He abode awhile in the exercise of his office，till，one day，his mother went in to the wife of the Chief of the Police，who said to her，Praised be God who hath delivered thy son from prison and restored him to health and safety！But why dost thou not bid him cast about to get the girl Jessamine for my son Hebezlem Bezazeh？That will I，'answered she and going out from her，repaired to her son. She found him drunken and said to him，O my son，none was the cause of thy release from prison but the wife of the Master of Police，and she would have thee go about to kill Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat and get his slave-girl Jessamine for her son Hebezlem Bezazeh.'That will be the easiest of things，answered he，and I will set about it this very night.'Now this was the first night of the new month，and it was the Khalifs wont to pass that night with the Princess Zubeideh，for the setting free of a male or female slave or what not else of the like. On this occasion，he used to doff his royal habit and lay it upon a chair in the sitting-chamber，together with his rosary and dagger and royal signet and a golden lantern，adorned with three jewels strung on a wire of gold，by which he set great store，committing all these things to the charge of the eunuchs，whilst he sent into the Lady Zubeidehs apartment. So Ahmed Kemakim waited till midnight，when Canopus shone and all creatures slept，whilst the Creator covered them with the curtain [of the dark]. Then he took his naked sword in one hand and his grappling iron in the other，and repairing to the Khalifs pavilion，cast his grapnel on to the roof. It caught there and he fixed his rope-ladder and climbed up to the roof；then，raising the trap-door，let himself down into the saloon，where he found the eunuchs asleep. So he drugged them with henbane and taking the Khalifs dress and dagger and rosary and handkerchief and signet-ring and lantern，returned whence he came and betook himself to the house of Alaeddin，who had that night celebrated his wedding festivities with Jessamine and had gone in to her and gotten her with child. Ahmed climbed over into his saloon and raising one of the marble slabs of the floor，dug a hole under it and laid the stolen things therein，all save the lantern，which he kept，saying in himself，I will set it before me，when I sit at wine，and drink by its light.'Then he plastered down the marble slab，as it was，and returning whence he came，went back to his own house. As soon as it was day，the Khalif went out into the sitting-chamber，and finding the eunuchs drugged with henbane，aroused them. Then he put his hand to the chair and found neither dress nor signet nor rosary nor dagger nor lantern；
whereat he was exceeding wroth and donning the habit of anger，which was red，sat down in the Divan. So the Vizier Jaafer came forward and kissing the earth before him，said，May God avert the wrath of the Commander of the Faithful！'O Vizier，'answered the Khalif，I am exceeding wroth！'[106] What has happened？
asked Jaafer；so he told him what had happened and when the Chief of the Police appeared，with Ahmed Kemakim at his stirrup，he said to him，O Amir Khalid，how goes Baghdad？And he answered，It is safe and quiet.'Thou liest！'rejoined the Khalif. How so，O Commander of the Faithful？asked the Amir. So he told him the case and added，I charge thee to bring me back all the stolen things.'O Commander of the Faithful，replied the Amir，the vinegar-worm is of and in the vinegar，and no stranger can get at this place.'[107] But the Khalif said，Except thou bring me these things，I will put thee to death.'Quoth Khalid，Ere thou slay me，slay Ahmed Kemakim，for none should know the robber and the traitor but the captain of the watch.'Then came forward Ahmed Kemakim and said to the Khalif，Accept my intercession for the Master of Police，and I will be responsible to thee for the thief and will follow his track till I find him；
but give me two Cadis and two Assessors，for he who did this thing feareth thee not，nor doth he fear the Chief of the Police nor any other.'Thou shalt have what thou seekest，'answered the Khalif；but let search be made first in my palace and then in those of the Vizier and the Chief of the Sixty.'Thou sayst well，O Commander of the Faithful，'rejoined Ahmed；most like the thief is one who had been reared in thy household or that of one of thy chief officers.'As my head liveth，'said Haroun，whosoever shall appear to have done the deed，I will put him to death，be it my very own son！'Then Ahmed Kemakim received a written warrant to enter and search the houses and taking in his hand a [divining] rod made of equal parts of bronze，copper，iron and steel，went forth，attended by the Cadis and Assessors and the Chief of the Police. He first searched the palace of the Khalif，then that of the Vizier Jaafer；after which he went the round of the houses of the chamberlains and officers，till he came to that of Alaeddin. When the latter heard the clamour before his house，he left his wife and opening the door，found the Master of Police without，with a crowd of people. So he said，What is the matter，O Amir Khalid？The Chief of the Police told him the case and Alaeddin said，Enter my house and search it.'
