12
It was agreed among them that they
were to meet in the market place at the dusk
of the evening, and that the captain and
the robber who had discovered the house,
were to go there first, to find out to whom
it belonged. Accordingly, being arrived in
the streets, and having a lantern with
them, they began to examine the doors,
and found, to their confusion and astonish-
ment, that ten doors were marked exactly
alike. The robber, who was the captain's
guide, could not say one word in explan-
ation of this mystery; and when the dis-
appointed troop got back to the forest, his
enraged companions ordered him to be put
to death.
Another now offered himself upon the
same conditions as the former; and hav-
ing bribed Mustapha, and discovered the
house he made a mark with dark red chalk
upon the door in a part that was not in the
least conspicious, and carefully examined
the surrounding doors, to be certain that no
such mark was upon any one of them.
But nothing could escape the prying
eyes of Morgiana, scarcely had the robber
departed when she discovered the red mark;
and getting some red chalk, she marked
seven doors on each side precisely in the
same place and in the same manner.
The robber, valuing himself highly upon
