he thought
to make drunk and then to murder them. Morgiana, meanwhile, put on a
head-dress like a dancing-girl's, and clasped a girdle round her waist,
from which hung a dagger with a silver hilt, and said to Abdallah: "Take
your tabor, and let us go and divert our master and his guest." Abdallah
took his tabor and played before Morgiana until they came to the door,
where Abdallah stopped playing and Morgiana made a low courtesy. "Come
in, Morgiana," said Ali Baba, "and let Cogia Hassan see what you can
do"; and, turning to Cogia Hassan, he said: "She's my slave and my
housekeeper." Cogia Hassan was by no means pleased, for he feared
that his chance of killing Ali Baba was gone for the present; but he
pretended great eagerness to see Morgiana, and Abdallah began to play
and Morgiana to dance. After she had performed several dances she drew
her dagger and made passes with it, sometimes pointing it at her own
breast, sometimes at her master's, as if it were part of the dance.
Suddenly, out of breath, she snatched the tabor from Abdallah with her
left hand, and, holding the dagger in her right hand, held out the tabor
to her master. Ali Baba and his son put a piece of gold into it, and
Cogia Hassan, seeing that she was coming to him, pulled out his purse to
make her a present, but while he was putting his hand into it Morgiana
plunged the dagger into his heart.

"Unhappy girl!" cried Ali Baba and his son, "what have you done to ruin
us?"

"It was to preserve you, master, not to ruin you," answered Morgiana.
"See here," opening the false merchant's garment and showing the dagger;
"see what an enemy you have entertained! Remember, he would eat no salt
with you, and what more would you have? Look at him! he is both the
false oil merchant and the Captain of the Forty Thieves."

Ali Baba was so grateful to Morgiana for thus saving his life that he
offered her to his son in marriage, who readily consented, and a few
days after the wedding was celebrated with greatest splendor.

At the end of a year Ali Baba, hearing nothing of the two remaining
robbers, judged they were dead, and set out to the cave. The door opened
on his saying: "Open Sesame!" He went in, and saw that nobody had been
there since the Captain left it. He brought away as much gold as he
could carry, and returned to town. He told his son the secret of
the cave, which his son handed down in his turn, so the children and
grandchildren of Ali Baba were rich to t