King Solomon, and stood again before the steps of the golden throne, and with tears and groans related the misfortunes which had happened to his race.

66

So King Solomon looked kindly upon the king of the hoopoes, and said unto him, Behold, did I not warn thee of thy folly, in desiring to have crowns of gold? Vanity and pride have been thy ruin. But now, that a memorial may remain of the service which thou didst render unto me, your crowns of gold shall be changed into crowns of feathers, that ye may walk unharmed upon the earth."

Now when the fowlers saw that the hoopoes no longer wore crowns of gold upon their heads, they ceased from the persecution of their race; and from that time forth the family of the hoopoes have flourished and increased, and have continued in peace even to the present day.

ROBERT CURZON.

QUESTIONS FOR STUDY

What do you call a story like this, in which animals talk? Do the animals tell how animals

feel, or how people think and feel? What other stories of this kind have you read in this book?

How did the vultures behave? Why should the vulture have been chosen as the "villain" of the story? What sort of bird is a vulture?

When did the hoopoes make their first mistake? What led them to it? Was it a natural blunder? Was the punishment natural also?

Write what you think the meaning of this story.

Robert Curzon wrote this story. He was an Englishman who lived much in Eastern countries and wrote out their ancient tales.

THE INCHCAPE ROCK

No stir in the air, no stir in the sea,
The ship was as still as she could be;
Her sails from heaven received no motion;
Her keel was steady in the ocean.

5 Without either sign or sound of their shock,

The waves flowed over the Inchcape

Rock;

So little they rose, so little they fell,
They did not move the Inchcape bell.1

1 Bell, buoy bell.

The good old Abbot of Aberbrothok 1 10 Had placed that bell on the Inchcape Rock;

On a buoy in the storm it floated and

swung,

And over the waves its warning rung.

When the rock was hid by the surge's 2 swell,

The mariners heard the warning bell; 15 And then they knew the perilous rock, And blessed the Abbot of Aberbrothok.

The sun in heaven was shining gay;
All things were joyful on that day;

The sea birds screamed as they wheeled
round.

20 And there was joyance in their sound.

The buoy of the Inchcape bell was

seen

A darker speck on the ocean green;
Sir Ralph the Rover3 walked his deck,
And he fix'd his eye on the darker
speck.

1 Aberbrothok (ab'-er-broth-ok').

2 Surge, wave.

3 Rover, pirate.

25 He felt the cheering power of spring; It made him whistle, it made him sing;

His heart was mirthful to excess,

But the Rover's mirth was wickedness.

His eye was on the Inchcape float; 30 Quoth he, "My men, put out the boat, And row me to the Inchcape Rock,

And I'll plague the Abbot of Aberbrothok."

The boat is lowered, the boatmen row, And to the Inchcape Rock they go; 35 Sir Ralph bent over from the boat, And he cut the bell from the Inchcape float.

Down sunk the bell with a gurgling sound;

The bubbles rose and burst around;

Quoth Sir Ralph, "The next who comes to the Rock

40 Won't bless the Abbot of Aberbrothok."

Sir Ralph the Rover sailed away;
He scoured the seas for many a day;

And now, grown rich with plundered

store,

He steers his course for Scotland's shore.

45 So thick a haze o'erspreads the sky,
They cannot see the sun on high;
The wind it hath blown a gale all day;
At evening it hath died away.

On the deck the Rover takes his stand; 50 So dark it is they see no land,

Quoth Sir Ralph, "It will be lighter soon,
For there is the dawn of the rising moon."

"Canst hear," said one, "the breakers roar?

For methinks we should be near the shore."

55Now where we are I cannot tell,

60

But I wish I could hear the Inchcape bell."

They hear no sound; the swell is strong; Though the wind hath fallen, they drift along,

Till the vessel strikes with a shivering shock,

66

O God! it is the Inchcape Rock!"