They presented themselves at the door with a low bow, and Morgiana was bidden to enter and show Cogia Houssain how well she danced.  This, he knew, would interrupt him in carrying out his wicked purpose, but he had to make the best of it, and to seem pleased with Morgiana’s dancing.  She was indeed a good dancer, and on this occasion outdid herself in graceful and surprising motions.  At the last, she took the tabor from Abdalla’s hand, and held it out like those who dance for money.

Ali Baba put a piece of gold into it, and so did his son.  When Cogia Houssain saw that she was coming to him he pulled out his purse from his bosom to make her a present; but while he was putting his hand into it, Morgiana, with courage worthy of herself, plunged the poniard into his heart.

“Unhappy woman!” exclaimed Ali Baba, “what have you done to ruin me and my family?”

“It was to preserve, not to ruin you,” answered Morgiana.  Then she showed the dagger in Cogia Houssain’s garment, and said, “Look well at him, and you will see that he is both the pretended oil merchant and the captain of the band of forty robbers.  As soon as you told me that he would eat no salt with you, I suspected who it was, and when I saw him I knew.”

Ali Baba embraced her, and said, “Morgiana, I gave you your liberty before, and promised you more in time; now I would make you my daughter-in-law.  Consider,” he said, turning to his son, “that by marrying Morgiana, you marry the preserver of my family and yours.”

The son was all the more ready to carry out his father’s wishes, because they were the same as his own, and within a few days he and Morgiana were married, but before this, the captain of the robbers was buried with his comrades, and so secretly was it done, that their bones were not found till many years had passed, when no one had any concern in making this strange story known.

For a whole year Ali Baba did not visit the robbers’ cave.  At the end of that time, as nobody had tried to disturb him, he made another journey to the forest, and, standing before the entrance to the cave, said, “Open, Sesame.”  The door opened at once, and from the appearance of everything within the cavern, he judged that nobody had been there since the captain had fetched the goods for his shop.  From this time forth, he took as much of the treasure as his needs demanded.  Some years later he carried his son to the cave, and taught him the secret, which he handed down in his family, who used their good fortune wisely, and lived in great honor and splendor.

THE STORY OF SINDBAD THE SAILOR

In the reign of the same Caliph, Haroun Al-Raschid, of whom we have already heard, there lived at Bagdad a poor porter called Hindbad.  One day, when the weather was very hot, he was employed to carry a heavy burden from one end of the town to the other.  Being much fatigued, he took off his load, and sat upon it, near a large mansion.