Page:Swahili tales.djvu/253

Rh were very young, he would not believe it. And every bunch says to its neighbour, 'get on one side here, and let me through, that I may hang.'"

And he said, "I am grieved, I, a man with seven sons, and five years my date-tree has been devoured by a bird; I have not had so much as a stone to taste, and this year just the same, it will be devoured by the bird."

The lad who sat in the kitchen heard those words which Sultan Majnún said. And the youth arose and said to his father, "This year you shall eat dates." And he said, "My father, if this year I have not fed you with dates with my hand, and all the rich men that are in the town, and all the Europeans that are in the town, and all the Banyans that are in it, and all the Hindees that are in it, and the poor that are in our town, for these are the five bunches that are on the date-tree." And he said, "So each bunch I will give to a several nation, and the nations that are in the town are five. There are we Arabs, there are Europeans, there are Banyans also, there are Hindees also, there are, too, all the poor that are in it." And he said, "So I, father, am going this year to watch the date-tree."

His father and his mother laughed heartily, and thought his words idle talk. Neither his father nor his mother accepted his words; they thought, our son is amusing himself, let us leave him to his amusement, till his liking for this amusement is over.

At last news was brought to the sultan that the dates were ripe. And the sultan gave out word to look for a man to go and watch the date-tree. His son, he who was left of the seven, heard it, and said "How is it, father, that you have given out word to look for a man to watch the date-tree, and I your one son am still left?" And he said, "Ah! six were of no use; will you alone be of any