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 Aladdin.

This action of the African magician's plainly shewed him to be neither
Aladdin's uncle, nor Mustapha the tailor's brother; but a true African.
Africa is a country whose inhabitants delight most in magic of any in
the whole world, and he had applied himself to it from his youth. After
forty years' experience in enchantments and reading of magic books, he
had found out that there was in the world a wonderful lamp, the
possession of which would render him more powerful than any monarch; and
by a late operation of geomancy, he had discovered that this lamp lay
concealed in a subterranean place in the midst of China. Fully persuaded
of the truth of this discovery, he set out from the farthest part of
Africa; and after a long and fatiguing journey came to the town nearest
to this treasure. But though he had a certain knowledge of the place
where the lamp was, he was not permitted to take it himself, nor to
enter the subterranean place, but must receive it from the hands of
another person. For this reason he had addressed himself to Aladdin,
whom he looked upon as a lad fit to serve his purpose, resolving, as
soon as he should get the lamp into his hands, to sacrifice him to his
avarice and wickedness, by making the fumigation mentioned before, and
repeating two magical words, the effect of which would remove the stone
into its place, so that no witness would remain of the transaction.

The blow he had given Aladdin was intended to make him obey the more
readily, and give him the lamp as soon as he should ask for it. But his
too great precipitation, and his fear lest somebody should come that way
and discover what he wished to keep secret, produced an effect quite
contrary to what he had proposed.

When the African magician saw that all his hopes were frustrated
forever, he returned the same day for Africa; but went quite round the
town, and at some distance from it, lest some persons who had observed
him walk out with the boy, on seeing him come back without him, should
entertain suspicions, and stop him.