cried out in his astonishment, "In his pocket! How can
that be?"

The Princess related to him that the young man was every time a white
bird, like herself; that the enchanter put him into the cage with her,
and that she felt such a dislike to him that she always fluttered
about the cage to avoid getting near him; but that he, with his
contrary friendly feeling, would follow her and settle confidingly
near her.

"Oh," she continued, "you must have remarked how tired and mournful I
always was when you returned on the ninth day."

Haschem, astonished at this explanation, assured her of his
willingness to help her, but bewailed his helplessness. But the
Princess would not give up hopes of their safety.

"It seems to me," said she, "a good omen that the enchanter has to-day
received a message which caused him to leave so early and in such
haste that he did not securely close the cage, and that you returned
so early to-day from the garden. This day is my birthday, the only day
that I can be delivered from the magician's power. On any other day I
should still have remained a dumb bird if you had freed me from my
cage; only on this day has my touching the floor restored me to my
natural form: the enchantment lies in the cage."

Haschem then seized the cage, and said, "If it be so, we will break
the enchantment." He threw the cage to the ground, stamped on it with
his feet till it was quite flat and its shape no longer
distinguishable, then he rolled it together, and threw it into a
corner of the hall.

At this moment a frightful noise resounded through the air like
violent thunder, a gale of wind seemed to shake the hall, and suddenly
the doors opened, the curtains were drawn aside, and the magician
stood before them with a countenance full of anger.

"Ah!" cried he, "weak worms, what have you presumed to do? How did you
learn to break my charm in this manner? Who bid you destroy the cage?"

Haschem, terrified, could answer nothing. Then the enchanter turned to
the Maiden, and cried,

"And you, you thought this miserable worm could defend you against my
power: I will show you how useless it is to oppose me."

He felt in the pocket of his black robe, and pulled out a thin box.
This he opened, and a white bird flew out and perched on the table.
Then he took a small box from his girdle and opened it: it was filled
with grains of millet. From these he took one, laid it before the
bird, who had scarcely eaten it before