the steps were two slaves, one of them white and the other black; and in
the hand of one of them was a weapon of steel, and in the hand of the
other a jewelled sword that blinded the eyes; and before the two slaves
was a tablet of gold, whereon was read an inscription, which was this:
In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God,
the Creator of Man; and He is the Lord of lords, and the Cause of
causes. O thou, if thou know me not, I will acquaint thee with my name
and my descent. I am Tedmur, the daughter of the King of the
Amalekites. I possessed what none of the kings possessed, and ruled
with justice, and acted impartially toward my subjects: I gave and
bestowed, and I lived a long time in the enjoyment of happiness and an
easy life, and possessing emancipated female and male slaves. Thus I
did until the summoner of death came to my abode, and disasters
occurred before me. And the case was this: Seven years in succession
came upon us, during which no water descended on us from heaven, nor
did any grass grow for us on the face of the earth. So we ate what
food we had in our dwellings, and after that, we fell upon the beasts
and ate them, and there remained nothing. Upon this, therefore, I
caused the wealth to be brought, and meted it with a measure, and sent
it by trusty men, who went about with it through all the districts,
not leaving unvisited a single large city, to seek for some food. But
they found it not; and they returned to us with the wealth, after a
long absence. So thereupon we exposed to view our riches and our
treasures, locked the gates of the fortresses in our city, and
submitted ourselves to the decree of our Lord, committing our case to
our Master; and thus we all died, as thou beholdest, and left what we
had built and what we had treasured. This is our story: Whoso arriveth
at our city, and entereth it, let him take of the wealth what he can,
but not touch anything that is on my body; for it is the covering of
my person. Therefore let him fear God, and not seize aught of it; for
he would destroy himself. Peace be on you! I beg God, moreover, to
save you from the evil of trials and sickness.
The Emeer Moosa, when he heard these words, again wept and was
admonished by what he witnessed. He then said to his companions: "Bring
the sacks, and fill them with part of these riches and these vessels and
rarities and jewels." And thereupon, Talib, the son of Sahl, said to the
Emeer Moosa: "O Emeer, shall we leave this damsel with the things that
are upon her? They are things that have no equal, nor is the like of
them at any time found, and they are more than the riches thou hast
taken, and will be the best present by which thou mayest ingratiate
thyself with the Prince of the Faithful." But the emeer replied:
"Heardest thou not that which the damsel hath given as a charge, in the
inscription upon this tablet? Moreover, and especially, she hath given
it as a charge offered in confidence, and we are not of the people of
treachery." The Vizier Talib, however, said: "And on account of these
words wilt thou leave these riches and these jewels, when she is dead?
What then should she do with these things, which are the ornaments of
the world, and the decoration of the living? With a garment of cotton
might this damsel be covered, and we are more worthy of the things than
she." Then he drew near to the steps, and ascended them until he reached
the spot between the two slaves, when, lo, one of these two smote him
upon his back, and the other smote him with the sword that was in his
hand, and struck off his head, and he fell down dead. So the Emeer Moosa
said: "May God not regard with mercy thy resting-place! There was, in
these riches, a sufficiency; and covetousness doth dishonour the person
in whom it existeth!" He thereupon gave orders for the entry of the
troops, who accordingly entered, and they loaded the camels with part of
those riches and minerals; after which the Emeer Moosa commanded them to
close the gate as it was before.
They then proceeded along the sea-coast until they came in sight of a
high mountain overlooking the sea. In it were many caves, and, lo, in
these was a people of the blacks, clad in hides, and with burnouses of
hides upon their heads, whose language was not known. And when they saw
the troops, they ran away from them, and fled, while their women and
their children stood at the entrances of the caves. So the Emeer Moosa
said: "O Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad, what are these people?" And he answered:
"These are the objects of the inquiry of the Prince of the Faithful."
They therefore alighted, and the tents were pitched, and the riches were
put down; and they had not rested when the king of the blacks came down
from the mountain, and drew near to the troops. He was acquainted with
the Arabic language; wherefore, when he came to the Emeer Moosa, he
saluted him; and the emeer returned his salutation, and treated him with
honour. Then the king of the blacks said to the emeer: "Are ye of
mankind, or of the genies?" The emeer answered: "As to us, we are of
mankind; and as to you, there is no doubt but that ye are of the
genies, because of your seclusion in this mountain that is separated
from the world, and because of the greatness of your make." But the king
of the blacks replied: "Nay, we are a people of the race of Adam, of the
sons of Ham, the son of Noah, on whom be peace! And as to this sea, it
is known by the name of El-Karkar."
The Emeer Moosa then said to him: "We are the associates of the King of
El-Islam, Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan; and we have come on account of
the bottles of brass that are here in your sea, and wherein are the
devils imprisoned from the time of Solomon, the son of David. He hath
commanded us to bring him some of them, that he may see them, and divert
himself by the view of them." And the king of the blacks replied: "Most
willingly." Then he feasted him with fish, and ordered the divers to
bring up from the sea some of the bottles of Solomon; and they brought
up for them twelve bottles; wherewith the Emeer Moosa was delighted, and
the Sheikh Abd-Es-Samad also, and the soldiers, on account of the
accomplishment of the affair of the Prince of the Faithful. The Emeer
Moosa thereupon presented to the king of the blacks many presents, and
gave him large gifts. In like manner, too, the king of the blacks gave
to the Emeer Moosa a present consisting of wonders of the sea.
Then they bade him farewell, and they journeyed back until they came to
the land of Syria, and went in to the Prince of the Faithful; whereupon
the Emeer Moosa acquainted him with all that he had seen, and all that
had occurred to him with respect to the verses and histories and
admonitions, and told him of the case of Talib the son of Sahl. And the
Prince of the Faithful said to him: "Would that I had been with you,
that I might have beheld what ye beheld!" He then took the bottles, and
proceeded to open one after another, and the devils came forth from
them, saying: "Repentance, O Prophet of God! We will not return to the
like conduct ever!" And Abd-El-Melik the son of Marwan wondered at this.
After this, the Prince of the Faithful caused the riches to be brought
before him, and divided them among the people. And he said: "God hath
not bestowed upon any one the like of what He bestowed upon Solomon the
son of David."
This is the end of that which hath come down to us, of the history of
the City of Brass, entire. And God is all-knowing.
THE STORY OF ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES
In a town in Persia, there lived two brothers, one named Cassim, the
other Ali Baba. Their father left them scarcely anything; but as he had
divided his little property equally between them, it would seem that
their fortune ought to have been equal; but chance determined otherwise.
Cassim married a wife, who soon after became heiress to a large sum, and
to a warehouse full of rich goods; so that he all at once became one of
the richest and most considerable merchants, and lived at his ease. Ali
Baba, on the other hand, who had married a woman as poor as himself,
lived in a very wretched habitation, and had no other means to maintain
his wife and children but his daily labour of cutting wood, and bringing
it to town to sell, upon three asses, which were his whole substance.
One day, when Ali Baba was in the forest, and had just cut wood enough
to load his asses, he saw at a distance a great cloud of dust, which
seemed to be driven toward him: he observed it very attentively, and
distinguished soon after a body of horse. Though there had been no
rumour of robbers in that country, Ali Baba began to think that they
might prove such, and without considering what might become of his
asses, was resolved to save himself. He climbed up a large, thick tree,
whose branches, at a little distance from the ground, were so close to
one another that there was but little space between them. He placed
himself in the middle, from whence he could see all that passed without
being discovered; and the tree stood at the base of a single rock, so
steep and craggy that nobody could climb up it.
The troop, who were all well mounted and armed, came to the foot of this
rock, and there dismounted. Ali Baba counted forty of them, and, from
their looks and equipage, was assured that they were robbers. Nor was he
mistaken in his opinion; for they were a troop of banditti, who, without
doing any harm to the neighbourhood, robbed at a distance, and made that
place their rendezvous; but what confirmed him in his opinion was, that
every man unbridled his horse, tied him to some shrub, and hung about
his neck a bag of corn which they brought behind them. Then each of them
took his saddle wallet, which seemed to Ali Baba to be full of gold and
silver from its weight. One, who was the most personable amongst them,
and whom he took to be their captain, came with his wallet on his back
under the tree in which Ali Baba was concealed, and making his way
through some shrubs, pronounced these words so distinctly: "_Open,
Sesame_," that Ali Baba heard him. As soon as the captain of the robbers
had uttered these words, a door opened in the rock; and after he had
made all his troop enter before him, he followed them, when the door
shut again of itself. The robbers stayed some time within the rock, and
Ali Baba, who feared that some one, or all of them together, might come
out and catch him, if he should endeavour to make his escape, was
obliged to sit patiently in the tree. He was nevertheless tempted to get
down, mount one of their horses, and lead another, driving his asses
before him with all the haste he could to town; but the uncertainty of
the event made him choose the safest course.
At last the door opened again, and the forty robbers came out. As the
captain went in last, he came out first, and stood to see them all pass
by him, when Ali Baba heard him make the door close by pronouncing these
words: "_Shut, Sesame_." Every man went and bridled his horse, fastened
his wallet, and mounted again; and when the captain saw them all ready,
he put himself at their head, and they returned the way they had come.
Ali Baba did not immediately quit his tree; for, said he to himself,
they may have forgotten something and may come back again, and then I
shall be taken. He followed them with his eyes as far as he could see
them; and afterward stayed a considerable time before he descended.
Remembering the words the captain of the robbers used to cause the door
to open and shut, he had the curiosity to try if his pronouncing them
would have the same effect. Accordingly, he went among the shrubs, and
perceiving the door concealed behind them, stood before it, and said:
"_Open, Sesame!"_ The door instantly flew wide open. Ali Baba, who
expected a dark dismal cavern, was surprised to see it well lighted and
spacious, in the form of a vault, which received the light from an
opening at the top of the rock. He saw all sorts of provisions, rich
bales of silk stuff, brocade, and valuable carpeting, piled upon one
another; gold and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags. The
sight of all these riches made him suppose that this cave must have been
occupied for ages by robbers, who had succeeded one another. Ali Baba
did not stand long to consider what he should do, but went immediately
into the cave, and as soon as he had entered, the door shut of itself,
but this did not disturb him, because he knew the secret to open it
again. He never regarded the silver, but made the best use of his time
in carrying out as much of the gold coin as he thought his three asses
could carry. He collected his asses, which were dispersed, and when he
had loaded them with the bags, laid wood over in such a manner that they
could not be seen. When he had done he stood before the door, and
pronouncing the words: "_Shut, Sesame!"_ the door closed after him, for
it had shut of itself while he was within, but remained open while he
was out. He then made the best of his way to town.
When Ali Baba got home, he drove his asses into a little yard, shut the
gates very carefully, threw off the wood that covered the bags, carried
them into his house, and ranged them in order before his wife, who sat
on a sofa. His wife handled the bags, and finding them full of money,
suspected that her husband had been robbing, insomuch that she could not
help saying: "Ali Baba, have you been so unhappy as to----" "Be quiet,
wife," interrupted Ali Baba, "do not frighten yourself; I am no robber,
unless he may be one who steals from robbers. You will no longer
entertain an ill opinion of me, when I shall tell you my good fortune."
He then emptied the bags, which raised such a great heap of gold as
dazzled his wife's eyes; and when he had done, told her the whole
adventure from beginning to end; and, above all, recommended her to keep
it secret. The wife, cured of her fears, rejoiced with her husband at
their good fortune, and would count all the gold piece by piece. "Wife,"
replied Ali Baba, "you do not know what you undertake, when you pretend
to count the money; you will never have done. I will dig a hole, and
bury it; there is no time to be lost." "You are in the right, husband,"
replied she; "but let us know, as nigh as possible, how much we have. I
will borrow a small measure in the neighbourhood, and measure it, while
you dig the hole." "What you are going to do is to no purpose, wife,"
said Ali Baba; "if you would take my advice, you had better let it
alone; but keep the secret, and do what you please." Away the wife ran
to her brother-in-law Cassim, who lived just by, but was not then at
home; and addressing herself to his wife, desired her to lend her a
measure for a little while. Her sister-in-law asked her, whether she
would have a great or a small one. The wife asked for a small one. The
sister-in-law agreed to lend one, but as she knew Ali Baba's poverty,
she was curious to know what sort of grain his wife wanted to measure,
and artfully putting some suet at the bottom of the measure, brought it
to her with an excuse, that she was sorry that she had made her stay so
long, but that she could not find it sooner. Ali Baba's wife went home,
set the measure upon the heap of gold, filled it and emptied it often
upon the sofa, till she had done: when she was very well satisfied to
find the number of measures amounted to so many as they did, and went to
tell her husband, who had almost finished digging the hole. While Ali
Baba was burying the gold, his wife, to show her exactness and diligence
to her sister-in-law, carried the measure back again, but without taking
notice that a piece of gold had stuck to the bottom. "Sister," said she,
giving it to her again, "you see that I have not kept your measure long;
I am obliged to you for it, and return it with thanks."
As soon as her sister-in-law was gone, Cassim's wife looked at the
bottom of the measure, and was inexpressibly surprised to find a piece
of gold stuck to it. Envy immediately possessed her breast. "What!" said
she, "has Ali Baba gold so plentiful as to measure it? Where has that
poor wretch got all this wealth?" Cassim, her husband, was not at home,
but at his counting-house, which he left always in the evening. His wife
waited for him, and thought the time an age; so great was her impatience
to tell him the circumstance, at which she guessed he would be as much
surprised as herself.
When Cassim came home, his wife said to him: "Cassim, I know you think
yourself rich, but you are much mistaken; Ali Baba is infinitely richer
than you; he does not count his money, but measures it." Cassim desired
her to explain the riddle, which she did, by telling him the stratagem
she had used to make the discovery, and showed him the piece of money,
which was so old that they could not tell in what prince's reign it was
coined. Cassim, instead of being pleased, conceived a base envy at his
brother's prosperity; he could not sleep all that night, and went to him
in the morning before sunrise, although after he had married the rich
widow, he had never treated him as a brother, but neglected him. "Ali
Baba," said he, accosting him, "you are very reserved in your affairs;
you pretend to be miserably poor, and yet you measure gold." "How,
brother?" replied Ali Baba; "I do not know what you mean: explain
yourself." "Do not pretend ignorance," replied Cassim, showing him the
piece of gold his wife had given him. "How many of these pieces," added
he, "have you? My wife found this at the bottom of the measure you
borrowed yesterday."
By this discourse, Ali Baba perceived that Cassim and his wife, through
his own wife's folly, knew what they had so much reason to conceal; but
what was done could not be recalled; therefore, without shewing the
least surprise or trouble, he confessed all, told his brother by what
chance he had discovered this retreat of the thieves, in what place it
was; and offered him part of his treasure to keep the secret. "I expect
as much," replied Cassim haughtily; "but I must know exactly where this
treasure is, and how I may visit it myself when I choose; otherwise I
will go and inform against you, and then you will not only get no more,
but will lose all you have, and I shall have a share for my
information."
Ali Baba, more out of his natural good temper, than frightened by the
menaces of his unnatural brother, told him all he desired, and even the
very words he was to use to gain admission into the cave.
Cassim, who wanted no more of Ali Baba, left him, resolving to be
beforehand with him, and hoping to get all the treasure to himself. He
rose the next morning long before the sun, and set out for the forest
with ten mules bearing great chests, which he designed to fill; and
followed the road which Ali Baba had pointed out to him. He was not long
before he reached the rock, and found out the place by the tree, and
other marks, which his brother had given him. When he reached the
entrance of the cavern, he pronounced the words: "_Open, Sesame!_" and
the door immediately opened, and when he was in, closed upon him. In
examining the cave, he was in great admiration to find much more riches
than he had apprehended from Ali Baba's account. He was so covetous, and
greedy of wealth, that he could have spent the whole day in feasting his
eyes with so much treasure, if the thought that he came to carry some
away had not hindered him. He laid as many bags of gold as he could
carry at the door of the cavern, but his thoughts were so full of the
great riches he should possess, that he could not think of the necessary
word to make it open, but instead of "_Sesame_," said: "_Open, Barley!_"
and was much amazed to find that the door remained fast shut. He named
several sorts of grain, but still the door would not open. Cassim had
never expected such an incident, and was so alarmed at the danger he was
in, that the more he endeavoured to remember the word "_Sesame_," the
more his memory was confounded, and he had as much forgotten it as if he
had never heard it mentioned. He threw down the bags he had loaded
himself with and walked distractedly up and down the cave, without
having the least regard to the riches that were round him. About noon
the robbers chanced to visit their cave, and at some distance from it
saw Cassim's mules straggling about the rock, with great chests on their
backs. Alarmed at this novelty, they galloped full speed to the cave.
They 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 the more his memory was
confounded._
In the meantime, Cassim's wife was very uneasy when night came, and her
husband was not returned. She ran to Ali Baba in alarm, and said: "I
believe, brother-in-law, that you know Cassim, your brother, is gone to
the forest, and upon what account; it is now night, and he is not
returned; I am afraid some misfortune has happened to him." Ali Baba,
who had expected that his brother, after what he had said, would go to
the forest, had declined going himself that day, for fear of giving him
any umbrage; therefore told her, without any reflection upon her
husband's unhandsome behaviour, that she need not frighten herself, for
that certainly Cassim would not think it proper to come into the town
till the night should be pretty far advanced.