V
The King’s Son
A certain king had a son, and sent him out to be nursed by a smith’s wife. This crafty woman put the king’s child in a common cradle, and her own son in the gorgeous royal cradle. Some years afterwards, the king took the changeling to court, and brought his foster-brother with him. One fine day, the king set out for his favourite forest to hunt, and took his pretended son with him. When they arrived, the king asked: ‘How do you like this place, my son? Is it not a magnificent wood?’ The boy replied: ‘O father, if we could only burn it all somehow, what a fine lot of charcoal we should have!’
Then the king sent for the other boy, and asked him the same question. ‘There could not be a better forest, your Majesty!’ ‘But what would you do with it if it were yours?’ ‘Nothing, your Majesty. I would double the guards, so that it should not be injured.’ Then the king saw how the smith’s wife had tried to cheat him, and put her in prison.
VI
Teeth and No-Teeth
Shah Ali desired to see the hungriest man in his kingdom, and find out how much of the daintiest food such a man could eat at a meal. So he let it be known that on a certain day he would dine with his courtiers in the open air, in front of the palace. At the appointed hour, tables were laid and dinner was served, in the presence of a vast crowd. After the first course, the shah mounted a daïs, and said: ‘My loyal subjects! you see what a splendid dinner I have. I should like to share it with those among you who are really hungry, and have not eaten for a long time, so tell me truly which is the hungriest of you all, and bid him come forward.’
Two men appeared from the crowd: an old man of fifty and a young man of twenty-seven. The former was grey-haired and feeble, the latter was fresh and of athletic build.