ace divided
into three great halls. Before you enter the first, tuck up your robe
with care. Pass through the three halls, but never touch the walls,
even with your clothes. If you do you will die instantly. At the end
of the third hall you will find a door opening into a garden planted
with trees loaded with fine fruit. Walk directly across the garden to
a terrace, where you will see a niche before you, and in the niche a
lighted lamp. Take it down and put it out. Throw away the wick and
pour out the liquor, which is not oil and will not hurt your clothes;
then put the lamp into your waistband and bring it to me." The
magician then took a ring from his finger and put it on Aladdin's,
saying, "This is a talisman against all evil, so long as you obey me.
Go, therefore, boldly, and we shall both be rich all our lives."

Aladdin descended, found all to be as the magician had said, and
carefully obeyed his orders. When he had put the lamp into his
waistband, he wondered at the beauty of the fruit in the garden,
white, red, green, blue, purple, yellow, and of all other colors, and
gathered some of every sort. The fruits were really precious jewels;
but Aladdin, ignorant of their immense value, would have preferred
figs, grapes, or pomegranates. Nevertheless, he filled two purses his
uncle had given him, besides the skirts of his vest, and crammed his
bosom as full as it would hold.

Then he returned with extreme care, and found the magician anxiously
waiting.

"Pray, uncle," he said, "lend me your hand to help me out."

"Give me the lamp first," replied the magician. "It will be
troublesome to you."

"Indeed, uncle, I cannot now, but I will as soon as I am up."

The magician was bent on taking it at once from his hand, but the boy
was so laden with his fruit that he flatly refused to give it over
before getting out of the cave. This drove the magician into such a
passion that he threw more incense into the fire, spoke two magical
words, and instantly the stone moved back into its place, with the
earth above it, as it had been when they first reached the spot.
Aladdin now saw that he had been deceived by one who was not his
uncle, but a cruel enemy. In truth, this man had learned from his
magic books about the secret and value of the wonderful lamp, which
would make him richer than any earthly ruler if he could but receive
it freely given into his hands by another person. He had chosen
Aladdin for this purpose, and wh