeased at my proceedings against you; they arose from my paternal love, and therefore, you ought to forgive any harshness that I may have shown."

"Sire, I have not the least reason to complain of your conduct, since that infamous magician, the basest of men, was the sole cause of my misfortune," replied Aladdin.

Now the African magician, who had thus been twice foiled in his endeavor to ruin Aladdin, had a younger brother who was as skilful a magician, and who exceeded him in wickedness and hatred of mankind.

For many years they had been under an agreement to communicate with each other once a year, no matter how widely separated they might be.

The younger brother, not having received his usual annual communication, cast a horoscope to find out what was amiss, and discovered that his brother had been poisoned, and that the poisoner, though a person of mean birth, was married to a princess, a sultan's daughter, and lived in the capital of the kingdom of China. This discovery caused the younger brother to resolve upon immediate revenge, and he set out across plains, rivers, mountains and deserts for China. After incredible fatigue, he reached the capital city, and there he took lodging at a khan. Here by his magic powers he found that Aladdin was the person who caused the death of his brother. At that time the city was talking about the wonderful miracles of a woman called Fatima, who had retired from the world to a little cell, where she performed marvelous cures.

Thinking this woman might be serviceable to him in the project he had conceived, the magician inquired minutely about the holy woman.

"What!" said the person whom he asked, "have you never seen nor heard of her? The whole town admires her for her fasting, her austerities and her exemplary life. Excepting Mondays and Fridays, she never stirs out of her little cell. When she does come forth into the town, she does an infinite amount of good, healing men of all kinds of diseases by simply placing her hand upon them." That very night the wicked magician went to the hermitage of the holy woman and stabbed her to death. Then in the morning he dyed his face the same hue as hers, put on her garb, covered his face with her veil, drew her large belt about his waist, and taking his stick, went to the palace of Aladdin.

The people gathered about this holy woman, as they imagined the magician to be, in a great crowd. Some begged his blessing, others kissed his hand, while others, more reserved, touched only the hem of his garment; still others, suffering from disease, stooped for him to lay his hands upon them. The magician, muttering some words in the form of a prayer, did continually as he was asked, counterfeiting so well that no one suspected he was not the holy woman.

Finally he came before the square of the palace. The crowd and the noise was so great that the princess, who was in the hall of the four and twenty windows, heard it and asked what was the matter. One of her women told her that it was a great crowd of people collected about the holy woman, to be cured by the laying on of her hands.

The princess, who had long heard of this holy woman, desired to have some conversation with her, and sent her chief officer to bring Fatima to her apartment.

The crowd parted before the attendants from the palace, and the magician, seeing that they were coming to him, advanced to meet them, overjoyed that his plot was succeeding so well.

"Holy woman," said one of the attendants, "the princess wishes to see you, and has sent us for you."

"The princess does me too great an honor," replied Fatima; "I am ready to obey her command."

When the pretended Fatima had made her obeisance, the princess said, "My good mother, I have one thing to request, which you must not refuse me. Stay with me that you may edify me with your way of living, and that I may learn from your good example."

"Princess," said the counterfeit Fatima, "I beg of you not to ask me what I cannot consent to without neglecting my prayers and devotions."

"That shall be no hindrance to you," answered the princess. "I have a great many unoccupied apartments. Choose whichever you wish, and you may have as much liberty to perform your devotions as if you were in your own cell."

The magician, who really desired nothing more than an introduction into the palace, where he could easily execute his designs, soon allowed himself to be persuaded to accept the offer which the princess had made him.

Then the princess, rising, said, "Come with me; I will show you what vacant apartments I have, that you may choose what you like best." The magician followed, and after looking at all, chose the worst one, saying that it was too good for him and that he accepted it only to please her.

Afterward the princess would have brought him back into the great hall to dine with her, but he, knowing he would have to show his face, which he had all this time concealed under Fatima's veil, begged her to excuse him, saying that he never ate anything but bread and dried fruits, and desiring to eat that slightest repast in his own apartment.

"You are as free here, good mother, as if you were in your own cell. I will order you a dinner, but remember, I expect you as soon as you have finished."

After the princess had dined, the false Fatima was again brought before her.

"My good mother," said the princess, "I am overjoyed to have so holy a woman as yourself confer, by your presence, a blessing upon this palace. Now that I am speaking of the palace, pray how do you like it?

Tell me first what you think of this hall."

The counterfeit Fatima, surveying the palace from one end to the other, said: "As far as such a solitary being as myself, who am unacquainted with what the world calls beautiful, can judge, this hall is truly admirable; there wants but one thing."

"What is that, good mother?" demanded the princess. "Tell me, I conjure you. I have always believed and heard that it lacked nothing, but if it does, the want shall be supplied."

"Princess," said the false Fatima with great dissimulation, "forgive the liberty I take, but in my opinion, if it is of any importance, if a roc's egg were hung up in the middle of the dome, this hall would have no parallel in the four quarters of the world, and would be the wonder of the universe."

"My good mother," said the princess, "what is a roc, and where may one get an egg?"

"Princess, it is a bird of prodigious size that lives on Mount Caucasus; the architect who built your palace can get you one."

After the princess had thanked the false Fatima for what she believed her good advice, she conversed upon other matters, but she could not forget the roc's egg, and that evening when she met Aladdin, she almost immediately addressed him.

"I always believed that our palace was the most superb, magnificent, and complete in the world, but I will tell you now what it wants, and that is a roc's egg hung up in the midst of the dome."

"Princess," replied Aladdin, "it is enough that you think it wants such an ornament; you shall see by my diligence that there is nothing that I should not do for your sake."

Aladdin left the Princess Buddir al Buddoor that moment, and went up into the hall of the four and twenty windows, where, pulling from his bosom the lamp, which he now always carried upon him, he rubbed the lamp till the genie came.