a noise; but she,
knowing the danger her master was in, bethought herself of a plan, and
answered quietly: "Not yet, but presently." She went to all the jars,
giving the same answer, till she came to the jar of oil. She now saw
that her master, thinking to entertain an oil merchant, had let
thirty-eight robbers into his house. She filled her oil-pot, went back
to the kitchen, and, having lit her lamp, went again to the oil-jar
and filled a large kettle full of oil. When it boiled she went and
poured enough oil into every jar to stifle and kill the robber inside.
When this brave deed was done she went back to the kitchen, put out
the fire and the lamp, and waited to see what would happen.

In a quarter of an hour the Captain of the robbers awoke, got up, and
opened the window. As all seemed quiet, he threw down some little
pebbles which hit the jars. He listened, and as none of his men seemed
to stir he grew uneasy, and went down into the yard. On going to the
first jar and saying, "Are you asleep?" he smelled the hot boiled
oil, and knew at once that his plot to murder Ali Baba and his
household had been discovered. He found all the gang were dead, and,
missing the oil out of the last jar, became aware of the manner of
their death. He then forced the lock of a door leading into a garden,
and climbing over several walls made his escape. Morgiana heard and
saw all this, and, rejoicing at her success, went to bed and fell
asleep.

At daybreak Ali Baba arose, and, seeing the oil-jars there still,
asked why the merchant had not gone with his mules. Morgiana bade him
look in the first jar and see if there was any oil. Seeing a man, he
started back in terror. "Have no fear," said Morgiana; "the man cannot
harm you: he is dead." Ali Baba, when he had recovered somewhat from
his astonishment, asked what had become of the merchant. "Merchant!"
said she, "he is no more a merchant than I am!" and she told him the
whole story, assuring him that it was a plot of the robbers of the
forest, of whom only three were left, and that the white-and-red
chalk-marks had something to do with it. Ali Baba at once gave
Morgiana her freedom, saying that he owed her his life. They then
buried the bodies in Ali Baba's garden, while the mules were sold in
the market by his slaves.

The Captain returned to his lonely cave, which seemed frightful to him
without his lost companions, and firmly resolved to avenge them by
killing Ali Baba. He dressed