The 38 robbers now came to the town in the evening and went straight to Alee Baabaa's house. Alee Baabaa was sitting outside after his dinner. The leader said to him - "I have brought some oil to sell in the market tomorrow. I am a bit late to reach the town, so I do not know where to lodge, if it is not troublesome to you, just let me pass the night here. I will be very grateful to you." Alee Baabaa could not recognize him as a robber, so he welcomed him in his house. He opened the gate of his house for the mules to go in and asked a slave to give them food. He then went to Marjeenaa to tell her to cook food for his guest.

Alee Baabaa noticed that the leader had sent the mules to the stable after being unloaded and he himself was looking for a place to sleep out of the doors; so he went out and brought him in the room not knowing that he wanted to kill him. The leader also came inside after a long "No, no, I can sleep here outside." Alee Baabaa fed him the dinner and asked him if he needed anything more. Then he went inside to instruct Marjeenaa to take care of his guest and said - "Tomorrow I will take bath early so give my bathing clothes to Abdallaa (the servant). 

At the same time the leader also got up and went outside pretending that he was going to check on his mules. He instructed all his men, from the first jar to the 37th one, that when he would throw stones out of the window, do not fail to cut the jars open with your knife you have, and come out; and then he would be with them at once. After this he came back and Marjeenaa took him to his room to sleep. He also soon put out the light and lay down in the same clothes in which he came there.

Marjeenaa gave Alee Baabaa's clothes to Abdallaa and went to cook something, but as she put the pot on fire, the lamp went out, and there was no oil in the house. Now what to do? Abdallaa said - "Why do you worry so much, go and take some oil from one of the jars." "Oh, thank you very much for this advice." saying this she went to the yard and as she neared a jar, a voice came, "Is it time." Although the robber spoke in a very low voice, still Marjeenaa had heard it. She got alarmed hearing a voice of a human being from an oil jar.

She guessed the danger in which they all were, so carefully she kept this secret and without getting alarmed she said to him - "Not yet, but soon." She gave this answer to all the men in jars until she came to the jar in which oil was there. Thus she had known that her master had allowed 38 robbers in his house instead of an oil merchant. She took the oil from the oil jar, lighted the lamp and then put a large kettle to boil the water. As soon it was boiled, she poured enough water in each jar to destroy the man sitting in it.

Then she came in the kitchen, put out the lamp and stood silently there instead of going to bed to watch what would happen next. After a few minutes, the leader noticed that there was no light in the house, no sound too, so he threw some small stones at jars hoping that his men will come out from the jars, but to his dismay nobody came out. He got alarmed seeing this, rose from this bed and went in the yard to check for his men. He found all of them dead. He had known that Alee Babaa had discovered his plan to kill him so he ran away fast through the back door. When Marjeenaa did not hear any sound for quite some time, she thought that the leader had run away through the back door instead of the street door. She felt happy and went to sleep.

Alee Baabaa rose in the morning, unaware of the events of the night, and went to bath. When he was returning from his bath, he noticed that the merchant's jars were still kept in the yard and the mules were still in the stable. He asked Marjeenaa abut this. She said - "Master, I will show you what you should see, if you just follow me." She took him in the yard and asked him to check the first jar if there was any oil in it. As he peeped in, he cried with fright. Marjeenaa said - "Don't be afraid. This man cannot do any harm to anybody in this house." "Oh, What does this mean?"

Marjeenaa said - "Do not arouse the curiosity of other people, just keep it secret. Look into all other jars." As he peeped in other jars, he became more surprised and asked - "What happened to the merchant?" Marjeenaa said - "Come to your room, then I will tell you his story to you that who he was, what has become to him, and where he has gone. It is the time for your breakfast." Alee Baabaa went into his room, Marjeenaa brought his breakfast, but Alee Baabaa requested her to tell the story before his breakfast. She then told him the whole story. She told him about the marks also on his door and suggested that maybe this merchant was the same man who marked your house. So now he should be on his own guard.

Alee Baabaa was so happy to hear all this that he set her free from his slavery and said - "I will surely give you reward of this. You have saved my life, I owe my life to you. Now we have to bury these in the way that nobody can make out where they are. Abdallaa and I will help you." They buried them in their garden. Alee Baabaa hid the jars and the weapons those men brought with them. He sold the mules, in parts, in the market through his slave.
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Now the leader came to his cave not deciding that where to go now and what to do of this Alee Baabaa. He cried for his troop for some time, then he slept. Next day he had another project in his mind. He got ready according to his plan, went to the town and stayed with a Khaan. He asked Khaan to tell him the news of the town, Khaan told him many news, but those news were not of his interest, it meant that Alee Baabaa had that news secret. 

He opened a shop, opposite to Alee Baabaa's son's shop, from which he started selling expensive things which he collected throughout his life. He took the name as Kogiyaa Hussain. He soon became friendly to other merchants and was introduced to Alee Baabaa's son also. Seeing around he recognized Alee Baabaa also. He treated him very nicely with presents, and often asked him to dine or sup with him. One day Alee Baabaa's son thought to return his obligations by inviting him to his house. He told his father about this, and the father got very happy to hear this, he said - "On Friday the shops are closed, take him on a walk in the evening and when you return, you pass by my door and call him in. It will be a nice surprise for him. I will ask Marjeenaa to prepare supper for him."

Next day Alee Baabaa's son took Hussain for a walk and after the walk, when they were returning he knocked Alee Baabaa's door and said to Hussain - "This is my father's house, when I told him abut your friendship, he asked me to bring you to him too." Although Hussain's aim was getting fulfilled, still he wanted to take leave, but at the same time the servant opened the door and Alee Baabaa's son almost forced him to come in. After talking on different subjects, Hussain again wanted to go home but Alee Baabaa insisted him to stay back and have food with him.

Hussain said - "I do not want to insult you, but I eat some special food, without salt, that is why I want to take food at my place only." Alee Baabaa said - "Oh, That is not a problem, we will prepare your food without salt, but you are staying here to have supper with me. I come back immediately." Alee Baabaa went to the kitchen and instructed Marjeenaa to prepare food without salt for his guest. Marjeenaa was surprised with his order, she asked , "Who is such a guest who does not eat salt?" "Don't worry, just do as I said." and Alee Baabaa left.

Marjeenaa couldn't help seeing the man who wouldn't eat salt. So when she had prepare everything, she came out to see the man. She immediately recognized him as the leader of those 38 robbers and saw a dagger hidden under his garment. She said to herself, "Oh, That is why he is not eating salt with him as he intends to kill my master, but I am not going to leave him." She thought of a plan. When they had eaten their food, and Abdallaa came to take the dessert, she herself took it to them and set it on the table. Then she took a little table and three glasses and kept them by Alee Baabaa and went to have here supper with Abdallaa.

Hussain thought that it was a great opportunity to kill both, father and the son, after they are drunk. Marjeenaa got ready in a dancer's dress and asked Abdallaa also to take his tabor and said - "Come, We will dance in the way we do sometimes to entertain our master when he is alone." Both entered the room. Alee Baabaa said to Marjeenaa - "Come and let Hussain see what you can do." and said to Hussain - "They are my servants - cook and housekeeper. They want to entertain you, I hope you wouldn't mind." Although Hussain was not expecting this diversion because he didn't want to lose this opportunity to kill both, still he pretended to be much obliged and showed his pleasure for what he will see.

Marjeenaa danced several dances with grace and strength. Then she took out her small dagger and started dancing with it. Sometimes she put it on one person's breast, sometimes on another's but most times on her own. When she finished her dance, she took tabor from Abdallaa's hand and presented the other side of the tabor with her left hand towards Alee Baabaa, still holding the dagger in her right hand. Alee Baabaa and his son gave her one gold coin each. Then she went to Hussain, and as he put his hand in his pocket to take out the money, she plunged her dagger into his heart.

Both Alee Baabaa and his son got frightened to see this and cried out - "What did you do this to ruin my family?" Marjeenaa said - "Sir, Not to ruin your family, rather to protect your family." Then she showed them the hidden dagger under his garment and said - "If you look carefully, he is the same man who came here as oil merchant. He came here to kill you, that is why he did not want to eat salt with you. I suspected him as soon as you told me that you had a guest who wouldn't eat salt with you. Now you can see that my suspicion was not baseless."

Alee Baabaa was saved second time. He was grateful to her. He said to her - "I gave you freedom before and I told you that my gratitude will not stop here. I show it to you by making you my daughter-in-law." Alee Baabaa's son also loved her so he consented for this marriage. They buried Hussain's body and nobody could know it. After a few days Alee Baabaa performed their marriage with pomp and show. 

After the marriage, for long time he did not go to the cave because he thought that there must be two robbers still alive since he did not know about them; but then he went there and found that nobody had touched the treasure since the death of Hussain. He brought much wealth from there and he showed that cave to his son also for future use.

End of Story No 44