I have no doubt the patient and stupid bird told his mate in bird language what a very strange and uncomfortable experience he had had, and at all events he kept out of our sight from that moment.

Shin Shira at once busied himself by gathering some of the largest gems as quickly as possible; and taking from his pockets some strong linen bags which he had thoughtfully provided, he handed two to me and told me to fill them for myself.

This I did, and also put several into my various pockets.  I was just about to say that I thought we had sufficient, when Shin Shira called my attention to a balloon hovering just above our heads.

There were two people in the basket, and they were peering at us over the edge through glasses.

Presently one of them shouted an order, and the balloon quickly descended, so that we could hear the rush of escaping gas as it was being released.

“Hullo there!” shouted a voice over our heads, “who are you?  We’ve never before heard that these mountains were inhabited.”

“Neither are they,” replied Shin Shira.  “We are geologists from Baghdad, and are taking home specimens of the rocks and stones.”

“Oh, we’re going to Baghdad.  Can we give you a lift?” said the voice kindly, and the balloon descended still further, till at last we were able to see the two occupants distinctly.

“It’s really very kind of you;—­I—­I think we will accept your offer,” said I, while Shin Shira frowned disapproval.

“Don’t go,” he whispered, “we can get some more precious stones if we wait a little longer.”

“But how are we to get back?” I answered.

“The Magic Lamp,” said he.

“Oh, but I’ve left that behind at the hotel,” I replied.

“In that case,” said Shin Shira regretfully, “there’s nothing else to be done, I suppose.”

So we thankfully accepted the aeronauts’ kind invitation, and were soon floating comfortably towards Baghdad.

I must confess that it was far more pleasant than the outward journey had been.

Before we got to Baghdad, though, Shin Shira had the misfortune to disappear, much to the horror of the aeronauts, who thought he had fallen out of the basket, and who would scarcely credit my explanation when I told them of Shin Shira’s peculiar misfortune in this respect.

He left the two bags of precious stones behind him, and they stood beside mine at the bottom of the basket.

For a few minutes the balloon, being freed from Shin Shira’s weight, rapidly ascended, but presently there was a terrible escape of gas and we began to descend again at a great rate.

“Throw out the ballast!” cried one of the aeronauts, and the other, seeing the four bags of what he thought were worthless stones, in his haste and eagerness thrust them overboard.

I was too alarmed at the moment to notice what he was doing, and it was only when matters had been put right, by stopping the escape of gas, that I realised what had happened.