nd led him home. Then they buried Cassim, and Morgiana his slave
followed him to the grave, weeping and tearing her hair, while
Cassim's wife stayed at home uttering lamentable cries. Next day she
went to live with Ali Baba, who gave Cassim's shop to his eldest son.

The Forty Thieves, on their return to the cave, were much astonished
to find Cassim's body gone and some of their money-bags. "We are
certainly discovered," said the Captain, "and shall be undone if we
cannot find out who it is that knows our secret. Two men must have
known it; we have killed one, we must now find the other. To this end
one of you who is bold and artful must go into the city dressed as a
traveller, and discover whom we have killed, and whether men talk of
the strange manner of his death. If the messenger fails he must lose
his life, lest we be betrayed." One of the thieves started up and
offered to do this, and after the rest had highly commended him for
his bravery he disguised himself, and happened to enter the town at
daybreak, just by Baba Mustapha's stall. The thief bade him good-day,
saying: "Honest man, how can you possibly see to stitch at your age?"
"Old as I am," replied the cobbler, "I have very good eyes, and you
will believe me when I tell you that I sewed a dead body together in a
place where I had less light than I have now." The robber was
overjoyed at his good-fortune, and, giving him a piece of gold,
desired to be shown the house where he stitched up the dead body. At
first Mustapha refused, saying that he was blindfolded; but when the
robber gave him another piece of gold he began to think he might
remember the turnings if blindfolded as before. This means succeeded;
the robber partly led him, and was partly guided by him, right in
front of Cassim's house, the door of which the robber marked with a
piece of chalk. Then, well pleased, he bade farewell to Baba Mustapha
and returned to the forest. By and by Morgiana, going out, saw the
mark the robber had made, quickly guessed that some mischief was
brewing, and, fetching a piece of chalk, marked two or three doors on
each side, without saying anything to her master or mistress.

The thief, meantime, told his comrades of his discovery. The Captain
thanked him, and bade him show him the house he had marked. But when
they came to it they saw that five or six of the houses were chalked
in the same manner. The guide was so confounded that he knew not what
answer to make, and wh