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