Page:Aladdin, or, The wonderful lamp.pdf/8

8 ALADDIN OR THE through them with all the precaution the fear of death could inspire, If he failed to observe all that he was told very carefully; crossed the garden without stopping, took down the lamp from the niche, threw out the wick and the liquor, and, as the magician told him, put it in his bosom. But as he came down from the terrace, seeing it was perfectly dry, he stopped in the garden to observe the fruit, which he only had a glimpse or in crossing it. All the trees were loaded with extraordinary fruit, of different colours on each tree: some bore fruit entirely white, and some clear and transparent as crystal; some pale red, and others deeper; some green, blue, and purple, and others yellow; in short, there was fruit of all colours. The white were pearls; the clear and transparent, diamonds; the deep red, rubies; the paler, ballas rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue, turquoises; the purple, amethysts; and those that were of yellow cast, sapphires; and so of the rest. All these fruits were so large and beautiful, that nothing was ever seen like them.—Aladdin was altogether ignorant of their value, yet he was so pleased with the variety of the colours, and the beauty and extraordinary size of the fruit, that he filled his pockets, and two purses his uncle had given him; and as he could not put them in his pockets, he fastened them to his girdle.

Aladdin, having thus loaded himself with riches, he returned with the same precaution, and soon arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the African magician expected him with the utmost impatience. As soon as Aladdin saw him, he cried out, Pray, uncle, lend me your hand to help me out. Give me the lamp first, replied the magician; Indeed, uncle, answered Aladdin, I cannot now. The African magician was so obstinate, that he would have the lamp before he would help him up; and Aladdin, who had incumbered himself so much with his fruit, that he could not well get at it, refused to give him it till he was out of the cave. The African magician, provoked at this obstinate refusal, flew into a terrible passion, and threw a little of his incense into the fire, and no sooner pronounced two magical words, but the stone which had closed the mouth of the cave moved into its place, with the earth over it.

When Aladdin found himself buried alive, he cried, and called out to his uncle to tell him he was ready to give him the lamp; but all in vain, since his cries could not be heard by him, and he remained in this dark abode. At last, when he had quite tired himself with crying, he went to the bottom of the steps, with a design to get into the garden, where it was light; but the door, which was opened before by enchantment, was now shut by the same means. Then he redoubled his cries and tears, and sat down on the steps, without any hopes of ever seeing the light again, and in a melancholy certainty of passing from the present darkness into that of a speedy death.

Aladdin remained in this state two days without eating, or drinking, and on the third day looked upon death as inevitable.—Clasping his hands with an entire resignation to the will of God, he said, There is no strength or power but in the great and high God. In this action of joining his hands, he rubbed the ring which the magician put on his finger, and immediately a genius of an enormous size and frightful look rose out of