"Children's Books - Ruby Prince" - читать интересную книгу автора (Children's Books)

THE RUBY PRINCE

Once upon a time . . . a beggar in faraway Persia had a stroke of luck.
After a sudden flood, the fast-flowing river near the capital city shrank back
to its old bed, leaving mud and sllme behind it on the banks. In the dirt, the
beggar caught slght of a sparkling red stone. He picked it up and hurried off
to visit one of his friends who worked in the royal kitchens.
"How many dinners would you give me for this shining stone?" he asked the
man hopefully.
"But this is a ruby!" exclaimed the cook. "You must take it to the Shah at
once!" So next day, the beggar took the stone to the Shah, who asked him:
"Where did you find this?"
"Lying in the mud on the bank of the river, Sire! he said.
"Hmm!" mused the Shah. "Now why did the great river leave such a treasure
to you? I'll give you a bag of gold for the stone. Will that do?" The beggar
could scarcely belleve his ears.
"Sire, this is the most wonderful day of my life," he stammered. "My
humblest thanks!"
Before the Shah locked the big stone in his treasure box, he called Fatima,
his daughter and said: "This is the biggest ruby I've ever seen. I shall give
it to you for your 18th birthday!"
Fatima admired the gem in her hand and happily threw her arms round her
father's neck.
"It's marvellous! Thank you so much. I know it will bring me good luck!"
Some months later, on Fatima's birthday, the Shah went to fetch the ruby as
promised. But when he lifted the lid of the box, he leapt in surprise, for out
stepped a handsome young man, who smilingly said, "The ruby you want no longer
exists! I've taken its place. I'm the Ruby Prince. Please don't ask me how
this miracle took place. It's a secret I can never tell!"
When the Shah got over his shock, he went into a towering rage.
"I lose a precious gem, find a prince, and l'm not allowed to ask the
reason why?" he roared.
"I'm sorry, Sire," replied the prince, "but nothing and nobody will make me
tell how I got here."
Furious at these words, the Shah instantly decided to punish the young man
for his impertinence.
"Since you've taken the place of my ruby," he thundered, "you are now my
servant, I presume."
"Of course, Sire," replied the young man confidently.
"Good!" exclaimed the Shah. "Then take my gold sword. I'll reward you with
the hand of my daughter Fatima if you succeed in killing the dragon of Death
Valley that's stopping the caravans from passing through the forest."
As it happens, many a brave young man had lost his life trying to kill the
terrible dragon, and the Shah was quite sure that the Ruby Prince would share
their fate.
Armed with the Shah's sword, the Ruby Prince set off for Death Valley. When
he reached the edge of the thick dark forest, he loudly called for the dragon
to show itself. But the only reply was the echo of his own voice. He leant
against a tree trunk and was about to drop off to sleep when the sound of
snapping branches brought him to his feet. A frightful hissing grew louder and