walked slowly up the Hall of Audience, carrying in his hand a little silk thread, which he presented to the King, instead of the usual ceremonial scarf.[1]
"Good-morning, Brother Mouse," said the King, "what can I do for you?"
"Oh! King," replied the Mouse, "you must know that this year our crops have fallen short, and we are threatened with a famine unless we can borrow sufficient grain to carry us through the winter; so I, who am King of the Mice, have come here to ask you if you can help us in this matter. If you can lend us the grain we require, we will repay you faithfully with interest at the next harvest."
"Well," said the King, "how much grain do you want?"
"I think that we shall require," said the Mouse, "one of your big barns full."
"But," said the King, "if I were to give you a barn full of grain how would you carry it away?"
"Leave it to me," said the Mouse; "if you will give us the grain we will undertake to carry it off."
So the King agreed to present the Mice with one of his great granaries full of barley, and he ordered his officers to throw open the doors, and to let the Mice carry away as much as they wanted.
That night the King of the Mice summoned all his subjects together, and to the number of many hundreds of thousands they invaded the barn, and each one picked
- ↑ This is in accordance with Tibetan custom, whereby a scarf is invariably presented upon all occasions of ceremony.
