tly dry, he stopped in the
garden to observe the fruit, which he only had a glimpse of 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, rubies; the green, emeralds; the blue,
turquoises; the purple, amethysts; and those that were of yellow
cast, sapphires. Alla ad Deen was altogether ignorant of their
worth, and would have preferred figs and grapes, or any other
fruits. But though he took them only for coloured glass of little
value, yet he was so pleased with the variety of the colours, and
the beauty and extraordinary size of the seeming fruit, that he
resolved to gather some of every sort; and accordingly filled the
two new purses his uncle had bought for him with his clothes.
Some he wrapped up in the skirts of his vest, which was of silk,
large and wrapping, and crammed his bosom as full as it could
hold.
Alla ad Deen, having thus loaded himself with riches he knew not
the value of, returned through the three halls with the same
precaution, made all the haste he could, that he might not make
his uncle wait, and soon arrived at the mouth of the cave, where
the African magician expected him with the utmost impatience. As
soon as Alla ad Deen saw him, he cried out, "Pray, uncle, lend me
your hand, to help me out." "Give me the lamp first," replied the
magician; "it will be troublesome to you." "Indeed, uncle,"
answered Alla ad Deen, "I cannot now; it is not troublesome to
me: but I will as soon as I am up." The African magician was so
obstinate, that he would have the lamp before he would help him
up; and Alla ad Deen, who had encumbered himself so much with his
fruit that he could not well get at it, refused to give it to him
till he was out of the cave. The African magician, provoked at
this obstinate refusal, flew into a passion, threw a little of
his incense into the fire, which he had taken care to keep in,
and no sooner pronounced two magical words, than the stone which
had closed the mouth of the cave moved into its place, with the
earth over it in the same manner as it lay at the arrival of the
magician and Alla ad Deen.
This action of the African magician's plai
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