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Once upon a time in a certain animal kingdom, there live in the out skate of the kingdom a very sub-til and cunning tortoise who believed in himself that he was the wisest.
Countless times he has convince the king to put up contest with different kind of prices.
One day, the Kings daughter returned home from a very far kingdom which she went for visit to her fellow princess. Upon her return, her father the king noticed her with a sad countenance, and as any good father would do, he hugged her and seek to know what the matter was and she said that on her arrival at the other kingdom to pay her friend a warm visit, she was told that her friend was married and no longer stay with the parents and that was the reason why she was sad.
Worries and sorrows filled the kings heart on account of his daughter so he gathered his council of chiefs to decide on how to get a husband for his precious daughter since she was the only child the king had and whoever married her will eventually become the next king. Now the tortoise was part of the kings council of chiefs, and was a very sub-til and cunning animal, he suggest that a the king should organise a "rain race" for all the men who desires to have the kings daughter (Princess) as their bride and this idea appeared pleasing to the king mean while the tortoise had a son also.
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Since the king loved his daughter so much and would do anything to see her happy he order all the handsome and young animals who were not yet married to appear at his palace so when they all arrived, the king, declared to them how urgent he wanted a husband for his daughter. Addressing the young male animals with authority and power "I am the king of the jungle and i will give out my daughter in marriage to any animal who will able to walk under the rain for two days without covering himself as a sign of his strength and bravery".
Long live the king, we have all accepted your conditions and we are ready to do anything to have the princess as a wife.
The following day was the contest and it almost seem as if the heavens was just waiting for the contest to begin because it was raining as though it was the days of Noah.
Once the contest began, the tortoise son managed his way to the front and he soon began moving very slowly according to the instruction his father instructed him before the commencement of the contest. Thirty minutes into the race, other male animals in the contest began to complain of how slowly the young tortoise was moving and wanted to replace at the front but that was not going to be possible because the rule of the game says you maintain your place till the end. Along the ways some animals began to withdraw from the contest because of cold, some started dying and were drawn. Now the young tortoise never experienced any of this because of it hard and protective shell. One day already gone in the contest and the other remaining animals decided that instead of them losing their lives, they would quite so they would live to contest another day and this left the young tortoise as the only remaining animal in the race and so he became the winner and later got married to the princess.
Soon after contest, the King became very ill and eventually died, and the young tortoise became the king and made his father the second in command after him.
Question:
- What made the tortoise survive through the heavy rain?
- What was on the mind of the tortoise father before making such a suggestion to the king?
- Why did the young tortoise refuse to listen to pleading of other animals to walk fast?
- Why did the remaining animals withdrew from the contest?
- Why was the princess sad while she was returning from her visit?
- Write one thing you admire about the young tortoise and it father.