For several days longer he persevered in his ascent from peak to peak, without the least appearance of reaching the highest point. Meanwhile, the weight of his load of jewels was so heavy that he was compelled to throw away more than the half, keeping only such as he judged most rare. One day, as he was passing from one mountain to another, he came to a spring of cool water, beside which he sat down to quench his thirst. The moment he dipped his hands in this precious fountain, his right hand became whole and sound as the rest of his body. Hatim thus providentially cured, bowed his head to the dust in gratitude to the Bestower of Benefits; and, having allayed his thirst, he laid himself down to sleep on the cool margin of the fountain.
When he awoke from his sleep, he beheld standing by the spring two beings of formidable appearance. Their color was black as the raven, their heads resembled that of man, and their hands and feet were like the paws of the lion. In an instant, Hatim started to his feet: he seized his bow and let fly his well-aimed arrow at one of these strange monsters. The shot took no effect, for the creature seized the arrow in its paw, and in a tone of reproach cried out, “O Hatim, does it become you to slay the innocent, from fear of your own life? Know that we also are servants of the Almighty, and have come hither with no intention of doing you harm.”
On hearing this, Hatim dropped the bow and arrow from his hands, and sat down in deep regret, for his own heart convinced him of having acted wrong. Some time thus passed while he waited their nearer approach, and much he wondered in his own mind what would be the result of an interview with such wonderful beings. At length they stood before him, and said, “To you, Hatim, of all mankind, it is least becoming to set your heart on jewels and worldly wealth. Your name is already famous in the world for everything noble and generous; and your history shall serve as an example to future ages. But if the love of gold and jewels take possession of your heart, farewell your present success and future fame!”—“May I ask,” said Hatim, “whose gold and jewels have I ever coveted?”—“O Hatim,” returned the demons, “see you those jewels which you have carried away from the lower mountain; can you say that they are your own?”—“If they be not mine,” replied Hatim, “they belong to no one else. The gifts of the Creator are without number, and his dominions boundless; if I have taken a few jewels from the mountain, I cannot have thereby wronged you or any living creature.”—“Those jewels,” said the demons, “belong to the race that inhabit these realms.”—“And is not man,” rejoined Hatim, “the noblest of created beings? Is he not sole master of the terrestrial globe and all that it contains? Tell me, then, the name of that race that can have a better right to these precious stones than I have. Besides, I have only carried with me a small number to present to my friends, which can no more be missed from the treasures of these mountains than a drop of water from the ocean.”—“It is not for the value of these baubles,” resumed the demons, “that we so strongly urge you to throw them away, it is solely on your own account; for if it is your wish to return in safety to your own country, you must covet nothing that you see here.” Hatim at length, with great reluctance, threw down the precious stones, saying, “What you advise me, my friends, may be right; yet it is hard that I should have toiled so many days in carrying these treasures, which I must now resign; truly your advice is to me very unacceptable.”
When the demons perceived Hatim’s reluctance, they selected from the stones the largest ruby, the most brilliant diamond, and the finest emerald, and presented the same to him, saying, “Accept, brave Hatim, these three precious stones; they will suffice as a specimen to be shown to your friends: to take more, or to use them in any other manner, would be unworthy of yourself.” Hatim joyfully received the three jewels, and said, “I am a stranger here; you will, therefore, do me the greatest favor by pointing out to me the way to my own country.”
“Generous Hatim,” replied the demons, “you are aware of the immense distance you have travelled since you left Shahabad. God has preserved you in all your perils and hardships; yet, since the creation of the world, only three of your race have been enabled to visit these regions and return with life, whereas, great numbers have perished in the attempt. Your days shall yet be many, for such is the will of God. Proceed, then, till you reach the ocean of gold, which you shall cross, as you have hitherto done. Next, you will come to the sea of fire; and should you be able to find your way to its farther side, you will soon arrive in Yemen. But, above all, beware lest you covet aught of what you see.”
Having thus spoken, the demons vanished from Hatim’s sight, while he sat down to repose for the night by the cool fountain. When the dawn appeared, he rose up, and, after ablutions, proceeded on his journey, trusting to Providence alone as his guide. After three days of fasting and toil, he arrived, hungry and thirsty, at the banks of a river, the channel of which was formed of the largest and most valuable pearls he had ever seen. His heart longed to possess the pearls, notwithstanding the injunctions he had received to the contrary; but, on reflection, he controlled his fatal desire, and satisfied himself by quenching his thirst in the running stream, which was extremely pure and refreshing.
Hatim thence set out, and shortly after, saw before him clouds rising from the horizon with uncommon brilliancy, resembling a canopy of burnished gold. For a whole month he continued to advance in this direction; and at length he saw the summit of the golden mountain, rising with dazzling grandeur among the clouds. Having reached the base of the mountain, he found it covered with trees and shrubs, of which the foliage and fruit were all of golden hue. For three days he ascended towards the summit; and on the fourth day he entered a garden whose beauty equalled that of paradise. The trees were loaded with golden apples, every leaf and every plant in the garden was tinged with the hue of gold.
After Hatim had enjoyed the charms of this beautiful scene, and appeased his thirst from fountains of pure water which issued from rocks of gold studded with the most precious gems, he sat down to repose for the night. Meanwhile a troop of fairies surrounded him; and when Hatim saw them, his heart rejoiced, for the fairest of the band greatly resembled Zarinposh. He said to them, “Heavenly creatures, tell me who are you?”—“We are,” replied one of them, “the devoted subjects of the fairy queen, who now walks in this garden, and who will very soon pass this way.”
Shortly after the queen approached, and the moment Hatim beheld her lovely countenance, his senses entirely forsook him, and he fell lifeless upon the ground. The queen quickly ordered her attendants to bring rose-water, which she sprinkled over his face and body. After this, Hatim recovered, when the queen raised him from the ground and seated him on a golden chair close by a throne, which she herself occupied. She then addressed him in the sweetest tones, and said, “Tell me, noble stranger, who are you, and how came you hither?” Hatim related his eventful history; and in return, asked the fairy, “To whom belong these celestial abodes?”—“These regions,” she replied, “are called Achīn, which signifies pleasant, and the sovereignty thereof belongs to the king, Shahyal, to whom I owe allegiance. It is part of my duty to keep watch in this paradise for a fixed period. My time expires in the course of a week; after which, I return to the royal presence. This mountain, too, is part of Kaf, which forms the boundaries of the earth.”
The fairies hospitably entertained Hatim for four days. On the fifth day, the queen advised him to depart, on which he took leave, and once more resumed his journey. In two days after, he found himself in a boundless plain beyond the confines of the golden mountain. Forward he marched, night and day; and on the evening of the sixteenth day, he reached the yellow shore of the golden sea. The sand on which he trod was of the finest gold; the waves, too, which rose like mountains towards the skies, were deeply tinged with the same color. While Hatim sat musing on the beach, he saw, as formerly, a vessel steering towards land; and at length it came close to where he stood. Hatim stepped into the boat, where he found a basket filled with delicious food; and as he was very hungry, he ate and refreshed his exhausted frame. At the same time his thirst was excessive, and he felt a strong inclination for dipping his hand into the sea in order to drink. He recollected, however, the disaster that had previously befallen him, when his hand was changed into silver; and lest it might this time be converted into gold, he took a goblet, and having filled the same, drank, and steered his bark from land.