“This is impossible,” said the king.
“Nay,” said the old man, “that it is as I have said I will prove to thee.” And he explained to the king how it would be possible to stimulate the children to activity, for he showed him how he could divest anything that was done of part of its pain and render it more pleasurable than painful. “In this way thou canst lead the beings I have given thee to do anything,” said the old man, “but the condition is that thou must take the painful part that thou sparest them thyself.” And he bade the king cut himself of the reeds that grew by the side of the ravine, and told him that putting them between himself and any being would enable him to take a part of the pain and leave in their feeling the whole of the pleasure and the pain diminished by that part which he bore himself.
Then the king cut of the reeds that grew by the side of the ravine. He went to the hut where these beings lay, and, taking the reeds in his hand, he placed one between the child’s frame and himself. And the child rose up and walked, while he himself felt a pain in his limbs. And he found that by taking a pain in each part of him the child would exercise that part; if he wished the child to look at anything he, by bearing a pain in his eyes, made looking at it pleasurable to the child, and accordingly the child did look at the object he wished him to regard. And again, by bearing a bitter taste in his mouth he made the child feel eating as pleasant, and the child gathered fruits and ate them.
Then the king by using two reeds made both the children move, and they went together wheresoever he wished them. But they had not the slightest idea of the king’s action on them. They recognized each other, and played with each other. They saw the king and had a certain regard for him, but of his action on them they knew nothing. For they felt his bearing the pain as this thing or that being pleasurable. They felt his action as a motive in themselves.
And all day long the king went with them, leading them through the valley, bearing the pain of each step, so that the children felt nothing but pleasure. But at nightfall he led them back to the rude dwelling where he had found them. He led them by taking the pain from their steps in that direction, and not taking any of the pain from steps in any other direction.
And when they had entered the dwelling-place he removed his reeds from them. Immediately they sank down into the state of apathy in which he had found them. They did not move.
And the king at nightfall sought again the side of the ravine.
Gazing across it he saw the sandy waste of the land from which he had come, he saw the great stones which were scattered about, looking pale and grey in the moonlight. And presently in the shadow of a rock near the opposite brink he discerned the form of the old man.
And he cried out to him, and bade him come near. And when the old man stood opposite to him, he besought him to tell him how he could make the beings go through their movements of life without his bearing so much pain.
And the old man took his staff in his hand, and he held it out towards the king, over the depth.