Part 27 (1/2)

The first was, ”When famine comes to a place and leaves it again, where does it go?”

The second was, ”When sickness comes to a place and leaves it again, where does it go?”

And the third was, ”When war comes to a place and leaves it again, where does it go?”

No one was able to answer these questions for many months and many years, till at last there came a man who said, ”I will answer your questions, oh Sultan.”

The Sultan replied, ”Speak on, stranger.”

So that man said, ”When famine comes to a country and leaves it again it goes to the idle, for they make no profit and sit always with hunger for a cup-fellow.

”When sickness comes to a country and leaves it again it goes to the aged, for they sit always with sickness and death for a companion.

”When war comes to a country and leaves it again it goes to those men who have more than one wife, for in their houses quarrels never cease.”

When the Sultan heard these words he was very pleased, and gave his daughter to the stranger.

XXIX

THE LION, THE HYAENA AND THE HARE

Once it happened that a lion, a hyaena and a hare set out on a journey together.

The way was long, and they suffered much from hunger. Till one day, when they were as yet far distant from the end of the journey, they were so sorely pressed by hunger that they gave up all hope of getting any further. Then they took counsel together and said, ”Now we shall all die, and not one of us will escape. It were better that we eat one of our number, so that the other two may get the strength to proceed.”

[Ill.u.s.tration: The lion, the hyaena and the hare]

So they all agreed that this must be done, but they could not agree as to who should be eaten and who should be saved. At last it was decided that the youngest amongst them should be eaten by the other two.