FORTY THIEVES. QT

for this day's market. As I am quite a stranger in this town,
will you do me the favour to let me put my mules into your
court-yard, and direct me where I may lodge to-night.”

‘Ali Baba, who was a good-natured man, welcomed the
pretended oil-merchant very kindly, and offered him a bed in
his own house ; and having ordered the mules to be unloaded
in the yard, and properly fed, he invited his guest in to supper.
The captain, having seen the jars placed ready in the yard,
followed Ali Baba into the house, and, after supper, was shown
into the chamber where he was to sleep. It happened that
Morgiana was obliged to sit up later that night than usual, to
get ready her master’s bathing linen for the following morning :
and while she was busy about the fire, her lamp went out,
and there was no more oil in the house. After considering
what she could possibly do for a light, she recollected the
thirty-eight oil-jars in the yard, and determined to take a little
out of one of them for her lamp. She took her oil-pot in her
hand, and approaching the first jar, the robber within said, “ Is
ittime, captain?” Any other slave, on hearing a manin an oil-jar,
would have screamed out ; but the prudent Morgiana instantly
recollected herself, and replied softly, “ No, not yet; lie still
till I call you.” She passed on to every jar, receiving the same
question, and making the same answer,
till she came to the last, which was
really filled with oil. Morgiana was
now convinced that this was a plot of
the robbers to murder her master Ali
Baba ; so she ran back to the kitchen,
and brought out a large kettle, which
she filled with oil, andset it on a great
wood fire ; and as soon as it boiled she .
went and poured into the jars sufficient of the boiling oil to
kill every man within them. Having done this, she put out