The robbers stayed some time within, and Ali Baba, fearful of being caught, remained in the tree.  At last the door opened again, and the captain came out first, and stood to see all the troop pass by him.  Then Ali Baba heard him make the door close by saying:  “Shut, Sesame.”  Every man at once bridled his horse, fastened his wallet, and mounted again.  When the captain saw them all ready, he put himself at their head, and they returned the way they had come.

Ali Baba watched them out of sight, and then waited some time before coming down.  Wishing to see whether the captain’s words would have the same effect if he should speak them, he found the door hidden in the shrubs, stood before it, and said:  “Open, Sesame.”  Instantly the door flew wide open.

Instead of a dark, dismal cavern, Ali Baba was surprised to see a large chamber, well lighted from the top, and in it all sorts of provisions, rich bales of silk, brocade and carpeting, gold and silver ingots in great heaps, and money in bags.

Ali Baba went boldly into the cave, and collected as much of the gold coin, which was in bags, as he thought his asses could carry.  When he had loaded them with the bags, he laid wood over them so that they could not be seen, and, passing out of the door for the last time, stood before it and said:  “Shut, Sesame.”  The door closed of itself, and he made the best of his way to town.

When he reached home, he carefully closed the gate of his little yard, threw off the wood, and carried the bags into the house.  They were emptied before his wife, and the great heap of gold dazzled her eyes.  Then he told her the whole adventure, and warned her, above all things, to keep it secret.

Ali Baba would not let her take the time to count it out as she wished, but said:  “I will dig a hole and bury it.”

“But let us know as nearly as may be,” she said, “how much we have.  I will borrow a small measure, and measure it, while you dig a hole.”

Away she ran to the wife of Cassim, who lived near by, and asked for a measure.  The sister-in-law, knowing Ali Baba’s poverty, was curious to learn what sort of grain his wife wished to measure out, and artfully managed to put some suet in the bottom of the measure before she handed it over.  Ali Baba’s wife wanted to show how careful she was in small matters, and, after she had measured the gold, hurried back, even while her husband was burying it, with the borrowed measure, never noticing that a coin had stuck to its bottom.

“What,” said Cassim’s wife, as soon as her sister-in-law had left her, “has Ali Baba gold in such plenty that he measures it?  Whence has he all this wealth?” And envy possessed her breast.

When Cassim came home, she said to him:  “Cassim, you think yourself rich, but Ali Baba is much richer.  He does not count his money; he measures it.”  Then she explained to him how she had found it out, and they looked together at the piece of money, which was so old that they could not tell in what prince’s reign it was coined.