Then, that well wisher, (who loved me with heart and soul), said, “I conducted you the other day to that tyrant; if I had known it, I would not have carried you there,” I was alarmed, and asked him, “What harm has occurred from my going? pray tell me truly,” He then said, “All the nobles, ministers, and officers of state, small and great, of your father’s time, were greatly rejoiced on seeing you, and began to offer up thanks to God, saying, ’Now, our prince is of age, and fit to reign.  Now, in a short time, the right will devolve upon the rightful [heir]; then he will do justice to our merits, and appreciate the length of our services.’  This news reached the ears of that faithless wretch, [385] and entered his breast like a serpent.  He sent for me in private, and said, ’O Mubarak, act now in such a manner, that by some stratagem or other the prince may be destroyed; and remove the dread of his [existence] from my heart, that I may feel secure.’  Since then I am quite confounded, for your uncle is become the enemy of your life.”  When I heard this dreadful news from Mubarak, I was dead without being murdered, and fell at his feet from fear of my life, and said, “For God’s sake, I relinquish my throne; by any means, let my life be saved.”  That faithful slave lifted up my head, clasped me to his breast, and said, “There is no danger, a thought has struck me; if it turns out well, then there is nothing to fear; whilst we have life, we have everything.  “It is probable that, by this scheme [of mine] your life will be preserved, and you will attain your wishes.”

Giving me these hopes, he took me with him, and went to the apartment where the deceased king, my father, used to sit and sleep; and gave me every confidence.  There a stool was placed; he told me to lay hold of one of its legs, and taking hold of the other himself, we removed the stool, and he lifted up the carpet that was beneath it, and began to dig the floor.  A window appeared suddenly, to which were attached a chain and lock.  He called me near him; I apprehended within myself that he wished to butcher me, and bury me in the place he had dug.  Death appeared [in all its horrors] before my eyes; but having no other alternative, I advanced slowly and in silence towards him, repeating within myself my prayers to God.  I then saw a building with four rooms inside of that window, and in every room ten large vases of gold were suspended by chains; on the mouth of each vase was placed a brick of gold, on which was set the figure of a monkey inlaid with precious stones.  I counted thirty-nine vases of this kind in the four rooms, and saw one vase filled with pieces of gold, on the mouth of which there was neither the brick, nor the figure of the monkey, and I also saw a vat filled to the brim with precious stones.  I asked Mubarak, “O my father, what talisman is this? whose place is this, and for what use are those figures?” He replied, “The following is the story of those figures of monkeys which you see:—­Your father from his youth formed a friendship and kept up an intercourse with Maliki Sadik, who is the king of the jinns.