When it was the Five Hundred and Eighty-fifth Night,
Quoth Dunyazad, "O sister mine, an thou be other than sleepy,
do tell us some of thy pleasant tales," whereupon Shahrazad
replied, With love and good will."—-It hath reached me, O King
of the Age, that the Lady Badr al-Budur began to inform the
Sultan of all which had befallen her, saying, "O my father, I
recovered not life save yesterday when I saw my husband, and he
it was who freed me from the thraldom of that Maghrabi, that
Magician, that Accursed, than whom I believe there be none viler
on the face of earth; and, but for my beloved, I had never
escaped him nor hadst thou seen me during the rest of my days.
But mighty sadness and sorrow gat about me, O my father, not only
for losing thee but also for the loss of a husband, under whose
kindness I shall be all the length of my life, seeing that he
freed me from that fulsome sorcerer." Then the Princess began
repeating to her sire every thing that happened to her, and
relating to him how the Moorman had tricked her in the guise of a
lamp-seller who offered in exchange new for old; how she had
given him the Lamp whose worth she knew not, and how she had
bartered it away only to laugh at the lampman's folly. "And next
morning, O my father," she continued, "we found ourselves and
whatso the pavilion contained in Africa-land, till such time as
my husband came to us and devised a device whereby we escaped:
and, had it not been for Alaeddin's hastening to our aid, the
Accursed was determined to enjoy me perforce." Then she told him
of the Bhang-drops administered in wine to the African and
concluded, "Then my husband returned to me and how I know not,
but we were shifted from Africa land to this place." Alaeddin in
his turn recounted how, finding the wizard dead drunken, he had
sent away his wife and her women from the polluted place into the
inner apartments; how he had taken the Lamp from the Sorcerer's
breast-pocket whereto he was directed by his wife; how he had
slaughtered the villain and, finally how, making use of the Lamp,
he had summoned its Slave and ordered him to transport the
pavilion back to its proper site, ending his tale with, "And, if
thy Highness have any doubt anent my words, arise with me and
look upon the accursed Magician." The King did accordingly and,
having considered the Moorman, bade the carcase be carried away
forthright and burned and its ashes scattered in air. Then he
took to embracing Alaeddin and kissing him said, "Pardon me, O my
son, for that I was about to destroy thy life through the foul
deeds of this damned enchanter, who cast thee into such pit of
peril; and I may be excused, O my child, for what I did by thee,
because I found myself forlorn of my daughter; my only one, who
to me is dearer than my very kingdom. Thou knowest how the hearts
of parents yearn unto their offspring, especially when like
myself they have but one and none other to love." And on this
wise the Sultan took to excusing himself and kissing his son-in-
law.—And Shahrazad was surprised by the dawn of day and ceased
to say her permitted say,