Cassim had never expected such an incident, and was so alarmed at the danger he was in, that the more he endeavoured to remember the word “Sesame,” the more his memory was confounded, and he had as much forgotten it as if he had never heard it mentioned.  He threw down the bags he had loaded himself with, and walked distractedly up and down the cave, without having the least regard to the riches that were around him.

About noon the robbers visited their cave.  At some distance they saw Cassim’s mules straggling about the rock, with great chests on their backs.  Alarmed at this, they galloped full speed to the cave.  They drove away the mules, which strayed through the forest so far, that they were soon out of sight, and went directly, with their naked sabres in their hands, to the door, which, on their captain pronouncing the proper words, immediately opened.

Cassim, who heard the noise of the horses’ feet, at once guessed the arrival of the robbers, and resolved to make one effort for his life.  He rushed to the door, and no sooner saw the door open, than he ran out and threw the leader down, but could not escape the other robbers, who with their scimitars soon deprived him of life.

The first care of the robbers after this was to examine the cave.  They found all the bags which Cassim had brought to the door, to be ready to load his mules, and carried them again to their places, but they did not miss what Ali Baba had taken away before.  Then holding a council, and deliberating upon this occurrence, they guessed that Cassim, when he was in, could no get out again, but could not imagine how he had learned the secret words by which alone he could enter.  They could not deny the fact of his being there; and to terrify any person or accomplice who should attempt the same thing, they agreed to cut Cassim’s body into four quarters—­to hang two on one side, and two on the other, within the door of the cave.  They had no sooner taken this resolution than they put it in execution; and when they had nothing more to detain them, left the place of their hoards well closed.  They mounted their horses, went to beat the roads again, and to attack the caravans they might meet.

In the mean time, Cassim’s wife was very uneasy when night came, and her husband was not returned.  She ran to Ali Baba in great alarm, and said, “I believe, brother-in-law, that you know Cassim is gone to the forest, and upon what account; it is now night, and he has not returned; I am afraid some misfortune has happened to him.”  Ali Baba told her that she need not frighten herself, for that certainly Cassim would not think it proper to come into the town till the night should be pretty far advanced.

Cassim’s wife, considering how much it concerned her husband to keep the business secret, was the more easily persuaded to believe her brother-in-law.  She went home again, and waited patiently till midnight.  Then her fear redoubled, and her grief was the more sensible because she was forced to keep it to herself.  She repented of her foolish curiosity, and cursed her desire of prying into the affairs of her brother and sister-in-law.  She spent all the night in weeping; and as soon as it was day went to them, telling them, by her tears, the cause of her coming.