ALI BABA AND THE FORTY ROBBERS. 407

“What are you going to do?” said he; “you are very foolish,
wife ; you would never have done counting. I will immediately
dig a pit to bury it in; we have no time to lose.” “It is proper,
though,” replied the wife, “that we should know nearly what
quantity there may be. I will go for a small measure in the
aeighbourhood, and whilst you are digging the pit, I will ascer-
tain how much there is.”

In order to satisfy herself the wife of Ali Baba set off and
went to her brother-in-law, Cassim, who lived a short distance
from her house. Cassim was from home, so she begged his
wife to lend her a measure for a few minutes. “That I will,
with pleasure,” said the sister-in-law; “wait a moment and |
will bring it you.” She went to seek a measure, but knowing
the poverty of Ali Baba, she was curious to know what sort of
grain his wife wanted to measure; she therefore put some tallow
under the measure, which she did without its being perceptible.

The wife of Ali Baba returned home, and placing the
measure on the heap of gold, measured the whole; her hus-
band having by this time dug the pit for its reception, she
informed him how many measures there were, with which
they were both very well contented. While Ali Baba was
burying the gold, his wife went back with the measure to her
sister-in-law, but without observing that a piece of gold had
stuck to the bottom of it.

The wife of Ali Baba had scarcely turned her back, when
Cassim’s wife looked at the bottom of the measure, and was
inexpressibly astonished to see a piece of gold sticking to it.
Envy instantly took possession of her breast. “What!” said
she to herself, “ Ali Baba measure his gold! Where can that
miserable wretch have obtained it?” Her husband Cassim, as
was before mentioned, was from home: he had gone as usual to
his shop, from whence he would not return till evening.

On his return home, his wife said to him, “ Cassim, you think
you are rich, but Ali Baba must have infinitely more wealth
than you are possessed of ; he does not count his money as you
do, he measures it.” Cassim demanded an explanation of this
enigma, and she unravelled it by acquainting him of the expe-
dient she had used to make the discovery, and shewing him the
piece of money she had found adhering to the bottom of the

measure.