On hearing this, the demon said to them, “What is this I hear? Shams Shah has not been heard of for many centuries: how dare you say, then, that he is now alive?” The fairies detailed all the facts connected with their king; on the hearing of which the demon maintained a long silence, meditating what course to adopt. At last he formed his resolution, and said to those near him, “Take the man and the two fairies to the deepest of our dungeons; there secure them till to-morrow, when we shall devour them.” The sentence was speedily executed, and Hatim with his two companions were cast into a dark and loathsome pit.
Meanwhile the two fairies who had gone in search of food, on returning to the spot where they had left Hatim, were astonished at seeing the ground covered with blood, and strewed with the carcases of demons. They looked everywhere for their charge and their friends, but no trace of either could they find. They said the one to the other, “Of what race are these demons, and how came they to be slain here? But above all, what is become of Hatim and our companions? I fear they have been attacked and overpowered by the demons that infest these regions. Let us ascertain the fact and give intelligence of it to our king.” Having formed this resolution, the two fairies approached the spot, expecting to find the dead bodies of their companions. In the course of their search, they found one of the demons grievously wounded, but not dead. They gave him water to drink, and bound up his wounds, so that in a short time he recovered.
The fairies questioned him, saying, “Who are you, and to what tribe do you belong?” He replied, “I am of that race of demons whose chief is Mukarnas; a party of us were hunting to-day in this neighborhood, when we chanced to surprise two fairies and a man, with whom we had a battle in which I received these wounds. The demons conquered, and by this time they are feasting on the blood of their foes.” The fairies, on hearing this, bore off the demon to their own country and presented themselves breathless before Shams Shah. The king said to them, “How is this? Did I not send you to Barzakh in charge of the prince of Yemen? How dare you, then, show your faces here?”
The fairies trembling, replied, “Gracious sire, three days and nights we sped towards Barzakh; but at length hunger and thirst assailed both us and the prince. We then placed the litter in the shade of a tree, and two of us went in quest of food, while the other two remained to protect Hatim. When we returned, we found the spot covered with the carcases of demons, and from one of the wounded we learned the news of the capture of the prince and our two companions. Had we known the dangers of the place, we should not have halted there; but God had decreed otherwise. On questioning the wounded demon, he informed us that the country belonged to Mukarnas, to whose presence the prince of Yemen and the two fairies were conveyed.”
Shams Shah being highly grieved, ordered them to produce the wounded demon, whom he thus addressed, “How dares your chief Mukarnas lay violent hands on my subjects? Truly he has forgotten himself; but he shall feel my resentment.”—“Sire,” said the demon, “my chief had heard for certain that you had been dead for many centuries; and though both the two fairies and the man informed him of the contrary, the tale was so extravagant that he could not believe it.” Shams Shah turned to his officers, and said, “Prepare the whole of my army for an instant expedition.”
The order was at once obeyed, and thirty thousand of the choicest troops stood armed and ready at his gate. The king put himself at their head, and swift as the lightning they winged their way through the air. In three days they reached the territories of Mukarnas. There they halted, and the king despatched scouts to procure intelligence of the enemy’s quarters. “Be wary,” he said, “and quickly bring me word where the demon chief holds his court, and in what he is engaged.”
The scouts soon returned, and reported that Mukarnas, accompanied by his demons, was out hunting; and that they knew the very spot where he was. Shams Shah then addressed his troops, and made them swear by the seal of Sulaiman that they would fiercely assail the demons and that they would slay them without mercy. The fairies one and all took the solemn oath. So, receiving the signal from their king, they started, surprised the demons, slew the greater part of them, and made prisoners of Mukarnas and such of his subjects as survived. Shams Shah gave orders for their immediate execution; but he first sent for Mukarnas into his presence, and said to him, “Accursed fiend, hast thou forgotten me? Hast thou not been well informed that I was alive? Thou hast treated with violence and oppression both my own subjects and a man who is under my protection; dost thou not tremble at the thoughts of my revenge? Tell me this instant, what hast thou done with the prince of Yemen and his guides?”—“I, along with my friends, feasted on their carcases,” replied he, “the moment they were brought before me.”—“False demon,” rejoined the king; “did not your ancestors swear before the mighty Sulaiman, that neither they nor their posterity would ever injure one of the human race?”—“Well,” said the demon, “where is the powerful Sulaiman now, and when did I bow to him in servitude?”
Shams Shah said no more, but ordered them to pile together a quantity of dried wood, and when kindled to its height, hurl the demon into the flames. When the fiend saw that there was no escape, he said to the fairy king, “Will you give me my life, if I produce the man you mentioned?”—“If you bring me the man safe,” replied he, “there shall be no enmity between us.” The demon made the fairy king swear to this by the soul of Sulaiman, and then said, “Send some of your attendants to my dungeon, where they will find both the man and his companions still alive.” The fairies accordingly went and broke open the dungeon, released Hatim and his guides, and conveyed them before the king.
Shams Shah was overjoyed in once more meeting with Hatim. They sat down together and ate food; after which, the fairy king said to his attendants, “It would be a crime to spare the life of such a monster as this demon, therefore cast him instantly into the fire.”—“How,” said the demon, darest thou violate thy most sacred oath?”—“What hast thou to do with oaths?” returned Shams Shah. “Thy whole life has been a lie; and who can blame me, if for the welfare of my fellow-creatures, I disregard my promise to you?” In short, the fairy king destroyed the whole race of demons in that region, and appointed one of his own officers ruler of the conquered territory. He then addressed himself to Hatim, and said, “My dearest friend, what do you now intend to do?”—“I hold the same resolution,” replied Hatim, “as when I formerly left you.” The king hearing this, selected from among his troops four fairies of long experience, endowed with superior skill and bravery, and commanded them to convey Hatim to the end of his journey. These seized each a foot of the golden couch whereupon Hatim was seated, and soared aloft towards the sky. Night and day they continued their course; and when hunger or thirst assailed them, they took care to select a safe place where to halt. One day they were resting upon the summit of a mountain, where a fairy prince most beautiful of countenance had taken up his abode. This was the prince of the island of Tūmān, who had fallen desperately in love with the daughter of the king of Barzakh. He had sought for that solitary spot to give way to his sorrow and anguish. The voice of his lamentation reached the ear of Hatim, who said to his guides, “My dear friends, there is some one near us who feels the pangs of sorrow; let us see what is the cause of his grief.” He started from his couch, and following the direction of the sound came to the enamoured prince. He said to him, “Tell me, my friend, who are you; and why do you make the rocks echo the sound of your lamentation?
The fairy prince raised his eyes, and saw beside him a man of noble form and pleasant aspect. He said to him, “Tell me first, son of Adam, who are you, and what is your business here?”—“It has been the will of God the Supreme,” said Hatim, “that I should visit this spot.”—“But tell me,” said the fairy, “what is the object of your journey hither?”—“I have travelled thus far,” replied Hatim, “in quest of the pearl of the murghab, which I am informed is in the possession of the prince of Barzakh. He puts a question to every candidate for the pearl, which no one has yet answered.”—“You say right,” said the fairy prince, “and even we who are of the fairy race are unable to tell the history of the pearl; how then do you, a mere mortal, imagine that you will succeed?”—“For my own part,” replied Hatim, “my trust is in God; but tell me in the meantime what is the cause of your sorrow, and why have you chosen for your dwelling this solitary mountain?” The fairy prince replied, “Alas! I am enamoured of the beautiful daughter of Mahyar, the prince of the island of Barzakh. One day in my father’s court I heard my friends speak in the highest terms of the beauty and excellence of this peerless damsel, whereby I lost the reins of my heart. I straightway went to the palace of Mahyar, and informed him by message of my wish to marry his daughter. He admitted me to an audience; and having produced the pearl of the murghab, he asked me if I could tell the history of it. As I was quite unprepared for such a question, and utterly ignorant of the nature of the pearl, I could of course give no reply. I was then ordered to quit the court; and as I was coming out at the door, I happened to see the lady standing in the balcony of her window. The moment I beheld her my heart was pierced, and I became like one mad. In the agonies of despair I fled to this mountain, where I spend my nights and days in lamentation and sighs. I long for death to relieve me of my sorrow, since the idol of my heart can never be mine.”