Page:Arabian Nights Entertainments (1728)-Vol. 5.djvu/18

ble to have come up: And why, Fool, ſays the Man of the, Houſe, don’t you anſwer at firſt, when People ask you, Who is there? Why do you give any Body the Trouble to come and open the Door when they ſpeak to you? What will you do with me then, ſays my Brother? I tell thee again, ſays the Man of the Houſe, I have nothing to give you. Help me down Stairs then, replies Backback, as you help’d me up. The Stairs are before you, ſays the Man of the Houſe; you may go down alone if you will. My Brother went to go down, but miſſing a Step about the middle of the Stairs, he fell down and hurt his Head and his Back: He got up again, with a great deal of Difficulty, and complain’d heavily of the Maſter of the Houſe, who laugh’d at his Fall.

As my Brother went out of the Houſe, two blind Men, his Companions, were going by, knew him by his Voice, and ask’d him what was the Matter? He told them what had happen’d to him, and afterwards ſaid, I have eat nothing to Day; I conjure you to go along with me to my Houſe, that I may take ſome of the Money that we three have in common to buy me ſomething tor Supper; the two blind Men agreed to it, and they went Home with him.

You muſt know that the Maſter of the Houſe; where my Brother was ſo ill uſed, was a Highway-man, and naturally cunning and malicious. He heard at his Window what Backback ſaid to his Companions, and therefore came down and followed them to my Brother’s Houſe. The blind Men being ſet down, Backback ſays to them, Brethren, we muſt ſhut the Door, and take care there be no Stranger with us. At this the Highway-man was much perplex’d, but perceiving by Chance a Rope hanging down from a Beam, he catched hold of it, and hung by it, while the blind Men ſhut the Door, and felt about the Room with their Sticks, When they had done this, and ſat down again in their Places, the Highway-man left his Rope and ſat down, ſoftly by my Brother, who thinking himſelf alone with his blind, Comrades, ſays to them, Brothers, ſince you have truſted me with the Money, which we all three have gathered a long time, I will ſhow you that I am not unworthy of the Truſt you repoſe in me. The laſt time we reckon’d, you know-we had 10000 Drachms,