lue Fairy Book," edited by Andrew Lang, by
permission of Messrs. Longmans, Green & Co.

ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES

In a town in Persia there dwelt two brothers, one named Cassim, the
other Ali Baba. Cassim was married to a rich wife and lived in plenty,
while Ali Baba had to maintain his wife and children by cutting wood
in a neighboring forest and selling it in the town. One day, when Ali
Baba was in the forest, he saw a troop of men on horseback coming
towards him in a cloud of dust. He was afraid they were robbers, and
climbed into a tree for safety. When they came up to him and
dismounted, he counted forty of them. They unbridled their horses and
tied them to trees. The finest man among them, whom Ali Baba took to
be their captain, went a little way among some bushes, and said:
"Open, Sesame!"[1] so plainly that Ali Baba heard him. A door opened
in the rocks, and having made the troop go in, he followed them, and
the door shut again of itself. They stayed some time inside, and Ali
Baba, fearing they might come out and catch him, was forced to sit
patiently in the tree. At last the door opened again, and the Forty
Thieves came out. As the Captain went in last he came out first, and
made them all pass by him; he then closed the door, saying: "Shut,
Sesame!" Every man bridled his horse and mounted, the Captain put
himself at their head, and they returned as they came.

[1] Sesame is a kind of grain.

Then Ali Baba climbed down and went to the door concealed among the
bushes, and said: "Open, Sesame!" and it flew open. Ali Baba, who
expected a dull, dismal place, was greatly surprised to find it large
and well lighted, and hollowed by the hand of man in the form of a
vault, which received the light from an opening in the ceiling. He saw
rich bales of merchandise--silk, stuff-brocades, all piled together,
and gold and silver in heaps, and money in leather purses. He went in
and the door shut behind him. He did not look at the silver, but
brought out as many bags of gold as he thought his asses, which were
browsing outside, could carry, loaded them with the bags, and hid it
all with fagots. Using the words: "Shut, Sesame!" he closed the door
and went home.

Then he drove his asses into the yard, shut the gates, carried the
money-bags to his wife, and emptied them out before her. He bade her
keep the secret, and he would go and bury the gold. "Let me first
measure it," said his wife. "I will go b