of the folk used to come to
him privily with meat and drink. Then he went forth, wandering in the
deserts and knowing not whitherward he should aim, and ceased not going
till he came to a river; whereupon, his hope being cut off for stress of
chagrin that possessed him, he thought to cast himself into the stream;
but, for that he was a pious Muslim, professing the unity of God, he
feared God in himself and stood on the bank; of the stream to perform
the ablution. [579] So he took of the water in his hands and proceeded
to rub between his fingers; and in doing this, his rubbing chanced upon
the ring, whereupon a Marid appeared to him and said to him, "Here am I;
thy slave is before thee. Seek what thou wilt."

When Alaeddin saw the Marid, he rejoiced with an exceeding joy and said
to him, "O slave, I will have thee bring me my palace, with my bride,
the Lady Bedrulbudour, and all that is therein." "O my lord," replied
the Marid, "it irketh me sore that what thou seekest of me is a thing
unto which I cannot avail, for that it pertaineth unto the slaves of
the Lamp and I may not adventure upon it." "Then," said Alaeddin,
"since this is not possible unto thee, take me and set me down beside
my palace, in what land soever it is." "Hearkening and obedience, O
my lord," replied the Marid and taking him up, set him down, in the
twinkling of an eye, beside his palace in the land of Africa and before
his wife's pavilion. By this time, the night was come; so he looked
at his palace and his cares and sorrows were dispelled from him and he
trusted in God, after he had forsworn hope, that he should see his bride
once again. Then he fell to thinking upon the hidden mercies of God
(glorified be His might!) and how He had vouchsafed [580] him the ring
and how his hope had been cut off, except God had provided him with the
slave of the Ring. So he rejoiced and all chagrin ceased from him; then,
for that he had been four days without sleeping, of the stress of his
chagrin and his trouble and his grief and the excess of his melancholy,
he went to the side of the palace and lay down under a tree; for that,
as I have said, the palace was among the gardens of Africa without the
city. [581] He [582] lay that night under the tree in all ease; but
he whose head is in the headsman's hand sleepeth not anights. [583]
However, fatigue and lack of sleep for four days past caused slumber
get the mastery over him; [584] so he slept till break of morn, w