Many years ago there was a king. His palace was on the bank of a river.

One day the king was walking along the river side. His chief minister was with him.

``Where does all this water flow to?’’ the king asked.

``It flows to the country in the east,’’ aid the minister.

``It means that the people of that country get all the water. I will stop that,’’ said the king. He then ordered the minister, ``build a dam across the river ad keep all the water here’’.

``The king is foolish. This is not the right place to build a dam’’, thought the minister. But he was afraid of the king. So he said, ``yes, sir. I will build a dam across the river and keep al the water here’’.

The minister then built a dam on the river. The water level rose behind the dam and a big lake was formed there. The water soon entered the roads and houses in the town. In great fear the people ran to the minister and cried, ``the town is flooded. This dam must go, or our lives will be in danger. Please save us’’.

The minister said, ``what can I do? I myself know that this place is not fit for a dam. I had to build the dam because the king ordered me to do so. But don’t worry. I will think of something’’.

The minister thought about the problem and how to solve it. Then he thought o a plan.

The king had employed a man in his palace to ring bell every hour to tell the time. The minister called the man ordered, ``from six O’ clock tonight, ring the hour bell every thirty minutes and not every hour. At midnight, ring the hour bell or six in the morning.

The man obeyed the minister’s order and rag the hours every thirty minutes. At midnight he rang the six O’ cock bell.

The king heard the six O’ cock bell and woke up. E looked out o the window. It was still very dark.

`` It is six O’ clock now’’, he said, ``but I can’t see the sun yet. I will ask my minister about this.’ He then sent for the minister.

``What has happened to the sun?’’ he asked the minister. ``Its past six O’ clock. But the sun has not risen yet. I can still see the moon and the stars in the sky’’.

``Sir,’’ said the minister, ``we built a dam across the river and stopped the water in ou country. The people in the east have no water now. So they are angry. They have stopped the sun because we stopped their water. Now we in the west won’t see the sun again.’’

``Is that s?’’ the king said. He thought for a while and then ordered, ``Go and break the dam at once.’’

The minister obeyed the order. He went with is men and broke the dm. the water flowed to the east once again. All the water in the town lowed back into river and the town was safe.

It was six O’ clock. The sun rose in east. The king saw it and was happy.

``Ah, we have got the sun again,’’ he said. ``Let those people have the water.’’