woke him by shouting his battle-cry.  When the White Genius saw him, he rushed at once to do battle with him.  First he caught up from the ground a stone as big as a millstone and hurled it at him.  For the first time Rustem felt a thrill of fear, so terrible was his enemy.  Nevertheless, gathering all his strength, he struck at him a great blow with his sword and cut off one of his feet.  The monster, though having but one foot, leaped upon him like a wild elephant, and seized him by the breast and arms, hoping to throw him to the ground, and tore from his body great pieces of flesh, so that the whole place was covered with blood.  Rustem said to himself, “If I escape to-day I shall live forever;” and the White Genius thought, “Even if I do deliver myself from the claws of this dragon, I shall never see Mazanderan again.”  Still he did not lose courage, but continued to struggle against the hero with all his might.

So the two fought together, the blood and sweat running from them in great streams.  At last Rustem caught the Genius round the body, and, putting out all his strength, hurled him to the ground with such force that his soul was driven out of his body.  Then he plunged his poinard into the creature’s heart, and tore the liver out of his body.  This done he returned to Aulad, whom he had left bound with his lasso, loosed him, and set out for the place where he had left the King.  But first Aulad said to him, “I have the marks of your bonds upon me; my body is bruised with the knots of your lasso; I beseech you to respect the promise which you made me of a reward.  A hero is bound to keep his word.”

Rustem said:  “I promised that you should be King of Mazanderan, and King you shall be.  But I have much to do before my word can be kept.  I have a great battle to fight, in which I may be conquered, and I must rid this country of the magicians with whom it is encumbered.  But be sure that, when all is done, I will not fail of the promises which I have made.”

So Rustem returned to King Kaoues, and, dropping the blood of the White Genius into his eyes, gave him back his sight.  Seven days the King and his nobles feasted together, Rustem having the chief place.  On the eighth day they set out to clear the country of the accursed race of magicians.  When they had done this, the King said, “The guilty have now been punished.  Let no others suffer.  And now I will send a letter to the King of Mazanderan.”

So the King wrote a letter in these words:  “You see how God has punished the wrong-doers—­how he has brought to naught the Genii and the magicians.  Quit then your town, and come here to pay homage and tribute to me.  If you will not, then your life shall be as the life of Arzeng and the White Genius.”

This letter was carried to the King by a certain chief named Ferbad.  When the King had read it, he was greatly troubled.  Three days he kept Ferbad as his guest, and then sent back by him this answer:  “Shall the water of the sea be equal to wine?  Am I one to whom you can say, ’Come down from your throne, and present yourself before me?’ Make ready to do battle with me, for verily I will bring upon the land of Persia such destruction that no man shall be able to say what is high and what is low.”