went with him, till we came to a handsome house and a great door.  He opened the door and I entered, whereupon he locked the door [behind me] and would have gone in, but I feared with an exceeding fear and foregoing him to the second door, whereby he would have had me enter, locked it and cried out at him, saying, “By Allah, an thou open not to me, I will kill thee; for I am none of those whom thou canst cozen!” Quoth he, “What deemest thou of cozenage?” And I said, “Verily, I am affrighted at the loneliness of the house and the lack of any at the door thereof; for I see none appear.”  “O my lord,” answered he, “this is a privy door.”  “Privy or public,” answered I, “open to me.”

So he opened to me and I went out and had not gone far from the house when I met a woman, who said to me, “Methinks a long life was fore-ordained to thee; else hadst thou not come forth of yonder house.”  “How so?” asked I, and she answered, “Ask thy friend [such an one,” naming thee,] “and he will acquaint thee with strange things.”  So, God on thee, O my friend, tell me what befell thee of wonders and rarities, for I have told thee what befell me.’  ‘O my brother,’ answered I, ’I am bound by a solemn oath.’  And he said, ‘O my friend, break thine oath and tell me.’  Quoth I, ‘Indeed, I fear the issue of this.’ [But he importuned me] till I told him all, whereat he marvelled.  Then I went away from him and abode a long while, [without farther news].

One day, another of my friends came to me and said ’A neighbour of mine hath invited me to hear [music]. [And he would have me go with him;] but I said, ‘I will not foregather with any one.’  However, he prevailed upon me [to accompany him]; so we repaired to the place and found there a man, who came to meet us and said, ‘[Enter,] in the name of God!’ Then he pulled out a key and opened the door, whereupon we entered and he locked the door after us.  Quoth I, ’We are the first of the folk; but where are their voices?’[FN#128] ‘[They are] within the house,’ answered he.  ’This is but a privy door; so be not amazed at the absence of the folk.’  And my friend said to me, ’Behold, we are two, and what can they avail to do with us?’ [Then he brought us into the house,] and when we entered the saloon, we found it exceeding desolate and repulsive of aspect Quoth my friend, ’We are fallen [into a trap]; but there is no power and no virtue save in God the Most High, the Supreme!’ And I said, ’May God not requite thee for me with good!’

Then we sat down on the edge of the estrade and presently I espied a closet beside me; so I looked into it and my friend said to me, ‘What seest thou?’ Quoth I, ’I see therein good galore and bodies of murdered folk.  Look.’  So he looked and said, ’By Allah, we are lost men!’ And we fell a-weeping, I and he.  As we were thus, behold, there came in upon us, by the door at which we had entered, four naked men, with girdles of leather about their middles, and made for my friend.