- end_line
- 1457
- extracted_at
- 2026-01-30T20:48:09.927Z
- extracted_by
- structure-extraction-lambda
- start_line
- 1426
- text
- friends, if you will not believe what I say, come hither, and feel for
yourselves.’ ‘Nay, nay,’ replied they, why seek further? _here_ it is;
and nowhere else can it be.’ ‘You blind fools, you, you contradict
yourselves,’ continued the first speaker, waxing wroth; ‘how can you
each have hold of a separate trunk, when there is but one in the
place?’ Whereupon, they redoubled their cries, calling each other all
manner of opprobrious names, and presently they fell to beating each
other with their staves, and charging upon each other with their noses.
But soon after, being loudly called upon by Tammaro and his people; who
all this while had been looking on; being loudly called upon, I say, to
clap their hands on the trunk, they again rushed for their respective
branches; and it so happened, that, one and all, they changed places;
but still cried out, ‘_Here_ it is; _here_ it is!’ ‘Peace! peace! ye
silly blind men,’ said Tammaro. ‘Will ye without eyes presume to see
more sharply than those who have them? The tree is too much for us all.
Hence! depart from the valley.’”
“An admirable story,” cried Media. “I had no idea that a mere mortal,
least of all a philosopher, could acquit himself so well. By my
scepter, but it is well done! Ha, ha! blind men round a banian! Why,
Babbalanja, no demi-god could surpass it. Taji, could you?”
“But, Babbalanja, what under the sun, mean you by your blind story!”
cried Mohi. “Obverse, or reverse, I can make nothing out of it.”
“Others may,” said Babbalanja. “It is a polysensuum, old man.”
“A pollywog!” said Mohi.
- title
- Chunk 2