Journeys Through Bookland Volume Iii Part 36

"Genie," said Aladdin, "I command that in the name of this lamp you bring me a roc's egg to be hung up in the middle of the dome of the hall of the palace." Aladdin had no sooner p.r.o.nounced these words than the hall shook as if it would fall, and the genie cried in a loud voice, "Is it not enough that I and the other slaves of the lamp have done everything for you, but you, by an unheard-of ingrat.i.tude, command me to bring my master and hang him up in the midst of this dome? For this attempt, you and the princess deserve to be immediately reduced to ashes; I spare you simply because this request does not come from yourself. The true author is the brother of the African magician, your enemy, whom you have destroyed. He is now in your palace, disguised in the habit of the holy woman, Fatima, whom he has murdered. It is at his suggestion that your wife makes this pernicious demand. His design is to kill you, therefore take care of yourself."

After these words the genie disappeared.

Aladdin resolved at once what to do. He returned to the princess's apartment, where, saying nothing of what had happened, he sat down, complaining of a great pain in the head. The princess told him how the holy Fatima was in the palace, and the prince requested that she be brought to him at once.

"Come hither, good mother," said Aladdin, when the pretended Fatima appeared; "I am glad to see you. I have a violent pain in my head, and hope you will not refuse to cure me as you do other afflicted persons."

So saying, Aladdin arose, holding his head down. The counterfeit Fatima advanced, keeping his hand all the time on a dagger concealed under his gown. Aladdin saw all this, and the moment the pretended woman came within reach, he s.n.a.t.c.hed the dagger and plunged it into the heart of the traitorous magician, at the same time pus.h.i.+ng him to the floor.

"My dear prince," cried the terrified princess, "what have you done?

You have killed the holy woman!"

"No, my princess, I have not killed Fatima, but a villain, who would have a.s.sa.s.sinated me if I had not prevented him. This wicked man," he said, uncovering the face of the magician, "is the brother of the magician who attempted our ruin. He has murdered Fatima, disguised himself in her clothes, and come here with intent to murder me."

Aladdin then told her how the genie had explained these facts, and how narrowly she had escaped destruction through the treacherous suggestion which had led to her request.

Thus was Aladdin delivered from the persecution of the two magicians.

Within a few years afterward, the sultan died in a good old age, and as he left no male children, the Princess Buddir al Buddoor succeeded him, and with Aladdin reigned many long years in happiness and prosperity.

THE SECOND VOYAGE OF SINBAD THE SAILOR

From THE ARABIAN NIGHTS

Among the popular tales in the Arabian Nights collection are those in which Sinbad, the wealthy merchant of Bagdad, tells to a poor porter the story of seven marvelous voyages, to ill.u.s.trate the fact that wealth is not always easily obtained. The most interesting voyage is the second, of which Sinbad gives the account as follows:

I designed, after my first voyage, to spend the rest of my days at Bagdad, but it was not long ere I grew weary of an indolent life, and I put to sea a second time, with merchants of known probity. We embarked on board a good s.h.i.+p, and, after recommending ourselves to G.o.d, set sail. We traded from island to island, and exchanged commodities with great profit. One day we landed on an island covered with several sorts of fruit trees, but we could see neither man nor animal. We walked in the meadows, along the streams that watered them.

While some of the sailors diverted themselves with gathering flowers, and others fruits, I took my wine and provisions, and sat down near a stream betwixt two high trees, which formed a thick shade. I made a good meal, and afterward fell asleep. I cannot tell how long I slept, but when I awoke the s.h.i.+p was gone.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE VALLEY WAS STREWED WITH DIAMONDS]

In this sad condition, I was ready to die with grief. I cried out in agony, beat my head and breast, and threw myself upon the ground, where I lay some time in despair. I upbraided myself a hundred times for not being content with the produce of my first voyage, that might have sufficed me all my life. But all this was in vain, and my repentance came too late. At last I resigned myself to the will of G.o.d. Not knowing what to do, I climbed up to the top of a lofty tree, from whence I looked about on all sides, to see if I could discover anything that could give me hopes. When I gazed toward the sea I could see nothing but sky and water; but looking over the land, I beheld something white; and coming down, I took what provision I had left and went toward it, the distance being so great that I could not distinguish what it was.

As I approached, I thought it to be a white dome, of a prodigious height and extent; and when I came up to it, I touched it, and found it to be very smooth. I went round to see if it was open on any side, but saw it was not, and that there was no climbing up to the top, as it was so smooth. It was at least fifty paces round.

By this time the sun was about to set, and all of a sudden the sky became as dark as if it had been covered with a thick cloud. I was much astonished at this sudden darkness, but much more when I found it occasioned by a bird of a monstrous size, that came flying toward me.

I remembered that I had often heard mariners speak of a miraculous bird called the roc, and conceived that the great dome which I so much admired must be its egg. In short, the bird alighted, and sat over the egg. As I perceived her coming, I crept close to the egg, so that I had before me one of the legs of the bird, which was as big as the trunk of a tree. I tied myself strongly to it with my turban, in hopes that the roc next morning would carry me with her out of this desert island. After having pa.s.sed the night in this condition, the bird flew away as soon as it was daylight, and carried me so high that I could not discern the earth; she afterward descended with so much rapidity that I lost my senses. But when I found myself on the ground, I speedily untied the knot, and had scarcely done so, when the roc, having taken up a serpent of a monstrous length in her bill, flew away.

The spot where it left me was encompa.s.sed on all sides by mountains that seemed to reach above the clouds, and were so steep that there was no possibility of getting out of the valley. This was a new perplexity; so that when I compared this place with the desert island from which the roc had brought me, I found that I had gained nothing by the change.

As I walked through this valley, I perceived it was strewed with diamonds, some of which were of surprising bigness. I took pleasure in looking upon them; but shortly saw at a distance such objects as greatly diminished my satisfaction, and which I could not view without terror, namely, a great number of serpents, so monstrous that the least of them was capable of swallowing an elephant. They retired in the day time to their dens, where they hid themselves from the roc, their enemy, and came out only in the night.

I spent the day in walking about the valley, resting myself at times in such places as I thought most convenient. When night came on I went into a cave, where I thought I might repose in safety. I secured the entrance, which was low and narrow, with a great stone, to preserve me from the serpents; but not so far as to exclude the light. I supped on part of my provisions, but the serpents, which began hissing round me, put me into such extreme fear that I did not sleep. When day appeared the serpents retired, and I came out of the cave trembling. I can justly say that I walked upon diamonds without feeling any inclination to touch them. At last I sat down, and notwithstanding my apprehensions, not having closed my eyes during the night, fell asleep, after having eaten a little more of my provisions. But I had scarcely shut my eyes when something that fell by me with a great noise awaked me. This was a large piece of raw meat; and at the same time I saw several others fall down from the rocks in different places.

I had always regarded as fabulous what I had heard sailors and others relate of the valley of diamonds, and of the stratagems employed by merchants to obtain jewels from thence; but now I found that they had stated nothing but the truth.

For the fact is, that the merchants come to the neighborhood of this valley, when the eagles have young ones, and throw great joints of meat into the valley; the diamonds, upon whose points they fall, stick to them, and the eagles, which are stronger in this country than anywhere else, pounce with great force upon those pieces of meat, and carry them to their nests on the precipices of the rocks to feed their young. The merchants at this time run to the nests, disturb and drive off the eagles by their shouts, and take away the diamonds that stick to the meat.

I perceived in this device the means of my deliverance.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ROC FLEW AWAY WITH SINBAD]

Having collected together the largest diamonds I could find, and put them into the leather bag in which I used to carry my provisions, I took the largest of the pieces of meat, tied it close round me with the cloth of my turban, and then laid myself upon the ground, with my face downward, the bag of diamonds being made fast to my girdle.

I had scarcely placed myself in this posture, when one of the eagles, having taken me up with the piece of meat to which I was fastened, carried me to his nest on the top of the mountain. The merchants immediately began their shouting to frighten the eagles; and when they had obliged them to quit their prey, one of them came to the nest where I was. He was much alarmed when he saw me; but recovering himself, instead of inquiring how I came thither, began to quarrel with me, and asked why I stole his goods. "You will treat me," replied I, "with more civility, when you know me better. Do not be uneasy; I have diamonds enough for you and myself, more than all the other merchants together. Whatever they have they owe to chance; but I selected for myself, in the bottom of the valley, those which you see in this bag." I had scarcely done speaking, when the other merchants came crowding about us, much astonished to see me; but they were much more surprised when I told them my story.

They conducted me to their encampment; and when I had opened my bag, they were surprised at the largeness of my diamonds, and confessed that they had never seen any of such size and perfection. I prayed the merchant who owned the nest to which I had been carried (for every merchant had his own) to take as many of his share as he pleased. He contented himself with one, and that, too, the least of them; and when I pressed him to take more, without fear of doing me any injury, "No,"

said he, "I am very well satisfied with this, which is valuable enough to save me the trouble of making any more voyages, and will raise as great a fortune as I desire."

I spent the night with the merchants, to whom I related my story a second time, for the satisfaction of those who had not heard it. I could not moderate my joy when I found myself delivered from the danger I have mentioned. I thought myself in a dream, and could scarcely believe myself out of danger.

The merchants had thrown their pieces of meat into the valley for several days; and each of them being satisfied with the diamonds that had fallen to his lot, we left the place the next morning, and traveled near high mountains, where there were serpents of a prodigious length, which we had the good fortune to escape. We took s.h.i.+pping at the first port we reached, and touched at the isle of Roha.

In this island is found the rhinoceros, an animal less than the elephant, but larger than the buffalo. It has a horn upon its nose, about a cubit in length; this horn is solid, and cleft through the middle. The rhinoceros fights with the elephant, runs his horn into his belly, and carries him off upon his head; but the blood and the fat of the elephant run into his eyes and make him blind, and he falls to the ground. Then, strange to relate, the roc comes and carries them both away in her claws, for food for her young ones.

I pa.s.s over many other things peculiar to this island, lest I should weary you. Here I exchanged some of my diamonds for merchandise. From thence we went to other islands, and at last, having touched at several trading towns of the continent, we landed at Bussorah, from whence I proceeded to Bagdad. There I immediately gave large presents to the poor, and lived honorably upon the vast riches I had brought, and gained with so much fatigue.

BARBARA FRIETCHIE

By JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER.

Up from the meadows rich with corn, Clear in the cool September morn,

The cl.u.s.tered spires of Frederick stand Green-walled by the hills of Maryland.

Round about them orchards sweep, Apple and peach tree fruited deep,

Fair as the garden of the Lord To the eyes of the famished rebel horde,

On that pleasant morn of the early fall When Lee marched over the mountain wall,--

Over the mountains, winding down, Horse and foot into Frederick town.

Forty flags with their silver stars, Forty flags with their crimson bars,

Flapped in the morning wind; the sun Of noon looked down, and saw not one.

Up rose old Barbara Frietchie then, Bowed with her fourscore years and ten;

Bravest of all in Frederick town, She took up the flag the men hauled down;

In her attic-window the staff she set, To show that one heart was loyal yet.