ddin's
palace and rubbed his eyes, for it was gone. He sent for the Vizier
and asked what had become of the palace. The Vizier looked out too,
and was lost in astonishment. He again put it down to enchantment, and
this time the Sultan believed him, and sent thirty men on horseback to
fetch Aladdin back in chains. They met him riding home, bound him, and
forced him to go with them on foot. The people, however, who loved
him, followed, armed, to see that he came to no harm. He was carried
before the Sultan, who ordered the executioner to cut off his head.
The executioner made Aladdin kneel down, bandaged his eyes, and raised
his scimitar to strike. At that instant the Vizier, who saw that the
crowd had forced their way into the courtyard and were scaling the
walls to rescue Aladdin, called to the executioner to stay his hand.
The people, indeed, looked so threatening that the Sultan gave way and
ordered Aladdin to be unbound, and pardoned him in the sight of the
crowd. Aladdin now begged to know what he had done. "False wretch!"
said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from the window the
place where his palace had stood. Aladdin was so amazed he could not
say a word. "Where is your palace and my daughter?" demanded the
Sultan. "For the first I am not so deeply concerned, but my daughter I
must have, and you must find her or lose your head." Aladdin begged
for forty days in which to find her, promising if he failed to return
to suffer death at the Sultan's pleasure. His prayer was granted, and
he went forth sadly from the Sultan's presence.

For three days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone what
had become of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him. He
came to the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers before
throwing himself in. In doing so he rubbed the ring he still wore.
The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and asked his will. "Save
my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring my palace back." "That is
not in my power," said the genie; "I am only the Slave of the Ring; you
must ask him of the lamp." "Even so," said Aladdin, "but thou canst
take me to the palace, and set me down under my dear wife's window."
He at once found himself in Africa, under the window of the Princess,
and fell asleep out of sheer weariness.

He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.
He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owning to the loss of t