Chapter Twenty-Three
As he entered the throne room, it was packed with people. The
King sat on his throne but he was visibly troubled. His
nervousness was apparant to all. "Old Fox," he said,
"there must be a solution to this problem we have, and soon.
Neither of our peoples can endure this situation much longer
without there being dire consequences. I beseech you again, make
some fair bargain with me, that I may, with a joyful heart, tell
you to take your people and go."
2 "Your Majesty," answered The Old Fox, "if I
could bargain with you, I would. But I cannot bargain with what
is not mine to bargain with. What is my peoples', will stay my
peoples'. But Your Majesty has asked for proof, he has asked that
The Lords prove that They can do what They say. So they have
decided to answer his request." The Old Fox clapped his
hands, and a servant entered carrying a strange package. The Old
Fox uncovered it, and came to The King, who looked at the thing
with interest. "This is a new invention," explained The
Old Fox, "recently developed by our craftsmen."
3 The King looked at the thing; two large balls of glass
connected in the middle by a narrow neck. Inside the bottom ball
was fine sand.
4 "We call this a sand clock," continued The Old Fox.
"Turn it over like this, so the sand is on the top, and it
runs into the bottom chamber. When all the sand is gone, an hour
is passed. Now, hear my words. Your Majesty; come the first light
of dawn tomorrow, it will start to rain. When it does turn the
glass. It will rain until the sand stops running. And then, it
will rain no more until you let my people go. Now, with Your
Majesty's permission, I will depart."
5 Now, without waiting for a reply, The Old Fox left. The King's
councilmen and Wise Men gathered around him for a glimpse of the
strange gift The King had been given. And there was much
murmuring in the court over what might happen in the morning.
6 The King spent a troubled, restless night, and was risen with
little sleep long before sunrise. As he entered his throneroom he
found he wasn't alone. Most of his council was there, looking as
haggard as he felt. The King sat upon his throne, ordered the
curtains open, and watched his balcony. His breakfast was
brought, but he had little apetite.
7 It was well light, when he heard a sudden gust of wind, and
then the smack of several large raindrops on the balcony! The few
drops grew in number until they became a pouring, steady rain.
The King nodded to a servant who turned the sand clock. Then he
sat back to watch.
8 One of his favorite women came to him and began to rub his
head, but he pushed her away. The rain continued to fall as did
the grains of sand. When the sand was very low, The King got up
and walked to the edge of the balcony. He kept looking to the
sand and then the rain, and back to the sand again. He watched
the last few grains of sand trickle into the bottom chamber, then
looked back to the rain, but THERE WAS NO RAIN! It had stopped.
The sky was getting bright as the clouds began to thin.
9 Suddenly, the clouds parted for a moment, and a beam of
sunlight pierced through, lighting the part of the city where The
Old Fox lived. A cry of dismay rose from all on the balcony.
After a moment, the sky closed again, and it became almost as
dark as night. The King returned to his throne and sat down. His
women seated themselves at his feet, staring up at him, desiring
some way to comfort their lord.
10 Suddenly a priest entered the throne room. "Your
Majesty," he cried, "I have been sent by The High
Priest, who does, even now, that which you bid him. But he asks
if Your Majesty has just seen the sign that Tr has given. His
anger is great. These people who question his power must be
destroyed. My master bids you, send forth your army, destroy
these heretics while there is still time!"
11 The King rose. "Get out!" he screamed, "If your
master asks me to send out my army one more time, he is a dead
man! Now, GO!" The King again seated himself. He looked up
to see one of The Old Fox's servants standing by the door. A page
was speaking to him. A moment later the page came to The King.
12 "Your Majesty," he announced, "The Old Fox
sends word that he has sold his home and that his family is
moving to his peoples' encampment by the harbor, and if you wish
to speak with him, to send your messengers there." The King
nodded, then continued to stare at the floor.
13 Meanwhile, in the temple of Tr, much was happening. The High
Priest walked back and forth screaming his voice out. "The
King must act!" He roared, "He must! He must act
now!"
14 "But he will not," said an aide. "If anything,
I think he may be ready to concede, to let The Old Fox and his
people go."
15 "We cannot allow it!" screamed The High Priest.
"It will be the end of Tr if we do. Summon the leader of the
temple guard." The man quickly entered. "How many of
our troops have you brought into the city?" asked The High
Priest.
16 "I have an entire group," the guard told him.
17 "How many of The King's soldiers in the city will act if
I tell them to?" The Priest inquired.
18 "Three group leaders are at our disposal," the guard
told him.
19 "And how many men can we hire in the city that will fight
for gold?" asked The Priest.
20 "At least the equivalent of another group," the
guard told him.
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