Antoine Galland, from the telling of Hannā Diyāb · Complete work
Cogia Hussain
Cogia Hussain of 14. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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Le jardin d’Ali Baba étoit d’une grande longueur, terminé par de grands arbres. Sans différer, il alla sous ces arbres avec son esclave, creuser une fosse longue et large à proportion des corps qu’ils avoient à y enterrer. Le terrain étoit aisé à remuer, et ils ne mirent pas un long-temps à l’achever. Ils tirèrent les corps hors des vases, et ils mirent à part les armes dont les voleurs s’étoient munis. Ils transportèrent ces corps au bout du jardin, et ils les arrangèrent dans la fosse; et après les avoir couverts de la terre qu’ils en avoient tirée, ils dispersèrent ce qui en restoit aux environs, de manière que le terrain parut égal comme auparavant. Ali Baba fit cacher soigneusement les vases à l’huile et les armes; et quant aux mulets, dont il n’avoit pas besoin pour lors, il les envoya au marché à différentes fois, où il les fit vendre par son esclave.
Pendant qu’Ali Baba prenoit toutes ces mesures pour ôter à la connoissance du public par quel moyen il étoit devenu riche en peu de temps, le capitaine des quarante voleurs étoit retourné à la forêt avec une mortification inconcevable; et dans l’agitation, ou plutôt dans la confusion où il étoit d’un succès si malheureux et si contraire à ce qu’il s’étoit promis, il étoit rentré dans la grotte, sans avoir pu s’arrêter à aucune résolution dans le chemin sur ce qu’il devoit faire ou ne pas faire à Ali Baba.
La solitude où il se trouva dans cette sombre demeure, lui parut affreuse.
« Braves gens, s’écria-t-il, compagnons de mes veilles, de mes courses et de mes travaux, où êtes-vous? Que puis-je faire sans vous? Vous avois-je assemblés et choisis pour vous voir périr tous à la fois par une destinée si fatale et si indigne de votre courage? Je vous regretterois moins si vous étiez morts le sabre à la main en vaillans hommes. Quand aurai-je fait une autre troupe de gens de main comme vous? Et quand je le voudrois, pourrois-je l’entreprendre, et ne pas exposer tant d’or, tant d’argent, tant de richesses à la proie de celui qui s’est déjà enrichi d’une partie? Je ne puis et je ne dois y songer, qu’auparavant je ne lui aie ôté la vie. Ce que je n’ai pu faire avec un secours si puissant, je le ferai moi seul; et quand j’aurai pourvu de la sorte à ce que ce trésor ne soit plus exposé au pillage, je travaillerai à faire en sorte qu’il ne demeure ni sans successeurs ni sans maître après moi, qu’il se conserve et qu’il s’augmente dans toute la postérité. »
Cette résolution prise, il ne fut pas embarrassé à chercher les moyens de l’exécuter; et alors plein d’espérance, et l’esprit tranquille, il s’endormit, et passa la nuit assez paisiblement.
Le lendemain, le capitaine des voleurs éveillé de grand matin, comme il se l’étoit proposé, prit un habit fort propre, conformément au dessein qu’il avoit médité, et il vint à la ville, où il prit un logement dans un khan; et comme il s’attendoit que ce qui s’étoit passé chez Ali Baba, pouvoit avoir fait de l’éclat, il demanda au concierge, par manière d’entretien, s’il y avoit quelque chose de nouveau dans la ville, sur quoi le concierge parla de toute autre chose que de ce qu’il lui importoit de savoir. Il jugea de là que la raison pourquoi Ali Baba gardoit un si grand secret, venoit de ce qu’il ne vouloit pas que la connoissance qu’il avoit du trésor, et du moyen d’y entrer, fût divulguée, et de ce qu’il n’ignoroit pas que c’étoit pour ce sujet qu’on en vouloit à sa vie. Cela l’anima davantage à ne rien négliger pour se défaire de lui par la même voie du secret.
Le capitaine des voleurs se pourvut d’un cheval, dont il se servit pour transporter à son logement plusieurs sortes de riches étoffes et de toiles fines, en faisant plusieurs voyages à la forêt avec les précautions nécessaires pour cacher le lieu où il les alloit prendre. Pour débiter ces marchandises, quand il en eut amassé ce qu’il avoit jugé à propos, il chercha une boutique. Il en trouva une; et après l’avoir prise à louage du propriétaire, il la garnit, et il s’y établit. La boutique qui se trouva vis-à-vis de la sienne, étoit celle qui avoit appartenu à Cassim, et qui étoit occupée par le fils d’Ali Baba, il n’y avoit pas long-temps.
Le capitaine des voleurs qui avoit pris le nom de Cogia Houssain, comme nouveau venu, ne manqua pas de faire civilité aux marchands ses voisins, selon la coutume. Mais comme le fils d’Ali Baba étoit jeune, bien fait, qu’il ne manquoit pas d’esprit, et qu’il avoit occasion plus souvent de lui parler et de s’entretenir avec lui qu’avec les autres, il eut bientôt fait amitié avec lui. Il s’attacha même à le cultiver plus fortement et plus assidûment, quand trois ou quatre jours après son établissement, il eut reconnu Ali Baba qui vint voir son fils, qui s’arrêta à s’entretenir avec lui, comme il avoit coutume de le faire de temps en temps, et qu’il eut appris du fils, après qu’Ali Baba l’eut quitté, que c’étoit son père. Il augmenta ses empressemens auprès de lui, il le caressa, il lui fit de petits présens, il le régala même, et il lui donna plusieurs fois à manger.
Le fils d’Ali Baba ne voulut pas avoir tant d’obligation à Cogia Houssain sans lui rendre la pareille. Mais il étoit logé étroitement, et il n’avoit pas la même commodité que lui pour le régaler comme il le souhaitoit. Il parla de son dessein à Ali Baba son père, en lui faisant remarquer qu’il ne seroit pas séant qu’il demeurât plus long-temps sans reconnoître les honnêtetés de Cogia Houssain.
Ali Baba se chargea du régal avec plaisir.
« Mon fils, dit-il, il est demain vendredi; comme c’est un jour que les gros marchands, comme Cogia Houssain et comme vous, tiennent leurs boutiques fermées, faites avec lui une partie de promenade pour l’après-dînée, et en revenant faites en sorte que vous le fassiez passer par chez moi et que vous le fassiez entrer. Il sera mieux que la chose se fasse de la sorte, que si vous l’invitiez dans les formes. Je vais ordonner à Morgiane de faire le soupé, et de le tenir prêt. »
Le vendredi, le fils d’Ali Baba et Cogia Houssain se trouvèrent l’après-dîné au rendez-vous qu’ils s’étoient donné, et ils firent leur promenade. En revenant, comme le fils d’Ali Baba avoit affecté de faire passer Cogia Houssain par la rue où demeuroit son père, quand ils furent arrivés devant la porte de la maison, il l’arrêta, et en frappant: « C’est, lui dit-il, la maison de mon père, lequel sur le récit que je lui ai fait de l’amitié dont vous m’honorez, m’a chargé de lui procurer l’honneur de votre connoissance. Je vous prie d’ajouter ce plaisir à tous les autres dont je vous suis redevable. »
Quoique Cogia Houssain fût arrivé au but qu’il s’étoit proposé, qui étoit d’avoir entrée chez Ali Baba, et de lui ôter la vie, sans hasarder la sienne, en ne faisant pas d’éclat, il ne laissa pas néanmoins de s’excuser, et de faire semblant de prendre congé du fils; mais comme l’esclave d’Ali Baba venoit d’ouvrir, le fils le prit obligeamment par la main, et en entrant le premier, il le tira et le força en quelque manière d’entrer, comme malgré lui.
Ali Baba reçut Cogia Houssain avec un visage ouvert, et avec le bon accueil qu’il pouvoit souhaiter. Il le remercia des bontés qu’il avoit pour son fils. « L’obligation qu’il vous en a, et que je vous en ai moi-même, ajouta-t-il, est d’autant plus grande, que c’est un jeune homme qui n’a pas encore l’usage du monde, et que vous ne dédaignez pas de contribuer à le former. »
Cogia Houssain rendit compliment pour compliment à Ali Baba, en lui assurant que si son fils n’avoit pas encore acquis l’expérience de certains vieillards, il avoit un bon sens qui lui tenoit lieu de l’expérience d’une infinité d’autres.
Après un entretien de peu de durée sur d’autres sujets indifférens, Cogia Houssain voulut prendre congé. Ali Baba l’arrêta.
« Seigneur, dit-il, où voulez-vous aller? Je vous prie de me faire l’honneur de souper avec moi. Le repas que je veux vous donner est beaucoup au-dessous de ce que vous méritez; mais, tel qu’il est, j’espère que vous l’agréerez d’aussi bon cœur que j’ai intention de vous le donner. »
« Seigneur Ali Baba, reprit Cogia Houssain, je suis très-persuadé de votre bon cœur; et si je vous demande en grâce de ne pas trouver mauvais que je me retire sans accepter l’offre obligeante que vous me faites, je vous supplie de croire que je ne le fais ni par mépris, ni par incivilité, mais parce que j’en ai une raison que vous approuveriez si elle vous étoit connue. »
« Et quelle peut être cette raison, Seigneur, reprit Ali Baba? Peut-on vous la demander? »
« Je puis la dire, répliqua Cogia Houssain: c’est que je ne mange ni viande, ni ragoût où il y ait du sel; jugez vous-même de la contenance que je ferois à votre table. »
« Si vous n’avez que cette raison, insista Ali Baba, elle ne doit pas me priver de l’honneur de vous posséder à souper, à moins que vous ne le vouliez autrement. Premièrement, il n’y a pas de sel dans le pain que l’on mange chez moi; et quant à la viande et aux ragoûts, je vous promets qu’il n’y en aura pas dans ce qui sera servi devant vous, je vais y donner ordre. Ainsi faites-moi la grâce de demeurer, je reviens à vous dans un moment. »
Ali Baba alla à la cuisine, et il ordonna à Morgiane de ne pas mettre du sel sur la viande qu’elle avoit à servir, et de préparer promptement deux ou trois ragoûts, entre ceux qu’il lui avoit commandés, où il n’y eût pas de sel.
Morgiane qui étoit prête à servir, ne put s’empêcher de témoigner son mécontentement sur ce nouvel ordre, et de s’en expliquer à Ali Baba.
« Qui est donc, dit-elle, cet homme si difficile qui ne mange pas de sel? Votre soupé ne sera plus bon à manger si je le sers plus tard. »
« Ne te fâche pas, Morgiane, reprit Ali Baba, c’est un honnête homme. Fais ce que je te dis. »
Morgiane obéit, mais à contre-cœur. Elle eut la curiosité de connoître cet homme qui ne mangeoit pas de sel. Quand elle eut achevé, et qu’Abdalla eut préparé la table, elle l’aida à porter les plats. En regardant Cogia Houssain, elle le reconnut d’abord pour le capitaine des voleurs, malgré son déguisement; et en l’examinant avec attention, elle aperçut qu’il avoit un poignard caché sous son habit.
« Je ne m’étonne plus, dit-elle en elle-même, que le scélérat ne veuille pas manger de sel avec mon maître: c’est son plus fier ennemi, il veut l’assassiner; mais je l’en empêcherai. »
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from Antoine Galland’s French text of “Histoire d’Ali Baba, et de quarante voleurs exterminés par une esclave” (Les Mille et une nuits, Le Normant edition of 1806, volume VI), paragraph for paragraph, and checked against the French before publication.
Ali Baba's garden was very long and ended in a row of tall trees. Without delay he went beneath those trees with his slave to dig a pit, long and wide in proportion to the bodies they had to bury there. The ground was easy to work, and it did not take them long to finish. They drew the bodies out of the jars and set aside the weapons the robbers had armed themselves with. They carried the bodies to the end of the garden and laid them in the pit, and after covering them with the earth they had dug out, they scattered what was left over round about, so that the ground looked as level as before. Ali Baba had the oil jars and the weapons carefully hidden, and as for the mules, which he had no need of for the present, he sent them to market at different times and had his slave sell them there.
While Ali Baba was taking all these measures to keep the public from learning how he had grown rich in so short a time, the captain of the forty robbers had gone back to the forest in unimaginable humiliation. In the turmoil, or rather the confusion, into which so disastrous an outcome, so contrary to what he had promised himself, had thrown him, he had gone back into the cave without being able to settle on any resolution along the way about what he should or should not do to Ali Baba.
The solitude he found in that gloomy dwelling seemed dreadful to him.
"Brave men," he cried, "companions of my night watches, my raids, and my labors, where are you? What can I do without you? Did I gather and choose you only to see you all perish at once by a fate so deadly and so unworthy of your courage? I would mourn you less if you had died like valiant men, saber in hand. When shall I ever raise another band of fighting men like you? And even if I wished to, could I undertake it without exposing so much gold, so much silver, so much wealth, as prey to the man who has already enriched himself with a part of it? I cannot and must not think of it until I have first taken his life. What I could not do with such powerful help, I will do alone. And when I have made sure in this way that this treasure is no longer open to plunder, I will work to see that it is not left without heirs or without a master after me, but that it is preserved and increased for all posterity."
Having made this resolution, he was at no loss for the means of carrying it out. Then, full of hope and with his mind at rest, he fell asleep and passed the night quite peacefully.
The next day the robber captain, waking very early as he had intended, put on very fine clothes in keeping with the plan he had devised and came to the city, where he took lodging in a khan. Since he expected that what had happened at Ali Baba's house might have caused a stir, he asked the doorkeeper, as if making conversation, whether there was any news in the city, whereupon the doorkeeper spoke of everything but what he needed to know. From this he judged that the reason Ali Baba kept so close a secret was that he did not want his knowledge of the treasure, and of the way to get into it, to be spread abroad, and that he knew very well that this was why someone wanted his life. That spurred the captain all the more to spare no effort to be rid of him by the same secret means.
The robber captain provided himself with a horse, which he used to carry many kinds of rich fabrics and fine linens to his lodging, making several journeys to the forest with the precautions needed to hide the place he fetched them from. To sell this merchandise, once he had gathered as much as he thought fit, he looked for a shop. He found one, rented it from the owner, stocked it, and set himself up there. The shop directly opposite his own was the one that had belonged to Cassim, which Ali Baba's son had occupied for only a short while.
The robber captain, who had taken the name Cogia Hussain, did not fail, as a newcomer, to pay his respects to his neighbors among the merchants, according to custom. But since Ali Baba's son was young and handsome, did not lack wit, and had more occasion than the others to speak and converse with him, he soon made friends with him. He set himself to cultivate him still more closely and assiduously when, three or four days after he had set up shop, he recognized Ali Baba, who came to see his son and stopped to talk with him, as he was in the habit of doing from time to time, and when he learned from the son, after Ali Baba had left him, that this was his father. He redoubled his attentions to him. He made much of him, gave him small presents, even entertained him, and several times had him to dine.
Ali Baba's son did not want to be so much in Cogia Hussain's debt without returning the favor. But his lodging was cramped, and he did not have the same means as Cogia Hussain to entertain him as he wished. He spoke of his intention to his father, Ali Baba, pointing out to him that it would not be fitting for him to go on any longer without repaying Cogia Hussain's kindnesses.
Ali Baba gladly took the entertainment upon himself.
"My son," he said, "tomorrow is Friday. Since that is a day when the great merchants, like Cogia Hussain and like you, keep their shops closed, arrange an outing with him for the afternoon, and on the way back, see to it that you bring him by my house and have him come in. It will be better done that way than if you invited him formally. I will tell Morgiana to make supper and have it ready."
On Friday afternoon Ali Baba's son and Cogia Hussain met at the place they had agreed on and went on their outing. On the way back, since Ali Baba's son had taken care to bring Cogia Hussain along the street where his father lived, when they came to the door of the house he stopped him and, knocking, said to him, "This is my father's house. When I told him of the friendship you honor me with, he charged me to obtain for him the honor of your acquaintance. I beg you to add this pleasure to all the others for which I am in your debt."
Although Cogia Hussain had reached the goal he had set himself, which was to gain entry to Ali Baba's house and take his life without risking his own or causing a stir, he nonetheless made his excuses and pretended to take leave of the son. But since Ali Baba's slave had just opened the door, the son took him kindly by the hand, and going in first, drew him in and in a manner obliged him to enter, as if against his will.
Ali Baba received Cogia Hussain with an open face and with every welcome he could wish. He thanked him for his kindness to his son. "The debt he owes you for it, and that I owe you myself," he added, "is all the greater because he is a young man who does not yet know the ways of the world, and you do not disdain to help shape him."
Cogia Hussain returned compliment for compliment, assuring Ali Baba that if his son had not yet gained the experience of certain old men, he had a good sense that served him in place of the experience of countless others.
After a brief conversation on other, idle subjects, Cogia Hussain made to take his leave. Ali Baba stopped him.
"Sir," he said, "where do you want to go? I beg you to do me the honor of taking supper with me. The meal I wish to give you is far below what you deserve, but such as it is, I hope you will accept it as warmly as I mean to offer it."
"Master Ali Baba," Cogia Hussain replied, "I am fully convinced of your kindness. And if I ask as a favor that you not take it amiss if I withdraw without accepting your gracious offer, I beg you to believe that I do so neither from disdain nor from discourtesy, but because I have a reason for it that you would approve if you knew it."
"And what can this reason be, sir?" Ali Baba returned. "May one ask it of you?"
"I can tell it," Cogia Hussain replied. "It is that I eat no meat, and no stew, that has salt in it. Judge for yourself what a figure I would cut at your table."
"If that is your only reason," Ali Baba insisted, "it must not deprive me of the honor of having you to supper, unless you wish it otherwise. In the first place, there is no salt in the bread eaten in my house. And as for the meat and the stews, I promise you there will be none in what is served before you. I will go and give the order. So do me the kindness of staying; I will be back with you in a moment."
Ali Baba went to the kitchen and ordered Morgiana not to put salt on the meat she was to serve, and to prepare quickly two or three stews without salt, among those he had ordered from her.
Morgiana, who was ready to serve, could not help showing her displeasure at this new order and speaking her mind to Ali Baba.
"Who is this fussy man who eats no salt?" she said. "Your supper will be ruined if I serve it later."
"Don't be cross, Morgiana," Ali Baba replied. "He is an honest man. Do as I tell you."
Morgiana obeyed, but grudgingly. She was curious to see this man who ate no salt. When she had finished, and Abdalla had set the table, she helped him carry in the dishes. Looking at Cogia Hussain, she knew him at once for the robber captain, despite his disguise, and studying him closely, she saw that he had a dagger hidden under his robe.
"I am no longer surprised," she said to herself, "that the villain will not eat salt with my master. He is his bitterest enemy; he means to murder him. But I will stop him."
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the same French text of Galland’s 1806 Le Normant edition, paragraph for paragraph.
Ali Baba's garden was very long. At the far end there was a row of tall trees. Ali Baba didn't wait. He went under those trees with his slave and dug a pit big enough for all the bodies they had to bury. The soil was easy to dig, so it didn't take long. They pulled the bodies out of the jars and put aside the robbers' weapons. They carried the bodies to the end of the garden and laid them in the pit. They covered them with the dirt they had dug out and spread the leftover dirt around so the ground looked flat, the same as before. Ali Baba had the oil jars and the weapons carefully hidden. He didn't need the mules right then. So he sent them to market a few at a time and had his slave sell them.
While Ali Baba was doing all this to make sure nobody found out how he had gotten rich so fast, the robber leader had gone back to the forest. He felt more humiliated than anyone can imagine. Things had gone so badly, the exact opposite of what he had expected. He was upset and confused. He went back into the cave, and the whole way there he couldn't decide what he should or shouldn't do about Ali Baba.
Being all alone in that dark place felt terrible to him.
"My brave men," he cried out, "you stayed up nights with me, rode out with me, and worked with me. Where are you? What can I do without you? Did I bring you together and pick you just to watch you all die at once, in such a terrible way? You were too brave for a death like that. I wouldn't miss you as much if you had died fighting like heroes, swords in your hands. When will I ever find another gang of fighters like you? And even if I wanted to, how could I do it? I'd be leaving all this gold and silver and treasure open to the man who has already made himself rich with some of it. I can't think about that, and I shouldn't, until I've killed him. I couldn't do it with all of you helping me, so I'll do it by myself. Once I've made sure nobody can rob this treasure anymore, I'll make sure that after I'm gone it will still have someone to own it and inherit it. I'll make sure it's kept safe and keeps growing for all the generations to come."
Once he had made up his mind, it wasn't hard for him to figure out how to do it. He felt hopeful and calm. He fell asleep and had a fairly peaceful night.
He woke up very early the next day, as he had planned. He put on some very nice clothes that fit the plan he had made. He went into town and got a room at an inn. He thought what had happened at Ali Baba's house might have caused a lot of talk. So he asked the man who ran the inn, as if he were just chatting, whether there was any news in town. The man talked about everything except what the leader needed to know. This told him why Ali Baba was keeping it all so secret. Ali Baba didn't want anyone to find out that he knew about the treasure and how to get into it. He also knew perfectly well that this was why someone was trying to kill him. That made the leader even more determined to do whatever it took to get rid of him, and just as secretly.
The robber leader got himself a horse. He used it to carry all kinds of expensive fabrics and fine cloth to his room. He made several trips to the forest for them, and he was careful to hide where he was getting them. Once he had collected as much as he thought he needed, he looked for a shop so he could sell it. He found one and rented it from the owner. He filled it with his goods and started working there. The shop right across from his had belonged to Cassim. Ali Baba's son had only been running it for a short time.
The robber leader now called himself Cogia Hussain. Since he was new, he made sure to be polite to the merchants in the nearby shops, as was the custom. Ali Baba's son was young and good-looking, and he was smart. He also had more chances than the others to talk and chat with Cogia Hussain. So Cogia Hussain soon became his friend. Three or four days after opening his shop, Cogia Hussain recognized Ali Baba when he came by to see his son. Ali Baba stopped to talk with him, the way he did every so often. After Ali Baba left, Cogia Hussain found out from the son that this was his father. After that, he worked even harder and more often at the friendship. He went out of his way for him. He was very warm to him, gave him small gifts, treated him, and invited him over for meals several times.
Ali Baba's son didn't want to owe Cogia Hussain so much without paying him back. But he lived in a small place, and he couldn't host him the way he wanted to, the way Cogia Hussain could. He told his father, Ali Baba, what he wanted to do. He said it wouldn't be right to go any longer without returning Cogia Hussain's kindness.
Ali Baba was happy to take care of the dinner.
"Son," he said, "tomorrow is Friday. That's a day when important merchants like you and Cogia Hussain close their shops. Invite him to go for a walk with you in the afternoon. On the way back, make sure you bring him past my house and get him to come inside. That will work better than a formal invitation. I'll tell Morgiana to make dinner and have it ready."
On Friday afternoon Ali Baba's son and Cogia Hussain met where they had planned, and they went for their walk. On the way back, Ali Baba's son made a point of taking Cogia Hussain down the street where his father lived. When they got to the door of the house, he stopped him and knocked. "This is my father's house," he said. "I told him how kind you've been to me, and he asked me to introduce you to him. It would be an honor for him. Please do me this favor too, on top of all the others I already owe you."
This was exactly what Cogia Hussain had been hoping for. He wanted to get into Ali Baba's house and kill him without risking his own life or causing any commotion. But he still made excuses and pretended to say goodbye to the son. Just then, Ali Baba's slave opened the door. The son took Cogia Hussain by the hand in a friendly way and went in first. He pulled him along and more or less made him come in, as if he didn't want to.
Ali Baba greeted Cogia Hussain with a warm smile and gave him the best welcome anyone could want. He thanked him for being so good to his son. "My son owes you a lot for it, and so do I," he added. "And it means even more because he's a young man who doesn't know much about the world yet. You don't think it's beneath you to help teach him."
Cogia Hussain returned the compliment. He told Ali Baba that his son might not have the experience some old men have, but he had good sense, and that was worth more than the experience of a great many other people.
They talked for a short while about other things that didn't matter. Then Cogia Hussain tried to leave. Ali Baba stopped him.
"Sir," he said, "where are you going? Please do me the honor of having dinner with me. The meal I want to serve you isn't nearly as good as you deserve. But I hope you'll accept it as gladly as I'm offering it."
"Ali Baba, sir," Cogia Hussain said, "I'm sure you mean it kindly. I'm asking you not to be offended if I leave without accepting your kind offer. Please believe me, it isn't because I look down on you or want to be rude. It's because I have a reason. If you knew what it was, you'd agree with me."
"And what could that reason be, sir?" Ali Baba asked. "May I ask?"
"I can tell you," Cogia Hussain said. "I don't eat any meat or any stew that has salt in it. You can imagine how awkward I'd be at your table."
"If that's your only reason," Ali Baba insisted, "it shouldn't keep me from the honor of having you for dinner, unless you'd really rather not. First of all, the bread we eat in my house has no salt in it. As for the meat and the stews, I promise there won't be any salt in anything that's served to you. I'll go and tell them. So please, stay. I'll be right back."
Ali Baba went to the kitchen. He told Morgiana not to put salt on the meat she was going to serve. He also told her to quickly make two or three stews with no salt, out of the ones he had asked her to cook.
Morgiana was ready to serve. She couldn't help showing how annoyed she was about this new order, and she told Ali Baba so.
"Who is this picky man who doesn't eat salt?" she said. "If I serve your dinner late, it won't be any good anymore."
"Don't be angry, Morgiana," Ali Baba said. "He's a good man. Do what I tell you."
Morgiana did it, but she didn't like it. She wanted to see this man who didn't eat salt. When she was finished and Abdalla had set the table, she helped him carry in the dishes. As soon as she looked at Cogia Hussain, she recognized him. Even in his disguise, he was the robber leader. She looked at him more closely and saw that he had a dagger hidden under his robe.
"Now I understand why that criminal doesn't want to eat salt with my master," she thought. "He's my master's worst enemy. He wants to murder him. But I'll stop him."