i was the son of a respectable merchant in moussoul my father intended to bring me up to his own trade but i was idle and did not like. it one day as i was playing in the street a very old man came up to me and asked me if i would go with him i asked him where he was going he replyed that if i would go with him he would show me very wonderful things this raised my curiosity and i consented he imediatly took me by the hand and hurried me out of the city of moussoul so quickly that my breath was almost stopped and it seemed as if we glided along in the air for i could hear no sound of our footsteps we continued on our course for a long time till we came to glen surrounded by very high mountains how we passed over those mountains i could never tell, in the middle of the glen there was a small fountain of very clear water my conducter directed me to drink of it this i did and imediatly i found myself in a palace the glory of which far exceeds any description which i can give the tall stately pillars reaching from heaven to earth were formed of the fines and pured diamonds the pavement sparkling with gold and precious stones and the mighty dome made solem and awful by its stupendous magnitude was of a single emerald. in the midst of this grand and magnificent palace was a lamp like the sun the radiance of which made all the palace to flash and glitter with an almost fearful grandeur the ruby sent a stream forth of crimson light the topaz gold the saphire intensest purple and the dome poured a flood of deep clear splendour which overcame all the other gaudy lights by its mild triumphant glory in this palace were thousands and tens of thousand of faires and geni some of whom flitted lightly among the blazing lamps to the sound of unearthly music which dyed and swelled in a strain of wild grandeur suited to the words they sung—

in this fairy land of light

no mortal ere has been

and the dreadful grandeu of this sight

by them hath not been seen

t'would strike them shudering to the earth

like the flash from a thunder cloud

it would quench their light and joyous mirth

and fit them for the shroud

the rising of our palaces

like visions of the deep

and the glory of their structure

no mortal voice can speak

the music of our songs

and our mighty trumpets swell

and the sounding of our silver harps

no mortal tongue can tell

of us they know but little

save when the storm doth rise

and the mighty waves are tossing

agains the arched skys

then oft they see us striding [7]

o'e'r the billows snow white foam

or hear us speak in thunder

when we stand in grandeur lone

on the darkest of the mighty clouds

which veil the pearly moon

around us lightning flashing

nights blackness to illume

chorus the music of our songs

and our mighty trumpets

swell and the sounding of our silver

harp no mortal tongue can tell

when they had finished their was a dead silence for about half an hour and then the palace began slowly and gradualy to vanish till it disapeared intirely and i found myself in the glen surounded by high mountains the fountain illuminated by the cold light of the moon springing up in the middle of the valley and standing close by was the old man who had conducted me to this enchanted place he turned round and i could see that his countenance had an expression of strange severity which i had not before observed. follow me he said i obeyed and we began to ascend the mountain it would be needless to trouble you with a repititon of all my adventures suffice it to say that after two months time we arrived at a large temple we entred it the interior as well as the outside had a very gloomy and ominous aspect being intirely built of black marble the old man suddenly seized me and dragged me to an altar at the upper end of the temple then forcing me down on my knees he made me swear that i would be his servant forever and this promise i faithfully kept notwithstanding the dreadful scenes of magic of which every day of my life i was forced to be a witness one day he told me that he would discharge me from the oath i had taken and comanded me to leave his service i obeyed and after wandering about the world for many years i one evening laid myself down on a little bank by the roadside intending to pass the night there suddenly i felt myself raised in the air by invisible hands in a short time i lost sight of the earth and continued on my course through the clouds till i became insensible and when i recovered from my swoon i found myself lying outside this cave what may be my future destiny i know not——