ey drove away the mules, which Cassim had neglected to fasten, and
they strayed through the forest so far, that they were soon out of
sight. The robbers never gave themselves the trouble to pursue them,
being more concerned to know to whom they belonged, and while some of
them searched about the rock, the captain and the rest went directly to
the door, with their naked sabres in their hands, and pronouncing the
proper words, it opened.

Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses' feet from the middle of the
cave, never doubted of the arrival of the robbers, and his approaching
death; but was resolved to make one effort to escape from them. To this
end he rushed to the door, and no sooner heard the word _Sesame_, which
he had forgotten, and saw the door open, than he ran out and threw the
leader down, but could not escape the other robbers, who with their
sabres soon deprived him of life. The first care of the robbers after
this was to examine the cave. They found all the bags which Cassim had
brought to the door, to be ready to load his mules, and carried them
again to their places, without missing what Ali Baba had taken away
before. Then holding a council, and deliberating upon this occurrence,
they guessed that Cassim, when he was in, could not get out again; but
could not imagine how he had entered. It came into their heads that he
might have got down by the top of the cave; but the aperture by which it
received light was so high, and the rocks so inaccessible without, that
they gave up this conjecture. That he came in at the door they could not
believe, however, unless he had the secret of making it open. In short,
none of them could imagine which way he had entered; for they were all
persuaded nobody knew their secret, little imagining that Ali Baba had
watched them. It was a matter of the greatest importance to them to
secure their riches. They agreed therefore to cut Cassim's body
into quarters, to hang two on one side and two on the other, within the
door of the cave, to terrify any person who should attempt again to
enter. They had no sooner taken this resolution than they put it in
execution, and when they had nothing more to detain them, left the place
of their hoards well closed. They then mounted their horses, went to
beat the roads again, and to attack the caravans they might meet.

[Illustration]

_Cassim ... was so alarmed at the danger he was in that the more he
endeavoured to remember the word Sesame