When he had penetrated as far as the centre of the Red Desert, the fire breathing serpents espied him, and began to rear their heads and crests aloft like tall tress. From their nostrils issued streams of flame as it were from a furnace and with tremendous hissing they assailed him on all sides, intending to scorch him to death, and reduce his bones to ashes; but owing to the charmed muhra of the bear’s daughter, the attack of the snakes fell upon Hatim like a current of cool water. Meanwhile the serpents increased in number, and were about to overpower him with their pestiferous and scorching breath, which continued to pour upon him like streams of lightning. He at last threw upon the ground the magic staff of Mahyur, the king of the genii, and such was its wonderful effect, that when he stood on it no snake could come within reach of him. The serpents overawed, remained at a distance; and notwithstanding their utmost efforts for the whole of that night, they were not able to do him the least harm. When daylight appeared, Hatim observed that the largest of the red serpents had in its mouth the muhra or pearl which he wished to procure, but never allowed it to drop upon the ground. He took his magic staff, and aiming it at the head of the serpent, struck it such a blow as made it recoil upon itself and roll amidst the dust. There the snake lay stunned till the sun arose, when it revived, it dropping the muhra, slowly dragged itself to its den. Hatim quikly ran to take up his treasure: but from its brilliant appearance he hesitated to lay hold of it, thinking that it was hot as fire. He stood for some time viewing the muhra, and at length he tore a piece of cloth from his turban, and by way of experiment placed it upon the shining jewel. When he observed that the cloth was not burnt, he ventured to take the muhra in his hand, and carefully wrapped it in a fold of his turban.

The moment Hatim had the muhra in his possession, he was surprised in finding that the heat of the desert no longer remained and the objects around him assumed a ver­dent hue. Now this muhra was possessed of the rarest qualities, to the number of a thousand and one, of which we may mention the following: the first was, that the possessor of it should never be drowned; the second, that he should be secured from any bad effects of fire; the third quality that was inherent in this pearl was, that it restored sight to the blind; the fourth, that it cured the bite of a snake or any other venomous creature; the fifth, he who had it with him in war was sure of obtaining victory; the sixth, he should be endeared alike to friend and foe; the seventh, all four-footed and winged animals should be obedient to his commands; the eighth was, that he should excel in wisdom; the ninth, that his wealth should be boundless; but it would be tedious to detail the whole.

In fine, Hatim returned with the muhra, and in the course of time came to the place where he left the young soldier. He saluted him, and resigning the precious treasure into his hands, he said to him, “Go now and present this to the magician.” The young man prostrated himself at the feet of Hatim, and the latter having raised him up, related to him all the occurrences of his journey, and described to him the regions of the serpents. The two friends then proceeded together to the capital of the magician, and the youthful soldier having obtained an interview of his Majesty, presented him with the muhra, in the procuring of which, he stated, that he had undergone a thousand toils, and encountered perils innumerable. “That,” replied the magician, “I shall soon put to the proof,”— “With all my heart,” said the youth; and accordingly the magician commenced a strict inquiry respecting the Red Desert, the serpents, &c., all of which the soldier answered to his satisfaction.

The magician, highly delighted with the treasure he thus possessed, said to the young man, “There now remains only one task to be accomplished, which is that you will plunge naked into the midst of a cauldron full of boiling oil; are you prepared to comply with the same?” The youth having replied in the affirmative, the magician issued orders to his people to place the large iron cauldron on the furnace, fill it with oil, and with a strong fire heat the same till it boiled. The attendants of the magician immediately executed this order, and so heated the oil that if a stone were cast into it, it would have instantly become dissolved. Meanwhile the soldier returned to Hatim, and said to him, “Alas, my benefactor! I have yet to fulfil the severest of his Majesty’s conditions. He expects me to cast myself into a cauldron full of boiling oil, and if I come out unhurt, I am to be honoured with the hand of his daughter. But, I would ask you, is it in the power of mortal man to undergo such an ordeal, and escape with life?”

“Be not disheartened,” said Hatim; “even in this conjuncture I can ensure your success.” He then produced the talisman of the bear, and presenting it to the young soldier, he said to him, “Take this muhra in your mouth, and you may without the least dread or hesitation cast yourself into the boiling liquid.” The youth, still incredulous, shuddered at the idea; and Hatim swore to him by all that was sacred that he should come by no harm. The soldier at length took the talisman as advised, and having ascended the steps that led to the mouth of the boiler, he looked at the burning liquid foaming furiously like a troubled sea, and all firmness left his heart. Hatim then cried out to him, “Are you a man that you should thus tremble; and is such fear of life consistent with the flame of your love?” When the young soldier heard this from Hatim, he hesitated no longer, but shutting his eyes he threw himself into the midst of the boiler. To his surprise, the oil that had been heated to the utmost had no more effect upon him than cool water. He walked slowly from one side of the boiler to the other, and in presence of the magician began to lift in his hands the fiery liquid and sprinkle it on his body. When some time had elapsed, the soldier thus addressed the magician, “Most mighty king, what say you now? Shall I came out or remain here for a longer space?” When the king saw that the soldier still lived, he held down his head in thoughtfulness and a trembling seized his soul, as he said, “Young man, I am satisfied; come out with all speed.” But no sooner had the soldier accomplished this third task, than the magician, unwilling to fulfil his promise, began to assail him with enchantment. Hatim, however, came to his assistance, and warned the king of the magicians, saying, “Your arts are of no effect upon this youth, for he has a talisman more potent than the muhra of the red serpent; you must therefore comply with what you have promised to him.” In short, the magician, thus surpassed in his art, embraced the young soldier as a sign of friendship, and having made the necessary preparations, gave him his daughter in marriage, and with the utmost suavity said to him, “Now, my son, you are to consider all my wealth as your own, for I have no other male heir on whom to bestow it.”

When Hatim saw the two lovers united in wedlock, he took leave of the happy bridegroom and departed in prosecution of his journey. In the course of time he arrived at the foot of the mountain Alka, which was so high that none of the feathered tribes had wings sufficient to reach its summit. There he halted for a moment, in order to consider what course to take, and said in his heart, “Of whom can I receive information respecting this strange place, and who shall direct me on my way?” While these reflexions occupied his mind, he espied a troop of beautiful fairies tripping along the brow of the mountain, and without further delay he ollowed them. After he had traced the fairies to some distance up the hill, they suddenly disappeared and left him in solitude. Hatim, astonished, looked around him, and saw in the side of the mountain a cave, which seemed to be formed from a solid rock of marble. The entrance into it was a steep descent into the bowels of the earth along the marble rock, which was as smooth as glass. Hatim hesitated whether he should enter, as egress seemed to be impossible; for no human foot could rest upon this steep and slippery path.

On further consideration, however, Hatim resolved to enter; and having laid himself upon the smooth stone, he quitted his hold and commenced his rapid descent. For the whole of that day he continued to slide downwards, and at evening he found himself landed on level ground. There he opened his eyes, and beheld around him an extensive field delightful to the sight. He rose up and sought a place wherein to repose till day, when he resolved to go in quest of the fairies, as he had reason to suppose that they too had descended into the cave. When the darkness of night had withdrawn, Hatim began to traverse those strange regions, and he had not gone far when an edifice of splendid appearance met his view. This was nothing less than the palace of the fairies, and thither he directed his steps. When he approached the mansion, the fairies observed him, and cried out, “Are you aware, son of Adam, that these are our regions, and not your’s? how came you here, and who has been your conductor?”— “He who has ever been my guide,” replied Hatim, “conducted me hither.”— “And how,” rejoined the fairies, “did you discover the descent into this subterraneous abode?”— “I saw you,” he replied, “as you passed along the mountain, and followed you till you vanìshed from my sight; on searching around me, however, I observed the entrance into the cave, and laying myself on the smooth inclined stone, my descent was rapid. Now that I have found you, tell me what is the name of this region, and who is its sovereign?”

“This,” replied the fairies, “is the mountain of Alka, and the sovereign of these realms is Alkanpari. We are the guardians of this paradise, where our fairy queen resides during the season of spring, and to-morrow we expect her arrival here to enjoy the delights of the garden. Our permitting you to remain then is impossible, for it would be death both to ourselves and you; but now that you are here you must be ruled by us, and we will save your life, for we bear you no enmity.” To this Hatim gave answer, saying, “Whither can I flee for refuge, for verily there is no escape; and besides, I have undergone all the toils and perils of my journey in order to obtain an interview with your queen, who is now so opportunely about to visit this garden; I will therefore remain here, happen what will.”— “And what,” said the fairies, “may be your business with our gracious queen? You are a poor man, and she is sovereign of the fairy realms.”— “Have you never heard,” replied Hatim, “of a fairy’s being in love with one of the human race, or of a man’s being enamoured of a fairy?”— “In truth,” rejoined the fairies, “you seem to be weary of your own life, to utter such language in our presence,”— “You may judge,” said Hatim, “how little I care for my life by my venturing hither.”

On hearing this reply, all the fairies rushed upon Hatim and began to assail him; but he stood firm, and neither warded off nor returned their blows. His assailants ceased from their attack, and wondered in their own minds what sort of a man he was that would neither fight nor run away: they therefore, relenting, said to him, “Strange youth, we warn you, out of compassion, to remain no longer here; this place is not fitted for your residence, and if you dis­regard our advice, it will be at the risk of your own life.” To this Hatim replied, “I am not afraid of death, for I had washed my hands of life, and placed my reliance upon the Supreme Creator, ere I entered your territories.” The fairies, pleased with his courage, addressed Hatim in a tone of reconciliation, and said, “O youth, eloquent of speech, come with us and we shall conceal you in a secret avenue; and if you are anxious to behold our queen Alkanpari, we shall point her out to you from a distance.”