Cassim was consumed by greed. He did not take three bags of gold like his brother. He took ten donkeys to the cave, determined to fill them all.
"Open Sesame!" he shouted, and the cave opened.
Inside, Cassim's eyes nearly fell out of his head. He had never seen so much treasure. He began loading gold and jewels onto his donkeys, filling sack after sack. He was so excited that he barely noticed time passing.
Then he heard a sound — the thundering of horses. The forty thieves were returning.
Cassim ran to the cave entrance. He had to say the magic words to get out. But in his panic, he forgot them.
"Open Barley!" he shouted. Nothing happened.
"Open Wheat!" Nothing.
"Open Rice!" Nothing.
He tried every grain he could think of, but the word "sesame" — the only word that would open the cave — would not come to him. His mind was frozen with terror.
The thieves found him trapped inside. The captain of the thieves showed no mercy. They killed Cassim and cut his body into pieces as a warning to anyone else who might discover the cave.
When Cassim did not come home, Ali Baba went looking for him. He found his brother's body in the cave and was horrified. He brought the body home secretly, knowing that the thieves would come looking for whoever had been taking their gold.
Ali Baba was in terrible danger. The thieves knew someone had found their cave. They would search the city until they found the person responsible. Ali Baba needed help — and the help came from an unexpected source.
Her name was Morgiana. She was a young servant girl in Ali Baba's household — clever, observant, and braver than any soldier.
