_William Shakespeare_ 414

_A SHEAF OF LEGENDS_

_To every important race of people there has come
down through the ages a fine heritage of story and
song. Usually these tales are largely fiction and
partially fact. They may be songs about heroes;
stories to account for the existence of things;
moral tales; or tales of pure imagination. Whatever
they are, they preserve for us from the past the
thoughts or the deeds of our early ancestors; and
as tales they excite our interest because of their
simplicity and straightforwardness._

[Illustration: ALI HAFED'S QUEST

(_See following page_)]

ALI HAFED'S QUEST

BY ORISON SWETT MARDEN

Long, long ago, in the shadowy past, Ali Hafed dwelt
on the shores of the River Indus, in the ancient land of
the Hindus. His beautiful cottage, set in the midst of
fruit and flower gardens, looked from the mountain side
on which it stood over the broad expanse of the noble river. 5

Rich meadows, waving fields of grain, and the herds and
flocks contentedly grazing on the pasture lands testified
to the thrift and prosperity of Ali Hafed. The love of
a beautiful wife and a large family of light-hearted boys
and girls made his home an earthly paradise. Healthy, 10
wealthy, contented, rich in love and friendship, his cup of
happiness seemed full to overflowing.

Happy and contented was the good Ali Hafed, when
one evening a learned priest of Buddha, journeying along
the banks of the Indus, stopped for rest and refreshment 15
at his home, where all wayfarers were hospitably welcomed
and treated as honored guests.

After the evening meal, the farmer and his family with
the priest in their midst gathered around the fireside, the
chilly mountain air of the late autumn making a fire desirable. 20
The disciple of Buddha entertained his kind hosts
with various legends and myths, and last of all with the
story of the creation.

He told his wondering listeners how in the beginning
the solid earth on which they lived was not solid at all, 25
but a mere bank of fog. "The Great Spirit," said he,
"thrust his finger into the bank of fog and began slowly
describing a circle in its midst, increasing the speed gradually
until the fog went whirling round