his speculation. I should have
distrusted Rachub's professions of friendship, and especially of
disinterestedness, but he took me with him to the khan where his goods
were, and unlocked the chest of clothes to show them to me. They were of
the richest and finest materials, and had been but little worn. I could
not doubt the evidence of my senses; the bargain was concluded, and the
Jew sent porters to my inn with the chest.

"The next day I repaired to the public market-place; and, when my
business was known, I had choice of customers before night--my chest was
empty, and my purse was full. The profit I made upon the sale of these
clothes was so considerable, that I could not help feeling astonishment
at Rachub's having brought himself so readily to relinquish them.

"A few days after I had disposed of the contents of my chest, a Damascene
merchant, who had bought two suits of apparel from me, told me, with a
very melancholy face, that both the female slaves who had put on these
clothes were sick. I could not conceive that the clothes were the cause
of their sickness; but soon afterwards, as I was crossing the market, I
was attacked by at least a dozen merchants, who made similar complaints.
They insisted upon knowing how I came by the garments, and demanded
whether I had worn any of them myself. This day I had, for the first
time, indulged myself with wearing a pair of yellow slippers, the only
finery I had reserved for myself out of all the tempting goods. Convinced
by my wearing these slippers that I could have had no insidious designs,
since I shared the danger, whatever it might be, the merchants were a
little pacified; but what was my terror and remorse the next day, when
one of them came to inform me that plague-boils had broken out under the
arms of all the slaves who had worn this pestilential apparel! On
looking carefully into the chest, we found the word 'Smyrna' written, and
half effaced, upon the lid. Now, the plague had for some time raged at
Smyrna; and, as the merchants suspected, these clothes had certainly
belonged to persons who had died of that distemper. This was the reason
why the Jew was willing to sell them to me so cheap; and it was for this
reason that he would not stay at Grand Cairo himself to reap the profits
of his speculation. Indeed, if I had paid attention to it at the proper
time, a slight circumstance might have revealed the truth to me. Whilst
I was bargaining with the Jew,