The Story of Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves - Part I

In a town in Persia, there lived two brothers, one named
Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Their father left them
scarcely anything; but as he had divided his little
property equally between them, it would seem that their fortune
ought to have been equal; but chance determined otherwise.

Cassim married a wife, who soon after became heiress to a
large sum, and to a warehouse full of rich goods; so that he all
at once became one of the richest and most considerable mer-
chants, and lived at his ease. Ali Baba, on the other hand, who
had married a woman as poor as himself, lived in a very wretched
habitation, and had no other means to maintain his wife and
children but his daily labour of cutting wood, and bringing it to
town to sell, upon three asses, which were his whole substance.

One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and had just
cut wood enough to load his asses, he saw at a distance a
great cloud of dust, which seemed to be driven toward him : he
observed it very attentively, and distinguished soon after a body
of horse. Though there had been no rumour of robbers in that
country, Ali Baba began to think that they might prove such, and
without considering what might become of his asses, was resolved
to save himself. He climbed up a large, thick tree, whose
branches, at a little distance from the ground, w^ere so close to
one another that there was but little space between them. He
placed himself in the middle, from whence he could see all
that passed without being discovered; and the tree stood at the
base of a single rock, so steep and craggy that nobody could
climb up it.

The troop, who were all well mounted and armed, came to the
foot of this rock, and there dismounted. Ali Baba counted
forty of them, and, from their looks and equipage, was assured
that they were robbers. Nor was he mistaken in his opinion;
for they were a troop of banditti, who, without doing any harm
to the neighbourhood, robbed at a distance, and made that place
their rendezvous; but what confirmed him in his opinion was,
that every man unbridled his horse, tied him to some shrub, and
hung about his neck a bag of corn which they brought behind
them. Then each of them took his saddle wallet, which seemed
to Ali Baba to be full of gold and silver from its weight. One,
who was the most personable amongst them, and whom he took
to be their captain, came wuth his w^allet on his back under the
tree in w^hich Ali Baba w^as concealed, and making his way
through some shrubs, pronounced these words so distinctly:
" Open, Sesame,'^ that Ali Baba heard him. As soon as the captain
of the robbers had uttered these w ords, a door opened in the rock ;
and after he had made all his troop enter before him, he followed
them, when the door shut again of itself. The robbers stayed
some time within the rock, and Ali Baba, who feared that some
one, or all of them together, might come out and catch him, if he
should endeavour to make his escape, was obliged to sit patiently
in the tree. He was nevertheless tempted to get down, mount
one of their horses, and lead another, driving his asses before
him with all the haste he could to town; but the uncertainty of
the event made him choose the safest course.

At last the door opened again, and the forty robbers came out.
As the captain went in last, he came out first, and stood to see
them all pass by him, when Ali Baba heard him make the door
close by pronouncing these words: ^' Shut, Sesame.'' Every man
went and bridled his horse, fastened his wallet, and mounted
again ; and when the captain saw them all ready, he put himself
at their head, and they returned the way they had come. Ali
Baba did not immediately quit his tree; for, said he to himself,
they may have forgotten something and may come back again,
and then I shall be taken. He follow^ed them with his eyes as
far as he could see them; and afterward stayed a considerable
time before he descended. Remembering the words the captain
of the robbers used to cause the door to open and shut, he had
the curiosity to try if his pronouncing them w^ould have the same
effect. Accordingly, he w^ent among the shrubs, and perceiving
the door concealed behind them, stood before it, and said:
*' Open, Sesame r' The door instantly flew wide open. Ali
Baba, who expected a dark dismal cavern, was surprised to see
it well lighted and spacious, in the form of a vault, which received
the light from an opening at the top of the rock. He saw all
sorts of provisions, rich bales of silk stuff, brocade, and valuable
carpeting, piled upon one another; gold and silver ingots in
great heaps, and money in bags. The sight of all these riches
made him suppose that this cave must have been occupied for
ages by robbers, who had succeeded one another. Ali Baba
did not stand long to consider what he should do, but went im-
mediately into the cave, and as soon as he had entered, the door
shut of itself, but this did not disturb him, because he knew the
secret to open it again. He never regarded the silver, but made
the best use of his time in carrying out as much of the gold coin as
he thought his three asses could carry. He collected his asses,
which were dispersed, and when he had loaded them with the
bags, laid wood over in such a manner that they could not be
seen. When he had done he stood before the door, and pro-
nouncing the words: "Shut, Sesame /" the door closed after him,
for it had shut of itself while he was within, but remained open
while he was out. He then made the best of his way to town.-
When Ali Baba got home, he drove -his asses into a little
yard, shut the gates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered
the bags, carried them into his house, and ranged them in order
before his wife, who sat on a sofa. His wife handled the bags,
and finding them full of money, suspected that her husband had
been robbing, insomuch that she could not help saying: "Ali

Baba, have you been so unhappy as to "" "Be quiet, wife,"

interrupted Ali Baba, "do not frighten yourself; I am no robber,
unless he may be one who steals from robbers. You will no
longer entertain an ill opinion of me, w^hen I shall tell you my
good fortune." He then emptied the bags, which raised such a
great heap of gold as dazzled his wife's eyes; and when he had
done, told her the whole adventure from beginning to end; and,
above all, recommended her to keep it secret. The wife, cured
of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at their good fortune, and
would count all the gold piece by piece. "Wife," replied Ali
Baba, "you do not know what you undertake, when you pretend
to count the money ; you will never have done. I will dig a hole,
and bury it; there is no time to be lost." "You are in the right,
husband," replied she; "but let us know, as nigh as possible,
how much we have. I will borrow a small measure in the neigh-
bourhood, and measure it, while you dig the hole." "What you
are going to do is to no purpose, wife," said Ali Baba; "if you
would take my advice, you had better let it alone; but keep the
secret, and do what you please." Away the wife ran to her
brother-in-law Cassim, who lived just by, but was not then at
home ; and addressing herself to his wife, desired her to lend her
a measure for a little while. Her sister-in-law asked her, whether
she would have a great or a small one. The wife asked for a
small one. The sister-in-law agreed to lend one, but as she knew
Ali Baba's poverty, she was curious to know what sort of grain
his wife wanted to measure, and artfully putting some suet at
the bottom of the measure, brought it to her with an excuse, that
she was sorry that she had made her stay so long, but that she
could not find it sooner. Ali Baba's wife went home, set the
measure upon the heap of gold, filled it and emptied it often upon
the sofa, till she had done: when she was very well satisfied to
find the number of measures amounted to so many as they did,
and went to tell her husband, who had almost finished digging the
hole. While Ali Baba w^as burying the gold, his w^ife, to show
her exactness and diligence to her sister-in-law, carried the
measure back again, but without taking notice that a piece of
gold had stuck to the bottom. "Sister," said she, giving it to
her again, "you see that I have not kept your measure long;
I am obliged to you for it, and return it with thanks."

As soon as her sister-in-law w^as gone, Cassim's wife looked at
the bottom of the measure, and was inexpressibly surprised to find
a piece of gold stuck to it. Envy immediately possessed her
breast. "What!" said she, "has Ali Baba gold so plentiful
as to measure it ? W' here has that poor wretch got all this
wealth.?" Cassim, her husband, was not at home, but at his
counting-house, which he left always in the evening. His wife
waited for him, and thought the time an age; so great was her
impatience to tell him the circumstance, at which she guessed
he would be as much surprised as herself.

When Cassim came home, his wife said to him: "Cassim, I
know you think yourself rich, but you are much mistaken; Ali
Baba is infinitely richer than you ; he does not count his money,
but measures it." Cassim desired her to explain the riddle, which
she did, by telling him the stratagem she had used to make the
discovery, and showed him the piece of money, which was so old
that they could not tell in what prince's reign it was coined.
Cassim, instead of being pleased, conceived a base envy at his
brother's prosperity; he could not sleep all that night, and went
to him in the morning before sunrise, although after he had
married the rich widow, he had never treated him as a brother,
but neglected him. "Ali Baba," said he, accosting him, "you
are very reserved in your affairs; you pretend to be miserably
poor, and yet you measure gold." "How, brother.^" replied
Ali Baba; "I do not know what you mean: explain yourself."
"Do not pretend ignorance," replied Cassim, showing him the
piece of gold his wife had given him. "How many of these
pieces," added he, "have you ? My wife found this at the bot-
tom of the measure you borrowed yesterday."

By this discourse, Ali Baba perceived that Cassim and his
wife, through his own wife's folly, knew what they had so much
reason to conceal; but what was done could not be recalled;
therefore, without shewing the least surprise or trouble, he con-
fessed all, told his brother by what chance he had discovered this
retreat of the thieves, in what place it was ; and offered him part
of his treasure to keep the secret. "I expect as much," replied
Cassim haughtily; "but I must know exactly where this treasure
is, and how I may visit it myself when I choose ; otherwise I will
go and inform against you, and then you will not only get no
more, but will lose all you have, and I shall have a share for my
information."

Ali Baba, more out of his natural good temper, than frightened
by the menaces of his unnatural brother, told him all he desired, and
even the very words he was to use to gain admission into the cave.
Cassim, who wanted no more of Ali Baba, left him, resolving
to be beforehand with him, and hoping to get all the treasure to
himself. He rose the next morning long before the sun, and set
out for the forest with ten mules bearing great chests, which he
designed to fill; and followed the road which Ali Baba had
pointed out to him. He was not long before he reached the rock,
and found out the place by the tree, and other marks, which his
brother had given him. When he reached the entrance of the
cavern, he pronounced the words: " Open, Sesame!" and the door
immediately opened, and when he was in, closed upon him. In
examining the cave, he was in great admiration to find much more
riches than he had apprehended from Ali Baba's account. He was
so covetous, and greedy of wealth, that he could have spent the
whole day in feasting his eyes w^ith so much treasure, if the thought
that he came to carry some away had not hindered him. He
laid as many bags of gold as he could carry at the door of the
cavern, but his thoughts were so full of the great riches he should
possess, that he could not think of the necessary word to make it
open, but instead of "iSesame," said: "Open, Barley!" and was
much amazed to find that the door remained fast shut. He named
several sorts of grain, but still the door would not open. Cassim
had never expected such an incident, and was so alarmed at the
danger he was in, that the more he endeavoured to remember
the word *' Sesame," the more his memory was confounded, and he
had as much forgotten it as if he had never heard it mentioned.
He threw dow^n the bags he had loaded himself with and walked
distractedly up and down the cave, without having the least
regard to the riches that were round him. About noon the
robbers chanced to visit their cave, and at some distance from
it saw Cassim's mules straggling about the rock, with great
chests on their backs. Alarmed at this novelty, they galloped
full speed to the cave. They drove away the mules, which
Cassim had neglected to fasten, and they strayed through the
forest so far, that they were soon out of sight. The robbers never
gave themselves the trouble to pursue them, being more concerned
to know to whom they belonged, and while some of them searched
about the rock, the captain and the rest went directly to the door,
with their naked sabres in their hands, and pronouncing the
proper words, it opened.

Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses' feet from the
middle of the cave, never doubted of the arrival of the robbers,
and his approaching death ; but was resolved to make one effort
to escape from them. To this end he rushed to the door, and
no sooner heard the word Sesame, w^hich he had forgotten, and
saw the door open, than he ran out and threw the leader dow^n,
but could not escape the other robbers, who with their sabres
soon deprived him of life. The first care of the robbers after
this was to examine the cave. They found all the bags which
Cassim had brought to the door, to be ready to load his mules,
and carried them again to their places, without missing what Ali
Baba had taken away before. Then holding a council, and
deliberating upon this occurrence, they guessed that Cassim,
when he was in, could not get out again ; but could not imagine
how he had entered. It came into their heads that he mio;ht
have got down by the top of the cave ; but the aperture by which
it received light was so high, and the rocks so inaccessible without,
that they gave up this conjecture. That he came in at the door
they could not believe, however, unless he had the secret of mak-
ing it open. In short, none of them could imagine which way
he had entered ; for they were all persuaded nobody knew their
secret, little imagining that Ali Baba had watched them. It was
a matter of the greatest importance to them to secure their
Cassim . . . was so alarmed at the danger he teas in that the
more he endeavoured to remember the word Sesame the
more his memory tvas confounded.
riches. They agreed therefore to cut Cassim's body into quarters,
to hang two on one side and two on the other, within the door of
the cave, to terrify any person who should attempt again to enter.
They had no sooner taken this resolution than they put it in
execution, and when they had nothing more to detain them, left
the place of their hoards well closed. They then mounted their
horses, went to beat the roads again, and to attack the caravans
they might meet.

In the meantime, Cassim's wife was very uneasy when night
came, and her husband was not returned. She ran to Ali Baba
in alarm, and said: "I believe, brother-in-law, that you know
Cassim, your brother, is gone to the forest, and upon what ac-
count ; it is now night, and he is not returned ; I am afraid some
misfortune has happened to him." Ali Baba, who had expected
that his brother, after what he had said, would go to the forest,
had declined going himself that day, for fear of giving him any
umbrage; therefore told her, without any reflection upon her
husband's unhandsome behaviour, that she need not frighten
herself, for that certainly Cassim would not think it proper to
come into the town till the night should be pretty far advanced.

Cassim's wife, considering how much it concerned her hus-
band to keep the business secret, was the more easily persuaded
to believe her brother-in-law. She w^ent home again, and waited
patiently till midnight. She repented of her foolish curiosity,
and cursed her desire of penetrating into the affairs of her
brother and sister-in-law. She spent all the night in weeping;
and as soon as it was day, went to them, telling them, by her tears,
the cause of her coming. Ali Baba did not wait for his sister-in-
law to desire him to go and see what was become of Cassim, but
departed immediately with his three asses, begging of her first
to moderate her affliction. He went to the forest, and when he
came near the rock, having seen neither his brother nor the mules
in his way, was seriously alarmed at finding some blood spilt
near the door, which he took for an ill omen; but when he had
pronounced the word, and the door had opened, he was struck
with horror at the dismal sight of his brother's body. Without
adverting to the little fraternal affection his brother had shewn
for him, Ali Baba went into the cave to find something to enshroud
his remains, and having loaded one of his asses with them,
covered them over with wood. The other two asses he loaded
with bags of gold, covering them with wood also as before; and
then bidding the door shut, came away; but was so cautious
as to stop some time at the end of the forest, that he might not
go into the town before night. When he came home, he drove
the two asses loaded with gold into his little yard, and left the
care of unloading them to his wife, while he led the other to his
sister-in-law's house.

Ali Baba knocked at the door, which was opened by Morgiana,
an intelligent slave, fruitful in inventions to insure success in the
most difficult undertakings: and Ali Baba knew her to be such.
When he came into the court, he unloaded the ass, and taking
Morgiana aside, said to her: "The first thing I ask of you is an
inviolable secrecy, both for your mistress's sake and mine.
Your master's body is contained in these two bundles, and our
business is, to bury him as if he had died a natural death. Go,
tell your mistress I want to speak with her; and mind what I
have said to you."

Morgiana went to her mistress, and Ali Baba followed her.
"Well, brother," said she, with impatience, "what news do you
bring me of my husband ? I perceive no comfort in your counte-
nance." "Sister," answered Ali Baba, "I cannot satisfy your
inquiries unless you hear my story without speaking a word;
for it is of as great importance to you as to me to keep what has
happened secret." "Alas!" said she, '*this preamble lets me
know that my husband is not to be found ; but at the same time
I know the necessity of secrecy, and I must constrain myself:
say on, I will hear you."

Ali Baba then detailed the incidents of his journey, till he
came to the finding of Cassim's body. "Now," said he, "sister,
I have something to relate which will afflict you the more, because
it is what you so little expect; but it cannot now be remedied;
if my endeavours can comfort you, I offer to put that which God
hath sent me to what you have, and marry you: assuring you
that my wife will not be jealous, and that we shall live happily
together. If this proposal is agreeable to you, we must think of
acting so that my brother should appear to have died a natural
death. I think you may leave the management of the business
to Morgiana, and I will contribute all that lies in my power to
your consolation." What could Cassim's widow do better than
accept of this proposal ? for though her first husband had left
behind him a plentiful substance, his brother was now much richer,
and by the discovery of this treasure might be still more so.
Instead, therefore, of rejecting the offer, she regarded it as the sure
means of comfort ; and drying up her tears, which had begun to
flow abundantly, and suppressing the outcries usual with women
who have lost their husbands, showed Ali Baba that she approved
of his proposal. Ali Baba left the widow, recommended to Mor-
giana to act her part well, and then returned home with his ass.

Morgiana went out at the same time to an apothecary, and
asked for a sort of lozenges which he prepared, and were very
efficacious in the most dangerous disorders. The apothecary
inquired who was ill at her master's ? She replied with a sigh,
her good master Cassim himself: that they knew not what his
disorder was, but that he could neither eat nor speak. After
these words, Morgiana carried the lozenges home with her, and
the next morning went to the same apothecary's again, and with
tears in her eyes, asked for an essence which they used to give
to sick people only when at the last extremity. "Alas!" said
she, taking it from the apothecary, "I am afraid that this remedy
will have no better effect than the lozenges ; and that I shall lose
my good master." On the other hand, as Ali Baba and his wife
were often seen to go between Cassim's and their own house all
that day, and to seem melancholy, nobody was surprised in the
evening to hear the lamentable shrieks and cries of Cassim's
wife and Morgiana, who gave out everywhere that her master was
dead. The next morning, soon after day appeared, Morgiana,
who knew a certain old cobbler that opened his stall early, before
other people, went to him, and bidding him good morrow, put a
piece of gold into his hand. "Well," said Baba Mustapha,
which was his name, and who was a merry old fellow, looking at
the gold, "this is good hansel: what must I do for it.^ I am
ready."

"Baba Mustapha," said Morgiana, "you must take with you
your sewing tackle, and go with me; but I must tell you, I shall
blindfold you when you come to such a place." Baba Mustapha
seemed to hesitate a little at these words. "Oh! oh!" replied
he, "you would have me do something against my conscience or
against my honour.^" "God forbid!" said Morgiana, putting
another piece of gold into his hand, "that I should ask anything
that is contrary to your honour; only come along with me, and
fear nothing."

Baba Mustapha went with Morgiana, who, after she had
bound his eyes with a handkerchief, conveyed him to her deceased
master's house, and never unloosed his eyes till he had entered
the room where she had put the corpse together. "Baba
Mustapha," said she, "you must make haste and sew these
quarters together; and when you have done, I will give you
another piece of gold." After Baba Mustapha had finished his
task, she blindfolded him again, gave him the third piece of gold
as she had promised, and recommending secrecy to him, carried
him back to the place where she first bound his eyes, pulled off
the bandage, and let him go home, but watched him that he re-
turned toward his stall, till he was quite out of sight, for fear
he should have the curiosity to return and track her.

By the time Morgiana had warmed some water to wash the
body, Ali Baba came with incense to embalm it, after which it
w^as sewn up in a winding-sheet. Not long after, the joiner,
according to Ali Baba's orders, brought the bier, which Morgiana
received at the door, and helped Ali Baba to put the body into
it; when she went to the mosque to inform the imaum that they
were ready. The people of the mosque, whose business it was
to wash the dead, offered to perform their duty, but she told them
that it was done already. Morgiana had scarcely got home before
the imaum and the other ministers of the mosque arrived.
Four neighbours carried the corpse on their shoulders to the
burying-ground, following the imaum, who recited some prayers.
Morgiana, as a slave to the deceased, followed the corpse, weep-
ing, beating her breast, and tearing her hair ; and Ali Baba came
after with some neighbours, who often relieved the others in
carrying the corpse to the burying-ground. Cassim's wife
stayed at home mourning, uttering lamentable cries with the
women of the neighbourhood, who came according to custom
during the funeral, and joining their lamentations with hers,
filled the quarter far and near with sorrow. In this manner
Cassim's melancholy death was concealed and hushed up
between Ali Baba, his wife, Cassim's widow, and Morgiana,
with so much contrivance, that nobody in the city had the least
knowledge or suspicion of the cause of it.

Three or four days after the funeral, Ali Baba removed his
few goods openly to the widow's house; but the money he had
taken from the robbers he conveyed thither by night: soon after
the marriage w^ith his sister-in-law was published, and as these
marriages are common in the Mussulman religion, nobody was
surprised. As for Cassim's warehouse, Ali Baba gave it to his
own eldest son, promising that if he managed it well, he would
soon give him a fortune to marry very advantageously according
to his situation.

Let us now leave Ali Baba to enjoy the beginning of his good
fortune, and return to the forty robbers. They came again at
the appointed time to visit their retreat in the forest; but great
was their surprise to find Cassim's body taken away, with some
of their bags of gold. "We are certainly discovered," said the
captain, "and if we do not speedily apply some remedy, shall
gradually lose all the riches which we have, with so much pains
and danger, been so many years amassing together. All that
we can think of the loss which we have sustained is, that the thief
whom we surprised had the secret of opening the door, and
we arrived luckily as he was coming out: but his body being
removed, and with it some of our money, plainly shows that
he had an accomplice; and as it is likely that there were but
two who had discovered our secret, and one has been caught, we
must look narrowly after the other. What say you, my lads.^"
All the robbers thought the captain's proposal so advisable, that
they unanimously approved of it, and agreed that they must lay
all other enterprises aside, to follow this closely, and not give it
up till they had succeeded.

"I expected no less," said the captain, *'from your fidelity:
but, first of all, one of you who is artful, and enterprising, must
go into the town disguised as a traveller, to try if he can hear any
talk of the strange death of the man whom we have killed, as he
deserved; and endeavour to find out who he was, and where he
lived. This is a matter of the first importance for us to ascertain,
that we may do nothing which we may have reason to repent of,
by discovering ourselves in a country where we have lived so long
unknown. But to warn him who shall take upon himself this
commission, and to prevent our being deceived by his giving us
a false report, I ask you all, if you do not think that in case of
treachery, or even error of judgment, he should suffer death?"
Without waiting for the suffrages of his companions, one of the
robbers started up, and said: "I submit to this condition, and
think it an honour to expose my life, by taking the commission
upon me; but remember, at least, if I do not succeed, that I
neither wanted courage nor good will to serve the troop." After
this robber had received great commendations from the captain,
he disguised himself, and taking his leave of the troop that night,
went into the town just at daybreak; and walked up and down,
till accidentally he came to Baba Mustapha's stall, which was
always open before any of the shops.

Baba Mustapha was seated with an awl in his hand, just
going to work. The robber saluted him, bidding him good
morrow; and perceiving that he was old, said: "Honest man, you
begin to work very early: is it possible that one of your age can
see so well.? I question, even if it were somewhat lighter,
whether you could see to stitch."

"Certainly," replied Baba Mustapha, "you must be a stran-
ger, and do not know me ; for old as I am, I have extraordinarily
good eyes; and you will not doubt it when I tell you that I
sewed a dead body together in a place where I had not so much
light as I have now." The robber was overjoyed to think that
he had addressed himself, at his first coming into the town, to a
man who in all probability could give him the intelligence he
wanted. **A dead body!" replied he with affected amazement.
*' What could you sew up a dead body for ? You mean you sewed
up his winding-sheet." "No, no," answered Baba Mustapha,
*'I perceive your meaning; you want to have me speak out, but
you shall know no more." The robber wanted no farther assur-
ance to be persuaded that he had discovered what he sought.
He pulled out a piece of gold, and putting it into Baba Mustapha's
hand, said to him: "I do not want to learn your secret, though I
can assure you I would not divulge it, if you trusted me with it ;
the only thing which I desire of you is, to do me the favour to shew
me the house where you stitched up the dead body."

*Tf I were disposed to do you that favour," replied Baba
Mustapha, holding the money in his hand, ready to return it,
*'I assure you I cannot. I was taken to a certain place, where
I was blinded, I was then led to the house, and afterward
brought back again in the same manner; you see, therefore, the
impossibility of my doing what you desire."

"Well," replied the robber, "you may, how^ever, remember
a little of the way that you were led blindfolded. Come, let me
blind your eyes at the same place. We will w^alk together;
perhaps you may recognise some part; and as everybody ought
to be paid for his trouble, there is another piece of gold for you ;
gratify me in what I ask you." So saying, he put another piece
of gold into his hand.

The tw^o pieces of gold were great temptations to Baba
Mustapha. He looked at them a long time in his hand, without
saying a word, thinking w^ith himself what he should do; but
at last he pulled out his purse, and put them in. "I cannot assure
you," said he to the robber, "that I can remember the way
exactly; but since you desire, I will try what I can do." At
these words Baba Mustapha rose up, to the great joy of the
robber, and without shutting his shop, where he had nothing
valuable to lose, he led the robber to the place where Morgiana
had bound his eyes. " It was here," said Baba Mustapha, " I was
blindfolded ; and I turned as you see me." The robber, who had
his handkerchief ready, tied it over his eyes, walked by him till
he stopped, partly leading, and partly guided by him. " I think,"
said Baba Mustapha, "I went no farther," and he had now
stopped directly at Cassim's house, where Ali Baba then lived.
The thief, before he pulled off the band, marked the door with
a piece of chalk, which he had ready in his hand ; and then asked
him if he knew whose house that was ; to which Baba Mustapha
replied, that as he did not live in that neighbourhood he could
not tell. The robber, finding he could discover no more from
Baba Mustapha, thanked him for the trouble he had taken, and
left him to go back to his stall, while he returned to the forest,
persuaded that he should be very well received. A little after
the robber and Baba Mustapha had parted, Morgiana went out
of Ali Baba's house upon some errand, and upon her return,
seeing the mark the robber had made, stopped to observe it.
*'What can be the meaning of this mark?" said she to herself.
"Somebody intends my master no good: however, with whatever
intention it was done, it is advisable to guard against the worst."
Accordingly, she fetched a piece of chalk, and marked two or
three doors on each side in the same manner, without saying
a word to her master or mistress.