mach; and the slave sat down, and begged the noble
merchants to please stop. So they stopped, and he humbly informed them
that his master was in.

"We would see him," said Alcahazar.

"But, sirs," said the slave, "he is having a grand feast."

"Well," said the magician, "we're invited."

"O noble merchants!" cried the slave, "why did you not tell me that
before?" and he opened wide the gate, and let them in. After they had
passed the outer gate, which was of wood, they went through another of
iron, and another of brass, and another of copper, and then walked
through the court-yard, filled with armed slaves, and up the great
castle steps; at the top of which stood the butler, dressed in gorgeous
array.

"Whom have you here, base slave?" cried the gorgeous butler.

"Five noble merchants, invited to my lord's feast," said the slave,
bowing to the ground.

"But they cannot enter the banqueting hall in such garbs," said the
butler. "They cannot be noble merchants, if they come not nobly dressed
to my lord's feast."

"O sir!" said Alcahazar, "may your delicate and far-reaching
understanding be written in books, and taught to youth in foreign lands,
and may your profound judgment ever overawe your country! But allow us
now to tell you that we have gorgeous dresses in these our packs. Would
we soil them with the dust of travel, ere we entered the halls of my
lord the dwarf?"

The butler bowed low at this address, and caused the five magicians to
be conducted to five magnificent chambers, where were slaves, and
lights, and baths, and soap, and towels, and wash-rags, and
tooth-brushes; and each magician took a gorgeous dress from his pack,
and put it on, and then they were all conducted (with Ting-a-ling still
in Zamcar's turban) to the grand hall, where the feast was being held.
Here they found the dwarf and his guests, numbering a hundred, having a
truly jolly time. The dwarf, who was dressed in white (to make him look
larger), was seated on a high red velvet cushion at the end of the hall,
and the company sat cross-legged on rugs, in a great circle before him.
He was drinking out of a huge bottle nearly as big as himself, and
eating little birds; and judging by the bones that were left, he must
have eaten nearly a whole flock of them. When he saw the five magicians
entering, he stopped eating, and opened his eyes in amazement, and then
shouted to his servants to tell him who these people were, who came
without perm