So saying, he sprang to his feet and catching up the thigh-bone of one of the dead, cried out at the top of his voice, saying, ’O ye dead, take them!’ And he smote one of them, whilst his comrade [El Merouzi] smote another and they cried out at them and buffeted them on the napes of their necks; whereupon the thieves left that which was with them of plunder and fled; and indeed their wits forsook them [for terror] and they stayed not in their flight till they came forth of the Magians’ burial-ground and left it a parasang’s length behind them, when they halted, trembling and affrighted for the soreness of that which had betided them of fear and amazement at the dead.

As for Er Razi and El Merouzi, they made peace with each other and sat down to share the booty.  Quoth El Merouzi, ’I will not give thee a dirhem of this money, till thou pay me my due of the money that is in thy house.’  And Er Razi said ’I will not do it, nor will I subtract this from aught of my due.’  So they fell out upon this and disputed with one another and each went saying to his fellow, ‘I will not give thee a dirhem!’ And words ran high between them and contention was prolonged.

Meanwhile, when the thieves halted, one of them said to the others, ‘Let us return and see;’ and the captain said, ’This thing is impossible of the dead:  never heard we that they came to life on this wise.  So let us return and take our good, for that the dead have no occasion for good.’  And they were divided in opinion as to returning:  but [presently they came to a decision and] said, ’Indeed, our arms are gone and we cannot avail against them and will not draw near the place where they are:  only let one of us [go thither and] look at it, and if he hear no sound of them, let him advertise us what we shall do.’  So they agreed that they should send a man of them and assigned him [for this service] two parts [of the booty].

Accordingly, he returned to the burial-ground and gave not over going till he stood at the door of the sepulchre, when he heard El Merouzi say to his fellow, ’I will not give thee a single dirhem of the money!’ The other said the like and they were occupied with contention and mutual revilement and talk.  So the thief returned in haste to his fellows, who said, ’What is behind thee?’ Quoth he, ’Get you gone and flee for your lives and save yourselves, O fools; for that much people of the dead are come to life and between them are words and contention.’  So the thieves fled, whilst the two sharpers retained to Er Razi’s house and made peace with one another and laid the thieves’ purchase to the money they had gotten aforetime and lived a while of time.  Nor, O king of the age,” added the vizier, “is this rarer or more marvellous than the story of the four sharpers with the money-changer and the ass.”

When the king heard this story, he smiled and it pleased him and he bade the vizier go away to his own house.

The Twenty-Second Night of the Month.