Commander of the Faithful, continued Baba Abdalla, I was born at Bagdad. My father and mother died while I was yet a youth, and I inherited from them an ample estate. Although young, I neglected no opportunity to increase it by my industry. I soon became rich enough to purchase fourscore camels, which I let out to merchants, who hired them, at a considerable profit to me, to carry their merchandise from one country to another.
As I was returning one day with my unloaded camels from Bussorah, whither I had carried some bales that were to be embarked for the Indies, I met a dervish, who was walking to Bussorah. I asked him whence he came and where he was going; he put the same questions to me; and when we had satisfied each other’s curiosity, we produced our provisions and ate together.
During our repast, the dervish told me of a spot not far from where we sat, in which such immense riches were col-
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