“In this same city the head of this large community existed who was called ‘King APPOLIS ‘. 710 BTG XV

“I learned, namely, that before this incident our unfortunate country man had for some reason been on friendly terms with this King APPOLIS, and was often at his house. 712 BTG XV

“As it transpired, our young countryman once, in the course of conversation, during a visit to the house of King APPOLIS, made a ‘wager ‘ which was just the cause of all that followed. 713 BTG XV

“You must first of all know that both the community of which King APPOLIS was the head, and the city of Samlios where he existed were at that period the greatest and richest of all the communities and cities then existing on the Earth. 714 BTG XV

“For the upkeep of all this wealth and grandeur King APPOLIS certainly needed both a great deal of what is called ‘money ‘ and a great deal of labor from the ordinary beings of that community. 715 BTG XV

“And so, my boy, this is how it was. King APPOLIS who had been extremely conscientious in respect of the duties he had taken upon himself for the maintenance of the greatness of the community entrusted to him had spared neither his own labor nor wealth, and at the same time he demanded the same from all the beings of his community. 720 BTG XV

“And so, my boy, these means by which King APPOLIS then obtained what was necessary from his subjects for the maintenance of the greatness of the community entrusted to him seemed to our young countryman, for some reason or other, unjust, and it was said, he often became very indignant and restless whenever he happened to hear of some new device of King APPOLIS for getting what was necessary. 723 BTG XV

“And once, while talking with the King himself, our naïve young countryman could not restrain himself, but expressed to his face his indignation and his views of this ‘unconscionable ‘ conduct of King APPOLIS towards his subjects. 724 BTG XV

“Not only did King APPOLIS not fly into a temper, as usually happens on the planet Earth when somebody pokes his nose where he has no business, nor did he pitch him out by the scruff of his neck, but he even talked it over with him and discussed the reasons for his ‘severity ‘. 725 BTG XV

“Among other things there was included in this agreement that for obtaining from his subjects of all that was necessary King APPOLIS should be obliged to employ thereafter only those measures and means which should be indicated by our countryman. 727 BTG XV

“And in the event that all his subjects should fail to contribute all that which according to custom was required, then our countryman would become responsible for everything, and he pledged himself to procure for the treasury of King APPOLIS as much as was necessary for the maintenance and further aggrandizement of the capital and of the whole community. 728 BTG XV

“And so, my boy, King APPOLIS did indeed, from the very next day, fulfill very honorably the obligation which according to the agreement he had assumed; and he conducted the whole government of the country exactly according to the indications of our young countryman. The result of a government of this kind, however, very soon proved to quite opposite of those expected by our simpleton. 729 BTG XV

“The subjects of that community – principally, of course, those in whom the said consequences of the properties of the organ Kundabuffer had already been crystallized – not only ceased to pay into King APPOLIS ‘ treasury what was required, but they even began gradually snatching back what had been put in before. 730 BTG XV

“To this conference of ours there was also invited King APPOLIS himself with whom our elder countrymen had already previously had many talks on this matter with this aim in view. 737 BTG XV

“At this first general conference of ours, King APPOLIS, addressing himself to all, said as follows: ” ‘Impartial friends! ” ‘I personally am deeply sorry for what has occurred and what has brought about so many troubles for those assembled here; and I am distressed in all my being that it is beyond my power to extricate you from your prospective difficulties. 738 BTG XV

” ‘You must know, indeed, ‘ King APPOLIS continued, ‘that the machinery of the government of my community which has been wound up and organized during many centuries, is at the present time already radically changed; and to revert to the old order is already impossible without serious consequences, namely, without those consequences which must doubtless evoke the indignation of the majority of my subjects. The present situation is such that I alone am not able to abolish what has been created without provoking the mentioned serious consequences, and I therefore beg you all in the name of Justice to help me deal with it. 739 BTG XV

“After King APPOLIS had left, we decided the same evening to select from among ourselves several experience elderly beings who should weigh together, that same night, all the data and draw up a rough plan for further action. 745 BTG XV

“The rest of us then departed on the understanding that we should assemble the ensuing evening at the same place; but to this second conference of ours King APPOLIS was not invited. 746 BTG XV

” ‘And of course, as has also become usual here, many of those so-called “power-possessing” beings of this community will suffer terribly, even possibly to the degree of their complete destruction; and above all, it seemed impossible that King APPOLIS could escape such a fate. 749 BTG XV

” ‘And we had every wish to devise such a means because at our general conference yesterday evening King APPOLIS himself was very frank and friendly towards us, and we should all be extremely sorry if he himself should suffer. 751 BTG XV

” ‘During our further prolonged deliberations we came to the conclusion that it would be possible to divert the blow from King APPOLIS only if during the said revolt the exhibition of the fury of the rebellious beings of this community was directed not against the King himself but against those around him, that is, those who are there called his “administration”. 752 BTG XV

” ‘Having come to all these aforesaid conclusions we finally also unanimously decided as follows: ” ‘In order at least to save King APPOLIS from what is inevitably expected, we must with the consent of the King himself replace all the beings of our tribe, and each of these latter, during the climax of this “psychosis” of the masses must take upon himself a share of the consequences anticipated. ‘ 755 BTG XV

“And thereupon we first sent one of our elder beings to King APPOLIS to put our plan before him, to which the latter agreed, once more repeating his promise, namely, that he would do everything according to our directions. 757 BTG XV

“And meanwhile King APPOLIS guided by two of our elder beings, began under different pretexts replacing various officials by our beings, at first in the capital of Samlios itself. 760 BTG XV

“And when all had been changed in this way, King APPOLIS, always under the guidance of these elder beings of ours, began the restoration of the former code of regulations for the administration of the community. 762 BTG XV

“So, my boy, while the process of this revolution of theirs was running its course, King APPOLIS himself existed in one of his suburban palaces of the city of Samlios. 768 BTG XV

“Nobody laid a finger on him, because our beings had arranged by their propaganda that the whole blame should be placed not upon King APPOLIS but upon those surrounding him, that is, as they are called, his administration. 769 BTG XV

“And when the revolutionary psychosis had quite died down, King APPOLIS returned to the city of Samlios and again with the help of our elder beings, gradually began replacing our countryman either by those of his old subordinates who were still alive, or by selecting absolutely new ones from among his other subjects. 771 BTG XV

“And when the earlier policy of King APPOLIS towards his subjects had been re-established, then the citizens of this community resumed filling the treasury with money as usual and carrying out the directions of their King, and the affairs of the community settled again into the former already established tempo. 772 BTG XV