' So saying, he pulled out the
purse from his sleeve and laid it before Husameddin, who said
to the soldier, 'Take thy money; thou hast no ground of
complaint now against the people of the khan.' Thereupon the
latter and all who were present fell to blessing the thief and
praising him; but he said, 'O Amir, the skill is not in that I
came to thee and brought thee the purse, but in taking it a
second time from the trooper.' 'And how didst thou take it, O
sharper?' asked Husameddin.
'O Amir,' replied the thief, 'I was standing in the
money-changers' bazaar at Cairo, when I saw yonder man receive
the gold and put it in his purse; so I followed him from street
to street, but found no occasion of stealing it from him. Then
he left Cairo and I followed him from place to place, casting
about by the way to rob him, but without avail, till he entered
this city and I followed him to the khan. I took up my lodging
beside him and watched him till he fell asleep and I heard him
snoring, when I went softly up to him and cutting open his
saddlebags with this knife, took the purse thus--'
So saying, he put out his hand and took the purse from before
the chief of the police, whilst the latter and the trooper and
the folk drew back, watching him and thinking he would show them
how he took the purse from the saddle-bags; but, of a sudden,
he broke into a run and threw himself into a reservoir hard by.
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