dervish’s prayers?” To which the first answered, “She is possessed by a genie. But I know how this good dervish may cure her. He has a black cat in his convent, with a white spot at the end of her tail, about the bigness of a small piece of Arabian money; let him only pull seven hairs out of the white spot, burn them, and smoke the princess’s head with the fumes, and she will not only be immediately cured, but be so safely delivered from the genie, that he will never dare to approach her again.”
The head of the dervishes remembered every word of the conversation between the fairies and the genii, who remained silent the remainder of the night. The next morning, as soon as daylight appeared, the well being broken down in several places, he saw a hole, by which he crept out with ease.
The other dervishes, who had been seeking for him, were rejoiced to see him; he gave them a brief account of the wickedness of the man to whom he had given so kind a reception the day before, and retired into his cell. Shortly after, the black cat, which the fairies and genii had mentioned, came to fawn upon her master, as she was accustomed to do; he took her up, and pulled seven hairs from the white spot that was upon her tail, and laid them aside for his use when occasion should serve.
Soon after sunrise, the sultan, who would leave no means untried that might restore the princess to health, arrived at the gate of the convent. He commanded his guards to halt,
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