The Strange Tale of the Snake Ring Read Online Free PDF Page A

enormous oval dish, on which had been cooked the largest fish Thomas had ever seen.
    â€œWhat a wonderful fish!” cried the king. “Thomas, give my congratulations to the cook, and tell him to pass them on to the fisherman who caught it! It’s a fish fit for a king – so much so, that I shall serve it out myself.”
    So the king took a sharp knife, slit the great fish in two, and opened it. As he did so, he was amazed to see the gleam of gold and the flash of jewels from the fish’s inside. In a moment, with the point of his knife, he had recovered from the fish’s belly – a ring! He held it up for everyone to see.
    â€œLook, gentlemen, what I have found inside the fish,” he exclaimed. “A ring, the like of which I have never seen before. I have many rings in my treasury, but none like this.”
    As he said that, a wonderful idea came into his mind – another question he could ask the professors, that would keep them talking until the end of the meal.
    Telling the servants to carry on quietly with the serving of the fish, he turned to the professors. “I am going to ask you learned gentlemen another question, and perhaps you can help me to find the correct answer. The question is, who is the rightful owner of the ring – because it is clearly very valuable?”
    No one answered.
    So the king continued: “Is it mine, because the fish was bought with my money? But I paid for a fish, not a precious ring. Does it belong to the fisherman? Well, he didn’t ever know it was there, or he would have kept it for himself, or sold it to me for a good price. Or does it belong to the person who owned it before it got inside the fish? If so, who could that be?”
    Again, there was silence.
    â€œCome, come, gentlemen!” exclaimed the king. “One of you must have some idea.”
    â€œYour pardon, Your Majesty,” ventured the oldest professor, “but we do not know. There is no way of finding the right answer to your question.”
    The king could hardly believe that none of the professors could give an opinion. “Look,” he said in the end, “I will give a bag of gold to anyone in this hall who can give me the answer.”
    Another embarrassing silence.
    Just then a small voice from behind the king’s chair said, “Please, Your Majesty, may I speak?” It was Thomas.
    â€œYes, Thomas you may. I suppose you can solve the puzzle when the learned professors have failed?” He smiled, while the professors began to laugh and chatter between themselves.
    â€œSilence!” barked the king. “Let the boy speak.”
    â€œPlease, Your Majesty,” began Thomas, “with respect, the ring does not belong to you. Neither does it belong to the fisherman. The ring is mine.”
    There were gasps of surprise. Then the king spoke again: “How can that be? How could it be yours?”
    â€œIf Your Majesty will look again at the ring, you will see that it is made from two snakes with jewels for eyes. And if you will look carefully at the tails, you will see how my name has been engraved on one, and that of my sweetheart Gerda, on the other. There is no other ring like this in the whole world.”
    The king looked carefully. “It is just as he says: the names of Thomas and Gerda are written here. Thomas, take your ring and after supper come to my private chamber and we will talk about your reward.”

Chapter 7
    The King Makes an Offer

    When the banquet was over, the professors returned safely to their lodgings in the university. Thomas made his way to the king’s chambers. He was in a confused state of mind regarding Gerda: a little cross, perhaps, that she had not kept the ring safely.
    â€œPerhaps she sold it,” he said to himself. “In which case, either she is in trouble and needed money, or she doesn’t care about me any more. Or perhaps she lost it. If so, she will be very upset about