Hatim took leave of the jackals and proceeded on his way through the desert. After he had gone, the female jackal said to the male, “It would be very unkind that Hatim should wander alone to the desert of Hawaida, and you not to shew him the way.” Here the male jackal running, made up to him, and said, “Oh, Hatim! let me accompany you to Hawaida.” Hatim answered, “Already you have done me one kind deed, which I have not yet requited; why then do you lay me under further obligations?” To this the jackal said, “Servant of the Almighty, why should I allow you to wander astray from the country?” Hatim replied, “I will by no means take you away in my company; and if you have a desire to set me on the right way, it is quite sufficient that you shew me the proper path.” The jackal then said, “Oh, youth! there is one way which is near, but it has dangers innumerable; and there is another which is circuitous, and extremely rough; for this reason allow me to go with you.” In reply to this, Hatim said, “Do you shew me the nearest way, and God will render it smooth for me.” The jackal then directed him, saying, “Go straight forward to a place where the road divides into four branches, and then select that which leads right on: it is the shortest way, and if you can go safe it will take you to the desert of Hawaida.” Hatim bade adieu to the jackal and advanced; and after one month he arrived at the four divisions of the road, and keeping the direct path, advanced in the direction of the desert.
After he had gone part of the way, several bears presented themselves to his sight; for there the king of the bears with a thousand of these uncouth animals held his court, and it happened on that particular day that they were out on an excursion. When Hatim was seen by the bears, they instantly sent intelligence to their king that they had that day beheld one of the human race. His Majesty commanded them to seize the man and bring him thither; and the bears having caught Hatim, carried him with them. When the king of the bears minutely observed Hatim, he gave orders that he should be taken care of, and conveyed to their abode, to which they all returned. After this, when Hatim was brought before the king, his Majesty said, “Descendant of Adam, be seated, and tell us whence you came, and what is your name; but that is unnecessary, for you are Hatim.” Hatim answered, “Yes, I am; and I have come hither in the service of my Creator.” His Majesty then said to him, “Truly you are most welcome, and I will give you my daughter in marriage, for as yet I have met with none so proper for a son-in-law that I could bestow her on him, as it would be unbecoming to espouse her to any of my subjects or servants.” On hearing this tempting proposal, Hatim held down his head. The king of the bears asked him, “What is the cause of your holding down your head? have you nothing to say in reply? am I forsooth unworthy of being your father-in-law?” Hatim at last said, “You are of the brute creation, I of the human race, what conformity is there between us?” The bear said, “Oh, Hatim! rest you content on that score, and let nothing disturb your mind, for my daughter is of your own species.”
His Majesty then ordered his daughter to be arrayed and presented, and said to Hatim, “Go and look at her for one instant.” Hatim rose up, and beheld a female in human shape, and beautiful as the moon in her fourteenth night. He was wrapt in wonder, and having returned to his Majesty, he said, “You are a king and I am a beggar; it would be disrespectful in me to presume to espouse your daughter.” The bear replied, “You shall accept of her, notwithstanding every objection which you can contrive. Pray are you not Prince of Yemen?” Hatim began to reflect, “What a scrape I have fallen into! I have come forth on a particular service; how then can I remain captive here?” The bear observed his thoughtfulness a second time, and said, “Oh, Hatim! if you accept not my daughter, I shall send you into a place of confinement, where you shall remain fast till the day of judgment.” Here Hatim attempted a reply, but the bear became angry, and ordered them to confine Hatim in a certain dungeon, and keep strict watch over him. Instantly the bears carried Hatim to the dungeon, and having removed a large stone of extreme hardness they made him fast, and replaced the stone as before on the mouth of the dungeon. In this hole, Hatim, hungry, thirsty, and bewildered, was left for the space of two weeks, at the expiration of which the king sent for him, and having made him sit beside him, said, “Oh, Hatim! will you now espouse my daughter?” Hatim still remained silent, and the king ordered fruits to be brought and presented to him. Hatim being hungry, ate of the fruit and quenched his thirst with pure water, after which the bear again insisted on his marrying his daughter. To this, Hatim at last replied, that there could be no relationship between mankind and other animals; on hearing which, the king of the bears ordered him to be again shut up in the dungeon.
After some days, Hatim, exhausted with hunger and thirst, fell into a slumber, and in a dream he saw an aged man, who thus addressed him: “Oh, Hatim! why art thou thus dilatory in the service which thou hast taken in hand; and why dost thou not comply with the bear’s request?” He answered, “If I accept his daughter, they will never permit me to leave them for the accomplishment of my task.” The aged man again replied, “On that alone your liberation depends, for otherwise you must soon perish in this dungeon; therefore accept as your wife the bear’s daughter, and for this compliance on your part, she will effectually assist in setting you at liberty.” Here Hatim awaked from his dream, and in about two weeks after he was again brought before the king of the bears. His Majesty seated Hatim beside him, and repeated his former proposal, which being agreed to, he took Hatim by the hand and placed him on his own throne, and issued orders for his grandees to be in attendance. Agreements were then entered into, according to the usages of that race, after which the bear conveyed Hatim to the apartment of his daughter. There, to his surprise, he found the halls decorated with the most splendid couches such as belong to royalty; and on a splendid throne was seated his bride arrayed in gold and all sorts of jewels. For a short time he stood bewildered, when the king took the hand of his daughter and resigned her to Hatim agreeably to established custom. Every day the king sent a variety of the most delicious fruits to Hatim, till at length the latter observed, that to live entirely on fruit did not agree with him, and that he would prefer more substantial food. On hearing this, the king ordered his emissaries to collect from places inhabited by men all sorts of flour, sugar, milk, and butter, also vessels of porcelain. The order was no sooner expressed than executed, and thus Hatim was enabled to fare sumptuously twice a day on food the most delicious, which he himself dressed.
In this manner six months elapsed, when one day Hatim, addressing the bear’s daughter, said, “I have left home on a special service, and your father has forcibly detained me here; if you will permit my absence for some time, and make your father assent to this measure, when I have accomplished my undertaking I will return and live with you.” The bear’s daughter instantly went to her father, and acquainted him with Hatim’s request; to which the king replied, “Daughter, he is your husband; if you are yourself satisfied you have my consent.” The daughter observed, “Hatim appears to be a man of sincerity; he will assuredly return according to his promise.” In short, the king gave his permission, and ordered some of his subjects to conduct Hatim beyond the boundaries of his dominions. Hatim having taken leave of his wife, departed, and after some time arrived at a sandy desert which contained not a single human dwelling. Hatim placed his reliance upon God and proceeded; meanwhile a mysterious man with tattered garment presented him every evening with a loaf of bread and a jug full of water. Of these, after offering his thanks to the Creator, he partook, and thus continued to advance. Suddenly he espied before him a dragon, the head of which was reared up to the height of a mountain. At first sight he was dreadfully alarmed, but gradually began to suppose that it must be a mass of sand. When he drew nearer, the dragon observing him, inhaled his breath, and Hatim was irresistibly drawn from the earth notwithstanding his utmost efforts to keep himself firm, and in an instant he was swallowed alive by the monster.
When Hatim found himself inside of the dragon, he remembered his Creator, and with pious resignation to his will, said, “This I have merited, polluted as I am with sins; it has been my wish to become one of the servants of God, but ah, helpless me! what avail my frail efforts?” Thus Hatim constantly kept in mind the beneficence of the Almighty: for whosoever puts his trust in God, and sincerely devotes his life and fortune to the accomplishing of what is acceptable unto the Almighty, him the Creator will never forsake when in calamity. Sometimes he trieth his servants even as he tried Job the prophet of Iram, who bore his sufferings with patience and resignation. In like manner it behoveth the true servants of the Almighty that in every calamity they remain patient and resigned.
For three days and nights Hatim thus continued in the loathsome abdomen of the dragon, where he would have speedily died were it not for a talismanic pearl which his wife, the bear’s daughter, had fixed in his turban previous to his departure. This pearl had a charm in it by which its possessor became secured against the bad effects of fire and poison, and hence the venom of the dragon had no effect on Hatim. In truth the bounteous Creator had in time provided him with an antidote, as it was his will that Hatim should live. Meanwhile the dragon, heartily wishing to be rid of Hatim, said to himself, “What troublesome stuff have I swallowed here? I can never digest it, for it still lives and moves about within me.” It may be conceived that Hatim found little rest within the dragon’s abdomen; and he was constantly endeavoring to stand up and walk about, the trampling of his feet upon the stomach of the monster so annoyed the latter that he coiled and reared in all directions.
At length, when he found that his food was really destructive and caused him such pain, he bore it no longer, and making a strong effort he vomited, and Hatim was once more thrown into the open air, where the dragon left him and fled into the wilderness. Hatim remained on the spot for some time till his clothes were dried by the sun, and then proceeded on his way till, after traversing the sandy desert, he arrived exhausted with hunger and thirst on the banks of a river. Here he began to wash both himself and his clothes, when he observed a large fish playing near him. Hatim was congratulating himself on this providential supply of food, when the fish, of which the half was a human form of extreme beauty, being in fact the mermaid, approached, and seizing him by the hand, instantly drew him into the river. Hatim struggled hard to keep his ground, but his strength was of no avail; the fish hurried him through the deep, and thus conveyed him into her place of residence. Here he found himself in a splendid apartment seated on a superb couch, and the mermaid endeavoring by every sort of contrivance to reconcile him to his captivity.
For seven nights and days Hatim remained the dejected captive of this monster of the deep. At last becoming desperate, he said, “I have travelled thus far on business the most urgent, leaving my home and kindred; why then dost thou urge me to become an inmate of this thy abode? My sadness will never allow me to be an agreeable companion; I pray thee then to conduct me to that place whence I have been forcibly dragged.” To this the mermaid replied, “Oh, Hatim! stay with me three days longer, and I will consent to thy release.” When the three days had elapsed, Hatim reminded the mermaid of her promise, to which she replied, “Everything which tends to thy welfare shall be accomplished, yet remain a few days more.” Hatim said, “Remember thy promise, for to stay a moment longer is to me impossible.” The mermaid finding Hatim resolute, at last took him by the hand, and in an instant conveyed him to the spot from which she had taken him, and as a last effort said, “Oh, Hatim! is it really your intention to part with me?”—“My duty,” said Hatim, “is urgent, and nothing shall make me shrink from it.” When Hatim gave this decisive answer, the mermaid vanished. He then finished the washing of his clothes, in which he had been previously interrupted, and after drying them in the sun, he dressed himself, and once more set out.
After he had journeyed for some days he approached a mountain, the top of which was covered with trees in beautiful clusters. Having ascended, he entered these groves, which were lined with elegant couches, and through which flowed rivulets of pure water. The cool zephyr wafting its fragrance through the trees rendered the situation refreshing to the soul. Hatim reclined on one of the couches, and soon fell asleep. Meanwhile the proprietor of the place passing by, was surprised on beholding a youth of graceful mien there asleep. He sat down beside him, and shortly after, Hatim, refreshed by sleep, sat up, and seeing a stranger, respectfully saluted him. The other, in courteous terms, returned his salutation, and said, “Whence came you, and whither are you going? Pray tell me, what are your motives for traversing this dreary waste?” Hatim replied, “I am on my way to the desert of Hawaida.” The stranger, on hearing this, said, “How came you to adopt so mad a resolution? has none of your friends been kind enough to prevent your journey?”—“Such,” said Hatim, “is my sincere intention; and placing my reliance on God, I have undertaken this task, and have proceeded thus far on my way. A prince, named Munir Shami, has fallen desperately in love with Husn Banu, the daughter of Burzakh the merchant. The lady has asked of the prince seven questions, the solution of which is beyond his power. Weeping in the agonies of despair, he quitted the haunts of men and turned his face to the mountains and deserts, where I chanced to meet with him. I inquired into the cause of his distress, and learned from him his heart-melting tale. It came into my mind, that to question the distressed as to his circumstances, and then not to make an effort to relieve him, would be a line of conduct unbecoming a man. For this reason, Sir, I have endeavored to do my best in his cause.”