The gate stood open; so he entered and lay down, but sleep came
not to him and fright and oppression beset him, for that he was
alone among the tombs. So he rose to his feet and opening the
door, looked out and saw, in the distance, a light making for the
tomb from the direction of the city-gate. At this he was afraid
and hastening to shut the gate, climbed up into the palm-tree and
hid himself among the branches. The light came nearer and nearer,
till he could see three black slaves, two carrying a chest and a
third a lantern, an adze and a basket of plaster. When they came
to the tomb, one of those who were carrying the chest cried out
to the other, 'Hello, Sewab!' 'What ails thee, O Kafour?' said
the other. 'Were we not here at nightfall,' asked the first, 'and
did we not leave the gate open?' 'True,' replied Sewab. 'See,'
said the other, 'it is now shut and barred.' 'How small is your
wit!' broke in the bearer of the lantern, whose name was Bekhit.
'Do ye not know that the owners of the gardens use to come out of
Baghdad to tend them, and when the night overtakes them, they
enter this place and shut the gate, for fear the blacks like
ourselves should catch them and roast them and eat them?' 'Thou
art right,' replied the others; 'but, by Allah, none of us is
less of wit than thou!' 'If you do not believe me,' said Bekhit,
'let us go into the tomb and I will unearth the rat for you; I
doubt not but that, when he saw the light and us making for the
tomb, he took refuge in the palm-tree, for fear of us.
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