The Greatest World Classics Retold for Children. Гарриет Бичер-Стоу

that one day when Aladdin was playing as usual with the idle street boys, a tall, dark, old man stood watching him, and when the game was finished he made a sign to Aladdin to come to him.

      "What is thy name, my boy?" asked this old man, who, though he appeared so kind, was really an African Magician.

      "My name is Aladdin," answered the boy, wondering who this stranger could be.

      "And what is thy father's name?" asked the Magician.

      "My father was Mustapha the tailor, but he has been dead a long time now," answered Aladdin.

      "Alas!" cried the wicked old Magician, pretending to weep, "he was my brother, and thou must be my nephew. I am thy long-lost uncle!" and he threw his arms round Aladdin's neck and embraced him.

      "Tell thy dear mother that I will come and see her this very day," he cried, "and give her this small present." And he placed in Aladdin's hands five gold pieces.

      Aladdin ran home in great haste to tell his mother the story of the long-lost uncle.

      "It must be a mistake," she said, "thou hast no uncle."

      But when she saw the gold she began to think that this stranger must be a relation, and so she prepared a grand supper to welcome him when he came.

      They had not long to wait before the African Magician appeared, bringing with him all sorts of fruits and delicious sweets for desert.

      "Tell me about my poor brother," he said, as he embraced Aladdin and his mother. "Show me exactly where he used to sit."

      Then the widow pointed to a seat on the sofa, and the Magician knelt down and began to kiss the place and weep over it.

      The poor widow was quite touched, and began to believe that this really must be her husband's brother, especially when he began to show the kindest interest in Aladdin.

      "What is thy trade?" he asked the boy.

      "Alas!" said the widow, "he will do nothing but play in the streets."

      Aladdin hung his head with shame as his uncle gravely shook his head.

      "He must begin work at once," he said. "How would it please thee to have a shop of thy own? I could buy one for thee, and stock it with silks and rich stuffs."

      Aladdin danced with joy at the very idea, and next day set out with his supposed uncle, who bought him a splendid suit of clothes, and took him all over the city to show him the sights.

      The day after, the Magician again took Aladdin out with him, but this time they went outside the city, through beautiful gardens, into the open country. They walked so far that Aladdin began to grow weary, but the Magician gave him a cake and some delicious fruit and told him such wonderful tales that he scarcely noticed how far they had gone. At last they came to a deep valley between two mountains, and there the Magician paused.

      "Stop!" he cried, "this is the very place I am in search of. Gather some sticks that we may make a fire."

      Aladdin quickly did as he was bid, and had soon gathered together a great heap of dry sticks. The Magician then set fire to them, and the heap blazed up merrily. With great care the old man now sprinkled some curious-looking powder on the flames, and muttered strange words. In an instant the earth beneath their feet trembled, and they heard a rumbling like distant thunder. Then the ground opened in front of them, and showed a great square slab of stone with a ring in it.

      By this time Aladdin was so frightened that he turned to run home as fast as he could, but the Magician caught him, and gave him such a blow that he fell to the earth.

      "Why dost thou strike me, uncle?" sobbed Aladdin.

      "Do as I bid thee," said the Magician, "and then thou shalt be well treated. Dost thou see that stone? Beneath it is a treasure which I will share with thee. Only obey me, and it will soon be ours."

      As soon as Aladdin heard of a treasure, he jumped up and forgot all his fears. He seized the ring as the Magician directed, and easily pulled up the stone.

      "Now," said the old man, "look in and thou wilt see stone steps leading downwards. Thou shalt descend those steps until thou comest to three great halls. Pass through them, but take care to wrap thy coat well round thee that thou mayest touch nothing, for if thou dost, thou wilt die instantly. When thou hast passed through the halls thou wilt come into a garden of fruit-trees. Go through it until thou seest a niche with a lighted lamp in it. Put the light out, pour forth the oil, and bring the lamp to me."

      So saying the Magician placed a magic ring upon Aladdin's finger to guard him, and bade the boy begin his search.

      Aladdin did exactly as he was told and found everything just as the Magician had said. He went through the halls and the garden until he came to the lamp, and when he had poured out the oil and placed the lamp carefully inside his coat he began to look about him.

      He had never seen such a lovely garden before, even in his dreams. The fruits that hung upon the trees were of every color of the rainbow. Some were clear and shining like crystal, some sparkled with a crimson light and others were green, blue, violet, and orange, while the leaves that shaded them were silver and gold. Aladdin did not guess that these fruits were precious stones, diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, but they looked so pretty that he filled all his pockets with them as he passed back through the garden.

      The Magician was eagerly peering down the stone steps when Aladdin began to climb up.

      "Give me the lamp," he cried, stretching his hand for it.

      "Wait until I get out," answered Aladdin, "and then I will give it thee."

      "Hand it up to me at once," screamed the old man angrily.

      "Not till I am safely out," repeated Aladdin.

      Then the Magician stamped with rage, and rushing to the fire threw on it some more of the curious powder, uttered the same strange words as before, and instantly the stone slipped back into its place, the earth closed over it, and Aladdin was left in darkness.

      This showed indeed that the wicked old man was not Aladdin's uncle. By his magic arts in Africa he had found out all about the lamp, which was a wonderful treasure, as you will see. But he knew that he could not get it himself, that another hand must fetch it to him. This was the reason why he had fixed upon Aladdin to help him, and had meant, as soon as the lamp was safely in his hand, to kill the boy.

      As his plan had failed he went back to Africa, and was not seen again for a long, long time.

      But there was poor Aladdin shut up underground, with no way of getting out! He tried to find his way back to the great halls and the beautiful garden of shining fruits, but the walls had closed up, and there was no escape that way either. For two days the poor boy sat crying and moaning in his despair, and just as he had made up his mind that he must die, he clasped his hands together, and in doing so rubbed the ring which the Magician had put upon his finger.

      In an instant a huge figure rose out of the earth and stood before him.

      "What is thy will, my master?" it said. "I am the Slave of the Ring, and must obey him who wears the ring."

      "Whoever or whatever you are," cried Aladdin, "take me out of this dreadful place."

      Scarcely had he said these words when the earth opened, and the next moment Aladdin found himself lying at his mother's door. He was so weak for want of food, and his joy at seeing his mother was so great, that he fainted away, but when he came to himself he promised to tell her all that had happened.

      "But first give me something to eat," he cried, "for I am dying of hunger."

      "Alas!" said his mother, "I have nothing in the house except a little cotton, which I will go out and sell."

      "Stop a moment," cried Aladdin, "rather let us sell this old lamp which