When he gets there he eats, drinks, and then he sleeps, his head covered with a
cloth, and his horse tied near by. You will arrive at that moment, you will
promptly execute the wish of the King, you will jump upon the horse and dash
away from this place and go wherever you like."
The young man went then to show the place to the Bedouin, and giving him a
poniard with two edges well sharpened, he said: "O my brother, to-morrow
Hatim-Thai will come to this spot. Forget nothing that you have to do."
All the instruction of the young man were followed by the Bedouin. Early in the
morning Hatim-Thai repaired to the designated place. He ate, he drank, and
when he had finished his repast he tied his horse near by. Then, covering his
head with a cloth, he fell fast asleep. At this very moment the wicked Bedouin
arrived. By the will of God, just as he was about to assassinate the young man, a
thought came into his heart. "Hatim-Thai is celebrated throughout the whole
world for his generosity and his benevolence. Before I kill him, while he is still
alive, I want to see his face." And he raised the cloth that covered his head. At
the sight of the countenance of the sleeping young man he fell at his feet and
covered them with kisses, saying: "O my friend! What have you done? You
ought not to act thus!"
Hearing these words of the Bedouin, the young man said: "What could I do? For
the one called Hatim-Thai is I. The head that the King of Yemen wants is mine.
What other means could I employ?" He conducted the Bedouin to his house,
regaled him again, and gave him all he needed.
Then the Bedouin took leave and returned to his country. As soon as he arrived
in Yemen, he went before the King and recounted all the circumstances relative
to Hatim-Thai.
Having heard the story the King shed tears, and said: "Of a truth,
Hatim-Thai is liberal, benevolent, and noble, brave and generous."
Afterward the King of Yemen made a friendship with Hatim-Thai that
lasted as long as his life.
When the Sultan Yakoub invaded Khorassan and besieged the capital, the Sultan
Mahomet, shut up in the city, made such a strong resistance that for a long time
it was impossible to capture the place. But his ministers betrayed him by sending
to Sultan Yakoub letters which showed how it might be taken. One only of these