d the other houses near by in the same place and manner.

The robber, when he told his comrades what he had done, prided himself
on his carefulness, and the captain and all the troop thought they
must succeed this time. Again they entered the town by twos; but when
the robber and his captain came to the street, they found the same
trouble. The captain was enraged, and the robber as much confused as
the former guide had been. Thus the captain and his troop went back
again to the cave, and the robber who had failed willingly gave
himself up to death.

IV

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 said,--

"Now, comrades, nothing can prevent our full revenge, as I am certain
of the house. As I returned I thought of a way to do our work, but if
any one thinks of a better, let him speak."

He told them his plan, and, as they thought it good, 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 others empty.
Within two or three days they returned with the mules and the jars,
and as the mouths of the jars were rather too narrow for the captain's
purpose, he caused them to be widened. 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 thirty-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 a great way to sell at to-morrow's market;
and it is now 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
speak, he could not know him in the disguise of an oil merchant, and
bade him welcome. He opened his gates for