Hatim then resumed his southward journey, and a few days after arrived in a barren desert of burning sand. As he wandered in quest of water beneath the scorching rays of a vertical sun, his eye was refreshed with the sight of a verdant spot which indicated the presence of a fountain. Thither he dragged his weary steps, till his eye could see the gushing spring, when a huge serpent began to uncoil itself from the brink. Hatim stood aghast, for he expected to be swallowed alive; but the serpent, far from assailing him, said in a soft voice, “Brave prince of Yemen, advance and drink; why do you hesitate?” Hatim was the more astonished on hearing the words of the serpent, and for some time stood still. Again the serpent said to him, “Fear nothing; the water of this fountain is free for your use; drink, and follow me.”
Hatim at length ventured to quench his thirst in the fountain, and resigning himself to his fate, followed the path of the serpent across the desert. In a short time they came to a beautiful garden, in the centre of which was a shady grove lined with splendid couches and cushions. The serpent conducted Hatim to this cool and pleasant retreat, and said to him, “Noble Arab, sit down on this couch, and secure from danger rest awhile from your fatigue.” Having thus spoken, the serpent plunged into a pond of water that ornamented the garden.
Hatim, fatigued with his late journey, sat down on one of the couches, marvelling much at what had happened. After he had remained here a short time, admiring the beauty of the scene, a troop of fairies, beautiful as angels, each bearing a golden tray filled with emeralds, issued from the lake, made their obeisance, and stood waiting his commands. “Who are you,” said Hatim, “and what is your business with me?”—“We are,” replied they, “the faithful subjects of him who conducted you hither. He sends you these jewels as a present, and requests that you will do him the favor to accept them.”—“Convey my thanks to him who sent these jewels,” replied Hatim, “and say that I desire them not; and even if I did, I am alone, and cannot carry them away with me.”
Hatim had scarcely done speaking, when another troop of fairies, bearing trays filled with still more costly jewels, ascended from the water. “Who are you,” said Hatim, “and what do you bring in these trays?”—“They are jewels,” replied they, “the most precious that can be procured, which our sovereign hath sent for your acceptance.”—“I am beholden to your sovereign,” said Hatim, “but gold and jewels are at present of no use to me.” Meanwhile another troop emerged from the lake, carrying trays of gold and silver filled with all sorts of food and fruits. As Hatim had fasted long, the sight of food made his heart rejoice; but he would not eat of it till he asked for the hospitable sovereign of the place, that he might have the pleasure of breaking his fast with him, and thanking him in person. Ere he had done speaking, a young man of beautiful countenance, attended by a troop of fairies, ascended from the crystal lake. When Hatim saw his noble form, he wondered within himself who this could be, and by what mystery they issued from the water. The fairy king approached Hatim; and after mutual salutation, they both sat down on the same couch. His Majesty then addressed Hatim, saying, “Tell me, noble Hatim, do you recognize me, for this is not our first meeting?”—“Truly,” replied Hatim, “I cannot now recollect of having ever seen you before.”—“I am,” resumed the king, “the serpent that conducted you hither from the fountain in the desert.”—“How,” said Hatim, “have you so suddenly passed from a shape so horrible to a form so beautiful?”—“The tale is long,” replied the king, “and therefore I shall waive the telling of it till we have broken our fast.”
After they had taken food together, they washed their hands from ewers of gold, and the attendants presented them with fragrant perfumes which they applied to their hands. Hatim then addressing his royal host, said, “I long to hear, sir, by what strange mystery I have lately seen you in the form of a serpent and behold you now in human shape.” The fairy king, smiling, replied, “Noble Hatim, know that I am of the fairy race; and that my name was Shams Shah previous to my transformation into a serpent. In the reign of Sulaiman the prophet (on whom be peace), I was one day seated in my garden in the fairy regions, when thoughts the most diabolical entered my mind. I viewed with impatience the submission of our race to the powerful Sulaiman; I therefore resolved to collect my troops from all parts of my dominions, and next day descend upon earth and slay the whole race of Adam. This done, it was my intention to occupy for myself and subjects the terrestrial globe, of which I should become sole monarch.
“Having formed this resolution, I despatched winged couriers to the utmost bounds of my realms, summoning the choicest of my warriors to prepare for a dangerous expedition, and to be at the palace gate completely armed before the dawn of the morrow. When evening came, I went to sleep as usual; and next morning, when I awoke, I went out to view my troops. They had repaired to the place of rendezvous, armed as I had ordered; but, to my astonishment, I beheld that their wings had been taken from them. Instantly I myself was transformed into a serpent, and from that period I was doomed to creep the earth, the terror of every creature that beheld me. Days and nights I spent in prayer and supplication, but all of no avail; the voice of some invisible being used to sound in my ears, ‘Such shall ever be the fate of him who violates his promise.’ This awful voice made me tremble in the consciousness of my guilt; and I made vows and prayers to the Most High that I should never more let such thoughts enter my mind. The voice at length answered, ‘Thy doom is fixed; wait with patience in the desert till the arrival there of Hatim, prince of Yemen. When he comes, remember that thou administer to his wants, and serve him with thy whole heart and soul; then shalt thou be restored to thy original form, and whatsoever prayers he may offer up in thy behalf before the throne of the Supreme Creator, they shall be answered.’
“Since the time of Sulaiman I have been doomed to pass my life under the loathsome form of a serpent; and it is now thirty years since I removed to this desert, watching night and day for your arrival. To-day, the moment I saw you, I knew you to be the far-famed prince of Yemen; and now may I request your prayers in my behalf?”—“Most willingly,” replied Hatim, “but first tell me, what was the nature of the promise which you have violated?”—“In the reign of Sulaiman,” replied the fairy king, “my grandfather entered into a solemn compact with that mighty monarch, that none of our race should ever injure any of the race of Adam, or on any pretext invade the dominions of the latter, on pain of having our forms changed to that of the brute species. From that day till my reign, when, as I have said, the evil spirit entered my heart, this agreement was strictly observed on our part. Now, brave Hatim, I am ready to do what penance you as the representative of your race may ordain; and I humbly supplicate your prayers in my behalf.”
On hearing this, Hatim devoutly rose up, and having performed his ablutions and changed his garments, bowed down his head upon the prayer-carpet, with his face turned to the sacred Kibla[4], and prayed for the divine mercy upon him whom heaven had deemed proper to chastise.
When Hatim had offered up his prayers, the king and his subjects were restored to their original form. After the fairies had expressed their gratitude to Hatim, the king said to him, “Providence had long foreordained that you should visit our distressed race; but may I ask what has been the object of your toilsome journey hither, and to what place you are bound?”—“The object of my journey,” replied he, “is to visit the island of Barzakh, where I expect to procure a pearl similar to this model”; whereupon he showed the fairy king the model he had in silver of Husn Banu’s pearl. Shams Shah viewed it for some time, and said to Hatim, “The prince of Barzakh has indeed a pearl exactly of this size, but it is to be got from him only on one condition: he who can tell the history of the pearl, shall have both the pearl and the daughter. But how will you be able to reach that island? The distance is great, and the route dangerous.”—“I am prepared for the worst,” replied Hatim; “therefore let fate take its course.”—“You cannot escape with life,” said Shams Shah, “for the road is infested with men-devouring demons.”—“God,” rejoined Hatim, “will be my protector.”—“True,” said the fairy king, “but to ensure your safety, some of the boldest of my subjects shall go with you as guides.” The king having thus spoken, addressed those around him, and said, “Good friends, you are aware that to this generous man we owe our release from the bondage in which we have lately been. Now he has an arduous journey to perform; his business is important, and the road full of danger. I call upon the bravest of you, as you love your king, to accompany this noble prince and be his protectors on the way.” The fairies volunteered their services, saying, “Sire, tell us the nature of the difficulties which this prince has to encounter, and we will endeavor with our whole heart and soul to enable him to overcome them.”
The fairy king minutely detailed the object of Hatim’s journey; on the hearing of which, the fairies were staggered in their resolution, and said, “The journey to the island of Barzakh is truly dangerous; but if your Majesty in person deign to accompany us thither, so that we may have an experienced leader in case of a war with the demons, we are ready to go this moment; otherwise, we pray to be excused.”—“Well,” said the king, “it is but right that I should do all that is in my power to serve the prince of Yemen. Therefore, I will follow you at a distance, so that he may come by no harm on the road.” The king made instant preparation, girded on his armor, and ordered four of his people to place Hatim on a golden litter and carry him on their shoulders. The order was speedily executed, and four fairies swift of wing seizing each a foot of the couch, soared aloft with their burden into the aerial regions. Three days and nights they traversed the air, when they found it necessary to alight in order to procure for their charge food and drink. The place where they halted was within the territory of the demons, a circumstance of which they were not aware. Two of the fairies went in quest of food while the other two remained to guard Hatim. It happened that a troop of demons on a hunting excursion passed the spot, and on seeing the golden couch on which one of Adam’s race reclined, with two fairies standing by, they without ceremony took possession of the prize. The demons were so numerous, and their arrival so sudden, that the two fairies stood panic-struck, without offering the least resistance. Their first effort was to fly away; but despair supplied them with courage, and the next moment they made a desperate assault upon their enemies, of whom they slew numbers. At last, however, the demons won the battle, and the two fairies along with Hatim were made prisoners, and conveyed to the dwelling of the demon chief. There the fairies were first questioned, “Who is this man, and whence have you brought him?”—“This is Hatim, prince of Yemen,” they replied, “to whom we and our gracious monarch Shams Shah owe our restoration to life. Oh, chief of the demons, spare our lives for the sake of this brave man; and woe be to you should aught evil befall him.”