Presently The
Thought Struck Me That The Rifle, Which Was Always Infallible In
Gaining Me Admittance At The Palace, Might Be Of The Same Service
Now.
I therefore shot a dove close to the royal abode, and, as I
expected, roused the king at once, who sent his pages to know
what the firing was about.
When told the truth - that I had been
trying to shoot a dish of doves for breakfast, as I could get
neither meat nor drink from his kitchen - the head boy, rather
guessing than understanding what was told him, distorted my
message, and said to the king, as I could not obtain a regular
supply of food from his house, I did not wish to accept anything
further at his hands, but intended foraging for the future in the
jungles. The king, as might be imagined, did not believe the
boy's story, and sent other pages to ascertain the truth of the
case, bidding them listen well, and beware of what they were
about. This second lot of boys conveyed the story rightly, when
the king sent me a cow. As I afterwards heard, he cut off the
ears of the unfortunate little mischief-maker for not making a
proper use of those organs; and then, as the lad was the son of
one of his own officers he was sent home to have the sores
healed. After breakfast the king called me to go boating, when I
used my grass throne, to the annoyance of the attendants.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 505 of 767
Words from 138932 to 139185
of 210958
