the
first of the houses which Morgiana had marked, he pointed it out. But
the captain observed that the next door was chalked in the same manner:
and shewing it to his guide, asked him which house it was, that, or the
first? The guide was so confounded, that he knew not what answer to
make; but still more puzzled, when he saw five or six houses similarly
marked. He assured the captain, with an oath, that he had marked but
one, and could not tell who had chalked the rest so that he could not
distinguish the house which the cobbler had stopped at.

The captain, finding that their design had proved abortive, went
directly to the place of rendezvous, and told the first of his troop
whom he met that they had lost their labour, and must return to their
cave. When the troop was all got together, the captain told them the
reason of their returning; and presently the conductor was declared by
all worthy of death. He condemned himself, acknowledging that he ought
to have taken better precaution, and prepared to receive the stroke from
him who was appointed to cut off his head. Another of the gang, who
promised himself that he should succeed better, immediately presented
himself, and his offer being accepted, he went and corrupted Baba
Mustapha, as the other had done; and being shewn the house, marked it in
a place more remote from sight, with red chalk.

Not long after, Morgiana, whose eyes nothing could escape, went out, and
seeing the red chalk, and arguing with herself as she had done before,
marked the other neighbours' houses in the same place and manner. The
robber, at his return to his company, valued himself much on the
precaution he had taken, which he looked upon as an infallible way of
distinguishing Ali Baba's house from the others; and the captain and all
of them thought it must succeed. They conveyed themselves into the town
with the same precaution as before; but when the robber and his captain
came to the street, they found the same difficulty: at which the captain
was enraged, and the robber in as great confusion as his predecessor.
Thus the captain and his troop were forced to retire a second time, and
much more dissatisfied; while the unfortunate robber, who had been the
author of the mistake, underwent the same punishment; which he willingly
submitted to.

The captain, having lost two brave fellows of his troop, was afraid of
diminishing it too much by pursuing this plan to get information of the
residence