Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves

Long ago in Persia lived two brothers. Cassim had married a rich woman, while Ali Baba was a poor woodcutter. One day he saw forty horsemen coming, so he climbed a tree and hid.

The men stopped at a huge rock, and their captain cried, "Open, Sesame!" To Ali Baba's amazement, a door opened in the rock. As soon as the thieves had come out and ridden away, he tried the words himself. Inside the cave was gold that they had stolen over many years. He filled a few bags and hurried home.

His wife borrowed a measure from Cassim's house to measure the gold. Curious, Cassim's wife had put a little wax at the bottom. When the measure came back, a gold coin was stuck to it. Cassim demanded the truth, and Ali Baba told him.

The next day, Cassim went into the cave, but the treasure excited him so much that he forgot the words. "Open, Barley!" he shouted. The thieves found him there, and he never came home.

Ali Baba brought his brother's body home to bury him in secret, helped by Morgiana, his clever young servant. She paid an old shoemaker to sew the burial cloth, but she led him to the house with his eyes covered.

The thieves realized someone else knew their secret. One of them heard the shoemaker boasting about his strange job. For a gold coin, the old man covered his eyes again and walked the same streets, counting his steps. He stopped at Ali Baba's door, and the thief marked it with chalk.

The next morning, Morgiana noticed the mark. She didn't know who had made it, so she drew the same mark on every door in the street. That night, the thieves couldn't find the right house. The furious captain made the shoemaker take him there and memorized the house.

Weeks later, an oil seller arrived with mules carrying large jars, and generous Ali Baba gave him a bed. It was the captain in disguise, and his men were hiding in the jars. That night, Morgiana needed oil for her lamp. A voice from a jar whispered, "Is it time?" She checked every jar, and only one contained oil. She filled a large pot from it, heated the oil until it was boiling and poured it into all the others. When the captain gave his signal, nobody answered, and he fled over the garden wall.

In the morning, Morgiana told Ali Baba everything. He had always thought the magic words were his greatest treasure. Now he knew better, and he gave Morgiana her freedom. The cave had made him rich, but the servant girl had kept the whole family alive.