"May it please the great King," answered Bes, rolling his big eyes,
"only a little tale of another king of my own country whom I used to
think great until I came to the East and learned what kings could be.
That king had a servant with whom he used to hunt, indeed he was my
own father. One day they were out together seeking a certain elephant
whose tusks were bigger than those of any other. Then the elephant
charged the king and my father, at the risk of his life, killed it and
claimed the tusks, as is the custom among the Ethiopians. But the king
who greatly desired those tusks, caused my father to be poisoned that
he might take them as his heir. Only before he died, my father, who
could talk the elephant language, told all the other elephants of this
wickedness, at which they were very angry, because they knew well that
from the beginning of time their tusks have belonged to him who killed
them, and the elephants are a people who do not like ancient laws to
be altered. So the elephants made a league together and when the king
next went out hunting, taking heed of nothing else they rushed at the
king and tore him into pieces no bigger than a finger, and then killed
the prince his son, who was behind him. That is the tale of the
elephants who love Law, O King."

"Yes, yes," said his Majesty, waking up from a little doze, "but what
became of the great tusks? I should like to have them."

"I inherited them as my father's son, O King, and gave them to my
master, who doubtless will send them to you when he gets back to
Egypt."

"A strange tale," said the King. "A very strange tale which seems to
remind me of something that happened not long ago. What was it? Well,