14 ALI BABA AND THE FORTY THIEVES.

great care. He threw off the wood that
hid the gold, and carried the bags into
his house, where he laid them down in a
row before his wife, who was sitting
upon a couch.

When he had told the whole story of
the cave and the forty thieves, he emptied
out the sacks, making one great heap of
gold that quite dazzled his wife’s eyes.

His wife began to rejoice in this good
fortune; and was going to count over the
money that lay before her, piece by piece.

‘What are you going to do?” said
he; ‘‘ why, you would never have done
counting. I will dig a pit to bury it in;
we have no time to lose.”

‘Tt is right, though,” replied the wife,
“that we should know nearly how much
there may be. I will go and borrow a
small corn-measure, and whilst you are
digging the pit, I will find how much
there is.”

So the wife of Ali Baba set off and

‘went to her brother-in-law, Cassim, who

lived a short way from her house. Cas-
sim was from home, so she begged his
wife to lend her a measure for a few
minutes. ‘That I will, with pleasure,”
said Cassim’s wife. She went to seek a
measure, but knowing how poor Ali