A STORY WITHOUT END

New Zealand Tablet, 17 December 1908, Page 37

A STORY WITHOUT END

There was a certain king who, like many Eastern kings, was very fond of hearing stories told. To this amusement he gave up all his time, and yet he was never satisfied. All the exertions of his courtiers were in vain. The more he heard, the more he wanted to hear. At last he made a proclamation that if any man would tell him a story that should last forever, he would give him a fortune and make him his heir. But if any one should pretend that he had such a story, and should fail — that is, if the story did come to an end — he was to have his head cut off For so rich a prize numerous candidates appeared, and dreadfully long stories many of them told. Some lasted a week, some a month, some six months. Poor fellows, they all spun them out as long as they possibly could, you may be sure; but all in vainj sooner or later they all came to an end ; and, one after another, the unlucky story-tellers lost their heads.

At last came a man who said that he had a story which would last for ever, if his Majesty would be pleased to give him a trial. He was warned of his danger. They told him how many others had tried, and lost their heads. But he said he was not afraid, and so he was brought before the king. He was a man of a very composed and deliberate manner of speaking; and, after all requisite stipulations for a time for his eating, drinking, and sleeping, he thus began his story:

' O King 1 there was once a powerful monarch who was also a great tyrant. And, desiring to increase his riches, he seized upon all the corn and grain in his kingdom, and put it into an immense granary, which he built on purpose, as high as a mountain. This he did for several years, till the granary was quite full up to the top. He then stopped up doors and windows, and closed it up fast on all sides.

' But the bricklayers had, by accident, left a very small hole near the top of the granary, and a flight of locusts came and tried to get at the corn ; but the hole ■was so small that only one locust could pass through it at a time. So one locust went in, and carried off one grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went m, and carried off another grain of corn ; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn ; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust

went in, and carried off another grain of coin; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn ' He had gone on thus from morning to night (except while he was engaged at his meals) for about a month, when the king, though a very patient king, began to be tired of the locusts, and interrupted the story with: ' Well, well ! we have had enough of the locusts ; we will suppose that they have helped themselves to all the corn they wanted. Tell us what happened afterward.' To which the story-teller answered, very deliberately: ' If it please your Majesty, it is impossible to tell you what happened afterward, before I have told you what happened first.' And then he -went on again : ' And then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn ' The king listened with unconquerable patience six months more — though he cut short the time of the storytelling — when he again interrupted his companion : ' O friond, lam weary of your locusts 1 How soon do you think they will have done ?' To which the story-toller made answer : 'O King! who can tell? At the time to which my story has come, the locusts have cleared away a small space — it may be a cubit, each way round the inside of tho hole; and the air is still dark with locusts on all sidos. But have patience, and no doubt we shall come to the end of them in time. ' Thus encouraged, the king listened on for another full year, the story-toller still going on as before: ' And then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn; and then another locust went in, and carried off another grain of corn * At last the poor king could bear it no longer, and cried out : ' O man, that is enough ! Take my kingdom ; take anything, everything; only let us hear no more of your abominable locusts !' And so thp story-teller received a fortune, and was declared heir to the throne; and nobody ever expressed n wish to hear the rest of his story; for he said it was impossible to come to the other part of it till he had done with the locusts.