Shams Shah was indebted to Hatim. Thus, when he heard the difficult task Hatim had undertaken, he ordered four of his best fairies to escort him across the dangerous land of the demons. Midway, they all got tired and decided to rest. Two fairies went in quest of food, while the other two guarded Hatim. At that time, a troop of demons belonging to Mukarnas, the demon-chief, was passing by. And when they saw a human, they attacked him. The two fairies defended Hatim very bravely, but the demons were more in number and so won the battle. Hatim and the fairies were captured and made prisoners. Meanwhile, the two fairies, who had gone in search of food, returned and saw blood everywhere. Searching for their companions, they came upon a wounded demon, who told them what had happened. Alone, they could do nothing, so they returned home and informed Shams Shah of the incident.
The Demon’s Territory
