How the Schildbürgers Sowed Salt

So, the townspeople finally completed their town hall and began holding daily councils there. One day, their conversation turned to supplies. Indeed, it was necessary to set something aside for the future—you never know when prices might rise, and then you’d immediately fall into the hands of resellers and speculators.

The Schildburgers were especially concerned about salt. In those days, due to endless wars and conflicts, selling it—and therefore buying it—was a troublesome affair. The townspeople consulted with each other for a long time, wondering if there was any way to ensure that Schilda had its own salt. After all, a field without manure is as bad as a kitchen without salt—it’s a disaster! In the end, they came up with an idea: a grain of salt looks just like a grain of sugar, and everyone knows that sugar grows in fields. Therefore, salt must also grow in fields.

Having reasoned thus, the Schildburgers decided to allocate a large plot from the communal lands, plow it, harrow it thoroughly, and then, following all the rules, sow it with salt. And, by the way, there was much less salt in Schilda than there were fools and jesters!

“This task,” stated the corresponding decree, “must be carried out with the utmost urgency and precision. The sowing shall be conducted with the lord’s blessing.”

“At last,” the Schildburgers thought, “we’ll have enough salt. We won’t have to bow and scrape for every pinch.”

On the first fine day, the Schildburgers plowed the allocated plot, harrowed it thoroughly, and, as their jester-like wisdom dictated, sowed it densely with salt.

To protect the field from any enemies, they stationed a guard at each corner. Each guard was given a long branch to scare away any birds that might try to peck at the sown salt.

It didn’t take long for the field to turn lush and green, and the Schildburgers all ran to admire how vigorously their salt was growing. The higher the greenery rose, the more their hopes blossomed—they dreamed of shoveling up that very salt.

But then they remembered that not only birds but also other creatures—horses, cows, sheep, and especially those cursed goats—were great lovers of licking salt. What to do? How to proceed?

For greater security and better preservation of their salt field, which they would gladly have expanded many times over, they decided to appoint an additional guard—a chief overseer of the entire watch. This overseer was strictly ordered: if, heaven forbid, a cow or any other livestock wandered onto the field, they were to immediately drive it off, pushing, beating, and scaring it away!

The chief overseer swore to carry out his duties precisely. And how he kept his oath, we shall learn in the next chapter.

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How the Schildbürgers Sowed Salt

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