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It chanced one day that he fell in with Ahmed Kemakim and clapping up an acquaintance with him, accompanied him to the tavern, where Ahmed took out the lantern he had stolen from the Khalif and fell to plying the wine-cup by its light, till he became drunken. Presently Aslan said to him, 'O Captain, give me yonder lantern; but he replied, 'I cannot give it thee. 'Why not? asked Aslan.
Do thou then, O Commander of the Faithful, avenge me of my father on him who murdered him. So the Khalif caused Ahmed Kemakim to be brought before him and sending for Ahmed ed Denef, bade him search him; whereupon he put his hand into the thief's bosom and pulled out the lamp.
When they came thither, Ahmed ed Denef went in to the Khalif and gave him the glad tidings of Alaeddin's arrival and told him his story; whereupon the Prince went forth to meet him, accompanied by his son Aslan, and they met and embraced each other. Then the Khalif sent for Ahmed Kemakim and said to Alaeddin, 'Up and avenge thee of thine enemy! So he drew his sword and smote off Ahmed's head.
So they entered, and Ahmed Kemakim went straight to the saloon and let the rod fall upon the slab, under which he had buried the stolen goods, with such force that the marble broke in sunder and discovered something that glistened underneath. Then said he, 'In the name of God! what He willeth! Thanks to our coming, we have lit upon a treasure.
He lay with her that night and on the morrow, after he had made his ablutions and prayed the morning prayers, he repaired to the prison and said to Ahmed Kemakim, 'Harkye, O arch-thief, dost thou repent of thy ill deeds? 'I do indeed repent and turn to God, answered he, 'and say with heart and tongue, "I ask pardon of Allah." So he carried him, still chained, to the Divan and kissed the earth before the Khalif, who said to him, 'O Amir Khalid, what seekest thou? Then he brought forward Ahmed Kemakim, shuffling in his fetters, and the Khalif said to him, 'O Kemakim, art thou yet alive? 'O Commander of the Faithful, answered he, 'the wretched are long-lived. Then said the Khalif to the Amir, 'Why have thou brought him hither? And he replied, 'O Commander of the Faithful, he hath a poor, desolate mother, who hath none but him, and she hath had recourse to thy slave, imploring him to intercede with thee to set him free and make him Captain of the Watch as before; for he repenteth of his evil courses. Quoth the Khalif to Ahmed, 'Dost thou repent of thy sins? 'I do indeed repent to God, O Commander of the Faithful, answered he; whereupon the Khalif called for the blacksmith and made him strike off his irons on the bench of the washer of the dead.
But, O my lord, didst thou ever recover the lantern that was stolen from thee? 'No, answered the Khalif, 'we never got it back. And Aslan said, 'I saw it in the hands of Ahmed Kemakim and begged it of him; but he refused to give it me, saying, "Lives have been lost on account of this."
Then, if he swear to thee the oath of divorce, say to him, "Thou hast in prison a man called Ahmed Kemakim, and he has a poor mother, who is instant with me to urge thee to intercede for him with the Khalif, that he may relent towards him and thou earn a reward from God." 'I hear and obey, answered Khatoun.
'Because, answered Ahmed, 'lives have been lost for it. 'Whose life? asked Aslan; and Ahmed said, 'There came hither a man named Alaeddin Abou est Shamat, who was made Captain of the Sixty and lost his life through this lantern. Quoth Aslan, 'And how was that? 'Know, replied Ahmed Kemakim, 'that thou hadst an elder brother by name Hebezlem Bezazeh, for whom, when he became apt for marriage, thy father would have bought a slave-girl named Jessamine. And he went on to tell him the whole story of Hebezlem's illness and what befell Alaeddin, undeserved.
'Harkye, traitor, said the Khalif, 'whence hadst thou this lantern? And Kemakim replied, 'I bought it, O Commander of the Faithful! 'Where didst thou buy it? said the Khalif, 'and who could come by its like to sell it to thee? Then they beat him, till he confessed that he had stolen the lantern and the rest, and the Khalif said, 'O traitor, what moved thee to do this thing and ruin Alaeddin Abou esh Shamat, the Trusty and Well-beloved? Then he bade lay hands on him and on the Chief of the Police, but the latter said, 'O Commander of the Faithful, indeed I am unjustly entreated; thou badest me hang him, and I had no knowledge of this plot, for the thing was contrived between Ahmed Kemakim and his mother and my wife.
Know also that God hath shown forth the truth and done away the false by withdrawing the curtain of secrecy from him who stole the Khalif's goods, that is, Ahmed Kemakim the arch-thief and traitor; and he now lies bound and in prison.
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