THE 
 
 16. 
 
 FORTY THIEVES ; 
 
 OR 
 
 BABA AND MORGIiiNA' 
 
 EDINBURGH : 
 
 PUBLISHED JAMES CLARKE AKD 
 221, HIGH STREET. 
 Trice One Fenny. 
 
The robber immediately marked the door with a 
 jv.ccc o{ cljalk ; and giving Mustnpha his four [ icccs ol 
 gold, dif^missed him." 
 
Oil 
 
 iilE FORTY THIEVES. 
 
 In a town of Persia lived two brotliei5, 
 t^ons of a poor man ; one named Cassim, the 
 oilier AH Baba. Cassim, the elder, married 
 a wife with a considerable fortune, and lived 
 at his ease ; hnt the wife of Ali Baba was as 
 poor as himself ; they dwelt in a mean cottage 
 in the suburbs, and he maintained his family 
 by cutting wood. Ali Baba was in the forest, 
 ])repariog to load his asses with the faggots 
 he had cut, when he saw a troop of horsemen 
 approaching. As he had often heard of rob- 
 bers who infested that forest, he hastily climb- 
 ed a large thick tree, which stood near the foot 
 of a rock, and hid himself among the branch- 
 es. The horsemen soon galloped up to the ' 
 rock, where they all dismounted. Ali Baba 
 counted forty of them : each took a loaded 
 portmanteau from his horse, and turning to 
 the rock, said, Opcn^ Sesame ; immediately a i 
 door opened, the robbers passed in, when the j 
 door shut of itself. In a short time the door 
 opened again, and the robbers came out, fol- 
 lowed by their captain, w^ho said, S/mty Sesame^ 
 'rhe door instantly closed ; the troop m.ount- 
 
ed their horses, and were presently out ol| 
 si^rht. Ali Baba, seeing the robbers did nc^ 
 reiurn, ventured down ; and approacliing tin 
 roek, said, Operiy Sesame. Immediately tin 
 door flew open^ and Ali Baba l)eheld a spa. 
 cious cavern, very light, filled with all soit 
 of provisions, merchandise, rich stuffs, and 
 heaps of gold and silver coin. He brougti; 
 his asses, took as many bags of gold coin as 
 they could carry, covered them with loosf 
 faggots of wood ; carried the bags home, and 
 spread the gold coin on the floor. 
 
 His wife, delighted with possessing so mucir 
 money, wanted to count it ; but flnding it 
 would takt; wp too much lime, she resolved to 
 measure it ; and running to the house of Ali 
 Baba's brother, she entreated them to lend 
 her a small measure- Cassira's wife was very 
 envious : I wonder/' she said to herselL 
 what sort of grain such poor people can havt^ 
 to measure ; biit I will And out what they arc 
 doing." So, before she gave the measure, slie 
 artfully rubbed the bottom with some suet, 
 Away ran Ali Baba's wife, measured lici 
 money ; and having helped her husband to^ 
 bury it in the yard, carried back the measure,' 
 without perceiving that a piece of gold was 
 Slicking to the bottom. Fine doings, in- 
 deed cried Cassim's wife to her husband, 
 after examining the measure, your brother, 
 
5 
 
 rho pretends to he so ver}' poor, is riclier 
 tlmii you f*re, for he does not count his 
 riioney, but measures it." 
 
 Cassim liearing these words, and seeing the 
 piece of gold^ grew as envious as liis wife, and 
 hastening to his brother, threatened to inform 
 the Cadi of his -wealth, if he did not confess 
 to him how he came by it. -All Baba, with- 
 out hesitation, told him the history of tlie 
 robbers, and the secret of the cave, and of- 
 fered him half his treasure ; but the envious 
 Cassim disdained so poor a sum, resolving to 
 have fifty times more out of the robbers' cave. 
 He rose early next morning, and set out with 
 ten mules loaded with great chests. He found 
 the rock, and having said, Open, Sesame, gain- 
 ed admission, where he found more treasure 
 than he expected from his brother's account. 
 He began to gather bags of gold, and pieces 
 of rich brocades, which he piled close to the 
 door ; but when he had got together more 
 than his ten mules could possibly carry, and 
 wanted to get out to load them, the thoughts 
 of his wonderful riches made him entirely 
 forget the word which caused the door to open. 
 In vain he tried Bame, Fame, Lame, Tetame, 
 and a thousand others ; the door remained as 
 immoveable as the rock itself. Presently he 
 heard the sound of liorses' feet, which he 
 rightly concluded to he the robbers, and he 
 
G 
 
 trembled lest he should fall a victim to his| 
 thirst for riches. 
 
 He resolved, however, to make one effort to 
 escape : wlieii lie saw the door open, he sprang' 
 out, hut was instantly put to deatk by ilie^ 
 robbers. The thieves now lield a council, but 
 not one of them could guess })y what means 
 Cassim had got in the cave. They saw tlu 
 heaps of treasure he had piled ready to take 
 away, but they did not miss what Ali Balia 
 had secured before. They cut Cassim's body 
 into quarters, and hung the pieces within tlie^ 
 cave, that it might terrify any one from fur. 
 ther attempts. Cassim's wife became terrified, 
 when she saw night come on and her husband^ 
 not returned ; and went to tell Ali Baba of hei 
 fears. Ali Baba did not wait to be desired to 
 go in search of him, but he drove his asses to 
 the forest without delay. He was alarmed lo 
 see blood near the rock; on entering tlie^ 
 cave, ke found the body of his unfortunate 
 brother. He took down the quarters, put 
 them upon one of his asses, covering theui 
 with faggots; and weeping for the miserable 
 end of his brother, he regained the city. The 
 door of his brother's house was opened by 
 Morgiana, an intelligent faithful female slave. 
 He delivered the body to her, and went him. 
 .self to impart the sad tidings to the wife o 
 Cassim. The poor woman reproached herseil 
 
IP 
 
 7 
 
 mih her foolish envy, as the cause of her 
 husband's death. 
 
 Morgiana having washed the body, hasten- 
 ed to an apotliecary's and asked for medicine, 
 saying it was for her master Cassim, who was 
 dangerously ilL Sbe took care to spread the 
 report of Cassim's illness through the neigh- 
 bourhood ; and as they saw Ali Baba and his 
 wife going daily to the house of their brother 
 in great affliction, they were not surprised to 
 hear that Cassim had died of his disorder. 
 The next difficulty was to bury him without 
 discovery ; but Morgiana went to a distant 
 part of the city very early in the mornings 
 where she found a poor cobbler just openiog 
 his stall. She put a piece of gold in liis 
 hand, and told him he should have another, 
 if he would suffer himself to be blindfolded 
 and go with her, carrying his tools with him. 
 Mustapha the cobbler liesitated at lirst ; but 
 the gold tempted him. Morgiana, taking him 
 to the room where the body was lying, remov- 
 ed the bandage from his eyes, and bade him 
 sew the mangled limbs together. I\fustapha 
 obeyed, having received two pieces of gold, 
 and was led blindfolded the same way baek. 
 
 Morgiana sent for the undertaker, and 
 Cassim was buried with all due solenuuty ; 
 and Cassim's widow received every kind at=» 
 lention both from Ali Baba and his wife. 
 
1> 
 
 Tlie robbers were astonislied to find tl, 
 body taken away, and every tbing elseri 
 maining in its usual order. We are di 
 covered," said the captain, and shall ce^ 
 tainly be undone, if we do not adopt speed, 
 measures to prevent our ruin. Which of yoii, 
 my brave comrades, will undertake to searcli 
 out the villain who is in possession of out 
 secret One offered, and was accepted on 
 the following conditions ; namely, that if he 
 succeeded, he was to be made second in corn, 
 mand of the troop ; but if he brought false 
 intelligence, he was immediately to be put to 
 death. He proceeded to the city about day. 
 break, and found the cobbler Mustapha in 
 his stall, which was always open before any 
 shop in the town. " Good morrow, friend,'' 
 said the robber, as he passed the stall, " you 
 rise betimes ; I should think, old as you are, 
 you could scarcely see to work by this light." 
 
 Indeed, sir," replied the cobbler, " old as I 
 am, I do not want for good eyesight ; as you 
 must needs believe, when I tell you I sewed 
 a dead body together the other day, where I 
 had not so good a light as I have now." A 
 dead body!" exclaimed the robber, you 
 mean, I suppose, that you sewed up the wind- 
 ing-sheet for a dead body." I mean no 
 such thing," replied Mustapha ; I tell you 
 1 sewed the four quarters of a man together." 
 
9 
 
 This was enough to convince the robher lie 
 had hickily met with the very man who conkl 
 give hiirx the information he was in search 
 of: he began to Laugh. "Ha! ha!'' said 
 he, " I find, good Mr. Cobbler, that you per- 
 ceive I am a stranger, and wish to make me 
 believe that the people of your city do impos- 
 sible things/'' I tell you," said Mustapha, 
 in a loud and angry tone, " I sewed a dead 
 body together with my own hands." " Then 
 I suppose you can tell me also where you 
 performed this wonderful business Upon 
 this, Mustapha related every particular of 
 his being led blindfold to the house, &c. 
 
 " Well, my friend," said the robber, " 'tivS 
 a fine story, I confess, but not very easy to 
 believe ; however, if you will convince me, by 
 shewii^jg me the house you talk of, I will give 
 you four pieces of gold." I think," said the 
 cobbler, after considering awhile, that if you 
 were to blindfold me, I should remember every 
 turning we made ; but, with my eyes open, 
 I am sure I should never find it." The rob- 
 ber covered Mustapha's eyes with his hand- 
 kerchief, who, stopping by Cassim's door, 
 said, " Here it is, 1 went no further than this 
 house." The robber immediately marked the 
 door with a piece of chalk. Shortly after 
 they had quitted the door, Morgiana, coming 
 home from market, perceived the little mark 
 
i 
 
 10 
 
 of wliite chalk ; suspecting something, ^ 
 directly marked four doors on one side, a 
 five on the other, in exactly the same mj( 
 ner. 
 
 The rohher rejoiiUHl his troop, and hoasi, 
 of liis success : they proceeded to the town* 
 diflerent disguises, in the dusk of the evf; 
 ing. On arriving in the street, they hegan 
 examine the doors, and found, to their cnnf 
 sion, tliat ten doors were marked cxaci 
 alike ; the rohher, who was the guide, Cdiil 
 not explain this mystery, and his eniagf 
 companions ordered him to he put to deathJ 
 
 Another offered himself upon the m 
 conditions as the former ; and having bribe 
 Mustapha, and discovered the house, hemadt 
 a mark with a dark red chalk upon the doof, 
 in a part that was not in the least conspicii. 
 ous ; and carefully examined the surrounding 
 doors, to he certain that no such mark was 
 upon any one of them. But nothing coull^ 
 escape the prying eyes of I\Iorgiana : scarcelj 
 had the rohher departed, when she discoverei! 
 the red mark, and getting some red chalk, 
 she marked seven doors on each side, precisely 
 in the same manner. 
 
 The rohher triumphantly conducted bis 
 captain to the spot : hut great indeed was bis 
 dismay, when he found it impossible to say 
 which among fifteen houses was the right one, 
 
i 
 
 The ^econd robber was therefdre Ci>n(]emned 
 to d(^atl}. The caixain liaving ilnis lost two 
 of his troopj resolved to go himself. Arcord- 
 iiigly, he repaired to the city, and addressed 
 himself to the cobbler IMustapha, who, for six 
 pieces of gold, readily performed the same 
 services for him he had done for the others. 
 The captain, much wiser than his men, did 
 not amuse himself with setting a mark upon 
 the door, but attentively considered the house, 
 counted the number of its windows, and pass- 
 ed by it very often, to be certain that he 
 should know it again. He returned, and or- 
 dered his troop to go into the town, and buy 
 nineteen mules, and thirty-eight large jars, 
 one full of oil, and the rest empty. The cap- 
 tain put a man into each jar, properly armed, 
 the jars being rubbed on the outside with oil, 
 and the covers having holes bored in them for 
 the men to breathe through, loaded his mules, 
 and in the habit of an oil-merchant, entered 
 the town in the dusk of the evenins:. He 
 proceeded to the street where Ali Baba dwelt, 
 and found him sitting in the porch of his 
 house. Sir,'' said he, I have brought 
 this oil a great way to sell, and am too late for 
 this day's market. As I am quite a stranger 
 in this town, will you do me the favour to 
 let me put my mules into your court-yard, 
 and direct me where I may lodge to-night 
 
c 
 
 
 
 12 
 
 Ali Baba, who was a good-natured man 
 corned tJie pretended oil-raerchaiit verv L v 
 ly, offered him a bed in his own lioii^e \ 
 invited ]iis guest in to supper, ' 
 ^ It happened that Morgiana was obliag^ 
 sit up later that night than usual, L . 
 ready her master's bathing linen for theft • 
 lowing morning ; and while she was bu ' 
 about the fire, her lamp went out, and the 
 was no more oil in the house. After cons 
 denng what she could do for a light, shetf 
 collected the thirty-eight oil jars in the ya« 
 and determined to take a little out of omt 
 them. She took her oil pot in her hand, an, 
 approaching the first jar, the robber witliii 
 said, " Is it time, captain ?" Morgiana in. 
 stantly replied, <^ No, not yet ; lie still till 1 
 caJl you." She passed on to every jar, re- 
 ceivjng the same question, and making the 
 same answer, till she came to the last, whicli 
 was really filled with oil. Morgiana was' 
 now convinced that this was a plot of the 
 robbers to murder her master, Ali Baba ; so 
 she ran back to the kitchen, and brought out 
 a large kettle, which she filled with oil, and 
 set It on a great fire; and as soon as it 
 boiled, she went and poured into the jars snf. 
 ficient of tlie boiiing oil to kill every man 
 withm. 
 
(13 
 he captain of the robberSj hearijig every 
 liiif-^ quiet in the house, aroj^ and went 
 own into the yard to assemble bis men. 
 'oniini^ to the first jar, he felt ihe ^tream« 
 >f the boiled oil ; he ran hastily to the rest, 
 md found every one of his troop put to death, 
 in the same manner. Full of rage, he forced 
 the lock of a door that led into the garden, 
 and made his escape over the walls. 
 
 On the following morning, Morgiana relat- 
 ed to her master, Ali Baba, his wonderful de- 
 liverance from the pretended oil-merchant and 
 his gang of robbers. He could not sufficiently 
 praise her courage : and without letting any 
 one else into the secret, he and Morgiana the 
 next night buried the thirty-seven thievefs 
 in a deep trench at the bottom of the garden^ 
 While Ali Baba took these measures to 
 prevent his and Cassim's adventures in tlie 
 forest from being known, the captain returned 
 to his cave, and for some time abandoned 
 himself to grief and despair. At lengthy how- 
 ever, he determined to adopt a new scheme 
 for the destruction of Ali Baba. He removed 
 l)y degrees all the valuable merchandise from 
 the cave to the city, and took a shop exactly 
 opposite to Ali Baba's house. He furnished 
 this vshop with every thing that was rare and 
 costly, and went by the name of the merchant 
 ^'ogia Ha.ssau. Man v persons made acquaint- 
 
14 
 
 aiice with the htraiiger ; an^^iig other,, 
 Baha's son went every day to liis shop, j 
 pretended Cogia Hassan soon appeared t,, ^ 
 very fond of Ali Baha's son, olfered liim ma ' 
 presents, and often detained him to dini,i , 
 Ah Bai)a's son thought it was necessary' 
 make some return lor these civih'tics, ai 
 pressed his father to invite Co^i a Hassan 
 supper. AJi Baba made no objection, ai 
 the invitation was accordingly given • ai 
 after repeated solicitations, the merchant en 
 sented to sup at Ali Baba's house the i er 
 evtni!ig. - 
 
 A most excellent supper was provided 
 which Morgiana cooked in the best manner 
 and, as was her usual custom, she carried in 
 the hrst dish herself. The moment she look. 
 eel lit Cr)gia Hassan, she knew it was the pre, 
 tended oil-merchant. The prudent Morgi. 
 ana did not say a word to any one of thisdis. 
 covery, but sent the other slaves into tiie 
 kitchen, and Avaited at table herself; and 
 while Cogia Hassan was drinking, she per- 
 ceived he had a- dagger hul under his coat, 
 VV hen supper was ended, and the des.sertaru' 
 wine on the table, Morgiana went away, a.i^ 
 dressed herself in the habit of a dancing Rirl : 
 she next called A!>dalla, a fellow.slavc, t( 
 play on his Knhor, wliile .slie danced. As woi 
 she appL-arcd at the parlour door, her mns. 
 
i 
 
 gr, who was very fond ol seeing her daiicr^ 
 rdered her to come in to eiiteitain his guest 
 vith some of her best dancing. 
 IpUorgiana danced several dances with the 
 utmost grace and agiHty ; and then drawing 
 a poniard from her girdle, she performed many 
 sm'prising things with it, sometimes present- 
 ing the point to one, and sometimes to another, 
 and then seemed to strike it into her own 
 bosom. Suddenly she paused, and holding 
 the poniard in the right hand, presented lier 
 left to her roaster, as if begging some money, 
 "upon which Ali Baba and his ^son each gave 
 her a small ])iece of money : she then turned 
 to the pretended Cogia Hassan, and while he 
 was putting his hand into his purse, she plung- 
 ed the poniard into his heart. Wretch !" 
 cried Ali Baba, thou hast ruined me and my 
 family.'' No, sir," replied Morgiana, I 
 have preserved, and not ruined, you and your 
 son ; look well at this traitor, and you will 
 fmd him to be the pretended oil-merchant 
 who ( ame once before to rob and murder 
 you." Ali Baba pulled olF the turban and 
 tlie cloak which the false Cogia Hassan wore, 
 discovered that he was the captain of the fort y 
 robbers who hiid slain his brother Cassim ; 
 nor coitld he doubt that his, aim had been to 
 ficstroy him. 
 
♦ 
 
 f 
 
 •» 
 
 > 
 
 THE 
 
 FORTY THIEVES. 
 
 Published by 
 
 JAKES CLARKE & CO. EDINBURGH; I 
 
 0/ ui/iom maty bo had \ 
 
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