He told them his plan, and, as they thought it good, he ordered them to go into the villages about, and buy nineteen mules, with thirty-eight large leather jars, one full of oil and the others empty.  Within two or three days they returned with the mules and the jars, and as the mouths of the jars were rather too narrow for the captain’s purpose, he caused them to be widened.  Having put one of his men into each jar, with the weapons which he thought fit, and having a seam wide enough open for each man to breathe, he rubbed the jars on the outside with oil from the full vessel.

Thus prepared they set out for the town, the nineteen mules loaded with the thirty-seven robbers in jars, and the jar of oil, with the captain as their driver.  When he reached Ali Baba’s door, he found Ali Baba sitting there taking a little fresh air after his supper.  The captain stopped his mules, and said,—­

“I have brought some oil a great way to sell at to-morrow’s market; and it is now so late that I do not know where to lodge.  Will you do me the favor to let me pass the night with you?”

Though Ali Baba had seen the captain in the forest, and had heard him speak, he could not know him in the disguise of an oil merchant, and bade him welcome.  He opened his gates for the mules to go into the yard, and ordered a slave to put them in a stable and feed them when they were unloaded, and then called Morgiana to get a good supper for his guest.  After supper he charged her afresh to take good care of the stranger, and said to her,—­

“To-morrow morning I intend to go to the bath before day; take care to have my bathing linen ready; give it to Abdalla” (which was his slave’s name), “and make me some good broth against my return.”  After this he went to bed.

In the meantime the captain of the robbers went into the yard, and took off the lid of each jar, and told his people what they must do.  To each, in turn, he said,—­

“As soon as I throw some stones out of the chamber window where I lie, do not fail to come out, and I will join you at once.”

Then he went into the house, and Morgiana showed him his chamber, where he soon put out the light, and laid himself down in his clothes.

To carry out Ali Baba’s orders, Morgiana got his bathing linen ready, and bade Abdalla to set on the pot for the broth; but soon the lamp went out, and there was no more oil in the house, nor any candles.  She knew not what to do, till the slave reminded her of the oil jars in the yard.  She thanked him for the thought, took the oil pot, and went out.  When she came nigh the first jar, the robber within said softly, “Is it time?”

Of course she was surprised to find a man in the jar instead of the oil, but she saw at once that she must keep silence, as Ali Baba, his family, and she herself were in great danger.  Therefore she answered, without showing any fear, “Not yet, but presently.”  In this manner she went to all the jars and gave the same answers, till she came to the jar of oil.