FORTY THIEVES. 28

cavern to the house of his deceased brother, of which he took
possession ; and Cassimn’s widow received every kind attention
both from Ali Baba and his wife.

After an interval of some months, the troop of robbers
again visited their retreat in the forest, and were completely
astonished to find the body taken away from the cave, and
every thing else remaining in its usual order. “We are
discovered,” said the captain, “and shall certainly be undone
if you do not adopt spcedy measures to prevent our ruin.
Which of you, my brave comrades, will undertake to search
out the villain who is in possession of our secret?” One of
the boldest of the troop advanced, and offered hirnself ; and was
accepted on the following conditions: namely, that if he
succeeded in his enterprise, he was to be made second in
command of the troop; but that if he brought false intelli-
gence, he was immediately to be put to death. The bold
robber readily agreed to the conditions ; and having disguised
himself, he proceeded to the city. He arrived there about
day-break, and found the cobbler Mustapha in his stall, which
was always open before any other shop in the town. “Good
morrow, friend,” said the robber, as he passed the stall, “ you
rise betimes ; I should think, old. as you are, you could scarcely
see to work by this light.”—“ Indeed, sir,” replied the cobbler,
“old as I am, I do not want for good eye-sight ; as you must
needs believe, when I tell you I sewed a dead body together
the other day, where I had not so good a light as I have now.”
—“A dead body!” exclaimed the robber, “you mean, I
suppose, that you sewed up the winding-shect for a dead body.”
—“I mean no such thing,” replied Mustapha, “I tell you
that I sewed the four quarters of a man together.”

This was enough to convince the robber he had luckily met
with the yery man who could give him the information he was