s!--not I, indeed. What, you wish to get into
my house to gormandise and swill at my expense. Go--go!"

The caliph laughed heartily at this reply; and then called out to the
man, "Indeed we are merchants, and seek but for shelter till the hour of
prayer."

"Tell me, then," replied the man, "and mind you tell me the truth. Have
you eaten and drunk your fill for the night?"

"Thanks and praise be to Allah, we have supped long since, and
heartily," returned the caliph.

"Since that is the case, you may come up; but recollect it is upon one
condition, that you bind yourselves not to open your lips whatever you
may see me do; no matter whether it please you or not."

"What you desire is so reasonable," called out the caliph, "that we
should be ignorant as Yaboos, if we did not at once comply."

The man gave one more scrutinising glance at the pretended merchants;
and then, as if satisfied, descended and opened his door. The caliph
and his attendants followed him up to his room, where they found a table
laid out for supper, on which was a large pitcher of wine, half a
roasted kid, a bottle of rakee, preserves, confections, and various
kinds of fruit; odoriferous flowers were also on the table, and the
lighting up of the room was brilliant. The host, immediately on their
entering, tossed off a bumper of wine, as if to make up for the time he
had lost, and pointing to a corner, bade the intruders to sit down
there, and not to disturb him any more. He commenced his solitary
feast; and after another bumper of wine, as if tired of his own company,
he gruffly demanded, "Where do you fellows come from, and whither are
you going?"

"Sir," replied Giaffar, who had been whispering with the caliph, "we are
merchants of Moussul, who have been to an entertainment at the country
seat of a khan of Bagdad. We feasted well, and left our friend just as
the day closed in. Whereupon we lost our way, and found ourselves in
this street; hearing the musical accents of your voice, we exclaimed,
`Are not those notes delightful?--one who has so sweet a voice, must be
equally sweet in disposition. Let us entreat the hospitality of our
brother for the remainder of the night, and in the morning we will
depart in peace.'"

"I do not believe a word that you have said, you ill-looking thief. You
are spies or thieves, who would profit by getting into people's houses
at unseasonable hours. You, barrel-stomach, you with whiskers like a
bea