If they chanced to see a
deer or a rabbit, they would swoop down upon it swift as any arrow.
All day long Gen-ghis Khan and his huntsmen rode through the woods.
But they did not find as much game as they expected.
Toward evening they started for home. The king had often ridden
through the woods, and he knew all the paths. So while the rest of the
party took the nearest way, he went by a longer road through a valley
between two mountains.
The day had been warm, and the king was very thirsty. His pet hawk had
left his wrist and flown away. It would be sure to find its way home.
The king rode slowly along. He had once seen a spring of clear water
near this path-way. If he could only find it now! But the hot days of
summer had dried up all the moun-tain brooks.
At last, to his joy, he saw some water tric-kling down over the edge
of a rock. He knew that there was a spring farther up. In the wet
season, a swift stream of water always poured down here; but now it
came only one drop at a time.
The king leaped from his horse. He took a little silver cup from his
hunting bag. He held it so as to catch the slowly falling drops.
It took a long time to fill the cup; and the king was so thirsty that
he could hardly wait.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99