n leads thee: thou wilt always be in the
right road if thou do not open this box with the key; but, if thou art
once in despair, and all hope has vanished of reaching the end of thy
journey, thou mayest then open it."

He made a sign with his hand, and immediately the two slaves were
ready to conduct him away. Hassan took the boxes and the purses, which
Jussuf could not carry, in his pockets, and bowed to go away.

Then the dervish called after him, "Many persons have already fetched
the Ketlafgat from us, and it has always come back to us: it will
return from thee also."

The slaves led them another way out of the garden into the entrance of
a cave in the rock, shut the door behind them, and left them in a dark
passage. They groped about with their hands, and soon felt a door.
Hassan knocked again nine times with his hammer, and, behold, the door
opened at the last blow, and they issued out at another end of the
ruins of the destroyed town into the open air.

"Now we dare speak again," said Hassan. "What dost thou think of
doing? morning is not very distant. Wilt thou not return to the town,
and unload thyself of thy treasures?"

But Jussuf shook his head thoughtfully, and said, "What shall I do?
What shall I say? I have lately witnessed such wonders that I am
almost unable to think. I am no longer the man that I was, who had a
decided will of his own. I appear to myself like a play-ball to beings
of a superhuman nature. Every man, however, plays this part to a
certain extent."

"Well, bethink thee. See, I have packed up the treasures for thee, and
would willingly be released soon from thee, for I must return to
Shiraz in good time to-day, as thou probably knowest. Let us hasten,
then, back to the little town: there thou canst consider with thy
people what thou shalt do."

Jussuf followed him in deep thought, and, soon arriving at the town,
they entered the caravanserai. The slaves received their master with
joy, for they had become suspicious at his going out without
attendants, and, not coming back at night, they feared lest some
misfortune should have happened to him.

After he had laid down the purses and the boxes with the jewels, he
turned to Hassan, and said, "Thou hast already performed so many
services for me, that I must trespass and require still further from
thee. I see that this train will be more troublesome than serviceable
to me in my long journey; but I cannot leave it behind. Do me the
plea