p the seed rolled into a fountain and turned into a
little fish.

The cock, flying toward the fountain, turned into a pike, and pursued
the small fish; they both continued under water above two hours, and
we knew not what was become of them; but suddenly we heard terrible
cries, which made us tremble, and a little while after we saw the
genie and princess all in flames. They threw ashes of fire out of
their mouths at each other, till they came to close combat; then the
two fires increased, with a thick, burning smoke, which mounted so
high that we had reason to apprehend it would set the palace on fire.
But we very soon had a more pressing occasion of fear, for the genie,
having got loose from the princess, came to the gallery where we
stood, and blew flames of fire upon us. We must all have perished had
not the princess, running to our assistance, forced him to retire, and
to defend himself against her; yet, notwithstanding all her exertions,
she could not hinder the sultan's beard from being burned, and his
face scorched, and a spark from entering my right eye, and making it
blind. The sultan and I expected nothing but death, when we heard a
cry of "Victory, victory!" and instantly the princess appeared in her
natural shape; but the genie was reduced to a heap of ashes.

The princess approached us and hastily called for a cupful of water,
which the young slave, who had received no hurt, brought her. She took
it, and after pronouncing some words over it, threw it upon me,
saying, "If thou art become an ape by enchantment, change thy shape,
and take that of a man, which thou hadst before." These words were
hardly uttered when I again became a man in every respect as I was
before my transformation, excepting the loss of my eye.

I was preparing to return the princess my thanks, but she prevented me
by addressing herself to her father: "Sire, I have gained the victory
over the genie; but it is a victory that costs me dear. I have but a
few minutes to live; the fire has pierced me during the terrible
combat, and I find it is gradually consuming me. This would not have
happened had I perceived the last of the pomegranate seeds, and
swallowed it, as I did the others when I was changed into a cock; the
genie had fled thither as to his last intrenchment, and upon that the
success of the combat depended. This oversight obliged me to have
recourse to fire, and to fight with those mighty arms as I did,
between heaven and earth