THE FORTY THIEVES 238

But as the safety of the troop required that
an injury should not go unpunished, another
of the gang, who promised himself that he
should succeed better, presented himself, and
his offer being accepted, he went and corrupted
Baba Mustapha, as the other had done; and
being shown the house, marked it in a place
more remote from sight, with red chalk.

Not long after Morgiana, whose eyes nothing
could escape, went out, and seeing the red chalk,
and arguing with herself as she had done before,
marked the other neighbours’ houses in the same
place and manner.

The robber, at his return to his company,
valued himself much on the precaution he had
taken, which he looked upon as an infallible
way of distinguishing Ali Baba’s house from the
others; and the captain and all of them thought
it must succeed. They conveyed themselves into
the town with the same precaution as before;
but when the robber and his captain came to
the street, they found the same difficulty; at
which the captain was enraged, and the robber
in as great confusion as his predecessor.

Thus the captain and his troop were forced
to retire a second time, and much more dis-

satisfied ; while the robber who had been. the
.M