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."
"Even so," said Aladdin, "but thou canst take me to the palace,
and set me down under my dear wife's window." He at once found
himself in Africa, under the window of the Princess, and fell
asleep out of sheer weariness.

He was awakened by the singing of the birds, and his heart was lighter.
He saw plainly that all his misfortunes were owning to the loss of the lamp,
and vainly wondered who had robbed him of it.

That morning the Princess rose earlier than she had done since
she had been carried into Africa by the magician, whose company
she was forced to endure once a day. She, however, treated him
so harshly that he dared not live there altogether. As she
was dressing, one of her women looked out and saw Aladdin.