Hereupon the thieves bound themselves by oath to follow his dictates, and expressed their penitence for their past sins: after which Hatim, having thus reclaimed them from the path of error, divided his treasure among them and departed. Having traversed part of the desert, he espied a dog lolling out his tongue, and exhausted with hunger and thirst. He at once supposed that some caravan to which the dog belonged, must be at no great distance. When he approached, the poor animal, in the most piteous manner, seemed to implore his aid. Hatim felt for the misery of every living creature; he therefore lifted the dog in his arms, and carried it with him, in order to restore it with food and drink as soon as he could procure any. He had not long proceeded when he beheld a village at some distance before him, and thither he bent his steps. On his arrival the people presented him with a barley loaf and some curdled milk, the whole of which he gave to the dog. The exhausted animal, thus satisfied with food and drink, fawned on Hatim, as if expressing its sense of his kindness, and then lay down at his feet.

Hatim began to stroke the animal with his hands, and was meditating on the power and wisdom of the Almighty who created the countless myriads of creatures that fill the universe, each with some characteristic in form and colour peculiar to itself, when his hand passing over the head of the dog, he felt some hard substance resembling a horn. He wondered in his own mind what this could mean. “For,” said he, “I never heard of dogs having horns.” He examined it further, and found that an iron nail had been driven into the head of the dog. He drew it out, and instantly the animal assumed the shape of a young man.

Hatim sat for some time in silent abstraction, wonder­ing at the miraculous occurrence which he had just witnessed. At last he addressed the young man, saying, “Tell me, Sir, who are you, and how have you been transformed into the likeness of an irrational animal? From what mys­terious cause have you now recovered your proper shape on my removing the nail from your head?” The young man, struck with Hatim’s humane and amiable disposition and full of gratitude for the service he had just rendered him, bowed his head to the dust as he replied, “Benevolent Sir, suffice it to say that I am of the human race; that by the foulest practice, which I am loth to detail, I was transformed into that shape wherein you lately saw me; and from which, through the Divine favour and your humane attention, I am now delivered.”— “I should like to know,” said Hatim, “if agreeable to you, the cause of your having assumed the shape of a dog.”

The young man, thus requested, proceeded with his own history. “Worthy Sir, I am the son of a merchant. My father, not many years ago, made a journey to the capital of China with a large stock of goods of various kinds, which he there disposed of to great advantage: in return, he supplied himself in China with the most valuable commodities produced in that country, which on his arrival in Kheta he converted into gold, and thus became immensely rich. As I was his only son, he wished to have me settled in life, and induced me to marry a beautiful young lady. Shortly afer my marriage he died, and I became possessed of the whole of his property, and for some time my life passed in perfect felicity. At last my wealth was considerably diminished; I therefore made up an invest­ment at Kheta, and, like my father, made a journey to China, which, of course, forced me to leave my home and country for a considerable period. During my absence, my wife formed an intimacy with one of my Abyssinian slaves, and at the same time procured this iron nail from some magicians. At length I returned home, and as soon as sleep overpowered my eyelids, my infamous wife thrust the enchanted nail into my head, and instantly I was transformed into the shape of a dog. She then kicked me out of the house, and when thus driven into the public street, all the dogs of the city flew at me. Winged with terror, I fled into the desert, and there for three days I had wandered without a morsel of food or a drop of water until the auspicious hour when God the Supreme sent you to my relief.”

When Hatim heard this wonderful narrative, he for some time held down his head in the lap of reflection, after which he addressed the young man, saying: “My dear friend, pray tell me where is your residence?”— “It is,” said he, “about three days’ journey from this place, in the city of Sūrī.”— “That city,” rejoined Hatim, “I know well, for there resides Harith the merchant, whose beautiful daughter is so celebrated on account of her three questions. I am just on my return to that city, having found out the solution of her second question, which runs thus: I have done nothing that can be of use to me this night.”— “You speak truly,” replied the young man, “as to Harith and his fair daughter, I know them well, being their fellow citizen and I rejoice in the prospect of your company thither.”

Hatim then advised the young man to preserve the magic nail with the utmost care, and as son as he arrived at his house, to serve his wife with it as she had done to him, and the consequence would be the transformation of the abandoned woman into a bitch. In short, they both set out and in about three days arrived in the city of Sūrī, proceeded straightway to the young man’s residence. When arrived at the gate, the porters, seeing their beloved master, ran to meet him, and prostrated themselves at his feet, saying: “Our dear lord, we rejoice in your safe return: where have you been?” The young man commanded silence, and arming himself with a sword from one of his domestics, he entered the mansion. When he approached the andarūn, the female slaves ran from all direc­tions to welcome him. He made a sign to them to main­tain silence, and in a wisper asked one of them, ““Where is the black Abyssinian?”— “He sleeps,” she replied, “in the arms of your wife.” Foaming with rage, he entered the apartment of his wife, whom he found fast in the sleep of profligacy. He seized the enchanted nail, and thrust it into her head, and the next moment, with a stroke of his scymitar, he severed the head of the Abyssinian from his foul carcase. His revenge was complete, for his wife was transformed into a bitch, and the soul of her paramour hurled into hell. He then returned to Hatim, and cordially taking him by the hand, conducted him into his hospitable mansion, and seated him on a throne. He tied a string round the neck of his wife thus transformed, and led her before Hatim, saying: “Behold my abandoned spouse; and there (pointing to the Abyssinian) is the whoreson black, who shared in her guilt.” When Hatim beheld the executed slave, he could not help saying to the young man, “Why have you killed this sinful wretch?”— “I think,” replied the other, “I have done him a favour, for I thus secure him from all future sin and iniquity, with which he would have loaded his polluted soul, had he been left longer in the world.” The young man then caused a pit to be dug, into which they threw the carcase of the slave, and which they covèred with earth, stones, and bricks. This done, all his slaves, male and female, received from him vast presents of every description, and Hatim was for that day detained as his guest, and the hours were spent in pleasure. Next morning Hatim took farewell of the young man, and returning to the caravanserai, he met with the lover of Harith’s daughter. He courteously addressed the youth, whose name was Naïm, and made many inquiries after his condition, to all of which the other replied, adding: “It is now several months since the voice was last heard in the wilderness, and from that circumstance Harith’s daughter is expecting your return crowned with success.” “Rejoice, my friend,” said Hatim, “for I have really succeeded in procuring the most accurate information respecting the voice in the desert.”

Hatim then made straight for the gate of Harith, and announced his presence to the domestic, who forthwith informed their mistress that the Arabian prince had returned, and waited at her gates. She ordered them to admit him; and on Hatim’s entrance, she eagerly requested to know the result of his adventure, of which he gave her a detail from beginning to end. “You speak truly” said the lady in return: “the voice has ceased to be heard and you have accomplished my second task: it only remains for you to procure me the Shahmuhra from Mahpari, the king of the fairies.”

Hatim took leave of Harith’s daughter, and returning to the caravanserai, said to his young friend: “Now I depart in quest of the Shahmuhra.” The youth prostrated him­self at Hatim’s feet, and gave vent to his gratitude. Hatim raised him up, and embracing him said: “Rejoice, my friend, for as soon as I shall have, by the aid of God, accomplished this third task, I shall put you in possession of your best beloved.” Hatim left the city of Sūrī, and placing his firm reliance upon Divine Providence, set out in quest of the Shahmuhra. After he had advanced some small distance, he sat down to rest under the shade of a tree, not knowing in fact which way to proceed. At length his mind recurred to the cave that led to the world of demons, and he resolved to wait upon Farokash their king, and receive his directions to the abode of Mahpari, assured that the demons could furnish him with the requisite information. He therefore got up and made for the mouth of the cave, which he entered as formerly, and in the course of a week he reached its further extremity, and issued into the boundless desert by the route previously described. Shortly after the demons flocked around him from all quarters, and recognis­ing their former visitor, they conducted him to their villages and vied with each other in their hospitality and respectful attention.

Hatim thus advanced from town to town till at length his majesty Farokash, hearing of his approach, came out to receive him, and with all due honours conducted him to his palace, seated him upon a throne, and presented him with a variety of eatables the most delicious, and in short, testified in every way the pleasure he felt in the meeting. After some time, the king requested to know of Hatim the cause of his visit; to which the latter replied: “Sire, I am on my journey in quest of the Shahmuhra, which is in the possession of Mahpari; in this enterprise may I venture to solicit your aid.”— “Young man,” said Farokash, “you aim at things that are beyond the power of the human race. There is not one of my demon subject that can enter the dominion of Mahpari and return alive, far less then is it practicable by you, a mere mortal.”— “Sire,” replied Hatim, “the Almighty Power, that has preserved me in your king­dom, will watch over me when in the fairy world, and thence conduct me back in safety. In the meantime, may I request your highness to furnish me with guides, who may shew me the way thither, for otherwise I should wander astray.”— “I wish,” said Farokash, “you would abandon this absurd enterprise, so inconsistent with common sense.” — “How can I,” replied Hatim, “without disgrace relin­quish the task which I have undertaken? My word is pledged to accomplish it, and with me a promise is sacred.”

On hearing this reply Farokash remained silent, as he felt assured that compliance with Hatim’s request would be only hastening his ruin. Three days were spent in the discharging of the right of hospitality, after which Hatim addressed the king, and said, “Sire, allow me now to depart, for the occasion is urgent: let it not be said that the tormented lover has died in his protracted expectation of me; in such a case I should have become responsible for his death, and what would be my answer before the great Judge? The love-sick youth in whose cause I labour is sincere in heart, and ardent in his affections; his life depends on my successful exertion, and my failure will be the cause of his death.”

The king of the demons instantly summoned a few of his subjects, and gave them instructions to the following effect: “You shall conduct this young stranger to the boundaries of Mahapari’s dominions, and remain there until his return, if such be his fate.” The demons lifted Hatim on their shoulders, and with the speed of the wind began to traverse the wide spreading desert. In the course of a month they arrived at the confines of fairy land, where the demons halted, and addressing Hatim, said, “We are now in sight of the mountain Kaf, and here commence the terri­tories of Mahpari, within which we dare not enter for close upon the limits of that mountain are stationed thou­sands of fairies ready to destroy us.”

Hatim took leave of the demons, and fearlessly passed the bounds of the fairy regions, and from day to day approached nearer the mountain whose top seemed to pierce the skies, and whose sides abounded with green trees in endless variety. When he arrived at the base of the mountain the fairies assembled from all sides, and said one to another: “Here comes one of Adam’s race, whom we must instantly put to death, as he has the hardihood to approach this mountain.” The fairies hereupon rushed to the base of the mountain, and laying hold of Hatim, carried him up, and when they had bound his hands and feet with chains they asked him: “Tell us, mortal, whence come you? what is your business? and who has conducted you hither?” — “I come,” said Hatim, “from the city of Sūrï, under the guidance of my Creator.”— “Pray,” said the fairies to him, “are you come at the request of the daughter of Harith the merchant?” Hatim reflected in his own mind, “Now if I tell them the truth, and say that I am come in quest of the Shahmuhra, they will assuredly destroy me; and if I speak falsely it will be unworthy of me, having never done so in my life; in this case, then, silence is the best policy.”