Continued from last week
When they found that the bulls had retraced their steps and they had come to the same place, the travellers got scared and panicky.
“What shall we do now”? “We have thrown away our water and firewood. Everyone was very sad.
Seeing his people sad and worried the merchant and he walked about in deep thought wondering what to do.
A tuft of grass
Suddenly, the merchant spied a tuft of grass growing in the desert. “If there is grass there has to be water underground" thought a greatly relieved merchant.
He quickly called a few strong, young men and asked them to dig at the spot.
The young men started to dig with much enthusiasm.
They dug for a while and suddenly, their spades struck a rock. The young men were in despair.
“What shall we do”? they asked one another.
The merchant climbed into the pit the young men had dug and held his ear to the rock. To his great happiness he could hear water gurgling beneath the rock.
The merchant asked the young men to split the rock. They hesitated as they were not sure if they would be able to split the rock.
The merchant tried to encourage the young men by saying “If there is a will, there is a way” but the young men were not convinced.
Then the merchant chose one young man and asked him to split the rock. The young man climbed into the pit and started to hammer the rock.
After a little while, a crack appeared in the rock and little by little, the crack widened and water gushed out. The travellers cheered with joy.
They leapt into the pit and bathed as much as they liked. Then, they cooked their food using the water and what firewood they could find.
The travellers stuck a post in the ground so that others would know there was water there. Then, they went on their way. This story clearly shows the truth of the proverb “If there is a will there is a way”.