rich, and magnificent was ever beheld.  Certainly you must have come from a great distance, or some obscure corner, not to have heard of it, for it must have been talked of all over the world.  Go and see it, and then judge whether I have told you more than the truth.”  “Forgive my ignorance,” replied the African magician; “I arrived here but yesterday, and came from the farthest part of Africa, where the fame of this palace had not reached when I came away.  The business which brought me hither was so urgent, that my sole objets was to arrive as soon as I could, without stopping anywhere, or making any acquaintance.  But I will not fail to go and see it; my impatience is so great, I will go immediately and satisfy my curiosity, if you will do me the favour to shew me the way thither.”

The person to whom the African magician addressed himself took a pleasure in shewing him the way to Alla ad Deen’s palace, and he got up and went thither instantly.  When he came to the palace, and had examined it on all sides, he doubted not but that Alla ad Deen had made use of the lamp to build it.  Without attending to the inability of a poor tailor’s son, he knew that none but the genii, the slaves of the lamp, the attaining of which he had missed, could have performed such wonders; and piqued to the quick at Alla ad Deen’s happiness and splendour, he returned to the khan where he lodged.

The next point was to ascertain where the lamp was; whether Alla ad Deen carried it about with him, or where he kept it; and this he was to discover by an operation of geomancy.  As soon as he entered his lodging, he took his square box of sand, which he always carried with him when he travelled, and after he had performed some operations, he found that the lamp was in Alla ad Deen’s palace, and so great was his joy at the discovery that he could hardly contain himself.  “Well,” said he, “I shall have the lamp, and defy Alla ad Deen’s preventing my carrying it off, and making him sink to his original meanness, from which he has taken so high a flight.”

It was Alla ad Deen’s misfortune at that time to be absent in the chase for eight days, and only three were expired, which the magician came to know by this means.  After he had performed the magical operation, which gave him so much joy, he went to the superintendent of the khan, entered into conversation with him on indifferent subjects, and among the rest, told him he had been to see Alla ad Deen’s palace; and after exaggerating on all that he had seen most worthy of observation, added, “But my curiosity leads me farther, and I shall not be satisfied till I have seen the person to whom this wonderful edifice belongs.”  “That will be no difficult matter,” replied the master of the khan, “there is not a day passes but he gives an opportunity when he is in town, but at present he is not at the palace, and has been gone these three days on a hunting-match, which will last eight.