6
he rightly concluded to be the robbers,
and he trembled lest he should now fall a
victim to his thirst of riches.
He resolved however to make one effort
to escape; and when he heard Sesame pro-
nounced, and saw the door open, he sprung
out but was instantly put to death by the
swords of the robbers.
The thieves now held a council, but not
one of them could possibly guess by what
means Cassim had got into the cave. They
saw the heaps of treasure he had piled, ready
to take away, but they did not miss what
Ali Baba had secured before. At length,
they agreed to cut Cassim's body into four
quarters and hang the pieces within the
cave, that it might terrify any one from
further attempts, and also determined not
to return themselves to the cave, for fear
of being watched and discovered.
When Cassim's wife saw night come on
and her husband not returned, she became
greatly alarmed. She watched at her win-
dow till daybreak, and then went to tell
Ali Baba of her fears. Cassim had not
informed him of his design of going to the
cave, but Ali Baba' now hearing of his
journey thither, did not wait to be desired to
go in search of him.
He drove his asses to the forest without
delay, but I Was alarmed to see blood near
