Page:Alaeddin and the Enchanted Lamp.djvu/147

103 praised be God, we have eaten of His bounty and are satisfied and thou hast no pretext for saying to me, ‘I am anhungred.’” So he told her all that had passed between himself and the genie, whenas she fell down aswoon of her affright; whereat exceeding wonderment took her and she said to him, “It is true, then, that the Jinn appear to the sons of Adam, though I, O my son, in all my days, I have never seen them, and methinketh this is he who delivered thee, whenas thou wast in the treasure.” “Nay, O my mother,” answered he, “this was not he; he who appeared to thee is the slave of the lamp.” “How so, O my son?” asked she; and he said, “This slave is other of make than that. That was the servant of the ring and this thou sawest is the slave of the lamp which was in thy hand.” When his mother heard this, “Well, well!” cried she. “Then the accursed who appeared to me and came nigh to kill me for affright is of the lamp?” “Ay is he,” answered Alaeddin; and she said to him, “I conjure thee, O my son, by the milk thou suckedst of me, that thou cast away from thee both lamp and ring, for that they will be to us a cause of exceeding