Atondido Stories
"To the miller's barley field! To the miller's barley field!"
Yirik looked out the window and saw a gander with a flock of
geese.
"Oho!" he said to himself, shaking his head. "Now I under-
stand! Now I know what kind of 'fish' this is! Now I know why
the poor cook was not to take a bite!"
He slipped another morsel into his mouth, garnished the
"fish" carefully on a platter, and carried it to the king.
After dinner the king ordered his horse and told Yirik to
come with him for a ride. The king rode on ahead and Yirik fol-
lowed.
As they cantered across a green meadow, Yirik's horse began
to prance and neigh.
"Ho! Ho!" he said. "I feel so light that I could jump over a
mountain!"
"So could I," the king's horse said, "but I have to remember
the old bag of bones that is perched on my back. If I were to
jump he'd tumble off and break his neck."
"And a good thing, too!" said Yirik's horse. "Why not? Then
instead of such an old bag of bones you'd get a young man to
ride you like Yirik."
Yirik almost burst out laughing as he listened to the horses'
talk, but he suppressed his merriment lest the king should know
that he had eaten some of the magic snake.
Now of course the king, too, understood what the horses
were saying. He glanced apprehensively at Yirik and it seemed
to him that Yirik was grinning.
"What are you laughing at, Yirik?"
"Me?" Yirik said. "I'm not laughing. I was just thinking of
something funny."
"Um," said the king.
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