ALL BABA: AN ALLEGORY.

Observer, Volume 6, Issue 149, 21 July 1883, Page 3

ALL BABA: AN ALLEGORY.

Once upon a time thero lived in the land of the South a worthy husbandman, named Ali Baba. By toiling during the heat and labour of the day, after many years he had amassed, by frugality and the sweat of his brow, much laud, wbich was very good, and was to him as the apple of his. eye. The extent thereof was near about 4500 dounoums (a dounoum is equal to an acre in Infidel measurement). But, as is the habit of man that is born of woman, Ali Baba became dissatisfied, and, hankering after gold (which is the betrayer of men), decided to change his land into glittering piastres, hoping . thereby to make much profit, and rejoice his soul. Being but a husbandman, and ignorant of the habits of great cities, Ali Baba went unto Abdullah, the son of Hie (a man reputed to be of groat wisdom in the law of land), and said unto him, "Friend Abdullah, behold I have much land, and lo ! it is very good ; but the sheen of the golden piastre is sweet to mine eyes. I pray thee, therefore, expound unto me how I shall dispose of my land to the best advantage." Abdullah, the son of Hie, who saw visions of much baksheesh (which unbelievers call plunder) to be obtained from the unsophisticated Ali Baba, encouraged him greatly in his intention, saying unto him, " Verily, gold is more beautiful than land."

Now, when Ali Baba consulted Abdullah, the son of Hie, he had decided in his mind to exchange all his lands "for one sum of 22,000 golden piastres (ono piastre being twenty of your shillings) ; but Abdullah dissuaded him from this, and advised him to divide the land and sell it -in detached portions, persuading him that it would be greatly to' his profit ; and to prove that this was so, he made him the ensuing offer: " Give me the land," he said, " and! will divide .it, and survey it, and advertise it, and distribute plans thereof throughout the country, at my own expense'; and my remuneration shall cost you nothing, for I will arrange it in the following way : Tbe land shall be sold by auction at the upset price of 23,100 piastres, which will be 22,000 piastres for you /"and 5 per cent, thereon — namely, 1,100 piastres — for me as the reward of my labour ; and if the land shall fetch more than the aforementioned sum of 23,100 piastres, the excess shall be divided equally between me and thee." This seemed very good in the eyes of the guileless Ali Baba, who expected, by availing himself, of the wisdom thus expounded unto him by Abdullah, the son 6f Hie, to obtain his own price, of 22,000 in^tres^ without paying anything for surveying, aiid advertising^ and commissioh, and perchanoe making extra gain, as Abdullah assured him that three rich men from thie gouW' : !WpuW l -ve'i^.pnrd^»se , _'Uie lands at a .large prjqe. "vile a(?oepted*this i oft ci*, .land Jiis jsoul; very glad- within' iiiii* ■ >•- >V. V - . --.-< . r •V. .'-.-'.ir/- °__ ■■' -•). ■!., firynj-A.-. ■' ..m. _„7j,.y ..{•■ \... ' pearl' of-' great prioe unto hex lordj tod- \ffcsa ne-,

told, her that he proposed to sell all the lands, she rent her garments and threw ashes- upon her head, and cried, " Out upon thee, Ali Baba ! Thou wouldsfc leave us landless in our old age, and, make usa scoffing and a reproach hi the whole country ; I, pray thee, therefore, retain for ourselves that portion round about our tent, that when we depart hence it may ..not. be said, " They have no land to bury them ; throw their bodies to the dogs." Then the soul of Ali Baba was vexed within him, and he saw that the lust for gold had blinded his eyes, and he fell upon his wife's neck and kissed her, and said, " Thou art indeed as wise as tho serpent. Weep not; ifc shall be as thou sayesfc, and the land that is round about our dwelling shall not pass into the hand of the stranger, but remain unto us and our seed for ever." So he went unto Abdullah, the son of Hie, and told him tbat the 560 dounoums around the dwelling should .not pass from his j hand, but remain as a resting-place for him and hii wife for ever ; whereupon- Abdullah said. that I the withdrawal of this land would prejudice the sale, and much more to tVe same effect, which was a subtilty, for the remainder of the land was very good also. However, he said, "I, being your friend, would object to nothing, even to mine own prejudice ; but my partner, who is a hard man from the great Northern Land of Onfcmeal, will surely oppose the withdrawal of the' land. Nevertheless, I think that for the sum of two hundred golden piastres I can induce him to retire from tho business." j

o ! Now Ali Baba, whose whole substance was invested in fche soil, was not in immediate possession of the 200 piastres, and told this to Abdullah, who offered himself to give the money to his partner, if Ali Baba would givo him a writing (called by you a promissory note) for the amount. To this he agreed with a grateful heart, but when he came to sign the writing, lo ! it was j for 500 instead of 200 piastres, whereupon Abdullah, tbe son of Hie, explained to him, that he required the extra 300 piastres for his own use, fplling him that it was but the loan of his name which he required, as fche estates would be sold before the writing became due, and he would take up the writing out of his commission, which he was to obtain for himself over and above the 22,000 piastres, so that Ali Baba would never really have to part with the money. This was all the writing that passed between tbem at that time ; but in the evening, just as Ali Baba was on the point of taking ship to return to his place of abode, Abdullah, fche son of Hie, came to him, saying, "Sign, I pray thee, this document; it is nothing but a memorandum of our conversation to-day." &

Upon which Ali Baba offered to tarry yet another day in the city, and sign at his leisure ; but Abdullah said "Nay; but thy. wife awaits thee ; it is nothing of importance ; but if thou ■wilt read, come a little apart under this lamp." Now, the handwriting of Abdullah, the son of Hie, was afc no time remarkable for clearness, but in this instance it was particularly illegible, and Ali B-iba could make very little out of it by the dim light, but, being pressed, he signed it in haste, and embarked, taking with him a copy of the said writing which Abdullah gave him. When he reached his abode, he narrated unto his wife the kindness of Abdullah, wbo had agreed to sell the estate, and accept as his commission 5 per cent, over und above the price pf 22,000 piastres ; but when she deciphered the writing, she said, " Nay, but I sec by this that he has made fchee say that thou gavesfc him the 500 piastres on account of his commission, though he agreed with thee that thou wast to pay him no commission, but that he would recoup himself by selling the estate for a higher price than the 22,000 piastres which thou demandest." Whereupon Ali Baba saw that he had been duped, and began to imagine that the partner of Abdullah, the hard man from the Northern land of oatmeal, was a myth, and fche creation of Abdullah's fertile brain. And he was very wrath, and went down tp the banker who kept his money, and told him not to negotiate the note ; but ifc was too late — the subtle Abdullah had been too quick for him, and the banker said, " Thou are responsible," and, verily, he deducted fche 500 piastres from the monej s he had of his in hand.

_». — : Ali Baba could obtain no redress from Abdullah, the son of Hie, who had him in the toils. So the great day of the sale arrived, but the three rich men from the South did not arrive, and, instead of the whole, only three portions of the land was sold. One portion was purchased by. a certain Banksah effendi, who was acting for some friends in the land called Mother Country. Now, every person who purchased the land was obliged to pay jx certain deposit, and, by misfortune or misrepresentation, Banksah effendi paid this money, to the sum of 300 piastres, to Abdullah, the son of Hie, who clave to it, as well as the 500 piastres aforesaid. Now, when Oanksah effendi applied to the wise men to whom Ali Baba had entrusted his affairs after he had lost faith in Abdullah, the son of Hie, for the land he had bought, they said, " Nay, where is thy deposit ?" And when he said, "Verily, I have paid it to Abdullah, the son of Hie," they replied, " Thou shouldst- not have paid moneys meant for Ali Baba to Abdullah, who had no authority to receive it for him, and has not rendered it unto us." And when Banksah effendi cried out, and made great lamentation, they said, " Of a truth, thou must sue Abdullah for the 300 piastres." ' , -*- __ _... __.

Also, one of Abdullah's men did purchase sundry eggs and butter of Ali Baba, to the amount of 10 piastres, and did not' pay for the same. So tho matter st?.ndeth thus : Abdullah, the, son of Hie, holds possession of certain moneys, th 6 property of Ali <33aba, to the amount of full £JlO golden piastres, vhich, he. rofuseth to render up,, saying h? wisheth to have another year or eighteen moons ,tb finish the : sale' of the lands, which, he. had ;epgaged to sell 'at once. And . Jfankaah , effendi, has 'neither i l'ajid nor his 300 jgplHep piastres, vhicjr h^ did w'rpngf nlly pay' \\iito t '^di^lah^^%e ; ' J .si^ .' pi ';pic^Vjt)«;!t^pught;';"tliitiba'imafi,aoes,!seek A^bierfuges'* f 6r ii6t paying, baoK tne money, Tjecaus^&Tia 'has afreaqty blued in TW aboye ailfegory" \^_ll probably 0 Ufe' _3olVsTitl . i ■ ' y " •

■■ — — —. — -V- ,j - -„■■ .x-iyy' ■< . \ divers forms at the sittings of >^':^< 6> :.' Law to be held shortly, in tW,'gr^.''bi^.oi^^<|'';\; the Northern Queen, and wiir-afPpr^''{a'uc]^ v iß]^t i -,i'' l to the faithful Mashallahl , whicE.r^amHtbld,. means, in your tongue, "So mote it be."., •'.' ". •'• .V-.: . ,