About How the Chief of the Salt Guard Kept His Oath

I still can't comprehend how the chief guard, along with all his watchmen, managed to make such a blunder and let a whole herd wander onto the salt field of the Schildburgers! Remembering the instructions given to him and his oath, the chief guard, upon seeing the cattle calmly nibbling on the sprouts of the long-awaited salt, grew anxious and began to ponder: if this senseless creature has already trampled and devoured so much salt, how much more will it destroy once the salt fully matures? Having reasoned thus, the chief guard hurried to the city to report to the mayor about the disaster that had befallen Schilda.

The mayor and his councilors were at a loss and, unsure of what advice to give, decided to convene a general meeting. As for the chief of the guard, they praised him for not making matters worse and for not acting on his own initiative.

At the meeting, the matter was first turned inside out, then right side up, then examined from every angle until everyone's heads were spinning. In the end, the Schildburgers decided to appoint four judges, for foolish cattle would be most frightened of judges. The judges were to go to the salt field, place the chief guard on a palanquin, hand him a long whip, and trot him back and forth across the field until he had driven away all the misbehaving cattle with his whip.

The chief guard himself was not to be set on the ground, so as not to damage the crop and thereby break his oath.

The chief guard was delighted with such a wise decision and immediately jumped onto the palanquin, settling himself as if he were the Pope.

The judges carried him back and forth across the field until he had driven away all the cattle.

If I were that chief guard, I would have agreed too, even if they carried me on the palanquin twice a day for a whole year. C.

Of course, the judges themselves caused no harm to the growing salt. For judges always care for the common good and, even with their elephantine feet, can do no harm to the precious crop.

More fairy tales

• How a Schildbürger Saved the Honor of the Town of Schilda and Lost His Mare in the Process
• Briar Rose
• Where the Schildbürgers Came From and What They Turned Into
• How Eulenspiegel Tricked the Riesenburg Priest Out of a Horse
• How the Schildbürgers Sowed Salt