I will not have to."
32 Now Brown Goat thought he was being extremely wise. "Not many of the
people," he told his close friends, "will write in my name. There will
be many other desirable candidates. And who will vote for someone that
does not campaign?"
33 But he had not counted on his supporters' enthusiasm. In every city
in every village, somebody spoke in his favor. At first there were
eight candidates, but one by one, as they saw Brown Goat's popularity
grow, they withdrew from the campaign and gave their support to
him. Weeks before the election there was no one opposing him!
34 When the election came, he won with the greatest majority ever
achieved. His supporters rushed to his Temple, cheering,
"First
Speaker! First Speaker!"
35 Brown Goat stood on the steps and raised his arms. "Never," he
cried, "has a man been so overwhelmed by the support that he has been
given! It is my only hope that I serve you well and do all that you
expect of me."
36 So it was that Brown Goat marched triumphantly to Northern. As soon
as he was in The First Speaker's House, he went to work. He had been
working on an idea for some time, and now he began to discuss it with
the greatest Engineers and Witches of his Land.
37 "Why should we be cut off from the south every year," he inquired,
"because of the dust storms in the desert and the unbearable summer
heat? If we can make a tunnel through the mountains, why can we not
make a tunnel under the desert?
38 I believe we have all the knowledge we need. It will be a lot of
work, but that will support many people for years. As caravans through
such a tunnel would