阿里巴巴和四十大盗The History of Ali Baba, and of the Forty Robbers Killed by One Slave

There once lived in a town of Persia two brothers, one named Cassim and the other Ali Baba. Their father divided his small property equally between them. Cassim married a very rich wife, and became a wealthy merchant. Ali Baba married a woman as poor as himself, and lived by cutting wood and bringing it upon three asses into the town to sell.

One day, Ali Baba noticed far off a great cloud of dust. As it drew nearer, he saw that it was made by a body of horsemen, whom he suspected to be robbers. Leaving the asses, he climbed a large tree which grew on a high rock, and branches thick enough to hide him completely, while he saw what passed beneath.

The troop, forty in number, all well mounted and armed, came to the foot of the rock on which the tree stood, and here dismounted. Each man unbridled his horse, tied him to a shrub, and hung about his neck a bag of corn. Then each of them took off his saddelbag, which from its weight seemed to Ali Baba full of gold and silver. One, whom he looked to be their captain, came under the tree in which Ali Baba was concealed; and, making his way through some shrubs, spoke the words, "Open, Sesame." As soon as the captain of the robbers said this, 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, and Ali Baba, fearful of being caught, remained in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the captain came out first, and stood to see all the troop pass by him. Then Ali Baba heard him make the doorclose by saying, "Shut, Sesame!" Every man at once bridled his horse, fastened his wallet, and mounted again. When the captain saw them all ready, he put himself at their head, and they returned the way they had come.

Ali Baba watched them out of sight, and then waited some time before coming down. Wishing to see whether the captain's words would have the same effect if he should speak them, he found the door hidden in the shrubs, stood before it, and said: "Open, Sesame." Instantly the door flew wide open.

Instead of a dark, dismal cavern, Ali Baba was surprised to see a large chamber, well lighted from the top, and in it all sorts of provisions, rich bales of silk, stuff, bro- cade and carpeting, gold and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags.

Ali Baba went boldly into the cave, and collected as much of the gold coin which was in bags, as he thought his asses could carry.

When he reached home, he carefully closed the gate of his little yard, and carried the bags into the house. They were emptied before his wife, and the great heap of gold dazzled her eyes. Then he told her the whole adventure, and warned her, above all things, to keep it secret.

Ali Baba would not let her take the time to count it out as she wished, but said: "I will dig a hole and bury it. "

"But let us know as nearly as may be," she said, "how much we have. I will borrow a small measure, and measure it, while you dig a hole. "

Away she ran to the wife of Cassim, who lived near by, and asked for a meas- ure. The sister-in-law, knowing Ali Baba's poverty, was curious to learn what sort of grain his wife wished to measure out, and artfully managed to put some suet in the bottom of the measure before she handed it over. Ali Baba's wife wanted to show how careful she was in small matters and, after she had measured the gold, hurried back, even while her husband was burying it, with the borrowed measure, never noticing that a coin had stuck to its bottom.

"What," said Cassim's wife as soon as her sister-in-law had left her, "has Ali Baba gold in such plenty that he measures it? Whence has he all this wealth?" And envy possessed her breast.

When Cassim came home, she said to him, "Cassim, you think yourself rich, but Ali Baba is much richer. He does not count his money; he measures it." Then she explained to him how she had found it out, and they looked together at the piece of money, which was so old that they could not tell in what prince's reign it was coined.

Cassim, since marrying the rich widow, had never treated Ali Baba as a brother, but neglected him. Now, he was filled with a base envy. Early in the morning, after a sleepless night he went to him and said: "Ali Baba, you pretend to be wretchedly poor, and yet you measure gold. My wife found this at the bottom of the measure you borrowed yesterday."

Ali Baba saw that there was no use of trying to conceal his good fortune, and told the whole story, offering his brother part of the treasure to keep the secret.

"I expect as much," replied Cassim haughtily, "but I must know just where this treasure is and how to visit it myself when I choose. Otherwise I will inform against you, and you will lose even what you have now. "

Ali Baba told him all he wished to know, even to the words he must speak at the door of the cave.

Cassim rose before the sun the next morning, and set out for the forest with ten mules bearing great chests which he meant to fill. With little trouble he found the rock and the door, and, standing before it, spoke the words, "Open, Sesame." The door opened at once, and when he was within closed upon him. Here indeed were the rich- es of which his brother had told. He quickly brought as many bags of gold as he could, carry to the door of the cavern, but his thoughts were so full of his new wealth, that he could not think of the word that should let him out. Instead of "Sesame", he 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.

At noon the robbers visited their cave. Cassim had heard the noise of the horses' feet, and guessed that the robbers had come. He resolved to make one effort for his life. As soon as the door opened, he rushed out and threw the leader down, but could not pass the other robbers, who with their scimitars soon put him to death and to warn all others who might know their secret and follow in Cassim's footsteps, they agreed to cut his body into four quarters--to hang two on one side and two on the other.

When night came, and Cassim did not return, his wife became very uneasy. She ran to Ali Baba for comfort.

He did not wait for her to ask him to go and see what had happened to Cassim, but set out at once for the forest with his three asses. When he had spoken the words, the door had opened, he was struck with horror at the dismal sight of his brother's body. He could not leave brother there, and hastened within to find some- thing to wrap around it, laying the body on one of his asses. The other two asses he loaded with bags of gold, then bidding the door shut, he came away. When he reached home, he left the two asses, laden with gold in his little yard, for his wife to unload, and led the other to his sister-in-law's house.

Ali Baba knocked at the door, which was opened by Morgiana, a clever slave, full of devices to conquer difficulties. When he came into the court and unloaded the ass, he took Morgiana aside, and said to her: "You must observe a strict secrecy. Your master's body is contained in these two panniers. We must bury him as if he had died a natural death. Go now and tell your mistress. I leave the matter to your wit and skillful devices."

Three or four days after the funeral, Ali Baba removed his few goods openly to his sister-in-law's house, in which he was to live in the future; but the money he had taken from the robbers was carried thither by night. As for Cassim's warehouse, Ali Baba put it entirely under the charge of his eldest son.

While all this was going on, the forty robbers again visited their cave in the forest. Great was their surprise to find Cassim's body taken away, with some of their bags of gold.

"We are certainly found out," said the captain, "the body and the money have been taken by some one else who knows our secret. For our own lives' sake, we must try and find him. What say you, my lads?"

The robbers all agreed that this must be done.

One of the robbers, without waiting to know what the rest might think, started up, and said, "I submit to a demand, and think it an honor to expose my life to serve the troop."

This won great praise from the robbers comrades, and he disguised himself at once so that nobody could take him for what he was. Just at daybreak he entered the town, and walked up and down till he came by chance to Baba Mustapha's stall, which was always open before any of the shops.

The old tailor was just going to work when the robber bade him good morning, and said: "Honest man, you begin to work very early, how can one of your age see so well? Even if it were lighter, I question whether you could see to stitch. "

"You do not know me," replied Baba Mustapha; "for old as I am, I have excel- lent eyes. You will not doubt me when I tell you that I sewed the body of a dead man together in a place where I had not so much light as I have now."

"A dead body!" exclaimed the robber, amazed.

"Yes, yes," answered Baba Mustapha, "I see you want to know more, but shall not. "

The robber felt sure that he was on the right track. He put a piece of gold into Baba Mustapha's hand, and said to him: "I do not want to learn your secret, though you could safely trust me with it. The only thing I ask of you is to show me the house where you stitched up the dead body."

"I could not do that," replied Baba Mustapha, "if I would. I was taken to a cer- tain place, whence I was led blindfold to the house, and afterwards brought back again in the same manner. "

"Well" replied the robber, "you may remember a little of the way that you were led blindfold. Come, let me blind your eyes at the same place. We will walk together, and perhaps you may recall the way. Here is another piece of gold for you.

This was enough to bring Baba Mustapha to his feet. They soon reached the place where Morgiana had bandaged his eyes, and here he was blindfolded again. Baba Mustapha and the robber walked on till they came to Cassim's house, where Ali Baba now lived. Here the old man stopped, and when the thief pulled off the band, and found that his guide could not tell him whose house it was, he let him go. But be- fore he started back for the forest himself, well pleased with what he had learned, he marked the door with a piece of chalk which he had ready in his hand.

Soon after this Morgiana came out upon some errands, and when she returned, she saw the mark the robber had made, and stopped to look at it. "What does this mean?" she said to herself. "Somebody intends my master harm, and in any case, it is best to guard against the worst." Then she fetched a piece of chalk, and marked two or three doors on each side in the same manner, saying nothing to her master or mistress.

When the robber rejoined his troop in the forest, and told of his good fortune in meeting the one man that could have helped him, they were all delighted.

"Comrades," said the captain, "we have no time to lose. Let us set off at once, well armed and disguised, enter the town by twos, and join at the great square. Meanwhile, our comrade who has brought us the good news and I will go and find out the house, and decide what had best be done.

Two by two, they entered the town. Last of all went the captain and the spy. When they came to the first of the house which Morgiana had marked, the spy pointed it out. But the captain noticed that the next door was chalked in the same manner, and asked his guide which house it was, that or the first. The spy knew not what an- swer to make, and was still more puzzled when he and the captain saw five or six houses marked after this same fashion. He assured the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but one, and could not tell who chalked the rest, nor could he say at which house the tailor had stopped.

There was nothing to do but to join the other robbers, and tell them to go back to the cave. Here they were told why they had all returned, and the spy was declared by all to be worthy of death. Indeed, he condemned himself, owing that he ought to have been more careful, and prepared to receive the stroke which was to cut off his head.

The safety of the troop still demanded that the second comer to the cave should be found, and another of the gang offered to try it, with the same penalty if he should fail. Like the other robber, he found out Baba Mustapha, and, through him, the house which the second spy marked, in a place remote from sight, with red chalk.

But nothing could escape Morgiana's eyes, when she went out, not long after, and saw the mark with red chalk, she argued with herself as before, and marked the other houses near by, in the same place and manner.

Thus the robber who had failed willingly gave himself up to death.

The captain could not afford to lose any more of his brave fellows, and decided to take upon himself the task in which two had failed. Like the others, he went to Baba Mustapha, and was shown the house. Unlike them he put no mark on it, but studied it carefully and passed it so often that he could not possibly mistake it.

When he returned to the troop, who were waiting for him in the cave. He told them his plan, and, he ordered them to go into the villages about, and buy nineteen mules, with thirty-eight large leather jars, one full of oil, and the other empty. Within two or three days, they returned with the mules and the jars. Having put one of his men into each jar, with the weapons which he thought fit, and having a seam wide enough open for each man to breathe, he rubbed the jars on the outside with oil from the full vessel.

Thus prepared they set out for the town, the nineteen mules loaded with the thir- ty-seven robbers in jars, and the jar of oil, with the captain as their driver. When he reached Ali Baba's door, he found Ali Baba sitting there taking a little fresh air after his supper. The captain stopped his mules, and said: "I have brought some oil from a great way to sell at tomorrow's market; and now it is so late that I do not know where to lodge. Will you do me the favor to let me pass the night with you?"

Though Ali Baba had seen the captain in the forest, and had heard him speeh, he could not know him in the disguise of an oil merchant, and bade him welcome. He opened his gates for the mules to go into the yard, and ordered a slave to put them in a stable and feed them when they were unloaded, then called Morgiana to get a good supper for his guest. After supper, he charged her afresh to take good care of the stranger, and said to her: "Tomorrow morning I intend to go to the bath before day; take care to have my bath- ing linen ready, give it to Abdalla, and make me some good broth against my return." Af- ter this, he went to bed.

In the meantime, the captain of the robbers went into the yard, and took off the lid of each jar, and told his people what they must do. To each, in turn, he said: "As soon as I throw some stones out of the chamber window where I lie, do not fail to come out, and I will join you at once.

To carry out Ali Baba's orders, Morgiana got his bathing linen ready, and bade Abdalla to set on the pot for the broth; but soon the lamp went out, and there was no more oil in the house, nor any candles. She knew not what to do, till the slave remin- ded her of the oil jars in the yard. She thanked him for the thought, took the oil pot, and went out. When she came nigh the first jar, the robber within said softly, "Is it time?"

Of course she was surprised to find a man in the jar instead of the oil, but she saw at once that she must keep silence, as Ali Baba, his family and herself were in great danger. Therefore she answered, without showing any fear: "Not yet, but pres- ently." In this manner she went to all the jars and gave the same answers, till she came to the jar of oil.

By this means, Morgiana found that her master had admitted to his house thirty- eight robbers, of whom the pretended oil merchant, their captain, was one. She made what haste she could to fill her oil pot, and returned to her kitchen, lighted her lamp, and taking a great kettle went back to the oil jar and filled it. Then she set the kettle on a large wood fire, and as soon as it boiled, went and poured enough into every jar to stifle and destroy the robber within.

When this deed, worthy of the courage of Morgiana, was done without any noise, as she had planned, she returned to the kitchen with the empty kettle, put out the lamp, and left just enough of the fire to make the broth. Then she sat silent, resol- ving not to go to rest till she had seen through the window that opened on the yard whatever might happen there.

It was not long, before the captain of the robbers got up, and, seeing that all was dark and quiet, gave the appointed signal by throwing little stones, some of which hit the jars, as he doubted not by the sound they gave. As there was no response, he threw stones a second and a third time, and could not imagine why there was no an- swer to his signal.

Much alarmed, he went softly down into the yard, and, going to the first jar to ask the robber if he was ready, smelt the hot boiled oil, which sent forth a taste out of the jar. From this, he suspected that his plot was found out, and looking into the jars one by one, he found that all his gang were dead. Enraged to despair, he forced the lock of a door that led from the yard to the garden, and made his escape. When Mor-giana saw him go, she went to bed well pleased that she had saved her master and his family.

The captain of the forty robbers had returned to his cave in the forest, but found himself so lonely there that the place became frightful to him. He resolved at the same time to avenge the fate of his comrades, and to bring about the death of Ali Baba. For this purpose he returned to the town, disguised as a merchant of silks. By degrees he brought from his cavern many sorts of fine stuffs and to dispose of these he took a warehouse that happened to be opposite Cassim's, which his son occupied since the death of Cassim.

He took the name of Cogia Houssain, and as a new-comer was very civil to the merchants near him. Cassim's son was one of the first to converse with him, and the new merchant was most friendly. Within two or three days Ali Baba came to see his nephew, and the captain of the robbers knew him at once, and soon learned from his nephew who he was. From that time forth he was still more polite to Ali Baba's neph- ew, who soon felt bound to repay many kindnesses to his new friend.

As his own house was small, he arranged with his uncle that on a certain after- noon, when he and the merchant were passing by Ali Baba's house, they should stop, and he should ask them both to sup with him. The plan was carried out, though at first the merchant, with whose own plans it agreed perfectly, made as if to excuse himself. He even gave it as a reason for not remaining that he could eat no salt in his victuals.

"If that is all," said Ali Baba, "it needs not deprive me of the honor of your com- pany," and he went to the kitchen and told Morgiana to put no salt into anything she was cooking that evening.

Thus Cogia Houssain was persuaded to stay, but to Morgiana it seemed very strange that any one should refuse to eat salt. She wished to see what manner of man it might be, and to this end, when she had finished what she had to do in the kitchen, she helped Abdalla carry up the dishes. Looking at Cogia Houssain, she knew him at first sight, in spite of his disguise, to be the captain of the robbers, and, scanning him very closely, saw that he had a dagger under his garment.

"I see now why this greatest enemy of my master would eat no salt with him. He intends to kill my master; but I will prevent him."

While they were at supper, Morgiana made up her mind to do one of the boldest deeds ever conceived. She dressed herself like a dancer, girded her waist with a sil- ver-gilt girdle, from which hung a poniard, and put a handsome mask on her face. Then, when the supper was ended, she said to Abdalla: "Take your tabor, and let us go and divert our master and his hephew's friend, as we sometimes do when he is alone."

They presented themselves at the door with a low bow, and Morgiana was bidden to enter and show Cogia Houssain how well she danced. This, the captain of the rob- bers knew, would interrupt him in carrying out his wicked purpose, but he had to make the best of it, and seem pleased with Morgiana's dancing. She was indeed a good dancer, and on this occasion outdid herself in graceful and surprising motions. At last, she took the tabor from Abdalla's hand, and held it out like those who dance for money.

Ali Baba put a piece of gold into it, and so did his nephew. When Cogia Houssain saw that she was coming to him, he pulled out his purse from his bosom to make her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it, Morgiana, with courage worthy of herself, plunged the poniard into his heart.

"Unhappy woman!" exclaimed Ali Baba, "what have you done to ruin me and my family?"

"It was to preserve, not to ruin you," answered Morgiana. Then she showed the dagger in Cogia Houssain's garment.

Ali Baba embraced her, and said. "Morgiana, I gave you your liberty before, and promised you more in time; now I would make you my nephew's wife. Consider," he said, turning to his nephew, "that by marrying Morgiana, you marry the preserver of my family and yours.

Within a few days he and Morgiana were married, but before this, the captain of the robbers was buried with his comrades, and so secretly was it done, then their bones were not found till many years had passed, when no one had any concern in making this strange story known.