Meanwhile the fairies came to the resolution of casting him into the fire. “For,” said they, “he is in all probability come for the Shahmuhra.” They quickly heaped together piles of dried wood, to which they set fire, and throwing Hatim into the midst of it, they all set up a loud shout of laughter, and there left him. Hatim, remembering his Maker, took into his mouth the talisman of the bear’s daughter which rendered him completely proof against fire. For three days he remained in that state, after which period he came out without even a thread of his garment being burnt.

Hatim had no sooner made his escape than he was again seized and bound by the fairies, who thus addressed him: “Three days since a man very like you fell into our hands, and we cast him into the fire, and burnt him; pray are you that individual, or some one else of the human race?”— “O, you troop of simpleton,” replied Hatim, “assuredly, such fools as you are never will exist; if, as you say, you burnt that individual, how do you imagine that he should be again alive? But the truth is the Almighty has preserved me amidst the burning flames.” The fairies, on hearing this, again threw Hatim into the fire, from which, after a considerable time, he coolly walked out unhurt; a third time they repeated the experiment, and at length becoming convinced that he was not to be destroyed by burning, they carried him to the shore of the salt sea and cast him into the midst of the deep, and there, leaving him to his fate, they departed.

Whilst Hatim was cutting his way swimming amidst the billows of the ocean, a large nihang* (sea-serpent) happened to espy him. This monster of the deep rushed upon him, and in an instant swallowed him alive. Hatim, thus rescued from drowning, on coming to his senses, attempted to stand up and move about, whereby the sea-serpent became so desperately annoyed that he darted towards the shore, and with great exertion, succeeded in disgorging him on dry land, after which he plunged into the deep, and there left him.

Hatim in that spot lay helpless and exhausted with hunger and thirst for the space of two days and nights, after which time he rose up, and wandered he knew not whither, until he found himself in the midst of a wilderness of sand. Here he continued to stray in all directions, till a troop of fairies happened to observe him; these immediately surrounded him, and said, one to another, “Here is a mortal man, how can he have come hither?” Addressing Hatim, they said to him, “You seem to be of the human race, pray who brought you into our territory?”— “The merciful Creator,” replied Hatim, “first conducted me into your dominions, but since my arrival I have been cast into the sea, and swallowed by a monstrous nihang, from whose belly I was ejected two days ago on dry land. I am now exhausted with hunger; if you have any compassion within you, let me have something to eat, and water to quench my thirst.”

To this reply the fairies rejoined, “We dare not administer to you even a drop of water, for our king has strictly ordered us to slay every one of the race of men or demons that may come in our way; if we, therefore, delay a moment in putting you to death, the wrath of his majesty will assuredly overtake us.” Here one of the fairies said to his companions, “Where is our king, and where are we?* This wretched being is not come hither of his own accord! God is merciful! You know not from what distance he may have been brought by the nihang, and his being found here is accidental, as it was natural he should make an effort to preserve his life. He is one of the human race too, and our superior, nay, noblest of the sublunary creation; let us convey him to our abodes, afford him kind and hospi­table treatment.”— “But,” said the rest of the fairies, “if we do spare him our king should hear of it, his majesty will certainly put us to death.” On hearing this discussion Hatim himself addressed them, saying, “My friends, if it is your duty and interest to slay me, I am quite resigned without further dispute.”

That fairy, however, who spoke in his favour still held out, saying, “My worthy companions, our king is far distant, even seven days journey hence; and who among us is likely to turn informer?” In short, all of them at last agreed to spare Hatim’s life: whereupon they carried him to their dwellings, and gave him food to eat, and fruits and water to quench his thirst, so that in a short time he became perfectly recovered. The fairies, charmed with Hatim’s gracefulness and eloquence, crowded around him and felt the greatest pleasure in listening to his conversation; they daily supplied him with food the most delicious, and fruits the most refreshing, and spent their whole time in his society: thus in a very few days Hatim became a universal favourite, so that he ventured to ask their leave to depart in order to accomplish his own affairs. “Pray tell us,” said they, “what is your business here, and what brought you into our world?” Hatim told them without reserve: “The demon subjects of Farokash conducted me as far as your boundaries, beyond which they durst not penetrate. As soon as I entered your dominions, the fairies that guard your coasts laid hold of me, and three times did they cast me into the burning flames, but from all their evil designs the hand of the Creator protected me; they afterwards threw me into the sea, from which I escaped as I have already told you.”— “And pray,” asked they, “what busi­ness have you so important, that you undergo such toils and perils for its accomplishment?”— “My business,” replied Hatim, “is with Mahpari.”— “Beware, frail man,” said the fairies, “how you speak of Mahpari; we are his subjects, and he has enjoined us not to suffer a man or demon to enter his dominions; should he hear of our affording you an asylum, he would instantly slay us all, far less would he spare you.”

In answer Hatim said: “If it is our destiny to enjoy longer life, no one can slay us; and if you are afraid of the consequence, you can bind me hand and foot, and carry me as a captive into the presence of your king.”— “What you propose,” rejoined they, “is utterly absurd; you have already shared of our hospitality; you and we have eaten salt* together: do you imagine then that we can thus deliver you up to certain destruction?”— “Be under no hesitation,” replied Hatim, “on account of any danger that threatens me, for it is my resolution to have an audience of Mahpari as soon as possible; therefore convey me thither at all risks.” The fairies were sadly perplexed on hearing Hatim’s mad design, and deliberated amongst themselves what was best to be done in his case.” At length they resolved to detain him as prisoner, and in the meantime despatch a messenger to learn the king’s pleasure regarding him, and act accordingly. One of the fairies was immediately sent to his majesty, with instructions thus to address him: “Sire, we have just seized on the sea-shore one of the human race, who is now our captive; if such be your royal pleasure, we are ready to conduct him into your august presence.”

The messenger departed, and in the course of seven days arrived at the fairy court, and having received an audience, thus delivered his message: “Sire, your subjects, who guard the shores of the sea of Kulzum,* have there taken captive one of the human race, and I have been despatched hither to know your pleasure respecting him.” Mahpari ordered the man to be carefully conveyed to his presence, in order that he might himself examine him with regard to his journey to fairy land. The messenger imme­diately returned, and after an absence of two weeks arrived at his own residence, stated that it was his majesty’s pleasure to have Hatim brought into his presence. On hearing this, the fairies without delay made preparations for conveying their prisoner to the court. Meanwhile the report was rapidly spread through the country, that one of the human race was being brought to the capital. One of his majesty’s grandees, by name Masnapari, had a beau­tiful daughter called Husanpari, whose heart was restless and full of curiosity. This fairy damsel said to her com­panions: “I hear that a man has somehow entered our king’s dominions, and is now on his way to the capital; I wish it were possible for me to see what he is like; they tell me that mankind are beautiful in countenance and graceful form.” The attendants of Husnapari expressed their réadiness to aid her in gratifying her wish; and at the same time observed to her, “Fair lady, you must take your station by the wayside as this man passes, for after he is brought before the king it will be impossible to see him.”— “But,” said Husnapari, “how can I leave my father’s house and on what pretence shall I get out?” After some con­sideration, her youthful companions suggested that she should ask leave of her parents to be allowed to walk in the gardens for some days. Husnapari, delighted with this stratagem, went to her mother, and said, “My dear mother, give me your permission to go out and enjoy for some days the fragrance of the fields and the delights of the garden.”— “Receive your father’s permission, my child,” replied the mother, “and I am satisfied.”

In short, Husnapari was indulged with her father’s leave, and attended by her fair and youthful companions, went to the garden, where she was allowed, as usual, to remain for forty days. On her way thither, she further consulted her friends as to the speediest means of seeing Hatim, the main object of her journey. They told her that those who guarded the sea of Kulzum were conducting the man from that quarter. On hearing this, Husnapari and her companions, instead of proceeding to the garden, swiftly transported themselves to the shores of Kulzum, where they arrived in the space of three days, just at the moment when the fairies were about to depart with Hatim.

Husnapari, observing the numerous assemblage on the sea-shore, halted with her train at some distance, and sent one of her attendants to inquire who they were. The messenger soon returned, and informed her that these were the guardians of the shores of Kulzum and that they were about to convey the man to the king’s presence. “I myself,” continued the messenger, “saw this flower of Adam’s race as he sat on the seashore; his face was beautiful, and his hair waved in garaceful ringlets. His form was elegant as the moon when in her fourteenth night.”

When Husnapari heard this description of Hatim’s beauty and perfection, her desire to see him was greatly increased. She said to her fairy train: “Alas! when am I to behold with my own eyes this lovely being?”— “Let us watch them in the meantime from a distance,” said her companions; “and when they shall have halted for the night, perhaps we shall be able to carry off the man when his guards fall asleep.” In short, the fairies of Kulzum set out with their prisoner, and in a few days approached the garden of Husnapari, within a farsang of which they halted for the night. When half the night had elapsed, a select few of Husnapari’s attendants, who were proficients in magic, approached the guards, and overpowering their eyelids with sleep, they also cast a charm over the eyes of Hatim, so that he fell into a profound slumber, and carried him into the presence of their fair mistress.

The instant Husnapari beheld him, her heart was deeply enamoured of his beauty. She lifted him in her arms, sleeping as he was, and carried him herself into her own garden. When Hatim awoke, and looked around him, he was surprised in finding himself surrounded by fairy damsels of surpassing beauty, in the midst of a garden green and fragrant as that of Iram. He addressed this fair assemblage, and said: “Tell me, who are you, and who has brought me hither?” The fairest of the troop replied, “This is the garden of Masnapari, a fairy of exalted rank, and I am his daughter. My name is Husnapari, or the Beautiful Fairy. When the news of your arrival in our dominions become divulged, my ardent desire to behold your lovely form overcame my prudence; for which reason my attendants brought you hither when asleep.” Hatim rejoined: “Now that you have gained your wish, may I request that you will aid me in the accomplishing of my enterprise?”— “How can I serve you?” replied the beauti­ful fairy. “The object of my coming into your country,” said Hatim, “is to get possession of the Shahmuhra.”— “Your journey is to little purpose,” replied Husnapari, “for no living creature can get the Shahmuhra from the hands of the fairy king; stay with me, then, for my heart has been yours since the moment I first saw you.” I will comply with your request,” said Hatim, “if you procure for me the Shahmuhra.”— “I repeat to you,” rejoined the fairy, “that I cannot— no creature can, by force or strat­agem, get possession of the Shahmuhra: but I know that you are destined to acquire this treasure, so far you may rest satisfied.” In fine, Husnapari detained Hatim in her garden, where both of them experienced uninterrupted hap­piness, in the enjoyment of each other’s society.

To return to the guards: when they awoke from their slumbers, and found no trace of Hatim, they began to search for him in all directions, but to no purpose. They then held a consultation on what was best to be done. Most of them believed that Hatim had made his escape, and could not as yet be far off, while others suggested, that probably some youthful fairy, enamoured of his beauty, had stolen him during the night. “But what shall we do?” said they to one another, “if the king should hear of this affair, he will assuredly flay us alive.” In short, they resolved to keep the affair in secresy, and in the meantime to make the strictest search. If the man should be found, they were to conduct him before the king as if nothing had happened; and if not, they considered it safest to absent themselves.

After a considerable period had thus elapsed, Mahpari becoming impatient, said to his courtiers, “Can you tell me the reason why this man has not yet made his appear­ance? I must make further inquiries concerning him.” His majesty immediately despatched a messenger to the guardians of the shores of Kulzum, who received as an answer from the latter, “It is now a considerable time since we sent our prisoner to the capital, escorted by a strong guard of soldiers: of these we have heard nothing since, nor can we conjecture what may be the cause of their delay.” The messenger conveyed this information to the king, who being exceedingly wroth, ordered his troops to scour the country in search of the delinquents, and find out, if possible, what they had done with the man, or whither they had carried him.