the wont of the woeful; then, raising them [to heaven], he made supplication to God, saying, “I testify that there is no God but Thou alone, the Mighty, the Powerful, the Conquering, the Giver of Life and Death, [FN#262] Creator and Accomplisher [FN#263] of necessities, Resolver of difficulties and perplexities and Dispeller thereof, [FN#264] Thou my sufficiency, Thou the most excellent Guardian, and I testify that Mohammed is Thy servant and Thine apostle.  O my God, I conjure Thee, by his [FN#265] glory with Thee, deliver me from my extremity.”

Whilst he was thus supplicating God and wringing his hands in the excess of his affliction for that which had befallen him of calamity, he chanced to rub upon the ring, and immediately, behold, a genie [FN#266] rose up before him and said to him, “Here am I; thy slave is before thee.  Seek whatsoever thou wilt, for that I am his slave who hath the ring in hand, the ring of my lord.” [FN#267] Alaeddin looked and saw a Marid, [FN#268] as he were of the Jinn of our lord Solomon, standing before him, and shuddered at his frightful aspect; but, when he heard the genie say to him, “Seek whatsoever thou wilt, for that I am thy slave, since the ring of my lord is on thy hand,” he took heart and bethought him of the Maugrabin’s speech to him, whenas he gave him the ring.  So he rejoiced exceedingly and took courage and said to him, “O slave of the lord of the ring, I will of thee that thou bring me out upon the face of the earth.”  Hardly had he made an end of that his speech when, behold, the earth opened and he found himself without, at the door of the treasure, to wit, upon the surface of the earth.

Now, he had been three days under the earth, sitting in the treasure in the dark; so, when the light of day smote on his face and the rays of the sun, he might not unclose his eyes, but took to opening them little by little and shutting them again. till they became stronger and grew used to the light and were cleared of the darkness.  Then, [FN#269] seeing himself upon the surface of the earth, he rejoiced exceedingly, but marvelled to find himself overagainst the entrance of the treasure, whereby he went down, whenas the Maugrabin enchanter opened it; and now the stone was shut down and the earth levelled, nor was there any sign therein of a door.  So he redoubled in wonderment and thought himself otherwhere; nor was he assured that he was in the very place, till he saw whereas they had kindled the fire of sticks and brushwood and whereas the Maugrabin enchanter had made his fumigations and conjurations.  Then he turned right and left and saw the gardens afar off and looked at the way and knew it for that by which they had come.  So he gave thanks to God the Most High, who had brought him out on the earth’s face and had delivered him from death, after he had given up hope of life.  Then he arose and fared homeward, by the way which he knew, till he came to the city and entering, betook himself to their house and went in to his mother.  When he saw her, he fell down before her, of the greatness of the joy which possessed him for his deliverance, and swooned away for the affright and the weariness which he had suffered, more by token that he was weak with hunger.