{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_70290/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_70290","id":"gutenberg_70290","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/70290","summary":null,"tags":["Action and adventure fiction","Category: Adventure","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Category: Romance","Princes -- Yemen (Republic) -- Fiction","Romance fiction","Voyages and travels -- Fiction"],"text":"THE\n ADVENTURES OF HATIM TA\u00cf\n A Romance\n\n Translated from the Persian by\n DUNCAN FORBES\n\n\n REVISED AND EDITED, WITH INTRODUCTION\n BY\n WILLIAM ROUNSEVILLE ALGER\n\n\n\n Boston, U.S.A., and London\n GINN & COMPANY, PUBLISHERS\n 1896\n\n\n\n\n [COPYRIGHT.]\n\n Copyright, 1896, by\n GINN & COMPANY\n ALL RIGHTS RESERVED\n\n\n\n\n CONTENTS.\n\n INTRODUCTION.\n THE ADVENTURES OF HATIM TA\u00cf.\n  BOOK I.\n  BOOK II.\n  BOOK III.\n  BOOK IV.\n  BOOK V.\n  BOOK VI.\n  BOOK VII.\n NOTES.\n\n\n\n\n INTRODUCTION.\n\nThis remarkable and fascinating romance, in its English version, was\noriginally published under the auspices of the Oriental Translation\nFund sixty-five years ago. Issued in the form of a costly folio, it\nwas buried in great libraries, and scarcely found its way at all to\nthe general public. The publishers of the present edition, becoming\nacquainted with the rare merits and the intense interest of the work,\nhave resolved to bring it, in a more available shape, to the attention\nof the large class of refined readers who cannot fail to be both\ndelighted and edified by it.\n\nThe preface by the accomplished translator of the work from the\nPersian dealt much with philological matters which are of no interest\nsave to critical students or linguists. Omitting these portions,\nre-arranging and condensing the rest, and adding some new matter, the\npresent editor seeks here simply to furnish such an introduction as\nwill enable those who approach the work to occupy the right point of\nview for an appreciative perusal of it. He has inserted in the text\nitself, in order not to encumber the pages with footnotes, such\nchanges or explanatory phrases as will remove any obscurities which\nmight perplex the reader.\n\nThe story consists of seven connected tales, of the same general\ncharacter with those of the Arabian Nights Entertainments. In exciting\ninterest, in ethical charm, in imaginative richness of startling\nadventures, it is not one whit inferior to the very best of those\nworld-renowned masterpieces. It is a magnificent specimen of that\nideal freedom of genius which creates its own world, peoples it with\nits own productions and events, and sympathizes, in vivid interior\nreproduction, with the romantic experiences of its characters and\ntheir destinies. Herein it is a valuable education of the reader in\ndramatic liberty of mind, fertility of fancy, quickness and strength\nof emotional action and reaction.\n\nThe whole production is also marked by an eminently humane and heroic\nspirit. The illustrious personage who figures as its hero, and whose\nthrilling adventures it records, was in his time regarded as an\nunequalled pattern of bravery, wisdom, and generosity. Hatim ben Ubaid\nben Sa\u2019id, chief of the tribe of Ta\u00ef, lived in the latter half of the\nsixth century of the Christian era. His native country was Arabia\nfelix, otherwise named Yemen. As the country was then divided into\nnumerous tribes, it is probable that his sway extended only over a few\nthousand warriors who bore his family name of Ta\u00ef and owned his\nchieftaincy. At all events he had in the highest degree all the\nvirtues then most admired. An Arabian author of the twelfth century\nsays of him: \u201cHatim was brave, liberal, wise, victorious. When he\nfought, he conquered; when he plundered, he carried off; when he was\nasked, he gave; when he shot his arrow, he hit the mark; and\nwhomsoever he captured, he liberated.\u201d\n\nIt is related of him that when he went a-hunting he never wounded the\ncreatures he pursued with an arrow or any other deadly weapon, but\nused to catch them in nets and again set them at liberty. He never, it\nis said, uttered abusive language, but always spoke mildly. He\npossessed beauty so extreme that all men and women admired him and\ncoveted his companionship. When any one approached him with a\ncomplaint and laid hold of the bridle of his horse, he would address\nthe suppliant in consoling terms, examine into his grievances and\nafford him protection; for tyranny or wrong he countenanced not.\n\nNaturally the chief who drew such encomiums became the favorite theme\nof poetry and romance. Throughout the East the name of Hatim Ta\u00ef is\nsynonymous with heroism and liberality. The highest compliment that\ncan be paid to a generous man is to call him the _Hatim of the day_.\nAmong the many allusions to him by Arabic and Persian authors, the two\nfollowing anecdotes may here suffice:\n\nThe Greek emperor contemporary with Hatim once sent an embassador to\nYemen to ask of the chief the gift of a favorite horse. The\nmagnanimous Arab had received no intimation either of the embassy or\nof its object, and therefore was quite unprepared for the reception of\nthe embassador when he arrived. In order to provide a suitable\nentertainment for his distinguished guest and his attendants he had no\nother resource than to order his favorite horse to be killed and\nroasted for the occasion. This was done. After the feast the\nembassador stated the wish of his royal master. Hatim replied: \u201cIt is\ntoo late. The horse has been slain for our repast. When you came I\nknew not the object of your journey, and had no other food to offer\nyou.\u201d The second anecdote is still more astonishing. It is indeed\nquite on a par with the transcendental idealism of the goodness of\nBuddha, who is said actually to have given himself as a meal for a\nfamished tigress. One day Hatim went to the desert, and there suddenly\ncame upon a lion. He said in his heart: \u201cIt will be inhuman for me to\nattack this lion with my weapon; yet if I smite him not he will devour\nme. Perhaps by the divine favor I may soothe his heart.\u201d In mild tones\nhe said to the lion[i.01]: \u201cCreature of God, if thou art hungry for\nmy flesh, it is at thy service; devour me and be not sad-hearted.\u201d At\nthese words the lion lowered his head and fell at the feet of Hatim\nand began to wipe his eyes against them. Hatim said: \u201cCreature of God,\nfar be it from me that thou shouldst depart hungry. Of my own free\nwill I give myself up, and if thou eatest me not it will distress me.\u201d\nThe lion thereupon laid his face in the dust and then departed to his\nhaunt. The story, in its child-like na\u00efvet\u00e9 and sweetness, is\nclosely akin to some of the legends of Saint Francis of Assisi.\n\nIn the Kozal-ul-Sufa is the following brief notice of the death of\nHatim. \u201cIn the eighth year after the birth of the Prophet, died\nNoushirwan the Just and Hatim Ta\u00ef the Generous, both famous for their\nvirtues.\u201d In the same work it is further stated that toward the close\nof the life of Mohammed the host of the Faithful, in propagating the\nreligion of the prophet, ravaged and laid waste the territory of the\ntribe of Ta\u00ef. Adi, the son of Hatim, fled to Syria; but his sister\nand such of his people as were spared were brought as prisoners to\nMedina. The prophet gave them their choice of embracing the faith or\nof having their heads cut off. Then the daughter of Hatim stood forth\nand pleaded the cause of her tribe. On hearing the revered name of\nHatim, Mohammed issued a free pardon to the whole tribe of Ta\u00ef.\n\nAccording to D\u2019Herbelot, the tomb of Hatim is to be seen at Aovaredh,\na small village in Arabia. The spot consecrated by his dust is still\nvisited with the reverence due to the memory of the generous and\ndevoted.\n\nIf he who now writes these words in commendation of the fascinating\nromance herewith presented to the public can judge from his own\nexperience to infer that of others, no fit reader of the _Adventures\nof Hatim Ta\u00ef_ will ever forget the pleasure the perusal of them gave\nhim or lose from his soul the inspiring impulse imparted by the\ntranscendent tenderness, docility, heroism, magnanimity, purity and\npiety that breathe through the moral teachings incarnated in them.\n\nTo the thoughtful scholar the highest interest of the whole work lies\nin the fact that it is an embodiment of the Mohammedan ideal of human\nexcellence. Hatim walks before us as the impersonated model of what\nman should be according to the standard of Islam. In that ideal the\nfour chief virtues are faith, veracity, kindness and blind submission\nto the decrees of fate. The Christian ideal puts in place of blind\nsubmission to the will of God as fate, an intelligent and loving\nco\u00f6peration of the will of the creature with the will of the Creator\nas rational freedom. The Islamite hero, in shooting at the mark on\nwhich his life depends, confides all to Allah and shuts his eyes as he\nshoots. The Christian pattern under such circumstances would equally\ntrust in God, but also take careful aim. For he hears God say: \u201cI will\nguide thee with mine eye, seeing with thine!\u201d\n\n\n\n\n THE ADVENTURES OF HATIM TA\u00cf.\n\n BOOK I.\n\n _Containing the history of Husn B\u0101n\u016b, the daughter of Burzakh the\n merchant--Her expulsion from the King of Khorasan\u2019s capital, and her\n removal from her country--Her finding in the desert the treasures of\n seven kings, and her beneficence towards mankind--Her becoming\n celebrated in the world, and her being beloved by Munir, the Assyrian\n prince--Hatim hears of the circumstance--His visit to Husn B\u0101n\u016b on\n account of her seven remarkable sayings, of which he undertakes an\n explanation._\n\nIn the kingdom of Khorasan there lived a monarch named Kurdan Shah,\nwho supported in his train five hundred thousand horsemen and ten\nthousand couriers, also musketeers and archers. Each of his nobles he\nentrusted with the care of a province; his justice and equity were\nsuch that he made the lion and the lamb drink water from the same\nfountain; and he never oppressed his subjects. In his reign there\nlived a merchant, named Burzakh, who possessed much wealth and\ndignity, and whose agents travelled in all directions in pursuit of\ncommerce. He himself was on intimate terms with the king, and the\nmonarch\u2019s regard for him was extreme. After some time, when his hour\narrived, he died, and left no heir except an only daughter, Husn Banu,\non whom was settled the whole of her father\u2019s wealth. At this period\nHusn Banu was twelve years old, and Burzakh on his death-bed left his\ndaughter to the king\u2019s care, who with great kindness said, \u201cShe is my\nown daughter\u201d; and he accordingly made over to Husn Banu all the\nwealth left by her father.\n\nShortly after, the daughter, who was possessed of wisdom, and looked\non worldly wealth as sand, began to bestow her treasures in charity,\nand she used to remark, \u201cthat we ought not to entangle ourselves\namidst the contaminations of the world.\u201d Having sent for her nurse,\nshe consulted her, saying, \u201cMy dear mother, it is not my intention to\nmarry; pray tell me by what means I can keep myself secure from the\nhands of worldly men.\u201d The nurse replied, \u201cI have seven propositions\nwhich you shall put to every man who desires to become your husband;\nwhosoever shall answer them properly, and shall agree to the terms\nwhich they embrace, him you shall accept. The seven propositions are\nthe following:\n\n \u201c1st. What I saw once, I long for a second time.\n \u201c2d. Do good, and cast it upon the waters.[b1.01]\n \u201c3d. Do no evil; if you do, such shall you meet with.\n \u201c4th. He who speaks the truth is always tranquil.\n \u201c5th. Let him bring an account of the mountain of Nida.\n \u201c6th. Let him produce a pearl of the size of a duck\u2019s egg.\n \u201c7th. Let him bring an account of the bath of Badgard.\u201d\n\nHusn Banu highly approved of these propositions; and one day shortly\nafter, when seated in her balcony, and viewing the surrounding\nprospect, a dervise attended by forty slaves passed by, and his feet\ntouched not the earth. When Husn Banu saw the pious man, she said to\nher nurse, \u201cOh, mother, who is this high personage that travels so\nmagnificently, and whose foot treads not the ground, except it be\npaved with bricks of gold and silver?\u201d The nurse replied, \u201cLife of thy\nmother, this dervise is the king\u2019s spiritual guide, and Kurdan Shah\nevery month goes and waits upon this holy man, submits himself to him,\nand acts according to his advice; in short, he is devout and in\ncommunion with the Creator.\u201d Husn Banu said, \u201cMy dear nurse, I have a\ndesire to invite him to this house to an entertainment, and shew him\nevery mark of respect\u201d; to which proposal the nurse gave her\napprobation. She then called one of her attendants, and said to him,\n\u201cGo to the presence of that illustrious man, and convey to his\neminence my desire, stating that a certain lady invites his holiness\nto an entertainment; if out of condescension becoming the great, and\nbenevolence becoming the pious, he should deign to visit the said\nhumble lady, she will be most happy on the occasion.\u201d When the\nattendant of Husn Banu waited on the dervise, and stated to him her\nrepresentation, the pious man consented, and said, \u201cTo-morrow I will\nassuredly come.\u201d The servant brought the intelligence to Husn Banu\nthat the dervise would come next day, at which she was highly\ndelighted, and gave orders to prepare all sorts of viands for the\npious man. She also prepared for an offering to him nine suits of\nsilken garments embroidered with gold, and seven trays of pure\nbrilliant gold, along with several baskets full of fruit.\n\nOn the following morning the dervise with his forty attendants\nproceeded to the house of Husn Banu. Now although this dervise was a\nman in appearance, he possessed the nature of Sha\u00eftan the fiend, and\nwhen going on his way he would not deign to tread the earth: for his\nslaves paved his path with bricks of gold and silver, and on these\nalone he placed his feet and walked; and in this mode of marching he\ncame to Husn Banu\u2019s house. When the latter was informed that the\ndervise was arrived, she ordered them to cover the space extending\nfrom the outer gate to the interior of the house with carpets\nembroidered with gold and silver, on which the pious man might walk.\nAfter the dervise stepped upon the carpet, he entered the house, and\nwas seated on a throne befitting a king.\n\nHusn Banu in the first place brought for the acceptance of the dervise\nthe trays full of gold and silver, which he accepted not, saying,\n\u201cThese sculptured pieces of worldly dross are of no service to me.\u201d\nWhen they saw that the dervise would not accept the money, they then\nbrought him the baskets filled with sweet fruits, and laid them on the\ntable. All the trays and other dishes, and also the dish-covers, were\nof gold and silver, as were likewise the ewers and goglets; and the\nwhole display was princely. The couches and screens were richly\nembroidered with gold, and they placed before the dervise food of\nevery kind and variety, and sweetmeats of every description; and they\nwaited upon him for washing his hands, with ewers and goglets of gold.\nThe arrangements of the table being finished the dervise began to eat;\nbut ever and anon his eye wandered to the gold and the various\nutensils, and he said in his heart: \u201cGracious heaven! what a wealthy\nman Burzakh the merchant must have been, who possessed in his house\ntreasures and stores to such an extent that it seems almost the wealth\nof a crowned head!\u201d He at the same time considered in his heart, \u201cThis\nvery night we must come into the house of Burzakh\u2019s daughter and seize\nthis treasure and furniture--we must have recourse to theft.\u201d When the\ndervise had finished eating, they presented him with perfumes; but he\nall along had his eyes on the various movables.\n\nAfter some time, as evening approached, the dervise took leave of Husn\nBanu. Her waiting men and other servants who had been in attendance on\nthe dervise went to sleep. When about a watch of the night had passed,\nthe dervise with his forty satellites, who were complete thieves,\nentered the house of Husn Banu, and having killed such of her people\nas attempted to give the alarm, securely carried off the whole\nproperty. Husn Banu with her nurse having ensconced themselves in the\nlattice, were observing the thieves, and knew them. After the latter\nhad gone and the morning advanced, Husn Banu having taken with her a\nfew of her domestics who had survived from the hands of that\ntreacherous villain, came to the king\u2019s court, and represented her\ngrievance. The king asked, \u201cWho is this, and against whom does she\ndemand justice?\u201d The attendants replied, \u201cSire, this is the daughter\nof Burzakh the merchant; she says, if it please the king, she will\ncome to his presence and represent her own case.\u201d The king summoned\nHusn Banu to his presence; she stated, \u201cLong live the king! Yesterday,\nas a sacred duty, I gave an entertainment to a dervise, and bestowed\non him my food; and this last night he has committed murder in my\nhouse. He with his forty attendants privately entered my dwelling and\ncarried off the whole amount of my money and property, and my people\nlie slain and wounded; thus has the dark-minded dervise acted towards\nme.\u201d The king on hearing this accusation was enraged and said:\n\u201cFoolish woman, bringest thou accusations against the most eminent of\nthe age? he covets nothing earthly.\u201d Husn Banu replied, \u201cOh, upright\nprince! he deserves not to be called the _eminent_ but rather the\nfiend of the age.\u201d At this reply the king grew furious, and ordered\nthat both herself and her attendants should be stoned to death, in\norder that others might take warning, and not utter such calumnies\nrespecting his Majesty\u2019s confessor and counsellor. Here the prime\nminister stood up and said, \u201cSire, this is the daughter of Burzakh the\nmerchant, and you have been pleased already to shew her kindness; but\nnow when her father is no more, if you cause the daughter to be thus\nput to death, then will perish from the hearts of your subjects all\nconfidence in the king\u2019s protection towards their surviving children;\nand instead thereof, they will be filled with distrust: for this\nreason, Sire, I have deemed it proper to warn you.\u201d To this the king\nreplied, \u201cWell, for the sake of Burzakh, we shall spare her life; but\nyou shall expel her from the city and confiscate her house; this\ninstant she must be sent without the gates.\u201d The people executed the\norder, and Husn Banu and her nurse turned their faces to the desert\nwith weeping and lamentation; and the attendants of the hapless lady,\nreduced to ruin, wandered through the streets of the city. Husn Banu\nfrequently said, \u201cOh, mother! this dervise has been a grievous curse\nto us; and yet, oh, God! what crime have we committed that we should\nbe involved in such calamities?\u201d The nurse endeavored to console her,\nsaying, \u201cMy child, no remedy can be applied against the revolutions of\nfortune.\u201d\n\nIn a few days they reached the desert, where, underneath a shady tree,\nexhausted with hunger and thirst, they fell asleep. To Husn Banu a man\nappeared in a dream, saying, \u201cBe not sorrowful, underneath this tree\nis buried the treasure of the seven regions, which wealth the king of\ntruth has here kept hidden for thy sake: arise and take possession\nthereof.\u201d She said, \u201cI am a woman and alone, how can I bring it out of\nthe earth?\u201d To this the man replied, \u201cDo thou dig a little with a\nspade; let the means be applied by thee, and God will grant success.\nMoreover, no one is able forcibly to deprive thee of this wealth:\narise then and build a city on this spot.\u201d\n\nThe lady and her nurse accordingly got up, and with a piece of wood\nbegan to dig the earth, when instantly a pit full of yellow gold\npresented itself. It seemed like seven houses filled with pure gold,\nand also chests full of jewels of every description. There were\nlikewise four cups full of rubies and costly pearls of the size of\nducks\u2019-eggs. Husn Banu rejoiced, and in conformity with the true\nfaith, she stooped to the ground and rendered thousands of thanks to\nGod the Most High. She then handed some of the gold to her nurse, and\nsaid, \u201cMother, do you return to the city and procure us people, and\nbring us some food to eat and raiment to put on, and at the same time\nlook out for laborers and architects, for on this spot I will build a\nsolid edifice.\u201d The nurse objected, saying, \u201cHow can I leave you here\nalone until some one else arrive?\u201d Whilst they were in this\nconversation, who should pass by but the foster-brother of Husn Banu,\ndressed in a mendicant\u2019s habit. He recognized them and fell at the\nfeet of Husn Banu, who weeping from joy lifted him up to her side, and\nconsoled him, saying, \u201cBrother, be of good cheer, God, the great and\nglorious, has bestowed on us abundance of wealth, even beyond\ncalculation. Take part of it and proceed to the city; bring hither all\nmy dependents and relations, and purchase tents and bring them, for on\nthis spot we shall build lofty edifices, forming a spacious city; but\nyou must not communicate this secret to any one.\u201d The brother having\ntaken part of the gold came to the city; and having assembled Husn\nBanu\u2019s former dependents, who wandered begging about the streets, he\nprocured elegant tents, and returned with them. Husn Banu, delighted,\nhad the tents erected; and soon after her brother went a second time\nto the city, and waited on the principal builders, saying, \u201cSend along\nwith me your brother craftsmen; my master intends to build a mansion\nin the desert: he is a most generous man, and will reward you amply.\u201d\nThe builder to whom he spoke sent one of his brothers, named Mu\u00e2mmir,\nalong with Husn Banu\u2019s foster-brother, and both returned to where that\nlady resided. The builder selected a pleasant spot, and there erected\na lofty mansion; and Husn Banu bestowed on him a liberal remuneration.\nThe builder, thus enriched, sent for his friends and strenuously\nlabored in the rearing of edifices, the digging of wells, and the\nbuilding of a palace.\n\nHusn Banu shewed them the greatest kindness, and said, \u201cNow we must\nhave a city built here.\u201d Mu\u00e2mmir replied, that it was not lawful to\nbuild a city without an order from the king; but if his Majesty should\ngrant permission, it would then be an easy matter. Husn Banu admitted\nthe truth of this remark; and having dressed herself in man\u2019s apparel,\nshe mounted an Arab steed, and summoned several of her attendants. She\nalso carried with her for a present, a cup full of rubies and a casket\nof brilliant jewels, and thus proceeded to the city, where she arrived\na few days after. She then made presents to the king\u2019s officers, who\nspeedily conveyed the information to their master, that a certain\nmerchant had arrived from abroad, and that he wished to offer presents\nto the king; that he now stood at the gate, a man of beautiful\ncountenance and elegant form. The king gave orders to bring him in.\nHusn Banu accordingly entered, and after performing her obeisance to\nthe king, she presented to him the casket of jewels and the cup full\nof rubies. When the king beheld the jewels and the cup, he was highly\ndelighted, and said, \u201cSir, whence art thou?\u201d She replied, \u201cMy father\nwas a merchant of Iram, and in the course of events he died at sea. As\nI happened to be passing this way and had heard of your Majesty\u2019s good\nqualities, my desire of expressing my attachment and of tendering my\nhumble services became excessive. It is the wish of your slave to pass\nthe remainder of his life in the service of your Highness. When\nadmitted to kiss the threshold of your sublime gates, my prosperity\nwill become permanent and my happiness complete. Now I have no\nkindred; I am an orphan, and have pitched my tents, in a tract of the\ndesert, where I hope, through your majesty\u2019s kindness and generosity,\nI may be allowed to build a city.\u201d At this statement the king shewed\nmuch sympathy, and presented the stranger with a dress of honor,\nadding, with the greatest courtesy and affection, \u201cAs you have no\nfather, let me be as a father to you, and let me adopt you as my son.\u201d\nHusn Banu, with profound obeisance, replied, \u201cSince your Majesty has\nadopted me into the royal family, and has raised from the dust this\nabject slave, let me state that my name is Behram; may I hope that my\nname will be deemed fit for this threshold, of which may the head be\nexalted.\u201d Hereupon Kurdan Shah bestowed on Husn Banu the name of\nMahr\u016b Shah[b1.02] and said, \u201cMy dear son, the desert is far distant,\nyou must build your city near my capital, and I shall call your city\nby the name of Shahabad.\u201d Husn Banu respectfully replied, \u201cMay the\nking\u2019s life-time be long. I have taken a fancy to that desert, and\nbesides it would be disrespectful to build any city in the vicinity of\nyour Majesty\u2019s capital. May I hope that an order will be issued to the\nprincipal architects enjoining them to make preparations for the\nbuilding of a city.\u201d Kurdan Shah gave his orders to the architects to\nthat effect, and taking a most affectionate leave of Husn Banu, said,\n\u201cMy dear son, when will you return? you must not deprive me long of\nyour visits.\u201d Husn Banu, making a profound obeisance, said, \u201cI hope\nthat once every month I may kiss the threshold of your Majesty.\u201d\n\nPleased and happy, Husn Banu returned to the desert, and ordered\nMu\u00e2mmir to draw up the plan of a city. Having sent for more artists\nto proceed speedily with the building, Mu\u00e2mmir engaged in the\nbuilding of the edifices which were to form the city, and promoted the\nwork night and day with all expedition. Husn Banu from month to month\nmade a journey to the city to visit the king, whose kindness and\naffection towards her were daily increasing. After two or three years\na spacious city was built, and its name was called Shahabad; after\nwhich, Husn Banu ordered the builders to be munificently rewarded. It\nhappened one day after Husn Banu had arrived to wait upon the king,\nthat his Majesty was proceeding to visit the dervise formerly\nmentioned, and his eye having caught Husn Banu, he said, \u201cMy dear\nMahr\u016b Shah, to-day I am going to visit the most eminent man of the\nage: if you have a desire to do me a favor, pray accompany me; for to\nhave seen this saint of the time is of itself eternal felicity.\u201d In\nreply, Husn Banu said, \u201cTruly my happiness in this is twofold; first,\nin being honored with the sight of this eminent personage; and,\nsecondly, in attending your Majesty thither\u201d; but in her heart she\nsaid that the sight of such a fiend was an abomination. In short, she\naccompanied the king to the abode of the dervise, and in conformity\nwith his Majesty\u2019s example, paid her respects to that pious man.\nKurdan Shah spoke much in praise and commendation of Mahr\u016b Shah, who\nin the meanwhile held down her head and listened, thinking in her own\nmind, \u201cThese praises are on account of the jewels and cup which I\npresented; for otherwise I am the daughter of Burzakh the merchant,\nand this king once expelled me from his city.\u201d\n\nWhen the king was about to take leave of the dervise, Husn Banu\nrespectfully stood up and said, \u201cIf your holiness will deign to visit\nmy house, I hope it will not be unbecoming the condescension of the\nillustrious.\u201d The execrable dervise said, \u201cI will assuredly come\u201d; and\nHusn Banu observed, \u201cThe house of your slave is far distant, but in\nthe capital is the residence of Burzakh the merchant, a house which is\nvery commodious, and which I hope you will honor with a visit.\u201d She\nthen addressed the king, saying, \u201cThe house of Burzakh happens to be\nunoccupied; may I be favored for a few days with the use of it, that I\nmay perform my respects to his holiness without his having the trouble\nof going a distance; and after giving him a feast, I shall proceed to\nmy own city.\u201d The king asked her, \u201cWhence, my son, have you known the\nname of Burzakh?\u201d Husn Banu replied, \u201cThere are many men in this city\nwho were in his service; of them I have learned that such a house was\nsuitable for a few days\u2019 residence.\u201d The king said, \u201cI bestow upon you\nthat house as a present.\u201d\n\nHusn Banu having made her obeisance came to her father\u2019s house; and\nwhen she found it fallen to decay she gave vent to many a tear, and\nissued orders to have it repaired. Meanwhile she herself went to the\ncity, and about a month after she sent to her father\u2019s house the\nmaterials for the entertainment, consisting of trays of gold and\nsilver, and vessels also of gold and silver; and having taken a cup\nfull of rubies and jewels likewise she carried them with her. She then\nsent forward her attendants to the mansion, and went herself before\nthe king, and said, \u201cNow I will go for some days to the house of\nBurzakh; to-morrow I expect to entertain the renowned dervise with a\nbanquet, and pass some time in attendance upon him.\u201d On this, the king\nobserved, \u201cIt is well, such being the choice of my son; but consider\nthis house even as your own.\u201d Husn Banu stood up and spoke: \u201cThis\nbefriended slave of your august Highness is truly fortunate, but is\nunable to express a suitable acknowledgment. All the choice remaining\nin this slave is in the will of your Majesty, wheresoever you command\nme there I will stay.\u201d The king added, \u201cWheresoever you be, let your\nheart be at ease.\u201d\n\nHusn Banu having taken leave of the king went to her father\u2019s house,\nand ordered the materials for the banquet to be prepared. She also\nsent one of her servants to wait upon the dervise, and say that, if\nhis Holiness would deign to visit her next day, it would be the\nhighest favor. When the detestable Azrak heard the word banquet, he\nreplied that he would assuredly come next day. Husn Banu ordered a\nprincely throne, as on the previous occasion, and got ready the\nentertainment. Next day the abominable dervise came, and Husn Banu\npresented for his acceptance the jewels and the cup of rubies which\nshe had brought with her; the dervise rejected them all. She at the\nsame time placed all her movables on a side-board, in order that the\neye of the dervise might constantly fall upon them, and that his\navarice might be increased. The dervise observed them, and said in his\nheart, \u201cTo-night I shall make some contrivance for carrying off all\nthis treasure\u201d; and Husn Banu was at the same time rejoicing in her\nheart, thinking, \u201cThis night I shall have you with all this property\ntied together and carried before the king.\u201d\n\nIn short, they brought the banquet before him, and presented him with\nwater to wash his hands[b1.03], and offered him food of every\ndescription; and the dervise along with his forty attendants began to\neat. After having taken a few mouthfuls, he commanded that they should\ndesist. Husn Banu made many apologies, and said, \u201cDo me the kindness\nto eat, for your so doing will be happiness to your slave.\u201d The\ndervise answered, saying, \u201cTo the pious a few mouthfuls are\nsufficient; to please you I have eaten heartily, but my usual food\nconsists of a few grains of wheat.\u201d When they had ceased from eating,\nthey were presented with perfumes; but the dervise was saying in his\nheart, \u201cThe whole of this property is mine.\u201d After some time the\nvillainous Azrak took leave of Mahr\u016b Shah and came to his own house,\nand deliberated with his attendant dervises one with another, saying,\n\u201cI have made a vow, and consecrated it, and all the food you have\neaten is to you as well as myself an accursed thing, till you bring\naway the jewels, the gold, and the silver.\u201d All the attendants said,\n\u201cIt is well\u201d; and when the night set in, the whole of them with their\nchief were in readiness for the theft.\n\nHusn Banu also consulted her own people; and ordered them to leave the\nwhole property in the same way as at the banquet, and open all the\ndoors. She also wrote an explanatory letter to the captain of the\nnight-watch, concluding, \u201cWe shall be on our guard here; do you also\ncome and place yourselves in ambush, and the instant that my people\nraise a shout, present yourselves with the utmost speed.\u201d She then\ncharged her own people, saying, \u201cWhen the thieves come, you are not to\nmove till they, after having seized the property, are on their return;\nthen you shall bind them all fast with the goods in their possession;\nand give the signal to the captain, that he may come and seize them.\u201d\nHusn Banu\u2019s men, agreeably to what their mistress had commanded,\nstationed themselves as quietly as if they were dead. Meanwhile, Azrak\nwith his forty pious satellites arrived and entered the residence of\nMahr\u016b Shah, and all the property in money or effects which was found\nthey tied up in bundles, and were carrying them off; Azrak himself\nhaving taken in his hands the cup full of rubies, was returning with\nthem. At that instant Husn Banu\u2019s people and those belonging to the\ncaptain rushed from their hiding-places, and bound the thieves with\ntheir hands behind their backs, whose hearts were like to burst from\nspite. The thieves were then consigned to the charge of the\nnight-watch, each having the bundle which he carried fastened to his\nneck. Strict orders were issued to secure them fast till morning, when\nthe affair should be decided before the king.\n\nWhen Husn Banu saw that the enemy were overpowered and taken captives,\nshe called her servants and rewarded them munificently, and then said,\n\u201cSo much of the night still remains, that you may pass the time in\nrepose.\u201d Next morning, when the king opened the public court, and was\nseated on the throne of royalty, he observed, \u201cThis last night there\nwas a great uproar; does any one know the cause of it?\u201d During this,\nthe captain entered, and gave his report, saying, \u201cAbout the time of\nmidnight a gang of thieves entered the residence of Mahr\u016b Shah, the\nhouse that belonged to Burzakh the merchant; they had seized all the\nproperty that Mahr\u016b Shah had taken thither with him, and were on\ntheir return when information was given to me. I hurried to the spot,\nand having secured the thieves with the property, I have now brought\nthem before the public court; and of the truth of this, Sire, we are\ncertain for we have witnessed the fact.\u201d When they were thus\ndiscoursing, Mahr\u016b Shah entered and made his obeisance. The king\nhaving caused him to be seated, said, \u201cMy son, pray did the thieves\nlast night break into your house?\u201d Husn Banu said, in reply, \u201cLong\nlive your Majesty: the captain of the city arrived with assistance in\ntime; and now it will be best to summon the thieves into your royal\npresence.\u201d The king ordered them to be brought. The captain led them\nbefore the king in a row, at the head of which was Azrak with the cup\nof rubies suspended to his neck, and after him the other dervises,\neach having the bundle which he had stolen fastened to his neck, and\nhis hands tied behind him.\n\nThe instant the king saw them he remarked, that, \u201cThis man at their\nhead greatly resembles a certain dervise.\u201d Husn Banu said, \u201cPlease\nyour Majesty, let them be called nearer, and closely inspected; it is\nimpossible that he should be the pious dervise.\u201d The king made a\nsignal to the captain, who made the thieves one by one with his bundle\npass before his Majesty. The captain having thus sent them by turns,\nHusn Banu rose up, and seizing the hand of the dervise with the cup of\nrubies, led him before the king. His Majesty asked, \u201cWhat is this\nfastened to the neck of Azrak?\u201d Husn Banu displayed the cup of rubies\nto the king\u2019s sight. The king was lost in amazement, and at last said,\n\u201cLet every one of them be executed on the scaffold, in order that the\nrest of the priesthood may be deterred from such villainy, and that\nthey may not mislead the people; and let them also be stripped naked.\u201d\nWhen the thieves were stripped of their clothes, all their implements\nfor thieving were discovered. The king issued an order, stating, \u201cLet\nthem be speedily executed on the gibbet, and let whatever property\nbelongs to Mahr\u016b Shah be returned to his own possession.\u201d\n\nWhen Husn Banu saw that they were conveying Azrak to execution, she\narose from her seat and stood with hands joined before the king. His\nMajesty said, \u201cWhat is your request?\u201d Husn Banu replied, \u201cOh, my Lord,\nI am the hereditary child of your court, nay, I am your Majesty\u2019s\nadopted daughter, the child of Burzakh the merchant. I am she whom\nyour Majesty on account of this very dervise sentenced to banishment\nfrom your capital. The property that belonged to my father is still in\nthe residence of the dervise; his house must, therefore, be searched,\nthat the whole of his villainy may be discovered, and that the\nveracity of your daughter\u2019s declaration may be confirmed before your\nMajesty.\u201d The king, on hearing these words, was greatly surprised, and\ngave orders for searching the house of Azrak. He then addressed Husn\nBanu, saying, \u201cI lately called thee my child, _there my tongue uttered\nand my mind conceived what was true_. Thou art no longer Burzakh\u2019s\ndaughter, thou art my own daughter.\u201d--\u201cMay I hope then,\u201d said Husn\nBanu, \u201cthat your Highness will condescend to visit the house of your\ndaughter in the desert; there I have immense wealth, which I will\nfreely bestow on him who is both my king and my father.\u201d To this\ninvitation his Majesty agreed; and in the meantime all the property\nleft by Burzakh was discovered in the house of Azrak, and Husn Banu\nhaving presented the same to the king, returned to Shahabad, and\nordered the streets of the city to be adorned on each side with\nelegant mirrors preparatory to his Majesty\u2019s visit. Two days after,\nKurdan Shah arrived at Shahabad, where Husn Banu received him with due\nhonors, and conducted him to her own palace. She then presented his\nMajesty with another cup full of rubies and a golden tray filled with\ncostly jewels, after which she pointed out the seven pits containing\nthe gold.\n\nHis Majesty was delighted, and Husn Banu requested him to issue orders\nto his attendants for conveying the gold by loads to the royal\ntreasury. The king gave orders to that effect to his prime minister,\nwho along with the accountants proceeded to the mouth of the pit.\nWhenever they attempted to take up the gold in order to convey it\naway, the whole of it was turned into the forms of serpents and\ndragons. The attendants were terrified, and sent notice of the\ncircumstance to the king. His Majesty on hearing this was astonished,\nand Husn Banu\u2019s countenance turned pale whilst she dreaded what\nproceedings he might adopt. The king observed her anxiety, and said,\n\u201cMy child, why has thy countenance turned pale? Let nothing disturb\nthy mind, but be of good cheer, for this gold is destined for thee,\nand over it I have no power. Whatsoever thou pleasest do with it, take\nit into thy own possession and use it.\u201d Husn Banu, making her\nobeisance, addressed the king with the following request: \u201cSire, it is\nmy wish to make this city my home, and to spend this treasure in the\nservice of God, and also that no one may molest my retirement.\u201d Kurdan\nShah in courteous phrase replied, \u201cWheresoever thou dwellest thou art\nmy child, and hast the command of this treasure in thy own hand; do,\ntherefore, as thou thinkest fit.\u201d\n\nKurdan Shah then sent back his people to guard his palace, and he\nhimself, after residing seven days at the house of Husn Banu, returned\nto the capital. After that, Husn Banu fitted up another house for\nentertaining travellers, and bounteously furnished every individual\nwith food and drink suitable to his rank, and presented him at his\ndeparture with money for his journey, and such other articles as might\nbe deemed useful, shewing her guests every attention. In a short time\nthe name of Husn Banu, was celebrated by the travellers through every\ncity and town to this effect: \u201cThere is a young lady not yet married,\nby name Husn Banu, who is extremely bounteous towards her\nfellow-creatures. Her servants and attendants are so endowed with\nintegrity that they will not defraud the stranger of a single\nfarthing. Gracious heaven! what an age is this, when menials are so\nconscientious! What wonderful liberality, whereby they freely bestow\ngolden coins upon the poor! In the present times, people of the world\nin general feel reluctant for every farthing they give to the poor,\nand menials without scruple pilfer men\u2019s property; but such as these\nhave neither the fear of God nor regard for the Prophet.\u201d In short,\nHusn Banu\u2019s fame shone clearer than the sun throughout the quarters of\nthe earth as far as the confines of the world.\n\n\n The History of Shahzada Munir.\n\nHistorians have informed us that there was a certain king of Kharzim\nwho had a son accomplished in mind; and that, through the medium of\nseveral men of intelligence, the fame of Husn Banu came to the hearing\nof this prince. In the heart of this youth was formed an eager desire\nto see Husn Banu; he therefore sent his own painter with the view of\nhaving a sight of Husn Banu, so as to have a portrait of her drawn and\nbrought to him. The painter departed, and after several days arrived\nin Shahabad, where Husn Banu\u2019s people, according to their custom,\nattended and presented him with food, shewing him every attention.\nAfter some stay, when about to take leave, they conveyed him to Husn\nBanu\u2019s presence; she kindly inquired into his circumstances, and\noffered him money for his journey. The painter said, \u201cMy wish is to\nserve under your government, and spend the remainder of my life on\nyour threshold.\u201d Husn Banu asked, \u201cWhat is your profession?\u201d--\u201cI am,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201ca painter, who can delineate the moon from behind a\ncurtain.\u201d[b1.04] Husn Banu then said, \u201cWell, you may delay your\ndeparture for a little.\u201d Some short time after she began to consider\nin her mind, \u201cHow can I get a portrait of myself, for the painter is a\nstranger. However, what will be the harm of his delineating my\nfeatures from behind a curtain?\u201d The painter said, \u201cMost bountiful\nlady, do you stand on the roof of the house[b1.05], and cause a\nvessel full of water to be placed below, then look down into that\nvessel.\u201d Husn Banu did so, and the painter seeing her form in the\nwater, drew the picture and went with it to his own house, where he\ndelineated every line and mole[b1.06] that existed on the original.\nHe at the same time made two copies of the portrait, one of which he\npresented to Husn Banu, and the other he kept for himself. Shortly\nafter, he requested leave of Husn Banu to return for his family, if\nagreeable to her; on which she furnished him with money for the\njourney, and granted him permission.\n\nThe painter then conveyed the portrait of Husn Banu to his own prince,\nwho, the instant he saw the picture, became quite frantic. When he\nreturned to his senses, he determined in his own mind to set off\nwithout his father\u2019s leave; and without money or necessaries for the\njourney, without informing any one of his design, and taking no one\nwith him, he put his trust in God, and at the dead of night departed\nfor Shahabad, where in due time he arrived, after encountering the\nfatigues of the road. Husn Banu\u2019s people brought him food, as was\ntheir wont with regard to others, and shewed him all possible\nattention. Next morning they offered the prince coins of yellow gold,\nsaying, \u201cAccept this for expenditure on your way.\u201d The prince replied,\n\u201cTo me gold is of no use.\u201d Husn Banu\u2019s people observed, \u201cYou seem\npenniless, pray accept this gold, for our lady bestows it in the\nservice of God.\u201d As he persisted in saying that it had no value for\nhim, they informed Husn Banu, that \u201ca traveller arrived yesterday, who\nwill neither eat food sufficient for him, nor accept gold.\u201d Husn Banu\nhaving summoned him to her presence, said, \u201cWell, stranger, why do you\nrefuse gold? Gold is a thing which in times of difficulty people find\nuseful; it converts the pale countenance to red.\u201d The prince replied,\n\u201cWhen I came hither, I left much treasure and gold behind me. I am\nPrince of Kharzim; thy portrait has driven me mad, and my ardent\ndesire to see thy face has sent me hither.\u201d Husn Banu held down her\nhead, and after some time said, \u201cYoung man, abandon such vain ideas;\nif you were the zephyr itself, you should not have wafted your breath\nover my ringlets.\u201d The prince to this replied, \u201cAt least I will\nsacrifice my miserable life at thy gates.\u201d--\u201cTo give away your life,\u201d\nsaid Husn Banu, \u201cis easy, but to see my face is impossible: however,\nif this idea has found a place in your heart, then you must submit to\nmy injunctions.\u201d The prince said, \u201cCommand me, and I shall from my\nsoul consider it as a favor.\u201d Husn Banu said, \u201cThe first thing I have\nto propose is this saying, \u2018_What I once saw, I long for a second\ntime_\u2019; and you must travel till you find an explanation of it. Inform\nme where the man is that utters these words, and also what he has\nseen. After you have brought me a solution of this first enigma, I\nshall tell you the second.\u201d The prince asked where that man dwelt; to\nwhich Husn Banu replied, \u201cIf I myself knew that, I should have sent my\nown people for the investigation of the circumstance.\u201d The prince held\ndown his head for some time, and then said, \u201cI am ignorant in what\ndirection I ought to go.\u201d--\u201cThen,\u201d replied Husn Banu, \u201cbanish from\nyour thought the idea of seeing my face.\u201d Here the prince observed,\n\u201cThus bewildered, whither can I go? I have at least one resource left,\nand that is to die in thy city.\u201d--\u201cIn my city,\u201d said Husn Banu, \u201cthere\nis no room for such as speak thus foolishly; my people would not\nsuffer your remaining.\u201d Hereupon the prince said, \u201cI suppose I must\ndirect my steps towards the desert, in order to find the way and\nexplore the intricacies leading to the abode of that man who exclaims\nin the words above-mentioned. If my stars prove friendly it is well,\nand if otherwise, I will sacrifice my life for thee.\u201d Husn Banu then\nstated, \u201cIt will be requisite to enter into an agreement as to the\nlength of time for which I am to expect your return.\u201d To this the\nprince said, \u201cFor the space of a year.\u201d\n\nHusn Banu then ordered them to present him with food to eat and water\nto wash his hands; and having furnished him with necessaries for his\njourney, she requested to know his name. The prince replied, that his\nname was Mun\u012br Sham\u012b[b1.07]; and then taking leave of Husn Banu,\nlike one deprived of sight and hearing, he shaped his course to the\nwilderness, and with tears in his eyes began to traverse the mountains\nand the deserts. In short, the prince wandered towards the borders of\nYemen, and sitting down underneath a tree in the desert, he gave vent\nto his tears copiously as the showers of early spring. It happened\nthat Hatim Ta\u00ef was passing that way on a hunting excursion, and\ncame close by the prince Mun\u012br. Hatim seeing a handsome youth with\nelegant apparel thus weeping, his heart melted on his account, and his\neyes were filled with tears, as he said, \u201cWhat calamity can have\nbefallen this stranger? I must go and inquire.\u201d He went up to the\nprince, and in condoling language asked him, \u201cOh, brother! what\ndistress has happened, what accident has occurred, that thou weepest\nso?\u201d The prince raised his head, and was surprised at seeing a youth\nof pleasant countenance, and of air and gait noble as the sun, the\nflowers in the rosebud of his cheeks fully blown, clothed in elegant\napparel, and having his person accoutred with armor, standing by him\nand interesting himself in his condition. He replied then, \u201cOh, youth\nof benignant countenance, to me what avails the mentioning of my\nsorrows, which can be alleviated neither by my telling nor by your\nhearing?\u201d Hatim said to him, \u201cLet your mind be at ease; communicate to\nme the secrets of your heart, and whatsoever lies in my power, as my\ntrust is in God, I will not fail to perform. I will supply you with\nmoney if it be of use to you; and my frail life is constantly devoted\nto the service of the Almighty, which consists in relieving the\ndistress of my fellow-creatures.\u201d The prince Mun\u012br, in rapture,\nexclaimed, \u201cOh, brother! may God preserve your life,\u201d and instantly\ntaking out Husn Banu\u2019s portrait, which he kept in his bosom, he handed\nit to Hatim, and said, \u201cJudge yourself what must be my condition.\u201d\nHatim looked at the portrait and remained for some time in a state of\nabstraction; at length, he said, \u201cWith regard to those questions which\nshe proposes, if you can suggest to me any plan, I will use every\nexertion in its accomplishment.\u201d\n\nIn short, Hatim carried the prince along with him into Yemen, and\nthere hospitably entertained him. After they had rested three days, he\nasked the prince whether he had any method to point out by which he\ncould serve him. The prince replied, \u201cAlas! I can propose nothing; to\nyou I resign the affair and its accomplishment, and will remain\ngrateful for your kindness while I have the breath of life.\u201d Hatim\ncalled his domestics and strictly charged them, saying, \u201cYou shall\ncontinue to supply travellers with food, and the poor with money, the\nsame as if I myself were present; so that it may not be known that I\nhave gone anywhere from home, and let each of you be diligently\noccupied in his own department.\u201d Having issued these orders, he took\nthe prince by the hand, and set out from the capital of Yemen on the\nroad that leads to Shahabad, where, in the course of time, after\nencountering the toils of the journey, they both arrived.\n\nHusn Banu\u2019s people conveyed them to the caravansera\u00ef, presented them\nwith food, and offered them gold. Hatim rejected both, saying, \u201cWorthy\npeople, I have not come hither for food or gold; I will neither taste\nof the one nor accept of the other.\u201d Of this the people informed Husn\nBanu, who having summoned them both to her presence, said to them,\n\u201cWhy do you refuse gold, a thing which will one day be of service to\nyou? The wise have remarked, \u2018A thing laid by, will be found useful,\nthough it be even the head of a serpent.\u2019\u201d[b1.08] Hatim observing\nthat the amassing of gold was proper only for the purpose of\ndistributing it, stated, \u201cLady, the fame of your beauty and\nperfections has reached my ears; now if you will agree to one request\nof mine, I will accept of your gold and eat of your food, but\notherwise I will depart hungry and thirsty from your city.\u201d Husn Banu\nasked him, \u201cStranger, what is the request with which you wish me to\ncomply?\u201d Hatim answered, saying, \u201cFor one instant unveil your face,\nand afterwards I shall do whatsoever you command.\u201d Husn Banu said,\n\u201cTill once you have brought a solution to my seven questions, it will\nbe impossible for you to see me unveiled.\u201d Hatim asked what the seven\nquestions were; and without waiting the reply, added, \u201cYou must\npromise me further that, if I should answer them, you shall become\nmine, and that on whomsoever I may bestow you, you shall not dispute\nmy commands.\u201d Husn Banu assented, saying, \u201cWhen I shall have become\nyours, you shall do with me what you think proper; you can either\nbestow me on any other person, or cause me to remain in your own\nhouse.\u201d Hatim then observed, that it would be requisite to call some\nwitnesses, in whose presence this agreement might be ratified. This\nwas accordingly done, and Hatim had the agreement confirmed before\nseveral people. After this, food was presented, of which they partook,\nand Hatim addressing Husn Banu, said, \u201cThis prince is my brother, who\nis to remain in your city till my return, and to him I expect that you\nwill pay some attention.\u201d To this Husn Banu assented, and Hatim then\nrequested to know her first question. \u201cMy first question,\u201d replied\nHusn Banu, \u201cis this: There is a certain man who exclaims, \u2018_What I\nonce saw, I long for a second time_.\u2019 Where is that man? what has he\nseen? and why does he long for the same a second time? When you have\nbrought me all this information, I shall then tell you my second\nquestion.\u201d Hatim having heard this, took leave of Husn Banu, and\nhaving conducted the prince Mun\u012br to the house appointed for guests,\nhe set out on his perilous journey.\n\nHatim began to consider in his mind, \u201cNow, where am I to go, of whom\ncan I ask my way, and what plan ought I to adopt?\u201d But, on further\nreflection, he said to himself, \u201cI have, by the aid of God, devoted my\nwhole exertions to the service of my fellow-creatures, without any\nselfish consideration: assuredly, then, my Creator will conduct me to\nthe proper place.\u201d With this reflection, he fixed his reliance on God,\nand proceeded towards the wilderness. After a few days he arrived in a\ndesert where not a bird was seen to flap its wing. Two or three days\nthence he was startled at seeing a wolf in pursuit of a milch doe, and\nso near that he was on the point of seizing her. Hatim shouted aloud\nto the wolf, \u201cRavenous animal, desist, she has a young one, and the\nmilk flows from her breast.\u201d The wolf stood still, and said,\n\u201cUndoubtedly you are Hatim, as your heart is endowed with such\ncompassion.\u201d He asked, \u201cHow do you know that I am Hatim?\u201d The wolf\nreplied, \u201cThere is none but Hatim who evinces compassion and kindness\nto this extent towards his fellow-creatures, rational and irrational;\nand the name of Hatim is renowned in every quarter. But as you have\nthis day withheld me from my prey, let me now have something to\neat.\u201d--\u201cWhat do you eat?\u201d said Hatim. The wolf answered, \u201cFlesh is my\nfood.\u201d Hatim said to him, \u201cIf the small quantity of flesh which is on\nmy body be agreeable to you, say the word, and I will give it\nyou.\u201d--\u201cNothing can be better,\u201d replied the wolf, \u201cthan the flesh on\nyour thigh.\u201d Hatim then unsheathed his knife, and having cut away the\nflesh from his own thigh, he threw it to the wolf. The latter ate, and\nwas satisfied, and said, \u201cOh, Hatim! why have you left your own\ncapital of Yemen, and for what reason do you wander in this desert?\u201d\nHatim told the wolf, that the prince Mun\u012br Sham\u012b had fallen in love\nwith Husn Banu; that she had seven questions for proposing, and that\nshe was to accept only that man who could answer them; \u201cand I,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201chave undertaken, through the aid of Providence, to accomplish\nthis task. The first question is this: \u2018Where is the man who exclaims,\n_What I once saw, I long for a second time_?\u2019 In order to be informed\nof this I sallied forth, recommending myself to God; but not knowing\nwhere that man is, I have directed my course to the desert, and thus\nfar I have advanced.\u201d The wolf here replied, \u201cI do not know myself the\nplace where that man is, but I have heard from the report of others\nthat his abode is in the desert of H\u0103wa\u00efda, and that whosoever goes\nthither will see him.\u201d Hatim asked the wolf whether he knew where the\ndesert of H\u0103wa\u00efda lay; to which he answered, \u201cAs you go forward from\nhence, the road branches into two; avoid the path to the left, and\nproceed on that to the right hand, and it will lead you to the desert\nof H\u0103wa\u00efda.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the doe, having testified her gratitude to Hatim, departed;\nand the wolf likewise took his leave. Each of these animals looked\nback to see whether Hatim followed them; but the pain arising from his\nwound was so intense that he could not proceed, and he fell down at\nthe side of a tree. It happened that underneath that tree a pair of\njackals had formed their haunt, and were at that moment absent in\nsearch of food. When the two jackals, who were a male and a female,\nreturned, they observed Hatim asleep, and the following dialogue\nensued between them: \u201cHere is one of the human race; how has he been\nbrought hither? We must quit this place, for he can have no sympathy\ntowards creatures of a different species.\u201d _M._ \u201cIt is probable that\nthis is Hatim on his way to explore the desert of H\u0103wa\u00efda; and he\nhas sunk down exhausted from the pain in his thigh.\u201d--_F._ \u201cHow do you\nknow that this is Hatim?\u201d--_M._ \u201cI have been informed by the learned\nthat on a certain day Hatim should arrive at this tree.\u201d--_F._ \u201cWhat\nsort of a personage is Hatim?\u201d--_M._ \u201cHe is Prince of Yemen, and one\nof God\u2019s elect, and many a trial awaits him; we must not leave him\ndistressed in heart.\u201d--_F._ \u201cHow has he fallen into this state?\u201d--_M._\n\u201cA wolf was about to seize a milch doe, and Hatim cut the flesh from\nhis own thigh, and gave it to the wolf in lieu of the doe, which he\nthus preserved by involving himself in calamity.\u201d--_F._ \u201cAmong the\nhuman race, are there really some who are thus endowed with humanity?\nHeaven knows, there is little compassion in mankind!\u201d--_M._ \u201cThe human\nrace are the noblest of God\u2019s creatures; and Hatim in particular is\nextremely generous, endowed with humanity, and of high honor; he is\nalso one who feareth and adoreth the Creator, for whose sake he tore\noff his own flesh and gave it to the wolf.\u201d--_F._ \u201cThus wounded in the\nthigh, how can he live? or when can he reach the desert of\nH\u0103wa\u00efda?\u201d--_M._ \u201cIf the brains of the fowl called the P\u0103r\u012br\u016b[b1.09]\ncould be applied to his wound, a complete cure would take place in the\nspace of an hour; but this remedy it is almost impossible to procure\nfrom the place where it is.\u201d--_F._ \u201cWhere is it to be found?\u201d--_M._\n\u201cIn the desert of Mazanderan; it is a fowl like a peacock, with a head\nlike that of the human race. He allures all those who attempt to seize\nhim, by giving them sherbet to drink, by the gracefulness of his\nmovements and the sweetness of his looks.\u201d--_F._ \u201cWho is it then that\ncan bring this remedy, and by the grace of God restore Hatim to\nhealth?\u201d--_M._ \u201cIf you will attend to this youth for the space of\nseven days, I will go and bring the head of that fowl.\u201d--_F._ \u201cNothing\ncan be better, for _it will be an instance of humanity from the part\nof the brute creation towards the human race_. Until you return, while\nlife remains in my body, I will not suffer a living creature to come\nnear this youth.\u201d\n\nHatim listened to the conversation of the jackals, but he was so\nexhausted that he had not strength to raise up. Meanwhile the male\njackal, leaving the female, set out for Mazanderan; and on his arrival\nthere, he saw the animal he was in quest of, sleeping underneath a\ntree. He approached it, and seizing its head in his mouth, he gave it\nsuch a pull that he severed it from the body, and returning with it he\narrived agreeably to his promise. The female during his absence had\nrested neither night nor day, nor did she suffer any living creature\nto approach the tree. Hatim was conscious of all this, how the jackal\nhaving procured the head of the P\u0103r\u012br\u016b, had now placed it before\nhis female companion. The female jackal then with her mouth forced\nopen the head, and having extracted the brain, applied it to Hatim\u2019s\nwound. The instant it was applied, Hatim\u2019s pain was removed; he rose\nup, and looking at the jackals, said, \u201cYou, though of the brute\ncreation, have acted most humanely towards me; but you have without\ncause deprived another animal of life: in this you have not done\nwell.\u201d The male jackal said, \u201cFor that crime let me be answerable; and\ndo you rest at ease. What, though I am of the brute creation, still I\nacknowledge a merciful God.\u201d About an hour passed in such discourse,\nafter which the flesh closed on Hatim\u2019s wound, and he experienced a\ncomplete cure. He then addressed the jackals, saying, \u201cYou have acted\nmost beneficently towards me; command me then in any way I can do you\na favor, and whatever service you will require of me I will with all\nmy heart and soul accomplish.\u201d The jackals replied, \u201cIn this\nneighborhood there live a couple of ravenous hyenas, that every year\ndevour our young ones, our strength being of no avail against them. If\nit is in your power, remove from us their depredations, and it will be\ndoing us the highest favor.\u201d\n\nHatim requested the jackal to shew him the haunt of the hyenas; which\nbeing done, he set out, but found that the place was empty. He there\nsat down till it was night, when both hyenas male and female arrived,\nand were surprised at seeing a man stationed in their abode. Growling,\nthey said to him in their own language, \u201cOh, son of man! this is our\ndwelling place, not yours; how came you to sit here? Arise, and go\nyour way, otherwise we shall tear you to pieces in this very spot.\u201d\nHatim replied, \u201cCreatures of the Almighty, your own lives are dear to\nyou, so ought you to consider the lives of others; and if you delight\nin destroying life, tremble for your own. On what account do you\ndevour the young of the helpless jackals? Truly you have not the fear\nof God, and you have need to repent.\u201d They said to him, \u201cHow come you\nto feel sympathy for the jackals? why do you not look after your own\naffairs?\u201d Hatim replied, \u201cI beseech you, by that God who hath created\nyou and the whole universe, to abstain from eating their flesh; God is\nbountiful, and he will assuredly send you sustenance.\u201d The hyenas, in\nanswer to this, said, \u201cWe never will spare them.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim found them thus callous and unmerciful, and disinclined to\nact honestly, he instantly sprung forward and suspended himself to the\nnecks of the hyenas, by which means he threw them down, and fettered\nthem. He then considered with himself, \u201cIf I kill them it will be\ncontrary to my nature; for hitherto I have not inflicted pain on any\nliving creature.\u201d But on farther reflection it came into his mind,\nthat it was highly proper to chastise ferocious animals. He therefore\ndrew forth his knife, and having broken the teeth and cut off the\nclaws of the hyenas he left them, and devoutly prayed to God to\nrelieve the pain of the animals. The hearer of prayers attended to\nHatim\u2019s request, and removed the pain from the hyenas. Hatim then\nuntied the fetters and set the animals at liberty; they fell at his\nfeet, saying, \u201cHow can we henceforth obtain sustenance?\u201d He replied,\n\u201cGod is bountiful.\u201d Meanwhile the jackals presented themselves, and\nsaid, \u201cHenceforth let the maintenance of the hyenas be left to our\ncare, and while we live we shall provide for them.\u201d\n\nHatim took leave of the jackals and proceeded on his way through the\ndesert. After he had gone, the female jackal said to the male, \u201cIt\nwould be very unkind that Hatim should wander alone to the desert of\nHawaida, and you not to shew him the way.\u201d Here the male jackal\nrunning, made up to him, and said, \u201cOh, Hatim! let me accompany you to\nHawaida.\u201d Hatim answered, \u201cAlready you have done me one kind deed,\nwhich I have not yet requited; why then do you lay me under further\nobligations?\u201d To this the jackal said, \u201cServant of the Almighty, why\nshould I allow you to wander astray from the country?\u201d Hatim replied,\n\u201cI will by no means take you away in my company; and if you have a\ndesire to set me on the right way, it is quite sufficient that you\nshew me the proper path.\u201d The jackal then said, \u201cOh, youth! there is\none way which is near, but it has dangers innumerable; and there is\nanother which is circuitous, and extremely rough; for this reason\nallow me to go with you.\u201d In reply to this, Hatim said, \u201cDo you shew\nme the nearest way, and God will render it smooth for me.\u201d The jackal\nthen directed him, saying, \u201cGo straight forward to a place where the\nroad divides into four branches, and then select that which leads\nright on: it is the shortest way, and if you can go safe it will take\nyou to the desert of Hawaida.\u201d Hatim bade adieu to the jackal and\nadvanced; and after one month he arrived at the four divisions of the\nroad, and keeping the direct path, advanced in the direction of the\ndesert.\n\nAfter he had gone part of the way, several bears presented themselves\nto his sight; for there the king of the bears with a thousand of these\nuncouth animals held his court, and it happened on that particular day\nthat they were out on an excursion. When Hatim was seen by the bears,\nthey instantly sent intelligence to their king that they had that day\nbeheld one of the human race. His Majesty commanded them to seize the\nman and bring him thither; and the bears having caught Hatim, carried\nhim with them. When the king of the bears minutely observed Hatim, he\ngave orders that he should be taken care of, and conveyed to their\nabode, to which they all returned. After this, when Hatim was brought\nbefore the king, his Majesty said, \u201cDescendant of Adam, be seated, and\ntell us whence you came, and what is your name; but that is\nunnecessary, for you are Hatim.\u201d Hatim answered, \u201cYes, I am; and I\nhave come hither in the service of my Creator.\u201d His Majesty then said\nto him, \u201cTruly you are most welcome, and I will give you my daughter\nin marriage, for as yet I have met with none so proper for a\nson-in-law that I could bestow her on him, as it would be unbecoming\nto espouse her to any of my subjects or servants.\u201d On hearing this\ntempting proposal, Hatim held down his head. The king of the bears\nasked him, \u201cWhat is the cause of your holding down your head? have you\nnothing to say in reply? am I forsooth unworthy of being your\nfather-in-law?\u201d Hatim at last said, \u201cYou are of the brute creation, I\nof the human race, what conformity is there between us?\u201d The bear\nsaid, \u201cOh, Hatim! rest you content on that score, and let nothing\ndisturb your mind, for my daughter is of your own species.\u201d\n\nHis Majesty then ordered his daughter to be arrayed and presented, and\nsaid to Hatim, \u201cGo and look at her for one instant.\u201d Hatim rose up,\nand beheld a female in human shape, and beautiful as the moon in her\nfourteenth night. He was wrapt in wonder, and having returned to his\nMajesty, he said, \u201cYou are a king and I am a beggar; it would be\ndisrespectful in me to presume to espouse your daughter.\u201d The bear\nreplied, \u201cYou shall accept of her, notwithstanding every objection\nwhich you can contrive. Pray are you not Prince of Yemen?\u201d Hatim began\nto reflect, \u201cWhat a scrape I have fallen into! I have come forth on a\nparticular service; how then can I remain captive here?\u201d The bear\nobserved his thoughtfulness a second time, and said, \u201cOh, Hatim! if\nyou accept not my daughter, I shall send you into a place of\nconfinement, where you shall remain fast till the day of judgment.\u201d\nHere Hatim attempted a reply, but the bear became angry, and ordered\nthem to confine Hatim in a certain dungeon, and keep strict watch over\nhim. Instantly the bears carried Hatim to the dungeon, and having\nremoved a large stone of extreme hardness they made him fast, and\nreplaced the stone as before on the mouth of the dungeon. In this\nhole, Hatim, hungry, thirsty, and bewildered, was left for the space\nof two weeks, at the expiration of which the king sent for him, and\nhaving made him sit beside him, said, \u201cOh, Hatim! will you now espouse\nmy daughter?\u201d Hatim still remained silent, and the king ordered fruits\nto be brought and presented to him. Hatim being hungry, ate of the\nfruit and quenched his thirst with pure water, after which the bear\nagain insisted on his marrying his daughter. To this, Hatim at last\nreplied, that there could be no relationship between mankind and other\nanimals; on hearing which, the king of the bears ordered him to be\nagain shut up in the dungeon.\n\nAfter some days, Hatim, exhausted with hunger and thirst, fell into a\nslumber, and in a dream he saw an aged man, who thus addressed him:\n\u201cOh, Hatim! why art thou thus dilatory in the service which thou hast\ntaken in hand; and why dost thou not comply with the bear\u2019s request?\u201d\nHe answered, \u201cIf I accept his daughter, they will never permit me to\nleave them for the accomplishment of my task.\u201d The aged man again\nreplied, \u201cOn that alone your liberation depends, for otherwise you\nmust soon perish in this dungeon; therefore accept as your wife the\nbear\u2019s daughter, and for this compliance on your part, she will\neffectually assist in setting you at liberty.\u201d Here Hatim awaked from\nhis dream, and in about two weeks after he was again brought before\nthe king of the bears. His Majesty seated Hatim beside him, and\nrepeated his former proposal, which being agreed to, he took Hatim by\nthe hand and placed him on his own throne, and issued orders for his\ngrandees to be in attendance. Agreements were then entered into,\naccording to the usages of that race, after which the bear conveyed\nHatim to the apartment of his daughter. There, to his surprise, he\nfound the halls decorated with the most splendid couches such as\nbelong to royalty; and on a splendid throne was seated his bride\narrayed in gold and all sorts of jewels. For a short time he stood\nbewildered, when the king took the hand of his daughter and resigned\nher to Hatim agreeably to established custom. Every day the king sent\na variety of the most delicious fruits to Hatim, till at length the\nlatter observed, that to live entirely on fruit did not agree with\nhim, and that he would prefer more substantial food. On hearing this,\nthe king ordered his emissaries to collect from places inhabited by\nmen all sorts of flour, sugar, milk, and butter, also vessels of\nporcelain. The order was no sooner expressed than executed, and thus\nHatim was enabled to fare sumptuously twice a day on food the most\ndelicious, which he himself dressed.\n\nIn this manner six months elapsed, when one day Hatim, addressing the\nbear\u2019s daughter, said, \u201cI have left home on a special service, and\nyour father has forcibly detained me here; if you will permit my\nabsence for some time, and make your father assent to this measure,\nwhen I have accomplished my undertaking I will return and live with\nyou.\u201d The bear\u2019s daughter instantly went to her father, and acquainted\nhim with Hatim\u2019s request; to which the king replied, \u201cDaughter, he is\nyour husband; if you are yourself satisfied you have my consent.\u201d The\ndaughter observed, \u201cHatim appears to be a man of sincerity; he will\nassuredly return according to his promise.\u201d In short, the king gave\nhis permission, and ordered some of his subjects to conduct Hatim\nbeyond the boundaries of his dominions. Hatim having taken leave of\nhis wife, departed, and after some time arrived at a sandy desert\nwhich contained not a single human dwelling. Hatim placed his reliance\nupon God and proceeded; meanwhile a mysterious man with tattered\ngarment presented him every evening with a loaf of bread and a jug\nfull of water. Of these, after offering his thanks to the Creator, he\npartook, and thus continued to advance. Suddenly he espied before him\na dragon, the head of which was reared up to the height of a mountain.\nAt first sight he was dreadfully alarmed, but gradually began to\nsuppose that it must be a mass of sand. When he drew nearer, the\ndragon observing him, inhaled his breath, and Hatim was irresistibly\ndrawn from the earth notwithstanding his utmost efforts to keep\nhimself firm, and in an instant he was swallowed alive by the monster.\n\nWhen Hatim found himself inside of the dragon, he remembered his\nCreator, and with pious resignation to his will, said, \u201cThis I have\nmerited, polluted as I am with sins; it has been my wish to become one\nof the servants of God, but ah, helpless me! what avail my frail\nefforts?\u201d Thus Hatim constantly kept in mind the beneficence of the\nAlmighty: for whosoever puts his trust in God, and sincerely devotes\nhis life and fortune to the accomplishing of what is acceptable unto\nthe Almighty, him the Creator will never forsake when in calamity.\nSometimes he trieth his servants even as he tried Job the prophet of\nIram, who bore his sufferings with patience and resignation. In like\nmanner it behoveth the true servants of the Almighty that in every\ncalamity they remain patient and resigned.\n\nFor three days and nights Hatim thus continued in the loathsome\nabdomen of the dragon, where he would have speedily died were it not\nfor a talismanic pearl which his wife, the bear\u2019s daughter, had fixed\nin his turban previous to his departure. This pearl had a charm in it\nby which its possessor became secured against the bad effects of fire\nand poison, and hence the venom of the dragon had no effect on Hatim.\nIn truth the bounteous Creator had in time provided him with an\nantidote, as it was his will that Hatim should live. Meanwhile the\ndragon, heartily wishing to be rid of Hatim, said to himself, \u201cWhat\ntroublesome stuff have I swallowed here? I can never digest it, for it\nstill lives and moves about within me.\u201d It may be conceived that Hatim\nfound little rest within the dragon\u2019s abdomen; and he was constantly\nendeavoring to stand up and walk about, the trampling of his feet upon\nthe stomach of the monster so annoyed the latter that he coiled and\nreared in all directions.\n\nAt length, when he found that his food was really destructive and\ncaused him such pain, he bore it no longer, and making a strong effort\nhe vomited, and Hatim was once more thrown into the open air, where\nthe dragon left him and fled into the wilderness. Hatim remained on\nthe spot for some time till his clothes were dried by the sun, and\nthen proceeded on his way till, after traversing the sandy desert, he\narrived exhausted with hunger and thirst on the banks of a river. Here\nhe began to wash both himself and his clothes, when he observed a\nlarge fish playing near him. Hatim was congratulating himself on this\nprovidential supply of food, when the fish, of which the half was a\nhuman form of extreme beauty, being in fact the mermaid, approached,\nand seizing him by the hand, instantly drew him into the river. Hatim\nstruggled hard to keep his ground, but his strength was of no avail;\nthe fish hurried him through the deep, and thus conveyed him into her\nplace of residence. Here he found himself in a splendid apartment\nseated on a superb couch, and the mermaid endeavoring by every sort of\ncontrivance to reconcile him to his captivity.\n\nFor seven nights and days Hatim remained the dejected captive of this\nmonster of the deep. At last becoming desperate, he said, \u201cI have\ntravelled thus far on business the most urgent, leaving my home and\nkindred; why then dost thou urge me to become an inmate of this thy\nabode? My sadness will never allow me to be an agreeable companion; I\npray thee then to conduct me to that place whence I have been forcibly\ndragged.\u201d To this the mermaid replied, \u201cOh, Hatim! stay with me three\ndays longer, and I will consent to thy release.\u201d When the three days\nhad elapsed, Hatim reminded the mermaid of her promise, to which she\nreplied, \u201cEverything which tends to thy welfare shall be accomplished,\nyet remain a few days more.\u201d Hatim said, \u201cRemember thy promise, for to\nstay a moment longer is to me impossible.\u201d The mermaid finding Hatim\nresolute, at last took him by the hand, and in an instant conveyed him\nto the spot from which she had taken him, and as a last effort said,\n\u201cOh, Hatim! is it really your intention to part with me?\u201d--\u201cMy duty,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cis urgent, and nothing shall make me shrink from it.\u201d\nWhen Hatim gave this decisive answer, the mermaid vanished. He then\nfinished the washing of his clothes, in which he had been previously\ninterrupted, and after drying them in the sun, he dressed himself, and\nonce more set out.\n\nAfter he had journeyed for some days he approached a mountain, the top\nof which was covered with trees in beautiful clusters. Having\nascended, he entered these groves, which were lined with elegant\ncouches, and through which flowed rivulets of pure water. The cool\nzephyr wafting its fragrance through the trees rendered the situation\nrefreshing to the soul. Hatim reclined on one of the couches, and soon\nfell asleep. Meanwhile the proprietor of the place passing by, was\nsurprised on beholding a youth of graceful mien there asleep. He sat\ndown beside him, and shortly after, Hatim, refreshed by sleep, sat up,\nand seeing a stranger, respectfully saluted him. The other, in\ncourteous terms, returned his salutation, and said, \u201cWhence came you,\nand whither are you going? Pray tell me, what are your motives for\ntraversing this dreary waste?\u201d Hatim replied, \u201cI am on my way to the\ndesert of Hawaida.\u201d The stranger, on hearing this, said, \u201cHow came you\nto adopt so mad a resolution? has none of your friends been kind\nenough to prevent your journey?\u201d--\u201cSuch,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cis my sincere\nintention; and placing my reliance on God, I have undertaken this\ntask, and have proceeded thus far on my way. A prince, named Munir\nShami, has fallen desperately in love with Husn Banu, the daughter of\nBurzakh the merchant. The lady has asked of the prince seven\nquestions, the solution of which is beyond his power. Weeping in the\nagonies of despair, he quitted the haunts of men and turned his face\nto the mountains and deserts, where I chanced to meet with him. I\ninquired into the cause of his distress, and learned from him his\nheart-melting tale. It came into my mind, that to _question the\ndistressed as to his circumstances, and then not to make an effort to\nrelieve him, would be a line of conduct unbecoming a man_. For this\nreason, Sir, I have endeavored to do my best in his cause.\u201d\n\nThe stranger then said, \u201cAssuredly you must be Hatim himself; for\nwith the exception of Hatim, there is not a man alive who would have\nacted in such a manner. Generous Hatim! God is beneficent, and to you\nwill render the task easy; but remember, that hitherto no one has\nreturned in safety from the desert of Hawaida, and the few who have\nthence retraced their steps became distracted in mind and lost to the\nworld; however, since you go, give ear to my advice. The instant you\napproach the desert of Hawaida, they will assail you with enchantment,\nagainst which your power and strength will be of no avail. Around you\nwill gather damsels of surpassing beauty, and among these will be a\nnymph heart-ravishing, of graceful form, with waving tresses\nresplendent as the full moon; the moment you behold her your heart\nwill be beyond your control, but you must remain firm of mind and not\ngive way. Should you then resolve to advance, you have merely to take\nthis fair damsel by the hand, and in an instant you will find yourself\nin the desert of Hawaida. Now, Hatim! if you do not follow my advice,\nyou will have cause to repent of it till your dying hour.\u201d\n\nWhen he had done speaking, a man advanced to the couch on which they\nsat, with a table in his hands, and having fixed it before them, he\ncovered it with cloth and presented them with water to wash their\nhands. He then laid upon the table a large bowl full of milk and rice,\nand two flagons full of pure water the most delicious that Hatim had\never tasted. Having rested there during the night, Hatim next morning\ntook leave of his host and departed. After journeying for some days,\nhe arrived on the shore of a lake surrounded with shady trees and\nbrimful of clear water. When he was wrapt in admiration of this scene,\na nymph of more than mortal beauty, perfect from head to foot,\ngracefully arose from the water. Hatim, dazzled with her splendor,\ncovered his eyes, and the nymph seizing him by the hand hurried him\ninto the deep. Hatim found himself for some time sinking rapidly, till\nat last his feet rested on firm ground. He then opened his eyes, and\nto his astonishment beheld around him a most beautiful and extensive\ngarden. Here the nymph of the lake shortly after quitted her hold of\nhis hand, and vanished from his sight. Hatim walked a considerable way\nthrough the garden, when, lo! thousands of beautiful women approached\nhim from every quarter, each of whom tried to win him with her\nattractions, and endeavored to pierce his heart with the arrows of her\nloving glances.\n\nTo all these, however, Hatim paid not the least regard, for he kept in\nmind the advice of the stranger who had lately entertained him, and\nsaid to himself, \u201cThis is all enchantment.\u201d The damsels then laid hold\nof Hatim and conveyed him to a splendid palace, which was entirely\nformed of precious stones and all sorts of jewels and pearls, and also\ndecorated with numberless paintings. When Hatim was inside the palace,\nstanding near a throne which he viewed with admiration, he thought\nwithin himself, \u201cNow that I am in this palace, why should I not for\nonce sit upon that throne?\u201d He therefore advanced. Placing his foot on\nthe throne, he heard a tremendous crash; he started back, thinking\nthat the throne had been broken under his weight. He once more\nexamined it, and seeing no ground for what he had imagined, he mounted\nthe throne and sat down. He was no sooner upon the throne than the\nnoise was repeated, and the beautiful damsel whom the stranger on the\nmountain had mentioned to him as likely to take his heart captive,\napproached him with smiles the most alluring. She was arrayed in gold\nand jewels of the costliest sort: with a veil cast over her\ncountenance, she advanced and stood at the foot of the throne. Hatim\nwas completely bewildered, and felt the strongest inclination to\nremove the veil from her face; but then he remembered the advice he\nhad received, and said in his own mind, \u201cIt is only by seizing the\nhand of this damsel that I am to be delivered from this enchantment;\nhowever, ere I depart I must see further into the delusions of this\nplace.\u201d For three nights and days Hatim remained seated on the throne.\nThe darkness of the night was dispelled by magic lamps which to him\nwere invisible, and his ears were delighted with melodious sounds.\nFantastic groups in endless variety danced along the scene; but, all\nthrough, the damsel of surpassing beauty stood by the throne, sweetly\nsmiling in his face. They presented him with food and fruits of every\ndescription in costly dishes; but although Hatim ate most heartily,\nhis hunger was not in the least appeased. Wondering in his mind, he\nsaid to himself, \u201cThough I am constantly eating I am never satiated,\nhow is this to be accounted for?\u201d In this manner three days had\nelapsed, and on the fourth he said to himself, \u201cOh, Hatim! were you to\nlook for a hundred years at these delusive appearances, still you\nwould not have tired of them. At the same time you have left behind\nyou a helpless youth, whose expectations are fixed on your exertions;\nif you waste the time, what will you have to answer before God?\u201d\n\nHatim then seized the hand of the fair damsel, which he had no sooner\ndone than a female form issued from the foot of the throne, and struck\nhim a blow which felled him to the ground. He opened his eyes, and on\nlooking round him saw not a trace of the garden, the palace, the\nthrone, or the damsels. A dreary and boundless wilderness presented\nitself to his view, which he knew to be the desert of Hawaida. He then\ncommenced his search for the man in quest of whom he had travelled,\nand after he had wandered for some space, his ear was greeted by the\nwelcome sound of \u201c_What I once saw, I long for a second time_.\u201d Hatim\nlistened with attention, and three times did he distinctly hear this\nsound, after which all was silent. He proceeded in the direction in\nwhich the voice was heard, and for seven nights and days he thus\nadvanced. On his way he often heard the words repeated as it were\nbefore him, but never could he discover the person by whom they were\nuttered.\n\nHatim, thus bewildered, still advanced; when, lo! on the evening of\nthe ninth day he saw an old man resting himself on the bare earth.\nHatim approached and saluted the old man, who courteously returning\nhis salutation, said to him, \u201cYoung stranger, whence came you, and\nwhat is your business here?\u201d--\u201cVenerable Sir,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cmy\nbusiness here is to learn truly from you what is it that you have\n_seen once_, and _long to behold a second time_.\u201d--\u201cSit down by me,\u201d\nsaid the aged man, \u201cand I will tell you all.\u201d Hatim sat down, and in\nan instant two loaves and two flagons full of pure water miraculously\nappeared before them. The old man handed to Hatim one of the loaves\nand one of the pitchers full of water, and reserved an equal quantity\nfor himself, and both of them silently ate and drank. After their\nrefreshment, Hatim addressed the old man, saying, \u201cVenerable Sir, pray\ntell me the meaning of these words which you have so often repeated.\u201d\nTo this, the aged man replied, \u201cI once upon a time arrived at the\nborder of a lake, from the waters of which arose a damsel of angelic\nappearance, who, seizing me by the hand, hurried me into the midst of\nthe deep. When I opened my eyes, I beheld to my astonishment a\nbeauteous garden, from every quarter of which damsels fairest of form\ncame in troops around me. At last they carried me into a palace, and\nleft me standing beside a gorgeous throne, which I mounted and then\nsat down, beholding with admiration the objects that presented\nthemselves to my view. A beautiful damsel with a veil gracefully\nthrown over her face approached and stood before the throne. The\ninstant I beheld her fairy form, I lost hold of the reins of my heart\nand became frantic. I removed the veil from her face; she smiled\nirresistibly, and my transport knew no bounds. I seized her hand in\norder to seat her upon the throne, when on a sudden another female\nform seemed to issue from the earth beneath us, and raising herself,\nshe struck me a blow which hurled me into this desert. Here I wander\nrestless and forlorn, and my thoughts are ever fixed on the image of\nthat heart-ravishing angel.\u201d\n\nThus spoke the aged man, and then sighing bitterly he shed a flood of\ntears, and like a maniac flew in every direction, crying aloud, \u201c_What\nI once saw, I long for a second time_.\u201d Hatim ran in pursuit of him,\nand seizing him by the arm, said to him, \u201cVenerable Sir, will your\nmind be at ease if you should see that fairy form a second\ntime?\u201d--\u201cAssuredly, young man,\u201d said he, \u201cbut the case is\nimpossible.\u201d--\u201cFollow me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cand I will conduct you to her\nabode.\u201d The old man joyfully accompanied Hatim; and after travelling\nfor some days, they entered the shady groves on the banks of the lake\nalready mentioned.\n\nHatim then addressed his aged companion, saying, \u201cNow, venerable Sir,\nwhen you again arrive in the enchanted palace, if it be your wish to\nremain there admiring the angelic damsel, you must on no account seize\nher hand or remove her veil. If you lay hold of her hand, the same\ndisaster from which you have now made your escape will again befall\nyou, and your retracing your way back to that enchanted paradise will\nbe impossible. That I have been enabled to do so, is owing to the\nkindness of a hermit of exemplary piety, who gave me proper directions\nwhen on my way hither. Do you now ascend into yonder tree on the\nborder of the lake, and the beautiful nymph will arise out of the\nwater as formerly.\u201d\n\nHere Hatim took leave of the old man, and the instant the latter\nascended the tree that overhung the lake, the nymph gracefully arose\nout of the water, and seizing him by the hand hurried him into the\nmidst of the deep. Hatim now began to retrace his steps towards\nShahabad, and in a few days arrived at the abode of the hermit on the\nmountain, to whom he related his whole adventure. Having taken an\naffectionate leave of the hermit, he journeyed onwards till he arrived\nin the desert of the bears, where he spent a whole month enjoying the\nsociety of his beautiful wife, the bear\u2019s daughter. That period having\nelapsed, he bade adieu to his wife and _new_ kindred, and his next\nstage was the residence of the jackals. After parting with the latter,\nnothing occurred worth notice till his safe arrival in Shahabad, where\nhe was recognized and conducted to the caravansera\u00ef by Husn Banu\u2019s\npeople. The Prince Munir Shami prostrated himself at Hatim\u2019s feet, in\norder to give vent to his gratitude; but Hatim raised him to his\nbosom, and related to him all that he had seen.\n\nHatim, accompanied by the prince, waited upon Husn Banu, who, having\nveiled herself, most courteously received them, and addressing Hatim,\nshe said, \u201cTell me, brave youth, what news have you brought?\u201d--\u201cAn\naged man,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cin the desert of Hawaida once saw by the\neffect of magic a damsel of angelic form. She deprived him of his\nheart and of his senses, and since that time he has traversed the\nwilderness, crying aloud, \u2018_What I once saw, I long for a second\ntime_.\u2019\u201d Hatim then gave a full account to Husn Banu of the nature of\nthe enchanted paradise, and how he had conveyed the old man to the\nbanks of the lake through which he might re\u00ebnter the magic scene. \u201cIn\nfine,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthose sounds shall be heard no more in the desert,\nfor I have conducted the old man to the abode of that Houri who had\nrobbed him of his heart.\u201d\n\nWhen Husn Banu heard the whole adventure, she expressed her\nadmiration; and the nurse addressing her, said, \u201cThe youth speaks\ntruly, for the case is really as he has related.\u201d Food was then\nbrought in, and Hatim was urged to take refreshment. This done, he\nsaid to Husn Banu, \u201cThe Supreme Creator has enabled me to explain one\nof your questions; let me now hear another, that I may endeavor to\naccomplish its solution.\u201d--\u201cRest yourself,\u201d said Husn Banu, \u201cfor some\ndays till you are recovered from your present fatigue.\u201d Husn Banu at\nthe same time was deeply though secretly enamoured of the prince\nMunir, but respect for her own dignity compelled her to abide by her\ndeclaration, and there was no resource except the solution of the\nseven questions.\n\nHatim and the prince Munir rested for the night in the palace of Husn\nBanu, and next day waited upon her for the purpose of taking leave.\nHatim requested to know her second question, which she told him, as\nfollows: \u201cI have heard,\u201d said Husn Banu, \u201cthat a certain person has\nwritten above his door, \u2018_Do good, and cast it upon the waters_.\u2019 What\nmeans this motto, and where lives the writer of it? Having\ninvestigated this mystery, return and tell me the result; that is, the\n_good_ that he _has done, and cast upon the waters_.\u201d Hatim then took\nleave of Husn Banu, and having soothed the anxiety of the prince\nMunir, departed on his second adventure.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK II.\n\n _Hatim\u2019s journey in quest of the Man of the Motto--His arrival at the\n famous Mountain of Kaf_[b2.01]--_His finding the motto in question\n written on the door of Harith, from whom he learns its\n signification--His return, and safe arrival in Shahabad._\n\nWhen Hatim was taking leave of Husn Banu, he asked her, \u201cPray can\nyou tell me in what country the man lives?\u201d--\u201cI have not,\u201d said the\nlady, \u201cthe least idea.\u201d The nurse, however, replied, saying, \u201cHe\nresides in the city of Ma\u00e2din, which is in a northerly direction, but\nI know nothing further as to where that city is situated.\u201d Hatim,\nwithout further delay, set out from Shahabad, and proceeded towards\nthe north. After several days had thus passed, he approached the\nskirts of a desert. It was then drawing towards evening, and Hatim,\nobserving a tree on the confines of the wilderness, halted underneath\nit, and began to look around him on all sides. On a sudden, a voice\nthat betokened the deepest sorrow reached his ear. His heart glowed\nwith pity; and he said in his own mind, \u201cOh, Hatim! dost thou think it\nproper that a fellow-creature overwhelmed in distress should be thus\nleft to sigh and lament, without thy inquiring into the cause of his\nsorrows?\u201d\n\nHatim got up, and followed the direction of the voice which he had\nheard. He saw a young man stretched upon the ground, with his cheeks\nbedewed with tears; his eyes languid, and his color pale, who sighed\nand lamented bitterly as he uttered the following couplet:--\n\n\u201c_Whither can I go, whom can I consult? Oh, tell me what cure to\napply, for the arrow of love has pierced my inward soul._\u201d\n\nHatim addressed the youth, saying, \u201cFriend, what calamity has befallen\nyou to occasion your sighing and weeping in this manner?\u201d--\u201cBrother,\u201d\nsaid the youth, \u201cwhy should I relate the tale of my woe? My telling it\ncan bring no relief, and my rehearsing it will increase my anguish.\u201d\nHere Hatim most kindly said to him, \u201cAt least let me know where lies\nthe difficulty.\u201d The young man thus proceeded with his story: \u201cI am a\nmerchant, and I sometimes visit a spacious city distant from hence\nabout four farasangs[b2.02]. In that city lives a merchant named\nHarith, who has a daughter of surpassing beauty, resembling the full\nmoon. One day I went to the city in the way of business, and happened\nto pass by the dwelling of Harith the merchant. The daughter was at\nthat moment looking out at one of the windows, and all at once my eyes\nwere attracted towards her. The instant I beheld this beauty my heart\nrebelled beyond my control, and reason abandoned my mind; in a word, I\nwas taken captive in the fetters of love.\n\n\u201cI inquired of some of the people in the city, \u2018Pray, sirs, whose\nhouse is this?\u2019--\u2018It is,\u2019 said they, \u2018the residence of Harith\u2019s\ndaughter.\u2019 I asked them further, \u2018Can you tell me whether the lady be\nmarried or not?\u2019 They replied, \u2018Truly, sir, she is unmarried as yet;\nher father has three questions, and has resolved to bestow his\ndaughter on that man only who can answer them.\u2019 My uneasiness was so\ngreat that I straightway went to Harith\u2019s gate, and sent him a message\nannouncing my object. Harith replied, saying, \u2018I have no control over\nmy daughter in this case, she is left to choose for herself. She has\nthree questions to propose, and she will accept as her husband the man\nwho can answer them to her satisfaction.\u2019\n\n\u201cI thence proceeded to the door of the apartment of Harith\u2019s daughter,\nand by message announced my attendance. The lady invited me to enter,\nand having caused me to be seated in an elegant chamber, she sent me\nword to this effect: \u2018First you must sign an agreement with me, and\nthen I will converse with you.\u2019 To this I replied, that I was ready to\nobey whatever she should command. The lady then informed me, \u2018If you\nsolve my three questions, I shall become entirely yours; but if you\nsucceed not, all your wealth shall be mine.\u2019 In my ardor I at once\nagreed to these conditions, and requested her further commands.\n\n\u201cShe proceeded, saying, \u2018My first question is this: in the vicinity of\nour city is a cave the inside of which no one has hitherto explored,\nnor is it known how far it extends; examine this cave, and let me know\nthe result.\n\n\u201c\u2018My second question is as follows: on the night of Jumat[b2.03] a\nvoice is heard in the wilderness of some one who exclaims, \u201cI have\ndone nothing which can benefit me this night.\u201d Bring me an account of\nthis person, and tell me why he reiterates such an exclamation.\n\n\u201c\u2018My third question: There is a fairy named Mahpari, who has in her\npossession the precious stone called the Shahmuhra[b2.04]; find out\nthis fairy\u2019s abode, and procure for me the jewel.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhen she had finished her commands, I returned to my house and\nconveyed to her the whole of my wealth, of which she is now in\npossession. I then quitted the city, and made my way into this desert.\nHere I wander involved in calamities: on the one hand, I have parted\nwith all my substance, and have deprived myself of a home; and on the\nother, the arrow of love still pierces my heart.\u201d[b2.05]\n\nHatim, on hearing the young man\u2019s history, said to him, \u201cLet your mind\nbe easy as to this affair; only conduct me to that city, and I shall\nendeavor to put you in possession of your mistress, and restore to you\nyour lost property.\u201d The youth said, \u201cIn my present state my wealth\nwould be useless; let me but gain my mistress, for without her my life\nwill be insupportable.\u201d\n\nHatim took the youth by the hand, and both set out for the city. When\nthey arrived, they rested a little at a caravansera\u00ef; there Hatim\nleft his companion, and having gone to the gate of Harith\u2019s daughter,\nhe addressed the porter, saying, \u201cTell your mistress that I wish to\nspeak with her on matrimonial affairs.\u201d The attendants immediately\nconveyed the intelligence to their mistress, that a youth had arrived\nat the gate who longed to converse with her. The lady, on hearing\nthis, threw on her veil, and gave orders that Hatim should be\nintroduced. She then stated to him the three queries above-mentioned,\nconcerning which Hatim replied, \u201cIf your father will enter into a\nwritten agreement with me, I will solve your questions. The terms are\nas follows: when I shall have brought satisfactory answers to your\nquestions, you must submit to be bestowed by me on whomsoever I\nplease, and the choice of your disposal shall be left entirely with\nme.\u201d\n\n\u201cWhen you have answered my questions,\u201d said the lady, \u201cI shall be\nyours; and then you may dispose of me as you deem proper.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d\nsaid Hatim; \u201cnow send for your father.\u201d The father accordingly\nattended, and Hatim received from him a written agreement to the\neffect already stated. The daughter, addressing Hatim, said, \u201cIf you\nshould prove unsuccessful in the solution of any of the above queries,\nwhat will be the consequence?\u201d--\u201cWealth,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI have none,\nbut my head is at your disposal.\u201d On hearing this, the lady was\nsatisfied, and at Hatim\u2019s request, thus stated her first question:\n\u201c_In the vicinity of this city is a cave, well known to all the\ninhabitants; bring me a true account of it, and inform me of its\ninnermost secrets._\u201d\n\nHatim took leave of the lady, and taking with him some of her people\nas guides, he set out from the city, and soon arrived at the mouth of\nthe cave, which was situated about three farasangs distant. When the\nguides had brought Hatim to the mouth of the cave, he said to them,\n\u201cNow, whether will you return to the city, or remain here till I come\nout?\u201d They answered him, saying \u201cWe are ordered not to quit this spot\ntill you come out, so here we shall remain; meanwhile one of us shall\nreturn to the city, in order to procure food.\u201d\n\nHatim threw himself into the cave, and began to explore his way. For\nthe whole of that, and several successive days, he continued to\nadvance, till at last he saw a glimmering light. He then supposed that\nhe had reached the extremity of the cave, and bethought himself that\nhe ought to return. But on further consideration, he said in his own\nmind, \u201cIf people ask of me aught concerning the mysteries of its\ninterior, what answer can I give?\u201d He therefore issued out from the\nextremity of the cave, and continued to advance. Before him lay a\nboundless desert, through which flowed rivulets of water. Hatim had\nbrought with him from the city two bags full of kernels of almonds,\nand a flask full of water. Of these he ate a few every day, and after\nexpressing his thanks to the Creator, he pursued his route, and when\nhis flask full of water was exhausted, he supplied himself from the\nstreams that flowed through the desert.\n\nAfter journeying for several days, Hatim beheld a lofty and extensive\nrampart, and after examining it all around he discovered that there\nwas a town within it. He entered within the walls, and as he advanced\ntowards the town found traces of its being inhabited; and when he\napproached still nearer, he saw that the natives were demons.[b2.06]\n\nThe moment that Hatim was perceived by the demons they rushed upon\nhim, male and female, and having surrounded him, they seized him with\nthe intention of tearing him to pieces, in order to devour him. One of\nthe demons interfered, saying, \u201cThis is one of Adam\u2019s race, and his\nflesh is a most delicious morsel; if you appropriate him to your own\nuse, and our king should know of it, he will certainly annihilate\nevery soul of you. You must not therefore touch a hair of him without\nthe king\u2019s permission.\u201d The demons asked, in return, \u201cWho is he that\nwill convey the information to the king?\u201d The other replied, \u201cAmong us\nthere are many enemies; therefore listen to my advice, and lay not a\nfinger on this man.\u201d\n\nThe demons accordingly left Hatim and retired to their haunts. Hatim\nthen proceeded onwards through the city, and was very soon surrounded\nand laid hold of by others. Here his case was truly desperate, for\nthey were ready to devour him. One of them, however, again interfered,\nand thus addressed them: \u201cThe deed you are about to do will be fatal\nto you. You must so proceed in this affair that the earthly man be\nconveyed to the king. His Majesty\u2019s daughter is sick, and he himself\nis afflicted with an inward pain, from which he never enjoys a\nmoment\u2019s respite. Thousands of the human race have been procured, and\nare now kept in confinement by our monarch, but as yet he has found no\nremedy; and at the same time his Majesty says that he is to be cured\nby one of the sons of Adam. If, in short, the king should hear that in\nsuch a town a man should have arrived and been devoured by you, he\nwould punish with death both yourselves and your wives and children.\nIf, on the other hand, his Majesty\u2019s health should be restored, what\ncan be more gratifying? And if otherwise, why, then, this man will be\nkept in confinement along with the rest of his species.\u201d\n\nTo this replied another of the demons: \u201cWe lately conveyed such a\nbeing as this to his Majesty, but no cure was the consequence; so we\nhad nothing but reproaches for our trouble. Why should we concern\nourselves with this man? Since he has once entered our country he\ncannot escape, and it is best to let him make his way to the king of\nhis own accord, and I shall watch him in order that no one else may\nassail him.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim had listened to this conversation of the demons, he said in\nhis own mind, \u201cNow, I wonder what can be the nature of their monarch\u2019s\ndisease? I must inquire into his case, as well as that of his\ndaughter.\u201d Having made this resolution, he departed and left the town.\nShortly after he beheld at a distance another of their towns; and as\nhe approached it, the demon inhabitants came upon him and carried him\nbefore their chief. Now it happened that the wife of the chief had a\nviolent pain in her eyes, from which water constantly flowed.\n\nWhen the demons entered with Hatim, the chief raised his head, which\nwas bent downwards in sorrow for his wife, and thus addressed them:\n\u201cWhy have you brought hither this man? Release him, and let him go\nwhere he pleaseth.\u201d When Hatim beheld the anguish of the chief, his\nheart was moved with pity, and he said to himself, \u201cI must inquire\ninto the cause of his affliction.\u201d He approached, and said, \u201cMost\nworthy chief, what grieves thee, and why sittest thou thus\nmelancholy?\u201d--\u201cSon of man,\u201d replied the demon chief, \u201cwhat avails my\ntelling thee? My wife is tormented with a pain in her eyes, without\nany interval of relief.\u201d--\u201cIf,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthou wilt conduct me to\nher presence, I will cure her of her pain.\u201d\n\nThe demon rose up, and seizing Hatim by the hand, led him forthwith\ninto his wife\u2019s apartment. In passing, Hatim was struck with\nadmiration as he viewed the princely couches that lined the spacious\ngalleries laid out with neatness and regularity; and a splendid throne\nwith piles of cushions, on which reclined the wife of the chief. As\nthey approached her, the demon said to Hatim, \u201cBehold in what a sea of\naffliction she is involved!\u201d--\u201cOf that,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI will\ncompletely cure her, if thou wilt promise to conduct me to the king of\nthe demons.\u201d\n\nThe chief swore by the seal of Solomon[b2.07], the prophet of Iram,\nand said, \u201cNothing can be more agreeable to me than to conduct thee\nbefore his Majesty, for it will afford me an opportunity of paying him\nmy respects, and besides he is desirous to have some one of thy race\nthat may cure him of his disease.\u201d Hatim had brought with him the\npearl which his wife had given him at parting with strict injunctions\nto preserve it, telling him at the same time, \u201cThis is a token of my\naffection, and is possessed of many virtues.\u201d He now drew forth this\npearl, and having immersed it in pure water, he applied the latter to\nthe eyes of the chief\u2019s wife. The instant this remedy was applied, her\npain was alleviated, and the swelling of her eyes diminished, and they\ndried up. For some time previous she had been quite blind; but she now\nopened her eyes, and after two or three applications of this remedy\nshe experienced a complete cure.\n\nWhen the chief of the demons saw that his wife was cured, he with the\nutmost kindness detained Hatim some time at his house, and hospitably\nentertained him, and bestowed upon him every attention in his power.\nAfter some days he conducted him into the presence of the king, whose\nname was Farokash. When the demon chief was honored with an audience\nfrom his king, having made a low obeisance, he respectfully stood\nbefore his Majesty, and thus represented his errand: \u201cSire, one of the\nhuman race is come into my possession; he is the most learned of the\nage, and the most skilful of physicians, possessed of a most\nbenevolent heart. My wife was so afflicted with a pain in her eyes\nthat her life was despaired of, and in one day he completely cured\nher.\u201d\n\nWhen Farokash, the monarch of the demons, heard this intelligence, his\nheart rejoiced, and he gave orders to the chief to produce this\nlearned man with all speed. Hatim was presented to the king, who\ntreated him with great courtesy, and made him sit beside him. His\nMajesty then stated his case, saying, \u201cFor some time I have been\nafflicted with a pain in my stomach, and amidst my own subjects no one\nhas been successful in curing me. Remediless, I have had recourse to\nthe human race, but none of them has as yet afforded me the least\nrelief.\u201d\n\nHatim said to the king, \u201cPray tell me, Sire, are there many of your\nservants usually in attendance when you sit down to take food?\u201d His\nMajesty replied, that every one of his servants usually stood in his\npresence at such times. Hatim then requested that he should be allowed\nto be present on that day when his Majesty should dine, which request\nwas readily granted.\n\nWhen the time of eating arrived, the table was laid out, and the food\nwas placed upon it. When his Majesty was about to commence eating,\nHatim requested him to desist for a little. He then took a joint of\nmeat, and held it up so that every eye in the house might look upon\nit. He then ordered them to lay it aside under cover for about the\nspace of an hour, after which he caused the cover to be removed, and\nlo! all the meat on the joint had in that short time become worms.\nFarokash was an observer of this wonderful occurrence, and remarked to\nHatim, \u201cMost learned Sir, this is truly strange.\u201d--\u201cThis, Sire,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201caccounts for the pain you suffer, and the cause of it is that\na malignant eye has fallen upon the meat. Henceforth it will be\nnecessary that you eat in private, and that all your attendants be\npreviously satisfied with food; then your Majesty may eat to\nadvantage, for the consequence will be a complete cure, and the pain\nwill be removed.\u201d\n\nThe king was highly pleased with Hatim\u2019s advice, which he forthwith\nput in practice; and in a short time his pain entirely left him, and\nhe enjoyed perfect health. He gratefully clasped Hatim to his bosom,\nand placed him upon a throne similar to his own. Hatim, thus honored,\nventured to petition the king of the demons as follows: \u201cSire, you are\nnow restored to health; may I beg that you will liberate such of my\nfellow-creatures as are now your prisoners, in order that they may\nreturn to their own country?\u201d\n\nHis Majesty ordered that all the sons of Adam then in his possession\nshould be ushered into his presence, which was done. He bestowed on\neach of them a splendid dress, and having furnished them with\nnecessaries for their journey, dismissed them. The king then addressed\nHatim, saying, \u201cLearned Sir, I have a favor to ask of you, if it be\nnot too much trouble for you to grant it.\u201d--\u201cIt will afford me a\nsincere pleasure,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cto comply with your commands.\u201d--\u201cI\nhave a daughter,\u201d rejoined the king, \u201cwho has been sick for some time,\nand my wish is, that you will for an instant visit her.\u201d To this Hatim\nreadily assented, and the king, taking him by the hand, conducted him\ninto the more private apartments of the house, and gave orders that\nhis daughter should attend.\n\nAs the daughter of Farokash entered, Hatim viewed her face, the color\nof which had become pale and yellow. He gave orders to bring some\nwater and sugar. These he mixed together so as to form a pleasant\ndraught; he then dropped into it the charmed pearl, and handed the\ngoblet to the king\u2019s daughter to drink. In a short time she\nexperienced great relief, and when night came she enjoyed a most\nprofound sleep. At length her father, somewhat alarmed, said to Hatim,\n\u201cPray tell me, most learned man, what means this long sleep?\u201d--\u201cSire,\nrest you satisfied; if this sleep had not ensued, we should have had\ncause to fear.\u201d\n\nFor the space of three days Hatim continued to administer this draught\nto his patient, after which period she was allowed some small quantity\nof light food; and in the course of ten or fifteen days she was\nrestored to perfect health, and her countenance assumed its natural\nappearance. Hatim then addressed Farokash, saying, \u201cYour daughter is\ncompletely cured, so I hope you will allow me to depart, in order that\nI may look after my affairs.\u201d\n\nFarokash brought for Hatim\u2019s acceptance such a mine of wealth, in gold\nand jewels as to be beyond calculation. His Majesty at the same time\napologized to Hatim for such an offer, saying, \u201cThis dross is indeed\nunfit to be presented to you, but it will suit your servants and\nattendants; I therefore hope you will accept it as a mark of my\nregard.\u201d Here Hatim observed, \u201cI am alone; how then shall I be able to\ncarry it?\u201d On hearing this, the king gave orders to his demon\nsubjects, saying, \u201cLet all this wealth be carefully packed up, and you\nshall accompany this worthy man, in order to carry it to whatsoever\nplace he may desire.\u201d\n\nHatim took leave of the king, and taking the jewels and gold, departed\nunder the guidance of the demons. In about six months he arrived at\nthe extremity of the cave through which he had entered the dominions\nof Farokash. The guides accompanied him through the cave, and in the\nspace of three days landed him safe at its mouth. Hatim asked them,\n\u201cHave you any objections to go further?\u201d They replied, \u201cOur orders\nwill not permit us to accompany you beyond the mouth of the cave\u201d; and\naccordingly they laid down their burdens of gold and jewels on that\nsame spot, and forthwith began to retrace their steps.\n\nWhen the people that had been stationed at the mouth of the cave by\nHarith\u2019s daughter saw the demons, they all ran off. Hatim shouted\nafter them, \u201cGood people, be not afraid; I am Hatim, the man who some\ntime ago entered in order to explore this cave. I am now safely\nreturned; why then do you run away from me?\u201d The people looked back,\nand seeing Hatim, they recognized him and returned.\n\nHatim having sent for the youth whom he had left in the caravansera\u00ef\nat his departure, said to him, \u201cOn you I bestow all this money and\nthese jewels which I have procured.\u201d He then caused the valuable\neffects to be conveyed into the city to the young man\u2019s residence. The\nyouth fell at Hatim\u2019s feet, but the latter raised him up, and clasped\nhim to his bosom.\n\nMeanwhile the people belonging to Harith\u2019s daughter conveyed to their\nmistress the news of Hatim\u2019s arrival. The merchant\u2019s daughter\nimmediately sent for him, and requested to know the result of his\nadventure. He minutely detailed to her the nature of the cave, and\nevery circumstance connected with his journey among the demons. He\nthen said to her, \u201cThus I have answered one of your questions; let me\nnow hear your next, that I may immediately set about its solution.\u201d\n\nHarith\u2019s daughter stated her second question, as follows: \u201cThere is\nheard in the desert the voice of a man, who exclaims, \u2018_I have done\nnothing which can benefit me this night._\u2019\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, Hatim returned to the caravansera\u00ef, and after taking\nleave of the young man, set out for the desert. One night, which\nhappened to be that of Jumat, as he was reclining under a tree,\noccupied in adoring the Supreme Creator, suddenly his ears caught the\nsound, \u201c_I have done nothing which might have been of service to me\nthis night._\u201d For the whole of that night Hatim continued to advance\nin the direction from which the sound reached his ear. When daylight\ncame he again sat down under the shade of a tree, and began to\ndeliberate with himself whether he should turn to the right hand or to\nthe left.\n\nWhile he was thus uncertain as to his route, he happened to espy a\nvillage on the confines of the desert. Thither he bent his steps, in\norder to take some repose till the night of Jumat should again arrive.\nWhen it came to the appointed hour, Hatim once more heard the sound\nrepeated, and speedily set out in order to make up to it. He entered\nthe desert, and for the whole of that night continued to advance\nwithout arresting his steps for an instant.\n\nWhen daylight shone upon him, he halted for the purpose of repose, and\nsoon after his ears were assailed with the voice of sorrow and\nlamentation. He started up, and after advancing some distance he\nbeheld a village, the inhabitants of which were all assembled together\nweeping and lamenting bitterly. Hatim approached, and asked one of\nthem, \u201cWhat is the cause of your weeping and lamentation?\u201d They\nanswered him, \u201cOnce a week a monstrous giant comes to our village, and\ndevours one of our number; and if we do not appease him by the\nsacrifice of a human creature, he will raze our abodes to the dust,\nand destroy us all. At present the lot has fallen on the son of our\nchief; on Thursday the monster will come, and the four days that\nintervene till that time are devoted to weeping and mourning. The\nyouth\u2019s relations are at this moment standing around him, extolling\nhis virtues and lamenting his fate. This, Sir, is the cause of the\ngrief that now overwhelms our village.\u201d\n\nHatim inquired of the people, \u201cWhich of this assembly is the chief\u2019s\nson, and which the parents and relatives?\u201d These were pointed out to\nHatim, who approached the chief, and said to him, \u201cHonored Sir, pray\ntell me what sort of monster is this, and what form does he assume?\nMeanwhile be under no anxiety, for I, as substitute for your son, will\nface the giant.\u201d The chief replied, \u201cBrave youth! may heaven reward\nyour generosity; you seem a stranger too in our village.\u201d--\u201cSuffice it\nfor the present,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthat I have drunk of your waters; you\nhave therefore a claim upon my friendship; only describe to me in what\nform this monster appears.\u201d\n\nThe chief of the village drew a sketch of the monster upon the sand;\non seeing which, Hatim observed, \u201cThis must be the giant Hal\u016bka; he\nis invulnerable against all weapons, but if you will follow my\ndirections, I trust that, if it please God the Supreme, I may be able\nto overcome him.\u201d The people anxiously asked, \u201cHow is this to be\ndone?\u201d Hatim, addressing the chief, said, \u201cAre there any manufacturers\nof glass in your village?\u201d--\u201cThere are,\u201d said the chief, \u201ctwo or three\nhouses for that purpose.\u201d\n\nImmediately Hatim, accompanied by the chief, proceeded to the houses\nof the glass manufacturers, and gave orders to the latter to this\neffect: \u201cWithin four days you must make a mirror of two hundred feet\nin length and one hundred feet in breadth. Such a mirror will be\nnecessary for the expulsion of the giant, and if you comply not he\nwill destroy the whole of your village.\u201d The glass manufacturers\nreplied, \u201cIf you furnish us with the materials, we shall be able to\nhave your mirror ready within the time specified.\u201d Here the chief said\nto them, \u201cWhatever amount of money may be of use to you, I shall\nfurnish\u201d; and he immediately sent them the sum they demanded. They\nthen set about the forming of the mirror, and in the space of three\ndays their task was finished.\n\nWhen Hatim was informed that the mirror was ready, he commanded the\nmen of the city to assemble, in order to convey the mirror to a\ncertain spot without the city by which the giant usually entered. The\npeople obeyed him, and conveyed the mirror safe to the appointed spot,\nand there erected it. Hatim then told them to bring as many sheets as\nwhen sewed together would cover the surface of the mirror, which order\nwas speedily executed by the chief and his attendants.\n\nHatim now addressed the multitude, saying, \u201cMy good friends, you may\nin the meantime retire to your houses without the least uneasiness of\nmind. This night you may sleep in security; and if any of you is\ndesirous to see the result of my stratagem, let him remain here with\nme.\u201d The son of the chief promptly spoke out, \u201cI will be your\ncompanion\u201d; but his father forbade him, saying, \u201cAlready my wealth is\nexpended in order to purchase your safety; why then do you venture to\nface the giant?\u201d\n\nOn hearing this remark, Hatim said to the chief, \u201cThere is nothing to\nfear; you may rest satisfied that no harm will befall your son. If he\nshould suffer the least injury, you shall be at liberty to do with me\nwhat you choose.\u201d Here the youth himself boldly answered, \u201cA few days\nago, you had all resolved to sacrifice me to this monster; you will\nallow, then, that I am under no great obligations to you. I prefer the\nsociety of this brave man, who has been the means of my preservation.\nWould you be thought void of religion and reckless of fame? When a man\nwho is an utter stranger places himself in so perilous a situation in\norder to avert the evil that threatens you, is it consistent with\nreligion and honor to leave him alone, and retire to your houses?\u201d\n\nAll the people, on hearing this address, insisted on remaining in\ncompany with Hatim; and having dressed some food in the open plain,\nthey ate and rejoiced, saying, \u201cThis night the giant shall be\ndestroyed.\u201d The whole of that day passed, and when night arrived, a\nmost terrific yell assailed their ears, such as usually accompanied\nthe approach of the giant. They shuddered, and their faces assumed a\nyellow hue. \u201cFear not,\u201d said Hatim; \u201ckeep strict silence, and be not\nunder the least apprehension. You shall soon behold rare sport; the\nmonster is coming, as is indicated by that howl.\u201d\n\nIn the course of an hour the giant was so near as to be distinctly\nseen in shape like an immense dome. He had neither hands nor feet, but\na tremendous mouth situated in the midst of his body. He advanced with\na revolving motion, and from his jaws issued volumes of flame and\nclouds of smoke. When the people saw this terrific spectacle they\ntrembled, and attempted to fly. \u201cYou have nothing to fear,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201cstand quiet and look on; not the least harm will befall you.\u201d\nEncouraged by Hatim\u2019s address they stood silent as the dead, and\ntrembling beheld the approach of the giant.\n\nHatim stood with his eye fixed on Hal\u016bka as he rolled towards him;\nand when the giant was within a few paces of the mirror, the curtain\nthat covered it was suddenly pulled off. When Hal\u016bka beheld his own\nmonstrous form in the glass, his breath was stopped from anger; he\nuttered a single yell, so loud as to make the desert and the mountains\nshake. Choking with rage, he remained for a short time, till at last\nhis confined breath so inflated him that he burst with a noise like\nthe crash of the thunderbolt, so that the hearers were struck\nsenseless, and the echoes of the wilderness reverberated far and wide.\n\nWhen the people were restored to their senses, what a spectacle they\nbeheld! The desert was overspread with the entrails of Hal\u016bka, who\nnow lay dead before them. The whole assembly, including the chief and\nhis son, gathered around Hatim and prostrated themselves at his feet.\nThey then addressed him: \u201cMost learned Sir, tell us the reason why the\nmonster has thus died as it were of his own accord.\u201d--\u201cYou see,\u201d\nreplied Hatim, \u201cthe giant has come by his death, not from any weapon,\nbut merely by the viewing of his own image, for he had never seen his\nown likeness in any other creature; rage stopped his breath so\neffectually that he burst.\u201d\n\nNext day the inhabitants of the village, each according to his means,\nproduced all their valuables in gold, jewels, and diamonds, and\noffered them to Hatim, who would accept nothing, saying, \u201cMy good\nfriends, these are not of the least use to me. In this affair I have\nmerely discharged my duty towards God and my fellow-creatures.\u201d--\u201cMay\nwe ask,\u201d said they, \u201cwhat has been the cause of your coming into our\nvillage?\u201d Hatim answered, \u201cThis is the eve of Jumat, when a voice will\nbe heard in the desert, crying, \u2018_I have not done aught that will\nbenefit me this night._\u2019 In order to ascertain the meaning of this\nvoice, I have journeyed hither, and to-night I intend to travel in\npursuit of the mysterious being who utters the exclamation.\u201d\n\nThe chief observed, \u201cFor some time now that voice has been heard by us\nalso, but we do not know whence it proceeds.\u201d Hatim remained in the\nvillage for the whole of that day, and at the usual time at night the\nvoice reached his ear, and he instantly proceeded in the direction\nwhence it came. For the whole of the night he continued to advance as\nhe supposed towards the sound, and when daylight came he found himself\nstill in the desert, where he again halted.\n\nIn short, Hatim thus journeyed onwards week after week for the space\nof two months, at the expiration of which period he at last came to a\nmound of sand of about five hundred feet in diameter. He ascended to\nthe summit, and soon discovered that the voice issued from its\ninterior. He halted and looked around him; and lo! a body of men\nconsisting of about five hundred horsemen, and as many on foot,\nappeared drawn up in array before him. He approached them, but found\nthat they were all statues of marble, being as he conjectured\nmonuments of the illustrious dead. Among these tombs Hatim rested for\na week, until the time of hearing the voice should again come round.\n\nAs the evening of Jumat closed its shades, Hatim ascended the\nsand-hill, and devoutly kneeling, poured out his soul in prayer before\nthe Almighty Creator. When about a watch of the night had passed, the\ninmates of the tombs started into life, with countenances resembling\nangels. They arrayed the place with couches and thrones, on which they\nsat apparelled in robes of splendid description. But amidst these, one\nof the revived dead, with weeping eyes and mean apparel, his body\nsprinkled with dust and ashes, and his feet bare, came forth, and in\nhumble posture sat upon the cold ground. Before each of those who sat\non thrones and couches flowed streams of nectar, of which they freely\ndrank, but none of them gave the least drop to the wretched man who\nsat upon the bare earth. The latter, after some time, fetched a deep\nsigh, and said, \u201c_Alas! I have not done that which might have\nbenefited me this night._\u201d\n\nHatim stood near and witnessed the whole scene, and rejoiced that his\ninquiries were now likely to prove successful. When the hour of\nmidnight arrived, a table miraculously placed itself before each of\nthem. On every table was laid a large vessel full of rice and milk,\nwith a goblet full of pure water. But there stood a table apart from\nthe rest furnished in like manner, and one of the company said, \u201cCome,\nmy friends, this traveller is our guest for the time, let him be\nintroduced, and seated at this unoccupied table.\u201d On hearing this, one\nof them arose, and advancing to Hatim, took him kindly by the hand,\nand conducting him to a couch, placed food before him.\n\nHatim\u2019s attention was wholly occupied by the man who lay on the ground\nsighing and weeping, and at intervals exclaiming, \u201c_I have not done\naught that can benefit me this night._\u201d The latter, too, had a table,\nbut instead of nectar and ambrosia his cup was filled with the juice\nof the zakk\u016bm,[b2.08] and the food of the condemned, and the most\nloathsome dregs mingled with blood. Hatim for some time held down his\nhead in deep reflection, and at last began to taste of the fare before\nhim. After he had refreshed himself with food and drink, the tables\nvanished from his view; but his thoughts ever reverted to the\nmysterious state of the wretched being who sat upon the ground before\nhim.\n\nHatim, addressing the company, said, \u201cMost worthy sirs, I have one\nrequest which, with your permission, I wish to state.\u201d The whole\nassembly requested him to speak. Hatim then proceeded: \u201cHow comes it,\nworthy sirs, that you are seated on thrones, exalted in dignity, and\nregaled with such heavenly and delicious fare? And, on the other hand,\ntell me the reason why, instead of such food, the juice of the zakk\u016bm\nwith the most loathsome of dregs has been allotted as the portion of\nthis miserable man who lies stretched on the bare earth?\u201d To this they\nreplied, \u201cFrom us that mystery is utterly hidden; seek information\nfrom the sufferer himself.\u201d\n\nHatim arose, and coming up to the man, said, \u201cPray, friend, what is\nthe meaning of this mysterious exclamation which you utter? From what\ncause are you become involved in such misery? For heaven\u2019s sake inform\nme of your condition.\u201d The man of woe replied, \u201cMy kind friend, I am\nthe chief of all this assembly. My name is Yusuf, and my occupation\nhas been that of a merchant. I was journeying with goods and stores to\nthe city of Khwarzim, and those whom you see here were my servants\nthat attended me. In my disposition I was so great a miser that I\nnever gave away in charity a single farthing of my money, nor one rag\nof apparel, nor a morsel of food; nay, not even a drop of water would\nI bestow on my fellow-creatures. These my attendants, on the other\nhand, were wont to give of their food to the hungry, and they clothed\nthe naked, and bestowed their gold in charity upon the poor and the\nneedy, and all such as were destitute. I used to chide them severely,\nsaying, \u2018Pray, for what purpose do you thus squander your money, and\ngive away your food without any return?\u2019 Their reply was: \u2018This we do\nas a service acceptable to our Creator, and due to our\nfellow-creatures; a service of which we shall receive the reward and\nreap the advantages in a future state.\u2019 On receiving from them such\nanswers, I used to beat them, and often did I threaten them with\npunishment on account of their liberality. I also argued with them,\nbut to no effect; and whenever any of them ventured to give me\nsalutary advice, I paid not the least regard to him.\n\n\u201cOn our journey a gang of robbers surrounded and overpowered us, and\nseized the whole of my property. They then murdered myself and all my\nattendants, and having buried us in this spot, they departed. Here we\nrest, alike martyrs: but my servants are, as you observe, crowned with\nglory for their charitable and generous disposition; and I, on account\nof my baseness and avarice, am plunged into the lowest depth of\nmisery. After the robbers had murdered us, it was their intention to\nmutilate and leave exposed our corpses; but one of them said: \u2018Have\nyou not already seized their property, and slain them without cause?\nHow inhuman then it would be to leave them unburied on the highway! Do\nyou imagine that after such a savage deed you can ever enjoy the least\nportion of their wealth!\u2019 The robbers listened to this address, and\naccordingly interred us in this desert.\n\n\u201cIn my native country, my grandchildren and descendants are now living\nin a state of abject poverty. My residence was in the capital of\nChina, in such a quarter [here he described the street and the house],\nand in a certain chamber of the house is buried an immense treasure in\ngold and jewels, of which no one has any information. This, too, is an\ninstance of my avaricious disposition, and accounts for the state in\nwhich you now behold me. See what an exalted rank my servants have\nattained! They are seated upon thrones; they fare upon the most\ndelicious food, and drink of the purest and coolest streams, and are\nclothed in the apparel of angels, while I am doomed to suffer the\npangs of misery and despair.\u201d\n\nHatim, on hearing this account, addressed him, saying, \u201cIs it anyhow\npossible to administer to your relief?\u201d Yusuf replied, \u201cMany a long\nyear have I now passed in this state of torment, but no one has\nhitherto listened to my cries. This night you have approached me, and\ncompassionately interested yourself in my condition; on you, then, God\nthe Supreme will bestow his guidance in your endeavors to serve me.\nProceed forthwith to the capital of China, and find out my residence,\nwhich is in the division occupied by the linen merchants. My name, as\nI told you, is Yusuf, and in my day I was notorious in all quarters of\nthe city, and my grandchildren are still there in a state of\ndestitution. When you arrive at my residence, inform them of my\ncondition, and tell them that in a certain apartment [which he\nparticularly described] is buried a vast treasure of gold and jewels.\nThis treasure you shall bring to light, and divide into four equal\nportions. Bestow one of these shares on my grandchildren, and the\nother three you shall expend in charitable deeds; in feeding the\nhungry, in clothing the naked, and in administering to the distress of\nthe poor and needy. Do this, and perhaps my doom may be averted; for\nthough I have suffered martyrdom, I am not entitled to salvation, so\nheinous is the crime of avarice; whereas my servants, on account of\ntheir liberality, are now in a state of happiness.\u201d\n\nHatim solemnly promised, in the name of his Creator, that he would\nstrictly perform what Yusuf desired him, and added: \u201cI should no\nlonger consider myself of the tribe of Ta\u00ef, had I refused to lend you\nmy aid in your distress.\u201d Hatim remained there during the whole of the\nnight, and witnessed what happiness the servants enjoyed, while their\nwretched master passed his time in weeping and lamentation. When the\nmorning began to dawn the martyrs vanished from his sight, each into\nhis silent cell.\n\nHatim then set out on his journey for the capital of China, and after\nhe had advanced a considerable way, he arrived at the mouth of a well.\nThere he espied a man in the act of drawing water; and as he was about\nto request of him to have some to drink, suddenly a serpent as large\nas the proboscis of an elephant reared its head from the water, and\ncoiling itself round the body of the man, plunged with him into the\ndeep. Hatim wrung his hands in agony, and exclaimed, \u201cAlas! what a\ndeed this snake has perpetrated! It has destroyed a poor man who came\nhither for water, and whose wife and children are anxiously expecting\nhis return. Oh, Hatim! shall it be said that a poor man was deprived\nof life, and you standing by without lending him the least assistance?\nWhat will be your answer hereafter in the presence of your Creator?\u201d\n\nThus he soliloquized, and instantly plunged into the water. In a short\ntime he fixed his feet on firm ground, and on opening his eyes he was\nastonished in finding neither the well nor the water; but instead of\nthese a spacious plain opened to his view, abounding with beautiful\ntrees, in the midst of which he espied a lofty palace. He approached\nit, wondering within himself whither the serpent could have gone with\nthe waterman, and whence sprung up the noble mansion that stood before\nhim.\n\nWith these thoughts occupying his mind, he came close to the palace.\nThere he beheld splendid galleries with elegant couches, and a throne\nbrilliant as crystal surmounted with piles of cushions, on which lay\nasleep a monstrous creature of human form in stature like a giant.\nHatim resolved on calling this monster to account for the snake and\nthe waterman, but at the same time he hesitated, as he nowhere beheld\nany traces either of the serpent or the man. \u201cAt all events,\u201d said\nHatim to himself, \u201cI shall approach him, and see what sort of subject\nhe is.\u201d Hatim went up to the giant, and as the latter was still\nasleep, he quietly took his seat beside him. He had not sat long when\nhe espied in a corner of the garden the very serpent that had carried\noff the waterman.\n\nAs soon as the snake observed Hatim it rushed upon him, and he,\nenraged on account of the fate of the waterman, seized it by the two\njaws, and exerting his whole strength, thus held it immovable. The\nsnake raised such a hissing noise, that the giant who slept on the\nthrone started up, and roared out to Hatim, \u201cYou son of man, what are\nyou about? that is my courier.\u201d Hatim replied, \u201cI will not quit my\nhold unless my friend be restored to me.\u201d\n\nThe giant called out to the serpent, \u201cBeware: this seems to be a\npowerful man, and capable of tearing thy jaws asunder. Above all, take\ncare that he discover not the passage into thy mouth!\u201d When Hatim\nheard this, he stretched open the two jaws of the serpent, entered its\nmouth, and was instantly swallowed, notwithstanding the repeated\nwarnings of the giant to the contrary. Arrived, as he thought, in the\nabdomen of the snake, he was surprised at finding himself in a\nspacious and sombre apartment. He began to grope his way through this\nstrange abode, when suddenly a voice reached his ear, saying, \u201cOh,\nHatim! whatsoever you meet with in this apartment, cut it with your\ndagger, for by that means only you will be released from this\nenchantment; and otherwise you cannot escape hence till the day of\njudgment.\u201d\n\nWhile Hatim was thus exploring his dark abode, he unexpectedly laid\nhis hand on something in the shape of a heart. The moment he felt this\nsubstance he pulled out his knife and cut it into many pieces,\nagreeably to the warning voice he had heard. This was no sooner done\nthan a flood of water rushed upon him, and he found himself\noverwhelmed amidst swelling billows. Exhausted, he began to sink, and\nafter some time he once more felt the ground underneath his feet. He\nopened his eyes and looked around him, but no trace could he see of\nthe palace, the giant, the serpent, the garden, or the dark chamber\nwhere he had lately been. Before him lay a boundless desert, strewed\napparently with dead bodies. On coming nearer he observed that a few\nof these wretches were still alive, while others were in the agonies\nof death.\n\nAmong the living, Hatim discovered the very waterman whom the snake\nhad carried off. He made up to him, and said, \u201cBrother, how came you\nhere?\u201d The waterman replied, \u201cI was drawing water from the well, when\na serpent carried me off, and having conveyed me hither, vanished from\nmy sight. What that serpent is, or where it is gone to, I know not.\u201d\nHatim questioned various other individuals as to their coming thither,\nand from all of them received for answer that the serpent had brought\nthem. He then explained to them the nature of the enchantment by which\nthey were held, and how he had broken the spell by entering the mouth\nof the snake, and cutting to pieces the heart in the dark chamber. He\nconcluded, saying, \u201cGive praise to God, for your enemy is now\nvanquished, and you are at liberty to go wherever you please.\u201d The\nwretched men replied, \u201cIt is a long time since some of us came hither,\nand we know not the way by which we were brought. Most of our number\nhave died of hunger and thirst, and we also were despairing of life;\nGod the Supreme has in his mercy destined thee to be our deliverer.\u201d\n\nHatim, after giving them proper directions, took his leave, and\nproceeded on his journey to the capital of China. In the course of a\nfew days he entered that vast empire, and arrived at one of their\nprincipal cities. The sentinels at the gate immediately seized him,\nand said, \u201cWho are you, and whither do you go? You must come before\nour governor, and give an account of yourself before we can allow you\nto advance any further.\u201d Hatim, thus roughly handled, said to them,\n\u201cGood people, is it the custom of your empire to annoy travellers in\nthis manner?\u201d\n\nThe sentinels replied, \u201cThe reason why we detain you is this: The\ndaughter of our governor asks three questions of every traveller that\nenters the city; if he give a satisfactory answer, he is permitted to\ngo his way, and if not, he is put to death; from which circumstance\nour city is called the city of Be-dad or Injustice.\u201d Hatim having no\nchoice, accompanied the sentinels, meditating as to the nature of the\nquestions which would be put to him. At length the sentinels presented\nhim to the governor: the latter asked of him, \u201cStranger, whence come\nyou, and what is your name?\u201d--\u201cI am from Yemen,\u201d said he, \u201cand on my\nway to the capital of China. As to my name, it does not concern you:\nno one ought to annoy the traveller unnecessarily; on the other hand,\nhe is entitled to kind treatment and hospitality from your hand, if\nyou wish to set a good example to the world, and do what is acceptable\nto God the Supreme.\u201d\n\nThe governor replied, \u201cA severe scourge has fallen upon our city,\nwhich has always been famous for equity, so as to have merited the\nappellation of Ad\u0101latabad (the city of justice); but now, owing to\nthe violent caprice of my daughter, its present name is Bedadabad. For\nsome time past every traveller that arrived in our city has on her\naccount been put to death, and their blood has fallen upon my head.\u201d\nAfter some meditation, Hatim said to him, \u201cWhy do you not slay your\ndaughter at once?\u201d--\u201cIs it possible,\u201d replied the governor, \u201cfor any\nman to be the murderer of his own child, nay, of his only child? It is\nnot in my heart to put her to death.\u201d When Hatim heard this appeal,\nhis eyes shed tears as he replied, \u201cAlas, miserable man! you have no\nremedy. May the Almighty Creator remove from you this heavy\naffliction.\u201d The governor of Ad\u0101latabad then conducted Hatim to his\ndaughter\u2019s apartment. The lady arrayed herself in her finest apparel,\nand summoned Hatim into the apartment occupied by the women, where she\nreclined upon a throne of shining gold. Hatim was struck with her\nbeauty, which excelled that of all other mortals. She gracefully stood\nup, and modestly drawing her veil over her face, received Hatim with\nextreme courtesy and affection, for the instant she beheld him her\nheart felt for him. She took him by the hand and seated him upon a\nsplendid throne, while she herself occupied another beside him.\n\nShe then sent for her nurse, and said to her, \u201cMy dear mother, this\ntraveller who has arrived to-day has won my heart, and is mutually\nenamoured of me. He seems of noble rank; but, alas! to-morrow his life\nshall be sacrificed.\u201d The nurse replied, \u201cAlas, my child! it is your\ndestiny to act with violence and oppression towards travellers, not\neven excepting this comely and noble youth; but there is no saying\nwhether he may not prove successful in executing your commands.\u201d--\u201cLet\nme but know,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthe nature of the task which the lady\nproposes, and the reason why so many travellers are sacrificed in this\ncity, which is now proverbial for cruelty.\u201d--\u201cNoble youth,\u201d the nurse\nreplied, \u201cevery night this lady becomes possessed of an evil spirit,\nand utters the most incoherent expressions, after which she proposes\nthree enigmas to such strangers as may be found within the city. If\nthe latter fail in solving her riddles, she causes them to be\ninstantly put to death. None of us her attendants can venture to\nremain near her at such times lest some evil might be our lot.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this statement, Hatim replied, \u201cWell, I shall soon know by\nexperience whether longer life or immediate death be destined for me.\u201d\nHe was then presented with food: but he rejected it, saying, \u201cI will\nnot eat of your food until I have accomplished the service you may\nimpose upon me; such is my vow. I consider it inconsistent with\nprobity in a man to waste his time in eating and drinking, or wantonly\nto throw away his life and leave unfinished the business intrusted to\nhim by another; forgive me, then, for refusing your\nbounty.\u201d--\u201cGenerous youth,\u201d said the nurse, \u201cI am confident that you\nwill succeed in this affair; you speak the sentiments of rectitude and\nhonor.\u201d\n\nNight arrived, and all the servants and attendants abandoned the\npalace, and shut fast the gates behind them, leaving Hatim to his\nfate. About the end of the first watch the lady became frantic, and\nspoke incoherently whatever came into her mind. She wildly cast her\neyes on Hatim, and thus addressed him: \u201cStranger, who are you, and\nwhat is your business here? Answer my riddle, or you shall\ndie.\u201d--\u201cWhat is your riddle?\u201d said Hatim; \u201clet me hear it.\u201d\n\nThe lady then proceeded with her first question, which Hatim, after\nmature reflection, was fortunate enough to solve to her satisfaction,\nthough it was of a nature unsuited for publication to the world and is\ntherefore left unuttered here. \u201cTell me,\u201d she then said, \u201cthe answer\nto my second question, which is this: _There is a fruit sweet beyond\nmeasure to the taste of all living creatures, whether genii, men,\nbeasts or birds; what fruit is this of which all are so fond?_\u201d Hatim\ninstantly replied, \u201cThe fruit you allude to is their offspring, which\nare dear to all.\u201d--\u201cTell me now,\u201d said the lady, \u201cmy third and last\nquestion, _what is it that no one desires, and yet every one\nobtains?_\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cis death, which is destined for\nall men, though no one wishes it.\u201d\n\nWhen the three questions were thus solved, the lady remained silent\nfor some time, when suddenly she was seized with convulsions so as to\nfall from her couch. At last a snake, black and frightful, issued from\nher nostrils and rushed towards Hatim. He seized his scimitar with the\nintention of cutting it to pieces, but considered that it would be\ncruelty, to which he was averse: he therefore took out the talisman\ngiven him by the bear\u2019s daughter, and threw it at the venomous\nreptile. The snake became tame as a lamb, and suffered him to hold it\nin his hands and shut it up in a silver vessel, after which he dug a\npit in the ground of the size of a man\u2019s grave, and having buried it,\nhe replaced the earth and secured it with bricks and clay.\n\nIn about a watch after, the lady being restored to her senses,\nobserved Hatim, and throwing her veil over her countenance, she said\nto him, \u201cStranger, who are you; and how came you to sit here?\u201d He\nanswered, \u201cHave you then forgotten me? I am the traveller whom your\npeople yesterday seized and conducted into your presence.\u201d The\ngovernor\u2019s daughter called her nurse, and asked her, \u201cMy dear mother,\ntell me how comes this youth to be here and alive this morning?\u201d The\nnurse replied, \u201cMy child, God is merciful, and took this stranger\nunder his protection; but tell me what is your state?\u201d--\u201cTo-day,\u201d she\nreplied, \u201cI feel quite relieved and in perfect health.\u201d The nurse\nthen, addressing Hatim, said, \u201cMost learned of men, can you account to\nme for this change? Tell me what has occurred in your\npresence.\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI shall communicate to-morrow to\nher father.\u201d\n\nNext morning the governor summoned Hatim, and asked him, \u201cTell me,\nstranger, what has happened, and how are you alive?\u201d Hatim detailed\nevery circumstance as it occurred, saying, \u201cNoble sir, about the end\nof the first watch your daughter was seized with a fit of raving\nmadness, and began to utter the most incoherent language. At length\nher eyes happening to observe me, she said, \u2018Rash stranger, how dare\nyou enter my apartment? Your life is over unless you answer my\nquestions.\u2019 She then asked me three questions, one after another, all\nof which I satisfactorily answered. For some time after she remained\nsilent, when all at once a black serpent issued from her nostrils, and\nrushed furiously towards me. I seized the reptile, and having shut it\nup in a silver vessel, I buried it in the court-yard; and since that\nmoment your daughter has enjoyed sound health.\u201d\n\nWhen the governor heard this statement, he said, \u201cMost noble youth, on\nyou I bestow in marriage this my only child, which is no more than\nfulfilling the vow that I have made; I therefore hope you will accept\nher.\u201d--\u201cOn one condition,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwill I receive her; that is,\nwhenever I feel inclined to leave this place, I may either leave her\nhere or take her with me and bestow her upon whomsoever I please.\u201d To\nthis the father agreed, and on that very day the marriage was\ncelebrated according to the customs of the country, and the hours were\nspent in mirth and joy. Hatim remained there three months; after which\nperiod he took leave of his wife and departed. He at the same time\nleft orders, saying, \u201cShould my wife ever have a fine boy, and should\nthe child prove himself to be of the tribe of Ta\u00ef, tell him that his\nfather\u2019s country is in Arabia the happy; and thither let him come\nwhenever he may form the desire of seeing me. If it be a daughter, let\nher be carefully brought up and married to a worthy man, and should my\nlife be spared I shall yet visit you.\u201d\n\nHatim kept awake the whole of that night in making preparations, and\nas soon as morning dawned, set out on his journey to the capital of\nChina. In the course of a few days he arrived in that extensive city,\nand inquired for the quarter occupied by the linen merchants. The\npeople shewed him the way thither, and when he reached the place he\nasked of the linen merchants, if they knew the residence of Yusuf the\nmerchant, or whether any of his descendants still lived there. One of\nthe linen merchants immediately went to the grandchildren of Yusuf,\nand said to them, \u201cThere is a stranger arrived from some far country,\nwho is desirous to see you.\u201d Yusuf\u2019s grandsons instantly waited upon\nHatim, who to their astonishment thus addressed them: \u201cMy friends, I\nhave been commissioned to visit you by your grandfather, from whom I\nhave a message for you.\u201d When the grandchildren of Yusuf and the\npeople of the bazar heard this extraordinary declaration, they laughed\nmost heartily, and said to him in reply, \u201cTruly, young stranger, you\nare quite crazy. It is a long period since Yusuf died; how then could\nhe have sent you thither with a message?\u201d--\u201cHow,\u201d said Hatim, \u201ccould I\nhave known that you reside in the linen bazar, and various other\ncircumstances connected with you, had I not received my information\nfrom your grandfather? I have further tokens from which I shall prove\nmy veracity if you will hear me; but the question now is, are you\nwilling to listen to me or not?\u201d\n\nThe people requested Hatim to proceed with his message, which he thus\ndid: \u201cIn a certain apartment, near the bed where Yusuf was wont to\nsleep, there are buried treasures and jewels, of which none but myself\nhas any information; these you shall bring to light, and divide into\nfour equal portions, of which you shall keep one-fourth, and bestow\nthe other three-fourths in the way which is acceptable to God the Most\nHigh, in relieving the wants of the poor and the distressed.\u201d He then\ndetailed to them minutely his late adventure, and having mentioned all\nthat he had witnessed respecting their grandfather, he concluded,\nsaying, \u201cIf Yusuf himself had not sent me, how could I have known so\nmuch about your house?\u201d\n\nThe people said to him, \u201cWe cannot proceed further in this affair\nwithout applying to our king.\u201d The relatives of Yusuf, therefore,\nconducted Hatim before the august monarch of China, and being admitted\ninto the royal presence, they represented: \u201cSire, this youthful\nstranger asserts that he has seen our grandfather Yusuf, the merchant,\nby whom he has been commissioned hither with a message for us.\u201d The\nking on hearing their statement could not refrain from laughter: at\nlast he said to them, \u201cThe young man is mad; why, it is nearly one\nhundred years since old Yusuf, the merchant, died; how then could this\nstripling have ever seen him? Foolish youth,\u201d continued the king,\naddressing Hatim, \u201chas it ever been known that the dead held any\ncommunication with the living? But you are crazy, and all that I have\nto say to you is, quit my capital as soon as possible.\u201d\n\nHatim firmly but respectfully replied, \u201cMost upright king, this is one\nof the secret dispensations of the Almighty, and is beyond the\ncomprehension of mortals. We believe that martyrs inherit life\neverlasting; Yusuf, however, when in this world was a miser, for which\nsin he is now in a state of torment; and should your Highness be\npleased to listen seriously to my statement, it will be the means of\nprocuring him salvation. If I be mad, how do I come to possess my\ninformation respecting the treasure concealed in Yusuf\u2019s sleeping\napartment which I have never seen?\u201d When his Majesty of China heard\nthis reply from Hatim, he desired the latter to state who he was, and\nhow he had become concerned in this strange affair. Hatim related the\ncause of his journey to the tombs of the martyrs, and what he had\nthere seen, and the state of suffering to which Yusuf was doomed. \u201cI\nasked him,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthe cause of his misery, which he told me in\ndetailing the particulars of his past life, and also the way in which\nhe is likely to obtain relief. For this reason, Sire, I have journeyed\nto your capital, and if you believe not my statement, at least let the\napartment in which the treasure is hidden be searched: if the gold and\njewels be found as I have described them, it will be a proof of my\nsincerity; but if not, let me be doomed to the severest punishment.\u201d\n\nThe king, after some reflection, resolved to search in person the\napartment of Yusuf, to which he immediately proceeded, accompanied by\nHatim. In the very spot which the latter pointed out, the gold and\njewels were found, to the great astonishment of the king. The treasure\nwas divided into four equal portions, one of which was made over to\nthe grandchildren of Yusuf, and the remainder was given in charge to\nHatim. \u201cYou,\u201d said the king, \u201cseem to be a man of integrity; accept\nthis wealth then, and with your own hand distribute it in charity,\nafter such manner as you deem proper.\u201d Hatim for several days was\noccupied in his favorite task of relieving the wants of the\ndestitute,--in administering food to the hungry, and in clothing those\nwho were naked.\n\nHaving accomplished the object of his journey to the capital of China,\nHatim began to make preparations for his return; he had the\nsatisfaction of seeing the grandchildren of Yusuf now raised to a\nstate of affluence and engaged in commerce. He took leave of the\nmonarch, and returning by the way he came, he arrived in the city of\nAd\u0101latabad, where he was affectionately received by his wife, who was\nat that time the mother of a boy. Hatim and his friends were extremely\ndelighted on this occasion, and called the son Salim. Shortly after\nHatim proceeded on his journey until he came to the desert in which\nwere the tombs of the martyrs; amidst these receptacles of the dead he\nremained three days waiting the arrival of the eve of Jumat. At the\nappointed hour all the martyrs, as formerly, rose into life. Among\nthem was Yusuf the merchant, but in a state different from his former\ncondition. At midnight the tables, with food, were placed before them,\nof which Yusuf now partook. At the same time there appeared a table\nunoccupied, which was intended for Hatim, who at their request\napproached, and after the usual salutations, asked Yusuf how he fared.\n\nThe merchant replied: \u201cNoble youth, by your humane exertion my\ncondition has been improved, and I am now delivered from my torment;\nmy food and drink are the same as that of the rest, but the thrones on\nwhich they sit are more splendid, and the apparel in which they are\narrayed is more elegant than mine; on them too are bestowed perfumes,\nand substances of sweet fragrance, of which my portion is but small;\nbut, alas, their desert is far greater than mine, for when they were\nin the fetters of human life their hands were ever active in\ncharitable deeds. I, however, after severe penance, have been released\nfrom my state of misery; now I am happy and possessed of salvation.\nYou are the means whereby the Almighty has accomplished this end, and\non you he will bestow the reward of the righteous.\u201d\n\nHatim spent the remainder of the night there as formerly, and when the\nmorning dawned he departed. After traversing for several days the\nmountains and deserts, he came to a spot where he beheld a decrepit\nold woman sitting by the wayside. When the old woman observed him, she\nmade a piteous appeal to his charity; and Hatim having pulled off a\ndiamond ring from his finger, gave it to her and walked onwards. The\nold woman then cried out, \u201c_May heaven send one or two to aid me_\u201d;\nand in an instant seven young fellows rushed from the desert. Now\nthese seven men were the sons of the old woman, and were notorious\nrobbers in those quarters. The mother shewed them the diamond ring,\nand assured them that the traveller who gave it must be a man of\nwealth. The robbers overtook Hatim, and walked peaceably along with\nhim for some space, conversing on various subjects. At last they said\nto him, \u201cNoble Sir, we are here out of employment, and if you will\npermit us, it is our wish to accompany you to some city where we may\nearn our livelihood by service.\u201d\n\nTo this request Hatim readily assented; and when the robbers found\nthat he was duped by their false assertions, one of them came behind\nhim, and casting a net over his head, they all seized him and conveyed\nhim to the mouth of a pit which was close by. They stripped him of his\nclothing, and took possession of all the money and jewels that he had\nwith him; after which they wounded him in several parts of his body\nwith their daggers, and threw him into the pit. For a long time Hatim\nlay senseless; but as soon as his recollection was restored he\nsearched for his talisman, which the robbers had fortunately left with\nhis turban. The instant he brought it out the pit became quite dry; he\nthen applied it to his wounds, which were speedily healed.\n\nHatim thus restored to perfect health could not, mild as he was, avoid\nmaking the following reflections: \u201cWhat a trick those cowardly\nvillains have played me! Well, if we should meet again I may give them\nsomething which will set their avarice forever at rest.\u201d Occupied with\nthese thoughts he fell into a profound sleep, and in a dream he beheld\nan aged man, who thus accosted him: \u201cO, Hatim, let not thy heart be\ncast down. Thinkest thou that Divine Providence has sent thee hither\nwithout some wise and unerring design? Listen, and I will tell thee\nthe cause of thy falling into this apparent calamity. In this pit the\nCreator, bountiful and gracious, hath kept hidden a treasure that is\ndestined for thee. Arise and take possession of it; for thou art\ncapable of employing it in that way which is most acceptable to the\nbountiful Giver. Let sadness no longer dwell in thy heart; he who is\ndiscontent is unfit for the service of God.\u201d\n\nTo this mysterious man Hatim replied, \u201cIn every state that may befall\nme, I am always satisfied with the decrees of Providence; and though\nthese may exceed my comprehension, I submit with resignation. Should\nthe sacrifice of my life tend to promote the service of God, I am\nready to yield it.\u201d--\u201cI am convinced,\u201d continued the old man, \u201cthat\nthy words are sincere; meanwhile take away this treasure, which is\nthine.\u201d--\u201cI am alone,\u201d said Hatim; \u201cI cannot even liberate myself from\nthis dungeon; of what use is it then to offer me so vast a\ntreasure?\u201d--\u201cTo-morrow,\u201d replied the man, \u201ctwo persons will pass this\nway who will set you at liberty; and by their aid you can bring out\nthe treasure and carry it away.\u201d--\u201cIt will be impossible for two\npersons,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cto release me from this prison; and as for the\ntreasure, it is out of the question.\u201d--\u201cThe two persons to whom I\nallude,\u201d replied the man, \u201care able to accomplish both the one and the\nother\u201d; and having thus spoken, he vanished, leaving Hatim to the\nenjoyment of a pleasant dream.\n\nAs soon as the morning rays dawned, the two persons arrived at the\nmouth of the pit, and called out, \u201cAh! Hatim, are you still alive?\u201d To\nthis he replied, \u201cHe who at first created me, hath preserved me.\u201d The\ntwo strange beings that addressed him thrust each of them a hand into\nthe pit, which was of immense depth, and to Hatim\u2019s astonishment,\ntheir hands reached the bottom where he lay. They called aloud to him\nto hold fast by their hands, which he did, and in an instant he was\nset at liberty. Hatim thanked his deliverers, and said to them, \u201cIn\nthis pit there are vast treasures of gold and jewels; if you can bring\nthem to light, I will distribute the same in the service of God by\nrelieving the wants of the poor and needy.\u201d On hearing this, one of\nthem threw himself into the pit, and handed up the treasure to the\nother, who remained outside. In the course of an hour all the hidden\nstores of the pit were brought up and packed together so as to be\neasily carried; after which the two took leave of Hatim and departed.\n\nHatim for some time viewed his treasure, and thus communed with\nhimself: \u201cHow can I best dispose of this wealth? If the villains that\nlately maltreated me were here I should bestow it upon them, that they\nmight for once be satisfied and cease from oppressing their\nfellow-creatures.\u201d He then selected from the stores a suit of apparel,\nin which he dressed himself; and having filled a large bag with the\nmost valuable jewels, he departed in quest of the old woman and her\nseven sons. He had not far advanced when he espied the object of his\nsearch, sitting, as formerly by the wayside. On seeing her Hatim was\nextremely glad, and walking up to her, he put his hand into his bundle\nand pulled out a handful of the finest jewels, which he scattered\naround her. The old woman, as formerly, gave the signal to her sons by\nexclaiming, \u201cMay heaven send one or two to aid me\u201d; and forthwith the\nseven robbers presented themselves, and surrounding Hatim, asked him\nwhither he was journeying. Hatim addressed them thus: \u201cMy good\nfriends, I have one request to beg of you, which I hope you will allow\nme.\u201d\n\nThe thieves desired him to speak, whereupon he thus continued: \u201cYou\nhunger and thirst for gold and worldly wealth; abandon your present\niniquitous way of life, and withdraw your hands from oppressing your\nneighbors, and I will enrich you with gold and jewels to such a degree\nas will satisfy your utmost wishes.\u201d To this exhortation the thieves\nreplied, \u201cHunger and want have driven us to this avocation; and of\ncourse, if you give us all this wealth, we shall speedily abandon a\nline of life which is hateful to God and oppressive to man.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201crepent of your past deeds, and give me your solemn and\nsincere promise never to transgress in future, and I shall satisfy\nyour wants.\u201d--\u201cBut ere we can conscientiously give you this promise,\u201d\nreplied the thieves, \u201cshew us that immense treasure which you are to\nbestow upon us.\u201d Hatim opened his bag and displayed the treasures\nwhich he possessed; on seeing which the thieves unanimously requested\nhim to impose upon them whatever terms he chose. \u201cSwear to me,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201ca solemn oath in the following words: \u2018Before God the wise and\nsupreme, who observeth and knoweth all things, we promise never to lay\nour hands on the property of our fellow-creatures, nor henceforth to\ninjure any one; otherwise may the wrath of heaven be upon us, and may\nour past deeds, of which we sincerely repent, never be forgiven.\u2019\u201d\n\nHereupon the thieves bound themselves by oath to follow his dictates,\nand expressed their penitence for their past sins; after which Hatim,\nhaving thus reclaimed them from the path of error, divided his\ntreasure among them and departed. Having traversed part of the desert,\nhe espied a dog lolling out his tongue, and exhausted with hunger and\nthirst. He at once supposed that some caravan, to which the dog\nbelonged, must be at no great distance. When he approached, the poor\nanimal in the most piteous manner seemed to implore his aid. Hatim\nfelt for the misery of every living creature; he therefore lifted the\ndog in his arms, and carried it with him, in order to restore it with\nfood and drink as soon as he could procure any. He had not long\nproceeded when he beheld a village at some distance before him, and\nthither he bent his steps. On his arrival the people presented him\nwith a barley loaf and some curdled milk, the whole of which he gave\nto the dog. The exhausted animal, thus satisfied with food and drink,\nfawned on Hatim, as if expressing its sense of his kindness, and then\nlay down at his feet.\n\nHatim began to stroke the animal with his hands, and was meditating on\nthe power and wisdom of the Almighty, who created the countless\nmyriads of creatures that fill the universe, each with some\ncharacteristic in form and color peculiar to itself, when his hand\npassing over the head of the dog, he felt some hard substance\nresembling a horn. He wondered in his own mind what this could mean,\n\u201cfor,\u201d said he, \u201cI never heard of dogs having horns.\u201d He examined it\nfurther, and found that an iron nail had been driven into the head of\nthe dog. He drew it out, and instantly the animal assumed the shape of\na young man.\n\nHatim sat for some time in silent abstraction, wondering at the\nmiraculous occurrence which he had just witnessed. At last he\naddressed the young man, saying, \u201cTell me, Sir, who are you, and how\nhave you been transformed into the likeness of an irrational animal?\nFrom what mysterious cause have you now recovered your proper shape on\nmy removing the nail from your head?\u201d The young man, struck with\nHatim\u2019s humane and amiable disposition, and full of gratitude for the\nservice he had just rendered him, bowed his head to the dust as he\nreplied, \u201cBenevolent Sir, suffice it to say that I am of the human\nrace; that by the foulest practice, which I am loth to detail, I was\ntransformed into that shape wherein you lately saw me; and from which,\nthrough the Divine favor and your humane attention, I am now\ndelivered.\u201d--\u201cI should like to know,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cif agreeable to\nyou, the cause of your having assumed the shape of a dog.\u201d\n\nThe young man, thus requested, proceeded with his own history. \u201cWorthy\nSir, I am the son of a merchant. My father, not many years ago, made a\njourney to the capital of China with a large stock of goods of various\nkinds, which he there disposed of to great advantage: in return, he\nsupplied himself with the most valuable commodities produced in that\ncountry, which on his arrival in Kheta he converted into gold, and\nthus became immensely rich. As I was his only son, he wished to have\nme settled in life, and induced me to marry a beautiful young lady.\nShortly after my marriage he died, and I became possessed of the whole\nof his property, and for some time my life passed in perfect felicity.\nAt last my wealth was considerably diminished; I therefore made up an\ninvestment at Kheta, and, like my father, made a journey to China,\nwhich, of course, forced me to leave my home and country for a\nconsiderable period. During my absence, my wife had proved herself on\nseveral occasions a wicked woman, and at the same time procured this\niron nail from some magicians. At length I returned home, and as soon\nas sleep overpowered my eyelids, my wife thrust the enchanted nail\ninto my head, and instantly I was transformed into the shape of a dog.\nShe then kicked me out of the house, and when thus driven into the\npublic streets, all the dogs of the city flew at me. Winged with\nterror, I fled into the desert; and there for three days I had\nwandered without a morsel of food or a drop of water, until the\nauspicious hour when God the Supreme sent you to my relief.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this wonderful narrative, he for some time held down\nhis head in the lap of reflection, after which he addressed the young\nman, saying: \u201cMy dear friend, pray tell me where is your\nresidence?\u201d--\u201cIt is,\u201d said he, \u201cabout three days\u2019 journey from this\nplace, in the city of Suri.\u201d--\u201cThat city,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cI know\nwell, for there resides Harith the merchant, whose beautiful daughter\nis so celebrated on account of her three questions. I am just on my\nreturn to that city, having found out the solution of her second\nquestion, which runs thus: _I have done nothing that can be of use to\nme this night._\u201d--\u201cYou speak truly,\u201d replied the young man, \u201cas to\nHarith and his fair daughter. I know them well, being their\nfellow-citizen, and I rejoice in the prospect of your company\nthither.\u201d\n\nHatim then advised the young man to preserve the magic nail with the\nutmost care, and as soon as he arrived at his house, to serve his wife\nas she had him.\n\n * * * *\n\nAfter the slave had been killed, all received from him presents, and\nHatim was for that day detained as his guest, and the hours were spent\nin pleasure. Next morning Hatim took farewell of the young man, and\nreturning to the caravansera\u00ef, met with the lover of Harith\u2019s\ndaughter. He courteously addressed the youth, whose name was Na\u012bm,\nand made many inquiries after his condition, to all of which the other\nreplied; adding: \u201cIt is now several months since the voice was last\nheard in the wilderness, and from that circumstance Harith\u2019s daughter\nis expecting your return crowned with success.\u201d--\u201cRejoice, my friend,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cfor I have really succeeded in procuring the most\naccurate information respecting the voice in the desert.\u201d\n\nHatim then made straight for the gate of Harith, and announced his\npresence to the domestics; who forthwith informed their mistress that\nthe Arabian prince had returned, and waited at her gates. She ordered\nthem to admit him; and on Hatim\u2019s entrance, she eagerly requested to\nknow the result of his adventure, of which he gave her a detail from\nend to end. \u201cYou speak truly,\u201d said the lady in return: \u201cthe voice has\nnow ceased to be heard, and you have accomplished my second task: it\nonly remains for you to _procure me the Shahmuhra from Mahpar\u00ed, the\nking of the fairies_.\u201d\n\nHatim took leave of Harith\u2019s daughter, and returning to the\ncaravansera\u00ef, said to his young friend: \u201cNow I depart in quest of the\nShahmuhra.\u201d The youth prostrated himself at Hatim\u2019s feet, and gave\nvent to his gratitude. Hatim raised him up, and embracing him, said:\n\u201cRejoice, my friend, for as soon as I shall, by the aid of God, have\naccomplished this third task, I shall put you in possession of your\nbeloved.\u201d Hatim left the city of Suri, and placing his reliance upon\nDivine Providence, set out in quest of the Shahmuhra. After he had\nadvanced a small distance, he sat down to rest under the shade of a\ntree, not knowing which way to proceed. At length his mind recurred to\nthe cave that led to the world of demons, and he resolved to wait upon\nFarokash their king, and receive his direction to the abode of\nMahpar\u00ed, assured that the demons could furnish him with the requisite\ninformation. He therefore got up, and made for the mouth of the cave,\nwhich he entered as formerly, and in the course of a week he reached\nits further extremity, and issued into the desert by the route\npreviously described. Shortly after the demons flocked around him from\nall quarters, and recognizing their former visitor, they conducted him\nto their homes, and vied with each other in their hospitality and\nattention.\n\nHatim thus advanced from town to town, till at length his majesty\nFarokash, hearing of his approach, came out to receive him, and with\nall honors conducted him to his palace, seated him upon a throne, and\npresented him with a variety of eatables the most delicious, and in\nshort, testified in every way the pleasure he felt in the meeting.\nAfter some time, the king requested to know of Hatim the cause of his\nvisit; to which the latter replied: \u201cSire, I am on my journey in quest\nof the Shahmuhra, which is in the possession of Mahpar\u00ed; in this\nenterprise may I venture to solicit your aid?\u201d--\u201cYoung man,\u201d said\nFarokash, \u201cyou aim at things that are beyond the power of the human\nrace. There is not one of my demon subjects that can enter the\ndominions of Mahpar\u00ed and return alive; far less then is it\npracticable by you, a mere mortal.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cthe\nAlmighty Power, that has preserved me in your kingdom, will watch over\nme in the fairy world, and thence conduct me back in safety. In the\nmeantime, may I request your Highness to furnish me with guides, who\nmay shew me the way thither? Otherwise I should wander astray.\u201d--\u201cI\nwish,\u201d said Farokash, \u201cthat you would abandon this absurd enterprise,\nso inconsistent with reason.\u201d--\u201cHow can I,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cwithout\ndisgrace relinquish the task which I have undertaken? My word is\npledged to accomplish it, and a promise is sacred.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this reply Farokash remained silent, as he felt assured\nthat compliance with Hatim\u2019s request would be only hastening his ruin.\nThree days were spent in discharging the rights of hospitality, after\nwhich Hatim addressed the king, and said, \u201cSire, allow me to depart,\nfor the occasion is urgent: let it not be said that the tormented\nlover has died in his protracted expectation of me; in such a case I\nshould have become responsible for his death, and what would be my\nanswer before the great Judge? The love-sick youth in whose cause I\nlabor is sincere in heart, and ardent in his affection; his life\ndepends on my successful exertions, and my failure would be the cause\nof his death.\u201d\n\nThe king of the demons summoned a few of his subjects and gave them\ninstructions to the following effect: \u201cYou shall conduct this young\nstranger to the boundaries of Mahpar\u00ed\u2019s dominions, and remain there\nuntil his return, if such be his fate.\u201d The demons lifted Hatim on\ntheir shoulders, and with the speed of the wind began to traverse the\nwide-spreading desert. In the course of a month they arrived at the\nconfines of fairy-land, where the demons halted, and addressing Hatim,\nsaid, \u201cWe are now in sight of the mountain Kaf, and here begin the\nterritories of Mahpar\u00ed, within which we dare not enter; for close\nupon the limits of that mountain are stationed thousands of fairies\nready to destroy us.\u201d\n\nHatim took leave of the demons, and fearlessly passed the bounds of\nthe fairy regions, and from day to day approached nearer the mountain\nwhose top seemed to pierce the skies and whose sides abounded with\ngreen trees in endless variety. When he arrived at the base of the\nmountain the fairies assembled from all sides, and said one to\nanother: \u201cHere comes one of Adam\u2019s race whom we must instantly put to\ndeath, as he has the hardihood to approach this mountain.\u201d The fairies\nhereupon rushed to the base of the mountain, and laying hold of Hatim,\ncarried him up, and when they had bound his hands and feet with\nchains, they asked him, \u201cTell us, mortal, whence come you? what is\nyour business? and who has conducted you hither?\u201d--\u201cI come,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201cfrom the city of Suri, under the guidance of my\nCreator.\u201d--\u201cPray,\u201d said the fairies to him, \u201care you come at the\nrequest of the daughter of Harith, the merchant?\u201d Hatim reflected in\nhis own mind, \u201cNow if I tell them the truth, and say that I am come in\nquest of the Shahmuhra, they will assuredly destroy me; and if I speak\nfalsely it will be unworthy of me, having never done so in my life; in\nthis case, then, silence is the best policy.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the fairies came to the resolution of casting him into the\nfire, \u201cFor,\u201d said they, \u201che is in all probability come for the\nShahmuhra.\u201d They quickly heaped together piles of dried wood, to which\nthey set fire, and throwing Hatim into the midst of it, they all set\nup a loud shout of laughter, and there left him. Hatim, remembering\nhis Maker, took into his mouth the talisman of the bear\u2019s daughter,\nwhich rendered him completely proof against fire. For three days he\nremained in that state, after which period he came out without even a\nthread of his garment being burnt.\n\nHatim had no sooner made his escape than he was again seized and bound\nby the fairies, who thus addressed him: \u201cThree days since a man very\nlike you fell into our hands, and we cast him into the fire, and burnt\nhim; pray are you that individual, or some one else of the human\nrace?\u201d--\u201cO, you troop of simpletons,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cassuredly, such\nfools as you are never will exist; if, as you say, you burnt that\nindividual, how do you imagine that he should be again alive? But the\ntruth is, the Almighty has preserved me amidst the burning flames.\u201d\nThe fairies, on hearing this, again threw Hatim into the fire, from\nwhich, after a considerable time, he coolly walked out unhurt; a third\ntime they repeated the experiment, and at length becoming convinced\nthat he was not to be destroyed by burning, they carried him to the\nshore of the salt sea, and cast him into the midst of the deep, and\nthere, leaving him to his fate, they departed.\n\nWhilst Hatim was cutting his way by swimming amidst the billows of the\nocean, a large nihang (sea-serpent) happened to espy him. This monster\nrushed upon him, and in an instant swallowed him alive. Hatim, thus\nrescued from drowning, on coming to his senses attempted to stand up\nand move about, whereby the sea-serpent became so desperately annoyed\nthat he darted towards the shore, and with great exertion succeeded in\ndisgorging him on dry land, after which he plunged into the deep.\n\nHatim in that spot lay, helpless and exhausted with hunger and thirst,\nfor the space of two days and nights, after which time he rose up, and\nwandered he knew not whither, until he found himself in the midst of a\nwilderness of sand. Here he continued to stray till a troop of fairies\nhappened to observe him; these immediately surrounded him, and said,\none to another, \u201cHere is a mortal man, how can he have come hither?\u201d\nAddressing Hatim, they said to him, \u201cYou seem to be of the human race,\npray who brought you into our territory?\u201d--\u201cThe merciful Creator,\u201d\nreplied Hatim, \u201cfirst conducted me into your dominions, but since my\narrival I have been cast into the sea, and swallowed by a monstrous\nnihang, from whose inside I was ejected two days ago. I am now\nexhausted with hunger; if you have any compassion within you, let me\nhave something to eat, and water to quench my thirst.\u201d\n\nTo this reply the fairies rejoined, \u201cWe dare not administer to you\neven a drop of water, for our king has strictly ordered us to slay\nevery one of the race of men or demons that may come in our way; if\nwe, therefore, delay a moment in putting you to death, the wrath of\nhis Majesty will overtake us.\u201d Here one of the fairies said to his\ncompanions, \u201cWhere is our king, and where are we?[b2.09] This\nwretched being is not come hither of his own accord! God is merciful!\nYou know not from what distance he may have been brought by the\nnihang, and his being found here is accidental, as it was natural he\nshould make an effort to preserve his life. He is one of the human\nrace too, and our superior, nay, the noblest of the sublunary\ncreation; let us convey him to our abodes, and afford him kind\ntreatment.\u201d--\u201cBut,\u201d said the rest of the fairies, \u201cif we spare him,\nand our king hear of it, his Majesty will put us to death.\u201d On hearing\nthis discussion Hatim addressed them, saying, \u201cMy friends, if it is\nyour duty and interest to slay me, I am quite resigned without further\ndispute.\u201d\n\nThat fairy, however, who spoke in his favor still held out, saying,\n\u201cMy worthy companions, our king is far distant, even seven days\u2019\njourney hence; and who among us is likely to turn informer?\u201d In short,\nthey all at last agreed to spare Hatim\u2019s life; whereupon they carried\nhim to their dwellings, and gave him food to eat, and fruits and water\nto quench his thirst, so that in a short time he perfectly recovered.\nThe fairies, charmed with Hatim\u2019s gracefulness and eloquence, crowded\naround him, and felt the greatest pleasure in listening to his\nconversation; they daily supplied him with food the most delicious,\nand fruits the most refreshing, and spent their whole time in his\nsociety. In a few days Hatim became a universal favorite, so that he\nventured to ask their leave to depart, in order to accomplish his\nenterprise. \u201cPray tell us,\u201d said they, \u201cwhat is your business here,\nand what brought you into our world?\u201d Hatim told them without reserve:\n\u201cThe demon subjects of Farokash conducted me as far as your\nboundaries, beyond which they durst not penetrate. As soon as I\nentered your dominions, the fairies that guard your coasts laid hold\nof me, and three times did they cast me into the burning flames, but\nfrom all their evil designs the hand of the Creator protected me; they\nafterwards threw me into the sea, from which I escaped as I have\nalready told you.\u201d--\u201cAnd pray,\u201d asked they, \u201cwhat business have you so\nimportant, that you undergo such toils and perils for its\naccomplishment?\u201d--\u201cMy business,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cis with\nMahpar\u00ed.\u201d--\u201cBeware, frail man,\u201d said the fairies, \u201chow you speak of\nMahpar\u00ed; we are his subjects, and he has enjoined us not to suffer a\nman or demon to enter his dominions; should he hear of our affording\nyou an asylum, he would instantly slay us all.\u201d\n\nIn answer Hatim said: \u201cIf it is our destiny to enjoy longer life, no\none can slay us; and if you are afraid of the consequence, you can\nbind me hand and foot, and carry me as a captive into the presence of\nyour king.\u201d--\u201cWhat you propose,\u201d rejoined they, \u201cis utterly absurd;\nyou have already shared of our hospitality; you and we have eaten salt\ntogether[b2.10]; do you imagine, then, that we can deliver you up to\ncertain destruction?\u201d--\u201cBe under no hesitation,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201con\naccount of any danger that threatens me, for it is my resolution to\nhave an audience of Mahpar\u00ed as soon as possible; therefore convey me\nthither at all risks.\u201d The fairies were sadly perplexed on hearing\nHatim\u2019s mad design, and deliberated amongst themselves what was best\nto be done in the case. At length they resolved to detain him as\nprisoner, and in the meantime despatch a messenger to learn the king\u2019s\npleasure regarding him, and act accordingly. One of the fairies was\nimmediately sent to his Majesty, with instructions thus to address\nhim: \u201cSire, we have just seized on the sea-shore one of the human\nrace, who is now our captive; if such be your royal pleasure, we are\nready to conduct him into your august presence.\u201d\n\nThe messenger departed, and in the course of seven days arrived at the\nfairy court, and having received an audience, thus delivered his\nmessage: \u201cSire, your subjects, who guard the shores of the sea of\nKulzum[b2.11], have there taken captive one of the human race, and I\nhave been despatched hither to know your pleasure respecting him.\u201d\nMahpar\u00ed ordered the man to be carefully conveyed to his presence, in\norder that he might himself examine him with regard to his journey to\nfairy-land. The messenger immediately returned, and after an absence\nof two weeks arrived at his own residence, and stated that it was his\nMajesty\u2019s pleasure to have Hatim brought into his presence. On hearing\nthis, the fairies without delay made preparations for conveying their\nprisoner to court. Meanwhile the report was rapidly spread through the\ncountry, that one of the human race was being brought to the capital.\nOne of his Majesty\u2019s grandees, by name Masnapari, had a beautiful\ndaughter called Husnapari, whose heart was restless and full of\ncuriosity. This fairy damsel said to her companions: \u201cI hear that a\nman has somehow entered our king\u2019s dominions, and is now on his way to\nthe capital; I wish it were possible for me to see what he is like:\nthey tell me that mankind are beautiful in countenance and graceful in\nform.\u201d The attendants of Husnapari expressed their readiness to aid\nher in gratifying her wish; and at the same time observed to her,\n\u201cFair lady, you must take your station by the wayside as this man\npasses, for after he is brought before the king it will be impossible\nto see him.\u201d--\u201cBut,\u201d said Husnapari, \u201chow can I leave my father\u2019s\nhouse? on what pretence shall I get out?\u201d After consideration, her\nyouthful companions suggested that she should ask leave of her parents\nto be allowed to walk in the gardens for some days. Husnapari,\ndelighted with this stratagem, went to her mother, and said, \u201cMy dear\nmother, give me your permission to go out and enjoy for some days the\nfragrance of the fields and the delights of the garden.\u201d--\u201cObtain your\nfather\u2019s permission, my child,\u201d replied the mother, \u201cand I am\nsatisfied.\u201d\n\nIn short, Husnapari received her father\u2019s leave, and attended by her\nfair and youthful companions, went to the garden, where she was\nallowed to remain for forty days. On her way thither, she further\nconsulted her friends as to the speediest means of seeing Hatim, the\nmain object of her journey. They told her that those who guarded the\nsea of Kulzum were conducting the man from that quarter. On hearing\nthis, Husnapari and her companions, instead of proceeding to the\ngarden, swiftly transported themselves to the shores of Kulzum, where\nthey arrived in the space of three days, just at the moment when the\nfairies were about to depart with Hatim.\n\nHusnapari, observing the numerous assemblage on the sea-shore, halted\nwith her train at some distance, and sent one of her attendants to\ninquire who they were. The messenger soon returned, and informed her\nthat these were the guardians of the shores of Kulzum, and that they\nwere about to convey the man to the king\u2019s presence. \u201cI myself,\u201d\ncontinued the messenger, \u201csaw this flower of Adam\u2019s race, as he sat on\nthe sea-shore; his face was beautiful, and his hair waved in graceful\nringlets. His form was elegant as the moon in her fourteenth night.\u201d\n\nWhen Husnapari heard this description of Hatim\u2019s beauty and\nperfection, her desire to see him was greatly increased. She said to\nher fairy train: \u201cAlas! when am I to behold with my own eyes this\nlovely being?\u201d--\u201cLet us watch them in the meantime from a distance,\u201d\nsaid her companions; \u201cand when they shall have halted for the night,\nperhaps we shall be able to carry off the man when his guards fall\nasleep.\u201d In short, the fairies of Kulzum set out with their prisoner,\nand in a few days approached the garden of Husnapari, within a furlong\nof which they halted for the night. When half the night had elapsed, a\nselect few of Husnapari\u2019s attendants, who were proficients in magic,\napproached the guards, and overpowering their eyelids with sleep, cast\na charm over the eyes of Hatim so that he fell into a profound\nslumber, and then they carried him into the presence of their\nmistress.\n\nThe instant Husnapari beheld him, her heart was enamoured of his\nbeauty. She lifted him in her arms, sleeping as he was, and carried\nhim herself into her own garden. When Hatim awoke, and looked around\nhim, he was surprised at finding himself surrounded by fairy damsels\nof surpassing beauty, in the midst of a garden green and fragrant as\nthat of Iram. He addressed the fair assemblage, and said: \u201cTell me,\nwho are you, and who has brought me hither?\u201d The fairest of the troop\nreplied, \u201cThis is the garden of Masnapari, a fairy of exalted rank,\nand I am his daughter. My name is Husnapari. When the news of your\narrival in our dominions became divulged, my ardent desire to behold\nyour form overcame my prudence; for which reason my attendants brought\nyou hither when asleep.\u201d Hatim rejoined: \u201cNow that you have gained\nyour wish, may I request that you will aid me in the accomplishing of\nmy enterprise?\u201d--\u201cHow can I serve you?\u201d replied the beautiful fairy.\n\u201cThe object of my coming into your country,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cis to get\npossession of the Shahmuhra.\u201d--\u201cYour journey is to little purpose,\u201d\nreplied Husnapari, \u201cfor no living creature can get the Shahmuhra from\nthe hands of the fairy king; stay with me, then, for my heart has been\nyours since the moment I first saw you.\u201d--\u201cI will comply with your\nrequest,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cif you procure for me the Shahmuhra.\u201d--\u201cI\nrepeat to you,\u201d rejoined the fairy, \u201cthat I cannot--no creature can,\nby force or stratagem, get possession of the Shahmuhra. _But I know\nthat you are destined to acquire this treasure_, so you may rest\nsatisfied.\u201d In fine, Husnapari detained Hatim in her garden, where\nboth of them experienced uninterrupted happiness.\n\nWhen the guards awoke from their slumbers, and found no trace of\nHatim, they began to search for him in all directions, but to no\npurpose. They then held a consultation on what was best to be done.\nMost of them believed that Hatim had made his escape, and could not as\nyet be far off, while others suggested that probably some youthful\nfairy, enamoured of his beauty, had stolen him during the night. \u201cBut\nwhat shall we do?\u201d said they to one another; \u201cif the king should hear\nof this affair, he will flay us alive.\u201d They resolved to keep the\naffair in secrecy, and in the meantime to make the strictest search.\nIf the man should be found, they were to conduct him before the king\nas if nothing had happened; and if not, they considered it safest to\nabsent themselves.\n\nAfter a considerable period had thus elapsed, Mahpar\u00ed becoming\nimpatient, said to his courtiers, \u201cCan you tell me the reason why this\nman has not yet made his appearance? I must make further inquiries\nconcerning him.\u201d His Majesty immediately despatched to the guardians\nof the shores of Kulzum a messenger, who received as an answer from\nthem, \u201cIt is now a considerable time since we sent our prisoner to the\ncapital, escorted by a guard of soldiers; of these we have heard\nnothing since, nor can we conjecture what is the cause of their\ndelay.\u201d The messenger conveyed this information to the king, who being\nexceedingly wroth, ordered his troops to scour the country in search\nof the delinquents, and find out what they had done with the man.\n\nAgreeably to his commands, emissaries were sent in all directions, and\nnot long after one of Hatim\u2019s escort was seized and carried to the\ncapital. Mahpar\u00ed threatened him with the severest punishment, unless\nhe told truly what had become of the man whom they had in charge. The\nfairy guard with trembling voice replied, \u201cSpare my life, O king, and\nI will tell truly all that I know respecting the man.\u201d--\u201cSpeak the\ntruth, then,\u201d said the king, \u201cotherwise you shall die.\u201d The guard\nproceeded: \u201cSire, we received the man in charge, and for several days\njourneyed with him towards the foot of your throne. It happened, as we\nhalted for the night in a certain spot near a garden, that we were all\noverpowered with sleep, and when we awoke the man was nowhere to be\nseen. It is certain that some one must have stolen him from us, for he\nwould not have gone of his own accord, as he frequently expressed his\nmost ardent desire to have an interview with your Majesty. It is most\nlikely, then, that some of the fairy damsels on seeing him, became\nenamoured of his person, for verily he is of rare beauty and\ngracefulness, and contrived to carry him off while we were asleep.\nNext morning, when we awoke and missed our charge, we fled in all\ndirections, from fear of your Majesty\u2019s wrath; and this is the whole\ntruth.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this statement, Mahpar\u00ed ordered the culprit\u2019s life to be\nspared, and contented himself by detaining him prisoner, until such\ntime as the man should be found. Meanwhile he sent forth his servants,\nwith orders to search every corner within fairy-land until they\ndiscovered Hatim. It happened about three months after, that one of\nthe escort from Kulzum entered unobserved the garden of Masnapari, and\nhaving concealed himself in a corner, saw the beautiful fairy and\nHatim walking hand in hand amidst the flowers. He instantly recognized\nthe object of his search, and leaving his hiding-place, he boldly\npresented himself amidst the fairy troop, saying, \u201cMost foolish\ndamsels, you are aware that the king has ordered this man to be\nbrought into his presence, whither we were conducting him; and yet you\nhad the boldness to carry him off by stratagem. If you value your\nlives, surrender him into my charge, otherwise death and degradation\nawait you.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this address, Husnapari, instigated by fear and resentment,\nsaid to her attendants, \u201cHow durst you, without my permission, admit a\nstranger into the garden? Seize the villain, let him be severely\npunished, and for the remainder of his life confined in fetters.\u201d The\nspy with the utmost activity bounded off as they were about to lay\nhold of him, and fled beyond their reach. With all speed he made for\nthe capital, and on his arrival blackened his face, and taking his\nstation at the palace gate, stated that he had a complaint to lay\nbefore the king. His Majesty was pleased to admit him, and inquired,\n\u201cWhy hast thou blackened thy face? Tell me who has injured\nthee?\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied the spy, \u201cmy complaint is against the\nbeautiful daughter of Masnapari. I am one of those who formed the\nescort of the Arabian prince from Kulzum, and while we were conducting\nour charge hither agreeably to your Majesty\u2019s order, this damsel,\nwhose name is Husnapari, contrived to steal him from us by night, and\nsince then she has detained him in her father\u2019s garden. I happened to\ndiscover the circumstance, and demanded of her the man as my prisoner.\nEnraged, she threatened me with severe punishment and confinement for\nlife. I fortunately made my escape, and hastened to lay my information\nbefore your Majesty.\u201d\n\nWhen the sovereign of the fairy realms heard this intelligence his\nanger was extreme. He instantly despatched his commander-in-chief,\naccompanied by thirty thousand troops, with orders to seize Masnapari,\nand make him responsible for his daughter\u2019s conduct. When Masnapari\nbeheld this formidable array drawn up around his mansion, he was\nperplexed, and addressing the commander, said, \u201cFor what purpose are\nthese forces? In what respect have I incurred his Majesty\u2019s\ndispleasure?\u201d--\u201cPray sir,\u201d said the commander, \u201cwhere is your\ndaughter?\u201d--\u201cFor some months past,\u201d replied the other, \u201cshe has been\nenjoying the delights of our garden in the country.\u201d--\u201cWretched\nbeing!\u201d rejoined the commander, \u201cI pity your case; be it known to you,\nthat your daughter has privately conveyed into that garden the man\nwhom the sentinels of Kulzum found upon their coast. This is the cause\nof the king\u2019s resentment towards you.\u201d\n\nWhen the mother of Husnapari heard this statement, pale with fear she\nhastened to the garden, where she found her daughter seated on a bed\nof flowers and engaged in conversation with Hatim. The enraged mother\nstruck Husnapari on the head, saying, \u201cAbandoned one! you have caused\nthe ruin of your family. The king\u2019s troops have surrounded our\ndwelling in quest of this man, whom you have chosen for your lover.\u201d\nHusnapari, surprised and terrified at these tidings, stood motionless,\nand her beautiful countenance assumed the hue of death. The mother\nimmediately gave her daughter and Hatim in charge to the commander of\nthe troops; and she herself, with the whole of her relations, was\nordered to follow to the capital.\n\nIn the course of three days they arrived at the king\u2019s palace, where\nthe commander informed his Majesty that Masnapari was in attendance to\nplead his own cause, and that his daughter, and the prince of Yemen\nher lover, were now at hand to be disposed of as his Majesty might\ndeem proper. Mahpar\u00ed ordered, in the first place, that the father\nshould be brought before him. Masnapari entered, and making a low\nobeisance, said, \u201cSire, I swear by your Majesty\u2019s salt, which I have\nso often tasted, that I knew nothing of the transaction. I have come,\nhowever, obedient to your commands, accompanied by my family, and all\nof us are ready to undergo whatever be the decree of your\nMajesty.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d said the king, \u201cyou are innocent, and are\naccordingly forgiven; let us now examine the man who has caused this\ntrouble.\u201d\n\nThe attendants immediately introduced Hatim, and placed him before the\nking. When Mahpar\u00ed beheld his noble form and fair countenance, all\nhis resentment towards him vanished, and having seated Hatim beside\nhim, he began to converse with him, and said, \u201cYou are a bold youth to\nenter our dominions; may I ask what is the cause of your journey\nhither?\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI had heard much of your Majesty,\nand of your heavenly realms, from Farokash the king of the demons, so\nthat I felt an irresistible desire of visiting your country, and of\ntendering you my humble services, whatever might be the risk.\u201d--\u201cWho,\u201d\nasked the king, \u201cwere your guides hither?\u201d--\u201cThe subjects of\nFarokash,\u201d said Hatim. \u201cKnow you,\u201d continued the fairy king, \u201cwhether\nthere be among the demons any learned and expert physician?\u201d--\u201cFrom\nwhat I have there observed,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI believe the subjects of\nFarokash have no skill in physic; but may I ask, what occasion has\nyour Highness for a physician?\u201d--\u201cI shall tell you in good time,\u201d said\nMahpar\u00ed, \u201cfor after all you may be able to serve me, as the human\nrace are allowed to be the noblest and most skilful of the creation,\nand from their superior wisdom they are enabled to hold under their\ncontrol the regions of the fairies and demons, as was the case with\nSolomon, on whom be peace.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cmay I presume to\nask, what would your Majesty with a physician?\u201d\n\nMahpar\u00ed, in a voice of sorrow, replied: \u201cI have a son who is the\nadmiration of the world, accomplished in every art and science that\nadorn the mind, matchless in the beauty and elegance of his form, and\nbeside him I have no other child. He has been lately seized with a\npain in his eyes, which constantly flow with water, so intense that he\nhis now quite blind; nor does he experience a moment\u2019s relief. If you\ncan procure me a learned leech who may succeed in restoring him his\nsight, I shall ever remain grateful for your kindness.\u201d--\u201cMay I ask,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cwhat reward will your Highness bestow on that physician\nwho may be the means of curing the prince?\u201d--\u201cI will give him whatever\nhe asks,\u201d replied the king. \u201cAgreed,\u201d said Hatim; \u201cI myself will\nundertake on these terms to restore the prince to perfect health.\u201d The\nking then took Hatim by the hand, and solemnly swore to abide by his\npromise; and as it now waxed late, they agreed to retire to rest.\n\nHatim was ushered into a splendid apartment, while troops of fairies\nattended him to execute his commands. They presented him with every\nsort of food and a variety of delicious fruits, with cool water pure\nas crystal. When the morning dawned the fairy king conducted Hatim to\nthe apartment of his son, who lay stretched upon the bed of\nrestlessness. Hatim took out the talisman presented him by the bear\u2019s\ndaughter, and having dipped it in pure water, applied the liquid to\nthe prince\u2019s eyes. In the course of the day he obtained some relief,\nand the pain was greatly alleviated, but his sight was not yet in the\nleast restored. Mahpar\u00ed, with the anxiety of a parent, watched the\nprogress of the cure, and addressing Hatim, said, \u201cMost learned man,\nthe eyes are indeed cured of the pain which they suffered; but alas!\nthe vision I fear is forever lost.\u201d After a little reflection, Hatim\nsaid, \u201cSire, there is a tree that grows amidst the shades of\nZulm\u00e2t[b2.12], which is called the naudar: from this tree distils a\nliquid of rare qualities, of which if even a single drop could be\nprocured, it would be the means of restoring the prince\u2019s sight.\u201d When\nMahpar\u00ed heard this, he addressed his fairy subjects, saying: \u201cIs\nthere one among you who has the courage to enter the regions of\nZulm\u00e2t, and bring me a vial full of the juice of the naudar?\u201d The\nfairies with downcast looks listened to this proposal, and replied,\n\u201cThe vales of Zulm\u00e2t abound with demons the very scent of whom we\ncannot endure; and besides, being our enemies, they would not leave\none of us alive were we to venture thither.\u201d The king, well aware of\nthis fact, held down his head in grief, when Husnapari respectfully\napproached him, and said, \u201cIf my lord the king will forgive my past\ntransgressions, and again restore to me the prince of Yemen, I will\nendeavor to find out the tree in question.\u201d\n\nMahpar\u00ed, delighted, said to her in return, \u201cFair lady, I heartily\nforgive your pranks; nay, on receiving an explanation from your\nfather, I extended my full pardon to you all; but so far as regards\nthe prince of Yemen, I have no control over him; he is entirely at his\nown disposal.\u201d Hatim then addressed the beautiful fairy, saying,\n\u201cNoble lady, if it is your wish that I should dwell with you during\nthe whole of my life, it is more than I can by any means promise you;\nbut if you will be satisfied with my remaining in your society only\nduring my own pleasure, and having full liberty to depart when I think\nproper, then I sincerely promise not to deceive you.\u201d The beautiful\nfairy replied, in the accents of love, \u201cAlas! I can lay no claim to\nyour affections, but say you will stay with me for at least a few\ndays. My time shall be wholly spent in the enjoyment of your society;\nand when I shall have sufficiently admired you, then your departure\nwill be in your own choice.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cfor the present;\nlose no time in the accomplishment of your dangerous enterprise.\u201d\n\nHusnapari, accompanied with seven thousand fairy troops, immediately\nset out upon her journey; and so swiftly did she wing her course, that\nall her convoy were left far in the rear. In the space of forty days\nshe entered the regions of darkness and arrived at the tree of naudar,\nthe top of which seemed to pierce the skies. From its trunk flowed a\nliquid white as milk and sweet as honey. She caught the drops in her\nvial as they fell, and when it was filled she carefully sealed it up,\nand began to retrace her steps from the dreary abode. Meanwhile a host\nof demons, many thousand in number, who acted as guards of the tree of\nnaudar, observed the beautiful fairy as she was returning, and\nimmediately pursued her. Husnapari increased her speed, and fled\nswiftly as the bird that flies for its life. The demons followed fast\nfor the space of four farasangs, when finding that they were losing\nground, they returned to their haunts.\n\nForty days later the beautiful fairy arrived at the court of her\nsovereign, and presenting to his Majesty the vial containing the\nprecious elixir, she detailed the events of her journey. The king was\nboundless in his gratitude, and exalted her into the rank of the most\nselect in his household. Hatim dipped his talisman into the elixir,\nand applied a few drops of it to the eyes of the prince, which still\ncontinued shut. At the end of eight days he repeated the process, and\na complete cure ensued. When the prince again beheld the faces of his\nfather and mother, his joy was unbounded. Grateful, he prostrated\nhimself at the feet of Hatim, who speedily raised him to his bosom,\nsaying, \u201cLet thy thanks be rendered unto God.\u201d\n\nIn the meantime the fairy king offered for Hatim\u2019s acceptance\ntreasures to such an extent as would defy calculation. Hatim, after\nexpressing his sense of the king\u2019s bounty, said, \u201cSire, this vast\nwealth is useless to me unless your subjects conduct me to the\ndominions of Farokash, and convey the treasures thither.\u201d To this\nMahpar\u00ed readily assented; whereupon Hatim rejoined: \u201cSire, I value\nnot gold and jewels; all I wish from your Majesty is the fulfilment of\nthe agreement which you were pleased to make with me, _that I should\nreceive from you whatever I asked_.\u201d--\u201cState your wish,\u201d replied\nMahpar\u00ed, \u201cand you shall not be disappointed.\u201d--\u201cGive me then,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201cthe Shahmuhra which adorns your hand.\u201d\n\nThe fairy king, on hearing this request, silently held down his head,\nand after some time said, \u201cI see how it is; the daughter of Harith the\nmerchant has sent you hither in quest of the Shahmuhra.\u201d--\u201cTrue,\nsire,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand I on my part have undertaken to procure it\nfor her.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d continued the king, \u201cI will strictly abide by my\npromise, but the daughter of Harith shall never possess this\ntreasure.\u201d Hatim suggested that as soon as he had acquitted himself of\nhis task, the Shahmuhra might possibly be returned. At this suggestion\nthe king unfixed the Shahmuhra from his arm and fastened it on that of\nHatim, who immediately perceived its rare qualities; for he had no\nsooner placed it on his arm than all the treasures of gold and\nprecious stones concealed within the bosom of the earth were clearly\ndisplayed to his eyes; nor was he at any loss to discover the reason\nwhy Harith\u2019s daughter so eagerly desired the possession of this key of\nwealth.\n\nMahpar\u00ed summoned into his presence three of his most cunning\nmagicians, and gave them instructions to this effect: \u201cWhen this man\nshall have delivered the Shahmuhra to Harith\u2019s daughter, and she in\nconsequence accepts her lover in marriage, you shall transport\nyourselves thither, and after she has had it ten days in her\npossession, bring it back to me.\u201d Hatim then took leave of the fairy\nking, and proceeded to the residence of Husnapari, with whom he spent\nthree months in the enjoyment of every happiness. At length he bade\nadieu to the beautiful lady, and accompanied by the fairies, of whom\nsome carried his treasures and others conveyed himself in a litter, he\nleft the capital, and in a few days reached the territories of\nFarokash. When arrived at the line of separation between the two\nregions, the fairies left him, and the demons, who had previously been\nhis guides, and had remained there during his absence in fairy-land,\ntook him up and conveyed him with his treasures to their own capital.\nHatim had an interview with Farokash, who received him with the utmost\nkindness and hospitality. Next day he continued his homeward journey,\nand, by his former route through the cave, in the course of time\narrived safe in the city of Suri.\n\nHatim immediately on his arrival sought out the lover Naim, on whom he\nbestowed all the wealth which he had brought from fairy-land. The\nyouth accepted the costly treasures with a profusion of thanks, after\nwhich, Hatim waited on Harith\u2019s daughter and presented her with the\nShahmuhra. The lady, on receiving this treasure, was filled with\ndelight, and said to Hatim, \u201cNow, peerless hero, I am yours.\u201d--\u201cPardon\nme,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cif I reject your offer; you know what anguish the\nyouthful Naim has been suffering for years on your account; him\ntherefore you shall accept as your husband.\u201d The lady said, \u201cI am\nentirely at your disposal.\u201d The father and the lover were immediately\nsent for, and Hatim made them join hands as father and son. The\nmarriage contract was drawn up and agreed to, the love-sick Naim was\nblessed in the possession of his mistress, and Hatim was pleased with\nwhat he had himself done. In the course of ten days, the Shahmuhra\nmysteriously disappeared from the lady\u2019s hand, whereupon her grief and\nlamentation were excessive. Hatim earnestly endeavored to console her,\nsaying, \u201cLady, you have in your possession such treasures of gold and\njewels as will be amply sufficient for your posterity, even unto the\nseventh generation; why then should you not be content?\u201d\n\nHatim shortly after took leave of his friends in Suri, and betook\nhimself seriously to the attainment of the object of his journey,\nviz., the solution of Husn Banu\u2019s second question. He travelled\nthrough many a stage without success, till at length he arrived on the\nbanks of a large river. There he beheld a lofty mansion built of\nstone, over the door of which was written, \u201c_Do good and cast it into\nthe river._\u201d On seeing this motto, Hatim devoutly thanked the Ruler of\nevents, and said, \u201cI have now reached the object of my desire.\u201d While\nhe was in this contemplation a crowd of attendants issued forth, and\nconducted him into the house. There he beheld seated upon a throne a\nvenerable man, whose age amounted to a hundred years. On Hatim\u2019s\nentrance, the aged sire rose up and courteously received him; after\nwhich, he presented him with food and drink of various descriptions.\n\nWhen Hatim had appeased his hunger and allayed his thirst, he said to\nhis entertainer, \u201cVenerable sir, pray what is the meaning of the motto\nwhich is written above your door?\u201d--\u201cYoung stranger,\u201d replied the aged\nman, \u201clisten to my tale, which will explain it. In the prime of my\nlife I was a daring robber, and lived by plundering my\nfellow-creatures. But every day, when I rested from my sinful\navocation, I used to bake two large loaves, the ingredients of which I\nmixed with sweet-oil and sugar. Two such loaves I daily threw into the\nriver, saying, \u2018_This I give away to propitiate the favor of heaven._\u2019\nA considerable period had thus passed, when one day I was seized with\nsickness so violent that my soul seemed to quit my body. Methought a\nman seized me by the hand, and pointing out to me the way to the\ninfernal regions, said, \u2018_There is the place destined for thee._\u2019\nWhile he was on the point of hurling me into the midst of the\ncondemned, two youths divinely fair in countenance and angelic in form\ncame to my rescue. These were my guardian angels. They laid hold of\nme, one by each arm, and said, \u2018We will not permit this man to be\nutterly destroyed in his wickedness; sinful as he has been, his future\nstation is in paradise, and thither we will convey him.\u2019\n\n\u201cThey swiftly wafted me to the regions of the blessed, where an angel\nof exalted rank stood up and asked them, \u2018Why have you brought this\nman? A hundred years of his life are yet to pass; but there is another\nof the same name whom you were commissioned to bring.\u2019 The two angels\nwho had carried me to the gates of paradise, again brought me back to\nmy own house, and said to me at parting, \u2018We are the two\nloaves[b2.13] which you used to cast into the river for fishes to\nfeed on, as a service acceptable to the Almighty.\u2019 When I recovered\nfrom my trance, I rose up and fled for refuge into the threshold of\ndivine mercy, exclaiming in the voice of supplication, \u2018Gracious God!\nthou art merciful, and I am a sinful creature. I repent of all my evil\ndeeds, which I committed in the depravity of my heart. To thy gates I\nflee for protection. Spare me, merciful Creator, and from thy secret\nstores of grace bestow upon me that which is meet for me.\u2019\n\n\u201cWhen my health was restored, I prepared the two loaves as formerly,\nand went with them to the side of the river, in order to cast them\nupon the waters. On the shore I found a hundred dinars, which I took\nup and carried with me to the village. I there caused it to be\npublicly proclaimed, that if any person had lost a sum of money, he\nshould obtain the same from me. None came forward to claim the money;\nI therefore laid it aside, in hopes that the real owner of it might\nsome day appear. Next day, when I went to the river-side, according to\nmy usual mode, I threw my two loaves into the water; and another sum\nof a hundred dinars made its appearance on the shore. I took the money\nhome with me. In the same way it happened to me for ten successive\ndays. On the eve of the eleventh day, as I was asleep, a man appeared\nto me in the visions of the night, saying, \u2018Servant of the Almighty,\nthy two loaves have pleaded thy cause in heaven, and the merciful\nCreator has forgiven thy sins. The dinars which thou receivest are for\nthy competency; what is not necessary for thine own support, bestow in\ncharity upon the poor.\u2019\n\n\u201cI awoke from my dream and betook myself to prayer, and rendered my\nthanks to the bountiful Giver. I have since built this mansion, on the\ndoor of which I have written the motto that has attracted your\nattention. Every day I receive the sum of a hundred dinars on the\nshore of the river; and I occupy myself in giving it away in charity,\nin feeding the hungry, the poor, and the helpless stranger. Nearly a\nhundred years of my life still remain, and this, young stranger, is my\nhistory.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this wonderful account of the aged man, he devoutly\nexpressed his sense of the divine mercy. After having stayed a few\ndays, he took leave of his venerable entertainer, and began to retrace\nhis way to Shahabad. Having travelled a considerable distance he came\nto a desert, where he beheld underneath a tree two serpents in deadly\ncontest: the one was black and loathsome, the other beautiful and\ngraceful to view: but the black snake had the advantage in the\nstruggle, and was on the point of killing the other. Hatim speedily\napproached, and raised a shout that terrified the black serpent, which\nlet go its victim and fled. The serpent of beautiful color being quite\npowerless, remained beneath the tree, looking gratefully at Hatim. The\nlatter observing this, addressed the white snake, saying, \u201cFear\nnothing from me, I will here watch over you till you are recovered.\u201d\nIn the course of a few hours the serpent began to move slowly round\nthe tree, which being done it assumed the form of a beautiful young\nman.\n\nHatim stood wrapt in astonishment, when the youth addressing him,\nsaid, \u201cMy good friend, I am of the race of the genii, and the son of\ntheir king. The black snake which you saw is my father\u2019s slave who\nbears deadly hatred towards me. To-day he happened to find the time\nfitting, and having transformed himself and me into serpents, he was\nabout to slay me, when God the Supreme sent you to my relief.\u201d On\nhearing this Hatim rejoined, \u201cAs you are now recovered, proceed to\nyour abode without delay: as for me I have affairs of moment.\u201d The\ngenius replied, \u201cMy residence is not far hence; if you will deign to\nhonor me with a visit, nothing could be more agreeable to me.\u201d In\nshort, the prince of the genii conducted Hatim to his troops, and\nunder their convoy proceeded to his palace. There he rested for the\nnight, reclined upon a throne, and was charmed with the most melodious\nmusic. Next day he was offered the richest treasures of gold and\njewels, which he rejected, saying that such things had no value in his\nsight. As he was about to depart from this hospitable mansion, the\ngenii caught the base slave who had attempted to kill the prince; and\nhaving dragged him to the place of execution, they put him to death in\nHatim\u2019s presence.\n\nHatim took his leave of the genii, and continued his journey till he\narrived in Shahabad. He went straight to the caravansera\u00ef, where he\nwas joyfully received by Munir, the Syrian prince. Husn Banu\u2019s people\nin the meantime conveyed to their mistress the news of Hatim\u2019s\narrival. She next day sent for him, and said, \u201cBrave youth, this time\nyou have been long absent; pray have you attained the object of your\njourney or not?\u201d--\u201cPraised be God,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI have been quite\nsuccessful.\u201d He then detailed to Husn Banu all that he had witnessed\nsince his departure, and particularly the history of the aged man on\nthe banks of the river. When Husn Banu heard this wonderful adventure,\nshe looked towards her nurse, who said, \u201cThe youth speaks truly: your\nsecond question is solved.\u201d\n\nFood and drink were then called for, of which Hatim and the prince of\nSyria partook; the former assuring the latter that through divine aid\nhe would accomplish the solution of the remaining questions. Three\ndays were spent in discharging the rites of hospitality, at the\nexpiration of which Hatim waited upon Husn Banu, saying, \u201cNow, fair\nlady, let me hear your third question, that I may endeavor to solve\nit.\u201d--\u201cThere is a man,\u201d replied Husn Banu, \u201cwho says from experience,\n\u2018_Injure no one; if you do, evil will befall you._\u2019 Find out where\nthat man lives, what injury he has done, and what evil has befallen\nhim.\u201d\n\n\n\n\n BOOK III.\n\n _Hatim\u2019s journey to the desert and city of Himyar--His interview with\n Ham\u012br, and his return to the city of Shahabad._\n\nThe historians have informed us, that when Hatim set out on his\njourney from Shahabad he had not the least idea in what direction he\nought to proceed. All he knew of the man in question was, that he\ndwelt in the city of Himyar; he therefore placed his reliance upon\ndivine Providence, and continued his route to the north. When a month\nhad thus passed, the summit of a mountain appeared in the distant\nhorizon. Thither Hatim directed his steps, and when he arrived at the\nfoot of the mountain, he heard a voice loudly exclaiming: \u201c_Come, oh\ncome, I can no longer endure thy absence._\u201d\n\nHatim ascended the mountain till he saw a wide-spreading and shady\ntree, underneath which was placed a sofa formed of marble. On the sofa\nreclined a young man fair of countenance, holding in his hand a branch\nof the tree, and his eyes shut as it were in a state of abstraction,\nexclaiming, at short intervals, \u201c_Come, oh come, I can no longer\nendure thy absence._\u201d When Hatim saw him, he wondered within himself\nhow a human being could have taken up his residence in such a solitary\nspot: he therefore resolved to ask him the cause of his sorrow. He\nwent close to the youth, and said, \u201cFriend, tell me the nature of your\ngrief.\u201d The young man continued in a state of listlessness without\ntaking the least notice of Hatim\u2019s inquiry, but uttered again the\nwords above given. Hatim once more addressed him, but received no\nreply; and then, he for the third time asked him, saying, \u201cStrange\nyouth, surely you are deaf; thrice have I requested to know the cause\nof your sorrow, and you have returned me no answer: am I not to be\nconsidered by you as a man, and a servant of the Almighty?\u201d The youth\nopened his eyes, and seeing Hatim, said to him, \u201cMy friend, whence\ncome you; what is your business with me, and what is the subject of\nyour inquiries?\u201d--\u201cYou and I,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201care of the same\nspecies; perhaps I may be able to contribute to your relief.\u201d--\u201cAlas!\u201d\nrejoined the other, \u201cmany a one like you has come here, and having\nteased me with questions respecting my condition, has abandoned me;\nbut no one has hitherto made any effort to relieve me: may I then\nrequest that you will go your way?\u201d Hatim still persevered, saying,\n\u201cAs you have told your tale to so many, I beg for heaven\u2019s sake, that\nyou will let me hear it.\u201d--\u201cSit down then for a moment,\u201d said the\nyoung man, \u201ctill I relate to you my history.\u201d\n\nHatim reclined beneath the shade of the tree, and the youth proceeded\nwith his tale: \u201cI am a merchant. Once I was journeying with my caravan\ntowards the empire of R\u016bm, and at a certain spot on the road near\nthis mountain I desired my attendants to move onwards, while I\nremained admiring the surrounding scenery, after which I should soon\novertake them. My caravan accordingly proceeded, and I began to climb\nthe mountain; but the higher I went, the greater became my desire to\nreach its summit. At length I stopped to rest underneath this tree;\nwhen, lo! a damsel unparalleled in beauty of countenance and elegance\nof form, presented herself to my view. The moment I beheld this\nravisher of hearts, reason abandoned my soul; and I fell senseless on\nthe ground. The moon-faced damsel approached me, and raising my head\nupon her lap, besprinkled my face with rose-water of sweet fragrance.\nWhen I returned to my senses, and found my head reclining upon the lap\nof this Hour\u012b, heavens! had I a thousand hearts, her beauty would\nhave robbed me of them all. I stood up and asked her, \u2018Fairest of\ndamsels, who are you, and from what cause do you dwell in this\nsolitude?\u2019--\u2018I am a fairy,\u2019 she replied, \u2018and this mountain is my\nresidence: I have long wished to see one of the human race such as you\nare, and this day the desire of my heart has been realized.\u2019 I became\nso fascinated with the charms of this fairy angel, that I lost all\nthoughts of my caravan, my home, my merchandise, and myself. She\nsmiled so irresistibly that she entangled my heart in the fetters of\nher ringlets.\n\n\u201cAfter I had lived three months in the enjoyment of her society, I one\nday said to her, \u2018Why should we thus spend our lives in solitude? It\nwould be better for us to remove to the city, and pass our time in the\nmidst of new pleasure.\u2019 To this the fairy replied, \u2018If such is your\nwish, I am satisfied; and I will accompany you as soon as I can get\npermission to quit this place. Meanwhile I must leave you for a short\ntime, and you must not stir hence till my return; remain underneath\nthis same tree till I rejoin you, when we shall set out together for\nyour city.\u2019 I then said to her, \u2018How long will you be\nabsent?\u2019--\u2018Within seven days,\u2019 she answered, \u2018I shall certainly\nreturn; and, I repeat, beware of moving hence till I come, otherwise\nyou will have cause to repent.\u2019\n\n\u201cIt is now seven years since the fairy left me, and on account of her\ninjunctions and my promise, I durst not, during that period, go away\nanywhere, lest in my absence my beloved should have returned, and not\nfinding me here, she should have cause to be angry with me. But, in\nfact, my strength is now so reduced that I cannot proceed in search of\nher, having lived for so long a time on the leaves of trees and water\nfrom the fountain. I may verily say, that to me _the earth is hard,\nand the heavens are far off_; I cannot stay, and I dare not go. Many\npeople like yourself have come to me, and on hearing my history have\ngone their way; and on that account I disregarded your inquiries.\u201d\n\nWhen the young man had finished his tale, Hatim said to him, \u201cPray,\nsir, what is your name?\u201d--\u201cI am called Tamim of Kharzim,\u201d was the\nreply. \u201cDid the fairy,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cmention to you her name and\nplace of abode?\u201d--\u201cHer name,\u201d replied the other, \u201cis Alkanpari, and\nher residence is the mountain Alka.\u201d--\u201cWhen she left you,\u201d continued\nHatim, \u201cin what direction did she proceed?\u201d--\u201cShe walked to the\nright,\u201d answered the youth; \u201cbut very soon I lost sight of her, and I\nknow not whither she went.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cif you really wish\nto see that fairy again, come with me, and we shall set off together\nto the mountain of Alka, and endeavor to find her out.\u201d--\u201cYour\nproposal is fair,\u201d answered the youth; \u201cbut if I depart with you, and\nduring my absence the mistress of my heart should happen to come here,\nshe will return disappointed; my journey will then be of no avail, and\nI shall not obtain the object of my wish. If it be destined for me to\nmeet with her, it must be in this spot; and if otherwise, I am willing\nto sacrifice my life for her beloved sake.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this, tears of pity flowed from his eyes, while he\nthus addressed the young man: \u201cMy good friend, I will myself go to the\nmountain of Alka, and should it please the Almighty Creator, I shall\nfind out that beautiful fairy, and either cause her to return to you,\nor bring her hither in person: I will depart immediately while you\nremain here, and when I have discovered the dwelling-place of\nAlkanpari, I will return.\u201d--\u201cNoble sir,\u201d said the youth, \u201cI have never\nyet seen any one who would abandon his own affairs in order to serve\nothers; why should you be an exception to this rule? Go then and\nfollow your own business.\u201d--\u201cMistake me not, young man,\u201d said Hatim,\n\u201cI have devoted my life and property to the service of my\nfellow-creatures, and so far as either of them may be of use, I am\nready to assist the distressed. Be assured, sir, that I speak\nsincerely; I have made a vow to God always to speak the truth; trust\nme, then, and remain here till I return.\u201d\n\nThe young man promised that he would not leave that spot; and Hatim\nbidding him farewell, recommended him to the care of God, and\ndeparted. He proceeded in the direction which the fairy had gone, and\nfor the whole of that day had his eyes bent towards the top of the\nmountain; but he no sooner approached the summit, than another still\nhigher appeared beyond it. He passed onwards to the higher mountain,\nwhich he began to ascend. Its sides abounded with evergreen trees and\nshady groves. At length he came to a spot overshadowed by four aged\nand wide-spreading trees, underneath which were placed seats neat and\nclean. Hatim reclined on one of these couches, and as the breezes were\ncool and refreshing, he soon fell asleep. In the midst of his slumbers\nfour fairies came and sat down beside him, and when they discovered\nthat the sleeper was one of Adam\u2019s race, they said one to another,\n\u201cHow has this young man found his way hither? Let us question him as\nto the object of his journey.\u201d\n\nOne of the four fairies having awaked Hatim, said to him, \u201cPray, tell\nus, young man, how have you arrived here, and on what account are you\ncome?\u201d Hatim opened his eyes, and on seeing the fairies, replied, \u201cI\nhave travelled hither, under the guidance of my Creator, in search of\nAlkanpari, who resides in the mountain of Alka. That beautiful fairy\nhas captured the heart of a youth by name Tamim, whom she one day left\nunderneath a tree, promising to return in the course of seven days;\nand, lo! the youth has waited there seven years in expectation of her.\nThe miserable man is now in the agonies of death; and I am going to\nexpostulate with the fairy for her cruelty and insincerity; for to\nmake a promise and not to fulfil it, is a proceeding unbecoming the\nnoble.\u201d\n\nTo this the fairies replied, \u201cAlkanpari is sovereign of the mountain\nAlka; how is it possible that she could have pledged herself to hold\nan interview with one of your race? In truth, you are mad to say so,\nand it is our duty to put you to instant death.\u201d--\u201cIf such be my\nfate,\u201d returned Hatim, \u201cI am resigned.\u201d The fairies relenting, said to\nhim, \u201cIf you will pass some days in our society, and entertain us with\nyour conversation, we shall conduct you to the mountain of Alka.\u201d--\u201cI\nagree,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cparticularly as I have no other resource, and the\nsuccess of my present journey must depend upon you.\u201d The fairy damsels\nthen presented him with food, and treated him most hospitably with\nevery kind of eatable that he could desire. When the stipulated period\nhad elapsed, Hatim requested to be conducted on his way by his fair\nentertainers, who readily accompanied him during the space of seven\ndays, and then took leave, saying, \u201cBeyond this spot we dare not\nadvance: you must hold by the path towards the right hand till you\ncome in sight of a mountain at the foot of which there are two roads;\nbut there you must again take that which leads to the right, and you\nwill thereby arrive at the mountain of Alka.\u201d\n\nHatim bade adieu to his guides, and proceeded on his journey towards\nthe mountain. In a month after he came to the place where the road\nbranched into two, and as the shades of the night were falling, he\nthere sat down, in order to rest till day. When a watch of the night\nhad elapsed, his ear was struck with a voice of sorrow that issued\nfrom the surrounding desert. He raised his head and as he listened to\nthe mournful sounds, he thought within himself, \u201cOh, Hatim! thou hast\ndevoted thyself to the service of thy Creator; and now, when the voice\nof distress pierces thy ear, why dost thou hesitate to administer\nrelief? What will be thy answer hereafter in the presence of the great\nJudge?\u201d With these reflections he speedily arose and proceeded to the\nleft, in the direction of the voice. The whole night he continued to\nadvance, but no one could he find; and when it was day, he sat down\nand rested till darkness again overspread the earth, when the same\nlamenting voice reached his ears. He started up, and continued his\npursuit till at the dawn of day he arrived at a solitary spot, where\nhe beheld a comely youth with his feet bare and his head uncovered,\nbitterly weeping and lamenting.\n\nHatim addressed the young man, saying, \u201cMy friend, how came you to be\nalone in this wilderness, whose echoes resound to your cries; and who\nhas sent you hither?\u201d The youth in tears replied, \u201cGenerous sir, I am\nby profession a soldier, and lately quitted my home in quest of\nservice. On my journey I happened to lose my way, and on coming to a\ncertain city, I asked the inhabitants, \u2018What is the name of this city,\nand who is its sovereign?\u2019 One of them told me, \u2018This is the capital\nof Musahhir, the magician\u2019; on hearing which, I became terrified, and\nimmediately fled. After I had ridden the distance of a farasang from\nthe city, I came to a garden, whose beauty charmed my heart; and\ndismounting from my steed, I entered this terrestrial paradise. I had\nnot advanced more than three steps within the garden, when I beheld\ntroops of damsels fair as Houris and clothed in splendid apparel. I\nthen discovered that I was in the garden of the residence of the\nwomen, and reflecting that it was highly improper for me to enter such\nsacred precincts, I began to retrace my steps the way I came.\n\n\u201cWhen the women saw me, one of them ran and told her mistress that a\nyoung man was about to walk in the garden, but on discovering his\nmistake, had retired. On hearing this, the lady, who was none other\nthan the daughter of Musahhir the magician, instantly sent me a\nmessage requesting my attendance. I went, and the moment I beheld her\nfair countenance I became like one beside himself, and grew so faint\nthat I had to lay hold of the garden gate for support. Her attendants\nseized me by the hands and conducted me to the midst of the garden,\nwhere I was seated upon a couch beside the magician\u2019s daughter. This\nlady received me so kindly, and smiled so sweetly, that my heart was\npierced with love. Bewildered, I contemplated her beautiful form as\nshe sat by me.\n\n\u201cMeanwhile, who should arrive at the garden door but her father the\nmagician; and when he saw my horse, he asked whose it was, and being\ninformed of the whole affair by the attendants, he entered, foaming\nwith rage. When he beheld his daughter engaged in conversation with\nme, he seized her by the neck, and was about to dash her against the\nground, but the lady appealed to his sense of justice, as she was not\nguilty of any impropriety, and begged of him first to make the\nstrictest inquiry, and then inflict punishment, if due. The father\nchecked his anger and withdrew his hands, when in the meantime the\nnurse addressed him, saying, \u2018Oh, king! your daughter is now of age,\nand amongst your subjects there is none worthy of being her husband.\nThe stranger you see here is just arrived: he seems of noble rank, and\nan honorable man; it were better, then, that you give him your\ndaughter in marriage, for you will thus secure a noble successor. If,\nhowever, you put to death these two, who are perfectly free from\ncrime, you will, on the one hand, set a ruinous example to your\npeople; and, on the other hand, you will stain yourself with the blood\nof the innocent.\u2019\n\n\u201cOn hearing this, Musahhir the magician said, \u2018Daughter, what think\nyou of this proposal?\u2019 The damsel replied, \u2018As yet I have not been\nseen by any stranger, and as this traveller has happened to see me\nunveiled, I am willing to accept him.\u2019--\u2018Be it so,\u2019 said her father;\n\u2018but I have three conditions, and that man alone who can comply with\nthem shall receive my daughter.\u2019 I then ventured to address the\nmagician, saying, \u2018In that case I am ready to do whatever you command\nme.\u2019 The magician then conducted me to his capital, and admitted me\ninto his hall of audience. He then summoned the grandees of his\ndominions, in whose presence he thus stated to me the three conditions\non which I was to receive his daughter:\n\n\u201c\u2018The first condition is, that you will procure me a pair of the\nanimals called par\u012br\u016b.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018The second is, that you will bring me the muhra, the pearl which is\nin the mouth of the red dragon.\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018And the third is, that you will cast yourself into a large cauldron\nfull of boiling oil, and see if you can come out unhurt.\u2019\n\n\u201cTo each of these I agreed, and immediately quitting the city, I\nwandered hither, where I am now exhausted with hunger and thirst, and\npierced through the heart with the darts of the glances of a Houri. I\nam not able to return to my own country, and no friend has yet visited\nme by whose aid I might fulfil the conditions of the magician, and\nthus become entitled to the hand of his daughter; in this desert I\nhave constantly strayed, weeping and lamenting, since the time I left\nthe city, which is now a period of two years.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this statement, Hatim said to the young man, in condoling\nlanguage, \u201cBe of good cheer, for God willing, I will perform these\nthree conditions for you, and put you in possession of your mistress.\u201d\nHe then remembered the circumstance of the jackals that had procured\nhim the head of the pariru from the desert of Mazander\u00e1n, and\nresolved to set out thither immediately. In short, Hatim took leave of\nthe youth, and set out on his journey to Mazander\u00e1n. In the course of\na few days he came to a certain city, around which, along the walls\nand ditches, the inhabitants had laid piles of dried wood, which they\nkept burning.\n\nHatim, surprised, asked them what was the cause of this conflagration.\n\u201cIf,\u201d said one of them, \u201cwe do not keep this fire constantly burning\nall around our outward walls, a monstrous demon will enter our city\nand devour us.\u201d--\u201cPray,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhat like is this evil being\nthat so annoys you?\u201d--\u201cHe is a large animal,\u201d replied they, \u201cfrightful\nbeyond description, and when he comes he devours three or four of our\npeople at a time.\u201d Hatim, on hearing this, began to consider how it\nwould be practicable to free them from this calamity, and in the\nmeantime he went to take some repose in the caravansera\u00ef.\n\nHe then caused a pit to be dug outside the city in the open plain,\nwhich he fenced round with bushes of thorn and piles of wood, and\nfurnishing himself with a bow and quiver full of arrows he took up his\npost in that ambush about sunset. When about a watch of the night had\npassed, the approach of the monster was indicated with a noise like\nthat of a tempest. When this formidable beast came nearer, he saw that\nit had eight feet and seven heads, of which six were like those of\nlions, and the remaining head resembled that of an elephant. The\nelephant head was situated in the middle, and had three eyes.\n\nWhen Hatim was leaving the city, the inhabitants had given him a\ndescription of the monster, which he now found to be quite correct.\nThey further told him that this terrific beast was vulnerable only on\nthe middle eye of the elephant head, and if it were possible to hit\nthat eye with an arrow, it would be the means of removing this\ncalamity, for then the monster would run off, and never approach a\nhuman abode. Meanwhile the inhabitants hearing him advance, kindled\ntheir fires all around the city, which became completely covered with\na thick cloud of smoke. The monster moved round the walls, and\ncontinued to roar with all his mouths so loud that the city shook to\nits foundation. At length he approached the spot where Hatim lay\nconcealed, and when the latter observed him, he placed his trust in\nProvidence, and seizing his bow he took a deliberate aim at the\ncentral eye on the elephant head, and pierced it with an arrow.\n\nThe monster reeled and fell with a crash upon the earth, and raised\nsuch a roar that the city and the desert shook far and wide. He\nshortly after started up, and fled so swiftly towards the wilderness\nthat he never looked behind him. Hatim spent the whole night without\nthe walls, and when the dawn of morning appeared he re\u00ebntered the\ngates. The people crowded round him, and asked whether he had seen the\ndemon. He answered, \u201cI have expelled him from your\nterritories.\u201d--\u201cHow,\u201d said they, \u201ccan we be certain of that?\u201d--\u201cYou\nmay soon satisfy yourselves on that score,\u201d replied Hatim; \u201cthis night\nyou can watch on the walls and battlements of the city, and if you\nhear his sound, then shall you consider me a teller of falsehood; if,\non the other hand, the sound shall not be heard, you will be convinced\nof my veracity.\u201d To this they agreed and acted accordingly, and when\nthe night was over and all well, they returned to Hatim and prostrated\nthemselves at his feet, and conveyed him in triumph to the residence\nof their governor, who received him with the utmost courtesy and\nrespect, seating him by his side, and treating him with boundless\nhospitality. The people of the city, and particularly the governor,\nspeedily brought all their wealth in cash and valuable effects, and\noffered it to Hatim, who said to them, \u201cI am a poor traveller, and I\nam not the least desirous of such wealth as you offer me.\u201d They\nrequested him to accept of their bounty, and do with it what he\nthought proper.\n\nHatim accepted the gold and property which they thus pressed upon him,\nand bestowed the whole of it on the fakirs, and poor people of the\ncity. He then took leave of the inhabitants, and set out on his\njourney to Mazander\u00e1n. As he was journeying onwards, he saw a black\nsnake in deadly contest with a weasel. He stood for some time looking\non, while neither of the animals seemed to have the advantage. At\nlength he shouted, \u201cVile reptiles! what is the cause of this deadly\ncontest between you?\u201d The snake replied, \u201cMy opponent here has slain\nmy father.\u201d The weasel added, \u201cSnakes are the natural food of my\nspecies, and therefore I killed his father, and will kill him also,\nthat I may eat him.\u201d Hatim addressed the weasel, saying, \u201cIf flesh be\nthy desire, say the word, and I shall give it thee from off my own\nbody\u201d; and to the snake he said, \u201cIf revenge be thy object, slay me\ninstead of the weasel.\u201d Both of them, on hearing this, ceased from\ntheir struggle. The weasel said to Hatim, \u201cAs you have offered me your\nflesh, give it me.\u201d--\u201cWhat part of me,\u201d asked Hatim, \u201cdo you\ndesire?\u201d--\u201cYour cheek,\u201d replied the weasel.\n\nHatim seized a knife, and was about to cut off the flesh from his\ncheek, when the weasel cried, \u201cDesist, young man, I merely did this to\ntry your firmness, and now I am convinced of your generosity.\u201d\nImmediately both of them assumed the appearance of men. When Hatim saw\nthis, he asked, \u201cMy friends, what wonderful occurrence is this?\u201d The\nweasel replied, \u201cWe are both of us of the race of the genii, and I\nconfess I have slain his father; but the reason is, that I fell\ndesperately in love with the old man\u2019s daughter, and he refused his\nassent to our marriage. The brother, as you see, bears deadly hatred\ntowards me, and I must kill him in self-defence.\u201d Hatim, addressing\nthe genii, recommended to them peace and amity on both sides, and\nproffered that each should marry the other\u2019s sister. The genius that\nhad been in the form of a weasel replied, \u201cMy father, who is king of\nthe genii, will never agree to such a proposal.\u201d--\u201cLet me be shown to\nhis presence,\u201d requested Hatim, \u201cand I may induce him to be\nsatisfied.\u201d--\u201cFollow me, then,\u201d said the genius, \u201cand you shall soon\nbe in my father\u2019s court.\u201d After they had thus walked together for some\ndistance, they arrived at a spacious city, where the prince told\nHatim, \u201cThis is my father\u2019s capital. I must part with you here, in\norder to proceed to my own residence; but my attendants will take you\nby the hand, and conduct you to my father\u2019s presence.\u201d\n\nTroops of genii approached Hatim accordingly, and ushered him before\ntheir sovereign, whose name was Mahy\u016br. When his Majesty saw Hatim,\nhe said to him, \u201cStranger of the race of Adam, what important affair\nhas brought you into my capital?\u201d--\u201cI have come,\u201d said he, \u201cfor\npromoting peace and friendship.\u201d--\u201cHow,\u201d rejoined the king, \u201ccan any\nof the human race act so friendly a part towards the genii, and what\nis the nature of this service with which you are to favor us?\u201d--\u201cYou\nhave a son,\u201d continued Hatim; \u201cmay I ask whether you wish his life to\nbe spared, or are resolved on his death?\u201d--\u201cTruly,\u201d replied Mahyur, \u201cI\nhave a son, but what then?\u201d--\u201cIf you love him,\u201d said Hatim in return,\n\u201cfollow my advice, and his life may be saved; otherwise death will\nsoon overtake him.\u201d--\u201cMay the divine favor be upon you,\u201d rejoined the\nking of the genii; \u201ctell me what is the matter, that my son is in\ndanger of his life.\u201d--\u201cHe has slain the father of a certain youth\nnamed Bahram,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cand the latter bears hatred towards him on\nthat account, and will certainly slay him: to-day I saw them in deadly\ncontest, and your son\u2019s life would have been short indeed had I not\nparted them. Another day they will again meet, and the result will be\nfatal; but if you obey my directions, I may be the means of\nestablishing peace between them. The case is this: your son is\nenamoured of Bahram\u2019s sister, and has slain her father because he\nrefused his consent to their union; on the other hand, Bahram is in\nlove with your daughter. It is requisite then, in order to do away all\ngrounds of hatred, that you bestow your daughter on Bahram, and induce\nhis sister to marry your son.\u201d\n\nMahyur expressed satisfaction with Hatim\u2019s proposal; and accordingly\nsummoned his son and Bahram into his presence, where Hatim succeeded\nin making them friends. When each of the lovers was in possession of\nhis mistress, Hatim went to take leave of Mahyur, who said to him at\nparting, \u201cBrave sir! accept of something from us as a reward for your\nkindness.\u201d--\u201cI have never yet taken a reward,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cfor\ndischarging the duties of humanity.\u201d--\u201cGenerous Hatim!\u201d rejoined the\nking of the genii, \u201caccept from me this staff as a token of esteem; it\nmay be of use to you. When you hold it erect in your hand, it becomes\npossessed of some rare qualities; for instance, if a serpent or\nscorpion sting you, the venom shall have no effect, and the fire shall\nhave no power over you. If any one assail you with magic, turn round\nthe staff, and the enchantment will be of no avail. In particular, the\npoison of the red dragon can have no power over you. Accept at the\nsame time this talisman, and whenever you behold a serpent, whether\nred, or black, or green, or white, place the talisman in your mouth,\nand you will be safe. Again, when you come to a river, throw the staff\ninto the water, and it will instantly become a boat.\u201d\n\nHatim having taken the talisman and the staff, bade adieu to the king\nof the genii, and proceeded on his journey to Mazander\u00e1n. Advancing\nday and night, he arrived at the banks of a large river. While\nstanding upon the shore he beheld the waves rising to the clouds, and\nby their buffeting lashing the stars of heaven. He looked in all\ndirections for a place where he might cross; and when he was in this\nconsideration, he recollected the staff presented to him by Mahyur the\nking of the genii. He immediately seized it in his right hand, and\nthrew it amidst the billows, whereupon the staff was changed into a\nboat, in which he embarked and began to make his way across. After he\nhad sailed about half way, a huge nihang espied him, and ran off with\nhimself and his boat. Hatim resigned his soul to the will of fate, and\nwas waiting the result with patience, till at length after they had\ntraversed the deep for the space of seven farasangs, his feet rested\non firm ground. There he opened his eyes, and was surprised on hearing\nthe nihang address him in eloquent language, thus: \u201cOh, Hatim! I have\nbrought thee into this place that thou mightest render me justice.\u201d\nHatim said, \u201cWhat justice do you require?\u201d To this the nihang replied,\n\u201cThe crab has unlawfully deprived me of my place of residence: my wish\nis that you will put me in possession of what is my right.\u201d Hatim\nrejoined, \u201cIs it possible that the crab is more powerful than you?\u201d To\nthis the nihang replied, \u201cSluggish as he may appear, he is able to\ncrush me into pieces between his claws; at present he is abroad\nsomewhere in quest of food, and I have in the meantime brought you\nhither.\u201d\n\nHatim humbly placed his reliance on his Creator, well aware that of\nhimself he could do nothing; when, lo! the crab, which was of immense\nsize, made his appearance, whereupon the nihang immediately fled. The\ncrab slowly approached; and when he saw the flight of the nihang, he\nraised such a noise as shook the earth, so that Hatim himself was\nterrified, and devoutly prayed that Providence might deliver him from\nthe evil that threatened him. He speedily took in his hand the charmed\nstaff presented to him by Mahyur, on beholding which, the crab\nremained still where he was. Hatim then addressed the monstrous\nanimal, saying, \u201cKnow you not that the oppressor shall fall by his own\ndeceit? Why then do you injure the nihang? Is there not room\nsufficient for both of you in this river, that you should forcibly\ntake possession of another\u2019s residence?\u201d To this the crab replied,\n\u201cThe nihang and I are of the same genus, what then has one of the\nhuman race to say in any contention that may take place between\nus?\u201d--\u201cThere is some truth in your statement,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cbut all\ncreatures have their being from God, who delighteth in justice and\npunisheth the oppressor: if you fear him then, injure not a\nfellow-creature.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d replied the crab, \u201cat present I shall quit\nthis place, rather than argue the point with you; but I shall meet the\nnihang on some future day, when you are not at hand to lend your\naid.\u201d--\u201cAssuredly you are a mischievous animal,\u201d rejoined Hatim; \u201cbut\nif you value your own life, abandon this place forever.\u201d The crab, on\nhearing this, rushed upon Hatim, and was about to seize him in his\nclaws; but he struck him such a blow with the charmed staff of the\ngenius that his attack was rendered fruitless. The monstrous animal\nturned and fled; and the nihang, taking courage, began to pursue him,\nwhereupon Hatim called out, \u201cDesist, for to pursue him now is\ncowardly, as his weapons are powerless; he will never hereafter annoy\nyou, and if you oppress him I shall put an end to your days.\u201d\n\nHatim having settled the plea between the two inhabitants of the deep,\nthrew down his staff, which turned into a boat wherein he embarked,\nand reaching the opposite shore of the water, he continued his journey\nto Mazander\u00e1n. At length he arrived in that extensive wilderness, and\nreclining in the shade of a tree he began to consider what would be\nthe best way of procuring the pariru. When the darkness of night had\nfallen around him, several of these birds, that had been abroad in\nsearch of food, came and perched upon the tree, and began to converse\namong themselves: \u201cOur solitary abode is visited by a man, Hatim ben\nTa\u00ef; the object of his journey is to relieve the distressed: what\nthen are we to do?\u201d All of them concurred in saying, \u201cHatim is a man\nof the noblest disposition, and he must not leave us in\ndisappointment.\u201d Having formed this resolution, the birds assembled\naround Hatim, and in humble posture began to embrace his feet. When he\nsaw their wonderful form, he was highly astonished; for each of them\nresembles an angel in beauty of countenance. Fascinated with the\ncharms of their fairy faces, he could not avoid exclaiming, \u201cGracious\nheaven! how inscrutable are thy decrees, who hast formed such\ncreatures with bodies like those of birds, and countenances fair as\nthe Houris of paradise.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the strange creatures, addressing Hatim in sweet flowing\nlanguage, said to him, \u201cOh, Hatim! may the fame of your generosity be\neternal; you have subjected yourself to toils and perils for the sake\nof others. We know the cause of your journey hither: a certain youth\nhas become enamoured of the magician\u2019s daughter; the father gives his\nconsent on certain conditions, one of which is, that he may have a\npair of our species, and you, regardless of danger, have come hither\non that account.\u201d--\u201cYou say truly,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand if you will\nallow me to take a pair of your young, it will be doing me the highest\nfavor; and it will also promote the suit of the despairing lover.\u201d\nThey deliberated among themselves, saying, \u201cThose of us that are fully\ngrown cannot be expected to go with this man: who is it, then, among\nus that will present him with a pair of young ones? It will be a\nservice acceptable to God.\u201d\n\nHere one of the pariru birds said to Hatim: \u201cLo, I myself will give\nyou a pair of my own young, for the sake of that Being who bestoweth\nall things; accept them, and take them with you wherever you please.\u201d\nHatim joyfully received the young birds; and having passed the night\nin that desert, he early next morning took leave of these wonderful\ncreatures, and began to retrace his way to the capital of the\nmagician. In the course of time, after he had traversed mountains and\ndeserts innumerable, he arrived at the spot where the young soldier\nstill lingered; and having presented to him the pariru birds, he said,\n\u201cRejoice, my friend, for here you see what will fulfil one of the\nmagician\u2019s conditions.\u201d When the youth beheld the birds, he prostrated\nhimself in ecstasy at Hatim\u2019s feet, saying, \u201cMy generous benefactor!\nlet us now proceed with these beautiful birds, and present them to the\nmagician.\u201d Both of them set out accordingly, and by the way Hatim\nrelated to his friend the occurrences of his journey, and the\nsituation of the desert of Mazander\u00e1n; and having handed to him the\npariru birds, he desired him to go himself and deliver them to\nMusahhir, and mention nothing of having been assisted in procuring\nthem.\n\nWhen they entered the city, Hatim stopped at a caravansera\u00ef, and the\nyouth proceeded with the birds, and delivered them to the magician,\nwho was much surprised in seeing them, and questioned him, saying,\n\u201cYoung man, is this your own doing? If so, tell me truly in what part\nof the world are such birds to be found?\u201d The youth, without\nhesitation, replied, \u201cIn the desert of Mazander\u00e1n.\u201d The magician then\nasked him various particulars about the road thither, all of which he\nwas enabled to answer satisfactorily from what Hatim had told him.\n\u201cYou are right,\u201d said the magician: \u201cso much for the first condition.\nNow procure me the muhra which is in the mouth of the red dragon.\u201d The\nyouth said, in reply, \u201cLet me for one moment view the face of her whom\nI adore, for otherwise I shall not have even the power of moving.\u201d To\nthis the magician agreed, and sent a message to his daughter, desiring\nher to hold her head out at the window, and favor her lover with one\nlook. The young man, in transports, presented himself under her\nwindow, and the lady leaning out her head as permitted, cheered him\nwith her smiles. After they had viewed each other with the looks of\naffection, the youth said, \u201cNow I am about to depart in quest of the\nmuhra which is in the mouth of the red dragon; can you inform me where\nit is to be found?\u201d--\u201cI have heard,\u201d replied the lady, \u201cthat it is in\nthe Red Desert, which is in the regions of the mountain Kaf.\u201d\n\nThe youth, on hearing this, took leave of his beloved, and hastened to\nHatim, to whom he communicated all that had passed. Hatim comforted\nhim, and said, \u201cCease your weeping and lamentation, for I will use\nevery exertion for your relief: may God preserve you till my return.\u201d\nHaving thus spoken, Hatim parted with his friend and began his journey\nto the mountain Kaf. After he had passed many a stage he arrived in a\nwilderness, where he one day at dawn espied a dragon streaked with the\nseven colors of the rainbow, and having wings like those of an eagle,\nwith which he hovered over the desert.\n\nOn beholding this terrific sight, Hatim stood aghast, while he said in\nhis heart, \u201cI have ere now traversed deserts and mountains like those\naround me; but such a creature as this I never saw before: I must keep\na strict watch on his movements, in order to discover his haunt.\u201d\nHatim followed the dragon for the whole of that day, and at eve the\nwinged monster took refuge in the cleft of a rock near which Hatim\nalso rested, resolved to observe the proceedings of so wonderful a\ncreature. In that same neighborhood there was a village, the\ninhabitants of which were then coming out for water to a fountain\nclose by the rock. When they saw Hatim, they discovered that he was a\nstranger, and hospitably offered him bread and water, on which he\nfared; and on their inviting him to their village, he said he\npreferred resting for the night beneath a tree close by.\n\nMeanwhile the people returned to their dwellings, leaving their cows\nand flocks at pasture on the verdant plain that lay at the foot of the\nrock, where the shepherds also remained to tend them for the night. At\nthe end of the first watch, however, the winged serpent issued from\nhis haunt, and rushing upon the cattle, speedily killed them all, one\nafter another, with his venomous sting. Nor did his devastation there\nstop, for on the same night he destroyed two troops of horses\nbelonging to a caravan that had halted at the fountain. When Hatim saw\nthis dreadful ravage he wrung his hands in agony, but lo! the dragon,\nstill thirsting for blood, approached the tree where he stood and in\nan instant stung to death those who watched the caravan, and the\nshepherds that were in attendance; after which, he again vanished into\nthe hole in the rock.\n\nHatim spent the remainder of the night in a state of sorrow and\namazement; and when the dawn of day appeared, the villagers came out\nto look after their flocks, but to their astonishment they beheld the\nplain strewed with the dead bodies of the shepherds and the carcases\nof their cows and horses. So deadly was the venom of this monster,\nthat by the dawn of day the flesh was completely dissolved from off\nthe bones and converted into a liquid of green color. One of the\npeople conveyed the mournful tidings to the village, whereupon all the\ninhabitants came out crying and weeping. On seeing Hatim they\naddressed him, saying, \u201cTell us, stranger, how come you to be here\nalive, and how has this terrible catastrophe taken place?\u201d--\u201cAlas! my\nfriends,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201chere I have witnessed most horrible deeds,\nsuch as I never beheld or heard of in my whole life. A seven-colored\ndragon, shaped as an eagle, has committed this slaughter, and retired\ninto a hole in the rock, where you may still see him.\u201d\n\nThe people gathered round the mouth of the cavern, and on seeing the\ndragon they were terrified, and said to one another, \u201cTruly such a\nformidable animal as this we never yet beheld.\u201d Meanwhile the dragon\nrushed from his hole in the rock, and seizing the chief of the village\npierced him with his envenomed sting till he rolled in the dust and\nbade adieu to life, amidst the shrieks and tears of his friends and\nattendants. The dragon then winged his way slowly towards the desert,\nand Hatim followed close after him, in order to see what might happen\nnext. For the whole of that day he continued his pursuit, and when\nevening was nigh the dragon halted near a large city while Hatim\nwatched him from a short distance. But the dragon had no sooner\ntouched the ground than he was transformed into a black snake, while\nHatim stood wrapt in astonishment, anxious to know what would be the\nresult of this change. The black serpent coiled himself into a hole\ntill the end of the first watch of the night, when he issued out and\nmade direct for the city, whither Hatim continued to follow. At length\nthe serpent arrived at the walls of the king\u2019s palace, which he\nentered by a certain staircase, and ere Hatim could follow, returned\nby the same passage, and made for another house. In a very short time\nthe serpent came out of the latter house also, and quitting the city\nretired to his hole. Hatim wondered in his mind who could have been\nthe victims of the scourge for that night. With the morning certainty\ncame, for the cries and lamentations of the people soon informed him\nthat the prince and vizier\u2019s son were in the course of the night stung\nto death by a serpent, and now lay stretched on the bier, and were\nbeing conveyed to their graves.\n\nIn the course of the morning the black snake quit his hole, and made\noff in another direction, Hatim following; nor for the whole day did\nhe cease his pursuit, till towards night the serpent came to the bank\nof a river, where he assumed the form of a lion. It happened that\nclose by there was a village, the inhabitants of which, to the number\nof ten or twelve, were proceeding, one after the other, to the river\nto draw water, among them a most comely youth of the age of sixteen.\nThis youth, the flower of the village, the lion seized as his victim,\nand having torn him to pieces, he again made for the desert, where, to\nHatim\u2019s utter amazement, he was transformed into a beautiful damsel of\nfourteen years of age. When Hatim beheld the damsel, he said in his\nheart, \u201cMay heaven protect me! I wonder what is to happen next.\u201d\n\nThe damsel in an instant arrayed herself in splendid apparel and\ncostly jewels, and, resembling the full moon in beauty, sat down\nunderneath a tree by the wayside. It happened that shortly after, two\nbrother soldiers, natives of China, who having completed their\nstipulated period of service were returning loaded with wealth to\ntheir own country, passed that way, and on seeing them the damsel\nbegan a most piteous lamentation. When this voice of sorrow reached\ntheir ears, the elder of the two brothers approached the tree, and to\nhis astonishment there beheld the most beautiful of women deeply\naffected with grief. The soldier thus addressed the damsel: \u201cFairest\nof women, what calamity has befallen thee that thou art thus forsaken\nto weep and lament in the solitary desert?\u201d--\u201cI am,\u201d replied the\ndamsel, \u201cthe wife of a villager: a few days ago I had gone on a visit\nto my mother\u2019s house, and in returning home along with my husband we\nlost our way in this wilderness, where I have since wandered. I have\nnot been able to find the way back to my mother\u2019s house, nor do I know\nin what direction to proceed in quest of my husband or of my own home.\nWhither my husband is gone heaven only knows; and now what is to\nbecome of me, and how am I to live?\u201d The brave soldier, on hearing\nthis sad detail, said to the young woman, \u201cIf I were to offer myself\nas your husband, would you accept me?\u201d--\u201cIf you will agree to my three\nconditions,\u201d answered the damsel, \u201cI will give you my hand. The first\ncondition is, that you shall have no other wife than myself[b3.01];\nthe second, that I will be exempt from all household services; and the\nthird is, that you are not to reprimand me for anything I may choose\nto do.\u201d To this the soldier agreed, saying, \u201cI am as yet unmarried,\nand I promise to comply with all your conditions. While I live I shall\nhave no other wife but you; and in my house there are slaves male and\nfemale in abundance, so that you will have no trouble with the\nhousehold affairs, except to give orders for whatever you wish. Your\nlast condition I believe is superfluous; is it possible that any man\ncan speak harshly to her whom he loves?\u201d The damsel, on hearing this,\nreplied, \u201cEnough, I will accept you as my husband,\u201d and accordingly\nthey joined hands; after which the soldier mounted his steed, and\ntaking up his new wife behind him, departed. Hatim followed, in order\nto see the end of these strange occurrences; and when they had gone\nsome distance, the woman said to her husband, \u201cI am quite exhausted\nwith hunger and thirst, having tasted no food for the last three days;\nif you have nothing eatable with you, at least let me have a drink of\nwater.\u201d The soldier dismounted, and having caused his wife to alight,\nhe seated her under the shade of a tree, and he took a pitcher, and\nwent in search of water.\n\n * * * *\n\nWhen the woman arrived at the village, she assumed the form of a\nbuffalo; and the people attempting to seize her, she slew several of\nthem with her hoofs and horns, and again fled towards the desert.\n\nFilled with wonder, Hatim closely followed this mysterious being, and\nwhen arrived in the midst of the desert, lo! the buffalo was\ntransformed into a venerable old man with a white beard. On seeing\nthis last change, Hatim resolved to accost the old man, and ask him\nthe hidden cause of his evil deeds, and why he delighted in working\nsuch havoc among God\u2019s creatures. He accordingly made up to him at a\nrapid pace, and stood by his side. The aged man turned and said,\n\u201cSpeak, Hatim, whatever you wish to say.\u201d--\u201cVenerable sir,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201chow came you to know my name?\u201d--\u201cIf that be all,\u201d replied the\nold man, \u201cI know the name of every individual in your tribe; but at\npresent, if you have any question to ask me make haste, for I have\nmuch business in hand, and my time is precious.\u201d\n\nHatim, without more delay, said to him, \u201cMysterious being! I first\nbeheld you in the shape of a dragon, when you filled with sorrow a\nwhole village; you afterwards assumed the form of a black snake, when\nyou laid in the dust the son of the king and that of his minister;\nagain, you transformed yourself into a lion, and tore to pieces a\nyouth the most elegant of form; you then became a beautiful damsel of\nthe age of fourteen, and by your perfidy caused the death of two\nbrothers; your next step was to adopt the shape of a buffalo, and you\nslew the people of the village; you now appear an aged man: tell me,\nfor heaven\u2019s sake, what are you, and whither are you going?\u201d The old\nman, with a haughty smile, replied, \u201cWhat does all this concern you?\nFollow your own business: you also I shall yet visit in some shape or\nother, and your death will be the consequence.\u201d\n\nHatim persisted, saying, \u201cI will never quit my hold of your skirt till\nyou clear up to me this mystery.\u201d--\u201cKnow, then,\u201d said the old man,\n\u201cthat I am the angel of death; the first day you saw me in the shape\nof a dragon, it was the decree of the Almighty that those men and\nbeasts that were my victims should meet their death by that means.\nProvidence had foreordained that the young prince and the son of the\nminister should die by the sting of a serpent, and I accordingly\nassumed the form of a serpent. I became a lion, and slew the beautiful\nyouth; such was his fate. As to the two brothers, they were destined\nto leave their homes and serve abroad, and after a certain period,\nwhen they had earned and amassed some money, it was ordained that they\nshould proceed on their return to their own country, and in the course\nof their journey that they should kill one another on account of a\nwoman; I therefore assumed the form of a woman to fulfil the divine\ndecree. In the village where you last saw me, it was the lot of the\npeople whom I slew to fall by a buffalo; I therefore became a buffalo\non that occasion. Be you assured, oh, Hatim! that it is not in the\npower of one man to slay another; but in whatever way a man\u2019s fate is\ndecreed, by that means only he loses his life.\u201d Hatim, on hearing\nthis, asked the angel of death, \u201cTell me truly what fate is ordained\nfor me?\u201d The aged man replied, \u201cSuffice it to say that more than half\nyour life-time is yet to pass.\u201d--\u201cBut,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cmay I not\nlearn from you the whole truth?\u201d--\u201cKnow, then,\u201d replied the king of\nterrors, \u201cthat when you have attained the age of two hundred years,\nyou shall fall by the hand of Omnipotence. A stream of blood shall\nflow from your nostrils, by which you will experience some slight\npain, and afterwards for a short time recover. In that period your\nhand shall be stretched out as usual in deeds of charity to your\nfellow-creatures; and shortly after, the flux of blood shall again\nissue from your nostrils, and thus you shall die. Meanwhile a long\nlife is before you; go on, then, and shrink not from your noble task\nof relieving the sorrows and promoting the happiness of mankind.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard all this, he bent his head to the dust in prayer to\nGod, and when he arose, he looked around him, but the old man had\nvanished from his sight. He then betook himself to the prosecution of\nhis journey towards the Red Desert, and in the course of a few months\nhe found himself far beyond the habitations of men, in the midst of a\nwilderness where no water was to be found. Hungry and thirsty as he\nwas, he still continued his route, his whole subsistence consisting of\nthe wild fruits and weeds of the desert. In this way he journeyed for\nsome time, when lo! one day, to his utter astonishment, he came to a\nplace where the heavens and the earth wore a dark hue, and every\nobject he saw was black. This place was the abode of the black\nserpents, which, when they scented Hatim, rushed upon him from all\nquarters in order to devour him. He threw upon the ground the\ntalismanic staff of Mahyur the genius, and sat down upon it, safe by\nits magic power. The serpents continued to rear their crests and with\na hissing noise to move round him in endless contortions the whole\nnight. When daylight appeared, he took his staff in his hand, and\ncontinued his march secure from the venom of the snakes, and thus he\njourneyed on till he reached the boundaries of the land of darkness.\nContiguous to this lay the white regions, which Hatim began to\nexplore. Here every object was possessed of the most brilliant\nwhiteness, so that the whole place seemed made of alabaster. At the\nsame time white serpents of prodigious size endeavored from a distance\nto inhale him with their poisonous breath; but on account of his\ncharmed staff their efforts were of no avail, nor had they the power\nof approaching him. In the course of a few days, Hatim succeeded in\nmaking his way through these dangerous realms, and next arrived in a\nregion where every object he beheld was green as emerald. There, too,\nabounded serpents of a green color, and when they saw Hatim they\nquickly surrounded him, and were it not for the virtue of his\ntalisman, his days would have been short. Hatim, however, unhurt,\nsurmounted a thousand perils and difficulties as he travelled through\nthe evergreen regions; and at length he arrived in an extensive tract\nof land, which to him seemed to be wrapt in flames, and this he knew\nto be the Red Desert.\n\nThere every object was red as vermilion, and ere Hatim had advanced\nmany steps the heat became so intolerable that he almost lost the\npower of walking. He thought within his heart that it would be\nimpossible to proceed any further; but, again, he said to himself:\n\u201cOh, Hatim! in doing a good action, whatever happens, let it come,\neven were the difficulties a thousand times more severe than the\npresent.\u201d By the time he had advanced a farasang his feet were full of\nblisters, and his thirst was so excessive that he was compelled to\nrest at every step.\n\n\u201cNow,\u201d thought Hatim, \u201cmy dying hour is come; if I wished to return, I\nhave not even the power; and if I advance, I shall assuredly perish.\nBut at the same time I cannot live here.\u201d Having made this resolution,\nhe continued to move slowly onwards, till by the time he had advanced\nanother farasang, he became exhausted, and his thirst was so extreme\nthat he sunk upon the ground and lay like one dead, his whole body\ncovered with blisters.\n\nWhile he lay senseless in this state, an aged man came up to him, and\nseizing his hand, raised him from the earth, and said to him, \u201cOh,\nHatim! here you have no cause for despair; why do you not avail\nyourself of the talisman given you by the bear\u2019s daughter?\u201d Hatim\ncollected his scattered senses, and speedily producing the talisman\nput it in his mouth, which was no sooner done than the heat of the Red\nDesert ceased to oppress him, and his blisters were healed. Hatim then\nprostrated himself at the feet of his aged monitor, and said, \u201cMost\nvenerable sir, tell me what is the cause of this excessive heat?\u201d The\nold man replied, \u201cThis heat is caused by the red serpents that haunt\nthe desert. They are of immense size, and from their mouths they\nbreathe volumes of flame and clouds of smoke, hence the fiery hue of\nevery object you behold.\u201d Hatim, however, secure under the effects of\nthe talisman which he carried in his mouth, went fearlessly on, and\nfelt not the least inconvenience from the scorching heat.\n\nWhen he had penetrated as far as the centre of the Red Desert, the\nfire-breathing serpents espied him, and began to rear their heads and\ncrests aloft like tall trees. From their nostrils issued streams of\nflame as it were from a furnace, and with tremendous hissing they\nassailed him on all sides, intending to scorch him to death and reduce\nhis bones to ashes. But owing to the charmed muhra of the bear\u2019s\ndaughter, the attack of the snakes fell upon Hatim like a current of\ncool water. Meanwhile the serpents increased in number, and were about\nto overpower him with their pestiferous and scorching breath. He at\nlast threw upon the ground the magic staff of Mahyur, the king of the\ngenii, and such was its wonderful effect, that when he stood upon it\nno snake could come within reach of him. The serpents overawed,\nremained at a distance; and notwithstanding their utmost efforts for\nthe whole of that night, they were not able to do him the least harm.\nWhen daylight appeared, Hatim observed that the largest of the red\nserpents had in its mouth the muhra which he wished to procure, but\nnever allowed it to drop upon the ground. He took his magic staff, and\naiming it at the head of the serpent, struck it such a blow as made it\nrecoil upon itself and roll amidst the dust. There the snake lay\nstunned till the sun arose, when it revived, and dropping the muhra,\nslowly dragged itself to its den. Hatim quickly ran to take up his\ntreasure, but from its brilliant appearance he hesitated to lay hold\nof it, thinking that it was as hot as fire. He stood for some time\nviewing the muhra, and at length he tore a piece of cloth from his\nturban, and by way of experiment placed it upon the shining jewel.\nWhen he observed that the cloth was not burnt, he ventured to take the\nmuhra in his hand and carefully wrapped it in a fold of his turban.\n\nThe moment Hatim had the muhra in his possession, he was surprised in\nfinding that the heat of the desert no longer remained, and the\nobjects around him assumed a verdant hue. Now this muhra was possessed\nof the rarest qualities, to the number of a thousand and one, of which\nwe may mention the following:--The first was, that the possessor of it\nshould never be drowned; the second, that he should be secured from\nany bad effects of fire; the third quality that was inherent in this\npearl was, that it restored sight to the blind; the fourth, that it\ncured the bite of a snake or any other venomous creature; the fifth,\nhe who had it with him in war was sure of obtaining victory; the\nsixth, he should be endeared alike to friend and foe; the seventh, all\nfour-footed and winged animals should be obedient to his commands; the\neighth was, that he should excel in wisdom; the ninth, that his wealth\nshould be boundless; but it would be tedious to detail the whole.\n\nIn fine, Hatim returned with the muhra, and in the course of time he\ncame to the place where he left the young soldier. He saluted him, and\nresigning the precious treasure into his hands, he said to him, \u201cGo\nnow and present this to the magician.\u201d The young man prostrated\nhimself at the feet of Hatim, and the latter having raised him up,\nrelated to him all the occurrences of his journey, and described to\nhim the regions of the serpents. The two friends then proceeded\ntogether to the capital of the magician, and the youthful soldier\nhaving obtained an interview of his Majesty, presented him with the\nmuhra, in the procuring of which, he stated, that he had undergone a\nthousand toils, and encountered perils innumerable. \u201cThat,\u201d replied\nthe magician, \u201cI shall soon put to the proof.\u201d--\u201cWith all my heart,\u201d\nsaid the youth; and accordingly the magician commenced a strict\ninquiry respecting the Red Desert, the serpents, and the other\nparticulars, all of which the soldier answered to his satisfaction.\n\nThe magician, highly delighted with the treasure he thus possessed,\nsaid to the young man, \u201cThere now remains only one task to be\naccomplished, which is, that you will plunge bare of your clothing\ninto a cauldron full of boiling oil; are you prepared to comply with\nthe same?\u201d The youth replying in the affirmative, the magician issued\norders to his people to place the iron cauldron on the furnace, fill\nit with oil, and with a strong fire heat the same till it boiled. The\nattendants of the magician immediately executed this order, and so\nheated the oil that if a stone were cast into it, it would have\ninstantly dissolved. Meanwhile the soldier returned to Hatim, and said\nto him, \u201cAlas, my benefactor! I have yet to fulfil the severest of his\nMajesty\u2019s conditions. He expects me to cast myself into a cauldron\nfull of boiling oil, and if I come out unhurt, I am to be honored with\nthe hand of his daughter. But, I would ask you, is it in the power of\nmortal man to undergo such an ordeal, and escape with life?\u201d\n\n\u201cBe not disheartened,\u201d said Hatim; \u201ceven in this conjuncture I can\nensure your success.\u201d He then produced the talisman of the bear, and\npresenting it to the young soldier, he said to him, \u201cTake this muhra\nin your mouth, and you may without the least hesitation cast yourself\ninto the boiling liquid.\u201d The youth, still incredulous, shuddered at\nthe idea; and Hatim swore to him by all that was sacred that he should\ncome by no harm. The soldier at length took the talisman as advised,\nand having ascended the steps that led to the mouth of the boiler, he\nlooked at the burning liquid foaming furiously like a troubled sea,\nand all firmness left his heart. Hatim then exclaimed to him, \u201cAre you\na man? Is such fear consistent with your love?\u201d When the young soldier\nheard this from Hatim, he hesitated no longer, but shutting his eyes\nthrew himself into the midst of the boiler. To his surprise, the oil\nthat had been heated to the utmost had no more effect upon him than\ncool water. He walked slowly from one side of the boiler to the other,\nand in presence of the magician began to lift in his hands the fiery\nliquid and sprinkle it on his body. When some time had elapsed, the\nsoldier thus addressed the magician, \u201cMost mighty king, what is your\ndecision now? Shall I come out or remain here longer?\u201d When the king\nsaw that the soldier still lived, he held down his head in\nthoughtfulness, and a trembling seized his soul, as he said, \u201cYoung\nman, I am satisfied; come out at once.\u201d But no sooner had the soldier\naccomplished this third task, than the magician, unwilling to fulfil\nhis promise, began to assail him with enchantment. Hatim, however,\ncame to his assistance, and warned the king of the magicians, saying,\n\u201cYour arts are of no effect upon this youth, for he has a talisman\nmore potent than the muhra of the red serpent; you must therefore\nfulfil what you have promised him.\u201d The magician, thus surpassed in\nhis art, embraced the young soldier as a sign of friendship, and\nhaving made the necessary preparations, gave him his daughter in\nmarriage, and with the utmost suavity said to him, \u201cNow, my son, you\nare to consider all my wealth as your own, for I have no other male\nheir on whom to bestow it.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim saw the two lovers united in wedlock, he took leave of the\nhappy bridegroom, and departed in prosecution of his journey. In the\ncourse of time he arrived at the foot of the mountain Alka, which was\nso high that none of the feathered tribes had wings sufficient to\nreach its summit. There he halted for a moment, in order to consider\nwhat course to take, and said in his heart, \u201cOf whom can I receive\ninformation respecting this strange place, and who shall direct me on\nmy way?\u201d While these reflections occupied his mind, he espied a troop\nof beautiful fairies tripping along the brow of the mountain, and\nwithout further delay he followed them. After he had traced the\nfairies to some distance up the hill, they suddenly disappeared and\nleft him in solitude. Hatim, astonished, looked around him, and saw in\nthe side of the mountain a cave, which seemed to be formed from a\nsolid rock of marble. The entrance into it was a steep descent into\nthe bowels of the earth along the marble rock, which was as smooth as\nglass. Hatim hesitated whether he should enter, as egress seemed to be\nimpossible; for no human foot could rest upon this steep and slippery\npath.\n\nOn further consideration, however, Hatim resolved to enter; and having\nlaid himself upon the smooth stone, he let go his hold and commenced\nhis rapid descent. For the whole of that day he continued to slide\ndownwards, and at evening he found himself landed on level ground.\nThere he opened his eyes, and beheld around him an extensive field\ndelightful to the sight. He rose up and sought a place wherein to\nrepose till day, when he resolved to go in quest of the fairies, as he\nhad reason to suppose that they too had descended into the cave. When\nthe darkness of night had withdrawn, Hatim began to traverse those\nstrange regions, and had not gone far when an edifice of splendid\nappearance met his view. This was nothing less than the palace of the\nfairies, and thither he directed his steps. When he approached the\nmansion, the fairies observed him, and cried out, \u201cAre you aware, son\nof Adam, that these are our regions, not yours? how came you here, and\nwho has been your conductor?\u201d--\u201cHe who has ever been my guide,\u201d\nreplied Hatim, \u201cconducted me hither.\u201d--\u201cAnd how,\u201d rejoined the\nfairies, \u201cdid you discover the descent into this subterraneous\nabode?\u201d--\u201cI saw you,\u201d he replied; \u201cas you passed along the mountain,\nand followed you till you vanished from my sight; on searching around\nme, however, I observed the entrance into the cave, and laying myself\non the smooth inclined stone, my descent was rapid. Now that I have\nfound you, tell me what is the name of this region, and who is its\nsovereign?\u201d\n\n\u201cThis,\u201d replied the fairies, \u201cis the mountain of Alka, and the\nsovereign of these realms is Alkanpari. We are the guardians of this\nparadise, where our fairy queen resides during the season of spring,\nand to-morrow we expect her arrival here to enjoy the delights of the\ngarden. Our permitting you to remain then is impossible, for it would\nbe death both to ourselves and you; but now that you are here you must\nbe ruled by us, and we will save your life, for we bear you no\nenmity.\u201d To this Hatim answered, \u201cWhither can I flee for refuge, for\nverily there is no escape; and besides, I have undergone all the toils\nand perils of my journey in order to obtain an interview with your\nqueen, who is now so opportunely about to visit this garden; I will\ntherefore remain here, happen what will.\u201d--\u201cAnd what,\u201d said the\nfairies, \u201cmay be your business with our gracious queen? You are a poor\nman, and she is sovereign of the fairy realms.\u201d--\u201cHave you never\nheard,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cof a fairy\u2019s being in love with one of the\nhuman race, or of a man\u2019s being enamoured of a fairy?\u201d--\u201cIn truth,\u201d\nrejoined the fairies, \u201cyou seem to be weary of your own life, to utter\nsuch language in our presence.\u201d--\u201cYou may judge,\u201d said Hatim, \u201chow\nlittle I care for my life by my venturing hither.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this reply, all the fairies rushed upon Hatim and began to\nassail him; but he stood firm, and neither warded off nor returned\ntheir blows. His assailants ceased from their attacks, and wondered in\ntheir own minds what sort of a man he was that would neither fight nor\nrun away: they therefore, relenting, said to him, \u201cStrange youth, we\nwarn you, out of compassion, to remain no longer here; this place is\nnot fitted for your residence, and if you disregard our advice, it\nwill be at the risk of your life.\u201d To this Hatim replied, \u201cI am not\nafraid of death, for I had freed myself from the love of life, and\nplaced my reliance upon the supreme Creator, ere I entered your\nterritories.\u201d The fairies, pleased with his courage, addressed Hatim\nin a tone of reconciliation, and said, \u201cO youth, eloquent of speech,\ncome with us, and we shall conceal you in a secret avenue; and if you\nare anxious to behold our queen Alkanpari, we shall point her out to\nyou from a distance.\u201d\n\nHatim expressed his consent; and the fairies conveying him to an\nunfrequented part of the garden gave him food and fruits wherewith to\nappease his hunger, and brought him water to drink. Charmed with his\nsociety, they crowded around him, and after various conversation, they\nsaid to him, \u201cTell us truly, brave youth, what has been the object of\nyour journey hither?\u201d Hatim replied, \u201cMy business with your queen is\nthis: she once had an interview with a young friend of mine; and left\nhim at a certain tree, with a promise that she would return to him in\nthe space of seven days. The youth has now waited there upwards of\nseven years in expectation of the fulfilment of her promise; his soul\nis on the eve of quitting his body. At short intervals, he exclaims,\n\u2018_Come, oh come! for I can no longer endure thy absence._\u2019 I happened\nto observe his miserable plight, and twice to no purpose I asked him\nthe cause of his sorrow: at length, finding that I persisted in my\ninquiries, he told me the whole occurrence. On hearing his tale, my\nheart glowed with pity; and for the sake of affording him relief, I\nhave journeyed hither. My object is to remind your queen of her\npromise, as it is most likely that she has ere now forgotten it.\u201d\n\nWhen the fairies heard this statement, they said to Hatim, \u201cGenerous\nman, we dare not take upon ourselves to represent your case to our\nqueen, but we can carry you bound as captive before her, and then you\ncan exert all your eloquence in behalf of your friend. Were we to\nintroduce you designedly to her Majesty, we should incur her\ndispleasure.\u201d--\u201cLet me be presented to your queen,\u201d rejoined Hatim,\n\u201cin whatever way is most convenient to you; when once in her presence,\nI shall know how to proceed. I shall consider myself happy if I can\npromote the suit of my helpless and despairing friend.\u201d\n\nIn the course of three days, the queen, accompanied by troops of\nfairies, issued from her palace, and proceeded towards the garden\nwhere Hatim lay concealed. At length, she arrived in that paradise,\nand after she had rested a little, and received the homage of her\nsubjects there, one of the fairies who were friendly to Hatim went to\nhim privately, and said, \u201cCome with me, and I will point out to you\nour queen, where you may behold her unobserved.\u201d Hatim followed the\nfairy, who led him by a private path to the entrance of a grotto close\nto the spot where the queen was seated on her throne of gold. When\nHatim beheld her angelic form, he lost hold of the reins of reason.\nFor some time he lay senseless; and when consciousness returned into\nhis frame, in vain did he betake himself to prayer, and endeavor to\nflee unto the Lord for protection. In fact, he became more frantic and\nmore enamoured of the beautiful fairy than the youth whose cause he\nhad undertaken. Hatim thus spent three days and nights, forgetful of\nhis friend, and regardless of food and drink. On the fourth night a\nfeverish sleep overpowered his eyelids, and in his confused slumbers\nhe heard a voice exclaiming, \u201cOh, Hatim! arise and know thyself; hast\nthou not devoted thy life to the service of thy Creator, and wilt thou\nnow permit thyself to be guilty of a breach of trust?\u201d\n\nOn hearing this warning voice, Hatim awoke from his dream, but saw no\none near him. He rose up, and with fear and trembling prayed to God to\nforgive his transgressions, and support him in this hour of trial. On\nseeing some of the fairies, he entreated them to conduct him before\nthe queen. They told him, as formerly, \u201cWe dare not openly comply with\nyour request, but we can carry you into the royal presence with your\nhands bound as a prisoner.\u201d--\u201cIn whatever way you choose,\u201d said Hatim,\n\u201cpresent me to her Majesty, that I may describe to her the condition\nof my despairing friend.\u201d The fairies made their arrangements, and\nhaving found a favorable moment when the queen was in a joyous mood,\nthey approached her Highness by the garden gate; and one of them\nadvancing, after due obeisance said, \u201cO queen, one of the race of Adam\nhas somehow found his way to the gate of our paradise; we have bound\nhim fast, and are waiting your Majesty\u2019s pleasure as to his future\ndisposal.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, the fairy queen thought of her lover, whom she had\nleft under the tree, and considered it as likely that the youth had\nthus traced her to her abode; she therefore ordered her attendants to\nconduct their prisoner into her presence. The fairies accordingly laid\nhold of Hatim, and were bringing him forward to the foot of the\nthrone. When the queen beheld his majestic mien, all thoughts of her\nformer lover vanished. She desired him to approach, and having ordered\nfor him a chair of burnished gold, she took him by the hand, and made\nhim sit near her. The fairy queen then addressing Hatim, said, \u201cTell\nus, noble youth, whence came you, and what is your name; what has been\nyour object in coming hither, and how have you been able to accomplish\nthe journey?\u201d Hatim, now seated before the beautiful fairy, became\nspeechless, and was unable to give any reply. The queen observed his\nconfusion, and secretly rejoiced to find that the arrow of her\nenchanting glances had pierced his heart. In accents of extreme\naffection, she again said to him, \u201cBrave youth, what is the cause of\nyour silence; have you nothing to say in reply?\u201d Hatim, at length,\nrallied his thoughts, and said, \u201cO queen, my answer is brief; I came\nfrom the country of Yemen, and my name is Hatim.\u201d\n\nThe moment the queen heard this, she gracefully arose, and taking\nHatim by the hand, seated him on her own throne, saying, \u201cI have ere\nnow heard of Hatim, prince of Yemen; numerous indeed, brave prince,\nare the acts of kindness and generosity which you have done to your\nfellow-creatures; but tell me now the cause of your coming hither, and\nwhy you have undergone such toils and perils. Be assured that I am one\nof your admirers, so you may freely speak your thoughts without fear\nof giving offence.\u201d\n\nHatim, thus encouraged, spoke: \u201cO queen of the fairy realms, your\nkindness is beyond measure: had I a thousand tongues I should still be\nunable to celebrate your noble qualities. Be it known, then, that I\nhave come before your Majesty in the fulfilment of a promise which I\nmade to a certain enamoured swain. It happened, as I was journeying to\nthe desert of Himyar, that I passed by a young man, from whose eyes\nflowed tears like a shower from the clouds in spring. Owing to his\nintense sorrow and lamentation, his soul was almost driven from his\nbody; indeed, I question if he now lives. There he lay with his eyes\nshut, exclaiming in the intervals of his sighs, \u2018_Come, oh come! for I\ncan no longer endure thy absence._\u2019 I asked him the cause of his\nsorrow, and how he had been reduced into so miserable a state. After\nsome hesitation he told me all: how your Majesty had met with him, and\nshewed him affection and kindness. \u2018Alkanpari,\u2019 said the wailing\nyouth, \u2018promised me at her departure to return in seven days; and now\nfor seven long years I have waited in misery and woe, expecting her\nreturn. Here I cannot remain, and hence I dare not depart; for when my\nangel left me, she laid upon me strict injunctions to move not hence;\nI cannot, then, disobey her command, and proceed in search of her. If\nfate has decreed that we should again meet, it must be on this spot.\u2019\nWhen I saw the woful condition of this wretched man, and found that\nhis love was sincere, I deferred the prosecution of my own journey,\nand hastened hither. I hope, then, your Majesty will treat with\nkindness and compassion the despairing lover. This will lay the\nhighest obligation on me, the humblest of your slaves.\u201d\n\nTo this Alkanpari said, in reply, \u201cGenerous prince of Arabia! I had\nentirely forgotten the circumstance you mention, till my people\ninformed me of your arrival here; and then I thought it probable that\nyou might be my former lover. However, the moment I saw you, I found\nthat you were not the man; and now I confess to you that he is\nunworthy of my regard. His love for me must be very cool indeed,\nsince, out of pure timidity, he has lingered seven years in one spot,\nand has not had the courage to venture hither in quest of me. I\npointed out to him the road, and told him my own name and that of the\nmountain which I inhabit, and had he been a true lover, he would have\nfollowed me, were it at the peril of his life.\u201d\n\nHatim, in favor of the young man, rejoined, \u201cHad his passion been\notherwise than sincere, he could not have so drunk of the cup of\naffection nor have undergone such misery from the remembrance of you.\nYou exacted from him a solemn promise at parting, and how could the\npoor lover act contrary to your commands? The enamoured youth is\nconscious of his own integrity, for when you departed you strictly\nenjoined him to remain underneath the tree till your arrival, and\naccordingly he has not stirred thence till now, lest in his absence\nyou should return and not find him; in which case he would stand\nconvicted of having disobeyed your orders, and thus incur your\ndispleasure.\u201d\n\nThe fairy queen lent a deaf ear to all that he could urge, and utterly\ndisowned her former lover. Hatim however, persevered, saying, \u201cFor\nheaven\u2019s sake let my labor not be in vain; consider through what toils\nand hardships I have accomplished my journey hither.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d replied\nthe queen relenting, \u201cI cannot refuse what you request; this youth I\nwill permit to come near me, but I will neither associate with him nor\nconsider him as a companion.\u201d--\u201cAnd why not,\u201d said Hatim, \u201caccept him\nas your lover? What is the cause of such a change of mind?\u201d--\u201cSuch is\nmy pleasure,\u201d replied the queen, \u201cand it shall not be otherwise.\u201d--\u201cIf\nsuch be your resolution,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cI will stand fasting at\nyour gates; and, till the hand of death seize me, I will night and day\ncomplain to heaven of your cruelty.\u201d\n\nHaving thus spoken, he quitted the presence of the fairy queen, and\nhaving removed underneath the shade of a tree, there he remained for\nseven days without tasting food or drinking water. On the eighth\nnight, as he fell asleep, an old man appeared to him in a dream, and\nsaid, \u201cBrave Hatim, be of good cheer; this beautiful fairy has more\nthan one lover that laments her treachery: but you must first bring\nyour friend hither, and then cause him to take the talisman given you\nby the bear\u2019s daughter, and steep it in a goblet full of pure water.\nThis draught will then ferment into a sherbet, and you must contrive\nthat the queen shall drink of it, which, God willing, will be the\nmeans of restoring her affection.\u201d\n\nHatim awoke from his dream, and as he was meditating on what had\noccurred, the dawn appeared. Meanwhile, approached the fairy queen:\nshe stood before him, and said, \u201cO Hatim, why do you thus persist in\nrejecting my hospitality? If you perish from want at my gates, shall\nI not on the day of judgment be arraigned as the cause of your death,\nand what will be my answer before the Supreme Judge?\u201d--\u201cO queen,\u201d said\nHatim in reply, \u201clet me prevail on you to send for my love-sick\nfriend, that he may be blessed even with the sight of your\ncountenance.\u201d--\u201cAssuredly,\u201d replied the queen, \u201cI have no objection\nwhatever to his being near me.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this, he made preparations to return for his friend;\nbut the fairy queen said to him, \u201cYou need not, Hatim, expose yourself\nto the perils of such a journey a second time; my fairies will do the\nwork much more speedily.\u201d Her Majesty then summoned a few of her\nsubjects, and despatched them in quest of her lover, saying, \u201cOn the\nbrow of a certain mountain, reclining underneath a tree, you will find\na young man bewailing the cruelty of his mistress. Tell him that\nAlkanpari requests his immediate attendance; that she has been\nreminded of her promise to him by Hatim, prince of Yemen.\u201d\n\nThe fairies, with the speed of the wind, transported themselves to the\nspot where the youth lay, and delivered to him the orders of their\nmistress. Joyfully he heard the message, and expressed his obligations\nto the generous Hatim. The fairies then carried him along with them,\nand in the course of that same day presented him to Alkanpari their\nsovereign, which rendered his happiness complete. For some minutes his\neyes were fixed on the beautiful fairy, till at length his senses\nforsook him and he fell lifeless upon the ground. The queen sprinkled\nsome fragrant attar of roses on his face; and as soon as he recovered,\nshe addressed him in the accents of kindness, saying, \u201cEnamoured\nyouth! I permit you to remain near me, and you may feast your eyes by\nbeholding me as long as you please.\u201d For the whole of that day the\nlover looked at nothing but the beautiful fairy, the fire of whose\neyes consumed his heart. When the mantle of night was spread over\nthem, the queen gave a signal, and troops of fairies entered, some\nwith lights and music, to whose harmonious sounds the others danced.\nAmidst this scene of joy, Hatim saw that the fairy queen paid not the\nleast regard to the sufferings of his friend. He went near the latter\nand said, \u201cDespair not; take this muhra and immerse it for a few\nminutes in a cup full of pure water, which you shall pour into the\ngoblet from which the queen is wont to drink: this done, return and\ntake up your station here.\u201d The young man did as Hatim directed him;\nand after he had mixed the elixir, and poured the same into the\nqueen\u2019s goblet, one of the fairies happened to observe him, and said,\n\u201cBase mortal! how dare you touch the goblet of her Highness?\u201d\n\nThe youth assured the fairy that he merely wished for some water to\ndrink, as he felt very thirsty. The fairy immediately gave him a drink\nof water from another cup, and sent him back to his former station.\nHatim was an anxious spectator of the occurrence; and when he saw that\nhis friend had succeeded according to his wish, he approached the\nqueen\u2019s throne, and said to her, \u201cWill your Majesty be pleased to\ndrink some sherbet, as the weather is warm?\u201d The queen expressed her\nassent, and ordered her attendants to bring some. Hatim, however,\nundertook to be cup-bearer himself on the occasion; and having with\nhis own hands prepared the sherbet, he brought the goblet to the\nqueen. Her Majesty was about to hand the draught to some of her\nintimate friends who were then with her, but Hatim observed that the\nlaws of courtesy required that the queen should drink first, and then\nsuch of her friends as she might deem proper to honor with the goblet.\n\nThe fairy queen drank copiously of the sherbet. In an instant the\nreins of her heart fell from her hands, and she became deeply\nenamoured of the dying swain. Pierced with the darts of love, she rose\nup in order to fly to his arms, while Hatim secretly rejoiced to see\nher affection thus restored. He also stood up, and said to her, \u201cO\nqueen of the fairy realms, how comes it that you are now so kindly\ndisposed towards your lover, who had almost become a martyr to your\ncruelty during the long period of your absence?\u201d--\u201cO Hatim!\u201d replied\nthe queen, \u201call this mischief is of your doing; however, I forgive\nyou, and this youth I will accept as my husband, agreeably to your\ndesire: at the same time I dare not take so important a step without\nthe consent of my parents.\u201d\n\nHaving thus spoken, the fairy queen, accompanied by her select guards,\nflew with the swiftness of thought to her principal residence in the\nmountain of Alka. There she first waited on her mother, who said to\nher in surprise, \u201cMy dear daughter, six months are yet to pass of the\nperiod you proposed to reside in the gardens; why return you then at\nthis unseasonable hour of midnight?\u201d The beautiful Alkanpari stood\nspeechless, and motioned to her attendants to explain the cause of her\nvisit. They stated that the fairy queen had fallen in love with a\nyouth of the race of Adam, and that the flame was mutual; that the\nlovers had met upwards of seven years past, but that the queen had for\na long period abandoned her swain to the pangs of absence and despair,\ntill lately he found means of discovering her residence; and that she\nis now willing to accept him as her husband, provided she obtain the\nconsent of her parents.\n\nThe mother, immediately on hearing this, went and represented the\naffair to the father, who said in reply, \u201cIf such be the wish of our\ndaughter, I am satisfied; why should we prevent her?\u201d The queen having\nreceived the consent of her parents, immediately sent messengers for\nher lover and Hatim, who were soon in attendance. When they arrived at\nthe palace, the beautiful queen presented the young man to her mother.\nThe mother commended him to the father, who without more delay made\npreparations for the marriage, and according to the usages of the\nfairy race, gave the hand of his daughter to Hatim\u2019s friend.\n\nWhen the enamoured pair were thus joined in the bands of wedlock, the\nyoung man in grateful terms expressed his obligations to Hatim, who\nremained with him seven days, and then took leave, in order to\nprosecute his journey. When about to depart, the queen inquired of\nHatim to what part of the world he intended to travel; and when he\ntold her, \u201cTo the mountains of Himyar,\u201d she said to him, \u201cNoble Hatim,\ngive yourself no concern about your journey; Himyar is indeed a long\nway off, but my fairies shall convey you thither with the utmost\nspeed.\u201d\n\nThe queen summoned a few of her subjects, and gave them her\ninstructions respecting the mountain of Himyar. They then placed Hatim\non a howdah, and carried him through the air with such speed that in\nthe course of twenty-four hours they laid him down at the wished-for\nstage. Hatim had no sooner arrived than he heard the voice of the man\nwho exclaimed, \u201c_Do evil to no one; if you do, evil will overtake\nyou._\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this welcome sound, he requested the fairies to leave\nhim, as he now considered himself at the end of his journey, and had\noccasion to stay for some time in these parts. The fairies accordingly\ntook their leave and departed, while Hatim proceeded in the direction\nof the voice which had struck his ear. He had not far advanced when he\nobserved an old man confined in a cage which was suspended to the\nbranch of a tree. Hatim stood silent for a short time viewing with\nwonder the inmate of the cage, who once more exclaimed, \u201c_Do evil to\nnone; if you do, evil will overtake you._\u201d\n\nHatim went close to the prisoner, and said to him, \u201cTell me,\nunfortunate man, what mean these words which you utter; and why are\nyou confined in this cage, and suspended to the branch of the\ntree?\u201d--\u201cAsk me no questions,\u201d replied the old man, \u201cunless you wish\nto mend my condition and afford me relief. If you desire to hear my\nsecrets, you must give me a sacred promise that you will not\ncommunicate the same to any one else.\u201d To this Hatim assented, saying,\n\u201cI give you my promise, and I am ready to confirm it by oath.\u201d The old\nman then proceeded with his history: \u201cI am by occupation a merchant,\nand my name is Hamir. When I became of age, my father had finished the\nbuilding of this city, and he called the same after my name. Shortly\nafter, my father departed on a sea voyage, and left me in charge of\nthe city. I was a free-hearted youth, and in a short time expended all\nthe property left under my care by my father. Thus I became surrounded\nwith poverty and want; and as I knew that my father had hidden\ntreasures somewhere in his house, I resolved to discover them if\npossible. I searched everywhere, but found nothing; and to complete my\nwoe, I received the news of my father\u2019s death, the ship in which he\nsailed being wrecked.\n\n\u201cOne day as I was sauntering, mournful and dejected, through the\nbazar, I espied a learned man who cried out, \u2018If any one has lost his\nmoney by theft or otherwise, my knowledge of the occult sciences\nenables me to recover the same, but on condition that I receive\none-fourth of the amount.\u2019 When I heard this proclamation, I\nimmediately approached the man of science, and stated to him my\ncondition, and how I had been reduced from affluence to poverty. The\nsage undertook to restore my wealth, and above all to discover the\ntreasures concealed in my father\u2019s house. I conducted him to my house\nand showed him every apartment, which he carefully examined one after\nanother. At length by his art he discovered the stores we were in\nsearch of; and when I saw the gold and silver and other valuables,\nwhich exceeded calculation, the demon of fraud entered my heart, and I\nrefused to fulfil my promise of giving a fourth of the property to the\nman of wisdom. I offered him only a few small pieces of silver;\ninstead of accepting which, he stood for a few moments in silent\nmeditation, and with a look of scorn, said, \u2018Do I thus receive the\nfourth part of your treasure, which you agreed to give me? Base man,\nof what perjury are you guilty!\u2019\n\n\u201cOn hearing this I became enraged; and having struck him several blows\non the face, I expelled him from my house. In a few days, however, he\nreturned, and so far ingratiated himself into my confidence that we\nbecame intimate friends; and night and day he displayed before my\nsight the various hidden treasures contained within the bowels of the\nearth. One day I asked him to instruct me in this wonderful science,\nto which he answered, that no instruction was requisite. \u2018Here,\u2019 said\nhe, \u2018is a composition of collyrium, and whoever applies the same to\nhis eyes, to him all the wealth of this world will become\nvisible.\u2019--\u2018Most learned sir,\u2019 I replied, \u2018if you will anoint my eyes\nwith this substance, I promise to share with you the half of all such\ntreasures as I may discover.\u2019--\u2018I agree,\u2019 said my friend, \u2018meanwhile\nlet us retire to the desert, where we shall be free from\ninterruption.\u2019\n\n\u201cWe immediately set out, and when we arrived here, I was surprised at\nseeing this cage, and asked my companion whose it was. I received for\nanswer, that it belonged to no one. Then we both sat down at the foot\nof this tree, and the sage having produced the collyrium from his\npocket, began to apply it to my eyes. But, alas! no sooner had he\napplied this composition than I became totally deprived of sight. In a\nvoice of sorrow I asked him why he had thus treated me, and he\nreplied, \u2018Such is the reward of treachery; and if you wish to recover\nyour sight, you must for some time undergo penance in this cage. You\nmust utter no complaint, and you shall exclaim from time to time, \u201c_Do\nno evil to any one; if you do, evil will befall you._\u201d\u2019\n\n\u201cI entreated the sage to relieve me, saying, \u2018You are a mere mortal\nlike myself, and dare you thus torment a fellow-creature? How will you\naccount for your deeds to the Supreme Judge?\u2019 He answered, \u2018_This is\nthe reward of your treachery._\u2019 Seeing him inexorable, I begged of him\nto inform me when and how my sight was to be restored; and he told me\nthat a noble youth should one day visit me, and to him I was to make\nknown my condition, and further state, that in the desert of Himyar\nthere is a certain herb called the flower of light, which the youth\nwas to procure and apply to my eyes, by means of which my sight should\nbe restored.\n\n\u201cIt is now nearly three years since he left me in this prison, which,\nthough wide open, I cannot quit. Whenever I attempt to leave my\nconfinement, I feel the most excruciating pain in my limbs, so that I\nhave not the power of moving, and thus I am compelled to remain. One\nday, shortly after my companion left me, I reflected in my own mind\nthat I could do nothing for myself while I continued like a bird in\nthis cage, and accordingly I resolved to quit it at all hazards; but\nthe moment I was outside of it, the pain that seized my whole body\nalmost killed me. I immediately returned into my prison, and have\nsince that time resigned myself to my fate, exclaiming at stated times\nthe words which have already attracted your attention. Many people\nhave in the meantime passed by me; but on hearing my condition, they\nleft me as they found me, without administering to my relief. To-day\nyou have added one more to the number of my visitors: may I ask\nwhether you intend to assist me?\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard this account from the man in the cage, he said to\nhim, in reply, \u201cMy friend, be of good cheer, I will instantly endeavor\nto effect your release\u201d; and without further delay, he proceeded to\nthe desert in search of the flower of light. We have already stated,\nthat the fairies that had conveyed him thither, returned, at his own\nrequest, to fairy-land; but when they came before Alkanpari, her\nHighness immediately ordered them back to attend upon Hatim while in\nthe desert of Himyar, and afterwards to conduct him in safety to\nShahabad. Accordingly when Hatim entered the desert he was surprised\nat again meeting the fairies. They also recognized Hatim, and having\nstated the whole occurrence, offered him their services, and requested\nto know whither he was going. \u201cI am going,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cin search\nof the flower of light, which grows somewhere in this desert.\u201d--\u201cWe\nshall soon carry you to the spot,\u201d replied the fairies; \u201cat least we\ncan show you from a distance the field where that plant is found; if\nyou return thence with life, we are in attendance in order to convey\nyou to your own country; and should aught evil befall you in your\npresent enterprise, we shall carry the intelligence of it to our\nmistress.\u201d--\u201cAnd why,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwill you not accompany me all the\nway?\u201d--\u201cOur approaching the spot,\u201d replied the fairies, \u201cis useless,\nand maybe fatal. When this flower is in bloom, the field where it\ngrows is illumined as it were with brilliant lamps; the beautiful\nlight which it emits is such that you will easily see the object of\nyour search; but, on the other hand, around those flowers are\nstationed thousands of horrible snakes, poisonous scorpions, and other\nformidable creatures without number, so that even the fowls of heaven\ncannot approach the deadly spot.\u201d--\u201cConduct me thither,\u201d rejoined\nHatim, \u201cand leave me to manage the rest.\u201d\n\nThe fairies lifted Hatim from the ground, and having swiftly traversed\nthe air for the space of seven days, they alighted with him about the\ntime of midnight in an extensive plain. He then asked them to point\nout to him the flower which he was so eager to pluck, but they told\nhim that the season when it should be in bloom had not yet arrived. He\ntherefore resolved to remain there till the appointed time, and\nmeanwhile the fairies plentifully supplied him from all quarters with\nfood to eat, and fruit and water wherewith to quench his thirst. In a\nshort time the flowers of light began to blossom in the field, each of\nthem brilliant as a lamp, so that the whole plain became a blaze of\nlight. The breezes that blew over the desert were loaded with the\nsweetest perfume.\n\nMeanwhile serpents, scorpions, and beasts of prey without number,\nissued from the bosom of the earth, and completely surrounded the\nillumined flowers. The fairies stood aghast, and Hatim observing their\nterror, said to them, \u201cDo you keep aloof here so as to be out of\ndanger; I have placed my reliance upon God, and whatever may happen, I\nwill not shrink from my enterprise.\u201d Hatim having made this\nresolution, took in his hand the talisman of the bear\u2019s daughter, and\nfearlessly advancing into the midst of the field, he plucked three of\nthe largest and most brilliant flowers, and returned unhurt to his\nguides. The fairies were astonished at this daring feat, and looked on\nHatim as a being far beyond their comprehension. Obedient to his sign,\nthey raised him upon their shoulders, and swiftly winged their way\nthrough the air to that part of the desert where Hamir was imprisoned.\n\nHatim approached him, and said, \u201cBe not sad, my friend, behold the\nflower which you say will restore your sight.\u201d The blind man expressed\nhis thanks to heaven, and said to Hatim, \u201cBrave youth, be pleased to\ncompress the stalk with your own hands, so that the juice of it may\ndrop into my eyes.\u201d Hatim untied the cage from the branch of the tree,\nand having released the inmate, he applied the liquid to his eyes as\ndirected. Having repeated this process three times, the blind Hamir at\nlength opened his eyes, and seeing Hatim, fell at his feet and offered\nhim a profusion of thanks. Hatim kindly raising him up, said, \u201cMy good\nfriend, why make so many acknowledgments? I have devoted myself to the\nservice of my Creator, and I consider the performance of charitable\ndeeds as the most lasting felicity.\u201d\n\nThe man addressing Hatim in return, said, \u201cGenerous prince! my house\nabounds with gold and silver and all worldly wealth; accept, then,\nsuch portion of it as you may deem proper.\u201d--\u201cTruly, sir,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201cworldly wealth is of no use to me, for already I possess far\nmore than is sufficient for me; I may advise you, however, to expend\nyour treasures in such manner as may be acceptable to God, in the\nbestowing of food upon the hungry, and in clothing those who are\nnaked.\u201d\n\nHere Hatim took his leave of the old man of the desert, and having\nmounted his howdah, the fairies carried him through the air with such\nswiftness that in a few days he arrived in Shahabad. He dismounted at\nthe gates of the city, and the fairies, when about to return,\nrequested of him to favor them with a letter to their queen,\ncertifying his safe arrival. To this, Hatim readily agreed, whereupon\nhis aerial guides took their leave and departed. He no sooner entered\nthe city than Husn Banu\u2019s people recognized him, and with the utmost\npromptness conducted him before their sovereign lady. Husn Banu\nreceived Hatim with the highest kindness, and asked him numerous\nquestions respecting his adventure. Hatim detailed at length all that\nhe had seen and performed in the course of his journey. Husn Banu then\npresented him with food and drink; but ere Hatim tasted of either, he\nrequested that his friend the prince of Assyria should be invited to\npartake of his fare. Munir was immediately sent for, and after paying\nhis warmest regard to Hatim, they both sat down and ate together.\nAfter they had finished their meal, Hatim, addressing Husn Banu, said,\n\u201cNoble lady, tell me what is your next question?\u201d--\u201cThere is a man,\u201d\nreplied Husn Banu, \u201cwho exclaims, \u2018_He who speaks the truth is always\ntranquil._\u2019 Go, then, and find out that man; inform me wherein he has\nspoken the truth, and what degree of tranquillity he enjoys in\nconsequence.\u201d--\u201cMay I ask,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cin what quarter of the world\nthis man dwells?\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d said Husn Banu, \u201cis unknown to me, but I\nhave heard from my nurse that the city is called Karam.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cI trust that God will direct me in this also\u201d; and taking\nhis leave of Husn Banu, he proceeded with his friend Munir to the\ncaravansera\u00ef.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK IV.\n\n _Hatim\u2019s perilous journey to the city of Karam--His attainment of the\n object of his desire, and safe return to Shahabad._\n\nWe are informed by the learned, that when Hatim left Shahabad, he\nprosecuted his journey for several stages, till at length he came to\nthe foot of a lofty mountain. There he observed at some distance what\nhe conceived to be a spring of water; but to his intense surprise, on\na nearer approach, he found it streaming with blood. He stood\nbewildered, unable to account for a phenomenon such as he had never\nwitnessed. Wearied and disappointed, he at length resumed his journey,\nand in the course of two days his attention was drawn to a tree of\nuncommon size, which towered far above the surrounding objects. He\nquickly bent his steps towards this stately tree; but when he reached\nit, met an appalling sight! To every branch of it was suspended a\nhuman head; and at the foot of it was a lake of a crimson hue from\nwhich a stream of blood issued in the direction of the desert.\n\nHatim sat down underneath the tree, and viewed with wonder and awe the\nspectacle before him; when all at once the deadly silence of the place\nwas broken by a peal of laughter from the suspended heads. He started\nup in tenfold astonishment, for to him it seemed utterly unaccountable\nthat human heads severed from the body should still preserve their\nrisible faculties. With no less wonder he saw that the blood\nconstantly flowed into the lake from the opened veins of those heads.\nIn deep reflection, he was considering how to unfold this fearful\nmystery, when his eye was attracted by the head which stood highest on\nthe tree. The moment he beheld the enchanting smile of that angelic\ncountenance, he felt as if his soul would quit its frame, and he fell\nsenseless upon the earth. After some time his recollection was\nrestored, and he sat up wondering within himself what could have been\nthe cause of so strange an occurrence, and why so many beautiful\ndamsels had been doomed to so cruel a fate.\n\nHatim considered it unworthy of himself to pass on and take no further\nnotice of what he had just seen, for in that case he would still\nremain in ignorance. He resolved, therefore, to stop for a few days in\nthat place, in order, if possible, to discover the nature of the\nmystery. When the shades of night were about to fall, he withdrew into\na sheltered spot on the banks of the lake, and betook himself to rest.\nBut ere he closed his eyelids in sleep a change came over the scene\nbefore him, which still further increased his astonishment. When the\nlast ray of twilight had vanished, he observed that on a sudden all\nthe heads dropped from the tree into the lake, which in an instant was\ntransformed into a palace splendidly adorned with gorgeous couches,\nand in the midst a throne of burnished gold. Shortly after entered a\ntrain of damsels of fairy form, and amongst them one of surpassing\nbeauty, who occupied the throne while the rest sat down on the\nsurrounding couches.\n\nWhen this brilliant assembly was seated, Hatim took a thorough view of\nthe queen upon the throne, and was convinced that her head was the\nsame that he had seen highest upon the tree, and the countenance was\nthat of which the beauty had ravished his heart. Amongst those who sat\non the couches or stood in attendance on the queen, he could also\nperceive many faces already familiar to him. A select number of these\nheart-ravishing damsels had musical instruments, the melodious sounds\nof which charmed the ear, while the eye was delighted with the\ngraceful movements of others who danced. Thus passed the first half of\nthe night, while Hatim looked on with a feeling of wonder and delight,\nuncertain whether he was in a dream or enjoying a scene of reality.\n\nAbout the hour of midnight, tables were spread, and the choicest\nviands of every description were brought in. Meanwhile she who\noccupied the throne issued orders to those in waiting to place a table\nand food before the stranger who sat retired on the border of the\nlake. The servants speedily obeyed; and having brought the table and\nfood to Hatim, requested him to eat, as such was the will of their\nqueen. \u201cAnd what,\u201d asked Hatim, \u201cis the name of your fair and\nhospitable sovereign?\u201d--\u201cAsk no questions,\u201d replied the attendant\ndamsels, \u201cas we are not at liberty to satisfy your curiosity. Accept\nthe bounty thus offered you, and trouble not yourself with the name of\nthe giver, it being a matter of no moment to you.\u201d--\u201cWhat you state,\u201d\nrejoined Hatim, \u201cis very reasonable; but unless you inform me of your\nsovereign\u2019s name, be assured that I will not taste of her food.\u201d\n\nThe fairy attendants returned to their queen, and informed her of the\nstranger\u2019s refusal of her bounty, whereupon she again sent one of them\nto Hatim, requesting him in the meantime to eat of her food, and that\nto-morrow he should know all. Hatim still persisted in his previous\nrequest, and endeavored to lay hold of the fair messenger: but she\nflew beyond his reach, and took up her station at the foot of the\nthrone in the humble posture of the other attendants. Again the song\nand dance were resumed, and thus the fair assembly passed the\nremainder of the night.\n\nWhen the first rays of dawn began to emerge from the east, the whole\nscene vanished as it were into the bottom of the lake. Instantly the\nsevered heads again rose from the water, and took their station on the\nbranches of the tree, each in the place it had occupied the preceding\nday. Hatim now quitted the spot where he had spent the night, and once\nmore sat down underneath the tree with his eyes fixed upon the heads,\nbut chiefly upon that of the queen. Various were the plans he\nsuggested to himself, though none of them seemed to promise success.\nHe resolved, however, to use every exertion in the unfolding of this\nmystery, and, if possible, break the spell of the enchantment,\nwhereupon he should claim the queen as his bride.\n\nThus another day passed by, and again the veil of darkness\novershadowed the earth, when all the heads dropped from the tree into\nthe lake, and the same scene which he had witnessed the preceding\nnight was again presented to his view. He sat on the banks of the lake\nas before, and waited in anxious expectation the fulfilment of the\nqueen\u2019s promise. When midnight came he was presented with a table and\nfood by the damsel whom he had addressed the preceding night. He\nreminded her of the queen\u2019s promise, but was requested to eat of the\nfood and ask no idle questions. \u201cNever,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cwill I taste\nof the bounty of your mistress till you have informed me of her name.\u201d\nThe messenger returned to the queen, and told her of the result. Her\nMajesty requested Hatim first to taste of her bounty and then to come\nbefore her, when he should receive the information he desired.\n\nHatim then partook of the food offered him, and rose up to accompany\nthe fairy attendant to the queen\u2019s presence. The fairy plunged into\nthe midst of the lake, and Hatim without hesitation followed her\nexample. When his feet reached the bottom he opened his eyes, and\nbeheld, not the lake, nor the stately tree, nor the fairy court, but a\ndreary waste which seemed to be the haunt of demons. His love for the\nfairy queen, however, was so powerful that he could think of nothing\nelse. Forgetful of himself, he sorrowfully strayed through this\nwilderness for the space of seven days, when all at once he espied a\nman of venerable appearance dressed in green apparel, advancing\ntowards him from the right-hand side.\n\nWhen Hatim saw this aged man, he stood waiting his approach. The\nlatter courteously saluted him, and expressed his surprise in finding\nhim in that desert, which he said was called Jaras. \u201cAnd how,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201chave I chanced to come hither?\u201d--\u201cDid you not of your own\naccord,\u201d replied the man in green, \u201cplunge into the lake, though you\nmust have known that all you beheld was enchantment? But at present\nyou are a hundred farasangs distant from it!\u201d Hatim on receiving this\ninformation, threw himself upon the earth in the deepest distress,\nsaying, \u201cAlas! how shall I be able to retrace my way? I must bid adieu\nto life, and yet attain not the object of my desire.\u201d\n\nThe aged man, pitying Hatim, said to him, \u201cWhat is your desire at\npresent?\u201d--\u201cTo return,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cto the place whence I came.\u201d\nThe old man holding up a staff, desired him to shut his eyes and seize\nit in his hand. This Hatim had no sooner done than he found himself in\nhis old quarters on the banks of the lake, where he beheld the tree\nwith the heads suspended to its branches as formerly; but no trace of\nhis venerable benefactor was to be found. He now sat down,\nthoughtfully contriving what course to adopt next, when all at once he\nresolved to climb the tree, and bring down the head of the queen. Thus\ndetermined he began to climb, but lo! the tree shook so violently that\nHatim fell to the ground. Again he grasped the trunk of the tree, and\nfinding that it ceased from shaking, he with great exertion climbed up\nabout half way to its branches. But here a tremendous sound issued\nfrom the trunk of the tree, which was rent asunder, and Hatim was\nswallowed into the fissure, so that only half his body appeared\nwithout.\n\nHe deeply repented his temerity, and said to himself, \u201cNow indeed my\nmisery is complete! I have escaped from the enchanted desert, but this\ndifficulty I see no possibility of overcoming.\u201d In the agonies of\ndespair, he exerted all his strength to release himself, but he found\nthat his body every moment sunk deeper into the tree, till at length\nonly his head and hands remained visible. In this state his breathing\nalmost ceased, and he was about to close his eyes forever on this\nworld, when, behold! the aged man in green stood before him, and said,\n\u201cHeedless youth, why have you involved yourself in this calamity? Are\nyou in good truth tired of your life, that you thus so freely peril\nit?\u201d\n\nHatim was in no condition to reply, so he remained silent. Meanwhile\nthe aged man struck the tree with his staff, and instantly the parts\nof it where Hatim was encased became smooth as oil. The aged man took\nhim by the hands and drew him from his fetters, but his strength was\nso exhausted that he fell at the foot of the tree. When he recovered\nhis senses, the venerable sage said to him, \u201cTell me, young man, what\nhave you to do with trunkless heads, that you should thus involve\nyourself in such calamities?\u201d--\u201cI should like,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cto\nknow the mysterious cause of their being suspended here.\u201d--\u201cListen to\nme,\u201d said the aged man, \u201cand I will satisfy your curiosity.\n\n\u201cThere is a magician whose name is Sam Ahmar, and the head which you\nsee highest on the tree is that of his daughter. This lady, who was\nexceedingly beautiful, fell in love with a youth about her own age,\nand wished to marry him. She requested her father\u2019s consent, stating\nthat she was now of age, and expected that her father would sanction\nthe choice she had made. On hearing her declaration, the father became\nenraged, and inflicted this punishment upon his daughter. This tree,\nthe lake, and all that you see before you are the effects of his\nenchantment. The magician\u2019s residence is in a mountain about a hundred\nfarasangs distant, and the name of this daughter is Zar\u012bnp\u014dsh. So\npowerful is he in his art, that when he pleases he transports himself\nhither in less than a day. The place of his abode is called the Red\nMountain, and during his life no mortal can approach his daughter.\u201d\n\nOn receiving this information from his aged deliverer, Hatim said,\n\u201cFather, I will instantly climb the tree, and rescue the daughter;\neven the fear of death shall not detain me.\u201d--\u201cIf such is your\nresolution,\u201d replied his sage monitor, \u201cyou are, indeed, exposing your\nlife to perils: I warn you of the danger, and I advise you as a friend\nto abandon such thoughts.\u201d--\u201cYou say well,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cbut in\nthis proceeding I am prepared for the worst.\u201d--\u201cAnd may I ask,\u201d\ncontinued the old man, \u201cwhat occasion have you to attempt a task which\nyou are convinced to be fatal?\u201d--\u201cI am enamoured of the magician\u2019s\ndaughter,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand I will either rescue her, or share her\nfate.\u201d\n\nThe aged man still persisted in his salutary advice, and Hatim\nremained equally firm. At length the former said, \u201cYoung man, if you\nmind not my counsel, be assured that you will have cause for\nsorrow.\u201d--\u201cAlas!\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhat is life to me without the object\nof my desire? As for sorrow, it is to me familiar, for the word was\nwritten on my forehead the day I first drew breath.\u201d The old man,\nwithout further speech, struck the tree with his staff, and said to\nHatim, \u201cCome and ascend\u201d; after which, he vanished from the place.\n\nHatim in the meanwhile succeeded in climbing the tree till he reached\nthe branch where the head of his beloved was suspended. This he had no\nsooner touched than his own head was severed from his body and\nfastened to the next branch, while his body fell into the lake. When\nthe hour of darkness arrived, the heads as usual were united to their\nrespective bodies, and assembled in the enchanted palace in the midst\nof the water. There the same scene took place that Hatim had formerly\nwitnessed: the queen was seated upon the throne, part of which he\nhimself was allowed to occupy. Unconscious of his own state, he sat\ndown admiring the beauty of the magician\u2019s daughter. He had not the\nleast recollection of his former self; he knew not how he came there;\nand the idea of escape from thence never entered his mind.\n\nThe queen perceived that Hatim was a captive in the fetters of love\nand enchantment; but she remained silent, and occupied her attention\nwith the song and the dance. At the hour of midnight she took his\nhand, and having seated him beside her at table, she offered him food\nof the most delicious flavor. Hatim ate of her bounty, and spent the\nnight in mirth and pleasure, forgetful of all that he had ever been.\nAt break of day his head, along with those of the rest, were suspended\non the tree; and thus he passed several days and nights, when again\nthe aged man came to his assistance.\n\nThe sage touched the head of Hatim with his staff, when instantly his\nbody ascended from the lake, and once more he was himself. He stood at\nthe foot of the tree as a man awakened from a dream; his senses\nreturned, and the moment he beheld his aged deliverer, he prostrated\nhimself at his feet, and said, \u201cMost wonderful man, you have seen my\ndangerous state, and partly relieved me, but much more remains to be\ndone.\u201d The old man, pointing to the tree, said in return, \u201cDeluded\nyouth! thou knowest the horrors of the situation from which I have\nsaved thee, and yet thou wilt not fly the cause of thy misery; thy\naffection for this damsel, then, is still unaltered?\u201d--\u201cIncapable of\nchange,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand if, for the sake of God, you lend me your\naid, I may succeed; otherwise, with my eyes open to the dangers which\nawait me, I am resolved to brave them all for her whom I\nlove.\u201d--\u201cSince such is your resolution,\u201d resumed the old man, \u201cthe\nfirst thing you must do is to slay the magician her father, for till\nthen the enchantment cannot be broken.\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI\nwill accomplish, or perish in the attempt.\u201d--\u201cYour efforts will prove\nfruitless,\u201d rejoined his mentor, \u201cunless you follow my directions.\u201d\n\nHatim embraced the knees of his aged friend, saying, \u201cSpeak, then, and\nI swear never to deviate from your advice.\u201d--\u201cLearn from me,\u201d said the\nold man, \u201cthe following charm, which consists in repeating certain\nattributes of the Deity.\u201d[b4.01] Hatim listened attentively, and\nhaving acquired the charm, was about to depart, when the aged man gave\nhim his parting advice: \u201cBrave youth, the power of this charm depends\non your own conduct. You must keep yourself pure, and never utter a\nfalsehood; every day you must devoutly purify yourself with water, and\nnever break your fast till set of sun; nor must you repeat the charm\nat an improper time. These are conditions which you must strictly\nattend to; then, should any evil befall you, repeat this sacred charm,\nand you will succeed; even the arts of the magician will have no power\nover you.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut how,\u201d said Hatim, \u201ccan I find my way to the mountain of\nAhmar?\u201d--\u201cSeize my staff in your right hand,\u201d replied the other, \u201cthen\nshut your eyes, and put your trust in heaven.\u201d Hatim did as he was\nordered, and for a few minutes felt that he was moving swiftly through\nthe air, after which his feet rested upon firm ground. He opened his\neyes, but saw no one near him. Before him stood a lofty mountain,\ncovered with the blossoms of the tulip, a circumstance which surprised\nhim much, as it was not then the season for this flower.\n\nHatim began to climb the mountain, but had not proceeded many steps\nwhen his feet stuck fast to the stones that paved his way. He at first\nexerted himself to the utmost, but found all his efforts of no avail;\nhis feet were immovable as the rock on which he stood. When his\ndespair was extreme, his mind recurred to the charm which the old man\nhad taught him. The moment he uttered the divine words of the spell,\nhe found his feet at liberty, and with elastic steps continued his\nascent along the Red Mountain. Arrived at the summit, he beheld a\nwide-spreading plain, in the midst of which was a fountain of cool and\ndelicious water, surrounded with trees bearing loads of fruit such as\nhe had never seen. Hatim sat down by the fountain; and having\nperformed his ablutions, he repeated the words of the sacred charm,\nwhereby all the beasts of prey, and the poisonous reptiles that\ninfested the plain, fled from his sight.\n\nWhen the magician observed the disturbance which took place among his\nfavorite animals, he had recourse to his books of enchantment. There\nhe beheld the following sentence: \u201cKnow that on a certain day this\nmountain shall be visited by Hatim, prince of Yemen, who will render\nof no effect all the arts which you possess.\u201d The magician, on\nascertaining that Hatim had actually arrived at the fountain, began to\ndive further into the depths of his mystic science, in order to\ndiscover the cause of this visit. To his utter dismay, he found that\nHatim had fallen in love with his daughter, and had come with intent\nto slay him, secure under a sacred spell, over which the whole circle\nof magic art had no power.\n\nNow the magician saw that his only safety consisted in making Hatim\nforget the words of the sacred charm which the old man had taught to\nhim. Having, therefore, uttered some incantations, and blown with his\nbreath towards the four quarters of the horizon, in an instant\nappeared as it were from the thin air numbers of sprites and fairies,\nwhich drew up in circles around him. He summoned one of these which\nbore the resemblance of his daughter, and having placed in her hand a\ngoblet full of wine, he said to her, \u201cGo and use all thy art to make\nHatim drink of this cup.\u201d The sprite, accompanied with others similar\nto those who attended the queen, proceeded to the fountain. When Hatim\nobserved them, he thought within himself, \u201cThese are the same that I\nsaw at the enchanted tree; can it be possible that they, too, could\nhave arrived here already?\u201d But he further reflected, that the place\nwhere he was belonged to the father of the fairy queen, therefore it\nwas most likely that what he saw was no deception.\n\nThe sprite which resembled his beloved, gracefully accosted Hatim,\nsaying, \u201cBrave sir, many are the dangers you have encountered in\ncoming hither on my account. My father has been pleased to release me\nfrom confinement, and here I walk unrestrained in his gardens. The\nmoment I saw you my heart rejoiced, and I hasten to assure you of my\nsincere affection.\u201d Having thus spoken, the false sprite sat down by\nthe side of Hatim, and having filled the goblet, gave it him to drink.\nHatim joyfully accepted the fatal pledge, and congratulating himself\non his good fortune in this interview, raised the cup to his lips, and\ndrained it to the bottom.\n\nThe instant Hatim tasted of the hellish draught, the sprite that had\nassumed the form of his mistress was changed into a black demon. The\nwhole of them rushed upon him, and carried him bound in chains before\ntheir great master. The magician, on viewing the noble form and\nundaunted brow of Hatim, became thoughtful, and almost relented in his\ncruel intention of putting him to death. \u201cPity it were,\u201d he said to\nhimself, \u201cthat so brave a man should perish; but since he is my mortal\nfoe, I must have him exterminated.\u201d Having made this resolution, the\nmagician commanded his obedient imps to seize Hatim bound as he was,\nand cast him into the midst of a fiery pit, which blazed night and day\non the top of the mountain.\n\nThe sprites laid hold of Hatim, and having cast him into the burning\ncauldron which contained a thousand measures of melted lead, they\nreturned to their master, and informed him that his enemy was\nannihilated. The magician, by means of his mystic books, discovered\nthat Hatim was alive in the midst of the flame. He was utterly\nconfounded, for he knew that there were very few talismans\nsufficiently potent to withstand his art. Again he had recourse to his\nbooks, and at last he found out that Hatim had in his mouth the muhra\nof the bear\u2019s daughter. This discovery sadly perplexed the magician,\nas it was impossible forcibly to deprive Hatim of the muhra, and he\nwas invulnerable while he possessed it. The magician ordered his\nsprites to release Hatim from the flames, and place him beside the\nfountain where he originally sat. The order was speedily obeyed, and\nHatim, thus left to himself, threw off his clothes and bathed in the\ncool spring, after which he offered up his prayers to God, and betook\nhimself to rest. The magician, however, did not yet feel secure; he\nassailed Hatim by the same imps as before, and that one among them\nwhich resembled the queen again approached him from the grottoes of\nthe field, and said to him, \u201cNoble Hatim! I must converse with you\nonly from a distance, for I dare not sit beside you. To-day I was\nenjoying your society, when, lo! my father transformed me into a black\ndemon, and the rest of my train into furies. We seized you and cast\nyou into the fire, for we durst not disobey his command. God has\ndelivered you from destruction; but you must for your own safety shun\nmy society, for if my father see us together, he will slay us both.\u201d\n\nBy these words the heart of Hatim was ensnared; and having stretched\nforth his hands, he embraced the deceitful sprite, who said to him,\n\u201cOh, Hatim, dost thou sincerely love me?\u201d--\u201cI love thee,\u201d replied he,\n\u201cfrom my soul.\u201d--\u201cThen,\u201d said the form of his mistress, \u201clet me ask of\nthee one gift, and I hope it will not be refused.\u201d--\u201cName the boon,\u201d\nreplied he, \u201cand I swear it shall be granted if in my power. Know,\nhowever, that I am poor; if thy wish be gold or jewels, I have none to\nbestow: but let me hear the favor thou wouldst ask of me.\u201d\n\nThe sprite replied, \u201cI have heard that you possess the muhra of the\nbear\u2019s daughter.\u201d--\u201cAnd how,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201chave you learned this\nmuch?\u201d--\u201cMy father,\u201d replied the phantom, \u201cby means of his skill in\nbooks of magic, has made the discovery, and told me that you possessed\nthe above-mentioned talisman, and I long to have it for myself.\u201d--\u201cThe\ngift you ask is precious,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cbut you shall have it\u201d; and\nhe accordingly was about to part with that to which he owed his\nsafety, and consign it to a demon under the form of his mistress.\n\nSuddenly the aged man in green apparel stood by his side, and seizing\nhis right hand, said to him, \u201cDeluded man, part not with this\ntreasure, otherwise you will have deep cause for regret, nay, the\nperiod of your existence will be but short.\u201d Hatim having recovered\nfrom his surprise, addressed his aged monitor, saying, \u201cVenerable sir,\nwho are you, and why do you thus prevent me from doing what is right?\u201d\n\nThe aged man addressing him, said, \u201cOh, Hatim! hast thou not yet\nrecognized me? I am Khwaja Khizr[b4.02], who lately taught thee to\nutter the attributes of the Most High.\u201d Hatim quickly advanced, and\nprostrate himself at the feet of the saint, saying, \u201cThou heavenly\nbeing, to thee I owe my success in thus attaining the object of my\naffection.\u201d--\u201cDeluded man,\u201d replied the prophet, \u201cknowest thou not\nthat this is all enchantment? Already hast thou been deceived by this\nfalse form. The first time thou didst sit by this fountain, the\nmagician sent thee this sprite with a cup of hellish drugs, on the\ntasting of which thou wert deprived of sensation. Did they not in\nconsequence cast thee into the fiery gulf, and dost thou not owe thy\nsafety to this muhra, which thou art about to give away? Hatim, if thy\nlife be dear to thee, part not with this treasure. To convince thee of\nmy sincerity, utter the charm which I have taught thee, and if this\nform be really the fair daughter of the enchanter, she will still sit\nby thee; if, on the other hand, it is an evil spirit, it will vanish\nfrom thy sight in a flame of fire.\u201d\n\nHatim kissed the foot of the saint in token of grateful submission;\nand having performed his devotions and purified himself in the\nfountain, he pronounced the sacred charm. The moment he opened his\nmouth, the light of truth began to shine upon him. The magic sprites\ntrembled before him, and a flame of fire issued from their heads as\nfrom a furnace. In a few minutes their whole bodies burnt like dried\nwood, and they were reduced to ashes. So infatuated was Hatim,\nhowever, that he regretted the change: for while he had not the power\nof seeing his beloved, he at least consoled himself in contemplating\nher image, of which he was now deprived.\n\nIn this state of sorrow Hatim spent the night with weeping and\nlamentation, nor did sleep once close his eyelids. Meanwhile the\nmagician, by the potency of his lore, conjured up the great\nIblis[b4.03] (on whom be curses), and held a consultation with him on\nthe state of his affairs. The spirit of evil said to him, \u201cFoolish\nmagician; of Hatim\u2019s life a long period has yet to pass; such is the\ndivine decree, and no power in earth or hell can slay him. \u2019Tis vain\nfor thee to combat with fate; why, then, dost thou not submit, and let\nHatim have thy daughter in marriage?\u201d--\u201cTo no living creature will I\ngive my daughter,\u201d replied the magician, \u201cas long as I have the breath\nof life.\u201d--\u201cTell me, then,\u201d said Iblis, \u201cwhat wouldst thou with\nme?\u201d--\u201cBriefly,\u201d answered the other, \u201cthis Hatim hath twice defied my\npower, and rendered my art of no avail; he knoweth the most sacred of\ncharms, and I hope that thou canst poison his memory so as to make him\nforget it.\u201d--\u201cThy request is vain,\u201d rejoined Iblis, \u201cfor over the\nunerring decrees of the Almighty I have no power or control. The\nEternal hath willed that Hatim\u2019s fame should be perpetual, and he hath\ncommissioned the prophet Khwaja Khizr (on whom be peace) to assist him\nin his bold undertakings. To me, therefore, there is no possibility of\nentering his heart while he possesses the sacred charm. But this much\nI can do, I can cause sleep to overpower his eyelids, and fill his\nimagination with such tempting dreams as are common to mortals.\u201d\n\nThe magician, on hearing this, bowed down and worshipped his great\nmaster, who assured him of his assistance, and winged his course back\nto the infernal regions. In the meantime Hatim forgot his sorrows in\nsleep, and reason having for a time abandoned the guidance of his\nimagination, he revelled in the most tempting dreams of worldly\nvanity.\n\nWhen Hatim awoke from his dream he felt his senses confounded, and got\nup with the intention of purifying himself in the fountain and\nrepeating his sacred charm; but the magician having conjured up a\nmonstrous demon, was ready to assail him with his diabolic arts. When\nHatim found himself thus beset, his heart trembled within him: for,\npolluted as he was, he durst not utter the sacred charm, and otherwise\nhow could he resist his enemy! The demon seized him thus irresolute,\nand carried him before the magician, who ordered him to be bound in\nchains and cast into a pit, over the mouth of which a large stone\nshould be placed. The order was speedily executed; and when Hatim\nfound himself thus incarcerated, he composed his thoughts, and poured\nout his soul in prayer before the Almighty Creator.\n\nAfter he had passed seven days and nights in this dungeon, without\ntasting food or drinking water, the magician, expecting that he must\nere now be subdued with hunger and thirst, sent some of his imps to\nexamine his condition. But to these Hatim paid no regard, nor would he\nanswer any of their inquiries. The magician, informed of this, said to\nthem, \u201cReturn to Hatim, and tell him that if he will give me the muhra\nof the bear\u2019s daughter, I shall set him at liberty.\u201d On hearing this\nproposal, Hatim said to them, in reply, \u201cGo and say to your master,\nthat he shall have the muhra, provided he give me his daughter in\nmarriage.\u201d When this was communicated to the magician, his rage was\nbeyond bounds; he assembled all his imps, and having led them to\nHatim\u2019s place of confinement, be ordered them to collect large stones,\nand dash them on Hatim\u2019s head till he should die. The attendants\naccordingly procured as many stones as they could carry; and having\nbound Hatim in a conspicuous place, they began to execute the orders\nof their master, saying, \u201cNow prepare for instant death, for your\nmuhra shall no longer avail you; the magician has empowered us to\ncrush your head to pieces.\u201d--\u201cTell him,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthat I defy all\nhis power, and by the aid of heaven, I will yet slay him.\u201d Scarce had\nhe done speaking, when a shower of stones was aimed at his head; but\nto the utter astonishment of the magician and his imps, when the\nstones came within a few yards of their mark, they diverged in all\ndirections without taking the least effect. Thus the whole of the\nstones passed by Hatim, and lay in a heap on either side of him. The\nmagician soon understood the cause of this, but his attendants could\nnot believe what they had seen. \u201cTo convince yourselves,\u201d said their\nmaster, \u201cgo and examine whether this man be alive or dead.\u201d The imps,\nlaying aside their missiles, went up to Hatim, and to their surprise\nfound him untouched. When their astonishment had a little abated, they\nrenewed their assault, but with no better success. After the heap of\nstones around Hatim had increased tenfold, they once more went up to\nhim, in order to be assured that their senses did not deceive them;\nand on finding him still unhurt, they again resumed their attack,\nwhich they continued uninterruptedly for seven days. Hatim all along\nremained unhurt by their blows, but his frame was quite exhausted with\nhunger and thirst. At length he addressed them, saying, \u201cYour efforts\nare in vain; you must ere now be convinced of the potency of my\ntalisman, as the fire has not burnt me, nor do the stones which you\nnow throw in the least hurt me. But my thirst is past enduring, and I\nam willing to give even the muhra to him who will carry me to the side\nof the fountain, and prove that he is worthy of so great a power. The\nmuhra has many virtues; for instance, should the possessor of it\ndesire to kill the magician and occupy his throne, he will be enabled\nto do so.\u201d The imps, however, refused to listen to him, saying, \u201cWe\nhave no will but that of our master, and your muhra can be of no use\nto us.\u201d\n\nOne of the demons that stood nearest to Hatim intimated to him by\nsigns that when the darkness of night should set in, he would take him\nto the fountain as he desired, with which arrangement Hatim expressed\nhis satisfaction. When night arrived, the guards sunk in sleep, while\nthe demon aforesaid, instigated with the desire of possessing the\nmuhra, remained awake. At the hour of midnight, he softly stole from\namidst his companions, and said to Hatim, \u201cNow is your time, let me\nconduct you to the fountain.\u201d--\u201cWillingly,\u201d replied Hatim; \u201cbut how is\nit possible for me to be released from my fetters?\u201d--\u201cLeave that to\nme,\u201d said his guide, who on uttering some unearthly charm conjured up\ntwo monstrous demons, as it were, from the empty air. These speedily\nremoved the stone which confined Hatim, and allowed him to come forth,\nwhen his guide conducted him to the wished-for spring.\n\nAs soon as Hatim arrived at the fountain, he devoutly began to perform\nhis ablutions. Meanwhile the demon interrupted him, saying, \u201cNow,\nyoung man, remember your promise, and give me the muhra, for on this\ncondition I brought you hither.\u201d--\u201cAssuredly,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201csince\nyou have done me so great a favor, I will make a proper\nrequital.\u201d--\u201cAnd what return can you make,\u201d said the demon, \u201cexcept\nthe fulfilment of your promise?\u201d--\u201cWhat will be of more value to you,\u201d\nreplied Hatim; \u201cwhen I shall have slain this magician, Sam Ahmar, I\nwill establish you as king in his stead.\u201d--\u201cI covet not royalty,\u201d\nrejoined the demon, \u201cI demand, and must have the muhra.\u201d--\u201cFor whom do\nyou ask it?\u201d said Hatim. \u201cFor myself alone,\u201d replied the demon.\n\u201cFiend,\u201d said Hatim, \u201chad you asked it of me in order to promote the\nservice of the Almighty Creator, I should have given it to you. But\nyour words now prove you to be unworthy of it.\u201d--\u201cThe only God we\nacknowledge,\u201d rejoined the demon, \u201cis Iblis, the great preceptor of\nour sovereign Sam Ahmar.\u201d--\u201cSilence, blasphemer!\u201d cried Hatim; \u201cthe\nGod whom I adore is the creator of the universe; and were it not that\nyou have lately served me in my need, I should at once treat you as\nyou deserve.\u201d--\u201cLet us cease wrangling,\u201d said the demon, \u201cit is easy\nfor me to deprive you of the muhra by main force; but if you give it\nof your own accord, I shall spare your life; otherwise, I shall drown\nyou in this fountain.\u201d--\u201cSlave of Iblis,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cbegone and\nleave me; you are not fit to receive the muhra.\u201d\n\nHereupon the demon began to assail Hatim with enchantment; but the\nlatter pronounced the sacred charm, whose potency made his adversary\ntremble through every joint. He instantly fled from Hatim\u2019s presence,\nand took shelter in the midst of his friends, where he lay down and\nfeigned sleep, that no one might know what he had done, as he dreaded\nthe vengeance of his master should the truth be known.\n\nHatim, now freed from the power of his enemies, passed the night in\nmeditation and prayer beside the fountain. When the morning dawned,\nand the sentinels opened their drowsy eyes, they one after another\nwent to visit their charge, but no trace of Hatim could they find.\n\nTheir terror was beyond description, for what answer could they return\nto their formidable master when he should call them to account?\n\u201cAssuredly,\u201d said they, one to another, \u201che will not this day leave\none of us alive.\u201d At length they put ashes on their heads, and with\ntrembling steps presented themselves before the magician, saying,\n\u201cAlas! mighty sir, the young man under our charge has made his\nescape.\u201d\n\nTheir master calmly consulted his books, and soon discovered the real\nstate of affairs; viz., that one of the sentinels, whose name was\nSarmak, had in the course of the night released Hatim from prison, and\nconveyed him to the brink of the fountain. The magician was highly\nenraged, and said to the guilty sentinel, \u201cFaithless wretch! how durst\nthou thus release thy prisoner? Thy life shall answer for it; prepare\nfor instant death.\u201d Sarmak considered that now, as he had no hope of\nmercy from his master, his best plan would be to fly to Hatim and\nimplore his protection.\n\nWith the speed of lightning Sarmak fled from the presence of the\nmagician, and having reached the fountain where Hatim sat, he\nprostrated himself at his feet, and said, \u201cNoble sir, my life is about\nto be sacrificed on your account; save me, as I never harmed you. I\nhave been truly unfortunate; on the one hand, you gave me not the\nmuhra, and for serving you my life is in danger.\u201d--\u201cMake yourself easy\non that score, Sarmak,\u201d replied Hatim; \u201cyou will find that I have both\nthe will and the power to return your kindness.\u201d When the magician\ndiscovered that his servant had fled to Hatim, he instantly began to\nassail them both with his deadliest art. The effect was soon\nperceptible on Sarmak, who exclaimed, \u201cHelp me, brave Hatim, I burn\u201d;\nand a flame issued from the crown of his head. Hatim pronounced the\nwords of his awful spell, and instantly the flame that burnt his\ncompanion became cool as the breath of a zephyr. Sarmak, respectfully\napproaching his deliverer, said, \u201cValiant sir, henceforth I am\nentirely yours.\u201d Hatim tendered him his hand, and both of them\nproceeded towards the magician\u2019s capital. Meanwhile Sam Ahmar\ndiscovered their intentions; and having assembled all his subjects who\nwere fit for battle, he led them forth into the plain without the\ncity, and began to put in practice all his spells. As Hatim and his\ncompanion were approaching this formidable array, on a sudden the sky\nwas overcast with black clouds, the lightning flashed forth in\nstreams, and the thunder began to bellow. \u201cBrave Hatim,\u201d said Sarmak,\n\u201chave a care of yourself; this is caused by the art of your enemy.\u201d\nHatim uttered the sacred charm, and having blown with his breath\ntowards the clouds, the storm withdrew, and all was serene.\n\nThe magician, thus foiled, again resumed his task. Stones of vast\ndimensions were seen to rise from the earth; and having ascended to an\nimmense height in the sky, they began a swift descent towards the spot\nwhere Hatim stood. This shower of rocks must have crushed Hatim to\npieces, as he had not observed its approach; but Sarmak exclaimed,\n\u201cHatim, beware! here is another specimen of the enchanter\u2019s power.\u201d\nAgain he repeated the divine spell, and breathed towards the stones as\nthey descended, when, lo! their course was altered; and having passed\ndirectly through the thickest of the magician\u2019s army, they swept to\nthe ground four thousand of his bravest men. One of the stones almost\nstruck the head of the king; but seeing its course, he pronounced a\nspell and blew it aside with his breath. Amidst this consternation,\nHatim and his companion advanced, whilst their enemies, terrified,\nsaid to one another, \u201cLet us save ourselves. This man is too powerful\nfor us to oppose.\u201d When the magician beheld the near approach of his\nadversary, he once more exerted his skill. In the twinkling of an eye,\ndragons of the most terrible aspect were seen to rush from all\nquarters towards the devoted Hatim. He again uttered the sacred charm\nof the immortal Khizr, when all the dragons bore their furious onset\nagainst the magician\u2019s host; and so terrible was the slaughter, that\nof his whole army scarce three thousand now survived, while full\ntwenty thousand lay dead on the plain.\n\nThe few that survived became convinced that Hatim was more powerful in\nthe magic art than even their great sovereign, whom they now resolved\nto abandon. Addressing the magician, they said to him, \u201cSire, is it\nyour purpose thus to expose us to wanton slaughter? It is too evident\nthat we have no power to cope with this formidable adversary; we must\ntherefore save ourselves by flight.\u201d The magician, enraged, shouted to\nthem in a voice like thunder, \u201cBase cowards, whither do ye fly? A few\nminutes more and Hatim is my prisoner.\u201d\n\nHis words were unheeded by his shattered host; and seeing them thus\nquit the field, he uttered one of his spells and blew his breath after\nthem, when every man was changed into a green tree. Thus left alone,\nSam Ahmar, by means of some incantation, was furnished with a pair of\nwings, and soared aloft into the air. Hatim was not prepared for this\nstratagem of the enemy: he stood in astonishment as he beheld the\nmagician darting through the clouds, anxiously expecting another\ndisplay of his powerful art. But his adversary seemed to resign the\nstruggle, and at length was lost to sight among the clouds.\n\nHatim, then addressing Sarmak, said, \u201cI shall not consider my labor at\nan end till this magician is my prisoner.\u201d--\u201cAt present,\u201d replied\nSarmak, \u201che is gone to his great preceptor, Kamlak, the mighty\nmagician. This last exacts from his disciples the homage due to the\nGreat Creator.\u201d--\u201cKnow you aught of his abode?\u201d inquired Hatim. \u201cFull\nwell,\u201d answered Sarmak, \u201cfor once every year we used to visit him and\ndo him homage, and if you will accept of my guidance, I am ready to\nconduct you thither.\u201d\n\nEre Hatim would trust his guide, he had him solemnly initiated in the\nmysteries of his own faith; and when about to set out on their\njourney, Sarmak drew his attention to a forest close by, saying,\n\u201cThose trees you behold are the remains of the magician\u2019s army, and\nhere they must rest till the last trumpet shall sound, unless your\nsuperior skill restore them to their original form.\u201d Hatim took a cup\nfull of water, and breathing over it pronounced the divine name, and\nhanding the cup to Sarmak, said to him, \u201cGo and sprinkle a few drops\nof this liquid among the trees.\u201d\n\nSarmak received the liquid as ordered; and as soon as he had sprinkled\nthe same upon the trees, these were restored to their original shape\nof human creatures. They asked Sarmak, \u201cWhat is become of our great\nmaster the magician?\u201d--\u201cKnow ye not,\u201d replied Sarmak, \u201cthat the slave\nof Iblis, by means of his enchantment, transformed you all into trees,\nand that you owe your deliverance to the more potent art of Hatim, the\ntrue servant of the Almighty? He it was who blew with his breath on a\ncup of water, and pronounced a charm which the powers of hell cannot\nwithstand. He then gave me the water; and the moment I sprinkled it\nover you, by the blessing of Allah, you resumed your primitive form.\nAs to your late master, Sam Ahmar, he has made his escape from before\nthe brave Hatim, and now he holds communion with Kamlak, chief of\nenchanters. But tell me,\u201d continued Sarmak, \u201cwhat were your thoughts\nwhen thus transformed, and what did you feel when you stood under the\nappearance of trees?\u201d--\u201cIn the first place,\u201d said they, \u201cas we were\nabout to fly, we felt all at once our feet cleave to the earth, so\nthat we had not the power of moving; then a most painful sensation\nseized our whole bodies; but now, blessings upon Hatim, we are again\nourselves. Truly he is most powerful to have obtained such a victory\nover our sovereign, and henceforth Hatim only shall receive our\nservices.\u201d\n\nHaving come to this resolution, they marched and presented themselves\nto Hatim, and making their most profound obeisance, said, \u201cBrave\nHatim! we have hitherto served Sam Ahmar; but now we tender our\nservices to you, who have so kindly rescued us, though we lately\nsought your life.\u201d Hatim received them graciously; and having\npronounced the sacred charm, he breathed on all of them, so that they\nbecame perfectly free from the enchantments of their late master. This\ndone, they said to him, \u201cNoble sir, whither will you now lead us?\u201d--\u201cI\nhave not yet done with Sam Ahmar,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cfor till I have\nmade him my prisoner, I can attend to nothing else. If he should of\nhis own free will give me his daughter in marriage, I shall let him\nescape with life, otherwise I am resolved to slay him.\u201d--\u201cAnd may we\nask,\u201d said his companions, \u201chow you became acquainted with the\nmagician\u2019s daughter?\u201d--\u201cAs I lately happened to journey through a\ncertain desert,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cmy attention was drawn to a large\ntree on the border of a lake; there, to my astonishment, I beheld the\nhead of the magician\u2019s daughter suspended to the highest branch, while\nthe heads of her attendants hung lower down on the tree.\u201d\n\nHatim detailed to his hearers the whole affair up to that moment, and\nin conclusion said, \u201cOn her account have I journeyed hither; what\nreception I met with from her father, you have witnessed. I hope,\nhowever, that in the end the Almighty will render me victorious; and\nshould it be agreeable to his divine will, I will slay the magician on\nthe very threshold of his grand preceptor to whom he is just gone,\nnay, the master himself shall not escape me.\u201d--\u201cHave a care, noble\nHatim,\u201d said his attendants, \u201cthe enchantment of Kamlak is the most\npotent in existence.\u201d--\u201cFear not for that,\u201d rejoined Hatim; \u201cbut if\nyou wish to see what will happen, come with me, if your hearts fail\nyou not.\u201d--\u201cYou have already restored us from death to life,\u201d said\nthey; \u201cit shall never be said, then, that we lacked either honor or\ncourage so far as to desert you. Lead wheresoever you will, and\nthither we follow you.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this declaration, Hatim expressed his satisfaction; and\nhaving invited them to follow, he set out for the mountain where dwelt\nKamlak, the grand magician. His attendants, however, not liking the\nlength of the journey, said to him, \u201cBrave sir, our late sovereign,\nSam Ahmar, was wont to carry us to this mountain in less than the\nspace of a day.\u201d--\u201cBut,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cyou know well that he did so\nby means of his enchantment.\u201d--\u201cAnd can you not do the same?\u201d rejoined\nhis followers; \u201cassuredly you are more cunning in the magic art than\nour master, otherwise you could not have conquered him. The power of\nSam Ahmar was such that he could reduce a mountain to an atom, and\nmagnify a particle of dust to the size of a mountain; yet this mighty\nenchanter fled from before you, and unless you were thoroughly skilled\nin the magic art, you could not think of pursuing him.\u201d\n\nHere Sarmak checked their speech, saying, \u201cFools that you are, Hatim\nuses no enchantment; but well I know, from what I have already\nwitnessed of him, that he will soon conquer Sam Ahmar, even if aided\nby Kamlak.\u201d--\u201cMy friends,\u201d said Hatim, \u201ca heavenly man hath taught me\na divine charm, and wherever I utter the same, no enchantment can be\nof any avail against me. With this sacred charm, the magician has no\npower to cope.\u201d\n\nThey marched onwards with Hatim at their head, and soon found\nthemselves on a road of which they were utterly ignorant. All at once\nthey arrived on the bank of a lake of the purest water; and as their\nthirst was great, they began to drink copiously. But the moment they\nhad done drinking, the water began to gush out at the soles of their\nfeet.\n\nHatim, astonished at this strange occurrence, refrained from tasting\nthe water, thirsty as he was. He at length asked his companions how\nthey felt, but no answer did he receive. They stood like statues with\ntheir eyes fixed upon him. Thus passed the whole of that night, Hatim\nsuffering the pangs of hunger and thirst. When morning dawned, he\nlooked at the faces of his attendants, which were all swelled up like\nso many leathern bottles, so that their eyes even could not be seen.\nHis sorrow was beyond control; but at length he reflected that what he\nsaw might be the effect of enchantment. He therefore pronounced the\nsacred charm, and in an instant the swelling abated; he repeated it,\nand from every part of their bodies a green-colored liquid was seen to\nissue. A third time he uttered the divine words, and his companions\nreceived the full enjoyment of all their faculties.\n\nHatim\u2019s joy was now equal to his previous sorrow, while he listened to\nthe grateful prayers of his rescued followers. At length he asked\nthem, \u201cCan you explain the cause of your late calamity?\u201d--\u201cThe cause\nis evident,\u201d they replied; \u201cthis is the road by which the magician\ntravelled, and he enchanted the water of the lake.\u201d Hatim pronounced\nhis charm, and breathed on the water. It first became agitated like\nthe boiling ocean, and its color was red: then it changed to green,\nand gradually settling, became pure as crystal. Hatim, now assured\nthat no traces of the enchantment remained about the water, drank of\nit freely, and invited his companions to do the same without fear. He\nalso enjoined them to bathe therein.\n\nAll of them accordingly allayed their thirst, and bathed their bodies\nin the now pure and wholesome lake, whereby every trace of their late\ncalamity left them, and their confidence in the power of Hatim became\ncomplete. They tendered him their sincere gratitude, and said,\n\u201cForward, brave Hatim! we will follow you even until death in your\ncontest with the magician Sam Ahmar and his master Kamlak, for you are\nfar greater and better than they.\u201d Hatim resumed his journey, and his\ncompanions joyfully followed.\n\nMeanwhile Sam Ahmar, defeated and downcast, fled to the presence of\nKamlak. The latter observing his dejected state, asked him, \u201cWhat\nmisfortune hath befallen thee, that thou comest in such woful\nplight?\u201d--\u201cGreat master,\u201d replied the magician, \u201cI come to implore\nthine aid. Hatim, my superior in the magic art, hath expelled me from\nmy residence, and hither have I fled to escape his vengeance.\u201d Kamlak,\nenraged at this intelligence, said, \u201cRest thee content, my son, I\nshall soon vanquish this Hatim, and having made him my captive, resign\nhim to thy disposal.\u201d\n\nImmediately Kamlak began his enchantment, and took measures to fortify\nthe mountain which he inhabited. In an instant the whole mountain was\nwrapt in flames so bright as to leave no distinction between night and\nday. Four days after, Hatim arrived, and his companions addressing\nhim, said, \u201cThis is, indeed, the mountain where Kamlak dwells; but why\ndoes it thus burn? Assuredly this is caused by his enchantment.\u201d\n\nHatim devoutly recommended himself to heaven and pronounced the sacred\nwords of Khizr; and the flames ceased to issue from the mountain.\nKamlak was soon informed of his foe\u2019s approach, and how he had\nquenched the flames by the mere breath of his mouth. He now tried the\npower of his art in a different manner. On all sides of Hatim and his\ncompanions floods of water were seen to rush, as if the ocean had\nburst from its channels. \u201cHelp us, Hatim,\u201d exclaimed his friends, \u201cor\nwe shall be drowned; these waters are the creation of Kamlak.\u201d Hatim\nrepeated his spell; blew with his breath on the waters, which\ninstantly stood still, and in a short time no trace of them was left.\nKamlak was highly mortified in seeing his power a second time defied,\nand once more he and his disciple renewed their attack. The clouds\nbegan to shower stones of five to ten tons in weight, but Hatim was\nprepared for this also. He and his friends sat secure under the power\nof the sacred spell, while the storm for three days and nights fell\nharmless around them. At length, when the heap of stones beside them\nreached the height of a mountain, so that nothing else was visible,\nHatim pronounced his charm, and all was annihilated; after which, he\nboldly marched towards the mountain. The arch-magician then uttered an\nincantation, whereby the mountain entirely disappeared from Hatim\u2019s\nsight: he, however, nothing daunted, sat down with his companions, who\nwere astonished at this last feat; and having uttered his powerful\nspell he awaited the result. After three days the mountain again\nappeared, and Hatim and his friends began to ascend.\n\nMeanwhile the attendants of Kamlak informed him that Hatim and his\nfollowers were at hand. On hearing this, the magician formed a canopy\nof clouds three thousand cubits above the summit of the mountain.\nThither Kamlak and Sam Ahmar with their attendants transported\nthemselves, and made every entrance fast. Hatim at length reached the\nsummit of the mountain, where he beheld a spacious city. On entering,\nhe found it full of food and fruits, also the most delicious wines,\nwith everything that could excite the palate. His companions\nimmediately began to eat; but the moment they tasted the infernal\nfare, they became inflated like bottles, as had previously happened at\nthe enchanted lake. Hatim at once discovered that the arch-magician\nhad laid this snare for him. He took a cup full of water as\npreviously, and having pronounced the charm over it, gave it to them.\nAs soon as they tasted of this precious draught, the effects of the\nenchantment ceased. Hatim then breathed over the whole of the\nvictuals, and said to his friends, \u201cNow you may eat your full.\u201d Their\nhunger appeased, he asked them whether they knew into what part of the\nclouds above them the magicians had betaken themselves. They replied,\nthat Kamlak and his disciple were in a cloud of the shape of an\nimmense dome that towered above the rest. Hatim pronounced the sacred\nname, and seven times blew his breath towards the heaven, when all at\nonce the mass of clouds with the magicians in it fell with a crash on\nthe top of the mountain. Hatim\u2019s enemies were so astounded by the\nfall, that they became an easy prey. Their limbs were disjointed, and\nmany of them were crushed to atoms, and their polluted souls plunged\nto perdition. Sam Ahmar and Kamlak soon recovered their senses, and\nfled along the mountain. On a sudden they plunged headlong over a\nprecipice, and resigned their souls to Iblis, the prince of darkness.\n\nIt may be easily conceived that Hatim\u2019s joy was great at this defeat\nof his enemies. He devoutly bowed his head and poured out his thanks\nto God. This done, he addressed Sarmak, saying, \u201cTo thee, my friend, I\nowe a boon. I promised thee that on defeating these magicians I should\nbestow their kingdom on thee. This promise I am ready to fulfil, but\non condition that thou wilt acknowledge no other God, save the true\nand Almighty Creator, and that thou wilt protect his worshippers from\ninjury and oppression.\u201d Having thus addressed his friend, he summoned\nto his presence the rest of his attendants, and said, \u201cI here in the\npresence of you all appoint Sarmak your future sovereign, whom you\nshall obey; and you must acknowledge the true and living God, to whom\nyou shall consider yourselves as servants, and you shall worship him\nnight and day, for of a surety, if you act uprightly, he will reward\nyou accordingly. Meanwhile, farewell! I must hasten to the presence of\nthe queen of beauty, Zarinposh.\u201d--\u201cGod be with you, brave man,\u201d they\nall exclaimed, \u201crest assured that we shall strictly abide by your\norders and never disobey the ruler whom you have appointed over us.\u201d\n\nThus parted Hatim with the subjects of the late magician. Night and\nday he hurried onwards till he reached the enchanted lake. There he\nfound several of the damsels whom he had formerly seen, stationed as\nsentinels near the place. \u201cWhence and what are you?\u201d cried the first\nof them he met. \u201cI am,\u201d replied he, \u201cthe same who passed several days\nin your society as I lately travelled this way; I even shared your\npenance, for my head was for some days suspended to the branches of\nthe tree that overhangs yonder lake; I pray you, convey my most\ncourteous greeting to the beautiful queen, your mistress.\u201d The fair\nsentinel ran to her sovereign with this intelligence, saying, \u201cNoble\nmistress, a young man, whose name is Hatim, stands at your gate; he\nonce passed some days with us when under the influence of the\nenchantment, and now he craves admission into your royal presence.\u201d\n\nThe queen, after some consideration, said, \u201cWhere can Hatim have been\nsince that time? I believe, however, he has since then journeyed to\nthe mountain of Ahmar, and most likely he will be able to furnish us\nwith some tidings of my father; go and ask if this be the case; and if\nso, admit him.\u201d The damsel made the necessary inquiry, and was thus\nanswered by Hatim, \u201cThe magician was one who feared not God, and now\nhis soul is consigned to perdition, and he will get the reward due to\nhis iniquities, for he has been cut off in the midst of his crimes;\nbut all this must be detailed in the presence of the queen.\u201d The\nsentinel returned and stated to her mistress what Hatim had told her.\nOn hearing this news, the queen was exceedingly grieved, and tears\nfell copiously from her eyes. Her damsels endeavored to console her,\nsaying, \u201cRoyal mistress, to weep for the death of such a father as\nyours is a crime. It is certain that had not your father died, we\nshould have still remained in the bonds of his cruel enchantment; but\nnow let us introduce Hatim, and ask of him the circumstance.\u201d The\nqueen assented, and Hatim, by her request, approached the royal\npresence. Zarinposh, arrayed in splendid apparel, sat upon an emerald\nthrone studded with jewels.\n\nHatim cast a single look at the queen; his senses abandoned him, and\nhe fell lifeless before her. Alarmed at his apparent illness, she\nhastily rose, and seizing a phial of rose-water, sprinkled part of it\non his face. When his senses were restored, the queen ordered for him\na splendid couch set with gold and jewels, and made him sit beside\nher. Then in the sweetest tones he ever heard she began to converse\nwith him on the subject of his journey and the death of her father.\n\nHatim detailed all that he had seen, and suffered and acted, without\nthe least reservation; and added, \u201cFor thee, fair queen, I have\nundergone all these perils and toils. May I hope that my afflictions\nwill bring forth the fruit of joy, and that you will reward my pains\nwith the pleasure of your society, for without you I would sooner die\nthan live.\u201d The damsels in attendance all supported Hatim\u2019s suit, and\nsaid, \u201cOur gracious sovereign, this is the renowned prince of Arabia;\nhappy for you was the day when he came here. He loves you sincerely;\nleave him not to despair. Think not of your father\u2019s death, for he was\na magician who delighted in cruelty and oppression. Well has it been\nfor mankind that this brave youth has rid the world of such a\nmonster.\u201d\n\nAt last the queen consented, and after the usual ceremonies, she was\nwedded to Hatim. He, however, when on the point of giving himself up\nto the pleasure of her society, all at once became dejected and\nthoughtful. He remembered his friend Munir, the Assyrian prince; and\nthe thoughts of the pangs he must endure so affected Hatim, that a\ntrembling seized his whole body. His bride observed his emotion, and\nstood in the utmost perplexity, thinking that she was herself the\noccasion of it. \u201cAlas!\u201d said she, \u201cwhat have I done in his sight that\nhe should view me with such aversion, or what can I do to arrive at\nthe cause of his uneasiness?\u201d The queen, resourceless as she was,\nremained silent, when at length Hatim observed that she was affected\nby his strange conduct; he therefore resolved to explain to her the\nwhole affair, in order to clear himself of disrespect towards her: \u201cMy\nsoul and life,\u201d said he, \u201cwhy are you cast down? why should the sun\nand moon be obscured? Know, my beloved, that I have left my home for\nthe sake of the Assyrian prince Munir, who is deeply enamoured of Husn\nBanu. This lady has proposed seven questions, and her hand shall be\nthe reward of him who may solve them. The Assyrian prince in vain made\nthe attempt, and on his failure, was wandering he knew not whither. I\nfound him in the deserts of Arabia; and having returned with him to\nShahabad, I undertook to solve the questions, and at present my friend\nresides in one of the caravansera\u00efs of that city. I have already\ntravelled and found out the solutions of three of these enigmas, and\nnow I am in quest of the fourth. When I saw you, however, I forgot\nmyself and the rest of the world, and now when it has pleased God the\nSupreme to unite us in the bonds of love, the thoughts of my\ndespairing friend have disturbed my soul. Yea, I have made a vow that\nI should perform my utmost to serve the Assyrian prince; and to me all\nworldly pleasures are forbidden, till he has obtained the object of\nhis desire. It would then be highly improper that I should give myself\nup to enjoyment while he lives in the pangs of expectation; I must,\ntherefore, proceed instantly to the city of Karam.\u201d--\u201cAnd what is to\nbecome of me in the meantime?\u201d asked the bride. \u201cI intend,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201cto convey you to Yemen, my native country, where my father is\nking.\u201d\n\nAnd so Hatim sent his bride with her attendants to his father\u2019s\ndominions in Arabia, while he himself proceeded to Karam, which he\nreached in the course of a few days. On meeting some of the people\nthere, he asked, \u201cPray, friends, can you tell me if there is a man in\nthis place who exclaims, \u2018_He who speaks the truth is always\ntranquil\u2019?_\u201d--\u201cTruly, stranger,\u201d said they, \u201cthere is no man here such\nas you inquire for; but we know of a man of extreme old age who has\nwritten above his door these very words.\u201d--\u201cCan you tell me,\u201d asked\nHatim, \u201cwhere he lives?\u201d--\u201cHis residence,\u201d replied they, \u201cis about\nthree farasangs from this city, in a village called Old Karam, for\nthere the city Karam once stood.\u201d\n\nHatim immediately set out, and in the course of that afternoon arrived\nat the village of Old Karam. There he beheld a splendid mansion, on\nthe door of which were written the words of the enigma. He went up to\nthe gate and knocked with his hand; whereupon a voice from within\nreached his ear, saying, \u201cStranger, whence art thou, and what is thy\nbusiness here?\u201d--\u201cI am from Shahabad,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand my business\nis with the owner of this mansion.\u201d The janitor hastened to his master\nwith this intelligence, and was ordered to admit Hatim without delay.\n\nThe master of the house, an elderly man, received Hatim with due\ncourtesy, and hospitably entertained him with food and drink. After he\nhad refreshed himself, his host said, \u201cPray tell me, stranger, what is\nthe cause of your journey hither, and from what country are you? It\nhas never been known that more than two foreigners have visited this\nplace, and of these two you are one.\u201d--\u201cVenerable sir,\u201d replied Hatim,\n\u201cI am a native of Yemen; and I came hither from the city of Shahabad,\nwhere dwells an Assyrian prince, named Munir. This noble youth is in\nlove with Husn Banu, the queen of that city; and he cannot acquire the\nobject of his wish, except he procure the solution of seven questions\nwhich she has proposed. Three of these I have already answered, and\nnow I am in quest of the fourth, which is no other than the words\nwritten above your door.\u201d\n\nThe aged man replied, \u201cBrave Arab! thou art truly noble; and long will\nthy fame survive thee in the world. Assuredly there lives not another\nman who would, for the sake of a friend, encounter such toils and\nperils as thine. But to-day thou hast come from afar, and it is fit\nthat thou shouldst repose for the night; to-morrow I shall explain to\nthee the circumstances connected with the words written on my\ndoor.\u201d--\u201cI am willing to comply with your hospitable injunctions,\u201d\nrejoined Hatim, \u201cbut there is one thing which I wish to ask of you.\nThe people of Karam told me that your age was far beyond the ordinary\nlimits; yet you seem to me little past the prime of life, not a hair\nof your head yet gray. Is it true, then, as they say, that you have\nlived since the time when the city of Karam stood on this\nspot?\u201d--\u201cBrave Hatim!\u201d replied the aged man, \u201cretire to rest for this\nnight, and to-morrow you shall be informed of all you ask.\u201d\n\nHatim accordingly betook himself to repose, and passed the night in\npleasant slumbers. When morning came he arose, and after enjoying the\nbanquet of his host, he renewed the subject of the previous evening.\nThe aged man replied, saying, \u201cListen, then, Hatim: it is now seven\nhundred years since Karam stood here; but my age is really eight\nhundred years, however I may appear to you. In my youth I was a\ngamester, and night and day my whole business was gambling. One day it\nhappened that my fortune forsook me, and I lost everything I\npossessed. Thus destitute, I sallied out as soon as it was dark, in\norder to rob or steal, as might be most convenient. I considered at\nthe same time, that in attacking the poor and humble I should likely\nhave nothing for my trouble; I resolved, therefore, to attempt the\npalace of our king. I softly approached the walls of the royal\nresidence, and fastened my scaling-ladder, made of ropes, to a window.\nWhen all was quiet, I entered one of the apartments, which happened to\nbe that in which the king\u2019s daughter slept. The attendants of the\nyouthful princess lay senseless outside the apartment. I seized her\ngold and jewels, as likewise the golden lamp that burned beside her,\nand unobserved made my escape from the palace. In my flight I came to\na desert, where I met a gang of thieves busily occupied in the\ndivision of their spoil. The moment these saw me, they shouted,\n\u2018Stand, traveller, tell us who thou art, and whence thou comest.\u2019 I\ntold the thieves the occurrences of my life, and how I had broken in\nupon the king\u2019s palace, and carried off his daughter\u2019s jewels. I then\ndisplayed to their astonished sight a very large ruby, which they no\nsooner saw than their avarice was whetted, and they were about to\nwrest it from me by force, when a tremendous sound issued from the\ndesert, so loud that the earth trembled under us. The thieves,\nterrified, betook themselves to flight, while I stood riveted to the\nspot.\n\n\u201cThe person from whom this voice issued approached me, and sternly\nsaid, \u2018Tell me truly who thou art, and whence thou camest here.\u2019 I\ntold him every circumstance of my wicked life, and showed him the\ntreasure I had so unlawfully obtained, not concealing the high-prized\nruby. \u2018\u2019Tis well for thee,\u2019 said he, \u2018that thou hast told me the\ntruth. I forgive thee thy crimes, and leave thy treasure to thine\nenjoyment; but swear to me solemnly that thou wilt henceforth avoid\ngambling.\u2019 I then made a vow in the presence of heaven and that\nformidable being, that I would never gamble. \u2018Well,\u2019 said my strange\nmonitor, \u2018keep thine oath sacred, and the years of thy life shall\nreach nine hundred.\u2019\n\n\u201cThus we parted, and I returned to this spot, which was then a\npopulous city, and with part of my wealth built this mansion. Some of\nmy old acquaintances envied my prosperity, and informed the\nsuperintendent of the city that I had lately been a poor man, and now\nthat I was possessed of immense wealth, so as to build a mansion like\nthat of a prince: \u2018assuredly,\u2019 added they, \u2018he cannot have come by\nsuch treasures honestly.\u2019 The magistrate summoned me to his presence:\nto him also I detailed all that I had done, without the least reserve.\nWhen he heard my statement, he conducted me, as in duty bound, before\nthe king, whom I had so greatly offended.\n\n\u201cTo his Majesty, also, I told the whole truth. When the king heard me\nto an end, he freely forgave me my crime, and gave strict orders that\nnone should thenceforth upbraid me on that subject. \u2018This man,\u2019 added\nhis Highness, \u2018has all along adhered to the truth, and therefore he\ndeserves my forgiveness. I have never yet seen or heard of so daring a\nthief as he is, that would have the manliness to confess his guilt as\nhe has done.\u2019 The king not only left me in possession of what I had\nstolen, but also gave me gold to such amount that it is not even yet\nexpended. On that day, as soon as I returned from the royal presence,\nI wrote on my door, \u2018_He who speaks the truth is always at ease_,\u2019 as\nan admonition to every one who might see it.\u201d\n\nWhen the man of truth had finished his history, he said to Hatim,\n\u201cNow, generous Arab, you have heard my tale; and I am truly happy in\nhaving had the power thus far to serve you. Besides yourself, noble\nHatim, there lives not on earth the man who would encounter the\ndangers and fatigues of the journey from here to Arabia.\u201d A few days\nafter, Hatim took leave of his aged host, and began to retrace his way\nto Shahabad. In the course of his journey, the thoughts of Zarinposh,\nhis lovely bride, constantly occupied his mind. In vain did he try to\nthink of his friend Munir, and of Husn Banu\u2019s seven questions; he\ntherefore resolved, ere he returned to Shahabad, to visit his bride in\nhis paternal halls.\n\nOne day, as he arrived at the borders of Yemen, to his great joy he\ncame to a fountain of pure water. On his nearer approach to the\nspring, he observed a brace of the fowls called b\u016bt\u012bmar[b4.04]; and\nas he knew the languages of all creatures, he attentively listened to\nthe following conversation of the birds: \u201cMy dear mate,\u201d said the\nfemale butimar, \u201cyou shall not thus depart; I pray you abandon all\nthoughts of this undertaking.\u201d--\u201cCease thy foolish prating,\u201d returned\nthe male; \u201cwhat I am about to do is a service acceptable to the\nCreator, to whom all beings are responsible; and seekest thou to\nprevent me, merely to suit thine own whim? When did a wise man ever\nregard the advice of a woman? Are you not all false; and why, then,\nshould I be guided by you? Have you not heard the story of the king,\nwho was heartily ashamed of his folly in being misled by a woman?\u201d\n\nThe female butimar having expressed great curiosity to hear the story\nof the king, the male thus began: \u201cOnce upon a time a certain king\nwent out on a hunting excursion, and after toiling the whole day\ncaught nothing. As it drew towards evening he lost his way, and\nwandering through the desert apart from his attendants, he came to a\nbeautiful garden. He entered, and after walking about for some time he\ncame to a palace, close to which was an artificial pond of water. The\nking, greatly fatigued, sat down on the brink of the pond, and as he\nwas performing his ablutions, his hand caught hold of an iron chain.\nThis he began to pull towards him, but found strong resistance, as if\nsome great weight were attached to it.\n\n\u201cThe king took hold with both his hands, and pulling with his whole\nforce at last succeeded in bringing to land a chest to which the chain\nwas fastened. His curiosity made him open the chest, for the key was\ntied to it. To his immense astonishment, on opening it, he beheld\ninside a woman of surpassing beauty. He stood for some minutes\ncompletely lost in admiration of her charms, without the power of\nmoving a muscle.\n\n\u201cSoon the woman broke silence, saying, \u2018Noble sir, be not thus\nbewildered, I am made of flesh and blood as you are.\u2019 Hereupon she\ncame out of the chest, and having taken out with her a bottle and\ngoblet, she offered the prince a draught, which he drained to the\nbottom. They both sat down on the green bank, and conversed together.\nAt length the king remembered his situation, and the anxiety which his\nattendants must feel on his account. He rose to take his departure.\nPulling a valuable ring from his finger, he offered it to the lady,\nsaying, \u2018Accept this as a remembrance of me, for I must now take my\nleave of you. I hope, however, we may meet again, and on your showing\nme this ring I shall know her with whom I have passed the most\npleasant moments of my life.\u2019\n\n\u201cThe lady, on hearing this declaration of the prince, laughed aloud,\nand drew from her bosom a whole string of rings, saying, \u2018Noble sir,\nyou must know that my husband is extremely jealous of me, and cannot\neven endure my residing in a place inhabited by mankind. He has,\ntherefore, conveyed me to this solitary garden in the midst of the\ndesert. Every night he comes and lives with me in this palace. When he\ndeparts in the morning, he shuts me up in this heavy chest, with a\nsufficient allowance of food and drink, and then casts chest and all\ninto the lake where you found me. Many princes and nobles have lost\ntheir way when hunting in the neighborhood, as you have done, and on\ncoming hither, discovered my prison. These also released me for a time\nfrom my durance, enjoyed my society, and gave me rings at their\ndeparture, of which here is ample proof. I keep the rings, indeed, by\nme, but their number is so great, that I really cannot recollect which\nis which; therefore, brave sir, I shall willingly accept and preserve\nyour ring, but I cannot take upon me to remember the giver.\u2019 The\nprince, on hearing this impudent confession, shut the woman in the\nchest as she requested, and having consigned her to her watery\ndungeon, he made the best of his way home. On his arrival at the royal\nresidence, his attendants observed that his brow was clouded and his\nheart ill at ease. At length, the ministers of state ventured to\napproach him, and humbly represented their sorrow for his sadness,\nhoping that they themselves were not the cause.\n\n[\u201cHis Majesty related the whole adventure as it had happened, and\nexpressed the most thorough contempt for womankind in general. The\nprime minister, on hearing the king\u2019s adventure, assured him that the\nfact was notorious throughout every city in his dominions, and that it\nwas in vain to be disheartened for the inconstancy of women. The king\nat length banished the subject from his thoughts, and resumed his\nwonted cheerfulness and affability towards his faithful\nservants.\u201d[b4.05]\n\nThus ended the story of the butimar; after which he said to his mate,\n\u201cIn like manner, I doubt not, you are as faithless to me, and why\nshould I be guided by your advice, and prevented thereby from doing\nwhat I consider right? Do you think I am to be like Hatim Ta\u00ef here,\nwho undertook to serve Munir the Assyrian prince, and has now\nwithdrawn his hand from his noble task, owing to the charms of a\nwoman, such is the power of the female sex over the wisest of men?\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard the edifying discourse of the butimar, he felt\nashamed of himself, and thanked his Creator that had thus warned him\nof his backsliding in due time. Instead therefore of continuing his\ncourse to Yemen as he intended, he turned aside, and took the road to\nShahabad. On his arrival there, the people of Husn Banu joyfully\nreceived him; and having conducted him to the caravansera\u00ef, they gave\nintelligence to their mistress of his safe return. Husn Banu invited\nhim to her palace, and after hospitably entertaining him, she received\na full account of his adventure. Hatim then returned to the\ncaravansera\u00ef, where he passed the night in the society of his friend\nthe prince of Assyria. Next day he revisited Husn Banu, in order to be\ninformed of the nature of the fifth question. The lady most\ncourteously received him in her palace, and said to him, \u201cBrave Hatim!\nthe fifth task which I have to impose on you is, \u2018To bring me an\naccount of the mountain called Nida.\u2019\u201d Hatim then took his leave of\nHusn Banu; and ere his departure, he once more had an interview with\nthe Assyrian prince, and said to him at parting, \u201cMy dear friend, be\nof good cheer. I am now about to proceed on my fifth expedition,\nwhich, I trust, God will render propitious; meanwhile, farewell!\u201d]\n\n\n\n\n BOOK V.\n\n _Hatim\u2019s journey to the mountain of Nida._\n\nThe historians inform us, that as Hatim was journeying toward the\ndesert of Nida he continued to ask his way in every city and town\nthrough which he passed. In the course of six months, as he was\napproaching a large city, he saw all the inhabitants assembled in a\nspacious plain outside the walls. Hatim thought, \u201cWhat can be the\ncause of this concourse? I must go and inquire.\u201d With this view, he\nwas hastening towards them; and as soon as the people saw him, they\nexclaimed, \u201cWelcome, stranger; may your arrival be happy; we are\nwaiting for you.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim found himself amidst the crowd, he looked around him, and\nsaw, to his surprise, large tables furnished with food and drink of\nevery variety. He also observed a coffin laid out in state, and\nsurrounded by the relatives of the deceased. The chief of the\nassembly, addressing Hatim, said, \u201cSuch are our customs, stranger,\nthat when any of our people die, whether rich or poor, we thus\nassemble in the plain without the city, and prepare a banquet of the\nmost delicious viands. At the same time, it is one of our rules that\nwe taste not of the food, nor bury our dead, till the arrival of a\nstranger among us. When a stranger arrives, we make him first eat of\nour fare, after which we ourselves feast. This is now the seventh day\nthat we have been here without attaining the object of our\nexpectation. Every day we had the feast ready; and when evening came,\nand the stranger arrived not, we sent the food back to the city for\nour wives and children, for they are not prohibited from eating. As\nfor ourselves, we have neither eaten bread nor drunk water for the\nlast seven days. You may guess, then, noble stranger, with what joy we\nthis day hail your arrival. We shall now bury our dead and break our\nlong fast.\u201d\n\nHatim observed to them, \u201cWhat becomes of your dead, and how do you\ncontrive to live should it so happen that no stranger visits you for\nthe space of a month?\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d replied they, \u201cis a rare, nay, an\nimprobable case, for we are never above a week without seeing a\nstranger; and if it should happen that none comes, we are allowed to\nbreak our fast on the fifteenth day, and thus we do every fifteenth\nday till the stranger arrives: such is our law. With regard to our\ndead, no decay takes place till the end of at least a month.\u201d--\u201cAnd\nmay I ask,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cwhat would you do with your dead, if you\nshould not be visited by a stranger even in the course of a\nmonth?\u201d--\u201cIf, by the expiration of that period,\u201d replied they, \u201cthe\ndead body should become offensive, we bury it, and in such a case all\nthe inhabitants of the city, both men and women, are made to fast by\nday for six months after, and we are allowed only to take a little\nfood after sunset. This penance we undergo for the good of the soul of\nthe deceased; for when the body thus putrifies, we look upon it as a\nproof that the deceased had led a sinful life, and we accordingly\noffer up our prayers in his behalf before the throne of the Most\nHigh.\u201d\n\nHatim still continued his inquiries, saying, \u201cBut if in these six\nmonths of fasting another should die, what would you do?\u201d--\u201cWe should\nkeep him in the same way,\u201d they replied, \u201ctill the arrival of a\nstranger among us, or failing this at the end of a month, we should\nbury him if necessary, and betake ourselves to fasting and prayer on\nhis behalf till the expiration of six months, after which we should\nhold a feast, and bestow alms in abundance on the poor of our city,\nand give gifts to all that are in need, and do acts of kindness\ntowards one another. We then walk in procession to the tomb of the\ndeceased, where we again distribute money among the poor and helpless,\nafter which we resume our usual occupations.\u201d\n\nWhile Hatim stood wrapt in wonder at this singular custom, the people\nbore the dead body into the interior of the house, and having\nstretched it on an elegant couch, they embalmed it with costly\nperfumes, and burnt frankincense around it; after which they brought\nin the food that they were to eat, and carried the same seven times\naround the couch. This done, the food was brought out and placed on\ntables, when the chief of the assembly, addressing Hatim, said,\n\u201cWorthy stranger, stretch forth thine hand and taste of our food. Thy\ncompliance will greatly oblige us, as we shall then be at liberty to\nappease our hunger.\u201d Hatim ate of the food as requested, and after him\nall the people sat down and ate. The remains of the feast they sent\nback to the city for their women and children to feed on. They then\nchanged their raiment, each clothing himself in clean apparel; and\nhaving sent the clothes they had cast off to the fullers, they took up\nthe dead body and proceeded towards the desert.\n\nAs they were about to depart, the chief said to Hatim, \u201cBrave\nstranger, I hope you are not to leave us immediately; if, then, you\nchoose to rest a few days in our city, every attention shall be paid\nto you.\u201d Hatim willingly accepted the invitation; and having entered\nthe city, a splendid mansion was appointed for his residence, and the\nchoicest food and drink placed before him. Nor was this all; damsels\nof surpassing beauty were sent to entertain him with their enchanting\nsociety.\n\nHatim could not help wondering in his own mind at the strange customs\nof the city where he happened to arrive; however, he ate temperately\nof the food presented to him, and paid not the least regard to the\nbeautiful damsels. In the course of a week the governor of the city,\ninformed of Hatim\u2019s affable disposition and temperate habits, sent for\nhim; and after the usual salutations, said to him, \u201cNoble stranger, I\nam so delighted with the accounts I hear of you, that I beg of you to\ntake up your residence among us, and my own daughter shall be your\nwife.\u201d Hatim, having thanked the governor for his kind offer, said\nthat he had business on hand which admitted of no delay. \u201cAt least,\u201d\nresumed the governor, \u201clet me know the object of your journey, and I\nwill do my utmost to aid you, or even accompany you in person, if it\nwill in any way serve you.\u201d--\u201cTruly, sir,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI am indebted\nto you for your goodness, but I should be sorry to let any one\naccompany me through the fatigues and perils which await me.\u201d--\u201cAt all\nevents,\u201d said the governor, \u201clet me know your business.\u201d--\u201cWillingly,\u201d\nreplied Hatim; \u201cand if you can direct me on my way, it will serve me\nas much as if you accompanied me.\u201d\n\nHatim then related every circumstance connected with Husn Banu, and\nher lover Munir; and how he had himself solved four of the lady\u2019s\nquestions, and was then in quest of the solution of the fifth, which\nwas, _to bring an account of the mountain of Nida_. \u201cIt is now,\u201d\nconcluded Hatim, \u201csix months since I left Shahabad; I have wandered\nthrough many cities, and made inquiries of every person I met, but no\none has been able to give the necessary information. If you, noble\nsir, can tell me where the mountain of Nida is situated, it will serve\nme as effectually as if you accompanied me thither.\u201d\n\nThe governor was a man of years, and possessed of much information; he\nremembered, then, of having heard from the learned that a mountain of\nthis name, of immense altitude, was situated towards the south in the\nregions of Zulmat. He informed Hatim of the same, and further, that\nthere was close to the mountain a city of the same name, where the\npeople were immortal; \u201cin these regions,\u201d concluded he, \u201cdiseases and\ndeath are unknown, nor is there a tomb to be seen in all the place.\u201d\nOn hearing this statement, Hatim was highly delighted, and said,\n\u201cThither I must go as soon as possible.\u201d--\u201cBut how,\u201d rejoined his aged\nfriend, \u201ccan you go there unattended?\u201d--\u201cGod will be my guide,\u201d\nreplied Hatim.\n\nThe governor then offered Hatim gold and costly jewels, of which he\naccepted a small portion for defraying his expense by the way; and\nhaving caused the rest to be distributed among the poor, he resumed\nhis journey. In the course of three months he arrived at a large city,\naround which he saw no tombs or receptacles for the dead, whereby he\nwas satisfied that it was the city alluded to by his informant and\nbenefactor. When Hatim entered the city, the people crowded around\nhim, and began to question him, saying, \u201cTell us, stranger, whence are\nyou, and where are you going?\u201d--\u201cI am,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cfrom Shahabad,\nand I am on my way to the mountain of Nida.\u201d\n\n\u201cStranger,\u201d resumed the people, \u201cabandon such thoughts: the mountain\nof Nida is far distant, and the road full of danger.\u201d--\u201cI fear no\ndanger,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cfor my trust is in God, who is my\nconductor.\u201d--\u201cAt least,\u201d said they, \u201crest here for the night, as you\nare much fatigued.\u201d Hatim accepted their hospitable invitation, and\nthere reposed for the night.\n\nIt happened on that day that one of the inhabitants of the city fell\nsick; whereupon his relations assembled and instantly killed him,\nafter which they divided his flesh into equal portions among\nthemselves in order to be eaten. One of the people whom Hatim had\nconversed with on entering the city, being a relation to the\nslaughtered, received his portion of the flesh, and had it roasted for\nhis evening meal in the house where Hatim resided. He then brought in\na jug of water and two loaves, along with the flesh of his relation,\nand with eager hospitality addressed Hatim, saying, \u201cStranger, I\ninvite you to partake of my repast, for never in your life have you\ntasted of similar fare.\u201d--\u201cI believe,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI have eaten of\nthe flesh of every granivorous animal on the face of the earth; may I\nask what animal has furnished this dish, since you imagine that I have\nnot yet seen the like?\u201d The man triumphantly replied, \u201cWhat you say\nmay be very true, but have you ever eaten of the flesh of man, for\nsuch is the dish now before you!\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, Hatim remained horror-struck, and thought within\nhimself that this must be the city of the cannibals of whom he had\nbefore heard accounts, and that most probably they killed and ate\nevery stranger that came near them. His host seemed to read his\nthoughts, and accordingly broke silence, saying, \u201cYes, this is the\ncity of the cannibals, and the time is coming, stranger, when some of\nus shall feast upon you.\u201d Hatim, thus aroused, said to the man, \u201cIs it\npossible, sir, that you kill the helpless stranger, and then devour\nhim? Have you not the fear of God before your eyes?\u201d--\u201cBrave Arab!\u201d\nresumed the cannibal, \u201cwe are not quite so bad as you suppose, for we\ndo not slay the traveller who comes among us knowing nothing of our\ncustoms.\u201d--\u201cYou told me just now,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cthat this is man\u2019s\nflesh before me; I concluded that it must have been that of a\nstranger, and not of one of your own tribe.\u201d--\u201cQuite the contrary,\u201d\nrejoined the man of hospitality; \u201cit is the custom of our city that\nwhen any one falls sick, his relations assemble and kill him, in order\nto put him beyond suffering.\u201d--\u201cAccursed be such inhuman practices,\u201d\nreplied Hatim; \u201cknow you not that the Creator of the universe at one\ntime visits his creatures with sickness; and again, when it pleases\nhis divine will, bestows health? What, then, can be more heinous than\nto slay the sick with your own hands? The shedding of the innocent\nblood of so many thousands is a deed most revolting to humanity; nay,\nit is a sin for human eyes to look upon you.\u201d\n\nHatim having thus spoken, rose up and fled into the desert. He halted\nnot for the whole of that night, nor next day till sunset, when he\nthought himself far enough removed from the accursed city. Having\nslackened his pace a little, he continued to proceed leisurely till\nthe following day, when the pangs of hunger quite overpowered him.\nNecessity forced him to commit what at another time he would have\nconsidered highly cruel--he killed a young fawn; and having kindled a\nfire with a flint, he sat down to dress some food. Meanwhile a lion\nstalked up to him; and Hatim, nothing daunted, said to the lion, \u201cIf\nthou art hungry, here is all the food that I possess: eat and be\nsatisfied.\u201d\n\nThe lion accordingly devoured the whole of the fawn, except the small\nportion that Hatim had on the fire; after which, he drank water from a\nfountain hard by and departed. Hatim having appeased his hunger, and\nallayed his thirst with water from the spring and such fruit as the\njungle produced, resumed his journey. After he had traversed the\nparched desert for a great part of the day, his thirst became\nexcessive. At length he perceived at a distance the appearance of\nmountains rising above the plain. The sight cheered him, as he\nexpected soon to quench his thirst in the cool streams wherewith the\nhills are generally blessed. His disappointment, however, was grievous\nwhen he found nothing but heaps of moving sand raised by the blast of\nthe simoom. Exhausted, he sat down underneath a solitary tree; and\nshortly after he observed a shekshar (a sort of water-fowl) close by\nhim, its wings quite wet. He rose with renewed strength, and made\ntowards the shekshar, which flew away at his approach. In that spot,\nhowever, he found a treasure--a spring of the purest water. He\nprostrated himself on the ground, and offered up thanks to the\nBestower of Mercies; after which he allayed his thirst at the spring,\nand resumed his journey.\n\nAfter a long march through the desert, he at length saw symptoms of\nhuman habitation. Towards evening, as he was entering a highly\ncultivated country, he beheld a large fire kindled in a field, around\nwhich a crowd of people had assembled. Hatim, supposing it to be some\ndisplay of public rejoicing, approached the people, and said to them,\n\u201cTell me, my friends, what country is this? what is the cause of your\ncutting the hair of your heads and faces in that fanciful manner? what\nare you doing, thus assembled round the fire? and why this immense\npile of dried wood?\u201d--\u201cThis,\u201d replied the people, \u201cis the funeral pile\nof one of our male relations, whose body is now consuming in the\nsacred flame; and along with him, his widowed wife has burnt herself\nalive.\u201d--\u201cAnd do you not, then, bury your dead under the earth?\u201d\ninquired Hatim, \u201cand why did you cast the helpless widow into the\nflames? Assuredly the blood of the innocent is on your hands.\u201d\n\n\u201cI perceive you are a stranger in this country,\u201d replied the man whom\nHatim had addressed: \u201cthis is the empire of India, and it is the\ncustom of the Hindoos that the widowed wife should burn herself alive\non the funeral pile of her husband. We have not cast her by force into\nthe fire; she has burnt herself of her own free will.\u201d--\u201cTruly,\u201d\nresumed Hatim, \u201cit is a most dreadful custom to burn the living with\nthe dead!\u201d and having thus spoken, he betook himself to the road, for\nhe looked on the Hindoos as little better than the cannibals from whom\nhe had lately parted.\n\nAll night Hatim continued his journey, and ere noon the following day\nhe came to a large village. Fatigued, and exhausted with hunger and\nthirst, he entered the house of one of the villagers to procure rest\nand refreshment. He asked a drink of water from the man of the house,\nwho immediately brought him a pitcher full of churned milk, and\nanother of sweet milk. The man of the house having placed the milk\nbefore Hatim, hospitably addressed him, saying, \u201cStranger, here are\ntwo sorts of drink, both cool and refreshing; take either you choose\nand allay your thirst, for your lips are parched with heat and\nfatigue.\u201d Hatim took first the churned milk; and having drained it to\nthe bottom, he was about to drink the sweet milk, when his host\nobserved to him, \u201cStranger, you lack food as much as drink; the rice\nis ready boiled for my morning meal, let me bring you a part of it,\nwhich you may eat along with the milk.\u201d\n\nHatim most courteously thanked his benevolent entertainer, and\ninwardly admired the unassuming kindness and hospitality which he\nexperienced in the Hindoo cottage. Meanwhile his host returned with\nthe boiled rice, and laid it before Hatim, who ate heartily of it, and\nafterwards betook himself to repose. So exhausted was he by his late\ntoils, that he awaked not till next morning, when his Indian friend\naddressed him, saying, \u201cNoble stranger, the morning meal is ready, and\nI wait for your company ere I break my fast. You are, however, too\nmuch exhausted yet to resume your journey; I hope, therefore, you will\nrest here for two or three days longer, till your strength is\ncompletely restored.\u201d\n\nHatim arose, and after partaking of his host\u2019s simple fare, he said to\nhim, \u201cGenerous Hindoo, the blessing of God will assuredly reward your\nbenevolent actions, and your kindness to the stranger.\u201d--\u201cBrave Arab,\u201d\nsaid the Hindoo, \u201cas yet I have done you very small service, and I\nshall not consider it in the light of hospitality unless you pass\nthree days and nights under my roof.\u201d--\u201cIf,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201csuch is\nyour pleasure, I willingly accept your invitation.\u201d\n\nThe Hindoo then entertained Hatim with accounts of his country, and at\nthe next meal presented to him a variety of the most delicious food.\nHatim was highly charmed with the manners of his host, his\ndisinterested kindness, and the plain but healthy fare which was\npresented to him, so that in his rapture he exclaimed, \u201cSurely\nHindoostan is the paradise of the world!\u201d After various conversation,\nHatim remarked to his host what he considered as a stain upon the\nHindoo character, otherwise so very amiable. \u201cExcuse me, my kind\nhost,\u201d said he, \u201cif I say that one custom peculiar to your country is\nhorrible; I mean the immolation of the living widow with the dead\nhusband. I have been accustomed to see the dead consigned to the dust\nfrom which they came, and the sacrificing of the living is revolting\nto my ideas of humanity.\u201d--\u201cNoble Arab,\u201d said the Hindoo, \u201csuch is the\nopinion of strangers; but when you consider the affection that exists\nbetween the wife and husband, a tie by far the strongest in nature,\nyou can easily conceive that when the one dies the other should find\nlife insupportable: nay, it would be wonderful indeed if a tie so\nstrong should admit of separation. Imagine not that we force the widow\nto burn herself on the pile. She follows her husband, of her own free\nwill, with a joyful heart, as the only consolation left her upon\nearth. Of this, stranger, you may be fully satisfied, if you abide\nwith us some days.\u201d\n\nIt happened on that morning that the chief of the village, who had\nbeen for some time dangerously sick, died, leaving behind him four\nwives. One of these had two sons, another three daughters, and the\nother two no children. Towards evening preparations were made for the\nfuneral, and the dead body borne out.[b5.01] The four widows\nfollowed, dressed in their most costly raiments, adorned with all\ntheir jewels, with chaplets of fragrant flowers encircling their\nnecks, and bunches of the sweetest fruits suspended around them. In\ntheir hands they held the sacred leaf of the betel-tree, which they\nfrom time to time chewed.\n\nThe relatives of the widows crowded round them, and supplicated them\nwith tears not to cast away their lives; but they were inconsolable,\nand deaf to all entreaty. All this Hatim witnessed; and, resolved to\nbe convinced by experience, he approached the widows, and said to\nthem, \u201cFairest of women, what madness is this! Can it be possible that\nyou sacrifice your lives, and abandon your children, in compliance\nwith a custom so void of reason, so revolting to humanity?\u201d\n\nOne of the ladies, with an angelic smile, replied, \u201cStranger Arab, I\nforgive you, as you know not the custom of our country, otherwise your\nrudeness is unpardonable, in daring thus to address us who are dead to\nthe world. We follow our husband to heaven. In our lives we were happy\ntogether, and why should death part us? Where would be the humanity of\nmaking us linger in this world, when the Supreme decree hath called\nhim hence? May God forbid that the deceit of Satan (on whom be curses)\nshould so far mislead us as to forget our only beloved lord, and\nattach ourselves to another. Without him, our life would henceforth be\nan intolerable burden. Why then should we not accompany our best\nbeloved? Why not burn on the same pile, that our ashes may mingle with\nhis, while our souls wing their flight to the regions of the blessed?\u201d\n\nThus spoke the widow of the chief, regardless of Hatim\u2019s earnest\nentreaties. The pile was now ready, and the four victims, with\nfrenzied enthusiasm, pulled off their ornaments, and distributed them\namong their relations on all sides. They then ascended the pile, and\nplaced themselves around the dead body of their husband. Two of them\nclasped each an arm in her bosom, and the other two his feet. Thus\nsituated, they for the last time looked round, and gave a parting\nsmile to their weeping relatives; after which, a vast quantity of\ndried wood was heaped over them, and the fire was applied all around.\n\nHatim, scarcely believing what he saw, waited the result in anxious\nsilence, for he expected to see them every moment rush from the\nflames. In this, however, he was disappointed; not a shriek was heard\nfrom the pile, nor the least appearance of any attempt to escape. At\nlength the whole pile was reduced into a heap of ashes, over which\nHatim shed tears as he contemplated the fate of the victims, while his\ngenerous heart admired their affection, misplaced as it was.\n\nAt length the crowd dispersed to their homes; and as Hatim was\nquitting the scene with his Hindoo entertainer, the latter observed to\nhim, \u201cNoble Arab, I hope you are now convinced that our women are not\ncompelled to sacrifice themselves. It is purely an action of their own\nfree will, and constitutes one of the noblest displays of conjugal\naffection.\u201d--\u201cYou speak truly, generous Hindoo,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cyet,\nin my opinion, the best proof of constancy in the wife to the\ndeceased, would be, to live singly after his death; and by rejecting\nthe addresses of other lovers, convince the world of her sincerity.\nThis would be an ordeal, perhaps, more trying than even the flames of\nthe funeral pile.\u201d\n\nIn a few days Hatim, being completely recovered from his late fatigue,\nsaid to his host, \u201cMy dear friend, I must now part with you, for I am\non a journey to explore the mountain of Nida.\u201d--\u201cLet me prevail upon\nyou to go no farther,\u201d said the Hindoo, \u201cfor the route is long and\ndangerous, and it is not in man to reach your destined stage.\u201d--\u201cMy\ntrust is in God,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cwho can conduct me thither, and\nbring me back in safety.\u201d Having thus spoken, Hatim resumed his\njourney, and night and day he advanced from city to city, and from\ntown to town, till he reached the northern frontiers of India. After\ncrossing an extensive desert, he saw a large city at a distance before\nhim, and thanked his Creator who had guided him once more to human\nhabitations.\n\nWithin a short distance of the city gates, Hatim beheld a large\nconcourse of people; and as he approached nearer, he could hear the\nsound of many voices, as if they were engaged in debate. On his\narrival among them, he asked one of them, \u201cTell me, my friend, what is\nthe cause of this uproar which I hear?\u201d--\u201cThe daughter of our chief is\ndead,\u201d replied the man, \u201cand they are insisting that her husband shall\nconsent to be buried alive with her, a measure which he does not seem\nto relish: this, stranger, is the cause of the tumult which you now\nwitness.\u201d--\u201cWorthy sir,\u201d resumed Hatim, \u201cis it your custom too, to\nbury the living with the dead? I see this unfortunate man is anything\nbut compliant; surely you will not cast him alive into the tomb. Have\nyou not in your hearts the fear of God, in whose hands are life and\ndeath?\u201d\n\nThe chief himself having heard Hatim\u2019s expostulation, said, \u201cHear me,\nstranger, before you condemn us. This young man, who was my daughter\u2019s\nhusband, once came into our city a traveller like yourself. He took up\nhis residence among us, and in the course of time fell desperately in\nlove with my daughter. The flame was mutual, so that I had no\nobjections to their union, provided he should conform with our custom,\nwhich is, that if the wife dies first, the husband shall be buried\nalive with her. To this he agreed, and now he will not perform his\npromise.\u201d\n\nHatim, on hearing the merits of the case, addressed the young man, and\nsaid, \u201cShame upon you, why do you not perform your promise? Life is at\nbest but short and uncertain; and for this you are willing to stain\nyour reputation!\u201d The young man with tears in his eyes, said,\n\u201cGenerous stranger, have you too ranked yourself among my enemies? Let\nme ask you if such a custom would be tolerated in your own country?\u201d\n\n\u201cThat,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cis not the question at present, but whether you\nought to fulfil your agreement.\u201d--\u201cIt is madness,\u201d replied the young\nman; \u201cand while I live I will not submit to it.\u201d When Hatim saw that,\non the one hand, the people would not inter the dead body; and, on the\nother, the husband would not consent to be buried alive, he took the\nlatter aside, and whispered to him, \u201cDo you consent to be buried, and\nat a proper opportunity, I pledge you my faith that I will release\nyou.\u201d--\u201cBut how am I to live in the tomb,\u201d said the man, \u201ctill you aid\nin my resurrection?\u201d--\u201cLeave that to me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI will provide\nfor you.\u201d\n\nHatim then addressed the people aloud, and said, \u201cThe young man\nconsents to be buried alive; but the tomb must be made like a cell as\nit is in his own country, with an aperture left to let in air and the\nlight of day. If, therefore, you form the tomb like a cell, with a\nsmall window, the young man is willing to comply with your\ncustom.\u201d--\u201cSo much indulgence,\u201d replied the chief, \u201cit is not in my\npower to grant; but I am ready to refer the case to the magistrate,\nand abide by his decision.\u201d The parties concerned, along with Hatim,\nwent forthwith to the judge of the village, who after a great deal of\ndeliberation, decided that the young man should have a tomb made for\nhim after the fashion of his own country; \u201cfor it would not become\nus,\u201d said his Worship, \u201cto deal rigorously with a foreigner, although\nthe law is in our favor.\u201d\n\nThe people immediately set to work; and having finished the cell, they\nthere incarcerated the surviving husband with the dead wife, and\nplanted a guard over him to prevent his escape. As he was about to be\nshut up, Hatim gave him every assurance that he would release him at\nmidnight, and therefore he might without fear comply with the custom\nof the place. The people having shut the tomb, which they secured with\na large stone, strewed various flowers over and around it, so that the\ngrave was covered with them. They then, except the sentinel, returned\nto the city, whither they conducted Hatim. They entertained him in the\nmost hospitable manner, and provided him with an elegant mansion for\nhis residence. Hatim having appeased his hunger and thirst, and\nenjoyed some hours of repose, began to watch for an opportunity of\nrescuing his friend from the tomb.\n\nWhen midnight had arrived, and all the people were asleep, Hatim stole\nout quietly, and made his way to the burial-ground. But there he had\nto cope with a difficulty on which he had not calculated. It was one\nof the customs of that city, that when a person was buried, all the\nmale relations of the deceased should fast, and watch and pray on the\ntomb for three days and nights, without ever going near their wives\nand families; Hatim, therefore, was forced to keep aloof during the\nwhole of that period. On the fourth night, however, when the guards\nhad retired to their houses, Hatim lost no time in visiting the tomb;\nmeanwhile the unhappy inmate had full time to feel the horrors of his\nsituation. Often did he weep and exclaim, \u201cFool that I was, to believe\nthe promise of a false stranger! By his treachery, he prevailed upon\nme to shut myself up to perish in this dungeon, and now he has gone\nand left me to my fate! Alas, how dearly must I pay for my folly!\u201d\n\nThus did the despairing young man fret and lament till the fourth\nevening, when hunger had so weakened him that he lay as senseless as\nthe dead around him. When Hatim reached the cell, he applied his mouth\nto the aperture, and in a soft voice said, \u201cMy dear friend, I am at\nlast come to release you; if you are still alive, answer me.\u201d But, ere\nthen the young man was so exhausted with hunger and despair, that the\nvoice of aid reached not his ear. Hatim\u2019s generous heart was grieved,\nfor he thought the man must have died. He hesitated whether he should\nclear away the earth and remove the stone. \u201cIt is in vain,\u201d said he to\nhimself, \u201cthe inmate is now no more; and heaven knows, I would\nwillingly give my own life to save his.\u201d\n\nAgain, Hatim thought it best not to desist while the least hope\nremained: he therefore repeated his former words, in a voice more loud\nand distinct: but still no answer returned from the mansion of the\ndead. He gave way to grief and despair, for he now became convinced\nthat his friend was dead, otherwise he would have heard the voice and\nreturned an answer. A third time, however, in a still louder tone,\nHatim exclaimed, \u201cO my friend, if your life still remains, and is dear\nto you, answer me: otherwise, here shall you rest till the day of\njudgment. I have exerted all my power to save you, but God\u2019s will be\ndone.\u201d\n\nThe young man was at length awakened from his trance. Exhausted as he\nwas, he recognized the voice of Hatim; he therefore with great effort\ndrew near the window of his cell, and said, \u201cStranger, are you the man\nwho engaged to relieve me, and are you come at last to fulfil your\npromise?\u201d When Hatim heard this his joy was excessive; he devoutly\nthanked the Ruler of events, and said to the young man, \u201cI am indeed\nthe very person you allude to; rest still a little, till I make way\nfor your escape.\u201d\n\nHatim then cleared away the earth and masses of stone which composed\nthe tomb; and having effected a passage sufficiently large, he took\nthe hand of the almost lifeless young man, and brought him out into\nthe open air. In a very short time the young man\u2019s strength and\nspirits were restored; which when Hatim observed, he said to him, \u201cMy\ngood friend, you must lose no time in effecting your escape; fly,\nthen, wherever you think proper.\u201d--\u201cMy noble benefactor,\u201d replied he,\n\u201cmy journey is long, and I have nothing wherewith to support myself.\u201d\nHatim immediately gave him a handful of gold pieces from his scrip,\nand urged his instant flight. The young man having thanked his\nbenefactor, betook himself to the road, and escaped safe under the\nshades of night, while Hatim rebuilt the tomb as it was previously,\nand returned to his residence. He entered unobserved by any one; and\nhaving shut the doors, laid himself down to rest in that happy state\nof mind which the virtuous alone can enjoy. He awaked not till the\nnext morning was considerably advanced, and all the people astir and\nready for their morning meal. Hatim then arose; and after partaking of\ntheir food, thanked them for their hospitality, and took leave of\nthem, saying, \u201cI must now leave you, my friends, for I am bound for\nthe mountain of Nida; my journey admits of no delay, as it is now a\nlong period since I left Shahabad.\u201d--\u201cNoble stranger,\u201d said the\npeople, \u201cyour adventure is daring; but if you must go, the mountain of\nNida is nearly a month\u2019s journey from this place. You will first reach\na city of the same name close to the mountain, and the natives will\ngive you every requisite information for your future proceedings.\u201d\n\nHatim resumed his journey; and at parting the people told him, that\nafter he should have marched some nine or ten days, the road separated\ninto two branches, of which he was to take that towards the right,\nwhich would lead him to the city of Nida. Hatim advanced without any\ninterruption till the tenth day, when he came to the two roads; by a\nstrange forgetfulness, he took the left-hand path instead of the\nright. Thither he marched; but at times he had some misgivings in his\nown mind that he had taken the wrong road. After he had toiled for\nfour days in this direction, he found himself in the midst of a jungle\nabounding with wild beasts and birds of prey. Hatim stood still for\nsome time at the foot of a tree, expecting every moment to be torn to\npieces.\n\nAs he stood listening, he heard all at once a tremendous roaring of\nmonsters at no great distance from him. As a last resource, he climbed\nup to the top of a tree, and almost instantly he saw wild elephants,\nlions, tigers, and other wild beasts rush by him in full flight. Close\nat their heels followed an animal of ordinary size, but of most\nterrible aspect, such as Hatim had never seen or heard of before. His\neyes were like two balls of fire, and his tail was on the crown of his\nhead. The very sight of him was enough to terrify the bravest of men.\n\nHatim trembled from the centre of his heart. \u201cAlas, Hatim,\u201d said he to\nhimself, \u201cthy life is surely at an end, for how canst thou escape?\u201d\nBut again, Hatim thought better of his condition; he put his trust in\nGod, who never forsakes his servants; and knowing that in His hands\nonly are life and death, he drew his scimitar from the scabbard, and\nwith a steady hand and firm heart awaited the result. Meanwhile the\nmonstrous animal with eyes of fire came close to the tree where Hatim\nhad taken refuge, and being of quick scent, he soon discovered what\nwas among the branches. He made a spring at the tree with such force\nthat he broke it through the middle, when both it and Hatim fell with\na crash upon the ground. Another leap brought him close to Hatim, who\nmust have been within his claws had not the branches of the tree\nprotected him. Hatim soon recovered his presence of mind; and seizing\nhis scimitar, he plunged it into the side of the monster, which laid\nhim prostrate upon the ground. As the wound, however, was not mortal,\nthe enraged beast jumped to his feet and made a plunge at the devoted\nHatim, who dexterously eluded his grasp, and with his sword gave him\nanother thrust in the body, so that he fell to rise no more. But\nthough the dragon lay mortally wounded, his power of mischief had not\nyet ceased. He raised a howling noise that made the earth tremble, and\nlashed the trees around him with his tail. From his mouth and nostrils\nissued streams of fire, which set the surrounding forest in a blaze.\nHatim in the meantime had climbed up the nearest tree as soon as he\nsaw his enemy fallen, and there waited till he saw that no spark of\nlife remained in the monster. At last the tree which he occupied took\nfire; he was forced, therefore, to leap down with all speed, and such\nwas the violence of his fall, that he lay stunned for some time. When\nhe recovered, the first thing he did was to break the four fangs of\nthe dead monster, which in sharpness resembled so many daggers. These,\nwith the tail and two ears, he carried off with him, in order to keep\nthem as a trophy; and he then resumed his journey.\n\nHatim at length gained the open plain, and was delighted at seeing a\ntown strongly fortified with lofty walls. On a nearer approach, he\ndiscovered towering above the rest a royal mansion, whose glittering\nturrets reared their pinnacles to the clouds; but no appearance of any\nliving creature did he see. He entered the gates, within which he\nfound every sign of the city being lately inhabited. He saw numerous\nwarehouses, and bazars full of every commodity, but the most deathly\nsilence prevailed throughout.\n\nHatim looked around on this scene of lifelessness, and wondered in his\nown mind what could have caused such desolation. He approached the\nroyal residence, which formed the citadel of the town, and in which\nthe king and his family had shut themselves up. On seeing Hatim at a\ndistance, the king said to those around him, \u201cPraised be the Lord, a\nhuman being has at length entered our city.\u201d The king then ordered a\ndomestic to call out to the stranger, and invite him to the palace\ngate. The man accordingly shouted, and Hatim hastened his pace till he\nstood at the portal. The king opened a window, and said to Hatim,\n\u201cWelcome, noble stranger, may peace be upon you.\u201d Hatim courteously\nreturned the royal salutation, whereupon his Majesty asked him, \u201cWho\nare you, brave sir, and whence came you?\u201d--\u201cI am an Arab,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201cand I come from Shahabad; and, moreover, I am going to the\nmountain of Nida.\u201d--\u201cTruly, brave Arab,\u201d said the king, \u201cyou have\ntaken the wrong road to Nida; you ought to have held by the right-hand\nroad, and you have chosen the left. But what is decreed must happen;\nperhaps the hour of your death is at hand, fate has therefore led you\nhither.\u201d\n\nHatim devoutly replied, \u201cIf such be the will of God, I am content; for\nwhat power is there in mortal man to help himself? Meanwhile, royal\nsir, for such you seem to be, have the goodness to tell me who you\nare, and what is the cause of your being thus shut up in your\ncitadel?\u201d--\u201cI am,\u201d replied the other, \u201cking of this country; but of\nlate, my city was visited by a scourge in the shape of a fiery dragon,\nwhich forced all my subjects to fly for their lives. They took with\nthem their wives and children, and abandoned the city, while I, with\nmy family and friends, having placed our reliance upon God, sought\nrefuge here, it being too late for us to make our escape, and we have\nnot the power to cope with the monster.\u201d\n\nHatim requested the king to give him a more minute description of the\ndragon that had created such dismay in his dominions; to which his\nMajesty replied, \u201cA terrible creature, which we call the\nSiyah-dil[b5.02], came down from the mountain Kaf, and made his haunt\nwithin our boundaries. Every day he used to come into the city and\ndevour multitudes of the inhabitants, till no one is left living. The\ncitadel he has not as yet been able to enter, for it is surrounded by\na deep and wide ditch. Once a day, however, the monster makes the\nattempt of springing from the further side to the top of the wall; but\nfortunately it is more than he can accomplish; he always falls short\nof the top, and rolls headlong into the water.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard the king\u2019s account, he said, \u201cSire, let your mind be\nat peace; for, by the aid of heaven, I have slain your enemy, which I\nam convinced is the same that attacked me in the forest.\u201d Hatim then\ndetailed the whole circumstance, as already mentioned; whereupon, the\nking immediately admitted him into the citadel, and, treating him with\nthe highest respect and offering him food and drink becoming a prince,\nhe said, \u201cBrave stranger, I doubt not your honor; but, in order to\nsatisfy my friends and subjects, you will forgive me if I request of\nyou some proof of what you have stated.\u201d Hatim immediately produced\nthe teeth and ears of the Siyah-dil; on seeing which, the king was so\ndelighted that he prostrated himself at his feet and loaded him with\nencomiums.\n\nHis Majesty thereafter despatched those who were near him in all\ndirections with letters certifying the death of the Siyah-dil, and\ninviting his subjects to return to their homes. In the course of a few\ndays the city was restored to its former life and bustle; and Hatim,\ntaking leave of the king, requested to have a guide to conduct him to\nthe mountain of Nida. The king tried to induce Hatim to stay with him,\nand said, \u201cBravest of men, why will you leave me? This city and these\nrealms are yours. I am now old, and have an only daughter; accept her\nfor your wife, and you shall reign in my stead.\u201d--\u201cGenerous sire,\u201d\nreturned Hatim, \u201cat present my vow forbids me to accept aught earthly\nthat may benefit myself, till I have discharged a sacred duty which I\nowe to a friend.\u201d\n\nThe king, with tears in his eyes, admired Hatim\u2019s noble and generous\nconduct, and immediately ordered one of his subjects to conduct him\nsafe to the road that led to the mountain of Nida. Hatim with his\nguide retraced their way back to the spot where the road separated,\nwhich they reached in a few days. The guide then pointed out to him\nthe right-hand path, and said, \u201cBrave prince of Yemen, follow this\nroad and it will take you to the city of Nida.\u201d Ten days after, Hatim\ncame to a large and populous city. The moment he entered within the\nwalls the people conducted him before the governor. His Highness\nreceived Hatim with due courtesy; and having requested him to be\nseated, said, \u201cTell me, sir, of what country are you, and how came you\nhither? It is certain that no stranger has visited this city since the\ntime of Alexander the Great, who traversed the whole of the\ninhabitable globe. May I ask, then, what has been the cause of your\nvisit?\u201d\n\nHatim gave a full account of Husn Banu and the prince Munir, also what\nhe had himself done up to that moment. When the ruler of the city\nheard this, he said to Hatim, \u201cNoble stranger, rest yourself here for\nsome days and you will learn enough of the mountain of Nida; for were\nI now to describe to you its mysteries, you could not comprehend\nthem.\u201d Hatim accordingly accepted the governor\u2019s invitation, and had a\nhouse appointed for him to live in, and food, drink, and every\nrequisite plentifully supplied. The principal men of the city visited\nhim and were delighted with his society.\n\nOne day, while they were in conversation, Hatim asked one of them\nwhich was the mountain of Nida. The man pointed it out to him, and\nsaid, \u201cThat peak, whose summit penetrates the clouds, is the mountain\nof Nida.\u201d Meanwhile a loud voice issued from the mountain, and at that\nmoment one of the men in the company all of a sudden became silent and\nthoughtful. Soon after he rose up; and, regardless of the numerous\nentreaties of his friends, bent his course towards the mountain. His\ncompanions ran after him, but in vain; he spoke not a word, and with\na pale countenance quickened his pace to the mountain. Hatim followed\namong the rest, and said to them, \u201cMy good friends, what has befallen\nthe young man, that he thus runs like a maniac he knows not\nwhither?\u201d--\u201cHis hour is arrived,\u201d they replied, \u201cfor the voice from\nthe mountain exclaimed, \u2018_Come quickly_.\u2019\u201d--\u201cAnd whose voice is it,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cthat he should thus blindly obey it?\u201d--\u201cThat,\u201d replied\nthey, \u201cis more than we know, you must ask himself.\u201d\n\nHatim ran till he overtook the devoted young man, whom he seized by\nthe hand, and thus addressed, \u201cMy dear friend, it is unkind to refuse\nthe information I ask. Tell me, I beseech you, who is he that has\ncalled you to yonder mountain, and I will myself accompany you\nthither.\u201d Hatim\u2019s entreaties were of no avail; the young man gave no\nanswer, but drew away his hand from him, and ran swift as the wind\ntowards the mountain. Hatim followed close after; but, when he was\nabout half way, the mountain before him vanished from his sight. He\nstood in the utmost amazement, and cast his eyes in every direction,\nbut no trace of Nida nor of the young man could he discover; he only\nsaw a large stone possessing all the hues of the rainbow.\n\nIn the utmost despair he returned towards the city, till he met the\npeople who had come out with him. These were assembled on the road;\nand when he reached them, they were performing some ceremony known\nonly to themselves. They thrice repeated a form of prayer with their\nfaces turned towards the spot where the mountain had been; and this\ndone, they returned to the city, as if nothing extraordinary had\nhappened. On their return, the young man\u2019s friends and relatives, far\nfrom giving way to sorrow, prepared a feast, and entertained all the\npoor of the city; and after some time spent in mirth and joy, resumed\ntheir usual occupations.\n\nHatim, however, could not conceal his grief for the unfortunate young\nman who had disappeared so mysteriously. The people laughed at his\nsorrow, and said to him, \u201cStranger, it is not our custom to give way\nto weeping and lamentation; we forgive you, however, this time; but if\nyou are to reside among us, you must conform with our manners,\notherwise we shall expel you.\u201d Hatim accordingly restrained his grief,\nand resided among them for the space of six months, in which period\nten or twelve people disappeared in a similar manner. In vain did he\nask the inhabitants for an explanation of the mystery; either they\ncould not, or would not, satisfy his curiosity.\n\nAmong the inhabitants of the city there was an intelligent man, named\nJam, with whom Hatim formed the most sincere friendship and affection,\nso that they became inseparable companions. One day, as they were\nconversing together, the awful voice sounded loud from the summit of\nthe mountain. When Hatim\u2019s friend heard the sound, he became silent,\nand it was easy to see that his hour was come. He quickly rose up, and\nbegan to make for the mountain. When his relations received\nintelligence of this, they all prepared to follow him. Hatim with a\nheavy heart accompanied his beloved friend, for he knew that he was\ncalled thence no more to return. He resolved, however, not to part\nwith him till death, and made up his mind to enter with him into the\nmysterious mountain, whatever might be the consequence. Hatim then\ngirded up his loins; and placing his trust in God, he laid hold of his\nfriend Jam by the hand, and marched along with him towards the foot of\nNida. \u201cMy dearest friend,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhy this silence? Speak to me;\nfor I am resolved to share your fate.\u201d But Jam uttered not a word in\nreply; cold and senseless, he hurried onwards, endeavoring from time\nto time to free himself from the friendly grasp. At last he exerted\nhis utmost strength, and so sudden was the movement, that ere Hatim\nwas aware of his intention, he found himself stretched upon the\nground, while his companion ran off at full speed. Hatim lost no time\nin pursuing, and having again overtaken Jam, he seized him by the\nskirt, and clung to him with all his might.\n\nThus they proceeded up the side of the mountain, Jam endeavoring in\nvain to cast off his companion. At length they arrived at a spot where\nthe rock rent asunder, and both of them entered the chasm, which\nimmediately closed behind them. Meanwhile, those who had followed them\nfrom a distance, seeing that Hatim and Jam had both entered the\nmountain, returned to their houses, regretting the loss of the noble\nstranger. They went to the ruler of the city, and informed him how the\nArabian prince had accompanied Jam, and disappeared with him in the\nmountain. The governor was much grieved, and threatened the people\nwith severe punishment for not detaining the generous stranger who had\nthus rashly incurred his own destruction.\n\nTo return to Hatim. After they had entered the fissure of the\nmountain, an extensive plain appeared before them, the verdure and\nbeauty of which exceeded description. As far as the eye could reach,\nthe same endless green presented itself. As Hatim and his friend\nadvanced, they reached a black spot on the plain, the shape of a\ngrave, on which no plant whatever grew, and there Jam fell lengthways\nwhile his soul left his body. Hatim felt the earth shake beneath and\nstraightway the body of his companion sunk into the ground; and the\nspot that had been previously bare and barren became verdant as the\nrest of the plain.\n\nHatim, having witnessed this wonderful scene, raised his voice in\nprayer to the all-wise Creator, whose decrees are beyond our\ncomprehension. He now knew the mysteries of Nida, that the people of\nthe city thus closed their earthly career. He looked around him for a\npath to lead him to the city, but no trace could he find either of the\nmountain or the way by which he came there; the same verdant plain\nextended in every direction as far as he could see. For seven days and\nnights he wandered, without a morsel of food or a drop of water, nor\ndid the sight of any living creature greet his eye. Hatim was about to\nsink upon the ground, and resign his soul to God; for seeing no way of\nescape, he concluded that his death was decreed in those silent\nrealms.\n\nWhile occupied with such forebodings, Hatim thought he heard a hollow\nroar, like the rushing waves in the distant ocean. He advanced in that\ndirection, and at last arrived at the shore of a turbulent and foaming\nsea, whose farther extremity his eye could not discern. Hatim stood\nthoughtful upon the beach, and said to himself, \u201cAt last my earthly\npilgrimage is at an end, for here is a sea, beyond which I cannot\npass. Still He who ruleth all things can even here assist me.\u201d\n\nAs Hatim was straining his sight across the watery expanse, he saw at\na distance a small vessel struggling with the billows, and making for\nthe shore; and great was his joy when he considered that his\ndeliverance was at hand. When the vessel reached the sand at no great\ndistance from where he stood, he quickly ran and stepped into it; but\nwhat was his surprise to find no living creature within. On a small\ntable he saw two loaves and a fried fish; and as his hunger was\nexcessive, he praised the Lord, and was about to eat. But, on further\nreflection, he considered that the victuals must belong to the pilot\nof the vessel, who could not be far off, perhaps had gone on shore\nunobserved; and \u201cin such a case,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cit would be highly\nimproper in me to eat what has been prepared for another: I will wait\ntill his return, and share his hospitality, if such be his pleasure.\u201d\n\nWhile Hatim was thus waiting, a large dolphin raised his head above\nthe water, and thus spoke: \u201cO Hatim, these two loaves and the fried\nfish have been dressed for thee only; eat, then, and appease thy\nhunger.\u201d When the dolphin had done speaking, he dived into his native\nelement; and Hatim, without further delay, ate the loaves and the\nfish, after which he allayed his thirst from a jar of fresh water that\nstood in a corner of the vessel. Shortly after a favorable breeze\nsprung up, and Hatim having trimmed the sails, launched into the wide\nocean. His greatest wish was to return to the city of Nida, and inform\nthe inhabitants of the fate of his friend Jam; but then he knew not\nwhich way to steer, so he placed his reliance upon Providence, and\nallowed his bark to sail smoothly before the wind.\n\nFor the following seven days Hatim\u2019s vessel continued to dart through\nthe ocean; nor during that space did he taste any food, nor see aught\nbut the heavens above and the roaring billows around. On the eighth\nday he beheld rising above the waters a mountain whose cliffs seemed\nto pierce the moon. In three days more he landed at the foot of the\nmountain; and in his ascent, was astonished on beholding streams of\nblood gushing from its rocks. He stood still to view this strange\nphenomenon, and said in his heart, \u201cHow wonderful the works of the\nCreator! Each rock and stone of this mountain discharges drops of\nblood; but who can explain to me the cause of it?\u201d\n\nIn these reflections Hatim at length reached the summit, and there saw\nbefore him an extensive plain of blood-red hue, while the color of all\nthe animals that frequented it was green. So intent was Hatim in the\ncontemplation of those wonderful regions, that he completely forgot\nthe pangs of hunger, and advanced several farasangs into the plain. At\nlast he came to the brink of a sea, whose waters were blood, and whose\nbillows, chasing each other to land, moistened the stars with their\npurple spray. On the red beach were numbers of birds, the brilliancy\nof whose azure plumage was dazzling to the sight. Here Hatim wandered\nalong the shores of the blood-red sea for the space of a month, and\nhaving caught some of the birds, he struck fire from a flint, and\ndressed food for himself. At length he came to a narrow point of land,\nbeyond which nothing was visible but the purple waves and across whose\nexpanse none of the birds attempted it flight. Hatim began to despair\nof ever returning from these crimson shores. \u201cThou hast wandered here\nfor a whole month,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cbut all of no avail; and wert\nthou to advance for years along this blood-stained coast, thou wouldst\nsee no termination. Here art thou destined to linger out thy\nlife-time, for to return hence is beyond thy power. And, alas! thy\nfriend Munir is left to perish in expectation of thee.\u201d\n\nBut again, Hatim devoutly considered, \u201cIf God, the Great and Glorious,\nhath willed that I should return and that my friend should by my means\nattain the object of his wish, assuredly He will rescue me from this\nmisery.\u201d While occupied with these pious reflections, he saw at a\ngreat distance a black speck, which occasionally showed itself on the\ntop of the billows. In a short time it approached nearer, and great\nwas his delight when the object proved to be a boat. It touched the\nshore at his feet; and Hatim having offered up his gratitude to the\nSupreme, leaped into the vessel and put out to sea.\n\nIn this boat he found, as previously, two barley loaves and a fried\nfish, which he ate without scruple, while the vessel flew swift as an\narrow through the waves of the crimson sea. On the seventh day after,\nhe saw land; and in going ashore he found every object dyed with the\nsame crimson hue as on the other side; while every rock and stone\npoured forth torrents of blood. Hatim trusted in God, and fearlessly\nbegan to penetrate into this new region. At a great distance he\nobserved a brilliant spot in the horizon, to which he directed his\ncourse. The nearer he approached the more dazzling grew the light,\ntill at length he could perceive that it was a lofty mountain of the\npurest silver. Forward he went, fatigued as he was; but by the time he\nthought himself within a few leagues of the silver mountain, he found\nthat there intervened a wide ocean, whose waves were of the same\nbrilliant hue. He stood upon the beach admiring the beauty of the\nprospect; and as his thirst was excessive, he dipped his right hand\ninto the silver liquid, in order to taste of its contents, and\ninstantly his hand was turned into silver.\n\nHatim with horror beheld his right hand converted into a mass of\nsilver, and mourning over his hapless fate, he sat down upon the\nshore. Suddenly he saw a boat making towards him from the direction of\nthe mountain. He raised his hands towards heaven, and gave praise to\nthat Almighty Providence which had so frequently aided him in his\ndistress. When the boat reached the shore, Hatim joyfully stepped into\nit, and found it supplied with a variety of the most delicious viands,\nalso pure water wherewith to quench his thirst. Having refreshed his\nexhausted frame, he trimmed his sails, and steered his course towards\nthe silver mountain. The vessel swiftly ploughed the waves without any\naid from a pilot, while Hatim laid himself down and enjoyed a\nrefreshing sleep.\n\nWhen Hatim had first seen the silver mountain, he imagined that it was\nat no great distance from him; but this was owing to its extreme\nbrilliancy and immense height, for it required several days and nights\nof swift sailing to reach its nearer shore. At length Hatim came to\nland, and began to explore the silver regions; but ever and anon he\nlooked with sorrow at his right hand, now a useless burden to him.\nOnwards he journeyed for four days more, when he reached the foot of\nwhat he conceived to be the silver mountain. He then commenced his\nascent; but he no sooner reached the summit of one mountain than\nanother still higher presented itself to his view. For three days he\nthus toiled upwards: his food consisted of wild fowls, which he caught\nin the rocks, and sometimes fish of the hue of silver from the\nmountain streams, together with such fruit as those airy regions\nproduced. On the fourth day, he observed that the rocks and stones\nwhich lined his path emitted brilliant rays of light, and were tinged\nwith the colors of the rainbow. He stood admiring this beautiful\nsight, devoutly acknowledging the transcendent power and wisdom of Him\nwho made the universe. On a more minute examination of these beautiful\nstones, he found that they were real jewels, such as diamonds,\nemeralds, and rubies.\n\nHatim could not resist the temptation of carrying off some of the\njewels; he, therefore, filled his skirt with such of them as were most\nvaluable, and thus laden, resumed his ascent. The higher he climbed\nthe larger and more brilliant became the jewels scattered around him,\nso that he was constantly occupied in throwing away what he had\npreviously gathered, and supplying their place with others more\nprecious. At last he satisfied himself by filling his skirt with the\nlargest jewels he had ever seen, and resolved to carry these back with\nhim to his own country. \u201cThe greatest princes on earth,\u201d said he,\n\u201cpossess not such jewels, nor could they buy them with all the wealth\nof their kingdoms; nay, they cannot have any idea even of their\nexistence.\u201d\n\nFor several days longer he persevered in his ascent from peak to peak,\nwithout the least appearance of reaching the highest point. Meanwhile,\nthe weight of his load of jewels was so heavy that he was compelled to\nthrow away more than the half, keeping only such as he judged most\nrare. One day, as he was passing from one mountain to another, he came\nto a spring of cool water, beside which he sat down to quench his\nthirst. The moment he dipped his hands in this precious fountain, his\nright hand became whole and sound as the rest of his body. Hatim thus\nprovidentially cured, bowed his head to the dust in gratitude to the\nBestower of Benefits; and, having allayed his thirst, he laid himself\ndown to sleep on the cool margin of the fountain.\n\nWhen he awoke from his sleep, he beheld standing by the spring two\nbeings of formidable appearance. Their color was black as the raven,\ntheir heads resembled that of man, and their hands and feet were like\nthe paws of the lion. In an instant, Hatim started to his feet: he\nseized his bow and let fly his well-aimed arrow at one of these\nstrange monsters. The shot took no effect, for the creature seized the\narrow in its paw, and in a tone of reproach cried out, \u201cO Hatim, does\nit become you to slay the innocent, from fear of your own life? Know\nthat we also are servants of the Almighty, and have come hither with\nno intention of doing you harm.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, Hatim dropped the bow and arrow from his hands, and\nsat down in deep regret, for his own heart convinced him of having\nacted wrong. Some time thus passed while he waited their nearer\napproach, and much he wondered in his own mind what would be the\nresult of an interview with such wonderful beings. At length they\nstood before him, and said, \u201cTo you, Hatim, of all mankind, it is\nleast becoming to set your heart on jewels and worldly wealth. Your\nname is already famous in the world for everything noble and generous;\nand your history shall serve as an example to future ages. But if the\nlove of gold and jewels take possession of your heart, farewell your\npresent success and future fame!\u201d--\u201cMay I ask,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhose\ngold and jewels have I ever coveted?\u201d--\u201cO Hatim,\u201d returned the demons,\n\u201csee you those jewels which you have carried away from the lower\nmountain; can you say that they are your own?\u201d--\u201cIf they be not mine,\u201d\nreplied Hatim, \u201cthey belong to no one else. The gifts of the Creator\nare without number, and his dominions boundless; if I have taken a few\njewels from the mountain, I cannot have thereby wronged you or any\nliving creature.\u201d--\u201cThose jewels,\u201d said the demons, \u201cbelong to the\nrace that inhabit these realms.\u201d--\u201cAnd is not man,\u201d rejoined Hatim,\n\u201cthe noblest of created beings? Is he not sole master of the\nterrestrial globe and all that it contains? Tell me, then, the name of\nthat race that can have a better right to these precious stones than I\nhave. Besides, I have only carried with me a small number to present\nto my friends, which can no more be missed from the treasures of these\nmountains than a drop of water from the ocean.\u201d--\u201cIt is not for the\nvalue of these baubles,\u201d resumed the demons, \u201cthat we so strongly urge\nyou to throw them away, it is solely on your own account; for if it is\nyour wish to return in safety to your own country, you must covet\nnothing that you see here.\u201d Hatim at length, with great reluctance,\nthrew down the precious stones, saying, \u201cWhat you advise me, my\nfriends, may be right; yet it is hard that I should have toiled so\nmany days in carrying these treasures, which I must now resign; truly\nyour advice is to me very unacceptable.\u201d\n\nWhen the demons perceived Hatim\u2019s reluctance, they selected from the\nstones the largest ruby, the most brilliant diamond, and the finest\nemerald, and presented the same to him, saying, \u201cAccept, brave Hatim,\nthese three precious stones; they will suffice as a specimen to be\nshown to your friends: to take more, or to use them in any other\nmanner, would be unworthy of yourself.\u201d Hatim joyfully received the\nthree jewels, and said, \u201cI am a stranger here; you will, therefore, do\nme the greatest favor by pointing out to me the way to my own\ncountry.\u201d\n\n\u201cGenerous Hatim,\u201d replied the demons, \u201cyou are aware of the immense\ndistance you have travelled since you left Shahabad. God has preserved\nyou in all your perils and hardships; yet, since the creation of the\nworld, only three of your race have been enabled to visit these\nregions and return with life, whereas, great numbers have perished in\nthe attempt. Your days shall yet be many, for such is the will of God.\nProceed, then, till you reach the ocean of gold, which you shall\ncross, as you have hitherto done. Next, you will come to the sea of\nfire; and should you be able to find your way to its farther side, you\nwill soon arrive in Yemen. But, above all, beware lest you covet aught\nof what you see.\u201d\n\nHaving thus spoken, the demons vanished from Hatim\u2019s sight, while he\nsat down to repose for the night by the cool fountain. When the dawn\nappeared, he rose up, and, after ablutions, proceeded on his journey,\ntrusting to Providence alone as his guide. After three days of fasting\nand toil, he arrived, hungry and thirsty, at the banks of a river, the\nchannel of which was formed of the largest and most valuable pearls he\nhad ever seen. His heart longed to possess the pearls, notwithstanding\nthe injunctions he had received to the contrary; but, on reflection,\nhe controlled his fatal desire, and satisfied himself by quenching his\nthirst in the running stream, which was extremely pure and refreshing.\n\nHatim thence set out, and shortly after, saw before him clouds rising\nfrom the horizon with uncommon brilliancy, resembling a canopy of\nburnished gold. For a whole month he continued to advance in this\ndirection; and at length he saw the summit of the golden mountain,\nrising with dazzling grandeur among the clouds. Having reached the\nbase of the mountain, he found it covered with trees and shrubs, of\nwhich the foliage and fruit were all of golden hue. For three days he\nascended towards the summit; and on the fourth day he entered a garden\nwhose beauty equalled that of paradise. The trees were loaded with\ngolden apples, every leaf and every plant in the garden was tinged\nwith the hue of gold.\n\nAfter Hatim had enjoyed the charms of this beautiful scene, and\nappeased his thirst from fountains of pure water which issued from\nrocks of gold studded with the most precious gems, he sat down to\nrepose for the night. Meanwhile a troop of fairies surrounded him; and\nwhen Hatim saw them, his heart rejoiced, for the fairest of the band\ngreatly resembled Zarinposh. He said to them, \u201cHeavenly creatures,\ntell me who are you?\u201d--\u201cWe are,\u201d replied one of them, \u201cthe devoted\nsubjects of the fairy queen, who now walks in this garden, and who\nwill very soon pass this way.\u201d\n\nShortly after the queen approached, and the moment Hatim beheld her\nlovely countenance, his senses entirely forsook him, and he fell\nlifeless upon the ground. The queen quickly ordered her attendants to\nbring rose-water, which she sprinkled over his face and body. After\nthis, Hatim recovered, when the queen raised him from the ground and\nseated him on a golden chair close by a throne, which she herself\noccupied. She then addressed him in the sweetest tones, and said,\n\u201cTell me, noble stranger, who are you, and how came you hither?\u201d Hatim\nrelated his eventful history; and in return, asked the fairy, \u201cTo whom\nbelong these celestial abodes?\u201d--\u201cThese regions,\u201d she replied, \u201care\ncalled Ach\u012bn, which signifies _pleasant_, and the sovereignty thereof\nbelongs to the king, Shahyal, to whom I owe allegiance. It is part of\nmy duty to keep watch in this paradise for a fixed period. My time\nexpires in the course of a week; after which, I return to the royal\npresence. This mountain, too, is part of Kaf, which forms the\nboundaries of the earth.\u201d\n\nThe fairies hospitably entertained Hatim for four days. On the fifth\nday, the queen advised him to depart, on which he took leave, and once\nmore resumed his journey. In two days after, he found himself in a\nboundless plain beyond the confines of the golden mountain. Forward he\nmarched, night and day; and on the evening of the sixteenth day, he\nreached the yellow shore of the golden sea. The sand on which he trod\nwas of the finest gold; the waves, too, which rose like mountains\ntowards the skies, were deeply tinged with the same color. While Hatim\nsat musing on the beach, he saw, as formerly, a vessel steering\ntowards land; and at length it came close to where he stood. Hatim\nstepped into the boat, where he found a basket filled with delicious\nfood; and as he was very hungry, he ate and refreshed his exhausted\nframe. At the same time his thirst was excessive, and he felt a strong\ninclination for dipping his hand into the sea in order to drink. He\nrecollected, however, the disaster that had previously befallen him,\nwhen his hand was changed into silver; and lest it might this time be\nconverted into gold, he took a goblet, and having filled the same,\ndrank, and steered his bark from land.\n\nFor forty days and nights he sailed onwards without seeing any object\nbut the golden waves and the illumined clouds. At length he reached\nthe shore, and began to traverse the newly discovered regions. Seven\ndays after, he came to a desert of burning sand, hot as the ashes of a\nnewly quenched furnace. He made an effort to advance, but soon found\nhimself unable to stand. He sunk exhausted to the earth; his lips were\nparched of their moisture, and the whole of his body scorched beyond\nendurance. In vain did he apply the muhra of the bear\u2019s daughter; it\nproduced no effect.\n\nIn this condition, Hatim, unable either to remain or return, tossing\nfrom side to side on the fiery sand, was about to bid adieu to life,\nwhen the two mysterious beings that had presented him with the\nprecious stones, stood beside him, and having administered to him a\ndraught of cool and refreshing water, recalled his departing soul.\nWhen Hatim recovered his senses, and saw the two demons before him, he\nsaid, \u201cTo you my debt of gratitude is indeed heavy, for verily your\naid has been opportune.\u201d--\u201cBrave Hatim,\u201d they rejoined, \u201cit is part of\nour duty to direct the stranger on his way. You must, therefore,\nadvance through this desert till you reach the fiery ocean, which you\nmust cross, as you have lately crossed the other seas; and should it\nplease the Great Creator, you will, thereafter, soon arrive in your\nown country. Meanwhile, accept this talisman, and when you feel the\nheat oppressive, take the talisman in your mouth, and the fire shall\nhave no power over you. When arrived on the farther side, cast the\ntalisman into the fiery ocean, and proceed on your journey.\u201d\n\nHatim took the talisman in his mouth, and advanced for three days\namidst the burning sand, when at last the flames so increased that it\nappeared as if the heavens and the earth were mingled in one blaze. He\nstood still for some minutes on the brink of the fiery ocean. Here his\ncourage failed, for he saw not the possibility of surmounting this\nlast barrier. At length a boat was seen to emerge from the flaming\nbillows, but even then Hatim hesitated whether to enter; for, said he,\n\u201cHow can I, with my eyes open, entrust myself to a frail bark on a sea\nof liquid fire?\u201d Again he reflected, \u201cAfter all, this is my only way\nof escape; and if I wish to succeed in my enterprise, I must brave\nthis danger; if it is the will of the Creator to spare my life, he is\nable to protect me in the midst of the flames.\u201d\n\nHatim entered the vessel, which began forthwith to cleave its way\nthrough the flaming waves. Dreadful was his situation; and though the\nfire hurt him not, still he durst not open his eyes from fear of the\nglare of light that surrounded him. Three weeks after the commencement\nof this perilous voyage, he felt his bark tossed round with amazing\nrapidity in the midst of a whirlpool. Hatim now felt assured that his\nlast hour was arrived. He still sat with his eyes closed, recommending\nhis soul to the protection of heaven, when the vessel sunk from\nbeneath him, and he found himself floating swiftly along the current.\nHatim in this helpless state resigned himself to fate. Over his eyes\nwere drawn the curtains of despair, and his head touched the knee of\nanguish. For three days and nights he was thus tossed along the\nbillows of the fiery ocean, till at length the waves cast him almost\nlifeless on solid ground.\n\nHatim ventured to open his eyes, thinking that he was still on the\nsea-shore, but no trace could he see of the flaming billows, nor of\nthe dazzling light that lately enveloped him. He stood up, and threw\naway the talisman given him by the two genii, after which he began to\nexplore the surrounding country. He soon discovered, to his great joy,\nthat he was in his native land of Yemen; and seeing a peasant standing\nbeside a field of corn, he went up to him and said, \u201cTell me, my good\nman, what is the name of this country, and who is its sovereign?\u201d The\npeasant, instead of replying, stood motionless with his eyes fixed on\nthe countenance of him who bore such resemblance to his beloved\nprince. \u201cAre you deaf, my friend?\u201d resumed Hatim, \u201cor are you\nunwilling to answer a plain question?\u201d--\u201cForgive me, noble sir,\u201d said\nthe peasant, \u201cbut you look so like the brave and generous Hatim, that\nthe joy of once more beholding my prince has deprived my tongue of\nutterance.\u201d\n\nHatim, without discovering himself, continued his conversation with\nthe peasant, and said, \u201cWho is this Hatim you speak of, and what do\nyou know of him?\u201d--\u201cHe is,\u201d replied the peasant, \u201cmy true and beloved\nprince; for you must know, stranger, that this is the kingdom of\nYemen, of which Ta\u00ef is sovereign. The heir-apparent to the throne is\nthe noble Hatim, who seven years ago left his paternal domains to\ntravel through strange countries. Once only in that long period hath\nhe gladdened our hearts with tidings of his welfare, by letters\nbrought to his father by the youthful queen Zarinposh.\u201d\n\nHaving thus spoken the peasant was about to depart, when Hatim\naddressed him, saying, \u201cStay, my good subject, I am indeed Hatim, the\nson of Ta\u00ef; and if you wish to do me a favor, go to my father\u2019s hall\nand assure himself and my mother of my welfare, and my unimpaired\naffection towards them. But first of all, tell me where I may quench\nmy thirst, for I am wearied with travelling.\u201d The peasant quickly ran\nto his cottage, and having brought the best food and drink he could\nprocure, presented them to his prince. After Hatim had refreshed\nhimself, he stood for some minutes intently looking towards his\nfather\u2019s capital, which was situated close by. At length he turned,\nand addressing the peasant, who stood at a respectful distance\nawaiting his further commands, said, \u201cGood friend, accept my thanks\nfor your hospitality. Remember my request, and say to my father that\nmy time is pressing, for I am journeying to Shahabad. I trust I shall\nsoon be able to return to my native country, no more to wander.\u201d\n\nShortly after, Hatim arrived safely in the city of Shahabad. When the\npeople of Husn Banu saw him, they conveyed him with the highest\nrespect to the gate of their fair sovereign. Husn Banu, informed of\nHatim\u2019s arrival, hastily threw on her veil, and gave orders for his\nadmission into the palace. After mutual salutations, Husn Banu asked\nof Hatim the account of his long journey, the events of which he\nminutely detailed from beginning to end. After he had finished his\nnarrative, the fair queen said to him, \u201cBrave prince of Yemen, I am\nsatisfied that what you have stated is strictly true; but have you\nnothing to show in confirmation?\u201d Hatim produced the ruby, the\ndiamond, and the emerald which the two genii had permitted him to\nbring from Nida, and presented the same to Husn Banu, saying, \u201cThese\nare ample proofs of what I have related; and I may add, that when my\nright hand was transformed into a mass of silver, and when, on washing\nin the fountain, it was again restored to its original form, my nails\nstill retained the hue of silver, as you now behold. On drinking from\nthe golden sea, four of my teeth were transformed into pure gold, and,\nas you see, still continue so.\u201d\n\nHusn Banu expressed her admiration of Hatim\u2019s bravery and constancy,\nand with her own hands gave him food and drink. Hatim tasted slightly\nof her bounty, and said that he longed to see his friend the Assyrian\nprince. He therefore hastened to the Mihmansera\u00ef[b5.03], where he\nfound Munir. He gave his friend every consolation in his power,\nsaying, \u201cBe of good cheer, for now there are only two questions to\nsolve, and God will grant success.\u201d Three days thus passed, after\nwhich Hatim presented himself before Husn Banu, and said, \u201cTell me,\nfair lady, what is your sixth question?\u201d--\u201cI have a pearl here,\u201d\nreplied Husn Banu, \u201cas large as a duck\u2019s egg: bring another equal to\nit.\u201d Hatim requested to see the pearl; and having got an exact model\nof it made of silver, he deposited the same in his turban. Taking\nleave of Husn Banu and the Assyrian prince Munir, he then set out on\nhis sixth journey.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK VI.\n\n _The journey of Hatim in search of the pearl._\n\nThe narrators of past events have informed us that Hatim, after\nleaving Shahabad on his sixth adventure, came to a certain desert,\nacross which he bent his course. After he had walked two farasangs, he\ncame to a solitary tree, at the foot of which was a rude seat formed\nof stone. As the evening was approaching, he there sat down; and\nhaving passed some time in reflection with his head stooping towards\nhis knee, the mantle of night began to overspread the world. In the\nmeantime a brace of fowls, dazzling in all the splendor of the seven\ncolors, came and perched upon the tree above him. Those birds were of\nthe species called Natika (having the power of speech), which frequent\nthe shores of the sea of Kahrm\u0101n; and by special providence they\nrested on that tree for the night.\n\nThe female bird said to the male, \u201cI like not the air of these regions\nin which we have halted, and I wish we were safe in our own\ncountry.\u201d--\u201cI agree with you,\u201d said the male; \u201cand though it was my\nintention to stay here for some days, yet, as you dislike the place,\nwe will depart early in the morning.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d said the female, \u201cI\nonly hope you will abide by your resolution, and that to-morrow\u2019s sun\nwill shine upon us far hence.\u201d--\u201cWhy all this anxiety?\u201d rejoined the\nmale; \u201cyou know well that I speak nothing but the truth.\u201d\n\nA short time after, the female natika again broke silence, saying,\n\u201cTell me, my dear mate, who is this wanderer from the haunts of men\nwho is seated on the stones below, with his head sunk in the lap of\nreflection, and his brow stamped with the seal of sorrow?\u201d--\u201cHe is the\nbest of men,\u201d replied the male, \u201cand his anxiety is occasioned because\nhe knows not whither to direct his course in quest of a pearl of the\nsize of a Murghab\u2019s[b6.01] egg. Now Murghab is also the name of the\nplace where these pearls are to be found. But to proceed: this man is\nHatim Ta\u00ef, the noble and generous prince of Yemen. He is now\nwandering in search of this pearl, not for his own sake, but in order\nto serve another person. He has left his princely home, and his fond\nparents, in order to promote the happiness of his fellow-creatures.\u201d\n\n\u201cBut,\u201d rejoined the female, \u201cinexperienced as Hatim is, how can he\never find the pearl in question?\u201d--\u201cI shall direct him,\u201d replied the\nmale, \u201cif it is your wish, though it may not be altogether for our\nwelfare.\u201d--\u201cNothing is more noble,\u201d said the female, \u201cthan to do good\nto others, and assuredly we shall ourselves reap the benefit thereof\nin the end.\u201d--\u201cListen to me then, my dear consort,\u201d said the male\nnatika, \u201cand you shall hear how this rare pearl of the Murghab is to\nbe procured. You are aware that our species have lived since the\ncreation of the world on the shores of the sea of Kahrman, and only\nonce in thirty years our females laid an egg of this kind. But for\nsome time past our race has been deprived of the virtue of producing\nthese pearls, and those that have been formerly produced are sunk to\nan unfathomable depth in the sea. Of these pearls two only are above\nground, and these originally fell into the hands of Chamchan, the king\nof Kahrman. He again gave one of them as a rare present to Shamsh\u00e2n,\na neighboring prince of great wealth and splendor in his time.\nShamsh\u00e2n died without issue; and his splendid capital was soon after\nreduced to a lifeless desert, while his wealth passed into the hands\nof strangers, and the pearl, after many changes of owner, is now in\nthe possession of Husn Banu, the daughter of Burzakh the merchant.\n\n\u201cAs to the other pearl, it happened that Chamchan, the king of\nKahrman, died in early life, and another took possession of his crown.\nWithout any warning the widowed queen was forced to fly for her life,\nand the pearl of the Murghab was the only part of her property which\nshe had time to secure. With this rare treasure she left her palace,\nand fled through the desert till she reached the sea of Kahrman. There\nshe sat down exhausted, not knowing whither to proceed, till a\nmerchant with his ship approached in order to take in fresh water.\nWhen the queen saw the vessel she cried aloud for assistance, and the\nmerchant himself came to her in a boat, and conveyed her on board.\n\n\u201cThe merchant, whose name was Simbar, was a benevolent man, who had\nseen much of the world. He treated the queen with the utmost kindness;\nand on hearing the cause of her distress, he adopted her as his\ndaughter, and conveyed her to his own country. A beautiful son was\nborn to the happy couple during the next year. As Simbar had no\nchildren of his own, he appointed this child sole heir of his wealth.\nMeanwhile, the child grew up endowed with princely virtues, and by the\ntime he came to manhood his generous patron Simbar died.\n\n\u201cShortly after, the young prince was appointed chief of that province;\nand as he was a youth of superior discernment, and had abundance of\nwealth at command, he soon raised himself to be king of that country\nand the adjacent islands. After his death, his descendants reigned\nthere for many a generation, till the auspicious era of Sulaiman of\nIram (on whom be peace), who reduced into their possession the whole\nextent of the Koh-i-K\u0101f and the coast of the sea of Kulzum. Since the\nreign of the prophet Sulaiman, the race has reigned in those regions,\nbut then their intercourse ceased with the inhabitants of the earth.\nThey no longer form a part of the human race, nor dareth a son of Adam\nvisit their dominions.\n\n\u201cIn the course of time the pearl came into the hands of a fairy, in\nthe possession of whose son it now is. His name is Mahy\u0101r Sulaimani,\nand his father was of the race of Adam, so that he partakes of the\ntwofold nature of man and fairy. He reigns in the island of\nBarzakh[b6.02], and is on friendly terms with the demons, whose\nterritories are contiguous to his kingdom; for he knows the powerful\nspell of Sulaiman, and no demon dares injure him.\n\n\u201cMahyar Sulaimani has an only daughter, now seven years old, and\nwhosoever shall be able to tell the history of the pearl, is to have\nthe daughter in marriage, with the pearl for her dowry. He is a man of\nprofound knowledge, having in his possession the books of his\nprogenitor the great Sulaiman. In these books are many rare secrets;\namong others, the method of procuring the pearl of the Murghab, should\nthe one which he has be lost. Since the reign of Sulaiman (on whom be\npeace), our race has not produced a single pearl, nor is it lawful for\nus to tell what I have now stated to you, a secret known to Mahyar\nalone. But to this generous youth, who has been for years exerting\nhimself in the cause of his fellow-creatures, it is proper that I\nshould disclose this much of the subject that now occupies his\nthought.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this the female said, \u201cHow is Hatim to find his way to the\nsea of Kahrman? For the coast is infested by the demons who inhabit\nthose regions, and the perils which await him are insuperable.\u201d--\u201cHis\nsafety,\u201d replied the male, \u201cdepends on heaven alone; for if his days\nare not yet at an end, he may encounter every danger, and return in\nsafety. Meanwhile he must proceed to the south, and it will be\nnecessary that he take with him several of our feathers. When he\narrives at the confines of the mountain Kaf, he will see before him a\nwide desert, and ere he enter that wilderness, he must use the\nfollowing precaution: let him burn the green feathers and strew the\nashes in water, with which he must wash his whole body. This will have\nso strong a scent that no wild beast of the desert can come near him.\nMoreover, his appearance will be altogether that of a demon; his color\nwill be black as night, and his hands and feet will assume an\nunnatural size, and he will be able to speak the language of the\ndemons.\n\n\u201cAfter he shall have passed through the wilderness, and arrived at the\nisland of Barzakh, he must burn the white feathers, and having mingled\nthe ashes with water as before, wash his body with the same. He will\nthen resume his original shape. When he enters the dominions of Mahyar\nSulaimani, the fairies of those realms will seize him, and take him\nbefore their monarch. Then let Hatim boldly state the object of his\njourney; when the king, as a matter of course, will ask of him to give\nan account of the pearl, whereupon he shall have both the pearl and\nthe daughter. Then let Hatim tell all that I have stated, and Mahyar\nbeing of most honorable conduct and of strict integrity, will\nassuredly give him his daughter and the pearl.\u201d\n\nHaving thus spoken, the male natika flapped his wings, when a shower\nof feathers fell around Hatim, who immediately arose and carefully\ncollected them. When the female bird saw this, she said to her\npartner, \u201cHe gathers the feathers as if he had understood what you\nsaid; how do you know that Hatim is destined for such important\nservices, and how have you recollected all the circumstances of the\npearls?\u201d--\u201cThe whole history of the two pearls,\u201d replied the male,\n\u201chas been preserved by our race from one generation to another; but\nyou females attend not to such grave subjects, nor are you good for\nanything but talking. The time will come, too, when our race shall be\nextinct, with the exception of a solitary bird, which is destined to\nperish only with the world. But these days are still remote; and at\npresent let us enjoy the bounty of Providence, of which we have a\ngreater share than any animal except man. We, like him, are endowed\nwith the faculty of speech, and the ordinary term of our life is\nlonger than his; even we two are destined to live together in this\nworld for the next hundred years.\u201d\n\nBy this time the portals of the dawn flew open in the east, and the\ntwo birds took their flight from the tree. Hatim at the same time\narose, and began his journey towards the south. One night, as he lay\ndown to repose underneath a tree, he heard the cry of some animal in\npain, exclaiming, \u201cAlas! is there no creature at hand who will, for\nthe sake of God, assist me?\u201d Hatim, ever ready to aid the distressed,\narose and ran towards the spot whence the sound issued. There he saw a\nfemale fox stretched on the ground, beating her head upon the stones.\n\u201cTell me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwho has caused thy sorrow?\u201d--\u201cA huntsman,\u201d\nreplied the fox, \u201chas caught in his snares both my husband and\nchildren, and has carried them off to be murdered. This heartrending\nseparation is the cause of my grief.\u201d--\u201cKnowest thou where the\nhuntsman resides?\u201d asked Hatim. \u201cHis house,\u201d she replied, \u201cis distant\nfrom hence two farasangs.\u201d--\u201cShow me the way thither,\u201d said Hatim,\n\u201cand I will endeavor to save thy kindred.\u201d\n\nThe fox hesitated, and said, \u201cO man, how can I trust thee? Art thou\nnot one of the bloodthirsty race of him that has torn my heart\nasunder, and will it not be thy delight to lead me also into the\nsnare? Truly my fate would be like that of the monkey, whose mishap\nhas become a proverb.\u201d--\u201cTell me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhat happened to the\nmonkey?\u201d The fox began as follows: \u201cOnce upon a time a monkey with his\nmate took up their abode in a sequestered spot in the desert of\nD\u0101maghan, where they soon had a family. A huntsman happened to pass\nthat way, and succeeded in catching all the monkeys except the mother,\nwho effected her escape. Meanwhile the huntsman conveyed the male with\nthe young ones to a nobleman\u2019s house, where he disposed of them for a\nhigh price, while the poor mother wandered through the desert in the\nagonies of despair. Regardless of her life, she at last ventured among\nthe haunts of men, and going to the chief of the province, stated the\ncause of her woe and implored redress, saying, \u2018Noble sir, as you hope\nfor mercy from God, have pity on my sorrows. A huntsman belonging to\nthis place has cruelly deprived me of my husband and family.\u2019\n\n\u201cNow it happened that the chief was the very man to whom the huntsman\nhad sold the monkeys, though he was not then aware of it. He,\ntherefore, said to the monkey, \u2018Go, conduct my attendants to that\nhuntsman\u2019s house, and bring the parties concerned to my presence.\u2019 The\nfemale monkey accordingly led the way to the house of the huntsman,\nwho instantly obeyed the order of the chief. When they returned, the\nchief said, \u2018Is it true, huntsman, that you have deprived this poor\nmonkey of her partner and young ones; and if so, what have you done\nwith them?\u2019\n\n\u201c\u2018It is most true, noble sir,\u2019 replied he, \u2018and the very day I caught\nthem I sold them all to your Highness. If, however, you are disposed\nto pity her distress, and restore to her those that are so dear to\nher, I am most willing to return to your Highness the price that was\npaid for them.\u2019 On hearing this the chief said, in reply to the\nhuntsman, \u2018What you propose seems very fair; yet I do not conceive it\nto be the best plan. Now that I have considered the matter seriously,\nI think the best thing we can do is to detain the female in the same\ncage with her kindred, for I would not give away for any money the\nmonkeys you sold to me.\u2019\n\n\u201cBut the miseries of the monkey did not cease here. After being for\nsome time confined in the same cage with her young, the prince of\nDamaghan having heard that the chief had some young monkeys, expressed\nhis wish to have them in his palace. Thus the hapless monkey was\ndoomed to suffer another separation from her young, while her own\nliberty was lost at the same time. The male had previously died, and\nnow being left solitary, she rejected food and drink, and in a few\ndays escaped from sorrow by death.\u201d\n\nWhen the fox had finished the story of the monkey, she said to Hatim,\n\u201cIn like manner, it is natural for me to suppose that you will involve\nme in greater misery.\u201d--\u201cFear not,\u201d said Hatim; \u201call men are not so\ntreacherous as those you have mentioned.\u201d At length the fox led the\nway in the dark, while Hatim followed to the huntsman\u2019s house, where\nthey arrived about the third watch[b6.03] of the night. He there\nreposed beneath a tree till the approach of day, while the fox\nconcealed herself in the adjacent forest. When the sun arose, Hatim\nwent to the huntsman\u2019s door, knocked, and requested to be admitted.\nThe huntsman opened the door, and was surprised on seeing a handsome\nstranger of noble and ingenuous countenance standing before him. \u201cTell\nme,\u201d said he, \u201csir, who and whence are you? I see you are a stranger;\npray what is your business with me?\u201d--\u201cWorthy sir,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI\nam by birth an Arab; and the cause of my troubling you so early is\nthis: I am afflicted with a pain through all my joints; and the\nphysician has advised me to wash my body all over with the warm blood\nof a fox, whereby my recovery will be complete. Now I have been\ninformed that you have some live foxes, which you lately caught when\nhunting. I pray you, then, let me have them all, and I will pay you\nany price you may name for them.\u201d--\u201cTruly, sir,\u201d replied the huntsman,\n\u201cI am glad that I can supply you with foxes; for here have I not fewer\nthan seven of them, the old one and six cubs, all alive; take them,\nthen, at your own price, and I wish you joy of your purchase.\u201d\n\nThe huntsman produced the foxes, the male tied by the four feet, and\nthe cubs enclosed in a basket; and Hatim having paid him a price\nbeyond his expectation, returned to the desert. There he opened the\nbasket, and let out the cubs; but when he loosened the strings that\ntied the old fox, he found that the wretched animal had not the power\nof moving. In fact, it had been strongly fettered by the huntsman, and\nconfined all the time without food or drink, so that the spark of life\nhad almost become extinct. Hatim was about to leave the fox to his\nfate, saying, \u201cThy life is at an end, God\u2019s will be done,\u201d when the\nfemale approached him, and said, \u201cGenerous Hatim, there is yet one\nremedy that will restore him to life.\u201d--\u201cName it,\u201d replied Hatim,\n\u201cand, if possible, I will procure it.\u201d--\u201cA cupful of human blood,\u201d\nrejoined the fox, \u201cwarm and newly drawn, will be the means of his\ncomplete recovery.\u201d On hearing this, Hatim instantly opened a vein in\nhis left arm; and having drawn a cupful of his own blood, he\nadministered the same to the perishing fox, whereby a perfect cure\nensued. He then tied up his wound, while the animals prostrated\nthemselves at his feet in gratitude for his beneficence.\n\nHatim then resumed his southward journey, and a few days after arrived\nin a barren desert of burning sand. As he wandered in quest of water\nbeneath the scorching rays of a vertical sun, his eye was refreshed\nwith the sight of a verdant spot which indicated the presence of a\nfountain. Thither he dragged his weary steps, till his eye could see\nthe gushing spring, when a huge serpent began to uncoil itself from\nthe brink. Hatim stood aghast, for he expected to be swallowed alive;\nbut the serpent, far from assailing him, said in a soft voice, \u201cBrave\nprince of Yemen, advance and drink; why do you hesitate?\u201d Hatim was\nthe more astonished on hearing the words of the serpent, and for some\ntime stood still. Again the serpent said to him, \u201cFear nothing; the\nwater of this fountain is free for your use; drink, and follow me.\u201d\n\nHatim at length ventured to quench his thirst in the fountain, and\nresigning himself to his fate, followed the path of the serpent across\nthe desert. In a short time they came to a beautiful garden, in the\ncentre of which was a shady grove lined with splendid couches and\ncushions. The serpent conducted Hatim to this cool and pleasant\nretreat, and said to him, \u201cNoble Arab, sit down on this couch, and\nsecure from danger rest awhile from your fatigue.\u201d Having thus spoken,\nthe serpent plunged into a pond of water that ornamented the garden.\n\nHatim, fatigued with his late journey, sat down on one of the couches,\nmarvelling much at what had happened. After he had remained here a\nshort time, admiring the beauty of the scene, a troop of fairies,\nbeautiful as angels, each bearing a golden tray filled with emeralds,\nissued from the lake, made their obeisance, and stood waiting his\ncommands. \u201cWho are you,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cand what is your business with\nme?\u201d--\u201cWe are,\u201d replied they, \u201cthe faithful subjects of him who\nconducted you hither. He sends you these jewels as a present, and\nrequests that you will do him the favor to accept them.\u201d--\u201cConvey my\nthanks to him who sent these jewels,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand say that I\ndesire them not; and even if I did, I am alone, and cannot carry them\naway with me.\u201d\n\nHatim had scarcely done speaking, when another troop of fairies,\nbearing trays filled with still more costly jewels, ascended from the\nwater. \u201cWho are you,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cand what do you bring in these\ntrays?\u201d--\u201cThey are jewels,\u201d replied they, \u201cthe most precious that can\nbe procured, which our sovereign hath sent for your acceptance.\u201d--\u201cI\nam beholden to your sovereign,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cbut gold and jewels are\nat present of no use to me.\u201d Meanwhile another troop emerged from the\nlake, carrying trays of gold and silver filled with all sorts of food\nand fruits. As Hatim had fasted long, the sight of food made his heart\nrejoice; but he would not eat of it till he asked for the hospitable\nsovereign of the place, that he might have the pleasure of breaking\nhis fast with him, and thanking him in person. Ere he had done\nspeaking, a young man of beautiful countenance, attended by a troop of\nfairies, ascended from the crystal lake. When Hatim saw his noble\nform, he wondered within himself who this could be, and by what\nmystery they issued from the water. The fairy king approached Hatim;\nand after mutual salutation, they both sat down on the same couch. His\nMajesty then addressed Hatim, saying, \u201cTell me, noble Hatim, do you\nrecognize me, for this is not our first meeting?\u201d--\u201cTruly,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201cI cannot now recollect of having ever seen you before.\u201d--\u201cI\nam,\u201d resumed the king, \u201cthe serpent that conducted you hither from the\nfountain in the desert.\u201d--\u201cHow,\u201d said Hatim, \u201chave you so suddenly\npassed from a shape so horrible to a form so beautiful?\u201d--\u201cThe tale is\nlong,\u201d replied the king, \u201cand therefore I shall waive the telling of\nit till we have broken our fast.\u201d\n\nAfter they had taken food together, they washed their hands from ewers\nof gold, and the attendants presented them with fragrant perfumes\nwhich they applied to their hands. Hatim then addressing his royal\nhost, said, \u201cI long to hear, sir, by what strange mystery I have\nlately seen you in the form of a serpent and behold you now in human\nshape.\u201d The fairy king, smiling, replied, \u201cNoble Hatim, know that I am\nof the fairy race; and that my name was Shams Shah previous to my\ntransformation into a serpent. In the reign of Sulaiman the prophet\n(on whom be peace), I was one day seated in my garden in the fairy\nregions, when thoughts the most diabolical entered my mind. I viewed\nwith impatience the submission of our race to the powerful Sulaiman; I\ntherefore resolved to collect my troops from all parts of my\ndominions, and next day descend upon earth and slay the whole race of\nAdam. This done, it was my intention to occupy for myself and subjects\nthe terrestrial globe, of which I should become sole monarch.\n\n\u201cHaving formed this resolution, I despatched winged couriers to the\nutmost bounds of my realms, summoning the choicest of my warriors to\nprepare for a dangerous expedition, and to be at the palace gate\ncompletely armed before the dawn of the morrow. When evening came, I\nwent to sleep as usual; and next morning, when I awoke, I went out to\nview my troops. They had repaired to the place of rendezvous, armed as\nI had ordered; but, to my astonishment, I beheld that their wings had\nbeen taken from them. Instantly I myself was transformed into a\nserpent, and from that period I was doomed to creep the earth, the\nterror of every creature that beheld me. Days and nights I spent in\nprayer and supplication, but all of no avail; the voice of some\ninvisible being used to sound in my ears, \u2018_Such shall ever be the\nfate of him who violates his promise._\u2019 This awful voice made me\ntremble in the consciousness of my guilt; and I made vows and prayers\nto the Most High that I should never more let such thoughts enter my\nmind. The voice at length answered, \u2018_Thy doom is fixed; wait with\npatience in the desert till the arrival there of Hatim, prince of\nYemen. When he comes, remember that thou administer to his wants, and\nserve him with thy whole heart and soul; then shalt thou be restored\nto thy original form, and whatsoever prayers he may offer up in thy\nbehalf before the throne of the Supreme Creator, they shall be\nanswered._\u2019\n\n\u201cSince the time of Sulaiman I have been doomed to pass my life under\nthe loathsome form of a serpent; and it is now thirty years since I\nremoved to this desert, watching night and day for your arrival.\nTo-day, the moment I saw you, I knew you to be the far-famed prince of\nYemen; and now may I request your prayers in my behalf?\u201d--\u201cMost\nwillingly,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cbut first tell me, what was the nature of\nthe promise which you have violated?\u201d--\u201cIn the reign of Sulaiman,\u201d\nreplied the fairy king, \u201cmy grandfather entered into a solemn compact\nwith that mighty monarch, that none of our race should ever injure any\nof the race of Adam, or on any pretext invade the dominions of the\nlatter, on pain of having our forms changed to that of the brute\nspecies. From that day till my reign, when, as I have said, the evil\nspirit entered my heart, this agreement was strictly observed on our\npart. Now, brave Hatim, I am ready to do what penance you as the\nrepresentative of your race may ordain; and I humbly supplicate your\nprayers in my behalf.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, Hatim devoutly rose up, and having performed his\nablutions and changed his garments, bowed down his head upon the\nprayer-carpet, with his face turned to the sacred Kibla[b6.04], and\nprayed for the divine mercy upon him whom heaven had deemed proper to\nchastise.\n\nWhen Hatim had offered up his prayers, the king and his subjects were\nrestored to their original form. After the fairies had expressed their\ngratitude to Hatim, the king said to him, \u201cProvidence had long\nforeordained that you should visit our distressed race; but may I ask\nwhat has been the object of your toilsome journey hither, and to what\nplace you are bound?\u201d--\u201cThe object of my journey,\u201d replied he, \u201cis to\nvisit the island of Barzakh, where I expect to procure a pearl similar\nto this model\u201d; whereupon he showed the fairy king the model he had in\nsilver of Husn Banu\u2019s pearl. Shams Shah viewed it for some time, and\nsaid to Hatim, \u201cThe prince of Barzakh has indeed a pearl exactly of\nthis size, but it is to be got from him only on one condition: he who\ncan tell the history of the pearl, shall have both the pearl and the\ndaughter. But how will you be able to reach that island? The distance\nis great, and the route dangerous.\u201d--\u201cI am prepared for the worst,\u201d\nreplied Hatim; \u201ctherefore let fate take its course.\u201d--\u201cYou cannot\nescape with life,\u201d said Shams Shah, \u201cfor the road is infested with\nmen-devouring demons.\u201d--\u201cGod,\u201d rejoined Hatim, \u201cwill be my\nprotector.\u201d--\u201cTrue,\u201d said the fairy king, \u201cbut to ensure your safety,\nsome of the boldest of my subjects shall go with you as guides.\u201d The\nking having thus spoken, addressed those around him, and said, \u201cGood\nfriends, you are aware that to this generous man we owe our release\nfrom the bondage in which we have lately been. Now he has an arduous\njourney to perform; his business is important, and the road full of\ndanger. I call upon the bravest of you, as you love your king, to\naccompany this noble prince and be his protectors on the way.\u201d The\nfairies volunteered their services, saying, \u201cSire, tell us the nature\nof the difficulties which this prince has to encounter, and we will\nendeavor with our whole heart and soul to enable him to overcome\nthem.\u201d\n\nThe fairy king minutely detailed the object of Hatim\u2019s journey; on the\nhearing of which, the fairies were staggered in their resolution, and\nsaid, \u201cThe journey to the island of Barzakh is truly dangerous; but if\nyour Majesty in person deign to accompany us thither, so that we may\nhave an experienced leader in case of a war with the demons, we are\nready to go this moment; otherwise, we pray to be excused.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d\nsaid the king, \u201cit is but right that I should do all that is in my\npower to serve the prince of Yemen. Therefore, I will follow you at a\ndistance, so that he may come by no harm on the road.\u201d The king made\ninstant preparation, girded on his armor, and ordered four of his\npeople to place Hatim on a golden litter and carry him on their\nshoulders. The order was speedily executed, and four fairies swift of\nwing seizing each a foot of the couch, soared aloft with their burden\ninto the aerial regions. Three days and nights they traversed the air,\nwhen they found it necessary to alight in order to procure for their\ncharge food and drink. The place where they halted was within the\nterritory of the demons, a circumstance of which they were not aware.\nTwo of the fairies went in quest of food while the other two remained\nto guard Hatim. It happened that a troop of demons on a hunting\nexcursion passed the spot, and on seeing the golden couch on which one\nof Adam\u2019s race reclined, with two fairies standing by, they without\nceremony took possession of the prize. The demons were so numerous,\nand their arrival so sudden, that the two fairies stood panic-struck,\nwithout offering the least resistance. Their first effort was to fly\naway; but despair supplied them with courage, and the next moment they\nmade a desperate assault upon their enemies, of whom they slew\nnumbers. At last, however, the demons won the battle, and the two\nfairies along with Hatim were made prisoners, and conveyed to the\ndwelling of the demon chief. There the fairies were first questioned,\n\u201cWho is this man, and whence have you brought him?\u201d--\u201cThis is Hatim,\nprince of Yemen,\u201d they replied, \u201cto whom we and our gracious monarch\nShams Shah owe our restoration to life. Oh, chief of the demons, spare\nour lives for the sake of this brave man; and woe be to you should\naught evil befall him.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this, the demon said to them, \u201cWhat is this I hear? Shams\nShah has not been heard of for many centuries: how dare you say, then,\nthat he is now alive?\u201d The fairies detailed all the facts connected\nwith their king; on the hearing of which the demon maintained a long\nsilence, meditating what course to adopt. At last he formed his\nresolution, and said to those near him, \u201cTake the man and the two\nfairies to the deepest of our dungeons; there secure them till\nto-morrow, when we shall devour them.\u201d The sentence was speedily\nexecuted, and Hatim with his two companions were cast into a dark and\nloathsome pit.\n\nMeanwhile the two fairies who had gone in search of food, on returning\nto the spot where they had left Hatim, were astonished at seeing the\nground covered with blood, and strewed with the carcases of demons.\nThey looked everywhere for their charge and their friends, but no\ntrace of either could they find. They said the one to the other, \u201cOf\nwhat race are these demons, and how came they to be slain here? But\nabove all, what is become of Hatim and our companions? I fear they\nhave been attacked and overpowered by the demons that infest these\nregions. Let us ascertain the fact and give intelligence of it to our\nking.\u201d Having formed this resolution, the two fairies approached the\nspot, expecting to find the dead bodies of their companions. In the\ncourse of their search, they found one of the demons grievously\nwounded, but not dead. They gave him water to drink, and bound up his\nwounds, so that in a short time he recovered.\n\nThe fairies questioned him, saying, \u201cWho are you, and to what tribe do\nyou belong?\u201d He replied, \u201cI am of that race of demons whose chief is\nMukarnas; a party of us were hunting to-day in this neighborhood, when\nwe chanced to surprise two fairies and a man, with whom we had a\nbattle in which I received these wounds. The demons conquered, and by\nthis time they are feasting on the blood of their foes.\u201d The fairies,\non hearing this, bore off the demon to their own country and presented\nthemselves breathless before Shams Shah. The king said to them, \u201cHow\nis this? Did I not send you to Barzakh in charge of the prince of\nYemen? How dare you, then, show your faces here?\u201d\n\nThe fairies trembling, replied, \u201cGracious sire, three days and nights\nwe sped towards Barzakh; but at length hunger and thirst assailed both\nus and the prince. We then placed the litter in the shade of a tree,\nand two of us went in quest of food, while the other two remained to\nprotect Hatim. When we returned, we found the spot covered with the\ncarcases of demons, and from one of the wounded we learned the news of\nthe capture of the prince and our two companions. Had we known the\ndangers of the place, we should not have halted there; but God had\ndecreed otherwise. On questioning the wounded demon, he informed us\nthat the country belonged to Mukarnas, to whose presence the prince of\nYemen and the two fairies were conveyed.\u201d\n\nShams Shah being highly grieved, ordered them to produce the wounded\ndemon, whom he thus addressed, \u201cHow dares your chief Mukarnas lay\nviolent hands on my subjects? Truly he has forgotten himself; but he\nshall feel my resentment.\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d said the demon, \u201cmy chief had\nheard for certain that you had been dead for many centuries; and\nthough both the two fairies and the man informed him of the contrary,\nthe tale was so extravagant that he could not believe it.\u201d Shams Shah\nturned to his officers, and said, \u201cPrepare the whole of my army for an\ninstant expedition.\u201d\n\nThe order was at once obeyed, and thirty thousand of the choicest\ntroops stood armed and ready at his gate. The king put himself at\ntheir head, and swift as the lightning they winged their way through\nthe air. In three days they reached the territories of Mukarnas. There\nthey halted, and the king despatched scouts to procure intelligence of\nthe enemy\u2019s quarters. \u201cBe wary,\u201d he said, \u201cand quickly bring me word\nwhere the demon chief holds his court, and in what he is engaged.\u201d\n\nThe scouts soon returned, and reported that Mukarnas, accompanied by\nhis demons, was out hunting; and that they knew the very spot where he\nwas. Shams Shah then addressed his troops, and made them swear by the\nseal of Sulaiman that they would fiercely assail the demons and that\nthey would slay them without mercy. The fairies one and all took the\nsolemn oath. So, receiving the signal from their king, they started,\nsurprised the demons, slew the greater part of them, and made\nprisoners of Mukarnas and such of his subjects as survived. Shams Shah\ngave orders for their immediate execution; but he first sent for\nMukarnas into his presence, and said to him, \u201cAccursed fiend, hast\nthou forgotten me? Hast thou not been well informed that I was alive?\nThou hast treated with violence and oppression both my own subjects\nand a man who is under my protection; dost thou not tremble at the\nthoughts of my revenge? Tell me this instant, what hast thou done with\nthe prince of Yemen and his guides?\u201d--\u201cI, along with my friends,\nfeasted on their carcases,\u201d replied he, \u201cthe moment they were brought\nbefore me.\u201d--\u201cFalse demon,\u201d rejoined the king; \u201cdid not your ancestors\nswear before the mighty Sulaiman, that neither they nor their\nposterity would ever injure one of the human race?\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d said the\ndemon, \u201cwhere is the powerful Sulaiman now, and when did I bow to him\nin servitude?\u201d\n\nShams Shah said no more, but ordered them to pile together a quantity\nof dried wood, and when kindled to its height, hurl the demon into the\nflames. When the fiend saw that there was no escape, he said to the\nfairy king, \u201cWill you give me my life, if I produce the man you\nmentioned?\u201d--\u201cIf you bring me the man safe,\u201d replied he, \u201cthere shall\nbe no enmity between us.\u201d The demon made the fairy king swear to this\nby the soul of Sulaiman, and then said, \u201cSend some of your attendants\nto my dungeon, where they will find both the man and his companions\nstill alive.\u201d The fairies accordingly went and broke open the dungeon,\nreleased Hatim and his guides, and conveyed them before the king.\n\nShams Shah was overjoyed in once more meeting with Hatim. They sat\ndown together and ate food; after which, the fairy king said to his\nattendants, \u201cIt would be a crime to spare the life of such a monster\nas this demon, therefore cast him instantly into the fire.\u201d--\u201cHow,\u201d\nsaid the demon, darest thou violate thy most sacred oath?\u201d--\u201cWhat hast\nthou to do with oaths?\u201d returned Shams Shah. \u201cThy whole life has been\na lie; and who can blame me, if for the welfare of my\nfellow-creatures, I disregard my promise to you?\u201d In short, the fairy\nking destroyed the whole race of demons in that region, and appointed\none of his own officers ruler of the conquered territory. He then\naddressed himself to Hatim, and said, \u201cMy dearest friend, what do you\nnow intend to do?\u201d--\u201cI hold the same resolution,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cas\nwhen I formerly left you.\u201d The king hearing this, selected from among\nhis troops four fairies of long experience, endowed with superior\nskill and bravery, and commanded them to convey Hatim to the end of\nhis journey. These seized each a foot of the golden couch whereupon\nHatim was seated, and soared aloft towards the sky. Night and day they\ncontinued their course; and when hunger or thirst assailed them, they\ntook care to select a safe place where to halt. One day they were\nresting upon the summit of a mountain, where a fairy prince most\nbeautiful of countenance had taken up his abode. This was the prince\nof the island of T\u016bm\u0101n, who had fallen desperately in love with the\ndaughter of the king of Barzakh. He had sought for that solitary spot\nto give way to his sorrow and anguish. The voice of his lamentation\nreached the ear of Hatim, who said to his guides, \u201cMy dear friends,\nthere is some one near us who feels the pangs of sorrow; let us see\nwhat is the cause of his grief.\u201d He started from his couch, and\nfollowing the direction of the sound came to the enamoured prince. He\nsaid to him, \u201cTell me, my friend, who are you; and why do you make the\nrocks echo the sound of your lamentation?\n\nThe fairy prince raised his eyes, and saw beside him a man of noble\nform and pleasant aspect. He said to him, \u201cTell me first, son of Adam,\nwho are you, and what is your business here?\u201d--\u201cIt has been the will\nof God the Supreme,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthat I should visit this\nspot.\u201d--\u201cBut tell me,\u201d said the fairy, \u201cwhat is the object of your\njourney hither?\u201d--\u201cI have travelled thus far,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cin\nquest of the pearl of the murghab, which I am informed is in the\npossession of the prince of Barzakh. He puts a question to every\ncandidate for the pearl, which no one has yet answered.\u201d--\u201cYou say\nright,\u201d said the fairy prince, \u201cand even we who are of the fairy race\nare unable to tell the history of the pearl; how then do you, a mere\nmortal, imagine that you will succeed?\u201d--\u201cFor my own part,\u201d replied\nHatim, \u201cmy trust is in God; but tell me in the meantime what is the\ncause of your sorrow, and why have you chosen for your dwelling this\nsolitary mountain?\u201d The fairy prince replied, \u201cAlas! I am enamoured of\nthe beautiful daughter of Mahyar, the prince of the island of Barzakh.\nOne day in my father\u2019s court I heard my friends speak in the highest\nterms of the beauty and excellence of this peerless damsel, whereby I\nlost the reins of my heart. I straightway went to the palace of\nMahyar, and informed him by message of my wish to marry his daughter.\nHe admitted me to an audience; and having produced the pearl of the\nmurghab, he asked me if I could tell the history of it. As I was quite\nunprepared for such a question, and utterly ignorant of the nature of\nthe pearl, I could of course give no reply. I was then ordered to quit\nthe court; and as I was coming out at the door, I happened to see the\nlady standing in the balcony of her window. The moment I beheld her my\nheart was pierced, and I became like one mad. In the agonies of\ndespair I fled to this mountain, where I spend my nights and days in\nlamentation and sighs. I long for death to relieve me of my sorrow,\nsince the idol of my heart can never be mine.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim heard the prince\u2019s history, he said to him, \u201cDespair not,\nmy friend, for I expect to succeed; and if I gain the prize, the\ndaughter shall be yours and the pearl mine.\u201d--\u201cYour proposal is\ngenerous,\u201d replied the fairy prince, \u201cbut excuse me if I say, that I\ndoubt your success.\u201d--\u201cListen,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cand I will tell you the\nnature of this pearl, which not only resembles, but is the egg of a\nmurghab. The island of Barzakh was originally inhabited by the human\nspecies--but the tale is long, and it would be better that you once\nmore approach the court of Mahyar along with me.\u201d The fairy prince\naccordingly rose up; and having thanked Hatim for his good intentions,\naccompanied him to the litter. There they both sat; and Hatim said to\nhis guides, \u201cWill you be able to carry us two to the island of\nBarzakh?\u201d--\u201cYea,\u201d replied they, \u201cwe could carry four of you with the\nutmost ease.\u201d Without further delay, the fairies lifted the chair and\nsoared towards the clouds.\n\nIt happened that they had to pass over the territory of a demon\nprince, whose name was Muhaikal, who, having scented them from afar,\nsaid to his satellites, \u201cI know that some of the fairy race are within\nmy dominions; seize them instantly and bring them to my presence.\u201d The\ndemons immediately were on the wing; and after four days of close\npursuit, they overtook the fairies with the golden litter on which\nwere Hatim and his friend, and brought them all to the presence of\ntheir prince. \u201cTell me,\u201d said he to the fairies, \u201cwho are you, and\nwhence have you brought this man?\u201d--\u201cWe are the subjects of Shams\nShah,\u201d replied the fairies. \u201cImpossible,\u201d rejoined the demon, \u201cit is\nmore than a thousand years since Shams Shah has been heard of, and the\nvery place of his abode is overrun with serpents.\u201d--\u201cTrue,\u201d replied\nthe fairies, \u201cwe had been transformed into serpents; but by the\nprayers of this worthy man we have been restored to our original\nshape.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d resumed the demon, \u201ctell me where you intend to carry\nthis man.\u201d--\u201cTo the island of Barzakh,\u201d they replied. \u201cAnd who is the\nother companion?\u201d asked the demon. The fairy prince himself replied,\n\u201cI hope I am not unknown to Muhaikal, to whom my family is distantly\nrelated.\u201d--\u201cTruly, I am much surprised, young prince,\u201d said the demon,\n\u201cto find you associate with any of the race of Adam; but fear nothing\nfrom me, my business is with your companion.\u201d The demon then seized\nHatim, and lifted him from the couch; when the fairy prince\ninterposed, and said, \u201cBeware, Muhaikal: are you not bound by oath to\nSulaiman himself, never to injure any of Adam\u2019s race?\u201d The demon, with\na fiendish smile, said in return, \u201cWhere is Sulaiman now, that I\nshould regard my oath to him? In truth, I mean to devour this son of\nAdam; therefore waste not your breath.\u201d The fairy prince well knew the\ntreacherous nature of the demon; he therefore resolved to meet him on\nhis own ground, and said to him, \u201cMighty prince, it is beneath your\ndignity to stoop to the devouring of one man; leave him to me then, as\nthe success of my present undertaking depends upon him, and I promise\nto send you ten men in his stead.\u201d\n\nTo this proposal the demon readily agreed, and said, \u201cNoble fairy, I\nam most willing to accommodate you, as we are in some degree related\nto each other. Let this man in the meantime be secured in my castle,\nwhile you go for the ten men you promise, and when you return with\nthese, I will make him over to you.\u201d--\u201cAgreed,\u201d said the fairy prince,\n\u201cI ask only four days for my arrangement; but I will not suffer you to\nshut up this man in one of your dungeons.\u201d--\u201cPlace him where you\nchoose,\u201d said the demon, \u201conly let him be strictly guarded by my\nsubjects.\u201d\n\nNear that spot there happened to be a pleasant garden; it was\ntherefore agreed that Hatim should remain there under the guard of the\ndemons, during the absence of the fairy prince. Meanwhile the prince,\nwith the four fairies that had conducted Hatim thither, withdrew to a\nsequestered spot, and held a consultation as to further proceedings.\n\u201cIf,\u201d said the prince, \u201cwe return to your king, and solicit his aid\nwith that of his forces, the stipulated time will have expired long\nbefore we can return, and the demon will assuredly devour our friend.\nLet us, then, remain here in concealment, and watch a favorable moment\nwhen the demons are off their guard; then let us enter the garden, and\nhaving carried off the prince of Yemen, let us trust to the swiftness\nof our wings.\u201d\n\nThe four fairies applauded the proposal; and at the hour of midnight,\nwhen the demons had fastened the door of the garden and betaken\nthemselves to repose, the fairies took up the golden litter and flew\nsoftly over the wall. They looked warily around them, and found the\ndemons all buried in sleep. Hatim, exhausted with sorrow and despair,\nhad also sought refuge in slumber under the shade of a tree. They\nlifted him gently from the ground, laid him on the litter along with\nthe fairy prince, and, swift as the wind, resumed their aerial voyage.\nFor the remainder of the night they winged their way with the utmost\nspeed, and at the dawn of day came to a place of safety where they\nhalted for refreshment and repose.\n\nTo return to the demons. When daylight shone, and when they saw the\ngates firmly fixed, as on the preceding evening, they concluded that\ntheir prisoner was secure within, and thus they continued their watch\nfor the appointed period of four days, while the fairies, on the other\nhand, were making the best use of their time. On the last day of the\nstipulated time, Muhaikal was anxiously waiting the return of the\nfairy prince; and when the hour of noon expired, he said to his\nsatellites, \u201cI see these fairies have not thought proper to keep their\npromise; they have gone and left the man to his fate. Let him be\nbrought forth then immediately, that we may feast upon him.\u201d The\ndemons opened the strong gates, and on entering the garden, what was\ntheir disappointment on finding their charge carried off! They\nreturned to their chief, and informed him of the fact. Muhaikal was\nhighly enraged, and ordered the sentinels to be punished with stripes,\nand flung into a dungeon. In vain did they swear by Sulaiman, that\nthey were not in the least privy to Hatim\u2019s escape; the chief believed\nthem not, and they were dragged to torture.\n\nBy the time the fairies had reached the boundaries of the desert of\nKahrman, one of Muhaikal\u2019s demons, who had left the court of his chief\non the day when Hatim had been taken, happened to meet them. The demon\nat once recognized the fairies, and understood the case. He knew that\nhis master had sharpened his teeth in order to feast on the man; he,\ntherefore, endeavored to seize Hatim and carry him off by force; but\nthe fairy prince quickly drew his sword, and severed the intruder\u2019s\nright hand from his body. The demon, furious with pain and\ndisappointment, said to the prince, \u201cWell, you shall pay dearly for\nthis; you have cut off my hand when doing my duty towards my chief. I\nwill inform the whole of my race of your treachery and violence, and\nthe fiercest revenge will be the consequence.\u201d\n\nMeanwhile the fairies addressed Hatim, saying, \u201cBrave prince of Yemen,\nwe are now arrived at the line of separation between the fairies and\nthe demons, beyond which we dare not advance.\u201d--\u201cFarewell, then, good\nfriends,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cI have myself the means of succeeding in the\nremainder of my journey.\u201d The fairies here left him, except the prince\nof Tuman, who had an equal share of interest in the adventure. As they\nwere about to enter the great desert which limited the region of the\ndemons, Hatim asked his companion if he thought it safe to advance.\n\u201cTruly, prince of Yemen,\u201d replied the other, \u201cno creature except a\ndemon can with safety approach these regions.\u201d--\u201cCannot any of the\nfairy race visit them?\u201d resumed Hatim. \u201cThe fairies,\u201d replied the\nprince, \u201cthough not safe, have least to fear, as there is at present a\ntruce between themselves and the demons, which was ratified after a\nbloody battle fought on these plains. The kings of both races took the\nfield with the whole of their forces, and vast was the number of the\nslain, while victory inclined to neither side. At length peace was\nconcluded, and the demons swore by Sulaiman of Iram never more to\ninjure any of the fairy race; but they scruple not to violate their\nsolemn oath to us, and to mankind they are inveterate\nfoes.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d said Hatim; \u201csuppose I had the power of transforming\nmyself into the likeness of a demon, and thus pass in safety through\ntheir territory; would you venture to accompany me?\u201d--\u201cNot publicly,\u201d\nreplied the fairy, \u201cbut I could easily succeed; during the day I\nshould soar among the clouds, and at night I should descend to your\nplace of rest.\u201d\n\nHatim immediately took a vessel full of water, and having burnt the\ncolored feathers of the natika, he made the mixture as he had been\ndirected. He then cast off his garment, and washed his whole body from\nhead to foot, when, lo! his color was black, and his shape became that\nof a hideous demon. When the fairy prince saw this frightful\ntransformation, he was greatly astonished, and said to Hatim,\n\u201cWonderful man, tell me to what bird belong these feathers, which\npossess such potent qualities?\u201d--\u201cI procured them,\u201d replied Hatim,\n\u201cfrom a talking bird called the natika, the eggs of which are pearls\nsuch as that in the possession of Mahyar of Barzakh.\u201d Hatim then\ndetailed the occurrence of the tree where he listened to the\nconversation of the birds; but the information respecting the history\nof the pearl in question he prudently withheld till they should arrive\nat the court of Mahyar.\n\nThe fairy prince had full reliance on Hatim\u2019s skill and wisdom, and\nhis heart rejoiced within him as the prospect of success brightened.\nThe two friends commenced their journey; and when Hatim entered the\nland of the demons, he met with no interruption; for they all took him\nfor one of their own race. After some days had thus passed, it\nhappened that as Hatim and his fairy friend met to repose for the\nnight, they were observed by one of the demon race. He went and\ninformed his neighbors, that in a certain spot a demon had taken up\nhis night\u2019s rest, and that a fairy had descended from the sky at the\nsame time, as if the meeting had been preconcerted. The demons very\nsoon assembled round the two travellers; and said one to another,\n\u201cThese are strangers, and one of them is a fairy: we had better carry\nthem before our king, that they may give an account of themselves.\u201d To\nthis proposal one of the demons would not assent; and said, \u201cMy dear\nfriends, why should we on mere suspicion oppress these innocent\nstrangers? One of them is of our own race, and with the fairies we\nhave no enmity.\u201d\n\nThe prince of Tuman happened to be awake, and was listening to this\nconference, which ended in favor of those who were for making the\nstrangers prisoners. He awakened Hatim, who addressed the demons in\ntheir own language, saying, \u201cFriends, we have travelled far, and being\nfatigued, we here sought repose. Why have you disturbed our slumbers,\nand what is your business with us?\u201d--\u201cWe wish to know,\u201d they replied,\n\u201cwho you are.\u201d--\u201cFor me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI am a helpless stranger\nwandering I know not whither. Shams Shah, the king of the fairies, has\nexterminated the tribe of Mukarnas, and burnt their dwellings, which\nis the cause of my being here. This he has done for the sake of one of\nthe race of Adam, who is now journeying to the island of Barzakh. Now\nif you wish to serve your prince effectually, go and search for the\nman on whose account such a havoc has been committed, and leave\npeaceful travellers like myself and my companion to go their own\nway.\u201d--\u201cIf your tribe,\u201d resumed the demons, \u201chas thus suffered, how\ncan you associate with a fairy? Tell us of what tribe is your\nfriend.\u201d--\u201cHe is prince of Tuman,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand one of your\nallies.\u201d--\u201cEnough,\u201d returned the demons, \u201cyou may sleep secure, none\nof us shall disturb you, as we may find better occupation in capturing\nthe man whom you mention.\u201d\n\nThe demons departed; and Hatim, addressing the fairy prince, said,\n\u201cLet us arise, and speed hence; the demon race is not to be trusted.\u201d\nThey accordingly set off, and Journeyed without intermission till the\nevening of the third day, when they arrived on the sea-shore. \u201cThis,\u201d\nsaid the fairy prince, \u201cis the sea of Kahrman, in which is situated\nthe island of Barzakh.\u201d--\u201cHow are we to cross?\u201d said Hatim, \u201cfor so\nfar as my eye can reach, I see not any vessel on that wide ocean.\u201d--\u201cI\nshall find means for crossing the sea,\u201d replied the fairy, \u201cfor at a\ndistance of nine farasangs, there is a province where winged horses\nare bred. These animals can fly to any distance across the ocean, nor\ncan any storm interrupt their course. Do you, then, remain here during\nmy absence, and I will go forthwith and procure two winged horses, by\nwhose means success will crown our adventure.\u201d\n\nThe prince of Tuman left Hatim on the sea-shore, and swiftly cleft the\nair with his pinions till he reached the country of the winged horses.\nAs he was intimate with the prince of that province, he was speedily\nadmitted to an interview, and stated the object of his visit, saying,\n\u201cI require two of your swiftest steeds, in order to cross the sea to\nBarzakh: if you do me this favor, you will have a claim to my services\nfor life.\u201d On hearing his request, the prince gave him his choice of\nall his winged horses; and the prince of Tuman having selected the two\nhe considered best, returned to his companion.\n\nThe friends immediately mounted; and when Hatim saw the horses spread\ntheir wings and soar aloft like eagles among the clouds, his\nastonishment was beyond description; and so swift was their flight,\nthat he could scarcely keep his seat. In a few days half the distance\nwas run down; but Hatim was so overcome with hunger, thirst, and\ndrowsiness, that he found it impossible to proceed further. He\nmentioned his distress to the fairy prince, who handed him a small\napple, saying, \u201cEat even a few grains of this rare fruit, and all your\nweariness will be dispelled.\u201d Hatim tasted of the apple, and the\neffect was miraculous; he felt his strength and vigor restored, nor\ndid he during the rest of the passage feel the least fatigued.\n\nA few days afterwards the horses descended upon the further shore of\nthe sea of Kahrman. Hatim rejoiced to find himself safe on land; and\nsaid to his companion, \u201cMy dear friend, surely we have passed the\nisland of Barzakh, which, as I am informed, is in the midst of the\nsea.\u201d--\u201cNoble Arab,\u201d replied the fairy, \u201cthis is part of the island\nwhere we have landed, but it will take ten days more to reach the\ncapital; and now that I think of it, I shall by your leave go and\nassemble my own troops, that they may accompany us thither.\u201d--\u201cThink\nbetter of it,\u201d said Hatim; \u201care we forsooth going to wage war with\nMahyar Sulaimani?\u201d--\u201cNo,\u201d said the fairy prince, \u201cbut I know that we\nshall meet with many interruptions, and that soon, unless we use this\nprecaution.\u201d--\u201cWhat time will be requisite for you,\u201d asked Hatim, \u201cto\nassemble your troops and return hither?\u201d--\u201cYou may for certain expect\nme,\u201d answered the fairy, \u201cby the end of seven days.\u201d\n\nThe fairy prince took leave of Hatim, who, when left thus solitary,\nbegan to explore the surrounding country. He soon came to a fragrant\ngarden, the doors of which were all wide open. He entered; and his\neyes were delighted with the sight of trees, which bore loads of fruit\nof every size and color, and of finer quality than he had ever met\nwith. Thus Hatim enjoyed himself for the week, walking undisturbed in\nthe wide garden. The horses, too, were so tame and so attached to him,\nthat during the day they grazed on the sea-shore, and at night they\nreturned to the door of the garden.\n\nMeanwhile the fairy prince reached his paternal dominions. When his\nsubjects saw him, they quickly conveyed the tidings to his father and\nmother, who came out to meet their beloved son. After mutual greeting,\nthe father thus spoke: \u201cMy dear son, it is long since you left us at\nthe head of your troops on an expedition to the island of Barzakh. How\ndid it happen that you absconded from your army? Thought you not of\nthe distress and sorrow which we must have endured by your absence?\nBut I will not upbraid you, my beloved son; tell me at once, have you\nattained the object of your wish?\u201d\n\nThe prince, with tears in his eyes, replied, \u201cForgive me, father, how\ncould I expect success when I have acted so regardless of you? Since\nmy departure, I have met with nothing but pain and disappointment,\ntill lately when my destinies have proved favorable. I have found a\nsincere friend in the noblest of the human race. Hatim Ta\u00ef, the\nprince of Arabia, is now journeying from Shahabad for the pearl of the\nmurghab, which is in the possession of Mahyar. He found me sad and\nsolitary in the cavern of a mountain; he learned from me the cause of\nmy sorrow, and said to me in the voice of benevolence, \u2018Despair not,\nmy friend, I am confident that I shall succeed; and as I desire only\nthe pearl, I will bestow the lady upon you.\u2019 This, my father, is not a\nvain promise, for Hatim is pure in heart and sincere in speech.\u201d\n\nWhen the father and mother heard this statement, they laughed at the\nprince\u2019s credulity, while the former said to him in reply, \u201cTruly, my\nson, you are more simple and inexperienced than I thought you. The\nmost skilful of our own race have in vain endeavored to procure that\npearl; how then can a mere mortal of the race of Adam, who knows\nnothing of our secret arts, be expected to succeed in such an\nundertaking? Are you really so foolish as to build your hope on such a\nslender foundation?\u201d--\u201cFather,\u201d replied the prince, \u201cHatim is a man of\nsurpassing wisdom. He has travelled much, and has made himself\nacquainted with all the mystic sciences of the sublunary creation.\nWith this intent he has accompanied me across the sea of Kahrman, and\nis now waiting my return on the coast of Barzakh.\u201d--\u201cWell, my son,\u201d\nsaid the king, \u201ctell me your present purpose in parting with him, and\nin coming hither.\u201d--\u201cTo obtain from you a convoy of your best troops,\u201d\nreplied the prince, \u201cthat we may proceed in safety to the court of\nMahyar.\u201d\n\nThe king, after brief consideration, summoned twelve thousand of his\nchosen troops, which he appointed as guards for his son. The prince\ntook an affectionate leave of his parents, and at the head of his\nselect army, departed for the island of Barzakh, while the king raised\nrecruits to supply their place. In a little more than the appointed\ntime, the prince arrived in the island of Barzakh, and surrounded by\nhis troops, passed the night in the garden where Hatim had resided,\nand next morning they began their march towards the capital. Meanwhile\nMahyar Sulaimani received intelligence that a host of fairies numerous\nas the sand had landed in a remote corner of the island; whereupon he\nquickly led forth his own forces, so as to be ready to receive them,\nshould their intention prove hostile.\n\nWhen Hatim and the fairy prince with their chosen band approached the\ncapital of Barzakh, they were surprised at seeing an army vastly\nsuperior to their own, prepared to dispute their passage. They soon\ndiscovered that these were the troops of the watchful Mahyar, and that\nno time was to be lost in coming to a proper explanation. The fairy\nprince despatched a messenger to state that his object was peace and\namity, not strife and bloodshed; and that he came solely to visit the\nprince of Barzakh. The noble Mahyar instantly commissioned in return\nthe commander of his army with orders to state to the prince of Zuman,\nthat if he came in peace, no one should molest him, and that his visit\nwas every way welcome.\n\nIn short, Hatim and his friend along with their convoy were allowed to\nenter the capital; and after they had been hospitably entertained,\nMahyar sent them a message requesting to know the object of their\nvisit. \u201cSay to Mahyar,\u201d replied the fairy prince to the messenger,\n\u201cthat the last time I visited him I was doomed to experience a painful\ndisappointment; that at present I have accompanied hither the noblest\nof mankind, who has come from afar on a similar purpose.\u201d Mahyar gave\norders for their immediate admission to his presence, and addressing\nHatim, said, \u201cTell me, prince of Yemen, what has been your object in\nvisiting my dominions?\u201d Hatim produced the silver model of the pearl\nof the murghab, and related his past history so far as it concerned\nHusn Banu and Munir. \u201cThe lady,\u201d concluded Hatim, \u201chas imposed upon me\nas her sixth task, to procure her a match to this pearl.\u201d--\u201cAnd\nwhere,\u201d said Mahyar, \u201ccan you find a pearl similar to hers?\u201d--\u201cI have\nbeen informed,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cthat the only one equal to it in the\nworld is in your possession; and my journey hither has been on that\naccount.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d resumed Mahyar, \u201cI have such a pearl in my palace;\nand if you fulfil my conditions, you shall have both the pearl and my\ndaughter.\u201d\n\nHatim remained some time silent, and after mature reflection, said,\n\u201cThe pearl alone can be of service to me; but I have no intention to\naccept the daughter.\u201d--\u201cIf you gain the pearl,\u201d said the king of\nBarzakh, \u201cyou shall be free to accept my daughter or not, only she\nshall be entirely at your disposal, and you may bestow her on whom you\nplease.\u201d Hatim then, at the request of Mahyar, related the whole\nhistory of the pearl as he had heard from the natika in the desert.\nMahyar listened attentively to his detail; and when Hatim concluded,\nhe entered his secret apartment and brought forth the pearl, saying,\n\u201cBrave Hatim, accept what you have fairly gained; and tell me, how do\nyou wish my daughter to be disposed of?\u201d\n\nHatim instantly ordered the youthful queen to be married to the fairy\nprince of Zuman, a measure to which her father assented.\n\nAfter a month Hatim took leave of Mahyar, and accompanied by the fairy\nprince and his bride came to the sea of Kahrman. He then requested the\nprince to return to his own country, while he himself should make his\nway to Shahabad. \u201cAt least,\u201d said the prince, \u201clet me send with you a\nguard of my own subjects as far as the kingdom of Shams Shah.\u201d To this\nHatim agreed, and having mounted his winged steed, accompanied by a\nselect guard, he recrossed the sea, and landed in the territory of the\ndemons. Here they had not far advanced when the demons observed them,\nand prepared to dispute their passage. The fairies, so few in number,\ncould offer little resistance: they therefore addressed their\nopponents, saying, \u201cGood friends, we are both descended of one family;\nand we pass through your country bearing no enmity towards you. We\nhave been delegated by our prince to convey his congratulations to\nShams Shah, who, after a long period of misery, is now restored to\nhappiness.\u201d\n\nThe demons, on hearing this, gave them no further interruption; and in\nthe course of time they arrived safe in the dominions of Shams Shah.\nThis king having received intelligence that strangers were\napproaching, mounted his steed and came out to meet them in person,\nand great was his joy when he saw Hatim among them. He affectionately\nembraced him, and said to his guides, \u201cMay heaven reward your\ngoodness, for you have done me the greatest service possible in\nrestoring to me safe the generous prince of Yemen.\u201d Having thus\naddressed them, he invited them to a splendid feast, which lasted\nforty days.\n\nHatim then took leave of the fairy king, who supplied him with\neverything requisite for his journey, and appointed four of his\nsubjects to carry him on a golden litter to the city of Shahabad.\nThither they swiftly conveyed him in the course of a few days. Outside\nthe gates they descended from their aerial flight; and Hatim, at their\nrequest, gave them letters to their sovereign, with which they\nreturned. He then entered the city, where the people immediately\nrecognized him, and conveyed the tidings of his return to their lovely\nqueen. Husn Banu threw her veil over her face, and gave orders for\nHatim\u2019s admission to her palace, where the counsellors of the city\nwere then assembled. Hatim entered; and, after mutual salutation,\nproduced the pearl of the murghab in presence of the assembly and\nstated the details of his marvellous adventure.\n\nWhen Husn Banu saw the pearl she was highly delighted, and the court\nresounded with the praises of the noble Hatim, who withdrew to the\nMihmansera\u00ef. There he met the Assyrian prince Munir, and said to him,\n\u201cYour happiness, my friend, is now almost at hand: only one question\nremains unanswered.\u201d After a repose of a few days, he presented\nhimself before Husn Banu, and said, \u201cFair lady, let me hear your\nseventh question, that I may lose no time in the completion of my\ntask.\u201d--\u201cThe seventh and last is,\u201d replied she, \u201cto bring me an\naccount of the bath of Badgard.\u201d Hatim took leave of Husn Banu and the\nprince Munir, and prepared for his departure.\n\n\n\n\n BOOK VII.\n\n _The journey of Hatim to explore the Bath of Badgard--His arrival in\n that place--His safe return to Shahabad, and the marriage of Husn Banu\n with the Assyrian prince Munir._\n\nAfter Hatim left Shahabad he traversed a wide desert till he arrived\nin a populous city, where he saw the inhabitants assembled round the\nmouth of a well. He approached; and asking one of them what was the\nmatter, was told that the son of the chief magistrate had gone mad,\nand was in the habit of frequenting the well, when at length he had\nthrown himself in headlong. \u201cThree days,\u201d said the man, \u201cwe have\nlooked for him here, but no trace can we find of his body, nor is any\nof our people bold enough to venture into the well, lest he should\nlose his own life.\u201d\n\nWhile they were in this conversation, the parents of the youth came\nweeping to the mouth of the well. Hatim\u2019s heart melted when he\nwitnessed their sorrow, and he said to them, \u201cDespair not, my friends,\nI will dive into the well, and search for the body of your son; remain\nhere till my return.\u201d--\u201cGenerous stranger,\u201d said the chief, \u201crest\nassured that we will with patience wait your return, should the period\nbe even a month.\u201d Hatim plunged into the water; and after he had been\nsinking some minutes felt his feet on firm ground. He opened his eyes,\nand saw not the well but an extensive plain illumined with the rays of\nthe sun. Advancing some distance he came to a garden, and as the doors\nwere open, he entered. There he saw flowers of every hue, and in the\nmidst of the garden a palace of elegant structure. He entered a\nspacious hall, which he found to be furnished with splendid couches,\non which reclined fairies of beautiful form. In the centre of the hall\nwere two thrones of burnished gold, on one of which sat the fairy\nqueen, of transcendent beauty and angelic countenance; and on the\nother, a young man of noble form and graceful mien.\n\nWhen the fairies that acted as sentinels observed Hatim\u2019s approach,\nthey gave information to their sovereign that another of the race of\nAdam had arrived in the garden. The queen, addressing the youth upon\nthe throne, said to him, \u201cThe stranger is of your race; is it your\npleasure that we hold conference with him?\u201d The young man assented,\nand the attendants conducted Hatim to the foot of the throne. The\nqueen rose and graciously received him; and having seated him on a\ncouch beside her, ordered him to be presented with food and drink.\nHatim willingly accepted her hospitality; after which, the young man\nasked him whence he came, and whither he was bound. \u201cI am a native of\nYemen,\u201d said Hatim in reply, \u201cand I lately left the city of Shahabad\non a journey to the bath of Badgard. When I arrived in a certain city,\nI saw all the inhabitants assembled round the mouth of a well; and on\ninquiring the cause of their anxiety, the chief told me with tears in\nhis eyes, that his son had three days ago cast himself headlong into\nthe water. I was moved by his grief, and dived into the well, resolved\nto procure the dead body of the youth. But now I am bewildered, and\nknow not whither to direct my search. You, I see, are of the human\nrace; may I ask whether you are the young man whom I seek?\u201d\n\nThe youth replied, \u201cI am indeed that devoted person. I was one day\nseated at the mouth of the well, when this heart-ravishing fairy\nappeared to my enchanted sight. I lost hold of the reins of reason,\nand for some days lingered like a maniac round the mouth of the well.\nMy passion was completely beyond my control: I plunged into the water,\nand opened my eyes, I know not by what means, in this paradise. When\nthe fairy queen beheld me, she gladdened my heart with the charms of\nher society, and now my happiness is complete.\u201d--\u201cDeluded youth,\u201d said\nHatim, \u201ccan you be happy when your parents and relations are enduring\nthe pangs of despair on your account?\u201d--\u201cI have no choice left,\u201d\nrejoined the young man; \u201cbut should the queen give me leave, I will\naccompany you to my relations, and having assured them of my safety,\ninstantly return.\u201d--\u201cHave patience, then,\u201d said Hatim, \u201ctill I plead\nyour cause.\u201d\n\nHatim turned his discourse to the queen, and said, \u201cThy conduct, fair\nqueen, is far from being generous and noble, in detaining this youth\nfrom his distressed parents. Allow him to accompany me for a few days,\nthat he may console his father and mother; after which, he will return\nto you.\u201d--\u201cStranger,\u201d replied the queen, \u201cI do not in the least\nrestrain this youth in his movements. He saw me, and became enamoured\nof my person. In his despair he cast himself into the well, for which\nI am not to blame. At present he has his free will to go whenever he\nchooses.\u201d Here the youth stood up, and said to the fairy, \u201cBy your\nleave, fair queen, I have one request to make ere I depart, should it\nbe agreeable to you to grant it. Say that I am not to despair; that\nyou will speedily come to my father\u2019s house, and make me happy in once\nmore beholding you.\u201d\n\nHatim for some time held down his head in silence, awaiting the\nqueen\u2019s reply; at length he spoke: \u201cGenerous queen, if you have any\ncompassion, assent to the youth\u2019s request.\u201d--\u201cHe asks of me,\u201d she\nreplied, \u201cmore than ever any of our race have granted to yours.\u201d In\nreturn, Hatim related to the queen numerous instances of kindness and\ncompassion experienced by himself from the hands of the fairy race. To\nthis the queen replied, \u201cBrave Hatim, what you have stated is true;\nbut this youth does not so sincerely love me as to deserve my\nregard.\u201d--\u201cHad I not loved you from my heart and soul,\u201d said the young\nman, \u201cshould I, regardless of life, of every human tie, cast myself\nheadlong into the well?\u201d--\u201cTo put your affection to the proof,\u201d\nrejoined the queen, \u201care you prepared to do whatever I request of\nyou?\u201d--\u201cCommand me,\u201d said he, \u201cand I will perform.\u201d\n\nThe fairy queen summoned her attendants, and said to them, \u201cGo fill\nthe large cauldron with oil, place it on the fire, and make it boil to\nthe utmost heat.\u201d When the cauldron was heated, the queen took the\nyoung man by the hand, and said to him, \u201cNow, if you love me, prove it\nby casting yourself this instant into the cauldron of boiling oil.\u201d\nThe youth instantly rose up, and was about to plunge into the burning\nliquid, when the queen exclaimed, \u201cHold, I spoke to try your\naffection. Now I am satisfied, and I agree to your request.\u201d Hatim\nremained for about a month with the fairy queen and her lover. At the\nend of this period, the queen confirmed her promise, having sworn by\nthe seal of Sulaiman to visit the youth soon. Having then bid adieu to\nHatim and her lover, she ordered some of her fairies to conduct them\nto the mouth of the well. The fairies seized the mortals by the hand,\nand in the twinkling of an eye they found themselves at the mouth of\nthe well. The guides then vanished into the deep, and Hatim presented\nthe young man to his fond parents. The chief of the city and all the\ninhabitants were highly delighted at the sight, and prostrated\nthemselves at Hatim\u2019s feet in token of their gratitude. They then\nreturned to the city, and for many days vied with one another in\ntreating the generous stranger with every mark of affection.\n\nAt length the fairy, agreeably to her promise, visited the enamoured\nyouth. Two weeks after Hatim once more betook himself to the road, and\nin the course of a few days arrived at a large and populous city. As\nhe was about to enter the gates, he met an old man standing upon the\nroad. When the old man observed him, he approached and said, \u201cMy\nblessings be upon you, noble stranger; welcome, thrice welcome to our\ncity.\u201d Hatim returned this courteous salutation, whereupon the old man\nsaid to him, \u201cIf you will for this night reside in my house, and taste\nof my salt, it will be doing me the highest favor.\u201d Hatim thanked the\nold man, and accepted his hospitable invitation. Arrived in the house,\nthe old man presented him with food; and after they had eaten\ntogether, the aged host said, \u201cTell me, noble sir, if such be your\npleasure, what is your name, whence are you, and whither do you\ntravel?\u201d--\u201cI am an Arab,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand am on my way from\nShahabad to the bath of Badgard, which it is my intention to explore.\u201d\nThe old man hearing this, long held down his head in deep reflection,\nafter which he said to Hatim, \u201cDevoted man, what enemy has sent you on\nso perilous an errand? I have been assured that no man has hitherto\nvisited Badgard and come back to tell the news. The place is in the\nvicinity of a city called Katan, the name of whose king is Harith.\nAround his dominions are stationed numerous sentinels, whose duty it\nis to bring before their king whatsoever stranger attempts to visit\nBadgard. When carried to the presence of Harith no one knows how they\nare treated, for they never return.\u201d Hatim, nothing daunted, related\nto the old man the cause of his journey, and detailed his former\nadventures in behalf of Munir the Assyrian prince. \u201cThis,\u201d concluded\nHatim, \u201cis the seventh and last question, from which I will not\nshrink.\u201d--\u201cMay heaven reward your generosity and bravery,\u201d replied the\nvenerable host. \u201cBe advised by me, and turn back: the bath of Badgard\nis all enchantment; of its inner mysteries no one can give the least\naccount.\u201d--\u201cVenerable sir,\u201d resumed Hatim, \u201chow can I possibly return?\nWould you have me act as a coward?\u201d--\u201cListen to my counsel,\u201d replied\nthe host, \u201cand cast not away your life like the frog that disregarded\nthe advice of his friends, and at last had cause for\nrepentance.\u201d--\u201cTell me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cwhat happened to the frog?\u201d\n\nThe old man thus spoke: \u201cIn the region of Sham it happened once upon a\ntime that a number of frogs were living happily together in a pond,\nwhen one of them took it into his head to remove to another pond in\nthe vicinity. \u2018Travelling,\u2019 said the frog to himself, \u2018is the means of\nrendering the poor man rich.\u2019 His friends remonstrated, saying, \u2018Fool\nthat you are, what absurd idea is this which has found its way into\nyour head? Abandon such vain thoughts, otherwise you will have cause\nto repent when too late. Know you not that he who disregards the\nadmonition of the wise will end in misery and shame?\u2019 The brain of the\nfrog was filled with the wind of self-conceit; he therefore would not\nlisten to the advice of his friends, and forthwith quitted the pond\nalong with his wife and young ones. On their way to the next pond,\nthey rejoiced in the anticipation of the happiness and ease and\nindependence which awaited them. At length they arrived on the brink,\nand were about to enter their new residence, when all at once a\nwater-snake thrust out its head to welcome them. This snake had for\nsome time occupied the pond, and had devoured all the frogs that were\nin it. Having had no food for some days previous, the serpent no\nsooner saw the frogs than he began to devour them one after another.\n\n\u201cThe old frog that had caused the removal, quickly dived into the\nbottom of the pond, and having escaped the mouth of the snake, watched\nhis opportunity, and returned to his former abode. His old\nacquaintances seeing him return alone, without his young, opened upon\nhim the tongue of reproach, and said, \u2018Rash fool that you are, how\ndare you come among us without your wife and young ones? Tell us\nquickly, what has happened to them and you when absent; can it be\npossible that you have left them to destruction?\u2019--The frog, full of\nshame and remorse, listened, but replied not, while the others were\nthe more urgent in their inquiries. At last they all attacked the\nunfortunate frog, and having almost killed him, they said, \u2018Such is\nthe reward of vanity and folly\u2019; and he who disregards the admonitions\nof the wise will become involved in similar calamities.\u201d\n\nWhen the old man had finished the story of the frog, he said, \u201cBrave\nHatim, apply your ear to my advice, and turn back in time ere your\ncalamity be past remedy.\u201d--\u201cI am confident,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cthat all\nyou have stated is kindly meant; but remember that I am acting for\nothers, not for myself, and I will never disgrace myself by abandoning\na task which I have promised to accomplish: for the sake of God, then,\nshew me the way, and let me depart.\u201d When the old man saw that Hatim\u2019s\nresolution was not to be shaken, he yielded to necessity and conducted\nhim out of the city till they came to two roads, when he stopped short\nand said, \u201cNoble Hatim, proceed on the right-hand road, which will\ntake you through many a city and town. At length you will come to a\nhigh mountain, where there are dangers innumerable. Should it please\nGod that you surmount these, you will then come to a spot where the\nroad branches into two. There I would advise you to take the left-hand\npath, for though that to the right be the nearer, it is highly\ndangerous; whereas the other, though circuitous, is safe and free from\nperil.\u201d\n\nHatim thanked his aged friend, and said, in reply to the latter part\nof his instructions, \u201cMy venerable benefactor, if our life be not\ndecreed, we cannot live; and till the hour appointed by fate, we\ncannot die. Do you really advise me to shun the path that is short,\nand hold to that which is circuitous?\u201d The old man smiled, and said,\n\u201cO Hatim, have you not heard what the poet saith?\n\n \u2018Take the road that is safe, though it be long;\n Marry not a shrew, even if she seem an angel.\u2019\n\n\u201cFarewell, my brave and generous friend, and let me warn you of your\ndanger, if you follow not my directions.\u201d Hatim having taken his\nleave, proceeded on his way; and in the course of a few days, as he\nwas approaching a large city, the sound of drums and trumpets reached\nhis ear. It seemed as if the inhabitants were in the celebration of\nsome grand festival; and when he drew nearer he found them assembled\nwithout the walls in a spacious plain, which was everywhere adorned\nwith finely embroidered sofas and couches. In the midst of the\nassembly was a constellation of beautiful damsels, some enchanting the\nheart with their melodious song, and others occupied in the graceful\nmovements of the dance. In another part of the plain were fires, and\nall the utensils of cookery employed in dressing food.\n\nAt length Hatim mingled with the joyful throng, and began to ask one\nof them what was the cause of such pleasure and mirth. \u201cStranger,\u201d\nsaid they, \u201cour city is every year visited by a formidable dragon,\nwhich on the occasion transforms himself into a human shape. We are\ncompelled, on pain of death and destruction, to allow this dragon to\ncarry off his choice of the fairest of our daughters, whether rich or\npoor. Those that are most beautiful are led forth to these tents,\narrayed in fine apparel, adorned with costly jewels, and having their\nhands perfumed with fragrant scents. The monster in human shape enters\nthe tent where the damsels are assembled, and carries off her on whom\nhis choice rests. We are forced to make this shew of joy, though our\nhearts are sad, for the appointed day is arrived, and no one knows who\nis to be the victim. We thus celebrate the nuptials ere we know who is\nthe bride, but for the next seven days our joy is converted into grief\nand lamentation.\u201d\n\nOn hearing this strange circumstance, Hatim concluded that the dragon\nmust be one of the genii. He said to them, \u201cIs it not madness in you\nto mimic joy at your own destruction?\u201d--\u201cHow can we act otherwise?\u201d\nthey replied; \u201cwho is the man that can deliver us from our\ncalamity?\u201d--\u201cBe of good cheer,\u201d returned Hatim, \u201cthis night I will\nendeavor, by the aid of heaven, to rid you forever of your evil.\u201d When\nthe people heard this promise, hopeless as it was, they informed their\nking and grandees of the stranger\u2019s presence. Hatim was quickly\nintroduced, and after the usual salutation, the king asked him, \u201cAre\nyou aware, brave stranger, of the nature of this calamity with which\nwe are afflicted? You say you can avert the impending evil; if you\nwill do so, it will be to me and my subjects the greatest of\nblessings.\u201d\n\nIn reply, Hatim gave the following instructions to the king: \u201cWhen\nthis dragon has come, and made his choice of your daughters, say to\nhim, that a neighboring prince has just arrived in your city; that he\nhas enjoined upon you not to give away your daughters on any account\nwithout his permission. Say further, if the dragon threatens\ndestruction to you and your city, that you will rather bear the\nconsequences of his anger than offend the stranger prince.\u201d The king\nand his ministers assented to this proposal, and for the whole of that\nday detained Hatim in their society. Towards evening the dragon\napproached as usual; and when Hatim was informed of the fact, he asked\npermission of the king to go and see the monster. The whole assembly\ncame out to see the arrival of the dragon, the size of which was\nimmense. Hatim stood astonished when he saw its head reared aloft like\na tall tree, and the stones crushed into powder beneath its weight.\n\nAt length the dragon reached the tents, and in presence of the\nterrified assembly, lashed the ground with his tail; and having\nperformed some fearful contortions, he assumed a human shape. The\npeople then crowded round him to proffer their salutations, and the\nking invited him to his palace, and placed him upon his own throne.\nAfter they had partaken of food and drink, the genius rose up and\ncommanded them to produce their daughters. \u201cLet us proceed to the tent\nwhich they at present occupy,\u201d said the king. The genius entered the\ntent, and after due examination, his choice rested upon the king\u2019s\nonly daughter, who was by far the fairest in the city. He came out and\nmade known his choice to the king, who immediately stated his\nobjections, saying, \u201cA prince of great power has for some time resided\nat my court, and if I do aught without his consent, he will assuredly\ndestroy both myself and my subjects from off the face of the earth. I\nmust therefore, in the first place, consult him ere I allow one of our\ndaughters to be carried off: if I receive his permission, good; if\nnot, I shall refuse your claim.\u201d\n\nThe genius, enraged at such opposition, commanded the king forthwith\nto produce this daring stranger. Hatim was accordingly conducted\nbefore the king of the genii, who thus addressed him: \u201cBrave prince of\nYemen, I rejoice to meet you; it is now some time since I have seen\nyou, or even heard of your name. Tell me whence come you at present,\nand what is your object in exciting the people of this city to rebel\nagainst me? Do you really wish that I should destroy them in my\nwrath?\u201d--\u201cI am far from desiring what you state,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cbut\nthe people of this country are now my subjects, and therefore they are\nright in withholding their allegiance from other powers. I am most\nwilling, however, to bestow on you the late king\u2019s daughter, provided\nyou comply with the ancient customs of my country.\u201d--\u201cYour request is\nfair,\u201d replied the prince of the genii; \u201clet me hear, then, what these\ncustoms are.\u201d--\u201cThe first,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cis this: I have a talisman\nwhich once belonged to a wise and illustrious ancestor. It is\nnecessary, then, as a pledge of friendship, that you drink water from\na cup touched by that talisman.\u201d\n\nTo this proposal the prince of the genii expressed his assent, and\nHatim took a cupful of water, and dipped into it the potent muhra of\nthe bear\u2019s daughter, after which he gave the draught to the genius to\ndrink. The charm took effect, for no sooner had the genius drained the\ncup, than, by the decree of the Most High, he was deprived of all his\nenchantment, his power reduced to that of an ordinary mortal. Hatim\nagain said to him, \u201cThe next ordeal you must undergo, is to enter this\nlarge jar and remain for some time shut within it. If you do this, you\nshall have the king\u2019s daughter; otherwise, you must pay, instead, a\nthousand rubies, a thousand diamonds, and a pearl of the murghab.\u201d\n\nThe genius prided himself on his skill in magic, and his supernatural\npower; he therefore accepted the proposal without hesitation. Hatim\nbrought a large jar, and told him to enter. The genius entered the\njar, and Hatim immediately shut the mouth of it; and having pronounced\nthe sacred charm of the blessed Khizr, the lid of the jar became firm\nas a rock of adamant. He then called to the prince of the genii to\ncome out, but it was no longer in his power to do so. Hatim ordered\nthe people to collect a large quantity of dried wood; and having piled\nup the same around the jar, he set fire to it. The genius now found\nhimself undone; for as soon as he felt the heat, he made every effort\nin his power to break the jar and effect his escape. His attempts were\nfruitless, for in a very short time his life was consumed, and the jar\nwas cast into a deep pit, and covered over with earth and stones.\n\nHatim then addressed the people, saying, \u201cRejoice, my friends, for\nyour enemy shall no more harass your country.\u201d The king and all the\npeople proffered their gratitude to Hatim, and presented to him gold\nand jewels, and whatever was rare and valuable. \u201cI covet not such\ngifts as you offer me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cthey are of no service to me at\npresent, but I will accept them of your hands, and distribute them\namong the poor and destitute of the city.\u201d Every house in the city\nresounded with the praises of Hatim\u2019s wisdom, beneficence, and\ngenerosity. For three days they detained him, and vied with each other\nin doing him service; and the whole country was one scene of joy and\nfestivity.\n\nOn the fourth day Hatim took his leave, and turned his face to the\nroad. In the course of time he arrived at the foot of the mountain\nwhich the old man had described. He passed on without any\ninterruption, and came to the desert, where he found abundance of\nsweet water, and witnessed many of the wonders of the creation. After\nhe had passed through the desert, he came to the spot where the road\nseparated in two directions. Here he unfortunately forgot the old\nman\u2019s advice, for he really intended to take the safe road, though\ncircuitous. \u201cI must never,\u201d said he to himself, \u201cdisregard the advice\nof the wise, and the old man earnestly advised me to take the\nright-hand path.\u201d Hatim accordingly proceeded rapidly on his way; but\nhe soon changed his mind, and turned aside in order to find the\nleft-hand road. He soon found himself involved in a forest abounding\nwith underwood of thorns and brambles, so that every step he took was\nattended with difficulty. He had not long advanced, when the clothes\nwere torn from his body; and he bitterly regretted his disregard of\nthe old man\u2019s directions.\n\nHatim at length, after vast labor, got clear of the forest; but no\nsooner did he appear in the open plain than thousands of griffins\nrushed upon him from all quarters. Hatim stood terrified at the sight,\nfor those animals had a most frightful appearance, in some measure\nresembling a tiger, a dog, and a fox, as if these three animals had\nbeen formed into one. When the griffins were about to devour Hatim, on\na sudden an old man stood by him, and said, \u201cThey who disregard the\nadmonitions of the wise, end in distress and misery.\u201d--\u201cForgive me,\nvenerable man,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI have grievously erred.\u201d--\u201cLose no\ntime,\u201d said the old man, \u201cin using the talisman of the bear\u2019s\ndaughter: cast it on the ground before you.\u201d\n\nHatim immediately produced the precious muhra; and the moment he threw\nit upon the plain the old man vanished from his sight. The effect of\nthe muhra was wonderful: the ground assumed a yellow hue, it then\nbecame black as night; after that, it changed into green; and lastly,\nit became red as fire. Meanwhile the griffins were diverted from their\nattack upon Hatim, and ran furiously at one another. The fight was\nterrible, and in the course of a few minutes they all perished by\nmutual slaughter. Hatim looked with astonishment at the carnage, and\npraised the great Creator for his deliverance. He then took up his\ntalisman and prepared for his journey.\n\nAs he advanced, he came to a desert of solid brass, the vegetation of\nwhich consisted of sharp pins of brass and iron. He had no sooner\nentered the desert than these pins pierced his feet. Onward he limped,\nhowever; and in the agony of pain, said to himself, \u201cO Hatim, it\nbecomes thee to suffer calamity without murmur, for what avails regret\nat present?\u201d He proceeded thus for some time, while the soles of his\nfeet were pierced like a sieve. At length he thought he could see the\nextremity of the desert, when on a sudden dragons of immense size and\nterrible aspect rushed from all quarters to devour him. The dragons\nbore a mixed resemblance to the eagle, the tiger, and the fox: their\ntails resembled that of the jackal, and their feet resembled those of\nthe eagle. Hatim cast a look of despair around him, and was about to\nbid adieu to life, when the old man stood by him, took him by the\nhand, and said, \u201cBe brave; does it become Hatim to fear?\u201d--\u201cWonderful\nman!\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cit is not in any mortal to behold these monsters\nand refrain from trembling.\u201d--\u201cHave recourse to your talisman,\u201d said\nthe old man. Hatim drew out the sacred muhra, and cast it upon the\nground. The effect was such as he had lately witnessed; for the\ndragons stood abashed, and the color of the ground was changed, and\nwhen it became red the monsters furiously encountered one another till\nnot one of them was left alive.\n\nHatim took up his muhra and having resumed his journey, devoutly\nthanked his Great Preserver for deliverance from such dangers. In the\ncourse of a few days he arrived at a very large city. When the people\nsaw him they were astonished, and said, \u201cTell us, wonderful man, how\nyou were able to pass in safety through the brazen desert.\u201d--\u201cI am\nindebted for my safety,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cto the goodness of God alone.\nHe has watched over me in the hour of danger, for none of the monsters\nthat infest the desert has done me the least harm.\u201d Now the forest of\nbrambles and the brazen desert had been long considered in that city\nas impenetrable, and all travellers and caravans had been previously\ncompelled to take a long and circuitous route in approaching the city.\nWhen the people, therefore, saw Hatim approach their city by these\ndangerous quarters, they became highly interested in the subject, as\nthey saw a prospect of opening an easy communication with the rest of\nthe world. When the king got intelligence that a stranger had arrived\nsafe by the short and dangerous route, he could scarcely believe the\ninformation, and immediately despatched some of his people to\nascertain the fact and in the meantime to detain the stranger. The\nmessengers went and made the necessary investigation. They returned,\nand informed the king that if a path were cut through the forest, it\nwould be quite safe in every respect.\n\nAt this intelligence his Majesty was highly pleased and having sent\nfor Hatim, said to him, \u201cNoble stranger, I have done you wrong in\nsuspecting the truth of your statement, and I pray for your\nforgiveness. I confess I did not at first believe you. I, therefore,\nplaced a watch over you till I should be assured of the fact by my own\npeople: had I found that you had deceived me, I should have punished\nyou accordingly.\u201d--\u201cYour Majesty,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201chas acted as a king\nought, that is, according to strict justice; for it is expedient that\nthe liar should suffer punishment. But why should I deceive you, in\nstating what was untrue?\u201d\n\nThe king then brought forth loads of gold, and said to Hatim, \u201cAccept\nthis as a reward for the services you have done me.\u201d--\u201cI am alone,\u201d\nsaid Hatim, \u201cI cannot carry this gold with me, and I have no one to\ncarry it for me.\u201d--\u201cMy own people,\u201d replied the king, \u201cshall convey it\nto your country.\u201d--\u201cI have a dangerous journey to perform,\u201d returned\nHatim, \u201cand an important task to accomplish: till that is done, I\ncannot visit my native country.\u201d--\u201cTell me,\u201d resumed the king,\n\u201cwhither are you bound, and I will accompany you in person.\u201d--\u201cIn a\nneighboring country,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cis the bath of Badgard: I am going\nto explore it, but I have heard that no one has hitherto returned\nthence with life.\u201d--\u201cYou have heard the truth, noble stranger,\u201d said\nthe king; \u201cI, therefore, advise you as a friend to banish such\nthoughts from your mind.\u201d--\u201cWhat is decreed must happen,\u201d replied\nHatim; \u201cmy resolution is fixed.\u201d\n\nWhen the king found Hatim resolute, he appointed two of his people to\naccompany him, and ordered them to shew him the way to Katan. They,\ntherefore, set out; and after some days\u2019 travelling, his guides told\nhim that their orders permitted them to go no further. They then gave\nhim directions as to his route, and took leave. When Hatim arrived\nwithin the territories of Katan, the people asked him whence he had\ncome. He told them the object of his journey and the dangers he had\nexperienced. When they heard from him that the griffins of the forest\nof brambles, with the dragons of the brazen desert, were extirpated,\nthey rejoiced exceedingly.\n\nAt length Hatim reached the city of Katan, and took up his residence\nfor some days in a caravansera\u00ef. After he had reposed for a few days\nhe wished to present himself before the king. Selecting two pearls,\ntwo rubies, and two diamonds of immense value, he went to the palace\ngate. The janitors informed his Majesty that a stranger wished to be\nadmitted, and at the same time presented the jewels. The king ordered\nthem to procure his name, and ask of him the nature of his business.\nThey returned to Hatim, and examined him according to the king\u2019s\ncommand. \u201cI am a native of Yemen,\u201d replied Hatim, \u201cand have journeyed\nhither from the city of Shahabad; if further explanation be necessary,\nI will detail my whole history to his Majesty, should he honor me with\nan interview.\u201d\n\nThe janitors returned to the royal presence, and stated, \u201cSire, the\nstranger is a merchant of Yemen, lately come from the city of\nShahabad, and anxious to have an interview with your Majesty.\u201d Hatim\nwas immediately admitted, and the king said to him, \u201cTell me, stranger\nmerchant, where is your caravan, and what merchandise have you to\ndispose of?\u201d--\u201cSire,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cit is now some time since I have\nleft off traffic, and adopted the profession of a soldier. I happened\nto pass this way, and longed to pay my respects to your Majesty.\u201d\n\nThe king greatly admired Hatim\u2019s courtesy, and treated him with the\nhighest respect. After various conversation, Hatim took his leave, and\nthe king said to him at withdrawing, \u201cBrave stranger, I trust you will\ngladden my heart by residing some time at my court.\u201d Hatim remained\nsix months in the capital, and every day went to pay his respects to\nthe king, with whom he became a great favorite. He one day, observing\nthe king in good humor, took the opportunity of presenting to him a\ncasket of most valuable jewels. The king received the jewels with\ngreat satisfaction, and having made Hatim sit by him, said, \u201cNoble\nstranger, you have now resided with us for months, but never have I\nhad the pleasure of doing you the least service. I am ashamed when I\nlook upon the numerous gifts you have bestowed upon me, and when I\nconsider that you have never asked of me any favor in return.\u201d--\u201cMay\nyour Highness live long,\u201d rejoined Hatim; \u201cthere are few things\nearthly which I desire; but, if I may be allowed to express my wish,\nthere is one boon I will venture to ask of you.\u201d--\u201cIt is already\ngranted,\u201d replied the king; \u201ctherefore, speak your wish and it shall\nbe satisfied.\u201d\n\nHatim availed himself of this favorable opportunity, and said to the\nking, \u201cI have an ardent desire to explore the bath of Badgard; I\nhumbly crave your Majesty\u2019s permission, therefore, that I may satisfy\nmy curiosity.\u201d The king for a long time held down his head in silent\nmeditation, while Hatim stood by anxiously waiting the result. At\nlength his Highness broke silence, saying, \u201cStranger, your request has\ncaused me much concern, for various reasons: in the first place, I\nhave made a vow never to let mortal man visit the bath of Badgard;\nsecondly, if you go, you must inevitably perish in the prime of youth;\nthirdly, I esteem you so highly, that I should forever regret having\npermitted you to throw away your life; and, fourthly, I cannot endure\nthe idea of parting with you, on any account. Consider, then, my dear\nfriend, how painful it is for me to grant the fatal boon you ask.\u201d\n\nTo this Hatim replied, \u201cSire, I have experienced many dangers, and I\nhave every hope of returning safe from the bath of Badgard.\u201d He then\nrelated the whole of his past adventures in behalf of the Assyrian\nprince Munir, the lover of Husn Banu, and stated in conclusion, that\nhis seventh and last labor was to explore the bath of Badgard. The\nking listened to Hatim\u2019s narrative, and after he had finished, said to\nhim, \u201cGenerous man! heaven will assuredly protect you in what remains\nof your task; for there lives not, as I conceive, a more worthy object\nof the care of Providence than you. Let me, however, once more remind\nyou, that multitudes of people have hitherto entered that mysterious\nbath, and none has returned; but I hope you will be more fortunate.\nMeanwhile tell me truly your name and rank, for you are not what you\nseem.\u201d--\u201cMy name is Hatim, and my father is king of Yemen,\u201d was the\nreply.\n\nWhen the king heard this, he arose from his seat, clasped Hatim in his\narms, and said, \u201cYou speak the truth, brave prince of Yemen; your brow\nis stamped with the seal of royalty; and your name is destined to be\nproverbial in the world for everything that is noble and generous.\u201d\nHaving thus spoken, the king commanded a passport to be written for\nHatim, to be presented to the keeper and guardian of the bath of\nBadgard. When the order for admittance to the bath was ready and\nimpressed by the royal seal, the king delivered it to Hatim, and\nappointed a few of his people to accompany him.\n\nHatim took an affectionate leave of the king, and attended by his\nguides, betook himself to the road. Fifteen days after, the top of a\nmountain became visible. Hatim asked his guides, \u201cWhat mountain is\nthis before us, whose lofty peak pierces the vault of heaven?\u201d--\u201cIt is\nthe mountain of Badgard,\u201d they replied, \u201cand the entrance into the\nbath is on the side of it; but near as it may seem, it is still seven\ndays\u2019 journey hence.\u201d When they arrived at the base of the mountain,\nHatim was surprised to see it begirt with legions of armed men. He\nasked his guides whose were the troops, and was told in reply that\nthey were under the command of the keeper of the bath, which no one\ncould approach without an order from the king of Katan. At length they\nreached the outposts of the sentinels, who asked Hatim who he was, and\nwhat was his business. The guides replied, \u201cThis is the prince of\nYemen, who has received the royal permission for admittance within the\nbath.\u201d\n\nThe sentinels immediately conducted Hatim before the keeper, to whom\nhe presented his passport. The keeper opened and inspected the royal\nfirman, which ran thus: \u201cKnow that it is our will that you admit the\nprince of Yemen into the bath of Badgard. Let him not meet with the\nleast interruption on account of our late vow; and if it is in your\npower to prevail upon him to return ere it be too late, fail not to do\nso, and your reward shall be great.\u201d The keeper folded up the\npassport, conducted Hatim to his house, and entertained him for three\ndays in the most hospitable manner. He then began to advise him\nearnestly not to proceed further; but on no account would Hatim listen\nto his friendly counsel.\n\nThe keeper of Badgard, finding all his entreaties of no avail, at\nlength wrote to the king that the prince of Yemen was resolute in his\ndesign. The king reluctantly answered, \u201cIf it must be so, grant him\nadmittance into the bath.\u201d Once more the keeper endeavored to dissuade\nhim from his rash design, but Hatim\u2019s resolution was fixed as a rock.\n\u201cFollow me, then, desperate man,\u201d said the keeper, \u201cand the blame be\nyours.\u201d Hatim followed the keeper till they came to the door of the\nbath. Its size was immense, such as he had never seen during his whole\nlife. High on the wall was written the following words, \u201cThese are the\nenchantments of King Kaiumarath, which are destined to last for a\ntime; whosoever enters shall not return. Here he shall remain without\nhunger or thirst.\u201d\n\nWhen Hatim had read the inscription, he began to meditate within\nhimself whether that information was not sufficient, and if it would\nnot be needless to go further; but on mature reflection, he resolved\nto enter and examine the place with his own eyes. He took leave of the\nkeeper, and boldly entered the door of the bath. He had advanced but\nthree steps, when, on looking around him, he saw neither the keeper\nnor the gate of the bath, but a wide and dreary desert. He stood still\nin astonishment and said to himself, \u201cO Hatim, here is certainly the\nend of thine earthly pilgrimage.\u201d At length he aroused himself from\ndespairing thoughts and began to wander about the desert. After some\ntime he espied at a distance a human form, and great was his joy at\nthe sight; for he concluded that the place was inhabited at no great\ndistance.\n\nHe bent his steps toward the figure, and was delighted to find that it\nwas approaching him. When they came near each other, the strange\nfigure saluted Hatim, and having produced a mirror, presented it to\nhim. Hatim looked at the mirror, and said to the giver, \u201cWhat is this\nI see in the mirror? Is it not the bath of Badgard, and are you not\nthe keeper?\u201d--\u201cI am,\u201d was the reply. \u201cTell me,\u201d said Hatim, \u201chow am I\nto find the bath?\u201d--\u201cProceed forward,\u201d said the strange figure, \u201cand\nyou will soon reach it.\u201d\n\nHatim, rejoiced at this information, asked the man who he was. \u201cI am,\u201d\nsaid he, \u201ca hireling connected with the bath: I wander about here\nwaiting the arrival of strangers; when any one comes, it is my office\nto conduct him into the bath, and attend him while bathing. For my\nservices I expect a handsome reward; so if you be liberal, it will be\nbetter for you.\u201d--\u201cAre you the only attendant,\u201d inquired Hatim, \u201cor\nare there others along with you?\u201d--\u201cThere are others also who attend,\u201d\nreplied the man, \u201cbut it is my turn to-day.\u201d--\u201cWell,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cI\nhave travelled from afar to enjoy this bath, therefore shew me the\nnearest way.\u201d\n\nThe man of the bath proceeded onwards, and Hatim followed till they\nhad gone nearly a farasang, when a splendid structure surmounted by a\nlofty dome appeared before them. Arrived at the door the guide entered\nthe building, and motioned to Hatim to follow. Hatim entered, and the\nattendant conducted him to a marble cistern brimful of pure water, and\nsaid to him, \u201cStand in the water while I pour some of it over your\nhead.\u201d--\u201cLet me first,\u201d said Hatim, \u201cput off my clothes; for I cannot\nenter the bath dressed as I am.\u201d The man assisted Hatim in undressing;\nafter which he led him into the water, and poured three jars of the\nliquid over his head. On the application of the third jar of water,\nHatim heard a tremendous sound, while thick darkness enveloped the\nbath. As soon as objects became visible, he looked around him, and to\nhis dismay beheld the large dome converted into a solid mass of rock\ntransparent as crystal and hard as adamant. The floor was covered with\nwater, which gushed from the earth, and had by that time reached the\nmiddle of his legs. The bath was every moment filling; and when the\nwater became knee deep, Hatim, in the utmost consternation, searched\nround and round for an outlet from his prison. His efforts were\nfruitless; no trace of the door remained; all around him was the same\nsolid, smooth, and transparent rock. Now the water rose to his breast,\nand like a maniac he rushed backwards and forwards in search of some\nway of escape. At length the depth of the water was such that his feet\nno longer reached the bottom. He then kept himself afloat by swimming.\nWhile in this state, he could not refrain from saying to himself, \u201cO\nHatim, thy friends have uniformly dissuaded thee from this rash\nundertaking; but thou hast disregarded their admonitions, and hast\ncast thyself into calamity in spite of every warning. Well, what will\nbe, will be; if in the service of thy Creator thou shouldst lose a\nthousand lives, it would be nothing.\u201d\n\nFinally Hatim was borne up by the water to the very pinnacle of the\ndome. As his strength had become exhausted, he eagerly grasped the top\nof the dome that he might rest a little from his toil. The moment he\ntouched the top a deafening noise like the loudest thunder burst upon\nhis ears, and in an instant he found himself standing in the midst of\na desert. He looked around, but nothing met his sight except the bare\nearth and the silent skies. He advanced, it seemed a matter of no\nmoment which way, congratulating himself on his escape and considering\nhimself clear of the enchantment. For three days and nights he thus\nproceeded, when he beheld at a distance a palace of lofty structure.\nHe advanced towards it, expecting to find it inhabited, and, on his\nnearer approach, saw that the palace was surrounded by a beautiful\ngarden. As the door was opened he entered; but he had not ventured far\nere he thought it safer to remain without. He therefore made for the\ngate by which he had entered, but no trace of it could he find. He was\nnow convinced that he had not yet got clear of the enchantment of\nBadgard.\n\nHatim, thus helpless, wandered in every direction through the garden,\nwhich abounded with flowers of every hue and trees bearing fruit of\nevery sort. As his hunger was extreme, he began to eat of the fruit;\nbut his appetite was not in the least diminished. At last he ventured\nwithin the precincts of the palace, which was completely surrounded by\nstatues of marble. The statues stood in straight lines; and the lower\nhalf of them seemed fixed in the solid rock which supported them.\n\nWrapt in wonder at what he saw, Hatim much desired to know the secrets\nof that mysterious mansion. Meanwhile a bird like a parrot cried to\nhim from within the palace, \u201cO Hatim, why stand you there? Why have\nyou washed your hands of life by journeying hither?\u201d Hatim listened to\nthe voice of the parrot, and was about to enter the house, when he\nhappened to cast his eyes on the inscription over the door, which ran\nthus: \u201cKnow, O mortal, that thou canst not escape hence with life.\nThis is the enchanted palace of the renowned Kaiumarath, who, when\nhunting in these regions, found a diamond weighing fifty ounces. He\nshowed this superb diamond to his courtiers and attendants, and asked\nthem if they could produce another to match it. They declared that the\nworld did not contain its fellow. Kaiumarath then resolved to preserve\nit in a place of such safety that no one could rob him of it. For this\npurpose he built the bath of Badgard. The diamond is preserved in the\nbody of the parrot; and whosoever enters this garden shall never\nreturn unless he get possession of the diamond. On the chair within\nthe hall is laid a bow with arrows; let the visitor take it up and\nshoot three arrows at the parrot, and if he hit it directly through\nthe head he will be able to break the enchantment; if he miss, he at\nonce becomes a statue of marble.\u201d\n\nHatim read the inscription, cast a look of despair upon the lifeless\nstatues, and exclaimed, \u201cAlas, Hatim! thou too art likely to remain\nhere till the last day. Thou hast too rashly risked thy life and shalt\nsoon add another to the number of these victims. Well, in that case\nthy troubles will cease, and the silence of death is preferable to the\nmisery of life. But if the Almighty has decreed thy success, then thou\nwilt yet escape and thy friend be made happy.\u201d\n\nAfter this soliloquy Hatim entered the hall and lifted the bow and\narrows from the chair. He then took his station, applied one of the\narrows to the string, and carefully examined his distance. He drew the\narrow to his shoulder and shot; but the parrot leaped from the spot\nwhere he stood, and clung to the roof of his cage. The arrow had\nmissed; and straightway Hatim\u2019s feet became a mass of marble up to the\nknees.\n\nThe parrot resumed his former station, and said to Hatim, \u201cDesist,\nrash man, ere worse befall thee.\u201d In the utmost despair Hatim began to\nconsider his dismal situation, and while the tears filled his eyes, he\nsaid, \u201cNow indeed is my life ended; but is it not better to die than\nto live in disgrace? My arrow has missed its aim and I am partly\ntransformed into a block of marble. Let me try another: if I succeed,\ngood; if not, I shall be at rest from the pangs of disappointment.\u201d He\nseized a second arrow, shot and missed; for the parrot had changed its\nplace as before. Again the parrot called, \u201cDesist rash man, the\nenterprise is beyond thy might.\u201d Hatim had now become a lifeless\nstatue up to the waist; but he resolved to persevere to the last.\n\u201cNow,\u201d he said, \u201cmy hope of life is indeed small; may God preserve all\nothers from a similar fate. My death is near, but happen what may, I\nwill discharge the third arrow. Whatever the Creator has decreed, must\ncome to pass.\u201d\n\nHe now placed his whole reliance upon God, looked in the direction of\nthe parrot, took his aim, then shut his eyes, and let fly the third\narrow. In the hour of his despair the hand of heaven saved him. The\narrow pierced the brain of the parrot, which fell lifeless from the\ncage. A fearful storm of whirlwinds, thunders, and lightnings burst\naround him, while heaven and earth were involved in impenetrable\ndarkness. Hatim was terrified, and knew not whether he was still in\nthis world or had entered eternity. When the noise and disorder had\nceased, he no longer beheld the garden nor the palace nor the parrot.\nAt his feet lay the bow and arrows, and beside them a vast diamond of\nbrilliancy like the sun.\n\nHe rose up and seized the diamond. Instantly all the marble statues\nstarted into life. When they saw Hatim, they asked, \u201cWho are you, and\nhow have you been able to break the enchantment in which we were\nheld?\u201d He told them the whole occurrence; and they prostrated\nthemselves at his feet and vowed to serve him while they lived. Hatim\ntook them with him and returned to the capital of Katan. On his way he\nmet some of the attendants of the bath who, on hearing the result of\nhis adventure, hastened to give the intelligence to their king. At\nlength Hatim reached the city, and had an interview with the ruler, to\nwhom he shewed the diamond, saying, \u201cSire, this jewel I present to\nyou; but it will be necessary for me first to shew it to Husn Banu,\nafter which it shall be returned to you. The people who accompany me\nare poor and destitute; be pleased, then, to furnish them with the\nmeans of subsistence till they reach their own country.\u201d The request\nwas complied with and the people joyfully departed. Shortly after,\nHatim took leave of the king, who appointed a splendid retinue to\naccompany him home furnished with everything requisite for the\njourney. Hatim accordingly set off, and without any interruption\narrived safe in Shahabad. The people rejoiced when they saw him, and\nforthwith conducted him to the gate of the palace of Husn Banu. The\nlady gave orders for his immediate admission, and asked him to relate\nthe occurrences of his journey.\n\nHatim narrated in detail what he had seen and suffered, and produced\nthe diamond as proof. He then addressed Husn Banu, saying, \u201cNow that I\nhave accomplished your tasks, may I request that you will perform your\npromise to me?\u201d She replied, \u201cI am entirely yours. Dispose of me as\nyou think proper.\u201d Hatim gave orders for a princely feast, and Husn\nBanu was married to the Assyrian prince Munir, and so the two lovers\nreached the summit of happiness.\n\nThe celebration of the marriage completed, Hatim took leave of Munir\nand Husn Banu; and having, agreeably to his promise, sent the diamond\nto the prince of Katan, he started for Yemen. When he entered the\nboundaries of his native land, the whole country was one scene of joy.\n\u201cHatim,\u201d said the people, \u201cafter so long an absence, has returned to\nhis own country.\u201d At length Hatim reached the capital of Yemen, and\nwas affectionately received by his father and mother. His arrival was\nhailed with universal joy and every house resounded with music and\nmirth.\n\nHis father shortly afterwards resigned the reins of government into\nthe hands of Hatim, and lived in retirement for the twelve remaining\nyears of his life. Hatim reigned long over Yemen; and blessed with the\naffection of the beautiful Zarinposh, passed his life in uninterrupted\nhappiness.\n\nThus ended the seven adventures of Hatim Ta\u00ef. May this narrative in\nsome degree perpetuate his memory, and cause his virtues to be\nimitated by future generations.\n\n [The End]\n\n\n\n\n NOTES.\n\n INTRODUCTION NOTES.\n\n [i.01]\n #he said to the lion# Hatim (be it known) knew the languages of all\n animals, and conversed with them most freely wherever he went.\n\n\n BOOK I NOTES.\n\n [b1.01]\n #Do good, and cast it upon the waters# This is a common proverb in the\n Persian language.\n\n [b1.02]\n #Mahr\u016b Shah# _Moon-faced_, an epithet expressive of great beauty of\n countenance.\n\n [b1.03]\n #presented him with water to wash his hands# A well-known Mahomedan\n custom previous to eating.\n\n [b1.04]\n #a painter... from behind a curtain# In Mahommedan countries, painters\n draw ladies\u2019 portraits from behind a curtain or thin veil, as it would\n be considered a breach of delicacy in a female to show her face to a\n stranger.\n\n [b1.05]\n #stand on the roof# Roofs in the East are flat.\n\n [b1.06]\n #delineated every line and mole# Moles are considered as a rare\n beauty, and where the face has them not naturally, they are often\n supplied by art.\n\n [b1.07]\n #Mun\u012br Sham\u012b# Sham\u012b, the Syrian. The name Sham is applied to the\n country around Damascus.\n\n [b1.08]\n #a thing laid by, will be found useful...# \u201cKeep a thing by you seven\n years and you will find use for it.\u201d--_English or Scotch proverb_.\n\n [b1.09]\n #P\u0103r\u012br\u016b# Angel-faced, or fairy-faced.\n\n\n BOOK II NOTES.\n\n [b2.01]\n #Mountain of Kaf# The Mahommedans of the olden times, like the\n Christians before Copernicus, considered the earth as a plane of a\n circular form. On the confines or circumference of this circle it was,\n of course, necessary to have a substantial balustrade, to prevent such\n stragglers as might approach the remotest bounds from falling into\n another world: accordingly a mountain of immense altitude, which the\n Arabs called Kaf, probably from its supposed resemblance to a letter\n of their alphabet of the same name, was made to extend all around the\n earth. Hence the expression \u201cfrom Kaf to Kaf,\u201d signifying from one\n extremity of the earth to the opposite. The mountain Kaf was further\n supposed to be the abode of spirits, fairies, and giants.\n\n The Arabian lexicographers describe this mountain as being formed of\n emerald. In the Borhani-Kati, a valuable Persian Dictionary, we have\n the following description of it: \u201cKaf, the name of a famous mountain\n which surrounds the four quarters of the earth. They say that its\n altitude is five hundred farasangs (nearly two thousand English\n miles!) and for the most part the sea washes the base of it,\u201d &c.\n\n [b2.02]\n #four farasangs# The farasang is nearly equivalent to four English\n miles in length. The Borhani-Kati describes it as consisting of twelve\n thousand guz, each guz being equal to twenty-four finger breadths.\n\n [b2.03]\n #Jumat# Jumat or Juma is that day of the week which the Mahommedans\n have appointed for devotion, and answers to our Friday.\n\n [b2.04]\n #Shahmuhra# Shah-muhra, a fabulous precious stone, supposed to be\n found only in the mouth of the dragon or serpent.\n\n [b2.05]\n #the arrow of love still pierces my heart# Oriental writers place the\n seat of affection not in the heart but the liver; at least the latter\n is the part at which Cupid generally aims his arrows. We find the same\n idea frequently expressed by the Greek poets: thus Anacreon iii. 27,\n\n  \u03a4\u03b1\u03bd\u03c5\u03b5\u03b9 \u03b4\u03b5 \u03ba\u03b1\u03b9 \u03bc\u03b5 \u03c4\u03c5\u03c0\u03c4\u03b5\u03b9\n  \u039c\u03b5\u03c3\u03bf\u03bd \u1f21\u03c0\u03b1\u03c1, \u1f61\u03c3\u03c0\u03b5\u03c1 \u03bf\u03b9\u03c3\u03c4\u03c1\u03bf\u03c2.\n\n [b2.06]\n #the natives were demons# The word [_Persian_] according to\n D\u2019Herbelot, is the name of a race of spirits which resemble neither\n angels, devils, nor men; being what are called _Genii_ or _Demons_,\n and nearly the same as the giants in Greek mythology.\n\n [b2.07]\n #Solomon# Solomon (Suleiman) is a name, than which none is more famous\n in eastern tales. He is renowned not only on account of his wisdom,\n but also for his magnificence and supernatural power. His dominion\n extended over every living creature that inhabited the earth. The\n Creator placed under his obedience the whole race of fairies, spirits,\n demons and genii, good and bad, among all of which the oath by\n Suleiman is inviolable.\n\n [b2.08]\n #zakk\u016bm# The zakk\u016bm is a tree which grows in hell: its branches and\n leaves are of flaming fire, and the fruits which it bears are heads of\n devils and loathsome serpents. Thus in the sacred text (Koran. sur.\n xxxvii, 65, etc.): \u201c_This tree is planted in the bottom of hell; and\n its fruits are heads of devils, and verily the damned shall eat\n thereof._\u201d\n\n [b2.09]\n #Where is our king, and where are we?# Meaning, \u201cthe king is far\n hence, and shall know nothing of the matter.\u201d\n\n [b2.10]\n #we have eaten salt together# Among the Arabs, this formed the\n strongest pledge of amity.\n\n [b2.11]\n #Kulzum# According to Muntakhib-ul-Loghat, Kulzum is a name given to\n part of the Red Sea.\n\n [b2.12]\n #Zulm\u00e2t# The regions of darkness, which are said to contain also the\n water of immortality.\n\n [b2.13]\n #the two loaves which you used to cast into the river...# \u201cCast thy\n bread upon the waters, for thou shalt find it after many\n days.\u201d--_Eccl._ xi. 1.\n\n\n BOOK III NOTES.\n\n [b3.01]\n #you shall have no other wife than myself# As this injunction may\n appear a little unreasonable in a country where polygamy is lawful,\n the translator avails himself of the following remark on the subject\n by a very eminent Orientalist, M. Garcin de Tassy. In that learned\n author\u2019s work, entitled, \u201cExposition de la Foi Musulmane\u201d (Paris\n 1822), he states, in a note to the preface, page 3: \u201cLa polygamie\n n\u2019est pas chez les Musulmans aussi commune qu\u2019on pourrait la croire.\n D\u2019abord il faut avoir une certaine aisance pour entretenir plus d\u2019une\n femme; et quand on a cette aisance, il faut encore vaincre la\n repugnance qu\u2019ont en g\u00e9n\u00e9ral les parens de donner une fille \u00e0 un\n homme d\u00e9j\u00e0 mari\u00e9; ou qui ne leur promet pas de n\u2019avoir qu\u2019elle\n seule pour \u00e9pouse.\u201d\n\n\n BOOK IV NOTES.\n\n [b4.01]\n #repeating certain attributes of the Deity# The great names, or\n attributes of the deity, are one hundred, and the repetition of them\n constitutes part of a Mussulman\u2019s devotion. The formula commences\n thus: \u201cThere is no God but God. He is _most merciful, most gracious,\n the ruler of all, most holy_,\u201d &c.--Vide Tychsen _Elementale Arab_, p.\n 22.\n\n [b4.02]\n #Khwaja Khizr# Khizr is the name of a character famous among the\n Mahommedans. They say that he was vizier to Iskander Dhu\u2019lkornain,\n that he discovered the fountain of immortality and drank thereof, in\n consequence of which he still lives on the earth, where he will be\n allowed to remain till the day of judgment. The word Khizr signifies\n _verdant_ or _green_, which is their favourite colour, having been\n worn by Muhammed himself, so that the Khwaja\u2019s habit is quite in\n character.\n\n [b4.03]\n #Iblis# Iblis is one of the names of Shaitan, or the devil, and\n signifies (according to the Farhang-i-Mathnavi), _desperate_, or\n _hopeless of mercy from the Divine Creator_. The Mahommedans believe\n that God created the devil of the purest fire, admitted him into\n heaven, and appointed him to the high office of Lord Lieutenant of the\n Moon; but owing to his inordinate pride and ambition, he was deprived\n of his situation, and utterly expelled from the higher regions.\n\n [b4.04]\n #b\u016bt\u012bmar# As I know not the English name for this bird, I shall add\n the description given of him in the Persian Lexicons, _Borhani Kati_,\n and _Farhangi Mathnavi_: \u201cThe [_Persian_] _b\u016bt\u012bm\u0101r_ (called also,\n _ghamkhar_, or the sorrowful), is a bird that frequents the banks of\n rivers. He constantly mourns from fear that the water should become\n exhausted; and under that impression, however great his thirst, he\n never drinks. In Arabic he is called [_Persian_] _yam\u0101m_.\u201d I may add,\n that, in Richardson\u2019s Dictionary, _b\u016bt\u012bmar_ is translated a heron,\n and _yam\u0101m_ a turtle-dove.\n\n [b4.05]\n The reader may remember a tale similar to the above in the\n introduction to the Arabian Nights\u2019 Entertainments. There is another\n of the same kind in Nakhshebi\u2019s Tales of a Parrot, near the\n commencement of the work. In fact, Oriental authors of romance\n frequently indulge in episodes which tend to place the conduct of\n their ladies in no very favourable light. In the _Bahar-i-Danish_, a\n work written by Einayatullah, in the most flowery style of which the\n Persian is capable, there is a series of tales whose object is to\n dissuade a young prince from marrying a beautiful lady, of whom he is\n enamoured. One of these thus concludes: \u201cO my prince, to be allured\n with the outward beauty of women, and to become a wanderer in the\n waste of madness, is to act contrary to the institutes of wisdom; for\n a life of sorrow follows such short-lived pleasures. The adorners of\n the assembly of learning and wisdom have by no means approved of such\n conduct, because the roses on the cheeks of women are unblest by the\n tinge and perfume of constancy.\n\n  \u201c_When the Gods were describing instances of constancy,_\n  _At the name of woman, they broke their pens in despair._\u201d\n\n It may be observed that some of Boccacio\u2019s tales in the Decameron,\n bear great resemblance to those in the _Bahar-i-Danish_, but which is\n the imitation, and which the original, it is difficult to say.\n\n\n BOOK V NOTES.\n\n\n [b5.01]\n This is no fictitious description, as similar scenes may be witnessed\n in Hindoostan to this very day. We may observe, however, that the\n _satti_ is here placed in its most favourable light; and that if the\n grounds on which the Hindoo defends the practice were necessarily\n true, little could be said in opposition to him; but, situated as the\n world now is, it is to be feared that the widow\u2019s affection is not\n always so very powerful as to carry her through the fiery ordeal. It\n is to be hoped that the time will speedily come when the rays of a\n purer faith will dispel from the fair regions of India a foul custom,\n that has originated from the demon of superstition, and has been\n maintained through the influence of a corrupt and interested\n priesthood.\n\n [b5.02]\n #Siyah-dil# Black-hearted.\n\n [b5.03]\n #Mihmansera\u00ef# The house appointed for guests or strangers.\n\n\n BOOK VI NOTES.\n\n [b6.01]\n #Murghab# Murghab signifies properly an aquatic fowl, but is generally\n applied to a duck. There is also a river so called in the province of\n Khorasan.--Vide _Borhani-Kati_.\n\n [b6.02]\n #island of Barzakh# _Barzakh_, according to the Furhang-i-Mathravi, is\n the intermediate stage between this world and the next--like the\n purgatory of the Roman Catholics.\n\n [b6.03]\n #third watch# In the east, the most ordinary division of time is into\n watches, or rather was so formerly. In the astronomical day of\n twenty-four hours (or from sunrise to sunrise), there are eight\n watches, or [_Persian_] consequently every watch is at an average\n three hours. The day is divided into four watches, of which the second\n terminates always at noon, hence _do-pahr_ ([_Persian_]), _i.e._ two\n watches, is synonymous with mid-day; also _si-pahr_, or three watches,\n signifies the afternoon. The night is, in like manner, divided into\n four watches, the second of which expires at midnight. In Hindustan,\n the _pahr_ is divided into eight equal parts, called [_Persian_]\n _gh\u0103r\u012b_, each equal to twenty-two minutes and a-half. We may add,\n that in Hindustani, the phrase _ath-pahr_, or eight watches, signifies\n perpetual.\n\n [b6.04]\n #Kibla# The Kibla is that spot to which the Musselmans direct their\n face in prayer, which is now the temple of Mecca. Jerusalem was the\n Kibla of the Mahommedans in the early part of Mahomet\u2019s life, as it\n had been of the Jews and Christians previously; but in the second year\n of the Hijra, the Caaba of Mecca was fixed upon as the Kibla of the\n Musselmans, and in that direction (as nearly as they can discover)\n they turn their faces at prayer, in whatever quarter of the world they\n may be situated.\n\n\n\n\n TRANSCRIBER\u2019S NOTES.\n\nThe last two pages of Book IV (pp. 216-217) were missing from the\nsource text. Until a complete copy can be found, the missing text has\nbeen supplied by the 1830 edition published for the Oriental\nTranslation Fund. If you can provide the missing pages please contact\nProject Gutenberg Support.\n\nThe translator\u2019s use of both accented (_e.g._ Mun\u012br Sham\u012b) and\nunaccented (Munir Shami) names has been preserved.\n\nText-version only: \u201c#\u201d is used to indicate bolded text.\n\nAlterations to the text:\n\nAdd TOC.\n\n[Footnotes]\n\nAdd several footnotes from the 1830 edition.\n\nConvert footnotes to endnotes.\n\n[Book I]\n\nChange \u201cand her being beloved by _Muneer_\u201d to _Munir_.\n\n\u201cman who exclaims in the words _above mentioned_\u201d to\n_above-mentioned_.\n\n[Book II]\n\n\u201cThere is a fairy named _Mah-pari_\u201d to _Mahpari_.\n\n[Book IV]\n\n\u201cSam Ahmar and _Kalmak_ soon recovered their senses\u201d to _Kamlak_.\n\n[End of Text]","title":"The adventures of Hatim Ta\u00ef, a romance","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":103417}