And when he had blessed them, all began to sing; and the whole forest was filled with sweetness and joy because of their wonderful melodies.
A CLEVER SLAVE
A long time ago there lived a poor slave whose name was Aesop. [Footnote: Aesop (pro. e'sop).] He was a small man with a large head and long arms. His face was white, but very homely. His large eyes were bright and snappy.
When Aesop was about twenty years old his master lost a great deal of money and was obliged to sell his slaves. To do this, he had to take them to a large city where there was a slave market.
The city was far away, and the slaves must walk the whole distance. A number of bundles were made up for them to carry. Some of these bundles contained the things they would need on the road; some contained clothing; and some contained goods which the master would sell in the city.
"Choose your bundles, boys," said the master. "There is one for each of you."
Aesop at once chose the largest one. The other slaves laughed and said he was foolish. But he threw it upon his shoulders and seemed well satisfied. The next day, the laugh was the other way. For the bundle which he had chosen had contained the food for the whole party. After all had eaten three meals from it, it was very much lighter. And before the end of the journey Aesop had nothing to carry, while the other slaves were groaning under their heavy loads.
"Aesop is a wise fellow," said his master. "The man who buys him must pay a high price."
A very rich man, whose name was Xanthus, [Footnote: Xanthus (pro. zan'thus).] came to the slave market to buy a servant. As the slaves stood before him he asked each one to tell what kind of work he could do. All were eager to be bought by Xanthus because they knew he would be a kind master. So each one boasted of his skill in doing some sort of labor. One was a fine gardener; another could take care of horses; a third was a good cook; a fourth could manage a household.
"And what can you do, Aesop?" asked Xanthus.