As soon as the snake observed Hatim it rushed upon him, and he enraged on account of the fate of the water­man, seized it by the two jaws, and exerting his whole strength, thus held it immoveable. The snake raised such a hissing noise, that the giant who slept on the throne started up, and roared out to Hatim, “You son of man, what are you about? that is my courier.” Hatim replied, “I will not quit my hold unless my friend be restored to me.”

The giant called out to the serpent, “Beware: this seems to be a powerful man, and capable of tearing thy jaws asunder. Above all, take care that he discover not the passage into thy mouth!” When Hatim heard this he stretched open the two jaws of the serpent, entered its mouth, and was instantly swallowed, notwithstanding the repeated warnings of the giant to the contrary. Arrived, as he thought, in the belly of the snake, he was surprised at finding himself in a spacious and sombre apartment. He began to grope his way through this strange abode, when suddenly a voice reached his ear, saying, “Oh, Hatim! whatsoever you meet within in this apartment, cut it with your dagger, for by that means only you will be released from this enchantment; and otherwise you cannot escape hence till the day of judgment.”

While Hatim was thus exploring his dark abode, he unexpectedly laid his hand on something in the shape of a heart. The moment he felt this substance he pulled out his knife and cut it into many pieces agreeably to the warn­ing voice which he had heard. This was no sooner done than a flood of water rushed upon him, and he found himself overwhelmed amidst swelling billows. Exhausted, he began to sink, and after some time he once more felt the ground underneath his feet. He opened his eyes and looked around him, but no trace could he see of the place, the giant, the serpent, the garden, or the dark chamber where he had lately been. Before him lay a boundless desert, strewed apparently with dead bodies. On coming nearer, he observed that a few of these wretches were still alive, while others were in the agonies of death.

Among the living, Hatim discovered the very water­man whom the snake had carried off. He made up to him, and said, “Brother, how came you here?” The water­man replied, “I was drawing water from the well, when a serpent carried me off, and having conveyed me hither, vanished from my sight. What serpent is, or where it is gone to, I know not.” Hatim questioned various other individuals as to their coming thither, and from all of them received for answer that the serpent had brought them. He then explained to them the nature of the enchantment by which they were held, and how he had broken the spell by entering the mouth of the snake, and cutting to pieces the heart in the dark. He concluded, saying, “Give praise to God, for your enemy is now vanquished, and you are at liberty to go wherever you please.” The wretched men replied, “It is a long time since some of us came hither, and we know not the way by which we were brought. Most of our number have died of hunger and thirst, and we also were despairing of life; God the Supreme has in his mercy destined thee to be our deliverer.”

Hatim, after giving them proper directions, took his leave, and proceeded on his journey to the capital of China. In the course of a few days he entered that vast empire, and arrived at one of their principal cities. The sentinels at the gate immediately seized him, and said, “Who are you, and whither do you go? You must come before our governor, and give an account of yourself before we can allow you to advance any further.” Hatim, thus roughly handled, said to them, “Good people, is it the custom of your empire to annoy travellers in this manner?”

The sentinels replied, “The reason why we detain you is this: the daughter of our governor asks three questions of every traveller that enters the city; if he give a satis­factory answer, he is permitted to go his way, and if not, he is put to death from which circumstance our city is called the city of Be-dad.”* Hatim having no choice, accompanied the sentinels, deeply meditating as to the nature of the questions which should be put to him. At length the senti­nels presented him to the governor; the latter asked of him, “Stranger, whence come you, and what is your name?”— “I am from Yemen,” said he, “and on my way to the capital of China. As to my name, it is none of your business: no one ought to annoy the traveller unnecessarily; on the other hand, he is entitled to kind treatment and hospitality from your hand, if you wish to set a good example to the world, and do what is acceptable to God the Supreme.”

The governor replied, “A severe scourge has fallen upon our city, which has always been famous for equity, so as to have merited the appellation of Adalatabad (the city of justice); but now owing to the violent caprice of my daughter, its present name is Bedadabad. For some time past every traveller that arrived in our city has on her account been put to death, and their blood has fallen upon my head.” After some meditation, Hatim said to him, “Why do you not slay your daughter at once?”— “Is it possible,” replied the governor, “for any man to be the murderer of his own child, nay of his only child? It is not in my heart to put her to death.” When Hatim heard this appeal, his eyes shed tears as he replied, “Alas, miserable man! you have no remedy. May the Almighty Creator remove from you this heavy affliction.” The governor of Adalatabad then conducted Hatim to his daughter’s apart­ment. The lady arrayed herself in her finest apparel, and summoned Hatim into the andarun* of the house, where she reclined upon a throne of shining gold. Hatim was struck with her beauty, which excelled that of all other mortals. She gracefully stood up, and modestly drawing her veil over her face, received Hatim with extreme courtesy and affection, for the instant she beheld him her heart felt for him. She took him by the hand and seated him upon a splendid throne, while she herself occupied another beside him.

She then sent for her nurse, and said to her, “My dear mother, this traveller who has arrived to-day has won my heart, and is mutually enamoured of me. He seems of noble rank; but, alas! to-morrow his life shall be sacrificed.” The nurse replied, “Alas, my child! it is your destiny to act with violence and oppression towards travellers, not even excepting this comely and noble youth; but there is no saying whether he may not prove successful in executing your commands,”— “Let me but know,” said Hatim, “the nature of the task which the lady proposes, and the reason why so many travellers are sacrificed in this city, which is now proverbial for cruelty.”— “Noble youth,” the nurse replied, “every night this lady becomes possessed of an evil spirit, and utters to most incoherent expressions, after which she proposes three enigmas to such strangers as may be found within the city. If the latter fail in solving her riddles, she causes them to be instantly put to death. None of us her attendants can venture to remain near her at such times lest some evil might be our lot.”

On hearing this statement, Hatim replied, “Well I shall soon know by experience whether longer life or imme­diate death be destined for me.” He was then presented with food but he rejected it, saying, “I will not eat of your food until I have accomplished the services you may impose upon me; such is my vow. I consider it inconsistent with probity in a man to waste his time in eating and drinking, or wantonly throw away his life and leave unfinished the business intrusted to him by another; forgive me, then, for refusing your bounty.”— “Generous youth,” said the nurse, “I am confident that you will succeed in this affair; you speak the sentiments of rectitude and honour.”

Night arrived, and all the servants and attendants abandoned the palace, and shut fast the gates behind them, leaving Hatim to his fate. About the end of the first watch the lady became frantic, and spoke incoherently whatever came into her mind. She wildly cast her eyes on Hatim, and thus addressed him: “Stranger, who are you, and what is your business here? Answer my riddle, or you shall die.”— “What is your riddle,” said Hatim, “let me hear it?”

The lady then proceeded with her first question, which Hatim, after mature reflexion, was fortunate enough to solve to her satisfaction.*

“Tell me,” said she, “the answer to my second question’ which is this: There is a fruit sweet beyond measure to the taste of all living creatures, whether genii, men, beasts or birds; what fruit is this of which all are so fond?” Hatim instantly replied, “The fruit you alluded to is their offspring, which are dear to all.”— “Tell me now,” said the lady, “my third and last question, ‘what is it that no one desires, and yet every one obtains.”— “That,” replied Hatim, “is death, which is destined for all men, though no one wishes it.”

When the three questions were thus solved, the lady remained silent for some time, when suddenly she was seized with convulsions so as to fall from her couch. At last a snake, black and frightful, issued from her nostrils and rushed towards Hatim. He seized his scimitar with the intention of cutting it to pieces, but considered that it would be cruelty, to which he was averse: he therefore took out the talisman given him by the bear’s daughter, and threw it at the venemous reptile. The snake became tame as a lamb, and suffered him to hold it in his hands and shut it up in a silver vessel, after which he dug a pit in the ground of the size of a man’s grave, and having buried it, he replaced the earth and secured it with bricks and clay.

In about a watch after, the lady being restored to her senses, observed Hatim, and throwing her veil over her countenance, she said to him, “Stranger, who are you; and how came you to sit here?” He answered, “Have you then forgot me? I am the traveller whom your people yesterday seized and conducted into your presence.” The governor’s daughter called her nurse, and asked her, “My dear mother, tell me how come this youth to be here and alive this morning?” The nurse replied, “My child, God is merciful, and took this stranger under his protection; but tell me what is your state?”— “To-day,” she replied, “I feel quite relieved and in perfect health.” The nurse then addressing Hatim, said, “Most learned of men, can you account to me for this change? Tell me what has occurred in your presence?”— “That,” replied Hatim, “I shall com­municate to-morrow only to her father.”

Next morning the governor summoned Hatim, and asked him, “Tell me, stranger, what has happened, and how are you alive?” Hatim detailed every circumstance as it occurred, saying, “Noble sir, about the end of the first watch your daughter was seized with a fit of raving madness and began to utter the most incoherent language. At length her eyes happening to observe me, she said, “Rash stranger, how dare you enter my apartment? Your life is over unless you answer my questions.” She then asked me three questions. one after another, all of which I satis­factorily answered. For some time after she remained silent, when all at once a black serpent issued from her nostrils, and rushed furiously towards me. I seized the reptile, and having shut it up in a silver vessel, I went and buried it in the courtyard; and since that moment your daughter has enjoyed a sound state of health.”

When the governor heard this statement, he said, “Most noble youth, on you I bestow in marriage this my only child, which is no more than fulfilling the vow that I have made; I therefore hope you will accept her.”— “On one condition,” said Hatim, “will I receive her; that is, whenever I feel inclined to leave this place, I may either leave her here or take her with me and bestow her upon whomsoever I please.” To this the father agreed, and on that very day the marriage was celebrated according to the customs of the country, and the hours were spent in mirth and joy. Hatim remained there three months; after which period he took leave of his wife, now pregnant, and departed. He at the same time left orders, saying, “Should my wife be delivered of a son, and should the child prove himself to be of the tribe of Tai, tell him that his father’s country is in Arabia the happy; and thither let him come whenever he may form the desire of seeing me. If again it be a daughter, let her be carefully brought up and married to a brave and worthy man, and should my life be spared, I shall yet visit you.”