The Children's Hour Volume V Part 17

At another time Aladdin would have been frightened at the sight of such a figure; but his danger gave him courage to say, "Whoever thou art, deliver me from this place."

He had no sooner spoken these words than he found himself outside the cave, of which no sign was to be seen on the surface of the earth. He lost no time in making his way home, where he fainted from weakness, and afterwards told his mother of his strange adventure. They were both very bitter against the cruel magician, but this did not prevent Aladdin from sleeping soundly until late the next morning. As there was nothing for breakfast, he bethought him of selling the lamp in order to buy food. "Here it is," said his mother, "but it is very dirty. If I rub it clean I believe it will bring more."

No sooner had she begun to rub it than a hideous genie of gigantic size appeared before her, and said in a voice of thunder, "What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave, and the slave of all those who have the lamp in their hands,--I and the other slaves of the lamp."

In terror at the sight, Aladdin's mother fainted; but the boy, who had already seen a genie, said boldly, "I am hungry; bring me something to eat."

[Ill.u.s.tration: NO SOONER HAD SHE BEGUN TO RUB IT THAN A HIDEOUS GENIE OF GIGANTIC SIZE APPEARED BEFORE HER AND SAID IN A VOICE OF THUNDER: "WHAT WOULD'ST THOU HAVE? I AM READY TO OBEY THEE AS THY SLAVE, AND THE SLAVE OF ALL THOSE WHO HAVE THE LAMP IN THEIR HANDS,--I AND THE OTHER SLAVES OF THE LAMP." IN TERROR AT THE SIGHT ALADDIN'S MOTHER FAINTED, BUT THE BOY, WHO HAD ALREADY SEEN A GENIE, SAID BOLDLY, "I AM HUNGRY; BRING ME SOMETHING TO EAT"]

The genie disappeared, and returned in an instant with a large silver tray, holding twelve covered silver dishes filled with tempting viands, six large white bread cakes on two plates, two flagons of wine, and two silver cups. All these he placed upon a carpet, and disappeared before Aladdin's mother had come out of her swoon.

When she was herself again, they satisfied their hunger, and still there was enough food for the rest of that day and two meals on the next. This they put aside, and Aladdin's mother made him tell of all that had pa.s.sed between him and the genie during her swoon. The simple woman thought it all a dangerous and wicked business, and begged Aladdin to sell both the lamp and the ring; but he persuaded her to let him keep them both, on the condition that she should have nothing to do with genies again.

When they had eaten all the food left from the feast the genie brought, Aladdin sold the silver plates one by one to a Jew, who cheated him by paying but a small part of their value, and yet made the boy think himself rich. The tray he sold last, and when the money it brought was spent he rubbed the lamp again, and again the genie appeared, and provided the mother and son with another feast and other silver dishes. These kept them in funds for some time longer, especially as Aladdin had the good fortune to meet with an honest goldsmith, who paid him the full value of the metal. Aladdin, all the while, by visiting the shops of merchants, was gaining knowledge of the world and a desire to improve himself. From the jewelers he came to know that the fruits he had gathered when he got the lamp were not merely colored gla.s.s, but stones of untold value, the rarest in the city. This, however, he had the prudence not to tell to any one, even his mother.

III

One day, as Aladdin was walking about the town, he heard an order proclaimed that the people should close their shops and houses and keep within doors while the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, the Sultan's daughter, should go to the bath and return. Aladdin was filled with an eager desire to see the face of the princess, and contrived to place himself behind the door of the bath. When she was a few paces away from it she removed her veil, and Aladdin saw for a moment one of the most beautiful faces in the world. When she pa.s.sed by him he quitted his hiding-place, and went home thoughtful and grave.

"Are you ill?" asked his mother.

"No," he answered, "but I love the princess more than I can express, and am resolved that I will ask her in marriage of the Sultan."

His mother thought him mad, but Aladdin said, "I have the slaves of the lamp and the ring to help me," and then told her for the first time what riches he possessed in the jewels brought from the underground palace. "These," he said, "will secure the favor of the Sultan. You have a large porcelain dish fit to hold them; fetch it, and let us see how they will look when we have arranged them according to their different colors."

Their eyes were dazzled by the splendor of the jewels when they were arranged in the dish, and Aladdin's mother consented at once to take them to the Sultan, and ask his daughter's hand for her son.

Early the next morning she wrapped the dish in two fine napkins and set out for the palace. Though the crowd was great, she made her way into the divan, or audience hall, and placed herself just before the Sultan, the Grand Vizier, and other lords who sat beside him. But there were many cases for him to hear and judge, and her turn did not come that day. She told Aladdin that she was sure the Sultan saw her, and that she would try again.

For six days more she carried the jewels to the divan, and stood in the same place. On the sixth the Sultan, as he was leaving the hall, said to the Grand Vizier, "For some time I have observed a certain woman standing near me every day with something wrapped in a napkin.

If she comes again, do not fail to call her, that I may hear what she has to say."

On the next day, therefore, she was called forward. She bowed her head till it touched the carpet on the platform of the throne. Then the Sultan bade her rise and said,--

"Good woman, I have observed you many days. What business brings you here?"

"Monarch of monarchs," she replied, "I beg you to pardon the boldness of my pet.i.tion."

"Well," said the Sultan, "I will forgive you, be it what it may, and no hurt shall come to you. Speak boldly."

This gave her heart to tell the errand on which her son had sent her.

The Sultan listened without anger till she was done, and then asked what she had brought tied up in the napkin. She took the china dish, which she had set down at the foot of the throne, untied it, and presented it to the Sultan.

His wonder knew no bounds when he looked upon the jewels. Not until he received the gift from the woman's hands could he find words to say, "How rich! how beautiful!"

Then he turned to the Grand Vizier and said, "Behold, admire, wonder!

and confess that your eyes never beheld jewels so rich and beautiful before. What sayest thou to such a present? Is it not worthy of the princess, my daughter? Ought I not to bestow her on one who values her at so great a price?"

"I cannot but own," replied the Grand Vizier, "that the present is worthy of the princess. But wait for three months. Before that time I hope my son, whom you regard with favor, will be able to make a n.o.bler present than this Aladdin, of whom your majesty knows nothing."

The Sultan granted this request, and said to Aladdin's mother,--

"Good woman, go home, and tell your son that I agree to what you have proposed, but I cannot marry the princess, my daughter, for three months. At the end of that time come again."

The news which Aladdin's mother brought home filled him and her with joy. From that time forth he counted every week, day, and hour as they pa.s.sed. When two of the three months were gone, Aladdin's mother went out one evening to buy some oil, and found the streets full of joyful people, and officers busy with preparations for some festival.

"What does it mean?" she asked the oil merchant.

"Whence came you, good woman," said he, "that you do not know that the Grand Vizier's son is to marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, the Sultan's daughter, to-night?"

Home she ran to Aladdin and cried, "Child, you are undone! the Sultan's fine promises will come to nought. This night the Grand Vizier's son is to marry the Princess Buddir al Buddoor."

Aladdin was thunderstruck, but wasted no time in idle words against the Sultan. He went at once to his chamber, took the lamp, rubbed it in the same place as before, when instantly the genie appeared, and said to him,--

"What wouldst thou have? I am ready to obey thee as thy slave,--I and the other slaves of the lamp."

"Hear me," said Aladdin; "thou hast hitherto obeyed me, but now I am about to impose on thee a harder task. The Sultan's daughter, who was promised me as my bride, will this night be wed to the son of the Grand Vizier. Bring them both hither to me when they are married."

"Master," replied the genie, "I obey you."

Aladdin did not have to wait long after supping with his mother and going to his chamber to be shown again that the genie was indeed his faithful slave. On this night and the next the princess and the Grand Vizier's son were borne away from the Sultan's palace in a manner which none could understand, not even they themselves. The strange event was told to few, but the Sultan was one of them. He consulted with the Grand Vizier, and, as both of these parents feared to expose the young couple to further dangers from unseen foes, the marriage was canceled, and all the merrymaking in honor of it was stopped. None but Aladdin knew the cause of all the trouble, and he kept his secret to himself. Least of all did the Sultan and Grand Vizier, who had quite forgotten Aladdin, suspect that he had a hand in the matter.

IV

Of course Aladdin had not forgotten the Sultan's promise, and on the very day which ended the three months, his mother came again to the divan, and stood in her old place. When the Sultan saw her she was called forward, and, having bowed to the floor, she said,--

"Sire, I come at the end of three months to ask you to fulfill the promise you made to my son."

The Sultan could hardly believe the request had been made in earnest, and, after a few words with the Grand Vizier, decided to propose terms which one of Aladdin's humble position could not possibly fulfill.

"Good woman," he said, "it is true that sultans ought to abide by their word, and I am ready to keep mine. But as I cannot marry my daughter without further proof that your son will be able to support her in royal state, you may tell him that I will fulfill my promise so soon as he shall send me forty trays of ma.s.sy gold, full of the same sort of jewels you have already given me, and carried by forty black slaves, who shall be led by as many young and handsome white slaves, all dressed magnificently. When this is done, I will bestow my daughter, the princess, upon him. Go, good woman, and tell him so, and I will wait till you bring me his answer."

As Aladdin's mother hurried home she laughed to think how far the Sultan's demand would be beyond her son's power. "He awaits your answer," she said to Aladdin when she had told him all, and added, laughing, "I believe he may wait long."

"Not so long as you think," replied Aladdin. "This demand is a mere trifle. I will prepare to answer it at once."

In his own chamber he summoned the genie of the lamp, who appeared without delay, and promised to carry out Aladdin's commands. Within a very short time, a train of forty black slaves, led by as many white slaves, appeared opposite the house in which Aladdin lived. Each black slave carried on his head a basin of ma.s.sy gold, full of pearls, diamonds, rubies, and emeralds. Aladdin then said to his mother,--

"Madam, pray lose no time. Go to the Sultan before he leaves the divan, and make this gift to him, that he may see how ardently I desire his daughter's hand."

With Aladdin's mother at its head, the procession began to move through the streets, which were soon filled with people praising the beauty and bearing of the slaves, splendidly dressed, and walking at an equal distance from one another. At the palace nothing so brilliant had ever been seen before. The richest robes of the court looked poor beside the dresses of these slaves. When they had all entered they formed a half-circle around the Sultan's throne; the black slaves laid the golden trays on the carpet, touched it with their foreheads, and at the same time the white slaves did likewise. When they rose the black slaves uncovered the trays, and then all stood with their arms crossed over their b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

This done, Aladdin's mother advanced to the throne, bowed to the floor, and said,--

"Sire, my son knows that this present is much below the notice of the Princess Buddir al Buddoor, but hopes that your majesty will accept of it, and make it pleasing to the princess. His hope is the greater because he has tried to carry out your own wish."