"Was that a parade that just went away?" asked Ellen, as the gander alighted softly upon the palace steps.
The slaves seemed struck with terror and amazement at her sudden appearance. They threw themselves down before her hiding their eyes. "Do not harm us," they cried. "We are only poor slaves."
"Why I'm not going to hurt you," said Ellen. "I couldn't, anyway. I'm only a little girl."
"But surely you must be a magician to ride through the air in this way," and one of the slaves raised his head a little.
Ellen felt like laughing. "No, I'm not anything but a child, and this is Mother Goose's gander."
The slaves now rose from the ground with a relieved look, "And you are really not a magician?"
"No, of course not. But what was all that we saw? We thought it was a parade."
"It was our master Aladdin with his slaves and guards riding away to pay a visit to his father-in-law, the sultan."
"Aladdin! Do you mean the Aladdin who has the wonderful lamp?"
"Even the same."