It would take me quite a year , possibly my whole life , to find the water . ' ` Never fear , ' said his fleet-footed comrade , ' I will fetch what the King wants . ' Just then the courtier arrived , bearing the King 's command . ` Tell his Majesty , ' said the Simpleton , ` that his orders shall be obeyed ; ` and forthwith the swift runner unbound the foot that was strung up behind his ear and started off , and in less than no time had reached the world 's end and drawn the healing water from the well . ` Dear me , ' he thought to himself , ` that 's rather tiring ! I 'll just rest for a few minutes ; it will be some little time yet before the King has got to dessert . ' So he threw himself down on the grass , and , as the sun was very dazzling , he closed his eyes , and in a few seconds had fallen sound asleep . In the meantime all the ship 's crew were anxiously awaiting him ; the King 's dinner would soon be finished , and their comrade had not yet returned . So the man with the marvellous quick hearing lay down and , putting his ear to the ground , listened . ` That 's a nice sort of fellow ! ' he suddenly exclaimed . ` He 's lying on the ground , snoring hard ! ' At this the marksman seized his gun , took aim , and fired in the direction of the world 's end , in order to awaken the sluggard . And a moment later the swift runner reappeared , and , stepping on board the ship , handed the healing water to the Simpleton . So while the King was still sitting at table finishing his dinner news was brought to him that his orders had been obeyed to the letter . What was to be done now ? The King determined to think of a still more impossible task . So he told another courtier to go to the Simpleton with the command that he and his comrades were instantly to eat up twelve oxen and twelve tons of bread . Once more the sharp-eared comrade overheard the King 's words while he was still talking to the courtier , and reported them to the Simpleton . ` Alas , alas ! '
he sighed ; ` what XXXXX the world shall I do ?
So at before behind in of than that to while