THE FLYING CARPET 141

or two hours began to descend at their destination. It was
a valley surrounded on all sides by rocks so steep and so
difficult of access, that, except by God’s special grace, no
mortal man imprisoned there could possibly escape. The
ground was strewn with diamonds of the finest quality. The
king and fisherman found it easy to make a large collection,
picking and choosing, gathering and arranging them upon the
carpet. When they had put together all there was room for,
the king sat down, and pointing to a large diamond shining
at a little distance, said to the fisherman, “There is yet a
more splendid one by the stream yonder; run, my son-in-law,
and bring it here, it would be a pity to leave it.”

The man went for it, while the king, taking advantage of
his absence to pronounce the magic words, seated himself on
the carpet, which lifted itself up, and floating like an air-car
above the forest and under the clouds, descended by one of
the palace windows.

His joy knew no bounds, for he now found himself not
only free from his enemies and rid of the embarrassing
presence of the fisherman, but also the possessor of the
richest and most beautiful collection of diamonds in the
world ;—by his orders they were put away in the caves of
the royal treasure-house, and with them the magic ring and
the flying carpet.

Meantime the fisherman had returned with the diamond,
and had stood aghast to see the carpet vanishing away in
the distance.

Wounded at the ingratitude and indignant at the per-
versity of a prince for whom he had done so much, he burst

into tears.