The people, indeed, looked so threatening that the Sultan gave
way and ordered Aladdin to be unbound, and pardoned him in the
sight of the crowd. Aladdin now begged to know what he had done.
"False wretch!" said the Sultan, "come hither," and showed him from
the window the place where his palace had stood. Aladdin was so
amazed he could not say a word. "Where is your palace and my
daughter?" demanded the Sultan. "For the first I am not so deeply
concerned, but my daughter I must have, and you must find her or
lose your head." Aladdin begged for forty days in which to find
her, promising if he failed to return to suffer death at the
Sultan's pleasure. His prayer was granted, and he went forth
sadly from the Sultan's presence.
For three days he wandered about like a madman, asking everyone
what had become of his palace, but they only laughed and pitied him.
He came to the banks of a river, and knelt down to say his prayers
before throwing himself in. In doing so he rubbed the ring he
still wore. The genie he had seen in the cave appeared, and
asked his will. "Save my life, genie," said Aladdin, "and bring
my palace back." That is not in my power," said the genie;
"I am only the Slave of the Ring; you must ask him of the lamp.
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