it she wrote several words in ancient Arabian
characters.

When she had finished and prepared the circle, she placed herself in
the center of it, where she began incantations, and repeated verses of
the Koran. The air grew insensibly dark, as if it had been night; we
found ourselves struck with consternation, and our fear increased when
we saw the genie appear suddenly in the shape of a lion[21] of
gigantic size.

[Footnote 21: This same power of changing the form has found a place
in ancient and modern story. The Proteus of heathen mythology ever
found means of safety and protection by his sudden assumption of some
new form and shape.]

"Thou shalt pay dearly," said the lion, "for the trouble thou hast
given me in coming here." In saying this, he opened his horrible jaws,
and advanced to devour her; but she, being on her guard, jumped back,
and had just time to pluck out a hair; and pronouncing two or three
words, she changed it into a sharp scythe, with which she immediately
cut the lion in two pieces, through the middle.

The two parts of the lion directly disappeared, and the head changed
into a large scorpion. The princess then took the form of a serpent,
and fought the scorpion, which, finding itself defeated, changed into
an eagle, and flew away. But the serpent then became another eagle,
black, and very large, and went in pursuit of it. We now lost sight of
them for some time.

Shortly after they had disappeared, the earth opened before us, and a
black and white cat appeared, the hairs of which stood quite on end,
and which made a most horrible mewing. A black wolf directly followed
after her, and gave her no time to rest. The cat, being thus hard
pressed, changed into a worm, and hid itself in a pomegranate which
lay by accident on the ground; but the pomegranate swelled
immediately, and became as big as a gourd, which, lifting itself up to
the roof of the gallery, rolled there for some time backward and
forward; it then fell down again into the court, and broke into
several pieces.

The wolf had in the meanwhile transformed itself into a cock, and now
fell to picking up the seeds of the pomegranate one after another; but
finding no more, he came toward us with his wings spread, making a
great noise, as if he would ask us whether there were any more seed.
There was one lying on the brink of the canal, which the cock
perceiving as he went back, ran speedily thither; but just as he was
going to pick it u