Page:Thus Spake Zarathustra - Alexander Tille - 1896.djvu/448

 THE SUPPER

For at that point the fortune-teller interrupted the salutation between Zarathustra and his guests. He pressed forward like one who hath no time to lose, seized Zarathustra's hand and cried : " But, Zara- thustra !

' One thing is more necessary than another,' thus thou thyself sayest. Go to ! One thing is now more necessary for me than any other.

A word at the proper time : didst thou not invite me to a meal ? And here are many who have made long journeys. I suppose, thou meanest not to feed us with speeches merely ?

Besides all of you have thought far too much for my taste about dying of cold, by drowning, by suf- focation, and about other sorts of bodily danger. But no one thought of my sort of danger, i.e., of dying of hunger."

(Thus spake the fortune-teller. But when Zara- thustra's animals heard these words, they ran away with terror. For they saw that all they had brought in during the day, would not be sufficient to fill even this one fortune-teller's stomach.)

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