Some time after they had disappeared, the ground opened before us, and out of it came forth a cat, black and white, with her hair standing upright, and mewing in a frightful manner; a black wolf followed her close, and gave her no time to rest. The cat, being thus hard beset, changed herself into a worm, and being nigh to a pomegranate that had accidentally fallen from a tree that grew on the side of a canal, which was deep, but not broad, the worm pierced the pomegranate in an instant, and hid itself, but the pomegranate swelled immediately, and became as big as a gourd, which mounting up to the roof of the gallery, rolled there for some space, backward and forward, fell down again into the court, and broke into several pieces. The wolf, who had in the meantime transformed itself into a cock, fell to picking up the seeds of the pomegranate one after another; but finding no more, he came towards us with his wings spread, making a great noise, as if he would ask us whether there was 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 up, the seed rolled into the river, and turned into a little fish. But I see day, sir, said Scheherazade; had it not come so suddenly, I am persuaded what I had farther to say would have given your majesty a great deal of satisfaction. Upon this she stopped, and the sultan arose: but his thoughts being altogether taken up with such unheard-of adventures, he was extremely impatient till he heard the rest of the story. FIFTY-FIRST NIGHT. Dinarzade made no scruple to disturb the sultaness next morning, and called to her, Sister, if you be not asleep, pray begin where you left off that wonderful story last night: I am very desirous to know what followed after all those metamorphoses. Scheherazade recollected where she had stopped, and addressing her discourse to the sultan, Sir, said she, the second calender continued his story after this manner.