xt day
at the same time.

[Illustration: The caliph listening to the children's court]

On the evening of the same day, the caliph, with the grand vizier
Giafar and Mesrour, the chief of the eunuchs, all three disguised in
the same manner, went to make his usual excursion into the city, as it
was his custom frequently to do. In passing through a street the
caliph heard a noise. He hastened his pace, and came to a door which
opened into a court, where ten or twelve children, who had not gone to
rest, were playing by moonlight, as he perceived by looking through a
crevice.

The caliph, feeling some curiosity to know what these children were
playing at, sat down on a stone bench, which was placed very
conveniently near the door; and as he was looking at them through the
crevice he heard one of the most lively and intelligent among them say
to the others: "Let us play at the cadi. I am the cadi. Bring before
me Ali Cogia and the merchant who stole the thousand pieces of gold
from him."

These words of the child reminded the caliph of the petition which had
been presented to him that day, and which he had read; he therefore
redoubled his attention to hear the result of the trial.

As the affair between Ali Cogia and the merchant was a new thing, and
much talked of in the city of Bagdad, even among children, the rest of
this youthful party fully agreed to the proposal, and each chose the
character he would perform. No one disputed the part of the cadi with
him who had made choice of it; and when he had taken his seat with all
the pomp and gravity of a cadi, another, personating the officer who
attends the tribunal, presented two others to him, one of whom he
called Ali Cogia, and the next the merchant against whom Ali Cogia
preferred his complaint.

The pretended cadi then addressed the feigned Ali Cogia. "Ali Cogia,"
said he, "what do you require of this merchant?" He who personated
this character then made a low bow, and informed the cadi of the
facts, and concluded by beseeching him to be pleased to interpose his
authority to prevent his sustaining so considerable a loss. The
feigned cadi, after having listened to Ali Cogia, turned to the
merchant, and asked him why he did not return to Ali Cogia the sum he
demanded of him. This young merchant made use of the same arguments
which the real one had alleged before the cadi of Bagdad, and also in
the same manner asked him to suffer him to swear that what he said wa