How the Schildburgers Delivered Logs for the New Town Hall

True fools would have started the task without gathering logs, stones, lime, or sand—everything needed for a proper construction.

But not the Schildburgers, for their reason was meant to fade gradually, not all at once, like a tallow candle burning down.

And so they all went together to the valley beyond the mountain and began to cut down trees.

When the trunks were stripped of branches and bark, one of them, lost in thought, mused: "Oh, if only I had a catapult now, so I could load a log into it and shoot it all the way to the market square..."

And indeed, if they had found such a device, they would have spared themselves much hard labor. But, as the saying goes:

"If onlys and what ifs,
And mushrooms grew in our mouths,
Then it wouldn’t be a mouth,
But a whole garden!"

What could they do? The Schildburgers had to spit on their hands and start carrying the logs on their own backs—first up to the mountain’s peak and then down the slope to the city walls. They groaned, puffed, and sweated a great deal before they managed to carry all the logs, except for one—the last one, as they saw it.

Finally, they all joined forces to tackle this last log: they lifted it, pushed it, rolled it, and with great effort, they reached the top of the mountain. Catching their breath and wiping off the sweat, they began the descent. But here, whether they weren’t paying attention or the rope frayed, the log slipped from their hands and, without any help, began to bounce down the mountain, rolling all the way to the bottom and coming to rest beside the others.

Such cleverness—and from whom? From an unhewn log!—struck the Schildburgers like a thunderbolt. They blinked and rubbed their eyes for a long time until one of them finally said:

"Well, aren’t we fools, dragging these logs down the mountain on our backs! And not one of us realized that it would roll down by itself. And here we were, groaning and puffing!"

Then one Schildburger stepped forward and spoke:

"Our trouble is great, but there’s a way to fix it. If we had the strength to carry all the timber down from the mountain, surely we can haul it back up! And then we’ll let the logs roll down by themselves and enjoy the sight. That’ll be our reward for all our righteous labor!"

This advice pleased all the Schildburgers.

Here was their chance—to make a proper start to their foolishness.

They bent their backs and began hauling the load back up. If they had sweated profusely carrying it down, now they were drenched in sweat.

Somehow, they managed to carry all the logs back up the mountain, and after catching their breath, they began sending them down one by one.

Indeed, it was a joy to watch them roll and bounce.

After successfully completing their task, the Schildburgers returned to the city, content and merry.

And since they had worked so hard for the common good, it was only fair for them to sit down at the tavern and feast heartily at the community’s expense.

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How the Schildburgers Delivered Logs for the New Town Hall

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