addin's palace; as he
approached beginning to cry: "Who will change old lamps for new ones?"
As he went along, a crowd of children collected, who hooted, and thought
him, as did all who chanced to be passing by, a madman or a fool.

The African magician regarded not their scoffs, hootings, or all they
could say to him, but still continued crying: "Who will change old lamps
for new?" He repeated this so often, walking backward and forward in
front of the palace, that the princess, who was then in the hall with
the four and twenty windows, hearing a man cry something and not being
able to distinguish his words, owing to the hooting of the children, and
increasing mob about him, sent one of her women slaves to know what he
cried.

The slave was not long before she returned, and ran into the hall,
laughing so heartily that the princess could not forbear herself. "Well,
giggler," said the princess, "will you tell me what you laugh at?"
"Madam," answered the slave, laughing still, "who can forbear laughing,
to see a fool with a basket on his arm, full of fine new lamps, ask to
change them for old ones?"

Another female slave hearing this, said: "Now you speak of lamps, I know
not whether the princess may have observed it, but there is an old one
upon a shelf of the prince's robing-room. If the princess chooses, she
may have the pleasure of trying if this fool is so silly as to give a
new lamp for an old one, without taking anything for the exchange."

The lamp this slave spoke of was the wonderful lamp, which Aladdin had
laid upon the shelf before he departed for the chase: this he had done
several times before; but neither the princess, the slaves, nor the
eunuchs had ever taken notice of it. At all other times except when
hunting he carried it about his person.

The princess, who knew not the value of this lamp, and the interest that
Aladdin, not to mention herself, had to keep it safe, entered into the
pleasantry, and commanded a eunuch to take it and make the exchange. The
eunuch obeyed, went out of the hall, and no sooner got to the palace
gates than he saw the African magician, called to him, and showing him
the old lamp, said: "Give me a new lamp for this?"

The magician never doubted but this was the lamp he wanted. There could
be no other such in the palace, where every utensil was gold or silver.
He snatched it eagerly out of the eunuch's hand, and thrusting it as far
as he could into his breast, offered him h