332 THE ARABIAN NIGHTS.

Aladdin, who had never in his whole life before taken so long
a walk, felt hims. lf very much tired. “Where are we going, my
dear uncle?” said he. “We have got much farther than the
gardens, and I can see nothing but hills and mountains before
us, And if we go on any farther, I know not whether I shall
have strength enough to walk back to the city.” “Take cour-
age, nephew,” replied his pretended uncle ; “I wish to shew
you another garden that far surpasses all you have hitherto
seen. It is not far from hence; and after your arrival, you will
readily own how sorry you would have been to have come thus
near it and not gone on to see it.”

They at length came to a narrow valley, situated between two
moderately-sized mountains, of nearly the same height. This
was the particular spot to which the magician wished to bring
Aladdin, in order to put in execution the grand project that was
the sole cause of his coming from the extremity of Africa to
China. “We shall now,” said he to Aladdin, “go no farther,
and I shall here unfold to your view some extraordinary things,
hitherto unknown to mortals ; and which, when you shall have
seen, you will thank me a thousand times for having made you
an eye-witness of. They are indeed such wonders as no one be-
sides yourself will ever have seen. I am now going to strike a
light, and do you, in the meantime, collect all the dry sticks and
leaves that you can find in order to make a fire.”

There were so many pieces of dry sticks scattered about this
place, that Aladdin very soon collected more than was sufficient
for his purpose by the time the magician had lighted his match.
He then set them on fire; and as soon as they were in a blaze,
the African threw a certain perfume which he had ready in his
hand upon them. A thick and dense smoke immediately arose,
which seemed to unfold itself in consequence of some mysterious
words pronounced by the magician, but which Aladdin did not
in the least comprehend. At the same instant, the ground
slightly shook, and opening in the spot where they stood, dis-
covered a square stone of about a foot and a half across, placed
horizontally, with a brass ring fixed in the centre for the purpose
of lifting it up.

Aladdin was dreadfully alarmed at all these things, and was
about to run away, when the magician, to whom his presence
was absolutely necessary in this mvsterious affair, stopped him