[Another variant.]
A great scholar, who spent his time studying with his pupils, got a son in his old age. He kept him in the house, never allowing him to go out but gave him more and more of his time. The pupils became jealous of the young boy and one day they took him out of his father's house and showed him the world of which he knew nothing. On his return, he reproached his father who henceforth went out with him and showed him everything. The students used to go to a distant country to trade for a month every year, and with the profit they made they used to live for the remaining n months. They persuaded the young man to go with them. The father gave him 1000 dinars, and no sooner had they reached the foreign country, than they left him. He wandered about in search of his companions. A merchant took him in and the next morning he saw a great commotion in the market-place. The rabbi had died and the sultan would not allow the burial unless the Jews paid him a debt of 1000 dinars. The young man went to the sultan, found favour in his eyes, paid the money and obtained permission to bury the rabbi. The father was greatly satisfied. Next year, again urged by his father's pupils, the young man asked for 10,000 dinars. They left him again and again the merchant took him. The next morning, he bought by auction for 10,000 dinars a Spanish
ship captured by the sultan's ships. It was sold as it stood, no one knowing whether anything was in it. He found it quite empty when suddently he heard a voice crying. A panel opened and he found a small room and in it a young beautiful girl. She told him that she was the daughter of the king of Spain. War had broken out and not knowing what would be the outcome of it she had manned the ship with provisions and had hidden there. Now she was a prisoner. She also told him that she had taken a large amount of jewels and precious stones hidden in wine bottles some of them filled with wine. The people jeered at him, thinking the ship was empty but he hired sailors and returned home. His father came on board and learnt what had happened and was advised to tell the governor that the son had gone mad and spent 10,000 dinars on an empty ship and bottles of wine, and in order to cover his madness, to ask permission to carry the bottles home secretly in the dead of night which he did. Thus no one knew of the great treasures. The princess married him and they had two sons. She was very clever and made some tapestry and embroidery, unknown in that country. A merchant took advantage of the young man's ignorance of the value of the tapestry, bought them and sold them in distant lands. Some reached Spain and the king saw and recognised in them the work of his daughter, found out where they had come from and disguising himself, came to that country. There he paid a higher price for them than the merchant, won the confidence of the young man and invited himself to his house. One day he sent the young man out, made himself known to his daughter and forced her to flee with him and her children to Spain. The young man in despair went to the harbour and found there a boat with two men in it. They promised to take him to Spain and to help him on condition that afterwards they would share everything equally. He consented and was quickly transported to Spain. Outside the town where the king's palace was there was a large heap of refuse as big as a hill. Advised by the boatmen, the young men bought
the refuse heap to the great surprise of the king. On the morrow a huge palace with magnificent gardens stood in its place. The people wondered, went there to see it, and the princess heard of it and also went there after having obtained permission from her father who had kept her locked up in the palace. She recognised her husband and promised to flee with him. After 30 days she was able to bring her two children and a large amount of treasure. The boatmen waited for them and then carried them swiftly home. In the morning the people found that the palace and gardens had disappeared and the refuse heap was again there. When they approached the port, the two boatmen asked the young man to divide the spoils according to arrangement. He was to take one, either the treasure, or the wife or children; the other two belonged to them. He willingly gave up the treasure, but neither wife nor children.
When they saw his despair, they comforted him and told him that he could keep all; they had only put him to the test and would take nothing, for one of the boatmen was the dead rabbi whom he had ransomed from the Sultan and brought to honourable burial and the other, his companion, was none other than the prophet Elijah who had been allowed by God to accompany him and reward him for his pious deeds. It was he who had built the palace and then made it disappear again. Henceforth, the young man his wife and children all lived happily together.