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"Leaving Ali Baba to enjoy his newly acquired fortune, we will now return to the forty thieves. They came back to their retreat in the forest when the time they had agreed to be absent had expired; but their astonishment was indescribable when they found the body of Cassim gone, and it was greatly increased on perceiving a visible diminution of their treasure. 'We are discovered,' said the captain, 'and entirely ruined if we are not very careful, or neglect to take immediate measures to remedy the evil; we shall by degrees lose all these riches which our ancestors, as well as we, have amassed with so much trouble and fatigue. All that we can at present judge concerning the loss we have sustained is, that the thief whom we surprised at the fortunate moment, when he was going to make his escape, knew the secret of opening the door. But he was not the only one who possessed that secret: another must have the same knowledge. The removal of his body and the diminution of our treasure are incontestable proofs of the fact. And, as we have no reason to suppose that more than two people are acquainted with the secret, having destroyed one, we must not suffer the other to escape. What say you, my brave comrades? Are you not of my opinion?'
"This proposal of the captain's was thought so reasonable that the whole troop approved it, and agreed that it would be advisable to relinquish every other enterprise, and occupy themselves solely with this affair, which they should not abandon until they had succeeded in detecting the thief.
"'I expected this decision, from your own courage and bravery,' resumed the captain; 'but the first thing to be done is, that one of you who is bold, courageous, and cunning, should go to the city unarmed and in the dress of a traveller and employ all his art to discover if the singular death we inflicted on the culprit whom we destroyed is the common topic of conversation. Then he must find out who this man was, and where he lived. It is absolutely necessary we should be acquainted with this, that we may not do anything of which we may have to repent, by making ourselves known in a country where we have been so long forgotten, and where it is so much to our interest to remain undisturbed. But in order to inspire with ardour him who shall undertake this commission, and to prevent his bringing us a false report, which might occasion our total ruin, I propose that he should consent to submit to the penalty of death in case of failure.'
"Without waiting till his companions should speak, one of the robbers said: 'I willingly agree to these terms, and glory in exposing my life in the execution of such a commission. If I should fail, you will at least remember that I have displayed both courage and readiness in my offer to serve the whole troop.'
"Amid the commendations of the captain and his companions, the robber disguised himself in such a way that no one could have suspected him of belonging to the nefarious trade he followed. He set off at night, and entered the city just as day was beginning to appear. He went towards the public bazaar, where he saw only one shop open, and that was the shop of Baba Mustapha.
"The Jovial cobbler was seated on his stool ready to begin work. The robber went up to him, and wished him a good morning, saying, 'My good man, you rise betimes to your work; how is it possible that an old man like you can see clearly at this early hour? Even if it were broad day, I doubt whether your eyes are good enough to see the stitches you make.'
"'Whoever you are,' replied Baba Mustapha, 'you do not know much about me. Notwithstanding my age, I have excellent eyes; and you would have confessed as much, had you known that not long since I sewed up a dead body in a place where there was not more light than we have here.'
"The robber felt greatly elated at having on his arrival addressed himself to a man who of his own accord entered upon the very subject on which he ardently wished to gain information. 'A dead body!' replied he with feigned astonishment, to induce the other to proceed. 'Why should you want to sew up a dead body? I suppose you mean that you sewed the shroud in which he was buried.' 'No, no,' said Baba Mustapha, 'I know what I mean: you want me to tell you more about it, but you shall not hear another syllable.'
"The robber required no further proof to be fully convinced that he was on the right road to discover what he wished to know. He produced a piece of gold, and putting it into Baba Mustapha's hand, he said: 'I have no desire to cheat you of your secret, although I can assure you I should not divulge it even if you entrusted me with it. The only favour I beg is that you will have the goodness to direct me to the house where you sewed up the dead body or that you will come with me, and show me the way.'
"'Should I feel inclined to grant your request,' replied Baba Mustapha, holding the piece of money in his hand as if ready to return it, 'I assure you that I could not do it. And I will tell you why I must refuse. My employers took me to a particular place, and there they bound my eyes; and from thence I suffered myself to be led to the house; and when I had finished what I had to do I was brought back to my own house in the same manner. You see, therefore, how impossible it is that I should serve you in this matter.' 'But at least,' resumed the robber, 'you must nearly remember the way you went after your eyes were bound. Pray come with me: I will put a bandage over your eyes at the place where you were blindfolded, and we will walk together along the same streets, and follow the same turnings, which you will probably recollect to have taken; and, as all labour deserves a reward, here is another piece of gold. Come, grant me this favour.' And as he spoke he put another piece of money into the cobbler's hand.
"The two pieces of gold were a sore temptation to Baba Mustapha. At length he drew his purse from his bosom, and putting the gold into it, replied: 'I cannot positively assure you that I remember exactly the way they took me ; but since you will have it so, come along ; I will do my best to satisfy you.'
"To the great satisfaction of the robber, Baba Mustapha conducted the robber to the spot where Morgiana had put the bandage over his eyes. 'This is the place,' said he, 'where my eyes were bound; and then my face was turned in this direction.' The robber, who had his handkerchief ready, tied it over Mustapha's eyes, and walked by his side, partly leading him, and partly led by him, till Baba Mustapha stopped.
"'I think,' said he, 'I did not go farther than this'; and he was in fact exactly before the house which had once belonged to Cassim, and where Ali Baba now resided. Before taking the bandage from the cobbler's eyes, the robber quickly made a mark on the door with some chalk he had brought for the purpose; and when he had taken the handkerchief off, he asked Baba Mustapha if he knew to whom the house belonged. The cobbler replied that he did not live in that quarter of the town, and therefore could not tell. As the robber found that he could gain no further intelligence from Baba Mustapha, he thanked him for the trouble he had taken; and when he had seen the cobbler turn away to go to his shop, he took the road to the forest, where he felt certain he should be well received.
"Soon after the robber and Baba Mustapha had separated, Morgiana had occasion to go out on some errand; and when she returned she observed the mark which the robber had made on the door of Ali Baba's house. She stopped to examine it. 'What can this mark signify?' thought she. 'Has any one a spite against my master, or has it been made only for diversion? Be the motive what it may, I may as well use precautions against the worst that may happen.' She therefore took some chalk; and as several of the doors on each side of her master's house were of the same appearance, she marked them in the same manner, and then went in, without saying anything of what she had done either to her master or mistress.
"In the meantime the thief made the best of his way back into the forest, where he rejoined his companions. He related the success of his journey. They all listened to him with great satisfaction, and the captain, after praising his diligence, thus addressed the rest: 'Comrades,' said he, 'we have no time to lose: let us arm ourselves and depart; and when we have entered the city (whither we had best go separately, not to create suspicion), let us all assemble in the great square, some on one side of it, some on the other; and I will go and find out the house with our companion who has brought us this good news, and then I shall be able to judge what method will be most advantageous to pursue.'
"The robbers all applauded their captain's proposal, and they were very soon equipped for their departure. They went in small parties of two or three together; and, walking at a certain distance from each other, they entered the city without occasioning any suspicion. The captain and the robber who had been there in the morning were the last to enter it; and the latter conducted the captain to the street in which he had marked the house of AH Baba. When they reached the first door that had been marked by Morgiana, the thief pointed it out, saying that was the one he had marked. But as they continued walking, the captain perceived that the next door was marked in the same manner, and pointed out this circumstance to his guide, inquiring whether this was the house, or the one they had passed? His guide was quite confused, and knew not what to answer; and his embarrassment increased, when, on proceeding with the captain, he found that four or five doors successively had the same mark. He assured the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but one. 'I cannot conceive,' added he, 'who can have imitated my mark with so much exactness; but I cannot now distinguish my mark from the others.'
"The captain, who found that his design was frustrated, returned to the great square, where he told the first of his people whom he met to inform the rest that they had made a fruitless expedition, and that now there was nothing to be done but to return to their place of retreat. He set the example, and they all followed.
"When the troop had reassembled in the forest, the captain explained to them the reason why he had ordered them to return. The spy was unanimously declared deserving of death, and he acquiesced in his condemnation, owning that he should have been more cautious in taking his measures; and advancing with a serene countenance, he submitted to the stroke of a companion who was ordered to strike his head from his body.
"As it was necessary, for the safety and preservation of the whole band, that the great injury they had suffered should not pass unavenged, another robber, who flattered himself with the hopes of better success than had attended the first, presented himself, and requested the preference. It was granted him. He went to the city, corrupted Baba Mustapha by the same artifice that the first robber had used, and the cobbler led him to the house of Ali Baba with his eyes bound.
"The thief marked the door with red chalk in a place where it would be less noticed; thinking that would be a sure method of distinguishing it from those that were marked with white. But a short time afterwards Morgiana went out as on the preceding day, and on her return the red mark did not escape her piercing eye. She immediately made a similar red mark on the neighbouring doors.
"When he returned to his companions in the forest, the thief boasted of the precautions he had taken, which he declared to be infallible, to distinguish the house of Ali Baba from the others. The captain and the rest agreed with him, and all thought themselves sure of success. They repaired to the city in the same order and with as much care as before, armed also in the same way, ready to execute the blow they meditated. The captain and the robber went immediately to the street where Ali Baba resided, but the same difficulty occurred as on the former occasion. The captain was irritated, and the thief as utterly confounded as he who had preceded him in the same business.
"Thus was the captain obliged to return a second time with his comrades, as little satisfied with his expedition as he had been on the preceding day. The robber who was the author of the disappointment underwent the punishment which he had agreed to suffer as the penalty of non-success.
"The captain, seeing his troop diminished by two brave associates, feared it might decrease still more if he continued to trust to others the discovery of the house where Ali Baba resided. Experience convinced him that his companions did not excel in affairs that depended on cunning, as in those in which strength of arm only was required. He therefore undertook the business himself. He went to the city, and with the assistance of Baba Mustapha, who was ready to perform the same service for him which he had rendered to the other two, he found the house of Ali Baba; but, not choosing to trust to the stratagem of making marks on it, which had hitherto proved so fallacious, he imprinted it so thoroughly on his memory, by looking at it attentively, that at last he was certain he could not mistake it.
"The captain returned to the forest, and when he had reached the cave where the rest of the robbers were waiting his return, he said, 'Comrades, nothing now can prevent our taking full revenge of the injury that has been done us. I know with certainty the house of the culprit who is to experience our wrath, and on the road I have meditated a way of quitting scores with him so privately, that no one shall be able to discover the place of our retreat any more than the refuge where our treasure is deposited. I have hit upon a plan to obtain this end, and when I have explained the plan to you, if any one can propose a better expedient, let him speak.' He then told them in what manner he intended to conduct the affair, and as they all gave their approbation, he charged them to divide into small parties, and go into the neighbouring towns and villages, and to buy nineteen mules and thirty-eight large leathern jars for carrying oil, one of which jars must be full, and all the others empty.
"In the course of two or three days the thieves had completed their purchases, and as the empty jars were rather too narrow at the mouth for the purpose to which he intended to apply them, the captain had them enlarged. Then he made one of the men, thoroughly armed enter each jar. He closed the jars, so that they appeared full of oil, leaving, however, that part open which had been unsewed, to admit air for the men to breathe; and the better to carry on the deception, he rubbed the outside of each jar with oil which he took from the full one.
"Things being thus prepared, the mules were laden with the thirty-seven robbers, each concealed in a jar, and with the jar that was filled with oil. Then the captain, as conductor, took the road to the city, at the hour that had been agreed on, and arrived about an hour after sunset, as he proposed. He went straight to the house of Ali Baba, intending to knock and request shelter for the night for himself and his mules. He was, however, spared the trouble of knocking, for he found Ali Baba at the door, enjoying the fresh air after supper. He stopped his mules, and addressing himself to Ali Baba, said: 'My good friend, I have brought the oil which you see here from a great distance, to sell to-morrow in the market, and at this late hour I do not know where to obtain shelter for the night. If it would not occasion you much inconvenience, do me the favour to take me in, and you will confer a great obligation on me.'
"Although in the forest Ali Baba had seen the man who now spoke to him, and had even heard his voice, yet he had no idea that this was the captain of the forty robbers, disguised as an oil merchant. 'You are welcome,' he said, and immediately made room for the visitor and his mules to go in. At the same time Ali Baba called a slave, and ordered him, when the mules were unladen, not only to put them under cover in the stable, but to give them some hay and corn. He also took the trouble of going into the kitchen to desire Morgiana to get supper quickly for a guest who had just arrived, and to prepare him a chamber and a bed.
"Ali Baba went still further in his desire to receive his guest with all possible civility. Observing that, after he had unladen his mules, and they had been taken into the stables as he had wished, the newcomer seemed making preparations to pass the night with them, he went to him to beg him to come into the room where he received company. The captain of the robbers endeavoured to excuse himself from accepting the invitation, alleging that he was loth to be troublesome, but in reality that he might have an opportunity of executing his meditated project with more ease; and it was not until Ali Baba had used the most urgent persuasions that he complied with his request.
"Ali Baba remained with his perfidious guest, who sought his life in return for his hospitality, till he had finished the repast provided for him. He then said: 'You are at liberty to do as you please; you have only to ask for whatever you may want, and all I have is at your service.'
"The captain of the robbers rose at the same time with Ali Baba, and accompanied him to the door; and while Ali Baba went into the kitchen to speak to Morgiana, he went into the court, under the pretext of going to the stable to see after his mules.
"Ali Baba having again enjoined Morgiana to be attentive to his guest, added: To-morrow before daybreak I shall go to the bath. Take care that my bathing linen is ready, and give it to Abdalla'-this was the name of his slave- ' and make me some good broth to take when I return.' After giving these orders he went to bed.
"The captain of the robbers in the meantime, on leaving the stable, went to give his people the necessary orders for what they were to do. Beginning at the first jar, and going through the whole number, he said to the man in each: 'When I throw some pebbles from the chamber where I am to be lodged to-night, do not fail to rip open the jar from top to bottom with the knife you are furnished with, and come out: I shall be with you immediately afterwards.' The knife he spoke of was pointed and sharpened for the purpose of cutting the leathern jars. After giving these directions, he returned, and when he got to the kitchen door, Morgiana took a light and conducted him to the chamber she had prepared for him, and there left him. Not to create any suspicion, he put out the light a short time after, and lay down in his clothes, to be ready to rise as soon as he had taken his first sleep.
"Morgiana did not forget Ali Baba's orders. She prepared her master's linen for the bath, and gave it to Abdalla, who was not yet gone to bed. Then she put the pot on the fire to make the broth; but while she was skimming it the lamp went out. There was no more oil in the house, and she had not any candle, so she knew not what to do. She wanted a light to see to skim the pot, and mentioned her dilemma to Abdalla. 'Why are you so much disturbed at this?' said he; 'go and take some oil out of one of the jars in the court.'
"Morgiana thanked Abdalla for the hint; and while he retired to bed she took the oil-can, and went into the court. As she drew near to the jar that stood first in the row, the thief who was concealed within said in a low voice: 'Is it time?'
"Any other slave but Morgiana would, in the first moment of surprise at finding a man in the jar instead of the oil she expected, have made a great uproar, which might have produced terrible consequences. But Morgiana was superior to the position she held. She was instantly aware of the importance of secrecy and caution, and understood the extreme danger in which Ali Baba and his family as well as herself, were placed; she also saw the urgent necessity of devising a speedy remedy that should be silently executed. She collected her thoughts, and without showing any emotion, assumed the manner of the captain, and answered: 'Not yet, but presently.' She approached the next jar, and the same question was asked her. She went on to all the vessels in succession, making the same answer to the same question, till she came to the last jar, which was full of oil.
"Morgiana by this means discovered that her master, who supposed he was giving a night's lodging to an oil merchant, had afforded shelter to thirty-eight robbers, and that the pretended merchant was their captain. She quickly filled her oil-can from the last jar, and returned into the kitchen; and after having put some oil in her lamp, and lighted it, she took a large kettle, and went again into the court to fill it with oil from the jar. This kettle she immediately put upon the fire, and made a great blaze under it with a quantity of wood; for the sooner the oil boiled, the sooner her plan for the preservation of the whole family would be executed, and it required the utmost dispatch. At length the oil boiled. She took the kettle and poured into each jar, from the first to the last, sufficient boiling oil to scald the robbers to death, a purpose she effectually carried out.
"When Morgiana had thus silently, and without disturbing any one, performed this intrepid act exactly as she had conceived it, she returned to the kitchen with the empty kettle, and shut the door. She then blew out the lamp, and remained perfectly silent; determined not to go to bed until, from a window of the kitchen which overlooked the court, she had observed what would ensue.
"Morgiana had scarcely waited a quarter of an hour, when the captain of the robbers awoke. He got up, opened the window, and looked out. All was dark, and a profound silence reigned around: he gave the signal by throwing the pebbles, many of which struck the jars, as the sound plainly proved. He listened, but heard nothing that could lead him to suppose his men obeyed the summons. He became uneasy at this delay, and threw some pebbles a second, and even a third time. They all struck the jars, yet nothing appeared to indicate that the signal was answered. In the utmost alarm, he descended into the court, and approaching the first jar, intending to ask if the robber contained in it, and whom he supposed still living, was asleep, he smelt a strong scent of hot and burning oil issuing from the jar. Then he began to suspect that his enterprise against Ali Baba, to destroy him, pillage his house, and carry off, if possible, all the money which he had taken from him and the community, had failed. He proceeded to the next jar, and to all in succession, and discovered that all his men had shared the same fate; and by the diminution of the oil in the vessel which he had brought full, he guessed the means that had been used to deprive him of the assistance he expected. Mortified at having thus missed his aim, he jumped over the garden gate, which led out of the court; and going from one garden to another by getting over the walls, he made his escape.
"When Morgiana perceived that all was silent and still, and that the captain of the thieves did not return, she suspected the truth; namely, that he had decamped by the gardens, instead of attempting to escape by the house door, which was fastened with double bolts. Fully satisfied he was gone, and overjoyed at having succeeded in securing the safety of the whole family, she at length retired to bed, and soon fell asleep.
"Ali Baba went out before daybreak, and repaired to the bath, followed by his slave, totally ignorant of the surprising event which had taken place in his house during the night; for Morgiana had not thought it necessary to wake him.
"When he returned from the bath, the sun had risen. Ali Baba was surprised to see the jars of oil still in their places, and to find that the merchant had not taken them to the market, with his mules. He inquired the reason of Morgiana, who let him in, and who had left everything in its original state, that she might impress him with the greatest sense of the effort she had made for his preservation.
"'My good master,' said Morgiana to Ali Baba, ' may Heaven preserve you and all your family. You will be better informed of what you wish to know when you have seen what I am going to show you.' Ali Baba followed Morgiana; and when she had shut the door, she took him to the first jar, and bade him look into it and see if it contained oil. He did as she desired; and perceiving a man in the jar, he hastily drew back and uttered a cry of surprise. 'Do not be afraid,' said she; ' the man you see there will not do you any harm: he will never hurt either you or any one else again, for he is now a corpse.' 'Morgiana!' exclaimed Ali Baba, 'what does all this mean? I command you to explain this mystery.' 'I will explain it,' replied Morgiana; 'but moderate your astonishment, and do not awaken the curiosity of your neighbours, or let them hear what is of the utmost importance that you should keep secret and concealed. Look first at all the other jars.'
"Ali Baba examined the jars, one after the other, from the first till he came to the last, which contained the oil; and he remarked that its contents were considerably diminished. When his survey was completed, he stood motionless with astonishment, sometimes casting his eyes on Morgiana, then looking at the jars, but without speaking a word, so great was his surprise. At length he said: ‘And what has become of the merchant?'
"'The merchant,' replied Morgiana, 'is no more a merchant than I am. I can tell you who he is and what is become of him.'
"In obedience to Ali Baba's request, Morgiana told him of all the events of the preceding night, of how she discovered and killed the thirty-seven thieves and of the escape of the captain of the band.
"When she had finished her narrative, Morgiana added: 'I am convinced that this is the conclusion of a scheme of which I observed the beginning two or three days ago, but with the particulars of which I did not think it necessary to trouble you. One morning, as I returned from the city at an early hour, I perceived the street door marked with white, and on the following day there was a red mark near the white one; each time, without knowing for what purpose these marks were made, I made the same kind of mark, and in the same part, on the doors of three or four of our neighbours on each side of this house. If you connect that fact with what has happened, you will find that the whole is a scheme, contrived by the thieves of the forest, whose troop, I know not wherefore, seems to be diminished by two. But be that as it may, the band is now reduced to three at most. This proves that the robbers had determined on your death, and you will do right to be on your guard against them so long as you are certain that one still remains. On my part, I will do all in my power towards your safety.'
"When Morgiana ceased speaking, Ali Baba, filled with gratitude for the great obligation he owed her, replied: 'I will recompense you as you deserve before I die. I owe my life to you; and to give you an immediate proof of my feelings, I give you your liberty from this moment, and will soon reward you in a more ample manner. I am as thoroughly convinced as you are, that the forty robbers laid this snare for me. Through your means Allah has delivered me from the danger. What we have now to do is to use the utmost dispatch in burying the bodies of this pest of the human race. Yet we must do so with so much secrecy, that no one can entertain the slightest suspicion of their fate; and for this purpose I will instantly go to work with Abdalla.'
"Ali Baba's garden was of considerable size, and terminated in a clump of large trees. He went, without delay, with his slave, to dig under these trees a ditch or grave, of sufficient length and breadth to contain the bodies he had to inter. The ground was soft, and easy to remove, so that they were not long in completing their work. They took the bodies out of the jars, and removed the weapons with which the robbers had furnished themselves. They then carried the bodies to the bottom of the garden, and placed them in the grave, and after having covered them with the earth they had previously removed, they spread about what remained to make the surface of the ground appear even, as it was before. Ali Baba carefully concealed the oil jars and the arms; as for the mules, he sent them to the market at different times, and disposed of them by means of his slave.
"Whilst Ali Baba was taking these precautions to prevent it being publicly known by what means he had become rich in so short a space of time, the captain of the forty thieves had returned to the forest mortified beyond measure; and in the agitation and confusion which he experienced at having met with such a disaster, he reached the cavern without coming to any resolution on what he should or should not do respecting Ali Baba.
"The dismal solitude of this gloomy habitation appeared to him insupportable. 'O ye brave companions,' cried he, ' ye partners of my labours and my pains, where are you? What can I accomplish without your assistance? My regret for your loss would not have been so great had you died with your sabres in your hands, like valiant men. When shall I be able to collect together another troop of intrepid men like you? And even should I wish to assemble a new troop, how could I undertake it, without exposing all our treasures of gold and silver to the mercy of him who has already enriched himself with a part of our possessions? I cannot, I must not, think of such an enterprise until I have put a period to his existence. What I have not been able to accomplish with your assistance, I am determined to perform alone; and when I have secured this immense property from the danger of pillage, I will endeavour to provide owners and heirs for it after my decease, that it may be not only preserved, but augmented to posterity.'
"The next morning the captain of the robbers awoke at an early hour; and putting on a dress which was suitable to the design he meditated, repaired to the city, where he took a lodging in a khan. As he supposed that the events which had happened in the house of Ali Baba might have become generally known, he asked the host if there were any news stirring; in reply to which the host talked on a variety of subjects, but never mentioned the subject the captain had nearest at heart. By this the latter concluded that the reason why Ali Baba kept the transaction so profoundly secret, was, that he did not wish to divulge the fact of his having access to so immense a treasure. This idea excited the captain to neglect nothing that could hasten his enemy's destruction, which he intended to accomplish by means as secret as those Ali Baba had adopted towards the robbers.
"The captain provided himself with a horse, which he made use of to convey to his lodging several kinds of rich stuffs and fine linens, bringing them from the forest at various times. In order to dispose of this merchandise, he sought for a shop. Having found one that suited him, he hired it, stocked it with his goods, and established himself in it. The shop that was exactly opposite to his had belonged to Cassim, and was now occupied by the son of Ali Baba.
"The captain of the robbers, who had assumed the name of Cogia Houssain, took an early opportunity of offering those civilities to the merchants his neighbours which newcomers were expected to show. The son of Ali Baba being young and of a pleasing address, and the captain having more frequent occasion to converse with him than with the others, the two men soon formed an intimacy. This friendship the robber soon resolved to cultivate with greater assiduity and care, when he recognized Ali Baba, who came to see his son, as he was in the constant habit of doing; and on inquiring of the son, Cogia Houssain discovered that his foe was the young man's father. He now increased his attentions to him; he made him several presents, and often invited him to his table, where he regaled him very handsomely.
"The son of Ali Baba did not choose to receive so many attentions from Cogia Houssain without returning them; but his lodging was small, and he had no convenience for regaling a guest as he wished. He mentioned his intention to his father; adding, that it was not proper that he should delay any longer to return the favours he had received from Cogia Houssain.
"Ali Baba very willingly undertook to provide an entertainment. 'My son,' said he, 'to-morrow is Friday; and as it is a day on which the most considerable merchants, such as Cogia Houssain and yourself, keep their shops shut, invite him to take a walk with you after dinner. On your return, contrive matters that you may pass my house, and then beg him to come in. It will be better to manage thus, than to invite him in a formal way. I will give orders to Morgiana to prepare a supper by the time you come.'
"On the Friday, Cogia Houssain and the son of Ali Baba met in the afternoon to take their walk together, as had been agreed. On their return, Ali Baba's son led Cogia Houssain through the street in which his father lived; and when they had reached the house, he knocked at the door. 'This,' said he, 'is my father's house. He has desired me to procure him the honour of your acquaintance. I entreat you to add this favour to the many I have received from you.'
"Although Cogia Houssain had now reached the object of his desires, by gaining admission into the house of Ali Baba, and to attempt his life without hazarding his own, yet he now endeavoured to excuse himself; but, as the slave of Ali Baba opened the door at that moment, the son took him by the hand and forced him to enter the house.
"Ali Baba received Cogia Houssain in a friendly manner, and gave him as hearty a welcome as he could desire.
"After a short conversation, Cogia Houssain was going to take his leave, but Ali Baba stopped him. 'Where are you going?' said he: ‘0 my friend, I entreat you to do me the honour of staying to sup with me. The humble meal you will partake of is little worthy of the honour you will confer on it; but such as it is, I hope you will accept the offer as frankly as it is made.'
"'O my master,' replied Cogia Houssain, ‘I am fully sensible of your kindness; and although I beg you to excuse me, if I take my leave without accepting your invitation, yet I entreat you to believe that I refuse you, not from incivility or pride, but because I have a very strong reason, and one which I am sure you would approve, were it known to you.'
"'What can this reason be?' resumed Ali Baba. 'Might I take the liberty of asking you?' 'I do not refuse to tell it.' said Cogia Houssain. ‘It is this: I never eat of any dish that has salt in it; judge then what a strange figure I should make at your table.' 'If this is your only reason,' replied Ali Baba, 'it need not deprive me of the honour of your company at supper. In the first place, the bread which is eaten in my house does not contain salt; and as for the meat and other dishes, I promise you there shall be none in those which are placed before you. I will now go to give orders to that effect. Therefore do me the favour to remain, and I will be with you again in an instant.'
"Ali Baba went into the kitchen, and desired Morgiana not to put any salt to the meat she was going to serve for supper. He also told her to prepare, without any salt, two or three of those dishes he had ordered.
"Morgiana could not refrain from expressing some disapprobation at this new order. 'Who,' said she, 'is this fastidious man, that cannot eat salt? Your supper will be entirely spoiled if I delay it any longer.' 'Do not be angry,' replied Ali Baba; ' he is a good man: do as I desire you.'
"Morgiana obeyed, though much against her will. She felt some curiosity to see this man who did not eat salt. When she had finished her preparations, and Abdalla had prepared the table, she assisted him in carrying in the dishes. On looking at Cogia Houssain, she instantly recognized him, notwithtanding his disguise, as the captain of the robbers, and she perceived that he had a dagger concealed under his dress. ' I am no longer surprised,' said she to herself, ‘that this villain will not eat salt with my master. He is his bitterest enemy, and means to murder him; but I will yet prevent him from accomplishing his purpose.'
"When Morgiana had finished bringing up the dishes, and assisting Abdalla, she availed herself of the time while her masters and their guest were at supper, to make the necessary preparations for carrying out an enterprise of the boldest and most intrepid nature; and she had just completed them, when Abdalla came to acquaint her that it was time to serve the fruit. She carried it in and placed it on the table. Then she put a small table near Ali Baba, with the wine and three cups, and left the room as if to leave Ali Baba, according to custom, at liberty to converse and enjoy himself with his guest while they drank their wine.
"Cogia Houssain, or rather the captain of the forty thieves, now thought he had achieved a favourable opportunity for revenging himself on Ali Baba by taking his life. 'I will make them both drunk,' thought he, 'and then the son will be unable to prevent my plunging my dagger in the heart of his father; and I shall escape by way of the garden as I did before, while the cook and the slave are at their supper, or perhaps asleep in the kitchen.'
"But instead of going to supper, Morgiana, who had penetrated into the views of the pretended Cogia Houssain, did not allow him to put his wicked intentions in execution. She dressed herself like a dancing girl, put on a head-dress suitable to the character she assumed, and wore round her waist a girdle of silver gilt, to which she fastened a dagger inside of the same metal. Her face was covered by a very handsome mask. When she had thus disguised herself, she said to Abdalla: 'Take your tabor, and let us go and entertain our master's guest, and the friend of his son, by the music and dance we sometimes practise together.'
"Abdalla took his tabor and began to play as he entered the room, walking before Morgiana. The wily slave followed him, making a low curtsey with a deliberate air to attract notice, as if to request permission to show her skill in dancing. ‘Come in, Morgiana,' cried Ali Baba: 'Cogia Houssain will judge of your skill, and tell us his opinion. Do not think, however, O my friend,' continued he, addressing Cogia Houssain, 'that I have been at any expense to procure you this entertainment. We have all this skill in the household, and it is only my slave and my cook whom you see. I hope you will find their efforts amusing.'
"Cogia Houssain, although he would gladly have dispensed with this addition to the entertainment, nevertheless pretended to be obliged to his host, and added 'that whatever gave Ali Baba pleasure could not fail in being agreeable to him.'
"When Abdalla perceived that Ali Baba and Cogia Houssain had ceased speaking, he again began to play on his tabor, singing to it an air to the tune in which Morgiana might dance: she, who was equal in skill to any professional dancer, performed her part so admirably, that even a critical spectator must have been delighted. But of the company, perhaps Cogia Houssain was the least attentive to her excellence.
"After she had performed several dances with equal grace and agility, Morgiana at length drew out the dagger, and dancing with it in her hand, she surpassed all she had yet done, sometimes presenting the dagger as if ready to strike, and at others holding it to her own bosom, pretending to stab herself.
"At length, apparently out of breath, she took the tabor from Abdalla with her left hand, and holding the dagger in her right, she presented the tabor with the hollow part upwards to Ali Baba, in imitation of the professional dancers, who are accustomed to go round in this way appealing to the liberality of the spectators.
"Ali Baba threw a piece of gold into the tabor. Morgiana then presented it to his son, who followed his father's example. Cogia Houssain, who saw that she was advancing towards him for the same purpose, had already taken his purse from his bosom to contribute his present, and was taking out a piece of money, when Morgiana, with a courage and promptness equal to the resolution she had displayed, plunged the dagger in his heart.
"Ali Baba and his son, terrified at this action, uttered a loud cry. ' Wretch!' exclaimed Ali Baba, 'what hast thou done? Thou hast ruined me and my family for ever.'
"'What I have done,' replied Morgiana, ' is not for your ruin, but for your safety.' Then opening Cogia Houssain's robe to show Ali Baba the poniard which was concealed under it, she continued: 'Behold the cruel enemy you had to deal with! Examine his countenance attentively, and you will recognize the pretended oil merchant and the captain of the forty robbers. Do you not recollect that he refused to eat salt with you? Before I even saw him, from the moment you told me of this peculiarity in your guest, I suspected his design, and you are now convinced that my suspicions were not unfounded.'
"Ali Baba, who now understood the fresh obligation he owed to Morgiana for having thus preserved his life a second time, embraced her, and said: 'Morgiana, I gave you your liberty, and at the same time promised to show you stronger proofs of my gratitude at some future period. This period has now arrived. I present you to my son as his wife.' Then addressing his son, he continued: 'I believe you to be too dutiful a son to take it amiss if I bestow Morgiana upon you without previously consulting your inclinations. Your obligation to her is not less than mine. You plainly see that Cogia Houssain only sought your acquaintance that he might gain an opportunity to carry out his diabolical treachery; and had he sacrificed me to his vengeance, you cannot suppose that you would have been spared.'
"Far from showing any symptoms of discontent, Ali Baba's son replied that he willingly consented to the marriage, not only because he was desirous of proving his ready obedience to his father's wishes, but also because his own inclination strongly urged him to the union. They then resolved to inter the captain of the robbers by the side of his former companions; and this duty was performed with such secrecy that the circumstance was not known till many years had expired, and no one was any longer interested to keep this memorable history concealed.
"A few days after, Ali Baba caused the nuptials of his son and Morgiana to be celebrated with great solemnity. He gave a sumptuous feast, accompanied by dances and other customary diversions; and he had the satisfaction of observing that the friends and neighbours whom he had invited, who did not know the true reason of the marriage, but were not unacquainted with the good qualities of Morgiana, admired his generosity and applauded his discrimination.
"Ali Baba, who had not revisited the cave since he had brought away the body of his brother Cassim, lest he should meet with any of the thieves and be slain by them, still refrained from going thither, even after the death of the thirty-seven robbers and their captain, as he was ignorant of the fate of the other two, and supposed them to be still alive.
"At the expiration of a year, however, finding that no attempt had been made to disturb his quiet, he had the curiosity to make a journey to the cave, taking all necessary precautions for his safety. He mounted his horse; and when he approached the cave, seeing no traces of either men or horses, he conceived this to be a favourable omen. He dismounted, and fastening his horse, he went up to the door and repeated the words: 'Open sesame,' which he had not forgotten. The door opened, and he entered. The state in which everything appeared in the cave led him to judge that no one had been in it from the time when the pretended Cogia Houssain had opened his shop in the city; and therefore he concluded that the whole troop of robbers was totally dispersed or exterminated; that he himself was the only person in the world who was acquainted with the secret of entering the cave, and that consequently the immense treasure it contained was entirely at his disposal. He had provided himself with a bag, and he filled it with as much gold as his horse could carry, with which he returned to the city.
"From that time Ali Baba and his son, whom he took to the cave and taught the secret of entering it, and after them their posterity, who were also entrusted with the important secret, lived in great splendour, enjoying their riches with moderation, and honoured with the most dignified situations in the city."
The Sultan of the Indies could not but admire the astonishing memory of the sultana his consort, whose stock of tales seemed inexhaustible, and who had thus continued to furnish fresh amusement every night for a long period.
A thousand and one nights had passed in this innocent amusement, and the lapse of time had very much tended to diminish the cruel prepossession and prejudice of the sultan against the fidelity of all wives. His mind had become softened, and he was convinced of the great merit and good sense of the Sultana Scheherazade. He well recollected the courage with which she voluntarily exposed herself to destruction, in becoming his queen, without at all dreading the death to which she knew she was destined, like those who had preceded her.
These considerations, added to his experience of the excellent qualities which he found she possessed, at last urged him absolutely to pardon her. "I am well aware," he said, "O amiable Scheherazade, that it is impossible to exhaust your store of those pleasant and amusing tales with which you have so long entertained me. You have at length appeased my anger, and I freely revoke in your favour the cruel law I had promulgated. I receive you entirely into my favour, and wish you to be considered as the preserver of many ladies, who would, but for you, have been sacrificed to my just resentment."
The sultana threw herself at his feet, which she embraced most tenderly, and gave every sign of the most heartfelt and lively gratitude.
The grand vizier heard the delightful intelligence from the sultan himself. It was immediately reported through the city and different provinces; and it brought down upon the heads of the Sultan Schahriar and his amiable Sultana Scheherazade, the heartfelt praises and grateful blessings of all the people of the empire of the Indies.
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