However, they thought they
knew everything about tower building; and those who had heard what
Neith said, told the rest; and they all flew down directly,
chattering in German, like jackdaws, to show Neith's people what
they could do. And they had found some of Neith's old workpeople
somewhere near Sais, sitting in the sun, with their hands on their
knees; and abused them heartily: and Neith's people did not mind
at first, but, after a while, they seemed to get tired of the
noise; and one or two rose up slowly, and laid hold of their
measuring rods, and said, "If St. Barbara's people liked to build
with them, tower against pyramid, they would show them how to lay
stones."
Then the Gothic little spirits threw a great many double
somersaults for joy; and put the tips of their tongues out slyly
to each other, on one side; and I heard the Egyptians say, "they
must be some new kind of frog--they didn't think there was much
building in them." However, the stiff old workers took their rods,
as I said, and measured out a square space of sand; but as soon as
the German spirits saw that, they declared they wanted exactly
that bit of ground to build on, themselves. Then the Egyptian
builders offered to go farther off and the German ones said, "Ja
wohl.
Pages:
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159