The Arabian Nights II (19 page)

'Ala al-Din, still astonished at what he saw and what he heard from the magician about the treasure, which was supposed to make him happy forever, forgot the beating and, getting up, said to the magician, “Well, uncle, what is to be done? Command me; I am ready to obey you.” The African magician embraced him and said, “I am delighted, child, to see you make this decision. Come, take hold of the ring and lift the stone up.” 'Ala al-Din said, “Uncle, I am not strong enough to lift it up; you have to help me.” The African magician replied, “No, you don't need my help. If I help you, we will accomplish nothing. You must lift it up by yourself. Only pronounce the names of your father and grandfather while you take hold of the ring, and lift it up, and you will find that it will come easily.” 'Ala al-Din
did what the magician told him and lifted up the stone with ease and laid it aside.

When the stone was removed, there appeared a cavity three or four feet deep, with a little door and steps for descending further. The African magician said to 'Ala al-Din, “Son, follow exactly what I am going to tell you. Go down into this cavity, and when you are at the bottom of these steps, you will find an open door that will lead you into a large vaulted place, divided into three large halls, adjacent to each other. In each hall, you will see four large brass vessels, placed to the left and right, full of gold and silver, but be careful not to touch them. Before you enter the first hall, lift your gown and wrap it tightly about you. When you are in, go into the second and third, without stopping. Above all, be careful not to go near the walls or touch them even with your gown, for if you do, you will die instantly. It is for this reason that I have told you to wrap your gown tightly about you. At the end of the third hall, there is a door that will lead you into a garden planted with fine trees loaded with fruits. Walk directly across the garden by a path that will lead you to a staircase with fifty steps that will bring you to a terrace, where you will find before you a niche in which there is a lighted lamp. Take the lamp and put it out, and when you have thrown away the wick and poured out the liquid, put the lamp in your breast and bring it to me. Don't be afraid that your clothes will be spoiled, for the liquid is not oil, and the lamp will be dry, as soon as the liquid is poured out. If you desire any of the fruits of the garden, you may gather as many as you please, for you are allowed to do so.”

After these words, the African magician drew a ring off his finger and put it on one of 'Ala al-Din's, telling him that it was a protection against all the harms that might befall him while he carefully followed all the instructions. Then the magician said to him, “Go down boldly, child, and we shall be rich, you and I, all our lives.”

'Ala al-Din leapt lightly into the cavity and, going down the steps, found the three halls the African magician had described to him. He went through them with all the precaution inspired by the fear of death, if he failed to follow carefully all he had been instructed to do. He crossed the garden without stopping, went up to the terrace, took the lamp from the niche, threw out the wick and the liquid, and, finding the lamp dry, as the magician had told him, put it in his breast. When he came down from the terrace, he stopped in the garden to look at the fruits, of which he had only had a glimpse in crossing it. Each tree was loaded with extraordinary fruits of different colors. Some were white, and some transparent and shiny like crystals; some were pale red and some deeper; and some were green, blue, violet,
and light yellow, as well as all sorts of other colors. The white were pearls; the transparent and shiny were diamonds; the dark red were rubies; the pale red were spinels; the green were emeralds; the blue were turquoise; the violet were amethyst; and the light yellow were sapphire, and so of the rest. All these fruits were so large and perfect that the like of which was never seen in the world. 'Ala al-Din was still too young to realize their quality and value and was, therefore, unimpressed by them and would have preferred figs, grapes, or the other fine fruits that were abundant in China. He thought that all these fruits were nothing but colored glass of little value. Nevertheless, the diversity of so many beautiful colors and the beauty and extraordinary size of each fruit made him desire to pick one of each kind. In fact, he took several of each color and kind, filling his two pockets and his two new purses, which the magician, wishing him to have only new things, had bought for him with the clothes, and as he could not put the purses in the pockets that were already full, he attached them to each side of his belt. He even tucked some fruits securely in his belt, which was made of silk and had several folds. Nor did he overlook to cram some in his breast, between the shirt and the gown he had wrapped about him.

Thus loaded with riches, without knowing it, 'Ala al-Din proceeded to make his way back through the three halls with all speed, in order not to make the African magician wait too long. After crossing the halls with the same precaution as before, he went up the steps and arrived at the mouth of the cave, where the African magician was waiting for him impatiently. As soon as 'Ala al-Din saw him, he said, “Please, uncle, give me your hand to help me out.” The African magician replied, “Son, give me the lamp first. It may burden you.” 'Ala al-Din said, “Excuse me, uncle! It is not burdensome; I will give it to you, as soon as I come up.” The African magician persisted in demanding that 'Ala al-Din hand him the lamp before coming out of the cave, and 'Ala al-Din, who had buried the lamp under all the fruits with which he was loaded, absolutely refused to give it before he was out of the cave. The African magician, despairing of overcoming the resistance of the boy, flew into a terrible rage. He threw a little of his incense into the fire, which he had taken care to keep, and no sooner had he pronounced two magic words than the stone, which had closed the mouth of the cave, moved by itself into its place, with the earth over it, in the same manner as it lay at the arrival of the African magician and 'Ala al-Din.

The African magician was of course not the brother of Mustafa the tailor, as he had boasted, nor consequently the uncle of 'Ala al-Din. It is true that he came from Africa, where he was born, and since Africa is a part of the world where people are more dedicated to magic than
anywhere else, he had applied himself to it from his youth; and after about forty years' experience in magic, geomancy, and fumigations, and reading of magic books, he had found out that there was somewhere in the world a magic lamp, the possession of which would make him more powerful than any king in the world, if he could obtain it. Later, by an operation of geomancy, he found out that this lamp was in a subterranean place in the middle of China, in the spot and the circumstances already described. Fully persuaded of the truth of this discovery, he set out from the farthest part of Africa, as has been mentioned before, and after a long and hard journey, he came to the town nearest to this treasure. But, although he knew for certain where the lamp was, he was not permitted to take it himself nor to enter the subterranean place where it was. Someone else had to go down, take it, and hand it to him. For this reason, he approached 'Ala al-Din, who seemed to him to be a boy of no consequence and very fit to serve his purpose. He was resolved that as soon as he got the lamp he would sacrifice poor 'Ala al-Din to his greed and wickedness, in order to have no witness of the matter, by making the fumigation, mentioned before, and by pronouncing the two magic words that produced the effect we have seen.

The blow he gave 'Ala al-Din and the authority he assumed over him were only meant to make him fear him and obey him readily, so that 'Ala al-Din would give him the magic lamp as soon as he asked for it. But the opposite of what he had expected happened, and he ended by getting rid of poor 'Ala al-Din, driven by his wicked eagerness and the fear that if they argued any longer, someone might hear them and reveal what he wished to keep secret.

When the African magician saw his great hopes frustrated forever, he had no other choice but to return to Africa, and he did so that very day. He took a roundabout route in order to avoid going through the town from which he had set out with 'Ala al-Din, for fear lest some people who may have seen him go for a walk with the boy, should now see him returning without him.

According to all appearances, 'Ala al-Din was no more to be heard of But the magician, who thought that he was rid of him forever, had overlooked the ring he had put on 'Ala al-Din's finger and which could and did in fact save 'Ala al-Din, who was totally unaware of its power, and it is surprising that the loss of the ring, as well as that of the lamp, did not drive the magician to the depths of despair. But magicians are so much used to misfortunes and events contrary to their wishes that, as long as they live, they never cease to feed on smoke, chimeras, and dreams.

'Ala al-Din, who did not expect this ill-treatment from his false uncle, after all the caresses and the favors he had done him, was
stricken with such a great surprise that it is easier to imagine it than to describe it with words. When he found that he was buried alive, he called out to his uncle a thousand times, telling him that he was ready to give him the lamp, but it was all in vain, since his cries could not be heard, and thus he remained in that dark place. At last, after several bursts of tears, he descended to the bottom of the steps in order to go to the garden through which he had walked earlier and where it was light, but the wall, which was opened before by magic, was now shut by the same means. He groped before him left and right, again and again, but found no opening. So he redoubled his cries and tears and sat down on the steps, without any hope of ever seeing the light again and with the sad certainty of his passing from the present darkness into that of the death to come.

'Ala al-Din remained in this state for two days without eating or drinking. On the third day, he regarded death as inevitable and, raising his hands and clasping them in resignation to the will of God, cried out, “There is no power and no strength, save in God the Almighty, the Magnificent.” In clasping his hands, he rubbed, unaware, the ring that the magician had placed on his finger and of which he knew not the power. As soon as he did so, a demon of enormous size and dreadful look rose before him, as if out of the earth, with his head reaching the vault, and said to him, “What do you wish? Here I am, ready to obey you, as your slave and the slave of all those who wear the ring, I and the other slaves of the ring.” At another time and occasion, 'Ala al-Din, who was not used to such sights, would have been so frightened that he would not have been able to speak at the sight of such an extraordinary figure, but being preoccupied solely by the danger he was in, he responded without hesitation, “Whoever you are, get me out of this place, if you can.” No sooner had he pronounced these words than the earth opened, and he found himself outside the cave, on the very spot where the magician had first brought him.

It is not surprising that 'Ala al-Din, who had spent such a long time in total darkness, should have found it hard to bear the bright light. He let his eyes get used to it little by little, and when he began to look around him, he was very much surprised not to find the earth open and could not comprehend how he had got so suddenly out of its bowels. He saw only the place where the sticks had been kindled, and by that, he could nearly tell where the cave was. Then, turning in the direction of the town, he soon saw it in the midst of the gardens that surrounded it and recognized the way by which the African magician had led him. So he took it back, thanking God to find himself once more in the world, after he had despaired of every coming back. When he reached the town, he dragged himself with difficulty to his home, and when he went in to his mother, the joy of seeing her again,
together with his weakness, caused by not having eaten for almost three days, made him faint for some time. His mother, who had mourned him, thinking that he was lost or dead, seeing him in this condition, did everything she could to bring him to himself again. At last, he recovered, and the first words he spoke were, “Please, mother, first give me something to eat, for I have not had any food for three days.” His mother brought him what she had and, placing it before him, said, “Son, don't eat too fast, for it is dangerous. Eat little by little, at your ease, and take care of yourself, for you are very much in need of it. I don't want you even to talk to me. You will have enough time to tell me what happened to you, when you are fully recovered. It is a great comfort to me to see you again, after the agony I have endured since Friday, and the pains I have taken to learn what had become of you, ever since I saw that it was night and you failed to return.”

'Ala al-Din followed his mother's advice and ate unhurriedly, little by little, and drank moderately. When he finished, he said, “I would have made serious complaints about you for abandoning me so easily to the discretion of a man who had the intention of killing me and who at this very moment thinks my death certain, doubting not that I am either dead already or about to die soon. But you believed that he was my uncle, and I believed it too, for could we have entertained any other thoughts of a man who lavished on me caresses and favors and promised me many advantages? But, mother, he is nothing but a treacherous, wicked swindler, who did me favors and made me all those promises only to achieve his purpose and then kill me, as I have told you, leaving you and me unable to guess the reason. For my part, I can assure you that I never gave him any cause to deserve the least ill-treatment. You shall understand it yourself, when you hear exactly all that had happened, from the time I left you to the time he came to the execution of his evil plan.”

Then 'Ala al-Din began to tell his mother all that had happened to him from Friday, when the magician took him to see the palaces and the gardens situated outside the city, and what happened to him on the way until they came to the place between the two mountains where the magician was to perform his prodigious feat. He told her how with some incense thrown into the fire and a few magic words, the earth opened instantly, revealing a cave that led to an inestimable treasure. He did not forget to mention the blow he had received from the magician, nor how, after softening a little, the magician had engaged him, by making great promises and putting the ring on his finger, to go down into the cave. He did not omit the least detail of what he saw in passing and returning through the three halls, the garden, and the terrace from which he had taken the magic lamp, which
he pulled out from his breast and showed to his mother, together with the transparent fruits, as well as those of different colors, which he had gathered in the garden on his return, adding the two full purses, which he gave to his mother, who cared little for them. For although these fruits were precious stones, which shone like the sun, vying with the lamp that lighted the room, and which should have therefore led them to realize their great value, 'Ala al-Din's mother had no more knowledge of their worth than her son. She had been brought up in poverty, and her husband did not have the means to give her such things; nor had she seen any at her relatives or neighbors. Therefore, it is not surprising that she looked on them as things of little value and only pleasing to the eye by the variety of their colors. So 'Ala al-Din simply put them behind one of the cushions of the sofa on which he was sitting.