ring hard!'

At this the marksman seized his gun, took aim, and fired in the
direction of the world's end, in order to awaken the sluggard. And a
moment later the swift runner reappeared, and, stepping on board the
ship, handed the healing water to the Simpleton. So while the King was
still sitting at table finishing his dinner news was brought to him
that his orders had been obeyed to the letter.

What was to be done now? The King determined to think of a still more
impossible task. So he told another courtier to go to the Simpleton
with the command that he and his comrades were instantly to eat up
twelve oxen and twelve tons of bread. Once more the sharp-eared
comrade overheard the King's words while he was still talking to the
courtier, and reported them to the Simpleton.

'Alas, alas!' he sighed; 'what in the world shall I do? Why, it would
take us a year, possibly our whole lives, to eat up twelve oxen and
twelve tons of bread.'

'Never fear,' said the glutton. 'It will scarcely be enough for me,
I'm so hungry.'

So when the courtier arrived with the royal message he was told to
take back word to the King that his orders should be obeyed. Then
twelve roasted oxen and twelve tons of bread were brought alongside of
the ship, and at one sitting the glutton had devoured it all.

'I call that a small meal,' he said. 'I wish they'd brought me some
more.'

Next, the King ordered that forty casks of wine, containing forty
gallons each, were to be drunk up on the spot by the Simpleton and his
party. When these words were overheard by the sharp-eared comrade and
repeated to the Simpleton, he was in despair.

'Alas, alas!' he exclaimed; 'what is to be done? It would take us a
year, possibly our whole lives, to drink so much.'

'Never fear,' said his thirsty comrade. 'I'll drink it all up at a
gulp, see if I don't.' And sure enough, when the forty casks of wine
containing forty gallons each were brought alongside of the ship, they
disappeared down the thirsty comrade's throat in no time; and when
they were empty he remarked:

'Why, I'm still thirsty. I should have been glad of two more casks.'

Then the King took counsel with himself and sent an order to the
Simpleton that he was to have a bath, in a bath-room at the royal
palace, and after that the betrothal should take place. Now the
bath-room was built of iron, and the King gave orders that it was to
be heated to such a pitch that it would suffocate the Simple