ZARB The great dog seemed so friendly that I forgot he was the King's
great dog.

KING ARGIMENES But tell me more. Was he hurt, or is it a sickness?

ZARB They say that it is a sickness.

KING ARGIMENES Ah. Then he will grow thin if he does not die soon. If
it had been a hurt!--but we should not complain. I complain more often
than you do because I had not learned to submit while I was yet young.

ZARB If your beautiful memories do not please you, you should hope
more. I wish I had your memories. I should not trouble to hope then.
It is very hard to hope.

KING ARGIMENES There will be nothing more to hope for when we have
eaten the King's dog.

ZARB Why you might find gold in the earth while you were digging. Then
you might bribe the commander of the guard to lend you his sword; we
would all follow you if you had a sword. Then we might take the King
and bind him and lay him on the ground and fasten his tongue outside
his mouth with thorns and put honey on it and sprinkle honey near.
Then the grey ants would come from one of their big mounds. My father
found gold once when he was digging.

KING ARGIMENES (pointedly) Did your father free himself?

ZARB No. Because the King's Overseer found him looking at the gold and