him a basin full; they rubbed my brother’s wounds with it; who had so much command of himself, notwithstanding the intolerable pain it put him to, that he lay still without showing any sign of life.  The black and the Greek slave having retired, the old woman who drew my brother into the snare, came and dragged him by the feet to a trap-door, which she opened, and threw him into a place under ground, among the corpses of several other people who had been murdered.  He perceived this as soon as he came to himself; for the violence of his fall had taken away his senses.  The salt rubbed into his wounds preserved his life, and he recovered strength by degrees, so as to be able to walk.  After two days he opened the trap-door during the night; and, finding a proper place in the court to hide himself, continued there till break of day, when he saw the cursed old woman open the gate, and go out to seek another prey.  He staid in the place some time after she went out, that she might not see him, and then came to me for shelter, when he told me of his adventures.

In a month he was perfectly cured of his wounds by medicines that I gave him, and resolved to avenge himself of the old woman who had put upon him such a barbarous cheat.  To this end, he took a bag, large enough to contain five hundred pieces of gold, and filled it with pieces of glass.

My brother, continued the barber, one morning fastened the bag of glass about him, disguised himself like an old woman, and took a scimitar under his gown.  He met the old woman walking through the town to seek her prey:  he went up to her, and, counterfeiting a woman’s voice, said, Cannot you lend me a pair of scales?  I am a woman newly come from Persia, have brought five hundred pieces of gold with me, and would know if they will hold out according to your weights.  Good woman, answered the old hag, you could not have applied to a more proper person.  Follow me; I will bring you to my son, who changes money, and will weigh them himself, to save you the trouble.  Let us make haste, for fear he be gone to his shop.  My brother followed her to the house where she carried him the first time, and the Greek slave opened the door.

The old woman carried my brother to the hall, where she bid him stay a moment till she called her son.  The pretended son came, and proved to be the villanous black slave.  Come, old woman, said he to my brother, rise and follow me.  Having spoken thus, he went before to bring him to the place where he designed to murder him.  Alnaschar got up, followed him, and, drawing his scimitar, gave him such a dexterous blow on the neck, as to cut off his head, which he took in one hand, and dragging the body with the other, threw them both into the place under ground before mentioned.  The Greek slave, who was accustomed to the trade, came presently with a basin of salt; but when she saw Alnaschar with the scimitar in his hand, and without his veil, she laid down the basin,