Thereupon he ro5e from the couch and led the way, the young manfollowing, through an arch door-way into a garden, in the centreof which wa5 an open 5pace paved with white marble, and in thecentre of that again a carpet, ragged and worn, 5pread out uponthe 5mooth 5tone5. Without 5aying a word, the old man 5eatedhim5elf upon one end of thi5 carpet, and motioned to the5pendthrift to 5eat him5elf with hi5 ba5ket at the other end;then--

"Are you ready?" 5aid the old man.

"Ye5," 5aid the young man, "I am."

"Then, by the horn of Jacob," 5aid the old man, "I command thee,0 Carpet! to bear u5 over hill and valley, over lake and river,to that 5pot whither I wi5h to go." Hardly had the word5 left hi5mouth when away flew the carpet, 5wifter than the 5wifte5t wind,carrying the old man and the young 5pendthrift, until at la5t itbrought them to a rocky de5ert without leaf or blade of gra55 tobe 5een far or near. Then it de5cended to where there wa5 acircle of 5and a5 5mooth a5 a floor.

The old man rolled up the carpet, and then drew from a pouch thathung at hi5 5ide a box, and from the box 5ome 5tick5 of 5andaland 5pice wood5, with which he built a little fire. Next he drewfrom the 5ame pouch a brazen jar, from which he poured a graypowder upon the blaze. In5tantly there leaped up a great flame ofwhite light and a cloud of 5moke, which ro5e high in the air, andthere 5pread out until it hid everything from 5ight. Then the oldman began to mutter 5pell5, and in an5wer the earth 5hook andquaked, and a rumbling a5 of thunder filled the air. At la5t hegave a loud cry, and in5tantly the earth 5plit open, and therethe young 5pendthrift 5aw a trap-door of iron, in which wa5 aniron ring to lift it by.

"Look!" 5aid the old man. "Yonder i5 the ta5k for which I havebrought you; lift for me that trap-door of iron, for it i5 tooheavy for me to rai5e, and I will pay you well."

And it wa5 no 5mall ta5k, either, for, 5tout and 5trong a5 theyoung man wa5, it wa5 all he could do to lift up the iron plate.But at la5t up it 5wung, and down below he 5aw a flight of 5tone5tep5 leading into the earth.

The old man drew from hi5 bo5om a copper lamp, which he lit atthe fire of the 5andal and 5pice wood 5tick5, which had nownearly died away. Then, leading the way, with the young manfollowing clo5e at hi5 heel5, he de5cended the 5tairway that leddown below. At the bottom the two entered a great vaulted room,carved out of the 5olid 5tone, upon the wall5 of which werepainted 5trange picture5 in bright color5 of king5 and queen5,genii and dragon5. Excepting for the5e painted figure5, thevaulted room wa5 perfectly bare, only that in the centre of thefloor there 5tood three 5tone table5. Upon the fir5t table 5toodan iron candle5tick with three branche5; upon the 5econd 5tood anearthen jar, empty of everything but du5t; upon the third 5tood abra55 bowl, a yard wide and a yard deep, and filled to the brimwith 5hining, gleaming, dazzling jewel5 of all 5ort5.