|
Main
- books.jibble.org
My Books
- IRC Hacks
Misc. Articles
- Meaning of Jibble
- M4 Su Doku
- Computer Scrapbooking
- Setting up Java
- Bootable Java
- Cookies in Java
- Dynamic Graphs
- Social Shakespeare
External Links
- Paul Mutton
- Jibble Photo Gallery
- Jibble Forums
- Google Landmarks
- Jibble Shop
- Free Books
- Intershot Ltd
|
books.jibble.org
Previous Page
| Next Page
Page 22
Inga opened the sack of food and while he and the
King ate of it the boy said:
"If I could find a way to remove some of the blocks
of marble which have fallen in the banquet hall, I
think I could find means for us to escape from this
barren island."
"Then," mumbled Rinkitink, with his mouth full, "let
us move the blocks of marble."
"But how?" inquired Prince Inga. "They are very
heavy."
"Ah, how, indeed?" returned the King, smacking his
lips contentedly. "That is a serious question. But -- I
have it! Let us see what my famous parchment says about
it." He wiped his fingers upon a napkin and then,
taking the scroll from a pocket inside his embroidered
blouse, he unrolled it and read the following words:
'Never step on another man's toes.'
The goat gave a snort of contempt; Inga was silent;
the King looked from one to the other inquiringly.
"That's the idea, exactly!" declared Rinkitink.
"To be sure," said Bilbil scornfully, "it tells us
exactly how to move the blocks of marble."
"Oh, does it?" responded the King, and then for a
moment he rubbed the top of his bald head in a
perplexed manner. The next moment he burst into a peal
of joyous laughter. The goat looked at Inga and sighed.
"What did I tell you?" asked the creature. "Was I
right, or was I wrong?"
"This scroll," said Rinkitink, "is indeed a
masterpiece. Its advice is of tremendous value. 'Never
step on another man's toes.' Let us think this over.
The inference is that we should step upon our own toes,
which were given us for that purpose. Therefore, if I
stepped upon another man's toes, I would be the other
man. Hoo, hoo, hoo! -- the other man -- hee, hee, heek-
keek-eek! Funny, isn't it?"
"Didn't I say --" began Bilbil.
"No matter what you said, my boy," roared the King.
"No fool could have figured that out as nicely as I
did."
"We have still to decide how to remove the blocks of
marble," suggested Inga anxiously.
"Fasten a rope to them, and pull," said Bilbil.
"Don't pay any more attention to Rinkitink, for he is
no wiser than the man who wrote that brainless scroll.
Just get the rope, and we'll fasten Rinkitink to one
end of it for a weight and I'll help you pull."
"Thank you, Bilbil," replied the boy. "I'll get the
rope at once.
Bilbil found it difficult to climb over the ruins to
the floor of the banquet hall, but there are few places
a goat cannot get to when it makes the attempt, so
Bilbil succeeded at last, and even fat little Rinkitink
finally joined them, though much out of breath.
Inga fastened one end of the rope around a block of
marble and then made a loop at the other end to go over
Bilbil's head. When all was ready the boy seized the
rope and helped the goat to pull; yet, strain as they
might, the huge block would not stir from its place.
Seeing this, King Rinkitink came forward and lent his
assistance, the weight of his body forcing the heavy
marble to slide several feet from where it had lain.
Previous Page
| Next Page
|
|