Part 96

Now, sir, added I, taking the turban, again, observe very well, before I touch it, that it is of no very fresh date in the tree; and the state in which you see it, and the nest so neatly made in it, without having been touched by the hand of man, are sufficient proofs that the kite dropt or laid it in the tree ever since that day he took it from off my head, and the branches hindered it from falling to the ground. Excuse my making this remark, since it concerns me so much to remove all suspicions of fraud on my part. Saad backed me in what I urged, and said, Saadi, this regards you and not me, for I am verily persuaded that Cogia Hassan does not impose upon us.

While Saad was talking, I pulled off the linen cloth which was wrapped about the cap of the turban, and took out the purse, which Saadi knew to be the same he gave me. I emptied it on the carpet before them, and said, There, gentlemen, there is the money; count it, and see if it be right. Which Saad did, and found it to be a hundred and ninety pieces of gold. Then Saadi, who could not deny so manifest a truth, addressing himself to me, said, I agree, Cogia Hassan, that this money could not serve to enrich you; but the other hundred and ninety pieces, which you would make me believe you hid in a pot of bran, might. Sir, answered I, I have told you the truth in regard to both sums: you would not have me retract, to make myself a liar.

Cogia Hassan, said Saad, leave Saadi to his own opinion; I consent with all my heart that he believes you are obliged to him for one part of your good fortune, by means of the last sum he gave you, provided he will agree that I contributed to the other half by the bit of lead, and will not pretend to dispute the valuable diamond found in the fish’s belly. I agree to it, answered Saadi; but still you must give me liberty to believe that money is not to be amassed without money.

What, replied Saad, if chance should throw a diamond in my way worth fifty thousand pieces of gold, and I should have that sum given me for it, can it be said I got that sum by money?

They disputed no farther then; but we rose up, and went into the house, just as dinner was ready. After dinner, I left my guests together, to pass away the heat of the day more at their liberty and with greater composure, while I went to give orders to my housekeeper and gardener. Afterwards I went to them again, and we talked of indifferent matters till it grew a little cooler; when we returned into the garden for fresh air, and stayed till sun-set. Then we all mounted on horseback, and got to Bagdad by moonlight two hours after, followed by one of my slaves.

It happened by I know not what negligence of my servants, that we were then out of oats, and the storehouses were all shut up; when one of my slaves, seeking about the neighbourhood for some, met with a pot of bran in a shop, bought the bran, and brought the pot along with him, promising to carry it back again the next day. The slave emptied the bran into the manger, and, dividing it with his hands among the horses, felt a linen cloth tied up, and very heavy: he brought the cloth to me in the condition that he found it, and presented it to me, telling me that it might perhaps be the cloth he had often heard me talk of among my friends.

Overjoyed, I said to my two benefactors, Gentlemen, it has pleased God that you should not part from me before you were fully convinced of the truth of what I have assured you. There are the other hundred and ninety pieces of gold which you gave me, continued I, addressing myself to Saadi; I know it very well by the cloth, which I tied up with my own hands; and then I told out the money before them. I ordered the pot presently to be brought to me, and knew it to be the same; and sent to my wife to ask if she recognised it, ordering them to say nothing to her of what had happened. She knew it immediately, and sent me word that it was the same vase she had exchanged full of bran for the scouring-earth.

Saadi readily submitted, and renounced his incredulity; and said to Saad, I yield to you, and acknowledge that money is not always the means of becoming rich.

When Saadi had done, I said to him, I dare not propose to return you the three hundred and eighty pieces of gold which it hath pleased God should be found, to undeceive you as to the opinion of my honesty. I am persuaded that you did not give them to me with an intention that I should return them; and, for my part, I ought to be very well content with what Providence has sent me from other quarters, and I do not design to make use of them; but, if you approve of it, to-morrow I will give them to the poor, that God may bless us both.

The two friends lay at my hours that night also; and next day, after embracing me, went to their own houses, very well pleased with the reception I had given them, and to find I did not make an ill use of the riches Heaven had blessed me with. I thanked them both, and look upon the leave they gave me to cultivate a friendship with them, and to visit them, as a great honour.

The caliph Haroun Alraschid was so attentive to Cogia Hassan’s story, that he had not perceived the end of it but by his silence. Cogia Hassan, said he, I have not for a long time heard any thing that has given me so much pleasure, to see the wonderful ways by which God gave thee thy riches, to make thee happy in this world. Thou oughtest to continue to return him thanks, by the good use thou makest of his blessings. I am glad I can tell thee, that the same diamond which made thy fortune is now in my treasury; and, for my part, I am happy to know how it came there: but because there may remain in Saadi some doubts on the singularity of this diamond, which I look upon to be the most precious and valuable thing I am master of, I would have you carry him with Saad to my treasurer, who shall show it them, to remove Saadi’s unbelief, and to let him see that money is not the only certain means of making a poor man rich in a short time, without taking a great deal of pains. I would also have you to tell the keeper of my treasury this story, that he may get it put into writing, and that it may be kept with the diamond.

After these words, the caliph signified to Cogia Hassan, Sidi Nonman, and Baba Abdalla, by bowing of his head, that he was satisfied with them; who all took their leaves, by prostrating themselves at the throne, and then retired.

The Story of Ali Baba and the Forty Robbers, destroyed by a Slave.

In a town in Persia, there lived two brothers, one named Cassim, the other Ali Baba. Their father left them no great property; but as he had divided it equally between them, it should seem their fortune would have been equal; but chance directed otherwise.

Cassim married a wife, who, soon after their marriage, became heiress to a plentiful estate, and a good shop and warehouse full of rich merchandizes; so that he all at once became one of the richest and most considerable merchants, and lived at his ease.

Ali Baba, on the other hand, who married a woman as poor as himself, lived in a very mean habitation, and had no other means to maintain his wife and children but his daily labour, by cutting of wood in a forest near the town, and bringing it upon three asses, which were his whole substance, to town to sell.

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 approach towards him. He observed it very attentively, and distinguished a large body of horse coming briskly on; and though they did not talk of robbers in that country, Ali Baba began to think that they might prove so; and, without considering what might become of his asses, he was resolved to save himself. He climbed up a large thick tree, whose branches, at a little distance from the ground, divided in a circular form 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 been seen; and this tree stood at the bottom of a single rock, which was very high above it; and so steep and craggy, that nobody could climb up it.

This troop, who were all well mounted, and well armed, came to the foot of this rock, and there dismounted. Ali Baba counted forty of them, and, by their looks and equipage, never doubted they were thieves. Nor was he mistaken in his opinion; for they were a troop of banditti, who, without doing any hurt to the neighbourhood, robbed at a distance, and made that place their rendezvous; and what confirmed him in this opinion was, every man unbridled his horse, and tied him to some shrub or other, and hung about his neck a bag of corn, which they brought behind them. Then each of them took his portmanteau, which seemed to Ali Baba to be full of gold and silver by their weight. One, who was most personable amongst them, and whom he took to be their captain, came with his portmanteau on his back under the tree in which Ali Baba was hid, and making his way through some shrubs, pronounced these words so distinctly, _Open, Sesame_, [100] that Ali Baba heard him. As soon as the captain of the robbers had uttered these words, a door opened; and after he had made all his troop go in before him, he followed them, and 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, should 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 once or twice to get down, and 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 way.

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; and then Ali Baba heard him make the door close, by pronouncing these words, _Shut, Sesame_. Every man went and bridled his horse, fastening his portmanteau, and mounting again; and when the captain saw them all ready, he put himself at their head, and they returned the same way they came.

Ali Baba did not immediately quit his tree; for said he to himself, they may have forgotten something and come back again, and then I shall be taken. He followed them with his eyes as far as he could see them; and after that stayed a considerable time before he came down; remembering the words the captain of the robbers made use of to cause the door to open and shut, he had the curiosity to try if his pronouncing it would have the same effect. Accordingly he went among the shrubs, and perceiving the door concealed behind them, he stood before it, and said, _Open, Sesame_. The door instantly flew wide open.

Ali Baba, who expected a dark dismal place, was very much surprised to see it well lighted and spacious, cut out by men’s hands in form of a vault, which received the light from an opening at the top of the rock, cut in like manner. He saw all sorts of provisions, and rich bales of merchandizes, of silk, stuff, brocade, and valuable carpeting, piled upon one another; and, above all, gold and silver in great heaps, and money in great leather purses. The sight of all these riches made him believe that this cave had been occupied for ages by robbers, who succeeded one another.

Ali Baba did not stand long to consider what he should do, but went immediately into the cave, and as noon as he was in, the door shut again. 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, which was in bags, at several times, as he thought his three asses could carry. When he had done, he collected his asses, which were dispersed, and when he had loaded them with the bags, laid the wood on them in such a manner that they could not be seen. When he had done, he stood before the door, and pronouncing the words, _Shut, Sesame_, the door closed after him, for it had shut of itself while he was within, and 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, and shut the gates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered the bags, and 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 when he had brought them all in, 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 can be one who steals from robbers. You will no longer entertain an ill opinion of me, when I shall tell you my good fortune. Then he emptied the bags, which raised such a great heap of gold as dazzled his wife’s eyes: and when he had done, he told her the whole adventure from the beginning to the end; and, above all, recommended it to her to keep it secret.

The wife, recovered and cured of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at their good luck, and would count the money 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 go and dig a hole and bury it; there is no time to be lost. You are in the right of it, husband, replied the wife; but let us know, as nigh as possible, how much we have. I will go and borrow a small measure in the neighbourhood 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 be sure to 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 other asked for a small one. She bid her stay a little, and she would readily fetch one.

The sister-in-law did so, but as she knew very well Ali Baba’s poverty, she was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure, and bethought herself of artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, and 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, and filled it and emptied it often, at a small distance upon the sofa, till she had done: and 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 was burying the gold, his wife, to shew her exactness and diligence to her sister-in-law, carried the measure back again, but without taking notice that a piece of gold stuck at 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 Ali Baba’s wife’s back was turned, Cassim’s wife looked at the bottom of the measure, and was in an inexpressible surprise 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? Where has that poor wretch got all this gold? Cassim, her husband, was not at home, as I said before, but at his shop, 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 news, at which he would be as much surprised.

When Cassim came home, his wife said to him, Cassim, I warrant you, 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 made use of to make the discovery, and showed him the piece of money, which was so old a coin that they could not tell in what prince’s reign it was coined.

Cassim, instead of being pleased at his brother’s prosperity, conceived a mortal jealousy, and could not sleep all that night for it, but went to him in the morning before sunrise. Now Cassim, after he married the rich widow, never treated Ali Baba as a brother, but forgot 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 bottom 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 keep secret; but what was done could not be recalled; therefore, without showing the least surprise or trouble, he confessed all, and told his brother by what chance he had discovered this retreat of the thieves, and 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 will know exactly where this treasure is, and the signs and tokens how I may go to it myself when I have a mind; otherwise I will go and inform against you, and then you will not only get no more, but will lose all that you have got, and I shall have my share for my information.

Ali Baba, more out of his natural good temper, than frightened by the insulting menaces of a barbarous brother, told him all he desired, and even the very words he was to make use of to go into the cave, and to come out again.

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 early the next morning, a long time before the sun, and set out with ten mules loaded with great chests, which he designed to fill: proposing to carry many more the next time, according to the riches he found; and followed the road which Ali Baba had told him. He was not long before he came to the rock, and found out the place by the tree, and other marks his brother had given him. When he came to the door, he pronounced these words, _Open, Sesame_, and it opened; and when he was in, shut again. In examining the cave, he was in great admiration to find much more riches than he apprehended by Ali Baba’s relation. He was so covetous and fond of riches, that he could have spent the whole day in feasting his eyes with so much treasure, if the thoughts that he came to carry some away with him, and loading his mules, had not hindered him. He laid as many bags of gold as he could carry away at the door, and coming at last to open the door, his thoughts were so full of the great riches he should possess, that he could not think of the necessary word; but instead of _Sesame_, said, _Open, Barley_, and was very much amazed to find that the door did not open, but remained fast shut. He named several sorts of grain, all but the right, and the door would not open.

Cassim never expected such an accident, and was so frightened 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 in his life before. He threw down the bags he had loaded himself with, and walked hastily up and down the cave, without having the least regard to all the riches that were round him. In this miserable condition we will leave him, bewailing his fate, and undeserving of pity.

About noon the robbers returned to 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 gallopped full speed to the cave. They drove away the mules, which Cassim had neglected to fasten, and they strayed away through the forest so far, that they were soon out of sight. The robbers never gave themselves the trouble to pursue the mules: they were more concerned to know who they belonged to. 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 words, it opened.

Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses’ feet from the middle of the cave, never doubted of the coming of the robbers, and his approaching death; but was resolved to make one effort to escape from them. To this end he stood ready at the door, and no sooner heard the word _Sesame_, which he had forgotten, and saw the door open, but he jumped briskly out, and threw the captain down, 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 go into the cave. They found all the bags which Cassim had brought to the door, to be more ready to load his mules with, and carried them all back again to their places, without perceiving what Ali Baba had taken away before. Then holding a council, and deliberating upon this matter, they guessed that Cassim, when he was in, could not get out again; but they could not imagine how he got in. It came into their heads that he might have got down by the top of the cave; but the opening by which it received light was so high, and the top of the rock so inaccessible without, besides that nothing showed that he had done so, that they believed it impracticable for them to find out. That he came in at the door they could not satisfy themselves, unless he had the secret of making it open. In short, none of them could imagine which way he entered; for they were all persuaded that nobody knew their secret, little imagining that Ali Baba had watched them. But, however it happened, it was a matter of the greatest importance to them to secure their riches. They agreed therefore to cut Cassim’s body into four quarters, and to hang two on one side, and two on the other, within the door of the cave, to terrify any person that should attempt the same thing, determining not to return to the cave till the stench of the body was completely exhaled. They had no sooner taken this resolution, but they executed it; and when they had nothing more to detain them, they left the place of their retreat well closed. They mounted their horses, and went to beat the roads again, and to attack the caravans they should meet.

In the mean time Cassim’s wife was very uneasy when night came, and her husband was not returned. She ran to Ali Baba in a terrible fright, and said, I believe, brother-in-law, that you know that Cassim, your brother, is gone to the forest, and upon what account: it is now night, and he is not returned: I am afraid some misfortune has come to him. Ali Baba, who never disputed but that his brother, after what he had said to him, would go to the forest, 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 did not think it proper to come into the town till the night should be pretty far advanced.